PETER STEELE – A TRIBUTE

Happy New Year Metalheads and Happy Wednesday! Hope everyone is staying safe and enjoying your New Year so far. Today’s blog post is about the one and only,  Peter Thomas Ratajczyk better known as Pete Steele, who would have been 59 years old this past Monday, January 4th.

Pictures courtesy of Pinterest and QuoteSurf

Pete, who had a towering presence, standing at 6’8 feet tall, began his music career by forming his first band Fallout in 1979. The band split in 1982 and Pete then formed the legendary Carnivore. After releasing two albums, the band broke up in 1987, but staged many reunions over the years up until Pete’s unexpected passing.

After Carnivore, Pete formed Type O Negative and things really took off. Pete, who was the main songwriter and bassist for the band often wrote songs of a very personal nature that dealt with topics of love, loss and addiction.  Steele himself suffered from depression and admitted getting treatment for substance abuse as well as being bipolar.

Type O Negative’s popularity soared after the release of their second album Bloody Kisses. Pete was everywhere, making guest appearances on talk shows including Ricki Lake, Jerry Springer and The Howard Stern Show. He also appeared in an episode of the HBO original show “OZ”. However, his most popular appearance was his nude centerfold for Playgirl in 1995.

Pete had been sober for a few years up until his death and had been working on new music. His death was a shock to the metal world.

I met Pete back at the now defunct L’amour’s in Brooklyn, NYC in the late 90’s and he was such a nice guy. He didn’t have a rock star attitude, he didn’t have bodyguards surrounding him and he was very approachable and easy to talk to. Rest in Peace, Pete. Your music lives on forever!

Below is one of his last interviews before his passing:

PETER STEELE – A TRIBUTE – METAL REWIND

It’s Friday Metalheads! Hope everyone is staying safe and your week went well. Today’s blog is about the one and only,  Peter Thomas Ratajczyk better known as Pete Steele, Peter who passed away 10 years ago on April 14, 2010 of heart failure at the age of 48.

Pictures courtesy of Pinterest and QuoteSurf

Pete, who had a towering presence, standing at 6’8 feet tall, began his music career by forming his first band Fallout in 1979. The band split in 1982 and Pete then formed the legendary Carnivore. After releasing two albums, the band broke up in 1987, but staged many reunions over the years up until Pete’s unexpected passing.

After Carnivore, Pete formed Type O Negative and things really took off. Pete who was the main songwriter and bassist for the band often wrote songs of a very personal nature that dealt with topics of love, loss and addiction.  Steele himself suffered from depression and admitted getting treatment for substance abuse as well as being bipolar.

Type O Negative’s popularity soared after the release of their second album Bloody Kisses. Pete was everywhere, making guest appearances on talk shows including Ricki Lake, Jerry Springer and The Howard Stern Show. He also appeared in an episode of the HBO original show OZ. However, his most popular appearance was his nude centerfold for Playgirl in 1995.

Pete had been sober for a few years up until his death and had been working on new music. His death was a shock to the metal world and it’s hard to believe that it’s been 8 years since his passing.

I met Pete back at the now defunct L’amour’s in Brooklyn, NYC in the late 90’s and he was such a nice guy. He didn’t have a rock star attitude, he didn’t have bodyguards surrounding him and he was very approachable and easy to talk to. Rest in Peace, Pete. Your music lives on forever!

Below is one of his last interviews before his passing:

 

PETER STEELE – A TRIBUTE – METAL REWIND

It’s Friday Metalheads! Today’s blog is about the one and only,  Peter Thomas Ratajczyk better known as Pete Steele, who would have been 58 years old tomorrow (January 4th). Today we pay tribute to Peter who passed away in 2010 of heart failure at the age of 48.

Pictures courtesy of Pinterest and QuoteSurf

Pete, who had a towering presence, standing at 6’8 feet tall, began his music career by forming his first band Fallout in 1979. The band split in 1982 and Pete then formed the legendary Carnivore. After releasing two albums, the band broke up in 1987, but staged many reunions over the years up until Pete’s unexpected passing.

After Carnivore, Pete formed Type O Negative and things really took off. Pete who was the main songwriter and bassist for the band often wrote songs of a very personal nature that dealt with topics of love, loss and addiction.  Steele himself suffered from depression and admitted getting treatment for substance abuse as well as being bipolar.

Type O Negative’s popularity soared after the release of their second album Bloody Kisses. Pete was everywhere, making guest appearances on talk shows including Ricki Lake, Jerry Springer and The Howard Stern Show. He also appeared in an episode of the HBO original show OZ. However, his most popular appearance was his nude centerfold for Playgirl in 1995.

Pete had been sober for a few years up until his death and had been working on new music. His death was a shock to the metal world and it’s hard to believe that it’s been 8 years since his passing.

I met Pete back at the now defunct L’amour’s in Brooklyn, NYC in the late 90’s and he was such a nice guy. He didn’t have a rock star attitude, he didn’t have bodyguards surrounding him and he was very approachable and easy to talk to. Rest in Peace, Pete. Your music lives on forever!

Below is one of his last interviews before his passing:

 

PETER STEELE – A TRIBUTE – METAL REWIND

It’s Friday Metalheads! Today’s blog is about the one and only,  Peter Thomas Ratajczyk better known as Pete Steele, who passed away in 2010 of heart failure at the age of 48. His passing left a void in the music scene forever and we remember him today.

Pictures courtesy of Pinterest and QuoteSurf

Pete, who had a towering presence, standing at 6’8 feet tall, began his music career by forming his first band Fallout in 1979. The band split in 1982 and Pete then formed the legendary Carnivore. After releasing two albums, the band broke up in 1987, but staged many reunions over the years up until Pete’s unexpected passing.

After Carnivore, Pete formed Type O Negative and things really took off. Pete who was the main songwriter and bassist for the band often wrote songs of a very personal nature that dealt with topics of love, loss and addiction.  Steele himself suffered from depression and admitted getting treatment for substance abuse as well as being bipolar.

Type O Negative’s popularity soared after the release of their second album Bloody Kisses. Pete was everywhere, making guest appearances on talk shows including Ricki Lake, Jerry Springer and The Howard Stern Show. He also appeared in an episode of the HBO original show OZ. However, his most popular appearance was his nude centerfold for Playgirl in 1995.

Pete had been sober for a few years up until his death and had been working on new music. His death was a shock to the metal world and it’s hard to believe that it’s been 8 years since his passing.

I met Pete back at the now defunct L’amour’s in Brooklyn, NYC in the late 90’s and he was such a nice guy. He didn’t have a rock star attitude, he didn’t have bodyguards surrounding him and he was very approachable and easy to talk to. Rest in Peace, Pete. Your music lives on forever!

Below is one of his last interviews before his passing:

 

MY TOP 5 METAL BANDS COUNTDOWN

Often friends and I will have discussions about which bands we consider to be our all time favorite metal bands.  While many of the choices are similar, there are some differences in who are in the Top 5. This led me to think about who my Top 5 are. While there are so many bands I love,  these are the ones I never have to put down or get tired of listening to. I’ll start with my #5 all time favorite band and countdown each Wednesday to #1.

OVERKILL

Left to Right: Rat Skates, D.D. Verni, Bobby “Blitz” Ellsworth and Bobby Gustafson

Photo Courtesy of Wikipedia

Formed in 1980 in New Jersey, Overkill, who are often called “The Motorhead” of thrash metal, have released 18 studio albums to date and will be touring in 2019 to support their upcoming album which they are currently in the process of recording. Overkill has gone through many different lineup changes throughout their career and singer Bobby “Blitz” Ellsworth suffered some health challenges over the years including having a heart attack and surgery for an aggressive nose cancer which he successfully recovered from.

The band who got their name from the title of Motorhead’s second album, are known for their fast and heavy style and and often cited as one of the most important thrash metal bands from the East Coast. Currently “Blitz” and bassist D.D. Verni are the only two remaining original members of the band and Overkill is rounded out by guitarists Dave Linsk and Derek Tailer, as well as drummer Jason Bittner.

I was lucky enough to meet Bobby “Blitz” back in 2003 at the now defunct L’amour’s Brooklyn, NY.  I was a bit nervous at the time because I was meeting someone who I had admired for so long. A friend brought me over and introduced him to me and Bobby made me feel totally comfortable…just look at the cheesy smile on my face:

The video below for “Hello From The Gutter” is from their 1988 album “Under The Influence.” The song was inspired by the Son of Sam Killer, David Berkowitz, who killed several young couples, mostly women in New York City during the summer of 1977. Berkowitz was rumored to have written a letter to New York Daily News reporter, Jimmy Breslin, which said: “Hello from the gutters of N.Y.C., which are filled with dog manure, vomit, stale wine, urine, and blood.” Overkill who had spent lots of time in NYC, had remembered the story and all the media coverage at the time. The song  is one of many classic songs by the band.

Welcome to the gutter – we’ve been expecting you!

Don’t forget to stop by for Friday’s Metal Rewind and I’ll reveal my #4 favorite next Wednesday!! Keep it METAL!!!