Thrill Pistol
Monday, July 2, 2007 at 09:13AM 
Recently, Bring Back Glam! spoke with drummer Matt Blakout of British glam band Tigertailz. During the interview, Matt opens up about the illness of bassist Pepsi Tate, playing Rocklahoma, and the unfortunate circumstances of relying on a record label for promotion. Transcription follows.
Bring Back Glam!: Talk about your new, upcoming album Thrill Pistol. Who wrote most of those songs, and are they the typical Tigertailz sound?
Matt Blakout: We're really excited about the album, I think it's the best ‘Tailz have done. There's something for everyone as usual with a ‘Tailz album -- the first two songs will rip your face off! All of us contributed, in the main Kim (Hooker, lead vocals) brought three or four, Jay (Pepper, lead guitar) the same and he also penned “Thrill Pistol” and “Brain The Sucker,” which kicks the album off. Pepsi (Tate, bassist) wrote three or four also. The sound will surprise some but on the whole, we love it.
BBG: Pepsi Tate recently underwent a biopsy. How is he doing now, and did his illness deter the recording process?
Matt: I spoke to him about an hour ago; he just came out of hospital today. He was in good spirits. He's going to have some further work done but on the whole he's very positive and pleased with himself on the things he's done with the new DVD and Thrill Pistol.
BBG: You recently played the Gods of Metal festival. What was it like playing with Glam bands White Lion and Motley Crue?
Matt: Motley Crue are my second favorite band of all time behind Kiss. You say Glam bands, but I always think of Slade, Sweet and T Rex as Glam. I think out of all the bands around today, the Crue are the closest to us or us to them. They were great guys, meeting your heroes is everyone's dream! They treated us with great respect. Personally, it was just awesome for us to be on the same bill and my drums on the same stage as my all time hero. White Lion were lovely guys, too. I think they've had really bad luck getting booted off the Poison tour, but that’s the politics behind things when all they wanna do is play some good gigs. It’s a shame, they kicked ass in Italy so people will miss out on that though it’s a great tour for Vains of Jenna. Good luck to them!
BBG: Let's talk Rocklahoma. How was it that you got added to the extra night bill, and what will it be like for you to play in the U.S. after all these years?
Matt: Rocklahoma, yes great to be added to what seems to be a big event of all our contemporary brothers. You know 99% of the bill is in my record collection. I was a huge Slaughter, Winger, Poison, Firehouse fan as well as Vince in Motley Crue of course. We'll make an official announcement regarding Rocklahoma very soon. We really can't wait to come over and play in the States.
BBG: What is the status of the Blast DVD...when will it be released, and what footage can fans expect?
Matt: I spoke to Pepsi today, and he mentioned the DVD. He's still pretty weak from his illness, but he's keen to get on with it. He's putting it all together himself and he says there's some really funny stuff on there. We don't take ourselves too seriously and I think that comes across when people see stuff we've done in the past. If you've ever seen Video Frenzy, which was released back in the day, you'll know exactly what I mean!
BBG: The Gypsy Pistoleros are a new Glam band from the U.K. Do you have plans to tour with them in the near future?
Matt: I haven't seen them and the Rocklahoma gig is a good boost for them. I think they have a great new twist on things and we wish them the best of luck in the future. As for touring with them, who knows? The roller coaster ride can lead anywhere! I'm never amazed…I always expect the unexpected!
BBG: There's a growing Glam resurgence in Europe and Sweden. What do you think this means for the current state of music?
Matt: All music seems to be coming back, I think Iron Maiden are bigger now than they ever were, so I think it's all types of rock. It's great that Motley Crue and Twisted Sister are about, so that new fans can get into them and experience what I did growing up with Theatre of Pain back in '85, nothing wrong with that. It's all good; we're just pleased to be along for the ride.
BBG: Are there any plans to make a video to support Thrill Pistol?
Matt: We would love to and there are so many great songs that could be done, we'll just have to wait and see.
BBG: Bezerk 2.0 is a great album. Were you surprised you didn't see more sales of the disc?
Matt: I agree that it is a great album. It's always down to the record company. We had no support in the U.K. with the release, promises were broken, [and] we just have to get on with it as best we can. We've moved on now and hopefully Sanctuary (Records, Tigertailz new label) will give us the support I think we deserve. I think Bezerk 2.0 would have done good business if it was supported, but labels can be short sighted. Every artist in every band who's ever released an album will tell you that record labels never do what they promise. It's a sad reality of the business we're in.
BBG: Do you still live by the mantra: No Hair Extensions, No Wigs, No Surgery?
Matt: Sure we do, [and] we have a few more onto that: no exercise, more make-up, and more bars of Twix!
BBG: Is there anything you’d like to say to your fans?
Matt: Thank you for sticking by us! I would hope everyone prays for Pepsi and we can't wait to be giving you some Thrill Pistol as soon as we can!
Reader Comments (9)
Keep up the good work!
The new cd has some of the coolest sounding song titles and I cannot wait to hear it .
Bezerk 2.0 is the best Tailz album to-date. Hoping for even better from Thrill Pistol!
Soooooo wish I was going to Rocklahoma :-(