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- Feature: Rock Updates: The Great Kat in Room Thirteen
Rock Updates: The Great Kat
Band: Great Kat
Mon Dec 12 17:34:52 2005
by Jim Ody
So who is The Great Kat?
Katherine Thomas was born in Swindon, England at a US Air Force Military Hospital, and
then moved to the US when she was 3. Surrounded by the musical masters of classical music
like Beethoven & Bach, she began first the classical piano, and then the classical
violin at the tender ages of 7 and 9 respectively. At the age of 15, The Great Kat was
accepted at New York's prestigious Julliard school and would later on graduate to perform
in Mexico, America and Europe, whilst also winning the exclusive Artists International
Competition.
I remember seeing The Great Kat donning the cover of many music press magazines in the
late 80's and early 90's, and perhaps it was just that I was merely a teen then, that
amongst the hair-bands of men dressed up like drag queens and transvestites was a
ferocious looking female snarling and holding what appeared to be a violin, or a guitar,
and stating quite categorically that she was '...the re-incarnation of Beethoven...', it
was enough to have young lad running to a safer woman, like Jet from Gladiators, Janet
Jackson or any number of the Baywatch babes! The Great Kat was as famous for her over the
top outbursts at journalists, photographers and presenters, as she was her quite
breathtaking music, which of course was fast-paced classical, revamped, chewed, spat out
and laced with spit from the devil himself.
An example of Ms Kat is there for all to see in her debut album, lovingly entitled,
'Worship Me Or Die' in 1987 on Roadrunner Records, which didn't quite have as much impact
as the follow up 'Beethoven On Speed' in 1990. In an industry where men were boasting
about sinking females '...with their pink torpedoes...' The Great Kat was a joy see and
hear, albeit at a far distance. She was renowned for her outbursts and in a special moment
of history, refused to even be in the same room as Kerrang! Journalist Chris Watts because
he had not listened to 'Beethoven...', and from behind her hotel door was heard words
straight from the vocabulary of a Tourette's Syndrome sufferer, which included suggestion
that he was uneducated and overly familiar with his mother.
So what is she doing today?
Well The Great Kat is still spreading the gospel of classical music and has just released
her most recent CD entitled 'Wagner's War', and a DVD 'Extreme Guitar Shred'. Check out
her fabulous website www.greatkat.com, and also take a gander at the interview I did with
her at an extremely safe distance, to see that years may have passed but The Great Kat has
by no means mellowed!
A few quotes from The Great Kat:
"...If my breasts flopping out are going to make people listen to my music, then
fine. I am a musical genius and if you can't see that then you're an idiot!"
"...Who wants to be depressed with slow, lethargic, inferior blues, when Cyberspeed
Classic/Metal is here to rip open your brain and have you soaring into the next
millennium..."
"...The Great Kat practises violin and guitar all day, until my fingers are bleeding,
my bones are breaking, and I'm on the floor screaming in pain...!"
The Great Kat was a legend back then, and will still remain a legend to me now. All hail
THE GREAT KAT!
The contents of all music, photos, graphics, text and videos are
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