By Val Tapia, BADS Contributing Writer
Photograph by Lea Vendetta
UPDATE: Location of shows has been moved from Rialto Theatre to club called 191 Toole
Millions of music fans worldwide to this day remember legendary radio personality Casey Kasem and his weekly nationally-syndicated program, American Top 40, that he co-created and hosted (in its original form) from 1970 to 1988.
It’s accurate to say those same fans also remember Kasem’s infamous catchphrase at the end of each broadcast that candidly reminded listeners to…
“Keep your feet on the ground, and keep reaching for the stars!”
Fast forward two years and eventually millions of young metalheads would become familar with another memorable catchphrase, this time by former and best known MTV Headbangers Ball host Riki Rachtman (circa 1990-1995). You know it well my friends— Rachtman reminded viewers to…
“Keep one foot in the gutter, one fist in the gold!”
Of course, whether Rachtman got the idea from Kasem is anybody’s guess. However, I don’t think it’s off-base to suggest he may have! But I digress.
In a recent phone chat with a very friendly and enthusiastic Rachtman, we discussed his latest endeavor– a spoken word tour— appropriately titled One Foot In The Gutter. At press time, Rachtman stated that the West Coast string of eight dates in August will be his “final” one man shows— for one reason only.
“It’s too expensive to tour– I can’t afford it”, Rachtman said candidly.
BADS: Riki, it’s a pleasure and an honor speaking with you. Please tell us the origins, if you will, of the idea of doing a spoken word performance? From seeing Henry Rollins, perhaps?
Riki Rachtman: Oh my God…yes! Rollins definitely inspired me to a great extent. You also might know that people like Scott Ian (of Anthrax) and most recently Bruce Dickenson (of Iron Maiden) have done this type of show as well.
BADS: Would you consider One Foot In The Gutter to be a live “autobiography”, if you will, of Riki Rachtman?
Rachtman: Yes and no. I certainly talk about the Cathouse days and my time on MTV because both were a big part of my life. Also, I know that many of the people coming to the show expect to hear those stories. To that point, if I didn’t do that I would feel like I’ve cheated the audience out of their hard-earned money.
You asked about Rollins. I’d seen his (one man) show several times, and I just thought “I can do a storyteller format, and then add multimedia to it”. I have some unedited video footage throughout the years that the public hasn’t seen. There’s some comedy in there, and some (hopefully) inspirational commentary as well, for lack of a better word.
So to answer your question, no, the show is not entirely autobiographical. However, it’s also not another Nothin’ But A Good Time either. (Note: Rachtman is referring to the 2021 oral history authored by journalists Tom Beaujour and Richard Bienstock, a book which chronicled the 80s hard rock scene.)
I did my first show in Sept. 2022 in Charlotte, NC. I was surprised that it went well over three hours! That wasn’t my intention, but it was a lot of fun. I remember leaving the stage and thinking this was the most enjoyable thing I’ve ever done in my life! As more shows were added, we’ve tweaked a few things here and there. There’s also a 15-20 minute intermission—- with no opening act by the way.
BADS: Talk briefly if you would about opening the Cathouse. What are some of your recollections of that time?
Rachtman: I started the Cathouse with Taime (Downe of Faster Pussycat) when we were in our early twenties. I’ll just say it… we started it to get free drinks and meet girls! We honestly never set it up to make money. We just wanted to create a fun place to go. And it was! (laughs)
I tell stories in the show about things that really happened at the Cathouse. I’m not a journalist who just writes about the 80s/90s scene. I was there and I lived it— that’s the difference.
BADS: There was even a point in the early 90s when you took the Cathouse “on the road”, so to speak. I remember Cathouse Arizona, which took place at a long-running Tempe club called After The Gold Rush. Is it fair to say you love Arizona?
Rachtman: Wow! Oh my God– I can’t believe you remember that (laughs)! Yes, I have such a great history with Arizona in general. My radio show Racing Rocks was on 98KUPD for all of its twenty years on-the-air. They’ve been a great partner to work with, and I’m so happy that they’re helping me get the word out for OFITG as well.
Anyway, yes, I remember the Gold Rush vividly. It was a great place to hold Cathouse Arizona. The staff was absolutely amazing to work with, and the place was always packed. I loved doing the Cathouse there.
BADS: It’s probably fair to say the majority of the people attending the OFITG shows first became familiar with you through Headbangers Ball. In retrospect, do you think your “street cred” as co-owner of the Cathouse helped compensate for your lack of media experience in getting the MTV gig?
Rachtman: Yes, absolutely! Over the years I’ve been open about the fact that I had absolutely no experience in media—at all. I look back on some of the interviews that I’ve done on The Ball and I actually agree with the critics over the years who said I was a terrible interviewer. They were 100% right! (laughs)
BADS: You shouldn’t sell yourself short like that Riki. After all, you introduced an entire generation of music fans to artists that many of us would’ve never heard otherwise, given how restrictive active rock radio was at the time— in Arizona anyway. Off the top of my head— one example is a criminally underrated band called Warrior Soul.
Rachtman: Oh wow… I love Warrior Soul! Yes, I agree that they were definitely one of the most underrated bands of the early 90s. I might have to share some of their music on my Facebook page now that you mentioned it. The one I really liked was their second album, Drugs, God & The New Republic. Thank you for reminding me about them.
BADS: Thank you for introducing their music to us. In closing Riki, what would you like the audience to take away from your story after seeing OFITG? Is there an underlying message within all the crazy (and poignant) stories told during the evening?
Rachtman: If there is something to take away from the show, my hope is that people will see that sometimes great things can happen to us later in life. This tour has been the greatest experience of my career—by far. I hope they see that it’s never too late to go after whatever it is they choose— in spite of the obstacles getting there. Ultimately, I hope the show encourages people to never give up.
IF YOU GO:
Riki Rachtman, One Foot In The Gutter
Wed. August 9 at Marquee Theatre, Tempe
Tickets: $25.00 for general admission and $35.00 to $55.00 for reserved seating. Tickets are available at Marquee Theatre.com and the Marquee Theatre Box Office.
Doors open at 7:00 p.m. Showtime 8:00 p.m.
For our friends in Tucson:
Riki Rachtman, One Foot In The Gutter
Tues. August 8 at 191 Toole, Tucson
Tickets: $33 – All Seating is General Admission. Tickets available at Ticketmaster.com.
Doors open at 7:00 p.m. Showtime 8:00 p.m.
