Carrie Sharon is here today we had a great talk. And unless you've been living under a rock for the last 35 years, you know, Gary is the singer for extreme. And he was also the singer in this band called Van Halen for a few years. So he's got some great wisdom, experience, stories and perspective. And this new album extreme has out called Six is amazing. It's a it's an eclectic mix of great rock songs with some of the best guitar work you're probably ever going to
hear. And it's early front runner for my album of the year. So we're gonna dive deep into the album with Gary coming right up Chuck, right, yes. Chuck shoot podcast, just named after myself. Easy to remember sort of remember, like, rock talk with chalk or anything like that. Just one thing. So easier. Yeah. So great to have you on a bit been a bucket list interview for a few years. So now you guys have a net new album, so you have something to promote. So thanks for coming on the show.
So new album, six, I figured out it's probably called six because it's the sixth record. But explain the cover art because it's a close up of a gorillas face. It's cool. It's got like red eyes. But what is the significance there?
Well, Nuno came up with that. And we had a few different ideas. We're all putting our own interpretation into it. I think his first initial thing was it looked primal. And the music was, you know, aggressive, not all, you know, you know, extreme can be eclectic. On the Record. There's lots of, there's a spectrum of music, but you know, and for me, you know, when I looked at the gorilla when I started, okay, all right. It's powerful. It's powerful image is passionate in
it. I see. An older, maybe wiser gorilla. So I might be pouring in some of the things I'd like people to think that extreme is, but to look at it, to look at it. It's a pretty striking image. And, you know, maybe the first thing would, would be, you know, primal.
Okay, yeah, that's cool. That makes sense. All right. Yeah. I was just like, ah, that's interesting. Because there's no songs about that or anything. But now who produced this album? nutshells. Great. Oh, noodle produced it himself.
Oh, yeah. He's had a production and he's had his hands and all of the production throughout the records. We've worked with, you know, different engineers and producers at the time. But, yeah, I think this is newness, best effort to date, as far as production, you know?
Yeah. I mean, there's some heavy songs or slower songs, there's amazing guitar work. I feel like it's more mature songwriting. Again, the good production, I love personally, the variety of the heavy and acoustic, the happy in the dark. It's kind of like this journey that the band took. And I And I'm, I'm older now, too. So I'm with you guys. Is that kind of like, what you were kind of going for more of a mature sound?
I think so. I think it's just, you know, we don't, we don't plan it out. It's just, you know, what we write, we tried to write always, honestly, with this, we had a bunch of material. And it took us a second theory to whittle down what we wanted to, you know, what we wanted to present, you know, even 15 songs or 10 songs, you know, people have the short attention span, and we're like, Well, we haven't put out a record and so long 12 is a good number. Let's give him a variety
of what we are. Because extremes always been always been like that from you know, get the fuck out to more than words, you know, and everything in between. So, I also like, the fact that it's some songs are darker, some songs are, you know, deeper lyrically, there's some lighter moments on there to clean the palate. And so, I think it's going to please extreme fans.
And, and I also think that's, we've done some new things, you know, rice, for instance, our first, our first single, I think it's something new, a little bit more, maybe a little bit more primal the riff is, you know, there's a simplicity to that riff. Not not the solo the soul.
Yeah, that's a cool song. Like, I mean, I would call that like Chuck Rock, like that's like my kind of rock. It's a, it's got that melodic singalong chorus, but it's heavy. And it's I think it's got a half a million listens on Spotify, or you pretty happy the response so far, they've gotten from that one.
Yeah, actually, I spoke to Nuno the other day. You know, getting ready for all these interviews. Were over. We're overwhelmed by the response. We didn't know I mean, we got we got a million views. He's on over a million on YouTube. And, you know, so we're blown away most of the most of the reaction has been positive. So then I'm just saying to myself, you know, we I think that's a good song, but I don't think it's the best song on the
record. So I can't wait to you know, we're going to be releasing probably mid April, another another video, there'll be probably two or three, out before the record.
what's the, what's the next one? I can't tell you that. Oh, okay. Well, the second song on the record is called Rebel. And that's also it's like, it's kind of in the same vein of Ryan. That'd be rockin song, real catchy riff. What is the lyric? Bury the truth? Repeat the lie. What is that about?
Yeah, hashtag rebel, it's actually, you know, it's a critique of all the keyboard warriors out there, you know, these full revolutionaries hiding behind their, their keyboard? You know, trying to trying to tear down, tear down institutions with no, with no solution. Sorry to rhyme there. But so it's more of you know, the chorus? Is you talking to me? What are you saying? Tell, you know, get, you know, don't you know, don't tear something
down. Unless you have, you know, it's, in the end, it's hard to it's harder to, it's easy to tear things down than to build things up. So that's so calling out those calling out those, those keyboard warriors?
Is that how you deal with because you must have had criticism from extreme and then your time in Van Halen now. And now with the internet and everything, there must be criticisms, trolls and things. Is that how you deal with it like writing a song? I mean, obviously, I don't think that you would respond.
Yeah, I mean, you could relate it to that this song wasn't, you know, a reaction to criticism, you know, personal criticism or criticism of the band. It's funny, I say, you know, I was in Van Halen. So all the criticism I got, nothing can hurt me, you know?
Yeah. Does that ever get to you, though, as a as I mean, you can look at your career and go, I mean, you've sold all these records, you've done all these amazing things and tours and all this. Played Fenway Park with Aerosmith. But then you could I mean, you can listen to that criticism too. And you just try to block it out. Or how do
you? Yeah, you got to, I mean, not only that, just just through your life, you know, you could dwell on it. It's so funny. And I'm guilty of it. I'm sure people are you could get you could get 100 compliments, but the one negative thing is the one you remember, you know, and so that's something that you have to you mature, you know, you get old enough, it's just like, Listen, if don't, don't, you know, don't paint a picture and put it out in the world. If you don't want criticism, some
people are gonna like it. Some people are not everyone's gonna, like extreme, you know? And, you know, if, if it hurts my feelings, okay, I'll quit you know, go home and Yeah, well, you know, that ain't gonna happen.
So it's never gotten that bad. I mean, right? Yeah. Um, okay, so back to the record, the other song a banshee, so I had to look that up I was like, that sounds I feel like I should know what that is. It's is that an Irish for folklore? It's the spirit paling woman is that what inspired that?
Yeah, it's so funny. You said you had to look it up. So did I research on that song? I think that's one of the lighter moments. I think that's a fun song. More more to the center of what extreme is you know, with the riff and lyrical it's a little campy. You know, Banshee is a you know, like a female seductress or, or demon, you know, luring you luring you in or warning you of impending death or something. So I went, Ah, okay. Females and death two subjects I like to write about
okay. I thought, you know, I stretched I stretched the meaning of it. But it was Pat, I think it was Pat. We were looking for something with a with a certain vowel in this in this riff that Nuno gave me and he he came up with Banshee and I and I actually said what you said, I said, Okay, let me look this up. How's it been? You know, people have a general sense of would have been Screaming Banshee, but to see you know, See the root of that?
So I did some research and kind of incorporated some of the you know the folklore in but it's just a song about you know, a succubus you know, okay,
that's interesting that you say about the vowel sound i remember like I had Robin Wilson from the Gin Blossoms on he was saying how he used a rhyming dictionary to says you have to do that sometimes that kind of like, make the song fit, you have to kind of put words that that rhyme you have to look it up in a rhyming dictionary or it's
funny. It's it's a lot easier to write now because you have the Internet back then, you know, you had a rhyming book. And I don't even think you know, I think a Bob Dylan he did it without anything, you know, for 10 It's still and yeah, if you get stuck on a word, you know, I don't think it's cheating. You know, you look at you look at a rhyming dictionary and you'll see a word that you would never have thought of and it might take you to another place so I think it's a great tool.
Yeah, no, that's cool. Other side of the rainbow that was a cool like a slow dark melodic cool baseline and that one What about small town beautiful that's kind of like an acoustic ballad real catchy feel like it's like a radio friendly sing along song. Is that a reference to a specific small town? Because I love small towns or is it just like you love small towns?
Yeah, I came from a small town as well. Yeah, that songs. I think that song is typical extreme. I think it does have single potential. You know, we have that. We had that in our back pocket. Small Town beautiful was inspired. And we don't know this girl. But I remember meeting you know, on tour, we're doing a meet and greet. He tells a story better. We're doing a meet and greet. And we're meeting meeting fans
and signing, signing things. And we noticed this girl off in the distance you know, not gorgeous, not she just had us. You know, we're going wow, you know, she had this peculiar look on her face looking off in the distance and we both we both noticed her because she's from a small town and and I think it was noon or Misa beautiful and we go oh, there's there's a title right there small town. Beautiful. And then we had in our back pocket
for a while. And Nuno came up with this music and that was it. So we married we married that lyric to that. So
that's a cool one. Yeah. And then the mask that kind of that's a fun one too. Reminds me of like a 90s Maybe Seattle sound a little bit? Who who was singing that with you? That's not just you. Is it? There's a guest vocalist,
right, that is Mr. Mr. Betancourt himself singing the verses.
That's him. Wow.
Yeah, we did a lot of trade offs on you know, the mask. Nuno does versus I come in with the choruses. And then I you know, it's more of me at the end. But yeah, that was no, no.
Okay. Yeah, that's really cool. Yeah. Explain the lyrics to that one, too, because it's really interesting. Rip off your masks. Show me who you are. Rip off my mask show you who I am. I'll take the blame something about like, I'll take the blame for my sins. But I won't take the blame for what you imagine like, oh, that's, that's really powerful.
Yeah, that that, that lyrics more, you know, confessional. As far as, you know, taking off, taking off the mask and showing your true nature that we're all sinners, we're all saints. You know, we're all good. We're all bad. And it was just pretty much that and musically, it's aggressive. I think it's going to translate live. Be a fun one to do live because because of the groove, and has a I think it has a pretty catchy chorus.
Absolutely, yeah. And then there's two songs that kind of have this, like industrial synth sound to thicker than blood and x out, like, whose idea is to put it was it to put in the industrial sounds on those songs? And how did you guys do that?
Yeah, knew to work with a couple couple guys. That program. And, you know, we're we were always open to that. And that was one of the tracks that we didn't question we wanted, we wanted those tracks on the record. There was a few more that, that, that we didn't develop, but we knew that those would stand out from you know, from what people's perception of what extreme is. And that's where the, you know, the second half of the record gets pretty
eclectic. What did you say you said thicker than blood in Excel, right?
Yeah, those are the two industrial ones that kind of have that kind of industrial. Sally. Yeah.
So this you know, there's a Obviously the Nuno leads within within those songs that are classic Nuno. I don't know, you know, to me when I when I hear that whether it's a guitar, for me, the thing that catches me is is the groove if you can, if you can move to it. And it's industrial, I wouldn't call it electric electronica, but it's got that, that vibe. And when I write, that almost that almost inspires a different type of writing a different type of melody, you know, thicker
than blood. Oh, laugh because probably when you hear it again, you know, I was trying to channel a little David Bowie in the verses. And so that's, that's what, that's what the music does to me. And thicker than blood is another. One of the heavier has a little
heavier, lyrical content. That was, you know, it's, it's funny to think it today, what we're living through with all the division and all the tribalism going on and, you know, in times of times of fear and anxiety, you know, we're at each other's throats and everybody, everybody kind of recoils back into their own tribe. And it might sound cliche, but the only thing that that transcends that tribalism you know, whether it's black, white, you know, gay, straight,
you know, whatever. Or, you know, red, blue, everybody, everybody's always fighting. I thought Lyrically, the only thing that can transcend is if you you know, love, love can transcend that you know that your neighbor has the same wants and needs that you have, even the stranger so, I don't want to get off on a tangent here. But that's one of the heavier tracks on the record.
No, that's cool. I love that. That might it's funny. My dad used to say like, I don't hate anybody, when I remember that when I was a kid. And I was like, and this was like, I was growing up in Seattle, and like the 80s I was like, You don't hate Ted Bundy because he was like, you know, this big serial killer. My dad's like, I hate some people's behaviors, but I don't hate anybody. I was like, okay, so
that always stuck with me. So that just kind of reminded me what you just said like, you just have everybody it may be hard sometimes but you may hate some of you but yeah, no, that's Yeah, yeah. The song hurricane that's a beautiful song is that also Nuno trading off with you on vocals, it's kind of like Kansas dust in the wind kind of vibe.
Yeah, that's probably the most elegant, delicate, quiet, it's funny, it comes after it comes after thicker than blood, which is noisy. Nuno and I sequence in the record, this was like a palate cleanse it was like after thicker than blood in the mayhem going on in that song. Here comes this just gorgeous, you know, guitar and, and the vocal the way Nuno approached his lead and my lead, it was just very, it was very quiet thematically, that that came from Nuno he had a loss, he had a very close,
dear friend of his pass. And the song was about, about that. And, you know, a hurricane, you know, navigating through, you know, the storm of loss, and I like
the line that he flipped. This is the storm before the calm I mean, you know, you know, when something happens to you, you know, you go through the seven points of you know, grief and anger and all that and then and then you reach a peace, you know, so, so it's funny, I overheard someone going over the tracklist and one of those reaction videos and they go on hurricane Amen. I can't wait to hear that one. That's good. That
sounds like a heavy song. It's probably the it's probably the lightest song of the record, you know, the quietest song. Yeah. And who knows that as voice in that range? It's almost interchangeable. You know, our tones. You don't know when I'm coming in or when newness you know leaving?
Yeah. That is cool. And then the song when I first saw that the title beautiful girls, I was like, Oh, is this the cover of the Van Halen song? And it's like, no, it's totally different. But it might be my favorite song. I mean, it really like rise, but it's so catchy. It's a poppy it reminds me of like trains train the band train. Hey, sister, something. I can totally see this in a TV show or commercial. Do you have big plans for that song like doing something like that with
it? That would be it'd be up to the audience. You No, if there's if the demands for it, we, we that's another, that is probably the lightest moment. You know, lyrically. It's fun. Again, it comes after X out which is, you know, that kind of industrial right. Noise fest. And then here comes this almost Calypso summertime song, you know, celebrating. You know, at the end of the day men celebrate women doing beautiful girls. Yeah, I can see, I can
see. I can see it being played, played with the windows down, you know, cruising the beach, you know, is that when you play live? I probably I don't know, if we're gonna be able to play all these songs. You know, it depends on if we're doing our
own tour. But if we're doing you know, if we're doing a one off Festival, and we got an hour, which we're doing in a in at the end of April, you know, we'll play probably the songs that we've released from this record rise and maybe another track but you know, those those our shows, you know, we got to do the decadence dances and get the funk out and the more than where it's all that stuff, the
hits Yeah, yeah. Yeah, with get the funk out. That's such a great song. Did you ever when you play it live, do you or did you ever consider say just calling it Get the fuck out? Do you ever do you say that when you play it live? Was it always going to fucking funk out?
Well, we got away with it. We got away with it recording it by saying Get the fuck out. But there is a few times in the in the radio version that I say fuck. You know? It's not in the recording. Yeah, it's there. It's there and live. I don't know. We've done it so long. I don't I don't even know what the hell I'm saying at this. Probably it's a changeable you know?
Yeah. That album is like, I mean, does that mean anything to you to have those accolades from the the porn or graffiti album, like Rolling Stone calls it and it's weird because in Toys this, the 50 greatest Hair Metal and ultimate classic rock said it was a top 30 glam metal. I mean, to me, it's just, it's all over. It's rock. I don't know, some of that. I wouldn't call it glam metal. But I mean, it's nice to have those accolades. Right.
Yeah. And, you know, that doesn't bother me. You know, that's just a period of period that the band came out of we never considered ourselves hair metal or glam? Do we have big hair? Yeah. But our music was a little left to center of, of what was going on in the LA scene. You know, you know, we, we came from the East Coast. And, you know, we grew up on Aerosmith. And, you know, we thought we thought we had a different groove than some of
those other bands. Some of those bands are great, you know, the success of those bands, but we never felt we always felt we were a little outside that so I don't mind them saying that. But as far as porno, you know, that, that the success of that and the ride we took after that, you know, with more than words and wholehearted you know, we were
hanging on for dear life. We we went from clubs, to you know, back and up Jovi, you know, ZZ Top, you know, Bryan Adams, you know, again, we're playing 100 150 C club, one month, and then F then there's post more than words success. And we're at Wembley Stadium with Bryan Adams, you know, it was, it was a crazy ride. So, and as far as musically, it's one of our best records, you know, it was cohesive. We wrote that. We wrote that on the road when we
were on our first tour. You know, we had a record under our belt, you know, we were full of piss and vinegar, we knew what we were going to, we knew what we were doing. At that point, you know, we kind of found our identity. So I think that, that to this day, that in three sides, every story kind of represent, you know, we found ourselves.
Yeah, the three sides that album is so I feel like it's very underrated. I know that. You guys, you guys hit that Freddie Mercury Tribute show. I think that was that in the middle of the recording of that album when you did after you did that show. And, you know, Brian May, has named noona was one of the best guitarists and you got you guys like got critical acclaim for that show.
Did that kind of inspire, to change some of the things in recording three sides and go, Hey, maybe we can branch out because I do feel like there's some Queen influences in that album.
Yeah, but that all came before that, you know, the Freddie Mercury show? Didn't influence that record. We were, you know, because of the success upon graffiti. Now we had the label and we had the money to do what we really wanted to do. And to this day, I think three sides is better than porno, I mean, comparing apples and oranges, but we thought it was a better record production wise, you know, Song wise, maybe the record company we're looking for, you know more than words,
part two. We never intended to repeat ourselves. But we went in there and sure, our queen influences were always there. But if anything that Queen taught us was that we were not going to be pigeonholed. We, we were going to do a song like when I first kissed you, or seven Sundays off or three sides. So we were Queen taught
us. What we learned from Queen is that eclecticism were Yes, you know, and, and so, again, the success of pornography got us to meet our heroes, we were friends with Brian at the time, when Freddy passed. He invited us to dinner and asked him, you know, and at that time, it was like, what he was saying, we're going to do the biggest show and rock history, you know, to tribute, Freddy, and we want you to be in it. And we were like, you know, we're eating our
greeting dinner. You know, and so, so by the time you know, we were recording three sides of the story. So we were at by day, we were recording at night, we were rehearsing the Queen meddling. And we had we had it down. And I look back on what I do when I do watch it. You know, when I do watch it, I'm just happy that we didn't screw up. You know, we all we all played well. And so when we got off stage, we were like, looking at each other. You do good. You do good. Yeah. You feel good? Yeah.
Same good. You know. So, yeah, that to me, that, to me, is still the pinnacle of, of extreme that that day.
You know, that was Was that better than even playing Fenway with Aerosmith?
Oh, that was right up there. It's funny. We played Fenway just a couple months ago. You know, what, last September, I think. And then even though it was one show, it was like, we're playing Fenway Park, we're backing up Aerosmith, our Hometown Heroes. And we put that without a doubt in the top, you know, three gigs that extreme has ever done. So to do that, you know, 25 years later, you know, very fortunate.
Very cool. Well, I hope you guys hit Arizona, or somewhere close so I can try. I've never seen you guys live i i lived in Seattle in the 90s I don't think you guys were coming to Seattle in the 90s. So now I live in Arizona. So you know, Vegas la I'm like just a few hours away. So I'd love to check you know, always in each episode promoting a charity. Is there one that you've worked with before that you want to promote a nonprofit or?
I have a private one. So I'd rather keep that to myself. But but thank you. Yeah,
okay. All right. Well, people should definitely get this new album. They can they can they can preorder it now. Right?
Yeah, yeah, it's coming out tonight. By by June 9, we'll have a few more single videos out there. And I think people are going to be pleasantly surprised.
Now. I love it. Yeah, it's a great album. I mean, it's one of those things where it reminds me a little bit of collectivism is like, use your illusions, which I personally love. I know people have appetite, which is great too. But I love the eclecticism on it and every song is different. And like some of them I mean, if you look listen to what was the beautiful girls and rise, I mean, it doesn't even sound like the same band. So but to me, that's like amazing. I
think it's great. So thank you so much, Gary, I'll let you get to your next interview.
You got it. All right.
Thank you, Youtube, but by All right, thanks again to Gary and mark your calendar June 9, new extreme album titled six. If you're listening to this and it's after June 9, then it's already out. You can grab it right now. So great album. I really enjoyed the interview with Gary as well. If you enjoyed it, please support the show and the band by sharing the interview, liking and commenting and with posts on social media, YouTube, all that good stuff. You can do the same for the
band. And if you don't buy a physical copy of the album, you can also help the band by buying some merch or ticket to the show. The band appreciate your support. I appreciate your support of the show. Have a great day. Shoot for the moon