FROM THE ISLE OF WRATH – AN INTERVIEW WITH DOOGIE WHITE

Conducting an interview with the great Doogie White is always a pleasure and a real treat; not only is he a true gentleman but his discography is also utterly impressive and continues to serve as a huge inspiration to this scribe. The legendary singer has lent his voice to countless classy and memorable records over the years including ones by Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow, Michael Schenker, Yngwie Malmsteen, and Axel Rudi Pell. A few years ago, White teamed up with Emil Norberg (Persuader) for the Long Shadows Dawn project, and the two of them conjured up a fantastic slice of atmospheric and melodically strong heavy metal entitled Isle of Wrath that comes highly recommended. We caught up with Doogie for a brief chat about the aforementioned album and his plans for the future.

Hi Doogie, how are things at your end? 

D: Greetings, sorry it took so long. 

What was your first memory of music? And what was your first proper band? When and where did you discover that you wanted to front a band and sing?

D: We never had music in the house as we did not have a record player. When we were gifted one, my parents bought me Daydreamer Believer by the Monkees and Please Release Me by Englebert Humperdinck on the same day. That was the 60s. Early 70s were dominated by Bowie. Then I heard Deep Purple, AC/DC, Sabbath and it all changed. 

There were great guitarists and drummers but no singers, so I sang at church and a drummer heard me and asked me to sing. I really enjoyed it. 50 years later, still doing it.

‘Hunting Humans (Insatiable)’ by Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow has been in constant rotation here recently and I was wondering if you could enlighten me as to the origin of the lyrics and title as well as the story and theme of the tune?

D: I had the title for some years. It was a different song back then. It was written about a serial killer who could only make love to dead bodies after he had made them up to look like dolls. 

Others have interpreted it in many different ways. Played it at weddings and the like, so there must be some romance in there somewhere

An output that truly blew me away and ticked all the right boxes was Isle of Wrath by Long Shadows Dawn. How exactly did that project come about and was there an overriding lyrical idea or concept to the album? I would definitely like to hear more music from the two of you. What about taking the project on the road at some point?  

D: I agree, it’s a great album but got no promotion from the record company. Emil Norberg and I just started writing. It was different for us both. So many beautiful dark songs in there. It was done in the difficult Covid times. He is a fine writer and player. Whether we can take it on the road or not is in the lap of the gods. It’s not something we have discussed. Maybe we should. But with no one having heard the album due to lack of promotion, at this stage it makes no sense.  

How would you describe your chemistry with Emil Norberg and how did you gentlemen go about writing, recording, and mixing the album? I’m guessing the pandemic made it somewhat difficult if not impossible to actually meet up in a studio in either Sweden or the UK. How did Isle of Wrath take shape and were you personally satisfied with the outcome?

D: We have never met. We spoke a few times and exchanged emails. We just let each our contributions to the songs for the album do the talking. He likes to fish, I like to eat fish, so if we meet, we should do just fine.

My wife and I had the great pleasure of watching the Doogie White and Friends band at the brilliant WinterStorm festival last year. Is there any chance of audiences across the UK getting a chance witness said group of friends live on stage at some point in the future? Considering your past work with Michael Schenker, Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow, Yngwie Malmsteen, Empire, Demon’s Eye, your solo works, and so on and so forth, you could out together ONE HELL of a setlist 😊

D: No. That was the last hurrah for La Paz. We are all still the best of friends, having shared many adventures together over the years. I am looking at 2025 as it’s the thirtieth anniversary of Stranger in Us All that I did with Rainbow. Many of those songs have never been played so I am gonna do the whole album + others from my past to give the audience 90 minutes to treasure. The dates are coming in and I will be playing with musicians from all over the world that I have worked with in the past; DOOGIE WHITE’S WHITE NOISE (whatever chapter) depending where in the world I am. 

Outside of music, what are you into?

D: Gardening and planting trees. Dog walking and cooking. 

What does 2024 hold for you and your creative endeavors? 

D: Well, I quit Alcatrazz a month before the American tour. 12 hours every day in an SUV and doing a gig was not how I saw my life going. I have done 12 USA tours and loved them all. I would rather remember how it was than bitch about how it was. They found another great singer and will carry on. No anger no regrets. When it’s over it’s over. 

I am doing some shows in Poland in September. That will be fun.

I am also writing and once it settles down a bit there will be another great album that will hopefully surprise. 

All the best,

DTW

https://www.facebook.com/LongShadowsDawn