1 00:00:02,640 --> 00:00:05,840 Speaker 1: I'm Alec Baldwin and you're listening to Here's the Thing. 2 00:00:06,800 --> 00:00:10,959 Speaker 1: Butch Walker is one of the great contemporary talents of rock. 3 00:00:12,000 --> 00:00:15,000 Speaker 1: He's written songs and produced tracks for the likes of 4 00:00:15,440 --> 00:00:19,320 Speaker 1: Panic at the Disco, Pink, and Wheezer, so he has 5 00:00:19,440 --> 00:00:23,520 Speaker 1: fans all over the industry. Even Taylor Swift fell in 6 00:00:23,600 --> 00:00:26,920 Speaker 1: love with one of his tailor's Swift covers. That's what 7 00:00:27,080 --> 00:00:30,520 Speaker 1: led to their joint appearance at the Grammys. Butch on 8 00:00:30,680 --> 00:00:39,120 Speaker 1: his Banjolim girl, She's upset, She's gone up about something that. 9 00:00:41,120 --> 00:00:44,560 Speaker 1: In fact, Walker's reputation as the l a music scenes 10 00:00:45,040 --> 00:00:50,040 Speaker 1: great collaborator has sometimes eclipsed his brilliant, eclectic solo career. 11 00:00:51,040 --> 00:00:53,960 Speaker 1: I hope hearing him today will turn you onto or 12 00:00:54,160 --> 00:00:58,720 Speaker 1: reignite your love for his remarkable body of work. As 13 00:00:58,760 --> 00:01:01,760 Speaker 1: a ten year old heavy metal fan and rural Georgia, 14 00:01:02,160 --> 00:01:06,119 Speaker 1: Butch Walker was already a multi instrumentalist. His career went 15 00:01:06,160 --> 00:01:09,520 Speaker 1: on to span hard rock, grunge, and now he's putting 16 00:01:09,520 --> 00:01:14,480 Speaker 1: out soulful, lyrics focused rock with great pop hooks throughout 17 00:01:14,520 --> 00:01:17,640 Speaker 1: it all. His music has always been honest and original 18 00:01:18,080 --> 00:01:33,360 Speaker 1: and catching. When I was in Los Angeles, not too 19 00:01:33,400 --> 00:01:36,600 Speaker 1: long ago, I arranged to meet Butch at a music 20 00:01:36,680 --> 00:01:39,200 Speaker 1: venue in Hollywood so he could play some of his 21 00:01:39,319 --> 00:01:42,040 Speaker 1: great songs in front of a live audience and tell 22 00:01:42,080 --> 00:01:44,760 Speaker 1: me about his path from the Bible Belt to the 23 00:01:44,800 --> 00:01:51,080 Speaker 1: heart of l A's music scene. On Hey, can y'all 24 00:01:51,160 --> 00:01:54,320 Speaker 1: hear me? No, no, I'm gonna play some of my 25 00:01:54,360 --> 00:01:57,160 Speaker 1: early stuff. Then of course I want to play some 26 00:01:57,200 --> 00:02:00,880 Speaker 1: of my new stuff to hope you know mine. Welcome to. 27 00:02:01,040 --> 00:02:04,200 Speaker 1: This is a recording of my podcast Here's the Thing, 28 00:02:04,240 --> 00:02:06,560 Speaker 1: which is produced by w n y C Studios in 29 00:02:06,640 --> 00:02:09,800 Speaker 1: New York. I want to thank yeah, thank you, And 30 00:02:09,840 --> 00:02:13,640 Speaker 1: I want to thank um kpc C here in Los Angeles. 31 00:02:13,840 --> 00:02:16,320 Speaker 1: And I want to thank Catalina. I'm told the Catalina 32 00:02:16,360 --> 00:02:19,959 Speaker 1: barn grill there is an actual Catalina. So please join 33 00:02:20,080 --> 00:02:48,080 Speaker 1: me and welcoming Butch Walker. Thank you. Maybe I just 34 00:02:48,840 --> 00:03:05,720 Speaker 1: scared off. Maybe you to. It's a beautiful miss Soner 35 00:03:06,040 --> 00:03:19,040 Speaker 1: standing from my part of view. Can you feel in 36 00:03:19,400 --> 00:03:28,720 Speaker 1: now wheels coming down? I just want you to wear 37 00:03:28,960 --> 00:03:35,520 Speaker 1: about me. Everyone wasn't a while. I just need a 38 00:03:35,760 --> 00:03:42,600 Speaker 1: sign of light to give me by you can't fair 39 00:03:42,800 --> 00:03:48,280 Speaker 1: a smile forever from my mouth and wants was mine? 40 00:03:49,760 --> 00:03:58,040 Speaker 1: Is it all over? Fun of the beginning the same name. 41 00:04:06,320 --> 00:04:16,240 Speaker 1: There's a man reading icky have and the dull wd me. 42 00:04:21,279 --> 00:04:36,920 Speaker 1: We're not falling in we flying sorry in between? Can 43 00:04:37,120 --> 00:04:46,760 Speaker 1: you say now? I feel it's slow down. I just 44 00:04:46,960 --> 00:04:52,760 Speaker 1: want you to way by me. Everyone's in a while. 45 00:04:53,680 --> 00:04:59,840 Speaker 1: I just need a sign a light to give me by. 46 00:05:00,960 --> 00:05:06,160 Speaker 1: You can't fake a smile forever from my mouth? And 47 00:05:06,360 --> 00:05:17,200 Speaker 1: once was like, is it over? Funnily begin descend it. 48 00:05:30,600 --> 00:05:40,760 Speaker 1: I'm holding steady, I'm restless, you're ready. I just want 49 00:05:40,960 --> 00:05:47,680 Speaker 1: you to by being everyone's in a while. I didn't 50 00:05:47,680 --> 00:05:54,839 Speaker 1: need a side line to get me. Boy, you can't 51 00:05:54,880 --> 00:06:00,839 Speaker 1: fake a snile forever from my mouth? Water this was mine? 52 00:06:02,080 --> 00:06:20,560 Speaker 1: Is it over? Finally? Begin descended, I'm holding steady. I'm restless. 53 00:06:21,400 --> 00:06:30,799 Speaker 1: You're ready. I'm holding steady. I'm restless, you're ready, I'm 54 00:06:30,880 --> 00:06:54,920 Speaker 1: holding steady. M wow, wow brow. Well. The first thing 55 00:06:54,960 --> 00:06:56,640 Speaker 1: I want to say is you told me you were 56 00:06:56,680 --> 00:06:58,960 Speaker 1: going to play the guitar. What's with the piano? I 57 00:06:59,080 --> 00:07:03,600 Speaker 1: know how many instruments do you play? None? I just 58 00:07:04,200 --> 00:07:05,960 Speaker 1: they call it a jack of all trades. I guess 59 00:07:06,080 --> 00:07:08,560 Speaker 1: where did you start out on? Uh? Started out on 60 00:07:08,800 --> 00:07:13,280 Speaker 1: drums and Uh, I was very terrible at that, according 61 00:07:13,320 --> 00:07:16,400 Speaker 1: to my older sisters. Started in the bedroom. I was 62 00:07:16,440 --> 00:07:19,640 Speaker 1: eight years old and my parents made the grave mistake 63 00:07:19,760 --> 00:07:22,400 Speaker 1: of taking me to see this rock band called Kiss. 64 00:07:23,880 --> 00:07:27,400 Speaker 1: I was very obsessed as a young metal head, and uh, 65 00:07:27,440 --> 00:07:31,320 Speaker 1: I hear strands of Kiss in your music. Yeah, that 66 00:07:31,360 --> 00:07:36,200 Speaker 1: one for sure. But my dad was reluctant to go 67 00:07:36,280 --> 00:07:38,600 Speaker 1: to the show because he was this mountain man with 68 00:07:38,640 --> 00:07:42,880 Speaker 1: a Georgia Yeah, North Georgia mountains, and he loved um. 69 00:07:42,920 --> 00:07:45,040 Speaker 1: The accident will come out, don't worry. After a couple 70 00:07:45,080 --> 00:07:48,720 Speaker 1: of SIPs um. He was begrudgingly, you know, at this 71 00:07:48,800 --> 00:07:51,680 Speaker 1: Kiss show because he liked country music and he wasn't 72 00:07:51,720 --> 00:07:53,120 Speaker 1: sign up for this and all these guys he was 73 00:07:53,200 --> 00:07:56,080 Speaker 1: nineteen seventy seven, I was eight years old, and he's 74 00:07:56,120 --> 00:08:00,640 Speaker 1: wearing this new brown blazer that his mother had got him. 75 00:08:00,680 --> 00:08:04,320 Speaker 1: I just remember everybody there dressed up like the members 76 00:08:04,320 --> 00:08:05,800 Speaker 1: of Kiss. In the audience, you know, you had like 77 00:08:05,840 --> 00:08:08,000 Speaker 1: guys that were all like five years old, dressed up 78 00:08:08,000 --> 00:08:10,120 Speaker 1: as Jane and Paul and all these guys with the 79 00:08:10,160 --> 00:08:13,600 Speaker 1: boots and the whole thing. Yes, there was Paul and 80 00:08:13,680 --> 00:08:17,080 Speaker 1: Jeans sitting behind us, and they kept passing like joints 81 00:08:17,080 --> 00:08:19,320 Speaker 1: over my mom and dad to other people. Because it 82 00:08:19,440 --> 00:08:21,680 Speaker 1: was the seventies, it was a looser time. You know. 83 00:08:21,720 --> 00:08:23,600 Speaker 1: Here I am eight years old, smelling pot for the 84 00:08:23,640 --> 00:08:25,760 Speaker 1: first time, seeing it passed by a guy dressed in 85 00:08:25,840 --> 00:08:30,360 Speaker 1: Gene Simmons makeup and you're eight years old. Yeah, And 86 00:08:30,400 --> 00:08:33,439 Speaker 1: my my dad was like a make a Wish Foundation thing, 87 00:08:33,520 --> 00:08:38,679 Speaker 1: did you were dying kiss concert? It would have been 88 00:08:38,679 --> 00:08:40,839 Speaker 1: my dying wish for sure, and uh And I looked 89 00:08:40,840 --> 00:08:43,200 Speaker 1: over and in a strobe, I could see my dad 90 00:08:43,320 --> 00:08:47,720 Speaker 1: choking out Jean Simmons like this behind me before the 91 00:08:47,760 --> 00:08:49,800 Speaker 1: concert even started, and I was like, this is the 92 00:08:49,840 --> 00:08:56,040 Speaker 1: best fucking so And that started really eight years I 93 00:08:56,120 --> 00:08:57,760 Speaker 1: was a and that kind of started me on my 94 00:08:57,880 --> 00:09:01,439 Speaker 1: road to this. Yeah. I kind of started trying to 95 00:09:01,440 --> 00:09:03,320 Speaker 1: play drums the next day. That was as you do 96 00:09:03,400 --> 00:09:06,480 Speaker 1: as a kid. You're you're attracted to drums their primal 97 00:09:06,920 --> 00:09:11,720 Speaker 1: and I realized I didn't like being behind everybody. I 98 00:09:11,800 --> 00:09:16,160 Speaker 1: wanted to be out front. And so whenever I was 99 00:09:16,160 --> 00:09:19,280 Speaker 1: playing with this little band that um was in, we 100 00:09:19,440 --> 00:09:22,880 Speaker 1: practiced in my bedroom up in the attic. Uh, and 101 00:09:23,000 --> 00:09:25,320 Speaker 1: they were all like my sister's boyfriends. It was older 102 00:09:25,400 --> 00:09:28,080 Speaker 1: dudes that were already able to drive, and we were 103 00:09:28,080 --> 00:09:31,760 Speaker 1: playing like orio Speedwagon covers and trying to play get 104 00:09:31,760 --> 00:09:34,880 Speaker 1: through a rush song, which failed miserably after two bars. 105 00:09:35,280 --> 00:09:36,960 Speaker 1: They would leave the gear there and I would see 106 00:09:37,000 --> 00:09:39,560 Speaker 1: that guitar over in the corner next to my Charlie 107 00:09:39,640 --> 00:09:42,920 Speaker 1: McCarthy ventriloqu was dull, and we're like because I was 108 00:09:42,960 --> 00:09:44,800 Speaker 1: still so young, you know, And so I would go 109 00:09:44,800 --> 00:09:46,839 Speaker 1: over and pick up his guitar. And then I started learning, 110 00:09:46,840 --> 00:09:49,840 Speaker 1: like on one string how to like pick out songs 111 00:09:49,920 --> 00:09:53,280 Speaker 1: and play along to the radio. And next thing, you know, 112 00:09:53,400 --> 00:09:56,720 Speaker 1: I think my mom uh just was overhearing it and 113 00:09:56,760 --> 00:10:00,320 Speaker 1: thinking like, oh, because she's she's the musical on in 114 00:10:00,360 --> 00:10:04,760 Speaker 1: my family, sings and plays piano and she's very good. 115 00:10:04,800 --> 00:10:07,480 Speaker 1: You learned to play yourself for myself, by myself and 116 00:10:08,120 --> 00:10:13,439 Speaker 1: with myself, uh around that time a lot, and uh 117 00:10:13,840 --> 00:10:20,160 Speaker 1: that changes eventually, it does. But um, well, why would 118 00:10:20,160 --> 00:10:24,319 Speaker 1: be a famous musician if not? Whatever? So so UM 119 00:10:24,360 --> 00:10:27,040 Speaker 1: I ended up getting lessons because my mom was like, 120 00:10:27,160 --> 00:10:29,439 Speaker 1: I think he's got talent to do this, and so 121 00:10:30,240 --> 00:10:33,560 Speaker 1: um I ended up taking lessons from a guy locally 122 00:10:33,600 --> 00:10:36,560 Speaker 1: in Cartersville, this little town I was from and uh 123 00:10:36,600 --> 00:10:39,240 Speaker 1: he was great. Uh he taught me, you know, taught 124 00:10:39,240 --> 00:10:42,080 Speaker 1: me Van Halen songs and all the the essentials you know, 125 00:10:42,760 --> 00:10:47,920 Speaker 1: and and I was, you know, learning very fast. So um, 126 00:10:47,920 --> 00:10:50,200 Speaker 1: just I got obsessed with it and I kind of 127 00:10:50,200 --> 00:10:53,400 Speaker 1: never looked back from then. I stayed stayed true to 128 00:10:53,800 --> 00:10:57,080 Speaker 1: guitar pretty much the rest of my time. Now do 129 00:10:57,120 --> 00:10:59,360 Speaker 1: you think that for people? I mean, people ask me 130 00:10:59,400 --> 00:11:02,120 Speaker 1: all the time, say, if you take acting lessons, can 131 00:11:02,160 --> 00:11:04,199 Speaker 1: you make it make you a good actor? I say that, 132 00:11:04,320 --> 00:11:06,320 Speaker 1: you know, in my opinion, it can make you a 133 00:11:06,360 --> 00:11:08,000 Speaker 1: better actor than when you walk in the door. But 134 00:11:08,000 --> 00:11:09,560 Speaker 1: it can't make you a good actor. You have to 135 00:11:09,559 --> 00:11:12,440 Speaker 1: have some inspiration, to have some gift that people have. 136 00:11:12,600 --> 00:11:15,200 Speaker 1: It's uh, that's different. Do you feel the same way 137 00:11:15,240 --> 00:11:17,000 Speaker 1: about guitar playing. Do you feel that you had just 138 00:11:17,200 --> 00:11:19,719 Speaker 1: a passion for it? I think so. I think I 139 00:11:19,800 --> 00:11:21,560 Speaker 1: think I knew I could do it just because I was. 140 00:11:21,600 --> 00:11:23,360 Speaker 1: I had a good ear for picking out I could 141 00:11:23,360 --> 00:11:25,360 Speaker 1: pick out stuff on the radio so quickly, and I 142 00:11:25,400 --> 00:11:28,040 Speaker 1: could I didn't. It was like learning to run before 143 00:11:28,080 --> 00:11:29,800 Speaker 1: you could walk, though I didn't know how. I didn't 144 00:11:29,840 --> 00:11:32,720 Speaker 1: have any knowledge of it, or chords or anything. Just 145 00:11:32,840 --> 00:11:34,720 Speaker 1: kind of had the ear and the muscle memory to 146 00:11:34,760 --> 00:11:36,679 Speaker 1: be able to pick it out and play it. And 147 00:11:36,760 --> 00:11:38,520 Speaker 1: so you know, the next thing, you know, it would 148 00:11:38,559 --> 00:11:40,760 Speaker 1: be like my parents having their fondue parties and ship 149 00:11:40,800 --> 00:11:43,600 Speaker 1: and they would be coming upstairs and I'd be upstairs 150 00:11:43,640 --> 00:11:46,440 Speaker 1: just playing along to records and the like. You know. 151 00:11:46,480 --> 00:11:49,360 Speaker 1: My mom would be like, play that pretender song, you know, 152 00:11:49,440 --> 00:11:51,880 Speaker 1: and so I'd be like, you know, for for company, 153 00:11:52,320 --> 00:11:55,360 Speaker 1: And so I would end up playing little concerts in 154 00:11:55,440 --> 00:11:58,880 Speaker 1: my room for all for all of their party uh guests, 155 00:11:59,360 --> 00:12:02,079 Speaker 1: where people's smoking pot and your father choking people out 156 00:12:02,080 --> 00:12:14,040 Speaker 1: of the party. It was pretty civilized. Yeah. He Later 157 00:12:14,080 --> 00:12:16,560 Speaker 1: in life I came to find he was. He was 158 00:12:16,600 --> 00:12:20,040 Speaker 1: a tear. When you're in Cartersville to her how old 159 00:12:21,320 --> 00:12:25,800 Speaker 1: cars will till I graduated high school, which your whole childhood. Yeah, 160 00:12:25,960 --> 00:12:29,920 Speaker 1: And what was the music scene like locally? None? Um, 161 00:12:30,000 --> 00:12:34,920 Speaker 1: so there was no Cartersville was kind of sequestion because 162 00:12:34,920 --> 00:12:38,160 Speaker 1: it was between Athens in Atlanta. I was too young 163 00:12:38,520 --> 00:12:41,400 Speaker 1: for most of that time at home to do anything 164 00:12:41,520 --> 00:12:43,960 Speaker 1: or to go anywhere and play anywhere. You know. I 165 00:12:44,000 --> 00:12:46,400 Speaker 1: did get into a band in Rome, Georgia, which was 166 00:12:46,640 --> 00:12:49,400 Speaker 1: about twenty minutes north of Cartersville, and that's where I 167 00:12:49,440 --> 00:12:51,599 Speaker 1: could find musicians because in Carter's it was kind of 168 00:12:51,640 --> 00:12:53,679 Speaker 1: a little bit of a foot loose vibe. There was 169 00:12:53,760 --> 00:12:56,920 Speaker 1: like nobody, nobody playing unless it was the Lord's music. 170 00:12:57,640 --> 00:13:00,720 Speaker 1: And and so you know, I I worked at the 171 00:13:00,720 --> 00:13:02,880 Speaker 1: local music store where I would I would teach guitar 172 00:13:03,000 --> 00:13:05,040 Speaker 1: less and when I was a teenager, and you know, 173 00:13:05,120 --> 00:13:07,000 Speaker 1: dudes would come in and I started to grow my 174 00:13:07,080 --> 00:13:08,760 Speaker 1: hair out and they'd be like, I bet you play 175 00:13:08,840 --> 00:13:12,760 Speaker 1: that Sitan music. And then I would be like, oh, well, 176 00:13:12,760 --> 00:13:15,400 Speaker 1: what's the picture of Jesus looked like above your mantle? 177 00:13:15,440 --> 00:13:19,920 Speaker 1: How short is his hair? I wanted out. The guys 178 00:13:20,040 --> 00:13:21,600 Speaker 1: that I was playing with it from Rome. They were 179 00:13:21,640 --> 00:13:25,760 Speaker 1: all my age basically, and um we started playing this 180 00:13:25,800 --> 00:13:29,120 Speaker 1: one club in Rome that was basically a u it 181 00:13:29,200 --> 00:13:32,200 Speaker 1: was it was a former pizza hut, and uh we 182 00:13:32,240 --> 00:13:33,840 Speaker 1: would go in there and this was during the height 183 00:13:33,880 --> 00:13:37,640 Speaker 1: of like like mid eighties eighties metal and we would 184 00:13:37,640 --> 00:13:42,000 Speaker 1: build homemade bombs on stage and fire and pyro and 185 00:13:42,360 --> 00:13:44,760 Speaker 1: blow the drop ceiling out of the place like this, 186 00:13:44,880 --> 00:13:50,199 Speaker 1: and I mean, I can't believe it's still standing. No, no, 187 00:13:50,840 --> 00:13:52,880 Speaker 1: uh we I had a key to the place. That's 188 00:13:52,880 --> 00:13:55,600 Speaker 1: how loose this place was. I was sixteen and I 189 00:13:55,640 --> 00:13:59,079 Speaker 1: had a key to this bar. We had a mattress 190 00:13:59,160 --> 00:14:01,200 Speaker 1: under the drum right is there, and we would go 191 00:14:01,240 --> 00:14:03,560 Speaker 1: in there. If we had been partying or driving around 192 00:14:03,600 --> 00:14:05,760 Speaker 1: and too much, we would go in there and raid 193 00:14:05,840 --> 00:14:09,320 Speaker 1: the bar. I can't believe I'm telling everybody this, and 194 00:14:09,360 --> 00:14:11,400 Speaker 1: then and then we would and then we would all 195 00:14:11,520 --> 00:14:14,120 Speaker 1: pull out the mattresses and just pass out in a 196 00:14:14,160 --> 00:14:19,760 Speaker 1: club and I'd wake up basically pretty much. And this 197 00:14:19,840 --> 00:14:23,240 Speaker 1: was called Ronnie's Rock Cafe. And and Atlanta there was 198 00:14:23,280 --> 00:14:25,800 Speaker 1: a place I used to go play, uh called Danny's. 199 00:14:25,960 --> 00:14:28,440 Speaker 1: It was a metal bar on forty Highway forty one 200 00:14:28,760 --> 00:14:30,560 Speaker 1: in Smyrna, and I would go there and I would 201 00:14:30,560 --> 00:14:32,960 Speaker 1: play six nights a week, and we'd do three cover 202 00:14:33,000 --> 00:14:34,960 Speaker 1: band sets a night because you weren't you weren't allowed 203 00:14:34,960 --> 00:14:37,560 Speaker 1: to play original music back then at any of the bars, 204 00:14:37,840 --> 00:14:41,320 Speaker 1: even in Atlanta, which was a pretty you know, big city. 205 00:14:41,440 --> 00:14:44,280 Speaker 1: If you were doing the hard rock scene at the time, 206 00:14:44,440 --> 00:14:46,880 Speaker 1: you had to play covers. And that was my reason 207 00:14:46,920 --> 00:14:49,120 Speaker 1: for wanting to take the band and all of us 208 00:14:49,240 --> 00:14:54,480 Speaker 1: moved to Los Angeles, which is what we did it was, 209 00:14:56,040 --> 00:15:00,280 Speaker 1: and I moved here with the guys and and we 210 00:15:00,360 --> 00:15:03,440 Speaker 1: lived and if I can recall, we lived. We we 211 00:15:03,520 --> 00:15:05,080 Speaker 1: kind of lived around in our van. We lived in 212 00:15:05,120 --> 00:15:07,360 Speaker 1: a motel for a little bit. And then we found 213 00:15:07,400 --> 00:15:12,720 Speaker 1: an apartment five blocks from here, Hollywood and Whitley and 214 00:15:13,800 --> 00:15:18,720 Speaker 1: and yeah, man, dreams do come true. And uh so 215 00:15:18,800 --> 00:15:21,200 Speaker 1: we were you know, we were. We were sitting there, 216 00:15:21,200 --> 00:15:24,120 Speaker 1: six of us in a one bedroom on air conditioned apartment. 217 00:15:24,520 --> 00:15:29,480 Speaker 1: You know, smelled so good, and uh but we loved it. 218 00:15:29,480 --> 00:15:30,640 Speaker 1: We were having the time of our life. It was. 219 00:15:30,680 --> 00:15:33,320 Speaker 1: That was our college. None of us went to college 220 00:15:33,480 --> 00:15:36,880 Speaker 1: or barely finished high school. Um, so we came out 221 00:15:36,920 --> 00:15:42,480 Speaker 1: here at the height of the Guns and Roses, Poison, Motley, 222 00:15:42,560 --> 00:15:45,960 Speaker 1: Crewe Rat, all of that like that, all those bands. 223 00:15:46,600 --> 00:15:49,080 Speaker 1: Um that was huge for us. So we came out 224 00:15:49,120 --> 00:15:50,600 Speaker 1: here and ended up in the belly of the Beast 225 00:15:50,680 --> 00:15:53,920 Speaker 1: and we started right away. We pounded the pavement and 226 00:15:54,040 --> 00:15:55,440 Speaker 1: found out what we needed to do. This was pre 227 00:15:55,560 --> 00:15:57,720 Speaker 1: cell phones and pre internet, pre anything. So it was 228 00:15:57,760 --> 00:16:00,400 Speaker 1: like we had no idea what to expect. Um had 229 00:16:00,400 --> 00:16:02,800 Speaker 1: a girlfriend at the time who was already out here 230 00:16:04,200 --> 00:16:11,040 Speaker 1: working at the Tropicana. It's so cliche. Um, but she 231 00:16:11,200 --> 00:16:13,640 Speaker 1: was from Georgia and so she moved out and got 232 00:16:13,680 --> 00:16:18,520 Speaker 1: a dancing job, and she would send me flyers of 233 00:16:18,560 --> 00:16:21,000 Speaker 1: all the bands that were flyering on the Sunset Strip, 234 00:16:21,040 --> 00:16:23,880 Speaker 1: and that's that's how I learned what they looked like, 235 00:16:24,360 --> 00:16:28,840 Speaker 1: how they dressed, the whole image of everything. So we 236 00:16:28,920 --> 00:16:32,560 Speaker 1: came out here and um, we immediately hit the printer 237 00:16:32,680 --> 00:16:35,800 Speaker 1: shop and we printed up flyers for our first show 238 00:16:35,840 --> 00:16:37,920 Speaker 1: that we were ever able to get booked to play. 239 00:16:38,880 --> 00:16:43,120 Speaker 1: We played the Whiskey our first show, and we only 240 00:16:43,120 --> 00:16:46,360 Speaker 1: had five originals, so we had to play him twice. 241 00:16:47,160 --> 00:16:51,080 Speaker 1: We're gonna play this song again, I'm gonna play it slower, yeah, 242 00:16:51,200 --> 00:16:54,040 Speaker 1: And we ended up getting written up in this magazine 243 00:16:54,080 --> 00:16:55,720 Speaker 1: at the time that was a local rag called the 244 00:16:55,800 --> 00:16:59,200 Speaker 1: Rock City News, and they they loved us, say they 245 00:16:59,200 --> 00:17:01,480 Speaker 1: were like tightest on the Sunset Strip, they said, And 246 00:17:01,520 --> 00:17:04,720 Speaker 1: we were like, we only have five songs, but we 247 00:17:04,840 --> 00:17:07,840 Speaker 1: got good and we we definitely learned because we were 248 00:17:07,840 --> 00:17:10,600 Speaker 1: fueled by all these other It was very competitive. It 249 00:17:10,680 --> 00:17:14,640 Speaker 1: was saturated. It was thousands of dudes that looked just 250 00:17:14,720 --> 00:17:17,200 Speaker 1: alike getting off the bus, all on the Sunset Strip, 251 00:17:17,280 --> 00:17:19,200 Speaker 1: just like yeah, just like the guns and Roses videos, 252 00:17:19,680 --> 00:17:22,560 Speaker 1: Hey out of the mouth, and um, basically we're just 253 00:17:22,680 --> 00:17:26,879 Speaker 1: down there on the strip promoting and grassroots marketing ourselves 254 00:17:26,960 --> 00:17:30,159 Speaker 1: and trying to convince people to buy tickets to our 255 00:17:30,200 --> 00:17:32,680 Speaker 1: show after they just got a flyer and dropped it 256 00:17:32,720 --> 00:17:34,479 Speaker 1: on the ground from the band in front of us. Now, 257 00:17:34,480 --> 00:17:36,159 Speaker 1: when you're in it, when you're a young guy and 258 00:17:36,240 --> 00:17:39,520 Speaker 1: you're in a band, did you enjoy being in a 259 00:17:39,520 --> 00:17:42,240 Speaker 1: band and did you enjoy the camaraderie or was there 260 00:17:42,240 --> 00:17:48,000 Speaker 1: a party all along you thought I'd like to No, No, 261 00:17:48,119 --> 00:17:50,920 Speaker 1: I enjoyed it. And at the time, I should preface 262 00:17:50,960 --> 00:17:53,840 Speaker 1: that I was just the guitar player then uh in 263 00:17:53,920 --> 00:17:56,000 Speaker 1: the band that came out here, So I wasn't the 264 00:17:56,080 --> 00:17:59,600 Speaker 1: lead singer. Um I sang and I was able to 265 00:17:59,640 --> 00:18:04,320 Speaker 1: do all harmonies and even help with uh. At least 266 00:18:04,440 --> 00:18:06,720 Speaker 1: it was a guy named Jesse, and then I came 267 00:18:06,760 --> 00:18:09,879 Speaker 1: out here with him and Jason and my drummer's slug 268 00:18:10,600 --> 00:18:16,040 Speaker 1: And so basically I loved being a guitar player. I 269 00:18:16,040 --> 00:18:19,080 Speaker 1: love being in a band. I loved that camaraderie. Uh. 270 00:18:19,440 --> 00:18:22,719 Speaker 1: The front I'm not the front man why yet, But 271 00:18:22,760 --> 00:18:24,840 Speaker 1: that's what I want to get to. Why well, I 272 00:18:24,880 --> 00:18:28,600 Speaker 1: don't know. At the time, it was very much a 273 00:18:28,600 --> 00:18:32,440 Speaker 1: an image of the front man was you know, no instrument, 274 00:18:32,480 --> 00:18:34,960 Speaker 1: just a mic stand. You know, the teased out blonde 275 00:18:34,960 --> 00:18:36,760 Speaker 1: hair was all just part of a it was all 276 00:18:36,760 --> 00:18:39,320 Speaker 1: part of a blueprint to us. We didn't know that 277 00:18:39,359 --> 00:18:43,320 Speaker 1: it could be different. Yes, absolutely, and he was a 278 00:18:43,359 --> 00:18:47,280 Speaker 1: great like hard rock singer and so that was kind 279 00:18:47,280 --> 00:18:57,360 Speaker 1: of important. Back in Jesse, Could I have my check please? No? Uh? So, yeah, 280 00:18:57,400 --> 00:19:02,560 Speaker 1: they're back. They're back and joking I know you. Uh, 281 00:19:04,280 --> 00:19:08,520 Speaker 1: they're all three still in Georgia actually, and they're still 282 00:19:08,560 --> 00:19:13,159 Speaker 1: on that mattress in Rome under the drum stand. That 283 00:19:13,240 --> 00:19:17,639 Speaker 1: mattress won't die. Mattress is a mess. It's horrible. But 284 00:19:17,960 --> 00:19:20,160 Speaker 1: but but but but so the name of the band 285 00:19:20,160 --> 00:19:22,520 Speaker 1: again when you were with them was it was a 286 00:19:22,520 --> 00:19:26,560 Speaker 1: ban called South Gang and we were and that lasts 287 00:19:26,600 --> 00:19:29,959 Speaker 1: for how long? Not long? Four or five years? Uh, 288 00:19:30,640 --> 00:19:32,280 Speaker 1: let's see. We moved out in eight eight and by 289 00:19:32,400 --> 00:19:35,840 Speaker 1: by I think ninety two, we were we were cooked 290 00:19:35,880 --> 00:19:39,840 Speaker 1: and what happened everything? So we how much time do 291 00:19:39,880 --> 00:19:43,240 Speaker 1: you have? I want to hear already hear about your 292 00:19:43,280 --> 00:19:47,200 Speaker 1: story then I'll tell you. Um so, well, besides the 293 00:19:47,240 --> 00:19:49,360 Speaker 1: fact that we were kind of growing apart, and I'm 294 00:19:49,359 --> 00:19:52,800 Speaker 1: gonna spare the bloody details because I respect all of 295 00:19:52,800 --> 00:19:56,000 Speaker 1: the guys very much, but you know, we just like anything. 296 00:19:56,000 --> 00:19:57,879 Speaker 1: And it goes back to your question about did I 297 00:19:57,960 --> 00:20:00,520 Speaker 1: enjoy being in a band in that camaraderie. It comes 298 00:20:00,560 --> 00:20:03,640 Speaker 1: to an end sometimes, that does, and people start growing 299 00:20:03,680 --> 00:20:06,240 Speaker 1: up are especially when you start playing together when you're teenagers. 300 00:20:06,560 --> 00:20:08,440 Speaker 1: I mean it's like getting married when you're a teenager 301 00:20:08,480 --> 00:20:10,919 Speaker 1: and then by the time you're thirty, your your different 302 00:20:10,920 --> 00:20:13,399 Speaker 1: people and you hope that you grew together not apart. 303 00:20:14,160 --> 00:20:17,119 Speaker 1: But long story long, we were touring and touring and touring. 304 00:20:17,800 --> 00:20:22,600 Speaker 1: The scene that we were in was definitely starting to transition, 305 00:20:23,240 --> 00:20:26,480 Speaker 1: uh to like grunge was very was on the was 306 00:20:26,520 --> 00:20:29,600 Speaker 1: on the horizon. Um. We could see that that was 307 00:20:29,640 --> 00:20:35,560 Speaker 1: gonna be an interesting change in in music, and I 308 00:20:35,600 --> 00:20:37,359 Speaker 1: was all for it. I was kind of like, well, 309 00:20:37,920 --> 00:20:40,360 Speaker 1: I'm still a sponge, I'm still soaking all this up. 310 00:20:40,400 --> 00:20:43,080 Speaker 1: I still want to learn every kind of music. I 311 00:20:43,119 --> 00:20:46,040 Speaker 1: loved everycondom music growing up. My sister's record collection was 312 00:20:46,119 --> 00:20:49,679 Speaker 1: everything from you know, Parliament to the BGS to you 313 00:20:49,760 --> 00:20:52,399 Speaker 1: name it, and so I liked I liked everything. I 314 00:20:52,480 --> 00:20:57,720 Speaker 1: like to disco, I liked everything, and so um, you know, 315 00:20:57,760 --> 00:20:59,359 Speaker 1: I just didn't feel like sticking to one kind of 316 00:20:59,440 --> 00:21:04,040 Speaker 1: music was was gonna satisfy my soul. And so you know, 317 00:21:04,040 --> 00:21:06,040 Speaker 1: we started kind of growing apart that way. And then 318 00:21:06,080 --> 00:21:10,040 Speaker 1: we went on a tour in China and we were 319 00:21:10,080 --> 00:21:13,040 Speaker 1: there for six weeks and it went everything you could 320 00:21:13,080 --> 00:21:16,720 Speaker 1: possibly think of it could go wrong, went wrong. We 321 00:21:16,720 --> 00:21:20,840 Speaker 1: were the first American rock band ever tour China should 322 00:21:20,840 --> 00:21:23,879 Speaker 1: have been the last, because we were there. It was 323 00:21:24,520 --> 00:21:25,840 Speaker 1: I don't even have enough time to tell you all 324 00:21:25,840 --> 00:21:31,040 Speaker 1: the stories of how incredibly like like heartbreaking and emotional 325 00:21:31,080 --> 00:21:36,560 Speaker 1: and crazy it was. You know, well, okay, I'll edit 326 00:21:36,600 --> 00:21:39,160 Speaker 1: it down to the end of the China run when 327 00:21:39,160 --> 00:21:42,800 Speaker 1: we were all basically in different train cars going to 328 00:21:43,040 --> 00:21:46,359 Speaker 1: cities which were thirty hours apart, and we had a 329 00:21:46,359 --> 00:21:49,399 Speaker 1: lot of time to contemplate, um, we were over here. 330 00:21:49,600 --> 00:21:51,720 Speaker 1: Our label got basically just wanted to kind of get 331 00:21:51,800 --> 00:21:54,480 Speaker 1: rid of us because this our first record deal was 332 00:21:54,520 --> 00:21:57,600 Speaker 1: a major label deal, which you know, I'm happy to 333 00:21:57,600 --> 00:21:59,159 Speaker 1: get into that side of it if you want, But 334 00:21:59,200 --> 00:22:01,480 Speaker 1: it's like that was that was like you know, getting 335 00:22:01,480 --> 00:22:03,359 Speaker 1: a lot of things handed to us, you know, a 336 00:22:03,359 --> 00:22:06,040 Speaker 1: big advance to do a big budget record with a 337 00:22:06,040 --> 00:22:13,639 Speaker 1: big budget producer, big video. Yes, right, and but um, 338 00:22:13,760 --> 00:22:17,080 Speaker 1: no one else believed in us, so our management kind 339 00:22:17,119 --> 00:22:18,959 Speaker 1: of wanted to just get rid of us. So this 340 00:22:19,000 --> 00:22:20,520 Speaker 1: whole thing was kind of a little bit of a 341 00:22:20,560 --> 00:22:22,679 Speaker 1: get him over and get them out of our hair situation. 342 00:22:23,200 --> 00:22:25,320 Speaker 1: And so we were over there and realizing that what 343 00:22:25,520 --> 00:22:27,720 Speaker 1: was not really the case, which was like, we're not 344 00:22:27,760 --> 00:22:29,720 Speaker 1: going to really make any money from this, We're not 345 00:22:29,760 --> 00:22:32,440 Speaker 1: going to really uh make it break any ground from it. 346 00:22:33,480 --> 00:22:37,960 Speaker 1: Um and UM, me and the bass player, Jace, would 347 00:22:37,960 --> 00:22:40,439 Speaker 1: sit in one train car and we were plotting our 348 00:22:40,800 --> 00:22:43,560 Speaker 1: breaking up the band, and he kept saying, you should 349 00:22:43,560 --> 00:22:45,479 Speaker 1: be the singer, you should be the singer, and I 350 00:22:45,560 --> 00:22:47,440 Speaker 1: was like, I'm not a singer. I have dark hair, 351 00:22:48,119 --> 00:22:53,520 Speaker 1: you know, And and so eventually we just, you know, 352 00:22:53,560 --> 00:22:55,639 Speaker 1: we started thinking of a new band name. We started 353 00:22:55,640 --> 00:22:57,320 Speaker 1: thinking while we were on this train right over there. 354 00:22:57,880 --> 00:23:00,359 Speaker 1: And as fate would have it, um, we were in 355 00:23:00,440 --> 00:23:02,480 Speaker 1: one of the cities playing which by the way, I 356 00:23:02,480 --> 00:23:06,399 Speaker 1: should mention that we were playing all hockey arenas and 357 00:23:06,640 --> 00:23:08,639 Speaker 1: a band that couldn't get arrested in the States, and 358 00:23:08,640 --> 00:23:12,200 Speaker 1: we're playing hockey arenas and and some places were playing 359 00:23:12,240 --> 00:23:14,520 Speaker 1: on the fucking ice, like sliding all over the they 360 00:23:14,560 --> 00:23:17,640 Speaker 1: didn't have The production was awful. It was the weirdest ship. 361 00:23:17,920 --> 00:23:20,040 Speaker 1: They weren't allowed on the floor, they had to be 362 00:23:20,119 --> 00:23:23,520 Speaker 1: in the stands. The closest person was a hundred feet away. 363 00:23:23,560 --> 00:23:25,960 Speaker 1: They weren't allowed to stand up. There was like, you know, 364 00:23:26,160 --> 00:23:28,960 Speaker 1: military guards around the whole place every time. They weren't 365 00:23:28,960 --> 00:23:31,600 Speaker 1: allowed to yell. They could only just clap after every 366 00:23:31,680 --> 00:23:36,040 Speaker 1: song and sit. So enjoy your freedom, everyone in America, 367 00:23:36,680 --> 00:23:39,800 Speaker 1: because at the time they did not have that. So 368 00:23:40,000 --> 00:23:42,520 Speaker 1: the last show we played, which was not supposed to 369 00:23:42,520 --> 00:23:44,800 Speaker 1: be the last show, it was the third of the 370 00:23:44,880 --> 00:23:47,440 Speaker 1: last show, and we went to this town called ji Lynn, 371 00:23:48,160 --> 00:23:50,880 Speaker 1: and we played more of a scale down like UM 372 00:23:51,160 --> 00:23:53,760 Speaker 1: Gymnasium almost, and so there was no way for the 373 00:23:53,760 --> 00:23:55,320 Speaker 1: people to be anywhere but right in front of us. 374 00:23:55,320 --> 00:23:57,560 Speaker 1: So they made them all sit across leget on the floor, 375 00:23:58,440 --> 00:24:04,399 Speaker 1: no chairs, and when that show was happening, Uh, it's 376 00:24:04,520 --> 00:24:06,000 Speaker 1: closest we were able to get to people. So we 377 00:24:06,000 --> 00:24:07,880 Speaker 1: were very excited because we've been there for six weeks 378 00:24:07,920 --> 00:24:11,080 Speaker 1: and couldn't even have any like energy with a crowd whatsoever, 379 00:24:11,200 --> 00:24:13,359 Speaker 1: just felt like we were monkeys on display. And so 380 00:24:13,400 --> 00:24:15,560 Speaker 1: in this one we were just like we were jumping 381 00:24:15,600 --> 00:24:18,080 Speaker 1: off the stage and making people get up and that 382 00:24:18,160 --> 00:24:21,119 Speaker 1: was a no no. Um. So we get back, you know, 383 00:24:21,160 --> 00:24:22,440 Speaker 1: we're up on stage and then all of a sudden, 384 00:24:22,440 --> 00:24:24,399 Speaker 1: these people started getting up and then they start running 385 00:24:24,440 --> 00:24:27,160 Speaker 1: up on stage and then a little bit of that 386 00:24:27,240 --> 00:24:32,880 Speaker 1: like um thing where the mania kicked in and they're 387 00:24:32,920 --> 00:24:34,919 Speaker 1: like pulling our We had a very long hair and 388 00:24:34,920 --> 00:24:37,919 Speaker 1: they're pulling it and trying to pull us off the stage, 389 00:24:37,920 --> 00:24:40,320 Speaker 1: and like guys and girls like trying to you know, 390 00:24:40,400 --> 00:24:44,679 Speaker 1: kiss you on the mouth, and and and and and 391 00:24:44,680 --> 00:24:48,280 Speaker 1: they were throwing like money and and uh candy, and 392 00:24:49,160 --> 00:24:52,040 Speaker 1: it was really it was. It was like a weird 393 00:24:52,080 --> 00:24:54,800 Speaker 1: Fellini movie, but like but if you would imagine like 394 00:24:54,840 --> 00:24:59,080 Speaker 1: hard Day's Night, but not harder Day's night. And so 395 00:24:59,600 --> 00:25:04,960 Speaker 1: we um, we basically um inside it a riot and 396 00:25:05,080 --> 00:25:09,120 Speaker 1: so they tear gas the place and we were whisked 397 00:25:09,160 --> 00:25:12,199 Speaker 1: off the stage. Keep in mind, we're just young fucking 398 00:25:12,240 --> 00:25:15,440 Speaker 1: rednecks with leather jackets and long hair, and we think 399 00:25:15,520 --> 00:25:18,960 Speaker 1: this is awesome. We think this is the best thing 400 00:25:19,040 --> 00:25:23,000 Speaker 1: we've ever experienced. We're just like high fiving, getting in 401 00:25:23,000 --> 00:25:25,480 Speaker 1: a van going off like we're yeah, we finally got 402 00:25:25,480 --> 00:25:27,960 Speaker 1: some action, we got some interaction. We're doing this. This 403 00:25:28,000 --> 00:25:30,760 Speaker 1: is great. We're connecting with the people. And then like 404 00:25:30,800 --> 00:25:32,720 Speaker 1: we get on a train, we fall asleep, and we 405 00:25:32,760 --> 00:25:35,240 Speaker 1: wake up and we are in Beijing at the airport. 406 00:25:36,640 --> 00:25:40,960 Speaker 1: No translators, no managers, no one to be found, and 407 00:25:41,359 --> 00:25:44,160 Speaker 1: no cell phones, no internet, no nothing. So like we're 408 00:25:44,200 --> 00:25:46,359 Speaker 1: like sitting there. We don't know where our gear is, 409 00:25:46,440 --> 00:25:49,840 Speaker 1: we don't know where anything is. We see plane tickets 410 00:25:50,960 --> 00:25:55,399 Speaker 1: at our feet, and basically they're just that's in and 411 00:25:55,800 --> 00:25:58,840 Speaker 1: implying that get the funk out of here and go home. 412 00:25:59,400 --> 00:26:02,040 Speaker 1: And we couldn't, you know, we didn't know how to 413 00:26:02,080 --> 00:26:04,200 Speaker 1: we we couldn't speak the language, We had no translator 414 00:26:04,240 --> 00:26:07,639 Speaker 1: at this point they had all left. Yes, very isolating 415 00:26:07,640 --> 00:26:10,680 Speaker 1: and for kids in their early twenties, it was frightening. 416 00:26:10,720 --> 00:26:12,800 Speaker 1: We were very scared. We've never been out of the 417 00:26:12,800 --> 00:26:15,679 Speaker 1: country before any of it. So, you know, we're calling 418 00:26:15,720 --> 00:26:18,760 Speaker 1: back home on pay phones, waking our dad's up, you know, 419 00:26:18,920 --> 00:26:21,680 Speaker 1: trying to figure out like how to get our gear. 420 00:26:21,800 --> 00:26:24,840 Speaker 1: Our gear was thirty hours back. Um and the way 421 00:26:24,840 --> 00:26:28,320 Speaker 1: that they transported the gear to these things was literally 422 00:26:28,359 --> 00:26:31,680 Speaker 1: by open truck like like it's like watching an episode 423 00:26:31,680 --> 00:26:33,879 Speaker 1: of mash, you know, and it would just be like 424 00:26:33,920 --> 00:26:36,199 Speaker 1: open trucks with our road cases and stuff of all 425 00:26:36,240 --> 00:26:38,560 Speaker 1: of our gear that came over from America, and we 426 00:26:38,600 --> 00:26:40,800 Speaker 1: rented a bunch of gear for it. So like we 427 00:26:40,800 --> 00:26:42,280 Speaker 1: were like, we're not going back home. We're gonna get 428 00:26:42,320 --> 00:26:44,640 Speaker 1: sued by the gear companies as well for not having 429 00:26:44,680 --> 00:26:47,680 Speaker 1: any of our gear and our prize guitars and everything 430 00:26:47,720 --> 00:26:49,800 Speaker 1: if we don't get home. So um, this is a 431 00:26:49,800 --> 00:26:54,200 Speaker 1: great story about our crew. Um Uh Robert Ragman Long 432 00:26:54,680 --> 00:27:00,440 Speaker 1: and Scary Larry Cromer. They offered to go back by 433 00:27:00,440 --> 00:27:05,000 Speaker 1: car to the last town thirty hours away, find the 434 00:27:05,040 --> 00:27:08,280 Speaker 1: gear and come home with it. And they rode home 435 00:27:08,320 --> 00:27:12,680 Speaker 1: on the road cases in the cargo plane. On top 436 00:27:12,720 --> 00:27:15,640 Speaker 1: of that fifteen hours to make sure our gear got 437 00:27:15,640 --> 00:27:20,560 Speaker 1: back to the States, and Larry moved out from Rome, 438 00:27:20,600 --> 00:27:23,719 Speaker 1: Georgia with me to l A. I taught him how 439 00:27:23,720 --> 00:27:28,880 Speaker 1: to string a guitar. UM. Those guys not surprisingly went 440 00:27:28,920 --> 00:27:33,320 Speaker 1: on to be um two of the biggest most successful 441 00:27:33,400 --> 00:27:35,760 Speaker 1: road crew guys you'll ever meet. They both were they 442 00:27:35,800 --> 00:27:41,000 Speaker 1: both guess who they worked for. Kiss. It all comes around. 443 00:27:41,240 --> 00:27:44,040 Speaker 1: It certainly does. When you decided this group, when you 444 00:27:44,119 --> 00:27:46,000 Speaker 1: when you come back, it's over. We got back and 445 00:27:46,040 --> 00:27:48,640 Speaker 1: we started a new band immediately and just were fueled 446 00:27:49,119 --> 00:27:52,600 Speaker 1: by um just doing things. D I Y you were 447 00:27:52,640 --> 00:27:55,320 Speaker 1: the frontman at this point. I was then, and I 448 00:27:55,359 --> 00:27:58,040 Speaker 1: started I started being the frontman for this new band. 449 00:27:58,080 --> 00:28:00,520 Speaker 1: What did you feel that that require heard from you 450 00:28:00,560 --> 00:28:02,720 Speaker 1: that you didn't have to display before? Was there a 451 00:28:02,800 --> 00:28:05,600 Speaker 1: thing you felt you had to I actually didn't know 452 00:28:05,640 --> 00:28:07,399 Speaker 1: how to be a front man. I'd never done it, 453 00:28:07,440 --> 00:28:09,639 Speaker 1: really so, and I certainly knew that I was a 454 00:28:09,640 --> 00:28:11,880 Speaker 1: guitar player first and foremost, so I was not gonna 455 00:28:12,359 --> 00:28:14,760 Speaker 1: what they call freehand and like to put the guitar 456 00:28:15,200 --> 00:28:17,120 Speaker 1: because I don't know what to do with a mic 457 00:28:17,200 --> 00:28:19,119 Speaker 1: stand while I'm playing, So it's like I need a 458 00:28:19,160 --> 00:28:22,880 Speaker 1: guitar on. It became the crutch, right, But I got 459 00:28:22,920 --> 00:28:25,080 Speaker 1: really I got comfortable with it really quick because we 460 00:28:25,119 --> 00:28:28,280 Speaker 1: played like two hundred shows a year, and we started 461 00:28:28,320 --> 00:28:30,760 Speaker 1: just playing two hundred shows a year every year, and 462 00:28:30,880 --> 00:28:33,880 Speaker 1: you know, for for what would become the better part 463 00:28:33,880 --> 00:28:37,560 Speaker 1: of twenty years. I think I got pretty good at it. 464 00:28:37,600 --> 00:28:42,400 Speaker 1: I guess if I can be not humble being a 465 00:28:42,440 --> 00:28:52,920 Speaker 1: front man, uh musician and producer, butch Walker. Another l 466 00:28:53,000 --> 00:28:55,840 Speaker 1: a music act I love is the band Perta, which 467 00:28:55,920 --> 00:28:59,560 Speaker 1: is perched on the edge of stardom. It's front man, 468 00:28:59,680 --> 00:29:03,640 Speaker 1: Matt Azolka, has the voice, presence and look of a 469 00:29:03,760 --> 00:29:07,200 Speaker 1: once in a generation rock star, but they're not there yet. 470 00:29:07,880 --> 00:29:10,560 Speaker 1: How many jobs you're working, I'd say two and a 471 00:29:10,600 --> 00:29:12,720 Speaker 1: half and what are they if you want to sign? 472 00:29:13,840 --> 00:29:16,240 Speaker 1: I do work for Starbucks and that one is probably 473 00:29:16,240 --> 00:29:17,720 Speaker 1: the one I'm ready to get rid of the most. 474 00:29:17,840 --> 00:29:20,160 Speaker 1: I love them, They're a great company, but four thirty 475 00:29:20,160 --> 00:29:24,240 Speaker 1: in the morning, five days a week and no fucking heart. Yeah, 476 00:29:24,800 --> 00:29:28,960 Speaker 1: usual days like four to one. Last year, I said 477 00:29:29,080 --> 00:29:32,400 Speaker 1: that this interview would end up being our most downloaded, 478 00:29:33,840 --> 00:29:36,640 Speaker 1: and I stand by that prediction. You can beat the 479 00:29:36,680 --> 00:29:40,400 Speaker 1: crowds by texting p e r t A. That's p 480 00:29:40,640 --> 00:29:44,320 Speaker 1: e r t A to seven zero one zero one. 481 00:29:44,680 --> 00:29:47,680 Speaker 1: Now we'll send you a link to my full interview 482 00:29:47,720 --> 00:29:51,520 Speaker 1: with Matt and his bandmate Colin Kenrick, plus a link 483 00:29:51,600 --> 00:29:55,000 Speaker 1: to their Instagram so you can listen and feast your eyes. 484 00:30:04,880 --> 00:30:08,680 Speaker 1: I'm Alec Baldwin and this is Here's the thing which 485 00:30:08,760 --> 00:30:12,600 Speaker 1: Walker landed a major record deal with his very first band, 486 00:30:13,120 --> 00:30:17,760 Speaker 1: the self described hair band South Gang. He's on guitar here. 487 00:30:18,120 --> 00:30:33,120 Speaker 1: They're single Boys Night Out. Yea impressive, but there was 488 00:30:33,200 --> 00:30:36,920 Speaker 1: one skill Walker says, the band was missing when we 489 00:30:36,920 --> 00:30:38,880 Speaker 1: did the South Gang stuff. We needed help with our 490 00:30:38,920 --> 00:30:42,040 Speaker 1: songwriting because we had not really developed that part of 491 00:30:42,040 --> 00:30:44,640 Speaker 1: the brain yet. And um, I said, can we get 492 00:30:44,680 --> 00:30:48,240 Speaker 1: this guy, Desmond Child to be our executive producer and 493 00:30:48,280 --> 00:30:50,840 Speaker 1: co writer. And that's the one thing the label did 494 00:30:50,880 --> 00:30:53,680 Speaker 1: that I was liked about as they got him, and um, 495 00:30:53,680 --> 00:30:56,200 Speaker 1: he's he's a legend. Described him for people who don't 496 00:30:56,240 --> 00:31:00,560 Speaker 1: know him well. Desmond was responsible for everything from the 497 00:31:00,680 --> 00:31:04,960 Speaker 1: huge Kiss hits to all of the big Bong Jovi 498 00:31:05,160 --> 00:31:10,200 Speaker 1: hits Alice Cooper. Uh. He he was like the hottest 499 00:31:10,360 --> 00:31:13,280 Speaker 1: ship on the street at that point as a songwriter, 500 00:31:13,400 --> 00:31:15,720 Speaker 1: Like he couldn't be beat for that, for that kind 501 00:31:15,760 --> 00:31:18,360 Speaker 1: of no, no, no, no, he was. I think he 502 00:31:18,400 --> 00:31:21,240 Speaker 1: was out of New York. But you know, Desmond's gay, 503 00:31:21,600 --> 00:31:24,719 Speaker 1: and so when I started going over to work with him, 504 00:31:24,720 --> 00:31:26,440 Speaker 1: me and the singer started going over to his house 505 00:31:26,440 --> 00:31:29,360 Speaker 1: and working with him. We were just these dumb rednecks 506 00:31:29,400 --> 00:31:34,560 Speaker 1: from Cartersville, Georgia and I'd never even met anyone gay yet, 507 00:31:34,920 --> 00:31:37,360 Speaker 1: and I was just part of the tunnel vision and 508 00:31:37,400 --> 00:31:39,600 Speaker 1: the blinders that came from being in a small town 509 00:31:39,640 --> 00:31:43,720 Speaker 1: where you just thought that that was weird, which is 510 00:31:43,760 --> 00:31:46,600 Speaker 1: a bummer. And you know, I didn't know how to 511 00:31:46,880 --> 00:31:49,160 Speaker 1: I was stand offish about it. And I remember one 512 00:31:49,160 --> 00:31:51,560 Speaker 1: time we were working on a song keep in Mind. 513 00:31:51,560 --> 00:31:54,960 Speaker 1: I was like twenty uh, and I said, um, something 514 00:31:55,000 --> 00:31:57,560 Speaker 1: about a lyric and I said, oh, man, that's gay, 515 00:31:57,600 --> 00:32:01,719 Speaker 1: and Desmond goes, what do you mean gay? And my 516 00:32:01,880 --> 00:32:05,280 Speaker 1: heart fell into my feet because I was like, oh fuck, 517 00:32:05,400 --> 00:32:08,719 Speaker 1: I just insulted my idol. And when I came up 518 00:32:08,720 --> 00:32:10,320 Speaker 1: with the next line and it had love and that, 519 00:32:10,480 --> 00:32:13,440 Speaker 1: he goes, what do you know about love? You're not 520 00:32:13,480 --> 00:32:17,520 Speaker 1: even a person yet, And he was right, and and 521 00:32:17,640 --> 00:32:20,080 Speaker 1: that's exactly I think. When he said that, it made 522 00:32:20,120 --> 00:32:22,640 Speaker 1: me think a lot about you know, I needed to 523 00:32:22,640 --> 00:32:24,600 Speaker 1: open my mind up to a lot of things, and 524 00:32:25,080 --> 00:32:27,200 Speaker 1: you know, coming out here did that and going through 525 00:32:27,200 --> 00:32:31,360 Speaker 1: those experiences did that. Um we made a record together 526 00:32:31,520 --> 00:32:34,440 Speaker 1: and then of course that nothing happened from it and 527 00:32:34,840 --> 00:32:39,880 Speaker 1: we we fell out and never talked again, and um, god, 528 00:32:39,960 --> 00:32:43,800 Speaker 1: twenty years later, this was not that long ago. Um. 529 00:32:43,840 --> 00:32:48,400 Speaker 1: I was in the airport with my wife and child 530 00:32:48,480 --> 00:32:50,880 Speaker 1: and we were in the airport at the American Airlines 531 00:32:51,400 --> 00:32:54,760 Speaker 1: lounge or whatever, and I saw this guy and I said, 532 00:32:55,960 --> 00:32:58,080 Speaker 1: I man in the weirdest deja vu. I was like, 533 00:32:58,920 --> 00:33:01,560 Speaker 1: that looks like the guy that used to answer the 534 00:33:01,640 --> 00:33:04,920 Speaker 1: door when we would go to Desmond's house to work. 535 00:33:05,640 --> 00:33:08,840 Speaker 1: And then I look over over his shoulder with two 536 00:33:08,920 --> 00:33:14,200 Speaker 1: little beautiful blond haired boys, Desmond, and I was like, 537 00:33:14,720 --> 00:33:18,440 Speaker 1: that's Curtis and that's Desmond. They were together then, there 538 00:33:18,480 --> 00:33:23,160 Speaker 1: together now. And I walked over and I was like Desmond, 539 00:33:24,040 --> 00:33:26,000 Speaker 1: and I was like, I know you're not gonna remember me. 540 00:33:26,040 --> 00:33:28,080 Speaker 1: It was a long time ago. And he just got 541 00:33:28,160 --> 00:33:29,880 Speaker 1: up and hugged me, and he goes, I've been following 542 00:33:29,960 --> 00:33:33,800 Speaker 1: your career. I'm so proud of you, and you're a 543 00:33:33,880 --> 00:33:39,680 Speaker 1: person now and I'm a person now. Well, what's when 544 00:33:39,680 --> 00:33:42,360 Speaker 1: you're songwriting with someone like him? What does he teach you? 545 00:33:42,960 --> 00:33:46,120 Speaker 1: He taught me everything that was boot camp, like learning 546 00:33:46,120 --> 00:33:48,600 Speaker 1: how to write songs with him. He was tough, you know. 547 00:33:48,760 --> 00:33:52,160 Speaker 1: He taught me inner rhyme and melody and don't be 548 00:33:52,200 --> 00:33:54,520 Speaker 1: afraid to be literal, don't be afraid to like tell 549 00:33:54,560 --> 00:33:57,160 Speaker 1: a story and reach for people's heart strings instead of 550 00:33:57,160 --> 00:34:00,880 Speaker 1: being too precious and two, UM inside with it as 551 00:34:00,920 --> 00:34:03,000 Speaker 1: far as like the lyric goes. And I mean, that's 552 00:34:03,000 --> 00:34:05,120 Speaker 1: why he wrote some of the biggest songs ever. And 553 00:34:06,040 --> 00:34:09,280 Speaker 1: I think that that's a beautiful That was a beautiful 554 00:34:09,320 --> 00:34:11,759 Speaker 1: first crash course to go through and songwriting. And I 555 00:34:11,760 --> 00:34:14,320 Speaker 1: took it with me all the way to Now, Um, 556 00:34:14,320 --> 00:34:17,719 Speaker 1: what's one of the earliest songs you wrote that you 557 00:34:17,840 --> 00:34:19,959 Speaker 1: said to yourself, you know, you sit back and go 558 00:34:20,680 --> 00:34:26,560 Speaker 1: that's pretty good. That works way later in life, I 559 00:34:26,560 --> 00:34:30,520 Speaker 1: had gone through a band, uh that had a marginal 560 00:34:30,600 --> 00:34:34,359 Speaker 1: hit at radio later, an alternative band called the Marvelous Three, 561 00:34:34,400 --> 00:34:40,000 Speaker 1: and that was like, um, that was like late nineties, UM, 562 00:34:40,040 --> 00:34:43,759 Speaker 1: and I wrote this song about selling out, and sure 563 00:34:43,840 --> 00:34:45,319 Speaker 1: enough it got played on the radio and got us 564 00:34:45,360 --> 00:34:47,719 Speaker 1: a record deal and we sold out. And it's a 565 00:34:47,719 --> 00:34:50,640 Speaker 1: good song, and I was, I was, you know, proud 566 00:34:50,640 --> 00:34:52,600 Speaker 1: of it, but I knew that there was so much 567 00:34:52,640 --> 00:34:55,239 Speaker 1: more to learn and and I wanted I wanted to 568 00:34:55,239 --> 00:34:58,920 Speaker 1: tap into more emotional songs. I guess because you know, 569 00:34:59,040 --> 00:35:01,480 Speaker 1: that was a very SNAr arkey, cynical kind of a song. 570 00:35:01,520 --> 00:35:03,960 Speaker 1: For a while I couldn't write anything about love because 571 00:35:04,080 --> 00:35:08,680 Speaker 1: Desmond had scarred me. Uh and so um. I did 572 00:35:08,719 --> 00:35:12,799 Speaker 1: this record called a solo record in the early two 573 00:35:12,800 --> 00:35:17,120 Speaker 1: thousand's called Letters, and I think I was most proud 574 00:35:17,200 --> 00:35:20,280 Speaker 1: of that. I remember you met my manager backstage, Jonathan. 575 00:35:20,320 --> 00:35:22,880 Speaker 1: He's been my manager for twenty years and he's pretty 576 00:35:22,960 --> 00:35:26,200 Speaker 1: much the reason I'm even alive, because I would have 577 00:35:26,280 --> 00:35:27,880 Speaker 1: jumped off the ledge a long time ago if not 578 00:35:27,960 --> 00:35:32,080 Speaker 1: for him. And that's the first time I remember him going, 579 00:35:33,000 --> 00:35:35,800 Speaker 1: this is really good, because he doesn't say that that often. 580 00:35:36,440 --> 00:35:39,000 Speaker 1: And um, and you know there was some songs on 581 00:35:39,040 --> 00:35:42,080 Speaker 1: there where I remember that moment clicking. Um. There was 582 00:35:42,120 --> 00:35:44,760 Speaker 1: a song on there called Joan that I had written 583 00:35:44,800 --> 00:35:47,480 Speaker 1: that I think was one of my more I'm I'm. 584 00:35:47,480 --> 00:35:49,160 Speaker 1: I was really proud of it when I wrote it. 585 00:35:49,600 --> 00:35:55,120 Speaker 1: Will you play it for us? I'll try m m 586 00:35:59,280 --> 00:36:17,480 Speaker 1: m m m h. John moved away to Carlelorado said 587 00:36:17,640 --> 00:36:23,840 Speaker 1: she'd found God and a boyfriend as well, one that 588 00:36:24,200 --> 00:36:30,080 Speaker 1: won't hit her or make a feel shadow. There's a 589 00:36:30,120 --> 00:36:48,680 Speaker 1: lot to learn about Joe. Before I moved in, John 590 00:36:48,880 --> 00:36:53,360 Speaker 1: had a fling with the Landlore, so she got to 591 00:36:53,520 --> 00:37:00,360 Speaker 1: stay here for free. I'm not out of genius. I 592 00:37:00,640 --> 00:37:10,800 Speaker 1: figured out there's a lot to learn from John. After 593 00:37:11,120 --> 00:37:24,920 Speaker 1: allest time you're waiting around, stop at the place where 594 00:37:24,960 --> 00:37:44,600 Speaker 1: they slowly misplaced your life, go get it right. I 595 00:37:44,719 --> 00:37:52,120 Speaker 1: when to close to catch drustful work. Spotted little box 596 00:37:52,320 --> 00:37:59,120 Speaker 1: I had not seen before, all kinds of letters never 597 00:37:59,360 --> 00:38:05,200 Speaker 1: got and to a guy in Colorado since nineteen nine 598 00:38:05,239 --> 00:38:11,279 Speaker 1: and four, I long was wrong. I sat in open 599 00:38:11,600 --> 00:38:18,200 Speaker 1: and no certain order. Letter or two She talked about 600 00:38:18,440 --> 00:38:23,960 Speaker 1: blisters and bruises of anger, that she bought a hand 601 00:38:24,160 --> 00:38:28,520 Speaker 1: gonne to learn how to shoot. And the last letter 602 00:38:28,719 --> 00:38:33,520 Speaker 1: said that she had to get out. But I could 603 00:38:33,920 --> 00:38:38,840 Speaker 1: make out the rest of a note from the bloodstains 604 00:38:39,000 --> 00:38:47,040 Speaker 1: all over the page of the letters. And a lot 605 00:38:48,160 --> 00:39:01,920 Speaker 1: to learn. There's a lot I learned about John. After all, 606 00:39:04,120 --> 00:39:13,520 Speaker 1: lest you were when the right to stop at the 607 00:39:13,680 --> 00:39:25,760 Speaker 1: place where they slowly mass place your After all, lest 608 00:39:26,280 --> 00:39:36,319 Speaker 1: time you winther to stop at the place where they 609 00:39:36,600 --> 00:40:37,840 Speaker 1: slolely mass place your no go can you right? Ah? 610 00:40:38,920 --> 00:40:44,000 Speaker 1: You got me? You got me? Um you got me? Um? No? 611 00:40:44,160 --> 00:40:45,759 Speaker 1: I just I just you know, is it? I just 612 00:40:45,800 --> 00:40:49,680 Speaker 1: think that you um you know you play or you're 613 00:40:49,680 --> 00:40:53,520 Speaker 1: this wonderful guitar player and you're wonderful, this wonderful singer musician, 614 00:40:53,760 --> 00:40:56,799 Speaker 1: and then other people want your opinion about what they're 615 00:40:56,800 --> 00:41:00,160 Speaker 1: supposed to do. That's a huge leap. They try us 616 00:41:00,200 --> 00:41:02,759 Speaker 1: to you to help them decide where am I going 617 00:41:02,840 --> 00:41:07,480 Speaker 1: to go? I want your advice worse okay, but how 618 00:41:07,480 --> 00:41:09,319 Speaker 1: does that begin? He was the first person that comes 619 00:41:09,360 --> 00:41:13,360 Speaker 1: to you and says, help me. Well, um, I was 620 00:41:13,400 --> 00:41:18,040 Speaker 1: making our own bands records because we couldn't afford studio time. 621 00:41:18,120 --> 00:41:19,719 Speaker 1: It was very expensive back in the day to get 622 00:41:19,719 --> 00:41:21,560 Speaker 1: into a really good studio, and back in the day 623 00:41:21,600 --> 00:41:24,400 Speaker 1: there was no computers to make records on. You had 624 00:41:24,440 --> 00:41:26,400 Speaker 1: to make them on these big expensive tape machines and 625 00:41:26,480 --> 00:41:29,239 Speaker 1: boards and big studios, and it was, you know, two 626 00:41:29,280 --> 00:41:31,719 Speaker 1: thousand dollars a day in some of these places, and 627 00:41:31,840 --> 00:41:33,600 Speaker 1: like that. Nobody had that kind of money when you're 628 00:41:33,600 --> 00:41:37,160 Speaker 1: making a demo to get shopped for a record deal 629 00:41:37,280 --> 00:41:41,239 Speaker 1: or whatever. And demos usually sounded terrible if they weren't 630 00:41:41,239 --> 00:41:44,239 Speaker 1: recording in big studios. Very hard to make recording sound great, 631 00:41:45,239 --> 00:41:47,880 Speaker 1: whereas now on computers. You know, everybody makes the records 632 00:41:47,880 --> 00:41:49,640 Speaker 1: on computers and they sound like a record the minute 633 00:41:49,640 --> 00:41:53,440 Speaker 1: they just opened up the fucking computer and hit play, 634 00:41:53,640 --> 00:41:55,440 Speaker 1: and it's like even the demo sounds like it should 635 00:41:55,440 --> 00:41:58,360 Speaker 1: be on the radio. But I was making records in 636 00:41:58,400 --> 00:42:03,120 Speaker 1: my parents Raj and I set up a little makeshift 637 00:42:03,120 --> 00:42:05,920 Speaker 1: studio and I would record all these um punk and 638 00:42:06,000 --> 00:42:09,160 Speaker 1: metal bands in Atlanta hundred bucks a day, two hundred 639 00:42:09,160 --> 00:42:11,200 Speaker 1: bucks a day, whatever I could get. You know, they 640 00:42:11,200 --> 00:42:13,719 Speaker 1: weren't really demos. They were people would make their independent 641 00:42:13,760 --> 00:42:16,600 Speaker 1: records and they would press them on CDs at the time, 642 00:42:16,640 --> 00:42:19,360 Speaker 1: and they would sell them at their shows and whatever. 643 00:42:19,960 --> 00:42:23,080 Speaker 1: UM and I did some bands that started to get 644 00:42:23,400 --> 00:42:25,960 Speaker 1: noticed a little bit back after after I moved back 645 00:42:25,960 --> 00:42:27,759 Speaker 1: from l A to Atlanta. We moved back there and 646 00:42:27,800 --> 00:42:30,000 Speaker 1: we lived there for a better part of sixteen years. 647 00:42:30,440 --> 00:42:34,320 Speaker 1: And that was pretty much, uh where I started really 648 00:42:34,400 --> 00:42:37,799 Speaker 1: figuring it out and getting honing the craft, so they say, 649 00:42:37,840 --> 00:42:40,800 Speaker 1: and getting really good at recording with very little gear 650 00:42:41,160 --> 00:42:44,239 Speaker 1: in a very little space. And the band that I 651 00:42:44,320 --> 00:42:49,640 Speaker 1: mentioned that had the the marginal hit song at alternative Radio, 652 00:42:49,719 --> 00:42:53,759 Speaker 1: the Marvelous Three, I recorded that whole record in a 653 00:42:53,800 --> 00:42:57,520 Speaker 1: living room with like two microphones, and I did the 654 00:42:57,560 --> 00:43:01,440 Speaker 1: whole thing, uh just beginning to end. I had learned 655 00:43:01,560 --> 00:43:04,799 Speaker 1: how to record on this new fangled software called pro 656 00:43:04,880 --> 00:43:09,040 Speaker 1: tools on a very archaic Mac computer and I had 657 00:43:09,080 --> 00:43:12,200 Speaker 1: to learn it all by scratch. Uh. And so that 658 00:43:12,320 --> 00:43:14,359 Speaker 1: song ended up getting picked up and started getting played. 659 00:43:14,360 --> 00:43:16,880 Speaker 1: And then all of a sudden, I had um record 660 00:43:16,920 --> 00:43:21,520 Speaker 1: companies calling that with their artists going hey, who who 661 00:43:21,520 --> 00:43:24,359 Speaker 1: produced that song? And I'd be like, wow, I did, 662 00:43:24,719 --> 00:43:27,920 Speaker 1: who recorded it? I did, who who sang it, who 663 00:43:27,920 --> 00:43:29,360 Speaker 1: played it? Who wrote it? You know? And it was 664 00:43:29,480 --> 00:43:32,680 Speaker 1: like I did. So I started getting asked to work 665 00:43:32,719 --> 00:43:37,319 Speaker 1: on other people's records flatly. Um see. One of the 666 00:43:37,320 --> 00:43:39,880 Speaker 1: first things was there was a band called SR. Seventy 667 00:43:39,880 --> 00:43:42,440 Speaker 1: one that I did a song for that uh that 668 00:43:42,640 --> 00:43:45,440 Speaker 1: became a bigger hit, and they kind of wanted a 669 00:43:45,480 --> 00:43:48,440 Speaker 1: song like that song that I wrote that was for 670 00:43:48,560 --> 00:43:51,279 Speaker 1: my band, and so we did one and it got 671 00:43:51,320 --> 00:43:54,560 Speaker 1: bigger than my own band song. And I was like, hmmm, 672 00:43:55,880 --> 00:43:59,759 Speaker 1: I might like this job. And then um, this girl 673 00:44:00,000 --> 00:44:06,319 Speaker 1: Everril Levine called, and then Katie Perry and then and 674 00:44:06,360 --> 00:44:09,239 Speaker 1: then Pink and then um, you know, and then from 675 00:44:09,239 --> 00:44:11,319 Speaker 1: there it just went kind of nuts. I had like 676 00:44:11,520 --> 00:44:15,080 Speaker 1: Fallout Boy and Weezer and Panic at the Disco and uh, 677 00:44:15,120 --> 00:44:24,799 Speaker 1: now Green Day some job. Yeah, it's a lot of fun. 678 00:44:24,880 --> 00:44:27,799 Speaker 1: It's a fun job and it comes with some some 679 00:44:28,000 --> 00:44:31,920 Speaker 1: ship sometimes and sometimes you come home and you're like, God, 680 00:44:31,960 --> 00:44:34,280 Speaker 1: I'm so bummed. I don't want to do this. And 681 00:44:34,280 --> 00:44:36,800 Speaker 1: and I'm not gonna name names. It's not necessarily because 682 00:44:36,840 --> 00:44:38,279 Speaker 1: of an artist. It's just you can just have a 683 00:44:38,280 --> 00:44:39,719 Speaker 1: bad day. And you can have a bad day with 684 00:44:39,760 --> 00:44:42,080 Speaker 1: the artist, and you can have a bad day with 685 00:44:42,160 --> 00:44:44,319 Speaker 1: your gear. You can have a bad day not being 686 00:44:44,360 --> 00:44:46,960 Speaker 1: able to like feel like you're giving any direction or 687 00:44:47,200 --> 00:44:50,320 Speaker 1: having anything to contribute. And you know, back to answer 688 00:44:50,320 --> 00:44:52,520 Speaker 1: your question a little bit about like how what goes 689 00:44:52,560 --> 00:44:54,640 Speaker 1: into it is, you know, there's a lot of you, 690 00:44:54,800 --> 00:44:57,840 Speaker 1: You're you're wanting to these people are wanting, they're leaning 691 00:44:57,880 --> 00:45:01,360 Speaker 1: on you to offer up some sort of gold ferry 692 00:45:01,440 --> 00:45:04,440 Speaker 1: dust that doesn't exist to be to like, you know, 693 00:45:04,520 --> 00:45:07,279 Speaker 1: make this magic happen. And sometimes that's not there. But 694 00:45:07,360 --> 00:45:10,520 Speaker 1: sometimes I found that a lot of it was just 695 00:45:10,560 --> 00:45:13,680 Speaker 1: bullshitting my way into this business and just saying I 696 00:45:13,719 --> 00:45:16,560 Speaker 1: got this, I know what to do and um, and 697 00:45:16,640 --> 00:45:19,200 Speaker 1: so a lot of it was just common like commandeering 698 00:45:19,320 --> 00:45:22,839 Speaker 1: the ship and being like okay, um, let's let's try 699 00:45:22,880 --> 00:45:24,400 Speaker 1: this song in a different key. Let's try it with 700 00:45:24,440 --> 00:45:26,920 Speaker 1: a different groove. Let's try it with this. Let's um, 701 00:45:27,000 --> 00:45:29,600 Speaker 1: you know, let's let's uh whatever. I mean. There's guys 702 00:45:29,680 --> 00:45:35,399 Speaker 1: that have methods that they will torment the artist and 703 00:45:35,440 --> 00:45:39,280 Speaker 1: to too and you know, mental manipulation to get something 704 00:45:39,320 --> 00:45:41,359 Speaker 1: out of them. That's not me. I don't do that, 705 00:45:41,719 --> 00:45:44,399 Speaker 1: and I'm and then there's other people that just want 706 00:45:44,400 --> 00:45:46,880 Speaker 1: to do it fifty million times because they're not hearing 707 00:45:46,920 --> 00:45:50,680 Speaker 1: it the way that they're hearing it in their head. Um, 708 00:45:50,760 --> 00:45:54,440 Speaker 1: and uh, that's not me either. Um. I tend to 709 00:45:54,480 --> 00:45:59,359 Speaker 1: go with the This sounds cliche, but I go with gut, Like, 710 00:45:59,440 --> 00:46:01,839 Speaker 1: if it's like making the hair on my arms stand up, 711 00:46:01,840 --> 00:46:04,359 Speaker 1: maybe that's gonna make millions of people's hair stand up 712 00:46:04,360 --> 00:46:06,759 Speaker 1: as well on their arm. And some people will just 713 00:46:06,880 --> 00:46:09,800 Speaker 1: scrap it because they want perfection or they want or 714 00:46:09,840 --> 00:46:13,239 Speaker 1: they want it to be technically precise. And I don't 715 00:46:13,239 --> 00:46:15,359 Speaker 1: care about that. My favorite records growing up and had 716 00:46:15,360 --> 00:46:18,360 Speaker 1: all that stuff. You know, you could hear, you know, 717 00:46:18,440 --> 00:46:21,000 Speaker 1: on led Zeppelin records, you could hear the John Bonham 718 00:46:21,000 --> 00:46:22,759 Speaker 1: when he's playing. You can hear him in the microphones 719 00:46:22,840 --> 00:46:28,399 Speaker 1: going like that sometimes and you're like, what the funk 720 00:46:28,520 --> 00:46:32,239 Speaker 1: is that? And and it's that's that's the stuff that 721 00:46:32,320 --> 00:46:35,040 Speaker 1: makes like a little stone teenager in their bedroom with 722 00:46:35,040 --> 00:46:38,799 Speaker 1: headphones zone go mental. They love it. So let's talk 723 00:46:38,840 --> 00:46:44,320 Speaker 1: about your concept album. What was the genesis of that? Um? Well, 724 00:46:44,440 --> 00:46:51,560 Speaker 1: so I started the record um a few years ago. Uh, 725 00:46:51,560 --> 00:46:54,319 Speaker 1: and I just I started realizing that when I was 726 00:46:54,360 --> 00:46:57,480 Speaker 1: writing this new batch of songs maybe for a new record, 727 00:46:57,520 --> 00:47:00,560 Speaker 1: that I couldn't really I couldn't really write at anything 728 00:47:00,680 --> 00:47:04,600 Speaker 1: that was the typical love story break up you know. 729 00:47:06,120 --> 00:47:08,680 Speaker 1: You know, my girlfriend left me. I'm sad, you know, 730 00:47:08,760 --> 00:47:10,680 Speaker 1: and that's There's a lot of songs there, you know, 731 00:47:10,800 --> 00:47:12,440 Speaker 1: to pick from in the world. And I just kind 732 00:47:12,440 --> 00:47:14,799 Speaker 1: of got burned out on that. And all I could 733 00:47:14,840 --> 00:47:17,960 Speaker 1: think about was one of the problems that seemed to 734 00:47:18,000 --> 00:47:22,000 Speaker 1: be growing and America and then and rearing its head. 735 00:47:22,040 --> 00:47:24,839 Speaker 1: It actually had always been there, but I think just 736 00:47:25,520 --> 00:47:28,960 Speaker 1: has gotten a lot more exposure in the last few years. 737 00:47:28,960 --> 00:47:32,439 Speaker 1: And that's hate. You know. I just was like, well, 738 00:47:32,960 --> 00:47:35,040 Speaker 1: nobody wants to hear this kind of fucking record from me, 739 00:47:35,400 --> 00:47:39,359 Speaker 1: But um, I couldn't stop writing all these songs about it. 740 00:47:39,440 --> 00:47:44,440 Speaker 1: And it was just really hurting my heart and bearing 741 00:47:44,440 --> 00:47:46,839 Speaker 1: on my conscience too. Of growing up in it and 742 00:47:46,880 --> 00:47:50,000 Speaker 1: thinking about how how I got out of it, and 743 00:47:50,040 --> 00:47:52,120 Speaker 1: how a lot of people I know haven't and how 744 00:47:52,640 --> 00:47:56,960 Speaker 1: it's affected relationships, uh, you know, with with even relatives 745 00:47:56,960 --> 00:48:01,240 Speaker 1: and friends and um and and so I started writing 746 00:48:01,239 --> 00:48:03,759 Speaker 1: this record, and my in Jonathan, my manager, was like, 747 00:48:03,960 --> 00:48:07,080 Speaker 1: it sounds like you're kind of making a rock opera, 748 00:48:07,239 --> 00:48:10,279 Speaker 1: like there's an actual storyline. And I didn't think about 749 00:48:10,280 --> 00:48:12,879 Speaker 1: it at the time, and I was like, you're right, 750 00:48:13,040 --> 00:48:16,040 Speaker 1: it is. And so I started hunkering down and writing 751 00:48:16,520 --> 00:48:19,759 Speaker 1: this story, you know, loosely based on my my childhood, 752 00:48:19,760 --> 00:48:21,759 Speaker 1: in my life and my dad and a lot of 753 00:48:21,840 --> 00:48:24,799 Speaker 1: characters are in the story. And I've had it done 754 00:48:24,800 --> 00:48:28,720 Speaker 1: for two years. I sat on it and I didn't 755 00:48:28,760 --> 00:48:32,160 Speaker 1: think I wanted to put it out. And you know, 756 00:48:32,480 --> 00:48:34,319 Speaker 1: it's not like I thought, oh, the problem is gonna 757 00:48:34,360 --> 00:48:37,680 Speaker 1: go away. You know, problem is not going to go away. 758 00:48:38,200 --> 00:48:39,920 Speaker 1: And I'm not like trying to change the world. And 759 00:48:40,320 --> 00:48:42,920 Speaker 1: nobody knows who the funk I am anyway, So it's 760 00:48:42,920 --> 00:48:44,920 Speaker 1: not like if I put a record out there are 761 00:48:44,960 --> 00:48:47,120 Speaker 1: millions of people are going to go like, oh you 762 00:48:47,160 --> 00:48:49,919 Speaker 1: know or or fuck you you know when they hear it. 763 00:48:50,239 --> 00:48:53,040 Speaker 1: But um, but I had to say I'm going to 764 00:48:53,120 --> 00:48:55,680 Speaker 1: do this. I'm gonna put it out because it weighed 765 00:48:55,800 --> 00:49:00,160 Speaker 1: too heavy on my heart not to. But it's called 766 00:49:00,200 --> 00:49:05,240 Speaker 1: American Love Story, and it's basically, you know about, um, 767 00:49:05,239 --> 00:49:09,880 Speaker 1: this white, middle aged bigot who grew up with a 768 00:49:09,920 --> 00:49:14,560 Speaker 1: pretty bad father and never really was taught love and 769 00:49:14,680 --> 00:49:17,839 Speaker 1: only kind of rehearsed what he heard. The problem with 770 00:49:17,880 --> 00:49:20,560 Speaker 1: this record is that a lot of the songs are 771 00:49:20,600 --> 00:49:25,359 Speaker 1: sung through his perspective, and that makes a little tough 772 00:49:25,400 --> 00:49:27,399 Speaker 1: to not preface it when you're playing some of those 773 00:49:27,400 --> 00:49:29,319 Speaker 1: songs live, because people are gonna be like, what the 774 00:49:29,400 --> 00:49:33,560 Speaker 1: fund did he just say? You know so? Um? But 775 00:49:33,680 --> 00:49:36,960 Speaker 1: I was really intrigued and inspired by an old record 776 00:49:37,000 --> 00:49:40,120 Speaker 1: by Randy Newman called Good Old Boys that that was 777 00:49:40,160 --> 00:49:42,920 Speaker 1: a very, I thought, a very controversial record when it 778 00:49:42,960 --> 00:49:46,120 Speaker 1: came out, Um, talking about the problem of like racism 779 00:49:46,120 --> 00:49:48,480 Speaker 1: and hate in America. You gonna play a couple of 780 00:49:48,520 --> 00:50:16,360 Speaker 1: songs for us? Yeah, I can do m M. I 781 00:50:16,480 --> 00:50:21,040 Speaker 1: remember in my younger years walk into a city pool 782 00:50:22,239 --> 00:50:26,680 Speaker 1: Guillen called a fagin from this boy on new in school. 783 00:50:27,880 --> 00:50:32,160 Speaker 1: His dad and never for him, grew up outside of 784 00:50:32,280 --> 00:50:38,120 Speaker 1: town with a lack of education. Year the options went around. 785 00:50:39,360 --> 00:50:43,560 Speaker 1: Sometimes I'd see that boy in class, the bruises on 786 00:50:43,680 --> 00:50:50,080 Speaker 1: his eyes read and pretty swollen. Teem's tangled up in pride, 787 00:50:50,760 --> 00:50:55,719 Speaker 1: repeede and memorize reatory about it be in God's way. 788 00:50:56,480 --> 00:50:59,560 Speaker 1: I fight. Don't follow the good book, then there'll be 789 00:51:00,040 --> 00:51:03,520 Speaker 1: some hill to pay. I don't blame me, but how 790 00:51:03,640 --> 00:51:08,160 Speaker 1: you turn out I have it's hard to breathe. You 791 00:51:08,239 --> 00:51:11,719 Speaker 1: were born into what you came, and now I was 792 00:51:11,800 --> 00:51:15,920 Speaker 1: born this way. I can try to show some passion 793 00:51:16,800 --> 00:51:21,720 Speaker 1: before you take that shot out here in the open, 794 00:51:23,880 --> 00:51:49,400 Speaker 1: whether or like it or not. Driving on from a 795 00:51:49,560 --> 00:51:54,799 Speaker 1: party with friends on Saturday night, I came up on 796 00:51:54,920 --> 00:52:00,360 Speaker 1: the wreckage and Nicole was party night. The boy only 797 00:52:00,640 --> 00:52:06,080 Speaker 1: fagging like bleeding, almost dead. He wrapped that truck from 798 00:52:06,239 --> 00:52:10,360 Speaker 1: drinking and the wind she made his head well. I 799 00:52:10,520 --> 00:52:14,160 Speaker 1: pulled him from the driver's seat, said help was on 800 00:52:14,239 --> 00:52:18,640 Speaker 1: his way. For my head up upon his chest and 801 00:52:18,719 --> 00:52:23,880 Speaker 1: said it'll be okay. As he focused on my likeness, 802 00:52:24,040 --> 00:52:28,560 Speaker 1: I can see it in his eyes. Everything eats ought 803 00:52:28,680 --> 00:52:32,440 Speaker 1: to hey will find to save his life in the 804 00:52:32,640 --> 00:52:37,919 Speaker 1: iron knew about this, I told him with a smile. Yeah, 805 00:52:37,920 --> 00:52:41,680 Speaker 1: your God must work in stranger ways than your heart. 806 00:52:41,719 --> 00:52:45,960 Speaker 1: Will allow well. He fought his hand behind the tears, 807 00:52:46,480 --> 00:52:52,560 Speaker 1: eyes blood shotting down, his rebel flag tattooed hand holding 808 00:52:52,719 --> 00:52:55,680 Speaker 1: mind to him, he said, please don't blame me for 809 00:52:55,800 --> 00:53:00,880 Speaker 1: how it turned out. I learned a little. I was 810 00:53:00,960 --> 00:53:05,240 Speaker 1: born into what I became, and you were born this way, 811 00:53:06,200 --> 00:53:10,279 Speaker 1: I can try to show confession. It might be all 812 00:53:10,360 --> 00:53:18,880 Speaker 1: a guy out here in the open, whether A like 813 00:53:19,320 --> 00:54:12,440 Speaker 1: it night M there was, it's something that you Uh, 814 00:54:12,480 --> 00:54:15,839 Speaker 1: it's done. Are you still recorded it? It's done, It's coming. 815 00:54:16,120 --> 00:54:20,200 Speaker 1: I did it, Thank you, thank you. Um. I'm excited 816 00:54:20,239 --> 00:54:22,600 Speaker 1: for people to hear it. It's not all fucking bummers. 817 00:54:24,200 --> 00:54:26,680 Speaker 1: It's actually it's a very upbeat sounding record, and the 818 00:54:26,760 --> 00:54:28,239 Speaker 1: kind of the way the way I made it was 819 00:54:28,640 --> 00:54:32,799 Speaker 1: I wanted it to reflect the timeline musically to what 820 00:54:32,880 --> 00:54:36,000 Speaker 1: I was listening to on the radio during my upbringing. 821 00:54:36,040 --> 00:54:38,640 Speaker 1: So it kind of uh, when people hear it, it it 822 00:54:38,680 --> 00:54:42,000 Speaker 1: will if they're around my age, then they might get 823 00:54:42,040 --> 00:54:43,480 Speaker 1: a kick out of it because it kind of goes 824 00:54:43,520 --> 00:54:47,680 Speaker 1: through the styles of songs. It's very uh, late seventies, 825 00:54:47,719 --> 00:54:51,279 Speaker 1: early eighties vibes on a lot of it, and it's 826 00:54:51,280 --> 00:54:55,680 Speaker 1: pretty fun production. I do a lot of I can't 827 00:54:55,719 --> 00:54:57,439 Speaker 1: wait to hear it. Do you have a son? Who's 828 00:54:57,480 --> 00:55:01,160 Speaker 1: how old? James? He's twelve? Is he? Is he a musical? 829 00:55:01,400 --> 00:55:03,879 Speaker 1: He is? He can sing? He does theater. He's done 830 00:55:03,920 --> 00:55:08,279 Speaker 1: like eight plays already. He's killing in theater and very 831 00:55:08,360 --> 00:55:13,279 Speaker 1: much an artie, quirky weirdo. And I love it. I 832 00:55:13,320 --> 00:55:17,000 Speaker 1: think we should. I think we should. Uh take a request? 833 00:55:17,040 --> 00:55:23,520 Speaker 1: Who here has a burning desire? I can't hear anything 834 00:55:23,560 --> 00:56:16,200 Speaker 1: they're saying. Let's see uh okay, m California girls. I 835 00:56:16,280 --> 00:56:23,200 Speaker 1: haven't move in the mouth, just a certain wing, see 836 00:56:23,280 --> 00:56:29,000 Speaker 1: it is? It always seems so a right? Oh in 837 00:56:29,040 --> 00:56:33,600 Speaker 1: the shower at the end of the day, I'm left 838 00:56:33,600 --> 00:56:36,480 Speaker 1: with the tab and not a word to say because 839 00:56:36,520 --> 00:56:40,440 Speaker 1: I see your face and the turn out. My line. 840 00:56:43,040 --> 00:56:48,879 Speaker 1: SI keeping other night by this fire and dring some 841 00:56:48,960 --> 00:56:54,640 Speaker 1: wine because it's the closest thing that you want to find. 842 00:57:01,960 --> 00:57:07,000 Speaker 1: New York ladies that driven crazy, can't keep up on 843 00:57:07,239 --> 00:57:12,200 Speaker 1: from the south and lazy. This town stays open too late. 844 00:57:12,320 --> 00:57:18,800 Speaker 1: Four these are bars. Maybe it's because it's got too 845 00:57:18,800 --> 00:57:24,840 Speaker 1: many faces, cram like fishes in compact places. Is this wild? 846 00:57:24,880 --> 00:57:32,560 Speaker 1: All of them seemed desperate and alone, sipping back up 847 00:57:32,960 --> 00:57:38,800 Speaker 1: the cigarettes, but only for the night, because as the 848 00:57:38,960 --> 00:58:27,360 Speaker 1: closest thing that you are gonna find. Hollywood girls took 849 00:58:27,400 --> 00:58:31,960 Speaker 1: all my penis back in eight I felt for a 850 00:58:32,040 --> 00:58:35,959 Speaker 1: minute I wake up in one or why I never 851 00:58:36,080 --> 00:58:41,360 Speaker 1: left here because then Georgia girls all getting hammered and 852 00:58:41,400 --> 00:58:42,959 Speaker 1: get a beard in their face and they just start 853 00:58:42,960 --> 00:58:45,480 Speaker 1: getting all funked up and talking about politics and racing 854 00:58:46,200 --> 00:58:50,120 Speaker 1: till I say stop and shove the cotton further down 855 00:58:50,200 --> 00:58:54,360 Speaker 1: my ears. That's what I do, and my hands are 856 00:58:54,480 --> 00:58:58,200 Speaker 1: full of that stick is set from your back. Y'all 857 00:58:58,280 --> 00:59:05,120 Speaker 1: chose a pie. Ah, it's just the closest to you are. 858 00:59:38,840 --> 00:59:43,280 Speaker 1: You really are so talented, it's unbelievable, how great you are, 859 00:59:43,280 --> 00:59:46,880 Speaker 1: how talented you up? Let's go it up. What's Walker? 860 00:59:47,880 --> 00:59:59,560 Speaker 1: And thank you all for coming. Butch Walker's groundbreaking rock 861 00:59:59,640 --> 01:00:04,040 Speaker 1: oppera American love Story, drops May eighth. My thanks to 862 01:00:04,200 --> 01:00:08,520 Speaker 1: Zach McNeice for mixing the live music in today's episode. 863 01:00:09,080 --> 01:00:11,720 Speaker 1: I'm Alec Baldwin and this is Here's the thing.