In a classic nightmarish day of press, The Dead Daisies' flight was delayed, and they arrive marginally on time for their interview with Headliner, only to find another journalist stood in their Paris hotel, apparently expecting an interview. When I do get to speak to lead guitarist, Doug Aldrich, he could not be more polite and apologetic. The Dead Daisies have just completed a substantial UK tour, all over England, Scotland and Wales, and they’re now destined for Europe.
To those who don’t know them, The Dead Daisies are something of a rock and roll hall of fame band, featuring John Corabi, who has fronted both Mötley Crüe and the Scream; Marco Mendoza, who has slapped the bass in Thin Lizzy and Whitesnake; and Brian Tinchy, who has drummed for Ozzie Osbourne and Foreigner. Doug Aldrich, who I’m speaking to today, has also played in Whitesnake and Dio, and is said to be one of the greatest lead guitarists in the business.
But perhaps the band’s most intriguing facet is founder and rhythm guitarist, David Lowy – he hails from a very wealthy family in Australia who own the Westfield Corporation, and is the CEO of the family’s private investment group. That may not sound particularly rock and roll, but he has used his money to go from the business world to touring the world with a stellar line up of rock musicians.
The Dead Daisies may sound a little like they've been pieced together, but Aldrich tells me that isn’t the case at all.
“These guys are all friends of mine,” he says, in his North Carolina accent. “Brian and I had done Whitesnake together, Marco was in Whitesnake for a little while, and John Curabi and I have known each other since being kids in high school. I talked to David Lowy, and he suggested I come out on the road with the guys for a little while, see if it’s cool - and we just hit it off. So we got together in January this year, wrote a record, recorded it, and we’ve been touring ever since.”
Easy as that, eh? I try to gauge from Aldrich whether the band’s founder had always been most passionate about this rock music, but got sucked into the business world by his family, or if he’s just living a dream life of being somehow big in both worlds.
“David had played guitar and been in bands when he was younger; then he went to work for his father in business," Aldrich explains. "He’s an extremely intelligent person. Then one day, 10 years ago or so, he decided he wanted to start playing again, so he reached out to some musicians and started writing songs. He basically does both, now – half the year he’s with us, half the year he’s working with his father.”