Ratt drummer Bobby Blozter was guest on Eddie’s Sirius/XM show, Eddie Trunk Live on April 6th. Excerpts from interview appear below as transcribed by blabbermouth.net.
On why Pearcy left the band:
“The problem that lies in Ratt really is not just our lead singer. It’s the fact that him and the bass player, Mr. Juan Croucier, they wanna own part of [the band] name. So, to me, it’s just like going round and round… I’m not trying to pun on that, but it’s just insane that we’re still at this point now that we’re five years [in]… We went out in 2013 and did about thirty dates… They were all huge… Festivals that we headlined, festivals that we opened for Van Halen, Aerosmith, Guns N’ Roses, etc. And then headlined arenas and that kind of thing.”
Talking about who owns the “Ratt” name and why it caused friction among the other members:
[Guitarist] Warren [DeMartini] and I… The reality of it is a corporation that we own owns the [Ratt] name. WBS Inc., which we started out — Warren, Bobby and Stephen. That was WBS Inc. We did all the business for Ratt through the corp… That was before [Stephen] sued us in 2000. In 2000, he left the band three days before the third leg of a tour. In doing that and then suing us [we] went out as Ratt with a new singer. He said, ‘You know what?! I’m out. Go get a new singer.’ And we did everything accordingly to corporate standards and corporate law. He lost the name in federal court. And I know he’s out there slandering Warren and I, trying to suggest that we did something shady to get the name. I read that, and I’m, like, does this guy really not understand that he was in federal court for three weeks when he lost any ownership or ties to the name? But the bottom line is, the corporation that Warren and I own, that’s who governs that name, so technically, him and I own the name…I actually offered my name up. ‘Take my ownership in this name. I don’t care. I just wanna rock. I wanna work. I wanna play.'”
He continued, “The truth is really I’ve been trying very hard with the likes of Stephen… You know, I’m talking to these guys indivudally and nobody… It’s just like a stalemate that nobody will bend on except me. And I’m not trying to slap myself on the back, but it’s… It’s kind of a scenario where I wanna play and I don’t wanna go put some new original band together and go out where nobody knows who it is…Warren has made it impossible to work, because he won’t tour with a new singer. Let’s just say, his position is he wants the original band to be the Ratt out there. And I get it; I do too. You know?! But it’s, like, well, dude, if they’re not coming, then let’s move ahead here. I wanna play. We can play big gigs, we can earn well, financially, with another singer. But I think he’s playing this waiting game. He’s waiting for Stephen and Juan to cave. I don’t know… It’s at a five-year standstill. And I’m, like, Pearcy’s 58, I’m 56, Warren’s four years younger than me, Croucier is a year and a half younger… Whatever. You know, it’s, like, I don’t wanna fuck around anymore…I think it’s just not cool that these two guys… Well, actually, it’s three, because Juan has cornered Stephen into this brainwashing thing that: ‘Don’t do it, dude. Don’t do it. I know what’s going on with this.’ And if anybody thinks I’m out here spilling dirty laundry, I’m sorry you feel that way, but it you were in my shoes, maybe you’d feel a little different, ’cause it’s kind of frustrating to have this much time and success and not be able to ride it out for the last lap, so to say, which Stephen always says. We’re ten to twelve on the Ratt clock here. Let’s play the last ten years, or whatever we have.”
Discussing why decided to tour under the name, Ratt Experience:
“…I am in Ratt, I’ve been in Ratt for 33 years, and that’s who I am, and people would really, probably rather come and see me play Ratt music. I wrote it with them — we all wrote it together… Depending on who you talk to, but the reality is we all wrote that music together, from bare riffs and built it on up. What I’m doing is playing our music, A, [and] B, playing stuff that these guys won’t [play]. I don’t mean that mean or anything, but the guys in the band were so closed-minded to playing so much of the great material that’s between track 1 and 10. We’ve always done just the video songs, primarily. And trying to get Warren and Stephen to do this stuff has been monumentally hard. And when we would do it… Like playing the song Closer To My Heart, people love it. If Warren or Stephen thinks that the audience isn’t responding to their Richter scale of sound and movement, then it’s out. And it would just be usually about three days into a tour. So, here I am with my vote, which is shot down the crapper. Everybody that’s Ratt fans out there, you all know that there are so many great tunes that we have that are not even really B-sides; they’re just songs that are on the record that kick ass. And there are so many that I wanna play, and that’s what… My idea’s to go out and play those [songs].”
13 Responses
What comes around goes around.
Ratt is all 4 or nothing . Pearcys voice is unique and replacing him w/ sombody else under the ratt name is something I would never go see or buy . I know Stephens voice has deteriorated as I saw it on the infestation tour but thats ok . He is just as important or more important to the ratt sound then then bobby or juan.
Juan and Pearcy are right to want to own part of the name . Especially Pearcy, he started the band. Warren just wants to be able to use the ratt name (when pearcy decides he wants to do solo stuff ) for playing to drunk woman that dont care about the band or a new cd , They just care about getting hammered with their girlfriends and hearing round & round by some dudes up on stage who say they are Ratt.
I agree w/ bobby on the setlist though.
I hate when bands like priest,dokken,crue, warrant,foreigner,journey, styx, supertramp,skid row, quiet riot, etc do this. Its just all about business and not about the magic these guys created together .
Going out and playing with the “name ” to a bunch of drunk milfs at festivals . Zep never did this when John died.
If you dont have the sound (main writers, and the voice) . Have some respect and dignity for the band you HAD and……. DONT have anymore and let it retire….
Did you read what Bobby said? Warren DOESN’T want to do it if Stephen isn’t there, so Warren DOESN’T want to do the things you said he does.
For me, I don’t usually go for the “replacement” singers, but I can understand it; the rest of the band shouldn’t be held hostage by one guy that doesn’t want to (or can’t) do it.
Yea I saw that but am unsure why he wont give partial ownership of the name to Pearcy and Juan if he wasnt leaving his options open for a replacement singer in the future like he did in the past.
I see from a business standpoint that a band wants to go on but for me replaceing the singer is not like replaceing the french fry guy at McDonalds . Some members can be replaced .but when you replace the key sound of the band ( the voice ) Its over for me unless they go under a new name with mostly new material in the setlist .
Replacing key writers is also a big deal from a new material standpoint but not a ” live” standpoint .
The only exceptions for me on the singer would be Van Halen,Maiden, AC/DC . Van Halen/Maiden became a whole other band w/ Hagar. AC/DC ; Bon died.
Other thing I consider are “pairs” like Gilmore/Waters , DeGarmoe/Tate, Vito/Tramp , Zander/Neilsen etc ,etc . When one leaves even if its not the singer its a problem for me lol …
And sometimes even if its not a pair, the writer, or the singer its a problem lol ; Thayer/Singer, Michael Anthony…
Why would Ratt need a somg writer? Unless someone has a time machine that will go back to 1984 when record stores existed.
As the kids say, “Oh, no you di’nt!” Did you actually compare Ratt to Led Zeppelin!?!?!?!?
For hell’s sake just split ownership and keep most of the real band in tact. It’s kind of like Skid Row. They can play big festivals and good clubs, or bowling alleys. I respect Warren for not wanting to put together a copy band.
RATT did have some killer riffs/songs, and much like Dokken, that was a huge part of their appeal. I remember hearing that Frank Zappa’s son once took Frank to see them, because of the guitar playing.
What if they did an even split of the tour proceeds, without changing ownership of the name? That way, everyone would make the same amount of $.
T,
I agree. DiMartini is great guitar play and one of my favorites.
D from ET.com 🙂
The opening riff to “Lay it down” is still great, and his solos are killer.
Once it passes the cool opening solo, that is how I feel about the riff in Shame, Shame, Shame.
D 🙂
I saw Dweezil’s Zappa Plays Zappa tour a few years back in SF, and Dweezil talked on stage about what a huge Ratt fan he was, and then Warren came out and jammed with ’em for a few tunes.
These guys are just scrathing out a living. The hair metal market dropped like a 44 year old women’s tits!
Stephen Pearcy voice sounds like Godzilla screeching in those 1960 Japenese movies! Can’t Ratt just get the guy from Milli Vanilli and lipsynch the songs ? How many Ratt fans can fit into a bowling alley or Border Cafe to see this nostalgia act anyway?