STEPHEN PEARCY On RATT Reunion: 'Never Say Never'

Blasting-Zone.com recently conducted an in-depth interview with former RATT/ARCADE frontman Stephen Pearcy. Several excepts follow:

Blasting-Zone.com: Was it grunge that ultimately killed ARCADE?

Stephen: "Nobody killed anybody. It was the labels. I was signed to Sony with ARCADE and they had PEARL JAM, so of course they're going to concentrate on whatever, ya know? By that time, I was already onto my next move, which was VICIOUS DELITE, and my label. It was a great experience and we did very well out of the box. It wasn't grunge and we still got played and made a video for 'Nothin' To Lose', a song I wrote with Jim Vallance. It was all good. It was just timing. If you think about it now, what comes around, goes around, ya know? Metal didn't go anywhere; it's just been lying low."

Blasting-Zone.com: What prompted you to start your own label?

Stephen: "When I saw things comin' when I was in my Epic/Sony stint with ARCADE in '92, '93 and '94, I saw the industry taking major turns and steps. I wanted to be in control of my own destiny. When you sign with a label, all you're really doing is taking high interest loans from them, and that's what people have been doin' for years. You shouldn't be forced into a situation where…there are so many cooks in the kitchen, so to speak. You lose at lot. After being through what I've been through with many major labels, I realize get more accomplished on my own…on my own terms. I deliver when I want and I love developing new bands. It's not the music business anymore. It's the entertainment business. I just saw it comin'…that it was just time to take the next step. It's all been good. It just takes years of development, ya know? I get to make my own records, my own deals and I know what's really goin' on."

Blasting-Zone.com: How did Michael Schenker become involved with RATT?

Stephen: "When Robbin [Crosby; late RATT guitarist] went into rehab during the Detonator tour, we kinda approached him. He did the tour and it was fucking amazing! I used to play UFO songs when I was in MICKEY RATT in like '76 and '77, so being able to do it for real live was intense. Plus, the solo trade-offs him and Warren [DeMartini] did on that tour were just spectacular.'

Blasting-Zone.com: Was Schenker becoming a full-time member of the group ever a possibility?

Stephen: "No. Mike's on his own thing, ya know? He's back on his feet and…that guy's just so brilliantly talented. It's just crazy, ya know? The fact that we were even able to share the stage with him was just phenomenal for me."

Blasting-Zone.com: What was the main motivation behind reuniting with Juan [Croucier, ex-RATT bassist]?

Stephen: "We've been talking quite a lot aside from the RATT business. He's got a new band, a power trio, where he sings and plays bass. Juan and I wrote a lot of those good RATT songs like 'Lack of Communication' and 'You're In Love'. We had a good thing going with the writing despite what 'Behind The Music' or anybody else says. You know what you do when you're in a band. He wanted to get out there…so I said 'Why don't you come out and do some shows?' so we've got him kicking out some shows."

Blasting-Zone.com: What type of set list are the two of you planning on working with?

Stephen: "Juan's band is gonna open up along with another band called 40 CYCLE HUM. But after my set, he's gonna join my band and we're probably throw down a good half hour of RATT. It's about as good as it gets, ya know?"

Blasting-Zone.com: Will there ever be a full-fledged RATT reunion?

Stephen: "I don't know… We keep in contact and all of lawsuits have been amicably settled. It's just a matter of timing. Never say never. We talk and that's about all I can say on the matter. But then again, RATT was never a band that would do the predictable. I know a lot of people were sayin' that we should announce a big reunion right as the 'Behind The Music' was airing, but that's not our style. Something like that…it could have been misconstrued where people would have thought that we were getting back together right away when that's not really the case. We didn't even tell everything on 'Behind The Music', so why would we do it now? Believe me, if hell does freeze over, you'll know there will be a reunion (laughs)."

Read the entire interview at Blasting-Zone.com.