As evidenced by the title of my 2024 book, World Infestation: The Ratt Story, its focus is primarily on the band that gave us such glam metal anthems as “Round And Round,” “Lay It Down,” “You’re In Love,” “Dance,” and “Way Cool Jr.” 

But the book also doubles as an authentic snapshot of what the metal scene was like in the ‘80s, and in particular, the town in which Ratt started out in – Hollywood. One of the people interviewed for the book was none other than Riki Rachtman, who although is probably best known as the host for MTV’s Headbanger’s Ball from 1990-1995, was also a co-owner of one of LA’s most notorious clubs.

Along with Faster Pussycat singer Taime Downe, Rachtman founded the Cathouse. Located on the corner of La Cienega and San Vicente, the Cathouse was in operation from 1986-1993 and played only rock music. And as its website describes, “Burlesque videos graced the walls. Gorgeous women took over the dance floor and a plethora of rock legends like Mötley Crüe, Aerosmith, and Motörhead began to make themselves Cathouse regulars. No cameras were allowed, making it safe for every A-lister because they knew no one would bother them.”

And in the aforementioned World Infestation book, Rachtman recalled that all of Ratt were spotted at the Cathouse during its heyday. 

“Stephen [Pearcy] back in the day was always a good guy – he was a friend. He was sex, drugs, rock ‘n’ roll. Robbin [Crosby] really used to party a lot. And he’d get fucked up at the Cathouse with Nikki and all those guys. He was a big dude, but he was a sweet dude. But he was always pretty fucked up. I don’t have very many memories of Warren [DeMartini]. Bobby [Blotzer] was just a drunk mess. I hate to sound like a dick, but he was – he was a drunk mess. I wouldn’t say that Blotzer was someone I hung out with. And Juan [Croucier] is one of those people that just has a good attitude and is friendly.”

“They always were at the Cathouse. Robbin used to go to the Cathouse all the time, and Stephen was always at the Cathouse – he had his little areas that he might have done drugs in. Everybody went to the Cathouse…but Ratt did a lot. Every member of Ratt will tell you they went to the Cathouse.”

And just what was a typical night like at the Cathouse? “Sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll. There is no way to put it any other way. I was reading an article that was written in the LA Weekly, and it was written by [Germs drummer] Don Bolles, and the cover story was Guns N’ Roses and the Cathouse Scene. And he talked about somebody going to the Cathouse for the first time, and asked if it was a lesbian bar – because the dancefloor was just all women. And we never promoted, ‘Look at us, we’ve got the hottest girls.’ It just ended up being that way. And everybody that went knew it was that way. We didn’t promote that we had the most beautiful women – that was cheesy. It just happened organically. And it was bizarre that that is what happened with the Cathouse.”

Lastly, Rachtman offers this parting memory of a bygone era. “Was there sex in the hallways? Yes. Was there a lot of drugs? A lot of drugs. Was there rock ‘n’ roll? Every second that it was open. ‘Cause rock ‘n’ roll is more than just music – you walk into the Cathouse and you see a line of Harley Davidsons parked out front. You see some bikers outside. You see all sorts of crazy, shady characters next to some of the biggest celebrities in the world. They all went to the Cathouse.” 

World Infestation: The Ratt Story is available as paperback, hardcover, and Kindle versions (and soon, an audio version).