#11 Faster Pussycat - Faster Pussycat P-P-P-Pusscyat, SHUT UP!

ROCKTOBERFEST: A Most Excellent Countdown of the 31 Most Bitchin Glam Metal Albums

#11 Faster Pussycat– Faster Pussycat (Released 1987) #97 Billboard Albums

Taime Downe (I bow before the size of your hair)– Vocals 

Greg Steele (The Wind Machine is My Best Friend) - Lead Guitar

Brent Muscat (Bitchin BANGS) – Rhythm Guitar 

Eric Stacy (Rock N Roll Pirate) - Bass

Mark Michals (Nice hat) – Drums

P-P-P-P-Pussycat, SHUT UP!

The album that kick-started the sleaze counter-revolution in 1987 comes straight from the gutter of Hollywood, CA. These rockstars only think with one of their heads if ya catch my drift. Their name si derive from one of the most famous pornographic films of all time, Faster Pussycat KILL! KILL!. They owned a rock n roll, dive bar called the Cathouse. Located on the infamous Sunset Boulevard, the Cathouse was glam haven for sex, drugs and rock n roll. They ever wrote a song about their establishment dubbing it the place, “Where pussy aint no feline”. Faster Pussycat was edgier and darker than Poison and Warrant, but still retained the hedonistic disposition that is characteristic of all glam bands. They come equipped with an incredibly obnoxious, almost jaded view of life on the streets. Lyrically, they are among the most abrasive smart-asses of glam metal, but yow know they are doing it with a wink and smile. Musically, I stated this before they are the perfect confluence of New York Dolls, Motley Crue and Aerosmith. This time, the Dolls are the influence that is emphasized, which makes for even a sleazier good time. Hip hop artists love to talk about swag nowadays, in my mind Faster Pussycat is the personification of swag. The following video from the well-know Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years illustrates the typical experience of an underground sleaze band in the late 80’s.     

Starting with band it has begun more difficult to whittle down the choice cuts of each album. However, as school-work has picked-up I don’t have the time to showcase each song. So I implore any glam-sleaze fan to pick up the next eleven albums because these are the most BITCHIN albums out there.  I will begin with the obnoxiously delicious, Babylon. The song opens with a high-pitched sneer of “p-p-p-p-pussycat” before huge drums kick off the song. The guitar fills between the lyrics are catchy noise-punk at its finest. The opening lyrics are truly wonderful “Livin’ in LA is so much a fun//Boy you is ugly//And your girlfriend weighs a ton” delivers with a vicious sneer. Another great lyric is “Shut your face//And Take off what you got under” The chorus is the entertaining “No we wont shut up//We are just babbling on and on//P-p-p-p-ussycat//SHUT UP!”. The song epitomizes the punk-y , wise-ass attitude of sleaze rock that is so delectable. 

The first single was Don’t Change That Song, a hot, sleazy party album that is like Aerosmith on crack-cocaine. The video is directed by Russ Meyers of Faster Pussycat KILL! KILL! Fame and God Bless his taste in women. Watch the video and you will see what I mean. The riff is just a great attack of power chords that make wanna great up and groove. I love the drums on this album tons of reverb that makes them feel like they fill the room. Even though it is a raw sleaze rock album, they had the acumen to produce a good-sounding album. The chorus is the immensely catchy gang-shout, “DON’T CHANGE THAT SONG!” This is my favorite Taime vocal performance is just drips with sleaze and sneer has that addictive swaager to it. The best lyric of the song is “I always have 12 inches of fun at my command”. WOOOOOO I love sleaze music. 

The next song is the incredibly bottom-heavy, Smash Alley. Taime sneers “My life is just one trick or treat” while the rest of the band shouts about “SMASH ALLEY!”. Smash Alley is a place for lipstick junkies and runaways, ya see, a fantasy land of sleaze. The harmonized guitar riff is a low-down, filthy exercise of rock n roll. The drums just pound with great fury as that bass-line is incredibly thick and full of attitude. Taime brings that urgency and hunger that can only be found from a underground band. When it is their debut album and they know this is their one chance to end the malaise of peanut butter sandwiches, sleeping in cars, second-hand smack and second-hand women. This is the stimulus that drives the whole album and is readily apparent on this song. 

Finally, is the biggest hit for this album, a great sleaze rocker, Bathroom Wall. The song is about finding a number on the bathroom wall and the excitement of what the number may hold. Taime’s hair is outta fuckin control. How outta control, here’s the Ultimate WOYAH~! to tell ya. If anyone can make the shirt that Taime is wearing in the video that much appreciated. What is missing is of course, where are the all the women? Brent is just not cutting it, dudes. Meyer must have cost a small fortune. Anyways, Taime’s abrasive sneer is still present, but the riff and chorus are so catchy that helped it cross-over to the mainstream. 

Faster Pussycat is my favorite sleaze band of all time. They are one of the bands that just get it. They never took themselves seriously. They were out there just having a good time and being assholes. I love them for it. Sadly, the Pussycat broke up after the grunge invasion destroyed the world’s biggest party. Taime retained the rights to the band’s name and took the band in an industrial metal direction. Then in a much similar situation to their sleaze brethren, Brent Muscat created a Faster Pussycat that held true to the sleazy rock n roll that Faster Pussycat played in the glory years. To wrap us up is the full version of Cathouse. I wanna go to the place where business is the pleasure.