Black Sabbath and Dio drummer Vinny Appice appeared in a new interview with Backstage Pass and recalled the days he refused to stay at John Lennon’s house.
The drummer recalled his days playing with Ronnie James Dio and Black Sabbath and touched on the days the band was recording for the movie ‘Heavy Metal.’ During their recording sessions, the band had to go to John Lennon’s house, but Appice refused to do so. He talked about the incident:
“We had to do a song for the movie, ‘Heavy Metal.’ Warner Bros. Records wanted us to do a song. So we’re on the ‘Heaven and Hell’ album tour, 1980. They had two days off, so we went into John Lennon’s house, he’s passed already, and Ringo owned it. Of all places, I got his room, which is weird.”
Appice Wanted to go Into the Room
It had only been a year since the Beatle’s passing, and the band needed to use the house to record songs. Although he refused to go into the room, his choice was followed by regret years after the incident. He continued:
“They gave me the key, I go to the door, it says ‘John and Yoko Ono.’ I didn’t go in because he just passed away and I thought it was weird to stay in the room. I should have went in the room, I wish I did. That’s where we wrote and recorded the song ‘Mob Rules.'”
Appice Played Lennon’s Last Show
Before teaming up with Rick Derringer, Appice, at 16, was part of a band managed by the Record Plant studios, which provided them with a dedicated rehearsal space. One night, they received a request to assist with handclaps for what is now ‘Whatever Gets You Thru The Night,’ after which they found out was for Lennon.
Following their first encounter, the two became friends and Appice was later invited to join him for a live performance at the New York Hilton, which was broadcast globally.
Although it remains unclear whether the broadcast was truly live worldwide, it was later revealed in a magazine article about five years ago that this marked John Lennon’s final live appearance, a fact that left the drummer astounded.
