Laughing Monkey with Shawn Ratches

00:00 Intro and Catching Up

01:53 The Future of Rose Tattoo: Writing and Recording

03:43 Physical Media vs. Digital: Why Records Still Matter

04:19 Thrifting for Art: Oscar Wilde and the Renaissance

06:27 Perception and Art: Finding Detail in the Layers

11:34 Evolving Perspectives: Seeing the World with Different Eyes

14:14 All the World’s a Stage: Shakespeare and the Great Actors

19:46 Modern Society: Power Outages and Social Issues

21:05 Mad Max as Prophecy: Social Commentary in Film

23:01 Dystopian Cinema: A Clockwork Orange and Deprogramming

26:08 Classic Dystopia: Bl...

00:00 – 2026/2027 Tour Plans, Festivals & Retirement Discussion

03:00 – Changes in the Live Music Scene & Touring (Australia vs. US)

05:58 – Changing Crowds & Younger Generations at Rock Shows

08:26 – Road Stories: Far North Queensland Gigs & Routine

11:15 – Aging, Staying Grounded & Perspective Over Time

13:16 – Modern Media, General Knowledge & Politics

16:15 – Global Economy, Resources & Australian Mining

20:05 – Housing Challenges & Current Realities in Australia

22:55 – Broken Hill, the Outback & Mad Max Memories

26:33 – Alternative History, Nikola Tesla & Architecture

31:40 – Ancient Engineering, Mathematics & Pyramids

34:40 – Alvin Toffler’s Future Shock & Visionary Thinkers

36:45 – Neurodiversity, Autism & Eccentricity in His...

00:00 – Intro & catching up with Angry Anderson

01:00 – Social changes, media, and control

04:00 – Reading 1984, technology, and modern society

07:20 – Energy, resources, and historical innovations

11:25 – Water rights and natural resources

16:30 – Power grids, smart meters, and utility control

20:00 – Mad Max, classic cinema, and changing culture

22:30 – Global infrastructure and media narratives

30:05 – Standing your ground & resisting modernization

32:20 – Analog books vs. digital reading as we age

35:30 – Classic literature, sailing romance, and the quest for freedom

38:00 – New single "Hard Road" & upcoming album details

39:15 – Stevie Wright, The Easy beats & A...

00:00 – Introduction & Toast to Dusty Hill (ZZ Top)

03:08 – Putting the List Together & Early Influences (Odetta, Pete Seeger)

06:30 – Vanilla Fudge & Early American Jam Bands

10:15 – Humble Pie (Performance Rockin' the Fillmore) & Steve Marriott

13:38 – The Young Rascals (Time Peace) & Raw Production

17:23 – The Doors, Led Zeppelin, & Room to Breathe in Music

21:10 – Mountain & the Power of "Nantucket Sleighride"

27:00 – Pure Rock & Roll Energy of the 1967–1973 Era

29:30 – The Magic of Listening Parties & Custom Sound Systems

32:22 – Passing Down Classic Music to the Next Generation

34:08 – Angry's Kids, Freeform Art, & Liam's Songwriting

00:00 – Welcome & Catching Up

01:00 – Friendship with Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome co-star Paul Larsen (Master Blaster) & plumbing together

06:14 – Perceptions of height, stage presence, and remembering loved ones

12:43 – Reflecting on aging, mortality, and approaching Rose Tattoo’s 50th anniversary / end of the band

17:40 – Life after Rose Tattoo & future musical plans (Faces-inspired cover band, R&B, Otis Redding)

21:47 – Thoughts on the Elvis movie, Baz Luhrmann, gospel roots, and Elvis’s artistic arc

37:25 – Monsters of Rock Cruise (MORC) experiences & respect among musician peers

41:17 – Favorite songs, songwriting appreciation, and The Police

45:00 – Meeting...

00:00 – Intro & The Rolling Stones (Goats Head Soup, Exile on Main St.)

04:08 – Mick Taylor, Steve Marriott, Humble Pie & Peter Frampton

06:25 – Band chemistry & bringing new members into the mix

08:15 – Angry’s solo material, "Suddenly," and exploring vocal range

13:20 – The Jimi Hendrix Experience (Are You Experienced) & first hearing "Hey Joe"

19:00 – Hendrix's guitar dynamics ("The Wind Cries Mary" vs. "Foxy Lady")

20:00 – Pink Floyd, David Gilmour, and guitar tones

21:26 – Touring with Robin Trower, discussing Jeff Beck & Hendrix’s legacy

28:00 – Pink Floyd's evolution (The Dark Side of the Moon & Syd Barrett era)

00:00 – Introduction & Toast to Dusty Hill (ZZ Top)

03:08 – Putting the List Together & Early Influences (Odetta, Pete Seeger)

06:30 – Vanilla Fudge & Early American Jam Bands

10:15 – Humble Pie (Performance Rockin' the Fillmore) & Steve Marriott

13:38 – The Young Rascals (Time Peace) & Raw Production

17:23 – The Doors, Led Zeppelin, & Room to Breathe in Music

21:10 – Mountain & the Power of "Nantucket Sleighride"

27:00 – Pure Rock & Roll Energy of the 1967–1973 Era

29:30 – The Magic of Listening Parties & Custom Sound Systems

32:22 – Passing Down Classic Music to the Next Generation

34:08 – Angry's Kids, Freeform Art, & Liam's Songwriting

00:00 – Introduction & Catching Up

01:00 – Launching the Angry Anderson (AA) Band

02:45 – Origins of "Realise Legalise" & Lobby Loyde

07:05 – Advocacy for Medicinal Cannabis & Hemp

11:20 – Cannabis Access & Legalisation (Australia vs. US)

15:47 – Australian Federation & State Laws

17:15 – Breaking Down Cannabis Stigmas & Media Perspectives

20:25 – Collaborating with Palace of the King & The New Sound

23:25 – Re-recording Classic Mushroom Records Albums

26:10 – Medical Cannabis Case Stories & Final Thoughts

28:15 – Wrap-Up & Closing

Angry Anderson has rocked and entertained us all for decades as the unequivocal front man of Rose Tattoo. He has to...

* **00:00** – Intro and celebrating the 100th Episode milestone

* **01:03** – *Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome*: Memories of the Ironbar character and George Miller's warehouse museum

* **04:53** – The "most rock and roll moment": Choosing to clean houses to be a present father for his kids

* **09:12** – Living in Australia: Shark fears and the "Jaws” mindset

* **10:18** – The surfing dolphin story: From a nightmare swell to a "Disney movie” moment

* **18:40** – Motorcycle talk: The zen of riding a Harley and city traffic survival

* **24:35** – A father's grief: Honoring his son Liam's memory and musical legacy

* **29:55** – Picking up the guitar and pi...

Skinlab is a San Francisco Bay Area heavy-metal band formed in 1994 by vocalist and bassist Steev Esquivel, guitarists Mike Roberts and Gary Wendt, and drummer Paul Hopkins. Emerging from the Bay Area’s thrash-metal tradition, the band built its identity around groove-heavy riffs, aggressive vocals, and a sound that resisted easy genre labels.

After attracting attention with early demos, Skinlab signed with Century Media and released its debut album, Bound, Gagged and Blindfolded, in 1997. The record established the band as a hard-hitting new presence in American metal. It was followed by the Eyesore EP in 1998 and Disembody: Th...

* **00:00** – Touring Costs & Exploring Immersive Audio

* **02:28** – *Summer of '82: When Zappa Came to Sicily* Documentary

* **05:40** – *Via Zammata* & Filming in Palermo

* **09:22** – Outdoor Concert Acoustics & Live Sound

* **10:18** – Composing for TV (*The Ben Stiller Show*, *On the Spot*)

* **11:41** – Jamming "Crazy Train" with Jack Black

* **13:26** – *Pee-Wee's Playhouse* & Nickelodeon

* **14:45** – *What the Hell Was I Thinking?* Project Updates

* **16:32** – *Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure* ("Two Heads Are Better Than One") & *Cobra Kai*

* **17:06** – Recording *Back to the Beach* with Herbie Hancock & Terry Bozzio

* **18:50** – Playing "Watermelon Man" with Stevie Ray Vaughan

* **21...

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Stevie D says Buckcherry is already looking ahead, with the next album planned as part of the band’s schedule for next year. He outlines the steps involved in moving that record forward, from writing and early planning to getting into the studio and shaping the final songs. The focus is on keeping momentum going while making sure the material is ready before recording begins.

Outside of Buckcherry, Stevie D is also staying busy producing other projects, expanding his work behind the boards and helping develop music beyond his role as a guitarist. At the same time, he...

Cloven Hoof have spent decades building a legacy as one of the enduring names in British heavy metal, earning a reputation for power, character, and a sound that has remained unmistakably their own. Across changing eras, the band have continued to carry forward the spirit that first defined them, combining classic metal force with a strong sense of identity. That history gives every new release added weight, and it is exactly that sense of legacy that makes this next chapter stand out.

The new album, Never a Prophet in Your Own Land, arrives as a statement of...

In this episode, we talk about Forbidden, the new album that marks an important turning point for the band. Built on the history, sound, and identity that have defined the group over the years, Forbidden reflects both where the band has been and where it is headed next. It is a record shaped by growth, change, and a clear sense of purpose.

We also discuss the arrival of the band’s new singer and what that means for this next chapter. Their voice brings a new energy and dimension to the music while staying true to the fo...

Dan Lilker is a highly respected figure in heavy music whose career has stretched across thrash metal, hardcore, crossover, and grindcore. He first came to wider attention as a founding member of Anthrax and performed on the band’s 1984 debut album, Fistful of Metal. Although his time in Anthrax was brief, it placed him at the beginning of a major moment in American thrash and helped establish his place in metal history.

He went on to build an even deeper legacy through Nuclear Assault, the band most closely linked to his name, and through Stormtroopers of Death, wh...

Max Cavalera is one of metal’s most influential figures, first rising to prominence as the co-founder, vocalist, and rhythm guitarist of Sepultura. Emerging from Brazil in the 1980s, Sepultura helped reshape extreme metal with landmark albums like Beneath the Remains, Arise, Chaos A.D., and Roots, blending thrash, groove, punk, and tribal influences into a sound that reached far beyond the underground. Cavalera’s fierce delivery, percussive guitar style, and instinct for reinvention made him a defining voice in heavy music.

After leaving Sepultura in the mid-1990s, Cavalera launched Soulfly, a band that gave him room...

Possessed emerged from the Bay Area metal underground in the early 1980s and quickly became one of the defining bands in the first wave of death metal. After early demos and a growing local reputation, the band released Seven Churches in 1985, a record widely recognized for helping shape the sound and language of the genre. They followed it with Beyond the Gates in 1986 and The Eyes of Horror in 1987 before the original run came to an end that same year.

Jeff Becerra’s story is inseparable from that legacy. After the band’s breakup and...

Mortiis, the project of Norwegian musician Håvard Ellefsen, began in 1993 after his departure from Emperor, where he had been the band’s original bassist. From the start, Mortiis developed as a separate creative outlet, first centered on atmospheric, synth-based compositions that stood apart from the black metal scene he came out of. In the years that followed, the project expanded in both sound and form, moving through distinct phases that introduced darker electronic, industrial, and rock influences.

That progression has made Mortiis a career defined by change, with each period reflecting a different app...

* **0:19** – Introduction of Paul Mazurkiewicz and his projects.

* **1:12** – Discussion on the origins of Paul's rock band, Umbilicus.

* **2:34** – Early projects: Path of Man and the search for a 70s-style rock singer.

* **6:15** – Reforming during the pandemic and starting fresh with new members.

* **10:30** – Details on the Umbilicus EP, *Ambiguous*.

* **12:11** – Paul's role as a drummer vs. his history with songwriting and guitar.

* **16:05** – Writing the Cannibal Corpse song "Destroyed Without a Trace" entirely on drums.

* **18:11** – Paul's first instrument: Learning guitar on an acoustic before switching to drums.

* **25:28** – The evolution of Paul's drumming...

Miljenko Matijevic joins the show for a one-on-one conversation about “Without You,” and his work with Niclas Engelin, the new collaborative album that’s on the way, his voice, and the realities of today’s music business. Best known as the founder and voice of Steelheart, Matijevic reflects on the songwriting, the performance side of singing, and how he approaches recording and longevity as a rock vocalist.

The interview also looks back at Steelheart’s history, from the band’s beginnings in Connecticut under the name Red Alert to their breakout with the 1990 debut Steelheart...

Stephen Gibb, often known as Steve Gibb, is a guitarist, singer, and songwriter with a career rooted in hard rock and heavy metal. Born in London in 1973 and raised in Miami, he is the eldest son of Barry Gibb. Although he comes from a famous musical family, Stephen developed his own identity by pursuing a much heavier sound than the pop style long associated with the Bee Gees.

Throughout his career, Gibb has performed with several well-known rock and metal acts, including Black Label Society, Crowbar, Kingdom of Sorrow, and Saigon Kick. He has earned respect as...

alor Kand is a musician known for his work with Christian Death, where he became a central creative figure as a guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter. His presence helped define the band’s identity for decades, and he became closely associated with its intense sound, theatrical style, and confrontational themes. In addition to performing, he played a major role in shaping the group’s direction and keeping it active across multiple eras.

As an artist, Kand brought a forceful and dramatic approach to Christian Death’s music. His work often emphasized heavy guitars, dark atmosphere, and ly...

* **00:00** - Intro and Welcome

* **00:35** - Meet Hardip (Lead Guitar) and Ben (Vocals)

* **00:57** - Band History and First Releases

* **02:22** - The Bond Between Band Members

* **04:13** - Influences and Finding Their Sound

* **06:58** - Playing Alongside Different Genres

* **10:37** - Working with Tony (VENOM INC ) on the New Album

* **15:15** - Album Release Details

* **17:42** - Upcoming Shows and Bloodstock Festival

* **21:28** - Advice for Young Bands and the Reality of Touring

* **23:39** - The Importance of Playing Live

* **28:44** - Outro and Farewell

!Jesse Hughes has described Eagles of Death Metal as a creative partnership built with Josh Homme from the start, and in interviews he has spoken openly about how closely they write together. Hughes said he and Homme write the songs together, while also calling Homme his best friend and praising the chance to work in a Joshua Homme production session.

On the gear side, Hughes’ documented live setup is very specific: he has used custom Maton guitars, including an MS500 with lightning-bolt styling and hotter-wound humbuckers, and paired them with Orange amps onstage. A recorded rig rundown sa...

* **00:00** – Introduction and welcome to Dave Rude from Tesla

* **00:22** – Discussing the new album and the "economy of albums" in rock today

* **01:28** – Why Tesla chooses to release singles versus full albums

* **02:17** – How the new covers record came together "by accident"

* **03:03** – Exploring the vocal-focused direction of the new album

* **04:48** – Balancing original sound with the essence of cover songs

* **06:03** – Upcoming tour details with Mötley Crüe and Extreme

* **07:44** – The experience of headlining versus playing larger package tours

* **11:13** – Rehearsing for the tour and updating the stage production

* **13:16** – Why classi...

Paul Booth is an American tattoo artist and multidisciplinary dark surrealist from Boonton, New Jersey, whose career has spanned nearly four decades. After beginning his tattoo journey in the late 1980s through an apprenticeship in New Jersey, he developed a signature black-and-gray style centered on macabre, psychological, and surreal imagery. Rather than follow standard flash trends, Booth built his name through large custom pieces that explored horror, religion, trauma, and the darker side of human nature.

By the 1990s and 2000s, Booth had become one of the most influential names in tattooing, especially within metal and alternative...

Paul Booth is an American tattoo artist and multidisciplinary dark surrealist from Boonton, New Jersey, whose career has spanned nearly four decades. After beginning his tattoo journey in the late 1980s through an apprenticeship in New Jersey, he developed a signature black-and-gray style centered on macabre, psychological, and surreal imagery. Rather than follow standard flash trends, Booth built his name through large custom pieces that explored horror, religion, trauma, and the darker side of human nature.

By the 1990s and 2000s, Booth had become one of the most influential names in tattooing, especially within metal and alternative...

I spoke with Karl Agell about the story behind Legions of Doom, a band born from a heavy kind of history. In the aftermath of Eric Wagner’s passing, what could have remained only a tribute to the past slowly became something more active and alive. Karl talked about how the project grew out of grief, friendship, and unfinished creative momentum, with musicians choosing not to let that chapter simply close.

What makes Legions of Doom compelling is that it does not feel like a band built to imitate what came before. It carries the weight of th...

Davy Vain’s story starts before Vain the band ever broke out. He first built a name behind the scenes as a producer, then stepped forward as a frontman and songwriter when he formed Vain in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1986. After early buzz, club shows, and a growing reputation, the band signed with Island and released No Respect in 1989, an album that never became a huge chart smash but earned lasting respect for its raw, hungry sound. When label turmoil stalled the band in the early ’90s, Davy kept moving—briefly linking up with Steven Adler in Road C...

Boris T. is the online name of Boris Behara, a Croatian musician and YouTube creator best known for metal-focused videos and for leading the one-man project Tryglav. His channel originally started as “Tryglav Official” before expanding into broader content about extreme metal, music culture, and underground scenes.

As a musician, he is tied to black/death metal, with Tryglav described as a Croatian one-man project formed in 2018. His work blends aggressive black/death metal with horror-inspired themes, and he has also discussed side projects beyond Tryglav.

His video content mixes music, behind-the-scenes material, and metal trav...

Wino is officially heading back into the studio to begin work on a new The Obsessed record, marking the start of an exciting new chapter for one of doom’s most enduring voices. With fresh material now taking shape, the upcoming album promises to carry forward the band’s signature weight, soul, and uncompromising spirit while opening the door to what comes next.

At the same time, Ritual Arcana is deep in the writing process, with new songs already underway. The creative momentum behind both projects reflects a period of renewed energy and focus, as Wino continues to p...

Australia's own Rose Carleo Band returns with a bold, soul-stirring new album, 42 Days, dropping today. A deeply personal and sonically rich collection, this release captures the essence of resilience, transformation, and raw human emotion. 

Riley Pinkerton doesn't just front Castle Rat — she is the Rat Queen. Songwriter, guitarist, costume-maker, prop-builder, and self-appointed monarch of a medieval doom metal kingdom of her own design, Pinkerton has spent the last several years turning a Brooklyn doom band into one of the most theatrical and beloved acts in underground heavy music.

Castle Rat formed in 2019 and found their identity almost by accident, when a Halloween show at Saint Vitus turned into a full-blown costumed spectacle: Pinkerton as the Rat Queen, flanked by The Count, The Plague Doctor, and The Druid, doing ba...

Henry Rollins has spent the better part of a year buried in tape from October 1977 — a finished Cramps album, produced by Alex Chilton at Ardent Studios in Memphis, that sat on the shelf for nearly fifty years. It's coming out August 21 as Gravest Gravy on Vengeance Records.

Rollins and Ian MacKaye handled the restoration and mixing together through their RAM Prod. partnership. "I sent the mixes and my notes to Ian MacKaye, whose ears I trust more than anyone I know," Rollins says. MacKaye agreed with every call.

The two saw The Cramps together on Ap...

The final chapter of The Alarm carries a weight that goes far beyond music. Before his passing, Mike Peters completed what stands as a powerful final statement — an album shaped by perseverance, reflection, hope, and the same unbreakable spirit that defined his entire career.

For decades, Mike Peters was more than just the voice of The Alarm. He became a symbol of resilience inside and outside of music, openly facing cancer battles while continuing to create, perform, and inspire people around the world. His songs always carried themes of survival, belief, unity, and finding strength even in th...

Former Hüsker Dü bassist Greg Norton returns to the spotlight with his hard-hitting new band UltraBomb, bringing punk rock energy, melodic aggression, and raw intensity back to the forefront. Featuring an all-star lineup of veteran underground musicians, UltraBomb is quickly making noise with new music and an expanding tour schedule that reconnects fans with the spirit and urgency that made Hüsker Dü legendary.

In this interview, Greg discusses the formation of UltraBomb, the band’s songwriting approach, upcoming releases, and life on the road again. We also dive into reflections on the lasting influence of Hüsker...

Legendary Voivod drummer Michel “Away” Langevin joins the show to discuss the band’s powerful new release, Symphoniqïne. In this interview, Away talks about the creative vision behind combining Voivod’s progressive metal sound with a full symphonic experience, revisiting the band’s classic material in a completely new way while still pushing forward artistically.

We also discuss the evolution of Voivod through the decades, the challenges of arranging complex metal compositions for orchestra, the visual concepts tied to the project, and what continues to drive one of metal’s most innovative and respected bands.

A must-watc...

Legendary psychedelic punk innovators Butthole Surfers are finally preparing to release their long-lost album After the Astronaut, a record originally shelved in 1998 following the commercial success of Electriclarryland. In a recent conversation with drummer King Coffey, he described the album as a return to the band’s experimental roots, driven by electronic textures, industrial rhythms, and the bizarre sonic chaos that made the group underground icons. Coffey explained that the band intentionally moved away from the alternative rock trends dominating radio at the time, instead diving deeper into psychedelic sound manipulation and digital experimentation. Nearly three decades later, the al...

Jared James Nichols continues to establish himself as one of modern rock’s most explosive guitar players with the upcoming release of his fourth studio album, Louder Than Fate. Scheduled for release on June 5, 2026 through Frontiers Mussic,The album showcases Nichols at his heaviest, rawest, and most emotionally driven point yet. Known for his aggressive pick-free playing style, thick blues-rock riffs, and soulful vocals, Nichols blends classic hard rock influences with a modern production approach that gives the new material a powerful edge. Early singles including “Pretend” and “Killing Time” highlight thunderous guitar tones, melodic hooks, and the gritty energy that...