SuperGroup (Courtesy Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

SuperGroup is a reality show on the channel VH1. The show puts together five heavy metal musicians, packed into a large mansion, that must play a show after living together and writing original music for twelve days.

The band's assumed manager is star manager Doc McGhee, who had previously worked with Sebastian Bach and his band Skid Row. The show also features appearances by journalist Lonn Friend and photographer Ross Halfin, both long-time contributors for other VH1 features, such as Behind the Music.

No second season for the show has been announced as of April 2007.

Band Name

The members of the band dubbed their band project Damnocracy, suggested by lead singer Sebastian Bach after hearing Scott Ian say "a god damn democracy, but we can't use 'god damn'" in response to their inability to come up with a band name everybody liked. Previously, the name FIST was also suggested by Sebastian Bach, saying that it means the five of them coming together, like fingers forming a fist. This was rejected because it was thought to sound 'too gay'.

Another name that was suggested was "Rawdog", then flipped around to "Godwar" by Scott Ian, to which Bach replied that he didn't want a band name that he "Had to think about".

Yet another name that was suggested by Bach was "Savage Animal", but no one else but him liked the name. Bach liked it because it "rolled off the tongue" and because "rock and roll is a 'savage animal'." Savage Animal became one of the more popular names and became associated with the show, as many people laughed at its cliché title, despite Bach's ardent enthusiasm for the name.

Band members

Current members

• Sebastian Bach - lead vocals
• Ted Nugent - lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals
• Scott Ian - rhythm guitar, backing vocals
• Evan Seinfeld - bass, backing vocals
• Jason Bonham - drums, percussion, backing vocals

Episodes

Original airing dates

1. Episode 1 - June 1
2. Episode 2 - June 2
3. Episode 3 - June 4
4. Episode 4 - June 11
5. Episode 5 - June 18
6. Episode 6 - June 25
7. Episode 7 - July 2

Episode 1

The band members and Doc meet for the first time for the project. The band starts to explore their "creative space", a large mansion in Las Vegas. On the first rehearsals, they click musically, but are unable to come up with a name. They also meet Danushka Lysek, their chef for the upcoming two weeks, who immediately becomes a constant and easy target for tormenting, and a two-man PR team, who they immediately disregard as business professionals. The first song also starts to take shape, but an unexpected problem occurs when the rehearsal space turns out to be less proficient for studio recording than expected.

Episode 2

Jason Bonham has to leave because of two Foreigner shows he has to perform at, so the management gets Kid Beyond, a human beatboxer to fill in, as well as a fashion stylist to "update their image" - the band protests vehemently to both approaches (with Bach literally slamming the door in the beatboxer's face). They, however, manage to settle on a name, "Fist", which Sebastian explains by "five fingers coming together". Evan and Sebastian start to shape up the lyrics for their first co-written song, but while Evan insists on leaving for a dinner that he was hosting for the group, Sebastian stays and decides to work on the song, along with newly arrived recording engineer Kirk Moll, while Ted leaves to jam with Joe Bonamassa.

Episode 3

The band shows Doc their first song, but Doc isn't impressed. Sebastian considers that it's because of an old injury between him and Doc. Evan decides to figure out what happened and talks to Doc, who explains his side of the story. The band meets two graphic artists, who are to design the band logo - Valerie, the PR person, tells the band that Ross Halfin is coming from England to photograph them later that day. Sebastian insists on taking a jog and a makeover against the majority's will, seemingly upsetting the rest of the group, especially Jason. During the wardrobe-check for the shoot, the group meets "Heatherette", a styling team, who presents the group a (perhaps deliberately) outrageous set of clothes. (Jason calmly remarks "I'm English." upon being presented a star-spangled jacket.) The group protests, except for Sebastian who picks out a jumpsuit, but is outvoted by the rest of the band, after pointing out that his choice is embarrassing to the rest of the band. At the photoshoot, Ross matches up Sebastian in verbal swashbuckling, much to the amusment of the rest of the band and the PR-team.

The next day, Evan explains his talk with Doc to Sebastian, who decides to settle things with Doc later. Sebastian also discovers the wine-cellar, and shows his discovery to Scott, who explains that the wine he's drinking is "two-buck Chuck", an extremely cheap brand. Sebastian pulls Doc aside at dinner and tries to talk to him, but neither of them shows any enthusiasm to settle things long-term. Ted and Sebastian start to have second thoughts about the name "FIST". Sebastian has an interview scheduled, but he becomes hard to find and to convince after he decides to "be ready". During a rehearsal, Jason's thumb becomes numb and painful, so he visits a doctor and gets an X-ray, who advises a week of rest - something Jason obviously doesn't have time for. While Doc tries to enlist famed producer Rob Cavallo to help the band, Scott is visited by his wife (listed by VH1 as "fiancee") Pearl Aday. The band also disregards the idea of writing a ballad.

Episode 4

Doc enlists Rob Cavallo to tell his opinion about their first song, "Take It Back". Cavallo voices his dislike of the song, telling the band that it's "dated" (which Ted considers an insult) and that the beat should be "more punk-like" (which insults Jason). The band, nevertheless, realizes that their views on the song are far too subjective, and sometimes they need a reality check.

Evan finally gets his revenge on Ted, and with the help of Scott, he wakes Ted up by putting his bass amp in front of Ted's door, cranking it up to the maximum and placing the bass nearby so it feeds back and resonantes really loudly. Ted acknowledges the effort, although he states that his doorhandle broke so he couldn't display a white flag to surrender.

The band, much to the dismay of the management, decides to ditch the name "FIST", and starts wondering about another one. Evan and Scott come up with "Godwar", partly because it's "raw dog" spelled backwards. Sebastian (according to Jason, not entirely surprisingly) disregards the name, and insists on his choice, "Savage Animal", albeit at this radio interview, he only mentions that the band has a couple of ideas. During the final band meeting, Scott notes that things would work much better if it wasn't for the "damn democracy", which ignites Sebastian to come up with "Damnocracy". The band (and the management) finally agrees. Sebastian's wife Maria Bierk and Evan's wife Tera Patrick also arrive.

Sebastian also starts to show the repercussions of his wine consumption, at one point having a near-romantic talk to a quite puzzled Scott about how he would never change a guitar player. He also insists that the band should watch his performance on TV in the show The Gilmore Girls - something no one really seems to enjoy besides him.

At dinner, Jason notes that Robert Plant and Jimmy Page recommended the band to do a cover of the Led Zeppelin song, "Out on the Tiles", because Zeppelin never performed it live. Since it's a song that was born after an idea by Jason's father, John Bonham (whose death also had its 25th anniversary in 2005), the band decides to pay tribute and rehearse the song, albeit all of them point out that playing a Led Zeppelin song recommended by Led Zeppelin comes with a large responsibility. The song's vocal range, however, seems to be a difficulty for Sebastian, who also insists on having constant eye-contact with Jason during songs, something that Jason doesn't quite understand.

Tera and Evan decide to do a photo shoot, only to later convince Maria to join in and make some photos together. Sebastian enjoys this immensely, but Ted says he is turned off by public displays of sex and leaves.

Episode 5

The band discusses their next day warm-up performance, during which Sebastian and Jason debate their stage show, and while Sebastian insists that the drummer look him in the eye, Jason simply prefers to play his own thing and others to follow.

Ted takes Scott and Evan to a shooting range, where they fire various heavy weaponry. Jason stays home, because he doesn't like the idea, while Sebastian stays to take a rest. Ted's wife Shemane also arrives, and voices concern about both her attitude not being a "rock-star wife" not fitting in with the other wives, and the constant swearing of the band.

Chris, a graphic artist, brings a promotional painting of the superheroic likenesses of the band that he was working on, which amazes the group, save Scott, who's a bit sad about his character looking like "mashed potato". Jason suggests to auction the picture for charity.

Sebastian eventually reaches a low point in inebriation, and starts to ramble during a rehearsal and recording session of a ballad they recently wrote. He insists on Evan to noogie him, and when that happens, the two jokingly start to wrestle on the floor. As soon as Scott can be heard "Here we go..." (and later noting that "I just looked at Jason and said 'This is gonna get serious in about ten seconds'", possibly referring to experiences he previously talked about in Behind the Music when Anthrax's Charlie Benante and Frank Bello would fight the same way in the studio), Sebastian turns Evan over and pushes him on the floor, not realizing that Evan hits his head. Evan becomes furious, pushes Sebastian away and tries to punch him. While Sebastian insists that he's just playing, Evan storms out from the room. Scott and Jason try to mediate, but Sebastian also storms out.

The next day, while Jason updates Ted with the news, Evan is still furious about Sebastian being out of control. Sebastian goes to him to apologize, attributing his out of control behavior to the wine. They end up settling things, but Evan clearly states that Sebastian has to cut down on his drinking.

The band gets ready for the performance, although Scott and Jason are worried about playing to "five tourists and ten people holding up Skid Row album covers". The gig eventually turns out to be quite popular, as the band plays "Sin City" (AC/DC) and "Cat Scratch Fever". The group is satisfied, although Doc points out that the songs weren't as tight as they could've been, something which the band decides to work on.

The band decides to celebrate at a sushi restaurant, joined by Nikki Benz and Lexie Marie, models for TeraVision, invited by Tera. Evan is shocked to notice that Sebastian is drinking again.

Episode 6

Ted goes to a radio promo show as a guest DJ, but flips out when the host decides to play Puddle of Mudd instead of Ted's music during the interview. Evan, meanwhile, is still distraught about Sebastian drinking the night before, and starts to complain to other members, to which Doc responds with "you've been here 12 days... try 12 years" and they all conclude that Sebastian needs serious help. T.L., the stylist shows up again with a set of clothes to try, with little luck on Evan, Scott or Ted, but being able to convince Jason to wear a cowboy hat, while Sebastian insists on a leather jacket which is visibly far too small on him.

The band expands their playlist with Biohazard's song "Punishment", but Evan is concerned about Ted learning the song. Upon trying to show Ted the riffs, Evan ends up expressing his sadness about Sebastian's drinking problem, and tells Ted that if there's anyone who can convince him to stop, it's probably Ted, since Sebastian feels a paternal bond with him. Ted takes up the task, and has a tough talk with Sebastian, explicitly forbidding him any alcoholic drink. Sebastian is shocked, but promises to comply, and eventually adopts Ted as his "dad".

The group goes to a guitar store for a promotional signing, only to see that they can in fact have rabid fans at their show, some of them being lifetime fans of their respective bands. Back at home, upon practicing "Punishment", Jason admits that he's not familiar with the song, but promises to learn it as soon as he can. At dinner, Ted and Shemane invite the whole band to their farm, something which the band is a little surprised but extremely happy about. Sebastian points out in front of everyone that he's not drinking, and insists on not ever doing so, in fright of Ted's repercussions.

Jason proceeds to learn "Punishment", and although first a bit alienated, he ends up admiring the song for bringing new elements to his style of drumming. Sebastian goes running in the nearby mountains, and enjoys the first day of his complete sobriety. Ted also learns the song, and while he points out that it's not his kind of music, he insists on playing it with full attitude, to the great satisfaction of Evan.

Doc takes the band to the Fremont Street Experience, for reasons unknown to them. When they arrive, they're shown a cartoon animation of the group represented as a superhuman rock group, destroying various "bubblegum pop" icons and joining forces upon seeing a searchlight with the Damnocracy logo (akin to the Bat-Signal). The band, for the first time in the show, genuinely agrees on the quality and effect of the animation. Evan and Sebastian stay in downtown Vegas to spend a romantic night with their respective wives.

Episode 7

It's the day of the concert, and everyone starts to show signs of nerve and excitement. To calm down the other members, Ted arranges a barbecue to raise their spirits; at the barbecue, all band members express how much they enjoy the current project and agree to treat the project as an actual band instead of a one-off performance.

Upon asked about the band's future, Sebastian expresses concern about the business side of Damnocracy, as it is unknown who owns the rights to the band's name. This eventually turns out to be in reaction to a prior problem, where during his time in Skid Row, it turned out that Sebastian didn't own any legal rights to the band name "Skid Row". While Doc doesn't understand the reason for this (as Sebastian was only the second singer of Skid Row), Sebastian and Doc talk through the issue and clear up matters.

Evan, however, suddenly packs up and storms out from the house with Tera without giving any reason to anyone, leaving the entire band and management alike in confusion. The band, however, has to leave immediately to do a soundcheck. The group meets the first members of their future audience, and proceeds to go to the soundcheck, to be joined by Evan 45 minutes later. The soundcheck brings out some classic technical problems such as wrong monitoring and broken or malfunctioning equipment, infuriating Scott for the first time during the show. After problems are resolved, the band prepares for the show backstage, being extremely excited about the performance.

The concert starts with the Motörhead classic "Ace of Spades", and the band enjoys complete comfort on stage as they head into AC/DC's "T.N.T.", Skid Row's "Youth Gone Wild" and Anthrax's "Only". They also perform "Punishment", the song they feared so much, but in retrospect, all of them confess that it was probably the tightest song during the whole set. The group dedicates "Out on the Tiles" to the late John Bonham, and while Sebastian audibly has a tough time with the song, Jason performs a spectacular roll-off at the end. "Stranglehold" delivers a bit of a tension, when Sebastian continues to throw Damnocracy T-shirts in the crowd during Ted's guitar solo, but the band nevertheless continues with their own song, "Take It Back", the song previously labeled "dated", which, regardless, receives a large ovation. During "Sin City", however, Sebastian shocks the band by pulling out a bottle of Jack Daniel's and guzzling part of it down on crowd request. A suspicious Ted takes part of the drink, and lights up to realize that it's in fact simple tea. The band closes the show with Cat Scratch Fever.

In retrospect, all band members express their joy with the project, and hope to work again on either an album or a tour. And at the end of the final seventh episode, viewers were left with a text message saying that Damnocracy had continued to rehearse and make new music after shooting wrapped. However, at the end of the text, the band was still willing to continue with even more rehearsing and making new music but they couldn't pull Ted Nugent away from going hunting.

Quotes

• Evan Seinfeld: Do we even need keys to this place?
  Scott Ian: Probably not.
• Scott Ian: We weren't in Bon Jovi, we weren't in Mötley Crüe, we were Anthrax! We didn't leave with the strippers, we just went, spent all our money, and then got on the bus with a boner.
• Ted Nugent: While they're going to strip-bars, I'm doing the important things in life - having a good shit that destroys plumbing!
• Sebastian Bach: (about naming the band) How bout Celebutard?
• Sebastian Bach (about applying makeup): I was doing this when Good Charlotte was a stain on their daddy's pants.
• Jason Bonham: I saw a CD on the bed with "FIST" written on it... I just hope we're not called "FIST."
• Sebastian Bach: My chick will be here in seven minutes!
  Tera Patrick: I'll let you have the first kiss...
  Sebastian Bach: You can have her first if I get to watch!
• Ted Nugent: We're not a bunch of dumb fucking teenagers
  Evan Seinfeld: Hey, speak for yourself...
• (on a photoshoot)
  Sebastian Bach: I don't like the shadow behind my leg...
  Ross Halfin: I'm just trying to get one on the whole thing-- Just let me do what I need to do, I don't tell you how to fucking sing...
  Jay, PR-guy (in retrospect): After the week we had, it's really nice to see somebody else work with them... and give them a hard time...
• Ted Nugent (about waking up his bandmates early): I've got news for ya - though the knee-jerk assumption would be that the wimp goes to bed early, no, it's the wimp that sleeps in near where I come from.
• Ted Nugent: I'm such a fan of cute. In fact, the cuter the critter, the sweeter the meat when it comes to barbecue, so cute is not just an aesthetic, it's actually a protein.
• Sebastian Bach: Everybody has this image of rock and roll to do a shot of Jack and you cut a track... I hate to disappoint everybody, but the more you sleep, the better you sing...
• Doc McGhee: It's a great track... if it was 1982...
• Jay, PR-guy (about the band's logo ideas): It's really hard to say, "oh, by the way, that idea sucks"... like, a coffee-cup with crossed guitars? That's FIST?
• Sebastian Bach (on how he keeps alert during a show): If I see some guy punch some chick, I'll say "Stop the fucking show!"
  Scott Ian: That's part of my gig though, I punch a chick...
  (rest of the band bursts out in laughter)
• Ted Nugent (in retrospect about one of Tera Patrick's friends at dinner after the first performance): You know, my eyesight is 20-20, but in HIND-sight, I did have 20-20 sight on one of those hinds actually. I thought the gal next to me wanted to be a carpenter or a plumber when she grew up, because she had the asscrack going.
• Sebastian Bach: Rock and roll is a savage animal!
• Jason Bonham: It's going to be like Spinal Tap, with nobody there. Twenty people and nine kids holding up Skid Row albums going, "Sebastian!"
• Jason Bonham (on refusing Ted's offer to go to a shooting range): Nothing against Ted, but... I'm British.
• Scott Ian (on seeing Sebastian in one of the proposed band costumes for FIST): Sebastian in that jumpsuit... makes the Village People look straight.
• Scott Ian (in retrospect on Sebastian's fight with Evan): I turned around to Jason and I said, "This is gonna get serious in about ten seconds."
• Jason Bonham (explaining the fight to Ted): Scott saw Evan go really to clock him one, and he was like "No, Evan!"... At that point I thought, "I suppose that's the end of the session now."
• Valerie, PR-girl: I don't like porn, I don't like guns... I don't fit in this house.
• Scott Ian: I don't think the word "Fuck" is offensive, I like it because it describes something I like to do.
• Ted Nugent (in retrospective to the feud between him and Danushka): I think we need to tell Danushka that if you've got a good fire, I'll add fuel to the fire. But if you've got an asshole fire going, I'm bringing gasoline to that party!
• Danushka (after Evan spills some coffee on the floor): You can clean it up too afterwards.
  Evan Seinfeld: ... Fucking bitch on wheels, eh?
  Danushka: Did you just call me a fucking bitch?
  Evan Seinfeld: On wheels!
• Ted Nugent: Soundchecks are just the most perfect clusterfuck a man can ever dream of. It immediately opens the floodgates of stupidity.
• Sebastian Bach: Rock'n'roll is the most beautiful thing in the world, there's nothing in the world like rock'n'roll, and once it gets into your blood, it's there for life!

Premiere Concert Setlist

Performed at The Empire Ballroom on March 5, 2006:

1. "Ace of Spades" (Motörhead)
2. "Free for All" (Ted Nugent)
3. "T.N.T." (AC/DC)
4. "Out On The Tiles" (Led Zeppelin)
5. "Only" (Anthrax)
6. "Take It Back" (Damnocracy)
7. "Punishment" (Biohazard)
8. "Stranglehold" (Ted Nugent)
9. "Sin City" (AC/DC)
10. "Youth Gone Wild" (Skid Row)
11. "Cat Scratch Fever" (Ted Nugent)
12. "Whole Lotta Love" (Led Zeppelin)

(Note: This is a reported song order - the show might have presented the concert in an edited order.)

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