Bernie Tormé

The in-demand guitarist on new music, replacing Randy Rhoads and working with big-name frontmen.

Ian Gillan, Ozzy Osbourne and Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider have one thing in common – they’ve all worked with Irish born guitarist Bernie Tormé. He was a member of the most celebrated line-up of Gillan, the man Ozzy turned to when Randy Rhoads died, and a collaborator with Snider in the short lived Desperado.

But that is just part of his story. In the past four decades Tormé has been in numerous other bands – including Atomic Rooster to the Electric Gypsies – and also enjoyed a successful solo career. More recently he released the double album Shadowland, which combines punk, blues and metal in Tormé’s inimitable style. And he’s finished what he says is his final tour. So is retirement looming?

Why have you decided that this is your last tour?

I’ve done four albums in four years, and toured them all. Honestly, I’m knackered, and need a year or two off. After that I’ll think about playing live again. But I am not keen to do more club tours. It will have to be occasional shows and festival appearances. In the next couple of years I might record, so I’m not fully retiring from music.

You got fans to send in music via Pledge, which you then incorporated into the track Innovative Jam/Chaos Theory on your new album. How much of a challenge was that?

It was scary. I came up with the basic track, and then got nine or ten people to send me something. They all did the same part, and were each told to go mad at the end. It was three days of hell to mix, but it came out well.

You worked with your former Gillan bandmate Colin Towns on the new album. Did that throw up any idea of a Gillan reunion?

I would love it. And I think we owe it to the fans. But I doubt it will happen. I haven’t talked to Ian since 1993, but have been told he’s still angry and bitter about the way Gillan ended. And I know Colin is also against the idea. It has to be everyone, or it’s not worth doing. So there seems to be no chance. Looking back, how tough was it for you to step into Randy Rhoads’ shoes in Ozzy’s band? I cannot explain how hard it was. It was such a sad and dark time. I knew Ozzy didn’t want me there, because all he wanted to do was stop touring. Everyone was very helpful, but I was thrown into the middle of their emotional turmoil. They would look at me and were almost saying: “He’s not Randy.” It changed me. Before that I wanted to be a rock star, but afterwards I didn’t care at all.

“I would love it, but there seems to be no chance of a Gillan reunion.”

Do you feel that you’re underrated? That never bothers me. I’m not someone who needs that sort of attention. I care about the music, and not how highly other people rate my guitar work.

You’ve worked with some huge personalities. Do you feel comfortable as a foil to those kinds of people?

I’m quite a shy person, so it’s been good to have someone with a huge mouth like Ozzy, Ian or Dee, because it meant I didn’t need to talk. All of them are lovely people in their different ways. The person I enjoyed working with the most was Dee. What an amazing character – he is Mister Entertainment, and had so many great ideas for songs. MD