Tales of a RATT: Things You Shouldn't Know

by Bobby Blotzer

Tales Of A RATT traces the history of Bobby Blotzer's personal journey of becoming an 80s rock legend while taking the reader through a conversational blow-by-blow of what it was like to manage fame, fortune, and the realities of an era's end and rebirth. Packed with personal friends who make up nearly all the famous bands of the 80s, this book is the backstage story that all fans of 80s rock have always longed to hear, but have never heard.

Genres: Nonfiction, Music, Biography, Rock N Roll

400 pages, Paperback

First published April 12, 2010

Reviews

[Sebastian Bach · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Yes there are spelling mistakes and some punctuation errors here & there. But who gives a RATT's ass! This is RATT n' Roll. 'Tales of a Ratt' is a very enjoyable book that got me through a full month-long European tour. The thing I love most about 'Tales of A Ratt' is that it really feels like Bobby 'the Blotz' Blotzer is in the room with you telling stories, naturally, and with lots of laughs! I laughed a lot while I was reading this book. But there are also cautionary tales about the business, finance, and relationships. Relationships with band members and various girls named Misty. The book has a lot of content and is not a short read, but actually quite a substantial tome in which Bobby comes across as a very cool, funny, interesting guy. I really like this book and recommend it to any fans of true RATT N' Roll!! Thank you Bobby for getting me through the tour!

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

This has got to be the safest bio I have ever read. Sure, there are a lot of mishaps and busted relationships but if you're looking for dirt on any of the members of Ratt it's just not here. There's a piece here and there but Blotz doesn't really say anything nasty about them and I think everyone knows why and if you don't read the rest of the review. Ratt was like a b-level band but never made the Motley or Jovi money which he admits. Ratt was a great band and were quite huge but they just never reached that level. Detonator could have been their Feelgood but let's be honest. It just wasn't that good.

Along comes grunge and the bottom falls out and there goes the Ratt money so in order to keep his meal ticket alive he keeps Ratt alive, or at least some variation. That's where the book seems to lose traction. He seems to walk on eggshells when it comes to the former members including the late Robbin Crosby. Even Jizzy Pearl is spared. Ratt is a good source of income for Blotz so he doesn't try and hurt anyone's feelings. That's just good business.

Aside from that Tales Of A Ratt is a decent read and the book itself feels less like someone sitting at a keyboard writing down their life story and more like Blotz is sitting wherever you're reading and recounting all of these stories. The life of a former rock star is one of caution, and full of failed relationships which are told with a great deal of honesty.

There is some dirt, but it's not about his own band. We're talking Don Dokken, Quiet Riot, and even Tracii Guns from L.A. Guns. With that said if you're just looking for a book about what it was like being in Ratt you'll be quite impressed but if you're looking for the inside scoop on who was the biggest Ratt bastard in Ratt you may be disappointed. Or just look up Stephen Pearcy because that's what Blotz insinuates with his retelling of the lawsuit, but Botz is really cool about it though because he really likes that Ratt money.

He knows that if he talks shit about Ratt there goes his meal ticket so he treads softly and who can blame him? That Ratt money is a nice chunk of change so if I were writing this book I would have approached it the same way.

[Tony Farinella · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was an absolute chore to read and finish. It’s self-published and riddled with typos, poor grammar, and jumps all over the place. Bobby Blotzer is a great drummer, but he comes across like a complete idiot with no self-awareness. He’s like the kid who graduated high school but never grew up. He’s also homophobic and uses the “R” word frequently, making him come across like a complete meathead. This book made me lose all respect for him.

First and foremost, the book was unnecessarily long. It seemed like every incident in his life was worthy of a story. He also name-dropped like crazy. I’m a big fan of Ratt, but this book was apocalyptically awful. Even with a co-writer, I can’t imagine what contributions he made, if any. I absolutely hated this book, and I’m someone who loves rock ’n’ roll memoirs. The book has no redeeming qualities whatsoever. He also avoids addressing the real issues in the band. This book is a hard pass.

[Dave · Rating 1 out of 5]

As a rock star autobiography, it is pretty boring. But the bigger issue I had with the book is the typos and missing words. 👎

[D'Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is really poorly written. The organization is totally haphazard, there are spelling and punctuation mistakes, and it's way too fucking long without saying much of anything. This guy needed a good editor and co-author (oddly a co-author is listed on the cover, but after reading this I can't begin to imagine what he did and wonder if he even read the thing). No wonder it was self published. I read Stephen Pearcy's book right before this one, and I'm glad I did because Bobby Blotzer helped fill in some of the missing pieces of Pearcy's book. But Blotzer's writing made Pearcy's look like Michael Chabon or something. Tales of a Ratt is an interesting look at the life of a guy who gets super famous, lives hedonistically, and falls really hard when his band loses popularity. So it has that going for it. Also, Blotzer recalls a boat outing where Jack Russell of Great White was shooting sharks with a shot gun, which gave me more proof that Russell is a total dick.

[Gwyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Obnoxious

Sebastian Bach’s ego is minuscule compared to Bobby Blotzer. He constantly refers to himself as a rock star and belittles everyone. Bach’s talent far exceeds Blotzer’s..both voice and versatility. Go back to carpet cleaning buddy and your hopes to be a rock star.

[Mark Hanner · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was pretty terrible. He is not a likable guy and isn’t a very good writer. I liked Ratt at the time so was expecting a little more music based stories but this book was filled with sour grapes.

[Morgan Mathews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pest control please!

Great book to read if you were are and forever will be a fan of 80s music! Great stories from the drummer of one of the best bands of the era! Only downfall is that the book jumps all over the place when it comes to timelines. Even with that, the book is very enjoyable and entertaining!
Gives insight to what a rockstar goes through in life. Dealing with fans, management, personal issues, and infighting with other band members. I knew of the fighting with Stephen, but had no idea Warren was/is the way he is described here. Granted it is one sided story.
Reading this book as well as Stephen’s really brought back the memories of the 80s. The shows, the girls, the music. Times were more fun back then. It was a party that never quit.
Thanks Bobby for the memories and helping me relive them!

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a bad read at all. The whole style of writing sounds like you've sat down for the evening to hear about how Bobby became part of Ratt and beyond. He really does give his opinion about things, especially a growing up in the 80s perspective. It was the one place I've finally found someone that feels the same way about grunge as me. There is no love for Nirvana in this book.

If you loved Ratt in the 80s and want to see some of the tall tales from a band member's perspective, you got to pick up this book. Even if you didn't grow up in the 80s, it is an old school lesson on what it is like to be a rock star.

[Kitt-e-kat]

I have not read this nor own this book- I want to swap for it