The Metal Voice Interview: Martin Popoff Talks New Riot Book ‘Swords And Tequila’

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Canada’s The Metal Voice recently spoke to Legendary Rock Author Martin Popoff to discuss his new RIOT book called, “Swords and Tequila”.

When asked about the content in his book

What I did was to write in my usual detail track by track, descriptions of songs, album covers, and production only the first five Riot albums. The Guy Speranza era which is three records worth and then the Rhett Forrester era which is two records. That takes us from Rock City to Narita, Fire Down Under, Restless Breed, Born in America. And there is a long epilogue where I do look at a fair amount of detail on the rest of the catalogue bringing it right up to Riot V and what those guys are doing today in 2015.

This is a band that was ahead of their time if they would have arrived on the scene with Guy Speranza, with all that firepower of Fire Down Under right there in 1983. It might have been Fire down under that went to number 1 instead of Quiet Riot Metal health.

On his thoughts on why Riot never became a bigger band

There were problems with management, they got dropped by Capital famously, where Capital thought they were too heavy for them and ended up on Electra. They had a lot of turmoil along the way and the Guy Speranza just quits the band right in the optimum time when the world is phrasing this amazing classic heavy metal album. Guy decides he wants out of the business and everyone in the band was ticked off at the grind of not really getting anywhere and not making a lot of money

What is one thing he learned about Riot that he did not know about before?

I would have to say it is that Crohns disease situation that Mark Reale died from. Also hearing all the management manoeuvres that had to go on to keep the band going.

Watch the interview here: