Richie Stotts – ex- The Plasmatics – Exclusive Interview 10/30/2025

Episode 133: Richie Stotts – Blowing Up Cars, Breaking Rules, and the Birth of Punk Metal. Recorded October 30, 2025

In this episode of the Rock Interview Series, I sit down with Richie Stotts—original lead guitarist of the Plasmatics, one of the most volatile and visionary bands to emerge from the late ’70s New York City punk underground. Formed in 1978, the Plasmatics fused hard rock, punk, and performance art into a spectacle of destruction and defiance. Richie played on their first three studio albums—”New Hope for the Wretched” (1980), “Beyond the Valley of 1984” (1981), and “Coup d’état” (1982)—as well as the “Metal Priestess” EP.

Richie left the band in 1983, but his legacy remains etched in the wreckage. “We didn’t know what we were doing,” he says. “Blowing things up on stage, crashing fake lighting rigs—it was extremely dangerous. The first time we blew up a car, the hood flew into the air. It could’ve killed somebody. I was running around in a band that was blowing up cars,” Richie laughs. “And I didn’t have health insurance.”

We revisit the release of “New Hope for the Wretched, ” which hit #134 on the Billboard charts in 1981 and featured the UK-charting single “Butcher Baby.” Richie reflects on working with producer Jimmy Miller—fresh off Motorhead and known for his work with the Rolling Stones. “Jimmy turned me on to Motorhead. That changed my life. He was iconic, and seeing him play percussion on our record was ecstatic.”

The album was recorded live, giving it a raw, hyper-energized feel. “It wasn’t pieced together like records are now,” Richie explains. “We tracked it live, then added overdubs. That energy is real. We weren’t just punk,” he says. “We were trying to push boundaries—musically, visually, conceptually.”

For more on Richie Stotts, please visit www.richiestotts.com

See the complete interview below.

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