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 Witness to a CatFight
Interview with Taime Downe of Faster Pussycat
By Tracey L
4/26/2007
Let me start by admitting I was hesitant to conduct this interview because Glam Metal’s integrity as a professional site is always my first priority. We are dedicated to bringing the facts, the fun and the rock ‘n roll shenanigans to the fans of the bands we cover and to our loyal readers. As for the drama, other sites seem to provide a venue for that nonsense, and that’s all well and good, but it’s not something we focus on or even encourage here. That being said, I offer this conversation with Taime Downe, which was a little tense at first due to the fact that we recently posted an interview with Eric Stacy, original bassist for Faster Pussycat that has joined Brent Muscat and Brett Bradshaw for a 20-year reunion tour without Taime fronting the band that he claims to have started back in 1986.
Currently both bands, each calling themselves Faster Pussycat, co-exist on the glam metal scene and apparently the fur continues to fly as lines have been drawn, attorneys retained, and the rumor mill continues to churn.
At any rate, we were contacted by a member of Taime’s media relations camp, who requested he be given a chance to tell “his side.” Again, it was not my intention to promote a mud-slinging festival, but out of fairness I felt obligated to let Taime speak. Surprisingly, he came across quite calm and really didn’t spew the venom I was expecting. Although, I could detect some spew of sorts, but more like flem in nature, as he seemed to be battling a nasty cold. If a cold isn’t to blame for the coughing, sniffling and shortness of breath, then I suggest he cut back on the cigarettes a tad! (be kind to your lungs dude!)
Alright kids, don’t adjust your televisions sets, what you are about to read is real…
Hey Taime, what’s goin’ on?
Nada, just chillin’ and recording right now.
So I understand you’re hangin’ out in Michigan these days?
No, I’m just here takin’ care of business. The label’s out here and stuff, so I came out to finish up some recording and just chill out for a couple weeks.
So who makes up the band currently?
The same guys who’ve been in it for 6 years.
Okay. Well, there’s not too much info on your MySpace page or at the band’s website, is that under construction?
Yes. Everything’s being changed up right now.
After the release of “Power and the Gloryhole” you guys toured a bit, and is that wrapped up now or are you planning to get out there this summer?
We’ve done a bunch of stuff, but we’re dealing with all this other crap with Brent so…we’re in the middle of all that, but, yeah we did stuff up until October and then we were suppose to go out in January, and all this stuff came up, so we’ve been dealing with this right now and we’re gonna go out and do dates in the summer.
Are you gonna be on any tour packages or is it just gonna be you guys?
It’s all in the works right now. There’s a bunch of different stuff up in the air. We got a new booking agency, so they’re doin’ it right now. We’re doin’ some Newlydead shows next month for a couple months, and then were gonna go out with Pussycat, end of June.
How did the reunion show at the former Cathouse go back in October?
It was insane. It was soooo cool. It was a lot fun. A lot of friends I ain’t seen in a long time.
Although it’s hot on the heels of “Power and the Gloryhole,” have you written any stuff for a new record yet?
Yeah, we are working on some new material plus we have the live recording from that show.
Oh really? Cool!
Yeah, that’s what I’m out here workin’ on too. We’re tweakin’ it, mixin it’ and fixin’ stuff. We recorded it in pro tools and stuff. Basically mixing it, and it sounds pretty good so….
Any plans to release it as a DVD? Was it filmed at all?
Yeah, we’re tryin’ to get all the footage from it. We got some of it. I don’t know if it’ll be a DVD, but there’ll be parts of it that’ll be on like maybe an enhanced CD, that’ll have some bonus stuff. Right now we’re just workin’ to get all the music shit together, but tryin’ to track down all the footage…cause one of the machines was broken at the Key Club so…we got some of it. It looks pretty cool. It just needs to be edited.
You said you’re doing a few Newlydead dates, what about a new record with them?
We got some stuff we’re working on right now that’s been done for, I don’t know, like a year. But I don’t want to put it out at the same time as the Pussycat stuff.
Back to the ‘Power’ album, I personally like the tribute to Bianca (singer of the band Betty Blowtorch, who was killed in car crash in late 2001). Did you personally ask everyone to record the messages that appear on the song?
Yeah, most of them just came over to the house. Bianca was one of my best friends in the world.
That was my next question. Describe your relationship with her.
Really close. We talked on the phone like every other day.
Where did you guys first meet?
In Los Angeles. My friend, my ex-girlfriend actually, uh, said Bianca needed a date to go to this L.A.awards thing, and we had met a couple times, but just like briefly, and then ever since then I just went with her as a friend and we’ve been… (here Taime pauses for a moment before continuing) We were like two peas in a pod ever since. We were getting ready to bring them to Europe with us when her accident happened.
That sucks man. (All I hear on the other end of the phone is Taime taking a long drag off his smoke… time to change the subject.)
So, what’s the current vibe on the strip these days? Is it getting better, back to the old days maybe, are there bands showing any promise?
It’s kinda like limbo-land right now. I mean there’s people, but not a whole hell of a lot goin’ on. I think it’s like the kindling stuff, so I think, hopefully stuff will start happening this summer. Cause it usually goes in like 4 to 5 year periods. Just kind of a new birth of stuff…new clubs. Then shit goes for like five years, and then it dies down and then it takes a couple year to get back goin’.
With you personally, you decided to take kind of a different direction with the industrial/goth thing?
Ya know, that I don’t understand! It’s FUCKIN ROCK ‘N ROLL!
Well, people tend to put labels on everything.
Ugh! It’s not. You listen to that record, it’s a fuckin’ rock record. I don’t understand it, it’s like “whatever.”
Unfortunately, sometimes people look at the image more than the music.
Even the Newlydead’s stuff isn’t that industrial, it’s all guitar driven music, so…
But whatever, I’m not gonna sit here play the same songs or write the same songs I’ve written for 20 years. When you go and play, you play old songs and you play new songs, you don’t want to sit there and write the same song over and over again.
Is there anything you miss from the early days when everything was at the peak of the game?
I don’t really miss it, cause I did it, ya know what I mean? It was a lot of fun, but I still have fun, so it’s like, I don’t know. Kinda like not really having to worry about stuff, just worrying about showing up at rehearsal and playin’ our stuff and a bunch of other people had to take care of all of our crap.(laughs)
So there was no pressure on you?
Yeah, we just had to get on a plane, or get on a tour bus and go play shows. Go on tour, go to the rehearsal room and write shit, we didn’t have to worry about anything else. That was just basically our job. Now, you know you deal with a lot more stuff and take on a lot more responsibility.
Like now, with the two Faster Pussycats that exist.
Yeah, that’s as of January, which is a sneaky move on Brent’s part. I’m not gonna sling mud, but we’ve been re-doing this Faster Pussycat since 2001. The new Faster Pussycat thing just came up as of January, so we’ve been dealing with that for the last couple of months. So it’s like, that’s the deal with that so…
Given what you hear from fans, what are you looking to give them?
Give ‘em the same stuff I’ve been givin’ ‘em! I still wanna play rock ‘n roll. I started Faster Pussycat. I put the band together. Me & Greg brought Brent in. Eric was put in after we already got our record deal. I know you did an interview the Eric. But, he was kicked out of the band for reasons I’m not going into in the first place, so when we decided in 2001 to do it again, it was me, Greg, Brent, Danny on bass, from the Throbs (who is still in the band, Pussycat, with me) and Chad on drums, and we went out. Eric was kicked out of the band for a reason. I wasn’t gonna bring him back in just because we’re reformin’ it. I put together the band I thought was the best band. Danny’s a way better bass player.
As far as any royalties from any past Faster Pussycat stuff, is that divided up equally or how is that split up?
Well, what’s divided is what people wrote. I don’t divide that stuff up. That comes from ASCAP or whatever. I wrote most of the songs. Me & Greg did. Brent co-wrote a couple of the songs. Eric, I think, co–wrote one, “Poison Ivy.” That’s it out of all three albums.
Going from this point into the future, do you think you guys can co-exist, each doing what your doing without any hassles? Is there any chance for a kiss and make-up?
I doubt it. He’s being sneaky behind everybody’s back, so it’s like…no. I doubt it.
What are your immediate plans, say in the next few months with FP?
Our immediate plans right now are finishing this live record and dealing with attorneys on this, uh, other Pussycat tribute band situation, and then going out at the end of June.
Back to the band’s MySpace and website, will it be updated soon?
Yeah, it’s been in the process for a little while, we got a new store comin’up, and just everything. We’re just tryin’ to get everything together, we’ve just been just dealing with so much crap that’s gotten in the way so…
As far as questions go, I really want to stay away from touchy subjects but…
I know and I understand too. I don’t wanna sling any mud either. I’m not…the situation is…we’ve been doin’ this…I put Faster Pussycat together in 1986. We decided to do it again in 2001, I’ve been doin’ it ever since. We didn’t kick Brent out of the band. We didn’t replace him while he was sick. He didn’t want to go on the road for some reason, whether, I think, it was real estate school, so we needed to find a replacement to fill in for him. I tried to call Brent three times when he was sick. Me & Danny were gonna actually drive out to see him. I, to this day, have still not gotten one phone call from him. So, when it comes to that… that’s the truth. He was never kicked out because he got sick and whatever, that’s just…
And he’s played with other bands over the years too?
Oh yeah and that’s the whole point! He wasn’t replaced, he went and put together his own version of Pussycat, while we’re in the middle of doin’ it still. When we’ve not stopped since 2001. So, it’s…UGH! Right now we’re dealing with attorneys. 100% Brent owns the name. He trademarked the name, but he trademarked it under false pretenses and that’s what we’re dealing with in court, and he’s gonna have fun with that. But, ya know, I don’t hate Brent. I just think he’s sneaky, and like did it behind me & Greg’s back. I talk to Greg like once a week. Greg works a regular job, editing, and makes decent money. Sometimes he would go out and be on the road with us and stuff too, but sometimes he can make more money doin’ what’s he’s doin’.
I was gonna ask you what he’s been up to.
Yeah, he’s workin’ a job… payin’ the bills. I do clubs and other stuff to, to pay the rent and all that stuff so, it’s hard to take someone away for a few month tour when they got a job that makes ‘em money all year long.
Yeah, as you get older you get more responsibilities, etc.
Not me!
 Well, except for you, haha.
(laughter) I’ve just been doin’ this! That’s the whole point too! Same with Brent, he just wants to go out and do it for the tour and then go back to his life and whatever, while I’m still doin’ this stuff, this is what I do everyday. I have not gone on slinging any mud, and I don’t intend to. I’m just stating the facts, the way it is. Faster Pussycat is my fuckin’ band and it’s just the way it is.
Outside of the music, are there any other things or interests you might pursue down the road?
I don’t know, maybe acting. I have a lot of friends that pretend to be other people. We started a label, and got some cool new bands on it. Get into production. I like producing bands. I like recording. I think I’ve gotten pretty good at it, always more to learn. It’s fun. Music is my life. I’m 42 years old. It’s like, it’s what I know. I don’t plan on prancing around forever but, as long as my hip doesn’t go out or I’m not having any ill health right now, knock on wood. (Laughs)
Taime, thanks for talking with us.
Anytime. Too bad it wasn’t under better circumstances though.
Well, ya know, that shit happens. There’s a lot of other bands goin’ through it at the same time, have in the past and will in the future. Any band situation is like a marriage.
That’s what’s weird about this. It was just kinda sneaky. It wasn’t like up front. If stuff was brought to the table up front it could’ve been handled a whole lot different.
But instead it was done sneaky and behind everybody’s back. I mean, cause Brent played with me, Danny and Chad and stuff. So, he knows were doin’ it. He could’ve went out with us last summer too, he didn’t contact me or nothin’. Like I said, I’ve not heard from him. I’ve not heard from him since before he was sick.
And there wasn’t a falling out or anything before all that happened…?
Nothin. No. Not at all, see that’s the whole thing.
Is there anything else you’d like to get across to your fans or our readers?
Yeah. I am in a rock ‘n roll band. I play rock and roll music. I’m not an industrial…whatever...it’s not that I don’t like it, I love it. I like all kinds of music.
It’s just…I don’t wanna…just come and see the …just listen to the Power and the Gloryhole, the record speaks for itself!
www.myspace.com/fasterpussycat
www.powerandthegloryhole.com
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