In a new interview with Jeff Gaudiosi of MisplacedStraws.com, Troy Luccketta opened up about his 2021 departure from Tesla.
The drummer revealed the reason behind his decision:
“First of all, the COVID thing happened, and that shut us down. That gave me time to take some time off and reflect and really think about where I was at in my life and re-evaluate it. And I couldn’t be more grateful for the guys in the band, all those years.”
Luccketta felt like it was time for him to move on:
“I love all of them, and it was a remarkable 30-plus years — 36 years, I think it was. And for me, there wasn’t really much left for me to do there, quite honestly, other than tour and play and do the same shows and do everything that they’re [currently doing], which is great. It’s nice that that legacy has gotta go and continue to move, but it gave me an opportunity to step back.”
Brian Wheat Previously Reflected On Troy’s Departure
Troy is now a member of Rizz & The Believerz, who just released their debut EP, ‘Everyday People. Luccketta announced more than two and a half years ago that he was leaving touring to spend more time with family and friends. Tesla replaced him with Steve Brown and continued their shows. Tesla’s bassist Brian Wheat spoke to Thomas S. Orwat last year and talked about a possible reunion with Troy:
“He’s not touring [with us]. There’ll be an official statement soon — very soon. But no. He’s kind of doing his own thing, and we’re kind of doing our own thing. And we’re working out all that stuff. Listen, I love Troy Luccketta; he’s my brother. We all love Troy. It just came to a point where we just weren’t on the same page anymore as to what we wanted to do.”
He added:
“It’s not like we had this big massive fight or anything. It’s just you start out like this [holds two fingers close together], and then sometimes you go like this [holds two fingers wide apart]. And that gap just got too wide. [And] he said, ‘Look, maybe it’s better if I don’t do this.’ And we said, ‘Okay. Maybe it is.’”
In 2022, Troy said he was unsure if he would ever play with Tesla again. For now, Steve is the drummer, and Troy is happy for everyone, including himself.
You can watch his full interview below.