Mike Tramp & Eddie's Trip To Japan
Mike Tramp & Eddie's Trip To JapanUpdate: 2024-10-03
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On this episode of The Eddie Trunk Podcast - Eddie brings you his chat with Mike Tramp discussing his White Lion US tour, his new album, Songs Of White Lion Vol. 2, his relationship with Vito Bratta, his favorite White Lion record and much more! After that, Eddie gives you a recap of his recent trip to Japan alongside Sammy Hagar and The Best Of All Worlds Tour.
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00:00:00
- No, no. - Prepare yourself for the only talk radio show you want to turn up.
00:00:06
- Break this thing. - Serious XM Pandora presents the place where your hard rock and metal voice can still be heard.
00:00:14
- Even if you had been unfiltered, uncensored, say whatever you want at the recording button. - Anything can happen, you know?
00:00:21
- I know that ain't nobody out there came to be mellow tonight, now did ya?
00:00:24
- I'll say that ain't nobody out there. - I'll say that ain't nobody out there.
00:00:31
- It even wants to be a little bit nervous, now it's there, huh?
00:00:36
- Anybody wants to get mellow, you can turn around and get the fuck out of here, all right?
00:00:40
- This is the trunk nation. - My cat. - My cat. - With host A. Crunk.
00:00:50
- What's up everybody, it's Eddie Trunk and welcome to another episode of the Eddie Trunk Podcast.
00:00:55
New every Thursday on any of your favorite podcast platforms, be sure to subscribe.
00:01:01
So you do not miss an episode and thank you for listening wherever the world in the world, I should say.
00:01:06
You do so, it is greatly appreciated, bringing you news making interviews with the biggest names in rock and metal each and every week.
00:01:15
And I thank you for checking it out and it was really cool because I recently went to Japan.
00:01:22
I just got back actually, about a week ago, did a tour there with Sammy Hagar, my first ever trip to Japan.
00:01:29
And I did meet some fans in the three cities I visited who all came up and said hello and took a photo with me
00:01:38
and connect with me through the podcast because of course it is an international global thing a podcast is, so that's really cool.
00:01:46
As I tell you guys every week, this, the interviews you hear on the podcast and pretty much most of the content all originated on my serious XM radio show, which is called Trunk Nation.
00:01:57
And heard Monday through Friday live three to five Eastern on faction talk, serious XM channel 103 live or on demand with the serious XM app anytime.
00:02:08
So if you live in the US or Canada, where serious XM is available and you're only listening to this podcast, you're only getting a tiny taste like really small taste of what we do every day on the radio.
00:02:22
Come on board and join us if you're not doing so already and get the full picture and engage with us live every day.
00:02:28
You can get a free trial subscription if you'd like to serious XM just go to serious XM dot com slash Trunk Nation for info and how you can get those three months free.
00:02:39
No credit card required and everybody else outside the US and Canada.
00:02:45
This podcast a great way to connect with me each and every week and get a taste of what we're doing and hear some of these interviews that happen live on the radio also please follow on social media at Eddie Trunk.
00:02:58
And you can do so on X or Twitter, whatever you feel like calling it Instagram and my page on Facebook and speaking of Japan.
00:03:08
I posted a lot on all three platforms from Japan. I tried to take you guys along with me on my journey there.
00:03:16
Some unbelievable behind the scenes footage with Sammy Hagar and the band also just stuff walking around and exploring Japan.
00:03:25
It's all there on my social media for you to check out if you haven't already.
00:03:29
It was an amazing trip and I'm going to talk more in detail about it as the second half of the podcast this week.
00:03:37
When I signed on the radio for the radio show last week, my first show back after being off for that trip for about a week and a half.
00:03:47
I did a whole recap of my observations of Japan for about an hour.
00:03:52
So if you're interested in hearing that, that'll be coming up a little later on in the podcast will close with that this week.
00:04:00
But we're going to open this week with an interview that took place a couple of weeks ago live on my series XM radio show with white lions lead singer Mike Trump.
00:04:10
Now Mike and I have huge history.
00:04:14
Mike of course is from Denmark before what well just when white lion was formed, he relocated to the New York New Jersey area.
00:04:23
And I first met Mike when I first started in radio around 83 84 I was a kid and into hard rock and I connected with Mike I forget exactly how.
00:04:36
Because at that time the band white lion didn't even have a record deal they weren't signed nobody knew who they were.
00:04:42
But they had made a record that had come out in Japan only called fight to survive.
00:04:47
I was new to radio I invited the guys come up and do my radio show we that began a big friendship that last to this day.
00:04:58
And still great friends with Mike those guys you know Mike Vito James Greg no matter.
00:05:05
Even if years go by without seeing them they'll always be like family to me because we all were kids you know coming up in the music industry together and it was great to see what happened with them.
00:05:15
Because of course they ended up getting signed to Atlantic records and then made the album pride which went on to sell a couple million copies and turn Mike and Vito into huge stars and you know the rest of the story.
00:05:27
After a couple records the band implodes and really hasn't been active since.
00:05:33
I don't like the early 90s.
00:05:36
But Mike and I have always maintained a friendship he does not live in America so I don't see him that often but I mean we really go back I mean even when when Mike was totally unknown my mom cooked for him when he had no money and was living in a small apartment.
00:05:51
So we just have a huge huge old friendship Mike is currently on tour in America right now.
00:05:59
Doing a band called Mike tramps white lion he is the only member of white lion in it I'm asked about Vito brought a constantly and I give the same answer which is truthful Vito is out of the music business and does not have any interest in playing or touring anymore but Mike is a true rock warrior.
00:06:20
And he plays in all all over the world in every configuration acoustic solo or he'll play.
00:06:30
You know with the band he's done solo stuff he's done white lion he's not done white lion songs right now he is fully embraced white lion going out there playing all white lion material and actually had a chance to see him play live in New Jersey less than a week ago.
00:06:48
And it's a really good show so if it's coming your way keep an eye open for it.
00:06:53
He's got a real good band the songs are done in a different way in a different arrangement but it's cool I really enjoyed it.
00:07:00
I thought what he was doing was you know pretty much you know the right thing to do for a guy at his age and where his vocals are currently in his life.
00:07:11
So we had a conversation I want to bring you that conversation now given that he's currently on tour in the US which he doesn't do all that often and you'll hear that first in the podcast this week and then as I mentioned second this week my recap of the Japanese trip.
00:07:28
And I think you'll enjoy hearing all about my adventures there in Japan and what it was like there to tour with Sammy hey guard so that's our podcast for you this week hope you enjoy it let's get started with the you know it's hard to say former lead singer white lion it's just that white lion doesn't exist anymore and hasn't a long time.
00:07:46
I guess if they did you know Mike would of course be the singer but you of course you know him from white lion.
00:07:53
And here's my chat with Mike tramp enjoy very excited to welcome in an old old friend as I mentioned we have a ton of history that goes back decades and don't get to see him or talk to him as much because he doesn't live in the US but he's about to be here in the US for a while because he's about to embark on a very extensive tour.
00:08:14
You can find all the dates at Mike tramp official dot com it actually starts in Vegas this Friday at the backstage bar and billiards and runs from there for a long stretch of dates going all the way in through October at this point so going to be here in America for a bit and he's with us right now live on the radio to talk all about it here is my tramp joining us right now what's going on buddy.
00:08:41
Eddie how the hill are you man i'm good i'm good welcome to the US where where do you live these days exactly because you were in denmark Indonesia where you where's home for you right now.
00:08:53
Home is where my heart is you know what my life is dedicated rock and roll and you know most of the time has been on the road for many many years but but I have decided that my last year of my life has to be well as born so a couple of years ago I bought a lot.
00:09:10
Farm in denmark and when i'm off the road I am I just mess around and being around with animals and away from everybody in a rock and roll.
00:09:21
Are you so you're not as far as music and stuff from denmark you're not you don't know the scene you're not really attached to it anymore.
00:09:29
Well it knows but but you know it's it's a denmark is kind of country you know where you player Friday and Saturday and then you got the rest of the week off and so you got to fill that with something you know in that way so you know coming home should be.
00:09:43
Coming home and away from what you do I have a large studio there I build sort of you know my future what you want to do with arts and stuff like that but you know.
00:09:53
Right now i'm getting ready like you said to like a 47 day Jewish tour finishing at the whiskey you didn't get that on on October 24 so that's all i'm focusing on right now not even paying my bills or anything else just playing rock and roll.
00:10:08
Well you have always been a warrior man i've known you as I was telling the audience before long long time before you even had a record deal here in America and you're the one guy you.
00:10:19
Continue to go out there and you've done it year in year out whatever the configuration is solo acoustic new band doing white lion songs whatever the case may be you've always gone out there and played around the world so now Mike and i'm saying that the audience before like.
00:10:38
Throughout your career since white lion ended you use always seem to have had maybe a little bit of a different relationship with the band and the catalog there's times where you've kind of put it on the shelf not wanting to deal with it doing new things different bands different people and then there's times where you come back around and you really embrace it and celebrate it and put a band together to play it which is clearly what you're doing now so talk about where you're at now.
00:11:05
With the music of white lion and why you're going out doing this now.
00:11:10
Well when the band broke up in 91 the band broke up and I ended it personally I said that was it and there was nobody fighting for them and I know I mentioned many times you both privately and on the radio that.
00:11:23
Nobody wanted to fight for it beat or didn't call me the next day I sure you want to do about that and even 20 years later nobody wanted five for it but.
00:11:32
But just like in in in Godfather 3 you know just when I thought I was out they pulled me back in and it just seems like the world of rock and roll cannot survive without him the songs are white lion.
00:11:44
And the times that I've sort of opened up the suitcase and brought some of those songs out my band wasn't the right band I wasn't at the right place so this have to do a complete refurbish version of white lion because I want the sound and the band to represent not just the songs but the songs being represented and performed in.
00:12:11
And in the year 2000 24 and with the two my trams songs of white lion album volume volume to I am taking these songs into the future I mean we have changed them very little but I'm singing in a complete different range because today I'm 63 years old and not 27 when white lion hit the big days and it's impossible to bring that out.
00:12:37
So I wouldn't want to sound like that I wouldn't want to dress like that so I actually feel that I have brought this back and it is current it's fresh I mean most interviews in the reviews says the same thing this feels like a brand new fresh album but we know the songs your voice seems comfortable singing them at that time so when I walk out on stage and you look at my face and you hear the sound.
00:13:06
You are at that moment you're not brought back to old basis is well those are not the pants you wore from the from the weight video he doesn't sound because there are no singers out there that can sing like they did back then and I wouldn't want to try to sing like that I can't stand listening to myself that way.
00:13:26
I mean are you saying you don't want to be able to sing like that or you can't or both.
00:13:35
No I already started by I mean but already in the from the first wide line album to the fifth or the fourth wide line album.
00:13:44
My voice was already changing it sort of like there was like an opening open door for like three years where you were able to be up in the sky with your vocal and half of that time happened because we were playing so loud in the rehearsal room.
00:13:59
So the only way to hear your vocal was to sing high as time was go by and after wide line when I formed free of nature.
00:14:07
It was one of the first thing that I did was was finding the place where my voice was naturally going to be and I would never from that day on sit down and write songs and start that.
00:14:22
You know like when you don't I you know sat down and wrote the songs and that's the way it is where that sound changed along the way and with now 14 solo albums I sing like I sing not like I sing.
00:14:37
Right so let me ask you this because we didn't we should mention that for the audience that that doesn't know in addition to this tour you have made now two volumes of of albums where you've re recorded.
00:14:51
The white lion songs the latest one is songs of white lion volume to and you've picked songs from the white lion records as you mentioned totally re recorded.
00:15:02
And those are these recordings are not only you singing in the way that you sing now but obviously new people playing on them is the band that's on these records and the way people hear the white lion songs on these re records is that what you're going to be delivering live is that how you're going to do it.
00:15:20
And what people should expect the the sound and delivery to be like on the on the tour coming up.
00:15:27
1000% I mean I mean first of all I couldn't have been doing these two albums that it hadn't been for the guitar guitar player Marcus and because Marcus put his own personal ego aside.
00:15:40
First of all to learn note for note the phenomenal guitar playing of Vita Brada and then I pull him aside that says okay now you've learned that now find the key where I can sing these songs and play the same parts and that it's basically like if you ask a classic pianist to play Beethoven in a key that was not the way the song was written they will refuse that and most guitar players have always refused to play Vita Brada.
00:16:08
Because once you once you play Vita Brada there's no escape you have to play note for note Marcus did that and he's out there every night playing that honoring Vito with a smile we're not trying to replace anything we're just trying to give the audience the songs they have been crying for every time I showed up with an acoustic guitar and a bar and started playing blown in the window somebody's yelling play Lady of the Valley.
00:16:36
Well we should tell people to just so we're clear they're clear on this that you are doing this is a full electric show because in the past you've done a lot of touring here in America where you've just gone out and played acoustic and it's been stripped down but this is a full band right.
00:16:56
This is the full band and I mean you know everything was just adapt their improvise and overcome to the situation I mean you know all the years when I went out of my with my soul album and played acoustic I mean you know I have to fit the show based upon what they paid me.
00:17:15
And it's not to say that the fee has gone that higher but now we have found the way to travel as a band and deliver and perform a show of the highest level I got a I got a really great band it's a band put together of three guys that I've known for 30 years we're family men we're brothers we're going out with the respect to the songs the respect to the audience the respect to.
00:17:44
Going to bed at night known that we're delivered we're not out there to relive the 80s trying to recreate a backstage party arrive in a limousine we're gut them driving our own car and eating at Denys I mean but one thing we will not compromise is the quality of the music and I got three badass musicians that put music before their haircuts.
00:18:06
Well and and that's the thing I mean I tell that to the audience all the time when they wonder about bands touring and especially like yourself coming from another country to do this it's expensive men it's expensive to tour it's expensive to travel hotels food everything costs a lot if you're coming from another country there's visas and things you need to sometimes get in order
00:18:31
So it you do have to find a way to make it work and it's it's not always easy to do that.
00:18:38
But you know the highway is my life I've been on it since 1974 recorded I was part of recording an album with my youth club in 1974 Van Halen was not even created at that time I've been in this business now for 50 years Eddie what else am I going to do
00:18:58
and I'm never done drugs I drink very little I'm in top shape in that way but I try to be at the moment where I am instead of trying to be a hash a version of what I used to be I think I'm doing pretty good compared to a lot of other people but the whole thing is like I want to be proud of myself and one of the greatest discoveries would redo in these sauce is how ahead of time I was with my lyrics
00:19:27
my European upbringing made me write some lyrics that today when I walk on stage I'm not the one putting the ex and sex but I'm the one who wrote when the children cry I'm the one who wrote a little fighter these are songs that people come up to me and say listen we were sitting at our child's you know hospital bed watching me die and his favorite song a little fighter and then you go thank God for for being being choosing that way
00:19:56
you know so that's just a way where my dream is it's almost like I'm I'm not getting it financially but it's almost like I'm getting the reward that my art has stood the test of time and he's ready to go into
00:20:12
an update because the music and the songs will always outlast the hair and the spanish pants well and that's just did I always tell people the time it's like you know and I personally mic I'm a guy that despises the term hair metal or hair band I hate it because I think it's demeaning because I think everybody from the eighties had a certain look and that was just the fat the fashion and the style I always tell people listen with your ears not your
00:20:42
eyes and as I think a lot of people have seen as those move forward and were decades removed from the eighties there is music that stood the test of time and was quality well written music well played music and then there was
00:20:55
stuff that was disposable and not so great and and derivative of other things and I think that and you can tell me if I'm wrong but to me it feels like the music that that white
00:21:06
lion made has been really aged well and now people look at it objectively is just you know well made rock music from the eighties and I think it's received in a very different way now and you even see that with people
00:21:20
embracing some of the big hits again or discovering the old videos so I'm sure that helps to play into a little bit as to why you want to go out and taking
00:21:29
on the road as well because you may very well have people coming to these shows that weren't born when white lion broke up. Yeah,
00:21:37
they bring their kids and say it is important for our kids to see what matter to us before they go to you know any
00:21:44
of the new young pop artists and everything else that's going on which I can't even follow but that we are a part of history the same way
00:21:52
Elvis and Zeppelin and stones and deep purple were to us they are you know the foundation and we are the foundation to their parents etc etc.
00:22:01
You know I don't even I don't even question that anymore I know who I am I know what I'm about and stuff like that.
00:22:08
So as long as as you don't try at least for me I understand there are many especially some of the gigantic bands out there that are
00:22:19
cashing in and making twice as much money than made and when they're actually were a good band and stuff like that and it's
00:22:27
tough to compete against that because when you're just playing in a club that's just it is but if you get the satisfaction from the
00:22:34
music and know that you're written memorable songs and stuff like that then that's good enough when I look at myself in the mirror
00:22:41
every morning I'm happy with what I look I don't want to be anybody now what I would like is being able to do this for a
00:22:48
least another 10 years but but mentioning my solo albums and everything what I what I write there I mean I am
00:22:56
planning that that the music that I write and stuff like that I will be sitting at a piano and the gray hair
00:23:03
and and the bad knees will fit perfect with their and also my voice will will fit the songs perfect but right now we're going
00:23:11
out to do the songs are wide line and we got a two-hour kick ass said this is this is music on a on a high level regardless if we're
00:23:20
playing a bar we're doing it with a smile and we wouldn't want to be any other place and where we're playing and it's
00:23:26
also to say and I remember mentioning this to you a couple of times that we didn't get into it that deep but let's just do it for the
00:23:34
final time for the final time there were never any talk of any wide line reunion in the 33 years since the band is
00:23:44
broken up that's not been one single phone call about any wide line reunion I've not had a single phone call from
00:23:53
even inviting me to general even ask me if we should write a song together it's a symbol is that I'm not out here
00:24:00
doing this in spite of anything but I am the only person for 33 years who has heard the music of
00:24:08
wide line the songs that I wrote the band that I started into the future it's a symbol is that stop
00:24:15
rehashing that interview you know that Vito did with you ten years ago when you went when I saw you all
00:24:22
while the doors are closed the door was never open plus nobody opened it so you're saying since wide line broke
00:24:30
up in the one thirty three years there's never been a time where you felt it was even closer there was
00:24:36
any dialogue at all about the back together not in the slightest sense not a phone call from the right you
00:24:44
know I told you this once when I told Vito you know when we were we were playing a little too un-American
00:24:50
with the new rhythm section this is you know tomorrow when we play Boston it would be September
00:24:55
September 2nd 1991 it'll be the final show Vito looked at me and said okay next day we play the show I
00:25:04
went back to California Vito went back to New York record company didn't call management didn't call
00:25:11
T-shirt company didn't call merchant acid didn't call there was not one single phone call says Mike Ranna
00:25:18
you a little hot hot head right now you know would you think about nobody for it and I'd already
00:25:24
formed free of nature in my head by that time but there's never been one one one
00:25:29
chance of anybody ever reaching out you know Mike it's not what never happened well yeah I mean
00:25:37
it's not surprising to me back in 91 92 93 that there was no calls or no effort to keep it
00:25:44
together and as you know and as I told you it's at that time I was actually working with your
00:25:48
management so I remember the whole thing and raising thing about that is main attraction the last record
00:25:54
is among my favorite records you guys made it's a great record but again the scene was changing
00:26:00
we all know what happened with all the bands from the 80s when Nirvana hit so everyone was like
00:26:06
cutting cutting things off at that point but what's so it's not surprising to me at that time there was
00:26:13
no push but what's crazy about it to me is we all know many bands broke up many bands had
00:26:22
that happen for a while at that time but eventually there's some interest later on and the many of them
00:26:29
have all come back and many of them are doing pretty good business out there but it just doesn't seem
00:26:34
like that was ever in the cards for white line and that Vito was done done done at that point and
00:26:41
look I'm asked about the guy every day and I know it's got to be frustrating for you he is the right
00:26:48
to do what he wants with his life I get that but the fans ask about him every single day somebody calls
00:26:54
me or text me or tweets me and hey whatever happened to but you know you can't make somebody do something
00:27:00
you want to do I guess and I don't want to play with Vito he's still my friend but it's a friend with a lot of
00:27:07
conditions it's when it suits him and stuff like that and I just don't want I mean I don't feel like the bad guy
00:27:13
but just once in a while there's some some idiot that's going to open their mouth and the thing that bothers me
00:27:18
is like I feel that Vito owes it to the fans to speak the truth instead of hiding and making some sort of
00:27:27
illusion that you know he's doing this and this and you know we heard Vito is doing a pizza real we heard Vito is taking
00:27:33
care of his parents I lost both my parents I lost my brother I took care of them but I also kept rock and roll
00:27:41
alive stop with a goddamn excuses and make me feel the bad guy I didn't want to do white line but
00:27:49
everywhere I go half of the post-access the voice of white line the great looking front man from white line
00:27:57
or whatever and here I am with my acoustic guitar squeezing out acoustic versions of white line because
00:28:05
the business or the club simply has no faith in that the artist of who he is today would be enough
00:28:13
so one thing I've let to another and it's taken me about 20 years to find the magic in the songs
00:28:21
and the sound to deliver them back on stage you know I'm also not coming out on stage and doing the show
00:28:29
I did when I supported a CDs or air Smith I'm not flying around the air you know being a second you know
00:28:37
second you know Javier Roth I'm up there a grown man with confidence in my voice and in my songs
00:28:45
performing the songs you know I Mike you you know of course look I know Vito I'm in touch with them I
00:28:53
love the guy like like you do and we all the the marquee made is enormous in the very small catalogue
00:29:00
of white line will still are just amazed at what he did as a player and that's one of the reasons
00:29:06
why people ask about him so much and I've told him this but why why I say this all the time there
00:29:13
are people that are lifers for rock and roll I'm one of them this is my 41st year in the business
00:29:20
you're clearly one of them you'll do anything and go anywhere and play with anybody whatever you
00:29:24
got to do but there are people in this world that are not lifers and they make a mark and then
00:29:32
they check out and they move on to other things so I always put maybe Vito in that category but but
00:29:39
why do you think you know why do you think that for over 30 years he has had zero interest in
00:29:46
really being out there and doing anything musical did you did you did you feel that in him when you
00:29:51
first met him and even during the the the heyday of white lion that he was maybe only in it for a short
00:29:57
time not so much that he was in it for a short time and and I'm happy to bring it up like that because
00:30:04
you love Vito I love Vito and I have the right to say what I have to say I have delivered him I pulled
00:30:11
him out of that little Italian house where he still lives today I I sat every night talking to his
00:30:18
dad his dad just wanted Vito to call you say I get a real job I sat and told his father we're going
00:30:23
to be huge and when we finally played Madison Square God and his father looked at me with tears in
00:30:28
his eyes and it was a great moment and Vito and I when we sat in front of each other with the guitars
00:30:34
and we wrote the songs we were one we were always one when it came to white line we had no dispute when
00:30:41
it came to white line white line was him and I together saw wise there was never a single moment
00:30:48
of any dispute when it came to the music everything after that we are heaven and hell we're two different
00:30:57
people I'm a mountain climber Vito is a hermit you know he just stays at home I you know I we've never
00:31:04
gone out to dinner with him I never been to the movies but in reality it didn't matter we wrote
00:31:10
weight we wrote little fire we wrote tell me we wrote when the children cried we wrote lights and
00:31:16
thunder etc. that's all that matters and that's the history of the sense and every night every night
00:31:23
Marcus Nand is out there honoring Vito note for note he's playing Vito closer than Joe Satriani is
00:31:31
playing Van Halen he has so much respect for Vito he's Vito's friend they talk often and etc etc
00:31:39
and it's up to Vito if he feels bitter about it but Marcus is a young man and he wants to play guitar
00:31:45
but he grew up with Vito being one of his heroes and now every night he's out there playing
00:31:50
without adding any of himself into that no other guitar player would do that so you so the guitar player
00:31:58
you're you having your band now Marcus so he he uh he knows Vito they're in touch like they've
00:32:05
talked about this on the one we do it last year I introduced we I introduced Vito and Marcus
00:32:12
Marcus at board Vito at great an island spring guitar Vito was very happy and they started talking
00:32:17
about the solos you know and how you know and uh Marcus didn't know that and Vito told him that
00:32:22
they were having a great conversation and great relationship probably better than Vito and I
00:32:28
because they were talking about guitars and stuff like that and it was important for me for that
00:32:33
to happen because I'm not out there ripping white lion off Vito owns the name white lion and it will
00:32:41
stay with him but I have also said I would not go out as white lion this is Mike Tramp's white lion
00:32:50
when was the last time you spoke to Vito last year what we were touring I know I wish him had
00:32:59
the birthday and you know I got you know the usual three-word email to bat but that's okay I don't
00:33:06
really need it I told Vito you need me I'll be there you want to write a song with me I'll be there
00:33:13
you want me to help you do a solo album for you I'll be there I said everything up for you I'll
00:33:19
pick you up I'll do anything for you all you got to do is call
00:33:24
and why do you think why do you think he's so checked out why do you think he's so he doesn't I mean
00:33:33
what what is your what is your again I just go with some people are life for some don't some
00:33:39
the business the it just leaves them the the interest it leaves them maybe it's physical maybe
00:33:44
it's mental maybe it's personal but the whatever it is they just it just the drive to want to do it
00:33:51
escapes them after certain when I've seen that with other people you know Mike I love another
00:33:57
guitar player I love to death is John Sykes I tried I tried I tried for 20 years to get John Sykes
00:34:06
the original winery dogs before it was winery dogs was going to be with Sykes I went to his house
00:34:12
in Northridge talk to him in his living room and and you know he just kind of like the business
00:34:17
past and buying he couldn't even get his head around getting back into it so do you think maybe
00:34:22
there's some of that go that goes on to well that definitely is I mean but I in Vito's defense
00:34:28
I will also say that there are have been days in my life where somehow sometimes get lost on
00:34:34
YouTube and see like a a shit performance of a band in a club and I tell myself this is it you
00:34:40
don't end up there so I understand what it is but then the next day when I wake up I said yeah but
00:34:45
you gave your life for that I've sacrificed my three children for this I've just sacrificed
00:34:50
in normal life my parents everything I sacrificed for rock and roll and there are definitely
00:34:57
something that I cannot go into and it's not necessarily like that I'm sitting with a lot of
00:35:03
private information about Vito broader but there are there are a limit of how close I want to go
00:35:11
in describing what would be the reason I don't have any right to that and and that this is Vito's
00:35:17
side but you know what sometimes there are people that had enough when Vito and I have spoken
00:35:23
in the many years and we sometimes wonder while our management didn't take more care of us
00:35:29
when we needed I mean we were you like you said earlier and you were with us from the start you
00:35:33
saw us get the record deal with an electric records you saw also lose the record deal with
00:35:38
electric records and get back in the dressing in our rehearsal room and you know rewrite in the
00:35:44
pride I have an over and over and over all those things we went through a lot of stuff but there are
00:35:48
certain things Vito always said I thought we were supposed to write the songs and perform I didn't
00:35:54
know we were supposed to be businessmen you know I saw I mean we got burned out and we paid the
00:36:02
price down the line and we find old paperwork and sloppy accounting and stuff like that that Vito
00:36:09
I've been the founders of the band would end up paying for so I mean every little part eats
00:36:16
eats it out of you and like I said early on I'm the I'm the one who got up in the morning and
00:36:21
when jogging or mounting climbing or anything else you know Vito you know say that home of like
00:36:29
guitar he did he's never had a life outside of that but that's what he chose I couldn't explain it
00:36:36
I couldn't explain it but all that I needed was Vito to be available when we wrote songs for Vito
00:36:42
to be at rehearsal for Vito to go out and stay and play the guitar and he was there every single time
00:36:48
so I'm looking at your tour schedule and everybody can see all these dates Mike tramp official
00:36:54
dot com is the website you got a gig in T-neck New Jersey not far at all from New York September 27th
00:37:05
hypothetically hypothetically Vito shows up at the back door what happens Mike
00:37:11
well I mean there's a bigger chance that they you know that they'll they'll take can it we'll call
00:37:18
you know some merchants from from the bottom of the ocean you know listen I you know I have
00:37:25
I have no rights except where I do have the right as a human being and the one that I thought
00:37:31
friend Vito will not even meet us for for dinner so what do you want me to say you know I can't
00:37:38
just come to be signed but you know of course there would be a guitar ready but at the same time I
00:37:43
would never ask Vito that you know what if you ask me what would you like to do with Vito I would love
00:37:48
to sit down with him and write a song and see if we connected in that way we did before where we
00:37:56
didn't speak to each other which is played and sang he never had to tell me where to go I never
00:38:02
had to tell him where to go it was like we were one when it came to saw writing that's probably
00:38:09
the thing that I would love to see let me let me ask you um this where were you at these days with
00:38:15
James and Greg do you are you in touch with either of them yeah yeah I am I mean listen James and I
00:38:22
used to paint houses down the jersey show we were always two speeding images of each other we have
00:38:29
state friends I see James around the world with Megateth I see him when you play with John Fogarty
00:38:35
James has played on one of my songs I see in the future James playing maybe on an album or maybe
00:38:41
in him and I doing something when it sits into the schedule that was probably the most important
00:38:46
thing about that because I didn't stand by James's side when Greg and James were negotiating for a
00:38:52
better deal and white line and and and and they left it so and so you know I have to sort of just you
00:38:58
know be with Vito etc etc but James means the world to me because we both always sold life the same
00:39:04
way we always spend the time on the road together we was running around and create different things
00:39:10
we are we're one person and I am so damn proud of his accomplishment in rock and roll of how many
00:39:18
great bands he has played with he is a true great human being that you know doesn't you know
00:39:23
will not hurt a spider yeah and he's had a tremendous career he's played with so many people
00:39:29
back in Megateth now like you mentioned Fogarty the list goes on and on so yeah James has really
00:39:36
had a great great career and what about Greg D'Angelo I'm not sure what Greg's doing I don't know if
00:39:41
he still plays do you talk to him at all yeah I talk to Greg you know last time on the two unsolved
00:39:48
that and you know we're we're on good terms and stuff like that but you know we see the world
00:39:54
different and and it would be impossible to to even consider anything like that also that
00:40:02
that would that's no that's no need for that you know I mean without this thing anyone you know
00:40:07
Greg D'Angelo you know played drums and white line he's not necessarily you know it would only
00:40:13
be to to add to the list to original members from white line to the poster and that ain't gonna happen
00:40:19
so this tour um that you're about to start this Friday in Vegas it kicks off are you the whole set's
00:40:28
gonna be white line songs right it's the true it's a badass wide line say it's a much it's even a
00:40:36
better than we ever had we're playing songs that we attempted in in white line you know especially
00:40:42
from the main attraction out there we never got to do and I mean you know it's it's it's really
00:40:50
enjoyable it's really enjoyable because I'm so relaxed I don't need to strut my stuff and all
00:40:56
that stuff that I'm so confident and relaxed on stage you know playing these songs you know etc
00:41:03
or you know I love telling big stories about life and things like that I'm not out there doing you
00:41:08
know the 80s rap you know all this uh this is this is four guys showing up to wanting to
00:41:16
her to play a great show and also enjoy playing again yeah it's 100% white line song from from the volume
00:41:23
one and volume two Mike what is um when you look back at the four white line records that exist
00:41:30
and for people that don't know there is four because the first album is is an independent record
00:41:34
called fight to survive but of those four records do you have a favorite
00:41:39
well but yes I do pride is the favored album because that was that was you know when the band
00:41:49
was the band unaffected by first of all it was before our success the album had been on a live show
00:41:57
for a year and a half what you know of course you saw us many times in the clubs that was our live
00:42:02
show um for for a long time so when we went into the studio with Michael Wagner 1987 in Los Angeles
00:42:11
it was just like being at at at the stage of Lamores in Brooklyn you know playing those songs so they
00:42:17
would always be there then we two or four almost two years and then then Atlantic Records has
00:42:22
we need a new album so when Vito and I wrote the big game album we had two weeks to write the follow-up
00:42:29
to a multi-platform album the songs we recorded for big game we never ever played we never even played
00:42:36
in the rehearsal studio they weren't the time so those songs are so so unfinished in many ways
00:42:44
which is one of the reasons whenever I get to play those songs I know the missing parts and Vito
00:42:50
always also felt that you know the album is unfinished when we then got to do main attraction Vito and
00:42:55
I spent almost a year writing that album and we did not let record company or management anyone
00:43:01
affect us or push us for when that album should be done so it's clearly that that pride is a
00:43:07
representation of the true wide line that traction is a phenomenal album that came a year and a half
00:43:13
to a late yeah I always felt that love don't come easy on main attraction that that if it if it wasn't
00:43:21
the post nirvana it would have that song should have been enormous that is the hit that never was
00:43:28
in my opinion that's one of the many great songs so so this set list that you put this set list you
00:43:35
put together for the run you're about to do it pulls for more records yes it sure does they they
00:43:42
there's some surprises that I haven't I haven't played either wide line stop playing in in in 87 I
00:43:50
mean the secret is I mean to bring a song like El Salvador back if that's a song I wrote in 1980
00:43:57
when I lived in Madrid Spain before came to America and we spiced it up a little when we recorded it
00:44:03
for for the site's live album but then when we when we did it now for all my trans songs are wide
00:44:09
line volume 2 it's just got that lasting and it brings back the spirit of sinlessy and UFO from
00:44:18
those great English bookie days and it's a phenomenal song to play live yeah I wanna I love fight to
00:44:25
survive as well I you doing all the fallen man you got it that's also coming back into the set I
00:44:33
haven't I mean that song I don't even know I think wide line just played it was the last time we played
00:44:38
that was 88 I love that song I love the I love that record as well well listen man I I I am absolutely
00:44:47
going to make a plan and to to see you at one of these places because it's been too long since I've
00:44:53
seen you in person and I want to see the band and I want to hear the music of course but I want to see
00:44:57
you and I got I'm going to I'm looking at the schedule right now I'm going to find at least a couple
00:45:03
stops I'm actually going to Japan for the first time ever Sammy Hagar invited me to go with them
00:45:09
next month so I'm going to go over there for a couple weeks with him but I'm going to find a spot
00:45:14
on your schedule to come and see you and hopefully not only see the show but hopefully have some time
00:45:19
to to get together with you get some lunch or something because it's been far too long
00:45:23
Eddie there's always a seed next to the tram no matter way on the world
00:45:29
and my mom sends her regards she says whenever you want to come eat she's still cook for you yeah man
00:45:34
dude I'm I'm due for a real American Thanksgiving for somebody I know your mom made a bad ass turkey
00:45:41
and you know so it's almost like once you've been there you go nowhere else
00:45:45
everybody find the dates at mictrampofficial.com wherever you're listening in the country again the
00:45:54
tour starts this Friday at the backstage bar and billiards go see my friend Dave over there
00:46:01
great spot and that's downtown on Fremont and unfortunately I won't be in Vegas then so I can't
00:46:08
make that but there are a bunch of dates tons Mike is going to be running through the country with
00:46:13
his band through October so find a date near you at mictrampofficial.com anything else you want to
00:46:21
mention buddy before I let you go yeah of course don't forget that the at the second album volume
00:46:27
too is dropping also on Friday and that album of course will be in sale at the shows where I come out
00:46:33
for free signing them given people hawks and selfies free of charge full of love wow that you're like
00:46:44
Robin Hood here you see yeah you know people charged for that I know I'm a bad bad businessman
00:46:53
and you should then you Eddie you should go yeah and you toured with kiss you should have learned
00:47:02
and I said well I did learn something right jean didn't sit you down man what's going on there
00:47:11
well I saw everything I didn't want to be right but then again jean invented everything recently he
00:47:18
said he invented the fly date he's like I just figured out you can fly in on weekends and
00:47:22
offering gear I'm like I just invented this he said I just invented this new way of touring I
00:47:26
two of my friends are in jeans current band I'm like can you tell jean that fly dates have been around
00:47:31
for 30 years yeah here's the girl I tell you Eddie I want to finish our great talk because like
00:47:38
you mentioned early on a lot of people gonna call in you know like to uh in the memories of
00:47:43
of the great Jack Russell and stuff like that I'm gonna have a like a very very short story of that
00:47:47
I think it was a long beach arena and you know I I hook up with Jack and he goes and you know
00:47:52
we sit around and he says that's something I gotta tell you says somebody as good looking as you
00:47:58
should not be able to sing and I went home confused that sounds like something that Jack would say
00:48:10
totally exactly and he did oh man that is a good one hey man on that note I'm letting go love
00:48:20
you two man it's been too long I'm glad you're in the US have a great tour everybody check out
00:48:26
the songs of white line volume two as Mike said that will be out on on Friday the tour starts on
00:48:32
Friday in Vegas and again go to Mike tramp official dot com and find a date near you I'll talk to you
00:48:39
soon man and I'll see you out there somewhere I'll be in touch you got a bro see yeah all right see
00:48:45
a man there he goes everybody Mike tramp checking in always great to visit with him it's been too long
00:48:51
like I was telling you guys before we have as Michael alluded to to we have old old history Mike
00:49:00
moved to the America I was working in mega force our office was an old bridge New Jersey at the time
00:49:07
Mike was living in an apartment in old bridge I was doing a you know even back then a hard rock
00:49:15
weekly radio show playing these record he was playing and uh people found out about it and they
00:49:21
came to me and they had this record that was only available in Japan and they said well I take a
00:49:26
shot and put them on the air and I did and uh that was the original um version of broken heart which
00:49:34
they later re-recorded and it was only a Japanese import this is uh I don't know 84 85 and then
00:49:44
we exchanged phone numbers again long before cell phones at that time it was Mike and Vito Greg
00:49:51
and James had just come into the band because they weren't on that album and then they got an
00:49:56
independent deal for that record I started playing all the fallen men and some of those songs on that
00:50:02
record and again I tried to sign them I just started working at mega force I said to John Z on my
00:50:08
Johnny you know we should do something with these guys they got a guitar hero they got this great
00:50:14
look in front man this could get again it's mid late 80s he didn't want to do it he felt it was too
00:50:20
outside of what mega force was known for which I understand we were known for Metallica and anthrax
00:50:25
and that was a different thing and a band like white lion was gonna need radio and we didn't have a
00:50:30
strong radio push department so he passed on it and I continued to be friends with the guys and
00:50:38
continue to help them on the radio side and then they get a deal with Atlantic and uh record goes
00:50:47
gold and they send me they give me award me with the first their first ever gold record uh on stage at
00:50:53
lamores and uh just amazing amazing memories Mike was talking about my mom cooking for him he still
00:51:01
talks about that my mom again Mike Mike had no money Mike nobody knew who he was he was just
00:51:08
this guy came from Denmark trying to get a rock band going with other dudes from New York
00:51:12
and we just became friends we'd go to shows together whatever and you know Mike didn't
00:51:17
hadn't had a home cooked meal in in a long time and my mom's an amazing cook
00:51:22
again Italian family no so Mike my mom says well time to come over and Mike came over and my mom
00:51:30
he's still remember it was a turkey my mom made a turkey Mike still talks about the turkey dinner
00:51:37
35 years later maybe more than 35 years so amazing memories when they toured with kiss
00:51:47
I was in the studio when they made their records I stayed with them when they were making the records
00:51:53
in LA I stayed at vetoes I mean just incredible stories but when they toured with kiss
00:51:57
as Mike mentioned a second ago uh they knew and they used to bust my balls about what a
00:52:03
kiss fan I was even though they were two but uh they let me come on the road with them I went to like
00:52:10
three shows I traveled with them it was the one time I I went on a bus you know tour bus for like a
00:52:16
week and had a bunk and everything and they asked they invited me to come out on that because they
00:52:21
knew what a kiss fan I was and he was the crazy nights tour if I remember so amazing history with all
00:52:27
of those guys and look I'm glad Mike is doing what he's doing because it's in his heart and he just
00:52:33
you know he's a lifer and as far as veto I'll say this and I'm asked about veto constantly as you
00:52:40
guys know and I love veto but the thing is is this I would much rather have somebody not do something
00:52:50
then do it and go through the motions and not be good so if it's in your heart and you really
00:52:59
want to do it great but if you're going to go half acid and it's not in your heart you don't have
00:53:04
the drive then again some people just aren't lifers but it was great to talk to Mike and since that
00:53:11
interview happened I actually saw him and saw his show and as I mentioned it's real good it's a little
00:53:17
different you know it's not this uh you know old school white lion show from like the 80s with him
00:53:23
running around on stage and the big hair and all that it's more of a mature delivery
00:53:29
the arrangements are changed a little bit is guitar player Marcus Nand does a great job playing the
00:53:36
stuff so again they're out there on tour I think the final show of the tour is at the whiskey in LA
00:53:41
October 25th if you get a chance go see Mike you will not be disappointed and I hope you do so and
00:53:48
good to see him back touring in the US where he of course lived for a long time and has a lot of
00:53:54
history with his band white lion all right as I mentioned I went to Japan first time ever bucket list
00:54:03
stuff had an incredible experience there touring three cities with Sammy Heygar Joe Satriany Michael
00:54:10
Anthony Kenny Aronoff keyboardist rate this will wait we had a great time there it was an amazing
00:54:17
experience I hope to go back one day I'm still recovering from the jet lag
00:54:24
for real like a week later still crazy hours I'm keeping so that's the only downside 13 hour time
00:54:30
difference but I'll get through it but a lot of people wanted to know about the trip as I mentioned
00:54:36
you can see a ton on my social media in terms of video that I shot when I was there but here is how
00:54:43
I open my first radio show back from Japan with a little recap and discussion about some of my
00:54:50
observations being there hope you enjoy it on the Eddie trunk podcast thank you for being here for
00:54:56
the return to the live show here on this 26th day of September 2024 three o'clock Easter noon
00:55:04
Pacific and back from Japan and back live with you the whole gang is here Joel is here AJ's here
00:55:15
and we are ready to resume live programs and resume talking rock music with you after taking a break
00:55:23
my first time and I can't remember how long taking a week or more straight off
00:55:29
I usually take scatter days but that was long overdue and for a good reason as you well know by
00:55:37
now I went to Japan for the first time I got back yesterday I did not know what kind of condition I
00:55:44
would be in today for a live show given the jet lag is pretty extreme given the time changes 13 hours
00:55:52
between the east coast of the US and Japan they are 13 hours ahead so I can't even calculate like what
00:56:02
I think in Japan I would be in the middle of sleeping right now because it would be around two in the
00:56:10
morning the next day tomorrow but forget it it doesn't matter it's irrelevant to you and it's
00:56:20
irrelevant to me now because I'm not in Japan anymore I am in New Jersey at the moment
00:56:24
got back into a north airport yesterday it's pretty crazy because the flight from Japan to New Jersey
00:56:34
direct is 13 and a half hours and the time difference as I just said is 13 hours so basically when you return
00:56:46
even though you're in a plane for you know with the taxi time and all that over 14 hours but
00:56:54
flying time just over 13 you you take off and land at the exact same day and time so yesterday I took
00:57:07
off from Japan at around four o'clock local time and I landed at north airport at around four o'clock
00:57:18
the same exact day like you're literally shifting time and adding you know 14 hours to your day or whatever
00:57:27
pretty wild without question the most amount of time I've ever been on an airplane the furthest
00:57:35
I've ever gone the most extreme time zone change that I've ever endured but here's the crazy thing
00:57:42
about it and I don't want to jinx myself I I did really well with the extreme time zone change I don't
00:57:52
know why I don't know how going there I did not sleep much at all on the plane if at all and it was
00:58:03
crazy because I took off from Chicago because going way back a couple weeks ago I had those speaking
00:58:11
gigs and then I took off from Chicago because that's where my last gig was and that was around the same
00:58:18
amount of travel time about 13 and a half 14 hours direct into Tokyo so when I got to Japan it was
00:58:26
I don't know like five o'clock their time in the afternoon and then I had a two and a half hour
00:58:35
layover and a connecting flight into where the tour started in Nagoya and I was like well I'm going to
00:58:42
have two and a half hours to kill in the airport whatever I needed every second of that time because
00:58:48
the customs line was crazy long and then I had to transfer my bag and transfer to another gate and
00:58:54
then got on this other plane which was a local Japanese airline that was an hour flight into this
00:59:01
city of Nagoya which I just barely made all of that the stress was kind of crazy at that point
00:59:10
because I didn't know where I was going the language barrier trying to figure out the airport then
00:59:17
getting in a shuttle bus and having to recheck my bags to this different airline but I pulled it all
00:59:24
off and then when I got to Nagoya connected with a guy whose name is George Bodman a really nice guy
00:59:35
who is half Japanese half British but lives in Tokyo and he is a guy that a lot of rock acts or
00:59:43
some rock acts will hire to basically be their Japanese liaison he speaks the language he can
00:59:51
he lives in Tokyo he can help coordinate facilitate road managed things so he happened to be on my flight
00:59:58
from Tokyo to Nagoya so I got to connect with him a real good guy looked after me a little bit as well
01:00:04
but was mainly there for Sammy but he was on the plane so he helped me and then when we got to
01:00:09
Nagoya airport then it was another hour in a van to the hotel so it was about more than a 24 hour
01:00:19
all in travel day when I got there and it was like eight o'clock at night by the time nine o'clock
01:00:26
at night by the time I got to the hotel and I had not slept for over a day which actually probably
01:00:32
helped me out because then I went to bed at like 10 o'clock I was waking up real early because I was
01:00:39
falling asleep early I was waking up like six seven which definitely isn't me in normal times by any
01:00:46
stretch but I kind of kicked into the the Japanese time really quickly now coming back yesterday
01:00:56
I did sleep a little bit on the plane and but not a lot few hours and then I got back to to
01:01:06
Newark and and landed went through customs I got out got an Uber got to my house it was like I don't
01:01:15
know seven o'clock last night that I got home maybe a little earlier it was probably at six seven o'clock
01:01:22
yesterday and I was exhausted but I didn't sleep I stayed up a few more hours pushed it to like
01:01:30
nine 10 o'clock last night which you know again I never go to bed when I'm on my normal schedule before
01:01:38
like one or two I always keep late hours but I was dying to stay awake just to push myself a little
01:01:44
closer so I fell asleep last night like 10 o'clock at night and woke up a bunch of times but kept
01:01:51
going back to bed and slept a lot so I think you know it's the biggest thing everybody kept telling
01:01:58
me was the time difference the time difference the jet lag and yet it's there I'm definitely
01:02:04
zoning a little bit but I was telling Joel before we got on the air I go east to west all the time
01:02:11
between New Jersey Vegas New Jersey California etc that three hour difference it seems to take me
01:02:19
longer to get over that for whatever reason I don't know maybe this was so extreme I just flipped I
01:02:24
don't know but doing okay all things considered and look if you follow my social media you got as
01:02:34
much as I could give you from the last eight days in Japan a lot of stuff on there almost all video
01:02:43
content because I figured that was the best way to go to show you and share with you the experience
01:02:50
and that was an interesting thing in and of itself because you know I get so I get to and I'll give
01:02:59
you what I'll do right now for today's show being the first one back is I'll give you an overview
01:03:05
of the whole Japan thing and then I will there's a ton of news obviously since I've been away and
01:03:12
stuff that happened today that I want to get to and then time permitting I'll get some of your calls
01:03:18
in but remember tomorrow's Friday already so we've got a full day of calls tomorrow as well we're going
01:03:24
to keep obviously today and tomorrow show open first scheduled guest on the show since I'm coming
01:03:31
back here will be Chris Robinson of the Black Crow scheduled for Tuesday so we have some open time
01:03:37
here and a lot of stories and a lot of catching up to do but you know I'll kind of jump around a little
01:03:42
bit because I don't want to pound you with stuff but I want to give you as much information and cool
01:03:47
things that I can obviously while still covering what's going on in rock that we do every day working
01:03:54
in your calls and all of that so a lot of catching up on a lot of different fronts but as far as the
01:04:00
trip overall is concerned you know we started in this city of Nagoya which is not a tourist city
01:04:10
it is more known as the headquarters of Toyota and it you know I was told by a lot of people it's too
01:04:18
bad you're starting there and that's where we have the most amount of time because it's you know it's
01:04:24
not a place the tourists generally go to but I was overwhelmed by it I was blown away by it and I
01:04:32
kept saying myself wow if people are saying that this isn't like a great city here what the hell is
01:04:38
coming up when we get to Osaka and Tokyo and all the people that were local just kept saying well you
01:04:45
wait and you'll see but I you know we I got to the hotel and we stayed at look we stayed at beautiful
01:04:56
hotels you know and they were hotels I'll be honest I would not have been in if I was not on this
01:05:04
tour and wasn't part of the tour because I'm sure they were extraordinarily expensive but the beautiful
01:05:13
beautiful hotels and the one in Nagoya was something called the Prince Sky Tower or something
01:05:21
here's the crazy thing about these hotels and I don't know if this is just because we were in
01:05:26
high-end hotels or they're all like that I think it was because of the high-end nature of the hotels
01:05:34
but in all three cities and all three hotels the these hotels were in skyscrapers and the lobby
01:05:42
would be like on the 40th floor so you'd go into the building you'd go up 40 floors and that's where
01:05:49
you check in that would be what would be the ground floor of a normal hotel and then the the floors
01:05:56
for the rooms would be like floor 41 through 55 or something and the first 40 floors would be I don't
01:06:03
know office buildings or whatever I don't know what they were so it's pretty wild I never experienced
01:06:07
anything like that but the views were insane and that was all amazing to be you know traveling like
01:06:14
that but when you know when I got there I was trying to like you know because I was part of the
01:06:24
tour and because I was a guest of sammies and invited by him and because you know I'm traveling with the
01:06:33
band I was trying to walk a line in terms of how much video and photos I did with or around them
01:06:43
because I didn't want to be that guy you know what I'm saying I didn't want to be perceived as like
01:06:50
the media guy the radio guy the journalist guy whatever who those guys would have to always kind
01:06:59
of be like be careful what they said or date around me or whatever now look I know them all well
01:07:06
enough that there's no issue with that it's I've said many times I couldn't have found a better
01:07:13
group of guys and a better band to do something like this with because as I've told you guys
01:07:19
repeatedly and I truly mean this and I've been saying it for decades so this isn't just because they
01:07:28
took me on this tour the Sammy and Michael are two of the greatest nicest most normal fun people
01:07:40
that I've ever met in my life who are also major iconic rock artists I mean completely
01:07:49
what you see is what you get you've heard them on this show a million times you've seen and heard
01:07:56
them a million other places they are just the best whenever I do interviews and I'm interviewed
01:08:03
and people ask me who are your favorite people to talk to or be around I always answer those two
01:08:10
people it's no coincidence that those two people were the only ones that played my 40th party that were
01:08:17
announced and allowed it to happen not taking anything away from all the other amazing artists that
01:08:24
played that thing in December that's not what I'm saying but I'm saying they Sammy stepped up and
01:08:29
the whole thing swung on him because if you recall him and Michael were the only ones announced
01:08:35
everyone else were surprises so consistently they've been those type of people but still I didn't
01:08:44
want to be that guy you know I didn't want to be the annoying guy that they asked to come along with
01:08:51
them on this tour and who was constantly going to have the camera the video going on their every move
01:09:02
I wanted to just blend in be there not stress anybody out and enjoy it and take in the experience
01:09:11
so when I went into it that's what I was thinking so like a couple days in to the trip
01:09:20
because we were in this city of Nagoya for like four days before the first show three days and then
01:09:25
the first show after like the second day Sammy comes up to me and he's like hey look
01:09:33
he goes I want you to do whatever you want as far as like your schedule what you want to do
01:09:42
where you want to go you know and he said I want you to because you can feel free to shoot
01:09:50
video archive whatever you want this whole time he said to me because he goes your family dude
01:09:58
he goes whatever you want to do and whatever you want to put out there I'm totally fine with
01:10:05
because you want to walk into my dressing room you want to come up on the side of the stage you
01:10:10
want to you know in a train or a van or whatever pull out and start videoing and having some fun
01:10:16
he goes I haven't been Sammy and Michael I haven't been there 29 years so we and they had a
01:10:23
publicist that was doing that stuff with them too he said just go for it he goes do whatever you want
01:10:29
he said and all I would ask is is send the video to my social media guy because we might want to use
01:10:35
some of it I was like you sure he goes yeah because whatever you want to do so if you watch the stuff
01:10:43
on my social media it's incredible because I am right in it with them walking to the stage them
01:10:52
walking off the stage them in the dressing rooms on the bullet train on the platform waiting for
01:10:58
the train I would never have shot all that and done all that if it wasn't for Sammy actually asking
01:11:08
me to do it and his manager even said it to me it's his manager Tom was on the trip to it's totally
01:11:16
cool that he do what you want so that was also incredible and that's why if you take a look at anything
01:11:25
on my Facebook page and I tried to post everything on all three platforms because you know I don't
01:11:33
ever I don't know who follows what you know I'm always partial to X Twitter that's always been my
01:11:41
favorite but you know I got a lot of people on Instagram now I got a lot of people on the Facebook
01:11:47
page now some people look at all three I don't always put everything on all three but this time I did
01:11:53
I tried to because it was great stuff and I wanted to make sure everybody saw it so no matter
01:12:01
what of the three platforms you may look at all simply at my name at Eddie trunk you probably got
01:12:08
everything I think with very few exceptions I mirrored everything on all three
01:12:12
and it was so awesome to be able to do that and you you you saw and got like super candid stuff
01:12:25
them coming right off stage then walking two stage some of the backstage rituals uh the bullet train
01:12:32
stuff some of the stuff with the fans so again if you didn't look at any of that stuff since I've been
01:12:38
gone and you want real insights on what it looked like felt like what went on by all means take a look
01:12:47
at it and then you know and I did a lot of stuff in Japan on my own because uh Sammy Michael
01:12:56
and Joe Saturiani all had their wives with them and that was the other thing I didn't want to be
01:13:03
annoying I didn't want to be like you know they wanted to do stuff with their wives or you know
01:13:10
whatever I didn't have to be with them every second you know I didn't want to get in in in their space
01:13:15
all the time so you know more than half the time everybody kind of did their own thing with whatever
01:13:21
downtime they had Kenny Aaron off was there solo as well obviously all the other crew people there
01:13:28
were a bunch of other people that that were there solo but um you know everybody some people got
01:13:38
together and did stuff and some people uh teamed up together some people did their own thing
01:13:45
also the keyboard player that's on tour as part of this best of all worlds ray thistle weight
01:13:52
I spent some time with him and got to know him a little bit he was solo as well and uh he is
01:13:58
Australian and he is really the secret weapon in that band Sammy was adamant to not use any tracks
01:14:06
thank god run anything fake and did the right thing went and hired a fifth guy who could help out
01:14:15
on backing vocals play all the keyboard parts and songs without keys laid guitar perfect
01:14:23
so I got to know ray and talk to him a little bit on this tour and we hung out a little bit
01:14:28
and uh great guy uh he was telling me as a place uh even though he lives in Australia does have a
01:14:34
place in southern California and he goes there from time to time so told him when I was out there
01:14:39
hopefully we'll hook up again somewhere down the line so it was a mix of like rolling with the band
01:14:47
doing stuff solo because the other thing was everyone was managing the time change differently
01:14:57
some of these guys slept all day some of these guys went out on their own some of these guys you
01:15:03
know you didn't see so everybody kind of of course had to do what worked for them but we did do some
01:15:12
great stuff together and of course we all came together for the three concerts because the tour
01:15:19
manager would send out a note this is when we're leaving for the gig being the lobby and uh we would
01:15:26
roll in vans to the venue we get there a couple hours before showtime there were no opening acts on
01:15:32
any of the three shows the other thing which you may have heard about which is true Japan concert
01:15:38
start extremely early uh one night Sammy went on at six I think the latest he went on was seven I think
01:15:49
one night was six thirty show was over by eight thirty the latest on all the gigs so when the gig ended
01:16:01
there would be food backstage there would be a dinner set up and we'd sit in the one of the dressing
01:16:08
rooms and have a nice meal leave the venue I don't know ten o'clockish get back to the hotel by ten
01:16:16
thirty and most of the time I went to bed because I was jet lagging you know after the shows all the
01:16:27
shows were incredible the shows in Nagoya and Osaka were in halls you know probably three thousand
01:16:37
capacity pretty small but again smaller cities but they were both packed and the show in Tokyo which
01:16:48
was this past Monday was in an arena which was probably fourteen fifteen thousand which was
01:16:54
pretty much full couple sections way up top on the side no but outside probably at least twelve
01:17:02
thousand people in there and again the same set pretty much well I shouldn't say that the set
01:17:11
was different a little bit from what you guys would have seen in America if you saw the tour
01:17:16
the changes were that the mantros and chicken foot medley portion came out
01:17:26
and what went in was the van Halen song can't stop loving you which uh Sammy said on this show in one
01:17:37
of the interviews that they would work that song up for Japan because that song actually was
01:17:42
a huge hit there so they were talking about it the couple days we were there before the first show
01:17:52
and they started messing around with it during soundcheck and again if you look at my video you see
01:17:58
I shot everything from sound checks to stuff in the dressing room I mean not every night not
01:18:04
every single thing but I there's a lot there but Sammy you know went in the one time he told me not
01:18:14
to shoot was in Nagoya the first show and you they've got this little tuning practice room and he looks
01:18:25
to me because I'm gonna go in there and see if we can work up can't stop loving you and see if we're
01:18:29
gonna have the balls to do it tonight he goes because I don't think we got it down yet so I go this
01:18:35
will be good so I take because now I think this is gonna be rough because maybe we don't shoot
01:18:41
this one that's like I had no problem so I'm standing there listening to them working out the song
01:18:47
and you know they had already messed with it a little bit but
01:18:50
Sammy comes out he goes I don't know man he goes I don't feel it's tight enough he goes I think
01:18:58
yeah I think maybe we should just do it in Tokyo we'll mess with it in soundcheck these next two
01:19:03
shows and we'll try to do it in Tokyo and have it together by then and I look to them and I go
01:19:08
Sammy I go I was listening through the door it sounded fine I'm like you guys all you musicians they
01:19:17
said you get too hung up and I've seen this with a million musicians a million times I'm like you
01:19:23
obsess over little things that are mistakes potentially when people in the audience would never
01:19:31
pick up on it I was like you guys are musicians you nitpick that stuff out in the audience we don't
01:19:39
we hear the song we hear the chorus we have fun with it we like hearing it I said you should do it
01:19:45
warts and all who cares nobody in that audience is gonna hear what you're hearing which isn't you
01:19:52
know the way you want it and he looks at me goes you think I go yeah I said you get those
01:19:58
those people be thrilled if you're timing that was a huge song in Japan they're gonna be thrilled to
01:20:02
hear it even if you make a mistake or two who cares so that night they did it and Sammy talked about
01:20:10
it before he played it he's like you know we were working this up we weren't sure it might be a
01:20:14
little rough but let's give it a shot place went crazy that song it's I know they had to do it in
01:20:22
Japan because it was a big song and look it's definitely a poppy Van Halens song it's it's definitely a
01:20:29
pop rock song but it's amazing it was not a big hit here from the balance record because it is
01:20:38
hooky as hell if you know the song but in Japan the minute they did it that whole audience I shot some
01:20:46
video of it are singing that chorus so they felt good about it in the way it went over and they ended
01:20:54
up doing it in all three shows so set list wise can't stop loving you became the first encore
01:21:01
and then it went to jump into when it's love which is how it ended in America
01:21:09
but out the only things that came out were the Montrose space station number five chicken foot medley
01:21:17
and I'm assuming that's just for time because Sammy was saying even the promoter told him I mean
01:21:22
that set comes in at two hours and it's a little long especially for their standards there
01:21:29
so they didn't want it to go over two hours and look as much as I love the chicken foot stuff
01:21:35
and the mantra stuff I don't know I just don't think that many people know it
01:21:40
so making that change definitely worked in Japan
01:21:45
again I could tell you stories for days and I will over time
01:21:56
but just you know but as far as stuff I did unrelated to the shows
01:22:03
there wasn't a lot of touristy stuff to do in Nagoya but there was this old castle there called
01:22:10
Nagoya Castle and one day myself and Michael Anthony and our translator George and Michael's wife
01:22:20
Sue we all went to this castle and toward it that was really cool part of it was closed for renovation
01:22:28
but the one thing about doing stuff definitely in Nagoya and in Osaka it was crazy hot
01:22:36
and amazingly humid so you went outside and you just dripped sweat because the humidity was
01:22:45
unbelievable but it didn't stop me I still went out and did stuff I walked around all over Nagoya
01:22:52
I walked around all over Osaka much of the time by myself but I was totally fine with it I had
01:22:59
a couple apps on my phone that helped translate stuff Google has this app where you hold it up to
01:23:05
Japanese or any language lettering and it translates what it says you could read it that was helpful
01:23:10
you could speak into it that was helpful in Nagoya not a tourist city very few people spoke English
01:23:19
I didn't see anybody that looked American at all in Osaka a little more Tokyo the most obviously Tokyo is
01:23:28
Tokyo so you got a lot I saw a ton of people there that certainly looked like they were tourists
01:23:35
on vacation families and the hotel we were in in Tokyo was a Ritz Carlton and everybody there
01:23:42
who worked at the hotel also spoke English it was probably a prerequisite being that it's such a
01:23:48
high-end international hotel in Osaka we stayed at my favorite hotel of the three hotel called the
01:23:55
Conrad which is I guess Hilton's high-end hotel it's interesting in in Vegas the new resorts world
01:24:05
casino three of the towers have are three different hotels one of those towers is a Conrad I know
01:24:13
I just love the design I loved everything about it it was so quiet and comfortable and it was it was
01:24:20
awesome there we were there for the shortest period of time though I think one night
01:24:24
but still maybe two but still it was all the hotels were amazing but that was probably my favorite
01:24:32
just in terms of you know how it felt in there
01:24:40
Sammy had a big dinner okay here's another thing so in Nagoya
01:24:43
where I spent the most time walking around and was probably like
01:24:50
you know the most on tourist area right across the street from the hotel
01:24:58
there was a place called ZEP ZEP and I uh I didn't know what it was
01:25:09
it looked like it could have been a music venue we turns out that this
01:25:13
ZEP is basically like the Japanese equivalent to House of Blues there there in many of the cities
01:25:22
and there are they are music venues they're like three to five thousand capacity music venues
01:25:27
so I'm in a record store and we'll get to that in a second but I'm in a record store in
01:25:36
Nagoya at a tower records and then I went into a mall and there was a sign you know there's
01:25:43
this artist named Tak Matsumoto so the biggest rock band in the last 30 years in Japan is called B's
01:25:52
spelled capital B small Z S B's and it's basically built around two guys one being this guitar player
01:26:03
who's a legend in Japan Tak Matsumoto and he has a side band called TMG Tak Matsumoto group
01:26:13
and I mentioned this before and I knew this because I was in touch with the guys his backing band
01:26:19
is Jack Blades of Night Ranger Eric Martin of Mr. Big on vocals and on drums he had Matt Soram with
01:26:28
him so I was texting with all those guys because they were over there already and they're like we
01:26:35
got to get together you got to come see TMG whatever turns out that TMG was playing this place ZEP
01:26:47
directly across the street from the hotel in Nagoya the the night I was there
01:26:56
one of the nights I was there so I text Jack I'm like Jack you're not gonna believe this you're playing
01:27:01
across the street from the hotel he's like holy shit you gotta come over come see the show whatever
01:27:06
and their new record had just come out and all of that so I'm like yeah I'm in this is great
01:27:12
so that same day which was not a night Sammy was playing Sammy sends out a group text and he says
01:27:23
we're all going to a group dinner tonight he said all the band members and me we're going
01:27:33
he said we're gonna find a cool place and we're gonna have a great night and before the tour kicks off
01:27:38
big dinner on me so I was like okay that's perfect because the dinner was at six I figure we'll be
01:27:49
back to the hotel 8 8 30 I'll go over and see the gig well reference what I just said a minute ago
01:27:55
about shows starting early I touched Jack I said Jack what time do you start he said five o'clock
01:28:05
this is it this is the thing in Japan they start crazy early I think it's something to do with the
01:28:14
train schedule so I think you know I can't go to Sammy who brought me there and be like hey dude I'm
01:28:25
not gonna go to your dinner with the band and the group I'm with because I'm gonna go watch TMG
01:28:32
that would have been bullshit and honestly I wanted to be at the dinner with the guys so I texted
01:28:40
Jack I go Jack I I got dinner Sammy's doing a dinner tonight I said I can't not go and I want
01:28:46
it yeah I can't do it he's like I understand he goes but come over early and say hi to the guys
01:28:52
if you're across the street so I did you may have seen the photo I posted it I went over there I like
01:28:57
three o'clock in the afternoon they were getting ready to go on and I went backstage and I saw
01:29:03
Sorom I saw Eric Martin remember Eric Martin Mr. Biggest huge over there so the fact Eric Martin
01:29:09
was singing was a big deal I saw Matt Sorom Matt had his daughter with him who's like three
01:29:15
and his wife I said how the hell did your daughter do on a flight that long he's like oh she did great
01:29:20
but they're over there for six weeks so anyway I didn't get to a state to watch the actual show
01:29:33
but I did go in the venue and I did see the guys and that was cool and then one night while we were
01:29:40
there I went to dinner with Jack it was a night off nothing was going on and myself Jack
01:29:47
the guitar the music director for TMG a guy named YT and Jack's wife Molly we all went to
01:29:57
a Japanese steakhouse where you cook cook the food on the table in front of you so that was all awesome
01:30:04
I was glad I got to spend time with Jack I was I wish I could have seen the show I'd never
01:30:08
got a chance to see them play live they also played the same night I was in Tokyo with the night off
01:30:15
but it was just not convenient to where I was so that's you know I'm probably missing a ton of
01:30:24
stuff but that's kind of the music portion of stuff seeing those guys all the stuff on social media
01:30:30
from the three Sammy Hagar concerts I'll say it I've said it a million times Sammy Hagar is a freak
01:30:37
of the highest caliber what this guy is doing at nearly 77 years old doing a two hour set singing
01:30:45
all that stuff remarkable overview of Japan itself super nice super respectful people
01:31:00
incredibly clean it's so weird there you can't find garbage pals anywhere but it's very clean
01:31:10
it's a weird thing with garbage there because you don't know where to put it but it doesn't end up
01:31:18
on the streets occasionally you'll find bins but very rare they they kind of the idea kind of
01:31:30
is like you take your garbage with you and dispose of it privately I guess the only time I got a
01:31:38
little bit of a stink eye from anyone was what's today today I'm so messed up on my time um
01:31:45
Monday uh I left Japan yesterday I'm just trying because again that 13 hours it's crazy I was walking
01:31:59
around in the morning before going to the airport and I had a I got a Starbucks which is very different
01:32:07
there Starbucks there is very high end too you get the stuff in in glass and they've got waiter service
01:32:13
unbelievable but I got a Starbucks to go an iced tea and then I went into this other cafe and I got a
01:32:22
a little sandwich but I had finished my Starbucks and I'm walking around this high end mall and I
01:32:29
can't find anywhere to throw this empty Starbucks paper cup out so when I ordered this sandwich at
01:32:36
this other cafe I look and the woman's got a garbage pill behind her behind the counter and I point
01:32:41
I go can you throw this out for me pointing to the thing and she just looked at me like a dirty look
01:32:46
and she reluctantly took it out of my hand and put it in the garbage it's weird but it but the play
01:32:52
everything's immaculate the the overall thing the the biggest thing I could say about Japan overall
01:33:06
though people are amazing people are respectful very kind very courteous but it's overwhelming
01:33:16
it is unbelievably overwhelming you could go to one city and spend a month and not see everything
01:33:30
because you can go into a building and it'll look like just oh it's a little ground floor mall
01:33:36
and there's 30 escalators and everyone is a different place as you go up like you can't even begin
01:33:44
to see and navigate everything and then you could be on these streets that look like 5th Avenue
01:33:50
with Prada and Gucci and all this stuff and then you make a turn down an alleyway
01:33:57
and it's like old school Japan completely different universe and a whole nother thing to explore
01:34:03
the other thing besides the cleanliness and the overall
01:34:11
courteousness of everybody is it safe more than more than one person told me in anywhere we went
01:34:25
night day male female alone with a group tourist local go out walk around anywhere anytime day
01:34:36
or night there is no crime it's amazing why how whatever they figured out there I don't know
01:34:48
but nobody nobody fucks with you
01:34:52
it's a pretty amazing even in Tokyo which is basically where I went there time square
01:35:03
it was time square on steroids minus the weed smell the piss smell and people shaking you down
01:35:18
weed is not legal there I saw none I smelled none
01:35:22
uh not to be a hater on
01:35:28
New York City where I basically grew up but they could learn a thing or two to say the least
01:35:37
is amazing absolutely amazing never want and I spent a ton of time alone walking around
01:35:47
not once did I feel unsafe did anyone approach me nothing it was incredible
01:35:55
I'm editing a lot out here just in the interest of time because we want we're gonna move on from
01:36:04
this obviously look stories will come up as we go no doubt but obviously we're gonna get back to
01:36:10
our normal flow here but you know just a couple other things um we get to Tokyo and I did if you
01:36:19
saw the photo I did see Marty Friedman we went out together on Tuesday
01:36:28
that yeah Tuesday so Sammy and everybody left on month uh trying to make sure I got my timeline
01:36:38
right here okay so the show in Tokyo was Monday night Sammy and everybody else in the band left
01:36:45
on Tuesday I stayed one extra day and came back yesterday so that was the day that I hit up Marty
01:36:52
I took a taxi that's another thing the ubers there or taxis are incredible and uber and taxi
01:37:01
worked together so you can call an uber and it can be a taxi you get an uber or a taxi over there
01:37:08
the people driving are wearing suits and are super nice and the cars are immaculate
01:37:16
I got an uber from norque airport yesterday to get home I thought I was gonna take my life in my
01:37:22
hands the car stunk it was falling apart the guy's heat was running because he couldn't turn it off
01:37:30
I was like holy shit it's unbelievable
01:37:34
I'm trying to make a call the guy's crank and Christian music singing his his uh prayers
01:37:43
I swear to god I'm like watch this but like couldn't add more of a 180
01:37:49
but I took an uber to Marty's house we met there and then Marty lives near this area
01:37:59
Shinjitsu it's called uh tons of shops and again just I can't even begin to explain the scope of uh
01:38:12
the vastness of Japan and these cities and Marty uh we went to this uh you may have seen the photo
01:38:22
because I posted it I posted a few photos with Marty we went to this uh uh Japanese steak you know
01:38:31
grill place where you cook the food on a little grill they bring you was amazing I am not a fish guy
01:38:38
the I don't eat sushi I don't like fish so a lot of what I ate was ramen
01:38:46
uh these these Japanese steak houses the the primary foods in Japan are fish steak and pork
01:38:55
not a lot of chicken not a lot of vegetables fish steak pork they put pork in everything
01:39:04
kind of a vegetarians nightmare over there to be honest with you but I just don't eat I'm not a fish guy
01:39:14
and the last night of the tour Sammy had all this high-end sushi brought in at the end and I was
01:39:19
like I'm out I'm good I eat any of it they were woofing it down but um it was great seeing Marty
01:39:28
Marty's lived in Japan for 20 years fluent in the language a plays with a variety of Japanese artists
01:39:36
and we spent a couple hours together had lunch he showed me around and then he had to break off
01:39:42
and do things and I went all over Tokyo on Tuesday by myself I went to three different areas I went
01:39:50
to the area that is basically their time square and if you saw the video I went into tower records
01:40:00
for those that don't know tower records is still a thing in Japan there is a nine story tower
01:40:08
records in Japan again look at the video I had to all on my social media
01:40:15
and I was in heaven because of those nine stories I'd say 80% were CDs
01:40:29
Japan for all their technological advances I am assuming has no interest in streaming
01:40:39
because they still
01:40:44
dominantly are a CD loving culture they still have DVD and Blu-ray stores
01:40:56
I'd say of tower records maybe 20% was vinyl 80% CD CDs are still dominant there
01:41:06
which again made me very very happy they also have bootlegs prominently in the regular record stores
01:41:17
which nobody seems to be bothered by in terms of the legality of it now I didn't the only thing
01:41:24
I bought in any of these stores was I bought a tower records t-shirt because where are you going to get
01:41:28
that again right I looked at a few things they had a skid row subhuman race error bootleg which I
01:41:35
wanted to buy but you couldn't hear it in advance and I wasn't going to drop money on the CD that
01:41:42
could sound like a tin can when I got it home but I was blown away happily to see that it is
01:41:53
1988 still as far as the way people get their music it is all about CDs whatever your type of music is
01:42:02
here's the other thing I'm just gonna be honest rock music you know here in America we hear all the time
01:42:13
about other countries like rock is so much bigger here or there whatever I hate to be the guy to tell
01:42:20
you this but it's really not it's really not it's still in all these other countries that I've visited
01:42:29
at least yes rock is still a thing and rock still does well but it is still dominated by pop music
01:42:39
and in Japan a lot of kpop and things like that but when you walk into tower records the first thing
01:42:47
you see is posters for Olivia Rodrigo and Taylor Swift everywhere so it ain't much different
01:42:53
now if you saw my video on the rock floor it was oasis mania which just speaks to the enormity of oasis
01:43:02
and as I said before the break with all the oasis stuff we covered I make the case and I stand behind it
01:43:09
that oasis is the biggest active rock band in the world right now and I think by a wide margin
01:43:16
and I saw that in Japan they don't even have a new record out they don't even have dates in Japan
01:43:20
and they had oasis plastered everywhere so the oasis global juggernaut is insane and was prominent there
01:43:31
but um that was so cool to see tower and to do all the same logos and signage and lettering it took
01:43:42
your right back it was so cool that that is such a big thing there still
01:43:46
so I don't know again I could go on forever um most of the food I had was great some stuff you
01:43:57
know I couldn't tell what it was you'd very little stuff in English where you could read it I you
01:44:03
know I you know there's things I missed of course you know like Italian food and good pizza and
01:44:08
stuff like that I didn't really see there were some places but I just didn't know where to go
01:44:12
um and I had all friends of mine from different bands you gotta go here you gotta do this you gotta
01:44:18
go here I didn't have that much time you know there's only so much you can get in again it's enormous
01:44:25
but they love food over there they they have there are more restaurants every step
01:44:33
than any place I've ever seen in the world and what's amazing is they love to eat but you see very
01:44:40
few overweight people I mean they eat non-stop everything so I don't have that works I'd love to
01:44:51
know that secret just in closing out on this and again if you guys have questions or things you
01:44:59
want to talk about we'll what we can engage in that as we go forward but uh just in closing out
01:45:06
a a remarkable amazing experience I absolutely hope to go back and want to go back
01:45:18
and I cannot thank Sammy Hagar more for the invite Michael Satch Aronoff
01:45:29
Ray Thistle Weight Sammy's crew management just the best uh I went to a place called rock rock which is
01:45:39
in Osaka it's a little legendary rock bar that every rock act that goes through their stops in I met
01:45:46
the people they knew me and that was the other thing just in closing the fans we we've all heard the
01:45:55
stories about Japanese fans and this is a good way to close out the the Japanese open here the fans are
01:46:07
that is the one thing that is not over exaggerated the fans are unbelievable over there
01:46:16
when they go to a show a couple things first of all there was always this thing that the Japanese
01:46:22
fans had to be reserved and that is how it used to be in like the 70s and 80s no more
01:46:28
the Japanese fans are more engaged for the most part than most American audiences they are into it
01:46:38
from song one to the end if it's a new song or a deep track they're still on their feet they're totally
01:46:47
totally into it the whole time the other thing about it is there is a segment of the fans that are
01:46:57
fanatical and passionate to the extreme and this is something I've been hearing about forever and
01:47:07
is very true they will find you wherever you are not in a bad way they're very respectful
01:47:17
but they are big into getting autographs and they will find out no matter what where you are
01:47:28
and when you will be there and some of the crew guys were saying what's amazing is you can almost
01:47:35
understand how they do that now in the age of cell phones and the internet but they were like that
01:47:40
before cell phones and the internet and what I mean is you come off the plane they know what plane
01:47:48
you are on you go on a train they know what train you're getting on and off of and they are there
01:47:54
you use aliases and fly under the radar and never post what hotel you're going to be at
01:48:03
they know and are in the lobby they are everywhere waving their stuff to be signed
01:48:12
and look Sammy is amazing with the fans Sammy as you know if you've seen the shows
01:48:20
and he's been doing this for decades by the way people throw stuff up on stage he will sign it
01:48:25
and hand it back to them and he was doing that in Japan and he made a great point from the stage
01:48:33
because often he would take a record and sign it and throw it back to the person over the photo pit
01:48:39
and sometimes you know what would fly to the wrong person in Japan they take whatever he throws
01:48:46
and hand it down the line to the person who is actually it is
01:48:49
Sammy said from the stage he goes man I got to tell you Japan he goes if I did that in America
01:48:58
there be a fist fight in that front row over who gets it and it'll be torn apart
01:49:01
he goes you guys got nothing but respect for each other you find the person in handed to
01:49:08
whoever threw it up here is that's amazing is that shit wouldn't be going on in the US it was hysterical
01:49:14
but they are super into it and look you know
01:49:22
Sammy and the band had to absolutely have some people escort them in and out of hotels because you
01:49:27
can't stop if you stop they stopped at some points but if you stop every time you got to get somewhere
01:49:34
it could be an hour so as much as they probably are the most fan-friendly group of guys you could
01:49:41
ever meet they've got to you know you got to get from point A to point B you can't do it every time
01:49:49
it was funny because Joe satriani I was in a van with Joe and I said to Joe the Joe kind of flew under
01:49:56
the radar a little bit and I said Joe you come over here all the time satriani lived in Japan he told
01:50:01
me for six months and he goes I go you come here all the time with your own solo thing he goes yeah he
01:50:07
goes this is great he goes because Sammy's taken the brunt of everything with the fans he goes I can
01:50:13
just kind of duck in and out of the fans he goes this one's not about me so Joe kind of enjoyed that
01:50:21
aspect of it but I'll close with one funny story because I I was I had no idea if I had listeners
01:50:37
viewers fans in Japan and I heard from a few Japanese people who listen to the pot my podcast as you know
01:50:46
one of the interviews that we do our segment from this show goes out free to the world as a podcast
01:50:52
every week so that would be one of the ways people could hear me some people saw my old TV show
01:50:58
on YouTube some people hear things that fans post on YouTube whatever so that's the way I would be
01:51:04
connecting in a place like Japan where this show is not broadcast obviously series XM is not in Japan
01:51:09
so I um ran into a good amount of people that mr eddy eddy mr eddy welcome to Japan it was wonderful
01:51:24
it's really wonderful people has to take pictures with me it was wonderful it was completely unexpected
01:51:31
but the best was I think this was in Osaka we leave the hotel because again the whole time I'm traveling
01:51:46
with the with the band I'm in their vans I'm in and out of the venues with them so we leave the hotel
01:51:51
group of fans outside the hotel we get escorted right into the vans we got to get to the gig we get to
01:51:57
the gig we're driving to the gig and there's a guy riding his bicycle pumping a sign that he made
01:52:08
above his head that said we love you eddy and I think it was Michael Anthony in the van goes hey
01:52:16
trunk look you got a fan out there and I said to Michael I go dude stop I go that's he's saying that's
01:52:26
for eddy van Helen not me I go you guys are basically paying tribute to van Helen it's just to van
01:52:34
Helen thing so I don't know that guy might be there for you I go Michael I ain't never would
01:52:41
I think that number one and number two how embarrassing would it be if I went up to the guy
01:52:45
I'm like hey you're here to see me and he's like I don't know who the fuck you are
01:52:49
so Michael's like I don't know man you should talk to him you might be that might be for you I go
01:52:55
it's eddy van Helen I guarantee you so we get to the venue we go into the tunnel we get to the gig
01:53:01
we're backstage and Sammy's tour manager comes up to me a great guy Wayne
01:53:07
and Wayne comes over to me and he goes Ed come here and pulls me into his office which had a window
01:53:15
that looked down into this alleyway you go see that guy look at that guy and he same guy jumping up
01:53:22
and down with the wheel of eddy sign and I said to Wayne I go Wayne we saw that guy on the drive
01:53:28
on his bike I said he that's got to be eddy van Helen I guarantee you he goes I don't think so man
01:53:33
he said you should go down and talk to him I go Wayne that's going to be embarrassing I'm telling you
01:53:40
it's for eddy van Helen so he pulls me over the window and the guy sees me and Wayne starts pointing
01:53:48
to me and he goes to the guy and he's like pointing to me goes the sign and then to me and the guy
01:53:53
starts jumping higher and then the guy who was wearing a jacket opens the jacket and he's wearing a
01:54:02
giant's t-shirt the New York football giants I was like holy shit this guy is such a fan that he knew
01:54:12
I would recognize the shirt and he's acknowledging that he knows I'm a giants fan so Wayne's like you
01:54:22
gotta go down there and meet him that's you dude so I did I went out the backstage door again you
01:54:29
probably saw the photos online took a photo with the guy I took one on my phone super nice super pumped
01:54:38
up told me all the rock fans there in Japan know me they follow me however they follow me and he didn't
01:54:44
he didn't even have a ticket to the show he was only there to see me and get the photo
01:54:51
so I went in and tried to get him a ticket to let him into the show but the band literally
01:54:59
had just gone on stage the show was sold out and I couldn't do it but I took the photo which is
01:55:04
all he wanted but what a trip when he shows me the giants blue and white and that was like holy
01:55:12
shit so I met many fantastic fans that knew who I was which was a big thrill to have that experience
01:55:21
being that far from home and had just days and days of an amazing time amazing stories amazing people
01:55:31
great rock shows great rock band great people great food great experiences and I truly truly hope
01:55:41
to go back sometime in the near future it's a it's a bear of a flight I'll tell you that
01:55:47
even Sammy said you know he did it commercial but even buying the business class pods it's
01:55:56
a lot coming back the plane was half empty so people in the back who bought coach really lucked out
01:56:03
because you got to get a full row back there but I don't recommend it in coach if you can swing it
01:56:09
it's it's a lot expensive to not go coach but on a flight like that when you're dealing with
01:56:15
14 15 hours all in and a tube you gotta you gotta have some little personal space but
01:56:23
amazing amazing amazing nothing negative to say at all everybody that raved about Japan when
01:56:30
I was there I was getting texts from all these people and bands Billy she in all these different
01:56:36
people that go there all the time we're so glad you finally went you gotta try this you gotta do
01:56:40
that again there was only so much I could get in and even though I did have a lot of personal time
01:56:46
I was on you know with the band as well half the time so I balanced it as best I can and I
01:56:53
think I got a lot in for the eight days or whatever that I was there but ideally if you go to
01:56:58
Japan if you can take like a month you're only scratching the surface there were cities I wanted to
01:57:04
go to that I couldn't go to um everyone said you got to check out Kyoto I couldn't get there but
01:57:10
Nagoya Osaka Tokyo incredible well thought I'd bring you a little something different as a bonus
01:57:16
section on the podcast this week that was the open of my radio show my first radio show back about a
01:57:23
week week and a half ago coming back from Japan for the first ever time still getting over the jet
01:57:28
lag but um again hope you enjoyed some of those insights and you can see and hear a whole lot more
01:57:35
about the Japanese trip by just going to any of my three social media platforms x instagram or my
01:57:42
page on facebook all are simply at my name at Eddie trunk thank you for listening to the podcast
01:57:49
much appreciated be sure to subscribe so you do not miss an episode and again check out my
01:57:56
radio show if you're in the u.s. or canada live monday through friday three to five eastern time
01:58:02
faction talk serious xm channel 103 live or on demand anytime on the serious xm app don't forget
01:58:09
there's also the music show on mondays five to eight eastern live on her nation series xm channel 39
01:58:17
you've also got a syndicated terrestrial music show three hours a week check your local station to see
01:58:23
if they're airing that a lot of good stuff going on there is a documentary in the works about my
01:58:28
career excited that that is underway hoping to get that out sometime next year so good stuff going
01:58:35
on thank you all for your support thank you for listening to the podcast see you next Thursday for
01:58:40
another new episode
01:58:43
[BLANK_AUDIO]
it's a shame Eddie's such a narcissist because he does have a good knowledge of rock music.