Jeff Timmons - Boy Bands & Birthdays

Hang out with Savage as she talks to 98° boy band member Jeff Timmons. You won't believe what she gets out of him and an even BIGGER surprise at the end!

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Oh seven. I like to keep it real simple. I
almost feel like I need to sing one of these
boy band tunes from back in the day, because we
have none other than the boy bands of all boy
bands ninety eight degrees. Jeff Timmins here with us today. Hey,

(00:22):
you're just gonna be here. Good to see you. Thanks
for having me, excited to be here. Heard so much
about you. Congrats on all your success. It's it's an
honored pleasure to be a part of your show. And then, oh,
thank you, thank you very much. I having someone on
from the boy band era, right, I'm like, I need
to know everything. How did you it started? Did the

(00:44):
ladies like throw panties on the stage all the time?
I got to know all of it. I need to know,
So let's let's go take it back. Did you grow
up thinking I want to be like this magic Mike
boy band? Oh hell no, especially not a magic boy brand.
Not only no magic Mike, no boy band growing up,

(01:04):
and not a combination of that those two things. No,
I was in I was inquiring stuff like that growing up.
But I'm from Maslin, Ohio, which is a very small
town up north. It's predominantly I mean very well known
for only football, Like I was gonna say, I know
that from sports, but I didn't know anything else. When
you're born and you're a boy, they put a football

(01:25):
in your years. I mean they really do. I mean
at the hospital, So that's how serious they are about football.
Had no intention of being a singer or a group,
but you know that was I was in football, but always,
you know, had a knack for singing and knacting and
stuff like that, although it was not cool at all.
And then you know, everybody knows this story, but I started.
I was in my third college or fourth college. I've

(01:47):
been bouncing around trying to play football, and the colleges
kept getting smaller and smaller because of my skill set
is very small at playing football. And we were at
a party at Kent State University with someone my old friends,
and some girls asked us to sing, and then I
happened to know how to do four part harmony. So
I took the guys in the bathroom and said, you

(02:08):
sing this, you sing this, you sing that, you said this.
We went out and sang for them. We thought we
thought it was good. We don't know if it really was.
Kind of like our minds kind of like your football career.
You're like, I thought I was good exactly as you
can see. There's a thematic thing going on with delusion. Uh.
And then we uh and then we we we we

(02:30):
we thought it sounded kind of good. Of course, you
know the girls we you know, gave us a reaction.
So that was it for us. We were like, let's
be singers. Uh. Then I went to LA and we
drove to LA. Because you didn't have any of this stuff.
You didn't have tick tank on social media. You had
to go to LA or New York to make it.
We went to LA and then uh, you know, we
started making a little headway out there, and then the

(02:52):
guys I was quit. And then I was introduced to
Nick's voice. Not Nick. Nick's voice be a tape of
a guy from Cincinnati, okay man, that takes us back,
a tape for all of you out there that I
have no idea what we're talking about. He's talking about, Hey, yeah,
you're putting to use your pencil, and like rewind, I

(03:16):
understand with it. It's just Google tape, audio tape and
then you'll see a cassette tape. But yeah, I heard him.
I heard Nick singing in a local cover band called
The Avenues and they were they were singing like jazz
there locally, and I heard Nick sing a cover called
Still the Night, and I was like, I need to

(03:37):
get that guy out here, because I had been auditioning
people in LA for months and I couldn't find anybody
that I liked. But I heard his voice and then
he came out. I hadn't even seen him. I called
called him up on the phone and I said, hey, man,
you know this is gonna sound weird, but do you
have a good look? And the kind of like chuckle
up on the phone. He's like, what do you mean?

(03:59):
And I'm like, well, you know, you gotta you're gonna
be a part of And it wasn't called a boy
band backup. It was like a vocal group, you know,
like Boys to Man was a vocal group. Oh that's
what you guys called yourself, okay, yeah, to emulate Boys
to Men and Joe to See and Shy was a
group at the time, and all the do walk groups.
So he came out. I didn't see what Nick looked

(04:20):
like toil. I met him in LA and he brought
Justin out with him and then we brought Drew and
then that's how we, uh, how we started the group.
Oh that is awesome. That is funny, though you really
don't know because someone's voice can be completely different. I
seen some m M yeah. But but you know the

(04:42):
guy that introduced me to him, and he's like, I
can Disguy's a good looking dude. Girls love him and
he's a real charis really charismatic guy. And I was like,
all right, And then I opened the door when he
came months later to the apartment we lived in, and
I was like, hey, nice to meet you, thanks for
joining joining the group, but hey, you know, and then

(05:04):
you know, I'd sold him with Billy Goods that you know,
I had this going on, this going on and this
going on, and did my best sales pitch and thankfully
he believed what I was saying. And then he brought
his brother and his buddy out. Then that's how when
you started ninety eight degrees and the rest is history.
I mean, my goodness, you guys are awesome. You've done
so many things. It's not just you know the musical side,

(05:25):
and it's amazing to see how opportunities come about. I mean,
I'm learning that even in my world right now, right.
I posted a video back in was it twenty nineteen,
and it was kind of It was a funny video
because I'm known for all the funny stuff, and oh
my god, the trolls came out like no other. And
I was like, that's this stuff, Like, I'm not this

(05:47):
is dumb. I'm not doing this. Then COVID happened and
I start doing these videos and now, I mean there's
a podcast, and there's all kinds of fun stuff, radio show,
there's all kinds of things that have just come from it.
So it's really neat to see that. You guys, I
don't say boy band, this musical group. You're fifty, Yeah,
well we'll take the boy band Monica now, you know, yeah,

(06:10):
up to it. Now that we're middle aged guys, you know,
it's okay. You can call me young man, boy band,
young band, whatever, you know. I'm down with it. But no,
to your point, I mean, if you stick with stuff, right,
if you stick with it, and of course you're with
anything great, right, with anything great, you're always going to
get a ton of resistance right away. And then that's

(06:31):
one of the universe testing you to see how much
you want to do it. And then if you stick
through it and you prowl through the wall and you
just kind of stick stick by your guns, and good
things start to happen. And look at it. I'm so
happy for you, you know, for for something that you
did on a whim. I mean, you must be an
entertainer at heart, right, You've got a ton of bubbly
stuff going on over there with your personality, and you're funny,

(06:51):
and I'm sure people have been telling you that all
your life. And sure now you've got this vehicle in
your hand, this bone wing, and broadcast yourself out to
the mass. And I'm sure people thought the same thing
that you thought. Your friends, thinking, your parents, thinking your
siblings think about you. They thought you were funny, and
that's why you're, you know, able to do what you're
doing right now, and they're just gonna keep coming the opportunities,

(07:12):
you know, as long as you're developing all this stuff
and your fan base. So I couldn't be more excited
for you. Well, thank you, thank you. It's funny because
I'm sure you got it when you were younger. If
you would sing for someone, it's like, oh you're great. Well,
I would always get you need your own reality show,
Like what all my life? I'm like, oh no, you've

(07:34):
got it right predicting that and prognosticating that for you
and all of a sudden, look what's look what you're doing? Yeah,
you know, look I sang. But it was never never confident,
never confident even today, before we get on stays, before anything.
I mean, I get more nervous than you can imagine. Like, still,
how old were you? How old were you like your

(07:54):
first concert? How old were you when we started to grow,
like when you started actually like seeing it in front
of people, like any kind of audience? How old were
you any kind of audience for me personally? Yeah, in
fifth grade or something like that. Okay you're saying, then
still get you get nervous still after years, still you know,

(08:15):
still lack that initial confidence. And then look, once you
get up up there, the nerves go away. And I
think part of it's just wanting to be good at right,
you want to be your best. People are looking at you. Yeah,
really take a breath, a breath, a deep breath, and
take a look at what it is. It's sort of weird, right,
You're in front of a bunch of people, like here
we are, you know, performing right, but you try not

(08:37):
to get into that mindset and just enjoy the moment,
be thankful that you're blessed and lucky enough to do
fun stuff for a job. Right and right, we'll talk
talking about that, you know, that that moment and just
looking out and seeing I mean, what was it like
being just catapulted to start them? Well, I mean, if
you ask us, it didn't seem like that because we

(08:58):
were on a Moti Records, which was an urban label,
and they sort of didn't know how to how to
market us in the beginning. They sort of wanted people
to think we were an urban group, and they weren't
really capitalizing on the younger fan base. They wanted us
to be more of a really cool like looks certainly
I'm not cool like that, but in the audience, you
can't pull the audience, right, So it took us out

(09:21):
of what our sort of bread and butter was just
sing songs and perform for the crap. But so we
had a slow bird there in the first couple of years.
Because we put a record out, it didn't necessarily do
that well. And then you know, the label actually decided
to put our pictures on stuff and do music videos,
you know, sort of the vehicles that you Yeah, but
I feel like that was a turning point for you guys,

(09:42):
Like once people were able to see who you were
and hear you and put it all together, it was like, oh,
who were these? Because when I look back and I
think of the boy bands, right, you guys are one
of those that I think about, it's not oh, it's
just this one and this one. Like you guys to
me are definitely part of that sort of backstreet and
saying maybe absolutely, But it didn't start like that for us.

(10:04):
We were out there grinding and you know, doing everything
we could to promote and wrapping our pictures on the
bus and yeah, people don't see that side of it.
They don't see the grind that some of us have
to have right to get to where we are. Doesn't
just boom, here you go. It's on a silver platter,
like there's work behind it. There was, there was work
and there you know. Look for us, we didn't really

(10:24):
have a big vehicle behind us. The label wasn't really
behind us in the beginning. So but we believed in it.
We're like, we're gonna do everything. We can to seize
this opportunity, and we, uh, we kind of went for
it and believed in each other. And then it's it's
sort of took the person say, we just kept working
at it. So once you've got to that status, you
got catapulted in there. Once all the ladies are going
crazy and everyone's like, oh my gosh, what was that

(10:46):
like going on stage and these women just going nuts
for you? It was crazy. It's crazier than you probably
can imagine. I mean, you see movies about it, and
it's crazier. I mean, it's it's total bananas, you know,
out of control and give us the deats. We got
to know all of it. Pretty much everything you can
picture in your mind was going on it. But you

(11:07):
know what's weird about it is is you have all
this going on, but you're so busy and it's so competitive,
Like like you said, we're compared to Backstreet and then saying,
those guys are telling a bunch of records and all
over the place, and we're getting compared to them and
behind us as another group maybe around the corner. So
you're watching it, you're there for the moment, and then boom,

(11:27):
you're in the next city, or you're in the studio again,
or you're in store signing autographs, or you're doing a
TV show. It's just, you know, one after the other
after the other for several years, so you don't really
you don't really get a chance to take a deep
breath and catch the moment, take it in, you know,
and and enjoy it. Although we had a good time,
but you know, we we sort of were such type
a guys that we wanted to have so much success

(11:48):
that we just kept kept kept going forward and our
eye on the prize. And at the end of it,
you're like, wow, if that happened, did that happened? It
was pretty well. Well. I don't think people understand, especially
someone like yourself, who, like you just said, you want
to be successful. So you are thinking about, all right,
what's next, what's this? What's that When guys slide into
my dms or they're trying to get my attention, I
don't it's weird. I don't look at it as like, oh,

(12:10):
that's a potential guy I'm about to hook up with,
or that's a potential guy that like whatever. I just
I'm really focused on. I'm a single mom, so I'm
focused on my son and focused on how I can
continue the career and make people smile and laugh because
that brings me joy. I'm not as focused on oh
ten guys slid into my DMS and setting this and that,
like it's not It kind of goes over my head

(12:31):
a little bit. I guess it's for us too. I mean,
I think that's what It was. Pretty crazy. We were like, wow,
you know, look at all these girls. But then like
you realize quickly, look, you gotta be up in the morning,
you go to bed late, you gotta be in the
next city, you gotta be at the airport, you gotta
get on the bus. I mean, it's it's you don't
get time for me. Just okay, wait wait, wait wait wait.

(12:51):
There were no groupies though, and no extra shenanigans ever.
I mean, look, we were at our early no judgment,
no judgment. Sure, but you know you start to realize
you start to taper that a little bit because you
don't have enough energy, right, you don't have enough and
keeping track of everything. At that time, I remember cell

(13:15):
phones were just starting. You didn't have pictures or video
and some almost you just have phone numbers. People couldn't
remember a second here. That could be good and bad.
That could be good and bad because you could be like, oh,
I'm sorry I didn't get your letter in the mail.
Right well, no, you know that's bad news if you

(13:37):
can't remember every single detail you're using. Wait, you don't.
You don't have any little kids out there running around them.
We don't know about right. No. But now listen, this
podcast is like Vegas. What happened twenty years ago stays there.
No one's gonna get mad, No spouses are gonna get mad.
This is a long time This is a long time ago.

(13:58):
Still many who was who was the wildest in the group? Oh,
I don't think any of us are a wild Oh
that's that's a political answer, Ohio guys. I mean we
were from the Bible Belt for good, okay, us, Ohio
people do hit different. We do hit different. Okay. Who
had the most girls back in there? Um? I mean

(14:21):
I can't remember. After Bible study in the back of
who Are Books? And had to get a good nights,
you guys took melat town in and what after we
called our moms all right, good night mom down. I
can't wait to get them home and blow the law

(14:43):
and take care of everything. So we're there a lot
of Bible studies going on during your tours, like group
for a lot of deep thoughts and trying to behave ourselves,
you know, I mean, come on, let's be honest, though,
how hard was that early twenties. I keep saying, I'm

(15:06):
thankful that I'm older, because I'll be forty eight next month.
I'm I'm thankful that I'm older to kind of know something,
not everything, but the fact that like I have what
I have now at this age versus at eighteen, I
would have lost my ever love and mind. Well look,
and here's the thing. We were in our early twenties.
But guys are slow burning when it comes to maturing,

(15:30):
so you know, look, it was. It was a pretty
wild experience for us. We are probably and I'm only
always just speaking for myself about the whole group, But
for me, I'm thankful that we didn't have social media
back then because I don't think we would have been
exponentially bigger and more successful, but we would have also

(15:52):
been scrutinized about everything. And certainly absolutely from small you know,
Middle America and not growing up. Now everybody's going up
with this stuff and not knowing. You know, I can't
imagine how Bieber or somebody like that. I mean that
you never you can't shut off right when it comes
to that. For me, I do my best too. There's

(16:14):
um Reddit, yeah, right right right. I don't go I've never.
I think I've been. One time. I was asking a
question about like a house project or whatever, and I
think it made me go there because they could answer it.
But apparently that is a forum where they just literally
go after people. And I'm like, guys, why do you
even go over there if you think people are like coming?
Why even bother? So I again, I think because I'm

(16:36):
a little bit older, I'm like, I don't give a shit.
You say what you want to say over there. I'm
I'm not a bad person. I'm a good person and
I know that. So that's where I just say, I'm
not even go over there. Other people, I'm like, I
don't know you that well, Like are you a good person?
Are you not a good person? But why are you
so upset about what these people are saying over there
who don't know you? So it's a whole new ball game. Well,

(16:57):
and look, you've had enough success versus staying of time
that you know, you have to turn that stuff off
if you get if you go down that rabbit hole,
you'll never come back, right, So you just have to say, hey,
all right, your numbers are the ones that tell the truth, right,
how how many how many fans you have, how many
views you have, your opportunities, so you know, you got
to take that focus on that. If you start focusing

(17:18):
on every single weird and someone will you know, look,
you're not immune to all of them. Someone will say
some kind of weird personal thing that you'll fixate on.
But you know, it's it's kind of like we're conditions.
We fix we fixate on more the negative things than
the positive things. But with you, I mean, you're you're
having so many things go on, and the fact that
you're older, you know that look it's just people trolling

(17:39):
their board, right, you must be having some sort of
impact that you're getting that much of a response. So,
I mean, I think the way you can compartmentalize that
part of it's very very important, especially for what you're
you do right, uh and have the you know, the
people focused on on you know you so often, right
and so frequently, so you have to sort of put
that on the back of your mind. Yeah, I mean

(18:01):
I get some comments is hysterical to me. It's like,
oh my god, it's not funny. Why are you laughing?
And I'm like that, why are you so miserable? I mean,
I don't I don't respond. This is funny to me.
I'm like, what are what are you so miserable about that?
You're mad at someone being happy? You're mad at me
for being happy? Like fired to to let you know,

(18:24):
all right, they're watching you do it, so that's kind
of weird, right, I didn't have to watch you then
this upsets me so much to let me get it
put my comments in there. It doesn't make any sense now,
and I'm very thankful. Like I call them my savage fam.
I don't really like to call them followers, like we're
a big family. And they'll they'll go after the person.

(18:46):
Not that I'm saying I want them too, but they'll
just like, what's your problem? You're watching her? Or what
all this? So I just I do my best to
not even respond to it. Every once in a great while,
like if I feel like, okay, there's a lot coming
at once, I'll spawn to one just to be like
I don't care, like shut it down. But for the
most part, I just I'm like, you know, what, do
you feel better now that you said that? If you do, great,

(19:09):
we're gonna move on. Now it's not even that point.
But the whole point in this thing start going back
is you guys didn't have to deal with that. Like
you said, that's a great thing because what it does
to people mentally when they kind of get their hooks
into them, like it seems like it's almost like a
full moon, right, like you'll get a couple at the
same time, or maybe it's because one person comments someone

(19:30):
else like well I'm going to say something too, but
you kind of it's like a full moon, like a
cycle of it. But for the most part, for me,
it's like it's just chill and and people appreciate it.
People might take my joke wrong, right, They might be like, like,
I just did a video of a girl. She was
doing the split. She was on a handstand and she
was doing the splits. Well, she had a swimsuit on

(19:51):
and you couldn't see where her I'm just gonna say
where her lips were. And I was like, what the
where the hell where are they? And it was hysterical
because I went to the comments and all these ladies
are like, my roast beef could never right because we're
all like how in the world. We're like a little jealous,
but yet we're like are we different? And someone made

(20:11):
the comment to me, oh, how are you making fun
of someone? I'm just like her and I'm like, girl,
we're all relating. We're all like sometimes you would just
miss it, right, they miss it, and you're like, no,
we're not making fun of men have at least one
and ye, so many people that are kind of two dead,
you're gonna have more than one, right, really, but yeah,

(20:31):
I mean kind with the ratio, right. And thankfully you
guys didn't have to deal with that, right because you
wouldn't have the guys being hateful like oh well they're nothing,
or you know, the haters, because you would be probably
put like a poster on their girlfriend's wall and probably
be hating on you because they liked you person. I mean,
we experienced with guys. Really. Tell give me an example.

(20:55):
We were in I think Albany. We did a show
at Albany in a college town. Okay, let's go out
for drinks. Afterwards in a college town, right at a
cottage bar. You can imagine that didn't end well wait wait, wait?
Was there a Bible study there? That was one of
the nights We forgot okay, okay, the bus and we

(21:16):
went straight from the venue and we got into the
we went into the bar, and we had two huge
security guys with us, right, and we went into the bar.
Of course we would just went in there to hang out,
and and of course, you know, all the girls left
their guys and just surrounded us, right, and we're like, wow,
what's hell's going on in And then certainly the guys
didn't like that, and you know, a couple of the

(21:37):
guys got feisty and I went like this, and then
our security guys struggle over everybody else. You literally just
you guys can't do that. He puts it too fished up,
like put him up, put him up. And of course
I hid behind guys like he's gonna get his ass
beat let me, And so I like, what's taking you?

(22:00):
So they have along you guys gonna kill me? But yeah,
they're telling me for saving his life that night, you know,
but they you know, they took care of that was
probably One of the only times of guys were came
after the rest of us when we went into the
college park. But you know, we would have guys come
up you guys, suck you guys terrible. Oh that's cause

(22:22):
what do you do to say? Do you just smile? Like,
did you ever say anything back? I look back in
the day, we're feisty. Sure, yeah, look shipped back to him.
Of course, with the seurity guards right in front of you,
you're like looking around him like yeah, yeah, but yeah,
I mean, there are guys. But what's interesting later on,

(22:43):
twenty plus years later, because most of our fans were
teams and sometimes younger. We did a lot of stuff
with Bickelodeon and Disney, so we had a really young fans.
They're they're there third, you know, late twenties, thirties and
forties now. But a lot of times guys will come
up to us now and they're like, hey, man, I
I used to hate you back in day, but your
music is pretty cool, and I'm like, oh, thanks man,
you know, like, you know, that's awesome. It's music. That's

(23:06):
what everyone grows up though, too, right, you're immature. You
don't realize you're probably with someone that you don't need
to be with, and yeah, they're just jealous. So it
makes sense they matured. They probably had you on a
list to apologize to. I doubt that, but it's weird
when we go to these concerts now that they're filled

(23:28):
with girls and guys right now, I just got to
ask that. Yeah, so the guys will sing the songs
and then they'll be like, whoa, I'm a big fan.
I'm like, wow, when this When did this switchero happened?
I mean, we had no guy fan in the past.
But but I guess, you know, to your point, everybody
grows up, matures, gets older, and they realize music is
not a threat to your We're not threatening to your

(23:49):
you know, our songs and well, is everyone married now
too or no? In the group? Well, no, Justin's not married.
He's he's uh, he's I think he might be engaged.
But the rest of us and okay, so everyone's been married.
There's no threat. You guys could probably sell out everywhere
now that with the guys because there's no threat. I mean,
it's it's interesting, you know, I mean that's completely gone.

(24:13):
We would always have one or two guys that let's
trying to start shit. And but now it's like everybody's
super respectful and it's a lot of fun. I mean,
we're having so much more fun now. It's different when you,
when you are older and a little more mature, right you,
everything is different. You look at things different. You don't
really care about certain things. You just let those roll
off your back. You're like, you know what, in my

(24:33):
twenties that would have bothered the hell out of me.
Now whatever up and you realize what's a priority as
far as like your how your emotion goes, and the
things you pay attention to do. So for us, it's
a lot different than it was back then. We had
we had fun back then, but now we're just let's
go have fun. The people are still here to you know,
come see us and sing our songs and all that

(24:55):
good stuff. So which says a lot about you guys,
right to have that fan base for so long. Yeah,
I mean, we'll look it says a lot about our fans, right. So,
I mean for us, it's cool. You know, we had
some some pretty cool songs and we were part of
a good era as well that was sort of like
the pop explosion back then. That's BacT when people were
still buying CDs, and you know, there were all these
these things that you would do in the marketplace outside

(25:17):
of them, you know, the things that you're you're doing
virtually right. You had to go out there to be
in front of your fans quite a bit. So it's
a different time and it was a cool era to
be a part of with the Christinas and Britney's of
the world and j Lo first came out then, and
Ricky Martin and that whole click eminem was part of
that whole The whole TRL era was fun, fun to

(25:37):
be a part of. So the music was so great though,
I mean it really was. When when you go back
now and I'll play nineties and two thousands during my
lives and be like, oh this is my Yes, this
is what I need. I mean the good there's good
stuff now a little bit, but I just like the
meat and potatoes. It's like, go back and listen to that.
It was a little different. It was actually kind of

(25:58):
diverse too. You have a rock group from the UK
like Chubbo Warmbag doing stuff, get knocked out to the
back and then you'd have you know, there was a
lot more diversity, I think, and now it's sort of
just you know, obviously, as things become more corporate, you know,
you people stick to certain things that they know to work,
and so, you know, I think that that that sort

(26:21):
of the ability to just pick hits out from different artists,
you know, that sort of has gone by the wayside.
But I think now, you know, the things like TikTok
and some of the social media things are developing, uh,
you know, hit records from different unique artists that aren't
necessarily have to be signed to a label, and some
of the old school stuff and a lot of the

(26:41):
old school stuff has gone away, which is it's even
makes it better, and I think hopefully we'll tip back
to where it was before. And you hear, you know
a little bit more diversity on the radio. Well, I
feel like there's something to be said for the current
artist remixing and remake it. I know that always happens,
but I feel like I've heard more and more and more.

(27:02):
I feel like now with some of the artists, the
new artists, and some maybe aren't signed, but they're doing
these John, what was the one that we were talking
out the other day. I'm trying to remember what the
song that we were talking about the other day, you
were like, why does this sound so familiar? So they're
taking those hooks that are so they were so embedded

(27:22):
in our heads right from the nineties and early two
thousand and it's like an instant hit. So I want
to tell these young kids, like, yeah, you like it
because that was really good, and you know all the
time Jack Harlow did the thirty song, Yeah, but this
is the bomb, Like that's a remake that'sn't even as
good as the originally. And then the Weekend just did

(27:46):
the Barrio winding song. I don't know, and I'm like,
that's a remake, that is what I'm saying. And then
people are like, Heather, what's your favorite hint of music.
I'm like, I kind of like everything. There's no way no.
When you grew up listening to nineties and two thousand,
like you said, Christina would be on, then Eminee would
be on, then Tumble on the like it's like you,
it depended on the day of which one you really
were like in sync to. So because they keep dipping

(28:08):
back into our genre and saying, oh, that's fire, we know,
we know Ashley, we know Okay, so I'm talking about
like stardom and stuff. When you guys, you know, you
had your hits and then obviously you know, it's kind
of like the hills and valleys. Do you feel like

(28:31):
once you have a taste of that start, I'm like,
you're always wanting it back. Well, look again, I mean no,
it's amazing and great, and at that time we were
one of the biggest groups in the world, so we
were we were pretty high right right every place we go,
it's pretty crazy. And then at all it was sudden.
It wasn't just a peakan valley. It was suddenly like

(28:51):
in the early two thousands of music really really changed,
like overnight almost right, So, all of a sudden was
there and then it wasn't cool anymore. So it took
a couple of years, and then it wasn't cool at all,
and then we weren't in Stout for probably the better
the better of a decade with regards to and we
took time away and we all started families, and Nick

(29:12):
went on to do his own thing, and it went
Nick and Justin as well, and I went really behind
the scenes and um, and then we kind of took
the temperature when we came back in two thousand and thirteen,
that's been ten years, and we were like, wow, look,
if if it's not there anymore, you know, we'll just
keep doing our own thing. And you do miss some
of it. And certainly, and I joked about being from

(29:33):
a being from the Midwest, you sort of grounded and
we're all kind of blue collar guys. So the fame
was stuff was cool, and stuff and the things that
went along with it were amazing, like once in a
lifetime chance. But we were enamored by one hundred percent
that we had to fight tooth and nail to get
that again. You know. It's like I think it was
more about, you know, how do we have success in
different ways? How do we stay relevant so we can

(29:55):
parlay these into different things. But to be on private
jets all the time, and that's cool. I mean, certainly
didn't don't have any complaints about any of that if
it comes around again. But I don't need that to
happen in my life. I don't need to not be
able to get out of my house or out of
a car or out of a tour bus because it's
getting shaken by you know, that stuff was cool and fifty.

(30:19):
I'm like, I'm just trying to in. These fifty and
six year old women can't shake the tour bus like
we used to. Buddy, hold on, they're beat into the cave. Okaye,
lar buttons are going help by falling and I can't

(30:40):
cooling me. Oh anyway, yes, you know, no, I guess
the forties and late thirty year old made up be
able to to shake the bus. Oh no, we can.
We can, we can, we definitely can. But I guess
priorities changed the older you get, right, bro. You know,
I would say that the fan base now that they

(31:02):
can drink is a little bit we're ramboactious than ever
when we go out there, pretty did anyone like, have
you signed their stuff anymore? Yeah, stuff like that happened
for sure. It's still you know, because look, they're they're
we living that era. As much as we'd like to

(31:23):
think we're super cool, we were part of an era
when you know, teams were coming into their into their
twenties or twenties that that whole time. So I think
people come to see people that they experienced this with
as much as they come to see us. I mean,
we love that they come to see us, but we
also know it's like a girl's night out some of
some of the people have friends for life at our concerts.

(31:46):
That's the kind of stuff that makes it a lot cooler.
You know that they have a bond with other fans,
So yeah, they do. They do still do crazy stuff though,
believe it or not. I think that that's absolutely great.
Let loose, go hang out, no kids, just you know,
it makes it makes it interesting. I think if everybody
was just sitting there on their hands, you know, and

(32:09):
not yeah, that would be a little weird. You guys
have probably stop singing like, well, no one's internet. I think.
So you guys gauge your performance like that was a
good performance by like how many people want you to
sign and how many like undergarments you get thrown up
on the stage, or you gauge our performance first of all,

(32:31):
and how well we do we can remember yeah that's
not one well I forgot the words. Oh shit, I'm
supposed to be over there. You know. That's first. So
we gauge our performance on how we perform, and then second,
you know, secondly, you want to look out and just
see the crowd getting excited about if there's a love there.
We must you know, might not be bringing it, but

(32:54):
for the most part, the fans are excited out there.
You know. Now, you guys are great. Everyone loves you still. Absolutely,
it's fun. I mean, as long as they're having fun
and coming out right. If you know there's nobody in
the audience, that's another signal that it's you know, transition
into us, you know, and get back in the studio,
right for other people? Because sure, okay, so talking about

(33:20):
you know, the women coming out reliving, you guys are
all married. Everyone spoken for you were this is your
second marriage, right, that's right? Yeah, okay, because what I
read I honestly I didn't remember that you went through.
Was it kind of a rough divorce the first one,
say the least? Yeah, it was a long, arduous, so

(33:43):
sapping process. But yeah, yeah, it took a long time.
But you know, look, I mean that's the way it is.
And and and if you're in the business, you know
you have other people that that will help to prolong
that meaning you know, lawyers and you know, you know,
it's it just was a long drawn out, tortuous you know,

(34:06):
you know, the pressing podcast. But but the bright side
is I got out of it. Uh, you know, I
was able to be a dad throughout the process, got remarried,
found the love of my life, helped me change everything around,
and you know we were, you know, back in better
than ever. I mean, it's it's sometimes you go through
those really tough times to teach you lessons or whether

(34:30):
you know why or not, you know, you can't question it.
You just got to endure it, learn from it, and
move on. And so yeah, I'm married for the second time. Um,
you know, we have five kids between the two of us.
Both of us had two previously and we have one together.
And it was like the Brady bunch and the three
oldest ones are off doing their own thing and we
still have two. Well, one of the older ones came

(34:50):
back for a little bit to come here and and
uh and he does jiu jitsu. It's a big scene.
Martial arts are a big scene here. So he's back
doing some some stuff, me oriented stuff. So he's back
in the house. So we have three back here. Now. Well,
I ask you this, and here's why I ask you this.
I'm divorced and I have a lot of people that

(35:11):
are in the middle right either of a divorce or
they they are recently divorced, and I want people to
see you can still find happiness. You know, you could
have the worst divorce ever, you could have the worst
experience ever, but you still can find that happiness out there.
And I think that you're a true testament to that
of something being so bad and you're like, you know what,
I'm not looking for it, but here it found me.

(35:32):
Here we are. We're loving life right now, there's no
question about it. It was some treacherous that I didn't
even want to. I swore I would never date again. Yeah,
like I was like, I'll just be a bad I'm
sure that jaded you. Absolutely, Yeah, I'll beat people and
have casual relationships, but never see, I will never get
into a serious relationship. Casual Bible studies and then that's right,

(35:56):
that's right, Okay, like minded spiritual books. But I was
never never gonna get married again. I mean, I was
dead set on it. I was not looking. I'm like, no,
I'm not. I don't want that drama in my life.
I got to focus on, you know, trying to find
a way to get back on my feet with my career,
trying to be the best dad I can be and

(36:18):
so I was not out there seeking oh I need
someone that you know, a soul mate, and all that's up.
But look, you know, the universe or God or whatever
you want to say, had different plans for it. And
I couldn't be more thankful for it. And it's just
the freakish thing that happened. And and definitely found somebody
that that is maybe a better person, right and made

(36:38):
my life credit. That just doesn't happen when you're out
there looking for it, and when you're drying for it.
You know, it just happened on its own. So yes,
to your point, there is light at the end of
the tunnel, right, So well, I'm very very happy. I
can see it on your face right when you start
talking about the divorce and then talking about your wife.
Now it's I love seeing. I wish you guys could see.

(37:00):
Maybe we'll have to pop it up somewhere, but just
you're exuding happiness and we are very very very happy
for you on that talking about divorce, talking about being single,
divorce married, do you feel like when you went out
and performed in your early early days, right, like twenties whatever,
and you guys were single, do you think it's a
different performance when your single versus married, like because they're

(37:24):
less pressure or more pressure, or oh single verse married.
I think the performance of a difference now not because
of that. So single, we weren't performing any differently. That
wouldn't have any bearing on it. We just got better
with a guy that's on stage. For one, We've had
twenty you know, years of it plus, so that's part

(37:45):
of it. But the other part of it is we
have way more fun, way more fun, And it doesn't
have to do with us being single or married. It's
just like the prospective thing you talked about earlier. Right,
we're older, like life or death isn't on the line
with every performance. It's like, okay, let's have some beers
and go out and the thing and enjoy it and

(38:06):
and and play you know, pop star for a night
and it's like a dream. Right. And back then it
was like we're not as good as dancing as the
backstreet points, you know, like you know, like, what are
we gonna do? You know, it's like the end of
the world, right, So uh, and so now it's a
different it's it's an absolute different perspective and we just

(38:27):
let's have as the goal is the only rule for
us is is to go have as much fun you know,
obviously know what you're supposed to be doing on stage,
and do the show the right way to put your
best foot forward. Performance was but we gotta have fun.
Right the second we don't have fun anymore, we're gonna
hang it up. So yeah, that's what's different. That's the performance.
People that saw us years ago compared to now, they're like, wow,

(38:48):
you guys are actually kind of fun to for but
but like people can feel that we're like, you know,
just kind of not taking it so seriously and having
a blast with it so well good. I just I
don't know. I always wondered if there was more pressure
or when you're single, if you're looking into the crowd like, oh, well,

(39:09):
who's that girl I'm gonna have the Bible study with later?
And now you don't worry about that, right, That's that
might be different. Role seven Cdtle thirty two c A
no I sund a total pick that never would never

(39:32):
I'm just going along with your Shenanigeriously they could believe it. No,
you guys should never know you guys would never. Did
you guys have a seating chart? Like on the floor
where you could look down that way. You kidding. Yeah,
we had like a little piece of chalk down there.
We could take our foot that marked the right the
right seating plots. Now everyone's gonna go to concerts watching

(39:56):
the artists like are they looking at seats? You can
pick up a walkie talking. All right, now it is
time for the Savage seven. All right, let's do it.
You ready? All right? First question, Well, just for everyone
out there, someone's new listening to the podcast Savage seven

(40:16):
seven Rabid Fire questions. He can have one skip, that's it,
but he is committed to answering these questions. And here
we go. Who would you kick out of the band
that is so good? Most memorable concert? Oh jeez, that's

(40:51):
really tough. I would say the most memorable concert we
were a part of was the Michael Jackson twenty fifth
anniversary special. We didn't with all all of those people.
We got to perform with Usher and Luther Vandross from
Michael Jackson. So that's probably we have. We have a
ton of them, but that's probably at the top of
my list. So that's cool. Next question, Most embarrassing thing

(41:11):
that happened to you? At an appearance. Oh my gosh,
I fell off the stage trying to shake Jerry Rice's
hand riser. We were on risers doing like this United
Way song and a bunch of football players and like
Destiny's Child there and all these football stars are there
and I'm like four risers up next to the guys,
and Jerry Rice is right behind us on the riser

(41:32):
behind us, and I was like, oh my god, Jerry Rice,
and Nick's like, don't do it, don't do it. We
were filling a video of us like doing this big
like United Waste song, and He's like, don't, don't. And
I turned around like Jerry and I went up to
shake his hand and there was a space in between
the risers. I literally fell that, like I ate it
in front of like three hundred people. And then then

(41:54):
I did like the Griswold thing. I pulled myself up
and I went, I'm okay, I'm okay. Please tell me
you did not let him know you played football. Though
I was mortified. I was, and I try to hide
behind Nick and you like he like turns back away,
so you have to be associated with me. It was
the worst ever, but I have so many of those.

(42:14):
I mean, there could be fifty of those I can
tell you about. That's the won all right. Next question,
who would you love to work with right now? Oh man,
Bruno Mars is my favorite. I think I'd love to
do something with him and Ariana Grande, but yeah, Bruno
Bruno Mars is my favorite. Make him. We like him,
all right? Next question, what is your guilty pleasure? Um,

(42:37):
I don't know. I think you know. For me, it's
gonna sound corny, but I love being in the studio.
So when everybody goes to sleep at least some part
of the day, whether it's middle of the night, early morning,
late night, whatever, when I have some time, I get
into the studio and I just have to work on music.
Even if it doesn't go anywhere, I have to work
on music. I'm a boring answer. Okay, we're glad you

(43:04):
didn't say like you know you or something like that.
I mean, can you imagine anything would be a disaster.
I'm like, I promise I'm not, but I know. I
don't even drink caffeine and people are like, wait, what,

(43:24):
there's no way. I'm like, I've never done a drug,
nor have I I don't want to drink caffeine. They're like,
what is going on in your life? Meet some of
that chemistry? All right? Next question, you know how they
do its about people? They're like, my ick about this
person is h must be okay, So like you know

(43:49):
something that people don't like about you, Like your wife
would be like, well, I don't like he leaves the
toilet seat up. What would an ick be about you? Oh?
About me? Yes, I don't know. I'm sure there's My
wife could give you a long long I think I

(44:10):
guess my it would be like throwing my clothes straight
on the floor. Anywhere I go, I'll just throw them
all over the place. So it's kind of I'm kind
of a slob and that in that way. She hates it.
So but like I said, she's probably got a few.
All right. Next question, the song that you like the
least of yours? Of ours? Oh, you know, I used

(44:31):
to not like the song called Dizzy, but now I
like it now I like it many years later. So
but I can't say that one. Um gosh, there's a
I guess there was a song that we had called
baby Can I Touch You? There? It didn't quite fit
with the repertoire of the rest of the album, butethe

(44:55):
last we recorded it. You can find it online. Oh
it listened after this podcast. Is probably gonna be the
number one third song, Like this is trying to appeal
to teams and their parents, like this song cannot go
on the album, but we were it's a cool song,
but I absolutely no, I don't know. I'm gonna go
google it after the show My Mom when they were

(45:17):
gonna put it on the album, and I fought tooth
and nail to not get it on there. And they
actually released a version of the album with it on
the internationally on accident, so they recalled all these albums
a little late. It's like striking something from the record
in a court case. Right, it's already out there, but
they managed to like bury it until the internet happened.

(45:40):
And that actually a cool song. But I don't write
it now, but then you know, look, but it doesn't
quite go with I do Cherish You, because baby can
I touch you? There? Very very you guys think your wedding,
John Rosen, and you're like, well, let's go to the
eras the Strip Club, John, be honest, was that the

(46:01):
song you played when you did the Bible studies on
the tour. We had our we had our vaults of
of the of the Bible study songs, the Bible Sudden playlist.
All right, since you skip the first one, last question,
something you did that's public that you wish you could
just take back? Oh my gosh, um oh, I gotta

(46:27):
I don't want to say we got a hey what
a worse than can I touch you? There? Come on?
I hosted a male review called The Chipping Dails. Okay,
I think the thing I would take back is is
part of the gimmick that they had to do for
the press release is they had to tear my shirt

(46:49):
off right, Okay, so naturally people thought descended into the
land of stripper doom. If you know anything about The
Chippen Dails, it's a well put together show in Vegas.
But but I hosted it, and I think I, you know,
maybe wouldn't have done the press release quite that way.
You kind of stripp did not happen, But you know,

(47:09):
you kind of look like a stripper. You do look
like a stripper. If you saw the guys, you would
definitely saying that guy Jemmy is really buff. You guys
are got to google like yeah, he probably benches like
three fifty. Yeah, cloth cloth. You guys are like six

(47:30):
five and shredded to the guild. Oh wow, I've never
been to one. I've never really wanted to. So those
guys are stunts and I don't belong. Say you want
to take that back the bag saying welcome to chipping
down like it's King's Island. Step right up and not

(47:58):
me them. There no attention to the man with the
Mica litten. You have been great and I absolutely loved
having you on. We're gonna have to have you on again.
I mean this, this was awesome. I do have one
question for you, though, sure, So I know that you,
I hear that you sing, I've heard you sing, and

(48:20):
I have this little get together on March twenty fifth,
someone's birthday. So I'm kind of wondering if someone would
like to come out and sing maybe a happy birthday
song on March twenty five, happy to we don't have
a date on the road coffee in who That would
be amazing. Well, happy early birthday, Thanks for having good

(48:44):
good We like to kind of keep it light hearted
and still get to know you. So I really appreciate it.
And that's a hat for us. We're out.