When metal acts combined pop with their heavy guitar sounds, music from this
cult genre began to climb and dominate the Billboard charts. Their appearance
coincided with MTV's rising prominence in pop culture. Other than the razor sharp
sounds and sing-along choruses, these legendary bands -- among them Motley Crue,
Quiet Riot, Poison, Ratt, and Guns N Roses -- were united by long hair, flashy clothing,
glammed-out makeup, and the adoration of groupies everywhere.

The story of 80s metal - the sound, the look, the partying, and the wild rock and roll ride
enjoyed by these Sunset Strip bands - has never before been told in its entirety. In the
early 80s, bands like Quiet Riot pumped the volume and channeled the rage of heavy metal
into a sound that was palatable for mainstream listeners. Los Angeles became the mecca
for metal hopefuls, all of whom made sure to play the legendary Whisky and Troubadour
before heading to the nearest party spot - usually Motley Crue's apartment, just a couple
of blocks away - where women, drugs, and future gold-record rockers were in abundance.
By the mid 80's, amplified by the power ballad masters Poison and the hard-rocking and
hard-living Guns N Roses, pop metal ruled the charts and the world.

Fast living, hard partying, and overindulgence derailed many of the era's biggest bands,
as did changing music tastes, which shifted to Nirvana and the rest of a grunge movement
that drowned out the pop metal party mindset. By the early 90s, the hair spray, makeup,
spandex and guitar battles began to disappear. But the great music and the wild stories
from that era when metal dominated the charts and airwaves will never be forgotten.

KEY INTERVIEWS:
• SEBASTIAN BACH-Singer/Actor
• FRANKIE BANALI - Drummer, Quiet Riot
• BOBBY BLOTZER - Drummer, RATT
• TAIME DOWNE - Lead singer, Faster Pussycat
• GEORGE LYNCH - Guitarist, Dokken
• TAWNY KITAEN - Actress
• BRET MICHAELS - Lead singer, Poison
• VINCE NEIL - Lead singer, Motley Crue
• DEE SNIDER - Lead singer, Twisted Sister

BONUS:
1986 MTV Special
Loud, Rude And Inside Heavy Metal
28 minutes