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A MOMENT OF SILENCE: KEVIN DUBROW

There's very sad news to report to longtime Salad Bowl readers. Kevin Dubrow, lead singer of Quiet Riot, has died.

Quiet Riot Lead Singer Kevin Dubrow Dies

LAS VEGAS — Kevin Dubrow, lead singer for the 1980s heavy metal band Quiet Riot that scored a hit with "Cum on Feel the Noize," was found dead in a Las Vegas home. He was 52. The cause was not immediately known.

A neighbor summoned police and paramedics Sunday to the house where he was pronounced dead, police and coroner's officials said.

There was no forced entry, and no suspicious circumstances were reported, police Officer Jose Montoya said Monday.

Quiet Riot was perhaps best known for its 1983 cover of "Cum on Feel the Noize." The song, featuring Dubrow's powerful, gravelly voice, appeared on the band's album "Metal Health" — which was the first by a metal band to reach No. 1 on the Billboard chart.

DuBrow recorded his first solo album in 2004, "In for the Kill," and the band's last studio CD, "Rehab," came out in October 2006.

"I can't even find words to say," Quiet Riot drummer Frank Banali wrote on his Web site. "Please respect my privacy as I mourn the passing and honor the memory of my dearest friend Kevin DuBrow."

Determination of the cause of death was pending an autopsy and toxicology results, Clark County coroner's spokeswoman Samantha Charles said.

I met Dubrow in 2003 at the opening of The Kitchen restaurant at the Hard Rock Hotel in Orlando.

He was among a handful of B-grade rock celebrities and quasi-foodies who showed up to bestow their good graces on the new venture.

As I posted in the Salad at the time:

Kevin DuBrow of Quiet Riot is a huge cook.

When he heard I was from Tampa, he was pumped. He's spent some time here.

"I love Shells!" he said. "We don't have an inexpensive seafood chain like Shells on the West Coast. You can oyster up there until you're blue in the face."

Did he eat the peanuts from the barrel in the lobby?

"HELL YEAH! Ya gotta eat the peanuts!"

Next question: If "Cum On Feel The Noize" was a dish, what would it be?"

He thought about it. Then he grabbed his crotch.

"My meat and potatoes."

Later, I wrote a story for the Tribune. Here's the DuBrow portion of the story:

On the night of The Kitchen's Oct. 30 opening, the restaurant was filled with rock stars past and present. Harry Casey of '70s disco group KC and the Sunshine Band hobnobbed with '90s boy band star Chris Kirkpatrick of 'N Sync and heavy metal rocker Lita Ford.

Kevin DuBrow, lead singer of the '80s metal band Quiet Riot, dined on a plate of drunken sea scallops while he and his girlfriend watched Ford, Hagar and Sugar Ray lead singer Mark McGrath cook another batch with Percoco's help.

DuBrow says some of the culinary impulses musicians feel come from a distaste for garbage food that bands feel forced to eat on the road between tour stops.

"Some of the guys in my band were so cheap, they'd eat Taco Bell all the time," he says. "I prefer spending more money and eating something better. To me, your health is the most important thing, and going on the stage with indigestion is not a good idea."

DuBrow says that there is a hierarchy of road food that helps him appreciate the great meals he has at Emeril's in New Orleans or the Coyote Grill in Las Vegas or in his own kitchen.

"If it isn't Taco Bell, your options are Cracker Barrel, Applebee's and Red Lobster, none of which are really the best thing in the world," he says. "You've got Waffle House ... that's always iffy. God bless Waffle House. I love the taste of it. But it haunts you all day."

When the big money starts to roll in, a taste for fine dining is cultivated, he said.

"The more you are exposed to it, the more you expect," he said. "Chicken-fried steak is fine, if that's all you know. I, for one, can't stand it."

That doesn't mean the food has to be expensive. During a stint in the late 1990s while he was mixing an album in Tampa, DuBrow fell in love with the Shells seafood chain. He even ate the peanuts from the barrel in the lobby.

"I love Shells!" he said. "We don't have an inexpensive seafood chain like Shells on the West Coast. You can oyster up there until you're blue in the face."

I gave Kevin my card and he gave me his e-mail address. "Let's keep in touch," he said.

To my surprise, he actually did.

I'd get random press releases about drummers joining the band. Or when he'd release an album. Or when he'd take a shot at reforming the band. Or when a European tour was afoot.

It saddens me to know that Kevin is gone. Getting an e-mail from him was a vicarious thrill. He was a genuinely nice man when I met him. Plus, he loved food. How could you not love someone like that.

Here's a sample off Messr. Dubrow's work:

Posted by Jeff at November 26, 2007 07:49 PM | TrackBack