Interview with Veteran Drummer Sandy Slavin (Riot, Ace Frehley, Adam Bomb)

September 15, 2025

Interview with Veteran Drummer Sandy Slavin (Riot, Ace Frehley, Adam Bomb)

By Mick Michaels

Cosmick View: Hello, Sandy, and welcome to The Cosmick View. Thanks for taking some time out of your day to speak with us. It's greatly appreciated.

CV: For you, as a veteran artist, is there a level of personal and professional pride that acts as an ongoing source of inspiration unto itself?
Sandy Slavin: Playing my instrument and getting better is the inspiration that keeps me going and it’s effortless to maintain. It’s not work in any way shape or form. I consider myself extremely lucky in that I always knew what I wanted to do with my life. My earliest memory is of wanting to play the drums. Rock and Roll just gave me an outlet for that desire.

CV: Is the continued popularity of legacy bands a telling that audiences crave nostalgia over modern innovations when it comes to their music choices?
SS: Rock and Roll is a mature art form. It’s continuously being refined but it’s not going to undergo a complete revision any more than jazz or classical music is going to. People like the music they grew up with, that’s not going to change.

CV: After all these years, what has been your favorite gig? Who have you enjoyed the most working with?
SS: I don’t have a favorite gig. There are shows that stand out; winning a battle of the bands with the second group I was ever in in high school. Donnington was amazing, playing my first arena show opening for AC/DC, the Meadowlands in NJ , Hammersmith Odeon, the Empire in Liverpool…all extremely special. I could go on and on.

CV: In your opinion, is modern music still evolving?
SS: Music will always emotionally affect people. Oasis' 'Rock n Roll Star' encapsulates the power of imagination and music perfectly.

CV: Do you think music in general still draws people to want to listen and engage while maybe even inspiring the audience to imagine becoming an artist themselves?
SS: There’s too much surface ambition now, I always wanted to be in a great band and I figured everything else will take care of itself.

CV: Many believe that an artist or band's success relies on good PR, good distribution, and good booking. This may be true to some degree. But with that focus, where does that leave time for good songwriting in your opinion? Do you think that the current state of modern music has possibly forgotten about the importance of crafting good songs like so many critics believe?
SS: I don’t think the importance of songs has been overlooked, it’s just easy to fake, gin up a song that sounds professional but if you really listen there’s nothing there.

CV: What keeps you moving forward? How do you find a new inspiration?
SS: I play my instrument everyday and it really doesn’t matter to me whether it’s by myself or in front of a hundred thousand people. The satisfaction I get is the same when I play really well.

CV: As an artist, do you believe that some dreams hard to let go of, or maybe even impossible to achieve? Or is it a matter of believing is achieving when it comes to fulfilling one’s dreams?
SS: For your career belief is critical, but you have to listen if something comes at you from an unexpected direction.

CV: Do you feel there can still be a level of the unexpectedness from veteran bands… something that would catch fans way off guard?
SS: I don’t think people want to unexpectedness from veteran bands.

CV: Thanks again, Sandy, for taking the time to share with our readers. We wish you all the best and continued success.

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My name is Mick Michaels...I'm an artist, music fan, songwriter, producer, author, show host, big dreamer and guitarist for the traditional Heavy Metal band Corners of Sanctuary. Writing has always been a creative outlet for me; what I couldn't say in speech, I was able to do with the written word. Writing has given me a voice and a way for me to create on a multitude of platforms including music and song, articles, independent screenplays, books and now, artist interviews. The Cosmick View is an opportunity to raise the bar and showcase artists in a positive and inspirational light. For me, it's another out-of-this-world adventure.