The Dio Message Board recently conducted an interview with bassist extraordinaire Tony Franklin (ex-WHITESNAKE, BLUE MURDER, THE FIRM). A couple of excerpts from the interview follow:

The Dio Message Board: What was it like playing with Jimmy Page?

Tony Franklin: "Incredible and it just gets better with time."

The Dio Message Board: Did you get sick of the comparisons with THE FIRM and LED ZEPPELIN and also the fans wanting to hear the ZEP tunes?

Tony Franklin: "I didn't hear many comparisons. The feedback I heard was that THE FIRM stood alone on its own merit. They were different bands. Hey any comparisons to LED ZEPPELIN are just fine by me! I never heard any requests for ZEP tunes."

The Dio Message Board: Why did BLUE MURDER never really make it? There was so much promise there.

Tony Franklin: "Many factors. All my opinion of course. The wrong management. The wrong choice of first single. Too much taking it for granted that we were going to make it. Too much partying."

The Dio Message Board: Have you been contacted about joining WHITESNAKE?

Tony Franklin: "No. David [Coverdale] and I are great friends. He knows I have other things going on in my life so it wasn't even discussed. We both knew that I wouldn't be able to do it. Uriah Duffy has the gig. He's a great player. Perfect for WHITESNAKE."

The Dio Message Board: How did you end up joining WHITESNAKE for the 1997 Last Farewell tour?

Tony Franklin: "I met David Coverdale back in THE FIRM days. We talked about doing something together. It just took a while for it to happen!"

The Dio Message Board: Did you suspect that it might not be "the last farewell"?

Tony Franklin: "I didn't really think about it. We were just having fun playing some great music."

Read the entire interview in the "Don't Talk to Strangers" forum at The Dio Message Board (free registration required).