Think leather, spandex, giant hairdos and leopard print and metal. Its back!
Remember bands from the yesteryear, like Poison and Dokken and Winger and Warrant? Of course you don’t. Blame it on Nirvana, who changed the musical scene forever, since the early 90s. Because of them and numerous other groundbreaking bands that followed in their footsteps, many other bands from the 80s remain largely forgotten. It’s a shame that so much talent lies buried in apocrypha.
Back then, they were the epitome of masculinity.
Sex. Drugs. Sleazy sex. Rock N’ Roll. More sex. More sleaze. Flashy guitaring. Innuendos. Even more sex. Some booze? Sure. More drugs? Why not? Still more sex? Bring it.
Basically, these are the diverse themes that Steel Panther’s music revolves around. But the good thing is, they seem to be doing a much better job keeping their content explicit, since they are a completely honest band; their songs are to be taken at face value, no more, no less. And they have a message for their listeners from each of their songs. Here’s another taster:
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The good thing is, Steel Panther are perfectionists. Professional parodyists and mock-rockers though they may be, they haven’t cut corners on even the most minute details. Their costumes, their production values, pornographic pseudonyms like Michael Starr, Lexxi Foxxx and Stix Zadinia (yes, he plays the drums) are all consistent with their on-screen personas. To top it off, the messages that they preach, to bring back today’s misguided youth back in their fold, are 100% sincere. For example – “Eatin’ aint cheatin’” is all about spreading goodwill and spurning any sense of proprietorship over, you guessed it, one’s essence of being. They also talk about how it is polite to “Turn off the lights” when you’re ‘entertaining’ company, especially when said company is image conscious or has self-esteem issues.
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Musically speaking, these guys are phenomenal – quintessentially 80s sounding, without the electronic drum pads and synthesizers. Great bass lines and drumming that is layered around Satchel’s technically proficient lead guitaring, with awe-inspiring solos and rock-steady riffs in each song. Needless to say, the driving force of their music has to be the vocalist, Michael Starr, with his epic enthusiasm, making even sleazy songs sound sexy.
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Their music is quite reminiscent of song-structures and themes featured in songs by 80s greats like Bon Jovi, Motley Crue among others – but that is precisely the purpose. These guys are bringing back the 80s with a bang; hell, they might be doing an even better job than their predecessors! Their first studio album from 2009 – “Feel The Steel” – was reviewed very positively – “… brought forward five years to the coked-up cock-rock era… and dangerous levels of dumb-ass homophobia, sexism, racism and sizeism. The songs are at times terrifyingly authentic. Is it new? Don’t be stupid. Is it funny? Hell yeah.”
With their newest album – “Balls Out” – being released at the end of the month, good times are bound to continue! Here’s something else to look forward to:
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Bottom line – ignore the lyrics, and you’ll still find yourself, bobbing your head along to some really, REALLY, good music – a true tribute to the 80s.
Cyd The Squyd, a die-hard 80s fanatic, continues to delude himself trying to convince others to follow suit.
