Quiet Riot: Very serious about not being serious

FOR YOUR average cub-reportin' type rock hack, the Road Trip stands as a hallowed institution, a chance to meet rock 'n' roll's Olympians "up close and personal," to confirm the veracity of backstage horror stories and, most importantly, to drink their beer for free. And, just like everyone remembers their first, er, kiss, I'll never forget my first road trip with Quiet Riot. It was way back when the monstrous Metal Health was rounding the corner on double platinum and the band had taken a night off to play their own headline gig in scenic Albany, New York. After nearly nine months the road mania was getting a bit intense and so were the fans — they had to leave their tour bus parked at another hotel as a decoy. Dame Fortune had truly arrived and stood ready to fling her underpants in their grinning faces, but they were still playing roomies and holing up in dumps.