I fired away the first question in regards to the origin of the name Queensrÿche. Whip told me that band, back when they were known as The Mob, was about to put out their debut EP in 1983, but a record store owner told them they could not use the name because it was already taken. So, according to Whip, founding guitarist Chris DeGarmo suggested naming themselves after their song, “Queen of the Reich,” and spell it with an umlaut ‘y.’ We would have a good discussion about The Verdict and how lead singer Todd La Torre ended up working on the drums for each song. I had no idea La Torre was a drummer. When it comes to recording, Whip says that computers helps with the process, but it also hinders it as well. We would talk about how the recording process has changed so much since the 1980s and how a lot of bands rely heavily on touring and merchandising for bigger paychecks.

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