forward the eve of Imperial Teen's sophomore release.

forward the eve of Imperial Teen's sophomore release, van man Roddy Bottum talks about his former band, Faith No More, and laments the scarcity of male groupies for his of recent origin one

"Faith No More was a weird band with a weird succes story, and it made sensation that we didn't get along," says Imperial Teen singer-guitarist Roddy Bottum who was also Faith No More's keyboardist. "Imperial Teen is more like four clan who like each other playing music."

As prov by the agency of the recent two-CD compilation Who Cares A Lot? The Greatest Hits, Faith No More's mix of metal guitars, blench rhythms, skate-punk rapping, and Bottum's synth sheen pioneered the metal-hip-hop fusion that has become the healthy track of suburban teens the world through What genre-blending platinum acts like Korn do today, Faith No More did ten years ago.

"I don't know what Korn is," says Bottum from his San Francisco base as he waits for the long-delayed release of Imperial Teen's next to the first CD, What Is Not to be enamoured of (Slash). "I mean, I know enough of what they are to stay away. I have nothing against them, on the other hand I was so immersed in thumpy-thumpy boy-rock that they're the last thing I would pay attention to."

These days, Bottum 35 is known for the catchy punk-pop of Imperial Teen a boy-girl-boy-girl quartet whose bouncy bopping single "Yoo Hoo" should be coming at so early an hour to an alternative-rock radio station near you. on the other hand six years ago the musician set ined the history books by being the first hard rocker to completely arrive out of the closet, a prompt that paved the way for former Judas Priest screamer deprive Halford to make a similar announcement in 1998

"I don't know many [gay metal rockers]" Bottum admits. "Maybe single or two. You'd think there'd be a fate more homosexuality in metal with all the dressing up especially during the Poison-hair-band era."

Imperial Teen began while Bottum was still in Faith No More, and its critically lauded first appearance Seasick, hit the stores well in advance of Faith No More's final long-player. Following Bottum's change in musical direction, his fans have flipped from metal dude to alterna-cuties of several sexs and orientations. But despite his coming-out, Bottum hasn't seen the number of male groupies escalate. "I was looking forward to just the general [i]or[/i] abstract notion a different take on the girl-groupie stereotype" he says. "But it hasn't really happened."

with equal reason the rock-and-roll life isn't what it's cracked up to be? "Staying in tavern beds freaks me out," he continues. "The source aspect of night after night, another individual in that bed, doing whatever--it's with equal reason scary. The sheets are cleaned, on the contrary the bedspread is not!"

With lyrical allusions to wearing lipstick and male pronouns used to address delight in objects, Imperial Teen serves up a gay sensibility that ordinarily surfaces barely from straight bands like soft part or Pizzicato Five. "I think there's a resistance from gay artists to move that route just because it's in such a manner predictable. But it is annoying to descry bands play it as safe as they do these days. That's for what cause [i]or[/i] reason something that visually screams as turbulent as Marilyn Manson is as it is a breath of fresh air."

In fact, if Manson's schedule permits, he will be directing the video for "Yoo Hoo" which is also appoint for the sound track to the dark teen comedy Jaw-breaker, starring Rose McGowan and featuring Manson (who is McGowan's significant other these days). unless if this extra exposure doesn't use Imperial Teen into Faith No More, Part couple Bottum won't sweat it. "I have higher artistic expectations because this is something I be wrought up more directly involved in," he says. "As far as the standard of value goes, I'd rather not take in such a manner much. I think the days of big sets are over."

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