"Everyone feels when it's summer, that's why "In the Summertime" is such a great song."

Two days before his concert in Kavarna, Bulgaria as part of Billy Idol's group, we got Californian keyboard virtuoso Derek Sherinian (ex-Dream Theater, Alice Cooper, Kiss, etc.) on the phone for a conversation about his brand-new, fifth solo album "Blood of the Snake", his work with Slash, Zakk Wylde, Simon Phillips and other notable musicians, covering Mungo Jerry, what it's like being of Armenian origin, and more...

Vassil Varbanov: Good evening, Derek! Where are you at the moment?

Derek Sherinian: Hi! We're in Novi Sad, Serbia. We just started a European tour with Billy Idol. We've played Finland, Russia, Latvia and Lithuania, and we'll perform at the Exit Festival tomorrow.

V. V.: Let's focus on your brand-new solo album "Blood of the Snake" now. How do you feel about it?

D. S.: I think it's my best record so far, and I'm very excited about it. A lot of my friends are playing on it - Zakk Wylde (guitar; Black Label Society, Ozzy Osbourne), Simon Phillips (drums), Tony Franklin (bass; ex-The Firm, Blue Murder)... Besides, this is the first album I've ever had Billy Idol (vocals) and Slash (guitar; Velvet Revolver; ex-Guns N' Roses) perform. And also, one of the main engineers of this record is from Sofia, Bulgaria - he's called Alexander Todorov.

V. V.: Let's start from the end of the album, where you have this old Mungo Jerry song, "In the Summertime" from 1970, featuring Billy Idol, Slash, Tony Franklin and Brian Tichy.

D. S.: This track was one of my favourites when I was a kid - I just loved it and played the 45" over and over again. One day Billy was singing it during a soundcheck and I said to him, "Wow, we should cover this!" Two years later we recorded it and he suggested that Slash should play the guitar, so I called him and he came down to my studio... We also shot a video for the song last week, so hopefully you'll see it soon.

V. V.: You know, summer is something very notable here, in our part of the world, but not in LA where you've gotВ sun and warmthВ almost the whole year...

D. S.: Summer is a spirit. Even though it's sunny all around the year in LA, everyone feels when it's summer, and that's why I think "In the Summertime" is such a great song. No matter what country we've played it in so far, the crowd responds. It just puts people in a good mood.

V. V.: By the way, as far as I remember, guitarist Steve Lukather of Toto was supposed to play on your new album, too, but I can't see his name in the credits. Why?

D. S.: Yes, Steve was supposed to play on the record, but Toto had to go on tour, so unfortunately he wasn't available. I hope we'll get him on the next CD, because he's one of my favourite guitar players.

V. V.: We had the chance to meet you some 4-5 years ago, when you played in Bulgaria with Planet X. What memories do you have from your visit in our country?

D. S.: I loved playing in Sofia and I remember how warm the Bulgarian people were. I'm very excited to be back now.

V. V.: Last question: Sherinian is an Armenian name, right?

D. S.: Yes, it is.

V. V.: You know, most of the Armenians living in Bulgaria are famous for two things - they talk too much and they support each other very much. I know it's this way all around the world, butВ did you get any support in terms of music from people like Cher, or do you have something to do with the success of bands like System of a Down?

D. S.: Ha-ha, I've never met Cher before, but I've met System of a Down's vocalist Serj - we're not really friends, but he knows who I am and I know who they are... I think Armenians stick together just because they've gone through some hard times, so there's a bond there, no matter in what country they are.

Copyright: Tangra Mega Rock