Story behind the podcast
One day in 1989, I got a frantic call from my editor at Faces Rocks magazine that David Coverdale, the lead singer for Whitesnake, was suddenly available for an interview. You’ve got to realize that just two years earlier, in 1987, Whitesnake was the biggest band in the world, with heavy MTV rotation on three songs, including their barn-storming metallic masterpiece “Still of the Night.”
Coverdale wanted to plug Whitesnake’s forthcoming album with its new guitarist Steve Vai, the cleverly titled “Slip of the Tongue” (on Geffen Records). I was asked: “Could you do the interview?” As it turned out, I couldn’t, but I knew someone who could.
My baby brother Brian Voger has nothing on this Earth if not the gift of gab. Brian is also a Deep Purple fanatic, and Coverdale sang with the “Purps” on their final three albums of the Seventies, “Burn,” “Stormbringer” and “Come Taste the Band.”
Brian jumped at the chance to speak with a musical idol of his. My only instruction to my brother was: “Keep him talking.” At one point during their conversation, Coverdale said: “Six months in the Whitesnake would do you good, Brian!” Coverdale also put Vai on the phone — a bonus for Brian.
My brother then mailed me the cassettes — “mailing” and “cassettes” being two things from the olden days. I transcribed the interview and wrote the articles — plural, because Brian did such fine work extracting golden quotes from Coverdale, Faces serialized the interview across three issues! The stories went out with our shared byline: “By Brian Voger & Mark Voger.”
From that moment, Brian would sometimes pinch-hit for me when the need or opportunity arose. He amassed quite a backlog of interviews with heavy hitters: John Entwistle, Les Paul, Bill Ward, Roger Glover, Rick Derringer, Ron Howden, Steve Morse, Joe Lynn Turner, and more that I’m not remembering at the moment.
Fast-forward
For the past few years, Brian has been talking about possibly collecting the audio from these interviews into a podcast, and even adding to the backlog with fresh interviews.
That day has arrived. Behold …
… “Rockin’ With Brian Voger,” the podcast.
The premiere installment presents an interview with Graham Bonnet, onetime lead singer for Rainbow, a band which featured another Purple alum, Ritchie Blackmore. Bonnet was joined by his ladyfriend and bassist, Beth-Ami Heavenstone. (Coincidence alert: Brian and Beth-Ami were in the same graduating class at Cherry Hill High School East in New Jersey.) Bonnet was funny and forthcoming. There’s not much Beth-Ami in the debut episode; she will be the focus of “Part II.” So stay tuned …
P.S.: The interview was recorded on April 17, 2025, for an article published on NJArts.net, editor-writer Jay Lustig‘s content-rich site about All Things Entertainment in New Jersey. Read Brian’s article (which previewed a 2025 show in Vineland, NJ) HERE.
Parting shot
Below is that Whitesnake song I mentioned. Looking back, it appears that sexuality may have been employed as a marketing tool. Or am I projecting?
Below are graphics for Brian’s podcast by his son, filmmaker Ian Voglesong.