Frankie Banali Cancer Update: 'It's OK to Be Depressed About It'

Quiet Riot's Frankie Banali got candid about his cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatment on Sirius XM's Trunk Nation last week (Nov. 20). Telling host Eddie Trunk of his awareness that "cancer will be the death of [him]," the drummer also offered hope that it's "okay to be depressed about it, but it's not okay to stay there."

Last month, Banali revealed his diagnosis with stage four pancreatic cancer but noted he was "on the mend" after a round of successful treatments. Shortly after that, the musician thanked his fans and friends for their "overwhelming" support. This week, maintaining a clear-headed attitude he described as "realist," Banali expressed his overall amiability despite losing 62 pounds throughout chemotherapy. But the musician also displayed a forthright perspective when speaking to Trunk last Wednesday. Watch some of the interview toward the bottom of this post.

"I'm very aware that cancer, there's no cure for it," Banali said, as transcribed by Blabbermouth. "So I know the cancer will be the death of me. The question is when. And I think having a very positive attitude is very helpful. Yeah, it's okay to have your 'down' days, 'cause I have 'em. It's okay to be depressed about it, but it's not okay to stay there."

He continued, "It's more important to continue to live your life — not just for yourself, but for your family members and your friends, so they're not sitting around getting depressed because you're depressed or going on Facebook and having 'death watch 2019' or 'death watch 2020.' So it's very important to be positive — and realistic. I'm not a pessimistic or an optimistic person. I'm a realist — I deal with facts."

Further, Banali stressed the importance of personal responsibility when it comes to one's healthcare, especially since his surprising cancer diagnosis arrived after receiving regular checkups.

"I think it's important for people to understand that, first of all, if they have any inclination whatsoever that cancer is in their family, they should really have themselves checked out," Banali explained. "Because I had done physicals with my doctor religiously for 20, 30 years, and nothing ever showed up. And I did my last physical in February of this year, and no issues. And here comes April, and I've got stage four [cancer]."

Quiet Riot's Hollywood Cowboys arrived earlier this month. In September, the band replaced vocalist James Durbin with former singer Jizzy Pearl. Drummer Johnny Kelly (Danzig, Type O Negative) filled in for Banali during several gigs over the last year, making those the first the group had played without any members of their renowned Metal Health-era lineup. Banali, who joined in 1982, has been the only constant member since that time.

Quiet Riot's Frankie Banali on Sirius XM Volume - Nov. 20, 2019

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