Posted on 06/10/2002 1:59:16 PM PDT by GeneD
Filed at 4:21 p.m. ET
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Rock guitarist Robbin Crosby, a founding member of the 1980s heavy-metal ``hair'' band Ratt, has died after an eight-year battle with AIDS, according to the group's official Web site. He was 42.
Crosby, who went public with his illness in a radio interview last July, saying he had contracted the disease through heroin use, died on Thursday.
The band's Web site (http://www.therattpack.com) carried a photograph of the guitarist performing in concert beneath the words, ``In Memory of Robbin Crosby.'' The site's ``forum'' section posted dozens of messages of condolences from grieving fans.
Crosby co-founded Ratt in 1983 with vocalist Stephen Pearcy, and after adding guitarist Warren DeMartini, bassist Juan Croucier and drummer Bobby Blotzer, the Los Angeles-based group became one of the most popular rock acts of the mid-1980s.
The band released its self-titled debut independently in 1983, leading to a major-label recording contract with Atlantic Records, which issued the band's breakthrough LP, ``Out of the Cellar,'' in 1984. The album featured the huge radio and MTV hit ''Round and Round,'' which like many of Ratt's songs was co-written by Crosby.
Three more platinum-selling albums followed, starting with ''Invasion of Your Privacy'' in 1985, but the band's popularity waned after the 1990 release of ``Detonator'' as the alternative rock movement took hold, and the band broke up in 1992.
In keeping with the band's raucous, free-wheeling image, Crosby's indulgence in drugs took its toll as the musician's lavish lifestyle dissolved into a maelstrom of addiction.
``Robbin had everything kids dream of growing up,'' his brother-in-law, Bill Decker, told the San Diego Tribune. ``He was married for a while to a Playboy Playmate, he had a Ferrari, a Laurel Canyon house with a pool that overlooked L.A., a personal assistant. ... But then he started getting heavily into drugs, and his marriage started to fall apart. He lost his way.''
In July 2001, Crosby disclosed in an interview with the Los Angeles radio station KNAC that he had full-blown AIDS, a disease he said he believed he contracted when he began using heroin in the mid-'80s as a member of Ratt.
``Basically, it's killing me,'' he said at the time. ``I've been in the hospital for eight straight months, and in and out for over seven years.''
Ratt reunited without Crosby in 1997 to release another two albums. Last year, Blotzer and DeMartini launched a tour with several new members, and are due to play this summer's Rock Fest tour with other 1980s glam-metal acts.
Here I'll help.
Will Smith (etc) = good
50 Cent (etc) = bad
Van Halen (etc) = good
Cannibal Corpse (etc) = bad
Will Smith is the Stepin' Fetchit of our time. I hate that guy.
My contention is that maybe only 5% of metal promotes the various things that you speak of, while 95% of hip hop does.
Maybe. But if the rap/hip hop fan base spent more time emulating him rather than the likes of 50 cent............
I'd say those percentages are just about right.
They might as well move to San Fran and shop at Pier One.
Personally, I'd like for these hip hop kids to rediscover Miles Davis and Dizzy Gillespie.
An excellent alternative, though equally unlikely.
Actually, you're right -- it was just so there.
I was actually a "Sweet" fan (their 1 album) ;)
Shade2 should check out how Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart dressed back in the day. Talk about effeminate! In fact almost all the classical greats had long hair and wore frilly clothes. They'd fit right into a heavy metal band.
Not that I'm putting down classical music. Just pointing out how silly all of this "controversy" is. It doesn't matter how you dress. Hey, the Village People dressed like manly construction workers and they were all homos! So what does that tell you?
Most of the bands who dressed like that were glam, not metal, although there were some good glam rock bands.
And AC/DC's Highway to Hell is about Hell itself....instead of the concert tour.
Sublimal messages? You sound like those dem jokers complaining about the "RATS" ad.
When was that trip? Two minutes to Midnight?
Amazing you bumped this thread. I heard "Way Cool Jr" on the radio today.
2002, not 1992.
Well, so far I haven't found "BAD" music on "Once." Yes some songs are not as good as the three I mentioned but all of it is recorded very well and the musicians are awesome. The drummer could give Neal Pert a run for his money!
I am going to work my way through there Discography and probably end up with all of it. That is saying something for me because the last time I bought a NEW CD was "Eagles Hell Freezes Over." I just won't pay for bad music any more and most of the crap that the USA music scene pumps out now is just over-processed $hit or some bunch of American hating wankers who took a few guitar lessons and think they have something important to say.
see how confused I am?
"I had a hard time getting my mind around the fact that the guy who wrote 'I love the Dead' was golf partners with Bob Hope."
Actually he only golfed with Bob Hope a couple of times. He played with Hope primarily because he had an ongoing foursome with three elderly ladies from Palm Spring who knew Hope.
He plays with these ladies to this day.
The story was relayed to me by a friend who played in Palm Springs and met Alice on the links.
"My contention is that maybe only 5% of metal promotes the various things that you speak of, while 95% of hip hop does."
I think that this is false and totally biased. Roth can sing about being a gigolo and it will be considered fun and innocent while a rapper who raps about being a "playa" or a pimp is considered a detriment to society. Below is a link to a research paper on the topic that shows the bias against rap as opposed metal despite indications that both music forms are equally detrimental.
http://www.calstatela.edu/faculty/sfischo/Fried%20rev.pdf
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.