Legendary Rock Interviews has issued an interview with former RATT bassist Juan Croucier. An excerpt follows:

Q: Can you start by letting everyone know what you've been up to in case they've been out of the loop?

A: "For many years now, I have been producing and engineering records out of my studio, The Cellar. I started producing bands back in 1987 and among them, that year, was a band called LOVE/HATE. I’ve also kept playing, I’m currently in two bands, one is called JUAN CROUCIER'S DIRTY RATS, with Pete Holmes (BLACK N BLUE) and Jon E. Love (Love/Hate), the band plays a lot of the Ratt catalog as well as other originals. The other band is called THE HARD ROCK ALL-STARS, that band is a cover band with Jaime St. James (Black N Blue), Pete Holmes and Jon E. Love."

Q: Was engineering/producing something you were always working on as a hobby while you were busy touring/writing/recording with Ratt? Do you find it to be anywhere near as satisfying as playing live or is it a lot more work?

A: "I have always loved record production. Early on as a musician I was into quite a variety of bands that had very different production styles. From bands like YES and BE BOP DELUXE to bands like AEROSMITH and BLUE ÖYSTER CULT. It was quite obvious to me early on that having a great song was one thing, but having a great song along with a great production behind it, could really make a big difference and make a song amazing. As a teenager I started writing and recording my own songs. of the reason I began to record my songs and not just write them and bring them to my bands was, being a bass player sometimes put me at a bit of a disadvantage with guitar players and singers in bands. So, if I brought in the song demoed, it was much easier for the other band members to clearly understand the idea and not just have to work off of a bass line with a vocal melody. The studio brings a different kind of musical satisfaction for me as a singer/songwriter. It’s much more of a creative endeavor, much more meticulous. It can really be a lot of work; long hours and so on, but it is also very rewarding. While playing or performing live, is more of an interpretation of the concept of the song and the vibe between you (the band) and the audience. Both obviously require very different approaches and talents. They both have equally important functions, especially if you are a songwriter who performs his material live."

Read the full interview at this location.