Chip Z'Nuff (Enuff Z'Nuff)

Episode 139- Chip Z’Nuff! Chip is the bass player and lead singer for Enuff Z’Nuff. Chip originally started out as a baseball player and had tryouts with some major league teams. He took that work ethic he learned from playing sports and used it to start a band. In this episode we’ll cover Vikki Foxx’s departure, being interviewed by Howard Stern, playing with Billy Corgan from Smashing Pumpkins, famous fans and much more! 

00:00 - Intro
01:13 - Current Projects 
02:14 - Work Ethic Learned From Baseball 
03:36 - Band w/ Desi Rexx (D'Molls) & D Generation 
07:15 - Lt Bob Offers to Help Out
08:07 - Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick 
09:25 - Changing the Enuff Z'Nuff Name 
11:30 - Enuff Z'Nuff Image & Style
14:05 - Vikki Foxx Departs the Band 
16:35 - Music Scene Changes 
17:38 - Paraphernalia & Billy Corgan 
20:02 - Donnie Vie & Vikki Foxx Reunion? 
21:45 - Three New Records 
22:43 - Chip Z'Nuff Solo Record 
25:30 - Adler's Appetite & GnR Guys
27:44 - Being Interviewed by Howard Stern  
28:50 - Matt Bellamy of Muse 
29:58 - Fan Stories & Johnny Rotten
31:45 - Beatles Interactions & Mick Jones
33:45 - Stance on Drugs & Songwriting 
34:55 - St Jude's Charity 
36:02 - Dash Radio & RnR Fantasy Camp
38:43 - Wrap Up

Enuff Z'Nuff website:
https://www.enuffznuff.com

St Jude's Children's Hospital website:
https://www.stjude.org

Chuck Shute website:
http://chuckshute.com

Transcript

Chuck Shute: 0:12

Well hello and welcome to another edition of the attraction podcast. If you're watching on YouTube you can see I'm kind of playing around with my background a little bit. Trying to get a little better. I think the pictures crooked but we'll get there someday. And of course you all knew this had to happen eventually. I've had on former enough's enough singer Donnie V on the show twice. And it's cool to finally have his other half ships enough bass player, co Songwriter of the band, and now he's also the singer and frontman of the band, so I think he does a great job. I've seen them live with chip, singing twice, and it sounded great. The band's latest album, The brainwash generation is great, and even features Dani v on a track strangers in my head, I believe it's called. And for this interview with chip, we have a limited time. So I just tried to cram in as many good questions I could. I think we covered a lot of ground ship was very open, have some great stories, and I really enjoyed our chat. So here it is. Please welcome chips enough to the chuck shoe podcast. How you doing? Oh, yes. Okay. Yes, there's times.

Chip Z'Nuff: 1:24

I'm glad you're doing well. I've been staying very busy here. Get ready for this. Next enough's enough faster pussycat toward it's coming out in a few weeks. So, okay, are you a lot of work happening?

Chuck Shute: 1:36

Uh, where were you recording or recording? More enough enough stuff?

Chip Z'Nuff: 1:40

I certainly am. Wow, can't stop. Okay. Luck is the residue of design, I think it's the best thing to do is all this musicians is trying to stay as busy as possible, making music. I'm in the studio here in lovely Blue Island, Illinois. I got a nice little pro tool set up and I got two inch tape and brought a snake up to the first floor. I got bunch of outboard gear. And so it's it's back to 1997 70s at my studio, just making real records with musicians that can play.

Chuck Shute: 2:11

That's awesome. Yeah. So this is interesting. Because I did my research, I had no idea that you almost became a baseball player, your grandfather played on the White Sox, and you tried out for a bunch of Major League teams. But it's cool, because you took that template of like playing baseball and like that work ethic. And you use that to start a rock band. So explain that to me, because it sounds like you're still got a really good work ethic. And you just released a new album, you're already working on another one. That's crazy. Yeah,

Chip Z'Nuff: 2:36

I'm not. I'm not the hardest work guy out there. I, I sees other musicians. And when they're not doing their own records, they're doing records for other people. And I pretty much follow the same template. I like making music and being creative. And if I can help bands out, that's a great thing. And I've played for myself, too. It's serendipity. It's like a moment of clarity. And you get out there and you come up with something creative, and it lasts forever. And you know, at least at hope it does. More than anything, I just want to make good records. And from the early days of playing sports, I took that template, the good side of it, not the bad side, and was able to withstand the punishment this business gives you, which is you know, trying to find work and Stan is relevant as you can and there's a lot of great bands out there. So what a little Stevens say to me, I always bring us up. If I can quote him, he says i chip if you're just a if you leave just a small indelible mark, it's a good thing. I think at the end of the day, I've made some good music, and I like to believe there's still gas in the tank.

Chuck Shute: 3:34

Yeah. So tell me about this too. So before you put together enough's enough, you answered an ad in the paper from it was a Desi Rex from the malls. And you went on tour with him was that that wasn't the Banda malls. Was it? Was that something else? No, no, I

Chip Z'Nuff: 3:49

go back with those cats a long way. We all went to the same high schools together. Although I went to run the race. I think they went to Eisenhower, which they kicked me out of there when I was a young kid. It was for a good reason. Okay. And Desi, got ahold of me. They're looking for a bass player to hired me and a guy named Bill Bishop who I think was playing Richard Marx, who's a heavyweight drummer guy salad is Iraq. And we audition for disease band, right when I got back from Los Angeles, which was right when I had a stint for about two and a half years of the band called degeneration made a record number was released. Great band No, not to be confused. Not the New York, right. Yeah, in New York. And I think it's just I found myself I know. Trying to find a gig and Desi hired us. We had to learn 60 songs in two days. And my first gig was opening for the babies. That's pretty cool. Yeah. And I think it was in Des Moines, Iowa bar was packed. It was back in those days. nearly days, folks, there was so many people that would attend shows on Monday through Friday. So unbelievable. Unlike today, everybody wants just the weekends. That's what trips their trigger and they work for weeks later. Standard right back in the old days, people found time to go see bands during the week and I happened to be playing on a Monday at a place called the other place. Babies came in town. They were on tour with Alice Cooper. He said, Hey, you know, missing you by the Rolling Stones? I said, Yeah, I certainly do. And they go, right. We played it down. Do you know money by The Beatles? Absolutely played that one. That was my first time on stage with heavy weights playing music. Well, didn't you? Oh,

Chuck Shute: 5:27

Boss gags with the degeneration.

Chip Z'Nuff: 5:30

There was the atom we did with the early stuff. When we were young kids with boss gags and the Grateful Dead plans like festival gigs. Same thing. Our manager Phil nervous, who managed a bunch of people from one of those TV shows from a long time ago was I can't think of Hollywood Squares. Okay, he took a we paid him 200 bucks a week to match us and we didn't pay him we had no money. Yeah, our day to day manager paid the bill and put us out some good gigs. But we open for Van Halen to we open for tons of bands before they were big. Ah, it was we're talking about 1976 77 I was a young kid. so crazy travel around and a little bread truck. I lived at what degeneration that is I live with. Somebody had a newspaper out there called Las Vegas mirror and like a singer and guitar player made friends with their daughters and they moved us into their little mansion. We had a pool Pitbull dog every day night and a couple of bottles of LSD 25 that you just put on a matchbook and eat it up higher sin all day. Crazy life in those early days, I tell you, but when I went out with dizzy that was just a little short. Wrong. We just we played places six nights a week we had a bread truck. My father kept it together and fixed it all up and tweaked it out so we can make it around the country. And we just toured around the United States playing gigs basically doing top 40 short songs. That's how I learn how to write tunes. That kind of hanging out with those kind of cats, you know, and it was six sets a night six nights a week. For 125 bucks a week. That's when you that's a real musician right there.

Chuck Shute: 7:02

Yeah, for that for

Chip Z'Nuff: 7:03

a couple years that went in when the band when it's opposite direction that I put together enough stuff.

Chuck Shute: 7:09

Yeah. So you put together enough's enough and you guys are playing, you're struggling. And then this is like it sounds like you had a little bit of luck along the way. Like you said, This guy let you live in the mansion for a little bit. And this police officer just comes up to you after a show one night and offers to give you 500 bucks to record a record. I mean, just and you didn't know this guy's just ran just a fan.

Chip Z'Nuff: 7:26

Yeah, his name was Lieutenant Bob. Erfurt. Haven't seen him in years. I'd like to give him a hug and bucks right now to give up right? I want a wonderful cat that we told them all the things were going through as a band. You know, we're here in Blue Island. Now there's not a lot of action out here. 10,000 people now used to be all kinds of places open like hospitals and, and movie theaters are all shut down. But it's good people hard working people out here. And for some reason, Bob just was sympathetic to our cause.

Chuck Shute: 7:58

That's amazing. Because Yeah, cuz cops don't make that much to begin with. So$500 a lot for cops fishy back then. So you take that demo, and you sneak backstage at a cheap trick concert and you give it to Rick Nielsen and you ask him to produce your album but you never heard back from him? No, I've heard back from since then. Yeah, he's play on enough stuff albums with us. Right? Do you ever tell him that story?

Chip Z'Nuff: 8:21

Of course he knows about he does he I you know, I think he told me I was a liar when I but but it's the truth. And I remember they played I remember that. During the set Rick sing a song called Sukkot that was in the cheap tricks that a lot was an old tune used to do years ago to get Robin Zander a small little break. The band was fabulous that night. And listen, Rick was busy. He's got other things going on in his life, cheap trip insurance very successful. They were touring around the country with everybody. So he probably didn't have time. But I remember Carolyn Garrick showman and a president of atco Records, we use the former singer of gel giant. When he asked me who we wanted to produce the record. We said, Well, we gave the we gave our demo to Rick Nielsen, we asked them, we haven't heard anything back. He says as he called. You said no, he goes, Well, you guys do it yourself because he loved the demos. So our trajectory could have been much different habit Nielsen produced that first enough snuff album but it worked out the way it did work out and later on hidden breakfast play on the records. Yeah, is a blessing in disguise for all of us. So yeah, no, I'm totally happy with it. But it man wouldn't mind here. Rick Nielsen or jack Douglas produced enough stuff album, and

Chuck Shute: 9:24

that would be cool. But so badly before like before the album came out. Didn't the record company they wanted I never heard this story. They wanted to change the name of"Enuff Z'Nuff." Some of the choices were "Trick or Treat","School Days" or was it "Flies on Fire" or something like that?

Chip Z'Nuff: 9:39

That's correct. I didn't want to do that. We were devastated. I don't know if the band was but I certainly was because we did a lot of hard end roads here in the midwest and we knew that tens of thousands of people like us. Derek Showman came back to me and says Chip, when I'm through with you millions of people are going to know who you are. And I don't want to argue with that. So I went home and I was my tail between my legs. The band was happy because we had a record deal and we were making the album out in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin where are recorders, were surrounding ourself with good people all the guys in Skid Row and Adrian Blue and the Bears to POW Survivor and Cheap Trick everybody's recording over here so we thought, we're in good company. Let's not ruffle the feathers of these peacocks but then the next morning in early in the morning, my phone rang I picked up and it was Derek Showman- he says "you win" and hung up the phone.

Chuck Shute: 10:28

So what changed? That's so weird.

Chip Z'Nuff: 10:30

I don't know he just liked the name of the band. I guess maybe they talked about change the spelling of it or whatever what case whatever whenever you may think, I don't know those in betweens, I just know that he's seen that we are hustlers they need all passionate we were about the band and that when I told him I'd be willing to sell myself to the devil to change my name. I think that maybe made a little dent in his impression of what Enuff Z'Nuff is gonna be and I'm gald he kept it because it's it might not be the coolest name out there but it's certainly it's unique. So...

Chuck Shute: 11:02

I think Trick or Treat would have been a step down for I thought it would have made me think as like a Halloween band or something, that would have been confusing.

Chip Z'Nuff: 11:09

Donnie embraced Trick or Treat actually. Yeah, you guys are gonna be a party every single day. Like Halloween- people come out and I find it. It takes away from the seriousness of the songs we're writing because our influences are from across the pond. And then to be putting a record out even when the first album kick was coming out. It was a picture of us in a dilapidated hotel room shot by this guy Tony Diorio, wonderful photographer, here in Chicago shot a lot of the bands and we wrecked the hotel. It cost us 20 grand for pictures and everything. And when it was all said and done, it just showed a band it was it has propensity to get trouble at any single moment. A very promiscuous shot, scantily clad, I'm in a bathtub holding the Battle of Jack Daniels, which I never do, which is fine if you want to do that. I'm a fan. I like partying too. But that wasn't my that was a my image of what I wanted to portray. I thought the music sent a lot more than that picture did and so did Doc McGhee because he said don't use that album cover. Don't use that picture that eight by 10 that Atco shot of you cats out in Chicago. He goes once use this and he pointed Donnie's arm with a little peace sign. And he goes now that's that looks good. That means good things. And that which get the trajectory of the image of Enuff Z'Nuff changed that day, not in the videos because the videos you want to get MTV back then you had to be colorful and flamboyant glitter rock. Because all that other stuff was already out there. Perhaps if Enuff Z'Nuff when it came out in the early days, and just had jeans and T shirts we'd be like a U2. But we didn't. Then because of our colorfulness and, and flamboyant style MTV embraced that and those videos were hits.

Chuck Shute: 12:46

So was that more the band's idea to be colorful and flamboyant? Or the record company or both?

Chip Z'Nuff: 12:51

No were always like that we always dress like that we are stealing stuff out of our moms and sisters closet. Look at me drower I'm dressed right now. I got this from Danny from Faster Pussycat- a beautiful. I don't know what you would call it looks really good.

Chuck Shute: 13:06

A feather on a boa hat? I don't know. It's like It's like a it's a hat for sure. Yeah, for sure.

Chip Z'Nuff: 13:11

Um, colorful flamboyant purple today. And you know, sometimes he doesn't have a number. So I'm just happy that we're out there you can we can make records of music and, and dress up every single day because that's a big part of our stuff in the very beginning. We've never swayed from that. A lot of the earlier bands like the pan tears and The Motley crews and the metalliferous they were smart. They got out of a place here where you were regular clothes, you know, and they were they know how to go with the style. That's one thing that we missed, but you know, we are we are even always changed. It's okay to be a chameleon this day and age. And some cats You know, you're not recognized if you change your ways. So I think I'm proud of our structure and I admire it and that's it at the end of the day. I don't make any excuses.

Chuck Shute: 13:56

Yeah, I mean, I love all you guys have make so much good music. It's so underrated and we could talk all day about that but so those first two records I think they did pretty well. And then by the third record, you know obviously the music scene changed but I always wondered about this because I remember like reading about this and metal edge With "Animal With Human Intelligence" Vik Foxx he bolts to join Vince Neil's ban. Were you guys mad at Vince? Are you mad at Vikki? Or both? Because you airbrushed him out of the pictures and stuff. I mean, I'm sure this is all ancient history, but I always wondered. And so I've always wanted to know, and now I have that chance to interview you and asked you about it.

Chip Z'Nuff: 14:32

Now, we weren't mad at him. We were disappointed. How's that?

Chuck Shute: 14:35

Okay....

Chip Z'Nuff: 14:36

Vik looked at Motley Crue like we look at the Beatles or Queen. So I get it. You had a wonderful opportunity right there. You just got a payday from the Animals With Human Intelligence record. Clyde was very generous to us. Everybody went their beak. They're all we're all happy that we're going to make a record and have a budget. And it was just in his best interest. He thought to just go out and play with Vince & Steve Stevens. Two fabulous musicians and with a great record deal and a lot of history, I can't be mad about something that- disappointed for sure. We went through about 250 VHS tapes, looking for the next drummer to replace himm because he really a guy. When he left he sold the show to because he's really fabulous on stage as well. He didn't write the songs and claimed to be that, but a fabulous drummer who brought a great show every single night and was my roommate for all those years in Enuff Z'Nuff. And we're both Virgo brothers so I was happy that he was with the band and when he sashayed of course those disappointment but we ended up hiring Ricky Parnt - he looked like Nicolas Cage from the 30th row so we got a good looking handsome guy to come in there and play the shows and was solid rock on drums. He did a bunch of stuff earlier with Alice Cooper and some earlier projects. So he had a little bit of a name for himself and it even though it hurt us it was a sting. We weren't cantankerous about we weren't jealous at all because we always thought Enuff Z'Nuff had better songs than those bands. I will say though, when he did sasahy- it was the record company that was their call- it was Clive Davis who had him brushed from the album. Okay, we liked his look and we liked being a four piece. But it was heirs to that I said to my manager at the time, Herbie Herbert and Bob Brigham. We're not putting anybody on the cover to stand in the band.

Chuck Shute: 16:19

Okay, that's fair.

Chip Z'Nuff: 16:20

They had nothing to do with us whatsoever.

Chuck Shute: 16:21

Okay, that makes sense. So you guys can tell we went

Chip Z'Nuff: 16:24

we went right off on tour right? Immediately after that. As soon as that record came out, we did it with By the way, we did it with a Def Leppard engineer produced a guy named Nigel green so when the record was finished, it was solid as a rock. We're ready to go but we were already in trouble right there bro. Because there was a change in the Gar at that time. We had Pearl Jam, Soundgarden nails and chains Madani Nirvana all that whole Seattle thing came in with everybody wearing shorts and yeah, boots and foot whales and right if you were a band that was if you were a band like us, they came from the flamboyant colorful glitter rock era you are in big trouble. Most of those bands went away which rightly so maybe that's the case. It should have been. They just didn't have what it takes. But look at me here I am now 15 1620 years later, and we're still putting records out on a major label frontiers Yeah, still making music and still touring around the country. No, yes, a mere I'm a miracle right now. I'm not bragging about where am I am

Unknown: 17:16

as a musician.

Chip Z'Nuff: 17:17

I'm just saying it's a miracle. That guy like me can still be going strong and put music out there and do a movie soundtracks TV shows commercials, whatever it takes, just trying to stay busy in this day and age where where there's too much product and not enough demand.

Chuck Shute: 17:32

Yeah, for sure. And you kept making music and like you said the change of the guard, you know, the alternative bands, but so in 99 you do that paraphernalia album and you get Rick Nielsen By the way, but also Billy Corrigan he's a fan of your band. He's got the CD strength in the car you meet you mean it met him at a funeral? Is that right?

Chip Z'Nuff: 17:50

Yeah, Jim Ellison from material issue passed away we all showed up at the way goes 1000 musicians that were there. Oh, wonderful band material issue. I think they have a movie here. Discography is coming out pretty soon you get a chance checked it out. Material issue fabulous band I play on their last record, along with Rick Nielsen and gilby Clarke and from there we got to be really good friends and we did a project called the wild one. The Wild Bunch with colombard from Blondie was in it along with Wayne Kramer from MC five pet delete great pet and NCO as a singer in it along with myself gilby of course in the band is really a strong band we tour around the country we got to be great friends that I wish Billy was I met but I happen to see Billy over at the Mexico and I asked him Do you want to sit down the record? I told me that a cover of everything works up let it buy cheap trick and his exact words were chip that's my favorite cheap cheap trick song ever is that ever really said of all the material and he goes were you doing over Chicago recording company and Billy was trying to come by didn't ask for any money or nothing. He showed me the riff because he didn't know the riff. He knew the song didn't know the riff. So I showed him the riff real quick on guitar and he went and played on it and then I had another song called got no place to go. And I got him they actually hit a couple of guitar chords for the verse and the chorus of it. And he goes I am done and took the guitar off and put it down but I just pro tool the rest of it's like a Corrigan actually, to enough's enough PSA, no Play Doh, and everything works with your lead, and a fabulous player by and then I bought after I got him I called j y j. JOHN from sticks, who's a very good friend of mine. I've known for 30 years and I said, Would you be willing to come down and play I don't have a big budget goes doesn't matter. I'll come down here to play solos on a couple of songs as well. So when we got three heavyweights to come down there and plan enough snuff album, thinking that well, we got great friends that are contributing in the record, but maybe it'll help elevate our perception as a band as well. And then I was seen the interview in Spin Magazine, it said, Enough snuff me another great record. But will it be enough to lift the black cloud that follows this band and I go, Hey, journalists knows who we are. Yeah, nailed it. And I'm proud of the record. paraphenalia has done very well for us.

Chuck Shute: 20:01

Yeah, and then your newest album brainwash generation you got good guests on that one too as freely and Mike Portnoy and and then Donnie v comes back that's really cool. And he's been on my show twice love him. Is there any plans to do anything more with him? Like, I know he doesn't want to tour but maybe like a one off show or more recording or would you have Vicki Fox come in and like the three of you just do like one show or something?

Chip Z'Nuff: 20:24

Well, you know what we were asked about three or four years ago to get the original band back together and which would only be Foxx, myself, and Donnie, because Derek is not with us right now. And Gino Martino is actually originally a guitar player, but he's in Wisconsin right now retired. He's rich, if you pushed him up as well, he breaks his neck three times. So you don't hear from him. So we were asked about and I would they said well, you can there's other guys Enuff Z'Nuff that you've had in the past perhaps you might explore that. And it was a great payday. And then we thought about it. I called Vik Foxx on the phone and I talked to Donnie too and I called Vik Foxx on the phone and Foxx wasn't into it. He's like,"That's a lot of work right there. To do a show in front of 50,000 people as much as I'd love to do it. We're gonna need a month of rehearsals to go through songs and lock them down and I'm not sure I'm ready to walk that plank." So maybe we could have had it done. Whatever happens. Who knows? I know Donnie will do some more recording with me. We're fine him and I did last time I talked to him. He said yeah, he's gonna send me another track. I just played on his last song. I did the video as well - called"Party"

Chuck Shute: 21:30

and party time. Yeah, I want to see that. I've been waiting for that for my good. Yeah,

Chip Z'Nuff: 21:33

he's got the guy from jellyfish on there. Okay, you're Manning.

Chuck Shute: 21:36

Okay.

Chip Z'Nuff: 21:36

I just got wonderful players on the record. Perhaps we'll cross that path again. And we can do some stuff because I love working with them. Yeah. pipes. He's one of my favorites in the world. Yeah, now he's doing a solo record. And right now, I'm focusing on the three records that I'm working on right now. Which is, besides producing, I'm producing the band called The Midnight Devils right now for

Chuck Shute: 21:57

Oh, yeah, I've heard of them

Chip Z'Nuff: 21:58

from pavement records. Okay, but when I finished that I'm doing I have a Beatle song The Beatle record is coming out called "Hard Rock Night". Enuff Z'Nuff's "Hard Rock Night", which is on Frontiers Record comes out in October of this year. And then I have a solo record that I'm just finishing up right now. I'm not going to give you a title or anything but I got some heavy weights to play on that as well. Another 11 song record and then a new Enuff Z'Nuff for 2022

Chuck Shute: 22:23

Okay, yeah, let's get it a

Chip Z'Nuff: 22:24

Just a couple of things that I was gonna want to overplay one thing at a time we just put a record out in July of last year - Brainwash Generation with Portnoy on there and those heavyweights. Dax Nielsen from Cheap Trick. I love that record. Yeah, it's a solid rock record that fits in our discography quite nicely.

Chuck Shute: 22:43

I love your solo record, too. I was listening to it last night. My girlfriend was like, What is this? I really like this. I go Yeah, it's actually chipps solo record. It's like it is a little bit of a departure from enough's enough, but I love it. Yeah, it's really good stuff. So I'm looking forward to it. I think that thank you very much appreciate. What do you call it?

Chip Z'Nuff: 22:58

stoner solo record. Yeah, stoner rock record. When I did that album I was doing. It was down in South Side of Chicago. And it was a studio called Star Trek guy named Jeff Lewis ran the place. And there was only two bands that were in every day and night. It was Twister, the rap guy, and I've set up we got along great. I played 30 at least 30 songs for Twister not credited on the records itself. Thanks, Chip. Says doesn't say what I played. But I play guitar played bass saying play on a lot of twisted stuff during that time. Please. People don't know it. Yeah, later on. I got more more hip hop work out of it. You know, that's cool. It's like Kanye West Emily Yosef. So why we're in the studio there. It was just those two bands really, and other cats coming here to bring their material. But for the most part, we're just making a record. I know Donnie wanted to be a part of solo record, but when I when he did his solo record I played on as well. So I thought it might be a good idea. But I wanted something totally different. I didn't want to make it sure sound like enough stuff. I just wanted a nice stoner rock record songs about what was happening in the world today around us plenty of subject matter right about in a kid a bunch of friends combined a studio to hang out with us in the Southside of Chicago. And everybody came by with gifts, they're all smoking pot or drinking in the studio. We're there till six o'clock in the morning. And it really was a creative environment for that time. And I was able to find my voice and be able to record those songs quite quickly. Everything I two inch, by the way is all on too much. No Pro Tools on that record at all. So it was quite challenging for us. But at the end of the record, we finished it up and we took it over to to get mixed and we said you know we got something special. It's right here. And then we went to Cleopatra and they said why don't you add some songs that you did with Steven Adler from Guns and Roses and slash two right? Yeah, and slashing and I was Yeah, we do bozzio we deal from missing persons and then we also had of course Robin Xena from cheap trick. Yeah. And Cleopatra was the ones that were the catalyst. 30 said well, we were calling the record. The name of the band was Johnny Rotten Jr. and And the record company said, No, we got to call it chips enough. And oh my goodness, my dad said as well. And he said, Well, your dad's pretty smart. So he ended up putting those five songs that I did with Steven Adler on the record as well. So it was a nice 15 song solo at peace with all those musicians playing out and it's a really fun record to listen to. It's sex to and it's wonderful record to get hired with as well. Yeah, but if you don't do either of those things, at the end of the day, it's it's alternative before alternative.

Chuck Shute: 25:28

Yeah, no, it's great. And so speaking of Adler, and slash, this is cool. You played in Adler's appetite. I think I actually saw you come by here, but there was a show that you did where it was Steven Adler, Duff, Izzy and gilby was a slash was there but didn't get up on stage. That's pretty much the whole band except Axl. What was that? Like?

Chip Z'Nuff: 25:47

Those are incredible hanging out with those guys back there. And they're all charming people. If no one had rock star attitude knows probably 100 people backstage, just shooting the crap and then talking about you know, the show, and I knew this slash wasn't going to come up because he's a professional. He goes, you know, let the other guys come up and celebrate the Guns and Roses 20th anniversary. We've already rehearsed it a couple of times before before the Key Club performance

Chuck Shute: 26:12

in the audience, like is he getting mobbed? I mean, he slashed everyone

Chip Z'Nuff: 26:16

backstage, all the journalists and all the fans that we're doing friends that were friends of all those bands, and then during the performance, he's on the side of the stage, watching me kicking ass playing has Guns and Roses. Okay. And it was good. The band sounded good.

Chuck Shute: 26:30

Yeah, no, you guys, I love that version.

Chip Z'Nuff: 26:34

Yeah, Duffin is you were kind enough to let me come up and play No, sign this and didn't have to do that. Now those guys are pros. They just they heard the rehearsals. The band's sound is solid as a rock. And I said, Okay, let's just keep it like this. That's amazing, right? And that the only reason slash didn't do was he just didn't want to ruffle axils feathers. And he was smart enough to do it. Because look what happened years later, yeah, back together. I didn't see gilby Clarke at that stage too. And kilby's a big part of their pianos and for a part of that era. Yeah. And he didn't get up on stage and play as well. He just hung out with slash guys talk to the side of the stage. And if now if Izzy, or I'm sorry, have actually shown up at the gig, of course, I would have gotten off stage and so when the other guys yeah, we would let those guys do it. Because it was a 20th anniversary. That was a celebration. So why the place was completely packed and sold out. Yeah, no other reason than that. So that was quite nice that those guys came out there and supported Steven, they've always been good to Steven. All through his career even with me that the eight years I played the others appetite. Those guys have always checked up on him and why they watch over him and give him a great advice. And those guys are real brothers. They should be they make great music together. And they made even more money.

Chuck Shute: 27:41

Absolutely. Well, there we go. All legends. Speaking of legends, obviously, one of your biggest fans, Howard Stern. I love howard stern. He's big influence on me. What is it? You've done his show many times? What is it like to be interviewed by Howard Stern, right?

Chip Z'Nuff: 27:55

It's like talking to a brother. He's, he tells the truth. And it's, there's no, there's no handcuffs on him. That guy's very transparent. And he doesn't want to lie. Okay? Biggest, the biggest liars biggest fears is somebody with a great memory. And he just loves when you come in and you tell the truth about everything. And I watch all the shows up down whether with enough stuff doing stuff with daddy or just going into by myself or maybe perhaps a couple of things I do on a TV show with Steven Adler. It's always guys hanging out together in the front room or on the bar and just talking and there's there's no rules and that's what I love about him. And he's very astute. He knows about songs knows the history of bands and not just my band for tons of bands. That's what he does for a living. He's a fan before he is a star.

Chuck Shute: 28:47

That's awesome. And another fan I don't know if you remember this but you did a show at the Whisky a Go Go is the first time I ever got to go to the whisky is just a few years ago and I think you said that Matt Bellamy of Muse was in the audience and I was running around looking for him. I was like I want to meet Matt though. I have a friend who's a giant Muse fan. I'm a big news fan. Do you have interactions with him? Or was he just kind of a closet fan? Or?

Chip Z'Nuff: 29:11

Nope, just the fan? Like a lot of the rock stars that are out there you listen. I no matter who the band is, if they've been together for 25 years, I and I give them an ad even if you've never met a fan of the music and you'd be surprised enough snaps music how much it's how many people it's reached those guys and Foo Fighters Hey LSP I'm Billy Taylor Hawkins he joined the band right now my ask them to wow musicians out there that have always grabbed on to what we do and they respect our legacy and it's a great feeling and I get the back I get the same love back to those cats as well. And as a matter of fact on that night I do remember that whiskey night with Matt and he says shade immediately after I mentioned his name

Chuck Shute: 29:49

that's what it was damaged Yeah, cuz I ran looking for him. I was like, Where is he and Johnny Rotten have the sex because I mean, we could go on and on how many people are fans and how many? What is your favorite story of interest? interaction with somebody a fan, that somebody that blew your mind that that maybe was one of your heroes that told you that they were a fan or

Chip Z'Nuff: 30:07

that there's too many to mention. I gotta tell you all the musicians that I meet Steven Tyler, they were playing Chicago and he told Donnie and it says, Man, get that record happen. You guys up bring you out on tour with us. And mega data was playing at a time. I heard him in the background playing like he'd rather have us than mega. It's pretty cool. Wow, some of these guys have their own taste Cheap Trick love tour and Def Leppard. There's so many great guys that I've hung out with and done things that it'd be just naturally for me to come out and just say, Well, you know, I one day I smoked a joint with so and so. Nobody i'd maybe if some people want to hear that it might be a few. But for the most part, I want to hear so many great musicians. One of my favorite stories. It's not a great story, but it's good for me. It's good for my soloist. We are playing out in Texas, enough's enough on the first tour, and Johnny Rotten showed up at the show. And he was at the bar and my manager Bob Brigham, our day to day guy said, Hey, Johnny Ryan's Here I go, bro, can you bring him back? He goes, I'll see what I could do. And he came back. He says, Yeah, you'll come. Maybe we can meet him after the show. I go great. And if by the second song I think we're playing, kiss the clown, huge fire at the bar. It was Johnny Rotten. A bunch of guys just fighting. It all got thrown out yesterday, we talked to him and hang out with a button. It's cool when you see these guys out there and they come out and support and I like to go see my favorite bands. I'm a fan before anything else. So that's Yeah, it's all everywhere. But it doesn't matter who it is. And sometimes you get the passes, you hang out and you go into the catering and you get a chance to say hi to a couple of your favorite buddies that you grew up to love but for the most part, it's just about the experience going to see the shows. Sure if you know those guys out in the crowd, it definitely. It definitely a nice boost to all of our egos. That's

Chuck Shute: 31:44

that's really cool. Yeah. So what about you're a huge Beatles fan? Did you ever have you ever had any rat interactions with any of the Beatles?

Chip Z'Nuff: 31:51

No, I haven't. I went backstage with Donnie to go where we were, as I think it was in Los Angeles at the big place. They have all the concerts, and McCartney's band was playing. And right after the show, we went backstage it was daddy and myself. And you know, the management company and Chevy Chase was that there were sharing cigarettes with him and the guy some stray cats were there and blandy it just you know, as I was getting some nice, cool hang, and everybody wanted to meet McCartney and that has a smile in the room. After about five minutes of all of us, congregating by his door and said Hey, guys, Paul's tired right now, buddy. Thanks, everyone for coming out to the show. See you next time. that's as close they got to be Oh, I did. I should say I met Ringo. Oh, it was a quick little Hello when we shook hands and I got a chance to tell him how much I take a piece of love so but as far as like Lennon or McCartney sitting in a room with those cats, of course, it would be great. But I go to my friends. Like for instance, and foreigner Mick Jones. He sat with me all night in a hotel room with beautiful trim after a big concert we did before dinner. You know, 100,000 people showed up foreigner, enough synoptical was it? Billy, Billy Squire and the fix? They have an Alice Cooper and after the show, he came back to my hotel. We hung out till six in the morning with just some beautiful talent. And we're doing other things too. And he was telling me stories. He goes, you know how he wrote I learned how to write songs. I said, No, he says I hung out with the Beatles for six months in the studio. Not many people are allowed in those quarters, George Martin and all those heavyweights, and there's Mick Jones hanging out with those guys smoking pot, watch them, watch them be creative and come up with all those fantastic, timeless songs. And that's how foreigner learn how to write tunes. And he's a great writer. So sometimes it's stories from other people are much more exciting than the ones that would come from my mouth, for sure. For sure. Well,

Chuck Shute: 33:42

yeah, so I mean, there is like a long drug history with enough's enough. What is your stance on that stuff now? Because a lot of the musicians I talked to they go totally sober. Do you or do you slow down? Or do you cut back as you get older? Or what's your there's, there's a long history of all events. Okay. Yeah, no,

Chip Z'Nuff: 33:59

I know, I don't know any bands that are maybe there's a couple of bands like milk and cookies that are out there right now, you know, where I see certain groups where I look at the writer and it says fruit roll ups, 2% milk and famous Amos cookies, you know, I these guys aren't doing any drugs, for sure. But we've all experimented, there's nothing wrong with that you come up with some great songs. And what I worry about is when you stop doing them, well, the songs continue to come your way. That's it. You know, the old john lennon adage where he says, all the great songs have already been written. And it's up to us to find them and bring them down to you. You know, that's a tough task right there. Because once you forget about writing songs, and you got to go find them somewhere else. And there's some errors out there. You're very good at sniffing, throwing, and looking through the cracks and then find the great song to turn to all the fans on to but we all want to write them ourselves. And you know, obviously we all Nick stuff from each other too, as well. But it's really special when you hear a band come out with something that's new and fresh and innovative.

Chuck Shute: 34:52

Yeah, absolutely. Well, thanks. This has been so much fun. I thank you so much. I know you got to get going. So I just like to end with a charity. Just a quick shout out. Is there a charity that you like to support or you want people to know about?

Chip Z'Nuff: 35:05

Yeah is about three weeks ago. Thanks for asking. I appreciate it brought up a wonderful being on your program. I think I did a benefit for St. Jude's hospital about three weeks ago. And up snuff played outside. It was enough stuff with Steve Ramon joy your moans nephew, okay. And we did a whole set hour and a half show outside in a like on a street with hundreds of people out there just watching and we generated$37,000 for that's one of the kids there was able to get himself a nice little wheelchair. Oh really good people. A guy named Elliott, a lot of good people that were there that day. So anything I do I saw was a shot of St. Jude's hospital. Okay, because they take care of all the kids, they don't charge families one penny, one of the greatest gifts that we've ever offered to us here in North America, St. Jude's hospital. That's where I donate.

Chuck Shute: 35:53

Okay, yeah, I'll put that in the notes along with your website and all your social media links and all that stuff. So and then people can follow you to look forward to it sounds like you have a lot of stuff on the horizon.

Chip Z'Nuff: 36:02

Yeah, Chuck, you can you can follow me I'm also on dash radio every single week on my six days a week.

Chuck Shute: 36:08

Is that the show with man cow or is that a different show?

Chip Z'Nuff: 36:10

No man cow was on the show. He was my guest for about a month. Okay, nice to participate in in the dash radio network is a big fan of bank houses. Well, he was on for about a month he did a shows with me, but I've been on for the last two and a half years. My show is called Monsters of Rock. It's on channel 502. Okay, six days a week and Claudia and Michelle and Harlan, along with the great Rudy sarzo all have their own programs. If you go to a dash you can find Snoop Dogg's radio show along with be real from Cypress Hill and Kylie Jenner from the Kardashians boys. She's pretty good looking.

Chuck Shute: 36:47

Well, that was a very tame way to say that. Yeah,

Chip Z'Nuff: 36:49

yeah. She's just really good clients over at dx radio, nice family of people. And it's a celebration of hip hop rock and metal 20 473 65 days a year. My program is just hard rock and heavy metal. By the way, the guitar player dog from the dead daisies has his own show on every Wednesday re up for my program.

Chuck Shute: 37:10

Doug Aldrich, is that a name?

Chip Z'Nuff: 37:11

Yeah. So Doug Aldridge will be on here. Do you want to check out dash radio.com Monsters of Rock? It's satellite radio, and it's free folks. Oh 33 million subscribers. Wow.

Chuck Shute: 37:21

That's cool. Awesome. And then are you still gonna rock and roll fantasy camp thing to or is that over?

Chip Z'Nuff: 37:25

Yeah, I'll do my I'll do the fantasy camp. I just talked to David fish off a couple days ago, who was the old manager to monkeys. He's the president of rock and roll CEO of rock and roll fantasy camp. And he's going to have me on here in December 2 through the sixth with a special guest will be Joe Perry from Aerosmith. So that'll be great. We'll go down here your mouse you just go check out a rock and roll fantasy camp calm and get all the information. There's a lot of good guys that are gonna be on there. I love being at any of those shows that hung out with slash Stone Temple Pilots, Ellison chains, Cheap Trick cloister called a plethora of great musicians that come on there. And you know what they do? They play for the people because those people that are involved with the rock and roll fantasy camp. They're all living our lives vicariously through us. So to be in a band with your favorite guys in play for three days, they go up on stage, and get a chance to do a show in front of a packed audience of rock and roll and metal enthusiasts. It's a great thing.

Chuck Shute: 38:19

That's amazing. Very cool. Well, thank you so much for doing this. I'll let you get back to your busy schedule, because it sounds like it's very busy. So. But Chuck, I appreciate you talking to me. Let's do it again sometime. Okay, sounds good. All right.

Chip Z'Nuff: 38:31

A quick shout out to all our military or doctors or police nurses of the local drug dealer across the street from 711.

Chuck Shute: 38:40

All right, thanks, Chip. See you later. Thanks, buddy. I'll see you buddy. Bye. Bye. What a great guy fun to chat with. Sounds like he's real busy with a lot of stuff. So make sure to follow chip and enough's enough on social media. Their website is in the show notes. And that way you can keep track of all the stuff he's got coming out. And as always, I'll remind you to follow me on social media like and share things, comment, write a review, all those things will help me out a lot. And many of you are already doing this. And I really appreciate that. So thank you for listening and making it all the way to the end of this episode. Have a great day and remember to shoot for the moon.