Steel Panther is a notorious Sunset Strip act- and the All-American pseudo-eighties icons may be rude and crude dudes- but they definitely know a thing or two about putting on a show!
I saw them back in the day- in the era where Steel Panther (Michael Starr, Satchel, Lexxi Foxxx, Stix Zadinia) was still Metal Skool- and the insanity and frivolous onstage antics have been taken up a notch. It’s no wonder SP has an indefinite residency at the famed Key Club, bringing the Strip back to its prime with hard rock from yesteryear and some serious stage savoir-faire.
After their onstage interview for all press at the Viper Room yesterday, Bestnewbands.com got to get a little more up close & personal in the Viper Room dressing room where I was regaled with the boys’ quick wit and crude attitude! Here’s the sexclusive behind the scenes look at the masters of music mayhem.
BNB: Hello boys- introduce yourselves!
MS: Hey I’m Michael Starr- lead singer, and I book all of the rental cars, and usually the hotels for the band…
BNB: But no hookers.
MS: Well, we get all of them for free. Or, sometimes we lease.
SZ: I’m Stix Zadinia, the drummer, and usually I’ll reconcile the tour at the end to make sure all the accounting is appropriate and correct.
BNB: Hey you two wanna get in on this? (Satchel & Lexxi Foxxx)
SZ: No you’re just getting a Stix-clusive!
BNB: Would you guys consider yourselves a good “first date” act?
MS: Absolutely. If you’re gonna go on a blind date especially. Pull up in your car, put in our CD and IF the girl lasts through the whole record- she’ll be sucking your d*** by the end of the night.
BNB: What are your main musical influences?
SP: C***-Rock, Metal, Spermicide
LF: My main musical influences…(takes swig of smart water)
BNB: Smart water?
MS: No, that doesn’t work for him.
LF: NOT cool Michael. No, I like Rudy Sarzo- and- do you ever watch cartoons? The Road Runner! (Proceeds to make Road Runner sound).
BNB: And what would you do for a klondike bar?
MS: Depends is there cocaine near it? I’d suck d*** for that bar.
BNB: So word on the street is that you’ve got a PhD in English Literature- what’s up with the career change?
MS: You know- he doesn’t like to talk about it.
MS: I don’t normally talk about it. I keep trying to have that taken off my bio because the last thing I want my fans to think is that I’m a lot smarter than them. No, I mean- I learned a lot- and I talk way gooder than most people. No but honestly, English was like my worst subject. And math, history, science- but I excelled in P.E.- scuba diving was my favorite class.
BNB: And Michael- you were a singer in Atomic Punks were you not?
MS: I was for a minute and then they fired me.
BNB: You wanna get into that?
MS: Yeah- they were mad because I kept playing with Steel Panther even though Satchel and I were fighting at the time. And it just didn’t work out. And then I had sex with the drummer’s girlfriend- but they were just a Van Halen tribute band and it doesn’t matter- because now we’re like the biggest cover band ever.
BNB: What bands epitomize the Sunset Strip aside from yourselves?
LF: epito-WHAT!? What does that even mean!?
BNB: What bands mean Sunset Strip to you?
LF: Why didn’t you just say that! We do.
BNB: And anyone aside from yourselves?
SP: Well just all the bands that made Sunset Strip what it is.
MS: It’s fing hot in here!
SP: We actually wrote a song about this- ever hear “Hell’s On Fire?”
MS: The Viper Room dressing room is on fire!
SP: The song “Hell’s On Fire” was written in THIS dressing room.
BNB: Fave guilty pleasure Guitar Hero song to rock out to?
MS: OOOO…..”Death To All But Metal”
BNB: Okay- your own song!
MS: No- somebody else’s song. F*** no dude! I listen to Steel Panther ALL the time- and I’ll tell you why- because when fans come to see us, they want us to hear it and play it like they do on the record.
(Michael Starr’s cell phone starts blowing up)
MS: 5-4-1!? What the hell kind of number is that- that’s NOT a phone number!
LF: 5-4-1 is Tijuana dude.
MS: How the hell did she get our number?!
BNB: Fave pre-show vices or rituals- besides interviewing of course.
MS: Well now many people would think we like to do cocaine and drink Jack Daniels before we go on- but that’s not true. We wait till at least the second song. Maybe have a few beers- sugarfree red bull- coke zero. The most important thing is making sure we have everything before we go on.
BNB: You’re all sponsored by different musical companies- Gibson, Kramer, DW Drums- who endorses your eyeliner?
SZ: I don’t have an eyeliner sponsor.
MS: I do. Maybelline.
SZ: What! When did you get a sponsorship?
MS: I’ve had it since like, before I knew you.
BNB: He’s going to get jealous.
SZ: Going to get?
MS: Having an eyeliner sponsor is not a big deal though- because it’s like maybe a dollar and it lasts for a whole year.
SZ: Yeah- but it’s so cool to say.
BNB: Closing Remarks to fans, friends, and fiends?
SZ: Yeah one time, I was riding my bike, and I did a table top jump, and I kicked my wheel out and I crashed. And I cut my lip. And I had to get stitches.
MS: I have one! I have a closing remark! I used to have a VW bug- and my friend jumped it with his BMX bike.
After the hot as hell (literally it must have been 90 degrees) session in the dressing room- the boys scampered off to wander the strip pre-performance and in a haze of rock, hairspray, and spandex- one thing is apparent- they won’t be losing their sex appeal anytime soon. You can check them out every Monday night at The Key Club and if the venue’s rockin’- I definitely recommend you go knockin’- they’re putting the sex and drugs back in rock and roll.
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