BRIAN WHEAT Says DAVE RUDE 'Saved' TESLA

In 2006, when TESLA needed a new guitar player to replace original member Tommy Skeoch, Dave Rude took the job and the band hasn't looked back since. TESLA bassist Brian Wheat, who is promoting his recently released autobiography, "Son Of A Milkman: My Crazy Life With Tesla", spoke to "The SDR Show" about how Rude landed the gig. "Frank Hannon [TESLA guitarist], he does a lot of social media," he said. "He found Dave Rude on MySpace. He said, 'I saw this guy. His picture looks really cool. So then I checked him out, and he's got some cool songs.' And I said, 'Well, cool. Get together with him, play and let's see what happens.' And then Dave came to my studio. Frank was there. And him and Frank were out there playing. And I walked in there and listened to Dave playing and I looked at Frank and went [shakes his head up and down]. And then we put Dave in with the band. He did one rehearsal, and we all went [shakes his head up and down].

"Look, Dave Rude I cannot say enough great things about," Brian added. "He saved that band. 'Cause when he came in, we were at a point where the whole thing could have ended again. And he came in and gave us a shot in the arm. I love that kid. He's great."

In a 2007 interview with Classic Rock Revisited, Rude said that it was "really easy" for him to fit in with the rest of TESLA musically."I am younger but we have the same background," he said. "I was always the odd one out in my generation because I didn't like the new stuff. I listen to the classic radio station all the time. I had been a TESLA fan since I was a little kid so I knew their music. In the FRANK HANNON BAND, we played a lot of TESLA songs and we practiced on the bus a lot to get me ready."

Asked if he was nervous about replacing Skeoch in TESLA, Rude said: "Tommy was a big part of the band and I was a huge Tommy fan and I still am. I was not that nervous, because I felt so at home. I was a little worried that the fans would not take it well because he was such a big figure in the band, but they have been great. The Frank Hannon tour helped, because I met a lot of the fans at the shows. They were in small clubs and we would hang out. Everyone embraced me really well, and when it transferred into TESLA, then everyone already knew me. I was expecting 'Where's Tommy' signs, but everyone was really cool. TESLA fans love their guys and they love the music. I think they are happy that the band is still going."

"Son Of A Milkman: My Crazy Life With Tesla" arrived on December 15 via Post Hill Press. The book features a foreword by DEF LEPPARD vocalist Joe Elliott, and was co-written with award-winning journalist and author Chris Epting, whose titles include "Adrenalized" (co-written with DEF LEPPARD's Phil Collen) and "Change Of Seasons" (co-written with John Oates).

TESLA spent most of 2019 touring in support of its latest album, "Shock", which was released in March of that year via UMe. The follow-up to 2014's "Simplicity" was produced by DEF LEPPARD guitarist Phil Collen.