By Gerry Gittelson

Rock-n-radio.com

HOLLYWOOD - It's always something special when a rock musician makes it from the Sunset Strip to arenas, so it was an honor to get together with drummer Anthony "Tiny" Biuso, whose humble beginnings started with a long stint in Rude Awakening -- the Anvil of the local scene -- but have sprouted into stints with such top bands as TSOL, hed (pe), Rhino Bucket and the Dickies.

Gittelson: You started on the Sunset Strip and have survived all these years. What's it like to work in a business that applauds you one minute, then turns its back on you the next?

Biuso: It's great!! I don't care what the haters say. I keep doing what I do because I love it. I have been playing for almost 30 years now and touring since 1984. I won't and will not give up, even in these trying economic times. I still go out and take a ton of little gigs here and there.

Gittelson: Let's start a ways back. I first met you when you were playing metal in Rude Awakening, but a lot of your best friends were the lipstick glam guys? What was up with that?

Biuso: Well, I was raised by people who never saw black and white, gay or straight, glam or thrash (laughs). My friends were my friends, it didn't matter that they looked like girls. They would still kick the shit out of you. We would actually set up the ignorants and beat 'em up on the Strip.

Gittelson: Yeah, you hung with the Glamour Punks. Those guys don't fuck around. Then you formed Full Metal Racket with Mandy from the Glamour Punks and that bass player Alley from Babydolls. What happened with that?

Biuso: It was Mandy, Blaine from Juicy Miss Lucy and a guy named Kelly doing the DJ stuff, at first. They asked me to play percussion. Then we formed Full Metal Racket which inspired lots of bands like Kottonmouth Kings and Limp Bizkit.

Gittelson: You used to smoke pot every day, but I notice you're looking sharp these days. Are you on a health kick?

Biuso: I am. I'm sober and dealing with life and all its misery all by myself (laughs). I enjoy a regular-guy life. I try not to look back and just forward. It has been a long rocky road. I have seen a lot of people go down the long dark road. Plus my current band, TSOL, are a huge inspiration. They came back from a lower low than I will ever see.

Gittelson: How fun is it to pound your drums in an arena with 10,000 people going wild? Do you get in a zone?

Biuso: Yeah, it's a great feeling to play in front of soldout crowds after years of paying dues and scraping the bottom. I do get into a zone. It's called "don't fuck up. There are 15,000 people watching you." (laughs) I have played over 3,000 live shows but still get a little nervous. Even at the little club shows.

Gittelson: OK, since we came up together on the Strip, give me your fondest personal memory of the following ....

Biuso: OK.

Gittelson: The Rainbow Bar & Grill

Biuso: Seeing David Lee Roth, hammered, getting thrown down the back stairs, Very fond of that. (laughs)

Gittelson: Wow, that's a good one. What about Guns N' Roses?

Biuso: Being at Duff's house for the "Use Your Illusion" kickoff party. Hanging with the guys in the band. Asking my friend, "Hey, how come all those guys are going to the bathroom all at once?"  (laughs) Then, some dude steals Duff's "Terminator II"  jacket and gets pounded! Funny stuff. Even with all the drugs and drinking that was going on, they still had shrimp and lobster. I think i was 21 or 22.

Gittelson: What about Poison?

Biuso: (laughs) Oh, man. Well, I remember being at C.C.'s house back in the day, and all he had was amps! No furniture. Just Amps and guitars. Like there should be a couch or something?

Gittelson: Yeah, I remember that house, too, up on Sunset Plaza. No furniture the whole upstairs.

Biuso: Retarded. (laughs)

Gittelson: Mates Studio in North Hollywood ...

Biuso: Well, I worked there for a couple days back in the day. Moving guys like Motley Crue and Black Sabbath's stuff around. I think Axl still has a shitload of stuff there.

Gittelson: What about rock and roll Dennys on Sunset Boulevard? Can you believe they tore it down?

Biuso: That place was an institution! I don't know how they ever dealt with us idiots.  Man, I met Sam Kinison there. I jumped into Andrew Dice Clay's booth and gave him my screwed-up Rude Awakening demo. (laughs) Good times there. Everyone went there at 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights.

Gittelson: Whatever happened to Lisa A., the manager from Rude Awakening?

Biuso: She went bonkers for a while. Last I talked to her, she was owed a bunch of oil by some oil baron who stole it from her or something whack like that. True story.

Gittelson: Yeah, that sounds right

Biuso: You heard that, too?

Gittelson: Well, I remember her thinking that people were talking to her through her TV set at her old house on Cheremoya, so I would believe just about anything

Biuso: That house on Cheremoya was great! I loved that house. James Dean learned to act in the back house. The previous owner was his acting coach. That's what Lisa said, at least. But who knows?

Gittelson: Hey, is Rude Awakening the ANVIL of Hollywood? Always one break away but forever determined.

Biuso: Absolutely. We opened for Warrant,Flotsam and Jetsam, Megadeth,Testament. We never got a single fucking thing out of it! (laughs) But my best memory was touring Europe in 97-99 when we got the band back together.