Steel Panther vocalist Michael Starr stated it wasn’t straightforward to be a member of the band after they revealed the alternative for former bassist Lexxi Foxx.
The group introduced his departure a yr in the past, however solely just lately named Joe “Spyder” Lester – a longtime collaborator who’s stood in for Foxx in the previous – as a everlasting member of the lineup.
“He’s doing good, man,” Starr stated of Foxx in a brand new episode of the Everblack Podcast (video under). “He did exactly what he wanted to do. He started a family. He’s living in Chicago. Him and his wife just had a baby.”
“We were together for 27 years, 26 years, and we know each others’ moms and dads and all of our cousins,” the frontman added. “We know everything about one another. So it’s been really, really sad not having him in the band – but I understand why he’s doing what he’s doing. And he was one of the smart guys: he saved up all his money. Not me – I’m still living at my mom’s.”
Describing Spyder as a “super-close friend of the band,” Starr famous his lengthy historical past with Steel Panther’s latest member. “As a matter of fact, [guitarist] Satchel and I were in a Van Halen tribute band for a while, and Spyder was the bass player in that. We have a rich history with him… He did all of Europe with us and he did a great job.”
According to Starr, the challenges of hiring a brand new bandmate included “trying to find somebody that has the ability to make somebody laugh, do choreography moves from 40 years ago, jump around on stage and know what to wear… And not only that – most people think that Steel Panther’s music is super easy to play, and it’s not. Satchel’s an incredible writer and the stuff he writes? Not easy to play. So you’ve really got to be able to play bass, you’ve got to be able to sing, you’ve got to be able to engage the audience, you’ve got to be able to talk to them. There’s a lot that goes into it.”
Ultimately, Starr stated the choice got here down to chemistry, each on and off the stage. “Seriously, it’s really hard to find someone that has all those qualities and you can hang out with them,” he explained. “The show is an hour and a half. The other 22 and a half hours we’re together… sleeping or hanging out, soundchecking or whatever. So it’s a lot of time to spend together offstage. So you’d better be cool with him.”
Steel Panther return to the highway with a tour of New Zealand and Australia beginning on Oct. 17, with North America dates commencing on Oct. 28.
Watch Michael Starr’s Interview
Discussion about this post