transcript

Speaker 1:
[00:01] America's best network just got bigger. Switch to T-Mobile today and get built-in benefits the other guys leave out. Plus, our five-year price guarantee. And now, T-Mobile is available in US cellular stores.

Speaker 2:
[00:16] Best mobile network based on analysis by Oocliffe Speedtest Intelligence Data 2H 2025.

Speaker 1:
[00:20] Bigger network, the combination of T-Mobiles and US. Cellular Network footprints will enhance the T-Mobile network's coverage.

Speaker 2:
[00:24] Price guarantee on talk, text, and data. Exclusions like taxes and fees applied.

Speaker 1:
[00:28] Visit tmobile.com for details.

Speaker 3:
[00:30] Hey everyone, it's me, Morgan Stewart, and I have a new podcast called The Morgan Stewart Show. Join me each week as I talk about pop culture, fashion, my personal life, and just a warning, I'm going to be giving my opinion on everything. I'll also have some really fun guests to join in on the fun. The Morgan Stewart Show is out now. Listen and follow wherever you get your podcasts or watch full video on YouTube.

Speaker 2:
[00:50] Date nights when I show my love language, cheese. The OM. Cheeseburger at Applebee's is back with even more cheese. Served on a sizzling skillet of the meltiest, creamiest cheesiness of your dreams. I love you, cheese. Head to your nearest Applebee's to try the even cheesier OM. Cheeseburger for $11.99 or on the 2 for 25 menu. Dining only for a limited time, price and participation varies, no substitutions, offer valid per person per order.

Speaker 4:
[01:20] And now, prepare yourself for the only talk radio show you'll want to turn up. Crank this thing. SiriusXM Pandora presents the place where your hard rock and metal voice can still be heard.

Speaker 5:
[01:35] Unfiltered, uncensored, say whatever you want.

Speaker 6:
[01:38] Hit the record button.

Speaker 7:
[01:39] Anything can happen, you know.

Speaker 8:
[01:41] I know that ain't nobody out there came to be mellow tonight, now did you? I say, I say there ain't nobody. I say there ain't nobody not out there that even wants to be a little bit mellow.

Speaker 7:
[01:53] Now he's there.

Speaker 8:
[01:56] Anybody wants to get mellow, you can turn around and get the out of here, all right?

Speaker 4:
[02:01] This is the Trunk Nation Podcast with host Eddie Trunk.

Speaker 5:
[02:10] What's happening, everybody? It's Eddie Trunk and welcome to the Eddie Trunk Podcast, newsmaking interviews with the biggest names in rock and metal each and every week. Thank you for hanging with me as always. And remember everything you hear on the podcast originated on my SiriusXM radio show, Trunk Nation, heard live Monday through Friday on SiriusXM Channel 103. That's Faction Talk anytime live or on demand using the SiriusXM app. As I tell you all the time, if you only listen to this podcast and you're in the US or Canada, you're only getting a fraction of what I do on the radio live every day. Come on board and join me. If you want a free trial, just go to siriusxm.com/eddietrunk. You can get three months free with no credit card required. So you got nothing to lose. You're the full picture of everything I do on the radio every day, not just some cherry picked interviews that we bring you here on the podcast. Also big notice. I want to let you guys know, just came off Summer of 99 Cruise, just came off Monsters of Rock Cruise. And coming up this coming Saturday, if you happen to be in the Yuma, Arizona area, join me for a night with Cheap Trick at the Kaishan Hotel and Casino. My second time headed out to that venue and that casino. So come on board and join me for that. If you're in that area, it should be a lot of fun. Cheap Trick, always great. It's this coming Saturday, the 25th of April. Cheap Trick at the Kaishan. Can't wait to see you. Hope you make it if you're in that part of the world. It's actually Winter Haven, California, but the general area is known as Yuma, Arizona, where that venue is. All right, so this week on the podcast, I have for you Wes Scantlin from the band Puddle of Mudd. And joining Wes is his drummer, Robin Diaz. We did this one live in the SiriusXM Las Vegas Studio inside the Wynn. Wes has been living in Vegas for a bit, and he actually was playing very near to where I live in Vegas at a resort called The M, just off the Strip. So I went to the show and then invited Wes to come into the studio with me a couple of days later. And he brought his drummer, Robin, who was a phenomenal drummer. I did not know Robin Diaz prior to this conversation, but I watched him play and I was blown away by his playing. So I was glad that he came along. This is the second time I've interviewed Wes Scantlin, the first time I did it face to face. And I find him very entertaining and very funny, and very candid. And look, we know that Wes has had a lot of personal problems in his life. He's been arrested many times, he's had a lot of issues with substances. But I got to tell you, I'm rooting for the guy, because he feels like to me he's finally turning it around a little bit. And I truly hope that that's the case, because there's too many people from his era that we lost way too young. But as you hear, and you will hear in this interview, Wes was almost one of them. Talented guy, and again, I'm hoping he pulls through. Just after we did this interview, news came out that he was going to avoid jail time again from a past charge, so we got a little pass. So hopefully that's a good sign going forward as well. There is full video of this interview. If it's not already on YouTube, it will be, just search my page there at Eddie Trunk. So let's take you inside the SiriusXM studios at The Win in Las Vegas with drummer Robin Diaz and from Puddle of Mudd, Wes Scantlin. I'll tell you this, after this interview, Wes came up to me off the air and said to me, this was the best interview he ever did in his career, which meant a lot to me, but is also a credit to him for being so open and candid about some of the stuff he's gone through. Think you're going to like it. Even if you're not the biggest Puddle of Mudd fan, check this out. I think you'll enjoy the conversation. Here it is. All right, we're back and we are live from the SiriusXM studio inside the win in Las Vegas. And this is a little unexpected treat because until yesterday, I had no idea this was going to happen, but we were able to put it all together at the last minute and have in the studio with me, two members of Puddle of Mudd. We had this guy on on the phone last year. I think it was in July or something like that.

Speaker 7:
[06:57] Oh yeah.

Speaker 5:
[06:57] Because he was buying a lot of fireworks at the time. It was in July. Wes Scantlin, good to see you, man.

Speaker 7:
[07:04] Nice to see you both.

Speaker 5:
[07:05] Yeah man, thanks for coming by.

Speaker 7:
[07:07] Yeah man.

Speaker 5:
[07:07] And when Barbara, your manager, had said to me, hey, the drummer in the band is still going to be in town. Would you want him to come? I said, hell yeah, because I went to see you guys on Saturday. And dude, you blew me away, man. I seriously, I'm serious. And I could show you my cell phone of my friends that I was texting saying, I don't know who this drummer is, but this guy is bad ass. Seriously.

Speaker 9:
[07:33] Dude, please.

Speaker 5:
[07:34] I'm being dead serious. Robin Diaz is his name and he's right there. Hey man.

Speaker 9:
[07:39] Thank you very much for having me. And you know, I'm just happy about this album that we just did, which we're promoting today. The single Free just dropped.

Speaker 5:
[07:46] Yes, he's good. He went right into promo mode. You got him, Wes, you got him dialed in.

Speaker 9:
[07:51] Well, I'm stoked about it.

Speaker 7:
[07:53] Effortless.

Speaker 5:
[07:55] Well, seriously, man, the whole band was killer. And I was saying you guys played a big show at a resort here in Vegas called The M and tons of people there were sold out, right?

Speaker 7:
[08:07] Sold out.

Speaker 9:
[08:07] Overly sold, which was insane.

Speaker 5:
[08:09] Yeah, it was a big place, man. And there's so much going on in this town. Like every night there's three, four shows people could go to. So you got to feel really good about that, Wes. I mean, to come in here and do that kind of business. It's great, man.

Speaker 7:
[08:21] Yeah, that's nice, man.

Speaker 5:
[08:24] Yeah. How did you feel up there?

Speaker 7:
[08:25] We got paid and I'm pretty sure everybody got LAID.

Speaker 5:
[08:31] Oh, is that right? You got paid and you got laid. Yeah, you did. That's it. That's great, man. That's the trifecta. One other thing you need. You have the trifecta there.

Speaker 9:
[08:41] Yeah. So it's called Rock and Roll. Look it up. Sorry, Kevin Martin. That's my bro.

Speaker 5:
[08:47] Kevin Martin's your buddy from Candlebox?

Speaker 9:
[08:49] Yes.

Speaker 5:
[08:49] I was just joking about Kevin a minute ago because Kevin was on this show like two years ago about his farewell tour. I'm done. I'm done.

Speaker 9:
[08:56] 15 times over.

Speaker 5:
[08:58] And he's still coming back.

Speaker 9:
[09:00] Oh, yeah.

Speaker 5:
[09:01] I love him too. But I have this joke that I say with the audience all the time. I say no band ever ends because there's literally never a band that's ended.

Speaker 9:
[09:09] Well, if you know his wife, she's like, get the hell out of the house. Go tour. So that's Natalie.

Speaker 5:
[09:14] But when he was on with us a couple of years ago, the reason why he said he wasn't going to tour was to stay home around the wife.

Speaker 9:
[09:22] Yes. Yeah.

Speaker 5:
[09:23] You know how that goes. Yeah.

Speaker 9:
[09:25] What do you think I'm here?

Speaker 5:
[09:28] Are you married?

Speaker 9:
[09:29] Oh, yeah. 22 strong, baby.

Speaker 5:
[09:31] Oh, man. You might not be much longer after that comment, Robin.

Speaker 7:
[09:34] Oh, man.

Speaker 5:
[09:36] There's a theory. One of my really good friends was a Major League Baseball player, a Hall of Fame baseball player, Mike Piazza.

Speaker 7:
[09:44] Yeah. Oh, man. Go for it, dude.

Speaker 5:
[09:47] Mike's one of my best buddies. And Mike, you know, has been retired a number of years ago, a number of years now. And I said to Mike once, I was like, dude, why did these players that spend, like, from being little kids right on through, like, they retire 40 years old or whatever, they're on the road, right, their whole life doing the baseball circuit, right, minor leagues, everything. Then they make hundreds of millions of dollars and they retire. Instead of going, like, going, just chilling at home or whatever, they go right into, like, broadcasting and stuff where they have to be on the road again. And he looked at me and he goes, you know why? Because they just don't want to go home to what they got to go home to.

Speaker 7:
[10:32] No, that's true.

Speaker 9:
[10:33] It's like you have your suitcase as soon as you get home and you don't unpack it and then it's just like it's ready to go again. That's just the life of the road. I mean, that's just how it is. I mean, for the baseball players, the athlete to see their they become broadcasters and they gain more or it goes up their nose and they lose everything.

Speaker 5:
[10:52] Or you're just used to having everything taken care of.

Speaker 9:
[10:54] Of course. Yeah.

Speaker 5:
[10:55] You know, just like a band on the road. I mean, you guys have a tour manager, the hotel. It's like the idea of being home and having to bring the garbage out and everything is like, what the fuck, right? I mean, you kind of feel like that.

Speaker 7:
[11:06] That's crazy, man.

Speaker 9:
[11:08] Wes knows all about that.

Speaker 5:
[11:09] Over the years, I mean, Puddle of Mudd, like at your peak touring, how many shows were you knocking out a year about?

Speaker 7:
[11:16] In the beginning, I think we were doing about like probably 250 shows a year.

Speaker 5:
[11:22] I mean, that's globally. Globally, yeah.

Speaker 7:
[11:25] Yeah. Did you do the war? Everything back and forth, back and forth overseas, overseas, all around the whole entire planet, serving our people that were over there fighting for us.

Speaker 5:
[11:36] Oh, wow. And as a younger guy at that time, did you like that or did you feel it was too much at the time?

Speaker 7:
[11:42] I mean, I love the bunk on the bus, you know, that the little TV right there, you just cruise in there at night, you know, have the tour manager drop you an ambient and say, you got to do a radio show tomorrow acoustically, which I would have gladly did here. But anyway, yeah, 630 in the morning and everybody else is like, you know, hung over and falling out of their bunks and stuff and cracking their heads and stuff. So I'm just like, okay, and they give me a guitar and just go for it. And I'm like, all right, yeah. So that's fun stuff to me. I like that kind of stuff.

Speaker 5:
[12:16] Yeah, but I think about that, like I can't, I'm not a morning person at all. Like even this is early for me, I can't function in the morning. And I think about that all the time. Like I've done morning radio for a very short period of time, but they call guys like you to come up and say, yeah, we go on at 6 a.m. We need you there at 6.30 to sing Blurry. And you're like, what the?

Speaker 7:
[12:36] I've left the radio stations like in tears because my voice was just burnt.

Speaker 5:
[12:42] Well, I'm sure sometimes if it's really early, you probably never went to bed yet, right?

Speaker 7:
[12:46] Sometimes.

Speaker 5:
[12:47] Yeah, I would have done that. Like when I used to do mornings, I would do mornings and I would go home after the shift and go to sleep and then just sleep till like 5 p.m. Because there's no way I was waking up at three and getting on the radio and being all like, Hey, good morning, everybody. It's not going to work.

Speaker 9:
[13:03] No way.

Speaker 5:
[13:04] How could you do that? Like it was a night. You know, I treated.

Speaker 7:
[13:06] I'm plugging Dreamwater and Pure Z and Melatonin right now. Thank you very much, God.

Speaker 5:
[13:12] What is what is Dreamwater?

Speaker 7:
[13:15] I get it from the airport. It's just like it's a sleep shot.

Speaker 5:
[13:18] Really?

Speaker 7:
[13:19] Oh, yeah. You just slam it, man. And then I drop a little Melatonin gummies.

Speaker 5:
[13:23] I have a hard time sleeping. I need to know about that. I didn't know about that.

Speaker 7:
[13:26] What's up?

Speaker 5:
[13:28] You got people?

Speaker 7:
[13:28] Now that we got people going by.

Speaker 5:
[13:30] You were banging on the glass before. I said, by design, I went back to the glass. Where we are inside the wind, this studio has glass and people walking by. You can see it. So I'm intentionally keep my back there because it distracts me when I see people through the glass. But Wes, like an animal in a pet store, banging on the cage. Wes was out there banging on the cage.

Speaker 8:
[13:49] Get me out of here!

Speaker 5:
[13:51] Dreamwater, I need to look that up.

Speaker 7:
[13:53] Yeah, Dreamwater, Sleep Shot, Pure Z, Night Night.

Speaker 5:
[13:58] Really?

Speaker 9:
[13:58] That's true.

Speaker 7:
[14:00] 100%.

Speaker 9:
[14:01] Oh, Wes.

Speaker 5:
[14:02] Now are you...

Speaker 7:
[14:03] I didn't invent it, man.

Speaker 9:
[14:04] No, I know that.

Speaker 5:
[14:05] Are you sober now?

Speaker 7:
[14:06] Yeah, man.

Speaker 5:
[14:07] You're totally sober.

Speaker 7:
[14:08] Pellegrino.

Speaker 5:
[14:08] I don't mean like right now. I mean in your life.

Speaker 7:
[14:11] Yeah, I'm totally sober. I was partying back then. I'm just going crazy. And then you just gotta get yourself together, man. There's nothing you can do. You have to do it to, shoot, I'm 53 years old now. So man, it's your mind will and your body will just collapse.

Speaker 5:
[14:35] You know, before you came in, I asked you that because one of the other things people use for sleep is edibles, sleep edibles, but that's off the table for you, given that you're sober. But you know, to your point, I was talking earlier before you guys came in about this Chili Peppers documentary, which is really well done, but also super sad because it's all about Hillel Slovak, who died at 26 from a drug overdose. So I was saying that, man, like there's some of these guys that like, and then if you watch the doc, Anthony Kiedis admits his drug habit was just as bad, but somehow he survived it and came out the other side. Hillel did not. And it's just interesting, man, how some of the light comes on for some people and they turn that corner and then some people go down, man. But I'm happy for you, Wes, that you're on the other side of it, man. I mean, you've been through it.

Speaker 7:
[15:28] Incredible.

Speaker 5:
[15:28] Yeah, man.

Speaker 9:
[15:29] It's a support system and the guys in the band, we recognize that the disease he had, and it's like, you know, during rehearsals, before shows, even when we're home in LA, not doing anything musically, we try to stay on each other's asses to kind of like, you know, rally with Wes because we know that, you know, we have these shows coming up. And like, Wes has lived a hard life, we all know, but, you know, he's actually really trying. And I appreciate that being in this position, touring with Puddle of Mudd, because I normally just don't offer my services just for any band I record, but I've always been friends with Wes, maybe since he got to LA, and finally got to work on this album, and know the fight that he's trying to do to recover himself. That, I kind of fell in love with that, and then just jamming again in the room is like a magical moment, which is why we're here now. And I love looking at Wes being behind and seeing just destroying it every night on stage. Community came with the fans. Everywhere we go, there's still fans that love Wes. And that is like very heartfelt. And it's a beautiful story that Wes is bringing to the masses every day.

Speaker 5:
[16:37] Yeah, it's one of the reasons why I really was glad you were gonna come in today, because I wanted to do this after I saw the show, because I felt that. You know, I felt what Robin's talking about. And I've seen you live before. I mean, we've been on a ton of the same festivals. And I saw you at the Whiskey a few years ago and all that. But I don't know, man. Maybe you feel this as well. But I feel like you've really turned a corner here. I feel like you're like...

Speaker 7:
[17:04] There's nothing you can do, man, except just forget about the past and move on.

Speaker 5:
[17:10] Yeah, but even in terms of the popularity of the band, like that place that you played Saturday, that place was packed, man. And there was a great vibe in there. And so many people like wearing your T-shirts and stuff. It was like... Look, I've been doing this 43 years. I've been to a billion shows. But there was a real vibe in there, man. There was like a real, to Robin's point, a real love being projected towards you from that audience. Those people were really rooting for you. Did you feel that?

Speaker 7:
[17:38] Yeah, man. I mean, you get up there, you rip it, man. When your vocals are just on point and you just rip the mic up and then you feel it, and then you just go like, let's give it to everybody right now. Your brain just kicks in, the adrenaline rolls, and you just go for it. It's fun too, especially when it's working. So we'll keep it working for another, I don't know, another decade there.

Speaker 9:
[18:08] Damn right.

Speaker 7:
[18:10] He ain't gonna stop robbing, man. There's no way. He's a firecracker.

Speaker 5:
[18:13] So Robin, what's your back? So what I said was sincere when you walked in. I was like, I loved your playing, man. I was texting some of the show to some friends of mine, including one of my really good friends who's also an amazing drummer, Brian Tishy. I don't know if you know Brian.

Speaker 9:
[18:30] Oh yeah, I know Brian Tishy.

Speaker 5:
[18:31] But I was texting Brian, and Brian's like, yeah, who is that guy? I mean, he's badass. Cause I was waiting in the back, so he couldn't see. I didn't know who you were. But what is your background? You've played with a bunch of people, right? You've got a big history.

Speaker 9:
[18:41] Yeah, I mean, just growing up in LA, you just are in a circle of musicians and bands, and you meet producers and A&R people that are coming up. And then when you're one of the guys that like, I was just a squirrely non-drinking, non-druggy hyper kid that just wanted to play drums. I just wanted to play with as many bands I could, cause that was my life, ride or die. And you know, I started out, you know, how we met is I got to do demos with Bruce Fairburn, Gene and Paul at the Alleyway that used to be on Lancashire. And we talked about that. And Tommy Thayer brought me in. It was at Cole rehearsal, cause Peter wasn't there yet. It's just the beginning of getting them back. And I remember Tommy Thayer comes in and say, Hey kid, you come play with drums with us? Like Paul and Gene, we need someone to do some demos. And little did you know, I'm a huge fucking fanatic of... I'm sorry for cussing.

Speaker 5:
[19:38] You can.

Speaker 9:
[19:38] Oh, huge Kiss fanatic, but who isn't? But it was cool. It was a moment that was short-lived in time.

Speaker 5:
[19:45] Wait, was that like a big turning point for you?

Speaker 9:
[19:47] Oh, absolutely.

Speaker 5:
[19:48] So that's like what, like 96?

Speaker 9:
[19:50] 96, 97.

Speaker 5:
[19:51] So you're how old?

Speaker 9:
[19:53] God, this time, 22, 23.

Speaker 5:
[19:56] You just happened to be knocking around the studio?

Speaker 9:
[19:58] I was at Cole rehearsal. And it's like where I met Wes, every band rehearsed, Kiss is in the back, the Peppers were there when they just got Dave. And it's just the place where you rehearsed. And then you knew everybody. And it's just, I don't know, it's just a breeding ground for bands and musicians. But it was just a moment that they said, come meet us at the alley. And the first time I met Bruce Fairburn, it was a four-track recording. It was just like some songs, like Into the Void and demos. And but it's like, that was a moment that it was like, it was cool. I did it and moved on. And I had my at the time, my band Liar's Inc. We were assigned to Columbia, Tim Devine. And that's why it was there. This short lived is that I had a band Liar's Inc. And then Paul and Gene Tommy said, come down and do some songs. It was cool.

Speaker 5:
[20:45] Was there any other, any talk at that point about you doing the record because it's well known that Peter's only on one track. The record's Kevin Valentine.

Speaker 9:
[20:52] Yep. Yeah. Well, as I was leaving, Kevin came in. It was just a favor. I mean, I just did demos. Kevin actually did the album. He actually recorded the album. I think he produced it as well. No, Bruce Fariburn with Mike Plotnikoff. That's right.

Speaker 5:
[21:05] Right, right, right. But you've been more of a session dude. Or so you played with like tons of people.

Speaker 9:
[21:11] I was in the fuck. This is about Puddle of Mudd.

Speaker 5:
[21:14] No, I know. But I want to get your story.

Speaker 7:
[21:16] No, it's cool. I love hearing this, man. It's insane.

Speaker 5:
[21:19] You're here, I got to talk to you.

Speaker 9:
[21:20] No, I know. I was in Daughtry for five years, from 2009 to 2014. Then I left Daughtry, joined Hole for 2014 to 15, 16. Then I played with Billy Corgan for a while. Went to Chicago, recorded like seven songs with Billy and Howard Willing. Then from there, I joined Bauhaus and I was with Candlebox. I played with Candlebox for like maybe five years.

Speaker 5:
[21:49] So really eclectic too, like all different kinds of stuff. And Wes, where did you connect with him?

Speaker 7:
[21:55] All right. So look, when Fred Durst signed me and flew me to LA, and then they slammed us in the Cole Studios, we had we had tryouts, you know, because Fred just hits like audition come by yourself. Yeah. And so we had these auditions and there was like, I don't know, 50 50 drummers, man, going down off this of was that road, whatever the hell studio get ready.

Speaker 10:
[22:22] Oh, Bill's place, Bill's place.

Speaker 7:
[22:23] Oh, shoot.

Speaker 9:
[22:24] Sherman Oaks, Sherman, Sherman Way.

Speaker 7:
[22:26] So anyway, Robin was like, we videotaped all the drummers and stuff, you know. And so we had me and Doug Ardito, the old bass player. He's a great guy, but amazing musician of course. But so Robin, Greg Upchurch, who's he went to like three doors down and God bless Brad in heaven.

Speaker 9:
[22:52] Yeah, totally.

Speaker 7:
[22:54] So Robin is now, he almost made it into Puddle of Mudd and now he is in Puddle of Mudd. A few decades, perhaps later, even more later, which is glorious to me.

Speaker 5:
[23:09] Let me ask you about this.

Speaker 7:
[23:10] I actually picked him.

Speaker 5:
[23:11] Yeah. So you've had a lot of different people in and out of the band over the years. But let me ask you about the rest of this current lineup because they were also killer. So because you had at one point, Miles Shawn playing with you, right? He's not any longer.

Speaker 7:
[23:24] Yeah.

Speaker 5:
[23:25] Or at least he didn't the other night. It wasn't him up there.

Speaker 9:
[23:27] No.

Speaker 5:
[23:27] So who's the band now besides Robin?

Speaker 7:
[23:31] We got Robin Diaz and we got Clay. You tell them.

Speaker 9:
[23:36] My buddy, Clay Davies, who is from Canada, but he's been in LA for over 20 years. He's a producer, songwriter, wicked guitar player, and actually one of his favorite bands literally is Puddle of Mudd. So when the transition was happening with Miles, you know, Wes and Robin brought Clay and brought him in. Yeah. The short of it is I brought him in and he was cool.

Speaker 7:
[24:02] Then we got Michael Anthony Jaworski, if I pronounce it correctly. So I actually have Michael Anthony in there. God bless Miles, Miles, Sean and his son and everything, and he's doing the right thing. He's out here.

Speaker 9:
[24:18] Wicked musician, great human being.

Speaker 7:
[24:20] Which is wild that we're here now and he lives here now. But we all live.

Speaker 5:
[24:24] Miles, Sean.

Speaker 7:
[24:25] Yeah, Miles, Sean.

Speaker 5:
[24:26] So why is he not in the band now? Did he opt to?

Speaker 7:
[24:29] We have to rehearse. You know, we got to keep our chops up. And so Robin's there and, you know, and I can sleep on Clay's couch in the studio. And where the heck is that at?

Speaker 9:
[24:42] He lives behind Sound City. He has a huge rehearsal room behind Sound City.

Speaker 7:
[24:47] There's a Batcave in there, dude.

Speaker 9:
[24:49] It's just everyone's local now, you know. That's all it is. It's nothing to get. Miles is an amazing, talented musician, great songwriter, great singer, all the above. But it's like when there's moments when, you know, Wes can get a call for a corporate gig, or he can get a call to quickly open up for somebody. And we just got to be there. It's like, it's the business. It's as much as fun as rock and roll it is, it's still a business. Meaning you got to be there.

Speaker 5:
[25:13] Say that all the time.

Speaker 9:
[25:14] You know, it's like, you know, people, feelings get hurt. But when the manager says, hey guys, we need to fly out tomorrow. We have this show. We need to get Wes in a room. Let's rehearse. Well, guess what? When everyone's not around, you're fucked. And it's like, I'm not going to get on stage and let's rehearse. I don't do that.

Speaker 5:
[25:29] Yeah. Do you get a lot of calls for corporate gigs?

Speaker 7:
[25:32] Yeah. Barbara does.

Speaker 5:
[25:34] Yeah.

Speaker 7:
[25:35] Yeah.

Speaker 5:
[25:35] I just went to one here last week on Thursday. I tell my audience about this all the time. Like you would not believe what goes on at some of these corporate gigs. Yeah.

Speaker 9:
[25:47] Money, money, money.

Speaker 5:
[25:48] Money, yeah.

Speaker 7:
[25:49] But party time.

Speaker 5:
[25:50] Party time.

Speaker 9:
[25:51] That too.

Speaker 5:
[25:51] This thing was at the Mandalay Bay in the arena and it was Home Depot. You need to get some of this action, Wes. You listening, Barbara? I can now try to connect you for next year. Home Depot does an event here once a year where they bring in the manager of every Home Depot, say the 2,500 Home Depot managers in the arena. And the band was actually Royal Machines.

Speaker 9:
[26:18] Oh, yeah. Wicked.

Speaker 5:
[26:19] But they brought out the rotating cast of singers. So here comes Sammy Hagar for three songs. Yeah. Here comes Corey Taylor for three songs.

Speaker 9:
[26:28] Wow.

Speaker 5:
[26:28] Here comes Tone Loake for three songs.

Speaker 7:
[26:31] Nice.

Speaker 5:
[26:31] You know, it was a mix of everything.

Speaker 9:
[26:34] I would have been there.

Speaker 7:
[26:35] It was Thursday night and I would have gone to that show.

Speaker 5:
[26:38] Were you here?

Speaker 7:
[26:39] No. Oh, were we here? I would have been there, man, for real.

Speaker 5:
[26:44] Yeah. Well, you would have liked they totally gotten you up.

Speaker 7:
[26:47] I would have rocked.

Speaker 5:
[26:48] You could have sang something and you would have maybe walked out of there with a little something.

Speaker 7:
[26:52] Shit. I live here now.

Speaker 5:
[26:56] You live here now and on his sofa, it sounds like.

Speaker 7:
[26:59] No, he lives.

Speaker 9:
[26:59] He's a vagabond. He's everywhere.

Speaker 5:
[27:01] Oh, Clay. I got you.

Speaker 7:
[27:02] I got like five places to go, man.

Speaker 9:
[27:04] He has five places.

Speaker 7:
[27:05] And I can see that I have a lot of seat at my manager's place.

Speaker 9:
[27:10] OK, she has a big, beautiful home here in Vegas, but there's a back house.

Speaker 7:
[27:13] My driver's outside in the triple slide out, a 45 foot Western Alpine coach. And it's not ready to roll.

Speaker 5:
[27:21] You're rolling large is what you're saying in Vegas.

Speaker 7:
[27:24] There's only thirty eight thousand dollars with forty thousand miles on it.

Speaker 5:
[27:27] Do you gamble?

Speaker 7:
[27:29] I'm up. I'm up. We played craps last night.

Speaker 5:
[27:33] Life for sure.

Speaker 7:
[27:34] The guy fell over, dude. The guy at the craps table last night. I think it was like, what, twelve thirty. And I'm like, up. This dude seriously collapsed and like fell over. And then he got back up.

Speaker 5:
[27:48] Wait, why does it collapse?

Speaker 7:
[27:50] I have no clue. I don't know the dude.

Speaker 9:
[27:52] Well, it's Vegas, Eddie.

Speaker 1:
[27:54] The dude fell over.

Speaker 7:
[27:55] Yeah, he was seriously, you know, and then they got the other dude.

Speaker 5:
[27:59] Where was this? Was this at the M?

Speaker 7:
[28:01] This was at the pyramid.

Speaker 5:
[28:03] Luxor.

Speaker 7:
[28:04] The pyramid, yeah. Luxor, thank you. It's nice, I like it. But the guy fell over at the cracks table, the cracks table, and then the dude that picked the guy up, he had, according to my manager over here, he had two bindles of like fucking cocaine fall out of his pocket.

Speaker 9:
[28:22] Literally.

Speaker 7:
[28:22] And then fucking, he picked the dude up, the cocaine fell out, and the dude has $100 bill dangling from like a little tiny string in his fucking, in his pocket. And then I go around to his like Asian wife, I think he had two of them actually, which was exciting. And I was like, I tapped her on the-

Speaker 5:
[28:39] Coke, money, two wives.

Speaker 9:
[28:41] Or let's just say, that's where-

Speaker 7:
[28:41] And we're sober, and we're up, you know, we're fine, and you know, she's laughing, we got the dog, we got Sophie, she's always there.

Speaker 5:
[28:49] You had a dog in the casino.

Speaker 7:
[28:50] Yeah, we got the dog in there, man.

Speaker 9:
[28:51] That's Wes, they allow it everywhere.

Speaker 7:
[28:52] They don't care. And then I tapped her on the shoulder, she comes around, I go, do you want to see something funny? And she's like, oh yeah, I want to see something funny.

Speaker 8:
[29:00] Okay, let me show, show me something.

Speaker 7:
[29:02] I'm like, did your friend just fall over, has a hundred dollar bill hanging out of his fucking pocket, and his bro over here just had two bottles of fucking cocaine fall out of his fucking pocket, and he kicked it under the fucking table. And I didn't even see any of this shit except for the dude fall over.

Speaker 9:
[29:19] Everyone saw him.

Speaker 7:
[29:19] And then the lady, the Asian lady, God bless her, she's trying to hold this cat up, man. And I'm just like trying to like, you know, hard eight, hard ten, like I'm trying to learn how to do craps and stuff, which I'm up on, by the way. Thank you God. Anyway, and that that that happened. And then, you know, and then we went Pure Z, Dreamwater, out. And now we're here.

Speaker 5:
[29:45] See, I'm very proud of you because you didn't reach for the Bindle of Coke.

Speaker 9:
[29:48] Oh, trust it. We were very shocked. We were very happy.

Speaker 7:
[29:52] No way.

Speaker 5:
[29:53] That's what I'm saying. You went for Pure Z instead of what you got all out of the guy's pocket.

Speaker 9:
[29:56] Well, it's funny, Eddie. He actually said that.

Speaker 7:
[29:57] He's like, the dude retrieved his hundo. He went for the money, but not the smoke.

Speaker 9:
[30:03] I could have just snapped it.

Speaker 7:
[30:05] I could have snapped it right there.

Speaker 9:
[30:06] He put it back in his pocket. He tapped it in.

Speaker 5:
[30:09] My gosh, Wes is a reformed man.

Speaker 8:
[30:11] And I'm not lying, he's amazing.

Speaker 9:
[30:13] He said this morning.

Speaker 7:
[30:14] It was hanging on a thread. It was hilarious. I'm like, because I don't steal from people, but I've had a run ins with a bunch of just their souls. Well, and there is a stage. Oh, man. God will take care of him. Believe me. But anyway, a hundred men. So I just tapped his wife, put it back in his pocket, and they continue to literally tap his wife. They had paramedics outside, like right around the whole entire crap stable, man, for real. And they were all standing there and then they had like security. And then they allowed the dude to keep playing. And I thought they were going to yank him, but they let him play, man.

Speaker 5:
[30:49] Money is money, man.

Speaker 9:
[30:50] Yes, money is money.

Speaker 5:
[30:51] Do you have a dog here now, by the way? I just heard a dog barking outside the studio.

Speaker 7:
[30:57] I know, that's Sophie, man.

Speaker 5:
[30:58] Your dog is out there?

Speaker 9:
[30:59] Little Sophie, yes.

Speaker 7:
[31:00] She's everywhere. I take her everywhere.

Speaker 5:
[31:02] So she's...

Speaker 9:
[31:03] It's a little thing.

Speaker 5:
[31:04] Oh, so Jeremiah is saying she's staying out there because it's barking. All right, I got you.

Speaker 9:
[31:09] She's barking at the moon.

Speaker 5:
[31:10] I got you. I got you. Wow. So that is quite a gambling story there, Wes.

Speaker 7:
[31:14] Yeah. Hey, we won.

Speaker 9:
[31:16] Well, here's the story. Here's what's endearing about Wes. This is like the old Wes. I would have easily taken that coke and said, guys, I'm going to do an Irish goodbye. And we're like, we're very proud of you, Wes. He didn't take it.

Speaker 5:
[31:26] Yeah.

Speaker 7:
[31:27] I didn't even see it drop.

Speaker 5:
[31:29] You know, well, that's good.

Speaker 7:
[31:32] Barbara didn't let me know that either. Thank God.

Speaker 9:
[31:35] That's why she's the man.

Speaker 7:
[31:36] I still would have passed.

Speaker 5:
[31:38] Was in your non sober days, was that your vice coke?

Speaker 7:
[31:42] Yeah, I do some snaps and I would do. I do a lot of stuff.

Speaker 5:
[31:48] Yeah, I've never done a drug in my life. Not so neither shoes, but I just don't know it.

Speaker 7:
[31:51] Yeah, I did some snaps and, you know, I grew up, my brother and his friends were like five years older than me. So when I was like about nine that, you know, everybody was partying and stuff, you know, growing up and stuff like that. So I started really, really early. And then, you know, that happened and everything. And I've been going to AA since I was like 10 years old, taking my mom and dad to Alcoholics Anonymous and stuff like that.

Speaker 5:
[32:20] So it's in your family.

Speaker 7:
[32:21] Yeah, I mean, I was driving them to Alcoholics Anonymous when I was 10 years old, you know. And so I'd go there and I'd hang out at the AA halls and everything. And I'd just, you know, sit there and wait for my dad. And I'd go into some meetings and stuff like that. I've been going to AA for like, shoot, man, frick, man, I'm 53 now. So I was, yeah, so that's like 43 years.

Speaker 5:
[32:44] I don't mean to be totally ignorant about this, but is AA, the name, obviously Alcoholics Anonymous, is that, does that also help for drug addiction or is that just alcohol?

Speaker 7:
[32:54] Yeah, they got, they got Cocaine Anonymous, they got Narcotics Anonymous, they got Alcoholics Anonymous. And in my experience in the last 43 years, I, you know, I love the program. I just don't think it's very anonymous, especially since I've dated a couple of chicks on the 13th step, as they call it.

Speaker 9:
[33:17] That's what they call it.

Speaker 7:
[33:17] And they do these like after meeting conversations and stuff and they like all get together and they chat and stuff online and together, like email, whatever the heck they do.

Speaker 9:
[33:29] It's like a group therapy session to help each other kind of cope and get through it.

Speaker 7:
[33:32] Yeah, what is the pap bullshit?

Speaker 9:
[33:34] The chicks get 13 steps because I grew up taking friends to AA as well. I mean, LA., Hollywood, it's a three block fucking business. That's how big the business is, three blocks. And everyone's in AA and everyone wants you to take him and everyone thinks you have a problem. It works for some, but it doesn't work for any. Like my parents are both dead from drugs, which is why I don't do it. It's fine.

Speaker 5:
[33:53] But you never had a problem, though?

Speaker 9:
[33:54] No, no way, dude. I seen it.

Speaker 5:
[33:56] See, that's really impressive because it was in your family and it didn't go to you.

Speaker 7:
[34:01] Same with Wes.

Speaker 9:
[34:02] Unfortunately, it didn't pass Wes.

Speaker 5:
[34:03] No, you said Wes. It was in your family, though, right?

Speaker 7:
[34:05] Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 5:
[34:06] So you started super young.

Speaker 7:
[34:08] My parents actually were sober for like 30 years.

Speaker 5:
[34:12] Wow.

Speaker 7:
[34:12] And then they hit like 70. And then they just started drinking again.

Speaker 5:
[34:17] Really?

Speaker 7:
[34:17] Absolutely, yeah.

Speaker 5:
[34:18] Wow.

Speaker 9:
[34:19] They're like, fuck it. We're going to enjoy life.

Speaker 7:
[34:20] Yeah, whatever's left. Now they're partying again.

Speaker 9:
[34:22] Exactly.

Speaker 5:
[34:23] Wow. That's unbelievable, man. Yeah, it's odd. And I mean, I don't want to make myself sound like some goody two shoes guy, because I'll have a drink every once in a while. But it's funny, man, I've been in this business. This is my 43rd year professionally. I started at 18 years old. And I never ever, I guess I don't, it's a gene. Like you said, Robin, it's a sickness if you got it wired in your brain. For me, if somebody said to me tomorrow, I could never touch a drink, I couldn't care less. And I never did drugs. Of course, yeah. Only recently, only recently, in the last five years, this is why I brought up the edible thing. Because here in this town, there is on every corner, illegal weed, right?

Speaker 9:
[35:06] Of course.

Speaker 5:
[35:06] And I will not inhale anything, cigarettes, anything, because I make my living like you, I speak, you sing, right?

Speaker 9:
[35:12] Yes.

Speaker 5:
[35:12] And I feel it immediately if I inhale something. I don't like to inhale anything, right? Right. But my friend said, because I have a hard time turning my head off to go to sleep. It's like, are you ADD? Maybe.

Speaker 9:
[35:25] Just fucking water.

Speaker 5:
[35:27] I just can't, I can't stop thinking of shit.

Speaker 9:
[35:29] Same here.

Speaker 5:
[35:29] Can't turn my head off.

Speaker 9:
[35:30] TM, meditation, TM.

Speaker 7:
[35:32] Here's the even melatonin.

Speaker 5:
[35:35] Well, I've done all that too. But somebody said you should try these, these edibles made just for sleep. Barbara, you might want to go out there and put the dog sounds like it's getting aggressively bad.

Speaker 7:
[35:47] Shush, man.

Speaker 5:
[35:49] Whatever you can go out, you can maybe just make sure it's cool or bring it in or go out or whatever.

Speaker 7:
[35:54] Hold the dog.

Speaker 9:
[35:56] She's harmless.

Speaker 5:
[35:57] She didn't have to kneel. I know.

Speaker 7:
[35:58] Why are you kneeling?

Speaker 5:
[36:00] She crawled out like a dog. You don't worry about it.

Speaker 7:
[36:02] Sexy time, sexy time.

Speaker 5:
[36:06] Anyway, the edible thing, somebody said, you know, you should try that. You don't have to smoke it. It'll help turn your head off. Maybe go to sleep.

Speaker 9:
[36:13] Right.

Speaker 5:
[36:13] I've done that a few times.

Speaker 9:
[36:14] How does it work?

Speaker 5:
[36:16] It does, but the thing with edibles is, you got to make sure, first of all, I'd only get them like from a legit dispensary, right?

Speaker 9:
[36:24] Right.

Speaker 5:
[36:25] And the other thing is, you can also, I have had a couple of times where, maybe it's because of what I ate or didn't eat, where it kind of like, you get a bad hangover from it. Like where it's supposed to be six, maybe six, seven hours max before it expires. I've had it where like for 15 hours, like not right. So if I ever do it, I have to know, like I'll never do it on a day where I have to be on the radio the next day. Right. So a Friday night or Saturday night, I might try it because if I'm zonked out the whole day, not a big deal. But if I got to come on the air and talk for a few hours, I've had that happen where I'm like, I'm outside slapping myself in the face because it just doesn't, it hangs in too long.

Speaker 9:
[37:09] How long does it stay in your system? I don't know.

Speaker 5:
[37:11] Well, it's not supposed to be that long, but.

Speaker 7:
[37:14] 30, 39 days.

Speaker 5:
[37:16] No, come on. You're not an edible.

Speaker 7:
[37:18] THC?

Speaker 9:
[37:19] I have no, well, this is different.

Speaker 7:
[37:21] THC stays in your body for 45 days.

Speaker 5:
[37:22] This is THC, THC just did.

Speaker 9:
[37:24] And we know this because here's why we're, what's great about this and with Wes is he every week has to check in with, we have.

Speaker 7:
[37:32] Well, my two homies, Tim, I love you guys, man.

Speaker 9:
[37:36] Yeah, so.

Speaker 5:
[37:36] So where do they like your sponsors?

Speaker 7:
[37:38] Yeah, that is basically and they're like, they're just, you know, they're, they're making sure I'm keeping on the right, you know, on the right zone. They're wonderful people. I love them. And, you know, I can't wait to see them again. Actually, I just been in Vegas for a little while doing this promotional stuff.

Speaker 5:
[37:53] How did you connect with those guys?

Speaker 7:
[37:56] Well, you know, I just this this some weird it's it's a it always. So my life always surrounds about psychotic women and they just pull some weird stuff. They freak out because I'm a rock star and all this stuff. And I'm always on tour. And I think I'm cheating and all this crap, but I'm not doing shit wrong.

Speaker 9:
[38:16] Is the opposite of that.

Speaker 7:
[38:16] Yeah. And I'm just like, and then, you know, next thing you know, they're like calling the cops. That's basically what happened that day. Somebody since OJ killed Nicole Brown Simpson and the other Ron Burgundy dude, like ever since. I don't think they're not. I'm going to be whatever his name was, man. Sorry about the dude. I feel for the families. But of course, ever since OJ did that or whoever did it, Robins, they switched.

Speaker 5:
[38:42] Ron Burgundy was a comedy, like in a comedy. It was like.

Speaker 9:
[38:47] Santiago, the whale's vagina. I watched it the other night in the hotel.

Speaker 5:
[38:51] What is it? What's the movie? What's the movie?

Speaker 9:
[38:53] Ron Burgundy.

Speaker 5:
[38:53] The Anchorman.

Speaker 9:
[38:55] The Anchorman.

Speaker 5:
[38:55] Thank you.

Speaker 9:
[38:56] Ron Burgundy, the Anchorman, which is so amazing.

Speaker 7:
[38:58] They changed the law when O.J.'s. When Nicole.

Speaker 9:
[39:03] I love you, Wes.

Speaker 7:
[39:04] I'm telling you the truth, man. They changed the law. So somebody has to go down. So whoever calls the cops goes down. So I had to get incarcerated and go to a dungeon. So now I get to see these wonderful people, Tim and Tim. And it's a met those people in jail. No, no, no. I met some. They were assigned to him. I met some some serial killers in jail. You know, are you serious? Oh, absolutely, man. I was on. Yeah, they put me in like lock, man. So he was there. I was in there for about a week and a half. And then, yeah, so you were in a cell with serial killers. Yeah, I was in with serial killers, man. And they were cool. They were cool. You know, they were waiting. I mean, as far as being with serial killers, you know, they just slam me.

Speaker 5:
[39:50] Like they were your cellmates.

Speaker 7:
[39:51] No, no, no.

Speaker 5:
[39:52] They weren't actually next door.

Speaker 7:
[39:53] They were right next to me. So the whole thing is just insane. But, you know, I made it through there. The food in the Twin Towers is insanely weird. So I'm desperately trying to not go back to jail.

Speaker 5:
[40:07] Yeah, no, no. We don't want you back there.

Speaker 7:
[40:09] Please, God, no.

Speaker 5:
[40:10] Yeah, yeah. We don't want you back there. Not at all. I'm happy for you turning your life around here. And we're all pulling for you, man. We don't want you back there. It's always, you know, hearing these stories, there's always interesting to people. But the bottom line is we want you good, man. We want you solid.

Speaker 9:
[40:26] We all do, yes.

Speaker 5:
[40:27] Everyone's pulling for you, man, because you've been through it. Absolutely. You have a book in you, dude?

Speaker 7:
[40:32] Yeah, I got plenty of books. Me and my brother are gonna be working on it.

Speaker 5:
[40:35] I was going to say you got a series of books, but you haven't done one yet, right?

Speaker 7:
[40:39] He's doing it now, man. He gets up at four o'clock in the morning and he just goes and starts writing and he'll call me. And I'm telling him about other stories that he forgot about and all kinds of other insane situations.

Speaker 5:
[40:54] Is it your story or his story or you?

Speaker 7:
[40:56] It's like a combo platter of me and his life.

Speaker 9:
[40:58] Their childhood and where he's at.

Speaker 7:
[41:00] Growing up and everything. And he was around the whole time when, you know, Puddle of Mudd was just my musical career and his life and our lives together. Growing up and stuff. So it's just kind of like a maybe we should just call it brotherhood. Yeah.

Speaker 5:
[41:15] No, that's that's that's really cool. I look forward to reading that. And then we're going to talk about the new record and the new song here in the new video, which came out today free here in a second. But one other thing on this, you said you started down that road really young and it was in your family. Then you hit huge with Puddle of Mudd, you know, 25 years ago, that record sold a few million copies, you know, three, four huge songs. They're still playing today. Did, I mean, that's when people, if they're going to go off the rails, that's usually when it happens. But you already were having like, so I would imagine success and fame then coming into the equation probably set you off even more, or did you pull back a little bit?

Speaker 7:
[42:02] In the beginning, in the signing process, I was actually really, really good. Then you live in Hollywood, and you're just thrown into Hollywood, California, and you're in all of a sudden, this one lady, I think her name was Danielle, she goes, she worked with Jimmy Iveen and did a bunch of videos, a bunch of great stuff, but she said, look out for the lurkers, like watch out for the thieves and the lurkers.

Speaker 9:
[42:35] Bottom feeders.

Speaker 7:
[42:36] And the bottom feeders, and they're all over the place out there. They're definitely all over the place out here in Vegas too, believe me, and yeah, so I didn't watch my own back enough, and I kind of fucked it all up.

Speaker 5:
[42:52] Right, because then you start, now you have a record deal, now you got hit records, now you're on MTV every minute, now you got money, and now you got people coming up to you, I'm sure. Because you're Wes from Puddle of Mudd, what do you need, dude, anything you need, and it'd be really, even if you didn't have past problems growing up in your family, I would think that's a really, really hard thing. You gotta have some real strength and discipline to say no to those things, because I'm sure the world was being offered to you at that time.

Speaker 7:
[43:22] Yeah, it still is, but you know, just keep the lurkers away, keep the bad people away. And believe me, I've been around the most incredibly insane mass murderers, like weird, weird, weird people.

Speaker 5:
[43:42] In jail or outside of jail?

Speaker 7:
[43:44] Outside of jail and in jail. Yeah, I believe that. Crazy motherfuckers, man. I remember a while ago. I won't even mention their name or else I'll get shot in the head like tomorrow.

Speaker 5:
[43:55] Did you ever feel your life was in danger?

Speaker 7:
[43:57] Never.

Speaker 5:
[43:58] Really?

Speaker 7:
[43:58] Absolutely not.

Speaker 9:
[43:59] That's amazing.

Speaker 5:
[44:00] So you made a, did you kind of feel like you made a connection with these people to be safe?

Speaker 7:
[44:05] They will never touch me.

Speaker 5:
[44:07] Why do you feel that though?

Speaker 7:
[44:08] Because I just know they won't. Because they know that I'm not like a, like a little, like a narc. I don't like snitch. Right, right. So they won't, they won't fuck with me.

Speaker 5:
[44:16] You mean, and they're on the outside now too?

Speaker 7:
[44:18] I don't speak to them very much anymore.

Speaker 5:
[44:20] Because they're not in jail.

Speaker 7:
[44:21] I'm straight and narrow, so.

Speaker 5:
[44:23] But they're not in jail anymore.

Speaker 7:
[44:24] These cats? Yeah. They were on death row.

Speaker 5:
[44:28] Oh, well, then they're worse.

Speaker 7:
[44:29] I don't know. They could be. They got, they probably get out maybe. But I don't know. They fight their case and everything and go back and forth. But anyway, yeah, I meant I don't hang out with those people like that anymore. But they ain't going to come try to smoke me or anything like that. I'm not tripping. You know, it's OK.

Speaker 5:
[44:47] Do you feel like all the stuff about you that's is is do you feel that in some ways, you're kind of misunderstood in some ways? Do you feel like you've become maybe a target like now, no matter what you do because of the past stuff, people are going to kind of like, oh, that's Wes fucking up again. Even as perfect example, you just told the story about you're gambling, you're minding your own business the other night, guy next to you passes out, cocaine falls out of his thing. There's Wes Scantlin next to him. Wes must have had something to do with that, too.

Speaker 7:
[45:15] Right.

Speaker 9:
[45:15] Absolutely.

Speaker 7:
[45:15] Exactly. If I'm like even in a shot, and I'm just standing there just chilling, having a burger at like a restaurant or something, and somebody snaps a picture of me and a girl that I'm dating looks at the picture on the Internet, and me and that chick and all the other chicks and anybody else in the picture, we're all fucking and we're going to an orgy. And we're going to an orgy, seriously, bro.

Speaker 9:
[45:47] That's not a bad thing.

Speaker 7:
[45:48] No, that's terrible.

Speaker 5:
[45:51] Orgy's are terrible?

Speaker 7:
[45:52] I don't want to go to no orgy, man.

Speaker 8:
[45:55] Well, in AA, there's no orgy.

Speaker 5:
[45:57] I don't know, I've not done a lot of the things you've done, Wes, maybe you're going to tell me something I don't know.

Speaker 7:
[46:00] No, there's no orgy's, man. You guys can all do your porn orgy stuff. I'm out, dude, I'm way out of that shit. No way, man.

Speaker 5:
[46:09] You're saying it like it happened and you've moved past it. It's never happened.

Speaker 9:
[46:13] So he hasn't moved past it.

Speaker 5:
[46:14] I'm sure it was offered to you.

Speaker 7:
[46:15] Well, put it in the book.

Speaker 5:
[46:17] Yeah, the book, definitely. Don't talk about the guys that want to clip you, though, in the book, though. You don't want to out them.

Speaker 7:
[46:23] No.

Speaker 5:
[46:23] No, keep them out of the pages. You don't want to do that.

Speaker 7:
[46:26] No, thank you.

Speaker 5:
[46:27] Well, one last thing on this and then we'll get into talking about this.

Speaker 7:
[46:29] You want to talk about Diaz, the Diaz bros? We don't want to talk about Diaz.

Speaker 5:
[46:36] It sounds like something out of Scarface, the Diaz brothers. Is that what Pacino said in Scarface? Fuck the Diaz brothers.

Speaker 7:
[46:43] You got to talk about the Buckers, man, that I don't even really know anymore. Check this cat out, Robin Diaz.

Speaker 5:
[46:48] Yeah, we got Robin down on the end there, Mr. Innocent. Robin's got some stories.

Speaker 9:
[46:52] I'm observing.

Speaker 5:
[46:54] The session musician who went crazy.

Speaker 7:
[46:55] You think I got weird friends?

Speaker 5:
[46:58] The Diaz brothers are insane.

Speaker 7:
[46:59] This cat, man, grew up with everybody.

Speaker 9:
[47:01] Oh my God.

Speaker 5:
[47:02] Who did you grow up with, Robin?

Speaker 9:
[47:03] Nobody. My family were Mongols. I grew up in a Mongol family in LA, just from Southgate, Mexican-American family. That's why, hence, don't do drugs. Don't do drugs, kids. No, I was telling them a story. My dad and mom, when Helter Skelter came out, and I think in 78, 79, it came out of an NBC, ABC. I remember my mom calls us in, goes, hey, Carlos, that crazy man they used to take drugs to, they made a movie about him. It was like Charlie Manson. My dad told us and the kids all about, I take drugs to spawn ranch in exchange for the women. But we heard that little squeal was like dealing with the Hells Angels. So we were going to put a hit on them. Then you got arrested for the LaBianca tapes, or the LaBianca murder, excuse me. So those were the stories I grew up hearing about.

Speaker 5:
[47:51] Yeah.

Speaker 9:
[47:52] A biker family. But it's whatever. I don't care about that junk.

Speaker 5:
[47:56] Yeah. Well, no, and I'm glad that again, I'm glad you're okay, man. Thank you. I had that kid, Youngblood, on here recently.

Speaker 9:
[48:03] Oh yeah.

Speaker 5:
[48:03] Who's got a lot of buzz on him right now. And I talked to him on the air and I said it during the interview, that guy's like 27, 28 years old. He's got the world being handed to him right now. Every awards show, you see him, he's like having parties. He's just not, and I said to him on the air, I'm like, dude, we're pulling for you, man. Everyone's pulling for you. You're a young guy bringing rock and you're getting young audience into rock. It's great for the genre. Yeah. You might be the guy, right? Depending upon what you do. But the thing is, I said it to him right on the air. I go, I really hope you got good people around you. Because I could easily see a guy. I don't know him personally like that, but you'd have to be really worried a guy like that going totally off the rails. Of course. Because look.

Speaker 7:
[48:49] Who is this?

Speaker 5:
[48:51] Youngblood is.

Speaker 7:
[48:52] No, I don't even know that guy.

Speaker 5:
[48:53] Yeah, he's like the hot guy right now.

Speaker 9:
[48:55] Yeah, he's saying changes at the Aussie capital.

Speaker 7:
[48:58] The face and everything.

Speaker 5:
[48:59] No, no, no. He doesn't have tats on this. No. Black hair. Yeah, that's Post Malone. This guy's a rock guy.

Speaker 9:
[49:05] He's amazing. He's bringing rock back.

Speaker 5:
[49:08] He's doing 4,000 or 5,000 people a night as a headline. Yeah, get down. Bringing young fans back into rock.

Speaker 9:
[49:15] Yeah.

Speaker 5:
[49:15] So there's a lot of people, myself included, pulling for him. But I was worried about him because I don't even know him. But I was just like, man, I'm looking at this guy's life right now. Comes out of nowhere and overnight he's this huge guy. There's excitement about him and all that. Playing at the Grammys, doing this and that. I'm like, you got good people around you, man? Because I don't want to hear stories like, you just had to hear from Wes of what he went through 20 years down the line. Or worse yet, somebody like Hillel and that doc that doesn't make it.

Speaker 9:
[49:42] Yeah.

Speaker 5:
[49:43] You want that.

Speaker 9:
[49:44] So at least for Youngblood, he actually had a past before this. Like he tore his ass off all through the UK and opened up, did all that stuff. Like he did it, the groundwork, you know? But here he is now and it's like, he's here and you're right. Let's hope he has a good moral support. People are not like, hey dude, there's an after party, man. Here's this.

Speaker 5:
[50:01] Well, he rented the rainbow after the Grammys and threw a huge all night party in there.

Speaker 9:
[50:06] Youngblood, where's the invite, bro?

Speaker 5:
[50:07] Exactly.

Speaker 8:
[50:09] I live right there.

Speaker 5:
[50:10] But I'm saying there's nothing wrong with that as long as you can control it and you go off the rails with it, right? So.

Speaker 1:
[50:18] America's best network just got bigger. Switch to T-Mobile today and get built in benefits the other guys leave out. Plus our five year price guarantee. And now T-Mobile is available in US. Cellular stores.

Speaker 2:
[50:33] Best mobile network based on analysis by Oogliffe Speedtest Intelligence Data 2H 2025.

Speaker 1:
[50:37] Bigger network, the combination of T-Mobiles and US. Cellular network footprints will enhance the T-Mobile network's coverage.

Speaker 2:
[50:41] Price guarantee on talk, text and data. Exclusions like taxes and fees apply.

Speaker 1:
[50:45] See tmobile.com for details.

Speaker 3:
[50:47] Hey everyone, it's me Morgan Stewart and I have a new podcast called The Morgan Stewart Show. Join me each week as I talk about pop culture, fashion, my personal life and just a warning, I'm gonna be giving my opinion on everything. I'll also have some really fun guests to join in on the fun. The Morgan Stewart Show is out now. Listen and follow wherever you get your podcasts or watch full video on YouTube.

Speaker 10:
[51:07] On Deck is built to back small businesses like yours. Whether you're buying equipment, expanding your team or bridging cashflow gaps, On Deck's loans up to $400,000 make it happen fast. Rated A plus by the Better Business Bureau and earning thousands of five-star trust pilot reviews, On Deck delivers funding you can count on. Apply in minutes at ondeck.com. Depending on certain loan attributes, your business loan may be issued by On Deck or Celtic Bank. On Deck does not lend in North Dakota all loans and amounts subject to lender approval.

Speaker 11:
[51:35] The GLP-1 pill you've been waiting for is now on ROH. Yep, it's finally here. With the same clinically proven ingredient. Now in a pill. And now on ROH. It's the first FDA approved GLP-1 pill for weight loss. At the lowest price available, that's one daily GLP-1 pill for big results. Now on ROH. Go to roh.co/listen to see if you qualify. Rx only go to roh.co/safety for serious side effects and box warning associated with GLP-1s.

Speaker 5:
[52:05] All right, Trunk Nation, Eddie Trunk here with you. And having a fun time here hanging with Wes Scantlin and Robin Diaz of Puddle of Mudd in the studio. The new album is called Kiss the Machine. And the album came out last year. And I think it's really cool, Wes, that you guys are still putting out singles and videos and still working the record. Because one of my, being an old school guy in the industry, one of my peeves is people seem to put out five songs before the record comes out. Then the record comes out as almost an afterthought. And it's like forgotten about a week later after the album comes out. So you are continuing to work this. And Free is the new single and video, which I know is very personal to you and kind of ties in to some of your struggles and stuff. So tell us a little bit about that.

Speaker 7:
[52:51] Yeah, so I wrote that song. And, you know, I just got out of incarceration for some other crap. That wasn't my fault, actually. So I just I was, you know, you have to just leave your playgrounds and playmates. You got to leave them. You got to go away from, you know, the bad, the static, all that stuff. You just got to finally go, man, dude, I'm still alive. I mean, you know, I just got ran over actually on an e-bike.

Speaker 5:
[53:27] You said that on stage on Saturday. I was at the show. That's true. That's real.

Speaker 7:
[53:31] Yeah, I mean, I'm seriously lucky to be alive. I mean, I've skull fracture, facial, facial, structural, disgusting.

Speaker 5:
[53:39] So where did this happen?

Speaker 7:
[53:41] Five months ago in in Torrance, California, I got ran over by like a truck or something, man.

Speaker 5:
[53:48] And you were walking and somebody ran?

Speaker 7:
[53:50] No, I was on an e-bike.

Speaker 5:
[53:51] Oh, you were on an e-bike?

Speaker 7:
[53:52] I was on an e-bike. The sun was in everybody's faces. I kind of almost don't blame the people for actually running me over.

Speaker 5:
[54:01] So wait, did a car hit you?

Speaker 7:
[54:02] The car hit me and ran me over.

Speaker 9:
[54:04] Yes.

Speaker 7:
[54:05] And oh, yeah.

Speaker 5:
[54:07] I thought when you said that story on stage Saturday, I the way I interpreted it is you were walking and someone ran into you on their bike. No, I was on the bike and you got hit by a car.

Speaker 7:
[54:19] And I got hit by a car. And then fortunately, whoever hit me called the paramedics. They scooped me up off of the sidewalk. I actually had an out of body experience. I saw my body walking and collapsing away from my, my spirit. And then I woke up in the hospital in, in Harbor Hospital, UCL, UCLA Hospital. And just had blood coming out of my face and everything. And so I was, you know, I could still walk and everything. I, my, my, my skull broke the fall. It was bad, but now, now I'm feeling all right.

Speaker 5:
[54:59] I got a couple of meds. Was this an accident by the people that hit you or were they impaired in any way? What, what?

Speaker 7:
[55:03] No, those people, man, they made out, they left.

Speaker 9:
[55:06] It was a hit and run, dude.

Speaker 5:
[55:07] A hit and run.

Speaker 7:
[55:08] Yeah, it was a total hit and run.

Speaker 9:
[55:09] You would think with all the cameras around.

Speaker 5:
[55:10] They don't have any camera.

Speaker 7:
[55:12] Right next to the police station, too.

Speaker 5:
[55:15] Really?

Speaker 7:
[55:16] Absolutely.

Speaker 9:
[55:17] It's still being under-investigated right now. It is.

Speaker 7:
[55:19] Yeah.

Speaker 9:
[55:20] It's under, it's, yeah.

Speaker 5:
[55:21] It's crazy, man, when you think, like, there's video and cameras of everything now. Of course there is. But then again, look what happened with this poor woman that they still haven't found seven weeks later in Arizona, the Guthrie woman, you know.

Speaker 9:
[55:35] I mean, I find that, like, strange. Are you kidding me? Like, poor Guthrie, you know, the family.

Speaker 5:
[55:40] It's crazy. But, okay, so they found that doorbell cam video, but how are, like, on every street corner, there's cameras.

Speaker 7:
[55:49] Yeah.

Speaker 5:
[55:50] It's crazy.

Speaker 7:
[55:50] Especially across the street from the police station and the fire department and everybody else, like.

Speaker 5:
[55:56] So they clip you and keep going and leave you there. You could be dead. You don't have no idea.

Speaker 7:
[56:01] Yeah. They just scoop me up off the ground. I didn't even remember any of this shit. The ambulance, the fire department.

Speaker 9:
[56:07] Luckily somebody called because he was out. He was out. Yeah.

Speaker 7:
[56:10] Yeah. I was just on the sidewalk and the bike, my e-bike was just, like, completely destroyed.

Speaker 5:
[56:16] How did this, this wasn't in the news or anything, was it? Did you keep it quiet? I didn't read about it.

Speaker 7:
[56:20] No, man. It's on the news now.

Speaker 5:
[56:22] Well, now you're talking about it.

Speaker 7:
[56:23] Yeah, but I tried to talk to Barbara. He didn't show up into it, but she didn't want to talk about it. So she didn't want me to say anything about it. But yep, I was on a knee bike. I got ran over and it broke my entire skull and I almost died. And I'm good now.

Speaker 5:
[56:39] How long ago was this?

Speaker 7:
[56:40] This is five months ago.

Speaker 5:
[56:41] You look great for this. It happened to you five months ago. Do you have scars and stuff?

Speaker 7:
[56:45] Nope.

Speaker 9:
[56:47] I've got pictures. He has gashes. I mean, I don't surprise he has no scars, by the way.

Speaker 5:
[56:51] That's crazy.

Speaker 9:
[56:52] The photos were gross.

Speaker 5:
[56:53] That is unbelievable. So this song, Free, sounds like it's all encompassing about your past.

Speaker 7:
[56:59] Oh, yeah. We're talking about Free. And then I switched into the whole run, getting ran over.

Speaker 5:
[57:03] But it ties in because you're kind of trying to get all this shit behind you.

Speaker 7:
[57:07] Yeah. I mean, seriously, I've already partied my brains out and had a fun time. I feel like I'm Steven Tyler, man, talking about his past and stuff and a bunch of other people. But yeah, this song is just about being free, getting rid of a bunch of bad weight in your in your in your life. Just if you turn around and walk away, run if you have to. If it's if it's looking negative, no negativity, man, all positive and, you know, pray to God and believe that there is a God and he's got your back. And there are angels that are surrounding you constantly trying to help you listen to the messages that God is sending you.

Speaker 5:
[57:52] Believe me, you've got you've definitely had some angels around you in your life.

Speaker 9:
[57:57] Talk about no lives.

Speaker 7:
[57:59] Yeah, big time.

Speaker 5:
[57:59] I mean, if you had nine lives, I mean, you've probably been through about seven of them so far about.

Speaker 7:
[58:04] Yeah, maybe more. And so is Robin, by the way.

Speaker 5:
[58:09] Why do you keep saying that about Robin? Robin, what is he eluding to?

Speaker 7:
[58:12] Because he tells me all these crazy stories, man.

Speaker 5:
[58:15] Let's hear one, Robin.

Speaker 7:
[58:16] He needs to write his own book, dude.

Speaker 9:
[58:18] There's no death, close to death experiences, nothing like that. No, just we both have lived on the road and the experiences. We bullshit and talk about funny stories that we have done. And I toured with Courtney Love. I toured Peter Murphy in Bow House. So there's awesome stories and nothing bad. Like talk about class. I'm sorry. I think Courtney is rad. She's amazing. One hell of a performer.

Speaker 5:
[58:42] Right. But there was probably, of course.

Speaker 9:
[58:44] But that is, yeah, but that stuff, that's just absolutely. I'm never going to like. Yeah.

Speaker 7:
[58:49] Wes is like, I got a story for you, buddy.

Speaker 9:
[58:53] No, there's still friends of mine, so I don't do that.

Speaker 5:
[58:57] I know Robin's just he's just taking the high road on everything, and I respect that totally.

Speaker 9:
[59:02] But you have to.

Speaker 5:
[59:04] Well, yeah, you want to work. I get it.

Speaker 7:
[59:07] Yeah, that's what exactly what it is.

Speaker 5:
[59:09] I would say I'm not going to really write my real book until I'm retired.

Speaker 9:
[59:12] Right.

Speaker 5:
[59:13] Yes. But I still wouldn't do that because I would never throw anybody under the bus.

Speaker 9:
[59:18] I never have bad experiences with anybody. I mean, like you there's moments, but it's like it's never bad enough where you're like, fuck it, I'm out of here. I mean, yes, you get sick and fed up and you know, but no, everyone I've worked with is cool or I wouldn't work with them in the first place.

Speaker 5:
[59:35] Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. What was the favorite act you work with? Oh, you have a you're not Chris Cornell. Of course, you're going to say all the bands were favorites.

Speaker 9:
[59:45] No, Cornell, Chris. I got to there's a song called Lied On. It's he wrote it. We did it at A&M and it was Brian House produced it. It was mixed by Chris Roodalogy is getting ready to be released. But then Chris and Vicki had a meeting and they ran it to Timberland in Interscope and we stopped the recording process and we were a few songs in and then he did that album Scream. So he gave it to David Cook and it sold 2 million copies for David Cook. I remember talking to Chris, he's like, yeah, I should have put that out. But it's done, it's recorded, we have it. Accidentally years ago on his death when he died a day later, I played 30 seconds of it and I remember I got a seasoned assist from Vicky and Peter Paterno and I know Peter Paterno really well and Peter just said, hey, you got to take it down. I said, of course, but it wasn't like, I just felt so sad because no one's going to hear this song and it's about, it's just a beautiful song. I don't want to get sad right now, but David Cook should not have cut it. It should have been Chris' song. I remember recording it, Chris is like, this is my black hole son part two. It's fucking magical and it's beautiful and rest in peace, Chris. Yes, I love you.

Speaker 5:
[61:04] Did you ever play live with him?

Speaker 9:
[61:05] No, it was talked about before this happened, but I wasn't into, I wasn't into scream. It's not my stuff.

Speaker 5:
[61:14] No, no, most people weren't, I mean, if we're being honest, but so, okay, so a couple of things here because we got about 20 minutes or so before I have to end. Wes, going forward now, I looked at the website, you got like two, three dates more coming up this summer on there. What's the long-term projection? You still work in the record, you still play, is it just kind of scattered shows at this point or you're going to put a run together?

Speaker 7:
[61:42] Yeah, we'll probably put a run together. We've just been just chilling, trying to take it a little bit easy after the wreck, after the near-death experience. So I actually had to lay on a couch. So we'll put a bitching, badass run together. And we'll be traveling little guys again, little traveling wheelbarrows as they say.

Speaker 9:
[62:10] The shows we have done, all the shows have been sold out since I've been playing with them. And I mean, not because of that, but since we're promoting this album. And it's like, again, it's awesome that the people are coming out. So I think Wes is excited about it.

Speaker 5:
[62:21] Yeah, I mean, I don't mean, I don't, you should be because, and I don't mean this in any way disrespectfully, but I was shocked at the amount of people there Saturday because I've seen you before, and I saw you play the whiskey and everything. This place was a cavernous hall that was sold out, and Eve Six supported, okay, fun.

Speaker 7:
[62:43] Eve Six rocks.

Speaker 5:
[62:44] Yeah, great. But you guys, I mean, that was amazing to see. And I was like, wow, and again, in this town where there's on any given night, five different bands.

Speaker 9:
[62:56] Luke Combs played that night, which-

Speaker 5:
[62:58] Broke the record.

Speaker 9:
[62:59] Luke Combs, they played-

Speaker 5:
[63:00] Broke the record at the stadium. 77,000 people.

Speaker 9:
[63:03] So Wes, it's amazing, bro.

Speaker 5:
[63:05] Sammy Hagar played that night.

Speaker 9:
[63:06] Exactly.

Speaker 4:
[63:06] Sammy Hagar, baby.

Speaker 5:
[63:08] The same night you were on. So I'm like, man, off the strip casino, big room. I'm like, I'm wondering how this is going to do.

Speaker 9:
[63:14] Rock and Roll is back.

Speaker 5:
[63:15] And I walked in and I'm like, fuck yeah, this is awesome. You know, this is really great.

Speaker 9:
[63:19] Love you, Eddie.

Speaker 5:
[63:20] It's really, really good to see that, man. So that's super encouraging.

Speaker 9:
[63:23] We need Rock to come back. Yeah, well, Rock is coming back.

Speaker 5:
[63:26] I feel it too, man. And the other thing when I was at the show, Wes, that you, no, you didn't say this at the show. Barb sent me a clip of you doing a local TV, you know, five minute spot on a local TV thing leading into the show.

Speaker 7:
[63:43] Yeah.

Speaker 5:
[63:44] And during that interview with those folks, you said that people are always asking you about playing new stuff.

Speaker 7:
[63:54] Yeah.

Speaker 5:
[63:54] Live.

Speaker 7:
[63:55] Absolutely.

Speaker 5:
[63:56] That, do you realize how counter that is and how unique that is for your band or you? Because in 95% of the cases, it's the opposite. People want, you know, just to play control, play blurry. I don't, you know, I don't know this. Oh, you're playing a new song. I'm going to go use the bathroom or get a beer. Yeah, you're telling me your fan base wants the new stuff.

Speaker 7:
[64:20] Yeah. Yeah, they just that's all they want.

Speaker 5:
[64:22] That's crazy.

Speaker 7:
[64:23] Play new stuff.

Speaker 5:
[64:25] Where do you get that vibe from? Do people people you meet or on social media or what is it?

Speaker 7:
[64:31] Fans at shows?

Speaker 5:
[64:32] Yeah.

Speaker 7:
[64:32] You know, all around the whole world, they're just like, man, I just want to hear new stuff. I just want to hear new music. Keep writing, keep writing, keep writing, keep recording.

Speaker 9:
[64:43] And what's beautiful is everywhere we go, people run up to Wes and want a picture and autograph people all the time. And it's a beautiful thing. It's very heartful. So again, this is why people come because Wes listens to his fans. I mean, he can't go anywhere without anybody wanting an autograph or a photo. And it's really beautiful to see that.

Speaker 5:
[65:02] Yeah, no, and that's got to feel good after all these years, man. You've been, you know, I mean, you're certainly not old, but you also are not a new artist. You're kind of somewhere in the middle. And I was thinking about this too with you coming in today because first album was what? 01?

Speaker 7:
[65:18] That would have been 93.

Speaker 5:
[65:20] Wait, 93?

Speaker 7:
[65:22] Yeah, that's stuck. And then there was Abrasive in 96. And then Come Clean came at 01.

Speaker 5:
[65:34] Okay. So Come Clean. So there were two albums before Come Clean.

Speaker 7:
[65:37] Yeah.

Speaker 9:
[65:38] But Come Clean with his other band.

Speaker 5:
[65:40] Yeah. Unsigned. Under the name Puddle of Mudd?

Speaker 7:
[65:42] That was Puddle of Mudd.

Speaker 9:
[65:43] Oh, okay. With Jimmy Allen, right?

Speaker 7:
[65:44] Yeah. Jimmy Allen and Kenny Burkett and Shawn Salmon. So that was the OG crew. But people have babies and people get families and people do have jobs and they're plumbers or whatever they're doing. And people have moved on with their life. But you know, and then Fred zaps in and...

Speaker 5:
[66:03] Fred Durst, yeah. So, Fred, the first... So, Control is where Fred came in and that's where you got the major label deal.

Speaker 7:
[66:09] I mean, if you want to say professionally produced Puddle of Mudd, the OG version would not be the OG from Kansas City.

Speaker 5:
[66:19] It would be that 25 years ago.

Speaker 7:
[66:21] Yeah, it would be the crew that me and Fred and Danny and Jordan set up. And that would have been basically the next OG crew. But those guys are all gone now, so.

Speaker 5:
[66:36] Yeah, the reason why I'm asking about that, and I was thinking about it is, when you think about it, when you look at the music industry, you kind of, with that major label deal and that record, you kind of got almost the last bite of the old model.

Speaker 7:
[66:52] We got the very last bite.

Speaker 5:
[66:54] Of the business, where you could sell 2 million records and be on MTV and be that. You've thought about that, it sounds like.

Speaker 7:
[67:03] Absolutely, yeah.

Speaker 5:
[67:03] You really got in under the wire before the business, the bottom fell out.

Speaker 7:
[67:07] Yeah, right then.

Speaker 5:
[67:08] Yeah, yeah. I mean, because what did that record sell? Where are you at on that?

Speaker 7:
[67:13] Man, in my opinion, probably maybe close to 50 million.

Speaker 5:
[67:19] Worldwide?

Speaker 7:
[67:20] Worldwide, globally, and still climbing.

Speaker 5:
[67:24] So you must get statements on it.

Speaker 7:
[67:26] I mean, I'm getting paid, dog.

Speaker 5:
[67:28] Well, good for you, man. Good for you. It sounds like unfortunately you need it for medical bills getting hit when you just got hit.

Speaker 7:
[67:34] Oh, man. That was 10 Gs, dude.

Speaker 5:
[67:37] 10 Gs is nothing. 10 Gs is a band-aid.

Speaker 7:
[67:39] Forget about it. I'll go play some craps, man.

Speaker 5:
[67:41] Yeah, wow.

Speaker 7:
[67:42] I'm up.

Speaker 5:
[67:42] Right. But that whole thing, man, because if you would have come a few years later with that, MTV is gone.

Speaker 7:
[67:51] It wouldn't have did that many.

Speaker 5:
[67:52] The streaming thing is now the thing. You don't sell physical records. You know the record stores. Everything's gone.

Speaker 9:
[67:58] Yeah.

Speaker 7:
[67:59] But you still get a nice little kickback, man, from all the internet stuff now. They figured that out.

Speaker 9:
[68:06] Streaming royalties, I mean that.

Speaker 7:
[68:07] Yeah.

Speaker 5:
[68:08] Do you feel like it's better now? Do you see some money?

Speaker 7:
[68:10] I see.

Speaker 5:
[68:11] Robin's saying no.

Speaker 7:
[68:14] I see the statements, so I'm good, man. I'm set for life.

Speaker 5:
[68:18] But you're the songwriter, right? I mean, you write everything.

Speaker 7:
[68:21] That's what my mom said. My mom came down when I was writing a song, trying to be Eddie Van Halen. She's like, you kind of suck at Eddie Van Halen. You're not Eddie Van Halen.

Speaker 3:
[68:32] You're sucking at it.

Speaker 7:
[68:33] She gave me this publishing book and she goes, look, the songwriter gets all the money. I was like, okay. She's like, yeah, write your own shit. She's a witch. Write your own shit. I was like, okay, fine.

Speaker 5:
[68:47] Is that true?

Speaker 7:
[68:48] That's absolutely correct.

Speaker 5:
[68:48] Your mom steered you into saying you should, did your mom have a background in music?

Speaker 7:
[68:52] She said, you suck at playing Eddie Van Halen. Go write your own stuff. Write your own music. And by the way, the songwriter gets all the money.

Speaker 5:
[69:02] How did your mom know that? That's astute for her.

Speaker 7:
[69:04] It was a publishing book.

Speaker 5:
[69:06] But why did she have that? Was she in music at all?

Speaker 7:
[69:08] Because she's freaking like nosy.

Speaker 9:
[69:13] She probably saw him as a kid.

Speaker 7:
[69:14] I was supposed to be called Cash Money.

Speaker 9:
[69:16] And wants to look out for her son.

Speaker 5:
[69:18] Wait, what? Cash Money? What?

Speaker 7:
[69:20] That was supposed to be my name.

Speaker 5:
[69:21] Stage name or?

Speaker 7:
[69:22] Cash Money.

Speaker 5:
[69:23] You were gonna use that as a stage name?

Speaker 7:
[69:24] That's what my mom was gonna call me. Seriously, man, seriously. But she came down and told me, the songwriter gets all the money, write your own songs. You ain't gonna play like Eddie Van Halen. You suck at trying to do it. Forget about it. The guy's a genius. Do your own shit. Write your own songs.

Speaker 5:
[69:44] But that is super astute of your mom to do that because she's 100% right. Like if you write your shit, that's the... Like I tell the audience this all the time. There's all these pop artists, right? And they get obviously a lot of money because they make appearances and they play live and they draw tons of people. But then you could have somebody like Diane Warren, who could go walk by this glass right now and not one person would stop her. She could go get a Starbucks. Not one person would stop her. But she's got 1,000 times more money and you will ever see. And she gets those checks, that mailbox money, constantly.

Speaker 9:
[70:24] Yeah, and she's great with her money, with her charities, by the way. I do want to say that she really helps out with charities. And that's great.

Speaker 5:
[70:30] I don't know her at all. I'm just using that as an example because she's like this. She's written these songs for all these people.

Speaker 7:
[70:36] And people have heard them forever. Yeah, and they have the gift that she's giving. And nobody even knows what she looks like.

Speaker 5:
[70:41] Yeah, and that pays real money. I did a TV show for many years called That Metal Show. And I used to get, I get residuals. You know how much they are? Oh no, no, Wes, you know how much they are?

Speaker 7:
[70:52] No.

Speaker 5:
[70:52] Oh God. Every six months, I've told this story before on the air, every six months, I get a stack of envelopes this high from SAG-AFTRA. Yes. I'm like, I'm in the money. My ship has come in, right? Where's the show airing? This is great. I start ripping over the envelopes. Mind you, the postage on the envelope is about 52 cents each. Each show is in a different envelope. Oh, yeah. Guys, I'm not kidding. Six cents, nine cents, three cents. I'm like, what the fuck? It's more than the postage, right?

Speaker 9:
[71:27] Right.

Speaker 5:
[71:27] So now when they come in, I did this last time, I took the whole stack and I gave them to my daughter. I said, she goes, dad, what is that? I go, they're all checks from my TV show. I said, and you can have every one. I'm leaving it all to you. She's like, wow, dad. I go, yeah, open them. She starts ripping them over. I see a fish drop. She's like, dad, they should like for four cents. Yeah, it's all yours.

Speaker 9:
[71:51] We're going to start a piggy bank account, honey.

Speaker 7:
[71:53] We're going to open up a check account for you. Oh, man. Seriously, bro.

Speaker 5:
[71:57] She asked me for tickets to all these like pop shows artists. I don't know. I'm like, man, it would be so much cheaper if you weren't to rock because I could help you out. You know, she's working me now on something called Eve. I've never heard of it. I'm like, I can't help you. She's like, you got to go on Ticketmaster or whatever. She's like, just use all the residual money I gave you. I gave you all my residuals, but Wes.

Speaker 7:
[72:20] I cannot believe that, man.

Speaker 5:
[72:22] I'm dead serious.

Speaker 7:
[72:22] That's BS, man.

Speaker 5:
[72:23] Dead serious. But you, I mean, I'd love to see some of that action on some of those songs on those early records.

Speaker 7:
[72:32] It's not like yours.

Speaker 5:
[72:33] I'm sure you're getting real money.

Speaker 7:
[72:34] A little bit better.

Speaker 5:
[72:35] Because you're getting airplay, you're getting sales, you're getting streaming, you're getting a little everything.

Speaker 7:
[72:39] It's pretty good. Lay low, fly low, stay low.

Speaker 5:
[72:43] Stay away from the craps table.

Speaker 7:
[72:44] And I'm up, man.

Speaker 5:
[72:46] Don't stay that way.

Speaker 4:
[72:47] How do you think they built this place?

Speaker 8:
[72:49] The guys fell over.

Speaker 9:
[72:49] You just jinxed it.

Speaker 7:
[72:51] Blow fell out of the dude's pocket.

Speaker 8:
[72:53] The guy's got a hundo.

Speaker 9:
[72:54] This is Wes's, like, incline.

Speaker 7:
[72:55] Now we're going to find him in a floor. God's like, you gots to bounce.

Speaker 9:
[73:00] We got to get out of Vegas now.

Speaker 5:
[73:01] I know. That's what I'm saying. I'm worried about it. Look at this place. How do you think they built it? It's beautiful. People losing and falling.

Speaker 9:
[73:07] Absolutely. Broken dreams.

Speaker 7:
[73:09] I felt bad for that, dude.

Speaker 9:
[73:11] Welcome to Vegas because you've been there.

Speaker 7:
[73:13] Yeah. Well, I don't think I've ever fell. Well, actually, yeah. Sophie actually tripped me one time. Bam. Maniac. Maniac dog.

Speaker 5:
[73:24] I mean, you fell over because you were loaded on stage.

Speaker 9:
[73:26] Oh, I was loaded.

Speaker 5:
[73:27] You've had some crazy moments on stage. That's for sure. You've had moments.

Speaker 7:
[73:31] I got a head rush.

Speaker 5:
[73:35] And were you a big guitar nerd guy? You said you're trying to learn Eddie Van Halen stuff. I mean, you thought of as a songwriter and a singer, you play guitar on stage with the band, but not really lead guitar so much. But are you a big guitar guy? You like to play?

Speaker 7:
[73:48] Yeah. Yeah. Big time. I actually am getting better at getting. I can do the harmonic.

Speaker 9:
[73:54] He can show it on guitar, believe it or not.

Speaker 7:
[73:56] He can play. He can play. It's been like, what, 43 years? So I'm way, way better than I appear to be. I really seriously am. I'm just a songwriter. That's what it all boils down to.

Speaker 5:
[74:11] It's important.

Speaker 7:
[74:12] So is he, man.

Speaker 5:
[74:14] I say all the time, man, I tell my audience all the time, like, look, take, if you still can find them, because so many people just stream. One of the reasons why people ask me I know some of the stuff that I knew, I know in this world is because when I grew up getting a record, I read every liner note, I read every thank you, I read who produced it, who mixed it, and I read who wrote it, who wrote it, and I'm like, yeah, those people are really important to this thing too. You should know all that stuff. It's a lost art.

Speaker 9:
[74:47] It's like buying that record at Licorice Pizza and then opening it up and then just like, oh my God, reading the lighter notes. It was something special.

Speaker 5:
[74:55] I grew up working in a record store. Where was it? Where? In New Jersey. That's where I'm from is New Jersey. What record store was it? It's called Al Wilk Records. There was at the height maybe like 15 locations. Coming out of high school is my dream job, man, working in a record store. It was unbelievable. I'm glad they're still hanging in there. I'm glad people are still, CDs coming back a little bit. That's my favorite format. Vinyl obviously has been a whole thing. That's a really good thing to see. You made your new record on physical format, right? CD Vinyl?

Speaker 7:
[75:24] The new one?

Speaker 5:
[75:25] Yeah.

Speaker 7:
[75:25] No, no, we did digital. Yeah.

Speaker 5:
[75:28] So you didn't do physical?

Speaker 9:
[75:29] That's a question for Barbara. Is it really?

Speaker 7:
[75:30] I physically did it. You know what I'm saying? I was there physically.

Speaker 9:
[75:34] It's everything?

Speaker 7:
[75:35] I mean, it's not like.

Speaker 9:
[75:37] OK, awesome. CD.

Speaker 5:
[75:39] I'm sure they did vinyl, too.

Speaker 7:
[75:41] We got a CD. I got one of my.

Speaker 5:
[75:42] Barbara, did you do vinyl? Vinyl, too, or no?

Speaker 7:
[75:46] Make vinyl. Make vinyl.

Speaker 5:
[75:48] Yeah, because that's that you could do. There's a lot of people that buy just to get the artwork and have the covers.

Speaker 7:
[75:53] Hey, man, I got to I actually have a minivan. I'm going to shout out Honda Odyssey. Thank you very much. I love you guys for for my CD player in my minivan. Thank you very much.

Speaker 5:
[76:03] In a new one.

Speaker 9:
[76:05] He put they put it in in a new one.

Speaker 5:
[76:07] They put it in a new one.

Speaker 7:
[76:09] It's a 2016.

Speaker 5:
[76:11] That's probably right around the end where there's still a track in there. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, no. I mean, CDs are my my my format.

Speaker 9:
[76:17] Well, come on. What about the cassette tape? Remember putting Blizzard of Oz on as with the cassette? And you hear that? Yeah, well, that was like amazing.

Speaker 5:
[76:26] You had to clean the heads.

Speaker 9:
[76:28] Yes.

Speaker 5:
[76:28] And then if the thing was out of line, you'd put a matchbook in there to. Yeah. Line it up with the heads. Right. Yeah. When it was out of phase. Yeah, for real.

Speaker 9:
[76:36] It was out of phase.

Speaker 7:
[76:37] Absolutely, dude.

Speaker 5:
[76:38] All that stuff. You'd have the different fluid to clean either the roller or the head. And then what was...

Speaker 7:
[76:44] I recorded on a karaoke machine.

Speaker 5:
[76:46] Karaoke.

Speaker 9:
[76:47] A karaoke.

Speaker 7:
[76:47] Karaoke, however you want to say it, dude. With two cassette, Blake Cassettex, with a keyboard.

Speaker 9:
[76:54] Tapex.

Speaker 7:
[76:54] A bass, a guitar and a freaking nutball mic that had some whack ass echo and actually... And that's how I recorded and I had switched the tapes. But you could only get three tracks. So you only get three tries.

Speaker 9:
[77:09] Everyone used to record like that. I remember that was a little...

Speaker 7:
[77:11] Dave Grohl did it. I did it because we were so broke. We didn't have no money, you know. We couldn't afford... I had to go over to a buddy's house with a four track and like...

Speaker 9:
[77:21] Four tracks, yes. Two tracks.

Speaker 7:
[77:22] You friend him to be like, oh shit, you got a four track, dude?

Speaker 5:
[77:25] Task Cam.

Speaker 9:
[77:26] Task Cam.

Speaker 7:
[77:27] Task Cam, dude.

Speaker 9:
[77:28] That's how you did it.

Speaker 7:
[77:29] Yeah, that's exactly it.

Speaker 9:
[77:30] That came out, I changed every...

Speaker 7:
[77:32] And I was so broke, I couldn't even afford the Task Cam, so I had to go to my buddy's house and record on his Task Cam.

Speaker 5:
[77:38] You guys, they're going to end this show on me because I got to end to the exact time, but I could talk to you forever. I'm so glad we did this. It's so great to have both of you in studio. And again, check out... What's the website? Is it puddleofmudd.com? Where do they go? Let me see. I pulled it up before. Here it is. Yeah, puddleofmudd.com. PuddleOfMudd, of course, with two Ds. And you can see the dates. There's a couple other ones coming up here. You've got Ohio at the Ribs and Rock Festival. You've got the King of Clubs in Columbus, Ohio. And then you're in Illinois on July 18th, summer of 99 and beyond. I host The Cruise called that, which is Creed's thing. That's right. But you're not on The Cruise, but you're on The Land thing. And that's July 18th. Check out the album, Kiss the Machine. Check out free. The single and video is out today. So definitely check that out. You can see it right on the website. Be well, man. Stay well, Wes.

Speaker 7:
[78:30] Yes, sir.

Speaker 5:
[78:31] We need you, man. Yes.

Speaker 9:
[78:32] I just want to say, Eddie, thank you for doing what you're doing. Serving rock, doing this, helping rock bands and new artists. Keep doing it because you're what keeping this business going and rock and roll alive. So thank you, Eddie Trunk.

Speaker 5:
[78:43] Appreciate that.

Speaker 9:
[78:43] Thank you.

Speaker 5:
[78:44] Well, there you go. Wes Scantlin, Robin Diaz, and Puddle of Mudd. Of course, Wes has had a lot of people in and out of Puddle of Mudd over the years. Hope Robin hangs in there with him. And I hope Wes hangs in there with his sobriety. A really interesting guy to talk to. And I hope you enjoyed that conversation. Again, if there isn't video up of that already on YouTube, have a look soon and be sure to subscribe to that YouTube channel video. We have full pro video of that entire interview for you to check out. I'll get it up for you very soon on the Eddie Trunk YouTube page if it's not there already. So thanks to those guys for coming in. Thank you for listening to the podcast. And follow on social media at EddieTrunkX Instagram page on Facebook for all your info and updates. Have a great week everybody. I'll catch you next Thursday for another episode of the podcast.

Speaker 3:
[79:34] Hey everyone, it's me Morgan Stewart and I have a new podcast called The Morgan Stewart Show. Join me each week as I talk about pop culture, fashion, my personal life, and just a warning, I'm going to be giving my opinion on everything. I'll also have some really fun guests to join in on the fun. The Morgan Stewart Show is out now. Listen and follow wherever you get your podcasts or watch full video on YouTube.

Speaker 6:
[79:54] Hi, I'm Angie Hicks, co-founder of Angie, and one thing I've learned is that you buy a house, but you make it a home. Because with every fix, update, and renovation, it becomes a little more your own, so you need all your jobs done well. For nearly 30 years, Angie has helped millions of homeowners hire skilled pros for the projects that matter, from plumbing to electrical, roof repair to deck upgrades. So leave it to the pros who will get your jobs done well. Angie, the one you trust to find the ones you trust. Find a pro for your project at angi.com.