Interview with Jerry Dixon of Warrant

By Neon Blonde

July 30, 2003

  THE ROCK NEVER STOPS TOUR

NB:  Hey Jerry!  How ya’ doin?

  JD:  I feel real good!  Been on the road for a few weeks and it’s been a good tour so far.

  NB:  How’s the tour going?

  JD:  It’s been going really really good!  Like I said we’ve been on tour for three weeks, the fans are all great and it’s got a good vibe to it.

  NB:  That’s awesome cuz I’ve been a really big fan of Warrant for about fifteen years now.  So it’s great for ya’ll to be back out there doin it and everybody still enjoying it. 

  NB:  What’s it like touring with Whitesnake, Slaughter, and Winger?

  JD:  It’s really cool.  We’ve played with Winger and Slaughter a lot but it’s kind of new with the Whitesnake camp cuz they haven’t toured in like ten years.  But it’s been really great for us.

  NB:  I love the name of the tour, The Rock Never Stops Tour, and it so signifies how I feel about the kind of music and bands playing on this tour.  What are your thoughts on this?

  JD:  I just feel like the music that we do just kind of represents a good time and it all comes back to that.  People are tired of death and destruction that you hear all over the news and people have come full circle and they just want to be entertained.  It’s Rock N Roll! 

  NB:  That’s right!  I’ve been listening to my Best Of Warrant cd for about the last two or three days now and every time I hear certain songs on there and the first thing that pops into my head is ‘man good times!’  Just put on some good music or get in front of a good live band and just party!

  JD:  (laughing) I hear ya girl!

NB:  What will be next for Warrant after the tour?

  JD:  We are actually going to be going to Europe, well Jani is going to be in Europe for a couple of weeks and then we’re gonna start on a new record and have it out probably by next summer.

  NB:  Yea!  Another Warrant record!  I can’t wait for that!  I’m excited about that!

  NB:  I heard Jani say one time that you guys went into the record company’s office and there was a poster of Cherry Pie hanging on the wall and how great it made ya’ll feel.  The next year you went back to that same office and there was a poster of Jar of Flies.  How have ya’ll dealt so well with that whole scene and what I call my kind of music just disappeared cuz MTV quit playing it and the radio did too. 

  JD:  Yep it’s been rough.  It’s been up and down I mean I’m not gonna lie.  We call them the Black Years you know? (laughing)  You know we’re not real popular right now but we just go out there and play and we squeaked through it and made a living at it.  We just hung in there.  That’s just kind of how we do. 

  NB:  You know that right there just has to show people the level of dedication that you guys have.  Because I mean if there was anything that would make a musician stop what they were doing at that time that would be it.  It seems like it only pushed ya’ll harder and made ya’ll want it more.  I think that’s so admirable.  And as far as I’m concerned it’s never going away…or at least I don’t want it to!  (both laughing)

  JD:   Well I think it’s here to stay and it’s kind of come back around for us. 

  NB:  Have you done any solo stuff or other projects on the side?

  JD:  I might be putting something out next year; I’ve thought about it but right now Warrant is my priority. 

  NB:  What kind of music are you currently listening to?

  JD:  I don’t really buy music or listen to it believe it or not. 

  NB:  You have your own music don’t you?  (laughing)

  JD:  Yeah I mean I do it all day and I do listen to Stone Temple Pilots and stuff but not all the time. 

  NB:  I read somewhere that you founded Warrant when you were in the 11^th grade.  Is that correct?   What’s it been like for you to accomplish something like this at such a young age?

  JD:  I don’t know it’s hard to describe.  It’s been great but I think we’re really starting to enjoy it now than back in the early days.  I mean we are so lucky.  We don’t go and work 9 to 5.  It’s a trip! 

  NB:  Well I know when I read that you were in the 11^th grade I had to go back and double check my information to make sure I had it correct.  The 11^th grade!  I was just trying to make sure I graduated on time and look what you were doing and accomplishing! 

  NB:  Do you still like to play golf?

  JD:  Yes I do!  As a matter of fact that’s where I’ll be going when I’m finished with this interview.

  NB:  Is there anyone that you would like to work with as in producers or artists that you haven’t gotten to work with?

  JD:  No actually there’s not.  I’ve been doing this for so long now that I’ve worked with just about everyone that I would have wanted to.

  NB:  I never thought of you guys as sexist or feminist.  I just remember turning on MTV and going ‘all right a Warrant video!”  Did you ever get responses like that from women or was it also in a negative light?

  JD:  I don’t know.  I mean we did, we used to but that has kind of chilled out a bit.

  NB:  Well I just enjoyed watching the videos because you guys were just so darn cute! (laughing)

  JD:  Aw thank you so much!

  NB:  Two of my favorite Warrant songs are Hole In My Wall and Machine Gun.  I like the raunchiness of the guitars and the grinding vocals and nasty lyrics!  I like a good ballad but I’m a big time rocker chick too! 

  JD:  All right cool!  God bless ya! 

  NB:  Are there any web sites out there you would like to promote?

  JD:  Yeah actually there are.  www.warrantweb.net and www.jerrydixonweb.com

  NB:  Cool!  I’ve got those on my personal web site already.

  JD:  Why thank you very much and I appreciate that!

  NB:  Well I know your time is very precious so thank you so much for the interview and much continued success with the rest of the tour!

  JD:  Thank you and take care.

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