Metal Sludge The Power and the Glory
BITCH IS THE WORD
Metal Sludge Exclusive with Los Angeles ladies of Metal Legend Betsy Bitch on 35+ Years in Music
By Gerry Gittelson
Metal Sludge Editor at Large
LOS ANGELES — Like the wild dominatrix portrayed in her stage persona, Betsy Bitch never lets up.
Her band Bitch formed 35 years ago — all the way back in 1980 as Metal Blade Records’ very first signee — and Betsy continues to crack the whip despite never rising above the underground cult level compared to so many Los Angeles outfits that would eventually pass her by.
Bitch is sort of the female-fronted version of Anvil with a history that includes 19 former members, but the amazing thing is Betsy still looks so hot. She is well into her 50s but has the body of an aerobics teacher, and rarely is Betsy seen wearing much more than a studded bra and an evil smirk.
If image was everything, Bitch would be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
But alas, the group never did break into the mainstream. That does not mean Bitch does not have its loyal admirers, and the band is readying for a concert on March 18 at the Whisky with Doro Pesch.
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Betsy and Bitch in the early 1980’s
METAL SLUDGE: Hey Betsy Bitch, what are you doing now? What are you currently up to?
The main thing is I’ve just reformed Bitch with all different members, and they’re all great players.
SLUDGE: Oh? Who is in the band now?
Chris Cardenas on guitar, Scandall West on drums and Angelo Espino on bass. We’re just concentrating on doing some shows, kind of reviving material off the “Betsy” album, good songs. We’ve still got the old songs, all the whips and chains-related stuff. We’re playing a couple of shows. We’re playing with Doro on March 18 at the Whisky, and we’re doing a festival in Las Vegas in October. Other than that, I’ve been doing some covers with some killer musicians — we just played Paladinos (in the San Fernando Valley north of Los Angeles). And yeah, I’m doing a little studio work. I just did some tracks with Spiders & Snakes. But Bitch will always be my main focus.
SLUDGE: So a big part of your appeal is the way you sexually turn on guys. You like that?
Of course. I’d rather turn them on than repulse them, though I’ve been known to do that, too once they really get to know me — no not really. I mean, it’s great if you can back it up with talent once you get on stage. It’s more than just, “Hey, check out her rack. Let’s see if she can sing.” I think I can. I’ve got good stage presence, and I’m entertaining, and I can back it up with some substance. The whole package.
SLUDGE: How do you keep so physically fit?
I have been working out, sticking to it every other day, for the past 30 years probably. I’ve never had kids, plus I had some good muscle tone to begin with, so working out is something I started to do pretty regularly, or riding a bike. Being on stage is a good workout, too.
I’m afraid to stop because I like the results, but I’m not fanatical about it. It keeps me looking in good shape, even at my age. I hate to use this phrase, but I’m not in my 20s, but I’m pretty comparable to when I was or someone else who is in her 20s — or even better — so all my effort hasn’t gone to waste.
SLUDGE: How close are you to a bitch in real life?
You’ve got to be different off stage than on. Like Alice Cooper, he’s mild-mannered and does clean living, but when he’s on stage, he’s a maniac. I’m a real person, not the person you see on stage. I’m Betsy Bitch, and sure, in real life I can be a bitch, like a lot of woman can be a bitch — and some men, too. But it’s pretty common that people always say how nice I am, and I take that as a compliment. I’m a good actress. Betsy Bitch is a character.
SLUDGE: Let’s be honest. Bitch did not sell enough records.
I think it could have been better, but people did pay attention, and we’ve gotten a lot of international notoriety, and our records were distributed everywhere. We got a little higher, a little closer to the top of the heap than a lot of other bands. I mean, it would have better if we had better album sales and tour support, but we were on Metal Blade, and we were the first band that ever signed with them. It was more like a vinyl-producing machine than anything else over there.
SLUDGE: What’s the biggest show you’ve ever done?
Probably the Bang Your Head festival in Germany in 2003. There were maybe 15,000 there with Dio as the headliner. We killed it. It was a great show. I just remember walking out that runway onto the stage and seeing a sea of people in front of me, and it was the best feeling I’ve ever had in my life.
Betsy Bitch with Bob Nalbandian INSIDE METAL director
Betsy rocking a festival stage in Europe
SLUDGE: OK, Betsy, let’s get to the nitty-gritty. Name someone famous who you’ve dated.
I went out with Robin Zander once. This was a long time ago, before Betsy Bitch, and he was a major musical inspiration. His voice brings tears to my eyes, so it was a win-win for me just because I admire Robin Zander so much as a singer. Cheap Trick was playing the Starwood. This was back when not to many people knew who they were, and we struck up a friendship. He came into town on tour and called me up, and we had drinks. That was our big date.
I met Alice Cooper, but that was not a date. I was never really a groupie. I’ve had groupies but I am not a groupie. So anyway, with Robin Zander, we made out and everything in the front seat of my old Ford Maverick. That was my first care. My mom had bought it for me.
SLUDGE: That’s awesome. My dad had a Maverick.
Yeah.
SLUDGE: What’s the biggest music-related check you’ve ever received, and what did you spend the money on?
Well, I would have to say, sort of an indirect answer that didn’t translate to money, but it was that Bang Your Head festival because even though we didn’t get a check, it was all-expenses paid, airfare, luxury first-class all the way. We had our own personal driver, they fed us and put us up in a pretty nice hotel and accomadated us to no end backstage. As far as money, this was so much better than that.
SLUDGE: What where doing during the following years?
1978 — That’s the year I went out with Robin, so there you go
1983 — Metallica opened of us at the Stone in San Francisco
1987 — We did two videos, very professional with a storyboard and a budget.
1994 — Oh gosh, getting shaken out of bed during the earthquake
2002 — I guess getting ready for a comeback. I hadn’t done anything in a while
SLUDGE: Through the years, which bands treated you the best, and which one treated you like shit?
Oh my god, you’re going to get me in trouble. Ratt was a little difficult. Stephen Pearcy, he was a little rough with us. Rough Cutt, they kind of screwed us. We had a little feud going on with them.
SLUDGE: Who treated you the best?
Dee Snider was incredibly flattering to me. We met backstage in Germany, and he said he had always wanted to meet me. Some of my other favorites were Armored Saint and Lizzy Borden. We were label mates at Metal Blade. Oh, and going back, WASP kind of acted holier than though, so they’re in the first category, but we played together on a lot of shows, and both of us always drew well. Bitch and WASP in the ’80s. There was always sure to be a line around the block at the Troubadour.
SLUDGE: I guess the difference between you and a lot of these other bands is that Bitch was never on the radio.
To this day, you don’t see Bitch on the radio. We never wrote radio-friendly songs. Online and college stations, they play us, but not mainstream radio like KLOS. We’re still trying for that. On the other hand, when we play live, I can hold out the microphone and the crowd can sing the choruses — they know the songs that well. So people do know the songs, but radio was never a frontier that we could conquer.
SLUDGE: Rate the following women singers on a scale of one to 10, 10 being a rock goddess and one a total waste of time.
Ann Bolynn — She’s a 10. She’s done great things for women in metal, and she’s still rocking. She’s a wonderful person, very intelligent and well-spoken, and the band is killer.
Doro Pesch — She’s a 10 as well, the same thing. She is out there fronting a kick-ass band of guys, representing females.
Joan Jett — She’s a 10, too. I can’t say anything about any of these. Joan Jett is tough. She stands for what she means.
Wendy O’ Williams — Oh my god, another 10. She was very inspirational to me, jus the entertainment idea, out there doing it, and she has an amazing body.
SLUDGE: Not everyone can be 10, Betsy.
I know, I know. Well, Wendy O’Williams, her voice is a little rough. I rate her voice a 5. It’s pretty harsh but it was good for the Plasmatics, representing her type of music. A strong woman on stage. She was an unbelievable inspiration to me.
SLUDGE: What’s the most interesting thing in your purse right now?
I don’t carry a purse, but in my pocket it would probably be my marijuana card. I like smoking marijuana. I’ll admit that. i don’t drink and I don’t take drugs, but I like a nice mellow buzz. I hope I don’t get into trouble. Oh, and some lip gloss.
SLUDGE: The last time for Betsy Bitch:
Ate fast food: Last Friday I went to birthday party and had Little Caesars pizza. It’s five dollars for a large, so I would say that’s fast food.
Signed an autograph: At the NAMM convention in late January.
Cracked your bull whip: The last time we played the Whisky with Hellion. I’ll crack it again next time.
Had a celebrity make a pass at you: That one is complicated. I’ll take a pass.
Got so drunk that you regretted it: I haven’t drank in probably five years, a long time. One time, a long time ago, I drank plain-wrap rum before a show and don’t know how I made it through. I was sick for two days after.
Visited the Rainbow: Not too long ago. We played the anniversary show in April.
SLUDGE: What’s the most tragic thing that’s ever happened to you?
Losing a brother-in-law and drummer in 2010 when Robby Settles died. He got leukemia. He was not only an amazing drummer but a wonderful husband to my sister.
SLUDGE: You’ve never been married yourself?
No, but I lived with our original guitar player for 24 years, David Carruth.
SLUDGE: What happened?
He fell in love with someone else, a lovely woman from a very good family, and they’re married now. It was rough at first. He just sort of lost interest in the band as well as our relationship, so it was time to move on. I’m glad he’s happy. I’ve moved on.
SLUDGE: Did you ever cross paths with the late Kim Fowley? He seemed like the type who would be all over you.
I did run into him way back and again in later years. He used to go to Rodney’s English Disco on the strip, and he approached me a couple of times there and at the Starwood, too. He was orchestrating a band called the Orchids, and we got to talking about me joining, but it didn’t work out. I wasn’t quite ready yet, but he liked my look, and he liked that I wanted to be a singer. He was an interesting guy, a powerful character.
SLUDGE: Oh, one last thing: What did your parents think of your image?
Well, my dad passed away in 2010 — equally as tragic, by the way — and he had been a pro jazz musician, and he was always very supportive. He thought I was the best thing since sliced bread. My mother was an actress, and she was really supportive, too. I guess my dad was little squirely about the S & M image, but he loved that I sang and that I was in a band. Being racy, that was the only thing that was a little uncomfortable.
Betsy Bitch showing off the goods
Betsy Bitch @ WebSite – Facebook – Twitter – iTunes
Gerry Gittelson can be reached at gspot@metalsludge.tv
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