I'm sure they have permission to do what they do, whatever the legal terms are (Sure Universal must go by the books).
They've been running their resident show on Sunset Strip (Viper Room then Roxy) every Monday for at least ten years (that's when I first saw them). At first was covers; they would dress, sing and dance like Poison, Bon Jovi, Motley Crue and so on. Whatever band would play that night at the club, they would open for Steel Panther (Metal Shop at the time). And whoever was in the club watching them and having a drink, at some point would end up on stage. I remember Steven Adler, Meat Loaf, Steven Tyler to name a few. Their first original album came out about 5 or 6 years ago (by then they had changed name to Metal Skool); most of the songs were then slightly modified and included in the new Steel Panther album.
Their "Behind the Music" video is a mockery of Anvil, I would say, plus any other "where are they now" band that in these times of eighties revival resurfaced to milk a few more bucks. Members of Jane's Addiction, Anthrax, Guns'n'Roses, Warrant and others happily took part in the video (and Warrant are one of their favourite mockery subjects). Being mocked and ripped off by Steel Panther is a pleasure and a honour for most of these bands, believe it or not, a bit like it was at some point for English VIPs being on Little Britain. They're some kind of institution on the Strip, especially in the hair metal circuit. And let's not forget Ralph Saenz (Michael Starr) had a brief spell in LA Guns and a cameo in the movie Rockstar.
Justin Hawkins (Darkness) joined them on stage in London in June (one or two weeks later he joined Spinal Tap on stage as well...). I wouldn't be surprised to see ZZ Top on stage with them in October for a couple of covers. But what I would really love to see is an all star live rendition of "Death to all but metal" with the Goo Goo Dolls, Eminem, Papa Roach, Blink 182, Mariah Carey, Sheryl Crow, 50 Cent, Kanye West and most of all Madonna and Britney Spears...
