2019.07.29 - Riki Rachtman's Cathouse Hollywood Podcast - Interview with Tracii

Riki Rachtman is joined with Tracii Guns. The two LA Natives share tales back from the time the two were reckless Hollywood punks to when Tracii started a band called Guns n Roses. Why did Tracii quit Guns n Roses to start his own band L.A.Guns? Was the "Dirt" accurate in it's description of Motley Crue's first show. What was Hollywood really like? What was Cathouse really like? Tracii was there and he takes you back there with him. Tracii also answers some of your questions left on the Cathouse Hollywood Facebook page



00:00
Hey, this is Tracy guns and I'm on the cat house Hollywood podcast with Ricky Rackman, my very dear old friend. We're vintage now and we love you all as Ozzy would always say.

00:32
Coming to you from the Cat House South Studios in Race City, USA, this is the sweet 16th episode of the Cat House Hollywood Podcast. I am Ricky Bachman. How you doing? You all right? Good. The 16th episode. You know, I remember being 16 years old. I remember being 16 years old.

00:56
Okay, I don't really remember that much, but I know in addition to my hard rock and heavy metal like Nugent, I also like bands like Divo. And even back then, I liked Roots Rock and Roll like Eddie Cochran, Gene Benson, Elvis of course. I still do. In the 80s, I used to wonder, what was it like 30 years ago? What was it like in 1957?

01:21
Of course my mind would wander and for some reason I picture everything actually being in black and white back then. The guys with the slick back hair, the girls in the tight Angora sweaters, rushing to the record store to buy the jailhouse rock single from Elvis or that'll be the day by the crickets. Trying to fathom what it would be like to go to a rock and roll show. Of course those had to be innocent back then, right? I doubt there was sex in the coat closet after all.

01:50
It was our parents that were at those shows. When you were in the eighties, you would look back 30 years to the fifties. When I was in the eighties, the fifties seemed like another time, another dimension. It was a theme park of another reality. Coke in a bottle, cool hot rods, and rock and roll. It was 30 years ago. It couldn't have been anything like the world that I was living in. I could not relate.

02:19
1986 was when I opened the nightclub, the cat house. That was 33 years ago from today. 33 years ago to me, when I look back, I had made it was a different time. It was far from innocent. It was borderline of being perverse. We all had the, we want the world and we want it now. So let's grab it. However, it doesn't seem as foreign as the fifties did.

02:48
When I was in the eighties, that's because I lived in the eighties. I'm just curious what 18 year olds today think about the eighties rock scene. Do they look back at it with the same bewilderment and fascination that I had for the fifties? I guess it was different. And every time I do this show, I feel weird knowing that this is nostalgia. This is a look back. I don't want to think that the cat house Hollywood podcast is just this

03:17
Period piece of an era still when I look at the analytics of the show, it is really cool to see so many listeners of this show are under the age of 21. I really wonder what teenagers think the eighties rock scene was really like. I hope this show takes them there. I hope this show takes you there. Yeah, we had a lot of struggles and we suffered pain and loss and desperation. We also fought tooth and nail.

03:48
But still, even though there was like competition back then, our Hollywood clique was a community. We had our hustle and many of us dug in deep, stuck to our guns. And this lifestyle paid off. Few of the key players in the Hollywood rock scene were originally from Los Angeles. I can say that I was so was Tracy Richard Irving Ulrich, better known as Tracy guns.

04:16
We're both products of growing up in Los Angeles. Tracy played in bands like killing machine contraband and brides of destruction, which he formed in 2001 with Nikki six. He also helped put together the band guns and roses, but that was short lived. And he stuck to his guns in a band. He still plays with to this day, LA guns. Their first record was released in 1988 and the last one only a few months ago.

04:45
Tracy and I, we go back a long way. And in this edition of the cat house Hollywood podcast, we're going to bring you back with us. Let's go back. Let's go way back. Back when we were just kids. Let's go back even further. How about 1982?

05:03
1982 the Academy Awards, of course, are in Los Angeles and chariots of fire just won the best picture It ended up with four Oscars But so did Raiders of the Lost Ark that year a few people were starting to buy their first home computer the big ol Commodore 64 Tracy Guns was in Los Angeles and in 82 I was living in the Hollywood Hills with my dad, but

05:28
Right over the hill where I grew up was a San Fernando Valley and the big craze at that time was talking like a valley girl. Girls from the valley were called valley girls. Matter of fact, Moon Zappa, Frank Zappa's daughter even had a song called Valley Girls that was a hit. The Valley Girls said stuff like, well they said stuff like like, as if, gruddy, for sure. Are you serious? Those girls really didn't want much to do with us.

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bad rocker types and speaking of rock and roll in 82, Dio had just gone solo and released Holy Diva. Spinal Tap was born and I actually saw the band play before the movie came out. It was at the Music Machine in Santa Monica. In 82, Metallica left Los Angeles to become a Bay Area band and the guitarist that I had seen play with the band Quiet Riot had gotten a lot of notoriety.

06:24
as a guitarist for Ozzy. His name was Randy Rhodes. In 82, he was killed in an airplane crash. So in 82, this is four years before the Cat House even opened. I wasn't part of the rock scene and neither was Tracy Guns. But we were all going to become a big part of it through sleaze and debauchery and raunch and roll. Oh, you're coming with us. This is episode 16. Sweet 16.

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of the Cat House Hollywood podcast.

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Episode 16 of the Cat House Hollywood podcast is made possible by

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the good people at Law Tigers, Motorcycle Attorneys, and Blue Chew. You know what they do, right? Listen up, because later I'm going to tell you how you can get your first shipment from Blue Chew for free. And of course, the show is made possible by the Cat House Hollywood website, cath The only place you can get Cat House shirts, Cat House hats, even Headbanger's ball shirts. So buy some cool stuff right now or as soon as this podcast is done.

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Hollywood.com because it supports this podcast. And now it is episode 16 of the Cat House Hollywood Podcast with Tracy Guns.

07:52
So Tracy, you grew up in Los Angeles, went to high school, junior high school, elementary school, you went to Fairfax High. I went to French nursery school on Fountain. Wait, was it called French nursery school? That's what it was called, French nursery school. So I was born at Cedars of Lebanon, which is now the Scientology headquarters building on Fountain. Then I went to French nursery school. Then I went to Alexandria.

08:21
elementary school. Then I went to Hancock Park Elementary School. Did you move or did you get thrown out of different schools? No, I didn't get thrown out anywhere. We moved a lot. You know, we moved like one mile away like every time. But you stayed, now Fairfax High was your high school. That was my high school, yeah. How many musicians went to Fairfax High? There was quite a few. There was there was a few before I went there too, like the Chili Peppers guys that just bailed when we got there.

08:50
But when I was there, it was me and Slash, and a kid named Marlon that we also went to junior high school with, and Philip Davidson. These are all guitar players. And that's where I met Rob Gardner, who was my drummer forever in the original LA Guns and Pyrus and Guns N' Roses, and Danny Tall.

09:11
who was a bass player. I met him at summer camp when I was six years old. Are these guys that I should be nodding because I should be knowing who they are? Well, Danny was just my buddy. He was the guy I kind of grew up learning how to play music with. But Rob Gardner was the original Guns N' Roses and LA Guns drummer. So tell me to go back to high school, you're going to Fairfax High, slash goes your high school.

09:35
You guys meet in high school? No, no, we knew each other since we were 11. We met each other just skateboarding at Laurel Avenue Elementary School. And that's how we became friends. How many great things came together because of skateboarding? Oh man, a lot. A lot. Yes. As a matter of fact, if you grew up in that time and you didn't have some sort of tie-in with the skateboard world, I don't know if you even want to talk to those. Well, even before that was really BMX, I guess. You know, so actually, I think, you know what, Slash and I, we were BMX guys before we were skateboard guys.

10:05
Yeah, so we and our girlfriends were best friends too for years Who was better at BMX? Better I know you were better skater Well, I don't think you kept skating. Yeah, I kept skating but you know, I wasn't never a very good skater We skated together all the time me and you I think I was at one time, but then I got fearful

10:26
when I fell at Skate Lab on my 40th birthday and I think that was the end of it. It hurts when you fall. Yeah, it really hurts. When you're like you're 17 and you fall skateboarding, it's okay. Oh man. When you're hurting, you're older, it just hurts. Oh man, I got a hip pointer and tweaked my wrist. But surfing, you know, I started surfing when I was really young, when I was like six. Same time I started playing guitar. And surfing was great except it just became a pain in the ass. You know what I mean? Just to like put the board in the car. Definitely different hours. Different hours.

10:56
we were doing rock and roll you're coming home when you're just driving yeah when you should be going to the beach yeah exactly so Yeah, I had a normal so Cal upbringing so did you so when you grew up in high school? La was a definitely a different place because there's not a lot of us that really grew up in Los Angeles Like do you remember the Beverly Center when that amusement park was oh? Yeah, I had my seventh birthday there That was that was kitty land right that kitty land and it had the big oil Derek You know I always remember that then they tore it down

11:26
Tear down all scars. No, no, no Oscars and the reason that I brought up is this were basically where Oscars was which is where the first location for the cat house Was right, but they tore down the amusement park, which is for people that don't know This is like right where cedars and the better. Oh, yeah Yeah, they got rid of it for the Beverly and tale of the pop right all that stuff was right there So do you remember your first time ever going on the Sunset Strip as a kid? Well, you know

11:51
lot of people don't include Santa Monica Boulevard in the Sunset Strip but it was part of it really you know the Troubadour and the Starwood and the first place I ever went and I do remember I saw White Sister and Wizard at the Troubadour when I was 15 just because I knew that somehow I had to see live music you know and so that was a Thursday night I remember and so I would go on Thursday nights and then

12:20
I went and saw, I tried to see the germs and the weirdos at Starwood, but it was too crowded and I was there. I'm sure you were. And whoever was working the door knew that I was like 12. Right. You know what I mean? So I never, I got in a couple of times, but it was, it was very short lived and I would get in there. Which is bizarre.

12:43
But maybe I'm going to be the only person that does this segue. You went to see the germs and the weirdos. When I think of LA Guns and I think of other members of LA Guns, I think of the drummer of LA Guns being Nicky B. Oh, absolutely. Nicky Alexander. A lot of people don't know LA Guns. Was he the one? He played on the first record. Yeah, he played on the first record. But he was like in a lot of the LA punk rock bands. So me coming from there thought, wow, they got this guy from old punk rock bands that play drum in LA Guns.

13:13
Well actually, you know, we started that version of LA guns because that was right after I was out of Guns N' Roses and Nicky actually auditioned for Guns N' Roses and I told him, I go, you're not really right for this man but if I do something else, I want to do it with you.

13:30
because I just loved him, he was such a cool guy. And then that's how we ended up starting LA Guns together, was with Nicky. See, this is what I try to tell people in this podcast, because a lot of people think of the sunset strip rock scene, and I've explained it so many times, the point of everybody's sick of hearing me say it, but the cat house scene, which selfishly I call it the cat house scene. Yeah, it was. A lot of it came from punk rock roots. Oh, big time. Well, yeah, the real LA punk rock roots, and also whatever we considered

14:00
at that time, you know what I mean? Which was like Jane's addiction and all those guys.

14:07
experimenting specimen, you know, alien sex fiends, you know, I remember meeting all those people at Cat House when you first started. Gene loves Jezebel, you know, so much stuff. You know, so the cult was very popular before they had a big album out, you know, stuff like that. And that was our scene, right? You know, in LA Guns, we were kind of a cross between, you know, Jane's addiction, the

14:35
Ozzy. You know what I mean? It was like all the stuff that was happening in LA, you know, and Cat House was definitely the solidifier.

14:46
for making that okay, you know what I mean? So we weren't really much of a Gazari's band, but we were definitely a cat house. But as you got bigger pretty soon, you had to be playing the Sunset Strip. But I remember seeing LA Guns opening up for Johnny Thunders. Oh yeah, yeah. I remember that show at the Roxy, I think it was. Yeah, and then I got to play with him the next night at Fender's. Yeah, we really were part of a different scene. And then when we started...

15:16
being popular on our own, then we got more defined. You know, it was easier to tell what the audience wanted, you know, what side of the band, and that was hard-hitting, you know, fast metal, I guess. Episode 16 of the Cat House Hollywood Podcast will continue with Tracy Guns after I tell you about Law Tigers. Who?

15:35
Are law tigers? Well let me tell you something. If you're riding motorcycle, you better know who law tigers are because people, a lot of them just drive like idiots. And I've had more than a few friends involved in horrible accidents because someone was just being careless. And it's almost never the rider's fault.

15:55
Law Tigers are motorcycle attorneys that look after you. They're not just personal attorneys. They are actual riders, so they get it. Law Tigers are part of the motorcycle community. They support lots of motorcycle charities. A matter of fact, every time I ride my motorcycle across this country on Ricky's ride and raise all that money for charities, that's done because Law Tigers supports my ride. They make it possible.

16:25
If you ride a motorcycle, I hope you don't have to use law tigers, but if you ride a motorcycle and if you ever get in a wreck, you need to remember law tigers. They're motorcycle attorneys and they are on your side. Now travel back with me into the Cat House Hollywood Podcast, because we're going way back right now with Tracy Guns. Let's go back to the Guns N' Roses days.

16:53
Did you feel that there was something like about Axl and you and members of the band like you know we're not going to be just a garage band. Oh man yeah. You could. Now you could really tell. Oh I could really tell. What was it? Well you know I mean Izzy gets so much credit for the vibe of the band and he really deserves that credit you know because he was like a barometer.

17:19
you know, like you couldn't go too much to the left or he'd give you a look. He couldn't go too much to the right. He'd give you a look like, hey, you know, just just be cool, man. You know, and and Axel would probably say the same thing that, you know, you didn't really want to do anything that wasn't is he approved in some some strange way, you know, but he was the guy that, you know, could play the least, you know, but he was definitely the coolest, you know. So I knew, you know what I mean? We were very organized and.

17:48
we've really sounded great you know what i mean and uh... the tunes were there that an attitude was there like we were professional you know and we really were you know axel very professional is he was very professional and by the time only in rob left in the and we got uh... addler and dot uh... you know adler it already played

18:12
in Hollywood Rose with Axl and Izzy, you know, so he knew he couldn't be a butt head coming in. You know, they had already been like, like, hey, because I remember when Axl and I just decided let's get Stephen, Izzy was still like, no, man.

18:26
no we're like yeah he's the right guy you know we're gonna get him and we got him and and how old are you guys at this time uh... i was nineteen you know but when i left i was nineteen so i figure i must have been nineteen because i was only in the in the guns and roses uh... brand name for about nine months you know i think i would like for five shows but uh... in that time and we made some noise it was very obvious because uh...

18:54
I could tell how popular he was getting because we would play less music and Axl would talk more in our shows. He had more to say. You know what I mean? I want to thank that guy. Fuck that guy. Fuck you. You motherfucked me. So I knew that it was coming. You know what I mean?

19:12
Before we go into the LA Guns thing, there's something that you're gonna help me because as I've said on this show, and just tell me when you gotta wrap it up. There's things that I'll tell stories on the show, but my memories are so messed up.

19:25
and that's because you're vintage because I'm is that what we call it we're been every retro or been now we're vintage or old that that I were we're okay yeah but let's be honest okay did we think we'd be having this conversation in the eighties I I guess we know I thought that far ahead I mean

19:42
I can answer that question with another question that I was asked when we first got signed. Bob Scoro looked at everybody in the band, the guy that signed us, and he said, you know, what do you want? What do you hope to get out of this? And I remember I was 20, just about to turn 21, and I told him, I go, I just want to do this forever. Like that, I said, I'll do whatever I have to do to make it so I can do this forever. And so this was always my goal.

20:11
It was always my goal to be sitting here with a best friend that I've known for 30 years talking about how we started, what we did. Yeah, why not? So this is what I want to clear up. I'm going to go all over the place. Good.

20:25
I went in the dirt, which was kind of entertaining. I had always thought, wait a minute, that was Motley Crue's first show at the Starwood. And Motley Crue's first show had people and there wasn't a fist fight at Motley Crue's first show. So that's what I said on my podcast. I have no problem being wrong and being corrected. So you know the true story. Well, yeah, because when...

20:50
When I discovered Motley Crue, it wasn't because I discovered London first. You know what I mean? And there was Danny Tull, the guy that I mentioned earlier, he brought like a flyer to Fairfax High School when we were in 10th grade. It was a Motley Crue flyer at Pookie's Ice Cream Parlor or Sandwich Shop. It was one or the other. And um...

21:12
I was like, and I remember seeing the picture of the band go, man, you know, whoa, are they punk rock or metal? You couldn't tell. That's what was cool about them. Like in a photo, like, are they drag queens? Are they metal? Are they, you know, like whatever it is, I like it. Right. I remember. And my friend Danny was like, yeah, they're really cool. But at that time we were 15 and we couldn't drive to Pasadena. So in the dirt, that first thing that you're seeing.

21:36
is them playing at Pookie's. You know, that's like their first weird gig in Pasadena. And it's very accurate from what I remember word of mouth being about that first show. And then there...

21:50
Think it would have been so much better if they showed their first show not being at the starwood or the true driver It was and showed them playing pukki. Well, is that how they portrayed it? Is that the first show is at the starwood because from what I remember no no No, think about it think about it for a second six worked at the starwood. Mm-hmm So he got a job so because he worked at the starwood he was able to do their first show Right, and I thought he's always said that their first shows either the starwood or the jubilee mmm, maybe that's what Gilby said maybe because the the the the way that it's portrayed in the movie

22:20
it looks like.

22:21
Pookies because it was a sandwich. I'd like that didn't look like a representation of the Starwood if you think about it because it was empty. Maybe I have to go back and watch it. Yeah, because the Starwood had they played the Starwood like right around that time, there definitely would have been packed because London was so popular. Nikki was a popular guy. Right. You know, and you know, a lot of people remember it realizes because he was in band London, which was sort of a cool Sunset Strip band at the time. Right. It was. You know, he was already had a little bit of a job before Motley Crue even it.

22:51
like Nicky Sixx of London. Or, you know, you gotta, people forget this, that he was Blacky's buddy. Like, you know, they were in sister together for a minute. And so like Blacky and Nicky hung out even, you know, before London. You know what I mean? And people don't really remember that, but because Blacky was always a staple.

23:11
You know what I mean? And he doesn't really get enough credit either, but he was like this ominous guy that never smiled, that had circus, circus and sister and then wasp ultimately. But Nikki was his buddy, you know, and you know, you can find pictures of them together, you know, from way back, like 1981, you know, stuff like that, 80. And so, you know, just trying to, you know, validate things that happened in the dirt. And I've known Nikki for...

23:39
a long time, you know, when we were in a band together for two and a half years. And uh, cause for people that don't know, yeah, it was, this was, uh, 1980 when we, it was a Brian, they saw action. Oh, uh, Brides was 2002, 2005. So when we spent a lot of time talking about the past when we were doing that band and, um, you know, so when I was watching the dirt movie.

24:09
uh... it was very accurate actually the the only thing that wasn't accurate is they would swap timelines especially with the sherry's the exactly that we know that was all completely but i think anybody if anybody you know really questions like you know does that would happen yeah every really you know

24:30
I'm cynical dude, you know what I mean? And you know, Nikki used to be one of my best friends and and you know We know that he likes to bend the truth here and there, you know, it's just you know for entertainment purposes, right? but the movie was I was was pretty surprised at how accurate and

24:48
The guy that portrayed Nicky was pretty damn close. Not as good as even though I tell you, I saw Machine Gun Kelly play a concert. Yeah. Wasn't a fan. But his job as Tommy Lee. Oh that guy was great. Yeah, it was great. He did a great job as Tommy Lee. Okay, now I'm going to ask you the question that I have asked all the other three bands that performed and let's see if you can answer. The Cat House was a rock and roll dance club when it opened at Osco's and I know because you were there since day one. The first live show we ever had.

25:18
there was in September was in the Christmas party for Guns N' Roses record house party of live like a suicide right and on that flyer it says which are the bands that I call the big four of that era which was Guns N' Roses yeah LA guns faster pussy cat who would you say the fourth with that's not the question cuz I tell you at the time I would think Jet Boy would exactly yeah that that's even though they were San Francisco band right there who I call the big four well

25:48
Not that those four bands wouldn't be good enough right I've asked everybody who that was at that show Do they remember any special guests or do you remember the show at all? It was unplugged which before it was called unplugged before MTV did unplugged We did acoustic with Guns N' Roses fast as you can LA guns and Jet Boy I don't remember anything of that day cuz that's when I was still drinking right Well there what you remember dusty

26:15
Yes, I remember that guy. Dusty was there. But he was like a bartender. Yeah, but he played acoustic guitar. Yeah, but he wouldn't have been a special guest when you mentioned his other bands. Oh, a special guest. Special guest. Man, you know, it could have been a few people, but I couldn't tell you for sure. I can't remember that either. I can't remember a lot. Those were...

26:35
decadent times. Oh yeah. Like very dangerous, decadent, sleazy. Like when you look back at it, it's a time that when people ask why I can't bring the club back, you could not duplicate this time. So what are some of your best memories from the cat house? Well first of all, sex couldn't kill you then.

26:53
You know what I mean? That was pre-AIDS and everybody was still reading stories about Led Zeppelin and Aerosmith on tour, you know, and so did the women. You know what I mean? So it was an extension of the free love and cocaine of the 70s really. And you know, every new generation maximizes what the last did. And proud to say we were the last generation of maximizing sex, drugs and rock and roll. There's no doubt about it. And you know, I've

27:23
a lot of the women from our scene the Pam Jackson's and you know stuff like that everybody ended up all right you know what I mean which now you look back at those times and it seems so

27:39
Disgusting like you mean you would take women in the bathroom and have sex with them It's like yeah all the time, but it was never forcing no no no never It was always not anything and women got what they wanted and some guys got what they wanted except I'm sure sometimes there were some hurt feelings along the way Yeah, yeah, you know did you ever have sex in the bathroom at the cat house yes Not gonna lie. What's the point of lying?

28:03
uh... for delo actually that you know what we don't talk about bordello but a lot of people like we have some great stories about the bar and bordello and having sex in the bathroom and i don't know how you have been in happens it was that like little private area now i mean you know i was

28:20
I was like 20. Why not? You're young, you're in a band, you're selling records, there's beautiful women. Oh man, yeah. And it was. It was a time of decadence. It was. It was very decadent and very commonplace. It wasn't shocking. Nobody did anything shocking. Everything was just like, okay, cool. I've been to a few things.

28:48
Yes. Were there any performances at the Cat House that you remember that stand out, that you remember seeing? You're going to think this is funny. Yeah, I mean a lot. A lot. I mean I think even Dan's had played there. You know, I mean a lot of the stuff that I liked played there. But the one that sticks out to me, you're going to love this story because it was toward the end of the era. Right. Flea just gets back from Japan and he calls me up and he still didn't have a car and he goes.

29:19
He goes, hey, can you take me to Cat House tonight? I'm like, yeah, why? Primus is playing. I'm like, ah, okay. I go, yeah, yeah, I'll come get you. And I go, well, I'm going with this chick Alicia anyways. Do you mind if her friend Cami comes along? He's like, wait a minute, are those two kinda like redheads? I'm like, yeah. He goes, oh yeah, yeah, would you introduce? And I'm like, yeah, of course, man. So.

29:47
We meet them there. I didn't pick them up. We met them there. And it wasn't packed. You know, that was really wild. I remember the Primus show because I think that was when I was doing Hitbangerz Ball. Right. It was like a transitional period. But Primus was playing. There was a lot of people there. But the second bar downstairs wasn't packed.

30:07
So I'm just hanging out with Lee and he's like, man, you know, you guys are really big in Japan. I go, well, we're not that big. He goes, I saw you everywhere. I go, well, you know, press is big. But I go, you know, we do the same things you guys do. And they hadn't exploded yet. Mother's milk hadn't come out yet. So we were still, you know, on equal footing, I guess, and hanging out, having a great time. And that, but the Primus was fantastic. And, you know.

30:31
I got to thank Flea for that because I never really paid attention to them yet. You know, and he's like, Oh, you got to see this guy, Les Claypool, man. And you'll love the drummer. He's like John Bonham, kind of, you know, I'm like, OK, cool. So we went and just floored me to the point where Flea was there to see Primus. I was there to see Alicia. I think that was her name. I don't remember anymore. And

30:53
I ended up staring at Primus and he ended up staring at Cammie like it was a total roller burst. I was just so impressed. And then they were done and Philly was like, hey, you know, we should go somewhere else now. And I'm like, we go to Cantor's. You know what I mean?

31:14
you know, Okie Dogs wasn't in fashion anymore, really. Canters was the deli that we all went to. Right. Not only was it a good deli, but it was Mark Canter. It was Mark Canter. Who was friends with everybody. Yeah, we all went to school with him. So after that show, that might have been the last time I saw a performance at Cat House, too. And then we went to Canters. And I just never forget how shy Flea was around this girl, who was so obnoxious. You know, and he just was smitten by her. You know? But that was probably the last time I was there.

31:44
and that was probably the most blown away I'd been by a rock band.

31:49
because they were different, they were so different than everybody else, but I mean, one of my favorite things was playing there was when you and I played there with Piercy and Tami. Which I wanna talk about. Back then, it was a community. There was not only the club, and this was a time when everybody was getting record deals, people were selling records, there were softball games, some people were high in the park. Did you do the softball games too? I'm scared of the sun. Yeah, I wasn't really big into that. A couple times I rented a bus and we'd have a picnic at the park. Wow.

32:19
I remember I didn't you were there there was a monkey. I think I drove though Cooper told me the story There was a monkey and all sorts of but but there was a community and we do absolutely and we would Everybody would support each other and even though there was a little bit of competition because everybody was selling records healthy competition healthy competition exactly But we came up with this idea pig that we'll say whatever it was Anyway, I could find a way to sing in a band right I would put it I would get all my friends who were luckily big rock stars. We put a band together

32:49
for a little tour and it was we call the Partners in Grime which is a great name I don't know how he came up with it. I think Piercy did. Did he? So who was in Partners in Grime? Because we talked about this on an episode with Kyle and Tig were the were the original this is how I remember going down they were the original rhythm section

33:08
Okay, but Fred Curry ended up there too. Yes, and then Tammy played guitar He sang a little bit Pierce he played guitar and sang a little bit. I play guitar You sang and I think that was the whole band

33:21
that was the whole band that was the whole man i think but not but then there was a whole nother part of the band which was Jimbo Kenny my other those are big yeah had friends yeah we've had we'd bring our friends that were just as important and that's the thing like we do these theme nights and the friends of ours who would hang out would become sort of local stars themselves just because they were on stage they were getting their pants pulled down at the bikini contest or just crazy stuff Fred Corey was on the show and he's told this story before i think it was one of the episodes that we did live

33:50
I just want to hear you tell the story because it's such a great story. We took a tour bus. Mm-hmm. You remember this? Oh, yeah. We take a tour bus. We did an in-store. Well, you tell the story of the in-store what you remember. I don't remember, but I know we did an in-store and I know it was jam packed. Okay. You know that wasn't our in-store, right? Right. Whose in-store was that?

34:12
That's right! We crashed it! I love telling this story. I guess I have to bring it up again. Even though it is an old episode, and I know I don't like to keep on rehashing stories, but this was a great story. So listen to this, people. It's... 1991? It's like, 90? It was before... I'm on Headbanger's Ball. Big show.

34:33
Tracy's in LA guns huge Fred Corey's in Cinderella huge Conti bang tango big faster pussycats big Stephen Pierce see rat huge We're all in one tour bus. We pull up at a record. I remember getting off the bus. Yeah tricksters doing the in-store

34:51
We pull up a tour bus, tricksters in store. They were very nice to us. I remember. But their marketing manager was livid, screaming because everybody left, because they left tricksters in store to see some of the biggest rock stars in the world in the parking lot. Right, right, right. Okay, that's what happened. Yeah, I do remember. So it's all coming back to me now. See, people tell me stories and stuff. Comes back to me. Yeah, because I remember we played after the Gold Rush. That was the venue.

35:21
And I got a story. OK, go ahead. I want to hear all your stories. I'm not telling you all my stories. You don't have to use names. Jimbo and I were, it was after the show and after the Gold Rush, we were at the hotel. And for some reason, the hotel had these rooms with hot tubs in it. First, I will interrupt.

35:40
as I do, this was not just a hotel. I decided to do a cat house in Arizona. It was West Court at the Buttes. It was a resort. It was a beautiful hotel. I rented like 20 rooms because we all had money and we all had fun and I put all of our lunkhead, dirty dirt bag friends in these beautiful hotel resorts. And it was gorgeous. It was gorgeous. So, so, so.

36:02
Jimbo and I are with two beautiful young ladies in the hot tub, sipping cocktails out of plastic cups, I remember, because you couldn't bring glass into the area. And we're in there, we're just talking, you know, nothing dirty yet, you know, nothing going on. And Peter, I don't know if you remember Peter, Peter was our travel agent.

36:24
big heavy set guy with real gray hair, kinda looked like if Santa Claus trimmed up. So me and Jimbo are talking and these girls are talking and all of a sudden the water in the hot tub starts raising and overflowing and we're like what the hell's going on? And we turn and Peter is immersed his gigantic body into this hot tub where there's two couples clearly trying to be intimate, right?

36:52
and all the water spills out of the thing. Peter, what are you doing? Oh, I just wanted to get in the hot tub. Well, we can see that you just wanted to get in the hot tub. And while there's couples, it's couples thing. Yeah. Big guy gets in. So here's the horrifying part. He gets out and there's no water. That's like, you know, I would say under half full now. Right. That's how big the guy was. And the girl that Jimbo was talking to, she stands up to get out.

37:19
and the water's just barely on the plastic seat and she slips and falls and cuts her hand open on the thing. And I just look at Peter, he totally ruined everything. He just, I love the guy, but he ruined everything. So Jimbo and I just nursed this poor woman, you know, till three in the morning, went to bed. No drugs, no sex, no nothing. Tell us any knackered of a story, Tracy.

37:45
It was horrifying to me. Yeah, okay. We let some people, but it's true. Some people knew that you were going to be on my podcast and they asked me questions. So we're going to ask, but first I'm going to talk about sex. Shocking, right? So when blue chew contacted me about sponsoring this podcast, I was like, hold on a second. Don't they make chewables with the same ingredients as Viagra and Cialis?

38:15
Yeah. Okay. In other words, let me cut to the chase. Blue chew is made to make guys hard. Right? I mean, I can say that. Well, they do. And here's the deal. And guys, you don't have to be embarrassed about this. You all want to be better lovers, right? Of course you do. We all live in stressful times. I know that blue chew offers men performance enhancement for the bedroom. So at first, when they told me they wanted to sponsor this show, I was like,

38:43
Does this make sense to be on my podcast? And then I thought about it and absolutely it makes a lot of sense because we're all sexual dynamos, right? Or you want to be blue chew can help you last longer, maybe go a few rounds. And you're probably thinking that you have to go see a doctor to get the prescription, get all embarrassed or relaxed. You can do it online and it's so frigging easy. And if you hang with me for just a few more seconds, I'm going to tell you how you can get your first shipment for free.

39:11
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39:41
That's B L U E C H E W.com and get your first order free. All you have to do is use the promo code R R R just pay $5 shipping. That's it. Blue chew.com. Use the promo code R R R and your first shipment is free. You know, there's a cat house, Hollywood Facebook page, right?

40:09
And some of you knew Tracy Guns was going to be on episode 16. So you asked some questions for Tracy Guns and here they are. Nat Machetta says, can you ask him if anything they miss about the 80s or that era and if you have any cool cat house stories. What do you miss about the 80s era? That's from Nat. Well, I miss being really skinny. I mean, you know, that was cool. What do I miss about? I mean.

40:38
The thing that you miss about a time like that is a few things that you already mentioned, you know, the camaraderie, the energy of, you know, Cadhouse, Roxy, Whiskey, Rainbow, Troubadour, you know, all the guys from out of town with the blonde hair and spandex handing out flyers, you know.

41:02
the women. I mean, I don't miss the women, but back then it was a different thing. You know, it was, uh, it was incredible if you were, there was a quantity of quality. There, there was, there was a quantity of quality and understanding. And, uh, there wasn't a big jealousy trip with anybody back then, you know, and, and, you know, every girl dated every guy in our circle and the girls circle, you know what I mean? Is this kind of, that's just the way it was. I mean, so in a way,

41:33
It was, you know, if we're talking about 2019 now, things are way more uptight, a hundred fold than they were at that time where, you know, there was there was racial division then too. There was economic division then too. But it pales in comparison to how backwards we've gone now. So basically what I'm saying is the amount of freedom you had as an individual.

42:00
to be yourself and to you know and we could imagine guys walking into you know galsons now still a little heals on and lipstick and leather jackets and it almost it would it would be shocking now more uptight and then it wasn't shocking now that's just what people look like jeff pez says what was the reason you left l a guns and what songs if any were they playing when you were in guns and roses

42:28
I guess think about you. Shadow of Your Love wasn't on an appetite, but I was playing that. What's that? Anything Goes. There's a few. And Jeff wants to know why you left Guns N' Roses. It was time. It was time for me to go. I was not as mature.

42:56
as the rest of the fellows in the band. It was my final conclusion. You know, they were more worldly, more open-minded to, you know. But were you kind of, you weren't like in a show when you grew up though, right? No, but I also was a source of, you know, shelter for those guys, you know, for Axl and Izzy.

43:25
Because you know they've really taken a chance and they moved away from home. You know what I mean? And that was my home. That was the biggest difference is that those guys were more in survival mode. And you were home. And I was home. You know and so Axel and I had been through a lot together. Izzy and I had been through a lot together too but in a more a less emotional way. Where Axel and I had a very emotional, we were tight, we were best friends. You know we...

43:51
had a valentine's day where we both got stood up by our girlfriends that were for you know i mean like we went to shit together and uh... the end of the day she was getting uh... his behavior was it was scared to be honest he was scared of the show you know i just as a friend he wasn't being friendly to anybody and you know at nineteen years old you know i wasn't i wasn't prepared for whatever was gonna happen in the next few years with those guys

44:19
And what did happen with those guys, which is an interesting balance of life, you know, that you have an incredible amount of success. And I doubt that any of them really remember it, you know, because there was so much going on personally within each guy, you know, bouts of depression, manic depression, anxiety, nervousness, alcoholism, drug abuse, drug addiction, that.

44:47
resentments, you know, early resentments between band members, you know, things like that, which is like, normally I have zero foresight. You know, it's just, I kind of just like fly by the seat of my pants kind of guy. But after, you know, being with those guys, you know, playing music or in Guns N' Roses, either way, after two years, I could see that it wasn't going in a...

45:13
The house wasn't going to be settled down. The success was not going to make us better friends. I play music because I love playing music and it's always best when I'm really excited about the people I play with. I felt that I had done my time with those guys. Not one regret, man. It was one of the...

45:40
huge chapter in my life and it produced one of the greatest you know whatever the internal part was doesn't matter to the rest of the world because the rest of the world got the great music you know and almost really the changing of the guard for rock you know so it was a beautiful thing all the way around it really was.

45:58
Ray Leslie, and I try not to make these interviews, but these are sort of interview questions because me and Tracy have conversations. Are LA Guns planning a UK tour, maybe throwing a couple of Scottish dates? Yeah, I mean, we were talking about this earlier. That's Ray Leslie, by the way. Ray Leslie. We eventually make it everywhere on the records, but we don't...

46:25
Just book 85 shows on a record comes out like a lot of bigger bands do. You know, they have the luxury. Okay, we're playing either, you know, 50 theaters this year or 50 arenas or 50 stadiums. So that's what big bands do. We're not that big, you know, so we have to be really careful about what we do. You know, we got to play nice clubs and small theaters that.

46:53
are conducive to LA guns. You know, I mean, we have a little bit of production. We draw between 500 and 1,000 people. And if you try to book a tour like that of 50, 60 shows in advance, it's tough. It's really tough. So what we do is we concentrate on like eight at a time, but as far as like Europe and Japan and stuff like that, that's a little bit more organized in advance. So on this record, we're gonna go to Europe. We're gonna do Northern Europe and Southern Europe.

47:23
I know we're trying to hit northern Europe in January, late January, and then I know when is Ibiza? That's a...

47:32
May I think. I think May. You know me being the nothing but the guy that always followed bands around when I hear people say stuff like when are we playing a Bisa? I'm like well. It's an anchor date for the European tour. Damn that sounds great. I was so excited to drive 90 miles to go to the green for North Carolina to see LA guns. Miguel Hernandez Abdo asks an interesting question. Would you ever consider doing a tour playing no hits or a different set every show?

48:02
Something like Pearl Jam does.

48:05
If I wanted to kill the LA guns audience can know it's not here There's a lot of people to be pretty pissed off. Yeah, Laney is I mean, and it's tough for us to put a set list together Anyways, you know, we have I don't know something like almost ten records Maybe something like that and I don't do any of my side project stuff We don't do any of Phil's side project stuff So it's all LA guns and we and we do it in 75 to 90 minutes, you know That's 13 to 15 songs and which ones do you pick? You know, it's it's difficult. Yeah, there's a lot of music

48:35
that all of us wish we could do live and play but there's a point where there was a time where we could have been self-indulgent these days after touring for the past two and a half years after the reunion

48:51
We know what the audience wants. We know what the bulk of the audience, and we can't cater to 10% of the live crowd. You know, we have to, we do this for a living. Yeah, and if I see a band that's playing stuff that's not the hits, it's kind of selfish. It is, it's self-adulterated. Like, if there's a song that's a big song, you may be sick of hearing it. You know, I don't want to hear Metallica play one, but they better play one, or that's gonna be people that are gonna be really, really pissed off. Well, it's like us with Jane. We do enjoy playing Jane. Do we want to play it every night? No, but we do. We have to.

49:21
You got it because then you're ripping off the people that can't wait to but that's also the point of of You know, we're kind of lucky we put out two records that were successful 30 years later So when you know and when your crowd is only five hundred two thousand people They have the record they have the new record so we get to play the new stuff. We just don't get to play Album tracks

49:46
from the new stuff or album tracks from, you know, Man in the Moon album and stuff like that, which I know a lot of fans have, but our first three records are the most successful and our last two records are the most successful. So it's a weird balance. It seems like now with the band, and I saw you soundcheck and I'm not just saying this, and I know with the Cat House, I really try to make all this stories about that era and very nostalgic, but I'm gonna talk a little current. The band really does sound tight. You really do sound good.

50:16
Phil's voice sounds great. I love the lineup in the band right now, I really do. Are you having a lot of, it seems to me like, okay, here's the thing, you don't have to do this. No, no. You don't have to play. No, no, I definitely don't have to play in LA Guns. You know what I mean? I could really do whatever the fuck I want. So you do it because.

50:42
It's important. I do LA Guns because it's important. You know, we have an amazing fan base and the band is an amazing family, you know, and it's really fun, man. It's really fun to do this and it's still an exciting creative, you know, thing to do because I didn't do it for 12 years. You know what I mean? And being away from your own band for 12 years and you come back.

51:08
it's now easier to write, it's easier to understand what the band is, your delusions have dissolved, so it's like you know what reality is, and so better decisions are made. My manager's still trying to chase the golden chalice, you guys could be bigger than you too. It's like, well, yeah, the music's great and everything like that, but people don't understand that there's an excitement of a band when it first comes out.

51:38
And if you reach a plateau at that point, your first two records of arena plus, you know, where you're doing 15,000, no matter where you go, that's forever. You know what I mean? Like if you're a rock band, we hit 3000 plus on our second record. You know what I mean? It's sold 2 million records, but our live audience is

52:01
3000 that was it that is the one thing that's so like right now you really because you cuz elegant She did put out a new record and it really can't really pay attention to record sales at all Can you because nobody's buying records at all? Well, there's a way that we track it

52:16
they track it differently now you know by downloads uh... streaming ok but it streams you'll make any money no but we can see it will help how it reaches people can so which is the how you that's a book a tour you know you sold now is in it and i'm going to try to desperately bring it back to the cat house era back then you had to work harder at first right at you had to work harder to get people in order to get people to see your band

52:42
Tell me what you had to do back then because you didn't have social media. You didn't have Facebook No, so when in order to make a band work back then well, you had to be better

52:52
you know what i mean that you had to be worthy of people's you know five dollars or uh... wires were very important well yeah i mean that's how you marketed yourself definitely was was the firing thing did you pass out layers yourself sometimes not very not very often i mean even in guns and roses we did the fire thing but we didn't uh... in canvas anything you know i mean we see a good news to get girls to defy us for girls did stuff for us uh...

53:20
It wasn't like Poison had a really good marketing plan. You know what I mean? Like they really flired the thing and it really, really helped them. But for us.

53:29
We were lucky because we were really part of that scene and the scene is what generated the audience meaning that If we were hanging out at the scream club later on cat house club Lipstick fix Roggies, you know all these kind of underground things which was part of the water buffaloes I don't know if you remember the water buffaloes that mark rude. It was mark rude mark rude and Nikki B And you know guys like that They were the they were the punk rock guys that had aged a little bit

53:59
water buffaloes. LA guns was part of the water buffaloes, part of the, you know, like I said earlier, alien sex being, you know, specimen, you know, Barbie, you know, all those bands. So being scene stirs was more important than handing out flyers, you know, because we were good guys. People liked us, including the guns and roses guys, you know, we were out and about hanging out with people. And the perception was that we were great.

54:28
It was sort of like, for instance, when Motley Crue played, it wasn't, let's go hear their music. It was like, let's check out Nicky's new band. So yeah, Tracy's got a band. I mean, I played in a band for a short time called Virgin. God knows people didn't go see us because of our music being good. They wanted to go see Ricky and also Jim that was in Barbie and stuff like that in our band. That's right. And that is a very important thing to remember that, and this is where a lot of bands fail from the start.

54:56
Yes, you want to be great musically, but you got to be special. Being special and having character and personality is the only thing that's going to get you noticed. Most people that can play an instrument are pretty damn good. And some of the ones that are amazing and famous still can't pay the rent. So it's not about only like what we are a rock star.

55:18
You have to be an interesting person. You know what I mean? And that's what really translates and transcends air, eras, eras. You know, you can't fake being special. This has been a very special conversation. Well, you're very special. Thank you. And I feel very special for you having me on your special night show. LA guns are playing out these days. It's Tracy guns, Phil Lewis, Johnny Martin on base, who's a bad ass. And on drums, you've got Scott Coogan who played with Tracy's other band, brides of destruction.

55:47
Pretty good lineup. It's a strong lineup. I know because I saw them live. Oh I almost forgot ace von johnson is on guitar now ace played with faster pussycat for a long time And truth is if I ever do record an album, I'm hoping ace will play with me. I like LA guns I saw them live not long ago, and they are very good. Hey, do you know what episode 17 is going to be about? something that had a couple elements of the cat house, but

56:16
I know I wouldn't have been involved if it wasn't for the cat house for once. And it took 17 episodes of the show before I even brought it up. Episode 17 is more than you could possibly want to know about. The head bangers ball. Can you believe it that on this show, I haven't really even talked about the head bangers ball. So check this out. We've got a 24 hour cat line. The phone number is three one zero two four three.

56:46
6 2 6 5 that's 3 1 0 2 4 3 6 2 6 5 and you can call up and you can leave messages and if you have any questions about the headbangers ball or cat house by all means call and leave a message and you might hear it on the next show now can I talk about this podcast for just a second it's the cat house Hollywood podcast written edited produced by me we are totally independent.

57:15
Look, I said by me and then I still say we because because it's a we. Okay. But the show is independent. I'm not part of like a podcasting network. The show asks very little of you to keep it going. Just download and hit that subscribe button. It's really cool when you do it because when you subscribe, you're going to get the episode as soon as the new ones come out and we will be offering some cool stuff for subscribers. Now you can get the cat house Hollywood podcast on.

57:44
iTunes Spotify stitcher I heart and if there's any other places that it should be just let me know If you like this show you can leave a nice review and the most important thing of all is tell your friends because word of mouth really helps with this show and the show is doing great and Again, I thank you so much. There's also been some really cool Facebook pages like all the people over at metal music society

58:10
They've been telling all of their followers about this show and that stuff is really appreciated. Of course, you can buy that Cat House stuff at CatH like the vintage looking shirts like Axl Warren, the Guns N' Roses Paradise City video, or the ones at Alice Cooper, Motley Crue, Cheap Trick, Megadeth, and more have worn on stage. Just go to CatH You know the band Faster Pussycat is out on tour with Bang Tango. Go see them live. They're really good. Also, our friend John 5 has been doing a bunch of solo gigs. As far as me...

58:40
I even have a few appearances coming up. And if you go to my Facebook page or Twitter or Instagram, you can find out about those. It's Ricky Rackman, which is R I K I R A C H T M A N. Damn. Am I still talking? Yes. September 4th, the debut of the triple R, which stands for Ricky Rackman radio. My new podcast. It's kind of a relaunch.

59:09
Of a radio show I used to do that had a tragic end that I'm sure I'll tell you about. And that show is going to be, well, I don't know. I haven't done it yet. I think it's going to be really good. It's going to be all types of guests on that show. Matter of fact, I'm going to be at Bubba Fest in Knoxville, Tennessee, interviewing in front of an audience, people like Pamela Lee and Steven Seagal. So come on, how random is that episode? One of the triple R has Zach wild and who knows what else is going to be on that show. So keep an eye out for that.

59:39
My God, that's a lot of plugging shit, isn't it? Okay. I tell you what, let's get back to the cat house for a second. It's hot and sweaty and it's really cliche to say this, but you're just more comfortable in the club with less clothes. I know you want to order that last drink, right? Well, you're going to have to yell over the music. Yeah. I know every time the DJ Joseph brook plays love removal machine from the cult, you hear screaming, but the good news is.

01:00:05
He's just playing the cult right now, and that means that all those girls that were hogging that space at the bar, they're all about to run downstairs, so now you can get that drink. Well, no, of course not everyone here looks sexy, just the majority. But the truth is, everybody here in the Cat House is sexy. I mean, come on, it's a time of decadence.

01:00:27
You're wrapped up in the raunch and roll. You can't help it. You don't have to really be a slut inside the Cat House. Most people really aren't, but it's fun to play like we don't have a care in the world, right? It's fucking rock and roll. It's Hollywood. It's more than just the music. It's much more. Listen, I gotta go back to the front of the door, check on my bike, but I will see you next time at the Cat House Hollywood Podcast.

Is it possible to get the transcript off of this easily? If I could download the video I could use Riverside.fm to transcribe, or if I could find the video on Vimeo I might be able to extract the subtitles that are already there. But I can do neither.

Fixed it.