RATT Frontman On New Album: 'The Fact We Were Able To Accomplish What We Did Is A Milestone'

Chad Bowar of About.com recently conducted an interview with RATT frontman Stephen Pearcy. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

About.com: Why was this the right time to finally do another RATT studio album?

Stephen Pearcy: It just happened to work out that way. Roadrunner stepped up. They came to a show, and the next thing you know, we're in pre-production working on what turned into "Infestation". It didn't happen overnight, but it worked. We hooked up with a great producer, Michael Baskette, who was a fan and not just the producer of the record. I actually co-wrote a song with him.

About.com: Was the songwriting process the same as it has always been?

Stephen Pearcy: We pretty much went back to basics, and that was really important for this record. We tried to get back to the principles of how we wrote back in '84 or '85, living together and spending time together. That's all you think about 24/7. The thing that helped was getting us all under one roof, like Ratt Mansion West, the one bedroom apartment we lived in back in the day.

About.com: Baskette is known for his work with vocalists. Were you impressed with him?

Stephen Pearcy: Yes, he knew exactly what I wanted. He's a fan, and did what he needed to do. I didn't really have to think too much, except focusing on lyrics, and that's what I did. I'd wake up every morning and rewrite lyrics that were written for months.

About.com: How did Carlos [Cavazo, guitar] fit in?

Stephen Pearcy: Perfectly. He fit in very well. We've known him forever. He brought the two-guitar assault we've been looking for. That helped a lot. We co-wrote the single "Best Of Me" and "Eat Me Up Alive" and did some great stuff. He had some great parts, great ideas.
About.com: With the state of the music industry these days, how do you measure success with an album?

Stephen Pearcy: I don't know. Right now, so far so good. We don't worry ourselves much with that. If people like it, that's our reward. If they come out to the shows it's an even bigger reward. The fact we were able to accomplish what we did is a milestone. It's been 10, 11 years since our last studio record.

About.com: As an artist, it must be nice to be able to finally have some new RATT songs to play at shows.

Stephen Pearcy: Yes, without a doubt. The last show we did we played two new songs, and it was so refreshing to do. It was brilliant. I love the old songs and still have a good time playing them, but there's nothing like throwing a good new tune at somebody.

About.com: This year is the 25th anniversary of "Invasion Of Your Privacy". Any plans to do that one in its entirety?

Stephen Pearcy: Right now it's "Infestation", and that record is so good. That record to me fits in right between "Out Of The Cellar" and "Invasion Of Your Privacy". It's right in there. I don't know how we did it, but we did. I don't know if we'll be doing those full-album sets again in the near future, but you never know.

Read the entire interview from About.com.