What springs to mind when one thinks of Steel Panther? Is it the drugs? The women? The guitar solos? The impeccably preened hair? How about boy bands? Probably not. Still, worlds collided during the Panther’s latest world tour in support of their fourth studio album,All You Can Eat.
“We flew to London to do a BBC Radio 1 thing, and then we did this special acoustic show while we were there,” explains Michael Starr, the band’s lead singer. “The guys from 5 Seconds Of Summer actually ended up coming to our show. Apparently, they’re big Steel Panther fans. I was like, ‘Really? This Disney band are Steel Panther fans?!’ We called out to them while we were onstage, we tried to get them to come up and join us. They didn’t do it, but afterward I sought them out. I just wanted to know if they wanted to do some cocaine. Everyone wants to know why Panther is hangin’ out with 5 Seconds Of Summer? Because they like to party and they like pussy. You put those two together and you got a common bond.”
The celebrity stories don’t stop there. Starr leaps from anecdote to anecdote in a single bound, rolling right into the next famous person who turned out to be a Panther fan – as well as someone who is much more reflective of the band’s ethos. “We ran into Jack Black while we were touring in Japan,” he says. “We were both in the same hotel – I think he was playing a show with [Tenacious] D or something – and we both ended up at the same club that night. Jack is the same dude that you see onstage or on the screen. That’s just like us – we’re the same guys. People always talk about how we’re jokin’ around, talking about tits and ass – that’s who we are! When you come and see us, it’s not like we’re faking it. We love heavy metal, we love to have a good time and we love chicks.”
Enjoying some strong sales on the back of All You Can Eat – including a peak at number two on the album charts in Australia – the band took time off over the Christmas and New Year period to have a much-needed break. Contrary to what you may believe, a Steel Panther Christmas isn’t as wild as one would expect. As a matter of fact, it’s relatively normal – well, maybe the better turn of phrase is ‘comparatively’.
“The holidays were totally killer!” reports Starr. “I went to see my mum and my dad, we opened some presents and then we sat down and watched a Steel Panther DVD.” Wait… seriously? “I like to catch my parents up on what’s going on with the Panther,” he says. “They don’t really go on the internet, so when I get them onto YouTube it’s like another TV station to them. I’ll show them us playing in Australia, I’ll show them footage from our arena tour… after a while, though, I’ll get sick of watching myself, so I’ll sub in some Van Halen or some Iron Maiden. I love watching these dudes that have perfected their trade.”
Steel Panther have shared the stage with some iconic rock names in their time, including Aerosmith, Guns N’ Roses and Def Leppard. Sure, it’s clear to anyone with half a brain that the band is faithfully sending up the lifestyle that these groups actually had at the height of their success. Even so, Starr makes sure that everyone is on the same page. Besides, Steel Panther aren’t laughing at them. It’s with them.
“The best thing about getting to see all these veteran bands and these classic bands is that I get to learn from them,” he says. I get to take something that they’ve done and interpret it with my own body. It comes out different, but still the idea was born out of watching and learning. You gotta do that, man. People that have seen us before want a new and improved Steel Panther. I gotta deliver! I’m taking notes, I got myself a clipboard, I’m working towards bettering ourselves.”
Without prompting, Starr launches into another story. This one involves the legendary Judas Priest, alongside whom Panther will appear at Soundwave in late February and early March. It’s less a story of inspiration and more a matter of just straight up stealing an idea – and Starr’s exceptionally proud of that fact. “We were on tour with Priest for about seven weeks,” he says. “I watched Rob [Halford] sing every single night, and he is just amazing. I’m not ashamed to admit that I stole a lot from him. He does a lot – he walks a lot! He’ll walk to the left, to the right, to the drum riser, back to the front. I started doing that, and it really gets you going. I’ve added it to my repertoire.”
While we’ve got Starr in the proverbial confession booth, he throws in another admission. “I’ve also stolen Steve Tyler’s mic stand,” he says. “He gets fucking stands sent to him every day! The girl that does wardrobe for Aerosmith also does wardrobe for us when she’s not on tour with them, so I knew exactly where to get it.”
Catch them atSoundwave Festival 2015alongsideFaith No More, The Smashing Pumpkins, Incubus, Slipknot, Fall Out Boy and many more atSydney Olympic ParkfromSaturday February 28 to Sunday March 1. Also appearing with Slash at the Hordern Pavilion on Tuesday February 24, tickets online.
