| How tour has been so far?
I think it’s a good tour. I think it’s really fun, because
we are friends with both the bands for a long time. I have known
Alice for about 20 years and Dio for a long long time since 83 and
it’s great to come over here to play these sides of arenas and
it is the first tour in Scandinavia. So we are having the great
time now !
You have never ever been to Scandinavia before?!?
No.
This is your first tour outside US since the gold years
of the 80’s, so why did it took such a long time to get back to
Europe?
I don’t really know why we never came. I mean it’s like we
tour and do these kinds...... transferred to really big record
sales and in a time we had really large touring.
What kind of places do you actually play in the States at
the moment, are they mostly clubs or big arena shows?!?
Both. Last summer we played huge theaters. In Detroit we played
in front of 11.000 people and St. Louis we did the show to 8.000
people. Those are big shows. But during the summer we do bigger
shows on package tours. I can’t right now discuss, but we are
talking to two other well known bands about getting out in
August/September. But when we do theatres and clubs, then really
need to do them.
Is that upcoming tour with two other bands some kind of
tour like you did with Poison and Warrant?!?
Well I don’t think it will be that big as that one was. It is
gonna be probably from 5.000 to 10.000 seats.
What is your current situation with record label, have
you accepted any offers by now?!?
We have offers from different labels. We haven’t started any
recordings yet, cos we are in sort of introducing this line-up. We
really just started touring in the last summer, mainly in the end
of summer, six weeks. We were out in the States, we were out in
January-February-March and then we came here and will go back and
start working on the songs written. We will start recording in the
beginning of the next year.
Have you already written any new songs with your current
line-up and made any plans for a new record?!?
Yeah. Everybody is currently writing. When we get together and
then everyone presents a song when we have the meeting to sit down
to think. Warren-Jizzy and Warren-Corabi, everybody is writing on
their own.
There are many stories around concerning Robin Crosby's
health ? What really is his current situation now?
I don’t really discuss his health. All I can say is he is
doing fine. I just wanna make a point it is his personal business.
If he wants to discuss, then he discusses.
When you re-united a couple of years ago why Juan didn’t
team up with you back then?
He has the studio in his house and he is getting the
engineering producing and wants to stay at home with the studio.
Well are you still in contact with your ex-members
nowadays (Juan Croucier, Robin Crosby, Stephen....)?!?
Robin is good. Warren and Robin and I had a dinner in last
September I think and it’s fine. I really speak to Juan much and
Stephen, I can’t stand him. I don’t talk to him for any reason
at all. We are getting to the court.
Yeah could you tell a little bit more about this court
thing, cos there have been a lot of rumors on the net?!?
Listen, it is just simple. Stephen quit the band. He said “I
quit, I am not touring with your guys, get another singer and go
ahead. ”He ruined the tour, he ruined the deal with the company
and he tries to tour on his own. When we are out touring and doing
very well. And he tries to tour his own “Ratt” and he is suing
us, claiming that we stole the money, a punch of shit. That’s
absolute lies, pathologic lies and he is a sick person.
How did you find Jizzy Pearl to join RATT? Did you try
also some other singers?
Yeah we tried many people and Jizzy is friend of ours for many
years. Stylistically I think he fits the bill very well.
Is John Corabi a permanent member now?!?
Yes.
What is the state of John Corabi's other band Union? Are
they still around?!?
I don’t think so. I think all those guys are doing different
things. Bruce Kulick plays with Grand Funk Railroad and has got
his solo album out too. The drummer plays in Vince Neil’s solo
band…
And the bassplayer too…
And the bassplayer too.??
Yeah, both of them are involved
They are ?!? Hmm… I didn’t know that.
The Detonator album has been said the most adventurous
record to the date and features a lot of tracks written together
with Desmond Child…Hmm.. To be honest how do you like Detonator
nowadays ?!
I like the album a lot.
Well why did RATT break up after Detonator album tour and
had this for about 10 year hiatus?!?
It wasn’t ten years. We broke up in March 92, so it is five
years, and we got back together in the end of 96 to start talking
about what are we going to do in the future. We toured together,
Stephen, Warren and I and we hired Robbie Crane for the bass in 97
and we did the sold out tours and got a deal with Sony. Everything
was going great. And still is… We are doing the good business
back home and people love this line-up, Jizzy and John. It is all
good.
What was your life after the break up back then ? I knew
that Warren played one tour with Whitesnake and Stephen had his
own band Arcade but what rest of you guys did after break-up?
I have the studio in my house too and I spent most of time on
tours in the 80’s and couldn’t watch my kids getting grow up.
I thought we are going to be away two years, but ended up to five
years. But musically I didn’t do that much because of grunge put
everyone out of work and I was like whatever. I used to play golf
and be a father to my kids and do some business things. We just
stayed at home for a while. We were on tours continually in the 80’s.
 You
used to have a nice chick on the front of “Invasion of Your
Privacy” album named Marianne Gravette....hmm…Are you aware of
what she is doing nowadays?!?
The last time I heard she had got married with some rich oil
man in Texas or something. I don’t really know.
Well kinda weird when I put her name to Altavista to
track her down so I ended up to several porno websites…
She has a porno website ???
Well yeah, something like, some dude pictures were there.
I gotta look at that, it should be very fun….Heh…
Speaking of Robin Crosby yet… Didn’t he belong to the
same street gang called Gladiators along with the Motley Crue
dudes in the early 80’s?!?
Yeah we called it a streetgang. It was only partying with a lot
of alcohol and drugs.
Only party gang?????
Pretty much yes.
What is in your opinion the biggest difference between
the current time and the glorious years of the 80’s?!?
Heh heh…Well I think I made a lot of money that’s for sure.
I think there was so much more excitement and action in bands
touring. There was always a tour going on. You know five-six tours
going on at one time and all were in areas. We sold millions of
records and then grunge came and put everything down.
But it is said glam rock is getting back, all right it
has come back a little bit, but not that big as it was in the 80’s,
or how do you view?!?
Oh yeah, but the problem is that for a band of the 80’s that
without a video you can’t have a radio play and without a radio
play you can’t have a video. If both two components are working
together, then there is a chance to have a good and big record
selling. Take a look at Bon Jovi they have a million and half
selling record in the States, they have got some video plays and
that takes a band that big. It’s funny because we draw 15.000
people to our shows and we can’t have radio play.
So do you think that internet would be the way excellent
of promoting bands like you then?!?
I think the net is definitely one of tools, but it is the only
one. I think you know getting a radio spot to advertise gigs. As
far as selling records is concerned I think the net would be a
good way. I don’t know we haven’t thought about that enough.
Our last record was released by a major label and sold something
100.000 copies. I guess we could put one to the internet and try
to sell in that way.. I don’t know maybe we would sell 10
-15.000 items.. I don’t know we haven’t thought that anyway.
Ratt and other LA glam rock bands were criticized quite a
lot by other bands by…especially Metallica and Slayer guys
saying you were “chick bands”, what kind of relationship did
you actually have with those bands?!?
We didn’t pal around and Slayer, no not all. We didn’t even
say hi to each other. Metallica once opened for us in a club in
Hollywood a long time ago. We were pretty much snobies back then.
I was a lot. We got along with some bands and some not.
How do you see the future for RATT from now on, well of
course you are going to work on the new album ?!
Well take a look at Alice Cooper on the stage and he is 50-55
or something and still rocking. And so do Rolling Stones and
Aerosmith. As long as people come to shows I will be there. I will
retire when I am 60-65 years old. Besides I am a huge golf fan, I
love it. |
