Riki Rachtman's Cathouse Hollywood Podcast

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From 1986-1992 The Cathouse was at the epicenter of the Hollywood Rock scene. Some of the biggest bands in rock would play unannounced shows at the Cathouse but it wasn't the performances by bands like Guns n Roses, Motorhead, Alice Cooper, Pearl Jam, Faster Pussycat, Black Crows (the list goes on) that put Cathouse on the map. It was the sleaze and debauchery, the raunch and roll. Riki Rachtman former host of MTV's Headbangers Ball owned the Cathouse. He opened it with his roommate Taime Downe from the band Faster Pussycat with the premise of getting free drinks and meeting girls. Riki enforced a no camera rule at the Cathouse so anything could and did happen. These stories have never been told......Until nowEach episode of Cathouse Hollywood Riki recaps 1 night at the Cathouse and he recounts the night with a participant or witness to what took place that evening. His guest could be a a musician that sold 5 million records or the girl that worked the coat check. It doesn't matter at Riki Rachtman's World Famous Cathouse we were all Rock Stars

Riki Rachtman does the Henry Rollins Meet&Greet
Apr 23, 2025 – 22:49
EP.9 What was it really like at Cathouse 1986 JUNKYARD tells all
Sep 30, 2024 – 29:33
EP.1 How one of the biggest rock bands paid to play the CATHOUSE
Sep 23, 2024 – 15:11
Ep.8 Nothin but a good time ? GUEST JACKASS Jeff Tremaine & Why Riki hates the term Hair Metal
Sep 3, 2024 – 48:07
Ep.7 Riki & Ace Von Johnson preview NO VALUES FEST Punk & Metal and MORE !!!!!
Jun 3, 2024 – 01:57:00
Ep 6 CULT's Billy Duffy & the Rock Dancer club
May 15, 2024 – 34:25

Recent Reviews

AWeirdly

Legendary stories told with passion

I’m a metalhead. Through and through. I don’t care what genre (ok except some nu metal and all of emo). The best show on this era. Rikki KNOWS these band better than that dj that says “he’s friends with (so & so). No pretentiousness just fun stories told like he is putting you there. I miss those days and relive vicariously through Rikki’s reminders of them. Piecing together the fragments of what I remember.
JoeyMoors

Rachtman’s Cathouse Hollywood Rocks!!!!

If you love rock music, wether it’s from the 50s, 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, 90’s or the 21st century Riki knows all about it. He’s not just a fan of the genre. He lives and breathes rock n’ roll and tells amazing stories of his time at the height of the scene on the infamous Hollywood Sunset Strip and how his rock club, the “Cathouse Hollywood” was at the center of it all in the 80’s.
Riki Rachtman

This is the best

BEST ROCK PODCAST It's just like being there except my clothes don't smell like whisky and I remember where I left my keys
MissAlley

Not a dreamer

If you are wondering is this guy worth listening to, the answer is YES!!! Hear the greatest metal stories from the guy that was actually there! Riki has to be one of the few people that never waits for things to happen, he just does it!! His honesty and experiences have given him a HUGE friend circle and that circle continues to grow!! (we use friend because Riki doesn’t like the word fan) Enjoy his words of wisdom and echoes of the past because Riki doesn’t hold back anything!! 🤘🏻
yaquigirl

Anything Riki Rachtman!!!!

Such a great host and rad guy!!! His voice takes me back to childhood, literally nine years old waiting for Headbangers Ball!!!!! I just love when his wife is on as well!!! What a great couple!!! Keep it coming Riki…… will support anything and everything you do!!!!!
Grandpa Metal

Great Podcast Riki!

Thank you for the refreshed Cathouse podcasts! The additional content was great! So happy that you can share these great stories with us. I look forward to every new episode!
Erin Fox Rocks

Great stories!

Riki does an amazing job of bringing stories of the Sunset Strip to life with this fun and entertaining series. Don’t forget to get your Cathouse Coffee!
JamesFestini

I always wished RRR would return

I hope this is the beginning. I find his voice and his mind to be great Radio.
OpusKaz

Amazing Stories Riki

I do not listen to many of these Podcasts. They bore me. To stop and take a step back to a time when I lived in the culture, toured and played, was simply amazing. Rikki you did a good job outlining how the Cathoise,, MTV, Headbangers Ball and 80’s Metal came together. You added the ingredients of stories that only you know about and it all came together nice. Question, are you working on a Bio Book as well? For anyone that wants to hear about what it was really like, take the time to listen. If w as a great time to live .
SteveOH5150

What we needed!!!

Excellent five star review! I’m 54, and grew up in a small town in Ohio. You’re stories place me right there! 🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻
KRIT76

Rock on, Rockers!

So glad you brought it back,I love the stories! Thanks for sharing, Riki and friends.
Jason , Eugene Oregon

Out of the cellar and back on the mic! 🤘🏻

Ricky is great to listen to even if it’s him doing his own thing or being interviewed by others . This guy is a National Treasure and way overdue for someone to give him his flowers ! 🤘🏻 I look forward to all the kickass interviews and hopefully seeing his show out here in Oregon someday 😉👍 - Jason Eugene Oregon
Friends that are addictive!

Bang your head!

So excited that Riki has brought back his podcast! The very first episode had me on the edge of my seat and wanting more. I will be looking forward to hearing more great stories from Riki. Riki has a lot of great stories and he is an amazing great story teller. So energized hearing these stories! Keep up the great work and keep them coming!!
acc2020

Listen! Now!

So fun to go back in time with Rikki’s stories. I used to go to the Cathouse with my fake ID because I was going only a teenager 🤫🤣 it WAS THE BEST BAR/CLUB EVER!
Ozznake

He’s the man

He was there, the 80’s LA scene, please tell us about your Cabo Wabo Van Halen special. Every little details would be awesome. Tell us more 80’s stories. 🤘🏻 Big fan from Iran , welcome back, and please don’t go away soon 🫡🙇🏻‍♂️
Bruce Moffit

Perfect show!

You need to listen to this show
Deleteurapp

CATHOUSE 4 LIFE 🤘🏻

reliving the late 80s / early 90s is better than anything you’ll find today! Love the Cathouse, Headbangers Ball and everything associated with it! This podcast is the ONLY way to re-live the best era in life musically and to hear it straight from the source …Riki Rachtman! 🤘🏻
SSSRR18

Cathouse Hollywood Podcast

It never gets old!! Metal stories back again!! Listen 🤘🖤🤘
BlakeWebb19

Awesome

Very excited to hear more of this good stuff
Scotty P40

Spitting out the episodes!!

Ricki slow down!!! Man the episodes are flying off the press!!!
NBC HATING HAMMER

Really Enjoyed this Podcast. What Happened to the Archive?

I listened to almost all of the episodes and then fell off for a bit. When I went to dive back in all were gone. What happened? Great show with crazy stories and fun guests. Bring it back Riki!
MissyJune1981

Awesome podcast

Unfortunately I was only 5 or 6 years old when the Cathouse was popular. I live vicariously through these podcasts, and really enjoy each episode 😊Great job Ricki and crew! Please do more episodes
BevRev!

Brings Back the Memories

Just recently found this podcast which brought back all the memories of a rocking era. I was fortunate enough to be a part of that scene back in the 80s when my band played the strip. Was such a blast just hanging out down there. It made for some great memories that I’ll never forget. If you were a rocker back then or just a kid who enjoys that music era, then you’ll love this podcast!
scm_one

Fun!

As an 80s kid who was into rock and roll, this show is a blast. It’s fun hearing about many of the places that were referenced in songs, album liner notes, interviews in Hit Parader, etc, etc. Not being in LA or even California, it was always fun to wonder what all those places were like. This show sheds light on it all. Thanks for doing such a fun show, and for bringing back lots of memories of the coolest era in rock.
mr.yoda

This is the Podcast I’ve been waiting for!

This podcast gives you a glimpse behind the metal curtain with great stories, guests, and the perfect host...Riki Rachtman!!! Subscribe now! 🤘🤘🤘
Dudeskins

Best podcast

The Joe Rogan Podcast is good, but this one is way better. Can’t wait for RRR radio
Stany Sin

Cathouse podcast!

Kick ass show Riki!! Brings back a lot of memories and definitely makes me miss the L.A. scene! ( I was out there from 7/85-6/93) Thank you for doing what you do!!
blcksnshn

Headbangers ball

The talk about headbangers ball was where I got all of my heavy metal music from because living in Tennessee is full of country music so after seeing the videos I knew what album to get! Thanks for this podcast!
theMetalfan

Very Good to Go Back There

Never got to go to the club but I was & still am a huge fan of the era & music.It is good to hear from & about all of the guests. I still attend shows in St Louis & Nashville and just love when it’s a band from this time.Keep up all you do Riki .There’s a lot of us still out here!
Hnyweelz

Cathouse pod

This is so fun listening and then reminiscing... You’re doing a great job I wish there were more. You’re just as fun now as you were back in the day. I met you several times back when I was clubbing and your stories are right on. thank goodness you have others to help you remember some of the drug hazed times. I’m with you on that memory thing. Going to see Dirty Honey valentines evening finally there’s a good rock band I’m looking forward to this show.
banders1109

The best

If you are a metal fan you have to listen! The best stories from the best club!
Tooloudbob

Great story teller

If you liked him before, on HBB, you’ll love his tales of days gone by.
Corpse Medicinee

Thanks Riki!

Just found this podcast, I’m five episodes in and it’s so rad! I grew up on Headbangers Ball and Riki changed my life in so many ways. I’ve always loved Riki’s interviewing and story telling style. Hearing these stories and the truth about so many of these legends makes it one the coolest podcasts going right now. It’s honest, real and raw. It’s exactly what I’ve always expected from Riki and he’s not letting us down! Please keep it up!
mass insomniac

Riki, I love your giggle!

Thanks for the podcast!
Turkeynole

Great stuff

I just grew up in the wrong place that’s all. Lol. I knew the place to be was the strip but I was just a 15 year old kid living on the complete opposite of the country. These stories are awesome . Great story telling . Better than a book .
Fifty Shades of boredom

Bad delivery

Good stories but rikki s delivery is bad I’m not sure what he’s trying to sound like it maybe he’s trying to hard
EverythingAndLess

Real Rock Stories

I came to the Cathouse Hollywood Podcast due to Riki’s appearance on Turned Out a Punk. A few episodes in, I subscribed. His raw enthusiasm and honest depiction of the 1980s rock scene is always captivating and fun. Riki was a close personal friends of members of Guns n’ Roses, Mötley Crüe, Motorhead, and many other bands. He cares about the people and the music. If you’re a fan of this era of rock, or rock/metal music in general, give this podcast a listen.
Fierce 🖤

I Want More

I could listen to your stories forever!
Iñigo_Montoya

Good podcast

Very entertaining, very few commercials breaks, good guests, and Rikki does a good job of describing and setting the scene.
TracedIncDotCom

Super Interesting Podcast

This podcast is essential for fans of the 80-90s rock scene. Rikki shares his own stories & invites others to discuss theirs. I grew up watching Headbangers Ball...Who knew all this was going on behind the scenes?!??
Logan Purtilar

Fantastic

You have got to make it longer or just do more shows I could listen to it all day long
Camz1313

Rejuvenated Youth

I’ve always loved Riki since I was an 8th grader in a small Ohio town just getting MTV. I wanted to go to the Cathouse so bad but I was a minor & a million miles away. Nobody paints a verbal picture like Riki Rachtman. Even with 13 episodes down; I have so many questions!! Thx for helping me regress to a 21 ur old in 1986 - which I never was. 🥰😎
wagabsg1966

Let’s get it on already

Full disclosure, I subscribed to hear exciting stories of rock stars doing lines off of strippers butts etc. I’m 8 episodes in and I’m trying not to fall asleep. We get it bro, you dj’d Tommy Lees wedding and you are friends with Taime Downe, I can’t wait to here the episode where c.c.Seville’s book club reads ‘Pride and Prejudice ................at the Cathouse
Angel7297

Service with a smile.

1986-1992 I lived in nyc but I always wanted to live in the west coast in that era. Thanks to Riki I can live it thru his stories. Some which I knew even thou I never been there. You love metal/rock headbangers ball the sex drugs and rock n roll era. This podcast is for you. Listen to the first one then you’ll binge till you have no more to listen to. Thanks Riki 🤘🏼👍🏼🔥🎸
@theheavyside

Unfiltered, unadulterated, rock ‘n’ roll of the stories 80s, from the people that were there.

If you were a fan of Riki’s tenure at Headbanger’s Ball, you’ll thoroughly enjoy his storytelling on the podcast, the additional content by the guests reminiscing about said stories makes it even more enjoyable. Listen to it, you won’t be disappointed.
stutzerelli

Two Episodes Worth Of Material So Far

I'm on Episode 7 and still waiting for one episode where he doesn't talk about him DJ'ing Tommy Lee and Heather Locklear's wedding. I don't know if he has to withhold the majority of stories, because I'm sure there's plenty, but I think every episode basically retells how he started the Cathouse, all the people he's friends with, and the wedding. This should be a gold mine of stories. And yes, very scripted, read poorly. Hoping it picks up steam with some new stories.
The Proffesional Reviewer

wicked killer !

love the podcast🤟🏼 so cool to hear all these stories from back in the day with all the classic bands and venues
jailhouse coffee

Good Luck Riki

I was disappointed in the scripted dialogue, much like I bought an audio book. I would rather hear Riki talk like we were sharing stories in his living room, not reading a story. Sounds to commercial for my taste, not my cup of Mushroom tea.
Andre927

Engaging and Informative

First person stories about the rock and roll scene in the days of the World Famous Cathouse. Some are fun to re remember and some are fun to hear about for the first time. Great call in guests. So far I can't wait for the next one.
KCcowbell

Awful

The guy reminds me of those d-bags from high school/frats with “stories”.