HARD HITTING
‘The list of rock stars that have begged me to go home with them is extremely long’
Getting down with lady drummer Rachael Rine
LOS ANGELES — There is something about girl drummers that’s a big turn-on. But don’t just take our word for it — one look at femme percussionist Rachael Rine, and you can understand the attraction.
Rine can hold her own with anyone — in any gender — and she is among the prime attractions in all-girl Guns N’ Roses tribute act Paradise Kitty.
Rine has also drummed for other projects like Femme Fatale and Cockpit in addition to a former life as a record exec.
Metal Sludge tracked down Ms. Rine, and in this rare interview she tells it like it is.
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Paradise Kitty – All Girls, All Guns N’ Roses
METAL SLUDGE: What are you currently up to? This is your one big chance to plug your shit.
RACHAEL RINE: My original project is in a secret hideaway doing secret stuff so I can’t tell you about that yet. While that brews, I’m keeping Paradise Kitty nice and busy with a lot of upcoming shows. I won’t bore you with show dates in an interview. Check our social media sites or our agent’s page of dates below.
Paradise Kitty @ Facebook – Instagram – Twitter – Booking Agent
Do girl drummers do it harder?
RINE: That’s a trick question. Depends on what you mean by “it”. The answer is “ABSOLUTELY”!
You play drums for Paradise Kitty. Do you think you could out-drug or out-drink Steven Adler?
RINE: Never in a million years would I even attempt it. God bless him, Steven is a sweetheart. He was always so kind an cool with my old band Cockpit. Maybe one day I’ll get him to come play a song or two with the Kitties and give the crowd a treat.
What do you think Axl Rose would think about Paradise Kitty?
RINE: He somehow heard about us before we played our first show and wasn’t too keen on the idea. He couldn’t understand how we were covering Gn’R because in his words he “doesn’t sound like a girl”. Then he saw video from our second show and shortly there after the Gn’R twitter was promoting us. So, I think he’s cool with it. I hope so at least. I know Slash digs the kittens. Sometimes we have some Conspirators join us on stage.
Who is your celebrity crush?
RINE: Joe Manganiello is hot sometimes. Jonathan Rhys Meyers is hot sometimes. Young Elvis was totally hot. I’ve never met a woman that wouldn’t agree that Johnny Depp is ALWAYS hot.
Who is the biggest rock star who ever tried to picked up on you?
RINE: Steven Tyler once pulled me out of the audience to make out with me. I was only 15 and he absolutely terrified me! I kissed him on the cheek and ran back to my seat. Living the life I’ve lived means the list of rock stars that have begged me to go home with them is extremely long. You can start it with every 80’s rocker still breathing, throw in a good share of 90’s/2000’s bands and add a couple urban dudes like Snoop Dogg. I do also seem to be a magnet for British rock legends: Roger Waters, Rod Stewart, Jeff Beck, et al. They’re quite persistent and I’m rather stubborn in my resolve. It’s like trying to move a mountain.
Did he (or she, lol) succeed? Why or why not?
RINE: If I said yes, there’s a good chance their mom still sends me a Christmas card. I’m super selective. I won’t hang out with someone unless there’s that special mojo. When that magic is there. you tend to be in each other’s lives for a lot longer than one night or just a tour. Also, you have to have a good sense of humor and be of above average intelligence, and that rules out a lot of guys on that list.
You worked for a lot of record labels. Do record-label people all suck? If not, give us three names of record execs who are great.
RINE: During my label days I worked for the top execs of numerous major labels. They were extremely demanding, thankless jobs that kept me at my desk for 70 hours a week. There were good people within the labels but it was difficult for them to do good things for music… especially rock music, and NONE of them were executives. I worked for a woman president for a while and people used to ask me if I wanted her job. My answer was always, “Fuck NO because then I’d have to be like her and she’s just miserable and mean”. Out of all of them, Jimmy Iovine was cool. We got along really well and I still have a lot of respect for him. He’s at Apple now.
Should girl musicians be taken seriously? If so, why?
RINE: Absolutely not! No musician should be taken serious ever! We’re artists. We’re here to entertain not cure cancer.
Rush is retiring because Neil Peart isn’t continuing on. How long would you last in Rush?
RINE: You just bored me with that question. Can we talk about the Rolling Stones or Bowie or something? (I can hear all the guys freaking out because I said that. Don’t hate me for being honest. I respect what Rush has done but it’s not my cup of tea)
Give us your thoughts on the following all-girl bands:
1, The Go Gos: All I can think of is the stories of them partying harder than any one else in Hollywood in their early days.
2, The Runaways: Love them!
3, Hardly Dangerous: Heard of them when I was a kid, never actually heard them though
4, The Bangles: Watched Susanna Hoff play in Silverlake last year. I was excited for the show but it was really boring. Maybe it was an off night or something, but it was so low energy we left half way through.
5, Iron Maidens: Love these girls. I played in Femme Fatale with Courtney Cox for a minute. We’re all doing a show together in Hermosa Beach Aug 13 at Sainte Rocke It’s gonna get wild!
Do you like Trump or Clinton and why?
RINE: I prefer Pop Tarts — and I don’t even really like those all too much. Can I request that they mud wrestle each other first and then decide?
Name three people you expect to see at the Rainbow Bar & Grill:
RINE: 1. Ron Jeremy, 2. Wes Scantlin, 3. Lemmy (I know, it’s just still weird and I still expect him to saunter in. We miss him a lot)
Rachael Rine and Femme Fatale mid rehearsal
What’s the funniest thing you’ve ever done?
RINE: I actually can be rather shy. Once you get to really know me though, I’m a total goof ball. I’m constantly doing stupid stuff to make my friends laugh. There’s no one moment funnier than the rest. I’m definitely not afraid to embarrass myself for a good laugh.
You worked at Sunset Marquis hotel, right? Reveal an old secret about a rock and roll guest, please.
RINE: I never actually worked at the Marquis. I was managing and rebuilding the recording studio downstairs. It was unnamed at the time but it is now called Nightbird. It’s a super cool place. I don’t have any dirty little secrets from my time there, but I do know that you could tell when Keith Richards was a guest because he’d hang a pirate flag out the window of his villa overlooking the hidden pool, and you’d hear Robert Johnson music blaring from his room constantly. I also found it quite amusing every time I’d step out of my office and see Joe Perry jumping into his rented mini. Joe Perry driving a mini isn’t something you expect to see. One of my coworkers once went into the ladies room in the lobby. Apparently Courtney Love had been swimming in the pool and was dripping wet on the toilet, bikini around her ankles, with the door wide open, taking a dump. Courtney kept trying to carry on a conversation in between grunts with my co-worker and anyone else that walked in. So awkward.
What’s the most money you ever made that’s music related, and what did you do with the money?
RINE: In one shot? I got a huge 5 figure bonus for getting a band signed at Geffen. They weren’t totally my cup of tea but other labels were fighting over them and none of our A&R had any clue about them. So I brought them in. The president I worked for passed on them and her co-president signed them. Ultimately my boss was pissed because she had been there for 2 years and hadn’t brought in a single artist. Her assistant beat her to it so she punished me for it for a long time after. She was evil. I just put the money in the bank, saving for the day I could walk out of there.
What is the most surprising thing we might find in your purse?
RINE: Besides a gun? I love shooting. However it’s nearly impossible to get your CCW in CA. So probably a tooth brush. I always have one with me. You’ll find me brushing my teeth in strange places. Hygiene is important!
What’s your go-to candy at the movie theatre?
RINE: I dig Milk Duds but sometimes I’ll get m&m’s or Reeses Pieces and dump them in a bucket of popcorn.
What is your basic philosophy in life?
RINE: Do unto others. Treat people how you want to be treated. Also, life is too short to take yourself too seriously. You already bought the ticket, may as well enjoy the ride!
Paradise Kitty @ Facebook – Instagram – Twitter – Booking Agent
Gerry Gittelson can be reached at gerryg123@hotmail.com
