Bassist Rudy Sarzo Returns to Quiet Riot After 18 Years

Okay. So. You’re in Quiet Riot’s Inner Circle circa 2020/21. Keven DuBrow died fourteen years ago, and the only member of the band’s classic line-up who’s still in the group is drummer Frankie Banali. And then, tragically, Banali succumbs to cancer.

Now you’re in a pickle: you’d like to continue with Quiet Riot because the brand has value in Frankie’s honor, but only the most ardent fans are gonna pay to see a version of Quiet Riot with literally no one they remember from Quiet Riot in it. Like, remember when people were all, “How can it be Guns N’ Roses with just Axl Rose?”? Well, this is that x1,000,000.

So now what do you do?

Well, you probably try to lure back into the fold another living member of the classic line-up. Sadly, that leaves but two options: bassist Rudy Sarzo and guitarist Carlos Cavazo.

Look around the room. The three most famous members of your current line-up are drummer Johnny Kelly, because he was in Type O Negative and is replacing Banali; guitarist Alex Grossi, who is one of those dudes who has been around forever and has at least some vague connection to a lot of well-known bands; and singer Jizzy Pearl, who is named after ejaculate and has been one of 78 singers in L.A. Guns.

You can’t get rid of Johnny Kelly — you don’t need a drummer, and besides, he just got here.

But nobody really cares about bassist Chuck Wright — he actually did play on the studio recording of “Metal Health,” but 99.5% of the fans don’t even realize that.

And, incidentally, Rudy Sarzo is a bigger name than Carlos Cavazo, because he went on to play with a bunch other famous artists.

Suddenly, your decision is an easy one: can Wright and get Sarzo back.

Did any of the above actually happen, or am I just being cynical? We may never know.

But yes, Sarzo is suddenly back in Quiet Riot, and Chuck Wright is suddenly back in the minivan helping to drop grandkids off at school.

The official press release is below. Tell me I’m being a cold-hearted prick in the comments section.

“QUIET RIOT is set to welcome RUDY SARZO back into the band after an 18-year absence. Rudy was one of the original founding members of the legendary Metal Health lineup. He played bass on the Metal Health album, which sold over ten million copies and spawned the hits ‘Cum On Feel The Noize’ and ‘Metal Health’ and on the follow-up record Condition Critical. He appeared in the most notable music videos in the MTV age and toured with the band until 1985 and again from 1997 to 2003. During his years out of the band, Rudy Sarzo was a member of Ozzy Osbourne, Whitesnake, Dio, Blue Oyster Cult, Queensryche, and The Guess Who. Rudy is looking forward to recording and touring with Quiet Riot beginning in 2022.

“With the move, longtime Quiet Riot bassist Chuck Wright is graciously stepping aside to continue his recent solo efforts while heightening his role with his award-winning residency show, ‘Ultimate Jam Night’ at the legendary ‘Whisky A Go-Go’ which all the members of Quiet Riot fully support.

“The band and their management would like to formally thank Chuck Wright for his many years of dedication and perseverance and, most importantly, his distinguished talent. Wright has served off-and-on with Quiet Riot for nearly 40 years, appears on nine albums, and is known as the bassist for Quiet Riot’s mega-hit ‘Metal Health (Bang Your Head)’ and ‘Don’t Wanna Let You Go.’ He was a contributing songwriter on 1986’s ‘QRIII’ and appeared in the band’s video for ‘The Wild and The Young,’ among others. Wright has been one of the band’s longest touring and recording members and will continue touring with the band through the end of 2021. Chuck is and will always be an invaluable member of the Quiet Riot family.

“Rudy Sarzo said ‘I’m excited to be back home and celebrate the Quiet Riot Legacy, which began 40 years ago next year with the recording of Metal Health, the first heavy metal album to reach #1 on the Billboard top 200 albums chart.’”