Slim Jim Phantom

Slim Jim Phantom is the legendary drummer for the Stray Cats known for leading the rockabilly revival, pioneering his stand-up drumming style, and being one of the coolest drummers in rock-n-roll. He shares how the Stray Cats made it big, how he decided to go sober, and how he lives the rockabilly lifestyle.

On this episode, Jim talks to Matt about:

• Growing up on Long Island and spending his time practicing music with his friends
• How discovering rockabilly music changed his life and influenced his style and sound
• Forming the Stray Cats and moving to London with hardly any money and no place to stay
• Gaining buzz by hanging around popular London pubs and earning the attention of big names like Motörhead, The Clash, The Sex Pistols, The Pretenders, The Damned, and The Rolling Stones
• Recording an album and discovering it was a hit back in the US
• Quitting drinking after deciding partying and getting drunk for several nights in a row was a hard way to live
• Going to meetings all over the world and supporting other peoples’ recovery journeys
• His close friendships with rockers like Lemmy Kilmister and Earl Slick and how real friendships don’t rely on substance use
• Climbing Mount Everest for Hope Love Strength Foundation and his other charitable work
• The drummers that inspired him and the welcoming community among drummers

And More!

This episode is sponsored by The Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Centers – one of the oldest residential drug and alcohol rehab programs. ARC is a non-profit and was hit hard financially as a result of COVID. For more information, and to donate or sign up for their quarterly newsletter, visit thechanceto.org.

About Slim Jim Phantom

As the legendary drummer for the Stray Cats, Slim Jim Phantom, alongside bandmates Brian Setzer and Lee Rocker, spearheaded the neo-rockabilly movement of the early 80s. With a love for 50's Rock and Roll, the Stray Cats took inspiration from that bygone era and mixed with their youthful energy and aggression to produce the updated hard-edged rockabilly sound that saw them conquer London, Europe and later the U.S., gaining fans among the likes of Keith Richards, Mick Jagger, and Robert Plant along the way.

In addition to the Stray Cats, Jim has worked with some of the world's top artists. He has played a part in many successful groups – notably Phantom, Rocker and Slick (featuring long time David Bowie guitarist Earl Slick) which produced two popular albums; and Dead Men Walking, an all-star affair which has boasted original members of The Sex Pistols, The Cult and Big Country among the rotating line-up. Jim also enjoyed a stint playing with the rock-n-roll originator, Jerry Lee Lewis, and even performed in a now-mythological band called The Cheap Dates with acting legend Harry Dean Stanton, one of Jim's longtime pals.

Jim has worked on numerous other projects, including his own explosive self-named roots-rock trio, and HeadCat, co-starring Lemmy Kilmister and Danny B. Harvey, and Jim’s musical project The Jack Tars, a band co-founded with old friends, and former Dead Men Walking bandmates Captain Sensible and Mike Peters and SJP's long time true rockabilly pal Chris Cheney of Australia's top rockin' band The Living End. He is also deeply committed to charitable works, too: he climbed both Mount Everest and Mount Kilimanjaro for Love Hope Strength Foundation (an organization co-founded by Mike Peters of The Alarm that benefits cancer research). 

Jim hosts Rockabilly Rave Up on Little Steven's Underground Garage on SiriusXM. He is kn