Band: Pretty Boy Floyd
Venue: Nottingham Rock City, UK
Date: 9th February 2002.
The Interview took place in the small live room at Rock City on 9th February 2001 -
The Interviewers are Glenn and Paul Milligan + Tony Watson
Glenn: How did you get Pretty Boy Floyd together?
Steve: The first time around.
Glenn: Yeah
Steve:
I put it together when I was like 16-17 years old. I'm from LA, Hollywood
so I pretty much. I was into old glam stuff too like Hanoi Rocks, Old
Motley Crue. Then I grew up right there with Ratt, Poison and all that
stuff. It was just something I was always into but I was into all the
image stuff too from Kiss to Sputnik to all the weird sh*t so I just
combined to glam with kinda cool rock anthems - nothing too powder puff
or so. It took some years. The first time around I didn't settle for,
you know - they had to have the right image everything. They had to
be able to sing, the 
attitude
the look, the whole thing so I went through a lot of people
Glenn: Until you got to the '...Leather Boyz' album.
Steve: Right.
Glenn: Did you have a few people in and out the band before the album release?
Steve: Oh not at all. From '85 to '88 is when I was searchin for guys. We found the line-up and we only did 8 or 9 shows in Hollywood and we got up a huge following. From there we got our record deal within about 8 or 9 shows.
Glenn: With MCA Records?
Steve: Yeah!!
On 'Leather Boyz with Electric Toyz' Steve said -
I thought it was a great record - we had problems that occurred out of our hands - but if anyone's into Glam Rock, they know that that's a great record. I'm very happy with it - all the songs.
Glenn: What sort of memories do you have of the gigs you used to do from way back then?
Steve: You know, the scene was different back then - the Sunset Strip was like massive. Since I live out there I know what it's like now - just growing up out there and being into the Motley's and Poison's and all that kind of stuff - but then actually like almost becoming the next big thing out there was pretty happening!! We didn't get exactly get to where we wanted to get to after the record deal and all that kind of stuff but we did everything we could. We succeeded in everything we wanted to do. But the whole Hollywood scene, it was great and we got to tour with a lot of great bands.
Glenn:
Who did you tour with?
Steve: We did some tours with LA Guns,
Warrant, a little bit of Enuff Z'nuff, Shotgun Messiah, Dokken - stuff
like that.
Glenn: What have you been doing in between the 'Leather Boyz' and 'Porn Stars' albums?
Steve: You mean like musically (laughs)
Glenn: Yeah - anything.
Steve: Me and my brother we opened up a couple of strip bars in Phoenix and now in Los Angeles. But I was working on music. I was only 20/21 years old when we got our deal so when things started going a little shady in the '92/'93 I would just be working on music writing songs - Pretty much - you know. My brother's a promoter - he was our Manager - so it was always something with the music or the Strip bars.
Glenn: Were you influenced a lot by the bands and the strip bars back then?
Steve: Back then. Well it's still - but I'm into different music now but when I was 15 to 18 I was specifically into a certian kind of bands - the metal bands. Everywhere from Black 'n' Blue to Ratt to Kiss to Cheap Trick - all that kind of stuff. Now - the stuff we do with Pretty Boy Floyd we just do Pretty Boy Floyd. We don't try to fit this into something that's not.
Am I into every other kind of music? Yeah - I like a lotta sh*t. From the heavy to all that stuff - Now - cause I'm p*ssed. (Laughter)
Glenn: What made you want to record some of the old 'Leather Boyz' stuff for the 'Porn Stars' album?
Steve: Because they paid us to.
(Laughter)
Glenn: Good reason !!!
Steve: No no no - Cleopatra Records was just getting all the - I mean it was cool and people might say 'Why did you do the songs again ?' - but Cleopatra helped a lot of those 80's bands at least get product out there. They did the same thing I think with Dokken, The Bullet Boys and Bang Tango and all that. They are this label that Glam and Goth and all that - Cleopatra were like 'Let's make a Greatest Hits - re-record it and put a couple of songs on it and we're like - 'What O.K. - cool - wow, hey really !!! F*ck, I'll record that thing over and over.
Glenn: I read the odd review and people say 'Why did you re-record it - why didn't you bring some new stuff out 0- but that's the reason.
Steve: Yeah. No - I mean Cleopatra - they just asked for that.
Paul: So you do what your asked don't you ?!?!
Steve: Well sometimes !! (Laughter). Well we did the 5 song (E.P - A Tale Of Sex) which we did on our own. There are a lot of bands that have thrown out like 8-10 products and you go 'Really - you put it out - really (in surprise) - it's out??' I mean we didn't just want stuff to ..
Glenn: Be just floating about?
Steve: Yeah.
Glenn: You finds there's bands our there releasing albums that you didn't find out about because there's been no promotion !!!
Steve: Right - that's what I didn't want to do - throw songs out there. I mean - I know that the Internet and all that stuff anyway that there's so many people that have picked up everyone of our demos from 1985 so if someone really wants to find the stuff - they'll find the stuff. We can make a great record but if they're not gonna promote it well then what the hell's good for that.
Glenn: What would you say are your favourite songs that you still like singing in concert?
Steve: Oh, I like singing all of 'em. They all were (good). I mean we spent a lot of time on the songs - not just the image thing or so. The image part was pretty easy - we all were pretty freaky looking and we were all into all the make-up and weirdness, but the songs we took our time to make sure they were the great rock anthems. Some we like playing more live than other ones - some are a little too poppy or something - a little too 'Last Kissy' (laugh) but we preferred the heavier ones - but I like 'em all. I mean there's hundreds of Pretty Boy Floyd songs.
Paul: It's like a Rock Party attitude.
Steve: Yeah - but I like 'em all.
Glenn: Who's Rat (on the front cover of 'A Tale of Sex)?
Steve: Oh - that was Kef - his name was Kef Ratcliffe so we called him Rat - because he looked like a little rat (Immense laughter).
Paul: Everyone knows someone that looks like a rat.
Steve: Yeah - we were revolving a few bass players at the time so he was just one of the odd-balls that came along.
Paul: He fit in.
Steve: Yeah
Glenn: So what's the story beind this e.p.? i.e. Keri Kelli's involvement?
Steve:
Well Kelli we all know he was in 'Big Bang Babies' - I always dug their
stuff. I mean if were gonna put the band back together. So actually
when we came back out we were a 5 piece with Kristy Steele - it gave
us a bigger sound - Keri Kelli wrote our kind of music - he was into
our kind of thing and it was a perfect fit and he just happens to be
a Producer as well and all that kind of stuff - so it worked out real
well.
He fit in just right.
Glenn: What's happening with the scene for you guys in the States?
Steve: There's Bon Jovi - who's gonna come back big like he has and sell a million or so records. All the other bands are just doing what they like to do and I think they happen to get paid doing it so what the hell. I mean we've never had a reason not to do it - we're all still young. We especially like to do shows that are with other good bands. We don't particularly pick shows that pay us to headline a club tour just for the money - we'd rather play with (good bands) on a cool little tour and play in front of people and all that. We do it because we love to do it.
Paul: Do you prefer playing live or being in the studio?
Steve: I hate the studio. No, I don't hate the studio - but live it's where it's at, being at the venue.
Paul: Playing in front of the fans ?!?!.
Steve: Yeah - the live is the best part. I mean recording's cool because you can get some interesting things out there but that's a pain in the frickin' ass!! For me it is !!
Paul: What control have you got over your sound in the studio?
Steve: Hell yeah - I go 'this is the way I sound good - this is the way we're doing it - I just started saying that last week. For 10 or 12 years I let them push me around (Laughter). No No No, I usually say what I want. I mean, we've worked with a lot of people even though we haven't had a lot of stuff out there. We've done some soundtracks and this and that - we've had some pretty big people that were big before you know like Max Norman - who worked on like some pretty huge Ozzy stuff or this or that - but I speak my piece - ha ha ha.
Paul: Does it always go down particularly well with regard to the sound?
Steve: For my particular sound?
Paul: Yeah
Steve: I'm really not that hard to get.
Glenn: Did you get involved with these Perris Tribute albums through Keri (Kelli).
Steve: No No - We started doing 'em through Cleopatra because I'm on the Motley one and the Van Halen and the Guns 'n' Roses and then Perris Records have always distributed our stuff so that's why he (Tom Mathers) asked me to do the Poison one (Name Your Poison) and so forth.
Glenn: Did you actually get to pick the songs you wanted to do?
Steve: Yeah - I didn't get the full choice. He might have like called me second and said these are still left and I chose from there. I don't think I had the full list though but I pretty much got to choose the ones I wanted to do.
Glenn: Are you gonna be putting some other stuff on different tribute albums?
Steve: You know - if they call - I'll do it. I don't want to be on too many of 'em - you know - the Poison, the Motley -that was cool, Van Halen and Guns - that was cool - but, you know - it all depends.
Glenn: What's the tour been like so far?
Steve: It's been great - I mean it's just like a week of shows - so I can't really call it a tour - but it's been great because we've never been out here. The crowds have been really cool and it's been great. No other words.
Glenn: Would you say there's much difference between what it's like in Great Britain with regard to the audiences?
Steve: I don't know - we've played good shows in the states. I mean they were rocking out here. I wouldn't say that one is better than the other but...
Paul: Us Brits are different ?!?!
Steve: It's hard to say because it's been great at like at both ends of it. I mean maybe it's just our kind of fans or so. I don't know.
Paul: They just live for it?!
Steve: Oh I don't know - maybe they're just that wild - you know Motley, Poison, anthemy Crazy - something like that. They're usually pretty rockin' - so it's not like - 'What the Hell' (Laughter), 'Wow' - you know - I mean we've never been out here so I was expecting fans to be pretty rockin' since we've never been here.
Glenn: So can you tell me what do you do while you are waiting to go on stage and while on tour?
Steve: Well this damn tour it's been mostly driving and ..
Glenn: Looking out the window!!
Steve: Yeah
Paul: Talking to tw*ts like us!!
(Laughter)
Steve: Yeah - this one's a little different than a normal tour where we are on a bus or something like that because we could leave after the show and then be in the town the next day and really enjoy it. This is more like 'We just got here - get to the hotel, get the gear, do this, run back and you know. I don't even know the difference of England and St. Louis.
Glenn: What are your future plans for the band?
Paul: Wrap this up !!! (joking)
Steve: Exactly - what he just said - (laughter) - just wrap it up, just wrap it up. No No No No, I mean we're gonna keep it going as longs as it's …
Paul: As long as it's - as long as it's there - you'll keep going!!!
Steve: Yeah - it's as long as we all continue to have a good time. We all do other things - it's not like before when we were all stuck in a room and we're all going 'we're gonna sell this !!' We like to tour - we love to tour, we wanna put out more records. We definitely have a lot of songs sitting around. We just play it day by day. Today's a good day so what the hell - we don't think about it.
Glenn: So there's a good show coming up - plenty of 'Leather Boyz' stuff - have you got much new stuff put in there?
Steve: Yeah - we kind of do. I mean we do a lot of 'Leather Boyz' stuff - you know - they wanna hear that. I don't know if they've picked up anything after that. But we play a 60/40. We play some from the 'Porn Stars' to the 5 song e.p.
Glenn: That's cool!!!
After
a few photos with us and signing a few CD's - we did our thank you's
and later witnessed one of the 'Best Rockin' Shows' we had ever seen.