Shoo Bop vs. Goin' Crazy

Do you own Diamond Dave (2003, Magna Carta) released by David Lee Roth? I don't own the disc, but I did come across the video for the single "Shoo Bop" and couldn't help but mutter "...What the hell?"

Steve Miller wrote "Shoo Bop" but I don't know if I'd claim author credit. Actually, Diamond Dave is mostly an album of cover tunes. I don't know much about the release other than "Shoo Bop" but if that track is any indication, my guess is the album is spotty. After Diamond Dave, David Lee Roth released Strummin' With the Devil, a bluegrass album of Van Halen tunes. This makes me think all parties involved were correct in getting the Van Halen reunion up and running. Anyway, here's the video for "Shoo Bop." It's completely crazy.

You know what...I actually think we should compare "Shoo Bop" to "Goin' Crazy."

After David Lee Roth left Van Halen in the mid-1980s, he released his phenomenal solo debut Eat 'Em and Smile. Despite his new status as a solo artist, David Lee Roth still had a label deal with Warner Bros. and a big budget for music videos. He also played ringmaster during a very expensive tour.Eat 'Em and Smile was a commercial success, thanks to singles like "Goin' Crazy" and "Yankee Rose." Now we all know Diamond Dave is a creative and zany guy, but some of his videos are pretty over-the-top. Here's the clip for "Goin' Crazy."

So, which is better (or maybe worse depending on your point of view)? "Goin' Crazy" is easily the better of the two songs...the videos, in my mind, are a toss-up.

Brent Muscat: The Bring Back Glam! Interview

If you like Faster Pussycat, then you know the name Brent Muscat. Guitarist Muscat helped form the classic glam band with singer Taime Downe in the mid 1980s. A semi-public feud lead to massive changes in the Faster Pussycat lineup and sound, and Muscat struck out on his own with various music projects. These days, Muscat plays in a Las Vegas band called the Sin City Sinners. Muscat recently spoke to Bring Back Glam! about his health, Faster Pussycat and his autobiography. Transcription follows.  

Bring Back Glam!: People are most concerned with your health. How are you feeling these days?

Brent Muscat: I feel good. I have to go back to the doctor every three months for a check up. As of right now the doctors believe I am cancer free.

BBG!: Tell me about your new band, the Sin City Sinners. How did that band form?

BM: I was looking for a project I can do locally here in Vegas. After I did my 20^th anniversary tour of Faster Pussycat, I still wanted to work with the other guitarist Todd Kerns and we put the Sinners together. It’s really a fun jam band and we play every Tuesday at a place called the Dive Bar. We have been bringing a cool special guest each week. So far we’ve had guys like Phil Lewis, Jizzy Pearl, Donnie Vie, Sami Yaffa, Ron Keel, and Paul Shortino among others. It’s really the only place to see and hear my era of music in town. We play a bunch of hard rock covers including songs from my old band.

BBG!: Do you plan on recording an album with the Sin City Sinners?

BM: It’s possible; we have all been working on songs.

BBG!: Are you still working on your book project?

BM: It‘s still in the works, but on the back burner right now. My writing partner and I both have so many other things going on, that it’s hard to find the time to sit down and work on it. We have a 100 page draft and eventually it will get done.

BBG!: Tell me about the early days of Faster Pussycat. How did you and Taime Downe initially meet?

BM: All these stories will be in my book in more detail, but basically two girls who knew our original drummer Mark Michals put me on the phone with Taime (Downe, vocals) when he was looking to start a band.

BBG!: How long did it take for you to realize you had a special chemistry?

BM: Right away. Back then Taime was really focused and believe it or not was against drugs.

BBG!: When was the last time you spoke with Taime Downe?

BM: I spoke to his answering machine about eight or nine months ago to try and resolve things, but he never responded. I would have given him the name, without him having to waste money on an attorney.

BBG!: Are you still actively involved in real estate, or do you want to move back into making music full time?

BM: I am still involved in real estate and own a few homes here in town. Music is more of a hobby for me at this point. I am not unrealistic; I know I will never be able to recapture what I’ve already accomplished. My priority now is just being a good husband to my wife and dad to my daughter Kat.

BBG!: The music industry has changed so much over the last 20 years. Do you think it's possible that Metal can ever be as popular today as it was in the mid 80s?

BM: No, but more power to all the guys who are out there sticking to their guns and playing the music the way it was meant to sound on the records. Music would really suck if all the old metal/hard rock guys tried to sound like Marilyn Manson.

BBG!: Do you think Faster Pussycat is a glam band?

BM: We used to be, but in my opinion since Taime put it together with a bunch of clowns, it's become a bad Marilyn Manson, NIN rip off.

BBG!: What are your musical aspirations for 2008?

BM: I’ll continue playing every week here in Las Vegas with The Sin City Sinners and maybe do some weekend shows here and there with the band and see where it goes from there.

Sin City Sinners on Myspace

Photo credit: Brent Muscat via the Sin City Sinners 

Add VAIN to the List

According to the Rocklahoma rumor mill (maybe I should trademark that phrase?) VAIN will be among the 2008 performers. If this is true, it would be a great opportunity to see an underrated punk/glam band with a cult following.

When I watched the clip of "Beat the Bullet" this morning, I was instantly reminded of Skid Row. I guess that's not surprising since VAIN opened for Skid Row back in 1989/90.

If you like Jetboy, you'll probably like VAIN since they both came from the San Francisco Metal scene and I'm pretty sure they ran in the same social circles.

Reintroduce yourself to VAIN by watching "Beat the Bullet."

Remember, I'm keeping a running tally of the rumored and confirmed Rocklahoma 2008 bands in the Message Board section of this website.

Steve West - The Bring Back Glam! Interview

Danger Danger released their self-titled debut in 1989. Since that time, the band has weathered several line-up changes, legal problems, and a changing music market. Drummer Steve West created the band back in 1987, and Danger Danger continues to remain his top professional priority. Recently, West spoke to Bring Back Glam! about a new deal with Frontiers Records, a chance to play Rocklahoma 2008, the problem with "Don't Walk Away"  and an album of all new material. Transcription follows.

Bring Back Glam!: You just signed with Frontier’s Records. Tell me about that.

Steve West: Yes we did. We’ve been getting offers for years from them…they’ve been interested in Danger Danger making a new record once we got Ted (Poley, vocals) back in the band. I don’t know if you're familiar but he was out of the band after our third record in 1993 and we got back together a couple years ago. We were just going to play live – we never planned on making another Danger Danger record with him and we kept getting offers…and the fans were asking for a new record… Actually, it got to the point where the offers were really good and the fans really wanted to hear some new music, so we said “let’s do a new record and see what happens.” We’re trying to get the record written and recorded in the next couple of months.

BBG!: Can you tell me more about the new record?

SW: We have no album title and we’ve got about 11 songs written, pretty much. They are half, three quarters of each song done.

BBG!: It seems like Danger Danger tours Japan a lot.

SW: That’s really not true. There is that impression. At one time we were really popular there. We were back there two years ago for the first time since 1992. It had been 12, 13 years…once Ted got back in the band, people were interested again. We had an offer to go to Japan, so we went. I’m sure we’ll go back once this new record is out. Honestly we spend more time in Europe than anywhere else.

BBG!: Which countries in Europe?

SW: It seems like…Spain. We’re playing a festival there in March. Also the U.K., Greece, Sweden. We were just in Germany a couple months back. It keeps growing and we’ve been really fortunate. We’ve got some good fans out there.

BBG!: Why do you think Danger Danger is so popular in those countries?

SW: I don’t know. It’s bizarre and random. Certain places…the sound, the vibe of the band. I guess people relate to what we do. Here in the States it’s a little undercover, but in some places we’re quite viable and even “new.” I guess it’s a different mindset over there, in certain countries. It’s hard for fans here to even find out about what we’re doing or to see us, but not so in other countries.

BBG!: Do you want to tour the U.S.?

SW: I would love to…it’s just hard. We can’t get on a bus anymore. I’ve got three guys in the band that are married and have family lives, with commitments and they just can’t get away for long periods of time. Used to be, back in the day, we were on the road for a year and a half and it was no problem because no one needed to be anywhere. We lived out of our suitcases. Unfortunately, we can’t do that now…I’m the only one that could do that, but that’s not going to help anyone. The guys like to go out for about two weeks at a time. Unfortunately, financially it’s not that good. There’s a lot of expenses…so we pick and choose where we play.

BBG!: You used the word “unfortunately” a lot, even when talking about your personal life. Did you make the choice to not have a family for your band?

SW: No, it wasn’t a career choice. It was a lifestyle choice. I like being single and having no commitments and being able to do whatever I want to do and not having to answer to anybody. The other guys are married and they are happy and that’s great for them.

BBG!: Will Danger Danger play Rocklahoma?

SW: At this moment, I don’t know. That’s all I can say.

BBG!: So you were asked?

SW: We were. I don’t know what will happen at this point. An offer was made. We haven’t committed to anything. We’d love to do it…if we can work it out, we’ll be there.

BBG!: What was the time slot offer?

SW: I can’t discuss any of that. It was vague. That’s one of the reasons we passed on the first offer from an agent. We want to know exactly what’s going on…so we can make a good decision. We’re still working it out.

BBG!: Is it still hard to support yourself as a professional musician?

SW: Oh, yeah. These days it’s hard to support yourself doing anything. We’ve been fortunate. We set things up the best we could. We started our own label in 1995 (Low Dice Records) and we’ve got our own studio and we make the records, manufacture them, we license our records out to different labels around the world – and we play. We’re lucky; we don’t have normal day jobs. Everyone has something on the side to make more money. None of us are becoming multimillionaires doing this, but we do make a good living.

BBG!: What is your side work?

SW: Well, Bruno (Ravel, bassist) and myself [sic] are partners and we write for other people. We do songs, jingles or if someone needs music for a show. We’ve written for the New York Yankees and songs for MTV and both Gene Simmons and Tommy Lee’s television shows. We also do music for commercials. The main focus is our band.

BBG!: I’ve decided “Don’t Walk Away” is about the best power ballad ever recorded.

SW: That is a very heady statement to make. It’s a little bizarre in one way. I don’t consider that song a power ballad. I think it’s a great song…I love the song. It’s the one that got away unfortunately.

BBG!: How do you mean?

SW: “Don’t Walk Away” was the career ender right there. Most of the bands from the 80s didn’t have big success until they put ballads out. The ballad seemed to skyrocket bands and helped sell a lot of records. Unfortunately for us, we didn’t have a ballad. We only had two videos, and they were both rock songs. After our second single “Bang Bang,” which was a top 50 song, we wanted to release “Don’t Walk Away.” That was going to be our ballad. It was going to take us to the next level – finally. The record (Danger Danger) had been out for over a year, and the label wanted us to just make a new record. I really believe that things might have been different…well, the review in Billboard magazine at the time… that song got an amazing review. We thought it was a great song. Radio started playing it. The label didn’t want to get behind it. They were like “We’re focusing on Celine Dion, a new chick we’ve got. You guys go make a new record.” That was the end of it.

BBG!: Are you nervous about releasing a new album in this music market?

SW: No. I have no expectations. I’ve been releasing records since 1995 and I’m not getting on the Billboard charts. I’m not making videos and I don’t care. I make the records for the fans and for myself. I could sell one record or a million – it’s not going to change my life. Well, a million records might change my life, but I don’t lose any sleep over it. It’s out of my hands. All we really want to do…is try to make the best record we can make.

Steve West on Myspace

Danger Danger on Myspace
Danger Danger online

Photo credit: Steve West via Myspace.  

Tesla Thursday

It's a scientific fact that Tesla rocks.

Last night, I was in the mood for Tesla. More specifically "Little Suzi." If you don't know, the song is included on the band's debut 1986 debut Mechanical Resonance (and yes, I know "Little Suzi" is a cover).

I can't believe Tesla has been around since 1986. Moreover, I can't believe the band didn't really hit until 1989 and "Love Song." Since that time, Tesla has continued to release quality rock, albeit not completely Glam.

Tesla is currently gearing up for a winter tour that kicks off February 1 in Seattle. The band will zig-zag across the United States, hitting Ohio twice. If I'm lucky, I'll either get to see the band in Columbus or Cincinnati. This would be a special treat since I've never been to a Tesla show.

Here's the video for "Little Suzi."

What's your favorite Tesla tune?

Who Is Julian Angel?

Let's say you're having a party and you want to play dance and glam music. I've actually got a new CD that fits both categories.

German Julian Angel offers a mix of techno, glam and sleaze with  Choreography Sucks.  

The track listing looks like this:

Rock with a Slam
Sucker Punch
Sumthin' Huge
Teaser/Pleaser
Oh La La
Give the Radio Back
Bling Bling
This Is On You
Boob Boob Booty
Jump Jump
Strip Down Vegas
What Goes Up

Now you can already tell by the song titles that this isn't music for the snooty set. This is party music, and that's exactly what Julian Angel wanted to create. Most interesting is that Angel sings the tracks and recorded all the bass, guitar, and keyboard parts.

Other critics have said "This is the album Tommy Lee wished he recorded." I don't think I agree with that sentiment because Choreography Sucks is a completely different dance sound than what TLee is into these days. Still, for all the Prince vibe and big club sound, there are definite touches of Motley Crue and Poison, especially in the lyrics.

You can hear samples of Choreography Sucks at Julian Angel on Myspace

What If...Motley Crue Edition

I play "what if" games all the time in my head.

"What if I eat sixteen cookies for lunch?"

"What if I spend $700 on a new handbag?"

"What if I run every red light on the way to work?"

On a Glam note..."What if Motley Crue were a new band?"

Seriously.

Let's say the Sunset Strip kings released Too Fast For Love tomorrow. Would it succeed or would it flop?

The music scene is so different today. Yes, we have the Internet and the power of Myspace, but fans don't seem loyal and they certainly are not rabid like they were in the early 1980s.

When I go to club shows, I'm impressed to find 50 people in attendance...let alone a hundred. Every picture I've seen from the Sunset Strip heyday shows packed clubs, with people hanging out the door.

Can we get back to that? I'm not sure. I mean, I certainly wasn't partying on Sunset in 1983, but I'm guessing bars didn't charge a $25 cover and beer didn't cost four bucks a bottle. The high cost of life is clearly hurting the music industry...but that's another article altogether.

Motley Crue was - and is - a band that feeds on crowd energy. Founder Nikki Sixx is a marketing genius. He knew what he wanted to create when he dreamed up the band. Even though the band had some catchy tunes, their beginning musicianship was lackluster. It was their over-the-top image that helped send them, well, over-the-top.

Fans wanted to be around Motley Crue because they were cool. Certainly dangerous, new and larger-than-life.

I'm not sure if Motley were a modern band...people would even notice.

The Internet has given us an incredible tool to find all sorts of new artforms...and yet, it has pulled us further apart. It's easier to stay home and watch videos on YouTube instead of going to a show. We can listen to our old favorites instead of going to bars and finding new talent. Plus...the world is certainly more jaded now.

Many of you know I'm a big fan of Avenged Sevenfold. Even though Glam is my number one music choice, I still think it's important to like new music. Avenged Sevenfold's most recent release is absolutely phenomenal, yet most people don't even know about the band. In fact, the band hasn't sold that many total albums considering their major label status. In some ways this is ironic because there are more ways to sell music these days than 20 years ago.

Back to Motley Crue. Too Fast For Love comes out tomorrow. It's released on CD, special press vinyl and naturally, iTunes. Do you buy the release? How do you even learn about the band when Rolling Stone doesn't cover Metal acts and other magazines offer spotty coverage at best. MTV doesn't play videos anymore...

Have we reached a time when new artist cultivation is dead? I shudder to think we have.

Discuss.