Dr. Music Interviews

This episode is from January of 2019, when Quiet Riot drummer Frankie Banali was healthy and feeling good about the new life his band was getting with new young singer and American Idol star James Durbin. In this conversation, Frankie spoke a bit about Durbin and the band's latest album, One Night In Milan, but he also went into things like his love for Japanese culture, and his artwork. Toward the end of our conversation I asked Frankie about retirement, his life thus far, and what he'd like to do before he leaves us. His answers are deep and well thought out, but they are also sad and haunting because it would be exactly three months after this, on April 17, 2019, that Frankie would be diagnosed with Stage-IV pancreatic cancer. Frankie would eventually pass on August 20, 2020. It is with fond memories and a heavy heart that I present this interview to you. I will always feel deeply honored to have shared this and a few other moments with Frankie during his lifetime. He truly was one-of-a-kind.