New Episodes: Planet Rock

Night Flight Plus is excited to invite you to Planet Rock! Watch exclusive interviews with rock luminaries at their most candid, in conversation with esteemed rock writer and Rip Magazine editor Lonn M. Friend. This is Lonn's introduction to the 2025 original Night Flight series.

Lee Abrams was beamed down from the Mother Ship to Chicago, Illinois in 1952. He’s a media maverick and industry icon who is credited with conceiving and developing the free form album rock radio format first at WQDR in Raleigh, North Carolina and thereafter implemented by hundreds of stations across the country. We met in 1994 when I was asked to be Alice Cooper’s ...Read More

Lisa Suzanne Johnson was born on October 20, 1963 in Corning, California. She is widely recognized as the premier portrait guitar photographer in the industry having captured hundreds of the most famous and sacred instruments owned and operated with passion and precision by a pantheon of players. Her two best-selling coffee table volumes, 101 Rock Star Guitars and I...Read More

Matthew William Sorum was born on November 19, 1960 in Mission Viejo, California. The Hall of Fame drummer hit the skins for three of rock’s most legendary groups, - Guns N’ Roses, The Cult and Velvet Revolver - but he never stops working and creating big beats. His 2012 Kings of Chaos project featuring members of Def Leppard, Aerosmith, Cheap Trick and ZZ Top - tou...Read More

Rodolfo Maximiliano Sarzo, born November 18, 1950, is a Cuban-American hard rock/heavy metal bassist. He remains best known for his work with Quiet Riot, Ozzy Osbourne, and Whitesnake, and has also played with several well highly respecte hard rock acts including Manic Eden, Dio, Blue Öyster Cult, Geoff Tate's Queensrÿche, and the Guess Who.[ He re-joined Quiet Rio...Read More

The eminent HK is a celebrated author, journalist and music historian who was born February 26, 1951 in the City of Angels where he still resides. Kubernik's writing has been included in numerous published works such as The Rolling Stone Book of the Beats and Drinking with Bukowski. He has contributed liner note essays for several CD reissue campaigns and in 2006 wa...Read More

Lorraine Lewis was born September 26, 1958 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where she founded and fronted the eighties metal outfit, Femme Fatale. Her MCA publicist, Janie Hoffman, brought her to the Rip offices on that debut press junket. I remember her hot pants and boundless energy. You may recall burning a midnight candle to Night Flight back in ’88 and being visuall...Read More

Rowan Wingate Robertson was born on November 22, 1971, in Cambridge, England. He was recruited to join the band DIO when he was only 17, replacing guitarist Craig Goldy. The teenage axe prodigy was launched from obscurity to global fame nearly overnight, Rowan played on and toured only one LP with the Ronnie James’ outfit, Lock Up the Wolves, released in 1990. He’s...Read More

William Whitfield Crane IV opened his wide eyes on January 19, 1968 in Palo Alto, California. He co-founded and has fronted the band, Ugly Kid Joe, since 1989. UKJ struck gold success with “Everything About You,” and their rousing cover of Harry Chapin’s “Cats in the Cradle.” While music supervising Adam Sandler’s debut film, Airheads, I tapped the charismatic Mr....Read More

Rob was born in the city of brotherly love on April 26, 1959; a veteran of the music biz environs who has worked with and for numerous notorious outfits. The Philly native can tell a torrid tale with the best of ‘em.. A confidant of Germany’s legendary Scorpions since the eighties, he stung the cinema world (not to mention his rock buddies) with his confident perf...Read More

Bruce Howard Kulick was born December 12, 1953 in Brooklyn, New York. He didn’t wear the make up but he did brilliant deliver the riffs for KISS from 1984 to 1996. He also performed lead guitar duties for John Corabi’s Union from 1997 to 2002 as well as the great American band, Grand Funk Railroad from 2000 to 2023. We shared many adventures back in the Rip days dur...Read More

Damon Rogers Johnson drew his first southern rock breath on July 13, 1964 in Macon, Georgia. He’s founding member, guitarist and vocalist for the celebrated Birmingham, Alabama band, Brother Cane and since 2021 has wielded his able concert axe for Lynyrd Skynyrd. The well-traveled and highly regarded composer guitarist has also done studio and stage time with Alice ...Read More

Mark Allen Slaughter was born on the 4th of July 1964, in Las Vegas, Nevada. He is a proud American musician, composer and lead singer for the glam metal band that bears his name. Before the formation of Slaughter, he fronted Xcursion, a Vegas-based outift that released two albums and appeared on three compilation albums from 1981–86.] Mark later replaced Robert Fle...Read More

A bright new star appeared in the crystalline skies over Denver, Colorado, on March 18, 1960, and she’s been shining brightly ever since. A seasoned, successful music business veteran, artist manager and an early pioneer of the Internet industry, co-founding one of the first major Web Development studios in Los Angeles, Lisa spent 20 years helping build the careers ...Read More

New York City native, David Plastik, crash landed on Planet Rock, January 22, 1964. He traveled the world as a rock n' roll loving teen, picking up his first Konica camera in 1980. For the next historic, chaotic, colorful, crazy decade of decadence, David and his single lens reflex were as ubiquitous as spandex and Marshall Stacks. Many of his images graced the page...Read More

A native Las Vegan, Ron Mancuso landed in the desert on August 26, 1962. His talent as a guitarist, bassist, keyboardist, songwriter and producer is well-recognized from L.A to Long Island. In the late 80s, Ron co-founded the Atlantic Records recording act, Beggars & Thieves which appeared in the pages of Rip Magazine three decades before we met and became thick as ...Read More

Roxy Petrucci, born Roxanne Dora Petrucci, arrived on Planet Rock March 17, 1962, in the iron fisted Michigan village of Rochester. Rox and her sister, Maxine, formed Madame X in the mid 80s but she is best known as the highly respected drummer of the all-female glam metal outfit, Vixen. As the last original member standing – and Godmother of the group – she continu...Read More

Fernando Perdomo born Fernando Jose Perdomo on August 17, 1980, is an American musician and producer. He is best known as one of the guitarists in the acclaimed music documentary, Echo in the Canyon, where he backed up Jakob Dylan, Fiona Apple, Beck. Nora Jones, Regina Spektor, Brian Wilson and Cat Power. He is currently a member of The Dave Kerzner Band, the hig...Read More

Oz Fox, born Richard Alfonso Martinez on June 18, 1961, is a founding member and lead guitarist of the Christian metal band Stryper. He was recruited by childhood pals, Robert and Michael Sweet, in 1983. He has recorded and toured with the band – through breakups and brain surgery – for forty years. Our friendship has grown since the pandemic when we began meeting m...Read More

His fellow musicians call him “Fitzy” a term of both affection and respect. Born March 27, 1970, in the Canadian province of Manitoba, the hockey loving multi-instrumentalist is always busy. In his long, eclectic career, he has worked with Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators, Theory of a Deadman, Alice Cooper, Vince Neil, Union, Gene Simmons, The Gues...Read More

Phil Soussan, proper birthname Philip Raphael Soussan was born June 23. 1961 in London, England. A successful veteran bass guitarist, songwriter and producer, his resume boasts tours and tracks with Last in Line, the Vince Neil Band, Big Noize and most famously for slapping the fat stings during Ozzy Osbourne’s historic 1986 Ultimate Sin campaign. He co-authored the...Read More

Frank Dimino is best known for being the frontman of notoriously loud glam rock creation, Angel, who was discovered (similarly to Van Halen) by KISS bass player Gene Simmons. Angel released five studio and one live album in the second half of the 70’s. After the band’s demise, Frank went on to work with UFO’s Paul Raymond and other endeavors that showcased his sky c...Read More