Eric Stacy is one of the most influential bass players of the Hollywood scene. A founding member of Faster Pussycat, which was at the vortex of the Sunset Strip beast Stacy has forgotten about more things than the rest of will ever dream of.
RJ- Let me kiss your ass for a minute or two. Your work on the first Faster Pussycat was the bass blue prints for the next ten years of Hollywood Rock ‘N Roll. The sophomore album, Wake Me When It’s Over reinvented a great sound. Again on Whipped you went another direction. Each of these records was amazing for several reasons, but your bass lines were some of the most memorable licks from that era. Now, what was it like being Eric Stacy in the 80’s and 90’s?
Stacy-Obviously the 80's were an awesome time with wild parties, dreams fulfilled, goals reached. We did Four world tours, had two gold albums, eight videos(one reaching #1 on M.T.V.),a top 20 single in America, we toured on all the biggest tours out then; Motley, Kiss(twice), Motorhead, Whitesnake, Alice Cooper, Ace frehley, Ozzy,David Lee roth,we did Europe with Guns n Roses right when both our first records had just come out and the buzz was huge(both on the bands and on the tour),We did three headlining tours of America,one of Europe and one of Japan(that was totally insane,like Beatlemania).And even before all that the scene in L.A. with the Cathouse and all the cool local bands was really the last great rock and roll scene L.A. has seen,or will ever see.I was around for all the great L.A. scenes(well almost all of them,wasn't old enough for the 60's Sunset strip scene).I started hanging out at a real young age and I saw L.A. in it's most glorious,Glammed out heyday.The late 70's,early eighties Starwood scene was by far the best, it was the one that made a 13 year old kid from the valley go "FUCK YES!!!!"this is what I'm going to do with my life!!! 
Back then you had London and early Motley(I remember seeing Nikki and Lizzi hanging out every night with their high hair and platforms, I used to call them the Pracock twins).You could also see early Quiet Riot with randy in the band, or Van Halen when they were still called mammoth...anyways, it was the best by far!! Then you had the early 80's Troubadour scene after the starwood closed,that's when bands like Ratt, WASP, etc, were the big boys in Hollywood and the other bands from the starwood days were starting to make it internationally. And then the last great scene, the mid to late 80's scene,the Glam revival,whatever you want to call it, with Us, GnR, Poison, L.A. Guns, etc,,,at first it was Disneyland in Hollywood but by the end it was a watered down, generic, unimagineative, death knoll to all that was ever cool. Between M.T.V.'s over importance placed on how you looked rather then if you could play and what you brought to the table, and record company A&R men becoming lazy people with no roots who just came from from their first music job spinning records at their college campus(usually REM or U2),and bands with absolutely nothing to add to the history of rock and roll,Hard rock was put in a deep sleep which it seems it will never recover from.How are kids going to ever make it huge again when they have no reference point?So in the longest answer I've ever done that's how the 70's 80's and 90's have been. Actually I didn't talk about the 90's because what can I say? after what came before it's sort of all down hill from there.I've had some really cool bands since Faster. The Rhythm Slaves with Brian Damage from Kix and Pat Muzingo from Junkyard, The Byrd Dogs(when i moved to New york in the mid 90's)with Rikki Byrd from Joan Jett and the Blackhearts),The Liberators with Phil Lewis and Brent Muscat, Bubble with Share from Vixen,her husband Bam from Dogs d Amour and again Brent(we seem the best of my friendships from faster),and Supercool, which was my baby, with Vikki Foxx from Enuff Z Nuff and Stacey Blades from Roxx gang.Alot of those bands,if rock and roll was still a viable business, could have gone on to do great things. Three of those bands toured Japan multiple times,put out records, toured, etc,,Unfortunately, nowadays, even if you stuck a really hot hard rock band in front of an A&R mans eyes he's going to try and look around you to Limp Bizcuit, thinking they're a cool rock band, and that, right there, in a nutshell is why if you think hard rocks going to ever be the same you might as well stick a gun to your head.
RJ- What was the strip like in those days?
Stacy-Like I said, Disneyland comes to Hollywood. Kids everywhere, cool bands, a great scene, before all the johnny come latelys and posers came around. Whenever a cool band like GnR played it was the place to be.
RJ- What can you tell us about the beginning of Faster Pussycat?
Stacy- We were young. A lot of the guys were very inexperienced. I think I was the only member who had been signed before. But it was cool because back then we were still friends. We had innocence. It wasn't until the first record came out that business hurt friendships and world tours opened our eyes to the harsh reality of the world.
RJ- How did you guys get along back then?
Stacy-Back then, great.We were all like kids with the keys to the candy store. I remember the excitement when we flew to Corpus Christi for our first real tour and saw our first tour bus sitting in the parking lot of the hotel, WOW!!is that ours?!?!?!
RJ- At what point did you realize you were part of something special?
Stacy-When the Cathouse, our little club for friends, became the place to see when you were in L.A., when Penelopie Spheeris started documenting the whole scene for a movie, when Guns and Roses went to #1 in Billboard, when the bands from L.A. were soon opening all the big tours, it all pointed to how big this whole thing had gotten.
RJ- What did think when Decline of the Western Civilization Part 2 was being filmed and when it was released?
Stacy-Funny that's the next question after my last answer(I didn't even look to the next question).When our part was filmed I was sort of in a daze and didn't really have time to think about it. We had just come home from Europe and a tour of the states before that. And my first day off in like 6 months and we were doing this show at the Cathouse, so I was really tired, rundown and basically out of it. But at the premiere, when I saw how huge it was, at the Hollywood Cinerama dome, and I could drive down Sunset Boulevard for months after that and my movie, with my face on the marquee 50 feet high was there, then I was like COOL!!! This is big!!!!
RJ- You’ve seen bands come and go. What bands and players did you think should have gotten more commercial success?
Stacy-HMM??? Right now I think Backyard Babies rock, and have for years. I first was turned on to them back in 98.I love Turbonegro and have for years. I guess for commercial acceptance the Stereophonics could be much bigger then they are. There’s a new band out now called Nine Black Alps that could be the next Nirvana. They’re cool, check em out, and remember who told you about them.
RJ- You were pretty tight with Nikki Sixx. Was there any rivalry there?
Stacy-Absolutely not. He was like my big brother when I was younger. Nikki has always been nothing but Loving and caring to me, he’s a special person in my life. When I was going through hard times in the late 80's and needed a safe place to live he opened up his house to me and gave me the spare bedroom. And although Tamie would probably like to think different the reason we got the opening slot on the Dr.Feelgood tour, when so many bands were competing for it, was because of me and Nikki's friendship. I’ll never forget Thanksgiving dinner of 88 at Nikki's house. Around the table was Nikki, his girlfriend at the time(later his wife Brandi, Brandi's mom, Me, My Mom, My Dad, Nikki's Grandfather and their manager, Doc McGee,,,now that's the Walton’s rock and roll style!!! And even though times change and he now has a family and kids and we don't keep in touch as much as I wish we did,I know we'll always be friends. It was great, and funny, when I was reading the Dirt and he talked about a funny time back when I lived with him, it made me laugh and brought back great memories...
RJ- What happened to Mark Michaels?
Stacy-Don't know.
RJ- How long were you playing when you playing bass when you joined Faster Pussycat and what other bands where you in?
Stacy-I had been playing about 7 years when I joined Faster.Before them I was playing in another band that was managed by Vicky hamilton(who also managed Guns and roses,Poison,Stryper)called Darling Cool,who later went on to record for Polygram.Before that I had been in a band called "Tuesday Knight"who was signed to CBS,and before that my first real band that played around Hollywood was Jailbait.We actually opened for Rock Candy at the Starwood which was Vince Neils old band before Motley.
RJ- What advice would you give new players?
Stacy-I'd say study the great bands of the past,have solid roots.For Rock,learn from the early greats who influenced all the cool bands that came along later,The Yardbirds,The Kinks,The Stones,The Sweet,Mott the Hoople,Led Zepplin,early Aerosmith,etc,,,,for bass it really helps to have some funk influences also.I was really into funk when learning to play,it gives you great feel for upbeats,playing on top and behing the beat,and it teaches about groove.I played along to Funkadelic records,chic records,Sly and the family Stone,as well as Motown,James Jamerson,Carol Kaye,etc,,,,And learn to use your ear,it's the biggest skill you can have,,play along to records and pick out the bass parts.
RJ- What advice would you give young bands?
Stacy-Have alot of perservearance,you have to go through alot of shit if your going to get anywhere.And be a team player,learn that you have to work with others,fuck egos and star trips,it will fuck you up everytime!!and when you talk to people who have been doing it longer then you,keep your ears open and your mouth shut!!learn,pick up everything you can,and good luck,you'll need it...
