March 11, 2026 • 28 mins
Actress Gina Gershon returns to the podcast! We discuss her new book, “AlphaPussy: How I Survived the Valley and Learned to Love My Boobs," where she stresses to trust your gut. In a world full of bullies and people telling her what to do, it was crucial for Gina to become an Alpha...plus, we discuss her GN'R and Camp Freddy experiences!
More info:
https://www.amazon.com/AlphaPussy-Survived-Valley-Learned-Boobs/dp/1636142818 https://www.instagram.com/ginagershon/
Our website:
www.afdpod.com
More info:
https://www.amazon.com/AlphaPussy-Survived-Valley-Learned-Boobs/dp/1636142818 https://www.instagram.com/ginagershon/
Our website:
www.afdpod.com
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
I mean the power that I felt from like it
was like wow, you know.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Appetite for Distortion episode number five hundred and fifty five
with missus Gina Gershan. Thank you for as many people
have said to you. I'm sure you don't remember the
last time we spoke.
Speaker 3 (00:18):
It was years ago.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
It was two thousand and well four years ago. I
didn't want to make it sound like it was like
twenty years ago. If you remember Appetite for Distortion podcast,
it's so.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
Oh yeah, oh yeah, I remember that good name.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
You're promoting the movie your Ripkins Festival.
Speaker 4 (00:35):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
And we also spoke about when you were filming Pray
for Rock and Roll back then you fronted. You were
friends with Matt Sorum and you ended up playing I
get what, I forget what the name of the film festival,
but playing with Slash and duffin No Sundance sun Dance
in the first time fronting like a band, right ever
or something like that.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
No, it was my well, I mean I was doing
Pray for Rock and Roll, right and so I was
singing live and we.
Speaker 4 (01:03):
Were playing fake like I was.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
I knew how to play the songs, but you know
that the other actors didn't, so we weren't playing the
music live. I was singing live, and I certainly practiced
on my own, but I never really played with a
band band, like played music and sang. And then so
all of a sudden, they're like, well, you have to
perform sundance and I'm like, I don't really have a band.
They're like, well, you should get one, and I'm like, uh, okay.
(01:27):
And then, as with all music, it's just kind of
fell into place.
Speaker 4 (01:30):
In the next few hours. I bumped into.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
Mat and he's like, oh, let's get Slash, let's get
the well play. They were they were trying to figure
out who is their lead singer and their new band,
Velvet Revolver going to be. It's before they met Scott,
I guess. And anyway, next thing I know, I had
them as my band, playing with them behind me, which
was insane. I mean, the power that I felt from
(01:54):
like blah blah blah. I was like, wow, you know,
it was crazy. Talk about that in the book. There's
a good story about that in.
Speaker 3 (02:02):
The book You do.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
Okay, So I want to Obviously we're here because of
the book Alpha Pussy, How I survived the Valley and
learned to love my boobs. And I wanted to bring
that up because as I'm also your radio tour producer.
You know, I just did a tour with Joe Satriani
and Steve II, and I was.
Speaker 3 (02:20):
The first one.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
Uh this is I'm the last one, so I got
to hear all the good, all the bad, little stories.
Speaker 3 (02:26):
Hopefully I curate a good enough interview.
Speaker 2 (02:28):
So I wanted to bring that up because I I'll
sometimes get an advanced copy of a book, but I didn't,
So I forgive me, and I admit that because it's
funny hearing when you can tell radio DJs is trying
to sound like they know what they're talking about, Like.
Speaker 3 (02:41):
You didn't read the book.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
You didn't read the book, So I want to say
right away, I mean I read everything else as far
as the one sheep, but I didn't read the book.
So that's very cool that that made the cut. And
we'll talk more about maybe your six Degrees of Geno
making after that, but I want to talk about your
book Alpha Pussy. Obviously it's been a topic every single
interview you've done.
Speaker 3 (03:01):
The name.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
Just talk about that a little bit and the confidence,
because if you couldn't tell just working with me this morning.
We've been in the on zoom for two hours. You
and I. I'm a little bit of like a neurotic.
I was born on Long Island. I'm a neurotic Jew.
I have a lot of self confidence issues to this day.
I love that term, you know, because alpha male. I
was never an alpha male. I was just a funny guy.
(03:22):
I was the nice guy. Yeah, But to be an
alpha I know there's a cat connotation to it, like
the actual cat. But when did you find that confidence?
How long did it take you to find that confidence
to be Gina Gershan, to be who you are before
Gina Gershon became like a Hollywood name, but just to
I don't know, to have confidence in yourself to say no,
(03:45):
because you had to say no a lot and there
was a lot of scary people around you growing up.
Speaker 1 (03:49):
So yeah, you know, I think I think I had
to learn how to protect myself from an early age,
you know, having older brother and older sister who wanted
nothing to do with me, and I was like left
to my own devices a lot, and you know, just
growing up in the valley was a toxic time there.
And you know, it wasn't like parents are. You know,
(04:10):
they weren't the way they were now today. They're not helicoptering.
They're just like be home by six, you know, have
a good day. And I'm like six or seven years
old walking around like okay, you know, and it's the
valley was kind of gnarly.
Speaker 4 (04:22):
At that time.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
My local movie theater turned into a porn theater and
I didn't realize that until I snuck in and I
was like, what are all these men doing in this
this movie theater? It's why are they wearing raincoats? It's
not raining out, Like what's going on?
Speaker 3 (04:38):
Wow?
Speaker 4 (04:39):
So you know, and the alpha pussy came from. It
just came.
Speaker 1 (04:43):
It was a term that I used from training my
male cats. You know that like wh would try to
dominate me. And I had a devise this little technique
where I became the alpha pussy and I else they
would have retabot on my whole house, on my person,
you know, to tack my head.
Speaker 4 (05:00):
And so I had to make this. I had this
whole little ritual of how to do it.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
And then I learned that, oh, this kind of works
on people too. When you know, certain males, mostly to
be honest, a certain power dynamic where you know, I
would look at them and they would look at me,
and I would just say hey, blah blah blah blah blah,
and they would just like back away. Yet if I
(05:25):
looked away, it seems like they would pounce on me,
which is really interesting, you know, I just I just
thought of this. I was reading about, Oh my god, Pelico.
What's her name? Oh my gosh, you know the French
woman who was raped by her husband and she, you know,
(05:46):
francois No what's her first name?
Speaker 2 (05:48):
I'm not familiar, to be honest, I don't want to
pretend that I okay.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
Anyway, it's an incredible story and this woman is is
so brave. Basically, I'm really angry with myself that I'm
not remembering her first name.
Speaker 4 (06:05):
I can tell.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
That Pelico is definitely a name. But she's a story
that Gazelle Gizelle Pelico. It's a horrible story. She's a
you know, an older woman, seventy three years old now.
Speaker 4 (06:20):
Basically, her.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
Husband for many, many, many many years was having her
rape by all these strange men. He would drug her
and she would get raped, and it was this and
he or she thinks she has this really incredible relationship
with her husband, and she's a grandma and she's got kids,
and basically he gets caught. They find it, and her
whole world turns upside down. And when she goes to trial,
(06:46):
which a lot of people are like, you, I don't
want this to be public, you know, I will tell you,
she says, I will make this public. In fact, I
want to face every single one of the people who
did this to me. This very nice, like French lady.
And there was this one moment like some guy was
staring at her in the courtroom, trying to intimidate her,
and she just looked back and she wouldn't look away,
(07:08):
and then finally he looked down.
Speaker 4 (07:10):
Pure alpha pussy moment. I read that.
Speaker 1 (07:13):
I'm like, good for you. I mean, she's like a hero,
the way she stepped up and took her life back,
not became a victim, even though she was completely victimized.
She was, but she's like, I refuse to be that.
I'm going to sit and look at every one of
these people and take my life back. Sorry that I
went on that tangent. It has nothing to do with
but I was just read, oh, I can't hear you.
Speaker 3 (07:35):
Can I hear you now?
Speaker 4 (07:37):
I could hear you.
Speaker 3 (07:38):
I can hear you now, I can hear you now.
I don't know what that was about. I don't know
what that was about.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
I don't either get I thought, oh, he really didn't
like that story.
Speaker 3 (07:46):
I was telling Oh, no, not at all. No, I
was looking down forgive me technical issues.
Speaker 2 (07:51):
I'm glad the technical issue happened with me and not
with anybody else when I was doing my job. No,
Giselle Pellico, I mean, I'm horrendous story. You know, I'm
a horror movie fan and I watch movies space on similar,
similar things, and I don't know it's I don't know why.
And once it's a real story, then like my stomach turns.
(08:13):
But I think maybe the horror puts it down. I
don't know what that says about me.
Speaker 1 (08:17):
Because it's a horrible story, and you think, wow, people
actually act this way, human things could be this gross.
But you know what, she totally alpha pussy that situation
in the courtroom when she just stared at that guy
who who's trying to intimidate her and he finally just
looked away. I mean, she was a hero already for
coming up, and I was like, oh my god, I
(08:38):
love this woman.
Speaker 4 (08:39):
Just so brave and such a really.
Speaker 1 (08:43):
Taking her life back and being like, you are not
going waiting to intimidate me. You were the jerk in
the situation and just didn't look away, and then he
finally looked away.
Speaker 3 (08:54):
Well, it's people.
Speaker 2 (08:55):
I appreciate you sharing that story and it's my ignorance
for not being familiar with it.
Speaker 4 (08:59):
But it's no, it's okay.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
It's it's really going off on a tangent that really
has nothing to do with the book, but like I
was just reading about it, may I think she's incredible.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
In an abstract way. It does because it's standing up
for yourself. It's not letting people people take advantage of you,
which you talk about in the book, and it's I
applied to myself because.
Speaker 3 (09:19):
I'm not Gina Girshawan.
Speaker 2 (09:21):
I'm not just all I mean, but I'm five six,
I'm handicapped, I've gotten those stair downs.
Speaker 3 (09:28):
I won't name names, but one of the.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
People that actually interview you today, I used to work
with them at another radio station and they wanted to
fight me because I stood up for myself and like really,
oh yeah, yeah, yeah, maybe I'll tell you when we
stopped recording where that was.
Speaker 3 (09:43):
But but but yeah, well I can tell you when
i'll cut it out.
Speaker 2 (09:47):
Okay, Yeah, so's he would talk down to me and
I didn't like it, and he just like, never talked
me that way again, or something's gonna happen.
Speaker 3 (09:55):
I don't put up with bullies. So that's I'll take
his name.
Speaker 1 (09:58):
Maybe talking down to you just because there was just
ashol a guy.
Speaker 3 (10:03):
He's just an asshole. He's just an asshole. He's that guy.
Speaker 2 (10:06):
He is that, he's the guy you talk about and
he's just anyway, good for you.
Speaker 1 (10:12):
You're so you were an alpha pussy. You alpha pussy
that situation. Guys could be alpha pussy too. It's just
not standing up for yourself.
Speaker 3 (10:19):
I'm an Alfaelsia. I appreciate that, and.
Speaker 4 (10:21):
Are you are?
Speaker 1 (10:23):
I mean, like, one of my favorite stories in the
book is when you get it, they have to send
it you a book that's ridiculous. God, I can't remember
what it's called. But it's like I stood up to
a bully who is who was making my little friend
cry and I ended up hitting him. It's the first
time I ever hit someone. And then I was scared
because I'm like, oh shit, they're going to like come
(10:43):
after me. But it was just, you know, I fucking
hate bullies. I hate mean people who like try to
and they're just insecure, you know, and they're just.
Speaker 3 (10:55):
Yeah, I know.
Speaker 2 (10:56):
I've done that too when I was younger killing bowling
a friend or my younger brother, and I punched him
in the face.
Speaker 3 (11:03):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (11:03):
Not that I'm a violent person, I don't believe, but
I was just so little. I didn't know what to do,
and I'm like, leave her alone.
Speaker 4 (11:08):
Bam.
Speaker 3 (11:10):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (11:10):
I was like, you know, ten or something like that.
I don't do that now, a teacher, my son, my
three year olds and Harrison Rex. Stop hitting Dadding the face.
Stop hitting mommy in the face.
Speaker 3 (11:20):
Yeah yeah, yeah too funny. Well, no, I look forward
to the advance copy.
Speaker 2 (11:25):
I want to read something other than brown Bear, brown
Bear or cocomellaan to the to the guy.
Speaker 3 (11:33):
Two more questions.
Speaker 2 (11:34):
I'll get you out because you've had such a long day,
and I appreciate you giving me time.
Speaker 3 (11:38):
Because his first concert.
Speaker 2 (11:40):
And I'll make it relatable, my wife told him to
go see Dave Matthews. He had headphones on. We took
him last year to see Paul McCartney headphones on. We
gotta take him see Guns of Roses this summer. What
was I know, he's still young, but he's a party animal.
My wife likes we take him everywhere and if he
wasn't happy, we would leave.
Speaker 3 (11:59):
But what was your first concert? Do you remember?
Speaker 4 (12:02):
I talked about it in the books somewhere.
Speaker 1 (12:07):
I remember my uncle who was a musician, you know,
more of like a jazz musician, had symphonies and stuff
like that. We were at some family functioned, maybe passover,
I don't know, it was one of those. He's like, hey, kid,
you want to come to a concert. I was like, yeah,
you know, I was like six, and he took me
to Three Dog Night.
Speaker 3 (12:26):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (12:27):
And I was just like when people were like lighting
their matches, I was like, whoa, this is so cool.
So yeah, I think it was Three Dog Night. Then
for my first official concert.
Speaker 2 (12:38):
And the fact that you were six and that's a
memory is awesome. My first memory was when my brother
came home. I'm the oldest of four boys and I
was four and my mom gave me a Ghostbusters race
dance to Dan Ackroyd.
Speaker 3 (12:51):
Figure.
Speaker 2 (12:52):
That's my earliest memory. So I'm hoping, since he'll be
three next month, maybe guns of Roses might be his
first memory. Probably, But that's that's the the dream I have. Uh,
let me get you out of here on this, because.
Speaker 4 (13:05):
I don't think the energies to agro.
Speaker 2 (13:07):
For they have a girl in the band now, Melissa Reese.
She lightens it up.
Speaker 4 (13:12):
Do you they who singer? Who's is she singing?
Speaker 3 (13:16):
She does backup vocals, she's one of the keyboardists.
Speaker 4 (13:19):
Who's singing? Who's the band right now?
Speaker 2 (13:22):
So it's it's it's Axel slash Duff. They're back together,
Richard Fordes, who's been in the band for twenty something years. Uh.
Then you got a new drummer, Isaac Carpenter, who was
in Loaded with Duff before.
Speaker 3 (13:37):
He was in a Wall Nation for a while.
Speaker 2 (13:39):
And then the two keyboardists, did he read who's been
in there since the illusions?
Speaker 4 (13:44):
Right?
Speaker 2 (13:45):
And Melissa Reese who just celebrated her birthday.
Speaker 3 (13:50):
Yeah, I mean there are plenty of plenty.
Speaker 2 (13:53):
That's what's awesome about doing this podcast because like I'm not,
as you can tell, I'm not an agro guy. I
know there's a lot of agro music in this but
then you have Sweet Child of Minds, you have the
November Rain, you know, you have you have the ballads,
this off stuff. So I know I got a little
bit of your story before when you played, you know,
for Prayer for Rock and Roll, And if people want
(14:13):
to rewind to that episode and hear more of that story,
it's episode three twenty seven, but it was I think
it was the same year that you played with Camp
Freddy with Slash and Dave Navarro. So I was wondering,
is that in the book. I was wondering if you
could talk about that, maybe that experience.
Speaker 4 (14:29):
Oh God, I can't.
Speaker 3 (14:30):
It so long ago.
Speaker 1 (14:31):
It might have mentioned Camp Freddy just but I didn't
tell any stories. I mean, I do have stories, great
Camp Freddy stories, but they didn't. It didn't thematically go
with the book at all, you know, because I only
had really fun times. I do remember one I don't know.
We were doing a show somewhere. I think we were in Vegas.
I could be wrong, but I think it was Vegas
(14:52):
and I was there. It was like we were all
sharing a hotel room, you know, just to get ready
and we all want to take a nap, and I
could not get into the hotel into the bathroom between
Dave Navarro and Donovan and oh my god.
Speaker 4 (15:06):
Who else was there? I'm like, guys, can I use
the mirror? Like, I'm like, this is insane. They were like,
you know, so I.
Speaker 3 (15:14):
Was like putting the guyliner on, of.
Speaker 1 (15:16):
Course, and I'm like, I put my makeup. I'm like, okay,
there's no room for me.
Speaker 4 (15:20):
It was hystericop.
Speaker 1 (15:21):
I think I have photos of that somewhere that I
really should find because it was kind of amazing.
Speaker 3 (15:26):
Yeah, please share that.
Speaker 2 (15:28):
That's cool because I have a Getty Images account, so
I'll see pictures of you playing with Matt Soarm and
all that stuff, and oh really, yeah, I know you've
had you know, you've dabbled the music more than dabbled,
so it's just a part of you.
Speaker 3 (15:40):
I guess was wondering how much was in the book.
Speaker 2 (15:42):
So I'm glad to hear there are some mentions.
Speaker 4 (15:46):
I talk about, God, what do I try?
Speaker 1 (15:50):
Well? I talk about pray for rock and roll just
because you know it came. It's in a story about
just going with the flow and then all of a
sudden I'm on tour, you know, And then I talk
about Bob Dylan a lot, but not so much. I
didn't tell any music stories about him, just because he
doesn't you know, he's a private guy. I don't remember
(16:10):
what music stories do I talk about? Isn't that crazy.
Speaker 3 (16:15):
Luctual life? And that's what I don't remember.
Speaker 4 (16:17):
What's in the book. I have to look at it.
I should have a book in front of me, so
I read it.
Speaker 3 (16:21):
We both have to read it.
Speaker 4 (16:22):
Yeah, we both have to read.
Speaker 1 (16:23):
One of the great things about writing is now I
can kind of forget these stories, and every now and
then I'm like, oh, let me read this.
Speaker 4 (16:28):
Oh yeah, I remember that.
Speaker 1 (16:30):
Honestly, my brain is like I got to get it
down and then it just leaves.
Speaker 2 (16:34):
What an incredible life you've lived. And so it's been
an honor to get to speak with you and spend
some time with you this morning during this radio tour.
I have a true, true empathy for those because I
as somebody who does interviews, but for somebody on the
other side, I know it's so difficult, especially when they're
rapid fire one after another. So I feel for you
(16:56):
and it's a lot of work. But thank you for
giving me some my extra time at the end and
of course, Gina Alpha pussy, how I survived the valley
and learned to love my boob. So I hope we
get to do this again and you have a great day.
Speaker 4 (17:07):
Thank you so much. You take care of yourself. Thanks
a lot for doing this.
Speaker 3 (17:11):
You got it, Gina, She's so nice.
Speaker 2 (17:13):
I was hoping it was going to be on camera
this time around, but turning the camera on affected the audio,
so obviously better to have to already hear her than,
you know, to kind of get a lesser quality of
audio and video. So I don't know, maybe next time
it'll it'll work. And then with that being said, I
want to wrap up this episode with a couple of
(17:34):
things that do tie into the conversation I just had
with Gina and guns and roses, of course, And I
don't want to go up too much on a soapbox
because you're here on you're here to we here to
talk about guns and roses for the most part.
Speaker 3 (17:49):
You don't want to hear too much about me, right,
I know some of you are very kind. Oh we come.
Speaker 2 (17:53):
For for guns and roses, but we stay for you,
and I appreciate that, But I don't know some things
I want to kind of leave, you know, the cutting
room floor, but to not be to be vague, without
being vague, I'll just go right into it. So a
couple of things I acknowledged with Gina. One at the end,
I said, the empathy that I have for people at
(18:15):
the other end of these interviews, you know.
Speaker 3 (18:18):
I really do. I think I have a.
Speaker 2 (18:20):
Unique, unique perspective because I'm not just somebody who interviews.
I hear the other side of it. I know what
it's like to be interviewed, and then I know what
it's like for other people to be interviewed because I'm
I hear her and other guests that I've worked with
from station to station to station, and each you know,
(18:41):
radio DJ has their own approach and did they do
their research? Is their line of questioning appropriate? And that
happened today when I was working. I couldn't believe it.
So I had to do my job and just some
questions are like, Okay, you're you didn't read the book,
You're you're here for some clickbait stories. We gotta go,
(19:01):
we gotta go, and it's sick and it affects people
like Gina Gershan And that was not hers. She's a professional.
She knew how to handle it. That's something like that.
Even another thing like that happened to her recently where
people are just trying to bait her into something else.
And you know what, I have to take a step
back and realize all the times I've taken things personally
(19:22):
with a guest not getting a guest, namely like the
guns a Roses guys Slash or Duff not working out
how long it took to get Bumblefoot or Tracy Guns.
You know, these guys have had a lot of bad experiences,
they really have. And there are a lot of bad
interviewers out there, bad people out there that want to
click bait, and sometimes it's just not worth it. Yeah,
(19:45):
maybe they they know my intentions are good, but you
know what, I can't control everything. I can't control what
somebody else is going to do with my interview as
far as headlines are concerned, So moments like that, and
I wanted to acknowledge that that sometimes I got to
take a step back and not take things personally and
just enjoy the ride that has been appetite for distortion,
(20:05):
which is gonna hit ten years for appetite for this podcast.
I believe in May was the first episode with Wiscatto
and I appetite for a reunion. God, I think I'd
be doing this ten years into it. God, especially well
not married with a kid either. I didn't think it
that would happen. So a lot of things can happen
(20:26):
in ten years except for our new Guns and Roses album. Ah, sorry,
I couldn't help myself. Well, it's gonna happen. I believe
it's slash It's gonna happen. Another thing I need to
mention because I brought it up with Gina and it
relates to radio, and it relates to it will relate
to GNR as well. I brought up like a kind
(20:47):
of a bullying situation that I went through. It was
over ten years ago. It's been a while. I was
in my late twenties. I mean, that's like a crazy
time to go through that. See, it's like high school
the last time I could remember feeling that kind of
pressure around somebody being like, what is this environment in
(21:08):
an act of just the universe being funny or just
trying to teach you something. The person that I mentioned,
which I will not say their name, whatever, that person
lost their current job since I recorded that part with
Gina and this part. Now, you know, I always identified
(21:31):
a lot with you know, loving guns or roses for
the music, of course, and a lot of other typical
music reasons, but there was always something I really identified
with with Axel's anger and felt like I can identify with.
I certainly wasn't coming from the same place. I don't
have the same life experience as Axel, but something very
(21:52):
genuine about his anger, and that's what I had and have,
and just learning how to deal with it and understanding
when you you want to lash out, you want to
lash out, and it just it all seemed very genuine.
Is not healthy as it could be at times, It
wasn't contrived. You see all these rock stars or people
in the media or whatever. It's just a contrived emotion feeling.
(22:17):
Everything you got, you get from Axel is one hundred
percent Reel. And that is one of the big things
and still is the big things why I love this
band that I still talk about them. I don't want
to be an angry person, and I like to think
Axel doesn't like being that way either anymore, because you
see him on stage and he's not.
Speaker 3 (22:33):
He doesn't look that way.
Speaker 2 (22:36):
It makes international headlines when he throws a microphone and
he's like, oh he's angry Axel again.
Speaker 3 (22:41):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (22:42):
I mean, it's always going to be there. Not the
quote Dexter, but maybe I should because Axel likes Dexter too.
But if you know the reference my dark passenger, I'm
not killing people like Dexter, but my dark passenger of
depression and anger is always going to be there. Is
it going to be there for him? And I wonder
how does that affect create tivity? Maybe and that could
be in the whole of the story about new music,
(23:03):
about you know, does he need to be in a
dark place. I don't want him to be in a
dark place to write music. Rather him be in a
happy place and not write music. But I digress. I'm
bringing this all up because I'm just very I'd be
very angry. So with this situation, I hope it works
(23:24):
out for him. I hope he lands on his feet
and it's a tough business.
Speaker 3 (23:30):
I don't want to go back. I don't want him.
Speaker 2 (23:33):
Yeah, it might be fun to be the angry brand.
Oh that we might miss the angry Axle I or
rather be in a healthier place. So hope hopefully the
guy lands on his feet. But it was a really
uncomfortable time.
Speaker 3 (23:47):
In my career.
Speaker 2 (23:48):
If you ask me about what my negative experience is
over the you know, twenty what seems like twenty years, Yeah,
twenty years of a career. That's that's near the top.
My experience with this person if not the top, just
like wow, like this is unhealthy.
Speaker 3 (24:07):
I don't like being here situation. But that was then
this is now. Good luck, dude.
Speaker 2 (24:15):
We built this thing with all these guests over the years,
and we built something so much that we've been put
in a book. I know we were put in a
book by James Green Junior, and I don't want to
slight that he at the end of his Chinese Democracy
book he cited one of my brain interviews, but this
one goes a little deeper. So this I'm gonna interview
(24:36):
author Jeff Harkness in a couple of weeks. Also, Frank
Hannon from Tesla is coming on in a couple weeks
as well. This book is called Estranged Guns n' Roses,
Use your Illusion and do you hear that old school radio?
Flipping the pages He sent it to me. I usually
asked for a digital copy but he wanted to send
it to me, and I think it's because I'm in
(24:58):
here so as looking at the boo where I have
to go to page three hundred and fifty that goes
to show you how many pages there are, so it's
over close to three fifty. I'm in the beginning of
the acknowledgments. He writes again, this is Jeff Harkness estranged
guns and roses, and use your illusion which is available now.
(25:19):
I want to give a special mention to the Appetite
for Distortion podcast, whose genial host Brando Weisler, has spent
over the better part of a decade tracking down anyone
and everyone who's ever cross paths with GNR and thanks
for the also he puts in parentheses afdpod dot com,
Thanks for the website.
Speaker 3 (25:37):
Shoutout.
Speaker 2 (25:38):
Brando's five hundred plus interviews with band members, managers, video directors,
close close collaborators such as Alice Cooper and many more
provided insights to the illusion era that enhanced every page
of this book. What a pleasant surprise. I had no idea.
Thank you, Jeff. He just reached out to me on
(26:01):
email the AfD showtgmail dot com and just said, hey,
I wrote a book, Do you want one? That was
it and I was like all right, uh, and then
I said, do you want to come on.
Speaker 3 (26:14):
Talk about it? Okay? That was it.
Speaker 2 (26:17):
So we'll talk to him in a few weeks and
again Frank Hannon coming back, so stay tuned for that.
The conversation continues in between the broadcasts. Facebook, Twitter, x, Instagram,
follow us, and subscribe on YouTube. You can subscribe also
on Instagram and Facebook to help help along the podcasts.
Who would have thought ten years in, I mean, that's
(26:38):
a that's a nice paragraph. I've been quoted obviously other places,
and it still amazes me. The story we just had
with Jeff's with jose Atrianni talking about Bumblefoot that was
picked up by a lot of places, Loudwire and Blabbermouth.
I saw it translated to Italian and Korean Ultimate Guitar.
(26:58):
I got a shot them because they always they're very
cool with picking up stuff.
Speaker 3 (27:02):
It's just so cool to see this.
Speaker 2 (27:05):
That's when I knew this podcast was something when we
first got picked up, and I will still remember. I'll
always remember it was Dave Kushner, I think it was
episode twenty and Alternative Nation. I was like, they quoted
and they wrote about it.
Speaker 3 (27:19):
I'm like, this can happen.
Speaker 2 (27:21):
I could talk on a podcast and it can get
out into the world like this. This is ten years ago.
It just seemed like that was just not a reality.
Maybe I've become a little I've come to expect it
a little bit, and I don't want that to be
lost on me. Because they could go away, people could
not care. What would I do anymore? So thanks to
all the outlets that continue to pay attention, and to
(27:43):
thanks to all you who continue to pay attention to
Appetite for distortion. So when will you see the next episode?
In the words of Axel Rose concerning Chinese democracy, I
don't know as soon as the word, but you'll see it.
Speaker 3 (28:01):
Thanks to the lame mass security. I'm going home.
I mean the power that I felt from like it
was like wow, you know.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Appetite for Distortion episode number five hundred and fifty five
with missus Gina Gershan. Thank you for as many people
have said to you. I'm sure you don't remember the
last time we spoke.
Speaker 3 (00:18):
It was years ago.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
It was two thousand and well four years ago. I
didn't want to make it sound like it was like
twenty years ago. If you remember Appetite for Distortion podcast,
it's so.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
Oh yeah, oh yeah, I remember that good name.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
You're promoting the movie your Ripkins Festival.
Speaker 4 (00:35):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
And we also spoke about when you were filming Pray
for Rock and Roll back then you fronted. You were
friends with Matt Sorum and you ended up playing I
get what, I forget what the name of the film festival,
but playing with Slash and duffin No Sundance sun Dance
in the first time fronting like a band, right ever
or something like that.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
No, it was my well, I mean I was doing
Pray for Rock and Roll, right and so I was
singing live and we.
Speaker 4 (01:03):
Were playing fake like I was.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
I knew how to play the songs, but you know
that the other actors didn't, so we weren't playing the
music live. I was singing live, and I certainly practiced
on my own, but I never really played with a
band band, like played music and sang. And then so
all of a sudden, they're like, well, you have to
perform sundance and I'm like, I don't really have a band.
They're like, well, you should get one, and I'm like, uh, okay.
(01:27):
And then, as with all music, it's just kind of
fell into place.
Speaker 4 (01:30):
In the next few hours. I bumped into.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
Mat and he's like, oh, let's get Slash, let's get
the well play. They were they were trying to figure
out who is their lead singer and their new band,
Velvet Revolver going to be. It's before they met Scott,
I guess. And anyway, next thing I know, I had
them as my band, playing with them behind me, which
was insane. I mean, the power that I felt from
(01:54):
like blah blah blah. I was like, wow, you know,
it was crazy. Talk about that in the book. There's
a good story about that in.
Speaker 3 (02:02):
The book You do.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
Okay, So I want to Obviously we're here because of
the book Alpha Pussy, How I survived the Valley and
learned to love my boobs. And I wanted to bring
that up because as I'm also your radio tour producer.
You know, I just did a tour with Joe Satriani
and Steve II, and I was.
Speaker 3 (02:20):
The first one.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
Uh this is I'm the last one, so I got
to hear all the good, all the bad, little stories.
Speaker 3 (02:26):
Hopefully I curate a good enough interview.
Speaker 2 (02:28):
So I wanted to bring that up because I I'll
sometimes get an advanced copy of a book, but I didn't,
So I forgive me, and I admit that because it's
funny hearing when you can tell radio DJs is trying
to sound like they know what they're talking about, Like.
Speaker 3 (02:41):
You didn't read the book.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
You didn't read the book, So I want to say
right away, I mean I read everything else as far
as the one sheep, but I didn't read the book.
So that's very cool that that made the cut. And
we'll talk more about maybe your six Degrees of Geno
making after that, but I want to talk about your
book Alpha Pussy. Obviously it's been a topic every single
interview you've done.
Speaker 3 (03:01):
The name.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
Just talk about that a little bit and the confidence,
because if you couldn't tell just working with me this morning.
We've been in the on zoom for two hours. You
and I. I'm a little bit of like a neurotic.
I was born on Long Island. I'm a neurotic Jew.
I have a lot of self confidence issues to this day.
I love that term, you know, because alpha male. I
was never an alpha male. I was just a funny guy.
(03:22):
I was the nice guy. Yeah, But to be an
alpha I know there's a cat connotation to it, like
the actual cat. But when did you find that confidence?
How long did it take you to find that confidence
to be Gina Gershan, to be who you are before
Gina Gershon became like a Hollywood name, but just to
I don't know, to have confidence in yourself to say no,
(03:45):
because you had to say no a lot and there
was a lot of scary people around you growing up.
Speaker 1 (03:49):
So yeah, you know, I think I think I had
to learn how to protect myself from an early age,
you know, having older brother and older sister who wanted
nothing to do with me, and I was like left
to my own devices a lot, and you know, just
growing up in the valley was a toxic time there.
And you know, it wasn't like parents are. You know,
(04:10):
they weren't the way they were now today. They're not helicoptering.
They're just like be home by six, you know, have
a good day. And I'm like six or seven years
old walking around like okay, you know, and it's the
valley was kind of gnarly.
Speaker 4 (04:22):
At that time.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
My local movie theater turned into a porn theater and
I didn't realize that until I snuck in and I
was like, what are all these men doing in this
this movie theater? It's why are they wearing raincoats? It's
not raining out, Like what's going on?
Speaker 3 (04:38):
Wow?
Speaker 4 (04:39):
So you know, and the alpha pussy came from. It
just came.
Speaker 1 (04:43):
It was a term that I used from training my
male cats. You know that like wh would try to
dominate me. And I had a devise this little technique
where I became the alpha pussy and I else they
would have retabot on my whole house, on my person,
you know, to tack my head.
Speaker 4 (05:00):
And so I had to make this. I had this
whole little ritual of how to do it.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
And then I learned that, oh, this kind of works
on people too. When you know, certain males, mostly to
be honest, a certain power dynamic where you know, I
would look at them and they would look at me,
and I would just say hey, blah blah blah blah blah,
and they would just like back away. Yet if I
(05:25):
looked away, it seems like they would pounce on me,
which is really interesting, you know, I just I just
thought of this. I was reading about, Oh my god, Pelico.
What's her name? Oh my gosh, you know the French
woman who was raped by her husband and she, you know,
(05:46):
francois No what's her first name?
Speaker 2 (05:48):
I'm not familiar, to be honest, I don't want to
pretend that I okay.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
Anyway, it's an incredible story and this woman is is
so brave. Basically, I'm really angry with myself that I'm
not remembering her first name.
Speaker 4 (06:05):
I can tell.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
That Pelico is definitely a name. But she's a story
that Gazelle Gizelle Pelico. It's a horrible story. She's a
you know, an older woman, seventy three years old now.
Speaker 4 (06:20):
Basically, her.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
Husband for many, many, many many years was having her
rape by all these strange men. He would drug her
and she would get raped, and it was this and
he or she thinks she has this really incredible relationship
with her husband, and she's a grandma and she's got kids,
and basically he gets caught. They find it, and her
whole world turns upside down. And when she goes to trial,
(06:46):
which a lot of people are like, you, I don't
want this to be public, you know, I will tell you,
she says, I will make this public. In fact, I
want to face every single one of the people who
did this to me. This very nice, like French lady.
And there was this one moment like some guy was
staring at her in the courtroom, trying to intimidate her,
and she just looked back and she wouldn't look away,
(07:08):
and then finally he looked down.
Speaker 4 (07:10):
Pure alpha pussy moment. I read that.
Speaker 1 (07:13):
I'm like, good for you. I mean, she's like a hero,
the way she stepped up and took her life back,
not became a victim, even though she was completely victimized.
She was, but she's like, I refuse to be that.
I'm going to sit and look at every one of
these people and take my life back. Sorry that I
went on that tangent. It has nothing to do with
but I was just read, oh, I can't hear you.
Speaker 3 (07:35):
Can I hear you now?
Speaker 4 (07:37):
I could hear you.
Speaker 3 (07:38):
I can hear you now, I can hear you now.
I don't know what that was about. I don't know
what that was about.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
I don't either get I thought, oh, he really didn't
like that story.
Speaker 3 (07:46):
I was telling Oh, no, not at all. No, I
was looking down forgive me technical issues.
Speaker 2 (07:51):
I'm glad the technical issue happened with me and not
with anybody else when I was doing my job. No,
Giselle Pellico, I mean, I'm horrendous story. You know, I'm
a horror movie fan and I watch movies space on similar,
similar things, and I don't know it's I don't know why.
And once it's a real story, then like my stomach turns.
(08:13):
But I think maybe the horror puts it down. I
don't know what that says about me.
Speaker 1 (08:17):
Because it's a horrible story, and you think, wow, people
actually act this way, human things could be this gross.
But you know what, she totally alpha pussy that situation
in the courtroom when she just stared at that guy
who who's trying to intimidate her and he finally just
looked away. I mean, she was a hero already for
coming up, and I was like, oh my god, I
(08:38):
love this woman.
Speaker 4 (08:39):
Just so brave and such a really.
Speaker 1 (08:43):
Taking her life back and being like, you are not
going waiting to intimidate me. You were the jerk in
the situation and just didn't look away, and then he
finally looked away.
Speaker 3 (08:54):
Well, it's people.
Speaker 2 (08:55):
I appreciate you sharing that story and it's my ignorance
for not being familiar with it.
Speaker 4 (08:59):
But it's no, it's okay.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
It's it's really going off on a tangent that really
has nothing to do with the book, but like I
was just reading about it, may I think she's incredible.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
In an abstract way. It does because it's standing up
for yourself. It's not letting people people take advantage of you,
which you talk about in the book, and it's I
applied to myself because.
Speaker 3 (09:19):
I'm not Gina Girshawan.
Speaker 2 (09:21):
I'm not just all I mean, but I'm five six,
I'm handicapped, I've gotten those stair downs.
Speaker 3 (09:28):
I won't name names, but one of the.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
People that actually interview you today, I used to work
with them at another radio station and they wanted to
fight me because I stood up for myself and like really,
oh yeah, yeah, yeah, maybe I'll tell you when we
stopped recording where that was.
Speaker 3 (09:43):
But but but yeah, well I can tell you when
i'll cut it out.
Speaker 2 (09:47):
Okay, Yeah, so's he would talk down to me and
I didn't like it, and he just like, never talked
me that way again, or something's gonna happen.
Speaker 3 (09:55):
I don't put up with bullies. So that's I'll take
his name.
Speaker 1 (09:58):
Maybe talking down to you just because there was just
ashol a guy.
Speaker 3 (10:03):
He's just an asshole. He's just an asshole. He's that guy.
Speaker 2 (10:06):
He is that, he's the guy you talk about and
he's just anyway, good for you.
Speaker 1 (10:12):
You're so you were an alpha pussy. You alpha pussy
that situation. Guys could be alpha pussy too. It's just
not standing up for yourself.
Speaker 3 (10:19):
I'm an Alfaelsia. I appreciate that, and.
Speaker 4 (10:21):
Are you are?
Speaker 1 (10:23):
I mean, like, one of my favorite stories in the
book is when you get it, they have to send
it you a book that's ridiculous. God, I can't remember
what it's called. But it's like I stood up to
a bully who is who was making my little friend
cry and I ended up hitting him. It's the first
time I ever hit someone. And then I was scared
because I'm like, oh shit, they're going to like come
(10:43):
after me. But it was just, you know, I fucking
hate bullies. I hate mean people who like try to
and they're just insecure, you know, and they're just.
Speaker 3 (10:55):
Yeah, I know.
Speaker 2 (10:56):
I've done that too when I was younger killing bowling
a friend or my younger brother, and I punched him
in the face.
Speaker 3 (11:03):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (11:03):
Not that I'm a violent person, I don't believe, but
I was just so little. I didn't know what to do,
and I'm like, leave her alone.
Speaker 4 (11:08):
Bam.
Speaker 3 (11:10):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (11:10):
I was like, you know, ten or something like that.
I don't do that now, a teacher, my son, my
three year olds and Harrison Rex. Stop hitting Dadding the face.
Stop hitting mommy in the face.
Speaker 3 (11:20):
Yeah yeah, yeah too funny. Well, no, I look forward
to the advance copy.
Speaker 2 (11:25):
I want to read something other than brown Bear, brown
Bear or cocomellaan to the to the guy.
Speaker 3 (11:33):
Two more questions.
Speaker 2 (11:34):
I'll get you out because you've had such a long day,
and I appreciate you giving me time.
Speaker 3 (11:38):
Because his first concert.
Speaker 2 (11:40):
And I'll make it relatable, my wife told him to
go see Dave Matthews. He had headphones on. We took
him last year to see Paul McCartney headphones on. We
gotta take him see Guns of Roses this summer. What
was I know, he's still young, but he's a party animal.
My wife likes we take him everywhere and if he
wasn't happy, we would leave.
Speaker 3 (11:59):
But what was your first concert? Do you remember?
Speaker 4 (12:02):
I talked about it in the books somewhere.
Speaker 1 (12:07):
I remember my uncle who was a musician, you know,
more of like a jazz musician, had symphonies and stuff
like that. We were at some family functioned, maybe passover,
I don't know, it was one of those. He's like, hey, kid,
you want to come to a concert. I was like, yeah,
you know, I was like six, and he took me
to Three Dog Night.
Speaker 3 (12:26):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (12:27):
And I was just like when people were like lighting
their matches, I was like, whoa, this is so cool.
So yeah, I think it was Three Dog Night. Then
for my first official concert.
Speaker 2 (12:38):
And the fact that you were six and that's a
memory is awesome. My first memory was when my brother
came home. I'm the oldest of four boys and I
was four and my mom gave me a Ghostbusters race
dance to Dan Ackroyd.
Speaker 3 (12:51):
Figure.
Speaker 2 (12:52):
That's my earliest memory. So I'm hoping, since he'll be
three next month, maybe guns of Roses might be his
first memory. Probably, But that's that's the the dream I have. Uh,
let me get you out of here on this, because.
Speaker 4 (13:05):
I don't think the energies to agro.
Speaker 2 (13:07):
For they have a girl in the band now, Melissa Reese.
She lightens it up.
Speaker 4 (13:12):
Do you they who singer? Who's is she singing?
Speaker 3 (13:16):
She does backup vocals, she's one of the keyboardists.
Speaker 4 (13:19):
Who's singing? Who's the band right now?
Speaker 2 (13:22):
So it's it's it's Axel slash Duff. They're back together,
Richard Fordes, who's been in the band for twenty something years. Uh.
Then you got a new drummer, Isaac Carpenter, who was
in Loaded with Duff before.
Speaker 3 (13:37):
He was in a Wall Nation for a while.
Speaker 2 (13:39):
And then the two keyboardists, did he read who's been
in there since the illusions?
Speaker 4 (13:44):
Right?
Speaker 2 (13:45):
And Melissa Reese who just celebrated her birthday.
Speaker 3 (13:50):
Yeah, I mean there are plenty of plenty.
Speaker 2 (13:53):
That's what's awesome about doing this podcast because like I'm not,
as you can tell, I'm not an agro guy. I
know there's a lot of agro music in this but
then you have Sweet Child of Minds, you have the
November Rain, you know, you have you have the ballads,
this off stuff. So I know I got a little
bit of your story before when you played, you know,
for Prayer for Rock and Roll, And if people want
(14:13):
to rewind to that episode and hear more of that story,
it's episode three twenty seven, but it was I think
it was the same year that you played with Camp
Freddy with Slash and Dave Navarro. So I was wondering,
is that in the book. I was wondering if you
could talk about that, maybe that experience.
Speaker 4 (14:29):
Oh God, I can't.
Speaker 3 (14:30):
It so long ago.
Speaker 1 (14:31):
It might have mentioned Camp Freddy just but I didn't
tell any stories. I mean, I do have stories, great
Camp Freddy stories, but they didn't. It didn't thematically go
with the book at all, you know, because I only
had really fun times. I do remember one I don't know.
We were doing a show somewhere. I think we were in Vegas.
I could be wrong, but I think it was Vegas
(14:52):
and I was there. It was like we were all
sharing a hotel room, you know, just to get ready
and we all want to take a nap, and I
could not get into the hotel into the bathroom between
Dave Navarro and Donovan and oh my god.
Speaker 4 (15:06):
Who else was there? I'm like, guys, can I use
the mirror? Like, I'm like, this is insane. They were like,
you know, so I.
Speaker 3 (15:14):
Was like putting the guyliner on, of.
Speaker 1 (15:16):
Course, and I'm like, I put my makeup. I'm like, okay,
there's no room for me.
Speaker 4 (15:20):
It was hystericop.
Speaker 1 (15:21):
I think I have photos of that somewhere that I
really should find because it was kind of amazing.
Speaker 3 (15:26):
Yeah, please share that.
Speaker 2 (15:28):
That's cool because I have a Getty Images account, so
I'll see pictures of you playing with Matt Soarm and
all that stuff, and oh really, yeah, I know you've
had you know, you've dabbled the music more than dabbled,
so it's just a part of you.
Speaker 3 (15:40):
I guess was wondering how much was in the book.
Speaker 2 (15:42):
So I'm glad to hear there are some mentions.
Speaker 4 (15:46):
I talk about, God, what do I try?
Speaker 1 (15:50):
Well? I talk about pray for rock and roll just
because you know it came. It's in a story about
just going with the flow and then all of a
sudden I'm on tour, you know, And then I talk
about Bob Dylan a lot, but not so much. I
didn't tell any music stories about him, just because he
doesn't you know, he's a private guy. I don't remember
(16:10):
what music stories do I talk about? Isn't that crazy.
Speaker 3 (16:15):
Luctual life? And that's what I don't remember.
Speaker 4 (16:17):
What's in the book. I have to look at it.
I should have a book in front of me, so
I read it.
Speaker 3 (16:21):
We both have to read it.
Speaker 4 (16:22):
Yeah, we both have to read.
Speaker 1 (16:23):
One of the great things about writing is now I
can kind of forget these stories, and every now and
then I'm like, oh, let me read this.
Speaker 4 (16:28):
Oh yeah, I remember that.
Speaker 1 (16:30):
Honestly, my brain is like I got to get it
down and then it just leaves.
Speaker 2 (16:34):
What an incredible life you've lived. And so it's been
an honor to get to speak with you and spend
some time with you this morning during this radio tour.
I have a true, true empathy for those because I
as somebody who does interviews, but for somebody on the
other side, I know it's so difficult, especially when they're
rapid fire one after another. So I feel for you
(16:56):
and it's a lot of work. But thank you for
giving me some my extra time at the end and
of course, Gina Alpha pussy, how I survived the valley
and learned to love my boob. So I hope we
get to do this again and you have a great day.
Speaker 4 (17:07):
Thank you so much. You take care of yourself. Thanks
a lot for doing this.
Speaker 3 (17:11):
You got it, Gina, She's so nice.
Speaker 2 (17:13):
I was hoping it was going to be on camera
this time around, but turning the camera on affected the audio,
so obviously better to have to already hear her than,
you know, to kind of get a lesser quality of
audio and video. So I don't know, maybe next time
it'll it'll work. And then with that being said, I
want to wrap up this episode with a couple of
(17:34):
things that do tie into the conversation I just had
with Gina and guns and roses, of course, And I
don't want to go up too much on a soapbox
because you're here on you're here to we here to
talk about guns and roses for the most part.
Speaker 3 (17:49):
You don't want to hear too much about me, right,
I know some of you are very kind. Oh we come.
Speaker 2 (17:53):
For for guns and roses, but we stay for you,
and I appreciate that, But I don't know some things
I want to kind of leave, you know, the cutting
room floor, but to not be to be vague, without
being vague, I'll just go right into it. So a
couple of things I acknowledged with Gina. One at the end,
I said, the empathy that I have for people at
(18:15):
the other end of these interviews, you know.
Speaker 3 (18:18):
I really do. I think I have a.
Speaker 2 (18:20):
Unique, unique perspective because I'm not just somebody who interviews.
I hear the other side of it. I know what
it's like to be interviewed, and then I know what
it's like for other people to be interviewed because I'm
I hear her and other guests that I've worked with
from station to station to station, and each you know,
(18:41):
radio DJ has their own approach and did they do
their research? Is their line of questioning appropriate? And that
happened today when I was working. I couldn't believe it.
So I had to do my job and just some
questions are like, Okay, you're you didn't read the book,
You're you're here for some clickbait stories. We gotta go,
(19:01):
we gotta go, and it's sick and it affects people
like Gina Gershan And that was not hers. She's a professional.
She knew how to handle it. That's something like that.
Even another thing like that happened to her recently where
people are just trying to bait her into something else.
And you know what, I have to take a step
back and realize all the times I've taken things personally
(19:22):
with a guest not getting a guest, namely like the
guns a Roses guys Slash or Duff not working out
how long it took to get Bumblefoot or Tracy Guns.
You know, these guys have had a lot of bad experiences,
they really have. And there are a lot of bad
interviewers out there, bad people out there that want to
click bait, and sometimes it's just not worth it. Yeah,
(19:45):
maybe they they know my intentions are good, but you
know what, I can't control everything. I can't control what
somebody else is going to do with my interview as
far as headlines are concerned, So moments like that, and
I wanted to acknowledge that that sometimes I got to
take a step back and not take things personally and
just enjoy the ride that has been appetite for distortion,
(20:05):
which is gonna hit ten years for appetite for this podcast.
I believe in May was the first episode with Wiscatto
and I appetite for a reunion. God, I think I'd
be doing this ten years into it. God, especially well
not married with a kid either. I didn't think it
that would happen. So a lot of things can happen
(20:26):
in ten years except for our new Guns and Roses album. Ah, sorry,
I couldn't help myself. Well, it's gonna happen. I believe
it's slash It's gonna happen. Another thing I need to
mention because I brought it up with Gina and it
relates to radio, and it relates to it will relate
to GNR as well. I brought up like a kind
(20:47):
of a bullying situation that I went through. It was
over ten years ago. It's been a while. I was
in my late twenties. I mean, that's like a crazy
time to go through that. See, it's like high school
the last time I could remember feeling that kind of
pressure around somebody being like, what is this environment in
(21:08):
an act of just the universe being funny or just
trying to teach you something. The person that I mentioned,
which I will not say their name, whatever, that person
lost their current job since I recorded that part with
Gina and this part. Now, you know, I always identified
(21:31):
a lot with you know, loving guns or roses for
the music, of course, and a lot of other typical
music reasons, but there was always something I really identified
with with Axel's anger and felt like I can identify with.
I certainly wasn't coming from the same place. I don't
have the same life experience as Axel, but something very
(21:52):
genuine about his anger, and that's what I had and have,
and just learning how to deal with it and understanding
when you you want to lash out, you want to
lash out, and it just it all seemed very genuine.
Is not healthy as it could be at times, It
wasn't contrived. You see all these rock stars or people
in the media or whatever. It's just a contrived emotion feeling.
(22:17):
Everything you got, you get from Axel is one hundred
percent Reel. And that is one of the big things
and still is the big things why I love this
band that I still talk about them. I don't want
to be an angry person, and I like to think
Axel doesn't like being that way either anymore, because you
see him on stage and he's not.
Speaker 3 (22:33):
He doesn't look that way.
Speaker 2 (22:36):
It makes international headlines when he throws a microphone and
he's like, oh he's angry Axel again.
Speaker 3 (22:41):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (22:42):
I mean, it's always going to be there. Not the
quote Dexter, but maybe I should because Axel likes Dexter too.
But if you know the reference my dark passenger, I'm
not killing people like Dexter, but my dark passenger of
depression and anger is always going to be there. Is
it going to be there for him? And I wonder
how does that affect create tivity? Maybe and that could
be in the whole of the story about new music,
(23:03):
about you know, does he need to be in a
dark place. I don't want him to be in a
dark place to write music. Rather him be in a
happy place and not write music. But I digress. I'm
bringing this all up because I'm just very I'd be
very angry. So with this situation, I hope it works
(23:24):
out for him. I hope he lands on his feet
and it's a tough business.
Speaker 3 (23:30):
I don't want to go back. I don't want him.
Speaker 2 (23:33):
Yeah, it might be fun to be the angry brand.
Oh that we might miss the angry Axle I or
rather be in a healthier place. So hope hopefully the
guy lands on his feet. But it was a really
uncomfortable time.
Speaker 3 (23:47):
In my career.
Speaker 2 (23:48):
If you ask me about what my negative experience is
over the you know, twenty what seems like twenty years, Yeah,
twenty years of a career. That's that's near the top.
My experience with this person if not the top, just
like wow, like this is unhealthy.
Speaker 3 (24:07):
I don't like being here situation. But that was then
this is now. Good luck, dude.
Speaker 2 (24:15):
We built this thing with all these guests over the years,
and we built something so much that we've been put
in a book. I know we were put in a
book by James Green Junior, and I don't want to
slight that he at the end of his Chinese Democracy
book he cited one of my brain interviews, but this
one goes a little deeper. So this I'm gonna interview
(24:36):
author Jeff Harkness in a couple of weeks. Also, Frank
Hannon from Tesla is coming on in a couple weeks
as well. This book is called Estranged Guns n' Roses,
Use your Illusion and do you hear that old school radio?
Flipping the pages He sent it to me. I usually
asked for a digital copy but he wanted to send
it to me, and I think it's because I'm in
(24:58):
here so as looking at the boo where I have
to go to page three hundred and fifty that goes
to show you how many pages there are, so it's
over close to three fifty. I'm in the beginning of
the acknowledgments. He writes again, this is Jeff Harkness estranged
guns and roses, and use your illusion which is available now.
(25:19):
I want to give a special mention to the Appetite
for Distortion podcast, whose genial host Brando Weisler, has spent
over the better part of a decade tracking down anyone
and everyone who's ever cross paths with GNR and thanks
for the also he puts in parentheses afdpod dot com,
Thanks for the website.
Speaker 3 (25:37):
Shoutout.
Speaker 2 (25:38):
Brando's five hundred plus interviews with band members, managers, video directors,
close close collaborators such as Alice Cooper and many more
provided insights to the illusion era that enhanced every page
of this book. What a pleasant surprise. I had no idea.
Thank you, Jeff. He just reached out to me on
(26:01):
email the AfD showtgmail dot com and just said, hey,
I wrote a book, Do you want one? That was
it and I was like all right, uh, and then
I said, do you want to come on.
Speaker 3 (26:14):
Talk about it? Okay? That was it.
Speaker 2 (26:17):
So we'll talk to him in a few weeks and
again Frank Hannon coming back, so stay tuned for that.
The conversation continues in between the broadcasts. Facebook, Twitter, x, Instagram,
follow us, and subscribe on YouTube. You can subscribe also
on Instagram and Facebook to help help along the podcasts.
Who would have thought ten years in, I mean, that's
(26:38):
a that's a nice paragraph. I've been quoted obviously other places,
and it still amazes me. The story we just had
with Jeff's with jose Atrianni talking about Bumblefoot that was
picked up by a lot of places, Loudwire and Blabbermouth.
I saw it translated to Italian and Korean Ultimate Guitar.
(26:58):
I got a shot them because they always they're very
cool with picking up stuff.
Speaker 3 (27:02):
It's just so cool to see this.
Speaker 2 (27:05):
That's when I knew this podcast was something when we
first got picked up, and I will still remember. I'll
always remember it was Dave Kushner, I think it was
episode twenty and Alternative Nation. I was like, they quoted
and they wrote about it.
Speaker 3 (27:19):
I'm like, this can happen.
Speaker 2 (27:21):
I could talk on a podcast and it can get
out into the world like this. This is ten years ago.
It just seemed like that was just not a reality.
Maybe I've become a little I've come to expect it
a little bit, and I don't want that to be
lost on me. Because they could go away, people could
not care. What would I do anymore? So thanks to
all the outlets that continue to pay attention, and to
(27:43):
thanks to all you who continue to pay attention to
Appetite for distortion. So when will you see the next episode?
In the words of Axel Rose concerning Chinese democracy, I
don't know as soon as the word, but you'll see it.
Speaker 3 (28:01):
Thanks to the lame mass security. I'm going home.
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