Pete Evick (Bret Michaels band)

Pete Evick is a musician, businessman and author.  His latest book “MTV Famous” (co-written with Steve Olivas), chronicles his journey in the music business with his own bands as well as working with Bret Michaels. We discuss lots of great things including lessons from Bret, work ethic, his friendship with Mark McGrath, the downside of reality TV and more!

0:00:00 - Intro
0:00:13- New Sauce Company & Workload
0:05:00 - Work Ethic & Anxiety
0:07:55 - Music Career, Songwriting & Goals
0:09:45 - Camping, Youtube & Traveling
0:14:05 - Working Hard, Driving & Pete's Son
0:17:40 - Long Wong's, Arizona Scene & Gin Blossoms
0:23:53 - Sugar Ray & Mark McGrath
0:24:44 - Grunge Era & Seattle Sound
0:26:25 - Bret Michaels & Poison in the 90s
0:33:35 - Dropping Hints for the Bret Michaels Gig
0:37:50 - Getting Guests & Growing a Podcast
0:41:35 - Lessons from Bret Michaels
0:50:40 - Learning from Dana Strum
0:52:45 - Zoltan Chaney & Drummers
0:53:55 - Guns 'N Roses
0:59:40 - Rikki Rockett
1:02:45 - Don Dokken
1:04:10 - Rock of Love & Life As I Know It
1:11:55 - Being Happy with Who You Are
1:14:10 - Rockstar Movie & Perception Change
1:17:35 - Why You Got Into It
1:18:50 - Promotions
1:19:10 - Bret Michaels Life Rocks Foundation
1:20:40 - Coming to Arizona & Mark McGrath 
1:23:30 - Outro

MTV Famous Book:
https://www.amazon.com/MTV-Famous-Pete-Evick/dp/1956577076

Pete Evick Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/pete_evick/

Bret Michaels Life Rocks Foundation site:
https://www.liferocksfoundation.org/

Chuck Shute website:
https://www.chuckshute.com/

Transcript

Chuck Shute: 0:13

Welcome, Pete. Welcome. You just got here. How's it going? Chuck? Great. Great. Yeah, so no so much new stuff to talk about new whiskey new book. You did? Well, I don't think we've chatted since you put out the new song with Brett back in the day. Right. And well, I heard something about a new marinade or a sauce or something.

Pete Evick: 0:36

Oh, so that's before COVID I started the Virginia sauce and Spice Company. And then COVID came and it was just trying to keep Shining Soul my candle company afloat. I couldn't focus on too many things during COVID yet to bunker down and do matter. So I let that go to the side. And now we're picking back up on that it's um, but it's interesting. It's interesting. The Virginia salsa Spice Company, is something I designed it to, to be an inspiration and a help to a lot of my friends here in Virginia. barbecue sauces, and things like that are huge, everyone, everyone makes a barbecue sauce. And, and there's always tons of friends that are always like, Oh, how do I do this? How do I get distribution? Or how do I put this out, or I wish I could sell this. And, you know, as you've read in my book, and you know, when we talk more than anything, I try to be an inspiration to people that anybody can do anything. So I actually started this company, I don't have a ton of interest in the food industry at all. I do have one marinade or one sauce thing that I make. It's kind of this. It's kind of a half cage and half jerk sauce that I put on shrimp and stuff that I've made my whole life. And I use that as the product to launch this with my friend Clark. But the idea of the Virginia salsa Spice Company is an I did all the groundwork so that my friends who have these recipes can sell their stuff, like you know, so it's basically like a record company for barbecue sauces and marinades. So I will sign you to my company and put your product out if I like it.

Chuck Shute: 2:20

Oh, okay, interesting. So when does that that hasn't officially launched yet then

Pete Evick: 2:25

know in two weeks, the first product will be available, which is my sauce, which is called Epic number four. And then it'll be followed by a ketchup that my partner Clark makes. And it's really interesting. My partner in that company, Clark is a master chef, and he's amazing. And when he had his first child, he thought in his head, you know, he's really health conscious that all children have children basically get addicted to catch up right off the bat. And ketchup is nothing but sugar. And what can I do to make a more healthy ketchup. And so to me, that has meaning behind it, right. And so that's going to be our second product. And then we have some other ideas. And then we'll start addressing our friends and family that have these different products and put them out. But it's going to be up to those people to promote it. Like for instance, if I if I, you know, if you had something and you came to me and I signed you to put your product out. I'm not. It's got to be your marketing dollars, I'll tell you what to do. I'll open all the doors for you. I'll do all the things that I've become good at doing. But you still have to do the work. Does that make sense? Like yeah, just like a band. You know? That sounds fun. Yeah. So I took just like the chanting saw, I don't know if you remember talking to me about it. But I always said in the candle industry. What I felt was interesting about the candle industry was it was a billion dollar industry without a face without any logos or anything like that. And I took everything that Gene Simmons had ever taught me in life, not personally, but just being in music industry. And I applied that to the candle industry. And I've always said if you can succeed in the music business, you can succeed at anything. So as I've gotten older, it's interesting to apply all the things from the music industry, to other industries and see how it works.

Chuck Shute: 4:17

And it seems like it's doing pretty well but candles stuff is taking off or you have a couple of brick and mortar stores, right? Yeah, I

Pete Evick: 4:22

have a store in Myrtle Beach and I have a store here in Manassas. We did have a store in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, but it it it was doing good. It was making us money. But the time it was taking me to manage all three stores was was just too much because I wanted to do some other things I wanted to do. I wanted to write my book. We had the party girl tour coming. So it's one of those things you hear people say that you have two kids is is okay three kids is too much. It was the same thing with the store. I can balance two stores really easy. The third one was was became overwhelming for me

Chuck Shute: 5:00

Yeah, so I mean, kind of your work ethic is so amazing. You talk about that in the book that I think at one point, you said, I was working myself almost literally to death. And you say, I suppose I can thank my dad, for my work ethic. So is that like, you inherited that gene from your dad? Or did your dad teach you the work ethic?

Pete Evick: 5:19

You know, I think that I must have the gene, because I do it. You know, my dad certainly taught it to me. But I didn't realize that I'd become him till I already had. So I there has to be certain level of genetics, but it was also just what I grew up on my father work. Like, I still don't know a man that worked like him. I mean, to be honest with you, Brett works almost like my dad, but my dad was a hard labor guy. So that gives you a little more street cred. But it's just, he was 24/7. If he was awake, he was making money to provide for our family. And somehow that's in my soul. If I'm awake, you know, I'm not greedy. And I'm not rich. I haven't done amazing for myself, especially, you know, I'm not like bread, I don't have a private plane and nine houses. But, but I have a sense, whether it's the music business, or any of my other businesses, if I'm awake. I, I feel like I have to be working. Like, like, if you were to ask my girlfriend, Tina, she would probably agree that, like, I don't even wake up, my alarm goes off. And I am working before I get out of bed. And I don't know anything else. So it doesn't feel wrong. I know that as I'm getting older, I'm getting tired or make sense. But but it just, it's just all I know. That's all there is to it. Well, yeah, cuz

Chuck Shute: 6:50

that's interesting. You mentioned in the very beginning of the book, about how you're, you're an emotional person, person, and you have like, panic and anxiety or constant companions. And there's, like hurricanes swirling in your head, like, so I was gonna ask you, like, do you feel like that's getting easier with age, or it sounds like you still have that urge to work. And you gotta I gotta do this. But that's like, harder to do it as you go.

Pete Evick: 7:13

You're exactly right. And that actually, to me probably creates more anxiety than I think my anxiety is getting worse with time. I literally wake up every morning with a panic of fuck, I've got to do all of this today. And in my brain, in my brain, I'm like, 10 years behind, and all of my goals and all of my aspirations and all the things that I want to accomplish.

Chuck Shute: 7:41

I'm like, 25 years behind. So you're, so you get it. Yeah, I mean, I'm trying to start something. I started something when I was 40. You know, I was like, Oh, I'm gonna start a podcast. Like, I'm like, I should have done this when I was 20. Like, you started. Like, what? Like, what you say in the book was like, 13 or something? You I mean?

Pete Evick: 7:59

Well, I started playing guitar five, five. Yeah. First band was like, 1213. Right. But I was, yeah, my first band was my first real band was the first week of high school in 1987. I literally gotten abandoned started going, but it was in my junior year that I was playing professionally. I was in your high school, I was in the clubs playing. And by my senior year, I was playing four and five nights a week.

Chuck Shute: 8:23

Yeah, that's so so I mean, really like your whole life. So why do you feel like it's, you're 10 years behind. I mean, I feel like you've been preparing for this and working hard the whole time.

Pete Evick: 8:33

I just there's, there's there's other things, I haven't written enough music yet. I still have songs in me that I have verses and choruses that I wrote 20 years ago, that I haven't finished yet. I mean, I've finished other songs. But you know, I have so many ideas and different things that that I just haven't done yet. And it's not lazy. It's time. It's prioritizing what you have to do, versus what you want to do. And sometimes writing songs, we all know, there's no money in that anymore. Unless it's super smash hit country song or it gets used in a video game or movie. So sometimes you have to prioritize, I'll get around to writing, finishing that song. And then a year goes by and then another year, and then 10 years go by, I mean, you know, look at a different kind of truth from Van Halen. The entire record was 30 years old, for the most part. You know, it was all Van Halen ideas, you know, so I don't think I'm alone in the way that happens. You know, but but, you know, I just have so many ideas and so many things that that I want to do. And you know, interestingly enough, I'll tell you, I, I have gotten really into the just the primitive camping world, like take a tent and go out in the woods and, and, and I go online, and I don't know if you have ever researched this. There's people making Living out of just filming themselves camping, right? Oh,

Chuck Shute: 10:03

yes, I know I want to do that I want I've been looking at RVs and trailers. I love watching those YouTube channels.

Pete Evick: 10:09

i It's It's my only recreation sometimes like two o'clock in the morning when I finally decide to wind down. I'll put on YouTube and just watch these people. And it's fascinating to me. And it's, I want to live. I may, if you go to my YouTube page, we made one video of a camping trip we did to give it a shot. I wanted to see if I could I could do this. I think I made a video that looked pretty cool. And it and I kept it short. And I it's I did all the things I was supposed to do. And to be honest with you, it only got it. It hasn't even had 500 views. I'm like, Oh, I guess I suck at this. I don't because they have like millions of views those people?

Chuck Shute: 10:48

Yeah, it takes a lot of time with the YouTube stuff. I can tell you that it's almost five years. I mean, I'm four years in and it's like, there's so it's yeah, it's so competitive. But I really love those videos. I want to get through them or have you seen those?

Pete Evick: 11:02

What is it an earth Romer? What is it? It's like

Chuck Shute: 11:05

an off road RV. And so you could take it, it's got four wheel drive, and it's all like jacked up. But it's like it's a recreational vehicle you can live in it. I mean, I was like, I just want to take an earth Romer and just travel the country for like a year. I think it'd be so fun.

Pete Evick: 11:19

The very second are done this. I'm going to look that up. You'll love it. Yeah, that's cool that you're into it, too. And you get it. You know, I also think that it's a, I think that it's, uh, you know, I see a lot of people, especially during COVID, I saw a lot of people buy those Sprinter vans, and live in those things. And it's fascinating to me, I'm not spending 20 years of my life in a tour bus, living that kind of nomad life anyway. But that's even more freedom. Like, like, you could just It's fascinating to me, I you know, I still have one kid that's in his senior year high school right now. And when he graduates, I don't know what I'm going to do, because there's, I would love that life. I would love to just, you know,

Chuck Shute: 12:08

even just temporarily, right? Like, he just did it for a few months. Like, maybe that's enough of a and you could just focus on your music and writing songs and recording part of record, you know, in an RV or something.

Pete Evick: 12:18

I mean, you know, that's what I for 20 years, me and Brett have made records on buses, we've recorded on his plane, I have a mobile, My studio is a mobile rig that I've built, and I've been building it for 20 years, I replace it i When new technology comes out, I'm always on the top of the recording industry gear. And But literally, we've made records on Brett's plane before we so the idea of I actually one of my best friends is a guy named Jeff Giuliano, who is a world class mixer, he has probably probably 200 gold and platinum records, mixing stuff, he started mixing for Dave Matthews. He produced and mixed the first John Mayer record. And he's gone on to do all the Florida Georgia Line stuff and it has so many CMAs or awards. And he it this moment, right now today, he probably has three or four songs that he makes that are on the charts on the country charts. And for the last three years, he's in an RV. And he's mixing those records on a boat, or at a picnic table looking at a lake. And and that's the life. You know what I mean? You can do it?

Chuck Shute: 13:30

Yeah, that's what I want. I just want to travel the country and just record podcasts from an RV. I think it'd be amazing.

Pete Evick: 13:35

Yeah. Why wouldn't you do that? Like, you know, what can you do to get my girlfriend to do not want to do it?

Chuck Shute: 13:42

I don't think so.

Pete Evick: 13:43

Yeah, I to be honest with you, I think about getting rid of everything and doing that. And just for one year, the money that I might be able to save up from from getting rid of some of my other living expenses would be amazing, you know, smart.

Chuck Shute: 14:01

Yeah. Interesting that you have this thing. And you talked about the book. We just talked about it, but just how it's so weird to me that you think that you haven't worked hard enough? Like I mean, you literally talk in the book about driving and falling twice. You fell asleep driving, not from being drunk. You fell asleep just because you're exhausted. Yeah, both.

Pete Evick: 14:21

Both. Both times were 10 o'clock in the morning. Yeah,

Chuck Shute: 14:25

because you're working yourself to death. But you're saying I'm 10 years behind. I'm like, what? Like you're one of the hardest people hardest working people that I know. I mean, unless there's something I'm missing.

Pete Evick: 14:34

No, no, I don't know that. There's anybody in the world that would say any different. I don't know that. It's a point of bragging or something to be super proud of. But it's true. It's all I know. But uh, yeah, those accidents were terrible. Have you ever fallen asleep at the wheel?

Chuck Shute: 14:50

I almost did. So when I first moved to Arizona, it was like when the housing market crashed or whatever, and I came a job so I got a job at a methadone clinic. Which was really, really eye opening. Yeah, but the thing with methadone, so for people who don't know, methadone is a substitute to heroin, and people take it, but a lot of them are construction workers and stuff. And they have to go to work at like five in the morning. So they come to the methadone clinic, because you they don't trust you to take it home very rarely. So you have to come to the methadone clinic at like four in the morning. So I had to get there like 330 in the morning. So it's like you're trying to figure out like, do I stay up all night? Or do I try to go to bed early and set an alarm I could never get get it right. But after I'd be driving home be like 11am. And I'd be like, I'd be like, Oh, shit, I'm falling asleep at the wheel. So I finally just had to quit. I was like, I'm gonna crash. I didn't crash. But I see where you're coming from.

Pete Evick: 15:38

Yeah. So the very first time that that happened to me. When I, when I came to, I looked up at the car. And the car I hit had a baby seat in the backup. And the all my very first thought was, I just killed a fucking kid. Like it. To this day, I still feel that emotion seeing that I didn't the kid wasn't in the car, but could have been, you know what I mean? And it's funny, because my son, my, my oldest son, who's pursuing a music career of his own, has very similar work ethic as me, which is surprising this day and age. And it's not exactly the same, let's, let's say on a grading curve of what a work ethic is, to his generation. He's like me.

Chuck Shute: 16:25

Yeah, no, it's very different. It's very different. But I

Pete Evick: 16:30

oftentimes he drives Myrtle Beach is 500 600 miles from us, and my store Myrtle Beach Hill drive there and back in a day, to deliver a product to that store for me. And I do, I used to do it during COVID. I drove back and forth there every week to deliver product. And because I wasn't on tour, and I'm frightened that he's gonna fall asleep, too. It's like, most parents are like, I hope you don't do drugs. I hope you don't drink. I'm like, I hope you don't fall asleep at the wheel. That's what my fear is, you know? Well, yeah, don't

Chuck Shute: 17:01

they have some of the new cars have this technology that, like, I think it was a Mercedes or something. And it can, like subtle picks up on your eye movement, and it will beep if you start to close your eyes.

Pete Evick: 17:11

Yeah. And I have one of those new Ford Broncos. And it it is considered one of the safest cars on the market. In fact, my insurance dropped hundreds of dollars from just buying that car. And it has all these kind of the has the lane assist thing, it will pull you in and out. It'll warn you that you need to take a rest it's it's certainly harder to wreck or fall asleep at the wheel these days than it used to be so

Chuck Shute: 17:38

yeah, well, that's good. Well, when you look back besides, I mean, obviously that terrible incidents with the car wrecks, but those early days, man, that's what the first third of the book is about. I think one of the most interesting parts to me was when you brought up long Long's, because that's an Arizona but I didn't move here until 2008. I think it was already gone. But it was. I don't want to tell I don't want to spoil the story. Because it's a really great story. So people need to get the book to hear the funny story about long ones, but just general about playing there. And the whole scene because it was funny. You're like explaining like, yeah, I played with this guy, Roger Klein. I'm like people that live in Arizona. They all know Roger Klein. But yeah, he's the king. He did the theme song for King of the Hill. And yes, to talk about the Arizona scene back in the day. It sounds cool. So

Pete Evick: 18:19

real quick, I have to do something. So this is this is going to be a moment in my life of aging is happening on your podcast, right? Just a moment. I didn't want to happen. I'm literally looking at your screen and my eyes are starting to hurt because I'm going blind. So I'm putting my glasses on. Because I'm starting to get a headache. So no worries there. Live on your podcast. The world gets to see the moment where I had to put my glasses on. So long Long's one was was in Tempe right down on it. Yeah. As you campus. And it's funny. I don't know, I feel like I told you this last time we talked my entire life. I'm drawn to Arizona, even though I'm an East Coast guy, I dreamed of what it must be like I just again, I'm a Star Wars fan to the end of the life. So I probably related to tattooing or something like that, whatever, whatever it is. And so when my first record came out, with my band, some odd reason, and we started getting some airplay and some pickup and some stuff started happening in Arizona. I just got so excited. I called all the booking agents. I was like, Oh, this is awesome. We're gonna break in Arizona sent me out there. And so that was the first thing we did was start going out there to play. And it was just it was interesting because they called what I did desert rock. They still call it desert rock to you out there.

Chuck Shute: 19:44

Yeah, I haven't even really hurt. No, I haven't heard that term very much. Yeah,

Pete Evick: 19:47

I remember I was labeled a desert rock band. And but right at that moment, it was only a couple of years after the Jim blossoms broke. And you know, the Jim blossoms were from Tempe. And as far as the scene, it was alive. I remember. I remember, down there on middle Tempe on mill Mill Street, there was another club called Gibson's. And there was like clubs on every corner of the area. And we I remember one night, we played long, long time. And then the next night, we played across street at Gibson's and then, on a third night, we played in that same, that same little area, and anywhere else had ever been in the country. You couldn't do that you couldn't play three nights in a row, 10 feet from each other. And we did and we had great gigs every single night. And it was just a lot of that was a lot of fun. I don't know what else to say. Because as the book tells you, that was a very intense time of partying in my life. Yeah. All right. And

Chuck Shute: 20:52

we're still working hard. I mean, it wasn't like

Pete Evick: 20:56

that one experience I tell about that book was extreme. That was that was like nothing else in my life. But uh, but it was just great. People out there loved live music at that time. And were super supportive of it. They people, I felt like in that Tempe and Mesa, and even Scottsdale, and I never got down into the city of Phoenix, which there used to be a place called maybe it's still there called the mason jar.

Chuck Shute: 21:22

Yeah, it's been rebranded as the rebel lounge, I believe, Oh, that was famous. Yeah,

Pete Evick: 21:28

I never made it to that venue. And I wanted to always make it to that venue. But people just embraced rock I sold a lot of records in Arizona and people would throw parties and and, and then once that bam, someone reason broke up, and I reconstructed it into epic. The first thing I did before the record was even out I got us out and got us back out in front of those people at long Long's. And, you know, I was a giant, Roger Klein fan, with his band the refreshments.

Chuck Shute: 21:57

Yeah, that first record is so good. Yeah, that

Pete Evick: 22:01

song Bandidos, I still play that to this day, I cover it. To this day, when I do cover gigs or just any opportunity. Something comes up. I'll sing that song all the time. And

Chuck Shute: 22:11

I think the song What do you think about the song Mexico because I think that's one of the most underrated songs. I heard. That was years after it was released. And I was like, Why have I never heard this song? It's brilliant.

Pete Evick: 22:21

It's a brilliant song. And what was the other one that it's been a bad year for good days or something? You know, that's all

Chuck Shute: 22:28

I know. Is it on that first album? I know. I'm terrible at song titles. Yeah, they're all great. Have you met Roger. I have never met him. I have tried to get him on the podcast a few times. And I've not been able to I had Robin Wilson from Gin Blossoms and gas giants on when I was terrible. I mean, I'm still not great. But I was like really wrong. And

Pete Evick: 22:49

how was he? Robin Wilson?

Chuck Shute: 22:51

Yeah. Oh, he was amazing. He was so nice and kind and he probably shouldn't have done my shitty little show at that point. But I think because I'd had the black moods on in some other local Arizona. I think he was trying to like kind of help me out a little, which

Pete Evick: 23:05

is cool. We've done some stuff with him as the Bret Michaels band. We've played with Jim Balsam a few times. And he's super cool. I got it. And I love the Jim blossoms because you know that Jim, Jim blossoms and a handful of bands like that, like matchbox, 20 and stuff. Were what I gravitated to, when the grunge stuff came. And I just didn't. I appreciate the grunge now, but I didn't feel it then when you know I was I love poison. And I loved Warren and I love Van Halen. And I didn't. I didn't connect with that stuff. So it wasn't. It wasn't until a few years later, that all of a sudden there were bands like hooting the blowfish and Matchbox 20. And Jim blossoms that had pop songs again. That felt good. Yeah. And I really enjoyed that stuff in the sugar race. You know, Mardi Gras, a good buddy of mine. And it's funny, he doesn't. I've known Mark a long time, but he was just out on the party grow with us. And I don't think he he, he's always known me like this. And there was a time in the in the 90s where I had the exact haircut he has with the short hair and the frosted tops. And he didn't I don't think he ever believed that was anything but this ever. And I showed him all those pictures during the party girl. And we got a good laugh about that. But during that time, that shift I didn't the point of this was I enjoyed the gym blossoms I enjoyed the refreshments, because it was it was just straight up rock and roll stuff again. Instead of the I hate to say it the gloomy kill yourself like, you know, but I was in now that I've traveled the world. I see that grunge stuff completely different because I've been to Seattle so much that I understand. I understand more now than I did as a kid. The influence of your environment creates the sound. You know, the LA scene was created because it was all about partying, those songs were about what was happening. Right. I was a happy kid in DC and Virginia. So I didn't understand what they were talking about. And, and it's it seemed made up to me, you know?

Chuck Shute: 25:14

Well that's interesting. You say that because I grew up in Seattle in the 90s. And but I and I was kind of a depressed kid. So I didn't like listening to the I like the grunge I respect to the music, but I didn't really love listening to it because I was like, Well, I'm already depressed. I want to hear something like poison or Motley Crue that's gonna pump me up, you know, that's gonna get me like feeling good. Because I was already feeling shitty. I didn't want to feel shittier.

Pete Evick: 25:35

Right. But so it's interesting, even though you're kind of saying the opposite what I'm saying you're also proving the point, you were depressed.

Chuck Shute: 25:43

Because I lived in Seattle in the 90s.

Pete Evick: 25:46

Yeah, and I didn't understand that until I got to travel the world and start to see. And even though I was so anti, that Seattle movement, once I've, it taught me a huge lesson because it taught me It taught me that your sound is no New York had a sound natural has a sound. You know, Florida has a sound, and Seattle, that that music was just an audio version, an audio painting of the real life there. And I get I understand that now. I when I was a kid, I didn't want to even talk about it. It was all stupid and fake. And there's no way anyone's that upset. You know what I mean? Yeah,

Chuck Shute: 26:25

that's interesting. I had the basis from Collective Soul on my show. And he told me, he told the story so interesting. So they were touring with Van Halen, and Sammy Hagar and Bret Michaels was friends with Sammy Hagar. So Bret Michaels came backstage one time. And this was like, right when the grunge thing was happening, and he was like, What am I going to do? And it was like, Oh, that's so interesting. Does he does Bret ever tell you stories about those days, because that gap when he kind of like, he's kind of like he didn't have much to do?

Pete Evick: 26:53

Well, he talks a lot about it. And he has a positive attitude about it, because he'll often say that Nirvana saved the industry. He'll say the exact opposite of what you would think that that someone from that era would, but he, he was very aware that it was growing stale. And he was very aware that it was oversaturated. And something had to change, something always has to change. So in Brett, you know, Brett, like me has a list of things he still hasn't done, you know, and he really wanted to pursue acting and writing movies and that kind of stuff. So when the grunge thing came after the after the shock of that it happened so quick. He embraced that time to try and do other things. You know, he started that movie company with Charlie Sheen. And then they made those movies together. I mean, he did a lot of he did a lot of other things, but was never quit during that time. I mean, they, you know, you you could possibly attribute some of the some of the lack of interest that happened in that time was CC leaving, you know, and then a revolving door of guitar players for a couple of years till CC came back, because once CC came back, it was great again, and people were they were playing amphitheaters Who is this never played a club to this day, a lot of those bands went back to clubs poison has never they've stayed true to that arena rock stuff, you know what I mean? They never had to do it. And you know, there's few bands that were like that they're Bon Jovi and, and Van Halen, and a couple. But um, but he embraced it. And he loves nirvana. He loves all that stuff, though. Man, he, he, I have lots of music me and Brett have written in the early days, I probably have a hard drive full of stuff 20 years ago, that is incredibly 90s influenced very Smashing Pumpkins, there's a lot of fields like smashing pumpkins and Bush feel to it, and stuff like that. And, and we would listen to those records together. And then and we enjoyed them. And we'd like I really liked this song, and we should do something like this and something like that. And he, you know, the one thing that I will say about Brett, that's very inspiring, is you know, and there's a million people that probably put a bullet in my head for just saying this, but he's Pete. Let me let me explain the whole thing before your eyes get big when I say I can't wait for this. He's more. I'm not saying he's exactly like, but he's more like Princeton. He is definitely wrong. He is experimental. He holds no boundaries. When he wants to write a song. He doesn't care. He doesn't go I gotta make it sound like this. He'll say he'll say let's write something that this is inspiring me today. Let's write something like this. But he'll he'll he'll do anything in the studio. He'll he'll tell Take anything that's sitting on the table and make it an instrument and a lot of people don't understand that about him. He there's a millions of our solo songs that he beat boxes on, or he'll home these parts or do these parts of his vocals that you never even know or have a human voice about. And he's always in the just experimenting, he doesn't. He's, he's, you know, grab this guitar, grab that guitar, let's have this kind of drum sound, that kind of drum sound. And a lot of people when they make a record, want the record to sound like the record, like that similar production from beginning to end, he doesn't even want that. He he treats every song as its absolutely own song. And, and he pushes the boundaries, nine times out of 10 I'm the one that has to reel him back in. I'm like, Brett, come on, let's let's, let's pull this back in a little bit. You You aren't going to, you know, we're not going to go out and record you digging a hole in the dirt and turn that into the drum sound, you know, but those are ideas he had.

Chuck Shute: 30:58

Okay, that sounds that's interesting that you say that I can you know, the first few poison albums are pretty straight, you know, straight ahead rock, but then even flesh and blood and the native tongue and then crack a smile. I mean, that and I hear what you're saying that because that when there is stuff where he's like, beatbox and it gets more dependent. His solo stuff obviously took off too.

Pete Evick: 31:17

Yeah, he it's funny. He loves crack a smile.

Chuck Shute: 31:21

He loves to lose on the show. He's a great guitar player.

Pete Evick: 31:25

Oh, yeah. He's unbelievable. Like, like, you know, Cece, he's a legend. And Richie is Kotzen then Constans incredible.

Chuck Shute: 31:36

I had him on the show, too. He is fat. He did you know that he almost he actually got the job for Ozzy, but they just then they the internet killed it. But he for a short time he was on his guitar player.

Pete Evick: 31:47

I don't know that. I didn't know that. I met Richie for the first time actually a year ago this weekend. I was at that monsters on the mountain event? I don't know if you hear about that. Yeah, in Tennessee, right? Yeah, I was there. And he has a his manager, Craig Bradford who looks almost like you do you know, Craig? No, I

Chuck Shute: 32:06

don't. But he sounds like a good looking guy.

Pete Evick: 32:08

The first time I ever did when the first time I did that podcast with you and you popped up. I thought you were Craig. And I was like, Oh, is this a joke? Like Craig's doing a podcast now? But But um, he introduced me to Richie for the very first time. And it was really awkward. He he thought he was being funny. But he came up and he goes in a weird way. Richie, this was your replacement. And like, you shouldn't have said that that was that was you know, cuz becoming Brett's guitar. I'm trying to

Chuck Shute: 32:34

remember if that was the guy I dealt with when I when I did Ritchie's interview, because it was interesting. That was an interesting interview because I asked him some stuff about the poison. And I didn't know his manager was or whoever was publicists was listening in on the call. And he said, Can you cut some of that stuff out? And I was like, okay, yeah, sure.

Pete Evick: 32:52

That's funny. Yeah, I thought he was a wonderful guy. He's got a really interesting sense of humor. Richie Kotzen does.

Chuck Shute: 32:58

It doesn't you know, I didn't I didn't pick up on the sense of humor.

Pete Evick: 33:01

It's super dry. Like, Oh, I love I love drawing. Yeah. And I've never met blues. But, but I remember when I first joined Bridgespan just thinking man, you know, it's not it's not like Ozzy where you're following in the footsteps of Randy Rhoads. And, and Brad Gillis and Jakey Lee and Zack, but I was stepping into the shoes of some great players. There was some nerves to fill about that. You know what I mean? Well, yeah, so

Chuck Shute: 33:30

obviously, a lot of your book is about your time with. The entire second part is about your life and Bret Michaels band, but explain to me a little bit more in depth about how you got the job because you say in the book that you dropped some hints. Now, how do you do that without because I tried to do that a little bit, but I just feel like a douche if I do if I'm too obvious about it. I mean, what do you say like, oh, boy, it sure would be great to play in Bret Michaels band what like how do you drop a hit without being kind of like obvious,

Pete Evick: 34:01

you know? Well, so the guitar player prior to me was a guy named Steve Fangio. Dacus. And me and Steve became really good friends. Because my band was his opening band. My for two years, our band opened up for bred on the East Coast, on his dates, and I got to be real tight with all the guys in the camp. And and something happened. So if I remember this exactly correctly, poison was going on tour kiss. And because of that, Brett had to cancel his entire solo tour that was booked. Putting his band out of work. Right. And so Steve had decided that he wasn't going to return because he had, during that time that something during that time, he had to do something else. And so whatever that something else was, he was going to continue to do. And so, but Steve was still very much in Brett's ear, about. Steve helped Brett build a new band. So Steve was the first to go to Bret. And I would I would say to Steve, hey, if you're not going to do that, you know, I love those songs. And so those were the hints I would drop, you know, I would drop the hints of Steve. And Big John, do you know Big John is

Chuck Shute: 35:31

I just heard about him in the book that he was the tour manager. And then he was on rocket love a little bit and then

Pete Evick: 35:38

use Brett security guard for poison for a lot of years. And then he became the tour manager and security for Brett on the solo career. But I would drop hints to him too. I would just like, hey, I don't know what's going on, you know? And then one day out. And, you know, I don't know exactly how I explained it in the book. But the truth of the matter is one day Brett called me himself. Well, his his, his personal manager, Jana called me and said, a blocked number is going to call answer this call. You're gonna want to answer this call.

Chuck Shute: 36:11

So you didn't explain that point. That's fucking cool.

Pete Evick: 36:13

Yeah. And so the phone rang. And I answered, that's back. That was landlines. I don't think I had a landline. And he just said, Hey, Peter, how you doing? I have this gig in Detroit. And just like I told I tell this part of the book, this gig in Detroit. And I, you know, I know your whole band knows the stuff just come up and play. And we didn't rehearse. And so we went and did the gig. It was all I tell this in the book. Yeah. It was awful. And I remember, we talked

Chuck Shute: 36:49

about on the last episode, episode two and then a second chance.

Pete Evick: 36:53

But he gave me the second chance. And here we are. So that's basically the story, you know, but yeah, I would just drop hints to his guitar player before him knowing that the guitar player was leaving. He wasn't trying to steal anyone's job. Right, right. Yeah, no, you know, and I've pushed the limits with that. Sometimes I've done some dumb stuff that I regret. Like there's been a several times I've been in Sammy Hagar his dressing room, and I always will go hey, Vic, you know if you ever sick? Call me, let me fill in or if you happen to break. I remember telling him a couple of years ago, see ever break your leg or anything I can fill in for you? And then he broke his fucking leg? Do you remember? Eric Johnson breaking his leg?

Chuck Shute: 37:33

I don't know. But that's,

Pete Evick: 37:35

yeah, he broke his leg. But he went out on the tour with a broken leg anyway, but I felt like I I willed that to happen. I felt guilty. You know, you know, but um, yeah, that's it. I just dropped hints like that. That was the original question.

Chuck Shute: 37:49

Yeah, no, I just Yeah. Because I'm always like, always feel kinda like douchey. Like doing that kind of stuff like

Pete Evick: 37:56

it is if if you actually tried to poach a gig,

Chuck Shute: 38:00

it's not perfect. But like, so for me. For my, for example, for me, as a as a podcast, I'm always trying to get guests. You know what I mean? Like, I just feel weird, like this one, older podcaster. He said, There was a, I don't want to say who it was. But there was a, there was a band playing, I really wanted to get this guy on my podcast, and I was friends with the drummer. So the drummer invited me out to the gig. So afterwards, I meet the musician, and I and so he's like, You should ask him at the gig, you know, to do your podcast. And I asked him, and then he's like, Oh, I don't want to do any more podcasts. And then I just felt so stupid. I was like, Oh, I wish I wouldn't have asked him that as in.

Pete Evick: 38:32

I get exactly what you're saying. But I also know that I know that you can't get what you want. Unless you ask.

Chuck Shute: 38:41

Exactly. That's what I struggle with. I don't know. It's like, it's a weird thing about,

Pete Evick: 38:47

you're at that point where you should, I don't know, your inner workings. So forgive me, but your podcast has grown so much. And I mean, you're the king of this right now. You have to know that at least in our world, in our genre, you're, you're the king. And

Chuck Shute: 39:02

no, I've never heard that. But thank you. That's a lot to me.

Pete Evick: 39:05

You know, everybody that does a podcast looks up to you and all of us that have done your show. enjoy it so much. I mean, you're winning. But you're at that point where you should have someone booking for you do you have a manager or someone that goes out and gets the guest for you?

Chuck Shute: 39:21

No, that would be fucking amazing. That's what I want. I want a producer somebody that can do that. and edit the episodes and edit the clips and stuff like that. I've been looking for that I posted a video about it explaining what I want. But it's just it's hard. It's hard to the hardest thing about the podcasting thing is just as making money off of it and getting people to listen to an entire podcast even sometimes I have some really big name famous people on the show. And put you know, if they do like 100 interviews, no one's gonna listen to 100 interviews, even if you're the biggest fan of the guest or whatever, like it's just so it's really competitive. That's Thank you for saying that though. It's really flattering to hear that

Pete Evick: 40:00

I mean, I, you know, I don't mean to take away from anyone else because I know it's a small community. And, you know, Steve helped me write my book. So you know, Steve. Oh, Steve is great. I love him. And he does a great podcast and, and I have a lot of friends. Do you know Bay?

Chuck Shute: 40:14

The Bay regni Yeah, he's super nice.

Pete Evick: 40:16

He's great, too. They're great. And I am honored to do all the podcasts. But I remember just being 100% honest with you. I remember the day I got the new book in my hand. And all I thought was, I gotta get back on Chuck show.

Chuck Shute: 40:32

That was so amazing to hear. I don't know how to react to that. I don't get a lot of compliments. So it's like,

Pete Evick: 40:38

but you know, and I gotta tell you part of it is your production level your value when you post who's coming on your show and stuff. All you all of your advertisement all of your marketing. It just looks next level to me. I think it looks great.

Chuck Shute: 40:53

Wow, that's that's Thank you for saying I feel like my production is not good enough. When I look at other podcasts and things I'm trying to level that out. That's like,

Pete Evick: 41:02

You got to aspire to be you always have to aspire to be better, right? But I think all of us I know for a fact all of us look forward to getting to be on your show. And and you get you get some bigger names and a lot of your your your peers get you know that yeah, you're doing something extremely special.

Chuck Shute: 41:19

Thank you. That's really nice. Yeah, a lot of it is just grinding, I'm sure as you know, it's just sending out so many emails and so much rejection. And I saw this thing yesterday was so cool said like, Don't fake it till you make it. Fake it till you fail, like just fail, get back up, try again. That reminds me of this quote that I wanted to talk about asked you about from your book where you said that you learned so much from Bret Michaels to the reason we never made it. When I looked at all the lessons that I learned from Brett was because I didn't walk. The walk was even our internal identity was that of a bar band, we never actually thought of ourselves as real rockstars. So we never thought to carry ourselves as such. The knowledge made me crazy. I would scream at my guys. Why do we give Brett what we give him? What we don't give the same thing to our own fucking band. So talk about that about walking that what would you have done? How do you do that differently? I don't understand.

Pete Evick: 42:09

You know. So it's interesting. It's a neat question. I appreciate. I appreciate you asking this question because it still haunts me to this day. You know, my band became Bridgespan. So, the other I was the lead singer of epic. But other than my guitar player, our whole band became reds fan. And overnight, we were pros. Not that we weren't pros, before we'd release records, we were club man. But there's a mentality that you get in playing the bars. And there's something different that happens when you become next level. And I'll give you example, Brett will often tell stories about how he would even as far back as when they were called Paris, him and Ricky would come to the gig early, dressed up different other hair up and hats. So they were completely unrecognizable. While they would set their gear up. So that when Paris who was just a little bar man hit the stage, they looked like rockstars. Because in a club, I'm you know, you get there at five o'clock, and you're setting your gear up, and you're setting your gear up and your soundchecking while people are eating dinner, right? And they're watching you do this, you don't look like a star. You get them going. And I and I never thought much about that kind of stuff. And you know, I don't mean to give Brett's secrets away. But similar to what you were just saying, Brett would call people and pretend to be someone else. And to be Brett's manager, but it was really Brett.

Chuck Shute: 43:50

I didn't realize he did. I've heard so many stories about people doing that. So that's interesting that he did it too, though.

Pete Evick: 43:55

And put all that stuff gave you a perception that was different. Because if you're in a local area and you want to play this local bar, and I call and go, Hey, it's Pete, I'd like to have a gig then I'm just that local guy. But if I go hey on Pete EBIX manager and we're looking at just that little step makes you a little bit more pro. Do you know what I mean? Oh, yeah, no, that's right. And I was I was never that I I was a kick the dirt guy and I was you know, I I just never presented myself they it's funny they say dress for the job you want not the job you have and that's a good example of what I never did. I just stayed at a bar band until I was in a bar band instead of trying to not be a bar band in the bar. You know that you know kids what would you have done

Chuck Shute: 44:46

differently though? Would you have weren't Yeah, would you weren't kiss makeup would you have worn big hair and makeup or like different dress differently or?

Pete Evick: 44:53

I don't know that I would dress differently because even on the stage with Brett to this day, I just wear a t shirt and my vans and it. And that's very important to me to be who I am. I wouldn't have faked it like that. But I would have maybe I wouldn't have gotten super drunk every night on stage I was drinking with the audience, instead of I was one of them instead of the rock star on the stage. Does that make sense? And it worked for me at that level, we were the kings of what we were doing. There were lines out the door to see our band play at a bar, right. But no one would have ever walked into that bar. And gone, these guys deserve to be on an arena stage. Because all we did was drink Jagermeister and party on the stage. And I was bringing that level. I was bringing the best of that level. You could. And if that's all I ever wanted in life, that would have been great. But I would go home and wonder why I wasn't Van Halen. Right. And, and that first night I ever played with Bret, I understood everything. It was just, you bring your A game all the time. I remember I'd play seven nights a week, you know, sometimes out in Panama City, Florida, play four sets a night, seven nights a week. So you'd be on a Monday night. And under the sun. This is I tell the story. And I thought it was funny for a lot of years. And I look back, there was a night that I was so bored on a Monday night an all season at a beach town getting paid to play and I was so bored that I decided that to play the come on feel the Noize guitar solo in every single song we played. So I played it in the right key in the right sample. But I played the, to me that was a funny joke. And the entire night surfaced around whether I was going to be able to pull this off on every single song. And I was entertaining myself. That was unpro that was unpro i Back then I thought it was the funniest thing in the world. But there was maybe nine people in that club, I should have treated those nine people like they were 10,000 and played my ass off and wanted them to walk out thinking we were the best man in the world. And instead, I just wanted to see if I could do something stupid.

Chuck Shute: 47:03

Huh? That's really interesting. Yeah. Because I feel like, that kind of was the poison mentality to that I think they talked about and like, how, like he would make these flyers? And did they have like, like, maybe I even heard that they kind of had like, some smoke machines or lights or something like maybe that was part of it too, like building more of a Oh, with the along with the music. That's yeah.

Pete Evick: 47:23

And when I was younger, you know, like you read in the book, there's a whole section where we used to use the flash pots in the bars. And I you know, we did used to bring a show. And then when the grunge thing hit, and I was still playing in the clubs. I remember thinking, well, they don't have a show. So I, I slacked off. I stopped doing all that because it wasn't cool anymore for a long time. You know what I mean? And it's just, there was just different things that I knew I could play good. I knew the band was good, but we just we just treated it. And I thought I was being pro that's the problem is hindsight, right? Because at any given time back in that day, I would have told you I'm working harder than anybody. And I was I did wake up and I worked hard. But I was I was working harder instead of smarter. If that made sense. It was more important for me to have seven gigs a week than have two that looked like arena shows it where I could have probably pulled in more money charged more and had a more valuable product. As you know, truck, it's hard to it's hard to explain what I'm saying. Other than the way I did in the book. I just didn't know what I was doing. But I thought I did, because I was so you become a big fish in a small pond. And there's one in every single town, right. And there's one in every single day, there's the top band in every town, three or four top bands, whatever. And you just you just start to believe you know, everything. There's a whole segment in that book, I think, I don't know if you would remember where I talk about my drummer, in some odd reason, Keith Sarna, me and him, but it heads all the time. He had different ideas about everything. And I just disagreed with him all the time, because it was my band. And I was the one getting the calls to do the gigs. And it must be me no one a drummer doesn't know anything. And and there's good chance he was right about a lot of that stuff. You know?

Chuck Shute: 49:22

Oh, yeah. Yeah, no, it is. It's like Hindsight is 2020. And I don't know, that's what I try to learn about all the stuff. I try to learn the path, I guess. I think it's whether you're doing music, or podcasting or starting a business or whatever, it's all this like learning success. And I feel like Bret Michaels is you've learned a lot from him because he's he's done all of those things. He's had a business. He's got a TV show. He's had a band.

Pete Evick: 49:46

Yeah. How can you not I always make the show and I may have told this to you. The last time we were on the show. It's one of my favorite moments ever is. Eddie trunk was out watching my band play. And he this was only like three years ago i Eddie's come to see me plate lots. But on this particular night, he's come to see me play my acoustic thing a lot. But this was my full live band with me and Eric Brittingham and a couple other people. And he walks up and he goes, Man, your voice is great. And you're such a good frontman. And it was a compliment. But I remember my brain. And I said, Eddie, I said, Well, I've spent the last 20 years next to the best frontman in the world. If I didn't learn something, that that's pretty embarrassing. Like, I should be a good frontman. If I'm, if I'm not a good frontman after 20 years, standing next to the best, then fuck me, right? And I'm a big idiot.

Chuck Shute: 50:38

Yeah, and you learned, you're talking about the book, how you learned how to be a tour manager from Dana strum of slow because like, because, and he had been doing it for Vince O'Neill and stuff. And so you, you reach out to him. And you learned a ton about how to be a good tour manager from him.

Pete Evick: 50:52

One of the scariest phone calls in my life, to be honest with you, because I didn't know Dana. I knew who he was. He kind of knew who I was, or whatever. But I remember the phone ringing and I remember going, I don't even know how to ask this question. And in Dana, Have you ever talked to Dana?

Chuck Shute: 51:09

No, I've tried to get him on the show. But I know that they're not doing press because there's a slaughter documentary coming out or something like that.

Pete Evick: 51:15

So Dana's business, like, like, you're not gonna go hit the town party and, and laughing and joking with Dana. And I knew that about him. And I, I just remember thinking, this fucking guy's just gonna hang up on me. Like, I'm gonna call and I have to ask a question that I'm certainly no one's ever asked him. And it's not gonna be interesting to him. And why would he want to tell me any of the stuff? And when he answered the phone, and I said, I said, I don't know how to. I don't even know how to ask you this question, but I'm put in this position to be what you are right now. And I don't know how to do it. And he just opened the floodgates man, and he was so cool. taught me everything. And, and it's funny. I just sent him a copy of the book yesterday. Sorry, my dogs chiming. All right. All right. Well done. But he's wonderful. He's so smart. Dana knows everything. You know? Yeah. Dana's from Silver Spring, Maryland. Most people don't I don't think know that. Which is right up the road from where I'm from. And, but he's instrumental in finding, you know, Randy Rhoads. Do you know that he was? He was the one that got Randy Rhoads into Ozzy I was. I don't think I didn't know that. Yeah, yeah. I laugh with him sometimes because he he is responsible for finding Randy Rhoads. And he's responsible for finding Vinnie Vincent. So he found one of the greatest of all time, and one of the biggest train wrecks of all time.

Chuck Shute: 52:43

Well, and you know what else they found? I thought I'm assuming that he found their drummer. What's kind of now I'm blanking Zoltan Cheney.

Pete Evick: 52:52

I think his name is Zoltan is actually

Chuck Shute: 52:55

he is frickin the most insane drummer. I love them. It's incredible

Pete Evick: 52:59

to watch right? Yeah. Yeah, so he was actually Brando's friend. Okay. Him and Blanda. We've known each other for a lot of years and that's where he came from. Yeah,

Chuck Shute: 53:09

but he's talking about a guy who plays like he's like doing a show for a million people by endo knows oh, by the way, he like the other visuals. Like I don't even know. I don't know a lot about drumming. So I don't maybe he's technically not a good drummer, but I think he's so fun to watch. I love watching drummers. I mean, I think they're amazing.

Pete Evick: 53:29

technic. Technically, you know, he's playing Motley Crue songs in the Vince Neil van. And Tommy is considered one of the best, right? So he's pulling that off, and he's pulling it off all the jump and 20 feet in the air. So he's he's an incredible gentleman without it.

Chuck Shute: 53:44

He's so fun to watch. I mean, I just love watching any musician. I just love music. I mean, I'm still fascinate because I suck. So I want anybody like the new guns and roses song came out yesterday. And I was and I'm like, This is amazing. It's way better anything I can write, you know, people would criticize it or whatever. But I didn't

Pete Evick: 54:03

listen yet. I read an article where it said it was a throwaway song from Chinese Democracy. And I thought I don't I don't know if I want to hear that. But I have to listen. I feel

Chuck Shute: 54:14

Yeah, I mean, I know it's not their best song or whatever, but it's still way better than anything I could ever make.

Pete Evick: 54:20

I got I got it. What is their best song to you?

Chuck Shute: 54:24

Oh, man, that's that's a tough I really like the song you could be mine. I think that's one of my that was like, right when that era kinda is when I got into rock and Guns and Roses. And then I went back and obviously I mean, I'd heard some of the singles from appetite when I bought the album. And then like it's so easy. I was like, you know, just the way they had that like fuck you attitude like we don't give a shit because I didn't have that as a kid so listening to somebody else who had it I was like, You guys are fucking cool.

Pete Evick: 54:50

i my i feel still think my favorite Guns and Roses on his rocky queen. I love it.

Chuck Shute: 54:55

That's a good one too. It's got a cool groove and it's got the you know the story behind it. Are they It's still having sex with Steven Adler's girlfriend, like those sounds are on.

Pete Evick: 55:05

Yeah, but I love that I love that song. I love appetite man who doesn't though, right?

Chuck Shute: 55:10

Yeah, you ever have any run ins with those the guns guys or

Pete Evick: 55:13

Steven Adler's played with us a few times? Other than that, no, no, I, I hadn't even seen Guns and Roses till last year. First time in my life was last year, or maybe two years ago. And I was a big fan of the music but I I just never got around to go and see him and when I went to see it, I was mine. I was already a giant fan of slash. But have you seen it live? Like recent actually,

Chuck Shute: 55:42

I've seen I've seen the new one, I think three or four times I saw him with Chinese Democracy ones. And then my first concert ever was Motorhead, Guns and Roses and Metallica and the kingdom and Seattle.

Pete Evick: 55:52

Oh, right on, right. So I've never seen slash live. And he blew my mind, man, he blew my mind. Like not a missed note. Not just pure. Just, he just lives and breathes it. It. A lot of times, people the one thing people say about me is that make it look easy. And I think he makes it look easy. It's like he's just breathing, whatever that stuff is. It was like, he could be in the shower. Or he could be driving a car and still be playing like that. I was blown away. And whoever that other guitar player is with him right now is Richard Schwartz. Holy fuck, dude. That guy's incredible. Like, Next Level incredible. I had no idea. I don't know why they had him in the band. I mean, he didn't play like that. You know what I mean? But, but that guy. There's so many good players out there.

Chuck Shute: 56:48

Yeah, I'm a huge Disney fan. Especially his songwriting. I just felt like he was an integral part of the songwriting. I feel like we need to.

Pete Evick: 56:55

It's clear, right? Because he's the missing element. And, and that's what's missing still is that sound. So you never know. You know? I don't know if I told you this before but and this is not a diss. It's just a story on the one record that me and Brett did called jammin with friends where we had different players play on the different records on different songs. We had Joe Perry play. And Joe Perry sent us his tracks. And they were great. But they weren't what we expected. Right. And and who's the other guitar player Brad Woodford. Me and Brett literally had a conversation we're like, did we get the wrong guy?

Chuck Shute: 57:36

No.

Pete Evick: 57:37

Should we have gotten Brad Whitford to play? He joked played slide guitar on our country remake of every rose. So all that sly guitar in that recording is Sam. But it didn't sound Aerosmith the if you know what I'm saying?

Chuck Shute: 57:56

Maybe he wasn't maybe he was

Pete Evick: 57:58

trying to make it sound. Maybe I just remember me and Brett put in the tracks and expecting something a little different. It was great. You understand I'm saying it was great. We just thought it was gonna be something different and we were like, oh, man, should we gotten Brad to do this? And and it's the same thing with Izzy slash is this amazing guitar hero. But is he clearly clearly define that sound? That's the part that we're still wanting to hear that doesn't happen yet. Has to be him some missing link. Right.

Chuck Shute: 58:27

And I when I love I think Steven Adler I think his drumming is something about it. I don't again, I don't know any of the technical things or whatever. You could say Matt Sorum is a better drummer or the I think is at Frankfurt, or the guy they have now is technically better. But there was something about they say Steven Adler had this swing or whatever, but there's something about that first album, he did drums is so the cowbell and stuff I love it.

Pete Evick: 58:49

And, and rocket queen is a prime example of that. And to better to get to get a better data get better at that. Yeah, there's something there's, you know, yeah, I'm gonna go on record and say something right now that I never say. You know, it's it's, it's no known. It's, it's. I'm gonna push the limits here. Good. I love it. Hey, on that last time, I did a show. I said some shit about Panthera. And it went viral. Did you see all that happen? No. When was that? Maybe six months ago? Oh, I said something about the singer Panther that perhaps I shouldn't have said and I still believe what I said. I never took it back and never apologized. But, you know, so. So there's no secret to the rock neural community that that me and me. You know, me and CeCe are really good friends. But me and rocket, we don't get along very well. And it's funny his birthdays that day at the day before mine were both Leo's were probably more similar than anyone would ever dream. Right? But he does Don't love that. He doesn't love the school band. And he, he knows how much a part of that I am. And so he's the last time I saw him, we gave each other a hug. And everything was really, really nice, but I'm not his favorite person in the world. And but there's a lot of people it's no secret that he's not considered one of the greatest drummers. Right? It, there's no secret to that. You know, but stylistically, he made that poisoned sound. Same thing with Steven Adler, he does drum in a very unique way that creates that sound. And that's what just like Guns and Roses are just like any of those bands. Back in the day. It was the sum, it really was a sum of all four of those four or five members, that would create something, not It didn't have to be groundbreaking. It just had to sound somehow fresh, or new, or something different, you know? And rocket does this thing with the high hats that no one else does. He has a swing on the high hats, that that created part of poisoned style. Because if you would have just had Fred curry, or even Tommy Lee plan on his poison songs, they would have just been hard rock songs. And he had this rock and has this jazz influence that was able to give those songs a twist that no other drummer would have had. It you know, and, and so my point is going back to Adler and you saying you don't know a lot about drums? Just like just like Kurt Cobain. It doesn't matter whether you are good or not. It was Did you deliver something brand new to the world?

Chuck Shute: 1:01:50

That Well, that sounds like a compliment to Ricky?

Pete Evick: 1:01:53

Well, as I'm saying, this is the first time in history I've ever complimented the guy. That's what I'm saying.

Chuck Shute: 1:01:58

And also, the thing that I love about Ricky rocket is, first of all, his name is fucking awesome, Ricky rocket. And then he just he, along with all the other members of poison. He had that cool look. And like I think his look kind of evolved. I kind of liked that crack that crack a smile era where they, they looked really cool in that in that era, I thought that was kind of a neat, modern rock. But like, it was

Pete Evick: 1:02:20

LM there was elements to the garage, but they still, they still looked. Yeah, all of them had super long hair at that time, if you remember, like, like, and yeah, I mean, poison always, always, even to this day. They they take the best pictures, let's just say. They look cool. You know what I mean? They do? Yeah,

Chuck Shute: 1:02:43

well, he's talking about saying things that you shouldn't say like, I like that part in the book where he say, Maybe I shouldn't spoil it. But you just say, look, I probably shouldn't tell the story. And I was like, Oh, this is gonna be good. And then you kind of get into a thing about Don Dokken. Yeah, I don't think it really throws threw shade at him or anything. But people should read that part, too. I thought that was interesting. I didn't think it was as bad as you kind of built it up to.

Pete Evick: 1:03:08

I agree. I agree. It was, that was a weird moment. Because because over the years when I first joined reds fan, Don wasn't wasn't mean to me. But he wasn't super nice to me. I was the new guy in town. And we at that point, Dokin and us were playing together a whole lot. And then maybe, maybe three years into it. He walked up to me, he goes, you got a good you got a good gig here, kid. He called me kid. You got a good gig gig here, kid. Keep it up. You're doing great. And that was neat to be accepted from Don. You know what I mean? And then we've had a couple moments over life that have bonded us a little bit. Yeah, we're certainly not buddies. We don't call each other or anything like that. But he that was that really affected him the story I tell him that book you His face was he wasn't being a dick about it. I can't explain it. He just didn't expect that none of us expected it to happen. Whether we were friends or in the band or road crew. None of us thought rock love was gonna do that. And it did it overnight. You know what I mean? So all of a sudden Don's playing one night to you know, rock fans. And the next night he's playing to pop culture fans, and it threw him for a loop. You know what I mean? He wasn't prepared for it. But yeah, it's funny that you man, you retain that knowledge so much. You're right. I don't think

Chuck Shute: 1:04:36

I just read the book yesterday. Mostly. I took copious notes so that I don't forget. Yeah, I don't retain I'll probably forget this tomorrow. But

Pete Evick: 1:04:43

yeah, I wasn't trying to talk shit about Don it was just, I thought it was an interesting thing to tell the story and obviously, I thought it was too

Chuck Shute: 1:04:50

wise and then just that whole rock I love I think this part was really interesting about how you talk about the cameras followed you guys around on tour. And it is weird to think about this. You had cameras was on you 24/7. And like, you know, like, like, what if you had cameras on you 24/7 Like, what you're picking your nose or like, your face, you say an off color joke, my god that, like start to bring a paranoia level that I can imagine to be very stressful.

Pete Evick: 1:05:16

It was stressful. And like I explained in the book, the stressful part of it was we weren't even really characters. We were just the background, but was still happening. I mean, they had cameras everywhere all the time. And,

Chuck Shute: 1:05:29

and they're only looking for something crazy, right? So like, if you did make a bad joke, or you did or you tripped and fell, like, that's probably the thing that's going in the show.

Pete Evick: 1:05:42

The reason I'm laughing is my girlfriend is right here. And did you remember the show life as I know it? Which one was that? Life was I know, it was the show that came after rock of love season. Okay, it was more of a TV show about those kind of like the Osborne's where it was more about Brett's family, but on tour. And we were, we were playing in Indiana one night. And we had a bus party after the show, and we film the bus party. And as the party was over, and we thought of the cameras were gone, and we thought the whole thing was over. My girlfriend Tina falls flat on her fucking face. Oh, shit, getting getting walking off the bus. And fuck if it didn't show up on the show. And on the commercials, and it was that week's it was the clip that week of the commercials and you know, coming this week. You know what I mean?

Chuck Shute: 1:06:36

So, your fear is a

Pete Evick: 1:06:38

sucks. Yeah. So you're exactly right. You know, can

Chuck Shute: 1:06:41

I think you also kind of got a laugh at some of that stuff. I mean, that's a who hasn't fallen on their face before. I mean, everybody's done, especially around ice.

Pete Evick: 1:06:49

Right. And then there was the in the season two of rock of love. We I don't know if I said this part in the book or not. But my drummer Chuck. They were out filming us playing in the bar, not Season One, there was a scene. Similar but this was a this was the next year. And they they filmed us. And Brett goes back to his room. And they follow us on the girls out of the bar. They did this every season. One episode, they did this each year, and my drummer truck gets so fucking drunk. So somehow he kisses one of the girls spreads contestants. Right? Or one of the REI club girls. And I saw the cameras and trucks married. And He's so drunk, he doesn't know where he's at. And I saw the cameras and I saw the producers. And as soon as it happened, all the cameras were like sharks they all ended up for they're like they're on comms. You know what I mean? Like, oh, we got something good over there. You know what I mean? And I remember I went to the producers. I begged them. I said, Man, he's married. I said, Please don't embarrass his wife. I said he'll tell his wife what happened? We're not trying to lie about it. But don't embarrass his wife by showing this on national TV show. Oh, we probably won't. And insurance fucking enough. It was the highlight of the fucking episode, you know?

Chuck Shute: 1:08:21

Yeah, I hate that shit. And that's something I struggle with as a podcaster when I do these interviews, because I'm like, Okay, do I bring this up? This is like kind of gossipy and like, I don't really want to be known as that. But also like, it's interesting sometimes. So then you're kind of it's like an ethical dilemma. Yeah. Anyone ever asked me by the way, if anyone ever asked me to, hey, can you take this part out? I fucking take it out, though.

Pete Evick: 1:08:45

Right. And you know, as far as those cameras go again, there was again in the other show. Life was I know it. There's, I don't remember if I talked about this in the book, either not to be honest with you. But there was a season there was an episode where Brett's having a conversation with me and his father, about because both me and his father were divorced. And part of Brett's fear of getting married as he never wanted to be a statistic. He doesn't want to end up to his parents were divorced. He remembers that to this day. And he just doesn't want to be a statistic. Right? So he's having this conversation. They're filming us for hours, talking about the pros and cons of getting married and what divorce is like, and I go on and on and on. About my marriage was great. Say all these wonderful things about my ex wife, say all this stuff. And then somehow the conversation leads into me saying, me and her had become completely different people. We still get along. We still love each other. But if I was presented with a situation today, I probably wouldn't marry my wife again. Right? But I give this whole explanation at a time. The clip they use is soul Lee, I wouldn't marry my wife again. And they took it so far out of context that it makes me look, if you were watching, I'd look like a dick. And my phone, the second that aired, my phone has never rang so much her family, my family, everybody, and but you know what, you know what you're doing when you do that when you go into those shows you, you know that so shame on you, not them. They're there to get you. You get to water with a shark, you know, you might get bit right, huh, that's,

Chuck Shute: 1:10:33

that's good to know. It's a good tip right there. If you ever end up on a reality show, I know that they're looking for the dirt. And

Pete Evick: 1:10:39

someone had told me that Cece, when we started filming a rock of love because CeCe had done some real life. Prior to Brett doing right, okay. And CeCe came to me and he said, he goes, You be careful. Because all they're looking for is a rating, they're looking for a moment he goes, that's their job is to get you being an idiot. And so it was always on my mind, you know what I mean?

Chuck Shute: 1:11:02

That would be so stressed. Because I'm always an idiot. So I never do that. If I ever

Pete Evick: 1:11:07

changed my life. Like I said in the book, it changed my life because I was always an outgoing guy. And I was always just fine with who I am. And those cameras turned me into a different human being that I still to be honest with you. It wasn't even my show wasn't my show. And I was grateful. I was grateful for the success that it was giving Brett, which in turn became success for me in the band. I was I can't explain how it changed the perception. It changed my career. It changed everything about my professional life, but it killed who I was 20 years ago. I'm not that guy anymore. And it was because of those cameras following me. That turned me into an introvert that I still have not backed out of or recovered from.

Chuck Shute: 1:11:54

Really Oh, really? So that's like not a good thing, then.

Pete Evick: 1:11:58

Do you know what? I play the I toured the world? I've toured the world. I've done some cool things. I text message as freely. You know what I mean? So there's way more good than bad. I've just become an introvert because of that last season. I rock love. That's all.

Chuck Shute: 1:12:15

Well, yeah, you talk about because he's talking about kindness. And I feel like you're a pretty kind guy. For the most part. I mean, sure, nobody's perfect. But one of the quotes that I wrote down was really cool. He said, Never been satisfied in your career translates to never being satisfied with who you are as a person. And when you're not satisfied with who you are, as a person is difficult to let other people close to you. Because you feel you have very little to offer until you reach whatever place you feel defines success.

Pete Evick: 1:12:39

Right. Yeah. I mean, it sums up who I think I am. It's funny to hear that read back. Yeah, but that's very true. That's very how I feel you know, very much.

Chuck Shute: 1:12:50

So you feel satisfied with who you are now, or is more of an introvert.

Pete Evick: 1:12:58

I wish that I was more outgoing than I am. Now. I used to love going out to the merch booth after the shows and interacting with the fans and talking to people and all that stuff. And, and sometimes now, I walk through the backstage door, and I think I'm gonna go out there. And I something cripples me and I can't walk out that door. And I don't know why that is. I don't know. Some nights I can do it some nights. I can't. So no, maybe I'm not. I'm satisfied with who I become professionally. There's a lot of work to do with who I am. Personally still, I think so. Maybe I contradict that quote a little bit.

Chuck Shute: 1:13:38

Yeah. Well, I think there's always work to be done with who we are. I mean, I love that shit. I love self development and personal growth. And that's why I love your book so much. Because I felt like oh, I can relate to the stories. It's inspiring. I'm learning knowledge. I mean, I love all this stuff, the rock talk and stuff too. But I loved like the journey. That's the thing. Like you get the call from Bret Michaels. Like that's like the dream for everybody. Everybody gets that call someday. Hopefully, that changes your life.

Pete Evick: 1:14:04

Yeah, very much. And it's funny, I laugh a lot of times because that movie Rockstar is considered kind of corny, but that movie, every block every part of it's true. It's my life because because poison was one of my favorite bands. I have videotapes of doing poison songs in in high school talent shows and covering their songs. So that story is rings real true to me, man, you know, and even even even the end of it where he starts, he ends up back playing acoustic shows. locally. I've gone back to doing that too, even though I'm still in Bridgespan it didn't end exactly like that. But I've even experienced that I have this whole new wonderment in my life of him for a while I It wasn't an ego thing. It was a value thing. I've become this so I'm not gonna step back down to doing this. And and then when COVID happened and all the local bars that supported me before I was in Read, spin and help me feed my kids were all in trouble. This is a longer story than I thought I was going to tell. Sorry. Let me go back and say when I would play locally, after being in Brisbane for so many years, I, I demand it I'd managed to be paid more than most local bars would pay, because I wasn't just a local band anymore, I'd done all this stuff. And I deserve, you know, and I would, I would have this deal with any local bar that I would play, and I would only pay a couple times a year. And I would say, I want you to be honest with me, oh, we'll negotiate pay, but I want to be paid the most that you pay anybody. Because I'm a hybrid. I'm here as a local musician for the group here. But I've done this and that, and this and that, and that, and I deserve as kind of trying to balance local guy, and Rockstar. And when COVID happened, I saw all the bars and all the service industry, hurting and suffering. And all sudden, I thought, These are the guys that supported me when I had nothing. And now I walk around cocky, and I demand a demand more money than maybe they can afford just to have me play this place. And then my mind changed. And I went back to all of them. I said, I want to play everywhere. I want to play acoustic, I want to get back to my roots. And I want to I want to do this. And I'll do it for whatever you pay everybody else. Because I'd rather help you. Instead of take your money. I'd rather help you get back on your feet and COVID Change my perception, if that makes sense.

Chuck Shute: 1:16:48

No, absolutely, you're trying to help out, I totally understand that.

Pete Evick: 1:16:52

Instead of using what little star power I may have for myself. It was time to use it to help the people that helped me. And I started playing these acoustic gigs again, and I fucking love it man. Like last week, I played in front of 30,000 people at the Tampa amphitheater during during the party girl tour. And the very next night, I came home and I played a small bar in front of 10 people with my acoustic guitar. And both gigs were it's exciting to me.

Chuck Shute: 1:17:21

That's awesome. That's when you know you found the secret, whatever that may be to happiness is that you can be happy doing both?

Pete Evick: 1:17:29

Yeah, you just got to. Yeah, eventually you you put it all behind you and remember what you got into it for. And you got into it for the love and passion. Of, of like I said what MTV famous means watching that TV watching MTV. And those guys made me happy. Whether it was Judas Priest with I remember love baits was the second video I ever saw on MTV. First video was Genesis. That's all just nothing and it was going on right? Wrong thought was right. And then second video was loved by Judas Priest, I remember going, Oh, fuck, this is how this is gonna be, this is gonna be great. And it wasn't because they didn't play all those metal videos all the time. I waited another week till I saw like Van Halen or something, you know what I mean? But I remember the feeling I had Rob Hallford in my living room, it was the greatest thing in the world. And that's what we do this for. And, and eventually you start to do it for the chicks and the money and the drugs and that stuff comes in. It's a luring, but most of us that it wasn't for any of that it was pure passion of the way music made us feel and come full circle. And finally get back to that. That's when you win. That's that's when you win when you know that that's what you're doing it for. And that's where I am right now. I am very much. If one person wants to hear me sing. I want to sing for you. You know what I mean?

Chuck Shute: 1:18:48

I love it. Great. Well, people should definitely get the book. It's out now MTV famous, and follow you on Instagram for all the other Shining Soul Candle Company. You got the bourbon whiskey and the sauce stuff is coming out soon, too. And of course, you're in Bret Michaels band, you guys have show dates as well. And then I always end promoting to charity. I think last year you promoted mission 22 Which

Pete Evick: 1:19:11

Yeah, so I mean, if I if I get to, you know, obviously there's a prep hikes, Bret Michaels Life Rocks Foundation, which is you can donate to that right on his website. And I should have promoted that before. I should have kept it in my own family. But Life Rocks is unique. Brett's foundation is great. He he, he takes the money and then he gives his he calls it $1 In dollar out. There's no administration fees. There's nobody but him. So every dollar that comes in, goes out and he sends it to soldiers. He sends it to animals, a Sims it sends it to women that have been an act of violence, domestic crimes and stuff like that. So you never know where the money is going to go but it's always Going somewhere very important. So if you could promote Brett's Life Rocks foundation is very unique charity and very

Chuck Shute: 1:20:07

great. I love all those causes. I'll put that website in the show notes along the links, though, is that do you have a website that has all this all your stuff on one or link tree or something like that?

Pete Evick: 1:20:17

I don't have any. I just have my social medias. There's no.com. But all that's ever up there is if I have a show date for my band, there's nothing really in there. Okay, I've lost track of actual websites, social media. I just do it all there.

Chuck Shute: 1:20:31

Okay, cool. I know you got a flight to catch. So I'll let you go. But thanks for doing this. This was a lot of fun. And again, come back anytime when you have something. Yeah.

Pete Evick: 1:20:38

I appreciate it. Man. It's, I would like I said last time I when I get to Arizona again. I would love to just go out and hang out if you have it up.

Chuck Shute: 1:20:46

If you're up to Yeah, we talked about you wanted to go to that jalapeno and Filipino

Pete Evick: 1:20:50

in Florida. I heard they open the third one now. I don't know where Gilbert or something I heard they. Yeah, yeah, but I would love it if you would take the time. Next time. I'm there. I haven't been there. We haven't played out there. We haven't been around. So but but

Chuck Shute: 1:21:03

if you're going to do a show here because I look a couple looking at the tour dates. And I didn't see one. But I saw some openings in December that maybe you could squeeze on in

Pete Evick: 1:21:11

navy. It's not on the books. Now. I know that Live Nation loved the party girl thing and they're buying some more data and put them in different markets next year. So I hope we go out west, we didn't go west at all. Nothing. It's so weird

Chuck Shute: 1:21:22

that Mark McGrath is is on that. It's so weird, because he follows me on Instagram. And I don't mistake he's never liked anything I've posted. But I was like why does he follow me? Is this a mistake?

Pete Evick: 1:21:35

No, no, Mark. I gotta tell you, man, he is the coolest guy in the world. And he, he knows everything. He is a researcher. He will spend all day just researching things. So if anybody he knows has done your podcast, he checked it out. So he knows me. He knows me. So he knows you. And tons of other people. He knows you've done, you know? And yeah, Mark is awesome. Marks amazing. I don't know if you're a fan of Sugar Ray. But as a human being, as a family

Chuck Shute: 1:22:10

is workout. It was because he was on I thought it was Entertainment Tonight, but it was extra or was it both?

Pete Evick: 1:22:15

I can't remember he's done all that kind of stuff. And he was game show host and all that stuff. But he is the interesting thing to me about Marcus. He can't learn enough. He just everything even if you're having conversation with him. It's educational to him. He's learning something about you. And he takes through and he remembers it. And he'll ask questions he'll always ask my favorite thing with Mark is, no matter what story you tell him, because now what year was that? And he he he he's a timeline. He he is what everyone thinks Eddie trunk is. You know what I mean? As far as this rock historian, which Eddie is Eddie is but but Mark Mark knows everything from the from Elvis to, to, you know, the to Jelly Roll. He just retains it all and keeps it all in. He does not. It's almost like fear of missing out. He's afraid to not know something. So he knows everything. He knows who you are. There's no doubt about it.

Chuck Shute: 1:23:14

That's cool. I love stuff like that where people are really into I'm into so many things too. And it's not just music, but that's really I love hearing stories like that. Yeah. Awesome. All right, well let you get on your flight. And hopefully we'll see you in Arizona at some point.

Pete Evick: 1:23:27

Thanks, Chuck. so much. Bye. Alright, see?

Chuck Shute: 1:23:30

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