Dr. Feelgoods Rock Bar

Traveling is one of my passions, but flight delays put a damper on my good mood. I woke before 4 a.m. to fly from Dayton to Detroit then on to Miami.

Hours...and hours...and hours later I was finally in the Miami heat.

Enough of the negative. On to the positive: 

Did I go to Dr. Feelgood's Rock Bar? Yes.
Is it basically awesome? Yes.
Did the waitresses wear skimpy dresses? Yes.
Did the the DJ play "Wildside" while I was drinking my Bud Lite? Yes.

As you can see by the picture of the giant snake, Dr. Feelgood's Rock Bar and Grill isn't a slum shack. The bar is actually decked out to the nines in rock memorabilia. Some find this hokey, but it's right up my alley. 

In addition to the Feelgood snake, there is a stripper pole, Rat-Tailed Jimmy's car (well, half of it. The car sort of juts out from the wall) and several motorcycles and Motley Crue guitars representing different albums by the Sunset Strip band.

Billed as "Bike Night" a lot of motorcycle enthusiasts turned out for the drink specials and to show off their very fancy rides. I've never even ridden a motorcycle - let alone own one - but it was still fun to watch the bikers in their element.

I was at Dr. Feelgoods early so it wasn't rowdy by any means. Still, I think the bar has staying potential.

Anyway, I'm off to the cruise terminal. More later! 

Motley Cruise Schedule

The tour group running the Motley Cruise has just released the performance itinerary.

Some concerts are contingent on dining times, but basically I will be seeing RATT and Slaughter Thursday night and possibly Endeverafter.

On Friday, I'll probably be seeing Lynam.

Saturday looks like I'll be meeting Vince Neil and the members of Skid Row and then watching Endeverafter.

On Sunday, Vince Neil and Skid Row are slated to perform. A meet and greet with RATT and Slaughter is also scheduled. There's also a chance of seeing Lynam...again, it depends on dining.

Basically you can expect a show review the next day or even the same day depending on timing. Not all the shows are late at night - in fact, some are in the middle of the afternoon!

Internet use on cruise ships is typically reliable, but it's heinously expensive so I'll probably be posting just once daily. Of course, news warrants updates, so we'll see.

In the meantime, watch this video: RATT "Lovin' You's a Dirty Job." God I love Warren DeMartini.

Letting Go and Happy Trails

Today should be big for me.

It's my last day of work before starting a new career...and tomorrow I jaunt off for warmth and the Motley Cruise.

I have a long list of chores that need done before vacation and there just are not enough hours in the day. I started packing Sunday, and I'm very strict with this. I like one big bag, one carry-on and my laptop bag for both me and my husband. He takes way more stuff than me - and his clothes are naturally bigger - so they consume more space. I weighed my big bag last night and I'm over the alloted airline limit, so now I have to add another bag to the checked luggage which I despise. Half the time you get to your vacation destination and you don't need most of what you packed anyway. I digress.

So, I was looking around on YouTube for some video of the last Motley Cruise. Sadly, I didn't find anything worth posting here...it seems more people took video of the "Girls, Girls, Girls Bikini Contest" and not of Vince actually performing. Oh well.

This is my first time Motley Cruising and if all goes well, it will become an annual event for me, just like Rocklahoma.

In case you didn't know, the performers on this cruise are Vince Neil, Slaughter, Skid Row, RATT, Lynam and Endeverafter. Yes, these will be our people on the ship!

I'm excited to see every band, so I have high hopes for this trip. Of course, I'll post my show reviews and pictures here every day.

The boat doesn't actually leave until Thursday, but my husband and I are going to Miami tomorrow to soak up some early sun and probably visit Vince Neil's new bar Dr. Feelgoods. I'd by lying if I said I didn't REALLY want to go there...although I'm sure it is a lot like any other bar in an up and coming area: overpriced. Dr. Feelgoods is located in West Plam Beach...that's a little drive from Miami.

Of course, there is always stuff to do in South Beach so maybe we'll stay put near the hotel.

It's a very odd feeling...leaving one career, going on vacation and never returning to that familiar place of work. In some ways the Motley Cruise isn't just a vacation but an actual bridge to a new life.

My major life change has me thinking about our favorite glam bands and the changes they've experienced in the music industry over the past 25 years. I'm part of the MTV generation...but people like George Lynch, Don Dokken and Nikki Sixx grew up in a time when radio was still huge. Their imaginations helped fuel their desire to become famous musicians in over-the-top bands. By all accounts, a lot of the bands I write about here did achieve a great deal of success...and many are still rockin' today. Just look at Poison: they were often mocked by their Sunset Strip counterparts in the mid-1980s...achieved a massive amount of fame as the decade of decadence wore on and still produced music into the 90s. Now, more than two decades later, Poison is one of the few historic glam bands that can actually tour every summer to at least a shed audience. What's even is better is the boys in Poison actually look like they are having a good time.

So, change can be a good thing. Yes, time marched on and our favorites like Guns n' Roses and Motley Crue fell out of favor with the hipsters...but that is coming back. True passion can keep anything alive: a music genre, a hobby, a wild dream. If things don't change, then nothing evolves...and we wouldn't have glam - or new careers - to talk about in the first place.

Shoo Bop vs. Goin' Crazy

Do you own Diamond Dave (2003, Magna Carta) released by David Lee Roth? I don't own the disc, but I did come across the video for the single "Shoo Bop" and couldn't help but mutter "...What the hell?"

Steve Miller wrote "Shoo Bop" but I don't know if I'd claim author credit. Actually, Diamond Dave is mostly an album of cover tunes. I don't know much about the release other than "Shoo Bop" but if that track is any indication, my guess is the album is spotty. After Diamond Dave, David Lee Roth released Strummin' With the Devil, a bluegrass album of Van Halen tunes. This makes me think all parties involved were correct in getting the Van Halen reunion up and running. Anyway, here's the video for "Shoo Bop." It's completely crazy.

You know what...I actually think we should compare "Shoo Bop" to "Goin' Crazy."

After David Lee Roth left Van Halen in the mid-1980s, he released his phenomenal solo debut Eat 'Em and Smile. Despite his new status as a solo artist, David Lee Roth still had a label deal with Warner Bros. and a big budget for music videos. He also played ringmaster during a very expensive tour.Eat 'Em and Smile was a commercial success, thanks to singles like "Goin' Crazy" and "Yankee Rose." Now we all know Diamond Dave is a creative and zany guy, but some of his videos are pretty over-the-top. Here's the clip for "Goin' Crazy."

So, which is better (or maybe worse depending on your point of view)? "Goin' Crazy" is easily the better of the two songs...the videos, in my mind, are a toss-up.

Brent Muscat: The Bring Back Glam! Interview

If you like Faster Pussycat, then you know the name Brent Muscat. Guitarist Muscat helped form the classic glam band with singer Taime Downe in the mid 1980s. A semi-public feud lead to massive changes in the Faster Pussycat lineup and sound, and Muscat struck out on his own with various music projects. These days, Muscat plays in a Las Vegas band called the Sin City Sinners. Muscat recently spoke to Bring Back Glam! about his health, Faster Pussycat and his autobiography. Transcription follows.  

Bring Back Glam!: People are most concerned with your health. How are you feeling these days?

Brent Muscat: I feel good. I have to go back to the doctor every three months for a check up. As of right now the doctors believe I am cancer free.

BBG!: Tell me about your new band, the Sin City Sinners. How did that band form?

BM: I was looking for a project I can do locally here in Vegas. After I did my 20^th anniversary tour of Faster Pussycat, I still wanted to work with the other guitarist Todd Kerns and we put the Sinners together. It’s really a fun jam band and we play every Tuesday at a place called the Dive Bar. We have been bringing a cool special guest each week. So far we’ve had guys like Phil Lewis, Jizzy Pearl, Donnie Vie, Sami Yaffa, Ron Keel, and Paul Shortino among others. It’s really the only place to see and hear my era of music in town. We play a bunch of hard rock covers including songs from my old band.

BBG!: Do you plan on recording an album with the Sin City Sinners?

BM: It’s possible; we have all been working on songs.

BBG!: Are you still working on your book project?

BM: It‘s still in the works, but on the back burner right now. My writing partner and I both have so many other things going on, that it’s hard to find the time to sit down and work on it. We have a 100 page draft and eventually it will get done.

BBG!: Tell me about the early days of Faster Pussycat. How did you and Taime Downe initially meet?

BM: All these stories will be in my book in more detail, but basically two girls who knew our original drummer Mark Michals put me on the phone with Taime (Downe, vocals) when he was looking to start a band.

BBG!: How long did it take for you to realize you had a special chemistry?

BM: Right away. Back then Taime was really focused and believe it or not was against drugs.

BBG!: When was the last time you spoke with Taime Downe?

BM: I spoke to his answering machine about eight or nine months ago to try and resolve things, but he never responded. I would have given him the name, without him having to waste money on an attorney.

BBG!: Are you still actively involved in real estate, or do you want to move back into making music full time?

BM: I am still involved in real estate and own a few homes here in town. Music is more of a hobby for me at this point. I am not unrealistic; I know I will never be able to recapture what I’ve already accomplished. My priority now is just being a good husband to my wife and dad to my daughter Kat.

BBG!: The music industry has changed so much over the last 20 years. Do you think it's possible that Metal can ever be as popular today as it was in the mid 80s?

BM: No, but more power to all the guys who are out there sticking to their guns and playing the music the way it was meant to sound on the records. Music would really suck if all the old metal/hard rock guys tried to sound like Marilyn Manson.

BBG!: Do you think Faster Pussycat is a glam band?

BM: We used to be, but in my opinion since Taime put it together with a bunch of clowns, it's become a bad Marilyn Manson, NIN rip off.

BBG!: What are your musical aspirations for 2008?

BM: I’ll continue playing every week here in Las Vegas with The Sin City Sinners and maybe do some weekend shows here and there with the band and see where it goes from there.

Sin City Sinners on Myspace

Photo credit: Brent Muscat via the Sin City Sinners 

Add VAIN to the List

According to the Rocklahoma rumor mill (maybe I should trademark that phrase?) VAIN will be among the 2008 performers. If this is true, it would be a great opportunity to see an underrated punk/glam band with a cult following.

When I watched the clip of "Beat the Bullet" this morning, I was instantly reminded of Skid Row. I guess that's not surprising since VAIN opened for Skid Row back in 1989/90.

If you like Jetboy, you'll probably like VAIN since they both came from the San Francisco Metal scene and I'm pretty sure they ran in the same social circles.

Reintroduce yourself to VAIN by watching "Beat the Bullet."

Remember, I'm keeping a running tally of the rumored and confirmed Rocklahoma 2008 bands in the Message Board section of this website.

Steve West - The Bring Back Glam! Interview

Danger Danger released their self-titled debut in 1989. Since that time, the band has weathered several line-up changes, legal problems, and a changing music market. Drummer Steve West created the band back in 1987, and Danger Danger continues to remain his top professional priority. Recently, West spoke to Bring Back Glam! about a new deal with Frontiers Records, a chance to play Rocklahoma 2008, the problem with "Don't Walk Away"  and an album of all new material. Transcription follows.

Bring Back Glam!: You just signed with Frontier’s Records. Tell me about that.

Steve West: Yes we did. We’ve been getting offers for years from them…they’ve been interested in Danger Danger making a new record once we got Ted (Poley, vocals) back in the band. I don’t know if you're familiar but he was out of the band after our third record in 1993 and we got back together a couple years ago. We were just going to play live – we never planned on making another Danger Danger record with him and we kept getting offers…and the fans were asking for a new record… Actually, it got to the point where the offers were really good and the fans really wanted to hear some new music, so we said “let’s do a new record and see what happens.” We’re trying to get the record written and recorded in the next couple of months.

BBG!: Can you tell me more about the new record?

SW: We have no album title and we’ve got about 11 songs written, pretty much. They are half, three quarters of each song done.

BBG!: It seems like Danger Danger tours Japan a lot.

SW: That’s really not true. There is that impression. At one time we were really popular there. We were back there two years ago for the first time since 1992. It had been 12, 13 years…once Ted got back in the band, people were interested again. We had an offer to go to Japan, so we went. I’m sure we’ll go back once this new record is out. Honestly we spend more time in Europe than anywhere else.

BBG!: Which countries in Europe?

SW: It seems like…Spain. We’re playing a festival there in March. Also the U.K., Greece, Sweden. We were just in Germany a couple months back. It keeps growing and we’ve been really fortunate. We’ve got some good fans out there.

BBG!: Why do you think Danger Danger is so popular in those countries?

SW: I don’t know. It’s bizarre and random. Certain places…the sound, the vibe of the band. I guess people relate to what we do. Here in the States it’s a little undercover, but in some places we’re quite viable and even “new.” I guess it’s a different mindset over there, in certain countries. It’s hard for fans here to even find out about what we’re doing or to see us, but not so in other countries.

BBG!: Do you want to tour the U.S.?

SW: I would love to…it’s just hard. We can’t get on a bus anymore. I’ve got three guys in the band that are married and have family lives, with commitments and they just can’t get away for long periods of time. Used to be, back in the day, we were on the road for a year and a half and it was no problem because no one needed to be anywhere. We lived out of our suitcases. Unfortunately, we can’t do that now…I’m the only one that could do that, but that’s not going to help anyone. The guys like to go out for about two weeks at a time. Unfortunately, financially it’s not that good. There’s a lot of expenses…so we pick and choose where we play.

BBG!: You used the word “unfortunately” a lot, even when talking about your personal life. Did you make the choice to not have a family for your band?

SW: No, it wasn’t a career choice. It was a lifestyle choice. I like being single and having no commitments and being able to do whatever I want to do and not having to answer to anybody. The other guys are married and they are happy and that’s great for them.

BBG!: Will Danger Danger play Rocklahoma?

SW: At this moment, I don’t know. That’s all I can say.

BBG!: So you were asked?

SW: We were. I don’t know what will happen at this point. An offer was made. We haven’t committed to anything. We’d love to do it…if we can work it out, we’ll be there.

BBG!: What was the time slot offer?

SW: I can’t discuss any of that. It was vague. That’s one of the reasons we passed on the first offer from an agent. We want to know exactly what’s going on…so we can make a good decision. We’re still working it out.

BBG!: Is it still hard to support yourself as a professional musician?

SW: Oh, yeah. These days it’s hard to support yourself doing anything. We’ve been fortunate. We set things up the best we could. We started our own label in 1995 (Low Dice Records) and we’ve got our own studio and we make the records, manufacture them, we license our records out to different labels around the world – and we play. We’re lucky; we don’t have normal day jobs. Everyone has something on the side to make more money. None of us are becoming multimillionaires doing this, but we do make a good living.

BBG!: What is your side work?

SW: Well, Bruno (Ravel, bassist) and myself [sic] are partners and we write for other people. We do songs, jingles or if someone needs music for a show. We’ve written for the New York Yankees and songs for MTV and both Gene Simmons and Tommy Lee’s television shows. We also do music for commercials. The main focus is our band.

BBG!: I’ve decided “Don’t Walk Away” is about the best power ballad ever recorded.

SW: That is a very heady statement to make. It’s a little bizarre in one way. I don’t consider that song a power ballad. I think it’s a great song…I love the song. It’s the one that got away unfortunately.

BBG!: How do you mean?

SW: “Don’t Walk Away” was the career ender right there. Most of the bands from the 80s didn’t have big success until they put ballads out. The ballad seemed to skyrocket bands and helped sell a lot of records. Unfortunately for us, we didn’t have a ballad. We only had two videos, and they were both rock songs. After our second single “Bang Bang,” which was a top 50 song, we wanted to release “Don’t Walk Away.” That was going to be our ballad. It was going to take us to the next level – finally. The record (Danger Danger) had been out for over a year, and the label wanted us to just make a new record. I really believe that things might have been different…well, the review in Billboard magazine at the time… that song got an amazing review. We thought it was a great song. Radio started playing it. The label didn’t want to get behind it. They were like “We’re focusing on Celine Dion, a new chick we’ve got. You guys go make a new record.” That was the end of it.

BBG!: Are you nervous about releasing a new album in this music market?

SW: No. I have no expectations. I’ve been releasing records since 1995 and I’m not getting on the Billboard charts. I’m not making videos and I don’t care. I make the records for the fans and for myself. I could sell one record or a million – it’s not going to change my life. Well, a million records might change my life, but I don’t lose any sleep over it. It’s out of my hands. All we really want to do…is try to make the best record we can make.

Steve West on Myspace

Danger Danger on Myspace
Danger Danger online

Photo credit: Steve West via Myspace.