February 15, 2025 • 21 mins
Dorothy is set to release her new album "The Way" (out 3/14), including the instant classic single and video for "Tombstone Town," featuring Slash. Dorothy talks her new record, working with the Guns N' Roses guitarist, and more!
Guest co-host: Baby Brownstone
More info:
Tombstone Town - https://youtu.be/rf684IRPWGo?si=H4HsUMNWLUdTRuDU
www.dorothyonfire.com
Our website: afdpod.com
Guest co-host: Baby Brownstone
More info:
Tombstone Town - https://youtu.be/rf684IRPWGo?si=H4HsUMNWLUdTRuDU
www.dorothyonfire.com
Our website: afdpod.com
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
You know what.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Yes is Appetite for Distortion.
Speaker 3 (00:31):
Welcome to the podcast Appetite for Distortion, Episode number four
hundred and ninety two. My name is Brando. His name
is Harrison Rex aka Baby Brownstone, Dorothy.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
I just asked you. You've never done an interview with
a baby before, right.
Speaker 4 (00:47):
You know what, never done an interview with a baby.
I'm very honored.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
Well, he does speak. I mean he currently has a
bottle in his mouth. This morning he set axel for
the first time.
Speaker 4 (00:59):
Wow, I mean that's what was his first word?
Speaker 2 (01:03):
Probably mommy, probably mom that or cat?
Speaker 4 (01:07):
Cats?
Speaker 2 (01:08):
You I am a cat person.
Speaker 4 (01:11):
Yeah, don't even get me started. I am the cat person.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
You see her. You see your hat, you see your hat.
Speaker 4 (01:19):
Good morning, Harrison.
Speaker 3 (01:22):
So yeah, we're you know, cats. But it's funny we
try to teach him, you know. Of course me I'm
teaching him all the rock and roll phrases like axe
and everything both cat soft nice. But then he gets
a little rough soft nice and you can start smacking
him on the head.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
So uh, it's just like that.
Speaker 4 (01:39):
He knows, he knows exactly what we're talking.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
About, I know.
Speaker 3 (01:42):
So I'm trying to teach him young just with the
animals and of course music, that's my wonderful segue. And
they getting to speak with you today, Dorothy, I'm really excited.
I don't know if you remember you were on a
couple of years ago. I know you do so many
of these interviews. I'm the goon where, you know, because
I got guns and roses theme and I was like, oh,
(02:03):
what's your connection? And I didn't put two and two together.
And there's a song about an X. We won't talk
about that. I don't know if you remember that at all,
but I feel like, okay, I still carry guilt about that.
If you can't tell, so we.
Speaker 4 (02:18):
We Oh no, don't carry guilt. That's a waste it.
Don't carry that stuff around, you know, let it go
and one day at a time.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
Well, thank you. See good thing.
Speaker 3 (02:28):
He is half Jewish, so hopefully he doesn't get all
of my Jewish guilt. So today we're going to talk
about Actually we're listening together your new album the Way.
I'm pravy to get to listen to it before it
drops March fourteenth.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
And look at that, Harrison. We got to get you
a record player.
Speaker 3 (02:47):
Look see the record he's distracted by my skulls right
now dangling from the microphone.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
But that is a beautiful vinyl.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
Actually, yeah, it's the first time I'm seeing it, so
it's pretty cool.
Speaker 3 (03:00):
Kind of matches my orange Geane our shirt in a
little the final itself. So I got to ask, I
guess starting there, because I mean, what's the feeling? Like
it's a kind of a common question. Where is it
nerves when an album is coming out? Is it excitements?
Is it all the above? Like how do you feel
now that of course the single out Tombstone Town with
(03:23):
Slash will get into that, but just for people to
finally hear this work you've been putting into, what's the feeling?
Speaker 4 (03:31):
I'm very excited.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
I'm very proud of this album that we've made, and
I think it carries really good messages in it and
I hope that, you know, it gives something to the
fans that they need and give some hope and encouragement,
and it also rocks pretty hard. But there's you know,
there's a little bit of an outlock country southern rock
vibe that we dug into a little bit more.
Speaker 4 (03:53):
It's always been there. It's always since my first album.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
There have been elements of that, but we just kind
of cranked it up on this one, and I'm just
really I think that it all came together so beautifully
to packaging, you know, the artwork, the videos.
Speaker 4 (04:08):
It's really blowing my mind.
Speaker 1 (04:09):
I can't believe I've flasted this long, and you know,
hopefully many more to come.
Speaker 3 (04:15):
Is there when you first sat because you tell it
was more like an outlawed vibe. What was the vision
because it's cool? And then the real big representation is
the video for Tombstonetown and the Outlaw I kind of
got sensity vibes, Quittin Tarantino vibes from it.
Speaker 4 (04:32):
Yeah, we totally went grindhouse on the video that was.
You know, for me, I'm such a visual person.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
It always starts with a Pinterest board and I find
something that feels right and I just start adding and compiling,
like a vision board or a mood board about a
song or a video or even just a photo shoot
or anything that we're doing. And that visual element helps me.
I wanted to create this world that felt larger.
Speaker 4 (04:58):
Than life and and.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
Make it just really fun and theatrical and so Rich Ragsdale,
who you know, directed Tombstonetown and Flavia who produced it.
You know, we went grindhouse with it, and it kind
of came at the last second because I was looking
at the posters and I'm like, let's do a grindhouse
type poster for the single cover, right, And my creative director,
(05:22):
Linda Strawberry, she's super talented, She's like, I got you,
and she came up with this fantastic cover artwork and
it kind of went from there and it branched out
into the merchandise and the way that they edited the film.
Speaker 4 (05:35):
We wanted it to a film music video. We wanted to.
Speaker 1 (05:38):
Feel like a film and tell a story, and I
wanted to act a little bit. I wish I had
a chance to act more. I wish there had been,
you know, maybe.
Speaker 4 (05:46):
Some more dialogue in there.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
So that's something I think we'll do on the next video,
is just take that story a step further and keep
it going and incorporate some dialogue and acting.
Speaker 4 (05:57):
So it was just fun for me. So I've always
wanted to do that.
Speaker 3 (06:00):
Yeah, I was gonna ask about that because if you
if for those who haven't seen the video, you give
a nice little intro into everything and a setup and
it is like a little mini movie and with the acting.
Is that something you've always wanted to do? Obviously your
focus is music.
Speaker 1 (06:17):
Dabbled in it long it is it is, but I
dabbled in it so long ago, so it's kind of
like a just a.
Speaker 4 (06:23):
Thing I like to do. I never, you know, took
it all the way.
Speaker 1 (06:26):
But I did a lot of background extra work when
I first moved to Hollywood, and it was interesting. And
I did a lot of background work on music videos
for bands that I grew.
Speaker 4 (06:37):
Up listening to. This is a fun little known fact.
Bands that I grew up listening to.
Speaker 1 (06:42):
I was in the background of their music videos and
I had, you know as long hours on set.
Speaker 4 (06:48):
So I think looking back, it really prepared.
Speaker 1 (06:51):
Me for the journey of where I'd end up, which
I had no idea at the time. I had no
idea I was going to end up being a songwriter
and vocalist and fronting of rock band and writing songs
and shooting my own music videos. So being there and
the experience taught me the patients and this takes a
lot of you know, long hours and patients and there's
a whole creative process, and it prepared me for my journey,
(07:13):
and I'm just like, oh, that makes total sense, because
when you're going through something you don't necessarily know.
Speaker 4 (07:19):
Why, you kind of realize it later.
Speaker 1 (07:22):
You know, life, I guess is understood backwards, like why
did I go through that season? Why did I go
through that heartbreak? Why did I go through that thing? Well,
we don't know right away. Sometimes it takes a few
years to realize it and find out, and now it's
just kind of come full circle.
Speaker 4 (07:37):
So it's pretty cool. I was shooting videos before I
was shooting videos.
Speaker 3 (07:42):
I love that you're speaking of like the path, Like
I had any idea everything I went through will lead
to this picking up a letter g off the floor,
so I all the little over overnight shifts I would
do for radio, and like where would this lead?
Speaker 2 (07:57):
I had no idea would lead to this moment speaking
with you.
Speaker 3 (08:00):
Hey, Hey, we're going to be a good co host,
right the co host he's learning, uh, slowly, one step
at a time. But yeah, So I'm glad to see
that you're gonna be able to do this with with
another video because it was it was fun and of
course Slash as the Undertaker, you know, it's oh who
(08:22):
came up?
Speaker 2 (08:23):
With that idea.
Speaker 3 (08:23):
Not the Undertaker from w W, no Paul Behar, no
Tombstone nothing like that, but just they that was that.
Speaker 1 (08:29):
Was I mean the director, I mean he added all
the graphics and the editing and the he's very good
with narration storytelling, so that.
Speaker 4 (08:38):
It feels cinematic.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
I mean he he had a film on Netflix, and
so yeah, that was all. That was all Rich's idea,
and it just came together nice so nicely.
Speaker 4 (08:48):
I had a great time performing it. And I love
the looks too.
Speaker 1 (08:51):
I love the just the aesthetic of where this is
going because I've never gotten to lean into it this.
Speaker 3 (08:57):
Hard, you know, I want to, for I lose it.
The guy who works behind the sceneses not my son
who's he's slay safely gets slid off my knee. He's fine, uh,
from one of my my friend Graham, who works behind
the scenes in the in the podcast, the way he
he phrased Tombstone Town, I want to I don't. I
don't think I could phrase it as bod as he can.
(09:20):
He's like, I wonder if you could mention to Dorothy
that I find Tombstonetown one of the best rock tunes
I've heard in recent years. The lyrics ander delivery of
them are highly satisfying, awesome riffs and beat. It's relentless.
So that's kind of that's how I feel too, is that, man,
you must be very satisfied with the video and the
(09:40):
music and just how everything's turned out came.
Speaker 4 (09:43):
It's so funny how Tombstonetown came about.
Speaker 1 (09:45):
It was kind of last minute at the end of
the record and Scott Stevens, who produced my album The Way,
co wrote everything with me, and we had a zoom
session with Curtis People's and he's like, I just have
this title.
Speaker 4 (09:58):
I don't know what it means. I have this title
Old Tombstonetown.
Speaker 1 (10:01):
And we were all on zoom and it sounded theatrical
and campy, and we were like, how are we going
to write a song about that?
Speaker 4 (10:10):
You know?
Speaker 1 (10:11):
And of course Scott Stevens is just brilliant, like he's
he's so multifaceted, multi talented producer, songwriter, musician. He was
a front man, so he knows what it's like to
be an artist, and he has a lot of compassion
and he creates a very safe and I've said this before,
a very safe place for artists to explore their craft
(10:32):
in the studio and grow and get better. And he's
just helped me so much. So we kind of went
back and forth. And I had just gone through a
just like the story of my life. I had just
gone through a really painful breakup of you know, just
betrayal and humiliation, and and.
Speaker 4 (10:52):
You know, you learn with each one.
Speaker 1 (10:53):
It's like, you know, when they're when someone shows you
who they are, believe them when there's red flags, you know,
don't paint them green.
Speaker 4 (11:00):
And and I, you know, kind of had rushed.
Speaker 1 (11:02):
Into things and I'm learning to let things go and
take my time to work in progress one day at
a time. And so there was a lot of betrayal, hurt,
and anger, and this song.
Speaker 4 (11:16):
Was like a diary entry. It was a it's a
real story.
Speaker 1 (11:20):
So this is not the first time this has happened,
and it made for a really great song. Uh. You know,
I never really got into screaming either until this record,
And we did it first on Mud and then we're like, yeah,
let's throw a scream in the bridge here, right ripping
into the slash solo, and it just feels very raw
and visceral, and so I just it felt like therapy
(11:42):
to me, and we knew we had something special when
we figured out the chorus, it felt beautiful.
Speaker 4 (11:51):
There's a beautiful chorus.
Speaker 1 (11:52):
Some of the melodies in there are really really stunning
and harmonies, and it's real, like it's a real heartache,
it's a real story.
Speaker 4 (12:00):
So it's special to me.
Speaker 1 (12:02):
And you know, it was worth it, Like you know
what I'm saying, that thing that so bad, it was
worth it because of this song and this experience and
having Slash complete the picture. And it's just badass, and
I'm really grateful. You know, I don't reret the past.
Speaker 3 (12:19):
Badass is the right word, and that's the feeling I
got from it. While there's an element of fiction, of course,
you know, Slash isn't really an undertaker. You could tell
that it's autobiographer, you know, autobiography where it's it's you
at the same time, it's in a nice blend of everything.
And that's why I you know, Slash is one of
my favorite artists as well, because he's that's something he's
able to do, you know, take his life experiences and
(12:42):
use his creativity. So I'm going to talk about that
collapse because you guys have been working together, especially on
Orgy of the Damned, and I was lucky enough to
see you perform that song live with him right key
to the Highway. My wife and I we went to
go see a Serpent festival at Peer seventeen, New York City.
Speaker 2 (13:02):
We were at yeah.
Speaker 3 (13:03):
On the rooftop and actually we're going to take Baby
Brownstone that's his nickname, but we were up too close
and I was like, I don't know, maybe let's let's
wait until next year before taking him to like rock concerts.
So uh, much to my surprise, I was enjoying the show.
He's like, I got a special guest, and then you
came out. You came out, So were you just happen
to be in town or was that something you guys
(13:25):
planned ahead of time?
Speaker 2 (13:26):
He did that?
Speaker 4 (13:27):
You know hey, he asked if I wanted to come
do it? So I said yes, yeah, of course.
Speaker 2 (13:32):
Well is that and you happen to be in New York?
Speaker 4 (13:35):
I was traveling, so yeah, I made it part of
the journey.
Speaker 3 (13:38):
Okay, what is there something like the beginning? Because I again,
I hope you guys keep working together that you've learned
from Slash. It's not just it's not so much of
just like you guys work well together, and it seems
like you've been working together for years and contemporaries, but
obviously he's been around the block a few times. I'm
just curious what you've learned from him.
Speaker 1 (13:58):
Yes, when we were at the video shoot, he said
something very significant and very important to me, because you know,
he said, you know, his word's not mine. He said,
this is your time, this is your year. And I've
been you know, in and out of recovery for a
long time, and he's like, don't sabotage it.
Speaker 4 (14:17):
You know, it's not an option. Don't sabotage it.
Speaker 1 (14:20):
So let's put that first, stay sober, put your recovery first,
you know, for me, and it's it's it's this for me,
it's God recovery and then everything else.
Speaker 4 (14:30):
And if it's not in that order, it falls apart
real fast.
Speaker 1 (14:34):
If I make a man my higher power or an
idol in my life, everything falls apart, you know. And
the right I feel like I've learned this. The right
person won't put you in a position to fall apart.
They'll support you every step of the way. It's it's
symbiotic it's like the Eternity Band.
Speaker 4 (14:55):
It's give and take. It's symbiotic. It's not like this.
Speaker 1 (14:57):
It's not like I'm giving you this much and then
this is what you're giving me. It's like this, you know,
So that comes when it comes first. It's got to
be God, recovery, family, health, music, everything else under that.
You know.
Speaker 3 (15:11):
I'm I'm only just a couple of years older than you,
and I've only been married for a few years. I
mean we had him maybe like six months into it,
and I'm telling you it's I had to put it.
I'm nine years without a drink, and I had to
put you know, therapy, everything above because I didn't know
what my quote higher power was. And for me, I
(15:34):
just needed to put I'm the oldest of four boys.
I needed to put my my family first instead of
putting me in my needs and worrying about my career
and all that. And thankfully I met someone you're talking about.
It's we're teammates. And I had to stop myself from
thinking about the way I used to be and because
I'd always try to find somebody that wasn't nice to me,
(15:55):
and like I put up on a pedestal and I
had to be better than and who didn't accept me
for who I was, and I had to change who
I was. And this is she still accepts me for
who I am and allows me to do interviews usually
so she's not tucked away in a bedroom, but she
allows me to be myself. So I mean, that's I'm
(16:17):
sure that's the coming for you. It's it's there's no
doubt as long as you have to start being comfortable
in here. I'm sure you heard that, and people looking
at people like Slash and Duff who've lived it and
lived that life, a hard life where yes, easily.
Speaker 2 (16:32):
You're saying up, you can say up. And then I
have this guy.
Speaker 3 (16:36):
I'm telling you, I thought I was just on a
path on and I had an appetite the destruction to
tie every other thing together, and then I have this dude.
So I'm looking forward to seeing not just your career
success but your personal success as you continue to grow.
If you don't mind me saying thank you, yes, And
I also a hot take. I want to say this, Yeah,
(16:59):
you have a hot TAKEE is that's what we want
to say?
Speaker 2 (17:01):
Do you gut shut off my computer? Oh no, we didn't.
Speaker 3 (17:03):
I thought he could shut off my computer, and I
think he just did. Can you say, Dorothy, No, My
hot take is I think if as Slash everyone wants
to put together Velvet Bolber, you could be the singer.
Speaker 4 (17:16):
Oh that'd be so sweet. I'd be in like Flynn.
Speaker 2 (17:20):
It's just something like seeing what Lincoln Park can do.
And I don't know. I just hearing you guys together.
Speaker 3 (17:27):
When I heard an Orchid of the Damned, I'm like,
there's something familiar about this, even though who's new.
Speaker 4 (17:33):
That'd be really cool. Well, hey, we'll see what happens.
Speaker 3 (17:36):
You know, just putting it out there in the universe. Howison,
You're gonna let me go out? Get out any more
questions or you just want to play with letters? This
is very unprofessional of you.
Speaker 2 (17:48):
No, it's okay.
Speaker 3 (17:49):
We have a few more minutes, and this is an
interview that Dorothy is never going to forget.
Speaker 2 (17:52):
I assume.
Speaker 3 (17:56):
Do you have any young nephews or anything like that,
Any kids that you show up and you see going
to your shows, Like, what's the youngest you've seen any one.
Speaker 2 (18:04):
Of your shows.
Speaker 1 (18:05):
All my friends are or not single moms. Some of
them are single moms, some of them are married. They
all have kids, and I guess I'm like the weird
cool cat mom aunt.
Speaker 4 (18:15):
That has a job that's different from their parents.
Speaker 1 (18:17):
But I love their kids, and especially my friend Jess
her her daughter Piper is so sweet. I love.
Speaker 4 (18:24):
I just feel like she is my niece.
Speaker 1 (18:26):
And so yeah, I don't have any of my own,
but you know my friends do.
Speaker 3 (18:33):
Well, we had them forty. I know you haven't met
the Big four oh yet, so I don't know if that's.
Speaker 4 (18:40):
I'm this year and I'll be forty next year, so.
Speaker 2 (18:43):
Hey, there's still time. My wife did not think it
was gonna happen.
Speaker 3 (18:48):
She's like, yeah, I love kids, and just thinking like, okay,
you know, if he wants one, and just how he
you know, he was a little surprised, not a surprised,
but she was a little being like, I thought I
was too old for this.
Speaker 2 (18:59):
Nope.
Speaker 3 (19:00):
Now we're a couple of forty year olds chase it
around a baby.
Speaker 2 (19:05):
So I just want to say thank you for your time.
Speaker 3 (19:07):
I hope we get to do this again, perhaps either
he's more well behaved or we can just get to
do this ourselves so it's not interrupted. I hope you
I hope you can hear me over him. He's just
become a chatterbox over the last time.
Speaker 4 (19:18):
He's doing great.
Speaker 1 (19:20):
I think this was really I think this was the
best interview I've ever done. We need Harrison, we need
Harrison and all my interviews, I love it.
Speaker 3 (19:29):
He is very funny, but it's usually not the case
on camera. But I had to get him off once
he starts. You saw the I have to walk and
go back and watch it. He starts playing with the
faders and shutting it off. I'm like, see, there's the limit.
That's not good radio.
Speaker 4 (19:41):
Be a producer or a mixing engineer or something, you.
Speaker 3 (19:44):
Know, whatever it is. I hope it's enough so he
can have Daddy retire early. That's all I want. Oh
and one quick thing just to tie in the theme.
Do you have a favorite Guns and Roses song of
all times? So I if you were going to cover,
then you you could say that would fit your voice.
Speaker 4 (20:02):
I mean, I really love Welcome to the Jungle. You
really can't go wrong with that one.
Speaker 2 (20:07):
No, you can't.
Speaker 4 (20:08):
Let me think. Let me think, let me think.
Speaker 3 (20:10):
I think you would do it in a good style
of Oh, it was all of it. Fitzgerald or someone
like did it in a very bluesy way.
Speaker 1 (20:19):
I really like mister Stone, but Welcome to the Jungle
is just I mean, it's so good every time it
comes on.
Speaker 3 (20:26):
All right, well, I hope to see that you guys
busted out randomly live and I will see you live,
and I'm gonna bring baby Brownstone and I hope you
guys we get to meet you someday in person. Likewise,
thank you, thank you, Dorothy your time.
Speaker 2 (20:39):
I hope we get to do this again.
Speaker 3 (20:41):
So that does it for this episode of Appetite for Distortion.
When will you see the next one? In the words
of Axel Rose, concerning Chinese democracy, I don't know as
soon as the word, but you'll see.
Speaker 4 (20:50):
It thanks to the lame as security. I'm going home.
You know what.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Yes is Appetite for Distortion.
Speaker 3 (00:31):
Welcome to the podcast Appetite for Distortion, Episode number four
hundred and ninety two. My name is Brando. His name
is Harrison Rex aka Baby Brownstone, Dorothy.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
I just asked you. You've never done an interview with
a baby before, right.
Speaker 4 (00:47):
You know what, never done an interview with a baby.
I'm very honored.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
Well, he does speak. I mean he currently has a
bottle in his mouth. This morning he set axel for
the first time.
Speaker 4 (00:59):
Wow, I mean that's what was his first word?
Speaker 2 (01:03):
Probably mommy, probably mom that or cat?
Speaker 4 (01:07):
Cats?
Speaker 2 (01:08):
You I am a cat person.
Speaker 4 (01:11):
Yeah, don't even get me started. I am the cat person.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
You see her. You see your hat, you see your hat.
Speaker 4 (01:19):
Good morning, Harrison.
Speaker 3 (01:22):
So yeah, we're you know, cats. But it's funny we
try to teach him, you know. Of course me I'm
teaching him all the rock and roll phrases like axe
and everything both cat soft nice. But then he gets
a little rough soft nice and you can start smacking
him on the head.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
So uh, it's just like that.
Speaker 4 (01:39):
He knows, he knows exactly what we're talking.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
About, I know.
Speaker 3 (01:42):
So I'm trying to teach him young just with the
animals and of course music, that's my wonderful segue. And
they getting to speak with you today, Dorothy, I'm really excited.
I don't know if you remember you were on a
couple of years ago. I know you do so many
of these interviews. I'm the goon where, you know, because
I got guns and roses theme and I was like, oh,
(02:03):
what's your connection? And I didn't put two and two together.
And there's a song about an X. We won't talk
about that. I don't know if you remember that at all,
but I feel like, okay, I still carry guilt about that.
If you can't tell, so we.
Speaker 4 (02:18):
We Oh no, don't carry guilt. That's a waste it.
Don't carry that stuff around, you know, let it go
and one day at a time.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
Well, thank you. See good thing.
Speaker 3 (02:28):
He is half Jewish, so hopefully he doesn't get all
of my Jewish guilt. So today we're going to talk
about Actually we're listening together your new album the Way.
I'm pravy to get to listen to it before it
drops March fourteenth.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
And look at that, Harrison. We got to get you
a record player.
Speaker 3 (02:47):
Look see the record he's distracted by my skulls right
now dangling from the microphone.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
But that is a beautiful vinyl.
Speaker 1 (02:55):
Actually, yeah, it's the first time I'm seeing it, so
it's pretty cool.
Speaker 3 (03:00):
Kind of matches my orange Geane our shirt in a
little the final itself. So I got to ask, I
guess starting there, because I mean, what's the feeling? Like
it's a kind of a common question. Where is it
nerves when an album is coming out? Is it excitements?
Is it all the above? Like how do you feel
now that of course the single out Tombstone Town with
(03:23):
Slash will get into that, but just for people to
finally hear this work you've been putting into, what's the feeling?
Speaker 4 (03:31):
I'm very excited.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
I'm very proud of this album that we've made, and
I think it carries really good messages in it and
I hope that, you know, it gives something to the
fans that they need and give some hope and encouragement,
and it also rocks pretty hard. But there's you know,
there's a little bit of an outlock country southern rock
vibe that we dug into a little bit more.
Speaker 4 (03:53):
It's always been there. It's always since my first album.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
There have been elements of that, but we just kind
of cranked it up on this one, and I'm just
really I think that it all came together so beautifully
to packaging, you know, the artwork, the videos.
Speaker 4 (04:08):
It's really blowing my mind.
Speaker 1 (04:09):
I can't believe I've flasted this long, and you know,
hopefully many more to come.
Speaker 3 (04:15):
Is there when you first sat because you tell it
was more like an outlawed vibe. What was the vision
because it's cool? And then the real big representation is
the video for Tombstonetown and the Outlaw I kind of
got sensity vibes, Quittin Tarantino vibes from it.
Speaker 4 (04:32):
Yeah, we totally went grindhouse on the video that was.
You know, for me, I'm such a visual person.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
It always starts with a Pinterest board and I find
something that feels right and I just start adding and compiling,
like a vision board or a mood board about a
song or a video or even just a photo shoot
or anything that we're doing. And that visual element helps me.
I wanted to create this world that felt larger.
Speaker 4 (04:58):
Than life and and.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
Make it just really fun and theatrical and so Rich Ragsdale,
who you know, directed Tombstonetown and Flavia who produced it.
You know, we went grindhouse with it, and it kind
of came at the last second because I was looking
at the posters and I'm like, let's do a grindhouse
type poster for the single cover, right, And my creative director,
(05:22):
Linda Strawberry, she's super talented, She's like, I got you,
and she came up with this fantastic cover artwork and
it kind of went from there and it branched out
into the merchandise and the way that they edited the film.
Speaker 4 (05:35):
We wanted it to a film music video. We wanted to.
Speaker 1 (05:38):
Feel like a film and tell a story, and I
wanted to act a little bit. I wish I had
a chance to act more. I wish there had been,
you know, maybe.
Speaker 4 (05:46):
Some more dialogue in there.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
So that's something I think we'll do on the next video,
is just take that story a step further and keep
it going and incorporate some dialogue and acting.
Speaker 4 (05:57):
So it was just fun for me. So I've always
wanted to do that.
Speaker 3 (06:00):
Yeah, I was gonna ask about that because if you
if for those who haven't seen the video, you give
a nice little intro into everything and a setup and
it is like a little mini movie and with the acting.
Is that something you've always wanted to do? Obviously your
focus is music.
Speaker 1 (06:17):
Dabbled in it long it is it is, but I
dabbled in it so long ago, so it's kind of
like a just a.
Speaker 4 (06:23):
Thing I like to do. I never, you know, took
it all the way.
Speaker 1 (06:26):
But I did a lot of background extra work when
I first moved to Hollywood, and it was interesting. And
I did a lot of background work on music videos
for bands that I grew.
Speaker 4 (06:37):
Up listening to. This is a fun little known fact.
Bands that I grew up listening to.
Speaker 1 (06:42):
I was in the background of their music videos and
I had, you know as long hours on set.
Speaker 4 (06:48):
So I think looking back, it really prepared.
Speaker 1 (06:51):
Me for the journey of where I'd end up, which
I had no idea at the time. I had no
idea I was going to end up being a songwriter
and vocalist and fronting of rock band and writing songs
and shooting my own music videos. So being there and
the experience taught me the patients and this takes a
lot of you know, long hours and patients and there's
a whole creative process, and it prepared me for my journey,
(07:13):
and I'm just like, oh, that makes total sense, because
when you're going through something you don't necessarily know.
Speaker 4 (07:19):
Why, you kind of realize it later.
Speaker 1 (07:22):
You know, life, I guess is understood backwards, like why
did I go through that season? Why did I go
through that heartbreak? Why did I go through that thing? Well,
we don't know right away. Sometimes it takes a few
years to realize it and find out, and now it's
just kind of come full circle.
Speaker 4 (07:37):
So it's pretty cool. I was shooting videos before I
was shooting videos.
Speaker 3 (07:42):
I love that you're speaking of like the path, Like
I had any idea everything I went through will lead
to this picking up a letter g off the floor,
so I all the little over overnight shifts I would
do for radio, and like where would this lead?
Speaker 2 (07:57):
I had no idea would lead to this moment speaking
with you.
Speaker 3 (08:00):
Hey, Hey, we're going to be a good co host,
right the co host he's learning, uh, slowly, one step
at a time. But yeah, So I'm glad to see
that you're gonna be able to do this with with
another video because it was it was fun and of
course Slash as the Undertaker, you know, it's oh who
(08:22):
came up?
Speaker 2 (08:23):
With that idea.
Speaker 3 (08:23):
Not the Undertaker from w W, no Paul Behar, no
Tombstone nothing like that, but just they that was that.
Speaker 1 (08:29):
Was I mean the director, I mean he added all
the graphics and the editing and the he's very good
with narration storytelling, so that.
Speaker 4 (08:38):
It feels cinematic.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
I mean he he had a film on Netflix, and
so yeah, that was all. That was all Rich's idea,
and it just came together nice so nicely.
Speaker 4 (08:48):
I had a great time performing it. And I love
the looks too.
Speaker 1 (08:51):
I love the just the aesthetic of where this is
going because I've never gotten to lean into it this.
Speaker 3 (08:57):
Hard, you know, I want to, for I lose it.
The guy who works behind the sceneses not my son
who's he's slay safely gets slid off my knee. He's fine, uh,
from one of my my friend Graham, who works behind
the scenes in the in the podcast, the way he
he phrased Tombstone Town, I want to I don't. I
don't think I could phrase it as bod as he can.
(09:20):
He's like, I wonder if you could mention to Dorothy
that I find Tombstonetown one of the best rock tunes
I've heard in recent years. The lyrics ander delivery of
them are highly satisfying, awesome riffs and beat. It's relentless.
So that's kind of that's how I feel too, is that, man,
you must be very satisfied with the video and the
(09:40):
music and just how everything's turned out came.
Speaker 4 (09:43):
It's so funny how Tombstonetown came about.
Speaker 1 (09:45):
It was kind of last minute at the end of
the record and Scott Stevens, who produced my album The Way,
co wrote everything with me, and we had a zoom
session with Curtis People's and he's like, I just have
this title.
Speaker 4 (09:58):
I don't know what it means. I have this title
Old Tombstonetown.
Speaker 1 (10:01):
And we were all on zoom and it sounded theatrical
and campy, and we were like, how are we going
to write a song about that?
Speaker 4 (10:10):
You know?
Speaker 1 (10:11):
And of course Scott Stevens is just brilliant, like he's
he's so multifaceted, multi talented producer, songwriter, musician. He was
a front man, so he knows what it's like to
be an artist, and he has a lot of compassion
and he creates a very safe and I've said this before,
a very safe place for artists to explore their craft
(10:32):
in the studio and grow and get better. And he's
just helped me so much. So we kind of went
back and forth. And I had just gone through a
just like the story of my life. I had just
gone through a really painful breakup of you know, just
betrayal and humiliation, and and.
Speaker 4 (10:52):
You know, you learn with each one.
Speaker 1 (10:53):
It's like, you know, when they're when someone shows you
who they are, believe them when there's red flags, you know,
don't paint them green.
Speaker 4 (11:00):
And and I, you know, kind of had rushed.
Speaker 1 (11:02):
Into things and I'm learning to let things go and
take my time to work in progress one day at
a time. And so there was a lot of betrayal, hurt,
and anger, and this song.
Speaker 4 (11:16):
Was like a diary entry. It was a it's a
real story.
Speaker 1 (11:20):
So this is not the first time this has happened,
and it made for a really great song. Uh. You know,
I never really got into screaming either until this record,
And we did it first on Mud and then we're like, yeah,
let's throw a scream in the bridge here, right ripping
into the slash solo, and it just feels very raw
and visceral, and so I just it felt like therapy
(11:42):
to me, and we knew we had something special when
we figured out the chorus, it felt beautiful.
Speaker 4 (11:51):
There's a beautiful chorus.
Speaker 1 (11:52):
Some of the melodies in there are really really stunning
and harmonies, and it's real, like it's a real heartache,
it's a real story.
Speaker 4 (12:00):
So it's special to me.
Speaker 1 (12:02):
And you know, it was worth it, Like you know
what I'm saying, that thing that so bad, it was
worth it because of this song and this experience and
having Slash complete the picture. And it's just badass, and
I'm really grateful. You know, I don't reret the past.
Speaker 3 (12:19):
Badass is the right word, and that's the feeling I
got from it. While there's an element of fiction, of course,
you know, Slash isn't really an undertaker. You could tell
that it's autobiographer, you know, autobiography where it's it's you
at the same time, it's in a nice blend of everything.
And that's why I you know, Slash is one of
my favorite artists as well, because he's that's something he's
able to do, you know, take his life experiences and
(12:42):
use his creativity. So I'm going to talk about that
collapse because you guys have been working together, especially on
Orgy of the Damned, and I was lucky enough to
see you perform that song live with him right key
to the Highway. My wife and I we went to
go see a Serpent festival at Peer seventeen, New York City.
Speaker 2 (13:02):
We were at yeah.
Speaker 3 (13:03):
On the rooftop and actually we're going to take Baby
Brownstone that's his nickname, but we were up too close
and I was like, I don't know, maybe let's let's
wait until next year before taking him to like rock concerts.
So uh, much to my surprise, I was enjoying the show.
He's like, I got a special guest, and then you
came out. You came out, So were you just happen
to be in town or was that something you guys
(13:25):
planned ahead of time?
Speaker 2 (13:26):
He did that?
Speaker 4 (13:27):
You know hey, he asked if I wanted to come
do it? So I said yes, yeah, of course.
Speaker 2 (13:32):
Well is that and you happen to be in New York?
Speaker 4 (13:35):
I was traveling, so yeah, I made it part of
the journey.
Speaker 3 (13:38):
Okay, what is there something like the beginning? Because I again,
I hope you guys keep working together that you've learned
from Slash. It's not just it's not so much of
just like you guys work well together, and it seems
like you've been working together for years and contemporaries, but
obviously he's been around the block a few times. I'm
just curious what you've learned from him.
Speaker 1 (13:58):
Yes, when we were at the video shoot, he said
something very significant and very important to me, because you know,
he said, you know, his word's not mine. He said,
this is your time, this is your year. And I've
been you know, in and out of recovery for a
long time, and he's like, don't sabotage it.
Speaker 4 (14:17):
You know, it's not an option. Don't sabotage it.
Speaker 1 (14:20):
So let's put that first, stay sober, put your recovery first,
you know, for me, and it's it's it's this for me,
it's God recovery and then everything else.
Speaker 4 (14:30):
And if it's not in that order, it falls apart
real fast.
Speaker 1 (14:34):
If I make a man my higher power or an
idol in my life, everything falls apart, you know. And
the right I feel like I've learned this. The right
person won't put you in a position to fall apart.
They'll support you every step of the way. It's it's
symbiotic it's like the Eternity Band.
Speaker 4 (14:55):
It's give and take. It's symbiotic. It's not like this.
Speaker 1 (14:57):
It's not like I'm giving you this much and then
this is what you're giving me. It's like this, you know,
So that comes when it comes first. It's got to
be God, recovery, family, health, music, everything else under that.
You know.
Speaker 3 (15:11):
I'm I'm only just a couple of years older than you,
and I've only been married for a few years. I
mean we had him maybe like six months into it,
and I'm telling you it's I had to put it.
I'm nine years without a drink, and I had to
put you know, therapy, everything above because I didn't know
what my quote higher power was. And for me, I
(15:34):
just needed to put I'm the oldest of four boys.
I needed to put my my family first instead of
putting me in my needs and worrying about my career
and all that. And thankfully I met someone you're talking about.
It's we're teammates. And I had to stop myself from
thinking about the way I used to be and because
I'd always try to find somebody that wasn't nice to me,
(15:55):
and like I put up on a pedestal and I
had to be better than and who didn't accept me
for who I was, and I had to change who
I was. And this is she still accepts me for
who I am and allows me to do interviews usually
so she's not tucked away in a bedroom, but she
allows me to be myself. So I mean, that's I'm
(16:17):
sure that's the coming for you. It's it's there's no
doubt as long as you have to start being comfortable
in here. I'm sure you heard that, and people looking
at people like Slash and Duff who've lived it and
lived that life, a hard life where yes, easily.
Speaker 2 (16:32):
You're saying up, you can say up. And then I
have this guy.
Speaker 3 (16:36):
I'm telling you, I thought I was just on a
path on and I had an appetite the destruction to
tie every other thing together, and then I have this dude.
So I'm looking forward to seeing not just your career
success but your personal success as you continue to grow.
If you don't mind me saying thank you, yes, And
I also a hot take. I want to say this, Yeah,
(16:59):
you have a hot TAKEE is that's what we want
to say?
Speaker 2 (17:01):
Do you gut shut off my computer? Oh no, we didn't.
Speaker 3 (17:03):
I thought he could shut off my computer, and I
think he just did. Can you say, Dorothy, No, My
hot take is I think if as Slash everyone wants
to put together Velvet Bolber, you could be the singer.
Speaker 4 (17:16):
Oh that'd be so sweet. I'd be in like Flynn.
Speaker 2 (17:20):
It's just something like seeing what Lincoln Park can do.
And I don't know. I just hearing you guys together.
Speaker 3 (17:27):
When I heard an Orchid of the Damned, I'm like,
there's something familiar about this, even though who's new.
Speaker 4 (17:33):
That'd be really cool. Well, hey, we'll see what happens.
Speaker 3 (17:36):
You know, just putting it out there in the universe. Howison,
You're gonna let me go out? Get out any more
questions or you just want to play with letters? This
is very unprofessional of you.
Speaker 2 (17:48):
No, it's okay.
Speaker 3 (17:49):
We have a few more minutes, and this is an
interview that Dorothy is never going to forget.
Speaker 2 (17:52):
I assume.
Speaker 3 (17:56):
Do you have any young nephews or anything like that,
Any kids that you show up and you see going
to your shows, Like, what's the youngest you've seen any one.
Speaker 2 (18:04):
Of your shows.
Speaker 1 (18:05):
All my friends are or not single moms. Some of
them are single moms, some of them are married. They
all have kids, and I guess I'm like the weird
cool cat mom aunt.
Speaker 4 (18:15):
That has a job that's different from their parents.
Speaker 1 (18:17):
But I love their kids, and especially my friend Jess
her her daughter Piper is so sweet. I love.
Speaker 4 (18:24):
I just feel like she is my niece.
Speaker 1 (18:26):
And so yeah, I don't have any of my own,
but you know my friends do.
Speaker 3 (18:33):
Well, we had them forty. I know you haven't met
the Big four oh yet, so I don't know if that's.
Speaker 4 (18:40):
I'm this year and I'll be forty next year, so.
Speaker 2 (18:43):
Hey, there's still time. My wife did not think it
was gonna happen.
Speaker 3 (18:48):
She's like, yeah, I love kids, and just thinking like, okay,
you know, if he wants one, and just how he
you know, he was a little surprised, not a surprised,
but she was a little being like, I thought I
was too old for this.
Speaker 2 (18:59):
Nope.
Speaker 3 (19:00):
Now we're a couple of forty year olds chase it
around a baby.
Speaker 2 (19:05):
So I just want to say thank you for your time.
Speaker 3 (19:07):
I hope we get to do this again, perhaps either
he's more well behaved or we can just get to
do this ourselves so it's not interrupted. I hope you
I hope you can hear me over him. He's just
become a chatterbox over the last time.
Speaker 4 (19:18):
He's doing great.
Speaker 1 (19:20):
I think this was really I think this was the
best interview I've ever done. We need Harrison, we need
Harrison and all my interviews, I love it.
Speaker 3 (19:29):
He is very funny, but it's usually not the case
on camera. But I had to get him off once
he starts. You saw the I have to walk and
go back and watch it. He starts playing with the
faders and shutting it off. I'm like, see, there's the limit.
That's not good radio.
Speaker 4 (19:41):
Be a producer or a mixing engineer or something, you.
Speaker 3 (19:44):
Know, whatever it is. I hope it's enough so he
can have Daddy retire early. That's all I want. Oh
and one quick thing just to tie in the theme.
Do you have a favorite Guns and Roses song of
all times? So I if you were going to cover,
then you you could say that would fit your voice.
Speaker 4 (20:02):
I mean, I really love Welcome to the Jungle. You
really can't go wrong with that one.
Speaker 2 (20:07):
No, you can't.
Speaker 4 (20:08):
Let me think. Let me think, let me think.
Speaker 3 (20:10):
I think you would do it in a good style
of Oh, it was all of it. Fitzgerald or someone
like did it in a very bluesy way.
Speaker 1 (20:19):
I really like mister Stone, but Welcome to the Jungle
is just I mean, it's so good every time it
comes on.
Speaker 3 (20:26):
All right, well, I hope to see that you guys
busted out randomly live and I will see you live,
and I'm gonna bring baby Brownstone and I hope you
guys we get to meet you someday in person. Likewise,
thank you, thank you, Dorothy your time.
Speaker 2 (20:39):
I hope we get to do this again.
Speaker 3 (20:41):
So that does it for this episode of Appetite for Distortion.
When will you see the next one? In the words
of Axel Rose, concerning Chinese democracy, I don't know as
soon as the word, but you'll see.
Speaker 4 (20:50):
It thanks to the lame as security. I'm going home.
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