Now that Rock of Ages has trained the klieg lights back on 80’s glam metal, many of the surviving bands are taking this chance to put some new guyliner on the shimmering façade of their careers. Def Leppard recorded new versions “Pour Some Sugar on Me” and “Rock of Ages”, and they are regularly hooking up with bands like Motely Crue and Poison for national summer tours.
Yet, it would be an oversight of arena-rock proportions to exclude from this party the one band that embodies the sex, drug and aerosol excesses like no other: the ever over-consuming Steel Panther.
Yes, Steel Panther is a glam-metal parody band—not to be confused with Sex Panther, the famously bad parody cologne—but they are not just a raunchy sideshow. Don’t get us wrong here. Steel Panther is definitely a raunchy sideshow, consciously assuming the role of over-the-top hedonists. Their song catalog speaks volumes: “Fat Girl”, “17 Girls In A Row”, “Just Like Tigerwoods”, and “Eatin’ Ain’t Cheatin’” (and those are the titles we could publish!). They like to push the limits of human decency, and sometimes even completely annihilate them. But the humor and sexual outrageousness aside, this is a band of legitimately talented musicians.
In fact, so revered are they in the world of glam-metal that Warner Bros. hired them to record the ‘Rock of Ages’ Rock ‘N’Roll Shout Outs—live recordings of birthday wishes, congratulations and other acknowledgments—on the official Rock Of Ages website. And, yes, they are all done with Steel Panther’s, um, unique stamp. Here’s an easily digestible sample of their ROA work.
Rock’N'Roll Shout Out
Killin’ it in Germany!
Gods of Metal in Australia!
They started performing in 2000 and over the next nine years attained modest local success in the Garden of Glam—a.k.a. the Sunset Strip. During that period they changed their name four times, starting with the potent Danger Kitty, then trying on the remedial school Metal Shop, which became Metal Skool, before finally settling, in 2008, on the sleek and sexy Steel Panther. It wasn’t until they released the album Feel The Steel that things really began to take off for this sex-addicted party band.
Not only were they recognized for their outrageous wit and laughable excesses, but their live shows and exceptional musicianship attracted well-know stars who regularly jammed with them. Members of Motley Crue, Def Leppard, Kiss and other big-name super-glam bands have shared the stage with Steel Panther.
Steel Panther, ‘If You Really Really Love Me’
To show you how these guys rock, here’s a video from their latest record….
And just last year they were the “special guest” for six shows in the UK on Def Leppard’s and Motely Crue’s Mirrorball Tour. A week later, after returning to the States, they opened for Guns N’ Roses at the Forum in Los Angeles.
Catching a Steel Panther show is not only great for the wild burst of offensive humor and the playful but accomplished renditions of classic glam-metal songs, but fans know that special guest appearances from some of the genre’s biggest stars are always a possibility.
Stacee Jaxx contemplates Steel Panther…
Would they cut it as Stacee Jaxx’s back-up band? Maybe;), but built on raunchy humor while thriving on accomplished musicianship and clever marketing, Steel Panther looks to have the last laugh in the always-entertaining world of big-hair hedonism.
See more Steel Panther on the Official ‘Rock Of Ages’ site, http://www.RockOfAgesMovie.com
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