DeMartini carried the band on his shoulders

My advice to a young drummer in a signed band is to demand equal songwriting credits on every song the band creates with your drumming participation or walk. The idea that only melody and lyrics count for songwriting is contentious and arguable, but the fact is you don't play a melody instrument and they do. So under their logic, when your whole band brainstorms some riffs and together you piece those riffs into a song, you get zero credit, even though you created the drum parts to the song, and drum music can be and is charted into written sheet music format all the time. Do not bother arguing about this, because it will never be resolved and they are just interested in keeping the real money, if any, to themselves and leaving you out in the cold someday. Remember, if your band succeeds at all, it will be for a short time, and the songwriting credits will be all you have to show for it someday. If they want to treat you like a hired session player, then walk and let them be a Steely Dan type of thing. The bottom line is it's all or nothing. If you can't be a fully equal member of the band then walk. They were just going to cheat you in the long run anyway.

Bobby is one of the most underrated drummers of the 80's. His accents, fills, nuances and subtleties take a lot to remember and play correctly.

I met Ratt in a small restaurant in Burbank in 1985. The owner said that they would come in there for a bit of peace and quiet, and order fish and chips. I was in there for 45 minutes and they were so relaxed and quiet spoken. Nice guys all of them.

He said Bobby was very difficult to work with, he never said Bobby wasn't a good drummer or terrible player. So to whoever says Bobby's drumming sucked, this interview here doesn't back any of that up at all. Anyone with half a brain knows Bobby is a well accomplished drummer and played his ass off on all the Ratt recordings and live shows.

I was a drummer in my share of bar bands that never went anywhere. My strength was in arranging and/or adding a break here or a break there etc. While not melody it sometimes was a riff and perhaps a lyric or harmony, I felt those contributions really took the songs to the next level. In those cases, I would have wanted writing credits if we ever got signed and released a record. I’d be interested in hearing everyone’s thoughts regarding. Thanks.

My belief is that if you are in a "band" that everything that winds up on a record is shared contribution and should be compensated accordingly. Bobby Blotzer was their drummer. If you have a good drummer you keep him happy. Show him some love.

We truly have no idea how good Beau made these albums sound.

As a drummer myself, and not much into 80s hard rock drummers, Blotz was always stylish and in the pocket. Always. I saw them live a couple times in the day. He and Juan, fantastic rhythm section.

Invasion is a great record…..it’s their peak…..good stuff….. We truly have no idea how good Beau made these albums sound..

I met Stephen in Charlotte NC when he was on his RATT Bastard Tour. I worked for the bar and picked him up from his hotel and took him back after the show. He was a genuine guy. Very easy to talk with. Just a decent guy. He asked what I was doing the next day because he had a day off and was staying in town, but I was in college and had a test the next day. Wish I'd hung out with him instead.

I always liked this drummer!

Another great interview! Excellent point about the publishing. Thanks for all your work.

THIS >>>>>> Bobby is a great drummer and his swing and quirky nuances are a big ingredient in the classic Ratt sound.

I saw Ratt in 1988 & poison opened for them. The entire time poison was on, Bobby was just off stage admiring Ricky Rockets drumming! It was cool👍

Interesting interview on the process of working with Ratt.

I love this channel it deserves so many more subscribers

Very good interview! Beau is a genius just for having gotten some of the sounds he got out of Steven and Blotzer - both top notch, not to mention the raw, kickass guitar sounds! Love these interviews! ⚡ 👍

Publishing comes up so often in interviews and articles about these older bands it makes you wonder if they were ever really told of it's significance back in the day, or if they knew but didn't care at the time because becoming a rock star was the priority. Billy Corgan said he was warned before singing a deal but he didn't listen, and it played a huge part in killing Smashing Pumpkins. Bon Jovi and Sambora had publishing rights to Skid Row which caused friction once Skid's album shot up the charts. Sambora felt guilty and gave his percentage back but Bon Jovi held on to his for a while. When you see these older bands today selling their catalogs for millions you can see why a band member sitting at home with nothing isn't so quick to reunite.

This is why Rush never had any squabbles about royalties. They just divided it equally.