Drummer Jimmy DeGrasso spoke to Eddie on his SiriusXM’ show, Trunk Nation, about his decision to exit Ratt after playing a number of shows with the veteran California hard rock act in 2017 alongside three members of RATT’s classic lineup — singer Stephen Pearcy, bassist Juan Croucier and guitarist Warren DeMartini.
“I played with them back in 2014; when they neeed a [fill-in] drummer, I did three shows with them,” DeGrasso said [via Blabbermouth.net]. “And then they sort of went silent, and then all the legal stuff started to happen. And then we all started to talk again. So we decided to come out and play. And, of course, we started on the Monsters Of Rock cruise [in October 2016], which was really cool. And the show, I thought, went really well. We rehearsed three or four days. And then we started to book shows, and then we started to play.
The odd thing about those guys, it’s, like, there’s no fighting — there was no fisticuffs in the dressing room or no screaming or any of that stuff. I don’t know what goes on behind the scenes with Warren and Stephen and Juan. So we did [shows] pretty much through the end of the summer [of 2017], and then Stephen had to have his knee replaced, which, obviously, is traumatic. And then we started to talk again, and then the next thing I hear, Warren’s not in the band. [Laughs] I’m, like, ‘Oh, okay.’
Honestly, I think you need Warren in that band. There’s no disrespect to anybody, but the band is Warren and Stephen, really, for the most part, I think. I think most fans would agree. And I don’t know what legal squabbles are going on behind the scenes. I’m not sure. I don’t know if there’s even any. I guess it’s just a situation where they just can’t coexist. I don’t know.”
When asked if Pearcy and Croucier approached him to play with Ratt in the band’s current lineup, which also includes guitarist Jordan Ziff, DeGrasso said, “Yeah, they did, for sure, and we talked a bit. My issue with it is, and, like I said, I made it clear with them, I just think the band’s strongest when it’s the three of them and [guitarist] Carlos [Cavazo, who played on Ratt’s last studio album, 2010’s Infestation]. I mean, Carlos is an amazing guitar player, and it was a great chemistry there. It’s all public domain. You can go watch the shows from ’17 — they were great. I don’t know why they can’t keep themselves together. I don’t know the subpolitics. And I told them that. I just [didn’t] think I [wanted to] be involved unless it’s the real guys.”
In addition to Ratt, DeGrasso previously played with Y&T, White Lion and Megadeth, among others.
5 Responses
tell jimmy to add juan name to that statement.
Geico revived Ratt’s career, now it’s time for Ratt to live up to the revival! Bring back Warren! AND Bobby! The sand in the hourglass is running out!
I mostly agree with Degrasso, cuz he excluded Croucier, but I think Blotzer has a different opinion.
Blotzer supposedly begged them to reunite for decades, and then the minute he started his own version of RATT, they reformed (although temporarily) without him. That had to piss him off, and said a lot about how they feel collectively about him. I think his endless bashing of them (especially his attack on their physical appearance) closed the door for future opportunities. There’s a lesson in there somewhere.
I thought i would comment on this even though I was never a fan of ratt , poison, motley , any of the bands that dressed like women and wore feminine make-up , I never understood the appeal of that look to women, {maybe Dana can weigh in , my wife hated this look as well-} and never will and I also dont know how some of those bands became so popular, I always thought with a few exceptions most of the music was pretty weak, I’m more of a black leather, jeans , boots or chucks kind of guy , and I like voices like dio, paul rogers, coverdale, halford ritchie kotzen and ronnie romero, but I thought there were some really exceptional players that came out of that era , warren dimartini is an exceptional guitarist playing with a marginal singer , I think without him ratt would not have become anything , I did like the song lay it down, but what do i know, these bands all became millionaires …….