Stix Zadinia reveals Steel Panther don’t think too hard about how their song lyrics will be received

Photo by Christopher Carroll ROCK Photography

Stix Zadinia reveals Steel Panther don’t think too hard about how their song lyrics will be received

Steel Panther drummer Stix Zadinia was recently interviewed by Christopher Baldi for Conscious Connection Magazine.

Photo by Christopher Carroll ROCK Photography

With respect to what it’s like to be in Steel Panther during such a sensitive and hysterical time where people are getting cancelled or deplatformed for saying anything controversial, Zadinia indicated:

“Inside of Steel Panther, our mission has not changed one iota, because from the beginning, our mission was only to be the most awesome heavy metal band we can be. But outside of Steel Panther, I see people getting cancelled for things that wouldn’t have gotten attention even a few years prior. And more or more often, people come up and thank us, in the same tone that you described, telling us that Steel Panther is a band we need right now. And it’s strange, because we’ve been doing the same thing for years, and yet the outside circumstances make it seem like we’ve become more risqué.”

In terms of Steel Panther‘s shows being edgier in 2023 than they might have been two years ago, Zadinia opined: “I would agree that the perception of the show is a lot edgier, but we’re no different on the raunch tip than we’ve ever been. We’re equal opportunity offenders. We don’t punch up, we don’t punch down, we don’t punch sideways, we just are.”

On whether Steel Panther ever censor their lyrics or think one particular lyric might be over the top, Zadinia stated: “I think for us, anything goes. But what we don’t do is: We don’t write or say anything just for shock value. Because there’s a disingenuous element about that. We don’t think too hard about how it’ll be received, we just focus on stuff that turns us on, and that seemingly connects. The attitude, plus the music, plus the vibe of the (heavy metal) era, I think people are longing for that right now, because let’s call this what it is: Now kinda blows.”

You can read the rest of the interview with Stix Zadinia via Conscious Connection Magazine‘s website.

Steel Panther‘s “One Pump Chump” visualizer video (from On The Prowl album):