Chuck Shute Podcast
In depth interviews with musicians, comedians, authors, actors, and more! Guests on the show include David Duchovny, Billy Bob Thornton, Mark Normand, Dee Snider, Ann Wilson, Tony Horton, Don Dokken, Jack Carr and many more.
Chuck Shute Podcast
John Corabi Talks New Record, Wild Stories, Celebrity Encounters & much more!
John Corabi discussed his new album featuring blues covers, recorded at Muscle Shoals, and his experiences with various bands, including Motley Crue and The Dead Daisies. He shared stories about his motorhome, which serves as a tour bus and family home, and his upcoming trip to a bike rally in Panama City. Corabi also recounted his time with Union, Brides of Destruction, and his brief stint as a truck driver. He mentioned his interactions with celebrities like Dave Grohl and Larry David, and a memorable experience with Pantera involving ecstasy and heroin. John Corabi recounts his bizarre experience being arrested in Texas for public intoxication despite not having consumed any alcohol. He describes being released without charges and the involvement of a cop with a crush on his wife. Corabi also shares past troubles, including a fight that led to a murder investigation and his no-nonsense upbringing. He discusses the polarization in society, the influence of social media, and the importance of staying true to oneself. Corabi promotes his band's new blues record, "Looking for Trouble," and mentions upcoming tour dates in Europe. He emphasizes the unifying power of music and the need for people to focus on their own lives.
0:00:00 - Intro
0:00:20 - John Corabi Motorhome & Lifestyle
0:05:56 - Recognition & Fan Interactions
0:07:45 - Monsters of Rock Cruise
0:12:02 - New Album & Blues Covers
0:24:01- Forming the Band "Union"
0:27:35 - Brides of Destruction
0:35:00 - Ex Wife Cheating
0:41:25 - Truck Driver Life
0:50:30 - Larry David, Isla Fisher & Sacha Baron Cohen
0:59:00 - South Park & Hooligan's Holiday
1:01:05 - Dave Grohl & Grunge
1:06:30 - Pantera & Excellent Shots
1:18:35 - Getting Arrested in Dallas
1:28:40 - Teenage Troubles
1:34:20 - Family Influence & Different Times
1:37:55 - Choose Your Battles & Stay in Lane
2:02:20 - Peronsal Philosophy & Staying Informed
2:06:20 - Respecting Different Opinions & Property
2:25:10 - Michael Sweet Story
2:27:30 - Music Brings Us Together
2:29:10 Dead Daisies Update
2:35:20 - Outro
Dead Daises website:
John Corabi website:
Chuck Shute linktree:
Thanks for Listening & Shute for the Moon!
Rock and rolling through the cool guitars. Chucks got the questions, digging so sharp, peeling back layers, hitting the heart.
John Corabi:Hey, buddy. Hey, how's it going? I'm alright. How you doing?
Chuck Shute:Great, yeah, beautiful day here in Arizona. You're in Nashville, right?
John Corabi:Yes, I'm actually sitting in my motor home, in the back, in my backyard, because my dogs tend to be a little yappy when I'm trying to do this shit. So I have a tour bus sized motor home, and I'm sitting in the kitchen area of it and having some coffee and just, you know, knocking my interviews out
Chuck Shute:nice is that a way for you to kind of unwind is take that motor home and go, like, somewhere where there's like, off grid, like no Wi Fi, no internet and just like, unwind and unplug. Well, actually, I've pretty
John Corabi:much all the comforts of home on this thing. I bought it in 2019 when I left the daisies so that I would have something to comfort comfortably, get my band to and from shows and and also take little time outs with my wife and my dogs and just go different places, whatever. Unfortunately, 2019 and 20, I didn't do a lot of stuff with my band here in the States. It was all overseas, so this basically sat around useless for that. But there's been the quite a few occasions where my wife and I, like Usually, after a tour, I will get a hold of my wife, my mother in law, is getting up there in age, so we'll go down. We'll pack the dogs up. My wife will put some clothes on this thing and put some food in the refrigerator here. Let me see, I don't know if you
Chuck Shute:can see this. Oh yeah, that's nice. Wow, yeah,
John Corabi:no. It's It's pretty crazy, dude, that's the driving area. Oh yeah. And then you can see, I have a full kitchen. It's messy right now because we're actually putting stuff on here for a trip that we're going to take in a few weeks. But I have two theater chairs this kitchen area. It's like a table. I've got a dishwasher. They I guess they call it a microwave confection oven, so I can literally cook like a meatloaf in that thing, whatever I have, 12345, sit there, six TVs on this thing, two full bathrooms, each one's got a shower, and then all the way in the back there is a washer and dryer for doing laundry. So we will, which we're like I said, we're in about two weeks, we're going to head down my wife's family is coming over from England to visit her mother in Florida, so we're going to go down to Florida for about a week with her family. And then on the way home, I am hitting a bike rally in Panama City, Florida, uh, it's called Thunder beach, so it's kind of like Sturgis, but on the beach,
Chuck Shute:are you Mary, just, uh, there, just for fun, um,
John Corabi:just going down. I got some I got a couple buddies like Marty. Marty Frederickson, he rides. Doug rides as well. Unfortunately, Doug can't come to this one, but I think, I think Marty may go. I've got another friend Wes, he rides, and then I've got some friends from Mississippi that are going a good buddy of mine, Dan Dan Smith, Daniel Smith, he's the one that told me about it. He goes, Man, I'm, I'm going to do this thunder beats thing, dude, you should try and come down. And I was already in Florida, so I told my wife, I go, You know what? Fuck it on the way home. Let's, let's hit this bike rally and hang out for a few days and see how much trouble we can get into. So I'm towing, I'm towing a couple bikes down and, and we're just going to go and and just live the outlaw life for a couple days down in Panama City, Florida. That.
Chuck Shute:Yeah, that sounds fun. Do you get, like, recognized at stuff like that? Because, I mean, I can understand other places. Maybe people don't know, you know that scene or whatever, but that sounds like maybe you might have some fans there. Like, would they harass you or ask for pictures and stuff?
John Corabi:You know, I don't know. I mean, I got to be honest with you, Chuck, like, I've never I played Sturgis, obviously. I played with Motley at this place called Buffalo Chip, and I played the full throttle saloon multiple times with rat, I believe I played there with Union, but I played it with the dead daisies as well. And I don't really go, like, when you're playing, it's like you're at the hotel. You wait this the the crew guys go, Okay, we're good for sound check. You go over, and then you get tucked into a like a trail or over a dressing room area, and you just kind of sit there and wait until you're ready to play. So I've never really gone and had the experience of being able to just go and enjoy, you know, because they always have bands playing and music and stuff like that. So I've never really had the opportunity to go and enjoy it as a spectator. So I don't know, you know, I'm not really that worried about it, though, because, you know, in the grand scheme of things, I think that I've always been kind of one of these, for lack of a better term, artists that people, you know, you'll say the name. You go, Oh, Hi, I'm John. Oh, John, what John Karabi. And they kind of cock their head and they go, Hmm, why does it why does that name sound familiar? You know what I mean. So, like, right? I've never been that guy. Like, on occasion, I will go to a restaurant or a bar, and, you know, a person or two may come up to me and go, Hey, are you chuck Robbie? And I'll go, yeah. And they're like, oh, fuck, you know. But it's not like, you know, crazy, you know, Nikki six, Vince Neil, Steven Tyler, Michael Jackson, you know, I've just been kind of like, this dude that floats under the radar. You know what I mean, even when
Chuck Shute:you're on, like, let's say like, when you do the Monsters of Rock cruise like that is, those are your fans, like, a lot of those people, like, you're the mayor of the Monsters of Rock like that. Then you're walking around that cruise. I'm assuming a lot of people are asking for pictures and stuff. Well,
John Corabi:I used, I used to be the mayor, but I've been demoted. So yeah, I'm not allowed to do them anymore. I've been banned. But wait, I didn't hear about you got banned. Yeah, I'm not, I'm not allowed to do them anymore. But it's, it's a long story, dude, it's unfortunate.
Chuck Shute:I got 2022, more minutes. Nah,
John Corabi:my it's just a real, it's, you know what? It's just, it's just a stupid, you know, political, whatever you know it is, what it is. So unfortunately, this guy will not be doing the Monsters of Rock cruises anytime in the near future, as much as I love doing them, you know. But, yeah, I would go on the boat, but I always had kind of a theory about the thing, you know. I've had a few friends that did them, and I remember talking to Bobby blots about this like he was dreading. He's like, Ah, fuck, you know, I'm going to be trapped on a boat with, you know, all the fans and and I'm like, You know what? Dude, honestly, my wife and I would always get on the boat, take our luggage immediately to our room, drop it off in our room, and then immediately go to the pool deck bar. And then I would sit there, and the first day of the cruise, like I was constantly, you know, constantly, people would come up and go, Hey, dude, can I get a photo with you, but they were always really pretty polite about it, you know, like if I was talking to my wife, they would wait till I came up for air, and then they would go, Oh, hey, John, can I? Can I trouble you real quick for a photo? And you know, I'd stand up my wife would take the photo, and then everybody would go about their business. And. I told them, I said, Man, you know, if you just make yourself available, like, the first day of the cruise, it's going to be, it's going to be a lot of photos and signing shit, but then after that, like, I could literally, by the second, third day, I could literally walk completely naked from the front of the boat to the back of the boat, and nobody would fuck with me. They'd be like, Oh, hey, dude, what's up? Great show last night, you know, whatever. And it was fine. So I always enjoyed doing those, you know. And, and it was kind of like, you know, old home week. It was kind of like a family reunion, seeing a bunch of people you hadn't seen for a year, you know what I mean, and really getting a chance to sit down and talk with them and see how their life was going. And they'd ask how you were doing, how's Debbie, and how's he Ian, your son, and, you know? And it was, it's funny now, like, I go anywhere I go. Now, everybody just wants to know how my granddaughters are. You know what I mean, like, because he didn't post things about him, and I've posted and, you know, so they're just like, how the grand granddaughters, you know, they're, oh my god, they're so cute. And, God, they're growing up so fast. And then it's like, yeah, cool, you know, whatever weakness. So I kind of enjoyed doing them, you know, the cruises. And it was really only work the first day, and then after that, it was, it was nothing. Bless you. Sorry, I'm dealing with allergies right now. It's like,
Chuck Shute:Yeah, okay. I woke up today and I was like, Oh, I can't breathe. What's going on? It's in the air.
John Corabi:Yeah. I literally got home from Europe about a week and a half ago, and the following I got home about one o'clock in the morning, I went to bed and I woke up the next day and I was sick as a dog for I literally just getting over it now, and I'm still a little congested, but whatever, it's all good.
Chuck Shute:Yeah. So, so, yeah, anyways. But, yeah. So new album you got coming out here with the DVDs, the blues covers, uh, but I'm guessing that wasn't your idea to do blues, because you're, you're more of a Aerosmith guy, right? I mean, that's, those are, those are your, I mean, I know you like other stuff, but Aerosmith and Zeppelin and Beatles, those would be, like, if you were going to do a cover album, it would be those three bands.
John Corabi:No, you know. But you this is, this is, you know, it's kind of crazy when you think about it, you are right with those three bands are probably the biggest influences on my writing and and where I'm at today. But if you think about where they came from, you know what I mean? And it's funny, because I just did a, I just did a interview earlier, and the guy kind of asked the same question that I said, you know, you know, the crazy thing about the blues is is that that is purely an American made art form and but Americans didn't appreciate it until it got filtered down. And what I say by that is the these, these historians were recording this stuff, and these record companies like, you know, Sun Records and stacks records, and what was the one in Chicago, checker checkers, you know, they did these albums, and they somehow made their way through Merchant Marines and military guys over to England and then all these bands that I grew up listening to in The 70s, bands like Zeppelin, Aerosmith, humble pie, fog hat, they all took these songs and reworked them and made these unbelievable recordings out of these songs and and then brought it back to America. And we were like, holy shit, you know, like, for example, you know, when the levy breaks by Led Zeppelin, you know, if you look at that song, everybody's like, you know, it's a closing song on Zeppelin four. And you know, what an epic song, you know, and, and. Rightfully so, Led Zeppelin's contribution to that song musically made it just this powerhouse of of, you know, awesomeness, but when you dig and you realize the history, the lyrics and the melody that Robert plan is singing was actually written in 1929 by Memphis Mini and there was another songwriter, and they wrote that song about a flood of the Mississippi River in the south 1927 that killed 1000s of people and wiped out all these communities. And they wrote the song when the levy breaks about the flood in 1927 they wrote the song in 29 Zeppelin found it, took it, and they put their music to the song and just made it this powerhouse ending of of Zeppelin Ford, same with in my time of dying, was also an old blue song called Jesus make my dying bed. Um, you know, fog hats, I just want to make love to you. It's an old blues song that they just made their own terror playing blues. They did a Robert Johnson song. You know, there were so many, hold on. I gotta find you. I am. I lost you. Where'd you go? So I don't
Chuck Shute:know what happened. No, it's this,
John Corabi:I can hear you, fine. Yeah, I know. Let me, let me see if I can find this. Wait, where did you go? There you are, yeah, here we are. I it's weird when I get another call, it freezes everything. So, you know, all these bands that I grew up listening to, you know, they introduced, I'm not a blues aficionado by by no stretch of the imagination, but we kind of this became a happy accident with us doing this thing because we were actually recording the light em up record, and we wanted to go down to fame studios and Muscle Shoals. There's a story there as well. If you listen to the last verse of Sweet Home Alabama by Skinner, he says Muscle Shoals has got the Swampers. And then Netflix did a documentary on the whole muscle Shoal sound a few years back, and we all watched it. We all saw it. We were fascinated by it. So all of us, at one point, we said to our manager, man, it'd be really great if we could ever fucking get down to like Muscle Shoals and hit one of those old studios, and,
Chuck Shute:oh, you froze again. Shit, I don't know if that's my Oh, you're back. Okay, yeah, yeah, Muscle Shoals, yeah, definitely legendary studio. Yeah, it was
John Corabi:and, and. And the thing that's weird about it, you know, I'm sorry this is a bit of a long answer, but the reason why, another reason why we wanted to go, is because the first studio started. It was called fame. The Swampers became like the legendary house band of that studio. Couple of those guys left and started another studio across town on it on a it was called Jackson highway. Can't remember the address, but there's another Muscle Shoals studio. And then after that one became equally as famous, some of the guys came to Nashville and started a third studio, which is the studio that Marty Frederickson bought when he came to Nashville, which we've been recording in for years. We did make some noise there. We did burn it down there, and then light them up. Was recorded there, and at the other studio fame. So there was a bit of a history there as well. But when we went down, we were just kind of jamming and fucking around. And, you know, we'd take dinner breaks and then just start drinking and, you know, wine, whiskey, edibles, whatever was available. And we'd start jamming and, and it was kind of like, well, what do you know? What do you want? What do I know? Blah, blah. And it was all stuff like Crossroads or born under a bad sign, you know, just like these standards. And Marty kept everything rolling, and we were listening back to it like. And it sounds pretty cool. So we decided, You know what, while we're here, let's fucking do a blues record as well. That thing our manager, when we talked with him about it, he goes, Yeah, I think this is a great idea, but there's two things, make sure you make it your own, which I think we accomplished. The second thing was try and keep songs that people are familiar with. So what we did was, it's like I could literally go through the list of songs that are on the record and tell you exactly where I heard them the first time. You know, Crossroads was cream and Leonard Skinner, born under a bad sign, was cream and Pat travers, you know, like, obviously walking the dog is, you know, fucking Rufus Thomas, but also Aerosmith. That's the first time I ever heard of that song. You know, when I first heard walking the dog, I thought it was an Aerosmith song, but it's a cover. So we, we decided to keep that, that whole kind of mindset. But you know, our mantra was, you know, very similar to what Zeppelin did with when the levy breaks, or in my time of dying, we said, all right, how,
Chuck Shute:hello. Oh, I lost you.
John Corabi:Everything's working here. Oh,
Chuck Shute:here we go. Okay, sorry,
John Corabi:you know. So, you know, we kind of kept it, you know, how would, what would Zeppelin do? You know what I mean. So we just kind of tried to take the songs in a little bit of a different direction, yeah. So, you know, abuse a blues purest may go, Ah, fuck, man. They're using Marshalls, and they're using this and, you know, it's a bit aggressive, you know, but even back in the day, I mean, I remember when Zeppelin first came out, a lot of people were fucking pissed at them for their take on these blues classics, like they were like, Oh my God, they're fucking ruining them. They're bastardizing these songs, you know. So we said, You know what? Fuck it, we'll do the same thing. Who cares? Yeah, will you perform these
Chuck Shute:live too, or is this just a one off album, and then that's not
John Corabi:we're we're at we've actually been doing a couple of the songs last year when we were on tour, we did, we did, I'm ready. And this last run we did in Europe, we did crossroads, because we had the single out, but we did crossroads and I'm going down, which again, I'm going down is, you know, obviously, it's a Freddie King song, you know. But I became aware of that through Jeff Beck his his version of it, you know. So it's just, honestly, this blues thing. It was a happy accident. And it's our tip of the hat to, as you know, we've always done a tip of the hat to the bands we grew up listening to, but this is now our tip of the hat to the bands that influenced the bands that we grew up listening to.
Chuck Shute:Yeah, no, that's fun. That's cool. That's a I mean, you've been so many different bands over the years. One thing I wanted to ask you real quick, though, because I know I got a few minutes, but I've had you This is like, the third time I had you on, and we never get to union. I've never asked you a question of union. And I had a bunch of questions for you from last time you're on, because about your book, and you mentioned in union that I never knew that that Nikki was the one that hooked you up with Bruce to start that band.
John Corabi:Well, I mean, I knew Bruce prior to that, my wife at the time, was the hair and makeup artist for Niels los hour. So I had met Bruce through that, but then him and Nikki were really good friends. So, you know, if Nikki had a birthday party for one of his kids, or had a barbecue at his house, Bruce and his wife would be there all the time. I would, I would be there, you know. And we would sit, we would bullshit, you know. So when the whole thing went down, where they brought Vince back, it's. Uh, I do know that at some point, Nicky had called Bruce and put the bug in his ear and said, You know what, dude like you and Karabi are really into a lot of the same shit, like Zeppelin and mountain and and cream and, you know, just all these, you know, old 70s legendary acts, like, I think you guys could write some cool shit together. So, and then he actually called me and said the same thing. And we're like, yeah, okay, whatever you know. And then Bruce called me, and he's like, Hey, dude, you know, what are you doing? So I went down to his house, and, you know, the funny thing about that whole situation with Union was Bruce and I were literally going through all of the same things at the same time. We both lost huge gigs for one reason or another. His wife decided that, you know, she needed spreader wings and go in a different direction. I had a girlfriend at the time who had decided that she needed some space to focus on her career. So we're literally sitting in a room and we're writing these songs about karma, love gone wrong, you know, who am I? You know what I mean? And it was just really, you know, I think Bruce and I were meant to do union as fleeting and as brief as it was, it was therapeutic for both of us. We never really split up. It wasn't that we didn't get along. We just weren't making any money. That band was a band that was writing. I thought the records were pretty cool, yeah, but nobody was playing them like we could not, literally could not get arrested in America, which you know, and I know, and if you're in the music industry, America is that's the cash cash cow, right? And
Chuck Shute:I know only I got a couple more minutes. And then the other band I never got to ask you about, you wrote about in your book too, was the brides of destruction, which I think Nikki just posted about, that said this was a fun project, and I know that you left because you were cut out of the songwriting process, but like, you never said, like, who cut you? Was it Nikki that cut you off? Or was it Tracy? Or was it when they brought the new singer in? Or what it was
John Corabi:just a weird situation, I don't know, because I've talked to Nikki about it, you know, in the past, and he said it was Tracy. But then I talked to Tracy, and Tracy said it was Nikki. I have no fucking idea, nor do I care. You know what? I mean, it wasn't like, you know, honestly, though, to be quite frank with you, like we were doing songs at a place called clown studios in Culver City with a buddy of ours, Steve O and, you know, we'd go in, we'd work up two or three songs, lay them down, and then everybody would go away, and then come back, and we'd work up two or three more and, you know, but it was weird. Like, my beef about the whole thing was, it was just all over the place, and, and I know this doesn't make any sense, because I love eclectic records.
Chuck Shute:Yeah, me too, but, but to me, the
John Corabi:it was like it was more than eclectic. It was just weird, like there was some songs like, you know, shut the fuck up was like it was almost borderline punk. And then we had a ballad on there that just sounded like a fucking like a throwaway 80s ballad. You know what I mean. And then we had this one song called Life, which I thought was great. It sounded like, you know, early Motley Cheap Trick. It just had, like, this cool, kind of snotty attitude. But it was, it was a really cool song, and I thought that song was the most radio friendly song on the record, but it was the one song that London didn't think. Oh, and I was arguing. I'm going wait a minute, like, you know Scotty Coogan to this day, like, I'm friends with Scotty. I see him all the time, and I'm like, Dude. He sang his ass off on that track. It's Scotty Coogan singing. But I went back, and I'm like, hold on a minute, like, this is our first fucking record. And it's like, you guys are saying that this lead singer is the greatest fucking lead singer you guys have ever worked with, but the one song that's got the biggest shot at Radio. He's not singing. The drummer is huh? And it may it just the whole thing was just like, and so we, oops, Rose, yeah,
Chuck Shute:but you have to go at 1230 I want to unless, no, no, no, I'm good. I'm good. Oh, you're good. Okay, cuz I a lot more questions for you.
John Corabi:So that's fine. We Oh, cool. You can go a little longer, okay, but, um, Bob Rock was going to produce the first record, and, like, it was almost, it was almost like Bob Rock took whatever notes I had about the record, and just he listened to the whole thing, all the demos, and almost verbatim, went through song by song, and his critiques were very similar to what I had been saying the whole time. And I think the rub when we were sitting there was me, Nicky and Tracy. We had breakfast with Bob. He listened to the record, and he did this whole thing. But then at the end of the meeting, he goes, I'm gonna pass. I think you guys need to write some more. And then he looked at me and Nikki, he goes, You guys need to write. And he looked at me and Nikki, and he said, I know you too can do better than this interesting. And so I was like, okay, cool. We left. We're like, sucks. He doesn't really want to do the record. And then literally, like, it was like, a day or two later, Nikki called me on the phone and he goes, Hey, crab, here's the deal. What's going to happen is, and now this is Nikki's words. He said, Tracy doesn't like writing with you, so Tracy and I are going to write the riffs. We're going to rehearse them up with Scotty. Scott Coogan, the drummer, we're going to rehearse these up with Scotty, and then we'll bring you in London, in and we'll just teach you guys the parts. And at first, I was like, All right, you know, whatever. Okay, you know. Okay, cool. And I was, I gotta be honest, that I was a little pissed. So I got off the phone, and then I thought about it for a few minutes. And now, on top of everything, with the record, I again, I apologize at the length of my answer. On top of that, I was also going through a divorce my second one. You know, it was like all this weird shit was going on just with me, like money wise, and divorces and lawyers and and I said to I sat and I thought about what Nikki said, and I just went, you know what? I'm not into this, like I'm just going through the motions with this band. So I picked the phone back up. I called Nikki, and I said, Hey, six, it's crab. Listen. I thought about what you're doing, and you know what? I'm just gonna bail. I'm gonna I'm gonna take some time off, and I'm going in a different direction, like I, if I can't contribute, I don't want anything to do with this, this scenario. And he was like, and, okay, well, that sucks, dude. You know he understood, though. And then to be honest with you, if you read my book,
Chuck Shute:yeah, this is what. This is when you became a truck driver, yeah, I
John Corabi:just said, You know what, I'm I'm gonna go through something else for a little while. I need to clear my head.
Chuck Shute:But did you apply for Atlantis Morris? That a job with her, but he didn't get it. Well,
John Corabi:that was prior to this. Okay, that's how I found out my second wife was cheating on me.
Chuck Shute:One more you had the pictures. It was the guy from dope. Yeah, necktie. I was like, Dude, that part of the book was wild.
John Corabi:Yeah. I was like, you know, it's a long story, but how
Chuck Shute:do you get by that? Like, do you have to get releases from these people when you, I mean, because you're, this is the truth, so they can't sue you unless it's, it's you made it up, right? Pretty
John Corabi:much. Okay? You know it's like, and you know what, dude, sue me. I could use the press. You know what I mean? I'm like, I don't, I don't really give a shit. You know what I mean. But it was funny, like, I did this. I did I made, I was making a resume for Atlantis marsette. Okay? And I, anybody that knows me knows I am not computer literate. So I don't know what I did, but there was a laptop, and I had a little office with a little studio, and there was a laptop there connected to a printer, and I made this resume for Alanis marsette, her manager had called me and asked me to make a resume. So I said, All right, cool. So I made it, and then I went to send it or print it, like make a a scan or something, you know what I mean. And I did this thing, and this window opened on the left side of the computer, it was like, all this shit. And I'm looking, I go, What the fuck? And I click on it, and it was like a photo that my ex wife had sent of herself, like nude to this guy, and I'm like, why? And then so I went to the print I printed it, and then I went to the next one, and it was like, and then I found out that, you know, she was in Atlanta at a convention, and she was only supposed to be gone a day or two. But then I found out all this shit, like she had literally bought him a ticket to come down and meet her in Atlanta and yada yada yada. So I just said, All right, I'm gonna have a little fun with this. So right now, I'm sitting at home, just got home from tour, and I'm gonna, I'm gonna have a little fun with this. I called the hotel that she was in. She didn't answer the call when I asked for a room number. So I called back to the hotel, and I asked the people at the front desk, could you please leave a message under my wife's door, tell her there's an emergency at home, and she needs to call home. So about 20 minutes later, my phone rang. I was in LA. She was in Atlanta, and it's probably, I don't know, 1112, o'clock in LA, and I just did it to fuck with her. But I called. When she called, she goes, Hey, I just got a note that there's an emergency and Is everything okay. And she's like, Baby Doll and me and you know what's up? And I said, Oh, I'm just wanted to let you know I'm packing. I'm coming to Atlanta to hang out with you for a few days. And her voice was like, Wait, hold on, yeah, I'm really busy, like, I'm doing this convention. And I was just like, yeah, no, you're not. And I'm just letting you know that I'm on my way, and when I get there, I'm going to kill everybody in the room, and I hung the phone up, oh, they checked out of the hotel. They went to a different hotel, and it was just cool. And I had the last lap, so I just spent the whole rest of the weekend packing all her shit up and leaving it at the front door. So I had fun with that. That was awesome. That's
Chuck Shute:crazy, because you think like, you're more like the rock star, like, you think the rock stars are the horrors, you know, and they're the cheaters, and all of a sudden, like, then you is like, you're like, you're like, being the good guy. It was like, your wife that was cheating, that broke up that marriage. Like, that's kind of like, seems backwards to me. Listen,
John Corabi:you know what, dude, and in everybody's defense, like, you know, yeah, you're right. Usually it's the musician, but at the end of the day, dude, I'm in a business where I'm gone all the time, you know what I mean. And I just saw this joke, this comedian did a joke, and he's like, yeah, he's like, my wife's a, you know, psychologic psychology major, and she argues with me all the time, you know. And his joke was, I was arguing with her about why we needed the pool boy, and she just said to me, Oh, you're just, you know, you're just threatened. Your masculinity is threatened. Because she's a psychology major, she's giving him all these reasons, you know why his masculinity is being threatened. And you know, this young virile boy is like, you know, yada yada yada. And he goes, Yeah, my argument was, you know, we don't have a pool, you know, it's like, you know. But you know, when you're a comedian, you're an actor, you're fucking. Musician, you know, human nature, dude, like, I'm gone, which is one of the reasons why I left the dead daisies. You know what I mean, I was like, I just got work
Chuck Shute:around with your family and your son, right? Yes,
John Corabi:you know what I mean, it was weird. It was, No, I you know this, this is wife number three. You know, she was fine, but it was like I was just sitting there going, all right, I've painted this picture before. I've done this before, where I was gone so much that it led the other person to being either lonely or something stressful happens at the house, you know, and they turn to a friend or whatever, and you find, you know what I mean? It's it happens, it's yeah, you know. It's nothing unusual. It's, you know. And then there's youth, my my, you know, even my wife. Now I'm, I'm not much older than my wife, but I'm older than my wife. You know what I mean, that that wife was fuck. I was 20 years older than her, you know what I mean. So I'm gone. She's in her fucking early to mid 20s, you know. And I'm I'm fucking gone, you know, eight, 910, months a year, you know, whatever. So it was, you know, I'm not mad. I'm not I, you know, again, I don't have any regrets. I just think it's a funny story now, but, you know, it was a little devastating at the moment it was happening. But, you know, Shayla V man, live and learn.
Chuck Shute:What about there's another, there's another relationship you had after that. I think you mentioned her in the book Ashley, right? You, you dated her for a while. She was the one that kind of told you that, hey, you have this musical talent that you're not using. It's a shame. Well,
John Corabi:she didn't look first of all, you know, I am a very spontaneous person, and I just was looking at, now this is, I'm going through this divorce with, the second girl. You know, I get the offer. I was on tour with rat. I get the offer to join The brides of destruction. So I'm doing rat and the brides of destruction. Basically we were just writing when I had time off and rehearsing. Well, then all of a sudden, rat takes a year off. Now I'm going through this divorce, I'm in the thick of it, and I'm doing the shit with the brides of destruction, which I totally again, wasn't totally sure of like, what direction we were going in, where that was leading, and I had already, at this point, I was so frustrated. La, you know, I don't know if you've ever lived in. La,
Chuck Shute:no, I visited it. I was actually just there around the time the Oscars. And it's
John Corabi:changed. It was it, well, it has, but when I was there, it was like, fuck dude. It was like, you know, I'm going through here's divorce number two, you know, the, you know, there was still a lot of stuff happening on the strip, like Sunset Strip and, you know, all this shit, but I just kind of felt like I was in a rut. I was in like this, you know what I mean? And I knew I had off a year, so I just said, For multiple reasons, I need, I just need to do something different. I need to shake things up a little bit. So to be honest with my first choice, you know, there's the old adage, or the old stories about guys like Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie just jumping on a box car and driving around America like a hobo in a box car. So my first choice was, you know, what I'm gonna see if I can, you know, go work for the railroad for a little bit. Maybe ride a, you know, ride in the caboose. Or, you know, go, do, go do that for a few months.
Chuck Shute:It took five years to be a train conductor? Yeah,
John Corabi:it was crazy. It was like, You need all this training. And, yeah, you know? So then I was like, Okay, well, all right, well, I've always been fascinated with trains and trucks. So I said, You know what, I'm so I made some phone calls, and I'm like, How long does it take to get a driver's license for a truck? And pretty much across the board, they were like, I don't know, a month. And I'm like, oh, that's doable. So I took money and I just enrolled myself in the school. So when Nikki called me. Yeah, and he said, We don't need you to write anymore. He told me, Tracy doesn't want to write with you. Late, years later, I talked to Tracy about it. Tracy's like, I never said that. Dude sick said he didn't want to write with you. So I'm like, whatever that's between you, you guys to figure out. All I know is the band said they don't want to write with me, and so I just said, You know what, I'm out. I got something else in mind that I'm going to go do. So at that point, I gave Nikki my resignation. I said, Thanks for the offer. Love you. I'm out. And I took, like, I don't know, 3500 bucks, and I went and I got the fucking driver's license. And it wasn't two days after I passed the driving test. I did the same thing again, some resumes. Sent them out, and I got it. I got it. I get a gig driving around with some other dude in a truck, and we just drove around America for fucking seven, eight months. And then Warren D Martini called said, Hey, dude, we're going out with poison. And I was like, okay, and I told the guy said, let's go back to the office. I gotta turn my fucking shit in. And that's when everybody that I was working with for the last seven or eight months realized that I had sang with motley crew and rat I never told anybody. I just was like, I was just some guy that was like, hanging out and I played guitar. I'd literally sit in the back. He would go in and get a shower, go get some food, and I would just sit in the back pluck a guitar, and, you know, whatever. I just, so I just, I just lived a gypsy lifestyle for like, seven, eight months, nine months. But
Chuck Shute:so was that, that Ashley, girl that you dated for a while, she because, did she not inspired? Did she not encourage you? She said you were given musical talent and you're not using Yeah, well, there
John Corabi:was a point where, so I'm, I'm kind of so I for a period of time, I did drive with another driver. There was two of us in the truck at all times. But then there was a point where I was like, fuck, man, I'm I'm never home. Like, I wanted to see my kid, so I worked out a thing where I drove from LA to Phoenix, back to LA, back to Phoenix. I just did that all week, and they call it a designated run. So you just do the same run all the time, okay? And at one point, I asked if that girl actually could ride with me, and my boss goes, Yeah, dude, you know, I just had to get an insurance waiver, you know, and then she jumped in the car, and I had never discussed music or anything with her. She, when I first met her, she didn't even realize that I was in, had been in Motley or rat or any of that stuff. And so we're sitting in the truck, and she asked. She goes, You know, I don't really know. I know you play music, because I used to always go to the cat club and jam.
Chuck Shute:She goes, You know, she was a waitress at the cat club, right?
John Corabi:Yes, and I don't know. I don't know if I had a CD player in the truck or not, but I wound up playing her some music and some new music I had written and recorded. And she was listening to this, and then she looked at me, and she goes, the fuck are you doing? And I go, What are you talking about? She goes, like she listened to some union stuff and some Motley stuff and the scream and some of the new shit that I was working on. And she goes, I don't understand what you're doing, like you were literally put on earth to do this. Why are you doing this? You know what I mean? And I go, I don't know, just clearing my head. There's nothing wrong with that. Like stepping back from something and looking at it again. And you know what I mean? She was like, you need to, you need to get out and fucking play music, like whatever. So once again, you know, I, but I, you know, whatever, I dropped her off at home, and, you know, I went and I did my thing. And it was another month or two, I just sat there, and then rat called. And. And said, We're going back out on the road. And I was like, All right, cool. And then after that, there was a few times where I was on tour with rat, where I flew her out. She came and hung out with me for a few days, and she goes, Okay, now I get it now, like, you know, but honestly, no, the truck thing, dude, was just, it was a reset for me, sure. You know what? I mean, that's all
Chuck Shute:that's been so, is this a true story too, though, is that the girl that you dated, Ashley? Did she end up marrying Larry David, the the comedian, the creator of Seinfeld? Is that a true story, or is that? Yeah. How
John Corabi:do you know this. I know everything, dude, yeah, I'm sure, yeah. But now we're still friends. We're actually, it's funny because I have like, I still, I not a lot. You know, it's not like we talk every day, but every now and then, something will pop up and I'll comment on one of her photos or something on Instagram and but I just saw something. There's a Larry David fan page, and I've been noticing on this fan page that they're posting some like, really crazy photos of like, naked girls. And I'm like, That's kind of weird. So I sent it to because I know how like fans do pages for you, though, somebody will do a fan page, John coravi fan page or whatever. It's not my page. It's their page. Yeah, and they can, they can basically do whatever they want. But I just, you know, Larry's in a completely different stratosphere than I am, and so I just kind of took a snapshot of this naked girl, and I sent it to Ashley, and I go, Hey, just for the record, like, I don't know if Larry's aware of this, but you may want to let him know that there's a Larry David fan page that's posting like, some pretty risque fucking photos that I know Larry would not appreciate, right? And so I
Chuck Shute:see what happens as those things get those pages get hacked. It's probably not even the person that started the Page Well,
John Corabi:I guess, apparently it was a page that somebody owned, and they sold the page, and now the new owner is just whatever. So I just said, Hey, you know, just from one artist to another, like, Hey, this is happening, you know, but she appreciated it. She said, Yeah, he's pissed about it. So I go. I just wanted to bring it to his attention, and I haven't met him yet, but, um, I've been invited the next time I'm in LA to come to have dinner with them. And really, yeah, no, we're still friends. Dude, he knows that she used to date me. I don't know. And, and
Chuck Shute:when you when you Google it, I was like, this is like, not I feel like this is a big news story. Like, maybe nobody cares. I know, I thought it's not.
John Corabi:And, you know, and the funny thing is, like, even, even some of the dead daisies guys, they've met her, like, anytime we were in LA, she would come and hang out, you know, at the hotel that we stay at, and, you know, they have a hotel bar there. So she would come with a couple girlfriends or whatever. But it's funny, years ago, you know, without getting too crazy here, but apparently, years ago, not apparently, definitely, when we were living together. The girl actress from the wedding, yeah, the wedding crasher. He's
Chuck Shute:like, her friend or something, right? That's how, yes,
John Corabi:they went to school together. There was, like, this little clique of girls that went to school together at the university, American University in Paris, and they were all friends. So Isla would come over to our house all the time. You know, she was married to Sasha. I had been to their house of Baron Cohen Bora, after people who don't know, yeah, yes. And we had been to their house. And it's like this really incestual thing, like they were renting a house in Beverly Hills that used to belong to Roger Taylor from Queen was renting them the house, you know what I mean? So it was like his house and wow, you know so and we would go over for, you know, dinner and stuff. We went over one time for dinner. They were having a. What's the Jewish holiday, Shabbat, whatever. And so we had dinner with them, and and, and that's how she met Larry, like apparently, Ashley went in a different direction. She was doing all these little odds and ends jobs and all. She was a waitress, and then eventually she was a writer. She started working with Sasha with his TV shows and his movies, and then they had a dinner one night at their house. And you know, Ashley was doing very well on her own, and they just had a dinner, and she was sitting next to Larry David, and they just struck up this conversation. They were pissing themselves laughing the whole time, and they wound up, they wound up dating, and just, you know, now they're married, so, you know, good on them. You know what I mean, it's, it's all good, and there's nothing but the utmost respect. She, she adores my kids and my grandkids and my my wife and and it's all respect, all all good, and we're pals. You know what? I mean? It's like again, I don't talk to her every day, but, you know, every now and then I'll send her a message. She'll send me something funny, or, you know, whatever. I'll ask how she's doing and, but it's, you know. But when I get to LA, you know, she'll like, are you in LA, yes, you know, you know where I'm staying. And then she'll call and whatever. And the last time I was there, they invited me over for dinner, but I wasn't in town long enough to actually go and sit down and have dinner with them. But all good. That would
Chuck Shute:be an interesting day. I just because, like, I'm a big fan of Curb Your Enthusiasm. I'm like, I wonder how much he's like that in real life. Like to actually sit down to have a real dinner with him. Like, is it like being on an episode of that show? Or is like, you
John Corabi:know, to be honest, I've never met him, so I couldn't really have you watched curb, you know what? Honestly, I don't really watch much TV at all. I'm not really, and it's funny, because I've got friends that are like, dude, oh my god. Like, when you know, they all found out Ashley went up Mary and Larry. They're like, Dude, you got to watch fucking curb. Yeah? And it's like, you know, I want to, but it's like, I almost don't want to, because I don't want to go in as a fan, you know what I mean. So I'm not like, I love watching I love watching movies. I'm more about like I love more than anything, documentaries. I just watched that one or biopic. I just watched that biopic on
Chuck Shute:Bob Dylan. Now, did you see the actual the new movie, the one that's like a scripted one that was good too. That's
John Corabi:the one that I just watched, I watched it yesterday, and, and it's funny, because I love that kind of shit, because, you know, or the queen one, or, you know, I love that kind of stuff. So, but I gotta be honest, I don't watch much. I think the last actual TV show that actually showed any real interest in was probably Sons of Anarchy. Is So how long ago was that? You know what? I mean, I really don't
Chuck Shute:love hearing the stories, the connections and stuff like you have, there's a bunch of this stuff in your book. Well, this is the one that was interesting. One of that was it, one of the guys from South Park was the cameraman for the music video on hooligans holiday, yeah.
John Corabi:I don't remember which one, but he was, he was the, he was the cameraman for hooligans holiday, yeah. And it was weird. I didn't even know that, but another musician friend of mine knows him, and he was like, dude, like, you know, I don't, I don't even know that the two guys names that, Ray Parker, Matt Stone, yeah, I think it was Matt, okay, and apparently, curly fro,
Chuck Shute:I couldn't, wonder, okay. Couldn't tell you,
John Corabi:dude, that was, you know, fuck 1990 fucking three four, yeah, sure, you know. And it was, I just remember, I just remember, I know the director of the video was Nick Egan, and we hired him because he had just done ordinary world by Duran. Duran. That was a cool song. Yeah, that was a great tune. It's one of my favorites. And we loved the video. Tommy and I fucking just were like, Oh my God, this video is fucking brilliant. So we hired Nick Egan, and he put the whole team together, and we just showed up, we did the video, and we left. And years later, and I want to say it might have been Brent Fitz, but Brent Fitz is like, Hey, dude, did you know you know the dude from fucking South Park, and you know Matt and I go, what he goes? Yeah, dude, I met him. We were at a party, and he was the camera operator for fucking hooligans holiday. Let's go. I have no way to prove it, but that's what I was told. Yeah,
Chuck Shute:that's you have to go. It's one. Now, do you have another one at one? Or you keep going? No, you're good. Oh, sweet. I love this is great, yeah, because there's another thing in the book. I don't remember if there was much of a story, but you hung out with Dave Grohl in London around this time too. It's very brief
John Corabi:yet Tommy and I, we, we, the whole band, was staying at a place called the St James hotel in Paris. And, uh, uh, yeah, it was weird. But Tommy and I were like, oh, let's take a walk. I just remember it was snowing, and we were maybe, maybe four city blocks away from the Eiffel Tower. So we took a walk. We took a walk down there, and it's, you know, it was snowing, and it was like February or March, because we went over and we did press for it was we did Milan Madrid, Munich. We did five cities, Milan Munich, Madrid, London and somewhere else, I don't know, but any, oh, in Paris, Duh, yeah. So we walked down to the we're walking to the Eiffel Tower, and we're standing on the corner. It's snowing, and there was all these, like outdoor, kind of tables and coffee shops. And somebody yelled, talk me. And we turned around, and Dave girl ran up, and we just started bullshitting with him. And we kind of looked over, and there was a dude sitting at the table where, you know, and it was Kurt, and they were just out having a coffee or something, and, and then it was weird. It was, like, a month later, maybe I again, I'm a little vague on the time frame, but they were over there, and it wasn't that long after that where I apparently Kurt had that issue, where he was in Paris, and he had maybe taken some sleeping pills and champagne or something, And and then he kind of had to check himself into a rehab or whatever. But we, yeah, we saw them. He was sitting on the thing, and Dave came running over and him and Tommy started talking drums, and, you know, all this weird, and I just sat there like a bump on the log and Kurt wasn't much more of, you know, he was kind of very quiet and not very talkative either. And, you know, and then we're like, All right, see you guys later. And we just went about our business and then went back to the hotel. I
Chuck Shute:wonder how, yeah, it's interesting, because, like, at that time, I remember it was just such a rift between the grunge and the quote, unquote 80s acts or whatever. So it's interesting that Tommy was friends with with Dave Grohl. I'm curious to hear all that. I don't really
John Corabi:think there was, you know, it was weird, because even when we were doing that record, you know, there really wasn't a rift. It's what people perceived to be a rift, you know, you had a bunch of, you know, and I'll call it milk toast. But even, even. I just saw an interview with Ricky rocket the other day, and he was talking about, you know, they they were talking about the the whole thing with Nirvana coming back into or, you know, blowing up when it did. And he goes, You know, that's kind of something that has to happen with the music industry every so many years, because you have, like, the bands that kind of are very successful and they they make a name for themselves. You know, the motleys and the Bon Jovis and the def leppards and the poisons. You know, Hanoi rocks, you know, and then, and then there's the fucking 1000 other bands that record labels sign, like that band or the, you know, even Guns and Roses. It was like you could see the shift when Guns and Roses got signed. Everybody was dressing like poison on the Sunset Strip. And then the minute Guns and Roses got signed, everybody put their spandex and their fucking leopard print away, and they started wearing like motorcycle jackets with denim vests over them. And, you know, so I get what he was saying, but it I remember when we were doing the Motley record, when we were in Vancouver, all the dudes from Pantera came to the studio to hear What we were doing. They had a show that night at the Commodore, which is a huge venue in Vancouver, and they came to the studio. I don't know whether Tommy invited him, Nikki Bob Rock, whatever, but they came to little mountain, and we sat and we played them a bunch of shit that we were working on. And they were like, fuck dude, this is fucking awesome. And then Tommy and I went to the show that night to see them at the Commodore. And it's funny because they did a home video, like a DVD thing. I don't know if it was from the they were still touring, I believe on the cowboys from hell record.
Chuck Shute:Oh, it wasn't vulgar display power at that point. I don't
John Corabi:know. I'm not sure, because I know vulgar display came out right around the same time as our record came out, we were still working on the Motley record in Vancouver when it came up. So they may have been still touring on the album prior to vulgar display. Is
Chuck Shute:this when they they spiked your drink with ecstasy and heroin?
John Corabi:No, that was, that was later. Okay, this is where Tommy and I went to the show, and we were backstage with them, and they shaved Tommy's head. Oh, okay. And it's on the video. He's like, do it, bro. Fuck Do it. Do it. And fucking Phil completely shaves his head. Wow. And then they turn to me, and they're like, come on, bro, you're next. And I go, Fuck that, dude. I ain't doing this shit. Fuck you guys. No way. So Tommy showed up to the studio the next day looking like a Q tip. And, you know, but then later our record was finished. We had been to Europe to do a bunch of press, and we came back, and then the guys invited us to come to Dallas to celebrate. It was either dime or vinny's birthday. So we flew to Dallas and we hung out with those guys. And again, it's my dumb ass. I was more mad at Tommy than the Pantera guys because they asked me, but they're like, you know, they picked us up at the airport in a limousine, and it was dime Vinnie Rex and somebody else. Phil wasn't there. He was in New Orleans, so they picked us up at the airport, and they had a bottle of Crown Royal. And they're like, Hey, dude, wanted excellent shot. And I'm like, Yeah, okay, whatever. You know, I'm not. I wasn't a drug guy, so I didn't, I didn't. I'm like, I don't know, but they're like, Hey, bro, you want an excellent shot? And I'm like, Yeah, sure. So I did one in the car. Then we went to this radio station called the eagle in Dallas. And they're like, Hey, dude, won an excellent shot. And I go, Yeah, sure, dude. So I did another one there. And then we went to the birthday party, which was at a club, I believe, called the basement in Dallas, and we're backstage. And they're like, Hey, dude, excellent shot. And I go, Yeah, dude, and I did another one. So I did, like, three or four shots. And then it was weird. I just remember I got, I was so fucked up that I was literally sitting at a table, and I was gonna, like, I was, like falling asleep at the table. I felt a little nauseous, but then I would wake up. I'd be like, all perky and literally like a dog dragging his fucking asshole across the carpet. And this chick could have been, maybe I was, I don't know who the fuck she was. All I remember is looking at this chick on this girl looks like that model, Kathy Ireland. Do you remember Kathy Ireland? Yeah, she was
Chuck Shute:a Necessary Roughness. And, yeah, yeah. So there's a
John Corabi:chick sitting at in Dallas, at this table, and it's just me and her. You think a girl that looked like her? I I don't know if it was her or not. It wouldn't
Chuck Shute:be out of the realm of possibility, if you're Tommy Lee, that he would know some well, you
John Corabi:know. But we're in Dallas, Texas as well, you know. And I'm with the Pantera guys. It was packed in this room, and I do remember jamming with the Pantera guys. I think I played guitar. We did cold Jen by kiss, and then I went back to the table. I was so fucked up I could barely play. I remember struggling to get through the song. I went back to the table, and I was sitting with this girl, and she was like, playing with my hair and and I was just out of it. And I remember because we weren't staying far from this club, I just said to her, I gotta go, man. I'm gonna go back to my room, and she came back with me to my hotel, and I just passed out. You know, I was like out of it, but I got up the next day, and I literally had like, 103 fever. I was sick as a dog. My back hurt like I was in agony. My back hurts so bad, and we were supposed to leave. So I pulled myself together. Took a shower. We went out to a Benny hot. The girl was gone when I woke up. She was just gone. Me, Tommy dime, his his girlfriend, Rita Rex, was there. His with his wife and Vi and we went to a Benny Hannah's. We had some lunch and we were supposed to leave later that day. And they talked us into going to they talked us into staying a day or two longer, and dime told Tommy that he had some jet skis and there was a lake somewhere near their house. They're like, Come on, man, we'll go to the lake. We'll fucking hang out. I was so sick though I went to, I think it was Rex's house, and we picked up the jet skis. Rex's wife and Rita were like, Dude, you're fucking You're burning up. Like, I go, I don't feel good. So I just remember those guys all got dime. I think dime had a pickup truck. It was either dime or Rex had a pickup truck. They went to the lake, and I got out of the car. I was still fully clothed. I had leather pants on a sweater, and I was under a fucking moving blanket, like in the back of the truck, and I just fucking slept the whole day, like they were jet scan, and I just slept in the back of the fucking pickup truck the whole day. I don't even remember them putting the. Jet skis back on the trailer. Next thing I know, we're back at fucking Rex's house or dimes house, and they're like, dude. And I was like, Alright, cool. We got dropped off at the hotel. I went back to sleep again, and then Tommy and I got on a plane and flew home the next day, and I was still sick. And that's when I said to Tommy, I go, I don't fucking get this dude like, I don't know why I'm so fucking sick. And Tommy, that's when Tommy goes, Oh, dude, it's probably from the excellent shots. And I go, What the fuck are you talking about? And he goes, dude, the shots that we were doing had ecstasy in it. And he goes, excellent shot. So I kind of got pissy with Tommy. I go, Dude, why would you why would you not tell me? Like, I don't get the lingo, like, why would you not tell me that I was doing ecstasy? You know what I mean? And that's but that's also why, like, I was literally, apparently, it was like ecstasy in these capsules, ecstasy and a little bit of heroin. So I was literally, like, falling asleep, and then the ecstasy would kick in, and I was dragging my ass across the carpet, and then I would start falling asleep again, and this chick would rub on my back, and I was like, Oh, hey, what? Yeah, okay, cool. And, and then I would so I took her back to the hotel, thinking we'd fuck, and I just passed out. Yeah, I don't remember any of it.
Chuck Shute:That's crazy. Do you think so? Like, for you, they, like, knocked you out. But Tommy's like, yeah, he's going jet skiing the next day. Like, do you think that? Like, guys like him and the Pantera guys, like, they were just wired differently, like they can just party. Like, I mean, because the older I get, I mean, you know, I have like, two drinks and I'm like, I'm falling asleep at the hotel. Like,
John Corabi:yeah, well, and again, I think it helps when you know, when you're mentally prepared for what it is that you're doing, true and and in their defense, they asked, yeah, hey, dude, you want to do an excellent shot? And I go, Yeah, okay. But nobody told me what excellent meant. I never heard of that before, yeah. And I'm like, okay, yeah, whatever. So I didn't really know what I was doing or who I, you know, whatever. I just remember getting really fucked up really quick, and then I was sick for like, a couple of days afterwards, and I was like, this is not fucking fun. And then I couldn't figure out why my back hurts so bad. I literally felt like I got hit by a car. My back was like, just to touch it. It was like, Sure. And everybody's like, Oh, dude, that's from the ecstasy. It's like, all the shit. It all your neurons and your nerves and everything you're, you know, when people touch you, you're like, Oh yeah, you know. But afterwards, the after effect, I guess, is your fucking spine is just on fire. That's sad. Yeah, it was, I was not fun, dude. I was like, not fucking happy about it.
Chuck Shute:Crazy. It's a crazy story, though it's a crazy night. Yeah,
John Corabi:it was, it was definitely definite. And then the crazy part is, I went back, like, two weeks later, and I went to the same bar, and I wound up getting arrested for I still to this day, don't know why I got arrested. Nobody ever charged me with anything, but I sat in a jail cell in fucking Dallas for like, two and a half days.
Chuck Shute:Was this in the book? I don't remember this.
John Corabi:I don't know if it was or not, but I was friends with this girl, Lori. And okay, so it's a really incestual story. So when I was at the party for the Pantera guys, when I did the ecstasy, this girl came up to me, this redhead, and I was outside trying to get some air and smoke cigarette, and she she said something to me. She basically said, I'm friends with Lori. And I was like, oh shit, oh fuck. How's she doing? I knew Lori from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. She worked at hooter. Dollars, and just a girl that used to come and see the scream all the time, and I kind of had lost touch with her, um, so I got reacquainted. She called Lori on the phone. We talked for a second, and so I told her, I said, yeah, if I'm ever in Dallas, you know, we swapped numbers, all that shit. And, you know, I did my thing with the Panterra guys, and then I left. Well, then the following week, or two weeks later, I had to go to Tampa, Florida to do a week of radio shows, like a morning show to produce promote the Motley record. Um, they were playing the first single holdings holiday, so I was, like a guest on their morning show for like, four days in a row. Um, all done in Tampa, and I get on a flight, and I realize that I have a layover in Dallas, so I call Lori. And Lori Jennifer, my good buddy, God rest his soul, Dave Williams, who sang with, I'm having a brain fart right now. Let The Bodies Hit The Floor.
Chuck Shute:Oh yeah, Drowning Pool. Thank you.
John Corabi:He was there. So I met Dave, and then and then his girlfriend, Kat. I took them all to dinner. We went to a steakhouse, we had dinner, and then afterwards, we kind of decided we were going to go back to this basement club that I had just been to two or three weeks prior and just go get a cocktail. And then they were going to take me back to my hotel, and I was going to leave the following morning. So we go to the we go to the club. And as soon as I walked in with Lori and Jennifer and Dave and cat, the owner remembered me from being in Motley, and he's like, Oh, hey, dude, blah, blah, blah. So we went in, we sat at this back bar, and, you know, he made me a drink. He made everybody a drink. They were regulars there. I, I had only been there, you know, with the Pantera guys a couple weeks before, you know, and now, so we go in, and he made me a drink. Then he said, I'm gonna close the club now, so I gotta dump your drink, but as soon as I get everybody out of the club, you're welcome to stay, and I'll make you another drink. And I go, okay, cool. So I paid him out for everybody's drinks. I paid him, and he got everybody out of the club, and then he makes me another drink. And I think I'm maybe like talking to the guy, the owner. Oh yeah, dude, I had a great time, yada yada yada, and he's talking to Lori and everybody and and then five minutes later, all of a sudden, there's like this bang on the door. The side door of the club opens up, and all these cops come rushing into the club, and I'm sitting at the bar, and I'm like, Okay, I don't know what's going on right now. So they ID everybody. So I pull out my driver's license, Lori pulls out hers everybody. They they take everybody, and they're checking everybody's ID, and for some reason this cop comes up and handcuffs me and says, You're You're under arrest for public intoxication. So I get in the car and I start fucking having to come apart, and I start my stupid temper, but I'm like, Fuck you, dude, you better be taking me to a hospital for a blood test if you're gonna charge me for public intoxication. I want to blow into something, or I want a fucking blood test that says I'm intoxicated. I just got here from Tampa, Florida. I haven't been drinking, so I don't know where the fuck this is coming from. Anyway, they took me to the jail, and they put me in a cell, and I sat there the whole night, and the whole night. Day, I missed my flight the next day, and then the following night, at like, two o'clock in the morning, I couldn't call anybody because I didn't have they had all my shit. And then about, I don't know, probably two or three o'clock in the morning, some guy opened up the jail cell and brought me, like, this little mini frozen burrito, and he's like, Hey, dude, and he's sitting there and he's looking at me, and he's like, You look really familiar. Do I know you? And I go, Well, I'm the new lead singer for Motley Crue. And you may have seen me on MTV or the news like it's been getting out now that I'm the singer. And he goes, What are you doing here? And I basically let him have it. I go, I have no fucking idea why I'm here, but I got arrested the other day in a fucking club. I sat here. I missed my fucking connecting flight to La this morning, and I'm still sitting here. And then, literally, like, five minutes later, the guy shut the door. He goes, I'll be right back. He shut the door, and then him and another guy came and they let me out, and they handed me all my shit, and they just let me out. Wow, that's crazy. So I told the guy, so listen, man, you're gonna hear from my fucking lawyer like I have no idea why you guys never charged me with anything, didn't fingerprint me, didn't take my photo, didn't take me to a hospital, he basically said that I was publicly intoxicated. I hadn't finished one drink, not one while I was in that bar, because the first one he made me, he dumped it, and then he made me another one, and they raided the police, like two minutes afterwards, weird. And so I had Motley lawyer call them and just fucking rip them a new asshole because I had to buy another flight from Dallas to I missed my first one. And it was just like, this big thing. And I had no idea, but it was weird I found out later. Yeah, Lori said the cop that arrested me used to come into her work, and he had a bit of a crush on her, and he thought that I was like, maybe I was a little too friendly with her. I don't know what the deal was, but I literally wound up spending, like, I don't know it was, like, 30 hours in a Texas jail cell for absolutely no fucking reason at all. That's crazy. Yeah, it was weird. It was weird, dude, it was really weird. I'm surprised
Chuck Shute:the press didn't get wind of that, and that wasn't like, a metal edge article or something. Yeah,
John Corabi:it was weird, nobody. They never took a photo, they never fingerprinted me, they never charged me with anything. I was just literally sitting in a jail cell. And if, if the guy was kind of a younger cop came in, asked me if I wanted a something to eat, and he gave me a burrito. And had he not done that, I could still be sitting there fucking like Rip Van Winkle, jeez, you know, whatever. So it was, yeah, it was, it was, it was a bit of an experience.
Chuck Shute:Was that the only time being in jail?
John Corabi:No, oh no, I was a bit of a Hellion when I was younger. I I've been in trouble in jail multiple times. Oh, that's
Chuck Shute:right, yeah, because I think you talk about that in the book when you're a kid, you're like, were you accused of murder or something? There was, like, a whole thing about that that's in the book
John Corabi:that, yeah, yeah, it was, uh, but it wound up being, I got into a fight with this guy's kid and, you know, dumb teenage, stupid teenage stuff, yeah, yeah. You know, recent got into a fist fight, and basically, when he was walking away, you know, my little bravado thing in front of my friends, I'm like, yeah, if you ever come on our street again, I'll kill you. And then the guy wind up showing up dead. Well, his father, it's a long story, but his father was a fucking his father was a serial killer. Yeah, that was crazy. Actually got caught for killing whatever. And then they it's a long story, but they found out that the father, after they posted his picture in the paper, some other people saw his picture and were like, Wait, we found that kid's body. That was the same guy that used to come and hang out at this construction site where they found the kid's body. And you. They put two and two together, and then they found out that he eventually he had killed his own son for like, a 35 or $50,000 insurance policy or some weird thing, yeah, and, you know, but that was a process of about seven or eight months of the cops showing up at my fucking house wanting to speak to me, you know, and questioning me about the fact that I said I'd kill him if he came back on our street. And eventually it was like, oh, okay, you're clear. You're good to go, but I gotta there was a point there where I was sweating some bullets because I was like, fuck, man, I'm going to go to jail for something I didn't do.
