Slim Jim's influential Rock-a-Billy grooves drove the Stray Cats to the top of the charts in the early 1980's. On his own website, Slim explains why he does stand up playing the drums:

"[With] the Stray Cats we wanted to get a band that would get everyone in to the front of the stage and a way to do that would be to bring the drums up as well and during the time, during the 70s, the late 70s it was kinda a rebellion against big gothic rock bands who had 85 thousand pieces on the drums and you couldn't even see who was behind the drums sometimes, "who is that guy back there?!". So we'd seen some photographs of some early rockabilly artists especially Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps and their drummer would stand up and we thought he was standing up and playing but we actually got to know these guys in later life and found out that they only used to do it in photographs. So we moved all of us in to the front of the stage and at first I just had a cymbal and snare drum, not even a bass drum for a little while, cause it was really hard at first to kinda get the balance right."

Slim Jim's solid feel and signature sound continue with his lates project, Col. Parker, featuring Gilby Clarke. A recent Stray Cats reunion and string of concert dates with the Slim Jim Phantom Trio further confirm that Jim has the goods as a mainstay in rock.



Furthermore, his intimate live music bar, The Cat Club, has become a staple hang-out on LA's Sunset Strip for rock stars of every era. Catch Slim behind the skins at the Cat Club's weekly All Star Jam every Thursday night.



And Slim Jim's quiff? The man himself reveils the secrets:

"Most people think we have a hairdresser who travels with us and lives with us 24 hours a day. But do it yourself! A little bit of Vitalis, a little bit of Nu Nile, it comes in a yellow tin you can get it from Thriftys a $1.79 a tin. A little bit of Final Net Ultimate Hold, it's got the purple label. Those are the three ingredients you need, and a blow dryer and a good brush. This can be yours!"