Classic Rock’s Sleazegrinder unearths The Pleasure Model, a coast-hopping glam-gang led by one Jay St Germain. Click here for previous Tracks Of The Day.

Clearly, given the man’s suave, dandified name, Germain was born into this, and it shows in the Pleasure Model’s shaggy downtown strut. The band’s acid-smashed Stones-crackle and woozy NY Dolls stagger would suggest a life-time of big city skulking, but Mr. German actually cut his gleaming white teeth in Louisiana, where, among many other things, he played bass for swamp-rock champs Santeria.

You don’t walk away from a gig like that unchanged, and you can hear those ghostly shudders and lonesome-bones rattling away in the Pleasure Model, as well. Mostly, though, it’s good time music for band times. The first Pleasure Model platter is in the works as we speak, but Jay has kindly offered up a sample of the delights to come. First though, let’s get to know the be-scarved frontman a little better.

How does one end up in Santeria? Was bad magic involved?
I was born and raised in the swamplands of Louisiana, and played in Santeria from January ‘98 to September ‘03. I was really a guitar player, went to school for Spanish guitar, and studied under one of   the top classical players in the world, Gerd Wuestemann. But I was   always a maniac rocker and didn’t really fit in  that world. At the   time, I was Santeria’s number one fan. I used to be “That Guy” drunk on  whiskey at the front of the stage at their shows, flipping out and   causing general mayhem and social discomfort. This was the first   lineup, when they were still a three piece. So later,  I had got out   of college and I was working as a night clerk at an  Exxon station,   really bumming on my future prospects, when Dege calls me out of the   blue and says, without preface, “We need you to play bass.” Dege is a   really abrupt guy. I was totally insulted, having spent all that time   in school and money on guitar equipment. So I told him, “Don’t try to   play me like Ron Asheton”, and hung up on him. But he kept calling back, and I relented. I had never played bass before in my life, and   didn’t own one, but I joined the band, and the rest is history. The  Bad Magic came later.

The Pleasure Model started in New York, and then you moved the whole operation to LA. So did you leave NYC of your own accord, or were you chased out by
angry mobs/girlfriends/cops?
I left Santeria and moved to NYC six years ago in September. It was rad up until about 2 years ago. I was chased out by the gradual, but total conversion of the East Village and downtown Manhattan in general into a playground for  Meatheads and Zombots from shit towns across the USA. It got to the point where I couldn’t walk around on a Friday night in my skin tightrock duds and Ron Wood haircut without taunts, threats of violence,
and misguided screams of, “Yo, it’s Bon Jovi! “.  Geez, at least get   the reference right, dude. I even got severely beaten one night in  Queens by 2 frat boys who thought I was a “faggot”. One was wearing a Nickelback shirt. So I said to myself,  in an East LA cholo accent, “That’s not the way New York’s  supposed to be, Homes!”

Do you work with props at all? Fire, midgets, topless dancers?
I sometimes use a toy Raygun  (a la Steve Stevens) or an Eyepatch, but   my go-to props are my slinky, slinky moves and my impeccable wardrobe.   We had topless dancers in Santeria. I’m looking to get back to   that. In fact, I want to do a full-on Alice Cooper/ Rocky Horror stage  show, if somebody gives me some money.

When’s the last time you cheated death?
I’ve been cheating that motherfucker every single day since I was   born.  You can’t even imagine the madness I’ve lived through without a scratch. I’ve got to be a real lucky bastard. I’m sure the Grim Reaper will have a lawsuit  waiting for me on the other side.

Do you, in general, recommend going to LA to make it famous? Is it working for you so far? Do you hang out with any celebrities?
Well, here’s the thing –  in LA everybody hangs out with everybody, from celebrities to crackheads, so Fame is a relative thing. My wife is an  actress and has been in tons of famous videos, so, through her, I know a  whole lot of weird c -list  people like Fab from Milli Vanilli and   Alexis Arquette. I’m also friendly with Ian Astbury. She went out with
Daniel Ash from Bauhaus for about five years before she was with me,   so I inherited a lot of his clothes and this really badass Roger Mayer   custom wah pedal that is featured prominently on “Honky Animal”.  It   was used on a lot of Love and Rockets albums. A band you should really check out from LA is Prima Donna. They have  this kind of 60’s pop meets sleaze at a Social Distortion show thing going on.  Those guys are real good friends.

Band member with the worst day job?
We don’t have jobs. But a long time ago I used to be the drive thru   clerk at a Burger King deep in the ghetto on the Northside of   Lafayette, La. I was the only white person working there. All the girls   who worked there were totally fascinated by the fact that I liked to   eat pussy, cause I guess that’s taboo in the black community. They   would have me demonstrate my technique, and flip the fuck out   laughing,  cause I have an extremely long tongue like Gene Simmons.   They used to get pretty intrigued by that one. I actually met Dege at   that drive thru window when he used to come eat there. I actually thought he was part of the ‘straight world’ at the time, cuz he drove a Volvo and hid his hair under a sock hat. He always ordered the same thing- a cheeseburger with mustard and ketchup only. I used to say to myself, “Here comes that frat dude with the weird eating habits”. Later, I realized the asinine folly of my first impression.

Band member with the weirdest hobby/obsession?
I have a weird fixation with Puppets. I’ve had a ton of them since I   was a kid. Used to make ‘em too. If anybody reading this wants to give  me a job at the Jim Henson workshop, it’s on.  I’m also into seventies  Conan and horror comics,  Dark Shadows( the sixties vampire soap opera), British drum and bass music from the mid nineties, Food
oriented T-shirts, anything Al Jourgensen, and Porn.

Please name three bands Classic Rock readers would love, but may not  know about.
Satan and Deciples – Weird psychedelic new Orleans band from 68. They pressed an album and   never released it. Somebody found the run of vinyls in his barn in the nineties and they hit the collectors market at $250 a pop. Freddy   Fender was the guitar player. The singer pretended he was actually the devil.*
Chris Connelly – He was the singer in the Revolting Cocks and Ministry, but went on to   do this Bowie/Scott Walker thing incredibly well in his solo career.    My favorite tracks of his are ”About the Beauty of Laura” and ”The Long Weekend”
Beau Jocque and the Zydeco Hi-Rollers - James Brown with an Accordion.  His best cut is “Git it Beau Jocque”

Right, so what’s the plan? Is there an album and/or tour in the works?
The album, “Apocalypse Rock-N-Roll”, is about 50% completed. Hopefully when it’s done I can drum up some interest and get some tour support   going. I think we’d be well received in the UK, so that’s the market   I’m planning to concentrate on. The British love the Deep South, they   love Rock- n- Roll, and they love haberdashery, so I think it will really hit there.

Finally, and perhaps more importantly, who will save rock n’ roll?
Those who have not forgotten. And The Pleasure Model.

So there you go. That’s what’s up with that dude. Now, for some rock. Here’s Burn Out. It’s a cautionary tale.
http://rapidshare.com/files/276999840/Burnout.mp3

If you dig it, visit The Pleasure Model at their Myspace page for more.
http://www.myspace.com/pleasuremodelband

- Sleaze