Stet is, without any doubt, W.A.S.P.’s most talented drummer. He’s been in the band since Franckie Banali (W.A.S.P.’s second-best drummer !) left, during the recording of the Crimson Idol record, due to familial reasons, almost 10 years ago. He’s stayed with Blackie when the Dark One recorded his “solo” album (Still Not Black Enough), he’s witnessed the mythic reunion of Blackie and Chris on KFD, and he’s such a great guy that we don’t really see who could be able to replace him now !
We had the chance of interviewing the man himself, and seeing for ourselves that he was really as kind as everybody described him.


W.A.S.P. WARRIORS (Thomas "ulti" Inglebert) : Hi Stet ! It’s good to hear from you again ! How are you ?
Stet : Well, I’m fine, thanx. I’m off to Blackie’s house, at the studio, to do a little recording…

For the new album ?
Yeah, for the Best Of. We’re recording some bonus tracks, and everybody’s in a good mood, and glad to see each other.

OK… Maybe we can start by going way back to the beginning, the place you were born, how you discovered music and everything…
All right ! I was born in Massachusetts, where the May Flower landed, actually (laughs), I was brought up in the Boston area, listening to all the great players up there, staying in the clubs and seeing some great drummers like Buddy Rich. I did the High School, and when I left I went right on the road with a band, called Rockestra, and I toured, and then I hooked up with another band called Run 21. I was in this band from 1982 to 1988…

And you did the drums on that band ?
Yeah, I was the drummer, and I also sang a lot. I used to sing some leads in those bands, but you know, when you’re in a band with Blackie Lawless, you just let him do the singing cos you look like a complete asshole (laughs) ! If you get up and sing, everybody will think you’re good, as long as he doesn’t get up and sing right after you ! So… 1988 was when I first got into the real business, with a guitarist friend of mine, Chris, who had a record deal, and he needed a drummer. He had the singer from Rainbow in the band, and Chuck from Quiet Riot. So that’s when we started making records, and doing videos for MTV, and all the real big stuff. And then, their producer, Mikey Davis, turned me on to Blackie. He was recording the Crimson Idol with Franckie Banali on drums, but Franckie left when his mum passed away, understandably… You know, finishing another record, no matter who it is, it doesn’t really matter anymore when your mom’s dead… So Mickey Davis recommended me, saying “I know this kid, and he’s cool, and you may hang out with him, and play the shit out of it”, so that’s what I did ! I became friend with Franckie after the fact, but I felt pretty bad for the guy, you know, replacing a guy that was falling apart because his mom died, I felt pretty bad from the start.

Did you re-recorded the tracks that he played on ?
No, I did not. I came in to finish the record, which was about half finished. I re-recorded a few thing that needed to be changed, but he played great on this stuff !

Sure, he’s a great drummer !
Yeah, he’s a great drummer. I just got this magazine that wants me to rate drummers, and Franckie is one of the guys that I’m gonna rate. He’s gonna get a good rating, I just don’t know how good (laughs) !

So, which are the songs that you did record on the Crimson Idol, and which are Franckie’s recordings ?
Oh, that’s a good one ! I can’t even remember right now, because I’ve done a bunch of records for Blackie since, but I can tell you this : the very first song I recorded for W.A.S.P. was “The Great Misconceptions Of Me”.

The finale…
Yeah, the finale. The first time I meet this guy, Blackie, that I’ve heard about and been a fan of, I gotta come in and play this 9-minute masterpiece, that closes the whole record ! That was the first thing I did... You know, I say that I did half of it, and Blackie says I did 2/3 of it, but we really need to seat down and listen to it to be sure at this point. But it sure was a lot of work (laughs) ! And it was a learning experience, working with Blackie for the first time. He’s a complete perfectionist. Everything has to be just right, I love that, I learn so much working with him.

Yeah, specially on this particular album…
Sure…

You know that Blackie & Chris were raised very religiously, I don’t know about you…
Actually, I’m more spirituous than religious. I’m not unreligious, but I don’t go to Church regularly. I go to weddings and funerals (laughs), and occasionally, on holidays I might go to a Midnight Mass, with the whole family… But I’m not a great Churchgoer.

Well, because, Blackie & Chris were raised religiously, but when you see the KFD show…
Yeah, you know, our band is formed by 4 completely different individuals, but when you get the 4 of us in a room, we’re like brothers, it’s really weird. On the KFD show, I had a great time ! Here’s the thing : if you gonna decide to play in a band with Blackie, you have to support him, if he’s got an idea you gotta be with him whether or not you agree 100% with him. What I mean is, if he doesn’t have everybody’s support, it’s gonna stifle his creativity. So, the KFD thing, I thought it was pretty twisted, but I was like “hey man, if you’re doing it, I’m gonna be up there with you !” So, as it turned out, we proved our point, we got everybody’s eyes opened, “the most outrageous band in the world is back”. So I’m pretty much just waiting for him to seat down and say (imitating Blackie’s voice) : “I got this new idea” (laughs). I love that ! It’s like Christmas, looking at packages, you don’t know what you’re gonna get !

Yeah ! So, obviously, there’s a lot of good points working with Blackie, but are there any bad points ?
Yeah, the bad point is when you fucked up ! (laughs) You know, I never had to argue with the guy, cos everytime that he got crossed at me, which was 2 or 3 times, well… I was wrong (laughs) ! I just go “yeah, I sure am a dickhead”… We really have a good time together…

Yeah, it seems so, as you’re the drummer that has stayed the longest in the band.
I’m the longest drummer, and the second longest member !

Just behind Chris…
Yep !

And what is your relationship with Chris ?
He’s one of my best friends ! We’re all good friends. You know, I make this spaghetti sauce that’s just unbelievable (laughs), and when I’m home, I usually haven’t even finished the sauce that he knocks at my door with a bowl in his hands ! (laughs) I don’t know how he does it !
You know, I own a rehearsal studio myself…

In your house ?
No, it’s up the street, it’s in North Hollywood, and it’s a place that’s called the “Drum Dudes” (laughs), and I own it with Pat, the former drummer from Quiet Riot. And we got this big backyard, and Chris always rebuild his car in the backyard, he’s always fucking around with it…And with Mike Duda, I’ve known him for 12 years ! Duda and I were friends back in Connecticut. So we all get along real well. We hardly all get together, all 4 of us together and do shit together, but we separately always see each other. Once in a while, Chris, Mike and I land up at the Rainbow Br & Grill…

Well, last time I talked with Mike, it was like 1 PM, and he just woke up, and the first thing he said was “I gotta go to the Rainbow !”
Yeah (laughs) ! I live 5 minutes walk from the Rainbow…Lemmy lives about 2 minutes walk from there !

Well, I definitively gotta go there next summer (laughs) !
Yeah sure, come along, I’ll feed you some spaghetti, I’ll take you to the Rainbow, we’re gonna do some stuff (laughs) ! We’ll jump in my car, drive along and go to Disneyland ! (laughs)

OK, no problem (laughs) ! So, let’s get back to the interview for a while… When did you decide that you wanted to play drums ?
When I was about 7, I got a guitar, and immediately had no natural feelings about it. And when I was about 8, one of my friends, who was a couple of years older than me, and actually was kinda my hero when I was a kid, had a drum set, and I sat there, and I picked it up immediately, and he has been playing for a couple of years, and I got better than him in a couple of weeks ! So he told my mom, he said “I think your son has a natural talent” ! (laughs). So that was calling !

You know, we always see the drummer as “the guy behind”, but I really don’t think that’s true, because he has such an important role in the band…
Sure, and in this band it’s tough, because you’ve got such strong personalities up front, but I really can’t complain, cos everybody knows who I am, and everybody’s got nice things to say. I get to do interviews, and I just got a brand new free drum set from DW (laughs), a gorgeous custom-made drum set that they made just for me ! It’s in my rehearsal studio right now, and I got like 6 drum sets !

6 ???
Yeah, I’m a spoiled baby (laughs). I love playing drums, even in my spare time. You know, I’ve got this big room in my drum studio, a full-band rehearsal room, and W.A.S.P. rehearses there some times. I’ve got all my buddies around, and on Sunday afternoons, we’ll just drink beer, and everybody’ll jam, playing some cover songs… I hate when they go into W.A.S.P., though, cos nobody knows the shit ! (laughs) “You guys suck, you can’t play W.A.S.P. !”

And about the fan dedication, are you surprised how strong it still is ?
Well, I’m glad to be part of it, but it was really like that before I joined the band, so it’s a thing that I help keep it going, but Blackie & Chris made it, and got that dedication going. The 4 of us, we got what we called this “brainpool”, we just seat down at Blackie’s home, we shut the TV off, and we just start talking, we go “OK, who’s got some ideas, song titles, approaches for the next show, …”

So you’re really working the 4 of you together ?
Actually, Blackie writes most of the music, but we get together and talk about what we’re trying to do, in what direction we’re gonna go, and then Blackie seats and he invents the whole musical theme to the whole idea. We all have input on the ideas that fuels his creation.

And do you sometimes come up with musical lines or musical ideas ?
Not really, you know I’m real fucking talker, always trying to make everybody laugh, so when we get together in the room we all make our own part… By hanging around with him I’ve got a whole pile of ideas, so when he runs out of some, maybe I can bring in some to him, but most of them I’m probably gonna save them for a solo album (laughs).

OK (laughs)! Any news about a new tour with W.A.S.P. ?
Yeah, we’re gonna do the stage on February, after the Best Of is released, and I believe, it’s only a speculation, we’ll be over there next summer…

You mean in Europe ?
Yeah… But you know, with W.A.S.P. things change everyday ! If somebody wants us to come somewhere and play, we go ! (laughs)

So, do you know why you didn’t come to France on the last Helldorado tour ? We had to go to London to see you (laughs) !
I always wonder about that stuff…You know, in the US, we get involved with the tour managers, and the promoters, to make sure that we play the right places, but overseas… I really don’t have an answer why we didn’t come…I like it there, but maybe there was a good reason…

Well, let’s talk a little bit about the new Best Of album. What can you tell us about this album ?
I can tell you what I know ! The thing is, I just got here the day before yesterday (laughs), and we haven’t gone over the running order, or even the exact songs…

Why are you putting up a Best Of album some 5 or 6 years after the First Blood…Last Cuts ?
Well, First Blood…Last Cuts went out of print for some reason, so it’s not available any more.

Yeah, and the thing is, Blackie did this First Blood…Last Cuts to end up his recording deal with his previous record company, so maybe he wanted to release a Best Of album on which he would have full control this time…
Absolutely. Yeah, that makes sense. You know, when you change label, you lose control over your creations, and you can get fucked. But he’s a really smart guy, and he’s a hard one to fuck over, I tell you !

Yeah, he’s been around for quite some time now (laughs) !
Yeah (laughs) ! You know, it’s really a great learning experience for me, I educate myself on everything I can, I don’t wanna be the dum ass drummer (laughs) ! Even so, a lot of people come to me when they have questions, but when I have questions, I go to him !

I believe that there are gonna be 3 new songs on this album, do you have any working title yet ?
I don’t. The way we work on songs, we put together the verse/chorus, the general ideas, you know like (Stet starts singing a melody)…Blackie won’t sings words, just a melody, and we’ll get a feel for where we’re going. Now sometimes, he’ll write a song around a title…There is no formula, really. But maybe he already has the lyrics, I don’t know, he’s such a workaholic, he’ll just lock himself in a room and won’t come out until it’s finished !

Do you know when this album will be released ?
I would say February or March…

Ok…Now, I’ve got a tricky question for you…
Go ahead (laughs) !

Have you ever heard of a guy called Rik Fox ? I talked to him about 1 year ago, and he said that he came up with the name W.A.S.P., and he also said that he was a good friend of yours…
Yeah, I know him ! This is a two-part question, so here’s a two-part answer. My knowledge of Rik Fox in W.A.S.P., and he coming up with the W.A.S.P. name, I really don’t know about that one. That sounds a little weird. I never talked to Blackie about that. I’ve seen pictures of Rik with W.A.S.P. on the Internet, but I never heard Blackie talking about him, so that makes me wonder…Now, personally, Rik’s a good guy. He’s cool. Do I like him ? Yes. Do I know if he was in W.A.S.P. ? I don’t know.

Do we have time for some more questions ?
Sure, go ahead, Blackie won’t be here for another hour, so… (laughs)

Ok, what kind of music do you usually listen to ?
I listen to all sort of shit. I like Lynird Skynird, cos one of my best friends is in the band, and Bad Company’s cool, Soundgraden was one of my favourite bands ever, you know I like it hard ! (laughs) I like Rage Against The Machine, …

And some of the new stuff, like Marilyn Manson ?
Yeah, Manson’s cool ! I respect what he’s done, the guy’s creative and everything. We met with his band once at a show, and they were cool guys, but I think he’s said some shitty things about Blackie and Chris in his book, so, well, anybody who says shitty things about my buddies can suck my dick !

All right ! And when you don’t play music, what do you do with your time ?
Well, I used to box for years, so I’ve got a bag that I punch into (laughs) ! I’m also working on a project for the Sony Playstation, I got a project with a friend of mine, we’re gonna do a couple of soundtrack for them. Actually, I did this record with Joey Belladonna a couple of years ago, (every once in a while I do a record with some old friends, just to do something different) and the guitar player, Pierre Manger, who was in a band from France actually, came to me and said “hey, the Japanese want me to do some Playstation stuff, and give me some money for that”, so I went “cool, money !!!” (laughs). So I’m working on this, and I’m putting together an outline cos I’m gonna do a drum instructional video, like “Hi, my name’s Stet Howland, would you like to know how to play the drums, get your fucking sticks out” (laughs). And I practice a lot ! I teach a little bit… And girls, obviously (laughs), and as I live in the entertainment district, I go out to see shows, and jam.

And do you know what you would have become if you wouldn’t have played drums ?
I would have either been a manager, or a lawyer ! Or a comedian, a bar-tender, or bodyguard (laughs) !

So you were not a bad boy when you where young (laughs) ?
Oh yeah, I’ve been in jail like 50 times…

Really ? What for ?
Well, possession of…everything ! (laughs) Drunk and driving, indecent exposure, you name it… You think Holmes is crazy ? Well, he is (laughs) ! But I used to be fucking out of my mind…And I’m still mental, but I try to stay away from the trouble. You know, we all were like that. Even Duda was like that, even if he’s trying to say he was a nice guy (laughs) !

Yeah well, we’ve got a really good line-up now in W.A.S.P., with you, Mike, Blackie and Chris…
Yeah, we’re real happy…

Do you have any solo projects beside W.A.S.P. ?
Well, I know some people from some small labels, and they’ve talked to me about that like 6 months ago, I never mentioned it to Blackie cos I was too embarrassed, but I probably will. He mentioned it a while back, saying that it would be so cool if everybody did a solo record and we had a new studio album, that would make much more stuff out there to sell !

Yeah, just like KISS did once !
Exactly. And you know, everybody’s got the material, so… I’m gonna do one, I can’t say when, maybe next year.

As a drummer, or a singer ?
I’m gonna drum and sing on it. I sing pretty good, for a fucking drummer (laughs) ! I used to sing good, then I got together with Blackie, and he fucking showed me what the hell is going on ! I still sing most of the backups on the record, and he coached me how to sing similar to him, I’ve been working on mimicking his style.

So maybe, next year we’re gonna see a Stet Howland album ?
Yeah, but I don’t expect anyone to buy it or anything (laughs) ! Anyway, right now, I’m not thinking about anything except the W.A.S.P. album. I like to keep my focus.

OK, do you have one last thing to say to our European and French fans ?
Yeah, somebody better call the radio stations and write to the magazines so we can come here and play ! What the fuck happened last time (laughs) !

Well, thank you so much Stet, until next time !
Yeah, thanx to you, Thomas, bye !