I recently had the opportunity to sit down with the rock experts at Metal Pulp and Paper to discuss the release of my book Crash: The World’s Greatest Drum Kits From Appice to Pert to Van Halen.

We discussed growing up playing the drums, and how I used music to cope with the trauma of losing my right eye due to a rare form of cancer. When asked how I was able to excel musically while dealing with such a traumatic situation, I told them that I owe my success to my parents and my faith: “I had incredibly supportive parents…I owe my career and life success to my parents, Silviano and Rita and, of course, God.”

The discussion eventually moved on the publication of my new book Crash. I told the MPAP gang that the book is essentially a coffee table book that features—in my opinion—the most amazing, fun, and downright cool drum kits in the world.

Before we finished, we dug into my collection of Clint Eastwood memorabilia—some of which was featured in my book Clint Eastwood Icon: The Essential Film Art Collection. We also touched on my work with some of the greatest musicians in the world. We talked about how nervous I was while installing a sound system in Steven Tyler’s Hennessey Venom GT—a car valued at well over a million dollars. 

Thanks again to the team at Metal Pulp and Paper. Check out the full interview here!