By John Vidiadakis

Ron, first of all, some questions on Watchtower. How did you get into
the group, and how was the co-operation within the group in this period
before "Control and resistance"?

I was playing with S.A. Slayer when I first met WatchTower. We gigged
together quite a bit throughout Texas. When Billy left Tower, Jason
(McMaster, vocalist) called me up and I turned the gig down because I
couldn't imagine Tower without Billy (White), who was a very good friend 
of mine. When I did finally join the band, months later, I had a hard time
trying to fit in with the band, mostly because I felt it was Billy's 
band. I didn't feel comfortable until Jason left and we got Alan (Tecchio)
because then I wasn't the new guy.

"Control and resistance" is now considered as a corner stone for the
building of progressive metal, and it surely is, but in these times,
which was the audience's attitude on you?

When we did the European tour for "Control", most of the gigs were 
awesome. Some of the France shows sucked because they wanted straight ahead 
thrash and they didn't care for the progressive stuff. But some of the France 
shows were great, Lyon was one of our best shows on the tour. Just about every
German gig was great. Back home here in Texas, fans were very 
supportive.

There's a dark veil of mystery covering the third Watchtower album, "Mathematics", which never came out. Could you explain in few words what
happened in these times and how did the things finally lead Watchtower
to their split-up?

There were a lot of problems with Tower when we got back from the 
touring. Alan wasn't fitting in musically and personally too well with the rest 
of the band, so he left. But mostly, I hand severe hand problems and 
couldn't play. It took nearly 3 years for me to start playing again, and when I
returned, we lost the drive and motivation.

It was announced about one year ago that Watchtower would be reformed and "Mathematics" would finally come out. Despite these facts, it seems that we will keep on only dreaming… Could you be more exact on this matter? Are there any hopes for the future?

When "Ink Complete" was released, I couldn't believe all the positive
feedback I was getting from Tower fans. It seemed like a great 
opportunity to finally finish "Mathematics" and get it out there. Tower set up a few
rehearsals and tried to make a go of it, but the drive just wasn't 
there. I did everything I could to make it happen, but...

Are you still in contact with the other guys from Watchtower?

Yeah, I email Doug maybe once a month. Alan maybe once every 3 months.
Jason's hopefully going to sing on "Ink Compatible", the next Spastic
Ink CD.

Now, regarding Spastic Ink, how would you describe "Ink Complete"
to someone who hasn't heard it, like me?

A lot of fans describe Ink as Tower without vocals, with more
experimental. It's very progressive but more structured and organized 
than WatchTower.

In this time, when progressive/technical music seems to be wider
accepted than a decade ago, how did the sales of "Ink complete" go?

We pressed up a few thousand copies of "Ink Complete" and they're all 
gone.

For when do you plan the issue of "Ink Compatible"? What will it
sound like and what hopes do you have for it? Maybe a major record
company, a tour…

I'm hoping to get it done by the end of '99. The music will be more
focused that "Ink Complete". There are lots of scattered, abstract tunes
on the first CD. "Ink Compatible" will be based on computers, be a
little heavier and have vocals (Jason McMaster). I'm not too sure about
the players on the CD. So far, it looks like there will be a few 
bassists and drummers. On bass, Sean Malone and Steve DiGiorgio, and on drums,
Richard Christy and Sean Reinert.

As far as a label, I'll look into a few, and see what's up. There's a
possibilty that we'll just do it ourselves so we won't have to deal with
a middle man. But there are some labels who are doing a lot for 
progressive bands, and it would be worth checking into. A tour, that would be
interesting...

What do you think on today's progressive metal scene worldwide?

It looks pretty good to me. I don't buy a lot of CDs, but if you look
into the internet and a lot of magazines, there's some awesome shit out 
there.

Now, could you please tell your greatest influences now and then on
guitar playing and song writing, with a short comment on them?

My biggest influence bandwise is Rush. Yes has also been a fav of mine.
When I was a kid my guitar heroes were Alex Lifeson (Rush), Glenn Tipton
(Judas Priest), Michael Schenker (UFO), and Uli Roth (Scorpions). I 
don't listen to a lot of guitarists these day, but I really admire Steve Vai,
Trevor Rabin, and Alan Holdsworth. Mostly now I listen to filmscores and
cartoons.

Ron, in all these years you are moving in a situation between
acknowledgement and obscurity. Neither Watchtower nor Spastic Ink seem
able to create the fame Dream Theater or Queensryche have. But, after
all, is this that important, or do you think that being in such a level of publicity provides you with more important goods, as for example
mental calmness?

Well, it would be cool to quit teaching so I could focus on Ink.
There's no way in hell I could support myself with income from Spastic 
Ink. Dream Theater is seemingly getting pressure from their label to write 
more accesible songs, so sometimes there's a price to pay for integrity.
It seems as if the members are doing outside projects because Dream 
Theater is now somewhat restricted. John and Mike's Liquid Tension Experiment is
very cool. Speaking of integrity, have you heard Load and Reload?

Ron, thanx for everything, and may the bottle of Ink be always full!

I like that!