INTERVIEW WITH FORMER RATT FRONTMAN STEPHEN PEARCY

This is what we needed...a fresh interview with a genuine rock star...Former RATT frontman STEPHEN PEARCY. A while back, we were contacted by his manager about conducting an interview with him for FoundryMusic.com, and I was happy to do it. However, because of our ridiculous schedules, and the fact that he's on the west coast, the only way it appeared that this was going to happen was via Email. We just got the answers back, and as you will see from his answers, he's been busy as hell. Stephen also doesn't skimp on the venom-spewing toward his former RATT bandmates, who continue to tour under the moniker without him as the singer. Stephen is currently on the road supporting his latest release 'Fueler', as well as preparing to release his tell-all biorgaphy 'RatTails'

Steve C: Stephen, you're currently touring in support of Fueler and the Bastards of Metal tour is slated for next year. Considering the sheer number of package/nostalgia tours that have emerged in the past decade, how much of a market do you anticipate there being for the 'Bastards' lineup (yourself, [Joey] Belladonna, [Jason] Mc Master, etc)?

Stephen Pearcy: The Bastards of Metal is an idea I had a couple years ago. Hey, I’m a bastard now (lol), so I figured with a few interested parties wanting to be involved with something a bit different we will have an alternative to say, OzzFest. I approached another agent with the bastards proposal and they totally rip the idea and fell on the faces. The thing is, it’s not just putting together 80’s, 90’s singers, etc. and go gig. There’s a lot more involved than that. So we look forward to summer 2005 with the Bastards of Metal Tour and the corporate entities involved and kick some major ass! Patience is a virtue. Developing first is also important. I will be out ALL 2005 supporting Fueler so when the Bastards tour is ready, I will be! Joey Belladonna and Jason to name a few showed interest in the begging, so they have first shot when we get the Bastards tour under way. (eh, you never know how these tours will work; I'm still skeptical as to how many people are jockeying for a place in line to see former ANTHRAX and DANGEROUS TOYS singers)

Steve C: I'm looking at your website, and I see a Top Fuel record company, Touring company, Clothing company, and your own solo endeavors and merchandise. Are these all functioning businesses?... and if so, how are you able to manage all of them AND hit the road supporting a CD at the same time?

Stephen Pearcy: Yes, we are very functional. I am lucky enough to have people in Top Fuel who like the future, and the future looks good for us! We take on all comers. We like to work.Top Fuel Records has been releasing product since 1995 starting with “Vicious Delite”. I was the perfect experiment. We have a few bands; 40 Cycle Hum, Gash Inc (all girl hard rock.punk), Arcade, Erik Ferentinos (new solo), Rebbeca (punk band), Sin Industries LTD, and my solo stuff going out right now. Also a few great re-recordings of RATT compilations and Best of... Again we do like to develop and not force anything down anyone. The label is now getting its due interest and we are always writing and delivering songs to TV/Movie/sports/Drag racing shows. For example the first single from “Fueler” (Drive with Me) is going to be heard all 2005 on ESPN2 NHRA Drag Racing Series. That is only one song out for the year on TV per say. We have a few more out for next year with movies and such. I love that medium. (Damn...the guy does keep busy)


Stephen does his best Paul Stanley impression...creepy

Steve C: Your former bassist Juan Croucier recently posted the following on his website regarding a potential RATT reunion: "there was talk about reforming the band but it was stymied by ignorant demands, delusions of power and major differences of opinion. In other words, nothing had changed" ... can you elaborate on what he might have meant by this?

Stephen Pearcy: Real soon I will make sure the truth and end results are heard about the whole RATT mess. I did recently try and reunite the former members to give the hard core fans something. This was shot down by [guitarist, Warren] De Martini, he’s the one that is making sure RATT as we all knew it doesn’t benefit former members. To bad, they have gotten preety messy over there with the ongoing Ratt trademark suit. To bad really. The truth will come out and a lot of people are going to be surprised at the end of the day. That’s all I can say. Talk about corporate fraud! I actually don’t think those two pretending to be (RATT the band) even understand that they have had other corporate partners (voluntary and involuntary) aggrements and contracts that just don’t disapear because THEY decie to convince the world or what Ratt fans are still left. I would really like to know who the fuck is really in that band I started called Ratt. They have abandoned the corporate responsibilities, that is obvious! Next! (Nice! the first bitch-slap of the interview... let's pray for more!)

Steve C: Considering the strained relations you have with your former bandmates, are there any mistakes that you wish you could go back and rectify in order to patch things up, or are you beyond that point now?

Stephen Pearcy: Yes, only one (1)! Word to all! Never put your band name in a partnership, corporation. It’s called mutiny, down right fucking greed. I have since moved on, read the book Rattails when it’s out 2005. Unanimous Voting, like WE have in the Ratt, The Ratt Partnership. This entity will always exist.

Steve C: You have your own Record Label now, and are openly soliciting bands to submit their material. From the demos you have been receiving, what has the quality of music been like so far? Outstanding? Decent? Sub-par? Shitty? (Be honest, we can smell lies like farts in a compact car)

Stephen Pearcy: (lol) To be very honest, I found most of the submitted music very well put together, in all ways. Production, songs, art, packaging, look, etc. It makes things easier but I still take what we (Top Fuel Records) get and develop it again. I also shop to the majors (or what’s left) for interest, comment, distribution. I don’t have all the answers, just some. I do make sure development is taken to the all out level before it gets heard or seen again. Or first!

Steve C: If I were to rummage through your own personal porno collection, what kind of smut (what titles, specifically) would I find?

Stephen Pearcy: I could call them up! Better than the titles! (took me a few passes to grasp what he means, but I think he's trying to say that he could actually CALL UP the girls he's been with porno-style...versus popping in a DVD and watching them screw on tape)


"Don't worry Vince, when our fame dwindles, VH1 will pay for plastic surgery and do entire shows about us."

Steve C: What's the most ridiculous item you have requested (past or present) on a tour rider, either for yourself or while you were touring with RATT?

Stephen Pearcy: Robbin [Crosby, guitarist - passed away in June 2002] and I one Tour had surgical rubber gloves and KY on the rider and tones of rubbers. They didn’t think to much of it. Other than that robbin would asked for fresh roses for his guitars. He loved those guitars more than any woman. The cheap bastards would ask for socks and underwear. (Didn’t mommies do that when your young?) We would make a strange request just because we could, didn’t always have the message hooker with a bag of blow ready to go thou! lol (Seems every band was into the whole odd-request thing... too bad he didn't ask for a dictionary. Holy crap, his spelling only gets worse from this point on, kids)

Steve C: At the beginning of the re-recorded version of 'Round and Round' on Fueler, you scream "What goes around comes around, motherfucker". Was this comment directed at any one person specifically? If so, who?

Stephen Pearcy: I made it very obvious! Yes, greed is not good and to think those two over there thought they can completely leave the former members of RATT (dead or alive) out of any and all associated partnership, business agreements that go back to the start of the band 1984 and pretend we or our hard work didn’t exist! Blotzer hardly gets any of the Ratt publishing and some how even thought he was the only writer in the band RATT. Look at the credits or be honest and put the real writers credit on the Ratt web sight. They even think the hard core Ratt fans are stupid. How insulting to the fans.

Steve C: The legal feud between you, Blotzer and De Martini over the RATT trademark has been going on for a L-O-N-G time. In retrospect, when you think about all of the money you all have paid out to lawyers, and how much revenue that band has actually been able to generate, do you think the fight has been worth it financially?

Stephen Pearcy: Like they are the only original members of the band RATT who deserve to be paid or recouped for their years in the band (20 years) The partnership and label contracts still are valid and unanimous, they will find out soon. I really think De Martini and Blotzer thought that if they fired me from the touring partnership (not the corporation that allows Ratt to release CD/DVD or any new product) that they (De Martini and Blotzer) would own everything RATT! Even my songs, these two have made it very clear that they want to own our publishing, well that will never happen. As they are about to find out real soon. They made the first courts believe their lies and now they want to dissolve the partnership, and corporations Ratt related. Why, because they thought they would own it all and found out quit differently.

Steve C: Describe, if you would, the average Stephen Pearcy groupie circa 1984...

Stephen Pearcy: Read the Book! “RaTTails” 2005. (Damn...was looking for an actual ANSWER...grrr)


Having spent both of their per diems on pussy and beer, Pearcy and Robbin Crosby decide to chow down on one of their guitars for sustinence.

Steve C: OK, now describe the average Stephen Pearcy groupie circa 2004....

Stephen Pearcy: The three P’s! Pussy, Party, Pay check! Except I put the Party in the back burner. Still believe in the three P’s. I love the media business, believe it or not! (hmm...he avoided physical description... I smell fatties...)

Steve C: Hypothetical situation: You're walking into a local supermarket out west, and you get spotted by some starry-eyed young kid who just hopped out of his father's Benz. He blurts out "Stephen! I just downloaded the new Fueler disc and you ROCK!"... How do you react to this guy considering he could probably afford to BUY ten copies of your disc, but chose not to?

Stephen Pearcy: I’d tell the Rug Ratt to play it fuckin as loud as he can! And tell a friend! When we first started back in 1980 I didn’t care how they got or heard my muzik. I use to throw out RATT 45’s into the crowd (yes, Ratt before their was the band Ratt), Ratt Frisbees, Ratt matches, anything to introduce my band Ratt. Yeh, my band Ratt! You believe that you pick the right partners and you find when the going gets tough your so called partners are premeditating your expiration in the band you created! This one for all, all for one crap doesn’t work. When the going gets rough in this business (and it will) you find out the real thing from the fake. The real thing keeps moving on and progressing no matter what is in or in fashion. You will see the same people on the way up as you will on the way down. And some on the way up, again! The fake try and convince everyone who will listen that they are solely responsible for everything and begin to sue. (RATT), I appreciate to this day what fans are there and make sure to at least give them honesty, my solo band is not and never claimed to be Ratt, the band. I am the one who has been stimulating the catalog for Ratt and trying to keep what interest is there in the public for their benefit as well as mine. I still to this day protect Ratt from anyone out there deliberately bootlegging. But when the bootleggers are a couple members of the band with merchandising deals and the EP, it just takes a little longer to find out who is really ripping you off. There are corporate laws and Mr. Tax man likes to collect. I will say this, when I was involuntarily kicked out of the touring entity (Ratt-WBS, Inc.) in 2000 for not wanting to continue to take advantage of what was to be a great opportunity for the band Ratt in the years to come, the greed set in for those two. De Martini and Blotzer decided they could make more money firing me and fooling the public until the public found out I was not singing in my band Ratt. Not long ago @ a court appearance I showed a Poster of my likeness on a poster (one of many) of a Ratt show one week before the court date! These guys have balls, except Warren has Blotzer by his nuts. In my case again, when you have new agents, managers telling you what is right is not always that way. I just wanted to move ahead when they forced me out like I always do. I would never hurt the band I started for anything. It’s only rock n’ roll! I wrote so much Ratt music and or co wrote Ratt music I am very proud of. Why would I have anything to gain by wasting my time trying to hurt those two? It’s overly personal with them and I am in such a better sober place the last few years to even think about the hurt and hell they continue to spill. I have a life and a career besides my time in the band I started (Ratt) and hired them to be a part of. The rest is history and it’s about to come to an end if it already hasn’t. I don’t even think - De Martini knows what band he’s in, which is it? Ratt, Dio, White Lion, Sebastian Bach band, L.A City Angels? Tell the Ratt fans who is Ratt featuring this time. To bad the true hard core Ratt fans past, present and future will now never see the band again in anyway or form. Life is to short, when we lost Robbin Crosby I knew I lost the one person who could really keep all of us level headed. Now De Martini and Blotzer decide their own fate. I heard they both have different bands now. So what happened to Ratt boyz? Can’t squeeze anymore water out of the rock? They have made a lot of deals out there coming into the picture and I’m sure the rest of the former partners, directors, interest holders want to know what has been going on without their legal binding consent to (former Ratt, the Partnership) Ratt with our interests the last (5) years. There will be justice and at least closure. Instead of trying to sue me for what they didn’t and don’t deserve, go work and record your own songs and get on with it. Because De Martini can’t have ALL control or his old lady they are trying to make sure we ALL suffer along with his weak ass. Blotzer doesn’t even have a vote in what those two say or do. How is that a partnership? The campaign of terror they have put me thru will be over and I will tell all in the book. And Rattails is not just a book about the rise and default of the once mighty Ratt band. So be prepaired for a great trip into the rock n roll platinum headliner debauchery party! Again it’s in the book! “Rattails”, just in time for the 20th anniversary of the band know as RATT! I am not going anywhere and will continue making new cd/dvds’ and tour, and most importantly play all the songs that the Ratt fans or any fan wants to hear. Except you get to hear the REAL RATT singer sing his songs! Bitter? No, Disappointed? No.
- I am totally disgusted at the lack of morality De Martini and Blozter have, and the lack of big business insight. All done just to prove they can try and destroy me and my interest and association in my band Ratt. They’ve sent family members to deliver messages, stalking my home, so much crazy shit has been directed by those two it’s frightening. If De Martini wants to have a word with me, don’t send your wife screaming and cursing around my family! Chicken shit stuff, I can’t even talk about right now.
- But they can’t destroy my integrity. And if that’s what I am left with in the end of the Ratt era, then I will take it over glory any day!
(Holy crap, this guy has a lot brewing...DeMartini sent his wife screaming and cursing around Pearcy's family? Sheesh, I wonder what THAT was all about)

Thank you for the questions and look forward to seeing you at a “Fueler” event near you!

Stephen E. Pearcy/Top Fuel Entertainment

That was an interesting read, wasn't it kids? I still wonder how much money he's actually in a position to collect after this whole legal thing is sorted out...if ever.

Check out Stephen Pearcy's official website at Stephen-Pearcy.com.

His latest disc, Fueler, is out now, and for a list of his current tour dates, check the TOUR SECTION of his official website