During a new chat with VRP Rocks, Graham Bonnet recalled Ted Nugent’s words on Yngwie Malmsteen while discussing his time with the guitarist in Alcatrazz.
After mentioning how Malmsteen became a star following the release of their debut album, ‘No Parole from Rock ‘n’ Roll,’ the singer shared:
“I remember we were on tour with Ted Nugent. I remember Ted coming in after the first gig. He came into the dressing room after our show, and he walked in and said, ‘Don’t lose this guy.’ He thought pretty cool, too. So that’s how that started. A great album. We did it pretty quickly. I wasn’t too excited about the production, but anyway, that was our first album. It got a lot of recognition.”
Malmsteen’s Departure From Alcatrazz
However, Yngwie left the band one year after recording the first album. When asked if it was because he wanted to pursue his own stardom or it was Bonnet’s decision to part ways with the guitarist, the frontman replied:
“Well, he was looking for something better because he wasn’t too thrilled with the other guys in the band, either, like I was. I was looking for somebody who was like a real keyboard player and a real bass player, which I didn’t find. We got somebody who would do it because we have to make this record.”
Yngwie’s Impact On The Crowd
Reflecting on the crowd’s reaction to Malmsteen’s playing, Graham explained:
“So he knew people watched him every night he went on the stage. They watch this kid do all this [mimicking his guitar playing]. People were gassed, ‘How is he doing that?’ I mean, now it’s like commonplace. Everybody plays like that.”
Rising Tensions Between Malmsteen and Bonnet
In 1984, Alcatrazz released ‘Live Sentence,’ a concert album recorded in Japan. Yngwie wasn’t happy with the sound quality but couldn’t stop the release. Internal conflicts between Malmsteen and Bonnet arose during this time, with Graham frustrated about fans focusing more on Malmsteen’s guitar skills than his vocals, as the guitarist claimed before. Bonnet also talked about their conflicts in a 2022 interview, saying:
“His attitude changed a lot as we played on. The ego was impossible to fight. It was just too much. One night, he got hold of my neck and tried to strangle me, which is a great story. I went off stage while he was doing his guitar solo. I tripped over his cord to his end, and I didn’t know I had pulled it out. I’m back at the bus, talking to the bus driver, and suddenly Yngwie comes running out, saying, ‘You f*cking c*nt.'”
In the rest of his words, the singer t described an altercation where Yngwie grabbed him by the throat with both hands, attempting to choke him and damage his vocal cords. Then, a crew member intervened by restraining the guitarist and ended the fight.
You can watch the entire chat below.
