Great White Audie Desbrow. Jail, Drugs, And Rock & Roll. The Real Story!

Great White was one of the most iconic rock bands of the 80's. So many great songs that still wind up on all the classic rock radio stations today. We sat down with Great White drummer Audie Desbrow. He's an amazing story teller who keeps it completely real. In this smart, funny, and very surprising interview we think even the die hard fan will be shocked as to what we learn. Audie leaves it all out on the table. This episode is brought to you by our newest sponsor, Westlake Drum Center!. Enjoy!

[@morejelloplease]

I'll never forget back around 2001 when myspace was a thing, I sent Audie a message for shits and giggles and I told him how he had the best sounding bass drum i've ever heard, especially in the part halfway through Mista Bone when it gets really quiet and all you can hear Is that beautiful bass drum sound, he replied and told me all about his kit, the heads and beater used, etc. Freaking amazing! I'll never forget that. I bet if you email Lars, he wouldn't give 2 shits about you LOL

[@SteelToes]

I met Metallica in '84 at a meet and greet... while they still played CLUBS. James and Lars were the biggest asswholes you could ever meet.

[@Jaybo35]

Same here! He was great at responding back to people on MySpace

[@stepanbandera5206]

Lars who?

[@SteelToes]

@@stepanbandera5206 😃🤘😆😆😆😆😆

[@hinjurock70]

If Lars made his email public he'd get 10,000 emails a day.

[@cancelbubble6535]

Awesome band. "Hooked" and "Psycho City" are terribly underrated albums and Mark Kendall is *criminally* underrated as a guitarist. Shame about the revolving door of singers and that they couldn't keep it together.

[@metalmarty3948]

Met Great white about 10 years ago and got backstage passes. Hung out with them for about an hour and they offered us beers and sandwiches. Just sat around and chatted with them. The absolute nicest and coolest guys we ever met.

[@artderesh8174]

Audie I hope you see this, dude its been 45 years, we go all the way back to Sky People days, our bands played a few gigs together back in the 80s , fantastic to see you still rockin after all these year...man did we have fun....be safe brother

[@spaceman8839]

loved GW in the 80's, still listen

[@SteelToes]

I bet you I've seen Great White 30 times in the 80's and early 90's.

[@ellisonlowrimore7751]

Great White was such an underrated band! 🤘🏽🤘🏽🤘🏽🤘🏽

[@angusorvid8840]

I was thrilled when I saw Great White open for Whitesnake in '88 at The Forum in L.A. What a great show. I'd already been a fan of GW for a few years at that point and was thrilled to see them finally at The Forum. I remember Jack Russell said something to that effect like, "It took us ten years, but we finally made it to The Forum!" That was so inspiring to a young musician like me. I still haven't played The Forum, but I've played bigger gigs than I ever imaged, had some great times. What impressed me most about GW live that night was how spot on they were, how in the pocket they played. Absolutely rock-solid set. Mark Kendall is a criminally underrated guitar player and Jack is one of the best vocalists ever in the history of rock. What a voice! And Audie was great on drums, Lardie was great on keys, backing vocals and rhythm guitar, and Lorne Black held down the bassline. Whitesnake was great and it was wonderful to finally see Coverdale getting his due and the whole band was amazing. But at the end of the night, I realized Great White were by every measure their equal and could also have been headlining that night.

[@jimmienonya8912]

Ive always thought Audie was up there among the greats , just one badass drummer .I was on his wagon from the start...Hi-way nights, double bass getting it thru the whole damn song, love Audie's drumming....

[@signsoflife8905]

Met Audie last Summer..we opened..very nice guy..very

[@rondellschuyler7074]

For me i have the Great white Jack Russell albums. That is enough for me. New singer not into drugs or booze and can totally sing. That great by me. 53 and still love Great white. Keep rocking. Ron Indianapolis.

[@user-xf8gg7nb8m]

I definitely agree…I’m a big Tommy Aldridge fan myself..I’ve been drumming for about 35 years myself

[@NekoArts]

I love these videos, I could listen to these stories for hours. I feel bad for the maid but that coke-story cracked me up. Brilliant.

[@jayteesgear]

This blows my mind! I had ZERO idea Jack Russell dealt with such crazy issues. 😮. I was like 10 when I discovered Great White in the 80’s! I wore those tapes OUT! Gosh. I hope the guy is in a better place

[@sherylstory7809]

Loved Great White. Save all your love👍👍👍👍

[@80smetalrecyclebin]

Thanks Audie - you the man!

[@willydodson1]

Missed you guys...keep'em coming!!

[@richardcranium5048]

I've never met these guys but I've only heard good things about them . I've met a lot of bands though. My Uncle was the GM at Dayton Hara Arena from the late 77'- 89' and I practically lived there. When he took over in 77' i was 12 years old. In 78' Nazareth played there and Dan McCafferty was probably the nicest coolest person i ever met. Before they went on I played an acustic cover of Jet Lag for them backstage and I remember him being so excited that here was this 13 year old American kid playing his song. The whole band signed my guitar. Now 45 years later I've still got that guitar, and we've got a pretty tight bar band playing that song every Saturday night. The only song in our set that I take the lead vocal on... we do things a different way, back in the USA

[@scotv5099]

I saw Great White and Tesla there in 88

[@johnhagan582]

I went to a Great White and Dokken show in the late 90s in Kingsport Tennessee at a hotel ballroom (Meadowview Convention Center) seriously couldn't have been more than 2 or 3 hundred people in attendance but was awesome and after the show out in the parking lot as they were loading everything in there tour buses a couple of the guys in Great White asked me and a buddy if we had any weed and we did so they invited us on the bus and we all sat there for a hour or so and got high as hell lol dudes were as kool as could be with no egos whatsoever .just down to earth dude like we were .

[@stevierachelle6930]

Great interview... good stuff Audie!

[@willydodson1]

Audie... my teacher of all drums!!

[@MicheleM669]

Love this #audiedesbrow #greatwhite #jackrussellsgreatwhite

[@kejola1969]

Caught them last June in OAK Grove KY and they were nothing short of fantastic. I dig the new singer Brett! He really has a great stage presence! I'm really hoping to see them again!

[@randymoran67]

That's not great white

[@hangingon]

Nice interview. Im a Alice in Chains type 90s music and classic rock guy but lately have my car set to Hair Nation. These bands were legit good.

[@JimNedCreek]

Wait til you find out Alice in Chains was a Hair Band.

[@jonwilliams5869]

Saw them open for Whitesnake back in 87. They were solid!

[@jimmienonya8912]

I did too, in Columbia, S.C....same year , yes, yes, yes....Great White kicked ass , as did Whitesnake..great damn show !

[@raymondwarmke7318]

Me too , they were better than whitesnake

[@AudiophileTommy]

Great interview !!!!❤❤❤

[@jascatt3341]

This was one of the best interviews!

[@chrismunos7741]

I saw you guys open your tour in Kalamazoo. I will never forget that! Thank you. I still have my Great White CDs. Always will.

[@littleclay5875]

Incredible story!! To make it through all that... well said, great story telling, thanks for sharing! I remember back in the day trying to play Bruford and Bonham 🤣🤣🙃 . Another awesome video boys, thanks and keep up the good work

[@user-zv1nm6kp1x]

You have a wonderful way of seeing the guys get everything done before the time you are feeling well I'm glad you made it

[@billc.5861]

Ha ! I was a knucklehead teen drummer in the late 70’s myself and I did the Columbia House record thing too. I got Jonny Winter , Kiss alive 1 , Jeff Beck Edger Winter and I think a Montrose Anyway still have all my records Audie you are a very talented drummer and Im not ashamed to say, I copied some of your playing style back in the day. 👍

[@pedraw]

I loved Great White. Saw them open for Judas Priest in probably 82 or 83.......I think Hooked was my favorite album.

[@darknessviking]

this is very fun interviews

[@rwchidester]

Love this channel. Bring us more!

[@johnnowak9548]

Awesome. Glad to see a new post……it’s been too long!!

[@tom66909]

I’m a 90’s grunge kid that just recently got into GW! Love them!

[@PowerslaveWarrior]

Better late than never.

[@drewolm]

Holy shit! This one was pretty entertaining! This one should have been longer. Must’ve snow great stories there.

[@deweyarnett556]

Great White in there it don't get better than that !

[@deweyarnett556]

In their prime

[@JimbobZ17]

The psycho City album should have had several top 40 hits. Best Great White album.

[@jeffmartinaz]

Sounds like the same resurrection story that Skid Row is experiencing with their younger singer. Good for you guys. Still wish you all could reconcile with Jack, but the show must go on.

[@PowerslaveWarrior]

In terms of vocal ability, Audie's so right about Jack being untouchable in his prime. Way better than Coverdale! But In terms of just voice, Blackie for me has always been the greatest!

[@jimmienonya8912]

Love Blackie and Wasp, saw them open for Quiet Riot in 84 in Augusta, Ga...they kicked ass , as did Quiet Riot...

[@jimmienonya8912]

@TheMigrantHunter Coverdale couldn't pop a pimple on Jack's ass .....loved DEEP PURPLE : BURN..album, probably their best actually, matter of opinion I guess? I respect yo opinion ...

[@PowerslaveWarrior]

@TheMigrantHunter I love Coverdale, but he didn't have the range or as much texture to his voice. Jack is (was) much more versatile.

[@PowerslaveWarrior]

@@jimmienonya8912 I would have given anything to see both bands in their prime, but we didn't get huge names where I grew up and I was 12 in '84, so maybe too young for live shows. I got to see Quiet Riot with Kevin in 2001, and Wasp 3 times in the 2000's, but it's different later on.

[@jimmienonya8912]

@@PowerslaveWarrior I saw Quiet Riot in 2001-2002 with the original line up too in a club, they kicked ass...

[@jamesdelaney3797]

Those are some great stories

[@metalmike570]

Yeah Mitch Malloy was in there for a while.

[@billdauphine951]

That guy made it through fairly unscathed..he's all there. 😊

[@tylerthompson1842]

Seems like a really cool guy

[@freewheeler2go]

Yes! Band-Maid!!!! 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@gregzr-one5922]

all bull shit aside, life is short, would love to see the original line up back even just for a one off show, jacks health is not getting any better, would be cool to just go do a show as friends shake hands and just go about your day, cause after someone in the band dies its gonna be wish we could have played together one more time..

[@lorenzomedina3419]

I've seen you guy's in Victorville Ca back in 2016. And Grew up in La Puente Dude.😅

[@deandee8082]

I always thought Mark was every bit a player EVH was, no jokes, you don't think so go play some of Marks stuff Mark just wasn't all this flashy gimmicky stuff . . a lot of folks specially non guitar players have no idea whats Ed does, all his tricks and gimmicks whereas Mark is more of a solid player, he often picks every note and some very very fast stuff that makes your fingers sore real quick, and your picking wrist, Ed was a LOT of hammer on pull off stuff, I mean think about it, finger "tapping" that's a hammer on so people should know you can play an entire solo without a picking hand or anything picking strings, whereas there are other pure players that pluck each note and don't use much hammer on or pull off and on that uber fast stuff its a BICH to keep up without tons of practice and you must stay in good shape, take a year back you don't jump in where you left off you have to develop again, yea Ed was a LOT of gimmicky stuff alternating hammer on pluck, 4 notes only 2 were plucked so its a lot easier to sounds super fast, Ed had a space between his notes, which leaves time for your picking hand to catch up whereas Mark has this one song where he comes in and its this half note to full note roll like a drummer would do and I tried it and I was like still don't sound right welp he was picking every single note at insane speeds.. and Mark is a great rhythm player as well, its just a different style and tone package, lyrics are the same in a lot of ways high notes, women whiskey drugs and cars, they were the same a lot I thought the range was just different as Daves voice was a bit lower than Jacks so it was a lot of mid rangy stuff whereas jacks voice was a lot of high note stuff and again there wasn't the gimmicky pull off slide to stuff Ed liked to play in VH's rhythms and leads and people hadn't heard much of that so they thought Ed was some kind of guru in the flesh when really he just adapted to his own style what was easy for him to play best guess is Ed wasn't that great of a picker so to keep up he had to develop that kind of style, its all good, its all good music, not a competition in my opinion . . but pick up a guitar play some of Eds stuff then jump over to Marks stuff you'll see what I am talking about.. Mark had or has oodles of guitar talent, oodles .. Ed did to but imma put Mark above Ed for technical playing ability, prowess, not talking musically or melodically that's all subjective.. Melodically maybe Ed gets there? i like em both just as much so I cannot call that one, ROCK AND FUG#EN ROLL!!!!

[@Jayhawk9]

Loved great white all those years with Jack. Jani filled in nicely. The dude was so talented but he wasn’t an official member. All the other singers just didn’t fit at all for me and I would checkout from every singer and just wished Jack was back but I understand why and I’m still a big Jack fan he’s still sounding great but hearing this guy with them it seems to fit a lot better to me than those other singers and happy for the band. Keep it going Audie✌🏼

[@dangraesser5341]

Good lord I never knew how many singers they went through

[@CapstoneTider]

Sounds like it's next to impossible to replace Jack Russell.

[@mindsneaks]

Saw them in 1984 they opened for Judas Priest.

[@switchbladeromance1466]

Get Jack back ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@dalerbob]

58 times !

[@kylef5474]

Jani Lane kicked ass in GW!! I would have loved to hear Jani & GW produce some original shit. I bet it would have really worked!

[@kirkward3465]

Terry was good. The album Full Circle is pretty badass

[@dcore64]

There's like 5 Great Whites now.

[@user-ct6te2sw1c]

He was a good ass drummer loved his drum kits

[@THEKIDWISCONSIN]

Very cool interview. I'll say this...Jack is always going to be Great White (though I understand the split) and Terry...he was fantastic. And now what...on their 5th singer? Are we sure Great White doesn't have a Mark Kendall problem?

[@user-ek2go3tw1u]

......and I thought I had wild drug stories.......ha

[@starkillerclub3755]

I remember seeing Great White opening for Judas Priest on JP's Defenders of the Faith tour in 85, at Stabler arena in Bethlehem, it must of been after Great White's release of their self titled LP, because they still had a harder edge, and a more metal sound than the broader commercial, radio friendly fare that helped propel them to fame in the mid/late 80's. I remember I ordered the cassette from Columbia House after seeing them, Out of the Night, Stick it, and a cover of the Who's Substitute is about I remember from it tho. Great White was always kinda mid, imo

[@waynegram8907]

Did the band Centaur make an album?

[@SSTIXX-lc9qd]

👍

[@DarrenOxner-nf8zu]

What's.going.man.doing.all.right.

[@brianearnest566]

Audster

[@fumanpoo4725]

Like a Cholo was a great band.

[@pivotpointfilms]

As a Union Card holder “The Road” is venues and Local Crews wiping ur ass. The real heroes are the Local the Roadie don’t do crap Exocet leave garbage on the stage

[@bobpugliese4428]

Jack could sing but was a asshole back in dante fox! Great band but a big part was lorn (doyle) black r.i.p. who was a great guitarist. He lived with my friend mike. We went to school together he actually taught me how to play closer to the heart by rush. Partying took a tole on Lorne and sadly he passed way to young. He mentions Lorne and sadly not one of them attended his funeral or sent condolences.

[@awesomebeard1973]

Bill Ward

[@mikekile4412]

Jack's the only vocals

[@hugolafhugolaf]

Imagine if Audie went out with a woman named Mercedes, and they owned a BMW.

[@TravisBickle212]

🙄

[@randymoran67]

This band is pretty sad ! Jack is a physical mess but he still has the voice go figure ! Either get back together and have some respectably or call it a day !

[@gregc8483]

Such a one-sided view on life. Why should they call it quits when people enjoy going to these new shows?

[@randymoran67]

@gregc8483 one sided it's sad if you enjoy a non great white cover band by all means go! I saw them when they were a local band I'd like to preserve the memory not some broken down jack or some kid singing rock me

[@stevenholquin2127]

Dirty Deeds Butch Say Tony Richards Mark Kendall Don Costa Donté Fox I Worked at BCRICH and Don Costa …..I Would Work On His Mocking Bird Bass with The Cheese Grader on The Back Don Had Just Joined Ozzy Things Where Moving Very Fast Tony Richards Went To WASP I Would Jam With Chris Holmes in Buster Savage His Drummer Was Pig Pen at Store More on Valley Blvd I Think I Saw Dirty Deeds Open for The Snowmen Lots of Fun Then This Was Just Before Great White Might Have Been Late 70’s

[@stevedamien638]

Better guy now a f prick when they opened for Alice in Jan '90 and again for Scirpions months later April '90. Nobody cared them we were 5 6 feet tall tattooed guys by my mustang 1969 blasting the album Hooked just by the arena door they walked in both times he ignored and walked like a diva passing us. Tracy G yikes he brought Dio to nightclubs level by joining the band.

[@stratonut]

is he a better person now or did you grow up?

[@joshuanicely8722]

​@@stratonut...lol well put

[@randymoran67]

It's wasn't Tracy g it was the dissolution of metal and the rise of grunge and did wasn't releasing great stuff in the 90s

[@stevedamien638]

@@randymoran67 The 90s was the hey decade for Thrash Metal,the coming of Pantera,ect what you talk about?? were you even there then? Ozzy,Priest,ect were filling up arenas. Metal fans never cared grunge or if they did they still liked metal. woooa bro,,? Listen to the Dio g albums,,

[@stevedamien638]

@@stratonut He grew up' Thx for your fish IQ reply bro

[@cleatusandclovis1845]

This guy is a moron. Janies gf. Gee who was that. Watch a video

[@henrypena1543]

I wish these musicians from the 70s,80s and 90s would cut there hair,quit the hair dye and grow old gracefully. Let the young bands have there chance. You all will never get your youth back. Just quit trying to look your twenties. It ain't working bro

[@JeffLB]

Nice interview i was hige fan but no Jack i cant have it still GW…same goes for any band, VH was DLR, when bands change singers for whatever reason they have change names-all but 1 band for me-ACDC is only exception

[@bronyraur7439]

PCP. Waqawawawawa…lol!!!!!!

[@buttneked3963]

The 90’s in Myrtle Beach SC, The Purple Gator Rock n Roll Club, my Squaw said we saw Great White.🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️Blurry Decade , if she says we did? We did.

[@Americanpatriot68]

I grew up in Norwalk California from '76 to '86 and Great white is still my Favorite band. I was born in Fullerton and Raised on pure fucking Rock and roll. One word of advice if your ever in Norwalk stay awy from the " one ways and dont fuck with Norwalk Sheriff's department. Bad juju baby.

[@DecriminalizeMarijuana]

Audie Desbrow 🥁