The man with the sticks in hand, Stix Zadinia checks in with The Rockpit to talk all about Steel Panther’s most delectable album so far ‘Heavy Metal Rules’ which hits the streets on 27th September. Brace yourselves as we ask a series of heavy-hitting drummer questions and get to know intimately the fine morsels The Panther have to offer us this time around. What will they be playing? Is their a ‘Fuck’ count for the record? And which drummers stay in the balloon sailing to certain disaster? Plus we ponder the traveling arrangements of the one and only Sting! It’s all here!
Stix: Hey this is Stix!
Mark: Stix Mark from The Rockpit in Australia, how the hell are you?
Stix: I’m good Mark how are you man?
Mark: I’m very good thank and thank you for a wonderful album ’Heavy Metal Rules’ something we all of course know to be true!
Stix: Oh thanks, sorry I got excited there when you said ‘Heavy Metal Rules’ I’m so excited you enjoyed it, I’m very proud of it.
Mark: It’s great and it starts out with, I don’t know whether you’d call it a quote or a rant from the classic ‘Heavy Metal Parking Lot’.
Stix: (laughs)
Mark: It’s such a great intro I’m surprised no one has thought of using it before?
Stix: It’s funny you know because I remember seeing ‘Heavy Metal Parking Lot’ when it came out, we were passing it around on VHS in those days, and that ‘Heavy Metal Rules’ is a mantra we’ve been saying since we’ve been playing. And I feel that ‘Zebraman’ the guy from that film, he just nailed it and he said it so authentically we thought “This guy’s speaking for us”, it’s awesome!
Mark: It is, and it’s certainly how we all feel when we see The Panther, definitely. There’s some great songs on the album, but for me there’s a few that really stand out that I’m absolutely dying to know if you’re going to be playing live. Have you made those decisions yet?
Stix: Well, it’s interesting. Do you know the band Alter Bridge?
Mark: Of course we go back a way.
Stix: Great, so I just texted my buddy Scott who plays drums for Alter Bridge and I said “hey dude how many new songs do you guys put in the set”, fans don’t really ask about that shit so I thought “why don’t I ask one of my friends – they do this”. So what we’re going to do is play the songs as we release them and so far we have two songs that are out – “All I Wanna Do Is Fuck (Myself Tonight)” and “Always Gonna be a Ho” so for shows coming up we’re gonna include those two songs and then we have plans to release two more songs before the record comes out. And we will probably include at least one of those, but maybe both of them. I would end up loving to include ‘I’m Not Your Bitch’ in the set and we’re talking about maybe ‘I Ain’t Buying What You’re Selling’ ‘cos it’s like really different for us but I gotta tell ya it’s a fucking hard, hard thing to do – when you have five albums out where’s the balance? How much new shit do you do? Then people wanna hear their favourites and you can’t please everybody so you gotta make decisions, it’s like having a fucking Aussie Rules Football Team – who do you start? Who do you put on the bench?
Mark: (laughs)
Stix: You know it’s fucking tough!
Mark: As well as those you mentioned I have to say ‘Fuck Everybody’ I loved and I loved ‘Sneaky Little Bitch’ too – both great songs too, it’s hard to choose like you say!
Stix: I appreciate that. And let me say ‘Fuck Everybody’ is definitely going to get a spot at some point.
Mark: One of the things I’m interested in, and I don’t know if you guys do it, is have you had a ‘fuck count on the new record yet?
Stix: We have not!
Mark: I think you’ve exceeded your maximum?
Stix: Well really whose maximum are we talking about because Steel Panther’s maximum, I don’t think there is a limit! It’s like the autobahn of ‘fucks’!
Mark: I think you’ve set a new personal best let’s put it that way!
Stix: (laughs) I think you’re right!
Mark: There’s something in every song! I have a few questions now from our readers, I told then I was going to be speaking to you this morning and they sent me some drummer questions and these are pretty heavy drummer questions as it goes.
Stix: Bring it on!
Mark: What does a drummer think about when he’s drumming on stage? What do you think about?
Stix: OK, The first thing that I think about is “Don’t Fuck Up” I swear to God that’s the first thing because if I fuck up…. Because if a guitar-player fucks up they can just fly to the next note and you can maybe get around that on a different instrument but the drums are so fucking specific that if I blow it the whole room knows it! So that’s the first thing I think and then I think… “Where are the biggest titties in the crowd?” and I scan. And then after that it’s OK let me lay the beat in and find the chick I want to hang out with afterwards, or the two chicks, and then you make your play. And honestly that’s what happens.
Mark: And now a more realistic scenario. You’re in a hot air balloon full of drummers and you’re about to crash into a huge mountain, you can only keep afloat with three other drummers in the basket with you… who stays?
Stix: Do they have to be currently living?
Mark: (laughs) It sadly doesn’t specify but let’s say no. They’d probably be a bit lighter if they weren’t as well so maybe you could have four!
Stix: (laughs) Yeah, maybe the longer they’d been dead would be to my advantage! I would keep Stuart Copeland, I would keep John Bonham…, (pause) and I would keep Bill Ward.
Mark: Bill, nice pick, Bill doesn’t often get a lot of kudos, but he’s definitely a great drummer.
Stix: You know I think he’s one of the most underrated players out there that has ever recorded Rock music. The guy’s feel is ridiculous. And he’s not Neil Peart, flashy-wise but it’s not easy to hold it down like that.
Mark: You’re on tour in the States with Crobot, and it’s a huge tour as well all the way from September until December. What are your plans after that, are you going to come and see us again?
Stix: Oh Australia is always in the conversation. And I can say exclusively here that we will be coming to Australia with absolute certainty next year for sure barring something catastrophic. Our plan, and we’re in active discussions right now is to bring ‘Heavy Metal Rules’ in 2020. Australia has been so good to us, and I’m not just saying that because I’m on this interview, but we truly, truly love coming out there. And I’m so glad that we did that very first time ‘cos it’s become a market where we can always go and people enjoy it, and it’s always really fun to play.
Mark: It’s always a party, and coast to coast too, we’re in the West here and we don’t always manage to fill rooms but it’s always full when Steel Panther is in town.
Stix: Yeah, we love it there. The only place that go a little bit low was Adelaide, and I don’t know if that’s geographical or what, but when we go to Perth it’s fucking on!
Mark: (laughs)
Stix: It’s a beautiful place, I love Perth a lot.
Mark: If you could trade places with any other band or artist for a day, who would it be?
Stix: Just for the day?
Mark: Just the day, but we’d make it a good day.
Stix: (laughs)
Stix: Sting!
Mark: Who?
Stix: Sting!
Mark: Really?
Stix: Yeah! Because it seems to me that Sting travels in style.
Mark: (laughs)
Stix: And I’d like to travel Sting-style for a day, that’s the reason. .
Mark: Mmmm, interesting (pause)
Stix: (laughs) You weren’t expecting that one were you?
Mark: I could have been going all day and not have come up with Sting, but now that you mention it, it does have a kind of stylish appeal. I’m starting to think you’re onto something there.
Stix: Think about Sting. Think how classy Sting seems. I don’t know Sting, but it seems like he has the finest of everything. And it seems like he’s always so comfortable. I want to slip into those Sting slippers!
Mark: And I’ll wager those are very stylish slippers too! If you could be credited with any one song ever written what song would you choose? What song would you like people to think Stix Zadinia wrote that song!
Stix: Oh man that’s a fucking big question (pause). Well ‘17’ by Winger.
Mark: What a great song.
Stix: Killer riff! That song has such a good riff! If I had credit for that one it would be killer, ‘cos I’m not trying to retire on the credit, I just want the street cred for ‘17’!
Mark: And now we’re down to the dark secrets question – do you have a guilty musical pleasure?
Stix: Yeah, yeah I do, I listen to Yacht Rock on occasion. And I have been known on occasion, and I’m not trying to paint a false picture for you but sometimes I listen to Christopher Cross when I’m getting ready for a show, sometimes I put a little Hall and Oates on, or sometimes I put Squeeze on and I listen to ’Tempted’. Sometimes situations call for the appropriate tone and sometimes Yacht Rock is that soundtrack where you just gotta be fucking cool and smooth and be mellow, because you know without the Ying there’s no Yang. So without the Yacht Rock there is no Heavy Metal.
Mark: And I always find I enjoy it just that little more whilst wearing a dressing gown.
Stix: Absolutely!
Mark: Outside the world of music what is your favourite thing to do?
Stix: I would say two things, I like playing soccer and I like playing golf. I’m a golf junkie Mark! I’m not kidding.
Mark: Soccer of course one of the world’s greatest sports. Do you have a favourite team?
Stix: Tottenham and Barcelona. My father is from Brighton and my Grandfather is from London so I’m like a fourth generation Tottenham fan by blood. And for international football outside the Premier League I like Barcelona. Don’t hate me, I just like the way they play.
Mark: Well as a Liverpool supporter I feel that we might be cutting this conversation on the world game a little short in light of last year’s results against your teams.
Stix: I can’t hear you anymore! (laughs).
Mark: It’s always wonderful when you come over, the new album is an absolute killer, it’s also one of the funniest albums you’ve written lyrically as well. One question I’ve always thought about asking you is, and a couple of people have written in about this to, is have you ever considered doing a ‘clean’ version of one of your songs. As in changing the lyrics and writing a standard rock song.
Stix: That is a good question, I’ve heard it, and we get that question periodically and the answer is… no. It’s not a “Fuck you” no, to us the songs are what they are and when we sing a song like ‘Fuck Everybody’ for instance there’s no other way to say that and there’s no other way to say “All I Wanna Do IS Fuck (Myself Tonight).” Oh there are other ways to say it, but it just doesn’t feel the same. To us, we really have prided ourselves on just being super fucking direct, and that’s important to us.
Mark: I’m so glad that’s your answer.
Stix: Thanks Mark, you Rock.
