Rock Bottum.

On the eve of Imperial Teen's sophomore release, front man Roddy Bottum talks about his former band, Faith No More, and laments the scarcity of male groupies for his new one

"Faith No More was a weird band with a weird success story, and it made sense that we didn't get along," says Imperial Teen singer-guitarist Roddy Bottum, who was also Faith No More's keyboardist. "Imperial Teen is more like four people who like each other playing music."

As proved by the recent two-CD compilation Who Cares A Lot? The Greatest Hits, Faith No More's mix of metal guitars, funk rhythms, skate-punk rapping, and Bottum's synth sheen pioneered the metal-hip-hop fusion that has become the sound track of suburban teens the world over. What genre-blending platinum acts like Korn do today, Faith No More did ten years ago.

"I don't know what Korn is," says Bottum from his San Francisco base as he waits for the long-delayed release of Imperial Teen's second CD, What Is Not to Love (Slash). "I mean, I know enough of what they are to stay away. I have nothing against them, but I was so immersed in thumpy-thumpy boy-rock that they're the last thing I would pay attention to."

These days, Bottum, 35, is known for the catchy punk-pop of Imperial Teen, a boy-girl-boy-girl quartet whose bouncy, bopping single "Yoo Hoo" should be coming soon to an alternative-rock radio station near you. But six years ago the musician entered the history books by being the first hard rocker to completely come out of the closet, a move that paved the way for former Judas Priest screamer Rob Halford to make a similar announcement in 1998.

"I don't know many [gay metal rockers]," Bottum admits. "Maybe one or two. You'd think there'd be a lot more homosexuality in metal with all the dressing up, especially during the Poison-hair-band era."

Imperial Teen began while Bottum was still in Faith No More, and its critically lauded debut, Seasick, hit the stores well in advance of Faith No More's final long-player. Following Bottum's change in musical direction, his fans have flipped from metal dudes to alterna-cuties of several genders and orientations. But despite his coming-out, Bottum hasn't seen the number of male groupies escalate. "I was looking forward to just the concept, a different take on the girl-groupie stereotype," he says. "But it hasn't really happened."

So the rock-and-roll life isn't what it's cracked up to be? "Staying in hotel beds freaks me out," he continues. "The germ aspect of night after night, another person in that bed, doing whatever--it's so scary. The sheets are cleaned, but the bedspread is not!"

With lyrical allusions to wearing lipstick and male pronouns used to address love objects, Imperial Teen serves up a gay sensibility that ordinarily surfaces only from straight bands like Pulp or Pizzicato Five. "I think there's a resistance from gay artists to go that route just because it's so predictable. But it is annoying to see bands play it as safe as they do these days. That's why something that visually screams as loud as Marilyn Manson is such a breath of fresh air."

In fact, if Manson's schedule permits, he will be directing the video for "Yoo Hoo," which is also set for the sound track to the dark teen comedy Jaw-breaker, starring Rose McGowan and featuring Manson (who is McGowan's significant other these days). But if this extra exposure doesn't turn Imperial Teen into Faith No More, Part Two, Bottum won't sweat it. "I have higher artistic expectations because this is something I feel more directly involved in," he says. "As far as the money goes, I'd rather not take so much. I think the days of big budgets are over."