JAKE E. LEE Shoots Down Rumor He Was Asked To Rejoin RATT, Calls Band's Current Version 'Sad'

Jake E. Lee has shot down a rumor that he was approached to play with RATT earlier this year as the replacement for Warren DeMartini. "No, that never came up," the former OZZY OSBOURNE and BADLANDS guitarist told the "Talking Metal" podcast (hear audio below). "That was never gonna happen. That all came from [RATT drummer] Bobby Blotzer, from a specific interview.

"Nobody really cares what Bob has to say," Jake continued. "Oh, here I am badmouthing another musician again… But nobody does. He went out with a version of RATT that was not RATT. And through people in the industry I know, he was paid a lot of money and club owners were very unhappy with him because they thought they were hiring RATT to play, and then it would just be a band Bobby Blotzer put together doing cover songs, really.

"I think Bobby just made that up so that it would be a talking point, so it would be a headline — and it did; it became that," Jake added.

"I get along with Stephen [Pearcy, RATT singer] all right — mainly because I'm not in a band with him. 'Cause I was in RATT before, and the reason I quit was Stephen. But I get along with him fine. But he knows that I wouldn't rejoin RATT, and he knows that Warren and I have been best friends forever, and I would never take his place in the band. And nobody should, really. It's not RATT without Warren."

Jake concluded: "It's sad… It's sad what RATT is today."

Lee actually began his career as a member of Pearcy's MICKEY RATT, which became better known as RATT after a name change in the early '80s.

This past March, Blotzer took to his RATT Facebook page to slam his former bandmates and to reveal that "someone" in their camp told him that "Juan [Croucier, bass] and Stephen are hiring, or trying to hire, Jake E. Lee" as Warren's replacement in RATT. He added: "Jake trying to play RATT solos, I don't see it."

Starting in late 2015, Blotzer played a number of shows under the name RATT with a lineup in which he was the sole member from the band's '80s heyday. He pitted himself against Pearcy, DeMartini and Croucier, who reunited in October 2016 for a surprise performance on a Monsters Of Rock cruise played a number of shows as RATT in 2017.

Pearcy and Croucier are the sole remaining original members in RATT's current lineup, which made its live debut in July. Joining them in the band are drummer Pete Holmes (BLACK 'N BLUE, RATT'S JUAN CROUCIER) and guitarists Jordan Ziff (RAZER) and Chris Sanders (BRITNY FOX, KNIGHT FURY).

Jake is promoting his band RED DRAGON CARTEL's second release "Patina", which is due on November 9 via Frontiers Music Srl.