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Long before Metallica became one of the biggest bands in rock history, they were just another hungry act playing clubs around Southern California. But according to Ratt drummer Bobby Blotzer, they already carried themselves differently than everyone else.
In a resurfaced Classic Rock interview recently republished online, Blotzer reflected on Ratt's early years on Los Angeles' Sunset Strip and recalled one of the first times he crossed paths with Metallica.
"I remember Metallica opening for us in some church in Pasadena," Blotzer said. "It wasn't an active church any more; they were using it for shows."
What stood out most wasn't the venue.
"Metallica always had an attitude like they were better than everybody else," Blotzer recalled. "I didn't get their trip then."
At the time, Ratt was chasing radio-friendly hard rock while Metallica was helping shape a much heavier sound.
"We were trying to write catchy 'airplay' songs that still had a rough edge," Blotzer said. "They were playing the stuff that we wouldn't want to play, over-riffing and not catchy. But who's got the last laugh?"
The comments came as the members of Ratt looked back on the early 1980s Sunset Strip scene, where bands including Van Halen, Mötley Crüe, Quiet Riot, W.A.S.P. and Great White were all fighting for attention before many of them became household names.
Singer Stephen Pearcy also remembered how electric the Los Angeles club scene felt in those days, recalling that he watched Van Halen perform before the band signed a record deal—and no one was there.
"I used to sit on the stage at the Whisky A Go-Go when Van Halen played in front of 18 people," Pearcy said. "I'd be s---ting my pants, thinking: 'This is crazy.'"
Ratt would soon become one of the defining bands of the glam metal era, breaking through with Out of the Cellar in 1984 and the hit single "Round and Round." Metallica, meanwhile, went on to pioneer thrash metal and become one of the best-selling bands in music history.
Looking back decades later, Blotzer admitted he didn't understand Metallica's appeal at the time. History, however, ultimately answered the question he posed himself.
"Who's got the last laugh?"
Related: Journey's Steve Perry Calls Van Halen 'Musically Simple'
