Sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll? For Ronnie James Dio , the music industry was going through a decadent period compared to the 1980s, with success defined by media trends and frivolous themes, even in rock music.
Dio was interviewed backstage at the Arrow Rock in 2006 by the Toazted , and commented that he had a larger audience in Europe, where people "support the music" and maintained their taste for metal, than in the United States, where trends were purely commercial.
“America has become a place of trends; if you win American Idol, or American Karaoke, as I call it, you can be a big star, but without learning your craft, without coming from the bottom… But that’s what America has become,” he criticized. “Now there are guest appearances, so Rod Stewart appears [on the show] and, out of nowhere, his album goes back to number one (…) This shows the mentality of those who watch.”
Unfortunately, the vocalist believed that heavy metal music had also lost its true meaning. “Rock and roll used to be about sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll, but [now] it's just about the sex part. If you watch the music videos, all you see are people [simulating sex], it's a huge bore,” he criticized. “To me, that has nothing to do with the music.”
READ ALSO: Black Sabbath's Vinny Appice said Ronnie James Dio "hated" singing Ozzy Osbourne's songs.
