Hi everyone!

One of wrestling's most memorable themes is Kane's entrance theme from his debut at Survivor Series 1997. The rendition of his theme Slow Chemical written by Finger Eleven is just as memorable, if not more so, to so many. Finger Eleven guitarist Rick Jackett, fresh off of the release of their new album Last Night On Earth, discuss the process of writing and releasing Last Night On Earth and how Finger Eleven is thriving as a fully independent band without a label.

We also discuss how Finger Eleven came to write Kane's entrance theme Slow Chemical, when it was actually supposed to release, and how Jim Johnston and WWE worked with them to create one of the most memorable (and oddly lyrically different than the character of Kane) themes of all time.

We also play our favorite game on the show, Music City Rumble, where Rick Jackett names the musicians he'd book in a wrestling match: one men's match, one women's match, and one tag team match!

Enjoy!

-

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Do you like wrestling? Do you like music and stories from the road? Join John Kiernan, wrestling entrance theme song composer, and professional musician of over 10 years for stories and interviews with your favorite wrestlers, rock stars, and personalities!

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John Kiernan is a wrestling entrance theme song composer with over 150 themes written for wrestlers in various promotions such as NJPW, WWE, ROH, MLW, and many more. As a professional musician, a veteran in the podcasting space, an avid pro wrestling fan and wrestling personality by way of creating the soundtracks for your favorite wrestlers, John Kiernan forges his latest podcasting venture into diving into stories of music, stories from the road, and wrestling from all walks of life from your (and his) favorites of all time.

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And I think Creed actually had Kane and they couldn't do this.

2

They couldn't do it at this point in their career.

3

They're too busy or something.

4

So all of a sudden Kane became, available and we were like, we'll do Kane.

5

We'll do Kane.

6

And so me and James originally, you know, we just thought we got to try to do our version

of like the Vader March kind of thing, like a big, like, you know, entrance, like a piece,

7

just a big, know, that's he is what he is.

8

He's Kane.

9

And so

10

When we wrote that music, there was definitely this idea of like trying to make it a big

heavy riff.

11

And I remember working on that riff with James over the phone.

12

we were talking, you know, and then we, but the one thing that they had in the agreement

was like, had to include the Jim Johnson, like that thing that had to be like, was like,

13

you have to have this in here.

14

You can go check it out everywhere.

15

Finger 11, Last Night on Earth.

16

And first off, we're gonna talk all about that song.

17

We're also gonna talk about Slow Chemical Kane's entrance theme as we do talk about

entrance themes on this show.

18

My guest today, Rick Jarrett.

19

Rick Jacket.

20

Thank you so much for making the time to chat today.

21

Nah, no problem.

22

Rick Jarrett sounds like a wrestling name,

23

See, you know what happened?

24

It's, I knew you were coming on the show and then I'm just like, oh, Jeff Jarrett.

25

So it's just the same.

26

jackets a pretty I don't know where it came from but it's a different guy I've never met

any other guy named with the last name jacket.

27

That's for sure

28

And like we said before jumping on here, for those who are listening, you're missing the

epic experience of this beard here.

29

Like you know about the beard, but look at the beard!

30

I know, look at it, keeps going and going and going.

31

See, I had a beard that never got as long as yours.

32

My hair got as long as yours, but like the beard, was just, I loved it, but eventually I

cut it once and I'm like, man, I see everyone who has like these just amazing full heads

33

of hair.

34

And I'm just like, dang, I should have kept growing mine.

35

But see, it was the both of us.

36

it's a, you know what, it's one of those things like, I mean, for me personally, being in

the band, get a lot of opportunity to like have fun with the way you look and like, you

37

know, just take it to the extremes.

38

Cause we don't have nine to five, no one's going to fire us.

39

You know what mean?

40

So I don't have to wear a hair net around it or nothing, but you know, like to me, when I

was growing it and I had a shorter beard, I met Billy Gibbons from ZZ Top when it was just

41

leaving my face and

42

His beard is like epic and perfect.

43

And like it was honestly one of those moments of seeing him in real life with my eyes and

it clicked in my head and I was like, oh, it's humanly possible.

44

Like it's just sort of clue.

45

So I just said, screw it.

46

I'm going to grow it and see how it goes.

47

And it just never stopped growing.

48

It just keeps going.

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And it's like, but you know what?

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honest, I forget I have it.

51

You know, I just do.

52

I forget all the time.

53

So.

54

love the fact though that you're just like, I'm at ZZ Top and I figured anything with this

part of my face is possible.

55

Sorta yeah, I mean, it's a true beard inspiration story.

56

Like I think I was already thinking about growing a longer beard, but when it gets off

your face, it gets to that awkward length and it feels really weird and you're not sure

57

what to do.

58

And when you see a guy who's grown it for decades and it's down to his belly button,

you're like, all right, if I can go there, it'll work out.

59

So that was pretty much it.

60

I love that.

61

And ZZ Top, just as much as they're known for music or known for their beards, and it's

just, it's awesome.

62

So you guys just released Last Night on Earth.

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one thing that I've always loved about you guys is the versatility that you guys bring.

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For those who are familiar with your work over the years, Paralyzer is an amazing song.

65

Everyone knows your discography.

66

And now you have this record that's just come out.

67

People know Slow Chemical from, obviously, the wrestling side of this.

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But you hear Finger Eleven, and you could hear an acoustic track.

69

You can hear something that's a lot more enveloping.

70

You can hear a hard rock metal track.

71

And so on last night on Earth, you ended up doing all that again.

72

I-

73

when I was sent the record and I started listening to it, the first track I heard was Last

Night on Earth and I'm just like, I watched the video and I didn't know what to expect and

74

that's probably one of the best things that you can say about a musician when you open up

a record, you're like, I don't know what I'm gonna get.

75

You hear this song, you see all the visuals and you you see and you hear just such a wide

breadth of styles.

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So walk me through a little bit as to what the vision was for the record.

77

Yeah, I mean, that's a massive compliment.

78

Thank you.

79

And it's not by accident.

80

Like we've since the beginning of the band have always enjoyed all styles of music.

81

We've never just been like a heavy band and we never, couldn't just be a soft band because

it's just inherently not in us.

82

We just want to pick up our guitars and put on distortion, know, but, but we'd always

admired bands like, you know, when we were growing up that could do that, like, you know,

83

like there was like the classics like Zeppelin and

84

and Floyd who could be like really intense and heavy and then also like beautiful and

melodic.

85

But then even in the 90s, a lot of bands like let's say Pearl Jam was one of them or like,

you know, there were bands or Soundgarden like who could be heavy, but they could also

86

write these beautiful songs.

87

And that was just ingrained in our mind as we were becoming a band that that's sort of the

the goal isn't to sort of repeat yourself or stay in one place for long.

88

It's to constantly sort of change.

89

And we didn't expect it to be like

90

We sort of went from record to record with no real vision, sort of, it's a, Finger 11 is a

very natural process and it really is just the music that comes from us.

91

We don't have a goal.

92

We don't have an agenda except for make the best Finger 11 music we can make.

93

And we always say there's sort of an inside joke in the band.

94

Like we never know what our next song is going to sound like.

95

We don't know.

96

Like it's not until we start putting fingers to strings and words start coming out that we

know what it's going to be.

97

And that's one of the fun things about our, I like being in about our band, about being in

the band.

98

Over the years, that multi-genre sort of thing was not necessarily a strength for

Fingerlevin.

99

There were so many years where there were specific genres that were popular.

100

And if you weren't in that mold, didn't...

101

I don't know if it confused people or they just were into those things at the time.

102

So there was a lot of times where we were doing the heavy and the soft and record labels

and they didn't know where to place us, which we were fine with because...

103

We didn't know where to place ourselves either.

104

We just were like, listen, this is our journey.

105

We're just going to go down it.

106

But now at this point in our career, and also I would say at this point in music, it's m

because of streaming and because of all that, it's never been more genreless.

107

And I think in a of ways, a lot of audiences, they're open to that more than they ever

were before.

108

They're not being told by gatekeepers what they should be listened to and what demographic

listens to what they're being, they've given all the option from all the music ever made.

109

to something made just today and they can choose.

110

And I think people, it's not as if it's a good song and it connects, that's what they like

about it.

111

And that's what we've always liked about our own band.

112

Like we're song oriented before we're genre oriented, I would say.

113

So it's a massive compliment that it comes through on the new record.

114

that, so all that being said, I would say on this album, as we were making it, it was

coming pretty clear that there were um different...

115

you know, years of the band sort of shining through and all of a we'd have one song that

was like, that's like 90s Fingerlip and then we have another one that's like, that's like

116

mid 2000s.

117

And so it sort of became this full spectrum album and we embraced that at a certain point.

118

And also the addition of Steve, who's like our newest member, but not new, you know, he's

been in the band for 12 years, but he brought this sort of like, this sort of perspective

119

of the band from being outside and a fan of the band to reminding us

120

about things that we did musically that we maybe had forgotten about or even just

dismissed over the years.

121

And we sort of decided to sort of reference ourselves for the first time in our career.

122

And it sort of created this good representation of Finger 11, I would say.

123

But it's also interesting you bring that up too, because kind of going back to one thing

that you had said, you know, I think a lot of people in the streaming era, it's like, if

124

you like heavy, here's more heavy.

125

And by the way, here's more heavy.

126

And if you like heavy and you like this one band, let's just go and siphon you off.

127

And I think that in a way, as much as it's like, a lot of these services are trying to

tell you that that's what you need to listen to.

128

A lot more people are doing what you said, right?

129

They're like, hey, I don't just listen to this.

130

Yeah, I listen to heavy stuff, but there's a whole gamut of music.

131

And especially when you

132

have a band like Finger Eleven who comes around and you guys say, you know what, we're

collaborative, working with each other.

133

I'm bringing this riff in and then the rest of the band is bringing their influences in.

134

You know, I think that really speaks to not just being as, you know, even though we are in

135

okay, cool, Finger Eleven is going to be really trying a bunch of things, you get to build

that audience that's like, hey, it's not, I'm going to listen just to heavy music or just

136

to acoustic music.

137

just to light music.

138

I'm gonna listen to...

139

It's gonna give me an artistic experience.

140

And I think that, you know, that really, like you said, that shines through.

141

uh It's a different experience that I think a lot of the streaming services would really

like you to funnel into.

142

Right, absolutely.

143

Yeah, I mean, that's also just the way we've listened to music.

144

We've always been fans of bands with albums.

145

We've always loved the journey of the album.

146

you know, that was something that even right down to when we were doing the track listing

for the song, I think there was five or six different track listings and they were quite

147

different.

148

Like some were heavy off the top, light off the back or some were light off the top.

149

you know, we just and it took us a while to find the perfect combination where the thing

constantly felt like a ride, you know.

150

So when you go from a song like The Mountain and then you go to Last Night on Earth, it's

all natural.

151

You know, it's not something where you're like, OK, we wrote a heavy song.

152

Now we have to write an acoustic song.

153

We wrote a heavy song.

154

We have to write an acoustic song.

155

Now for you, though, Last Night on Earth is, to me, one of the most powerful songs on the

record.

156

And it's not just because it's the song that I had heard as one of the singles, but for

me, it's one of the ones that I think came like, really, you know, when I'm talking about,

157

OK, cool, we're to have you on the show.

158

Cool.

159

Slow Chemical.

160

and then you're hit with that song as like, oh, that's the one.

161

What made you think that?

162

think we felt that way about that song from the very, the very first, the very first demo

of that song was just a little phone note that is rare for our band.

163

Cause most of our ideas started in the studio or on this computer and there's tracks to be

shared and all this stuff.

164

And this was just one of these old school phone messages of a guitar progression and a

vocal and it stuck and it instantly really connected.

165

And it has been around for a while.

166

Like, you know, it was one of the first songs we wrote.

167

after the last album.

168

And that was 10 years ago.

169

And it went through a lot of different versions.

170

There was a lot of demos of it.

171

And it wasn't until the very end where we sort of, I don't know, like we had this really

awkward day where I came in and I was like, guys, like we all love this song.

172

The label loved this song.

173

Everybody loved this song.

174

But we were like, I said to the guys, like without having the idea, all I had was a D

chord.

175

And I was like, it needs a chorus, like a bigger part.

176

And that was really frustrating because it had already been around for nine years.

177

And it was sort of like, Hey, we're not done yet.

178

And I think everybody thought it was done.

179

But then when we started cracking it open again and we started strumming and we came up

with a melody and a chord progression and Scott nailed the words right out of the vault,

180

like just nailed the words and it was done.

181

you know, so it was like that song took like nine years and like two weeks to make, you

know, and the last two weeks is when we finished the song and it's just.

182

This album was like that.

183

had the luxury of time.

184

had no label telling us to do what we had to do.

185

We had no one waiting and watching and pointing and asking us for albums.

186

Even though through the 10 years there was talks about singles, because it is a single

world.

187

And we were like, you know what?

188

We just put that off long enough until we said, like, let's not do singles.

189

Let's just do an album.

190

And I think that was good decision because it's missing.

191

There's just not a lot of bands around that are a full fledged five member band that are

like not, there are.

192

But not from our era and not from our generation.

193

know what mean?

194

And so that I think that was sort of our responsibility.

195

If nothing else was just to make another finger, 11 record and make it as good as we could

make it.

196

to ask you about that too, because you had the distance between 2015 to 2025 before the

last record to now, and you had mentioned something just a second ago that you're not with

197

a label and you have this ability to kind of be doing it the way that you guys see in your

own mind, in your own vision, right?

198

And for me seeing the visuals for that video, where it's just, again, me being a father

now and seeing these kids riding in the street and then there's just this giant black

199

hole, it's just

200

It's insane, but for you guys, how does it feel to have that freedom to really be able to

do what you want?

201

Because I know that there's a lot of positive side to it, like you get to write the music

you want, you get to do that, but I'm sure that there's also the other side of like it

202

really is all on you guys in the band and the management.

203

Yeah, I think it was great for the band, to be honest.

204

I think we had been signed from such a young age and we had put all our records out

through labels and we had great relationships with a lot of those labels, but a lot of the

205

relationships we had made were gone.

206

So we were sort of on our own and that was a real opportunity, especially at this point in

our career because it was almost like going back and making our first record again.

207

It's like one of those opportunities in life, you know, when people say like, if I could

just go back and do it again with the knowledge I have now, that's sort of what we did.

208

And it took us longer than we thought.

209

And that would probably be the downside of not having a label is that there isn't someone

telling you, Hey, this is taking too long.

210

You know, we didn't have anybody telling us like, hurry up.

211

But other than that, the creative process was like really organic, really just trust-based

and really just within the five brains of the band.

212

That's usually for a finger leaven when we are at our strongest.

213

And that's one thing I also want our audience to understand too, is like, there is a

difference between being an independent artist, no matter the size and the breadth of what

214

you've done before and your fan base, and being signed to a label too.

215

You you have all these people who are working with you, and then all of a sudden it's

like, hey, you can have all these contacts on all these people.

216

But when you're going on your own, you're really on your own.

217

You're finding your own management.

218

You're finding your own cadence at which you're going to release records.

219

You know, there's so much stuff that goes on behind the scenes that when people just go,

there

220

Finger 11.

221

Of course they're doing this.

222

You're like, no, there's a lot of things that go on that you guys are having to do on top

of the creative side too.

223

So being able to put up the finger that you had, yeah.

224

And I think for, our experience, that that's sort of like, it's not like they're both

different routes, you know, I wouldn't say one's easier, one's harder, but there's sort of

225

this misconception that like every swing has to be a home run and there's no succeeding

unless you're number one on the charts.

226

And that's just not the truth.

227

There's lots of place between first and last and there's lots of space there to succeed.

228

if you're not always trying to be the biggest band in the world, you know?

229

And I think that was something that we sort of accepted and got comfortable with just the

idea of like, listen, we're comfortable going our own path, even if it's not the typical

230

path or the path that everybody else is telling us we should take or the path that other

bands are taking.

231

We're just happy being Finger 11 and we don't want to put too much stress on the machine

and we don't want it to break up.

232

we just, we do what makes us happy.

233

And we're very fortunate.

234

So I know you said you're not putting much stress on the machine, but I'm gonna stress you

out right now because I'm gonna ask you what your favorite song on the record is, and

235

that's almost like choosing your favorite child.

236

Yeah, no, I could honestly say it's changed quite a quite a few times because my favorite

thing and being one of my favorite moments of being in the band is the moment when the

237

records mastered and it hasn't been released because no one knows about it yet and it's

finished.

238

So I we stopped thinking about it.

239

We stopped worrying about it.

240

We stopped listening to it critically and we start just enjoying the finished product.

241

And but no one else has an opinion about it yet.

242

And it's still ours, you know, so that's my favorite.

243

So I was doing

244

nonstop in the last like, you know, four or five months and, and things, my favorite

always changes.

245

But I would say this for the heavy songs right now, my current favorite is Perfect Epigy.

246

That song to me is just a style of Fingerlevin and a taste of Fingerlevin that we haven't

put out for a while.

247

It's got all my, end riff of that song is one of my favorite riffs we've ever come up

with.

248

And for the slower, more mellow side, I would say Wall Dogs.

249

is my favorite slower song because I just love the atmosphere of that song.

250

I love that.

251

And again, for anyone who hasn't checked out the record yet, go check it out because

again, it's everywhere right now.

252

There's so much awesome music on it.

253

For me, it was definitely between Last Night on Earth and Blue Sky Mystery because I'm

always, I don't know what it is about me, but I'm always like a second song kind of guy.

254

And...

255

yeah.

256

a record it's just like you know the first one is the one that hooks you the second one is

the one that keeps you and if that second song is good then you know the band really just

257

gave it their all for the rest of the record and i'm just like so good

258

That's awesome.

259

That's a great theory.

260

Yeah, yeah, I think that song does that well.

261

I think it keeps the momentum going and it keeps you excited if you're already in after

adrenaline.

262

So that's awesome.

263

now we're gonna go in a little bit of a different direction here as you know, my

background is in wrestling entrance themes music.

264

I'd be remiss if we didn't talk about Slow Chemical, Kane's theme from years and years ago

for, I don't even have to go into a description of who Kane is and who Finger Eleven is

265

for you, the audience, but this is a song that when Kane debuted originally, Breaking Open

the Cage, he had a different one that was written by Jim Johnston obviously, and then

266

years go,

267

down the line, he takes off the mask and Slow Chemical comes out.

268

And for me, being a wrestling fan for so many years, that will always go down as one of

the best entrance themes of all time.

269

And for me, it's always about what brings out the character, all that kind of stuff.

270

But to be able to speak to one of the founding fathers of that Kane theme, I'd love for

you to crack open a little bit as to the process on how that theme came to be, a little

271

bit of the collaboration with WWE and Jim Johnston and

272

And we'll talk about that for a little bit.

273

Yeah, um, thanks.

274

No, you know what that song Still this day is probably one of our most viral in our

catalog every day We're being tagged to post with someone reposting that song with Kane or

275

his entrance and we get a lot of love we get a lot of people saying that they it's one of

their favorite entrance songs too, which is We're all we all grew up, you know in the in

276

the launch of the massive WWE F, know, and we're all we all grew up with wrestling So to

be a part of legacy, you know

277

History or whatever.

278

It's very very cool.

279

And to be honest, I'll give you this story.

280

So There was a record coming out or a CD I guess coming out called forcible entry Yeah,

yeah, yeah, yeah And uh and I think The the offer to be part of it came to us, but I think

281

that when we got asked There wasn't any wrestlers that we were wanting to do it for

282

Right.

283

was like state all of it sort of cherry picked and something happened.

284

And I think Creed actually had Kane and they couldn't do this.

285

They couldn't do it at this point in their career.

286

They're too busy or something.

287

So all of a sudden Kane became, you know, available and we were like, we'll do Kane.

288

We'll do Kane.

289

And so me and James originally, you know, we just thought we got to try to do our version

of like the Vader March kind of thing, like a big, like, you know, entrance, like a piece,

290

just a big, know, that's he is what he is.

291

He's Kane.

292

And so

293

When we wrote that music, there was definitely this idea of like trying to make it a big

heavy riff.

294

And I remember working on that riff with James over the phone.

295

we were talking, you know, and then we, but the one thing that they had in the agreement

was like, had to include the Jim Johnson, like that thing that had to be like, was like,

296

you have to have this in here.

297

So pretty much that part is them.

298

And then everything else we wrote.

299

as Finger 11 song kind of thing, you know?

300

And when we finished it, Scott, yeah.

301

quick, because you said something and I didn't think of it until now, because a lot of

people that I bring on the show and a lot of composers who have written or bands that have

302

come in and worked with Jim and other people, they're often like, hey, we have this

wrestler that we want you to write for, right?

303

And in an interesting way, you're kind of saying that whether it's like your label or WWE

said, cool, Finger 11, who do you want to write for?

304

And you were given like a choice of different people to write

305

Is that, Wow, okay.

306

I think that was the whole, the whole premise of that CD was modern bands doing their

takes on existing, uh, intro intros, you know, and so there was a lot of hooks, musical

307

hooks they wanted to include.

308

So yeah, there was a list and we got to pick.

309

Yeah, we would.

310

I don't know even know if we would have done it if we didn't get Kane, but we got him and

it was just one of those things.

311

And as as we came up with the song, I remember thinking at the time, cause Scott had, you

know, it was about, you know, it was not supposed to be about Kane, but we knew we were

312

writing for Kane and Scott sort of delivered this love song.

313

And I remember at the time being like, Hmm, that's not what I would have probably thought

to write lyrically, but it was such a good, intense thing that it worked perfectly in the

314

song.

315

So.

316

The truth is though, when we gave them that song, there was a bit of a, I don't honestly

remember with who, but there was a bit of a back and forth.

317

And they, I think it had to do with mastering and publishing rights.

318

And there was this sort of like, we did a disagreement, let's call it.

319

And to the point where if you go look, it's not on forcible entry because they left it off

because of the disagreement was still going on when the CD was being released.

320

So there was a moment where we thought, okay, I guess they're not going to use it.

321

We'll just take the finger 11 part and go make it a finger 11 song.

322

And it sort of got lost in limbo.

323

And then I'll, and then I'll never forget one day we were at our pub that we liked to

drink at back in the day and we were just playing pool and the TV had wrestling on.

324

And I heard the little organ start on the TV and we were all like, no way they're going to

use it.

325

And then all of a sudden we turned around and he came out and it was the first time ever

and they probably used it, I don't know how many times over about 10 years.

326

And then it got released on others.

327

It did end up getting released on some CDs and soundtracks, but there was a moment where

it almost didn't happen, but it did.

328

And I'm glad it did because it, was such an opportunity for, for, for Finger 11, um, to be

part of something that we're not normally part of.

329

And it opened a door to a lot of music fans that got into Finger 11 just from that song

alone.

330

So.

331

I

332

And that's the reason why I'd brought up about like, you were choosing somebody because I

remember Forth's Bullentry and I could probably, know, 14 year old me could probably

333

Rolodex the entire album.

334

And I was just like, you know, a lot of people think that slow chemical was on there and

it wasn't.

335

And it showed up on TV, you know, when he took the mask off and everything.

336

And I was just like, or when he adjusted the mask, right?

337

And I'm just like, man, why wasn't that on there?

338

Was it a different time?

339

And I was like, no, it was, you know, I never remembered it being on

340

on there, but I was just like...

341

it sounded like such an interesting dynamic, the kind of song that you guys wrote, the

lyrics like you said, and being like, okay, this is for Kane.

342

Because a lot of the songs on Forcible Entry were about the wrestler, but you could also

venture to say that they were just like, okay, here's an artist, here's their creative

343

take on kind of like the melodic contour of it, and then they just made a song that worked

for them.

344

So was like, that would fit on Forcible Entry.

345

But when it was like, years down the line, you guys wrote it for Forcible Entry.

346

It just happened to be used years later.

347

That's crazy.

348

pretty well like, like, just because of industry bullshit, really, it just didn't get

didn't get used for that.

349

But you know what, all of that, you know, things happen for a reason.

350

The universe is a weird place.

351

And it's got certain things have to take certain paths.

352

And that's just the path it took.

353

So I am happy.

354

The fact that mean, I was giddy, like over the moon giddy when like he he used it and and

then for and then he had a crazy run.

355

And he was the champion for like ever.

356

And he was like a superstar.

357

And it was like, it got taken everywhere and it got a global attention and it was very

good for the band.

358

At the time when you heard it on the...

359

At the time you guys were in the pub and you heard it, were all the rights kind of squared

up by then but it just hadn't been like, hey, it hadn't been used yet?

360

Or at that point when you heard it, was it like...

361

Because in a way, I could see it being both ways where you're in the pub and you're just

like, no, this is awesome.

362

But at the same time, you're like, uh-uh.

363

Well, let's put it this way.

364

The right, all the like for them, for it to be have been used, we, they would have had to

say yes to everything that we didn't have, that we had a problem with.

365

Jeremy and they did.

366

So it was all good.

367

Like, you know what I mean?

368

It was just this, it was just principle.

369

A lot of it, you know, we're, we're weird like that.

370

Like when we had get our, if we're collective about something, you can't budge us.

371

It's just the way it is.

372

So.

373

That's how a band should be though, know, the collective.

374

It's the big brain and even though you have a few people in the band, it's like you got to

move as one unit, you know, otherwise that's, it's not good for anybody, you know, so I

375

love it.

376

And that's very finger leavened.

377

We put it above us.

378

The band is above us all as individuals.

379

None of us are bigger than the band.

380

And we have a lot of respect for that.

381

So we treat the band with a lot of respect.

382

that, therefore, trickles down into the individual song.

383

I love that.

384

Have you ever gotten to have a conversation with Kane, Glenn Jacobs, about the song and

see what his feedback has been on it?

385

I mean, his feedback is probably, it's great, otherwise he wouldn't have been using it for

like a decade now.

386

right.

387

Well, you know what?

388

We so we met Kane we had we had one opportunity one opportunity Which was very strange for

our band because again, we're not really like those that kind of band who like knows how

389

to You know get up get up, know, we're not just that we're just Chill so we did this thing

and I think it was I can't remember was WrestleMania 20 I think maybe because it was in

390

Toronto at the Sky Dome Whatever one was at Toronto.

391

It's kind of I think it was 22

392

Um, and we went for like the wrestle fest promo and we had this, we were sort of backstage

and, and they're like, okay, you're going to go into the rink and, uh, chief is in there

393

and, and, and Fink was guiding us.

394

Like, you know, what's his name?

395

Howard Finkel.

396

uh Yeah.

397

So he was telling us what we're doing and we're like, okay, cool.

398

And we're like, and Kane sort of stand there and he's not really talking, he's in

character.

399

And it's like a couple of minutes before we go on.

400

So right before we're supposed to go on.

401

Finkel just disappears.

402

And we're like, where is he going?

403

I thought he was leading us onto the stage and he just leaves.

404

And we're like, what are we doing?

405

And Kane's just like, not talking.

406

So we don't know what to do.

407

And we sort of wander our way with him onto the stage and it's so loud and it's so hard to

hear.

408

And the crowd's cheering like just, we found out in hindsight that they were cheering

choke slam coach, right?

409

Or sorry, not chief coach.

410

they're yelling that and.

411

to us is just, oh and we're just thinking like, they hating us?

412

Like what's going on here?

413

Cause we don't know.

414

And so Scott, singer just sort of mumbles some stuff about the song coming out and how,

but it was the middle of July and he was like talking about how we made it at Christmas

415

time.

416

And he said like, Christmas to these people.

417

they just did, but the best was like any other wrestler match that wrestler would have

taken the reins and taken the mic and hyped up the audience and done his job.

418

but we were stuck with the one wrestler who doesn't speak.

419

You know what mean?

420

So it was up to us to do this wrestling promo and we're not wrestlers.

421

So it was very awkward, but it was fun.

422

It was cool thing to experience.

423

And I love too how like

424

you have Kane who started with obviously like the big orchestral entrance, you have slow

chemical, and you have something that he used after that when he put the mask back on and

425

all that, but I think everybody who thinks of Kane thinks of slow chemical first and

foremost, right?

426

There are some of us who were young and remember like that first cage breaking thing, but

when you think of Kane, you think of slow chemical, like it's an instant connection.

427

So it's like there's a lot of bands that over time and a lot of musicians who write music

for wrestlers, and it's like those two are so intertwined.

428

I think Finger 11 and Kane's legacy will just continue to be there for the rest of time.

429

I think so too.

430

was, it was instant and it, and it, and it, it, was simultaneous to success of both

things.

431

I think that's cool.

432

I mean, that's, that's awesome.

433

And like, like I said, when we see comments, like one of the best wrestling things, like,

you know, like I said, like I still come from the era of real American.

434

So if you're putting slow chemical anywhere near real American as a theme, as a wrestling

theme, and it's good.

435

And it's like, you know, that's amazing.

436

That's incredible to us.

437

Like we just.

438

Those moments when they enter the ring sometimes is my favorite moment of the whole

wrestling special.

439

So that's to be part of that is all it's been great.

440

I would just wish like, know, it's sort of sad that it's over.

441

I wish you would come back and use it again.

442

love that.

443

you know, at that time you were probably collaborating with Jim Johnston also.

444

He was probably the music guy at that time, which, you know, Jim Johnston...

445

collaboration with him.

446

There was just direction.

447

This has to be in the song.

448

And then we just did it all our own.

449

Really, that was it.

450

Yeah.

451

I've spoken with other bands too where they're like, hey, we have a recording of the Miz's

theme that Jim Johnson is rapping, which eventually we got to find that.

452

But it's like a rough draft, and you guys just kind of put it into your style.

453

So this was literally, like you said, the forcible entry thing.

454

Hey, here's Kane.

455

Do it.

456

That's awesome.

457

very much, very much.

458

So now we're gonna shift gears a little bit and we're gonna do a little bit of Music City

Rumble where I'm gonna have you book one men's singles match, one women's singles match,

459

and one tag team match, and you get to choose your favorite musicians to go in the squared

circle and beat each other up for a little bit, and then you get to choose the winner.

460

So let's start our men's match, our singles one-on-one men's match.

461

All right, so our singles one-on-one men's match, I would have Maynard James Keenan and

Morgan Whalen.

462

Oh my god.

463

And knowing that Maynard is fully trained in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Morgan Whalen probably

isn't.

464

I think that would be a fun match to watch.

465

And I'm guessing I would pick Maynard as my victor for that one.

466

I was gonna say you chose him because of all the things that he's done, all the bands and

just all the artistry that he has, but you chose him because he had a leg up in the

467

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

468

right.

469

I chose him because he's a bad ass offstage.

470

But yeah, no, obviously he's one of, he's like, you know, he's a living legend.

471

You know, he's as far as the music that we grew up in, you know, he's incredible.

472

And I'm actually a huge fan of Perfect Circle as well.

473

So yeah, Maynard, but I'm impressed with his offstage discipline in that world.

474

love that.

475

And how about our one-on-one women's match?

476

This one I thought, okay, here, are you ready for this one?

477

This one's going to be called a paparazzi match, right?

478

And it's going to have paparazzis around the ring.

479

And we're going to have Bjork and Britney Spears.

480

And I don't know if you remember when Bjork lost it on that paparazzi when she was pushing

her baby at the airport, but she got wild.

481

And then we know Britney Spears is like, she can get crazy when the camera's on.

482

So that's who I would go after each other.

483

But I still think after seeing that like mama wolf,

484

Mama Bear energy that Bjork had, think I would pick Bjork for the winner.

485

I'm in on that too.

486

Britney Spears has that fling around in umbrella energy, but there's nothing like a primal

mama.

487

That's right.

488

You know, and she's way more focused and disciplined.

489

And yeah, I think it'd be fun to watch, but, and then, uh, for the, the tag team.

490

Okay.

491

This one I put some thought into as well.

492

So I'm going to go with, check this out.

493

Daft oats versus hall punk.

494

Okay.

495

So it's the robot and John oats versus the other robot, Darrell hall, but during the

match.

496

There's a betrayal and they actually flip sides and both reunite into their original

teams.

497

And then they battle.

498

And I'm to say Daft Punk's probably going to win because they're going to have like robot

powers and stuff, know, that'd be perfect.

499

So that'd be my, that's my, that's my tag team wrestling.

500

I love that.

501

And I love how there's a double turn in there too.

502

Like, both sets you reunite.

503

That's awesome.

504

you know what mean?

505

Like it would be betrayal, betrayal, oh my god.

506

Yeah, it'd be amazing.

507

I like the names too, daft oats and hall punk.

508

That sounds weird.

509

I just want to create a tag team called those, Daft Oats and Hall Punk.

510

That's great.

511

And one more question I ask everybody when they come on the show.

512

If you had to choose three songs that represent you as the person that you are, what three

songs are those?

513

So first song I would pick is a song called If Six Was Nine by um Jimi Hendrix.

514

um It's just, yep, that song musically, everything lyrically, that song I just relate to,

it makes me feel at home.

515

um I pick a song called Earth Rocker by Clutch, which is just a great song about loving

being in a band, being on stage, rocking.

516

And then I'd probably pick Hey Hey My My by Emilia.

517

Ooh.

518

Yeah, I mean the rock spirit lives, it's alive in me and I very much believe in it.

519

So yeah, those would be the songs I would pick.

520

I love that.

521

Neil Young's been on Music City Rumble a couple times.

522

Neil Young has been in People's Songs that represent him a few times.

523

And I love that because Neil Young's awesome.

524

I just saw him.

525

He was amazing.

526

I mean, he's getting old, but he, he was incredible.

527

He sounded perfect.

528

Like just his guitar playing and his voice.

529

mean, just timeless.

530

Ageless.

531

It's incredible.

532

he's another guy that's just like, he loves music to the ends of the earth and he's just

like, I'm gonna perform till I die.

533

What's retirement?

534

Yep.

535

And he's also one those guys who like, he's had that career and that success of like, you

know, the multi-million platinum things, but he's also just as happy with putting a record

536

out that no one even listens to.

537

So it's like, that's what I really respect about him.

538

He, can tell from a long time, he's not doing it just to become rich and famous.

539

He's doing it cause it just can't help but come out of him.

540

Well, Rick Jackett, thank you so much for joining us today.

541

Once again, new album is out, Last Night on Earth.

542

Everyone go pick it up everywhere.

543

If you're listening, obviously, slow chemical, you can always pick that up.

544

But Last Night on Earth is just an awesome record.

545

Out now, check it out everywhere you check out.

546

My friend, thank you so much for joining us today.

547

My pleasure.