Metal Sludge celebrates 20th year anniversary including long-standing “feud” with Sebastian Bach
Metal Sludge celebrates 20th year anniversary including long-standing “feud” with Sebastian Bach
It’s hard to believe but it’s been 20 years as of yesterday since the infamous Metal Sludge website run by Tuff and Tales From The Porn frontman Stevie Rachelle first launched.
Metal Sludge have posted an article titled “TWENTY YEARS AGO … Metal Sludge launched September 1st 1998 – here is how it came to be.”
Rachelle goes through the site’s history and the idea behind it to start as he states:
“For anyone who ever thought the site, its writers or either of us HATED the 80’s….your assumptions could not be further from the truth.
We loved the 80’s and loved all that went with it.
But we also knew the excess.
Aside from the drugs, drinking and women.
There were also stupid moments by some of the bands who helped define the era – many of which were uber ridiculous.
Some were worth a laugh and some cringe worthy to say the least.
Chris Holmes in the pool in “Decline of Western Civilization – Part 2 The Metal Years” was worth a laugh.
Sebastian Bach throwing a bottle into a teenagers face from the stage, well, that was shameful and helped disgrace the 80’s.
Along with Vince Neil’s car crash.
So from the start, our idea was to build a place where fans of these bands could gather (online) to talk about, share stories and vent about all things related.
Over time we were called the National Enquirer of Rock n’ Roll, or TMZ before there was a TMZ, and I happily accept either as a compliment.
We never reported a sighting of Elvis or Bigfoot at a 7/11.
However if we did make some over-the-top crazy claim reporting, “Bigfoot spotted backstage at a Slaughter concert” – it was referring to Gerri Miller and us just being downright mean.
Yeah, we were mean, big deal.
And for anyone who wants to challenge the Metal Sludge 20 year track record – name a false story we reported?
Then make a list of the stories you read on the site and thought, “There is NO WAY Warren DeMartini has been fired from Ratt!”
I rest my case in advance…”
One of Metal Sludge‘s features was calling out various rockers on some of the things that they were doing. One notable one was former Skid Row frontman Sebastian Bach. Rachelle states in that regard:
“I believe with social media over the years, many people became more aware of themselves, and how the average fan could suddenly critique them and the world could see it.
Then there were a few, and when I see a few, I mean a few, who were and are forever angry…{cough-Sebastian Bach-cough} and Da’ Blotz.
Funny thing is, Bach was one of the first ever rock stars to contact us, and told us he loved the site.
What’s even more nuts, is we were only online for 6 days when he first messaged us.
Then he got owned in a Sludge post from a fan, that we printed of the fan’s experience with him – and he lost his shit ever since.
Here are 2 snippets from the first year in review timeline related to Sebastian Bach.
Blotzer was pretty much the same, loved us and then hated us.”
Rachelle went on to state:
“Something else that became obvious.
Certain guys kept popping up and on the radar for being…well, down right dumb.
I don’t have to type the names here, some are still alive and some are not.
But over 20 years we never wrote anything crazy about the drummer from Tesla or the guitarist from Def Leppard, or the bassist from Aerosmith.
Why?
Well, because they never got arrested for possession, never got a DUI (that we know of), never beat their wife, never jumped in the crowd to fight a fan or fell over barfing onstage.
And are these horrible things?
No, not at all. But if you slip up – own it.
It’s called taking responsibility for your actions. Being an adult.
I can’t recall where this photo came from, but if memory is correct it was somehow related to Metal Sludge. As you can see – Baz wasn’t too happy here.
So when certain guys, or their camp, or their fan base would cry foul, “You are always picking on him” we had a simple response.
Bitch please!
No one picked on anyone.
If the shoe fits, wear it.
I also understand there is no law against being a dick.
But let’s not forget, there is no law against having an opinion of someone who’s acting like a dick just the same.
These are grown ass men, who don’t need to be coddled like kindergartners – and if they do – then they need to be told what’s up.
Plain and simple.”
Metal Sludge took pride in breaking stories first as Rachelle recalled:
“I got another tip, “Dj Ashba is the next lead guitarist in Guns N’ Roses.”
This was an anonymous caller on my band hotline number that was still working in 2009.
I ran an article on March 15th 2009 and announced, “Guns N’ Roses name Dj Ashba as new guitarist”
The headline hit and the news spread fast.
That night my phone rang from an 805 area code.
This is Ventura County, just north of Los Angeles.
“Hi, Stevie Rachelle please” said a voice.
“This is Stevie…”
“Hey Dude, how are you? It’s Dizzy Reed.”
“Hey Dizzy, how are ya – it’s been a while.”
Dizzy then asked where I heard this, and pleaded with me to remove it from the site.
I refused and nicely told him, “I have a source, I am not removing it.”
I then added, “Besides, if it wasn’t true, you wouldn’t care enough to call me.”
We had a nice little chat, and went down memory lane to the late 80’s when his band The Wild would open for Tuff at Troubadour.
He understood but I guess was trying to help protect whatever it was they were doing.
A week later on March 23rd 2009 it was official and Guns N’ Roses announced Dj Ashba as their guitarist.
This was just 1 of many cool stories we broke on Metal Sludge.”
You can read more about Metal Sludge‘s history by reading the article “TWENTY YEARS AGO … Metal Sludge launched September 1st 1998 – here is how it came to be.”