Adrian Vandenberg (Vandenberg, ex Whitesnake)

Adrian Vandenberg is a Dutch rock guitarist, best known for his tenure as one of the guitarists in Whitesnake, as well as his own band Vandenberg which he started in 1981. He has a new album out now with Vandenberg titled “Sin”, and a tour across the United States will follow. We discuss the new album, and a variety of things from throughout his amazing career including why Vivian Campbell left Whitesnake, Vinnie Vincent, playing with Warren DeMartini and much more!

00:00 - Intro
00:13 - Hair & Wigs
01:25 - Touring with Kiss
03:40 - Learning From Other Bands
06:35 - Stage Moves
08:05 - Stevie Ray Vaughan  & Manic Eden
09:30 - New Vandenberg Record "Sin"
11:00 - Song Inspiration & Songwriting Process
14:12 - New Vandenberg Songs
16:25 - New Singer Mats Levén
17:15 - New Songs & Placement 
19:15 - Musician Income
23:20 - Show with Metallica & Dave Mustaine
25:45 - Whitesnake, Aerosmith & Poison Tour
27:05 - Warren DeMartini & Other Guitarists
29:01 - Discussions with other Guitar Players
30:00 - Vivian Campbell Leaving Whitesnake
32:30 - Relationship with David Coverdale
34:00 - Humor, Offending People & Wokeness
39:36 - Gender, Kids & Identity
43:47 - Vinnie Vincent
44:42 - Kevin Spacey & Accusations
48:00 - Make a Wish Foundation
49:37 - Future Shows
50:45 - Outro

Vandenberg website:
https://vandenbergband.com/

Make a Wish Foundation:
https://wish.org/

Chuck Shute website:
https://www.chuckshute.com/

Transcript

Adrian Vandenberg: 0:13

Laura there in the dark anyway.

Chuck Shute: 0:15

Yeah, me too. Yeah, it's like it was, like 30 or 40. Like, alright, let's dim the lighting a little. So you look great. Got all your hair looks looking good.

Adrian Vandenberg: 0:25

Well, thank you, man. Yeah, I'm lucky bastard. You know, my brother I started getting bolder when he was barely 30. And I was basically waiting for it to go man, you know, but I'm lucky. My sister is actually jealous of my hair. So that says

Chuck Shute: 0:43

that is so it's so interesting though, because they you know, you're coming from the 80s era. And they call it hair bands, which I don't know if you find offensive or not. But it is interesting spans, they lose their hair. And then it's like, you do like some of them just go shave head. That's cool. And then other people I feel like they're putting on wigs. And I think people some people know about that. Some people don't I don't know. But it's interesting.

Adrian Vandenberg: 1:06

Yeah, people know about it. I mean, you know, let's be honest. I started wearing wigs already in the mid 80s. You know, and they, they didn't do it lightly. You know, the they end up looking sometimes like, like the Bobby's in front in front of Buckingham Palace.

Chuck Shute: 1:25

Well, yeah, because you toured with Kiss. Right. So you got to Yeah, them and stuff.

Adrian Vandenberg: 1:30

Yeah. Yeah. It was very interesting to work. Really? Yeah, of course. Yeah. You know, those guys. I mean, it's really flamboyant stuff. You know. And with Vandenberg, we, we were a modest Dutch band, and we were play. Well, you know, the Aussie dollar, of course, two years before was in huge venues as well. So we had a little bit of experience, but then, man, you know, the Casio that is very serious, of course. And then it was interesting, because we only had a small part of the stage that we were allowed to use. And then a very small amount of lights, especially because the grass was going wild, we just had a hit with running hot, that the client is really, really receptive. And so you know, after one or two shows, we were a lot of people who's less light, less sounds and less space on stage. So what you do, you know, just keep working harder, and run around like a couple of Mad Dogs, you know, so that's interesting.

Chuck Shute: 2:38

So they actually, it's the opposite, like, you become more successful. And then you get less respect from the band you're opening for?

Adrian Vandenberg: 2:45

Yeah, yeah. Well, you know, I can kind of understand a little bit what their thing was. That was the first year when they do it with pink makeup instead of black and white makeup. And then they I think they were a little bit in a phase where they wanted to be taken more seriously, as a band instead of just theatrics. Which, of course, was the reason why they got Vinnie Vincent with it. Because, you know, everybody knows, pretty fantastic player. And so yeah, it was an interesting period. For them. And for us, too. So it worked out the right in the end, you know, I'm just really happy to restate. Yeah, no, it would have been a support that could Britney Spears, you know, it's fine. Whatever. Yeah. Better.

Chuck Shute: 3:36

She was pretty attractive back in the day. So when you tour with those bands like Ozzy, and who else did you YouTube with? Back in the day, and it was such a it was such a big it was like Michael Schenker kiss Ozzy rush, what do you learn? Yeah, watching those bands, because you're the opener. And then you assuming you get to watch some of the the headlining shows are just like, how they prepare and all those kinds of things. I mean, you take some of those things and bring it into Vandenberg?

Adrian Vandenberg: 4:03

Well, the main thing, I think I learned how to play a bigger stage. Because when you're used to winning small stages, you kind of try to move a little bit on a very limited space. And when you play on those huge stages, you have to own the stage, you have to make big bigger gestures, you have to cover some more ground and you have to amplify the expression that you put in your physical part of the show. And I can I remember vividly how it was when we were suddenly thrown onto the huge stage with Ozzy I go, Holy shit, you better start moving around a little bit because otherwise, you know, you use about five square meters on the stage and the stage is about 300 square meters or something. So it's a big difference. Yeah, and that's the main thing. And also, you do look at us bands especially. Well, a band like kiss, you know, we can't really compare to because we didn't have an I wouldn't not really use those kind of pilot techniques and incredible projection and all that stuff. You know, we were not and we are not that kind of band. But with Ozzy, it was more about the music. And basically, you look at those guys, and you see what they do you know, Jake, Jake, Ely was a very good showman, apart from being a great guitar player. So yeah, I suppose subconsciously, you you probably learn more than you do consciously. I did not. What, wait a minute, what I did learn musically because writing the song, you know, I did learn that the rhythms, the grooves as the songs, translate the a lot of the original stuff, then translate as well in big arenas, then the more meat type of groups, you know, when we have so much reverb, and Echo is in such a big room. Such a big venue. Some of the some of the things that work in the club environment didn't work as well in a huge arena.

Chuck Shute: 6:33

Interesting, that's that is related. It's interesting to what you say about the moving around like the stage moves, how do you learn that? Is that something that self taught or like for example, like when you do I mean, you're in the Here I Go Again, Whitesnake video, which is one of the biggest videos of all time, does the director or David Coverdale? Are they directing you in telling you how to move and stuff? Or they just say like,

Adrian Vandenberg: 6:55

No, not at all, actually. What I usually do, I let the music flow through me so to speak, I get sucked up into the whole vibe. And then as you remember, you know, that video was a huge soundstage, and with big lights and everything, and by then I learned, you know, to let myself go on stage and no matter what, and I really love the song. I'm definitely going to play that song on our American tour next year, because I'm going to play a lot of Whitesnake stuff that I was involved in in those 13 years was the David. And it I just let it go with that idea to use violin bow, of course. There was Jimmy bass thing. That was an idea from junk Alana in our manager for Whitesnake, because it's a way it's definitely an issue song. Of course, everybody knows. So he said, Oh, it would be great if he had to use the bow for the cello part. Yeah, great. So did you know and then I did live for quite a while actually.

Chuck Shute: 8:00

Yeah, that's cool. Now I know you're, you're a big Hendrix fan, but I've never heard your take on Stevie Ray Vaughan, because I feel like that's kind of like the next level Hendrix in a way like the modern version. So like, the way he moved in his faces and stuff. I mean, did that influence you a little bit cuz I think he's so cool. Oh, yeah. I

Adrian Vandenberg: 8:19

mean, Stevie Ray Vaughn is one of my biggest all time idols. Idols. I don't see the idol but favorites, you know, I listen to it a lot. Amazing player. Hendrix was is my all time hero so to speak. And I don't know if you're familiar with my medic eat an album that I made with with Ronnie Rudy and yeah, that's where my fever Ray and Hendrix influences go fulfilled because I used I played everything on one of my Stratocasters and and I just that's where my, my Hendrickson fever influences are definitely showing.

Chuck Shute: 9:00

Yeah, that sounds like such a fun album to play. Like, I don't think you guys did any shows live or very few. But like, that seems like that would have been really fun to play those songs live.

Adrian Vandenberg: 9:10

Yeah, man. It really is. It's a pity. We only did like a French tour, but it was an acoustic tour. So we weren't able to play like that. And that's a pity because I think it was a great band. And it's a great, it's a great record. And we're really proud of it record still.

Chuck Shute: 9:28

Yeah, so this new record, though, is great, too called sin. And the cover. It's cool, because it's like it's a continuation of the heading for a storm. I'm assuming that yeah, one is like there's heading for the storm. And there's this kind of like they're in the storm because they're in the skyscrapers or?

Adrian Vandenberg: 9:43

Well, yeah, I'll probably wait a minute. Yeah, I'm back. Over here. Yeah, the idea was that I suddenly had I thought it would be great to make a connection with the heading for the storm album, from 83 And those sharks as people, you know, people were aware of it. We're flying over a highway in the middle of a desert. And I thought, you know, it would be great to like those sharks fly into New York, the city of sin, and also go the apple. And there you go, connection between the snake and the Apple was the origin of sin. So that's why there's a little cheeky nod to my ears and Whitesnake with the Whitesnake in the video for the song sin. You got the you got the apple, the snake. And then New York City I've seen you know, so that's how I got I got that idea to make the sharks fly into New York.

Chuck Shute: 10:44

Oh, that's amazing. I'm glad you explained that to me, because I never would have picked up those little references. That's really smart. So you say like painting is kinda like making music like you have to be you have the ups and downs and the lights and the arcs and different shades and things like it's what inspires these songs, it just variety of things.

Adrian Vandenberg: 11:03

And, yeah, you know, it's really compare it to putting up like a mental advantage, so to speak, and hoping it picks up something. And with me, I'm really lucky and fortunate, and I never take it for granted. But when I get a guitar in my lap, or when I'm sitting behind the piano, my mental my mental antenna always picks up ideas for songs, whether it's a melody, whether it's a chord, or variants, or winning a die. It's always a way I usually start with a riff for, for songs, like I'm saying, you know, it's always starting with.

Chuck Shute: 11:41

And then so I'm assuming because you carry out the songs with the singer mats, which he's amazing. If people haven't heard him, he's worked with thee in vain. Malmsteen and Trans Siberian Orchestra. Do you write the riffs? And he writes the writes the lyrics? Or do you guys guys kind of dabble a little bit? neech?

Adrian Vandenberg: 11:56

Well, what do you usually do, what actually always doing always have done is I started, I make a very elaborate demo of how I hear in my head when I'm trying to make a record the music and program the drums and play the baby guy and all that stuff and keyboards. So I have a picture about the vibe that I think would be great for a song and, and like the 2020 album, my previous Vandenberghe album, my my latest one, before this. Right before COVID I wrote the vocal melodies and lyrics as well, which I was used to doing in my early Vandenberghe years. But this time, I realized quickly, that must also has a lot of ideas. So what usually happens is, when I work on a music, I always have like little melody lines, and usually the first line of a chorus and also the first words for a chorus. So I give it too much and see what he comes back with. And then we we bounce ideas around. And when we had most of it together, I flew to Stockholm where most lives and and then we started working on the vocal melodies and and the rest of the lyrics. And so yeah, that was very much like our work with David actually, that was interesting. It was the first time in since you know 1989 When David and I worked on the slip of the tongue. Now wait a minute. The rest was hard. Alan was in 1997 Actually, yesterday was actually the anniversary the 26th anniversary of the stock is in Tokyo album, the date and I recorded with the two of us the acoustic one but yeah, going back to vs heart there was last time when I worked together with somebody on the vocal melodies and the rest you know, so I'm not used to that but with much of what I write because you've got a lot of ideas too. And we work on the arrangements of the songs and we're also great so yeah, it was it was smooth.

Chuck Shute: 14:09

Yeah, it's great I love the song I think is this this first single was was lighted up because that's a really fun one the great guitar work on that that would be a fun song to like drive fast to or workout with or I would definitely not along I'm assuming you're gonna play that live.

Adrian Vandenberg: 14:23

Oh yeah, we already did. Two weeks ago we had something called the release weekend because that's when the album came out in Holland and we did two sold out shows and we played sin live we played live it up live we played house on fire live has a point was the cursing will actually send the second one I assume lighted up is going to be the third one because I really wanted either to single it. It's gonna be a lot you know, it's a great radio track.

Chuck Shute: 14:55

Yeah, how it's been the response been to playing the songs live and people's Are people here in the studio versions? Have you gotten a lot of good feedback?

Adrian Vandenberg: 15:03

Oh, yeah. People love it, you know, and it's great that they recognize it. Because the as you, as you mentioned, they they were singles already. So normally, if you play new songs for the first time, and people haven't heard it, I wouldn't put it in a set way way. So, right now we only play the songs that people already knew a bit, or, or very well, or whatever. And I could tell the response was big, you know, to those songs. So that was great. When we do our America, next February, March repertoire is going to be very Whitesnake heavy because that's, most people know me, you know, from my 13 years with Whitesnake, and I love to play them, that material that I was involved with, so such a long time. So it's gonna be an interesting combination of the most familiar classic Vandenberg songs like burning heart and your lungs and brain waves, and you know, that kind of stuff, and then there's going to be a lot of Whitesnake stuff, and then there's going to be some new stuff. So it's a very luxurious position, who to pick from a lot of great songs, you know?

Chuck Shute: 16:15

Yeah, that's a great I love that the mix because I like personally, I like a lot of the new stuff, but you gotta I mean, if you're associated with Whitesnake, and obviously, the old Vandenberg stuff, you got to play that too. And it sounds like the singer can do it. He sounds like I mean, if you listen to this new album, I mean, there's some of the songs sound very David Coverdale ish. Yeah,

Adrian Vandenberg: 16:34

of course, you know, he's, he's from a generation of singers. He's in his mid 50s. Now. That was one of his influences when he started singing, you know, David and Robert bland, and Ron James VO. So you can hear all the influences in singing. And the interesting thing is, that is Tom Brady's tone of voice is not far away from David's at all, when we played still have a night and an encore, when we played the Monsters of Rock cruise, two months ago. He sounds very close to COVID. Or he's one of the very few singers who can pull it off. When people go, Oh, shit.

Chuck Shute: 17:10

Yeah, because that is not an easy song to sing. Talk about Burning Skies, because I felt that riff is so interesting. I'm not a musician. Really? I don't really know. But it's like, I feel like the tempo or something, how are you kind of start and stop. And it just it has kind of like an old like, like almost like a Megadeth feel like it's really kind of a cool riff. How did you come up with that?

Adrian Vandenberg: 17:30

Yeah, this will be a thing that I mentioned earlier. You know, those, those riffs kind of pick up my guitar. And those things usually start to happen. I go, Oh, this is nice. And then I fine tune it a little bit and then record it into my iPhone. And so when I get to the phase where we're going to start writing songs again, then I listened to all the ideas on my iPhone, like 1000s of ideas on there. At least Yeah, I mean, at least hundreds. But over the last 10 years, it's got to be 2000 ideas, something I pick, I pick up the ones that are really gave me a give me a kick. And then I go, Oh, man, I want to continue with this one, you know, so. And then they, yeah, the Crossman stuff lurks around the corner. Because that's when you have to put the time and you know, you get that idea in the flesh sometimes. And that's when the work comes in. Because then then I have to make a song out of it. So it's a very interesting process. It still fascinates me.

Chuck Shute: 18:32

Yeah, and I mean, he also have the song hit the ground running, which is kind of like light up. It's kind of the fun, like, feel like it could be used for sports or an action movie or something. And then out of the shadows kind of has that spooky vibe. Like do you do you think you'll try to get the songs placed in movies or TV shows? I know you have a song with the football club. Right? You guys have, you know, themes?

Adrian Vandenberg: 18:54

Yeah, I wrote that song specifically for the local football team in my hometown. So it hasn't been released as a proper singer. But yeah, you know, it's always great. It's one of the songs that you that you have gets picked up because it gives you a lot more exposure than on regular radio. So it would be great, you know?

Chuck Shute: 19:16

Yeah, cuz How hard is it nowadays to make it as a musician, even someone as yourself who has a one of the Greatest Guitarists of All Time and well known, but just with the way streaming is structured. I mean, is there one main income source for you at this point, like is it is it current a songwriting stuff? Is it song royalties? Is it merchandise is that shows? Is it session work or guitar lessons? Or is it just everything has to be combined together?

Adrian Vandenberg: 19:42

Yeah, it's a pile of everything. It's like royalties that sometimes come in, you know, it's not as much as like five years ago, of course, but you know, if you keep moving like I do, then next year, I'll be coming in from now but our album sales, of course are crappy, compared to the 80s and Spotify only per stream, you get paid like zero point 0.3 or something, it's like basically nothing if you need to have like 100 million streams in order to make a living with that, but it's especially live shows, it's a merchandise. These days, more and more bands are doing VIP packages. And some people think that it's a lot of money. But you know, that's how you have to get by as bad because the fees for shows are not that difficult from like, basically 50 years ago, but during as it become like, so expensive, you know, the prices for transportation, hotels, all that stuff. Really expensive and crew crew guys, you know, a coup was really expensive, especially after COVID Because a lot of cool guys stopped doing it. And they took on like a solid job. And he didn't go back. So the cool guys are still there. charge more money. So all in all. For me, it's a survival of the fittest. I do this because it's my passion, you know, and if I have a roof over my head, and you know, I did well with Whitesnake, of course otherwise, I probably wouldn't be able to do this because in this face, you know, it's very hard to make enough money to make living for everybody you know whether you know, not only the really big act, make a shitload of money, but the middle part, like between a starter and people were name and reputation, but not nearly as big as the movie crews and Def Leppard. We're doing right now, you know, doesn't matter to us. The best way to do that would probably be be a special guest on a tour like that, you know, where you can make decent money and do some merchandising and stuff. But it's all great, you know, because I'm just really thankful that I still live because my passions are still my, my way of life. And I'm very, very grateful for that. Because, man, I never thought because I was, for a year and a half, I was an art teacher and at a high school was teaching art. You know, that was my job. And I loved it. Because I love painting. I love passing my knowledge over to to kids who are people who are interested, you know, so yeah, it's I'm still living the dream for me. You know?

Chuck Shute: 22:50

That's great. Yeah, cuz yeah. Now you got the art degree and all that stuff. And so it's really cool that you're able to still make music. Is there I can't see you. Did you really?

Adrian Vandenberg: 23:04

Put on the light? Because we're talking. Yeah. Let's see. Let's see if I can create some light here.

Chuck Shute: 23:12

Dimensional. Yeah, this is like pitch black. There you go. Listening. Okay, that's a little better. Yeah. Let's see what else I was going to ask you about? Oh, had asked about this. I know you've talked about this a little bit. But I just wanted to get a little bit more detail about that show that you did with Vandenberg, would you open or sorry, Metallica, open for you guys. And yeah, was the show that Dave Mustaine got fired out? Did he play the show and get fired after the show? Or was he fired before the show? And then they went on without him or something?

Adrian Vandenberg: 23:42

I don't know. Actually, I didn't know anything about that. I didn't know Metallica. At the time, you know? Now I do. But then I actually a fan sent a copy of a page from a biography of Scott Ian from anthrax, and he was apparently at the show. And he wrote about that incident in in his biography, and he said, you know, Stephen Mustaine work was stoned and drunk out of his mind and he was rolling on the floor of the venue as screaming how crappy music was because of course, they were making like some kinds of spunk, punk metal type of whatever. It was a wait a minute, I gotta. I got to connect my phone to the power. There we go. And he wrote about it. That incident I didn't know. So I thought oh, man, that's historic. It's history. You

Chuck Shute: 24:48

remember, like you didn't watch Metallica or you didn't see them that night or anything?

Adrian Vandenberg: 24:52

No, because it was a really late show. And we were on tour. I think we were on stage around like, way after midnight. If, and we were traveling at night because the next day we were headlining another show somewhere upstate New York, I don't know, but we, we didn't really have the time to stay. You know, I saw a little bit of their soundcheck. But at the time, that was not really my interest in music because it was like, metal, punk, whatever it was speed metal or something. The funny thing is, you know, at some point, I thought it would be a great joke to send them an invitation to open up for us again. Because, you know, it's nice to be young TALENT A CHANCE, you know?

Chuck Shute: 25:39

Absolutely. Yeah. Well, what about, do you have any memories of when you were in Whitesnake and you toured with Aerosmith, you did some shows with Aerosmith and poison, right.

Adrian Vandenberg: 25:50

Like in Europe, we have Aerosmith and poison as as support acts, as you want to call it that. They were basically special guests, of course, but boys and never got off the ground in Ireland or in Europe, actually, but ehresmann Of course, did. But at the time, they they did not have a stay at the status that they always have in the states and still have. So I'm Whitesnake, Dan. So we were headlining and I've always been a huge Aerosmith fan and they feel him you know. So I thought it was great, you know, having those guys with us on the Monsters of Rock Tour. It was a big tour, you know, through Europe, very big venues, big festivals. And it's a great you know, me being a fan. I can't say that I'm like, like a big boys and fan. But you know, they're really great at what they do. So yeah, what the hell, you know, it was a great lineup. I remember band was also choir boys, which is like a British band. It's very much like the early phases. We want to do it, you know?

Chuck Shute: 26:58

Yeah, that's really cool. It's interesting. So talk about to like, I didn't realize I had to look this up, but I I think I maybe I knew I forgot. But for a brief time, Warren Demartini from rat was in Whitesnake, right. Didn't you guys play?

Adrian Vandenberg: 27:11

Yeah, we toured with Warren and in 1994, The Greatest Hits tour. It was called, I really enjoyed playing with Warren. He's a great player. Great guy. We got on great, you know, we have different styles. So fun, really nice guy. Great player. So yeah, it was a great experience.

Chuck Shute: 27:31

What is it like playing with like, a Warren Demartini? Or Vivian Campbell or Steve Vai? Like, is it fun? Because you're both just really good guitar players? Or do you? Would you rather not share the glory? And just to have it all for yourself?

Adrian Vandenberg: 27:43

No, it's fine with me, you know? Yeah, I think you feed off of each other. And also, I think it's interesting because all of us have different styles especially the difference between my silence device style is totally different, is big. And see when I became a some friends, you know, we still regularly in touch. And we really enjoyed growing together because different styles, you know, and I think it's great for the crowd because you're much more variety in guitar solos in Guitar approaches. I think the style styles Vivian and Warren, are less far away from me, but still very different. Out of the three, like I have classical influences in my playing, as people are able to tell, Vivian is very influenced by Gary Moore. And he's got more of blues rock style, and Warren is very American. Warren is more I think, from the Avon Island School of playing and the kind of style very LA and I'm very, very happy and I guess you know,

Chuck Shute: 29:01

yeah, so what do you talk about? Like when you said you became friends with JK Lee on the Ozzy tour, you're friends with Stevie when you're hanging out with other guitar players? You talk to her stuff and you trash other guitar players? Oh, this guy socks are like you just I don't know another and how amazing things are. Do you just talk things about? Totally not guitar?

Adrian Vandenberg: 29:21

No. A bit of everything. You talk about mutual heroes about your equipment and about food about women. It's fun. I had very good memories of spending time with JQ Lee. For instance, he introduced me to onion rings. Well, definitely. And is opinion I vividly remember he says that our Johnson annual rings are the best ones man you know whenever you can get those or wants to get with Vivian. I did spend quite a lot of time on the eight seven Tour Of course. I always enjoyed spending time with him. I heard from him. other people that he was kind of talking in interviews about me being the cause of him getting thrown out Whitesnake, there was totally not not not the case. You know, I didn't even know that David decided to stop working with him until the tour manager told me you know, I didn't know. I know the reasons, you know, the reasons was very much Vivian's wife at the time so I can I can say it now, because they divorced. But his wife was a pain in the ass for a tour manager for a management for the light engineer for the sound engineering house used to go to the sound engineer and go, my husband is not loud enough in the mix, and then she would go through then the light engineer go, my husband is not getting enough light on stage. And the bottom line was that the ideas the song ideas that he presented the David. David told me later, you know, those were not the ideas that fit in Whitesnake, and they were more suitable for bands like YouTube and that kind of stuff. So those reasons put together. Were the reasons for David to stop working with videon. And I had nothing to lose it to do, you know? So yeah, I never got a chance to talk to Vivian about it at some point, who knows, you know, but it bothered me a little bit because I am not like that, you know. Whitesnake was always took the time and just like Lizzie and just like Allman Brothers in wishbone, as you know, there's lots of bands to play them when a band aid like that, you know, which I said was for a while. He did. They did a bunch of shows where he was the only player. But yeah, David always wanted it to be a cool guitar by playing a band.

Chuck Shute: 31:48

Yeah, I didn't. There was a brief time to where you were the only guitar player and then was there a time where you played with two other guitar players in Whitesnake, like a 97? Or something like that?

Adrian Vandenberg: 31:57

No, no, no. It's always been there to guitar players. Me and well, first, Vivian, and then Steve, and then Warren, and then the parents who were session player.

Chuck Shute: 32:12

Okay. All right. Yeah, that's Yeah. And that's the thing with Vivian that sounds like that was clearly David Coverdale call, because I think he ran that show. I don't think he was taken a lot of input from other muscles, maybe John Kolodner, or something. I don't know that he would.

Adrian Vandenberg: 32:24

Yeah, he took input. But David also took input from me, but mainly music wise. He's also talked about, you know, where to go direction. The thing with me is, I was I was used to running my own band, and like any other player, would have been Whitesnake. So David relied on me and he couldn't rely on me, you know, like, when, when David was in there at rehearsals, or he came in late or whatever, you know, I was used to working with a band, you know, and to running the band. So David told me over the years, you know, it was it was comfortable for him to to know that I am experienced with that. And as people know, you know, we were great to get on the music bit, and we're still in touch, you know, we became very good friends instantly, even before I was in Whitesnake. And when in the time when we did the recording sessions, where, you know, again, we spent a lot of time together and we have, we share the same kind of humor. You know, we, I lived with David in David's house for like, almost a year twice, you know, so in the evening, we would watch him, Monty Python and Fawlty Towers and blackout, and all kinds of you or movies or whatever, you know, we had great time together. And whenever we are together, we still have their time.

Chuck Shute: 33:57

That's awesome. Yeah, I noticed your humor. You post a lot of funny things on Instagram. Do you ever worry. offending people and losing fans? Was stuff like that? Like, I mean, I know that you posted the one thing about the Flat Earthers I mean, that made me laugh, but you never know. You might have flat our fans.

Adrian Vandenberg: 34:13

Yeah, I know. But you know, the people who know me know that it's all meant in good spirits. You know, I don't I don't want to insult anybody. I don't mean to, but I like to make fun. I see the humor in everything and anything and if you don't do that, life becomes a little bit heavy, you know? I mean, I see you are happening in politics. And also, there's a yeah, like I said, there's human anything and everything. I think. If you exclude stuff then it becomes kind of it could be racist if you like. I think if you If you've got to make a light hearted joke about any race or any country where people live, I think it's it's scary the fact that one of the funniest episodes of ours, which was about the Germans, I don't know if you've ever seen it.

Chuck Shute: 35:16

No. I've seen like clips of that show. I, I would watch it though. John Cleese is brilliant.

Adrian Vandenberg: 35:23

It's brilliant. You know, and the times we live in Azure woke, I'm very unwell, I think you should be able to make a joke about everything and anything because Umer and music are universal languages, you know, who doesn't want to laugh? And who, there's so many people who take themselves so seriously, I never take myself seriously because I'm only a guy who loves music and was fortunate to be successful in music. But that's not like a given. It's, there's so much talent in this world. And so many amazing guitar players, amazing drummers amazing vocalists, that, that that don't get the spotlight, you know. So I never take anything in life too serious apart from serious things. Like people passing away neglected kids, serious illnesses, from cancer to whatever, you know, those are things that I don't really joke about. But everything else, I think you should be able to see the humor in it, because otherwise life becomes really heavy.

Chuck Shute: 36:34

No, I agree. I was trying to get this author on my show, she was a sexual assault, she literally survived a serial killer. And she talked about how she loved dark humor. And so like that can you know, say, hey, dark humor is great. I mean, I think he's, I think my thing with comedy is just know your audience. Like, I try not to post a lot of stuff on social media, because I know it offends some people. So I just send stuff to people that I know. will appreciate those jokes. Yeah.

Adrian Vandenberg: 37:02

So yeah, you know, I got I got called back by my record company, and management regularly, they go, Adrian, you can do that, you know, people, you know, I go well, sorry, man. It's my kind of humor and people who like, my music and like, like my sense of humor, they will hang around, you know, and if they take things very seriously, you know, I may not be the guy to hang out with because there's, there's hardly anything, any subject where I don't see the humor. And you know, I do remember when I was making jokes about Donald Trump that a couple of a couple of people who are into Trump didn't like jokes, you know, but then again, by now, you know, friends and foes, call them the orange one I did at the time, because I thought I thought it was kind of funny, that Trump has himself sprayed orange, which he does people know, you know. And I think it's funny. If he would have been Biden, or Obama or whoever, you know, I think everybody's entitled to their political views and the political preferences. It's all fine by me, I won't, I will never go anybody who voted this way or that way. You know, it's a free society, and it should be one. But you should be able to make jokes about everybody in anything, you know, right. Now,

Chuck Shute: 38:31

there's stuff I just read the news, and I feel like the news is, is comedy on all sides of the political spectrum and just the world. It's kind of a little how it is. Because you're in the Netherlands, right? So I don't know how it is there. But here, it's just, I feel like it's a it's a comedy of errors right now.

Adrian Vandenberg: 38:47

Oh, it is the same as in the Netherlands have people been more open minded and free in Holland and a lot of other countries, but these days, the political correctness and the world movement is definitely also growing in Holland, to everybody surprised to go, man, that's not how we used to be, you know, it's not what a Dutch spirit is all about, you know, like, open, free thinking people, you know, appreciate each other and accept each other's different point of views and political views and whatever. So now, it's quite shocking to see the political correctness is getting a little over the top for me and also the world think mom and adult gender thing. Holy shit, you know? I have a different opinion about it, and everybody's fine. I mean, I compare it to other people, like I identify as a millionaire, but when I go to the bank, they keep telling me that I'm not you know, I think everybody should is entitled to to feel the way they feel. I don't I appreciate everything Irish Like everything, but I do have some difficulty with people who say, No, there's not just two genders, there's about 35 gender, because I gotta come on, they have no 35 genders, you know, this, whatever you feel like, It's fine by me, you know, I know, I totally respect people who are gay, people who feel like, they're somewhere in between, you know, it's, it's fine by me. But the thing that I have a little bit of trouble with it when it gets pushed on you. Plus, I don't agree with the fact that it's pushed on 12 year olds, you know, that's totally against everything, I believed I was a teacher, you know, I've been teaching art to seven year old kids, and I've been teaching teaching like a teenager. For me, when you're a teenager, when in between, for instance, the hardest bit is probably between 13 and 16. When you're trying to find your own, or a little older, even trying to look for what is my identity, you know, what kind of people do I feel comfortable? It's a complicated period enough. If you started telling 12 year olds or younger, you can be whatever you want to be, it's going to make it very complicated for them, I think, you know, because they're going to find out what they are anyway. But I'm against kind of pushing it on young kids, and whether that's left, right, center, middle or whatever, I don't care. My opinion, you know,

Chuck Shute: 41:40

ya know, I worked with kids for 17 years, it's definitely a tough time I worked with middle school and high school kids and from, you know, to 18 I mean, it's a process of exploration and identity. And those kids are, where before this whole gender thing came along. I mean, those kids were already struggling to figure out who they were, and, you know, trying personas and things. And I remember myself even trying to be like, I grew up in Seattle, in the 90s. During the grunge era, I was trying to be like a metalhead and I got called a butt rocker all the time. And I mean, it's an interesting time. Yeah, I mean, for kids, so yeah,

Adrian Vandenberg: 42:14

yeah, you know, everything is fine to me, as long as everybody respects each, each other, each other, whether it's religion, whether it's sexuality, whether it's how you feel how you identify your time, I mean, you know, but whatever it is, whether it's politics, or gender, or art, or music, or whatever, please, you know, respect each other, and don't push it on somebody else. Because people have the right thing to figure it out for themselves, you know, wherever you are, wherever you feel like, it's all fine, but I'd like to push a bit. And personally, I don't believe in 30 or 35 genders, you know, I think, well, you know, you're a born biologically or born as a boy or girl. And so at some point, when you feel differently, just, you know, find out for yourself what you're most comfortable with, you know, I don't really care, but don't, don't make it too complicated. And right now, I've seen a couple of restaurants where that is actually a third bathroom, you know, for people who don't know whether they are growing, boy, and if you take that further, then you're going to end up with 32 bathrooms. You know, that's gonna be a little bit of a weird society to me, but you know, wait, so what do you

Chuck Shute: 43:44

think? Because you're you toured with Kiss and Vinnie Vincent. I mean, there's rumors that he may be transgender. I mean, that's what people are saying. He's never come out and said either way, but Oh, yeah.

Adrian Vandenberg: 43:56

I think you've come out he came out because last year, there was a video on on YouTube, and I thought, Wow, man, at the time, I already thought it was in case when we supported I realized he was very, very feminine. You know, that's all fine by me. I don't care. You know, whatever somebody feels, do it. So he did. Yeah, he came out as like, you know, if you're more like a woman than like a guy, fine. You know, he's a great player, and whatever he feels like, doesn't diminish his displaying, in my opinion. And yeah, that that's like a serious subject these days. You know, Kevin Spacey, one of my favorite actors, you know, he gets all kinds of lawsuits from guys who claim that the E grid that bought or something whatever you know, it may be the case it may not have been the case, but I will usually Find a little suspicious when suddenly somebody gets bombarded out of the blue with one or two, and then a bunch of other ones. And then, you know, you got banned from all kinds of movies and, like House of Cards, one of my favorite series. Whether you pinch the guy's butt, you know, doesn't diminish, in my opinion is, in being an amazing actor, and rape is a different thing. You know, rape is a very serious thing. I can totally imagine that. That is a complicated thing for a movie company to deal with. But this was not right, apparently. And also, you know, he got acquitted. So the damage has already been done, because for a couple of years, he has even been able to play a role. You know, he's an amazing actor. It's very difficult. That whole thing, you know, in my opinion, regularly, it shoots way too far over the initial problem, if you want to call it a problem. rakish problem shouldn't be allowed under any circumstances. When your man like he is a man talking about that, I can't even tell you how many times I've been pinched in the back or other parts in that region, by sorry, over the years, the females if I would have had to start a lawsuit, I would have been extremely busy, I will still be in litigation right now. Because yeah, some people get carried away now. And I think bringing somebody is not that bad of a thing, especially when, you know, I don't know, it's so hard to prove and to work when a woman has been raped. That's something that you can prove. And that's that's an awful thing. And that that ought to be punished severely. I think raping is very, very scary thing. It can mess up somebody's life, it usually does pretty much always that there has to be severely punished. But somebody's binging somebody's but it's quite a gray area, and then very impossible to quite impossible

Chuck Shute: 47:42

to prove. Oh, yeah. And especially in the 80s things at times were a lot different. And they were very, you gotta be careful. I wouldn't advise anyone as guy or girl. Carefully pinch because yeah, I mean, people. Slow down. Yeah. So yeah, yeah. Well, thanks so much for doing this. I always in promoting a charity, is there a charity or cause that you would like to promote here at the end?

Adrian Vandenberg: 48:07

Yeah. And something with about children. There's a, there's something in Holland, that takes care of fulfilling wishes of terminally ill children. I don't know if something like that is in the States. Yeah, Make

Chuck Shute: 48:27

A Wish Foundation.

Adrian Vandenberg: 48:29

Well, there you go. Yeah, please, that I support that very regularly, bye. supplying a painting or a couple of lithographs or whatever. I think that's a beautiful, a beautiful cause because I've seen the faces of those kids. And it's, it makes you theory, it makes me teary eyed and the innocence of of kids, you know, not being spoiled, like we are having to discuss things that we just talked about, you know, those kids don't know anything yet. They don't get a chance to live. And all of them are optimistic, you know? I mean, if you're an adult and you're terminally ill, you want to keep living because you've got so many beautiful reasons to want to stay alive. Let's get down or anything yet, and they're totally optimistic. They're gonna, they're laughing and stuff. I think they make a wish thing is beautiful. So I would really like to support that too. Okay.

Chuck Shute: 49:33

Okay, I'll put the link in the show notes along with your website. The album new album is out now. And you guys have some shows lined up I think some shows with Jeff Tate and then some shows in March at the House of Blues in Texas. Oh yeah. More shows at it.

Adrian Vandenberg: 49:48

Yeah. Oh, no, actually we have the full schedule is going to be online one of these days but we 26 years and I'm the second half of summer, we want to come back for the West Coast. So next year with a bit of luck, we're going to do about 6070 shows in the United States, which I'm extremely happy about, because I haven't. I have not to the states in 1990.

Chuck Shute: 50:17

Yeah, that'll be great. And hopefully you'll do. I'm in Phoenix, so hopefully other come to Phoenix or maybe Vegas or San Diego, I'm

Adrian Vandenberg: 50:23

sure. Yeah, I'm sure. So we get a chance to shake hands and make sure you let our promo guy see parents and know that you want to come to the show, so we get a chance to shake hands would be great.

Chuck Shute: 50:34

That'd be great. Thanks so much. And yeah. All right. Thanks. Great. Thanks

Adrian Vandenberg: 50:40

very much, man. Take care and see you in Feeny.

Chuck Shute: 50:43

Alright, sounds good. Thanks. Bye. Bye. Bye. Thank you for taking the time to listen to the full podcast episode. Please help support our guests by following them on social media and purchasing their products whether it be a book, album, film, or other thing. And if you have a few extra dollars, please consider donating it to their favorite charity. If you want to support the show, you can like share and comment on this episode on social media and YouTube. And if you want to go the extra mile, you can give us a rating and review on Spotify, Apple podcasts or Google podcasts. Finally, make sure you're subscribed to the Show on YouTube for the video versions and other exclusive content. We appreciate your support. Have a great rest of your day and shoot for the moon.