{"id":1489,"date":"1987-04-01T00:00:30","date_gmt":"1987-04-01T00:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/?p=1489"},"modified":"2012-02-18T02:21:17","modified_gmt":"2012-02-18T02:21:17","slug":"feature-bitch-mf23","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/feature-bitch-mf23\/","title":{"rendered":"BITCH – Girl Gone Bad (MF23, 1987) | Features \/ Interviews @ Metal Forces Magazine"},"content":{"rendered":"

BITCH – Girl Gone Bad<\/strong><\/span><\/span>
\nDave Reynolds<\/span>
\nMetal Forces, Issue 23 (1987)<\/span><\/p>\n

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Betsy Bitch<\/em><\/b><\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n
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I was going to title this interview \u201cThe Devil in Miss W…\u201d, but remembered Betsy once ticking me off for using her surname in a fanzine article some years ago and, besides, there certainly isn\u2019t anything demonic or satanic about the lovely Betsy, she\u2019s just a bitch that\u2019s all.<\/p>\n

A Bitch interview has been on the cards for some time and I was determined that I was going to be the one who did it! So within hours of the new album hitting the import racks over here in the UK I was on the phone to Metal Blade demanding to speak to the one and only Betsy, lead vocalist with LA\u2019s raunchiest band Bitch, and to get the details on the utterly brilliant The Bitch Is Back<\/em> (the band\u2019s third release) and enquire just why it\u2019s taken so long for Queen Betsy and her band to return?<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, that seems to be the question of the hour,\u201d rasps Betsy \u2013 the result of punishing her vocal chords by smoking before rehearsing, and she\u2019s payin\u2019 for it now! \u201cWe got involved with a misleading management company and then wasted two years trying to get away. They were trying to get us into a direction where we didn\u2019t want to go, do the type of songs we certainly didn\u2019t want to play, and it\u2019s taken us all this time to sort things out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Most people, including me, feared that you might have split the band or even changed the line-up completely? \u201cNo, the only thing that has changed is that our bass player on the last album, Be My Slave<\/em>. Mark Anthony Webb left the band because he suffered a nervous breakdown \u2013 which was sad, because he\u2019s a really nice guy \u2013 so we brought in Ron Cordy who used to be in LA\u2019s Overkill. But this was, like, three years ago and the line-up is still together with David Carruth on guitar and Robby Settles on drums.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Bitch Is Back<\/em> is a fuckin\u2019 great album and is certainly more accessible than the band\u2019s previous output (the Be My Slave<\/em> album in 1983 and the infamous Damnation Alley<\/em> mini-LP from 1982. Remember the titillating cover?!). Bitch seem to have matured their sound rather than, uh, wimped out. \u201cYeah, that\u2019s the idea,\u201d replies Betsy. \u201cWe kept telling people that we are not selling out. I think we\u2019ve gone for a more sophisticated appeal. Be My Slave<\/em> was a very rushed album and on the heels of the whole S&M trip. I think our image got in the way of the music back then because there were some good ideas but they didn\u2019t come through on the album.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the main focal point of the band, doesn\u2019t that make the guys feel left out? I\u2019ve always considered them to be highly underrated musicians. \u201cI don\u2019t think they feel left out, especially because the new album has music that really stands out. The whole concept behind the band was the bitch of a lead singer and that\u2019s the plan. Even though I\u2019m the focal point, I don\u2019t think the guys get missed.\u201d<\/p>\n

When you contacted Metal Forces<\/em> last year you informed us that you\u2019ve now dropped all the leather and bondage gear and got more into rhinestones. \u201cYeah, that\u2019s the way I look these days. I\u2019m a different kind of Bitch now! The Bitch is now more into money and fame (I can just picture Betsy in a Cabaret<\/em> spoof with rhinestone coat and top hat!). There\u2019s only so many songs you can write about bondage and whips, and I think we\u2019ve covered \u2019em all. I\u2019m not a bondage Bitch anymore, all the whips and chains have gone into the big toy chest in the attic. Actually, our look is much more straightforward these days. There were actually quite a few people who wrote us letters who don\u2019t know there\u2019s a band behind all of this. I was in a band yet these people thought I was an S&M queen who could come over and beat the shit out of \u2019em!<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the new show I might bring out the whip for a revival of \u2018Leatherbound\u2019 and \u2018Live For The Whip\u2019, but it\u2019s not the main concept of the show. We used to have a line full of handcuffs and stuff that used to be a backdrop and utilized by us throughout the show, but that\u2019s all gone and we\u2019re more kick-ass. My character is much stronger now because I\u2019m not leaning on all the whips and stuff to make a point.\u201d<\/p>\n

You said that magic word \u2018character\u2019. How did you come up with the Bitch anyway? Betsy laughs: \u201cWell I\u2019ve always been a bitch!! I think there\u2019s some degree of bitchiness in every woman!\u201d<\/p>\n

The S&M connotations are gone for the new record but there\u2019s still loads of sleaze on there, particularly \u2018Skullcrusher\u2019 which shows no signs of subtlety! \u201cI\u2019ve always been obsessed with sex \u2013 but I\u2019m not alone. C\u2019mon, I can\u2019t be too nice! Ha! Ha! Did you hear that little gulp at the end of \u2018Skullcrusher\u2019?! There\u2019s loads of things I can sing about and still put my character across.\u201d<\/p>\n

And the Bitch has just appeared on another character\u2019s latest release, Lizzy Borden\u2019s Terror Rising<\/em> EP, doing a great duet with the man on a killer rendition of The Tubes classic \u2018Don\u2019t Touch Me There\u2019, that could easily be mistaken for a Rocky Horror Show<\/em> out-take. \u201cWe thought it\u2019d be a good idea to team up and a good selling point; Lizzy and the Bitch. Actually, there\u2019s a different version of it on the tape version, which is hilarious. You\u2019ve gotta hear it!\u201d<\/p>\n

Well, I haven\u2019t missed out on anything by the Bitch yet (even recordings released prior to Bitch\u2019s formation, but forget I said that. Box Boyz!), and something came into my possession last year, exactly 12 months ago in actual fact, that gave me hope that Bitch would be back. A demo tape of four songs found its way into my hands and I thought the material was excellent. However, only two of those new songs can be found on The Bitch Is Back<\/em> (\u2018Hot & Heavy\u2019, the original title track, and \u2018Storm Raging Up\u2019). What\u2019s happened to \u2018Let\u2019s Go\u2019 and \u2018Throw Me In\u2019? \u201cWell, \u2018Throw Me In\u2019 was actually recorded for the album but we only decided to use nine songs. It might be used as a single B-side. \u2018Let\u2019s Go\u2019 was mixed in with the bad experiences. That\u2019s the kind of stuff our managers wanted us to do. Anyway, we\u2019ve got three albums worth of material to play with.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018Hot & Heavy\u2019 is the only track on the album that reminds me of the old Bitch sound, probably due to David\u2019s Mot\u00f6rhead sound! \u201cYeah, that\u2019s an old, old song of ours, but we\u2019ve given it more balls.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Bitch (l-r): Ron Cordy, Robby Settles, Betsy Bitch and David Carruth<\/b><\/em><\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n
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The track that most surprised me was the title track, the cover of the Elton John song. It could be a hit single if it\u2019s promoted. \u201cThat\u2019s what we\u2019re thinking too. It just seemed to be a really good idea to do that song because it just fitted our return, because we\u2019ve been away for some time. Did you know that my dad (Stanley Weiss) plays saxophone on it?\u201d Yeah, when is your mother going to make an appearance?! \u201cOh, my mother is already involved with Bitch because she\u2019s currently our unofficial manager. This band is a real family affair because my sister is married to Robby Settles.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Bitch Is Back<\/em> also sees a return to the Metal Blade family. Of course, all Bitch releases have been through Metal Blade in the past (bar a split single with Hellion on Mystic, and a contribution to the LA Steel<\/em> compilation LP on New Renaissance), but I understood that the band would surface on a major label. Not so, as Betsy describes. \u201cThe period of time we were away was actually a blessing in disguise. When we were with Metal Blade at the start it wasn\u2019t the company that it is now, because it\u2019s expanded beyond belief. Brian Slagel (Metal Blade\u2019s boss) was always interested in us and since we weren\u2019t being besieged by major labels we went back with him and Metal Blade. These days a company like Metal Blade can be much better than being with a major because they\u2019ve got much more time for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fortunately, the album will be getting released in Europe. Unfortunately, this is being done by Dutch based Roadrunner who, in my opinion don\u2019t really give a shit about the bands on their label so long as sales bring in the money. If I hadn\u2019t gone direct to Metal Blade for a Bitch interview, I would still be waiting for Betsy to call me. If I were Brian Slagel I would seriously look into the way his bands are being promoted in Europe.<\/p>\n

Speaking of which, a visit to Europe by Bitch has been on the cards for some considerable time. When will they be here? \u201cEventually is about as definite as I can give you! There wasn\u2019t the funds available last time we planned it, but we\u2019ve entered a new phase in our career and thinking on a much more professional level. Actually, we haven\u2019t played a show in three years! We\u2019ve been rehearsing like mad and make our return at a big show at The Roxy in LA on April 30th.\u201d<\/p>\n

That promises to be some show, particularly \u2019cos Betsy is looking so much more beautiful these days. Have you seen the album cover? \u201cYou could say I\u2019m improving with age. There\u2019s much more of a wider appeal to me these days,\u201d she replies bitchily. \u201cI\u2019m lookin\u2019 good and singin\u2019 good. Ha! Ha! That album cover is actually a version of what we really wanted. The concept was much more elaborate than what you see, but it just couldn\u2019t be put together. It\u2019s like the Bitch being recreated, like she\u2019s coming back like a genie from Aladdin\u2019s lamp. It\u2019s pretty ethereal, huh?\u201d<\/p>\n

You bet! The Bitch is most definitely back and mischief will be done! Count me in on it!<\/p>\n

Interview taken from Metal Forces, Issue 23 (1987)<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

BITCH – Girl Gone Bad Dave Reynolds Metal Forces, Issue 23 (1987) Betsy Bitch I was going to title this interview \u201cThe Devil in Miss W…\u201d, but remembered Betsy once ticking me off for using her surname in a fanzine article some years ago and, besides, there certainly isn\u2019t anything demonic or satanic about the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[88,23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1489","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bitch","category-features"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1489","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1489"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1489\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4271,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1489\/revisions\/4271"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1489"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1489"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1489"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}