Show Notes
Sex, drugs, and rock ‘n roll...and girls. All part of metal music’s culture. In the five decades of metal, there have been groupies and partying around the clock. The 1980's saw an avalanche of a culture of partying, sex, and overall debauchery. Host Jon Wiederhorn tells how metal profited off that spirit, creating an aesthetic of peak hedonism within its music. Members of KISS, Van Halen, Def Leppard, Ratt, Skid Row, Biohazard along with Lita Ford, Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne, and many more share stories of the wild, and sometimes lonely sexual exploits of metal musicians. FROM THE EPISODE: KISS vocalist and guitarist Paul Stanley explains the meaning of partying in the 1980s. Van Halen lead singer David Lee Roth describes the sexual energy Van Halen brought to rock and roll. Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony talks about his first encounter with infamous groupie “Sweet” Connie Hamzy. Eddie Van Halen admits he grew tired of the partying scene and was ready for something more stable. Biohazard vocalist Evan Seinfeld shocks Kiss’ Gene Simmons with his photo album of sexual exploits. Sharon and Ozzy Obsourne share the foundation of their love, respect, and devotion to each other. Tom Beaujour and Richard Bienstock, the co-authors of the New York Times bestseller “Nothin’ but a Good Time,” describe how 80s metal bands tapped into the decade’s cultural spirit. Learn the meaning of metal music’s code of conduct from Ratt singer Stephen Pearcy. Skid Row frontman Sebastian Bach recalls the making of the “Eighteen and Life” music video. The Runaways lead guitarist Lita Ford goes into detail on why she became fed up with the record business. Rapper, rocker and actor Ice-T reminisces about when he wandered into a trailer full of groupies. Hear Godsmack vocalist Sully Erna go into detail about the addictive nature of partying and groupies. Backstaged: The Devil in Metal is a production of Diversion Podcasts in association with iHeartRadio. Written and hosted by Jon Wiederhorn. Produced and directed by Mark Francis and Scott Waxman. Consulting Producer: Andrew Kalb. Production Assistant: Anita Okoye. Social Media Manager: Stephen Tompkins. Instrumental guitar music by Scott Waxman. Editing by Chris Schreiner. Technical Producer: Clem Fandango. Director of Marketing and Business Development: Jacob Bronstein. Executive Producers: Scott Waxman and Mark Francis. Special thanks to Oren Rosenbaum at UTA. Learn more about Backstaged at DiversionPodcasts.com.
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