February 13, 2026 • 49 mins
Ryan Roxie, longtime guitarist for rock legend Alice Cooper, returns to the podcast after 7 years! Ryan talks his new song "Fight Another Day," reflects on Slash's Snakepit, life lessons learned from Alice, and more!
More info:
https://ryanroxie.com/
https://youtu.be/2VE9X1PdU7U?si=lzc2TwfG8LCKz7D7
Our website: www.afdpod.com
More info:
https://ryanroxie.com/
https://youtu.be/2VE9X1PdU7U?si=lzc2TwfG8LCKz7D7
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):
We became better musicians ourselves individually from being a collective
in slash stigid.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Welcome to the podcast Appetite four Distortion, Episode number five
hundred and fifty one. My name is Brando. Welcome back
to the podcast. It's been quite a while, seven years,
mister Ryan Roxy. I don't expect you to remember. How
are you saying you've changed?
Speaker 3 (00:27):
Oh my god, you've changed?
Speaker 1 (00:30):
You know.
Speaker 3 (00:30):
Actually we haven't changed at all. I know. That's that's
the thing.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
That's a good thing, actually, I think so.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
No.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
I'm excited to talk to you today because we were
talking about some off air conversation about like when do
you commit because you also have a podcast, of course,
in the Trenches, and when do you commit? Okay, maybe
one hundred episodes? You said, right, and you're say, if.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
You do anything, whether you're a porno actress or an
actor and or you're a or you're a rock and
rollue dark player or whatever you want, whatever you want
to do, like if you do it one hundred times,
like whether it's episode shows, performances, speeches.
Speaker 3 (01:11):
What if you do something one hundred times?
Speaker 1 (01:13):
I think at that point it's a good What am
I committed or am I not committed? At episode five
five one, Brando, you are committed, and that's amazing.
Speaker 3 (01:22):
And the fact that we haven't changed over all these years,
we're still sort of carrying the torch of rock and roll.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
That's a good that's a good testament to that we
are committed, or at least should be committed.
Speaker 3 (01:33):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
Well I was about to say should be committed with
the straight jacket. Yeah, yeah, yeah, you were episode thirty four.
I had to look that up, which is just insane
to me. And back when I was doing the show
with my then co host Ian Scotto and the podcast
was just audio, you know. So, I mean, some things
have changed. I was a single early thirties. Now I'm
(01:57):
as you just met my son, Harrison Rex before we
got recorders from now married with the with the kids,
and some things have changed, but some things do say
the same, right right. So I'm we're going to talk
about since it's so long ago. I'm sure I'll ask
you some of the same snake Pit or gn R questions.
We'll get a new fresh take on it. But uh,
there are news things and especially while we're here music
(02:21):
fight another day, and we were bonding over so many
cool things off the air, which we'll I'm sure we'll
come up organically like cats or how we name both
of our sons after Beatles. But I love in the
video the video game aspect of it. I'm a very
old school video game kind of kind of guy, an
eight bit Are.
Speaker 3 (02:39):
You an eight bit video guy as well?
Speaker 2 (02:41):
I I don't play video games anymore, but my favorite
video game of all time maybe this will set the stage,
is Bubble Bubble. I don't know what that says about me,
but it's just that very simplistic graphics. I've I always
loved it, So will you're a video game guy?
Speaker 1 (03:00):
Before I came out with this video, before, Irwin Longeri,
the director of the video, hipped me to like, what
are these videos?
Speaker 3 (03:07):
What type of video? What kind of genre?
Speaker 1 (03:09):
It's eight bit video genre and you can have chip
music that goes along with it, which we actually did
take the single and turn it into a eight bit
chip audio version. But yeah, it's it's all those ones
that are kind of like very rudimentary, very basic, if
(03:29):
you will, video games, but what you and I were
born and raised off of, whether it's Mario Brothers, Donkey Kong.
Speaker 3 (03:37):
My favorite was Centipede.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
I don't know about you, but my favorite arcade game
back in those days was Centipede, The pac Man and
Miss pac Man. That sort of like old school graphics
is what our new video for Fight Another Day is
inspired by and is sort of a tribute to, so,
you know, intermixed with some live performance from our seen
(04:02):
special guests that appeared on it, which is Bridget West
from the New York Loose, very cool background, a part
that she she kind of went foreground on that with
the vocals and Keith weir Uh from the Formula of
the Choir Boys. But now he plays with Griff in
his own band, so he laid down some keyboards.
Speaker 3 (04:22):
Is with it? Black Eyed? Black Eyed Sons? Black Eyed?
I don't know the thing is.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
I mean, I do know, but right now I'm just
kind of starstruck talking to you brand.
Speaker 3 (04:33):
After many years.
Speaker 2 (04:35):
Okay, starstruck.
Speaker 1 (04:37):
I'm sure we're just having or just having my five
o'clock somewhere old fashioned.
Speaker 3 (04:42):
I it's one of the two.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
It's funny, so because yeah, it's is the time difference.
It's it's eleven twenty, so I had my you know,
am here in New York City right now, as a
recording and so, yeah, I had my nice glass of
OJ and you're where are you in South Africa?
Speaker 3 (04:59):
I'm in Cape Town, South Africa.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
So it's five o'clock somewhere actually six seventeen here, and
so you just had your OJ and coffee and I'm
just having my first sort of Hello cast Cottail.
Speaker 2 (05:15):
Yeah, we're both waking up, but in different respects. Oh,
that's so funny. I love that. Yeah, it's we want
to I don't know, because that was one of the
first things they grabbed me because I love the eight
bit thing. But as far as like the song is concerned,
in the two new songs, because it's not just fight
Another Day, it's better than you are these one off singles,
(05:36):
are they going to be part of compilation?
Speaker 1 (05:38):
Like?
Speaker 2 (05:38):
What is what is the strategy for Ryan Roxy these days?
Because you do so much of course with Alice Cooper,
when you can do the podcast, you can you know,
working with other musicians. So is it just like these
one off videos and songs, or is it going to
be on a compilation an album? What's the plan?
Speaker 1 (05:54):
Sometimes they get forward, you have to go back, and
I'm going back with an old school approach because I
feel nowadays people's attention spans are so short because of
you know, the small screens, you know, not in the
days when we were playing those video games a much
larger screen, we had a little bit bigger of an
(06:14):
attention span. But trust me, the generation before us was
was bitching about how stifened our attention spans are. Now
it's almost to the point where can you really imagine
someone getting an album and listening to it from track
one to track eleven or track twelve or what was
appetite for distraction twelve tracks? It's like you just can't
(06:38):
do that anymore in the sense of like the masses.
Of course, there's going to be people that are the
diehards that'll always and thank God for the diehards, because
that's how I'm able to, you know, still go out
there and tour. But in today's world, it's all about
little bits. And I think a song at a time
(06:58):
is like my little album time. And now we're combining
those two songs because they dubtail Dale dubtail quite well together.
I feel better than you and fight another day. The
videos dubtail and so and the songs actually do one's
a little bit more indie than the other. One's a
little bit more classic stone zy rock maybe, and they
(07:22):
go together. So those two songs will form one of
five sort of smaller records if you can go back
to a time where there wasn't ten songs on an album,
but there was just two. And for those of you
that are vinyl enthusiasts, I think you know what I'm
talking about.
Speaker 3 (07:42):
Those two songs.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
Will appear on a vinyl sort of collector's edition coming
up in this year. So and the idea is to
make it all part of a set. So each time
you release two songs, two songs, two songs, two songs,
until you make ten songs. So if you do the
math correctly, that would be five of these smaller type
(08:05):
of albums that becomes a collector's set.
Speaker 3 (08:08):
But the first one will come out soon.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
Okay, it couldn't help, but think I mean obvious with
what the show kind of showed this is that's the
kind of what Guns and Roses are doing. You know,
these these two songs at a time, you know, and
then put him out. That's what Slash had said recently,
put them all on a collector's you know thing at
some point. So, yeah, it is interesting, it's it's it's
a topic of conversation about intention spans now when it
(08:32):
is sad that you can't sit down and listen to
an album anymore. You really, I feel like people have
to almost set time aside and make a point to
do it, rather than where it was just like a
natural thing, Okay, just pop in the CD, pop in
the cassette, pop in the eight track or whatever it is,
and listen. But nowadays you can't do any of that
without also and I'm guilty too, being on your phone
(08:52):
or something like you're you're multitasking and I don't know,
it's just what world am I bringing my son into?
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
It's the same with movies now where they have to
introduce the plotline three or four times because you know
they're actually throughout the movie. They have to do that
because they're assuming that the person watching the movie is
going to be distracted by a secondary screen. So for
me putting these songs out, I really want this song
(09:22):
to have a special moments. So if you put it
out by itself, there's not other nine tracks of my
album to distract you.
Speaker 3 (09:30):
Is this one for right now?
Speaker 1 (09:33):
And if you dig it, it'll be combined with this
other one that I released earlier and previously.
Speaker 3 (09:39):
Combine those two together.
Speaker 1 (09:41):
There's your sort of collector's item right there, and then
you keep going from there.
Speaker 3 (09:47):
Because you want every one of these. I mean, we're
guitar player, songwriters, singers. We all love the songs that
we write.
Speaker 1 (09:54):
We wouldn't write them if we didn't feel like we
put some care and a lot of passion into the music.
So we want them to get their due and hopefully
fight another day.
Speaker 3 (10:05):
We'll get it to due.
Speaker 1 (10:06):
And it's thanks to people like you, Brando that that
play it and support it, and the fans that listen
to it and supporters that listen to it that again,
I'm able to continue to make music and do what
I wanted to do since I was a little kid.
Speaker 3 (10:21):
Just emulate the posters on my wall.
Speaker 2 (10:23):
Basically things change, because like I want to bounce off that,
and that's a good way to set me up with
my question as far as like how things change with
like a little kid, Like you know, when I was
a little kid, I wanted to be on the radio
at the time, I wanted to be like a sportscaster
or something. But now to make the comp with albums
versus singles. It's kind of like, Okay, I do this
(10:45):
long form podcast and that's what they are, but sometimes
they don't get noticed unless you make a smaller clipt
little bite sized things that go out there, and it's
it's just a very it's I don't know. Sometimes I
have to think about my approach. Do I want to
talk like that little bite sized things, knowing Okay, this
is going to be a clip. Is that going to
(11:06):
affect the conversation as a whole? How is that with songwriting?
Do you think about back in the day, Okay, this
is gonna be part of this big collection and now
it's like, okay, you're singing, You're focused on one thing only.
Does that I don't know? How does that? Does that
impact to it all? Or is it.
Speaker 1 (11:23):
I'm approaching this next body of work, the next collective,
if you will, of whatever an album is these days
as little bits of my personal taste and what I
love in music broken up into different parts. That's why
I say these two songs better than You and Fight
(11:47):
Another Day sort of dubtail together because they fit in
a certain genre of what I like, but I also
like different types of music as well that I want
to include. I love singer songwriter stuff. We were talking
earlier off camera about Dave Matthews and you know it's
Dave Matthews is a killer artist. There's no doubt he's
(12:09):
He's got that it with that it factor when you
go see him live. I just saw him in Cape
Town this last year. Just got that it thing that
is very a lot of charisma and you enjoy it.
So there's a genre of music that I like that
wouldn't necessarily go with the two new songs that I
(12:30):
have out that are going to be on one forty five,
but this other forty five might be able to have
two singer songwriter esque types of songs on that and
that sort of marks that little genre of music that
I like. And I also like, you know, I also
like more britpop, whether it's you know, bands like Stone
(12:53):
Roses or Charlatan's UK stuff from Manchat. Basically Happy Mondays
has a little bit of a dance group. Maybe there'll
be something that comes out from that genre too. So
I'm just sort of picking genres of music that I
personally like, because at the end of the day, when
you put out something and it has to be stuff
(13:15):
that you enjoy doing. You can't chase the dragon and
just try and you know, write whatever's popular at the moment.
Speaker 3 (13:21):
We're too long in the tooth.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
For that at this point.
Speaker 2 (13:24):
So is it safe to say that you really don't
want to be I know, you're a rock guitarist, but
you don't want to be pigeon held as like this
one genre, like it's just guy. Okay, here's Alice Cooper's guitarist.
Some people might think and like, you're gonna hear a
rock song. But you may like, all right, how much
you want to deviate or what's kind of sound? I guess,
because do you want to have or is it just
(13:45):
is it all is? It's all Ryan. There's no real
kind of mission.
Speaker 3 (13:49):
All encompasses me.
Speaker 1 (13:51):
If you if you looked at my playlist that I
have in that I put together in my sort of
platform there, you'd think.
Speaker 3 (14:01):
I'm psychotic because I'll have a.
Speaker 1 (14:03):
Deantwood song, you know, as well as sort of a
brit pop song, and then I'll have like something that's
more Seattle based and grungy. But you know, at the
end of the day, I'm a guitar player that was
raised on way back in the day kids am radio
(14:24):
wasn't just talk radio.
Speaker 3 (14:25):
It was actually stations that played a.
Speaker 1 (14:28):
Spectrum of music. And I was raised in the Bay
Area outside San Francisco and the Oakland area, where you
could hear the Commodores next to Aerosmith, next to Cheap Trick,
next to the Beeg's, So all that kind of music
was intertwined to earth, wind and fire. So there was
a whole bunch of different styles that were all mixed
(14:51):
into one station that was their playlist, which was KFRC
in the Bay area back in the day. But that
being said, I like all this type of music. The
most popular song Brando that I've ever played at that
probably nobody ever knows, is probably one of the most
popular elevator songs in the world. It's a song by
(15:11):
a Canadian artist called tal Bachmann. The song is called
She's So High and all My Guitars Are over that's
my solo. That's my guitar part in the very beginning,
and you might know the song about.
Speaker 2 (15:24):
It is that the one She's So High above Me,
that song.
Speaker 3 (15:27):
She's So that's my guitar playing on that album.
Speaker 1 (15:32):
And and very few people know it because I don't
really talk about it, but it was. It wasn't that
I was a ghost musician. I was just left off
the off the album because fondly enough and coincidentally enough,
that's when I was involved with with Slash the Snake Pit,
(15:56):
as well as getting back together with Alice Cooper and
going back on tour on the Brutally Brutal Planet Brutally Live.
Speaker 3 (16:06):
Tours. So my name was sort of left off of
that of that.
Speaker 1 (16:11):
Out of that tal Baquan album, nine out of eleven
songs I played guitar on.
Speaker 3 (16:15):
So I don't you know it's it's not sour grapes,
It's just that it's funny.
Speaker 2 (16:20):
You deserve that.
Speaker 1 (16:21):
That's my that's my guitar playing on it, and I
hear it in elevators and in Peloton commercials.
Speaker 3 (16:28):
But you know, I would say very few people that.
Speaker 1 (16:30):
Follow that, follow Guns n' Roses and Alice Cooper and
even my own career, know that that's my guitar.
Speaker 3 (16:37):
Playing on that.
Speaker 2 (16:38):
I certainly didn't know. I mean, everybody knows that song.
I mean, that's as long as you get your residual
checks or royalty checks.
Speaker 3 (16:47):
I mean, like I took the buyout. That was a
big I took the damn buyout.
Speaker 4 (16:53):
That was a you know what what it could have
should have But but here.
Speaker 2 (16:57):
You go, that's okay.
Speaker 3 (17:01):
Hey, I needed to buy it at the time. To
be honest with you, I really did, because I can't know.
Speaker 1 (17:06):
Yeah, it's one of those things kids. People always say,
hold on to your publishing, hold on to your publishing.
But you know, when you're when you're eating macaroni and
cheese and top ramen every single night, sometimes you need
to step it up to like, you know, Tiketo Moss.
Speaker 2 (17:24):
Yeah, no, I completely understand that in retrospect. I mean,
I don't know if it's I mean, I guess it's
kind of funny or not. Do you cry because maybe
get that mess song makes a lot of a lot
of money. I don't know either way. That's a cool
thing on your resume. I love hearing stories like that.
When I spoke to Josh Freeze, the fact that you
know he's played on so many albums.
Speaker 3 (17:43):
He does everything.
Speaker 2 (17:44):
I remember he recorded on with Avril or didn't record
with her, but on her debut album. I'm just like,
that's just in so insane to me. With artists as
talented and as versatile as him, and you can do
all that stuff, and it's like I can't help think
about the sports guy in me. Like if Ryan Roxy
had a back of a baseball card, you know what
(18:06):
would this? You know?
Speaker 1 (18:08):
Kind of well, it's funny, funny oddly enough in my
a thing that I do call the Roxy All XS Pass.
One of the perks of that was getting a Ryan
Roxy set of trading cards, which actually was back inspired
by baseball cards and stuff, So.
Speaker 3 (18:26):
Picture of me with a guitar and then on the back.
Speaker 1 (18:28):
It has some weird facts about it, but that like,
like the very cool story about Josh Freeze that we
have is that he and I know he doesn't remember this,
but our drummer in the in the first sort of
solo band that I put together called DPM Dad's Porno
mag Will efforts on bass guitar, the Great Mike Fasano
(18:52):
who now plays with Tiger Army. Great drummer Mike Fazano
was playing drums and me on guitar.
Speaker 3 (18:58):
That's how we recorded.
Speaker 1 (18:59):
Jim Mitchell, the engineer for Appetite Instruction and The Illusion Albums,
great producer, produced it and mixed it. Well, we needed
a gong at the end of one song called Candy
Loving And who did Mike Fazano call up? Because we
didn't have a gong in the studio. He called up
(19:20):
mister Josh Freese, and Josh Freese sent over a sample
of him playing a gong. Made the album. Thank you
for the gong, Josh Freeze at the end of And
that's another story that might be your SoundBite more so
than the She's so Hi.
Speaker 3 (19:37):
Story. The thing that Josh Freese played the gong.
Speaker 1 (19:41):
On the on the end note of Candy Lovin thanks
to Mike Fazzano.
Speaker 3 (19:47):
There's your headline right there.
Speaker 2 (19:49):
Did you credit him on the album? Unlike when you
were not credited? Does it say gong in the credits?
Speaker 3 (19:56):
I believe he does have a gong. Well, you have
to have a gong credit.
Speaker 4 (19:59):
It doesn't have a I think Mike, actually Mike Persona
might have actually took the gong credit from him. But wait,
I'm gonna go check those credits right now because they.
Speaker 3 (20:10):
Might have shared it because it was my shared idea.
Speaker 2 (20:17):
That sounds like a good band name.
Speaker 3 (20:19):
Shared gon credit. I just don't want Josh Josh Frees and.
Speaker 1 (20:24):
His legal team coming after us after these teams for
that gong residuals.
Speaker 2 (20:28):
Oh, that's that's that is really too funny. And all
the connections you have, and I mean it all leads
to well, just so I don't forget it. Mike Fasano
was on the podcast of several years ago, Long Time
was it drum Tech from that storm or roommate, you know,
buddies with with with Matt.
Speaker 3 (20:45):
He was.
Speaker 1 (20:46):
He was Matt's buddy and and such a great drummer
in his own right.
Speaker 3 (20:49):
So he's he's what.
Speaker 1 (20:51):
They call the ultimate success story because he was tecking
doing his drums and teching for for all the great bands.
It was Blink one a two Green Day, you know, Matt,
and then he made that, he made that crossover to
playing in bands and becoming you know where he is
(21:13):
today with Tiger Army, which is you know, one of
the I love. I love Mike and Tiger Army. I
love watching him play. I was able to watch him
in Stockholm a couple of years ago.
Speaker 3 (21:24):
Him and my wife went to go.
Speaker 1 (21:26):
My wife and me and my wife, my wife, me
and my wife went to go see him play.
Speaker 3 (21:31):
He was amazing and uh.
Speaker 1 (21:33):
Yeah, so He's the ultimate rock and roll success story
right on.
Speaker 2 (21:38):
Of course, I get all whatever six degrees what I
call six degrees of gen r Bacon to have him on,
and then people like you and Matt just have such
a bigger story than just that one little reason that
I have you on. But obviously I need to get
to it. And we briefly mentioned Slash the Snake Pit earlier.
You know a couple of funny things, you know, I
was watching a recent interview with you when you were
(22:00):
some guitar exhibition, small one in a room. I think
it might have been in France. I thought I saw
it posted by Slash France, so I'm not sure if
it was in France. But somebody asked the question about
Slash the Snakepit. You know It's five o'clock somewhere and
or Ain't Live Grand? I'm sorry and eight.
Speaker 5 (22:19):
Life Grand's the album I played all Yes, It's five
o'clock somewhere, because they're both for us as far as
six Degrees, they're both intertwined because Eric Dover, who sang
on It's five o'clock somewhere, him and I. He's one
of my favorite guitar players I've ever played with favorite
musicians ever I've e ever jammed with. I ended up
(22:39):
playing with him in Alice Cooper band as well as
a project that we did together called Glamination, and then
Gilby who played on five o'clock Somewhere. Him and I
were playing together in Gilby's solo band when he was
recording those songs for and putting that project together for
the first Slashes snake Pit record.
Speaker 3 (23:00):
Then it just happened.
Speaker 1 (23:01):
It so happened that when I joined Alice, Slash and
I would hit it off, and whenever Slash would come
and guest up on stage with Alice, Slash and I
would end up playing off each other quite well. And
we kind of both figured it out, and he was
just his management called me once ay and said, look,
Slash wants to meet with you because you guys plays
(23:21):
so well together. Why don't you just get together and
see what happens.
Speaker 3 (23:25):
And that's where the.
Speaker 1 (23:26):
Whole search for a new singer and finding the great
Rod Jackson for eight Life Grand. For any of you
out there that haven't listened to Life Grand, it's one
of the.
Speaker 3 (23:37):
Most underrated sort of albums out there.
Speaker 1 (23:41):
I think a diamond in the rough of you find it,
and in my honest opinion, it slashes best guitar playing
other than Appetite.
Speaker 3 (23:49):
I feel that Appetite is like his.
Speaker 1 (23:51):
You know, it's hard to start with your Abbey Road
right out of the gate, but that was just like,
you know, it's the truth. You know that debut album,
you know all the parts, all the solos, worked out, everything,
just there was a vibe. They caught everything on tape
at that point, but we caught a lot of great,
great stuff with Slash on eight Life Grand and everybody
(24:14):
got their performances in on that album. So it's one
of those albums I'm really proud of and I wish
more people would listen to.
Speaker 2 (24:22):
That kind of goes along with where I was going.
I don't know, because you made the it's five o'class,
you take your drink, it's a five o'clock somewhere droke earlier.
So that's my brain said that first. But ein't life
granted because that was my actually my introduction to Slash
the Snake Pit was hearing that first. I was when
v H one was played music videos back in the day.
(24:43):
The video for Mean Bone came on and I'm like,
what is this, you know, and then yeah and back,
and I remember I printed out the Slashes snake Pit
logo on my shitty compact printer and I put it
up on my dorm room wall, you know, because I could.
You couldn't find a slash of Snakepit post jo unless
you went to a show or something like that before
the days.
Speaker 3 (25:02):
It's too underground.
Speaker 1 (25:04):
Yeah, Di wided the fact that you Di white a
slash snake bit.
Speaker 3 (25:09):
That's much respect right out of the gate.
Speaker 2 (25:11):
I think I used so much ink on that because
it was all black. I had to get a new
ink card. These are the silly things that I remember.
Speaker 1 (25:18):
Slash's brother, Slash's brother who designed that, And you know,
it's the fact that you did that is just borderline adorable.
Speaker 3 (25:27):
So I thank you for that brand.
Speaker 2 (25:28):
I'm glad you said adorable rather than psychotic. I appreciate that.
But it goes along with what you said with that
interview that I was referencing before, whether it was in
France or when I listened back to the interview. I
didn't listen to some of the interview we did seven
years ago, and I recently made one of those short
clips from it that I spoke about recently and sharing
(25:49):
that was so awesome to see the fan response that
everyone's like, I'm so happy to hear Ryan say this
what an underrated album, you know, and talking about Rod
what people are saying that he might be the second
best singer he's ever worked with. And it's just kind
of I guess it's without revealing too much because I'm
(26:12):
not that kind of a podcast where I want to
get into too much of drugs and things you want
to talk about, but that that time seems to be
really not brought up with Slash a lot. It seems
to have been like and he talks about in his
book and it's kind of sad this.
Speaker 1 (26:26):
Sques about in his book and for like a paragraph
and like we spent like as a brotherhood and you
know those are his words brotherhood. That was like a
you know, that was a two and a half year
sort of span of our lives that we just every
single day we were in the snake pit, we were rehearsing.
(26:46):
We became better musicians from each other. We became better
musicians ourselves individually from being a collective in Slash's snak
but Jim Mitchell became a better producer we all improved
our skills and sharpened our skills from being together in
that band. And like I said, I there's a lot
(27:10):
of things I don't remember. It was a little hazy
and fuzzy around the edges because there was Guinnis on
tap and Jaegermeister on tap at Slash the snake pit
up in the bar area.
Speaker 3 (27:21):
And you know, the.
Speaker 1 (27:24):
When I first got turned on to vodka and cranberry,
which not a lot of cranberry in those drinks, by
the way. The cranberry was just for a tiny bit
of coloring, just to make it a off white, slight
hue of pink pinkish, yeah, pinkish hue.
Speaker 3 (27:41):
But but we all really.
Speaker 1 (27:45):
Bonded together, so it was it was a bit disappointing
to just get dissed in like one or you know,
one or two paragraphs of the book that I saw.
But at the end of the day, we all know
the I'm shared that we spent together. We all know
the the lessons that we learned, you know, good and bad,
(28:07):
and we all know that. You know, at the end
of the day, we have something that we can stand
behind and be proud of for years to come because
that music you know is always going to be there
that we put together with eight Life Brand and again,
like I said, if you haven't listened to it, go
check it out.
Speaker 6 (28:23):
It's such a spectrum. We were talking about spectrum of music.
Where can you get horn a horn section almost like
a jazzy sort of New Orleans type of vibe rock song,
next to Meme Bone, which has, like dare I say it,
a little bit of a rap rock type of vibe
(28:44):
to it with a straight ahead ac DC riff. So
and then you have the big power ballad with the Moment,
which was like one of my favorite riffs that became
a song and.
Speaker 3 (28:56):
Every and it was a collaboration.
Speaker 1 (28:57):
At the end of the day, everybody brought in Matt Logg,
who is now by I don't you must know the
drummer of ac DC who played.
Speaker 3 (29:06):
On that album. Matt log came in with some killer riffs,
you know.
Speaker 1 (29:11):
Johnny g Johnny Gripark, who was back then known as
Johnny Blackout, came up with amazing stuff and I stand
by it to this day. Rod Jackson is like just
Rod vocal talent, one of the best guys.
Speaker 3 (29:28):
I've ever worked with. Insane, insane voice, you don't, you
have no idea.
Speaker 2 (29:33):
I wish you know. I'm very fortunate that he came
on the podcast twice because he's a very hard guy
to get a hold of, and just like with you
back in the day, they were on you know, not
on camera like this. I would love to meet him
face to face. Every couple of years he'll message me
on Facebook just saying hi, and then I don't hear
from him again. You know, I can't, I can't expect
(29:55):
you and I don't want you to speak for Slash.
But why do you think was it a rod issue
for him? Was it just a bad time in his life?
But you don't think that he likes to look back
upon because it's like you said, are you talking about
the book? I'm the the album? Why he doesn't you know,
revisit that the Wise doesn't talk about it so much?
(30:17):
And again, Rod Jackson, what people who know, like you,
the fans who've listened to the record, like people say,
he's like might be the second best you know singer
that he's worked with other than than Axel, and we
what a voice and we would love to hear more
from it.
Speaker 1 (30:32):
Me.
Speaker 2 (30:32):
Also, I'm just I think that Slash wasted his his
best band name not wasted, but it's like now with
my I think Slash with Miles Kennedy and the Conspirators
is the worst band name ever. They're great bands.
Speaker 3 (30:44):
Definitely the longest.
Speaker 2 (30:45):
I don't like the name, like you couldn't like.
Speaker 3 (30:48):
Definitely the longest, there's no doubt about that. But I
just make.
Speaker 2 (30:51):
Another slash of Snake Pit. I don't know, because keep
make it like minute, different members every time, But I
don't know, Like why do you think? Like why do
you think? Again? I know you can't speak for him,
but why why he doesn't talk about it? Or why
you got a couple of paragraphs?
Speaker 1 (31:07):
So there was a lot of change going on. There
was there was a lot of change going on. I
feel the book was written to protect some people and
throw some some other people under the bus, and unfortunately, uh,
Slash the Snake Pit version two h got thrown under
the bus on that one.
Speaker 3 (31:27):
So it's it's it's you know, is it disappointing?
Speaker 1 (31:29):
Yes, But do we all know the truth that what
guys in the brotherhood that was in that band. Yes,
we all know all the good and bad times that
happened during that era. And would I change it. No,
I wouldn't change it. I wouldn't go back and do
anything different. We had a great time and again good
(31:50):
and bad lessons learned. But I feel that it's something
that we should all be proud of. And so it's
it's it's up to Slash what he wants to talk
about it or not talk about it.
Speaker 3 (31:59):
But I I go.
Speaker 1 (32:00):
On record in every interview saying that I honestly feel
it's some of his best guitar playing since Appetite.
Speaker 3 (32:05):
So there you go.
Speaker 2 (32:08):
You even get a chance to speak with him about it.
Speaker 3 (32:11):
We played a show.
Speaker 1 (32:12):
I mean, we haven't had to sit down since for
donkeys years. I guess that's what they that's what they
say in South Africa.
Speaker 2 (32:20):
Okay he's not familiar with that term, fair enough.
Speaker 1 (32:24):
But we haven't had But we did had to have
a catch up in We played with gn R a
few years ago with Alice in Brazil of all places,
Sam Paulo uh.
Speaker 3 (32:35):
And and he was great.
Speaker 1 (32:37):
I mean it was just it was like, hey man,
at one point, it's water under the bridge. He's doing
good personally, he's doing good mentally, I'm doing good.
Speaker 3 (32:45):
Personally, I'm doing good. Mentally, you know, things.
Speaker 1 (32:47):
Were probably a little bit hazy, like I say, on
both ends and on five ends, and when you got five,
if you got five guys that are kind of hazy
and fuzzy, it leads for a lot of amazing experiences,
but in a lot of surreal experiences. But it also
(33:08):
can can you know, lead to different interpretations of what
really went down. But you know, like I said, I
always I always stand by all the guys in the
band and say, look, everybody has their own story. We
just didn't. We don't have our own book. We don't
have that platform to write what everything that happened during
those days of Slash the snake Bit, and from what
(33:31):
I can remember, it was a pretty fucking crazy ride.
Speaker 2 (33:34):
From what you can remember, well, I appreciate, you know,
we're keeping the memory alive with conversations like this, and
they know it makes me happy and makes fans happy
to hear your excitement, enjoyment to talk about it. But
I think it's in the world of GENR. It's kind
of part for the course because Gen R themselves, I
know they still exist today, but GENR is that classic.
(33:56):
Everything is just lightning in a bottle, you know, from
Velvet Revolver. All this stuff is just a moment in
time to Thankfully, music can live on in in a
variety of in a variety of ways. So I appreciate you,
Sharon and any cool I don't know if you want
to go recent or old school with G and R
stories just because I know you said you played recently
(34:18):
with Alice, or just anything that sticks any guns or
roses like a fun story that that sticks out.
Speaker 3 (34:23):
No, I mean I could.
Speaker 1 (34:25):
I can probably go back to the very first time
I ever saw them, and I knew that the whole
in a nutshell, I knew the world was going to change,
and I knew the scene was going to change definitely
for me because it was I was in a band
at that time called Candy and Candy at that at
that point had Gilby Clark in it, Jonathan Daniel, John Schubert,
(34:49):
and I had just joined because I had the same
sort of spiked black hair and used the same Aquinet
hairspring where the same black other jacket as those three
other guys as well. I kind of was the Johnny
Bravo because they had stopped working with their singer Kyle
Vincent and and they got me in there, and I
(35:10):
was sort of the spark plug that came in and
said come on guys, because I was, you know, maybe
just a little bit younger than those than those guys,
and and I sort of provided a little spark to
to get this band. Like we were playing around. They
had the reputation they were like a pop power pop
uh band that always opened for for for heavier bands.
Speaker 3 (35:34):
But you know, the.
Speaker 1 (35:35):
Females seemed to really love you know, they love Gilby.
Speaker 3 (35:39):
They they everybody was cute in the band.
Speaker 1 (35:42):
Everybody was rock though, so it was like kind of
like the Basity Rollers meets the New York Dolls, if
you will. But we all went to the Roxy to
see h a show where La Guns was headlining.
Speaker 3 (35:58):
But who was opening up that show? It was Guns
N' Roses.
Speaker 1 (36:02):
And the minute I saw that band, I said, this
whole music scene's gonna change.
Speaker 3 (36:08):
And dude, as.
Speaker 1 (36:10):
Good as La Guns was at that time, because they
were it was it was their original line up with
Paul Black on lead vocals and they and they really
were a great la rock band.
Speaker 3 (36:26):
Guns and Roses came up before them, and.
Speaker 1 (36:29):
It was chaos on stage, but so cohesive and the
band that was just raw, pure rock and roll energy,
and everybody in my in the band I you know,
just joined candy.
Speaker 3 (36:44):
We were all getting each other going this is something
different and new.
Speaker 1 (36:47):
And subsequently that changed with the help of like Gud
I would say, Jane's Addiction and Guns N' Roses probably
changed that LA scene in the mid eighties more than
any other two bands of that genre, because yes, Red
Chili Peppers were around Fishbone and those that there was
(37:08):
that there was that element of them, but this was
something new, rebellious, and between those two bands they were different,
but the same energy, this reckless, chaotic, cohesive energy. And
luckily that's starting and kicked off a scene. And like
thanks to Ricky Rackman and the cat House and all
(37:30):
of us bands sort of hanging out together. That started
the scene and which eventually ended me up in a
band called Electric Angels, which eventually ended me up.
Speaker 3 (37:40):
You know this so on and so forth.
Speaker 1 (37:43):
Here I am an Alice Cooper band, you know, A
million years Donkeys years later.
Speaker 2 (37:49):
Later. No, I love it though all these little it's
it's life, right, I mean, but we're playing it with
with bands you know who's here, you know, in the
La Gun during Candy than in G and R. And
it's all just very talented people and it's you don't
see that that kind of almost community nowadays with bands
(38:10):
because everything is so online and you don't see the
organic Why I gravitated towards G and R and even
in Alice Cooper are all the bands that I like
because there's a commaradity. It organic, like you say, you
could say it's even with Alice where it's a theatric.
He is so real, like you can tell that, like
none of it's fake. People who try to do the
(38:30):
Alice thing and you're like, wow, you are such a poser.
Alice is the real deal. It's the same thing when
people try to copy G and R. I'm like, that's
you can't do that. You can't do that.
Speaker 1 (38:40):
There was an authenticity and there wasn't genuine whether it
was like this this you know, total like love everybody,
you know comraadity. No, there was definitely a competitiveness going
on in the scene. Like I remember seeing Faster Pussy
gat there very first show at the it was before
(39:02):
it was the Viper Room, it was called the Central
and it was right on Sunset Boulevard and I went
there to support, but I also went there to see, like,
who the hell is this new band? And who is
this cute guy Brent Muskat that's going to, you know
eventually one day steal my girlfriend.
Speaker 3 (39:19):
Who is this guy? So so at the end of
the day, I.
Speaker 1 (39:27):
It was always but there was a community feel, and
you knew that every Tuesday you'd go to the Catouse
and you'd see all the other bands, you can hang out,
you could, you know, go after rehearsal and then hopefully
promote your next show that you were playing. So it
was it was I was definitely lucky to be part
of that. I hate to use the word hair metal
(39:48):
scene because it just wasn't. It wasn't hair metal. It
was just it was a cool rock and roll scene.
Speaker 2 (39:55):
Yeah, no, I know what you mean. I don't look
at hair metal as a dirty term. But at the
same time time it's just too much of a blanket
term and and and and really misguided in a way,
because you know, it wasn't it wasn't just about the hair.
It wasn't about the hair.
Speaker 1 (40:10):
Tell me you could. It was a good about the hair.
But they had the fucking songs. They had the I
feel like I feel.
Speaker 3 (40:20):
Like Demon from Fast Times, Fast Times.
Speaker 1 (40:22):
The originally Yeah yeah, what about the tunes?
Speaker 2 (40:26):
Well, I mean we all saw, you know in Declined
Western Civilization Part two. I mean there are people who
can back it up and there are those who just
who couldn't. And then that's also that that's life, regardless
of what your hair looks like. Now and now it's
the parlayd into like today people try to be wacky
and do all these things on TikTok and you know,
(40:48):
unless the talent is there, you hope, because there are
a lot of talentless people making becoming famous nowadays. So
I don't know, maybe I'm proving myself wrong now, but
you hope the talent is there and that shines through
at the end of the day. So I guess with
that being said, because I can't. I don't want to
keep you forever. And I don't know if you hear
Harrison Rex chirping in the background talking to him.
Speaker 1 (41:07):
So I appreciate, I appreciate you sitting here talking. Maybe
I'll come back some you know.
Speaker 2 (41:11):
Well, one last question before we do the whole goodbye
and and and uh, you know, thank each other. Uh
you've obviously learned so much in your career just from
being yourself, from working with so many different artists. But
of course Alice Cooper, I don't know if it's the
zenith for you, it's the what's something that you really
learned from Alice that you think you would not have
(41:33):
learned from anywhere anyone else, Like if I wasn't with
Alice Cooper, there's no way I could have learned this
from anybody else.
Speaker 1 (41:42):
The well, I've learned a bunch of things I've learned
out of golf from Alic.
Speaker 2 (41:47):
Sure.
Speaker 1 (41:48):
But but but to be honest with you, I feel
that I've learned that you can be secure with your
ego because we all I'll have him, doesn't matter you
know what level you are of success. Everybody's got some
sort of ego because that's what gets you to the
(42:10):
next show at the end of the day and keeps
you fighting and keeps you persistent. And but what I've
found through Alice is that you can have that ego
and that star star charisma and mentality. But when you're
(42:30):
on stage with the other people in a band, it's
so amazing to see you support and let the other
musicians shine. When it's their turn to shine. Alice is
the most important person in any room. He walks into
everybody knows he's a household name, but he has a
(42:51):
way of looking you in the eye and listening to
and making you feel like.
Speaker 3 (42:57):
You're the most important person in the room.
Speaker 1 (42:59):
And he makes us like that on stage because he's
never been one of those people that says, no, no,
you guys, stay back here, you're you're my backup, and no.
He wants you to be up in the forefront in
the spotlight, and when it's your turn to have a
guitar solo or have a moment in the show, he
wants you to be front and center under the spotlight.
(43:19):
So giving people that sort of freedom and that sort
of support is the best thing I feel you can
do and let because everyone it's at the end of
the day, it's got to be a collective.
Speaker 3 (43:33):
If it's going to be.
Speaker 1 (43:34):
A band, and whether you're a solo artist and you
have other musicians that are backing you up, it's got
to be a collective and everybody's got to support each
other if it's going to have that feeling of authenticity.
Speaker 3 (43:46):
So thank you very much, Alice for teaching me those lessons.
I appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (43:50):
I love that because whatever guitars he's worked with, you know,
whether it's you or Nita Strauss or or Thought or
I can't say your name, or or than Kane Roberts,
not well Kane Roberts of course.
Speaker 3 (44:03):
But yeah, of course a monster.
Speaker 2 (44:05):
We love get Kane's been on the show. I mean,
very grateful that they all have their moment and they're
all just not I don't look at them. It's like
you two. You all are a part of the Alice
Cooper band. It's not Alice Cooper and those people, those guys,
those ladies. It's a collective and I think that that
(44:25):
is really cool.
Speaker 1 (44:26):
AB it's the ACB man the ACB. And when once
you're in the ACB, you're you're basically in it for life.
You never know when you're going to get that call back.
Because I again, I had taken a break to move
to Sweden when when you talk about kids earlier, to
watch my kids grow up.
Speaker 3 (44:43):
And there was a.
Speaker 1 (44:45):
Six year period where I didn't tour with Alice, I
didn't tour on that level. I was doing stuff for
Gibson Guitars all across Europe. And stuff, but I was
keeping it more centralized and then I got that call
to come back. And it's been consistent every year since
twenty twelve, including the Dark Times of COVID. We toured
(45:06):
and we played every single year and we're looking forward
to going out there again this year and starting it
and in just a little while, with the Chris Angel
Show and the Alice's Attics Show, there'll be two shows
that are going on simultaneously throughout the year.
Speaker 2 (45:20):
So how does that work? Obviously, Chris Angel the Illusionist,
you know, yes, so is he opening for you guys
or are you going to No, it's.
Speaker 1 (45:30):
A combined it's a combined show where the first time
that if I know of that you're combining major illusions
with a rock and roll show. So it's basically Alice Cooper,
Chris Angel, ac ca, ac ca.
Speaker 3 (45:48):
See, it is.
Speaker 1 (45:49):
All intertwined and there's a backstory you know to it
as well, and we're just looking forward to getting in
there and doing that at Chris's Theater at Planet's Planet Hollywood,
and then we'll go back there and do shows throughout
the year. But you know, when we cheur as the
Live Alice Cooper Band, that'll be Alice's Addic show, which
(46:10):
is a brand new set, a lot of new set pieces,
and you what you would expect to see in Alice's
Addic if he had one.
Speaker 3 (46:19):
I've been to his house. He does not have one.
Speaker 1 (46:21):
But for the sake of for the sake of theater,
we have Alice's Addic in the show. So it's gonna
be a good one. Come out to see it. And
if you want to find out anything more about me,
just all my links, the new music that you're playing,
and all the videos and guitar lessons, podcasts, everything is
at Ryan roxy dot com.
Speaker 2 (46:42):
Awesome. And I see the closester coming to me with
Alice is Camden, New Jersey, So I may I don't
like going to Jersey all the time, but I think
that that may have to happen. I think Harrison needs
to see Alice Cooper live. I think that needs to happen.
Speaker 1 (46:56):
I think Harrison does. Yes, that would be a good idea.
Make sure you can reach out and get in touch.
Speaker 2 (47:02):
Awesome. I know I definitely will Ryan. It won't be
another seven years before we talk again. This was this
was a pleasure. Just thank you for taking I know
you say thank me for taking the time. But it's
it's just very cool. We talk about the how humble
Atlice is, but you're somebody. You know, there are people
in your position who've accomplished what you've accomplished. You aren't
(47:24):
as nice and as humble and as accessible as you,
and we're all just people and it's just very That's
why I keep doing this. That's why I'm like five
hundred and fifty one episodes because I get to talk
to people like you, people like I had snake pit
on my wall and now I'll get a chance to
talk to you and You're coolest shit. That's that's DIY shit.
Speaker 3 (47:44):
Well, thank you for that, man, Brando.
Speaker 1 (47:46):
It's guys like you to carry the torch and keep
it rolling for us, and I hope to see you
on episode seven hundred and seventy seven.
Speaker 3 (47:53):
Well that's what we'll make it, all right.
Speaker 2 (47:55):
I'll reserve that number for you, one hundred percent. As
far as guests coming up before were up up, Gary
Holt will be on the podcast hopefully because it's a
couple of years ago. He was supposed to come on
with scott Ian when Slayer we're touring with or Exodus
were touring with Anthrax and he fell on black ice
and hurt himself, so he missed the tour. I was
(48:16):
supposed to interview him before you, and then he lost
his voice. So I'm hoping it's not some sort of
curse with Gary.
Speaker 3 (48:23):
I hope.
Speaker 2 (48:26):
He should be on the should be on the podcast.
And Chris Weber, Uh, not the former Golden State Warrior,
but the former, the former Hollywood Rose guitars. Do you
know Chris at all?
Speaker 3 (48:37):
No? But I love his grills? Is that is that
a Weber grill?
Speaker 1 (48:40):
Right?
Speaker 2 (48:41):
I think he is a popular name anyway, So look
forward to those episodes. When will you see them? Well,
the words of AXL Rose concerning Chinese democracy, I don't
know as soon as the word, but you'll see it.
Thanks to the lame mass security, I'm going home.
We became better musicians ourselves individually from being a collective
in slash stigid.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Welcome to the podcast Appetite four Distortion, Episode number five
hundred and fifty one. My name is Brando. Welcome back
to the podcast. It's been quite a while, seven years,
mister Ryan Roxy. I don't expect you to remember. How
are you saying you've changed?
Speaker 3 (00:27):
Oh my god, you've changed?
Speaker 1 (00:30):
You know.
Speaker 3 (00:30):
Actually we haven't changed at all. I know. That's that's
the thing.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
That's a good thing, actually, I think so.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
No.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
I'm excited to talk to you today because we were
talking about some off air conversation about like when do
you commit because you also have a podcast, of course,
in the Trenches, and when do you commit? Okay, maybe
one hundred episodes? You said, right, and you're say, if.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
You do anything, whether you're a porno actress or an
actor and or you're a or you're a rock and
rollue dark player or whatever you want, whatever you want
to do, like if you do it one hundred times,
like whether it's episode shows, performances, speeches.
Speaker 3 (01:11):
What if you do something one hundred times?
Speaker 1 (01:13):
I think at that point it's a good What am
I committed or am I not committed? At episode five
five one, Brando, you are committed, and that's amazing.
Speaker 3 (01:22):
And the fact that we haven't changed over all these years,
we're still sort of carrying the torch of rock and roll.
Speaker 1 (01:28):
That's a good that's a good testament to that we
are committed, or at least should be committed.
Speaker 3 (01:33):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
Well I was about to say should be committed with
the straight jacket. Yeah, yeah, yeah, you were episode thirty four.
I had to look that up, which is just insane
to me. And back when I was doing the show
with my then co host Ian Scotto and the podcast
was just audio, you know. So, I mean, some things
have changed. I was a single early thirties. Now I'm
(01:57):
as you just met my son, Harrison Rex before we
got recorders from now married with the with the kids,
and some things have changed, but some things do say
the same, right right. So I'm we're going to talk
about since it's so long ago. I'm sure I'll ask
you some of the same snake Pit or gn R questions.
We'll get a new fresh take on it. But uh,
there are news things and especially while we're here music
(02:21):
fight another day, and we were bonding over so many
cool things off the air, which we'll I'm sure we'll
come up organically like cats or how we name both
of our sons after Beatles. But I love in the
video the video game aspect of it. I'm a very
old school video game kind of kind of guy, an
eight bit Are.
Speaker 3 (02:39):
You an eight bit video guy as well?
Speaker 2 (02:41):
I I don't play video games anymore, but my favorite
video game of all time maybe this will set the stage,
is Bubble Bubble. I don't know what that says about me,
but it's just that very simplistic graphics. I've I always
loved it, So will you're a video game guy?
Speaker 1 (03:00):
Before I came out with this video, before, Irwin Longeri,
the director of the video, hipped me to like, what
are these videos?
Speaker 3 (03:07):
What type of video? What kind of genre?
Speaker 1 (03:09):
It's eight bit video genre and you can have chip
music that goes along with it, which we actually did
take the single and turn it into a eight bit
chip audio version. But yeah, it's it's all those ones
that are kind of like very rudimentary, very basic, if
(03:29):
you will, video games, but what you and I were
born and raised off of, whether it's Mario Brothers, Donkey Kong.
Speaker 3 (03:37):
My favorite was Centipede.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
I don't know about you, but my favorite arcade game
back in those days was Centipede, The pac Man and
Miss pac Man. That sort of like old school graphics
is what our new video for Fight Another Day is
inspired by and is sort of a tribute to, so,
you know, intermixed with some live performance from our seen
(04:02):
special guests that appeared on it, which is Bridget West
from the New York Loose, very cool background, a part
that she she kind of went foreground on that with
the vocals and Keith weir Uh from the Formula of
the Choir Boys. But now he plays with Griff in
his own band, so he laid down some keyboards.
Speaker 3 (04:22):
Is with it? Black Eyed? Black Eyed Sons? Black Eyed?
I don't know the thing is.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
I mean, I do know, but right now I'm just
kind of starstruck talking to you brand.
Speaker 3 (04:33):
After many years.
Speaker 2 (04:35):
Okay, starstruck.
Speaker 1 (04:37):
I'm sure we're just having or just having my five
o'clock somewhere old fashioned.
Speaker 3 (04:42):
I it's one of the two.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
It's funny, so because yeah, it's is the time difference.
It's it's eleven twenty, so I had my you know,
am here in New York City right now, as a
recording and so, yeah, I had my nice glass of
OJ and you're where are you in South Africa?
Speaker 3 (04:59):
I'm in Cape Town, South Africa.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
So it's five o'clock somewhere actually six seventeen here, and
so you just had your OJ and coffee and I'm
just having my first sort of Hello cast Cottail.
Speaker 2 (05:15):
Yeah, we're both waking up, but in different respects. Oh,
that's so funny. I love that. Yeah, it's we want
to I don't know, because that was one of the
first things they grabbed me because I love the eight
bit thing. But as far as like the song is concerned,
in the two new songs, because it's not just fight
Another Day, it's better than you are these one off singles,
(05:36):
are they going to be part of compilation?
Speaker 1 (05:38):
Like?
Speaker 2 (05:38):
What is what is the strategy for Ryan Roxy these days?
Because you do so much of course with Alice Cooper,
when you can do the podcast, you can you know,
working with other musicians. So is it just like these
one off videos and songs, or is it going to
be on a compilation an album? What's the plan?
Speaker 1 (05:54):
Sometimes they get forward, you have to go back, and
I'm going back with an old school approach because I
feel nowadays people's attention spans are so short because of
you know, the small screens, you know, not in the
days when we were playing those video games a much
larger screen, we had a little bit bigger of an
(06:14):
attention span. But trust me, the generation before us was
was bitching about how stifened our attention spans are. Now
it's almost to the point where can you really imagine
someone getting an album and listening to it from track
one to track eleven or track twelve or what was
appetite for distraction twelve tracks? It's like you just can't
(06:38):
do that anymore in the sense of like the masses.
Of course, there's going to be people that are the
diehards that'll always and thank God for the diehards, because
that's how I'm able to, you know, still go out
there and tour. But in today's world, it's all about
little bits. And I think a song at a time
(06:58):
is like my little album time. And now we're combining
those two songs because they dubtail Dale dubtail quite well together.
I feel better than you and fight another day. The
videos dubtail and so and the songs actually do one's
a little bit more indie than the other. One's a
little bit more classic stone zy rock maybe, and they
(07:22):
go together. So those two songs will form one of
five sort of smaller records if you can go back
to a time where there wasn't ten songs on an album,
but there was just two. And for those of you
that are vinyl enthusiasts, I think you know what I'm
talking about.
Speaker 3 (07:42):
Those two songs.
Speaker 1 (07:42):
Will appear on a vinyl sort of collector's edition coming
up in this year. So and the idea is to
make it all part of a set. So each time
you release two songs, two songs, two songs, two songs,
until you make ten songs. So if you do the
math correctly, that would be five of these smaller type
(08:05):
of albums that becomes a collector's set.
Speaker 3 (08:08):
But the first one will come out soon.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
Okay, it couldn't help, but think I mean obvious with
what the show kind of showed this is that's the
kind of what Guns and Roses are doing. You know,
these these two songs at a time, you know, and
then put him out. That's what Slash had said recently,
put them all on a collector's you know thing at
some point. So, yeah, it is interesting, it's it's it's
a topic of conversation about intention spans now when it
(08:32):
is sad that you can't sit down and listen to
an album anymore. You really, I feel like people have
to almost set time aside and make a point to
do it, rather than where it was just like a
natural thing, Okay, just pop in the CD, pop in
the cassette, pop in the eight track or whatever it is,
and listen. But nowadays you can't do any of that
without also and I'm guilty too, being on your phone
(08:52):
or something like you're you're multitasking and I don't know,
it's just what world am I bringing my son into?
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
It's the same with movies now where they have to
introduce the plotline three or four times because you know
they're actually throughout the movie. They have to do that
because they're assuming that the person watching the movie is
going to be distracted by a secondary screen. So for
me putting these songs out, I really want this song
(09:22):
to have a special moments. So if you put it
out by itself, there's not other nine tracks of my
album to distract you.
Speaker 3 (09:30):
Is this one for right now?
Speaker 1 (09:33):
And if you dig it, it'll be combined with this
other one that I released earlier and previously.
Speaker 3 (09:39):
Combine those two together.
Speaker 1 (09:41):
There's your sort of collector's item right there, and then
you keep going from there.
Speaker 3 (09:47):
Because you want every one of these. I mean, we're
guitar player, songwriters, singers. We all love the songs that
we write.
Speaker 1 (09:54):
We wouldn't write them if we didn't feel like we
put some care and a lot of passion into the music.
So we want them to get their due and hopefully
fight another day.
Speaker 3 (10:05):
We'll get it to due.
Speaker 1 (10:06):
And it's thanks to people like you, Brando that that
play it and support it, and the fans that listen
to it and supporters that listen to it that again,
I'm able to continue to make music and do what
I wanted to do since I was a little kid.
Speaker 3 (10:21):
Just emulate the posters on my wall.
Speaker 2 (10:23):
Basically things change, because like I want to bounce off that,
and that's a good way to set me up with
my question as far as like how things change with
like a little kid, Like you know, when I was
a little kid, I wanted to be on the radio
at the time, I wanted to be like a sportscaster
or something. But now to make the comp with albums
versus singles. It's kind of like, Okay, I do this
(10:45):
long form podcast and that's what they are, but sometimes
they don't get noticed unless you make a smaller clipt
little bite sized things that go out there, and it's
it's just a very it's I don't know. Sometimes I
have to think about my approach. Do I want to
talk like that little bite sized things, knowing Okay, this
is going to be a clip. Is that going to
(11:06):
affect the conversation as a whole? How is that with songwriting?
Do you think about back in the day, Okay, this
is gonna be part of this big collection and now
it's like, okay, you're singing, You're focused on one thing only.
Does that I don't know? How does that? Does that
impact to it all? Or is it.
Speaker 1 (11:23):
I'm approaching this next body of work, the next collective,
if you will, of whatever an album is these days
as little bits of my personal taste and what I
love in music broken up into different parts. That's why
I say these two songs better than You and Fight
(11:47):
Another Day sort of dubtail together because they fit in
a certain genre of what I like, but I also
like different types of music as well that I want
to include. I love singer songwriter stuff. We were talking
earlier off camera about Dave Matthews and you know it's
Dave Matthews is a killer artist. There's no doubt he's
(12:09):
He's got that it with that it factor when you
go see him live. I just saw him in Cape
Town this last year. Just got that it thing that
is very a lot of charisma and you enjoy it.
So there's a genre of music that I like that
wouldn't necessarily go with the two new songs that I
(12:30):
have out that are going to be on one forty five,
but this other forty five might be able to have
two singer songwriter esque types of songs on that and
that sort of marks that little genre of music that
I like. And I also like, you know, I also
like more britpop, whether it's you know, bands like Stone
(12:53):
Roses or Charlatan's UK stuff from Manchat. Basically Happy Mondays
has a little bit of a dance group. Maybe there'll
be something that comes out from that genre too. So
I'm just sort of picking genres of music that I
personally like, because at the end of the day, when
you put out something and it has to be stuff
(13:15):
that you enjoy doing. You can't chase the dragon and
just try and you know, write whatever's popular at the moment.
Speaker 3 (13:21):
We're too long in the tooth.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
For that at this point.
Speaker 2 (13:24):
So is it safe to say that you really don't
want to be I know, you're a rock guitarist, but
you don't want to be pigeon held as like this
one genre, like it's just guy. Okay, here's Alice Cooper's guitarist.
Some people might think and like, you're gonna hear a
rock song. But you may like, all right, how much
you want to deviate or what's kind of sound? I guess,
because do you want to have or is it just
(13:45):
is it all is? It's all Ryan. There's no real
kind of mission.
Speaker 3 (13:49):
All encompasses me.
Speaker 1 (13:51):
If you if you looked at my playlist that I
have in that I put together in my sort of
platform there, you'd think.
Speaker 3 (14:01):
I'm psychotic because I'll have a.
Speaker 1 (14:03):
Deantwood song, you know, as well as sort of a
brit pop song, and then I'll have like something that's
more Seattle based and grungy. But you know, at the
end of the day, I'm a guitar player that was
raised on way back in the day kids am radio
(14:24):
wasn't just talk radio.
Speaker 3 (14:25):
It was actually stations that played a.
Speaker 1 (14:28):
Spectrum of music. And I was raised in the Bay
Area outside San Francisco and the Oakland area, where you
could hear the Commodores next to Aerosmith, next to Cheap Trick,
next to the Beeg's, So all that kind of music
was intertwined to earth, wind and fire. So there was
a whole bunch of different styles that were all mixed
(14:51):
into one station that was their playlist, which was KFRC
in the Bay area back in the day. But that
being said, I like all this type of music. The
most popular song Brando that I've ever played at that
probably nobody ever knows, is probably one of the most
popular elevator songs in the world. It's a song by
(15:11):
a Canadian artist called tal Bachmann. The song is called
She's So High and all My Guitars Are over that's
my solo. That's my guitar part in the very beginning,
and you might know the song about.
Speaker 2 (15:24):
It is that the one She's So High above Me,
that song.
Speaker 3 (15:27):
She's So that's my guitar playing on that album.
Speaker 1 (15:32):
And and very few people know it because I don't
really talk about it, but it was. It wasn't that
I was a ghost musician. I was just left off
the off the album because fondly enough and coincidentally enough,
that's when I was involved with with Slash the Snake Pit,
(15:56):
as well as getting back together with Alice Cooper and
going back on tour on the Brutally Brutal Planet Brutally Live.
Speaker 3 (16:06):
Tours. So my name was sort of left off of
that of that.
Speaker 1 (16:11):
Out of that tal Baquan album, nine out of eleven
songs I played guitar on.
Speaker 3 (16:15):
So I don't you know it's it's not sour grapes,
It's just that it's funny.
Speaker 2 (16:20):
You deserve that.
Speaker 1 (16:21):
That's my that's my guitar playing on it, and I
hear it in elevators and in Peloton commercials.
Speaker 3 (16:28):
But you know, I would say very few people that.
Speaker 1 (16:30):
Follow that, follow Guns n' Roses and Alice Cooper and
even my own career, know that that's my guitar.
Speaker 3 (16:37):
Playing on that.
Speaker 2 (16:38):
I certainly didn't know. I mean, everybody knows that song.
I mean, that's as long as you get your residual
checks or royalty checks.
Speaker 3 (16:47):
I mean, like I took the buyout. That was a
big I took the damn buyout.
Speaker 4 (16:53):
That was a you know what what it could have
should have But but here.
Speaker 2 (16:57):
You go, that's okay.
Speaker 3 (17:01):
Hey, I needed to buy it at the time. To
be honest with you, I really did, because I can't know.
Speaker 1 (17:06):
Yeah, it's one of those things kids. People always say,
hold on to your publishing, hold on to your publishing.
But you know, when you're when you're eating macaroni and
cheese and top ramen every single night, sometimes you need
to step it up to like, you know, Tiketo Moss.
Speaker 2 (17:24):
Yeah, no, I completely understand that in retrospect. I mean,
I don't know if it's I mean, I guess it's
kind of funny or not. Do you cry because maybe
get that mess song makes a lot of a lot
of money. I don't know either way. That's a cool
thing on your resume. I love hearing stories like that.
When I spoke to Josh Freeze, the fact that you
know he's played on so many albums.
Speaker 3 (17:43):
He does everything.
Speaker 2 (17:44):
I remember he recorded on with Avril or didn't record
with her, but on her debut album. I'm just like,
that's just in so insane to me. With artists as
talented and as versatile as him, and you can do
all that stuff, and it's like I can't help think
about the sports guy in me. Like if Ryan Roxy
had a back of a baseball card, you know what
(18:06):
would this? You know?
Speaker 1 (18:08):
Kind of well, it's funny, funny oddly enough in my
a thing that I do call the Roxy All XS Pass.
One of the perks of that was getting a Ryan
Roxy set of trading cards, which actually was back inspired
by baseball cards and stuff, So.
Speaker 3 (18:26):
Picture of me with a guitar and then on the back.
Speaker 1 (18:28):
It has some weird facts about it, but that like,
like the very cool story about Josh Freeze that we
have is that he and I know he doesn't remember this,
but our drummer in the in the first sort of
solo band that I put together called DPM Dad's Porno
mag Will efforts on bass guitar, the Great Mike Fasano
(18:52):
who now plays with Tiger Army. Great drummer Mike Fazano
was playing drums and me on guitar.
Speaker 3 (18:58):
That's how we recorded.
Speaker 1 (18:59):
Jim Mitchell, the engineer for Appetite Instruction and The Illusion Albums,
great producer, produced it and mixed it. Well, we needed
a gong at the end of one song called Candy
Loving And who did Mike Fazano call up? Because we
didn't have a gong in the studio. He called up
(19:20):
mister Josh Freese, and Josh Freese sent over a sample
of him playing a gong. Made the album. Thank you
for the gong, Josh Freeze at the end of And
that's another story that might be your SoundBite more so
than the She's so Hi.
Speaker 3 (19:37):
Story. The thing that Josh Freese played the gong.
Speaker 1 (19:41):
On the on the end note of Candy Lovin thanks
to Mike Fazzano.
Speaker 3 (19:47):
There's your headline right there.
Speaker 2 (19:49):
Did you credit him on the album? Unlike when you
were not credited? Does it say gong in the credits?
Speaker 3 (19:56):
I believe he does have a gong. Well, you have
to have a gong credit.
Speaker 4 (19:59):
It doesn't have a I think Mike, actually Mike Persona
might have actually took the gong credit from him. But wait,
I'm gonna go check those credits right now because they.
Speaker 3 (20:10):
Might have shared it because it was my shared idea.
Speaker 2 (20:17):
That sounds like a good band name.
Speaker 3 (20:19):
Shared gon credit. I just don't want Josh Josh Frees and.
Speaker 1 (20:24):
His legal team coming after us after these teams for
that gong residuals.
Speaker 2 (20:28):
Oh, that's that's that is really too funny. And all
the connections you have, and I mean it all leads
to well, just so I don't forget it. Mike Fasano
was on the podcast of several years ago, Long Time
was it drum Tech from that storm or roommate, you know,
buddies with with with Matt.
Speaker 3 (20:45):
He was.
Speaker 1 (20:46):
He was Matt's buddy and and such a great drummer
in his own right.
Speaker 3 (20:49):
So he's he's what.
Speaker 1 (20:51):
They call the ultimate success story because he was tecking
doing his drums and teching for for all the great bands.
It was Blink one a two Green Day, you know, Matt,
and then he made that, he made that crossover to
playing in bands and becoming you know where he is
(21:13):
today with Tiger Army, which is you know, one of
the I love. I love Mike and Tiger Army. I
love watching him play. I was able to watch him
in Stockholm a couple of years ago.
Speaker 3 (21:24):
Him and my wife went to go.
Speaker 1 (21:26):
My wife and me and my wife, my wife, me
and my wife went to go see him play.
Speaker 3 (21:31):
He was amazing and uh.
Speaker 1 (21:33):
Yeah, so He's the ultimate rock and roll success story
right on.
Speaker 2 (21:38):
Of course, I get all whatever six degrees what I
call six degrees of gen r Bacon to have him on,
and then people like you and Matt just have such
a bigger story than just that one little reason that
I have you on. But obviously I need to get
to it. And we briefly mentioned Slash the Snake Pit earlier.
You know a couple of funny things, you know, I
was watching a recent interview with you when you were
(22:00):
some guitar exhibition, small one in a room. I think
it might have been in France. I thought I saw
it posted by Slash France, so I'm not sure if
it was in France. But somebody asked the question about
Slash the Snakepit. You know It's five o'clock somewhere and
or Ain't Live Grand? I'm sorry and eight.
Speaker 5 (22:19):
Life Grand's the album I played all Yes, It's five
o'clock somewhere, because they're both for us as far as
six Degrees, they're both intertwined because Eric Dover, who sang
on It's five o'clock somewhere, him and I. He's one
of my favorite guitar players I've ever played with favorite
musicians ever I've e ever jammed with. I ended up
(22:39):
playing with him in Alice Cooper band as well as
a project that we did together called Glamination, and then
Gilby who played on five o'clock Somewhere. Him and I
were playing together in Gilby's solo band when he was
recording those songs for and putting that project together for
the first Slashes snake Pit record.
Speaker 3 (23:00):
Then it just happened.
Speaker 1 (23:01):
It so happened that when I joined Alice, Slash and
I would hit it off, and whenever Slash would come
and guest up on stage with Alice, Slash and I
would end up playing off each other quite well. And
we kind of both figured it out, and he was
just his management called me once ay and said, look,
Slash wants to meet with you because you guys plays
(23:21):
so well together. Why don't you just get together and
see what happens.
Speaker 3 (23:25):
And that's where the.
Speaker 1 (23:26):
Whole search for a new singer and finding the great
Rod Jackson for eight Life Grand. For any of you
out there that haven't listened to Life Grand, it's one
of the.
Speaker 3 (23:37):
Most underrated sort of albums out there.
Speaker 1 (23:41):
I think a diamond in the rough of you find it,
and in my honest opinion, it slashes best guitar playing
other than Appetite.
Speaker 3 (23:49):
I feel that Appetite is like his.
Speaker 1 (23:51):
You know, it's hard to start with your Abbey Road
right out of the gate, but that was just like,
you know, it's the truth. You know that debut album,
you know all the parts, all the solos, worked out, everything,
just there was a vibe. They caught everything on tape
at that point, but we caught a lot of great,
great stuff with Slash on eight Life Grand and everybody
(24:14):
got their performances in on that album. So it's one
of those albums I'm really proud of and I wish
more people would listen to.
Speaker 2 (24:22):
That kind of goes along with where I was going.
I don't know, because you made the it's five o'class,
you take your drink, it's a five o'clock somewhere droke earlier.
So that's my brain said that first. But ein't life
granted because that was my actually my introduction to Slash
the Snake Pit was hearing that first. I was when
v H one was played music videos back in the day.
(24:43):
The video for Mean Bone came on and I'm like,
what is this, you know, and then yeah and back,
and I remember I printed out the Slashes snake Pit
logo on my shitty compact printer and I put it
up on my dorm room wall, you know, because I could.
You couldn't find a slash of Snakepit post jo unless
you went to a show or something like that before
the days.
Speaker 3 (25:02):
It's too underground.
Speaker 1 (25:04):
Yeah, Di wided the fact that you Di white a
slash snake bit.
Speaker 3 (25:09):
That's much respect right out of the gate.
Speaker 2 (25:11):
I think I used so much ink on that because
it was all black. I had to get a new
ink card. These are the silly things that I remember.
Speaker 1 (25:18):
Slash's brother, Slash's brother who designed that, And you know,
it's the fact that you did that is just borderline adorable.
Speaker 3 (25:27):
So I thank you for that brand.
Speaker 2 (25:28):
I'm glad you said adorable rather than psychotic. I appreciate that.
But it goes along with what you said with that
interview that I was referencing before, whether it was in
France or when I listened back to the interview. I
didn't listen to some of the interview we did seven
years ago, and I recently made one of those short
clips from it that I spoke about recently and sharing
(25:49):
that was so awesome to see the fan response that
everyone's like, I'm so happy to hear Ryan say this
what an underrated album, you know, and talking about Rod
what people are saying that he might be the second
best singer he's ever worked with. And it's just kind
of I guess it's without revealing too much because I'm
(26:12):
not that kind of a podcast where I want to
get into too much of drugs and things you want
to talk about, but that that time seems to be
really not brought up with Slash a lot. It seems
to have been like and he talks about in his
book and it's kind of sad this.
Speaker 1 (26:26):
Sques about in his book and for like a paragraph
and like we spent like as a brotherhood and you
know those are his words brotherhood. That was like a
you know, that was a two and a half year
sort of span of our lives that we just every
single day we were in the snake pit, we were rehearsing.
(26:46):
We became better musicians from each other. We became better
musicians ourselves individually from being a collective in Slash's snak
but Jim Mitchell became a better producer we all improved
our skills and sharpened our skills from being together in
that band. And like I said, I there's a lot
(27:10):
of things I don't remember. It was a little hazy
and fuzzy around the edges because there was Guinnis on
tap and Jaegermeister on tap at Slash the snake pit
up in the bar area.
Speaker 3 (27:21):
And you know, the.
Speaker 1 (27:24):
When I first got turned on to vodka and cranberry,
which not a lot of cranberry in those drinks, by
the way. The cranberry was just for a tiny bit
of coloring, just to make it a off white, slight
hue of pink pinkish, yeah, pinkish hue.
Speaker 3 (27:41):
But but we all really.
Speaker 1 (27:45):
Bonded together, so it was it was a bit disappointing
to just get dissed in like one or you know,
one or two paragraphs of the book that I saw.
But at the end of the day, we all know
the I'm shared that we spent together. We all know
the the lessons that we learned, you know, good and bad,
(28:07):
and we all know that. You know, at the end
of the day, we have something that we can stand
behind and be proud of for years to come because
that music you know is always going to be there
that we put together with eight Life Brand and again,
like I said, if you haven't listened to it, go
check it out.
Speaker 6 (28:23):
It's such a spectrum. We were talking about spectrum of music.
Where can you get horn a horn section almost like
a jazzy sort of New Orleans type of vibe rock song,
next to Meme Bone, which has, like dare I say it,
a little bit of a rap rock type of vibe
(28:44):
to it with a straight ahead ac DC riff. So
and then you have the big power ballad with the Moment,
which was like one of my favorite riffs that became
a song and.
Speaker 3 (28:56):
Every and it was a collaboration.
Speaker 1 (28:57):
At the end of the day, everybody brought in Matt Logg,
who is now by I don't you must know the
drummer of ac DC who played.
Speaker 3 (29:06):
On that album. Matt log came in with some killer riffs,
you know.
Speaker 1 (29:11):
Johnny g Johnny Gripark, who was back then known as
Johnny Blackout, came up with amazing stuff and I stand
by it to this day. Rod Jackson is like just
Rod vocal talent, one of the best guys.
Speaker 3 (29:28):
I've ever worked with. Insane, insane voice, you don't, you
have no idea.
Speaker 2 (29:33):
I wish you know. I'm very fortunate that he came
on the podcast twice because he's a very hard guy
to get a hold of, and just like with you
back in the day, they were on you know, not
on camera like this. I would love to meet him
face to face. Every couple of years he'll message me
on Facebook just saying hi, and then I don't hear
from him again. You know, I can't, I can't expect
(29:55):
you and I don't want you to speak for Slash.
But why do you think was it a rod issue
for him? Was it just a bad time in his life?
But you don't think that he likes to look back
upon because it's like you said, are you talking about
the book? I'm the the album? Why he doesn't you know,
revisit that the Wise doesn't talk about it so much?
(30:17):
And again, Rod Jackson, what people who know, like you,
the fans who've listened to the record, like people say,
he's like might be the second best you know singer
that he's worked with other than than Axel, and we
what a voice and we would love to hear more
from it.
Speaker 1 (30:32):
Me.
Speaker 2 (30:32):
Also, I'm just I think that Slash wasted his his
best band name not wasted, but it's like now with
my I think Slash with Miles Kennedy and the Conspirators
is the worst band name ever. They're great bands.
Speaker 3 (30:44):
Definitely the longest.
Speaker 2 (30:45):
I don't like the name, like you couldn't like.
Speaker 3 (30:48):
Definitely the longest, there's no doubt about that. But I
just make.
Speaker 2 (30:51):
Another slash of Snake Pit. I don't know, because keep
make it like minute, different members every time, But I
don't know, Like why do you think? Like why do
you think? Again? I know you can't speak for him,
but why why he doesn't talk about it? Or why
you got a couple of paragraphs?
Speaker 1 (31:07):
So there was a lot of change going on. There
was there was a lot of change going on. I
feel the book was written to protect some people and
throw some some other people under the bus, and unfortunately, uh,
Slash the Snake Pit version two h got thrown under
the bus on that one.
Speaker 3 (31:27):
So it's it's it's you know, is it disappointing?
Speaker 1 (31:29):
Yes, But do we all know the truth that what
guys in the brotherhood that was in that band. Yes,
we all know all the good and bad times that
happened during that era. And would I change it. No,
I wouldn't change it. I wouldn't go back and do
anything different. We had a great time and again good
(31:50):
and bad lessons learned. But I feel that it's something
that we should all be proud of. And so it's
it's it's up to Slash what he wants to talk
about it or not talk about it.
Speaker 3 (31:59):
But I I go.
Speaker 1 (32:00):
On record in every interview saying that I honestly feel
it's some of his best guitar playing since Appetite.
Speaker 3 (32:05):
So there you go.
Speaker 2 (32:08):
You even get a chance to speak with him about it.
Speaker 3 (32:11):
We played a show.
Speaker 1 (32:12):
I mean, we haven't had to sit down since for
donkeys years. I guess that's what they that's what they
say in South Africa.
Speaker 2 (32:20):
Okay he's not familiar with that term, fair enough.
Speaker 1 (32:24):
But we haven't had But we did had to have
a catch up in We played with gn R a
few years ago with Alice in Brazil of all places,
Sam Paulo uh.
Speaker 3 (32:35):
And and he was great.
Speaker 1 (32:37):
I mean it was just it was like, hey man,
at one point, it's water under the bridge. He's doing
good personally, he's doing good mentally, I'm doing good.
Speaker 3 (32:45):
Personally, I'm doing good. Mentally, you know, things.
Speaker 1 (32:47):
Were probably a little bit hazy, like I say, on
both ends and on five ends, and when you got five,
if you got five guys that are kind of hazy
and fuzzy, it leads for a lot of amazing experiences,
but in a lot of surreal experiences. But it also
(33:08):
can can you know, lead to different interpretations of what
really went down. But you know, like I said, I
always I always stand by all the guys in the
band and say, look, everybody has their own story. We
just didn't. We don't have our own book. We don't
have that platform to write what everything that happened during
those days of Slash the snake Bit, and from what
(33:31):
I can remember, it was a pretty fucking crazy ride.
Speaker 2 (33:34):
From what you can remember, well, I appreciate, you know,
we're keeping the memory alive with conversations like this, and
they know it makes me happy and makes fans happy
to hear your excitement, enjoyment to talk about it. But
I think it's in the world of GENR. It's kind
of part for the course because Gen R themselves, I
know they still exist today, but GENR is that classic.
(33:56):
Everything is just lightning in a bottle, you know, from
Velvet Revolver. All this stuff is just a moment in
time to Thankfully, music can live on in in a
variety of in a variety of ways. So I appreciate you,
Sharon and any cool I don't know if you want
to go recent or old school with G and R
stories just because I know you said you played recently
(34:18):
with Alice, or just anything that sticks any guns or
roses like a fun story that that sticks out.
Speaker 3 (34:23):
No, I mean I could.
Speaker 1 (34:25):
I can probably go back to the very first time
I ever saw them, and I knew that the whole
in a nutshell, I knew the world was going to change,
and I knew the scene was going to change definitely
for me because it was I was in a band
at that time called Candy and Candy at that at
that point had Gilby Clark in it, Jonathan Daniel, John Schubert,
(34:49):
and I had just joined because I had the same
sort of spiked black hair and used the same Aquinet
hairspring where the same black other jacket as those three
other guys as well. I kind of was the Johnny
Bravo because they had stopped working with their singer Kyle
Vincent and and they got me in there, and I
(35:10):
was sort of the spark plug that came in and
said come on guys, because I was, you know, maybe
just a little bit younger than those than those guys,
and and I sort of provided a little spark to
to get this band. Like we were playing around. They
had the reputation they were like a pop power pop
uh band that always opened for for for heavier bands.
Speaker 3 (35:34):
But you know, the.
Speaker 1 (35:35):
Females seemed to really love you know, they love Gilby.
Speaker 3 (35:39):
They they everybody was cute in the band.
Speaker 1 (35:42):
Everybody was rock though, so it was like kind of
like the Basity Rollers meets the New York Dolls, if
you will. But we all went to the Roxy to
see h a show where La Guns was headlining.
Speaker 3 (35:58):
But who was opening up that show? It was Guns
N' Roses.
Speaker 1 (36:02):
And the minute I saw that band, I said, this
whole music scene's gonna change.
Speaker 3 (36:08):
And dude, as.
Speaker 1 (36:10):
Good as La Guns was at that time, because they
were it was it was their original line up with
Paul Black on lead vocals and they and they really
were a great la rock band.
Speaker 3 (36:26):
Guns and Roses came up before them, and.
Speaker 1 (36:29):
It was chaos on stage, but so cohesive and the
band that was just raw, pure rock and roll energy,
and everybody in my in the band I you know,
just joined candy.
Speaker 3 (36:44):
We were all getting each other going this is something
different and new.
Speaker 1 (36:47):
And subsequently that changed with the help of like Gud
I would say, Jane's Addiction and Guns N' Roses probably
changed that LA scene in the mid eighties more than
any other two bands of that genre, because yes, Red
Chili Peppers were around Fishbone and those that there was
(37:08):
that there was that element of them, but this was
something new, rebellious, and between those two bands they were different,
but the same energy, this reckless, chaotic, cohesive energy. And
luckily that's starting and kicked off a scene. And like
thanks to Ricky Rackman and the cat House and all
(37:30):
of us bands sort of hanging out together. That started
the scene and which eventually ended me up in a
band called Electric Angels, which eventually ended me up.
Speaker 3 (37:40):
You know this so on and so forth.
Speaker 1 (37:43):
Here I am an Alice Cooper band, you know, A
million years Donkeys years later.
Speaker 2 (37:49):
Later. No, I love it though all these little it's
it's life, right, I mean, but we're playing it with
with bands you know who's here, you know, in the
La Gun during Candy than in G and R. And
it's all just very talented people and it's you don't
see that that kind of almost community nowadays with bands
(38:10):
because everything is so online and you don't see the
organic Why I gravitated towards G and R and even
in Alice Cooper are all the bands that I like
because there's a commaradity. It organic, like you say, you
could say it's even with Alice where it's a theatric.
He is so real, like you can tell that, like
none of it's fake. People who try to do the
(38:30):
Alice thing and you're like, wow, you are such a poser.
Alice is the real deal. It's the same thing when
people try to copy G and R. I'm like, that's
you can't do that. You can't do that.
Speaker 1 (38:40):
There was an authenticity and there wasn't genuine whether it
was like this this you know, total like love everybody,
you know comraadity. No, there was definitely a competitiveness going
on in the scene. Like I remember seeing Faster Pussy
gat there very first show at the it was before
(39:02):
it was the Viper Room, it was called the Central
and it was right on Sunset Boulevard and I went
there to support, but I also went there to see, like,
who the hell is this new band? And who is
this cute guy Brent Muskat that's going to, you know
eventually one day steal my girlfriend.
Speaker 3 (39:19):
Who is this guy? So so at the end of
the day, I.
Speaker 1 (39:27):
It was always but there was a community feel, and
you knew that every Tuesday you'd go to the Catouse
and you'd see all the other bands, you can hang out,
you could, you know, go after rehearsal and then hopefully
promote your next show that you were playing. So it
was it was I was definitely lucky to be part
of that. I hate to use the word hair metal
(39:48):
scene because it just wasn't. It wasn't hair metal. It
was just it was a cool rock and roll scene.
Speaker 2 (39:55):
Yeah, no, I know what you mean. I don't look
at hair metal as a dirty term. But at the
same time time it's just too much of a blanket
term and and and and really misguided in a way,
because you know, it wasn't it wasn't just about the hair.
It wasn't about the hair.
Speaker 1 (40:10):
Tell me you could. It was a good about the hair.
But they had the fucking songs. They had the I
feel like I feel.
Speaker 3 (40:20):
Like Demon from Fast Times, Fast Times.
Speaker 1 (40:22):
The originally Yeah yeah, what about the tunes?
Speaker 2 (40:26):
Well, I mean we all saw, you know in Declined
Western Civilization Part two. I mean there are people who
can back it up and there are those who just
who couldn't. And then that's also that that's life, regardless
of what your hair looks like. Now and now it's
the parlayd into like today people try to be wacky
and do all these things on TikTok and you know,
(40:48):
unless the talent is there, you hope, because there are
a lot of talentless people making becoming famous nowadays. So
I don't know, maybe I'm proving myself wrong now, but
you hope the talent is there and that shines through
at the end of the day. So I guess with
that being said, because I can't. I don't want to
keep you forever. And I don't know if you hear
Harrison Rex chirping in the background talking to him.
Speaker 1 (41:07):
So I appreciate, I appreciate you sitting here talking. Maybe
I'll come back some you know.
Speaker 2 (41:11):
Well, one last question before we do the whole goodbye
and and and uh, you know, thank each other. Uh
you've obviously learned so much in your career just from
being yourself, from working with so many different artists. But
of course Alice Cooper, I don't know if it's the
zenith for you, it's the what's something that you really
learned from Alice that you think you would not have
(41:33):
learned from anywhere anyone else, Like if I wasn't with
Alice Cooper, there's no way I could have learned this
from anybody else.
Speaker 1 (41:42):
The well, I've learned a bunch of things I've learned
out of golf from Alic.
Speaker 2 (41:47):
Sure.
Speaker 1 (41:48):
But but but to be honest with you, I feel
that I've learned that you can be secure with your
ego because we all I'll have him, doesn't matter you
know what level you are of success. Everybody's got some
sort of ego because that's what gets you to the
(42:10):
next show at the end of the day and keeps
you fighting and keeps you persistent. And but what I've
found through Alice is that you can have that ego
and that star star charisma and mentality. But when you're
(42:30):
on stage with the other people in a band, it's
so amazing to see you support and let the other
musicians shine. When it's their turn to shine. Alice is
the most important person in any room. He walks into
everybody knows he's a household name, but he has a
(42:51):
way of looking you in the eye and listening to
and making you feel like.
Speaker 3 (42:57):
You're the most important person in the room.
Speaker 1 (42:59):
And he makes us like that on stage because he's
never been one of those people that says, no, no,
you guys, stay back here, you're you're my backup, and no.
He wants you to be up in the forefront in
the spotlight, and when it's your turn to have a
guitar solo or have a moment in the show, he
wants you to be front and center under the spotlight.
(43:19):
So giving people that sort of freedom and that sort
of support is the best thing I feel you can
do and let because everyone it's at the end of
the day, it's got to be a collective.
Speaker 3 (43:33):
If it's going to be.
Speaker 1 (43:34):
A band, and whether you're a solo artist and you
have other musicians that are backing you up, it's got
to be a collective and everybody's got to support each
other if it's going to have that feeling of authenticity.
Speaker 3 (43:46):
So thank you very much, Alice for teaching me those lessons.
I appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (43:50):
I love that because whatever guitars he's worked with, you know,
whether it's you or Nita Strauss or or Thought or
I can't say your name, or or than Kane Roberts,
not well Kane Roberts of course.
Speaker 3 (44:03):
But yeah, of course a monster.
Speaker 2 (44:05):
We love get Kane's been on the show. I mean,
very grateful that they all have their moment and they're
all just not I don't look at them. It's like
you two. You all are a part of the Alice
Cooper band. It's not Alice Cooper and those people, those guys,
those ladies. It's a collective and I think that that
(44:25):
is really cool.
Speaker 1 (44:26):
AB it's the ACB man the ACB. And when once
you're in the ACB, you're you're basically in it for life.
You never know when you're going to get that call back.
Because I again, I had taken a break to move
to Sweden when when you talk about kids earlier, to
watch my kids grow up.
Speaker 3 (44:43):
And there was a.
Speaker 1 (44:45):
Six year period where I didn't tour with Alice, I
didn't tour on that level. I was doing stuff for
Gibson Guitars all across Europe. And stuff, but I was
keeping it more centralized and then I got that call
to come back. And it's been consistent every year since
twenty twelve, including the Dark Times of COVID. We toured
(45:06):
and we played every single year and we're looking forward
to going out there again this year and starting it
and in just a little while, with the Chris Angel
Show and the Alice's Attics Show, there'll be two shows
that are going on simultaneously throughout the year.
Speaker 2 (45:20):
So how does that work? Obviously, Chris Angel the Illusionist,
you know, yes, so is he opening for you guys
or are you going to No, it's.
Speaker 1 (45:30):
A combined it's a combined show where the first time
that if I know of that you're combining major illusions
with a rock and roll show. So it's basically Alice Cooper,
Chris Angel, ac ca, ac ca.
Speaker 3 (45:48):
See, it is.
Speaker 1 (45:49):
All intertwined and there's a backstory you know to it
as well, and we're just looking forward to getting in
there and doing that at Chris's Theater at Planet's Planet Hollywood,
and then we'll go back there and do shows throughout
the year. But you know, when we cheur as the
Live Alice Cooper Band, that'll be Alice's Addic show, which
(46:10):
is a brand new set, a lot of new set pieces,
and you what you would expect to see in Alice's
Addic if he had one.
Speaker 3 (46:19):
I've been to his house. He does not have one.
Speaker 1 (46:21):
But for the sake of for the sake of theater,
we have Alice's Addic in the show. So it's gonna
be a good one. Come out to see it. And
if you want to find out anything more about me,
just all my links, the new music that you're playing,
and all the videos and guitar lessons, podcasts, everything is
at Ryan roxy dot com.
Speaker 2 (46:42):
Awesome. And I see the closester coming to me with
Alice is Camden, New Jersey, So I may I don't
like going to Jersey all the time, but I think
that that may have to happen. I think Harrison needs
to see Alice Cooper live. I think that needs to happen.
Speaker 1 (46:56):
I think Harrison does. Yes, that would be a good idea.
Make sure you can reach out and get in touch.
Speaker 2 (47:02):
Awesome. I know I definitely will Ryan. It won't be
another seven years before we talk again. This was this
was a pleasure. Just thank you for taking I know
you say thank me for taking the time. But it's
it's just very cool. We talk about the how humble
Atlice is, but you're somebody. You know, there are people
in your position who've accomplished what you've accomplished. You aren't
(47:24):
as nice and as humble and as accessible as you,
and we're all just people and it's just very That's
why I keep doing this. That's why I'm like five
hundred and fifty one episodes because I get to talk
to people like you, people like I had snake pit
on my wall and now I'll get a chance to
talk to you and You're coolest shit. That's that's DIY shit.
Speaker 3 (47:44):
Well, thank you for that, man, Brando.
Speaker 1 (47:46):
It's guys like you to carry the torch and keep
it rolling for us, and I hope to see you
on episode seven hundred and seventy seven.
Speaker 3 (47:53):
Well that's what we'll make it, all right.
Speaker 2 (47:55):
I'll reserve that number for you, one hundred percent. As
far as guests coming up before were up up, Gary
Holt will be on the podcast hopefully because it's a
couple of years ago. He was supposed to come on
with scott Ian when Slayer we're touring with or Exodus
were touring with Anthrax and he fell on black ice
and hurt himself, so he missed the tour. I was
(48:16):
supposed to interview him before you, and then he lost
his voice. So I'm hoping it's not some sort of
curse with Gary.
Speaker 3 (48:23):
I hope.
Speaker 2 (48:26):
He should be on the should be on the podcast.
And Chris Weber, Uh, not the former Golden State Warrior,
but the former, the former Hollywood Rose guitars. Do you
know Chris at all?
Speaker 3 (48:37):
No? But I love his grills? Is that is that
a Weber grill?
Speaker 1 (48:40):
Right?
Speaker 2 (48:41):
I think he is a popular name anyway, So look
forward to those episodes. When will you see them? Well,
the words of AXL Rose concerning Chinese democracy, I don't
know as soon as the word, but you'll see it.
Thanks to the lame mass security, I'm going home.
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