The season finale episode of the acclaimed and top-charting music podcast Backstaged: The Devil in Metal. Hosted by bestselling author and music journalist, Jon Wiederhorn, the episode is a 70-minute-long extravaganza that explores the spectacular life and tragic death of metal legend Ronnie James Dio.
The episode addresses Dio’s early years and career with insightful and informative new interviews with Dio’s widow Wendy Dio. Additional details about Ronnie’s sometimes turbulent years with Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Dio and Heaven and Hell come from Black Sabbath founders Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler along with Dio’s longtime drummer Vinny Appice. Alice Cooper and members of Anthrax, Twisted Sister and Slayer provide additional commentary.
Previous episodes of Backstaged: The Devil in Metal address alternatively shocking, outrageous, hysterical and heartbreaking stories about metal culture, lifestyle and history, and include shows about the birth of the genre, the occult, heroin abuse, partying, groupies, horror and road pranks, as well as two-part episodes of metal icons Black Sabbath and Judas Priest.
Here’s some listener feedback about the podcast:
Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian
Sounds great!!! Real pro. Killer VO!!!
Ex-Overkill drummer and filmmaker Rat Skates
FANTASTIC! Thoroughly enjoyable! Jon has a gift for relating subject matter to an audience (who may not even be into “metal”).
Metalhead4ever75
Love love love love it!!!
Jon does a phenomenal job with these! He takes you on a journey that shows the life and times of so many of the greats! If you’re a fan of metal, checking out this podcast is a must!!
Backstaged: The Devil In Metal is a production of Diversion Podcasts with iHeartRadio. All episodes can be found on the iHeartRadio App, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you find your favorite podcasts.
ABOUT DIVERSION PODCASTS
Diversion Podcasts, a division of Diversion Media, creates immersive non-fiction audio stories that engage and amaze listeners. Through rare primary source interviews, elegant sound design, and author perspectives unavailable anywhere else, Diversion’s informative and entertaining productions take you deep into worlds and introduce you to characters you’ll never forget. From sports to spies, from true crime to true adventure, across history, music, and even war, Diversion brings real stories to life. For more information visit DiversionPodcasts.com.
ABOUT JON WIEDERHORN
Jon Wiederhorn is a seasoned music journalist, having written about rock and metal for more than 30-years. He is the author of Raising Hell: Backstage Tales from the Lives of Metal Legends and the celebrated classic Louder Than Hell: The Definitive Oral History of Metal (with Katherine Turman). Wiederhorn is a former editor at Rolling Stone, a former writer for MTV News and the co-author of I’m the Man: The Story of That Guy from Anthrax (with Scott Ian), Ministry: The Lost Gospels According to Al Jourgensen (with Al Jourgensen), and My Riot: Agnostic Front, Grit, Guts & Glory (with Roger Miret) and He has also written for Rolling Stone, SPIN, MTV, Guitar World, and Revolver, among others.
