Metal Gods Magazine
Interview by Jack Murphy 1965-2002

MGM: First I would like to say thank you for taking the time to speak to us...
Mandy Lion: You better be thankful or I will have your firstborn for dinner.

MGM: There has been a lot of talk about your solo project. What made you decide to do something on your own?
Mandy Lion: Whenever you are working with someone there has to be a compromise in order to keep everyone semi happy... I think that I really need to do this thing. There are many aspects of other types of music that I find appealing and there is only so much one can do within the confines of "metal." That is not to say that my solo stuff is not heavy. I think it is VERY heavy in fact but I have the freedom to venture out of that box and explore without any restrictions.

MGM: What would you say is different about your solo stuff compared to anything else you have done?
Mandy Lion: I have always played with incredible musicians and that can be a plus or a minus in some respects... If you are playing with someone that is great at their instrument they usually want to show that in the course of a song... That can be a good or a bad thing because sometimes the most simple way to express something is the best way. If there is that need to show your musical prowess you might actually end up diminishing the most important thing...The Song! There is no lick or solo in the world that is as powerful as a great song no matter how simple it is. When I do my own stuff there is no ego involved and whatever is best for the song goes. So, I think that my solo stuff is very much more song oriented than anything else I have ever done.

MGM: How would you describe the following musicians in a few words?
Chet Thompson... : great player, good performer, not playing anymore
The Mean... : Awesome! This guy should have done a lot more! One of the best players I have ever played with and a great performer to boot!
Tracy G... : Good player, not much of a performer, very limited but cool within his reach
George Lynch... : Fucking great! Great writer and player. I think that he would be happier in a heavier line up. He is also one of the coolest people I know in the business. I love the guy.
Jake E. Lee... : Musical genius! Great performer! Jake can do just about anything. I think he, just like George, is one of the best ever!
Joe Floyd... : He is Tony Iommi's evil son! I think that when it comes to pure heaviness, there are but a few that can hold their own
next to Joe.

MGM:Who would you want to work with if you had a choice in the future?
Mandy Lion: As far as guitar players go I would love to do something with Toni Iommi and or Ritchi Blackmore. Bassplayers Jimmy Bain (again) and Geezer Butler. Drummers that I like are Randy Castillo and Mikkey Dee (again)

MGM: A lot of people consider you to be a scary kind of guy. Is there anyone that scares you?
Mandy Lion: RICHARD SIMMONS!

MGM: Do you believe in the supernatural?
Mandy Lion: Absolutely... If you would had told someone a few hundred years ago that people will be communicating on tiny little handheld devices from one end of the planet to the other, they would have told you that you are crazy or that it was magic... Now you get a cell phone if you buy a happymeal! The phenomenon was always there but it had not been discovered yet... There is more between heaven and earth than we will ever know...

MGM: I have heard that you sleep in a coffin, have a huge cage in your home in which you keep willing female slaves... Is that true?
Mandy Lion: No way! Who told you that crazy shit? Can we hurry this up a little because I have to torture my bitch and get back into my coffin to get some rest...

MGM: I have also heard that a female actually sent you her cut off nipple once as a token of her love... Is that true?
Mandy Lion: That is true... I would have dated her too but I like women with two nipples.

MGM: What famous female do you find most attractive...?
Mandy Lion: What I find most attractive is a sexy mind but as far as visuals go there are a few that I find sexy... Anna Kornikova for example... I would do things to her other people would not do to a farm animal. Lorena Mckennit is another... I find her talent so sexy that I might get arrested if I ever met her. Her talent is so sexy that the only way for me to express myself to her would be through profanity! I would have to be like "YOU FUCKING BITCH! I FUCKING LOVE YOUR FUCKING MUSIC!!"

MGM: Will you be playing out anytime soon?
Mandy Lion: I will be doing some shows for my solo thing in a few months. All the shows will be in the LA area though. I am sure that WA and WWIII
will be touring soon too. I think Wakken in Germany will be on the agenda as well.

MGM: I have to admit that I was kind of nervous about meeting you after everything that I have heard about you. I did not expect you to be as nice and accommodating as you are. Thank you Mandy.
Mandy Lion: You are very welcome... I am always nice to someone that will not leave my home alive... I think that is the least I can do for someone I am about to kill...