Panthers are territorial animals, fiercely patrolling their stalking lands. The Sunset Strip, circa 1988, was ruled by one: a legendary band called Steel Panther. The Strip was the plangent heart of the nascent heavy metal scene, one that would soon conquer the music world, and rockers came from as far as New Jersey and the San Fernando Valley to see this band with a killer sound and habits to match.

Steel Panther’s fabled live shows were like a GED class from the school of rock. And other bands took note: Their raucous stage shows, outrageous style, seismic guitar riffs, catchy melodies, catchier afflictions and indiscriminate taste in trollops and intoxicants – what frontman Michael Starr, lead guitarist Satchel, bassist Lexxi Foxxx, and drummer Stix Zadinia laid down would all be copied, as sure as if the original had been left at a Kinko’s where so many apprentice rockers dream of quitting their day jobs.

“Most of the other bands were very jealous about all the chicks we were nailing,” says frontman Michael Starr, “and they were wondering how we were getting these great gigs. The bottom line is: We’re pioneers in what we’re doing. Poison totally ripped me off: I was the first guy to come out with blonde hair and tight pants and the bandannas and they got Vince Neil popping out with the bandannas – you know who we’re talking about.”

But before we get caught up in the heady excitement of those times, let’s look to when rock’s glory was yet to be fully reclaimed from the New Wave British bands sporting synthesizers, asymmetrical haircuts, sweaters and worse. It was in the thick of that noxious early–‘80s atmosphere that Steel Panther defiantly came to be.

They were high school pals, hanging out and getting high to stick it to the man. When in the course of being rebellious young men, Satchel, Michael Starr and Stix discovered Lexxi’s penchant for wearing his mother’s make up. To shock him out of his nascent transvestitism, the three school chum decided to burst out of his closet in full make up, a graphic depiction of the error of his ways. Then in a twist of fate, Michael Starr caught sight of the foursome in the mirror, recognizing at once that this look belonged on stage. A quick trip to the guitar store later, the band that would become Steel Panther was born. But the band needed a name.

“I was with this chick watching Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom,” Michael Starr says, “and I saw this show on black panthers, and I thought wouldn’t that be a cool name for a band, so I went over to Satchel, and I said, ‘Satchel, how about we name our band Black Panther?’”

“And I said, how about Steel Black Panther,” Satchel replies, “only we take out the ‘Black.’”