TIGERTAILZ Drummer Talks New Album, Upcoming ROCKLAHOMA Appearance

Bring Back Glam! recently conducted an interview with TIGERTAILZ drummer Matt Blakout. A couple of excerpts follow:

Bring Back Glam!: Talk about your new, upcoming album "Thrill Pistol". Who wrote most of those songs, and are they the typical TIGERTAILZ sound?

Matt Blakout: We're really excited about the album, I think it's the best 'TAILZ have done. There's something for everyone as usual with a 'TAILZ album — the first two songs will rip your face off! All of us contributed, in the main Kim (Hooker, lead vocals) brought three or four, Jay (Pepper, lead guitar) the same and he also penned "Thrill Pistol" and "Brain The Sucker", which kicks the album off. Pepsi (Tate, bassist) wrote three or four also. The sound will surprise some but on the whole, we love it.

Bring Back Glam!: Pepsi Tate recently underwent a biopsy. How is he doing now, and did his illness deter the recording process?

Matt: I spoke to him about an hour ago; he just came out of hospital today. He was in good spirits. He's going to have some further work done but on the whole he's very positive and pleased with himself on the things he's done with the new DVD and "Thrill Pistol".

Bring Back Glam!: You recently played the Gods of Metal festival. What was it like playing with glam bands WHITE LION and MÖTLEY CRÜE?

Matt: MÖTLEY CRÜE are my second favorite band of all time behind KISS. You say glam bands, but I always think of SLADE, SWEET and T.REX as glam. I think out of all the bands around today, the CRÜE are the closest to us or us to them. They were great guys, meeting your heroes is everyone's dream! They treated us with great respect. Personally, it was just awesome for us to be on the same bill and my drums on the same stage as my all time hero. WHITE LION were lovely guys, too. I think they've had really bad luck getting booted off the POISON tour, but that's the politics behind things when all they wanna do is play some good gigs. It's a shame, they kicked ass in Italy so people will miss out on that though it's a great tour for VAINS OF JENNA. Good luck to them!

Bring Back Glam!: Let's talk Rocklahoma. How was it that you got added to the extra night bill, and what will it be like for you to play in the U.S. after all these years?

Matt: Rocklahoma, yes great to be added to what seems to be a big event of all our contemporary brothers. You know 99% of the bill is in my record collection. I was a huge SLAUGHTER, WINGER, POISON, FIREHOUSE fan as well as Vince in MÖTLEY CRÜE, of course. We'll make an official announcement regarding Rocklahoma very soon. We really can't wait to come over and play in the States.

Bring Back Glam!: There's a growing glam resurgence in Europe and Sweden. What do you think this means for the current state of music?

Matt: All music seems to be coming back, I think IRON MAIDEN are bigger now than they ever were, so I think it's all types of rock. It's great that MÖTLEY CRÜE and TWISTED SISTER are about, so that new fans can get into them and experience what I did growing up with "Theatre of Pain" back in '85, nothing wrong with that. It's all good; we're just pleased to be along for the ride.

Read the entire interview at Bring Back Glam!