Magazine article - Burrn!!! 1992
SPECIAL INTERVIEW IN JAPAN
ROBBIN CROSBY - The “King” who has just started his new band talks about his “love-hate relationship” with his former bandmates of Ratt
By KAZ HIROSE / BURRN!
Ever since we heard the shocking news of Robbin Crosby leaving the band, Ratt fans around the world have been anxious to find out what’s going on. With only 4 members left, the current “Ratt” is on a “Contraband tour”, in which we can’t make out what it’s all about, and they are receiving unfavorable criticism.
On the other hand, no one knew what Robbin was up to, and in time, we started hearing negative gossip, such as Stephen and Robbin ripping on each other in the press, or the disbanding of Ratt, or Robbin suing Stephen, and so on. Each time we hear these rumors, Ratt fans are heartbroken and are thrown into the abyss of despair. And to top if off, we read this “interview” of him saying unspeakably abusive things about his ex-bandmates in a Japanese magazine…. Oh lord, what’s it gonna be with Ratt and Robbin…?
Just when we were seriously starting to wonder, the person in question – Robbin Crosby comes to Japan. I don’t know much about the rock bands in Japan, but what I heard is that he came here to have a jam session with somebody called Shake(salmon), or Maguro(tuna fish), or was it Sazae(turban shell)?? …whatever his name is. (* the artist’s name is “Shake” http://www.myspace.com/kogureshaketakehiko , and he was a friend of Robbin. This interviewer is being disrespectful and making fun of that person’s name.)
Well, anyways. If he came to Japan attempting to join a heavy metal band, I would think as if he wants to be Neil Murray #2 (*Neil Murray is a British bass player, best known for his work in Whitesnake and Black Sabbath, who once joined a Japanese heavy metal band called Vow Wow.), but according to what I’ve heard, it seems like it’s nothing like that, so hopefully we don’t need to worry about this. Still, we have some anxiety, as Robbin made some lame comments in the above mentioned interview about himself planning to mainly focus on marketing in Asian countries…??
For these reasons, I had so many things I wanted to ask this man, the “King”, who came to hang around at our editorial office. Despite the negative rumors about him that I have been hearing, he appeared to be in good health, so I was somehow relieved. And that’s not all – “Do you want to listen to my new stuff?” he said, and handed me a demo tape he has been working on lately, and man, it was some high-quality, cool stuff with some hard rock taste in it! (There were 3 songs – 2 of them were new songs, and the other one was a cover of “We’re an American Band” from Grand Funk.) Now, this was a pleasant surprise. Seeing our “King” rockin’ to the killer tune blasting from the player was a real pleasant view as well…he looks so different compared to how he looked the last time we saw him during the Detonator tour in Japan last year – looking pale and totally burnt out.
By the way, I’ve noticed that the voice of the singer sounded familiar…and guess who it was? It’s Parramore McCarty (known for his work in Warrior / Rough Cutt / Steve Steven’s Atomic Playboys). Well, it seems like our King is ready to set off… Ok now, before we go any further, let’s start up with our interview.
Q: Well, there’s so many things I would like to ask…
A: Before we start, can I talk a little bit about the story of an interview of mine which was in a Japanese magazine a little while ago? The person who did that interview, Ms.S, is someone who used to work at our (Ratt’s) management office as a secretary. She asked me if I could do an interview with her, so I went to this meeting place. She showed up 3 hours later than the appointed time. While I was waiting for her, I had more than a couple of shots.
Now this, was a bad idea actually, because on that very same day, I had just read a magazine article with one of the Ratt members bad-mouthing me. Right after we started the interview, she goes like, “You know what? Stephen was always so mean to me…” or “I like you the most out of all the Ratt members.” By that time, I was totally drunk, and my mind was bewildered after reading that kind of an article that morning…you know, all the guys from Ratt are like brothers to me, and I love them.
All the more, sometimes you hate them…you know what I mean? Isn’t that how brothers are? Anyway, under those circumstances, I blurted out way too much, and what she did is to put in every single piece of our conversation, and made it into one whole interview. Whoever read that interview might get the impression that I have very bad feelings about them, but it’s not like I’m wishing them bad luck. They are my friends and my brothers, and I do care for them and wish them luck.
I don’t have any hostile feelings against them. I’m even hoping that maybe someday we could work together again. But right now, I am looking forward to doing my own project which I’m about to start. Imagine this: suppose there’s a brand new white canvas sitting right in front of you. First, I take a paint brush and draw some pictures on it. Then, Warren takes his turn and draws something on it as well. Then comes Bobby, then Stephen does the same thing. After the whole picture is done, it may not be something that makes everybody satisfied. So, I decided to draw a picture by myself on my own canvas. Anyway, I assume that there’s a lot of fans who were disappointed to read that interview of mine, in which I’m unduly dishing on the other members, but I want them to know that I didn’t mean it, and I do still care about them.
Q: Well, I feel so relieved to hear that. So, you’re planning to form your own band, then?
A: That’s right. I’ve been working with Ratt for… what, about 13 years? From now on, I would like to go through things step by step by taking plenty of time. First release our album, then go on tour. If it doesn’t work out, maybe I’ll try something else, but who knows? The best thing for me would be being able to form a band which would last for 5 or even 10 years. That demo tape which I just gave you a listen, I made that in 3 days. I worked my ass off to finish this, so that I could bring it to Japan this time. I have been thinking that I want to pursue my own career in the Asian market.
For me, the Asian market is as important as the market in U.S. Plus, I have this love for Japanese culture, and my Japanese fans really give credit to my music. As for my next band, I’m hoping that it first breaks in Japan, and increase its popularity spread among the whole world. You know, I’m really excited about that demo tape. If we work real hard & concentrate, I think we’ll be able to make a great album in a short period of time. As for our singer, Perry (Parramore) McCarty, I’ve been working with him in the past 5 bands we’ve been in, and we used to live together in San Diego for years. I’m so thrilled about forming a new band with my old friend.
Q: As I know how much Perry McCarty is someone who has great talent, I’m sure that if you are going to work with him, your new band will be really something. Can you tell us more about your new band?
A: Well actually, at the moment, he (Perry) is still a member of Warrior. When I was about to make this demo tape, I asked him if he could work with me, and he willingly accepted my offer. I’ve also asked him, “If we got a record deal & are going on tour, are you willing to join us?” and his answer was, “Of course, I’d love to!” He sounded like he’s really up for it. He as well have interest in doing the ‘70s-ish kind of heavy rock we played in this demo tape. So currently, Perry is the vocalist, I’m playing the guitar, and a guy called Dino is playing the drums. The thing is, we don’t have a bass player yet. On that tape, I played the bass guitar. Right now, I’m looking for a bass player who’s also a good singer.
Q: So right now, It’s not fully lined-up as a band yet?
A: As soon as I get back to the States, we’re starting the rehearsal. Actually, there’s one bass player who I’d like to ask him to join our band. As for the name of the new band, I’m thinking of calling it Call of the Wild. Although, I’ll have to go check if anyone else has the trademark registration for that name before we make that official.
Q: Who came up with that idea (of the band name)?
A: Me, of course. The titles of the songs you just heard are “Number One” and “Waiting So Long”.
Q: Those songs sounded to me like Led Zeppelin-ish heavy rock.
A: I’m glad you feel that way. As it’s not easy to find a good vocalist like Perry, I want to make something which makes the most out of his talent. I have a feeling that many of the bands we see on the scene these days have a dry sound like AC/DCand The Cult. As for my new band, I want to create a psychedelic groove like Jimi Hendrix, by using special effects.
Q: When you were in Ratt, the musical potential may have been limited because of Stephen’s voice, but this time, you will be able to try various kinds of new stuff, huh?
A: Exactly. It’s not easy to write a song when there’s no melody, I’m telling ya. His voice range is limited, and he has no melody. That’s why we had to have Beau Hill helping us out. (lol) We used to put the melody to the songs by adding the backing vocals. It wasn’t an easy thing to do. Of course, I’m still proud of the songs I wrote when I was in Ratt, but right now, I’m really looking forward to what I’m about to start.
Q: I remember when Sammy Hagar joined Van Halen, Eddie said something like “Things are much easier now that we have a singer who has a wide vocal range”..
A: Yeah, that’s true. Although, things are little different from that case. Van Halen replaced their singer. On the other hand, Robbin Crosby has decided to leave a band called Ratt, and is going to form a new band. Anyway, I still don’t understand why the boys keep on playing as Ratt, because Ratt was originally my band…
Q: There must be a lot of fans who think that “Ratt is not the same band anymore without Robbin”, just like when Ritchie Blackmore left Deep Purple?
A: Yeah, just like UFO without Michael Schenker or Aerosmith without Joe Perry…after they left the band, there’s nothing left.
Q: So basically, after you left Ratt, you’ve been working on preparing for this new band?
A: Correct. I left the band on the very day we came back to the States from the last Japanese tour. For the next 8 months, I’ve been writing 3 or 4 songs a month, I have been writing with our drummer, Dino, and 3 weeks ago, Perry joined us, and we recorded that demo tape. You know, carrying out an audition can sometimes be difficult. No matter how talented the singer or guitarist who passed the audition might be, there is always the possibility that you find you are incompatible with this person 6 months later.
Meanwhile, Perry and I have known each other for a long time, so there’s nothing for us to worry about. As for Dino, despite the fact that I didn’t know that much about him before, we get along pretty well. He understands my perspective very well, and we fully respect each other. He’s a wonderful drummer. You know, Bobby Blotzer is one of the best rock n’ roll drummers I know. I feel very fortunate to be able to play with someone like him for 12 years.
Though, I am going to play with different members, I think my new music will not sound like Ratt. My playing style itself may be different as well. As you know, most of the earlier songs from Ratt which made us huge had a lot of my influence, so I’ve been a bit concerned that the songs I write may sound like Ratt. That’s because what we are looking for is not something that sounds like Ratt. However, I have a feeling that we will be successful in making our own kind of music, and it will be something extremely exciting.
Q: Well then, we could think that currently you’re really satisfied with what you’re doing as an artist, right?
A: Oh yeah. I feel like a young boy once again.
Q: As you know, any time we hear bad rumors, we fans worry about you…
A: What kind of rumors? I would like to know.
Q: I’ve heard that there’s been a lot of bashing on each other between you and the members of Ratt…
A: As for me bashing on the Ratt members, You’re talking about that interview of mine in that Japanese magazine Viva Rock, right? I explained that to you in the beginning. As you may know, the members of Ratt have been ripping on me a lot. Like they had to fire me…the whole thing just sounds like a joke. They said that I’m a drug addict and an alcoholic… I mean, when did anybody ever think that Ratt was a group with bunch of angels for Christ’s sake? As you can tell from us calling ourselves Rat(t), we never were angels.
Q: I’ve also heard something real bad like Stephen making disparaging comments about you, and that you are taking legal proceedings against him…
A: Lately, I haven’t talked with Stephen in person. All I know is…he really hurt my feelings. When I left the band, we all made a promise not to speak ill of each other. We spent 12 great years together, and we had agreed that there’s no need to ruin it…. and then, you see all of the comments they made… Stephen & I have been bosom buddies for 15 years. This whole thing cuts me down to my bones….. (gets choked up with tears in his eyes)
Q: Uh....., are you okay…?
A: (dabbing his eyes with his fingers,) I’m sorry…., let’s continue.
Q: All of your fans know that you two are good buddies, and I’m sure that they won’t believe all these horrible rumors. Don’t worry….
A: If you could print the whole thing and let them know my damn feelings about it, I would be grateful. Thanks, I really appreciate it.
Q: Um…., if you don’t want to talk about Ratt anymore, then we could just….
A: No no, it’s okay! I’m fine.
Q: Did you listen to their ‘Best Of’ album which just came out? (*Ratt & Roll 8191)
A: Personally, I don’t think that should be called as the ‘Best Of’ album of Ratt. The choices of the songs are real bad. My best Ratt song from that album is “Tell the World”.
Q: That’s just what I’ve guessed!
A: Ha ha…you knew it, huh?
Q: Well, that song has the real early Ratt-ish sound, so…
A: That’s what Ratt is all about! The real heavy tune.
Q: I agree. In my opinion, the substantial part of Ratt is Heavy Metal
.
A: I mean, why did they even think about having that song “Givin’ Yourself Away” on their ‘Best Of’ album? Gimme a break! (lol)
Q: I’ve noticed that it doesn’t have all the great songs like “I’m Insane”, “The Morning After”, and “Sweet Cheater” as well…
A: For me, the song “Tell the World” represents us the most. I also love the song “Wanted Man”. Personally, I don’t think most of the songs from “Detonator” are well worthy for our ‘Best Of’ album.
Q: To be honest, I can’t believe the fact that they put 5 freaking songs from “Detonator” on their ‘Best Of’ album. And those 5 songs does not include “Top Secret” for Christ’s sake…
A: As for me, the only songs that might well be considered as our greatest hits are “Round and Round”, “Wanted Man”, “Lack of Communication”, “You’re In Love”, “Lay it Down”, “Dance”, “Slip of the Lip”…as for the latest ones, it will be “Way Cool Jr.” and “Lovin' You's a Dirty Job”. And of course, “Tell the World” and “You Think You’re Tough” are some of the best tunes as well. Those are the songs I could call Ratt’s greatest hits. There are so many songs that are not good on that so-called ‘Best Of’ album”. Whoops…sorry if I sounded offensive. (lol)
Q: Do you feel rather disappointed with the fact that Ratt’s best of album does not seem to be as good compared with Motley Crue’s best album “Decade of Decadence”, which was released around the same time?
A: Let’s see how the sales turn out, and we’ll know that the whole world thinks the same way as I do. (lol)
Q: Did you ever go see any shows of the current Ratt line-up? The one with Michael Schenker as their guest…
A: I believe that Michael is on tour with Ratt as a member of Contraband. It’s not like he became a new member of Ratt. He came on stage after Ratt played all their set lists, and played the song “All the Way From Memphis” along with like 3 other songs with them as a Contraband. Anyway, I haven’t seen the show. I don’t think I would ever go see their shows. That is NOT Ratt…they are merely just a small mouse. (lol)
Q: Well, thank you so much for joining us today. Probably this will be the last time we will be asking you questions about Ratt, and next time, hopefully we could hear more from you about your new band, and we will be sincerely looking forward to that.
A: I hope so too. Please tell my fans that I’m really looking forward to performing in Japan again soon.
So now as you see, Robbin seems to be all excited about forming his new band. There was a time when we heard rumors about him choosing the backseat role and planning to set his main occupation as a producer, instead of being in the limelight…but that appears to have been false information. Currently, he is working very hard to embark on a new chapter in his life as a musician. It will be a tough road for him. Regardless of how tough it may be, he has taken the first step towards facing that bumpy road ahead.
When I saw those tears falling down from the eyes of that big man while he was talking about Stephen, I was in great bewilderment and totally shocked. At the same time, I realized once again how deep and strong their bond used to be, and could not get rid of sentimentality as I felt my tears welling up a bit as well.
I suppose that his feelings for Ratt at the moment have both affection and hatred. It is almost impossible to imagine the heartache he is suffering and how shocked he was, feeling betrayed by his closest friends who he has been with for over 12 years, working together in that band Ratt, which he loved dearly and had been proud of. Just imagine how he felt when at some point he found himself shoved in the corner from what he used to believe he played a significant role, then eventually having their new album recorded mostly without him, and then the following break up…
I do not want to blame him for dishing the dirt on Ratt while he was corkscrewed right after being crushed reading an article which hit him when he was down. He seems to be upset and having feelings of regret right now, but I hope that time will be on his side and things will be smoothed over.
As we have mentioned many times before, (and I think that there’s no need for me to repeat this again, but) Ratt is a great band which once reached the top of the L.A. metal scene and also played an important role in bringing prosperity to the whole heavy metal scene. Even though their influence may have been declining as time went by, it doesn’t mean that their great achievement will be obliterated.
Let’s put it like this - No matter how much Jimmy Page’s guitar playing sucked at some reunion concert, it does not change the greatness of Led Zeppelin. No matter how disastrous the show Deep Purple had during their Japan tour, and later ended up having their U.S. tour cut short, the great work they have done in the whole rock history is never to be denied.
Both Ratt and Robbin Crosby are shit-hot musicians, and I’m sure that they will both keep on playing their active role in the music business. For this reason, we fans sincerely hope that they would stop dissing at each other, tarnishing their reputation and leaving a shadow on their glorious history.
As much as I wish him the best of luck and every success in working with his own band, to be honest, I still cannot give up all my hope on him rejoining Ratt…..
BURRN! magazine, April 1992