RATT CHATT
Blotzer’s recent bold statement about DeMartini; ‘If I was him I’d be ready to slice my throat’
ABC News — Ratt drummer Bobby Blotzer recently relaunched the group with a new lineup, which prompted longtime Ratt guitarist Warren DeMartini to sue his band mate and business partner, who shares ownership of the group with DeMartini. A court has allowed Blotzer to tour under the Ratt name — after he initially called his band Bobby Blotzer’s Ratt Experience — although a further suit brought by DeMartini is pending.
Blotzer tells ABC Radio that the conflict stems from the fact that he wants to tour, but Martini does not and, at the same time, doesn’t want Bobby to brand his group as Ratt.
Blotzer explains that he told Martini, “I own 50 percent of it. I’m going out. You’re gonna earn from it. Sit at home, collect your checks and do whatever you do at home. I’m going to work.”
Complicating the situation is the fact that Ratt’s other two main surviving members, frontman Stephen Pearcyand bassist Juan Croucier, each have their own current groups, and — according to Bobby — won’t even consider playing with Ratt again unless they are granted part ownership in the band.
“[DeMartini] doesn’t want to give the name up to those guys, which [is] what it would take to get them to tour, and he’s not willing to do that,” Bobby points out. “I could come to the table personally, but he doesn’t even want to go to the table.”
Blotzer and DeMartini took control of the Ratt name after winning a lawsuit in 2000 against Pearcy who left the band numerous times, most recently in 2014. Now, Bobby says he expects to win his legal battle with Warren, something he imagines to be extremely bothersome to his longtime band mate.
“If I was him I’d be ready to slice my throat,” Blotzer says. “Let’s put it this way, it’s way more fun to be on the winning team than it is where he’s sitting right now. ‘Cause I know the way it felt when we took the name from Stephen in federal court…It felt pretty damn good to walk out of there, because you were doing the right thing. Not the wrong thing like he’s doing. So good luck, Warren. You reap what you sow, baby.”
Blotzer says that while the conflicts between the members of Ratt’s classic lineup is unfortunate, fans seem to be loving his new version of the group.
“I have a great band and we’ve been doing a lot of shows,” Bobby points out. “We’ve got a lot of shows booked for next year. Big shows. The money’s amazing. The crowds have been great. We just did a show in Tampa, we had 43-hundred people there, and it was great. They all dug it. Everybody has a great time.”
He adds, “These guys are great performers. They do justice to the integrity of the Ratt brand and music, and that’s what counts, you know. People want to hear the music, and I’m bringing it.”
The group is plotting to trek next year that’s been dubbed the 2016 Re-Invasion Tour. For more information about Blotzer’s current version of Ratt, including its confirmed tour dates, visit the band’s official Facebook page, Facebook.com/TheRattExperince.
Article courtesy of ABC News
