Lez Warner of The Cult History and Day One of Trying The Push™
Posted By: Michael Stephens
Original Published: October, 2009
Bending Reality Published: August 18, 2025
Lez Warner of The Cult History and Day One of Trying Michael Stephens' The Push™
Lez Warner Video Transcript:
Michael Stephens:
Hey, I’m here with Lez Warner at the US/UK Studios. Lez, why don’t you tell us a little about yourself.
Lez Warner:
Okay, I was born in London, England, back in 1961. Always wanted to be a drummer since I was 6, 7 years old; it was my main thing. I was brought up with the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. My father used to bring back … every weekend, he would bring back a big brown box with records, 45s, and in front of the 45 records would be sweets, chocolate. So he weaned me into the business, you see, because of the association with treats and chocolate and records that was it. So I blame my father completely for the whole thing.
But here I am. Back when I was 14 I didn’t want to go to school, I just wanted to be a rock star. For the longest, longest time that’s all I wanted to be. I wanted to be out there on stage and just play music. What happened is, you know, is that was my dream and I visualized it every day I was at school. I wasn’t even studying at school. I would be at the back of class and I would have a book and I would be drawing pictures of drum kits. So as far as The Secret is concerned, I really was the embodiment right there of The Secret because I was drawing and visualizing me being a rock star, being a world- class drummer.
So, umm, England, you know, I played in bands. I would play in three or four bands a night sometimes—I was a maniac. I mean I just loved it. And I really didn’t do any studying; it was just sort a natural thing for me to play drums. I like hitting things. And you know, I was just in the scene. Obviously I did a lot of things when I was in my teens. You know, I got involved with rock ’n’ roll—sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll, you know, the whole deal. It was all part of the part. So I was the embodiment of that. And as I say, I joined a huge band back in ’85 ’cause I was so determined every day. I played with Randy California from Spirit. I thought what my big break was really playing with Julian Lennon; I did his first demos back in ’82 or something, which I thought was my big break, but it wasn’t. I was every day, as I say, I was living it. I wouldn’t take any jobs; I was starving. I was the epitome of the starving musician, but I was determined.
And I got the call from a couple of different people that The Cult were looking for a drummer and I went down and auditioned with a 159 other drummers and I got the job, you know, so all that determination and everything paid off.
At that time I was 24—24 years old and still pretty immature. The situation was quite what it was meant to be. You know, I toured the world, I played on records, I was a star. I had fame for two and half, three years, started touring. It was great, we had a great time.
Things obviously in the back of it all weren’t quite right. You know, I dealt with it through alcohol pretty much, numbed myself. Because the situation isn’t quite what it should have been. Unfortunately if you join a band you are sort of at their mercy to a point, you know what I mean, and things can be out of your control. I can’t really go into in this interview but basically, I did it, I got what I wanted to do.
Hammersmith Odeon in London was the gig that we used to go to as a kid; it was where everyone played. Ozzy Osbourne to every big band played
Hammersmith Odeon. And when I joined The Cult we did three nights there. It was like, wow, the epitome of making it big; it was, like, beautiful. Then we played Wembley, you know. I achieved my goals, which was brilliant.
Michael Stephens:
What did that feel like?
Lez Warner:
That was the most amazing thing. You know, we played in Paris, opening up for David Bowie in front of ninety thousand people. Now there is nothing like that; it is better than any drug that is out there. You’re walking out on stage and there is ninety thousand people. We did forty thousand, twenty thousand, or whatever it was, a lot of stuff. It was an amazing feeling, you know, incredible, it just made you feel like a hundred million dollars. There is nothing like it. I think fame and that type of thing is very addictive, so I understand how people fall apart after it. Pretty much that’s what happened to me, you know. I achieved my goals and then after it fell apart, which it did for me, I was left like a broken person. I dealt with things in an alcoholic frenzy. And it’s amazing when you get fame, all these people around, they’re like they’re your best friends, they’re like, “Lez, cool. Hey, look at him, he’s drunk. Oh, that’s cool, that’s funny. Let’s hang out with him, he’s fun,” and then what happens is when you’re not a famous guy, or the fame, or you’re not in a big band anymore, they’re like, “Look at him, he’s drunk again. Oh, my god.” It’s funny how fickle people are, how things change. You know, that’s why I always hated LA. I hate LA because there is so many people that want to be famous in LA and they just crawl up your ass. Excuse my French. But they are just around and everywhere, and they just want to leech, they just want to get something out of you, and if they can’t get anything out of you they just disregard you, you know what I mean. But anyway … my pet peeve.
Anyway, the thing is about it, life is what you make it. Now I’m here with Michael and I’m trying to really clean myself of all the baggage that I’ve got over the years. Probably from that whole scenario of what you do as musician, you know, what you get.
Michael Stephens:
So you decided to try The Push?
Lez Warner:
So now I’ve met you through my good friend Chris Slade—who’s got no talent, by the way (jokingly). He’s complete no talent, that guy. I’m just kidding, Chris.
Yeah, I want to try The Push. I feel really great about meeting you, and I feel my energy is changing already. I messed with The Secret a bit, you know what I mean? I’ve sort … which I think you realize when you study The Secret, that you’ve done it in the past. That’s why I can relate to me drawing pictures of drum kits in school. That’s another form of The Secret; I was imagining me getting to where I want to get. But once you got there and try to imagine something, then when you realize about The Secret it’s a lot harder, I think.
That’s why I am here with Michael and I’m trying The Push.
So here I am. This is our first day, and I am very excited about the future.
Michael Stephens:
Where is it you would like to end up again?
Lez Warner:
Well, obviously my situation has changed, you know. When I was 24 joining The Cult I didn’t have any responsibilities. I was … you know, I was, “Take me anywhere, let’s go—Japan, whatever.” Now I have a family and I love my kids and my wife and dogs and everything. I’m here in Vegas of all places. Where I would like to be is I would just like to have control of my life. I’d like to be able to … I’d like the phone to be able to ring and someone saying at the end of the line, “Hey, we got this little tour, we’re going to South America next week. We want you to come out and do some TV, we’ll do a few gigs. Are you available?” Yeah, bang, great!
I’d like to be … you know, I think the spice of life is diversity, doing different things. My mother used to tell me … I can’t remember a word now, but things change all the time. I can never be a nine-to-five guy, never do that; it would be like I’d rather die. You know, I like things to be different all the time and change. So for me doing fly-out gigs at weekends or going to Japan for a couple weeks here, doing that and then clinics, teaching people … diversity, you know, different things. And obviously not having to worry about money, you know, that’s what I would like.
Michael Stephens:
So what do you feel are the things that are blocking you right now?
Lez Warner:
You know, I think everyone gets in their own way a lot of the time, you know, and obviously you carry around a certain amount of baggage with you from the past. Musicians are very sensitive people, I think. You think, “What do they think of me all this?” I just want to be in a head state where I don’t care. I know I can play, I know I have talent. I want my phone to be ringing with people calling me up and wanting Lez Warner to be on their tour and do their record.
Physically and mentally as far as my playing, my art, my craft, I am at the top of my game. I think it’s important for musicians to be appreciated. I think you bring out the best in musicians when they get appreciation. I sort of didn’t get that with The Cult, and that was one of the problems and why I used to drink too much and, you know, try to numb myself. But after that I worked with producers and work my ass off. Every time I work with a producer they love what I do, and that’s where I want to be. Appreciated and be paid for it.
Michael Stephens:
So, this is day one.
Lez Warner:
So this is day one with you, Michael, and I am very excited and whatever I need to do, I am going to do.
TAGS: Bending Reality TV™, TV, Michael Stephens, Lez Warner, Interview, The Cult, Musician, Bending Reality Program™
, The Push™, Music History, Drummers, Rock Drummer, Las Vegas People, Self Help,
Spirituality, Family, Success, Las Vegas,
