possibly the funniest metal song I've ever heard

[dave_mc]

ah, that's true, good point.

[FELINEGUITARS]

The NEW Video!! YEAH!!!

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=60855461

OK, agree to disagree about the lyrics, I think musically they're entertaining enough.   

But that was bollocks.  Like Poison or Warrant at their absolute worst.

Here is my theory on it.....

As bad as Warrant or Poison

- that was the whole point
There is a HUGE degree of irony going on here and it hinges on events that happened in the late 80s as far as I see it
You had bands like Motley Crue, ratt, and later on Poison, Skid Row Warrant, Firehouse etc

Many of these bands either lived lifestyles reminiscent of what you read about in Motley Crue's book "The Dirt"
If these bands had written songs from the heart they would have been party songs and full of debauchery for the most part and they would have rocked hard like many songs on their albums.

But the songs in question were the ones that these bands released as singles

The record labels put stupid amounts of pressure on all these bands to write and release songs that would get radio airplay , and have heavy rotation on MTV and be big hits.

Bon Jovi were one of the first  to find a formula for doing this that worked and the pressure on the other bands got higher

So as a result we got Poison's Every Rose has it's Thorn
Skid Row released I remember You (same chord sequence as Every Rose)
Warrant released Heaven
Insert other releases here
Etc etc etc

the lyrical content of these songs was so sweet and saccharine that it almost made you gag
It was to a degree a polar opposite of the rowdy lifestyles these guys were leading

Sure they can all have proper relationships  and express their feelings but it was often in tandem with another lifestyle on the road.
"And what happens on the road stays on the road"

I just feel that Steel Panther have shown up this in this particular song.
It's like what these bands would have written if they were writing the truth

I'm no prude but I didn't actually enjoy the video so much - I find that the song is much better without a literal video interpretation - allowing you to paint the story in your head.

I also like the bittersweet line in the last verse:

" I see your face every time I go out and cheat"

** anyone who has not read "The Dirt" should really take the time to , just to understand the zeitgeist of the time these bands lived in
It's a good read too!

[Philly Q]

I've got to say, Jonathan, that's a very erudite and intelligent interpretation of what Steel Panther have done in this song - and of what other bands did in this type of song.  I know you like the band a lot, and I think you may be crediting them with more sophistication than they actually have, but fair enough.  :)

I also like the bittersweet line in the last verse:

" I see your face every time I go out and cheat"

Nice, but I find it impossible to ignore the fact that the previous line goes:

"I think of you and I can't help but fondle my meat"  :|

[MDV]

Jon, dont you think you might just be overthinking it a little?

Maybe?

Just a tiny bit?

[Will]

I don't think he is, I think they are making a lot of money from calculated decisions

[MDV]

Well they might be thinking about it, but thats no reason for anyone else to!

[FELINEGUITARS]

"I think of you and I can't help but fondle my meat"  :|

Pure poetry!

[CJ]

i'd still rather listen to them if they weren't trying to be funny...

[_tom_]

Their whole selling point is that they're a pisstake hair metal band though.. isnt it?!

[FELINEGUITARS]

I think they are pretty much holding the door wide open for another band to come along and make an impact with good songs riffs, and non humorous lyrics.

Everybody is ready for that band now - they just have to get their act together and make it happen

[CJ]

Their whole selling point is that they're a pisstake hair metal band though.. isnt it?!

yeah, of course it is. but the fact is they do have talent and they could be a great band, rather than just a funny one. all of their covers are awesome, just wish they did some real music that wasn't just trying to be funny.

[Copperhead]

The NEW Video!! YEAH!!!

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=60855461

I AM a prude, and that IS hilarious!! It's raunchy guy humor and it is extremely funny. I don't think they're serious a bit.
Loads of sight gags (no pun intended)

Excellent riffage on the leads.

It's almost like an American version of Spinal Tap.

These guys should record some "serious" tracks under a psuedonym. Obviously "Steel Panther" is 80's hair metal parody all the way.
I did an 80's night parody thing awhile ago, it was loads of fun. Everyone coming to the show was encouraged to dress in they're most outlandish 80's fashions... The crowd was great!
Half a dozen bands, one set each, we headlined. Just a very fun and crazy night. Definitely there is a market for this type of thing and I suspect Steel Panther will do quite well.

[Will]

Whats the opinion on Eyes of a Panther?

It doesn't seem so much a pisstake as the rest of the music, it seems to me like what they want to write themselves...

If its a parody song like the others, which band is it of?

[Philly Q]

Their whole selling point is that they're a pisstake hair metal band though.. isnt it?!

yeah, of course it is. but the fact is they do have talent and they could be a great band, rather than just a funny one. all of their covers are awesome, just wish they did some real music that wasn't just trying to be funny.

Maybe they just can't cut it with "real" material, because it creates a different kind of pressure.  I think some people can relax and have fun playing other people's songs - or parodies of other people's songs - but when they try to do their own material they feel it has to be "better" or "more important" and they end up taking it too seriously, even if they don't intend to.

Russ Parrish is obviously a terrific guitarist, but maybe he's just a natural journeyman - like Keri Kelli and Alex Grossi.  Between them, those guys seem to have been in every past-their-best hair metal band, but they've never really recorded anything of much interest.

[Ian Price]

anyone who has not read "The Dirt" should really take the time to , just to understand the zeitgeist of the time these bands lived in
It's a good read too!

I second that - it's a very good read and has short enough chapters so that it doesn't feellike a battle trying to get through it. I'm not sure it would have felt like a battle anyway as the material is very well written - it just made me feel like I was making progress quickly.

Not sure what band Eyes of a Panther is based on - I like it though. I don't think Hells on Fire was too offensive either (can't actually remember if it is or not though!)