Hi everyone!

Bowling For Soup has been one of my favorite bands for YEARS now and I got the opportunity to speak with Jaret Reddick...right when Bowling For Soup hit 1 Billion streams! It's an unbelievable feat and we talk all about they got there. We also talk all about Jaret's pro wrestling background from being named an official VON ERICH by KEVIN VON ERICH HIMSELF (dude) and how his son getting into wrestling led him to writing a song for Alexa Bliss.

We talk about the legacy of Bowling For Soup, their music being plated in space on NASA's Discovery, and the modern releasing of albums vs. singles and when artists may leverage one type of release schedule over the other.

I also challenge Jaret to our new segment called Music City Rumble, where I ask musicians and wrestlers to book their favorite musicians in a men's match, a women's match, and a tag team match! I also ask Jaret to name three songs that represent the heart and soul of Jaret Reddick.

Enjoy this awesome episode of Pop punk, wrestling, and good times!

-

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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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my friend?

2

You, the other person on the other side of this camera or on the other side of this

microphone, I'm so excited to have you listening or watching because my guest today is

3

none other than Jarrett from Bowling for Soup.

4

from all the different work he's done with Bowling for Soup.

5

Girl, All the Bad Guys Want, 1985, and all those awesome hits, and even some of the

country music that he's written recently.

6

We're gonna be talking all about the different projects he's done.

7

Actually, his background in wrestling, too.

8

Did you know that he is an honorary von Erich?

9

And how did that happen?

10

We're gonna go ahead and talk about that.

11

And if you're here and you're a wrestling fan, you already know about the song Alexa Bliss

that he made for Alexa Bliss.

12

And the way that that came to be is a really awesome story.

13

Jarrett's one of the coolest people I've gotten the opportunity to interview on here.

14

And I'm excited for you guys to listen to our conversation.

15

As always, check out Ropes and Riffs podcast on Apple podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or any

place that you can listen to podcasts.

16

Go ahead and leave a comment, rate, like, and subscribe to the show wherever you check out

podcasts and leave us a comment.

17

And if you leave a comment,

18

I'll go ahead and shut you out on our socials and on the podcast here.

19

Also, if you donate $10 or more to the show via PayPal at Ropes and Riffs, that's

R-O-P-E-S, the letter N-R-I-F-F-S.

20

We'll go ahead and do a shout out for you here on the show.

21

So without any further ado, here's my conversation with the one and only Jared from

Bowling for Soup.

22

This man, whether he knows it or not, has been in my life for so many years through his

music with Bowling for Soup and many of yours also.

23

And while we're recording this stream, you're celebrating two big milestones for Bowling

for Soup.

24

So I want to just thank you for making the time to chat with little old me and our

listeners on the show.

25

Thanks for joining us today.

26

Thank you, thanks for having me.

27

from what I've seen today showing up on the interwebs, you guys just hit a billion.

28

I think it's a billion streams.

29

Yeah, we hit a billion streams.

30

In fact, it's, it's, I guess since the news came out, it's even, it's like 1.1 or

something.

31

don't know.

32

It's, it's, it's incredible.

33

And, you know, it's, it's definitely, it's just one of those things where it's, you just.

34

I know.

35

I posted about it yesterday and I was like, I need to get my head around it before I even

really say anything.

36

Because I mean, what do you ever do that's a billion?

37

You know?

38

mean, that's just, it's wild.

39

It's crazy.

40

Back in 2002, when you put out Drunk Enough to Dance, which as the day we're recording

this is also celebrating its anniversary too, when you're in that record and you release

41

everything afterwards, are you thinking, hey, it'd be real great if we got to a billion

listens just generally on any of our music.

42

I mean, you gotta remember that was, let's see, well we started in 94 and so that's what,

eight years in.

43

And so everything was just sort of happening as it should.

44

Everything was just, we were just climbing this little ladder and going up.

45

and sort of, I guess more of a roller coaster really, sort of on the way up, you know, and

then everything sort of ebbs and flows, but there's no really, for us, we're really lucky.

46

We've never really had the really big downhill.

47

But, no, I we were really just taking it in stride at that time, you know, but I

definitely wouldn't have thought, at the time streaming didn't exist, so.

48

I would have never thought that we would have sold a billion albums.

49

I never would have thought a billion people or our music would be played a billion times.

50

I certainly wouldn't have thought our songs wouldn't have been played in space.

51

It's one of those things where we were just kids with wild aspirations of...

52

of being able to play music for a living and here we are, 23 years later.

53

Just of drunk enough to dance, but we had four albums before that and eight years in We

did nine years in the van before we ever got on a bus.

54

So it was quite a journey.

55

It's been quite a journey, still quite a journey.

56

And I talk to people about this all the time because when especially musicians release

music, a lot of the times I don't think we think about where our music is going to go, how

57

much of a legacy it can have.

58

Sometimes you have music that you release and it flies off, right?

59

And it does all the things that it does.

60

Sometimes you have music that sits in the can a little bit longer and, you know, as you

grow and as your music grows and as your music takes on different life, people come back

61

to those things.

62

And so you never know where your music's going to take you.

63

On my side with the wrestlers, don't know with writing wrestling entrance teams, you never

know where a wrestler is going to go.

64

They could be doing the Indies and then next week they could be an AEW, WWE, something

like that.

65

For you, you can literally say you've had a billion people listening or a billion streams

of your song.

66

And like you said, your song has been in space.

67

Yeah.

68

Yeah.

69

mean, for those who don't know, our song, Ohio, Come Back to Texas, woke the astronauts up

one time and it was the day that they were coming home.

70

so, yeah, we had a song played in space, which is just, you know, all of these things are

wild.

71

And yeah, that's just it.

72

You know, I guess for me, it's always just been, I want as many people to listen to this

as possible.

73

And I want

74

people to enjoy it.

75

I want to make people's day better.

76

It's really just been sort of later in life, I guess, where it's been like, you know, this

is the legacy that I'm leaving behind.

77

This is how, you know, this is how I have life after I'm not on the planet anymore.

78

You know, this is how, you know, this is how I'm going to be remembered, hopefully, you

know, as this guy who put out some pretty good songs.

79

And I'm proud of that.

80

But yeah, you're so right.

81

mean, it's that that's the you know, you sort of stumbled upon something that you might

not have meant to but that's sort of the whole That I don't guess issue.

82

It's the the whole question about doing albums these days, you know, Drunk Enough to Dance

came out 23 years ago and It's so seen by fans as this

83

this collection of songs, this collection of songs that got them through this part, a lot

of them, some sort of area of their life when they were younger.

84

And it's just not like that anymore.

85

People, we can put out a record and really it's the, people don't listen to the whole

thing.

86

And that's the whole thing with...

87

with with putting out music these days is you know do you put it out as a collection

anymore do you put about one of the time because that the whole idea is to get it heard

88

And there's songs from our last few records where we can put a song on a video or whatever

and people will be like, man, new music.

89

And it's like, that song's been out five years.

90

And so there's certainly a dilemma now as to how you release it.

91

Because as you say, at the end of the day, you don't know whether it's gonna be heard by

10 people or a...

92

or a million people or whatever, but the idea is for people to listen to it.

93

so yeah, I don't even remember what the original question was.

94

I sort of got off on a tangent.

95

No, but you bring up a really good point too, because you talk about albums versus singles

now too.

96

And, you know, when people, I think, look into what they should be doing in music in their

careers too, they go, should I be releasing an album?

97

Should I be releasing singles?

98

And there's strategies behind releasing all of them, you know that obviously.

99

And, you know, you guys have just continued to champion putting out great music and great

music is going to live no matter what.

100

When you think about albums now, I think a lot of people put it in perspective of like, as

an extreme example, think of like a coheed and Cambria where they have like full concept

101

records.

102

Like it would be very difficult for them to put out a single unless as they do, it's like,

okay, it's either a lead up for a record or it's Jessie's Girl 2, something like that,

103

where it's kind of like a one-off that's kind of on the side, you know?

104

But like, I think people nowadays think about, all right, if we're gonna put all of this

time, effort and resources into...

105

promoting something and you know, you're in this culture now, which is very different,

obviously, like you're talking about of being able to focus on one thing for maybe a short

106

period of time, people put the effort into the single unless they're like, hey, we have

this giant package that we're going to go ahead and run on.

107

And this is going to be like, you can't listen to one song and understand it unless you

listen to like two or three or four or the whole record.

108

Like the dynamic of that is completely changed, but

109

for you guys, can also say, because your music has been played in space, that your music

is out of this world now.

110

And I'm sure I'm not the first person to have said that, and I'm sure I'm not the last

person.

111

You're so right though, but I mean, that's such a select fan base.

112

know, it's for like a coheed and Cambria or a ghost or, know, that's not every man.

113

And maybe that's the thing, right?

114

Is that we're not really making music forever.

115

I don't, I really don't know the answer.

116

That's the thing.

117

I mean, we're about to make a record again.

118

And I honestly thought after the last time, I didn't know if we'd ever do it again because

of that.

119

It's like, man,

120

You know, we go in there and we do 12, 15 songs.

121

mean, back in the day, did 18 to 20 songs and...

122

man, you want everybody to hear them.

123

but, you know, I think, I think we're sort of settling into that whole like, all right,

we'll do three or four singles and then put the record out or we'll do whatever, whatever

124

it ends up being at the end of the day.

125

You know, I am, I'm super proud of Drunken Up To Dance as a collection of songs.

126

And I love that what I've read of people sharing about it today.

127

And it hasn't been much because I've just woke up actually, but

128

What I've read is just people talking about it as that, as this collection of songs and

stuff.

129

And that makes me feel good.

130

you know, as you said, man, I think we just live in a different world and I don't mind it.

131

I think it's very cool that we can go and record a cover song and release it on Friday.

132

I think that that's just, what a cool thing that we can do.

133

Whereas back in the day, just to be able to do that was...

134

I mean again, it just is mind blowing how many steps that took.

135

And now literally I could make a song in here today in the next couple of hours and I

could have it out by tomorrow and be in everybody's ears.

136

So it's a, I'll take the trade.

137

like where we're at these days.

138

And you're talking about singles, you're talking about releasing music.

139

And one person that you've worked with before was WWE's own Alexa Bliss.

140

And again, as of the time of this recording, SummerSlam 2025 has passed.

141

Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss have regained, or not regained because they never worked

together before, but they have gained the women's tag team championships.

142

And I remember when you guys put out that song too, for me, I was kind of like, okay,

cool.

143

It's just a title.

144

And then you watch the video and Alexa Bliss is in there and it's all over and it's all

about her.

145

And I'm just like, dude, this is it.

146

Like, this is what it's about.

147

And I was just, uh, I was obviously a fan of you guys before time, but when that came out,

was like, ah, that's awesome.

148

Sidebar.

149

used to also be endorsed with Ernie Ball music, man.

150

I've since moved to Balaguer guitars and with the guitars that you use.

151

And when I had seen you play live with the, um, the Axis hollow body that you have, I was

like, man, that's the guitar I need.

152

Cause I was playing in different kinds of bands at the time.

153

So I was just like, ah, that's.

154

That's it.

155

Mine doesn't have the graphics here as does mine has the, the Petrucci cherry swirl thing

that they did.

156

The sparkly thing, the sparkly thing.

157

But I had seen that guitar and it's like, man.

158

So you probably talked about it many times over the years.

159

In fact, I know you have, but tell us a little bit about how you got started working with

Alexa Bliss and the creation of that song.

160

Yeah, mean, first, you know, it really wasn't to be a collaboration.

161

mean, it's a really cool story.

162

I mean, my son, who's 19 now, I believe was around 12.

163

And he got into wrestling just all of a sudden.

164

You know, it was just, I guess some friends from school or some kid he met in the

neighborhood and he got into it pretty hardcore.

165

so the first one I ever took him to, it was kind of a surprise to me.

166

And I was just, I just got some tickets and I, we went, we were up in the nosebleeds of

American Airlines here in Dallas and

167

You know, we're having fun.

168

I have video of him trying to do the woo and get the whole crowd to do it and the Ric

Flair thing, which is so, which again is so crazy because, you know, I'm a Von Erics guy.

169

So when I was a kid, Ric Flair was like the most hated person in the world.

170

You know, I especially couldn't stand that guy, you know, and I love how loved he is now.

171

It's very, it's very reminiscent of Ozzy Osbourne, you know, hated in the 80s and

absolutely loved by everyone now, you know, and, and, but, we should say at the time of

172

this,

173

stream recording Ozzy did pass away last week and so you know rest in peace to the dark

prince but yeah you know we sat there and all of a sudden you know this walk-up music

174

starts and this little blonde firecracker comes out and I say to and I see her name and I

go okay I go I think that girl is a fan of my band and Jack goes

175

my son Jack is no way.

176

And I go, yeah, I saw a thing.

177

Somebody sent me a thing where this wrestler was a big fan of bowling for soup and she did

a photo shoot and a bowling for soup shirt.

178

And he's like, there's no, there he goes, there's no way.

179

And so I found it in my phone and I showed him and it was her.

180

just, know, Alexa Bliss had just sort of rang into my head.

181

And so I,

182

I showed it to him and he goes, dad, that's crazy.

183

He you you got to send her a message.

184

And so I sent her a message and I was just like, I go, should I?

185

Yeah, do it.

186

So I sent her a message.

187

and I just go, Hey, that was awesome.

188

I got my son here or whatever.

189

It was really cool to see you wrestle.

190

I saw the pictures of you in the bowling for soup shirt.

191

That's so cool.

192

Anyway, she answered like right back.

193

after her match and was just like, are you coming backstage?

194

I'm like, no, I'm in the nosebleed section.

195

This is crazy.

196

I can't even believe he entered back.

197

And so, yeah, we just messaged back and forth.

198

She told me that I was the last concert she saw before she left Columbus to go to WWE

training and just some cool stories about listening to my band.

199

and I sent her some merch and she took some pictures and put them on the internet and

stuff.

200

But we had just, you know, just messaged back and forth a few times and then she offered

to my family tickets to the Royal Rumble that year in Philadelphia.

201

Or maybe it was the next year, whatever.

202

I took my family to the Royal Rumble, she got us backstage, the kids met everybody.

203

It was just really, really cool.

204

And so, you know, during that time though, I had, I was just thinking to myself, I'm like,

this is so crazy that like...

205

All of these songs that they walk out to are all of a similar sort of feeling.

206

And that's by design, obviously.

207

You're the one of the ones that writes them.

208

It's to get people pumped up and to get them in the mood or whatever.

209

it was at the time, I didn't know that...

210

Because some of them come out to like Power Man 5000 or whatever, what I would call like

cock rock.

211

And so I'm trying not to offend you, John.

212

That's what I'm doing here.

213

I'm trying not to.

214

anything that offends me.

215

And you know, just real quick before you keep going on that, the fact that you're sitting

there in the stands and you're just like, dude, that girl likes my band.

216

And just to get going back to like, where does the music go?

217

You're just like, I'm watching this girl.

218

Like I'm, I'm here to see them.

219

And she, that's crazy.

220

I know.

221

Yeah, it's well, that's one of those things that never gets old.

222

you know, I know back when my when we first had I think Girl of the Bad Guys went first

have a hit.

223

There was a lady golfer who was talking about

224

the that she liked and her favorite band was Bowling for Soup and my ex-mother-in-law read

that in a golf magazine and it was like, okay, well, now there's some accreditation to

225

what it is that you do, you know, now it's cool, right?

226

But anyway, so we just became friends and, but my thing was I was just like, this is this

pop punk girl, like, wouldn't it be cool if she had her own song?

227

that like, why isn't her walkout song representative of whatever it is?

228

So, not necessarily, it wasn't my idea to be her walkout music.

229

My idea was to make a song that could be, you know, so thus, whenever it was written, my

buddy Linus and I wrote the song and it starts out with more of the, we kind of put that

230

into the song so that it sort of does hit back to that, but then just become this total

pop punk.

231

you know, blissful song.

232

And so I sent that song to her for her birthday that year.

233

And she actually sent me...

234

uh Right.

235

It's weird being on that side of it too, right?

236

Where like, I'm like, she even cares what it is, you know?

237

But she listened to it with her mom and Larry Steve, her pig that passed away, and

literally sent me...

238

Video of her in tears.

239

She couldn't believe it.

240

So you fast forward to like I'm like we're gonna make this video I'm just gonna get a

look-alike, you know and and do that whatever but then I was I thought You know, I mean it

241

would be cool if we could just have you make an appearance like if we just get one cameo

from you just seeing this girl be a look-alike or something and she was like no, I want to

242

be in the video and I'm like Okay

243

And I'm like, don't even know how that works.

244

And so I, you know, we sort of started on that path and it became like a deal where she

went into Jim Mcm- or what's his name?

245

Jim Mc-man?

246

Vince McMahon.

247

Jim McMahon was the quarterback of the Chicago Bears.

248

Went into Vince McMahon's office and played him the song.

249

And he was like, you know what?

250

They're right.

251

Why can't every girl be more like Alexa Bliss?

252

And he was like, I like it.

253

And you know, sent us paperwork and-

254

We not only got her in the video, but she got to be the character Alexa Bliss and wear her

kit and the full thing.

255

And so it just became a great experience.

256

then, you you fast forward even from that, she ends up meeting my friend Ryan Cabrera and

their first text conversation is about me.

257

And he still says, thank you very much for our relationship.

258

And now they're parents and you know, it's just been a really cool.

259

story and you know they're very good friends and you know I just I love seeing them grow

as a family and just their lives you know really really blossoming right now and it's just

260

been a really cool experience all together.

261

And shout out to Ryan Cabrera too, cause on the way down basically raised me in the same

way as your albums did.

262

So I'm just going to put that out there right now.

263

And it's so cool to.

264

best hair in music, right?

265

If I say so myself, right?

266

So now at one point we'll have to have you both on the show in a hair off that's gonna be

it and for one of the questions I asked later Yeah, remember one of the questions I asked

267

later because we might have to come back to to that rage in a cage if you will about the

hair so That's so cool though, and I love the fact that you know, it's take it took that

268

shape, too It's hey, I'm in the arena with my son who loves wrestling.

269

my god.

270

She knows my band

271

I'll drop her a message and then all of a sudden it blossoms into all this stuff.

272

you know, as a...

273

go ahead.

274

know, again, I dropped the message because he tells me to.

275

And he's in the Alexa Bliss video.

276

And it's filmed in his bedroom.

277

And so, you know, just the whole thing is full circle.

278

The Alexa Bliss cutout that's in the video for the song is still in his, he's 19 and off

at college now, but that still sits in his bedroom here at the house.

279

But that's a story too.

280

Like even if he had that over at college, he's like, listen, I'm the guy with the guy with

the girl who did the thing.

281

So that's so cool.

282

totally, yeah.

283

That's the whole thing.

284

But yeah, again, I'd known Ryan Cabrera since he was a kid.

285

His band Rubik's Groove used to open up for Bowling for Soup all the time, back when we

were kids.

286

so, like I said, as you said, one of those, it just kind of keeps, things keep happening.

287

And for her birthday,

288

a couple of years ago, he got her an exact replica of my Texas guitar.

289

And so uh I helped him get that.

290

got the exact guitar from Ernie Ball.

291

We got the graphics done, had some of my team help with that and got it wrapped.

292

so she owns an actual replica of her favorite guitar in the world, which is my Texas

guitar.

293

So there's only two of them is what you're saying.

294

One belongs to Alexa Bliss and one belongs to you.

295

That's crazy.

296

what I'm saying.

297

Now there are other people that have made them along the way, but there are two that are

exactly like mine and one owns my house and one is in theirs.

298

That's so cool.

299

And I will say the people at Ernie Ball, like I don't know if it's Ernie Ball.

300

Did Ernie Ball do the rapping for it or was it someone else who did it?

301

No, so the story behind, well, my guitar, mean?

302

Or hers.

303

Yeah, my guitar.

304

You know, OK, this gets into the riff section of our our interview.

305

Yeah, we had just done our first tour of the plant and we had we had just gotten endorsed

and started using their strings.

306

This is probably 2001 or 2002.

307

And.

308

Yet they asked me just, would you want to try out one of our guitars?

309

And I was playing Fender up until then.

310

And I said, sure, that'd be great.

311

Send me one.

312

Well, they sent me that guitar.

313

However, it was woodgrain, like they're like just sort of beige-y woodgrain guitar.

314

And I'm like, man, I just said to him, said, I love this guitar and I would totally play

it, but.

315

I'm not gonna play a woodgrain guitar.

316

Like I'm in this pop punk band.

317

At the time, I don't even know if it was pop punk yet, but you know, I'm in this pop punk

band and there's no way I can do that.

318

You know, I said, it's gotta have some pizzazz to it, right?

319

And so they were like, well, just do whatever you want with it.

320

Just leave the headstock.

321

And I'm like, okay.

322

And yeah, I was at a hobby lobby one day with my wife.

323

She was doing some, getting some stuff and I just...

324

started grabbing Texas stickers.

325

And then I was like, I'm just going to do the whole guitar and Texas stickers.

326

So I went to this other store that's a Texas souvenir store in one of the outlet malls

here.

327

And I just got a bunch more.

328

And I literally just took the strings off and sat there and just started position them all

over the guitar.

329

And honestly, at that time, never would have, as you said earlier, it's like one of those

things, you do this thing and you never really know what's going to happen with this, you

330

know?

331

And I...

332

I certainly didn't think I was making like this iconic pop punk, you know, symbol.

333

I didn't really realize what it was I was doing.

334

And at first I was like, man, does this look too country?

335

You know?

336

And I, man, I started using that guitar and it became just this force of its own, you

know, to where it's, you know, I wouldn't bring it out at the first of some shows.

337

And then whenever I would switch to that guitar, people would go crazy and just, you know,

it sort of became my, you know, Green Day's BJ guitar.

338

You know, and there's a few other bands, I guess, that have those iconic guitars, but it's

not, you know, it's not really in our world.

339

I mean, actually I'm thinking mine and BJ's, right?

340

I mean, I don't know anybody else really that has one.

341

mean, Tom DeLonge has several that people love, but there's not just one guitar that he

gets and people go, oh shit, there it is, you know.

342

And it's kind of like the shape in general, you know, like he has the fender with the

invaders like that.

343

I think the seafoam green one, but again, it's not a guitar that you don't associate with

other people.

344

You know, you've seen that guitar everywhere else.

345

This one has the signature basically of what you did to it.

346

Yeah, yeah, and so yeah, it's just stickers.

347

And so I always like to say it's sort of the Planet Hollywood effect.

348

It's like when you have never seen a Star Wars gun up close and then you go to Planet

Hollywood and you see it up close and you're like, I mean, that's it?

349

You know, and you're just like, can't believe, it just looks like some spray paint on a

tin can, you know, but on camera it looks so good.

350

And that's kind of what my guitar looks like up close because it's very weathered and all

of that.

351

But you know, that's what gives it personality.

352

But I finally took it off the road during COVID because I had gone up, you know, when the

pandemic first started and we were all like, oh shit, it's going to be the purge, you

353

know?

354

And I never asked you if I could cuss on here.

355

You're going to have to bleep me out or...

356

Okay.

357

Okay.

358

So I went up and got my guitars and...

359

And it was mainly to get that one.

360

then, and so, but the guitar that I wrote, actually, so this is a two-fold story.

361

The guitar that's in the bitch song video that I had written, you know, all the songs up

until, you know, Girl of the Bad Guys Want that got us where we were.

362

And then the guitar that that guitar got stolen out of our van while we were at a music

store here locally.

363

And then the guitar that I wrote all the hits on, the Taylor Acoustic, got stolen in

364

And so I was just like, I don't know that I...

365

And that one kind of broke my heart a little bit, because almost and High School Never

Ends and just all the hits were written on that guitar.

366

And so I was just like, I'm gonna take this guitar off the road before it's too late.

367

Because honestly, it's not worth anything.

368

to anybody else.

369

It's not that it's valuable, because what would you do with it?

370

know, people, I mean, it's recognizable, so you can't, they would strip it down and then

it would be worthless, right?

371

I mean, and so there's a sentimental aspect to it.

372

So I was just like, you know, I'm just gonna take it off the road.

373

And so I did.

374

So I have a new Texas guitar now, but that one sits comfortably here in my home and is a

nice conversation piece for when people come over, you know.

375

And people know it too, just in general, like you said, people have identified you with

that guitar.

376

And it's like you said, it's not something you went into it saying, Hey, I'm going to make

an iconic guitar.

377

It's just something that you did.

378

And it's just something that meant something to you.

379

Like all the guitars I have here in my studio, the ones I perform with, I throw a sticker

down at the bottom.

380

And you know, if there's a wrestler that I've worked with that has it great.

381

There's two that have stickers from places that resonate with my wife and I one for Key

West and one for Cape May.

382

Cause I grew up in Key West and then.

383

Kate May is a place that we love up here in Jersey.

384

And it's like, you know, you do things that just mean a lot to you as an artist, as a

person.

385

And all of a sudden, as you continue to do things, they take on lives of their own.

386

And it's just, it's crazy how identifiable these things become just because you are you

and you're seen with it so many times.

387

And they're like, my God, that's crazy.

388

There must be this crazy thought behind it.

389

You're like, I mean, I just got these stickers and I put them on and they look great.

390

And you love it.

391

So.

392

Yeah, that's just it, right?

393

People are like, man, that paint job is so cool.

394

I'm like, I tell you this, bro, it's stickers and they're fading, you know?

395

But, but yeah, as you said, sometimes it's, it's those organic things, I think that, that

really tend to grab hold of people.

396

It's the stuff that you don't really mean to do.

397

It's like, and that's life these days, right?

398

It's, it's like, you know, all of my biggest videos on social media are

399

videos that I just did you know just sitting there just thought of something and did it

real quick and then you know the ones that I spend all this time and try to craft them and

400

I'm like this is the one and they do nothing and so it is there's some something to you

know spontaneity and and you know the organic aspect of things

401

And speaking about little bit of organicness here too, before we jumped on stream, you

were saying that earlier in life you had a little, and you brought the Von Erics, so

402

obviously it's a deep cut that very much resonates with us here on the wrestling side.

403

You said you had a little bit of wrestling history early on in your life too.

404

Yeah, if you actually Google me, Von Eric is one of my aliases.

405

And I actually use the Von Eric name, I believe, till 2000 and...

406

Maybe it was Drunk Enough to Dance when I stopped you.

407

I don't know, I might have still been doing it, but anyway, it's definitely into the

408

I was a Von Erich and I was actually made by Kevin, an official Von Erich.

409

We started the band in Wichita Falls, but moved to Denton, Texas.

410

And his daughter was in college at the time and used to come see us.

411

told her dad, know, like, this kid's using the Von Erick name or whatever, you know,

played him some of the music and stuff.

412

And then, yeah, and then, you know, one day on Twitter, he was just like, well, you're an

honorary Von Erick, you know, and I was just like, man, that's just, I mean, that's the

413

coolest thing ever.

414

yeah, you know, to me, the Von Ericks were kind of my first rock stars.

415

I was just so into Kerry and Kevin von Eric especially but I got to see all four of them

wrestle I never got to see Chris wrestle but I got to see Mike David Kerry and Kevin all

416

wrestle and several times and You know, I just was Absolutely just again, I was almost

obsessed

417

with the Von Ericsons stuff.

418

Which is another great wrestling story actually, I should say.

419

When I first started talking with Alexa Bliss about, I can't remember what it was, maybe I

was just talking to her about wrestling and she was like, well you know Michael Hayes from

420

the Freebirds is like high up in the organization.

421

I'm like, I didn't know that.

422

And she goes, yeah, she goes, I talk to him all the time.

423

And so while she was here doing the video,

424

We were filming in my son's room, which is that way, and she was doing hair and makeup in

my daughter's room, which is that way.

425

And she called me in there and she was on FaceTime with Michael Hayes.

426

And so I was just like, dude, you know, and she handed me the phone and I was like, man, I

could sing you Backstreet Atlanta G.A.

427

right now, dude.

428

Like I could I could sing you that song.

429

You to further down the block.

430

They got the bad.

431

And he was just like, man, I don't even know the words that song anymore He was just

really nice and I heard as I walked away.

432

I heard him say he's nice guy does he have a bra on his head and Sure enough I did because

in the Alexa bliss video we're spoofing weird science and I still had a bra on my head

433

from uh from doing that

434

him and you turn to him and you say, listen, I'm an honorary von Eric.

435

You watch who you're talking to.

436

Yeah, right.

437

He was just so, so nice.

438

uh, and so that was a really cool experience.

439

And so, you know, it's, it's, it's, it's really fun.

440

I always say the best part about this, about what I do is the camaraderie.

441

And most of the time, I mean the bands that I tour with, my own band, my own crew, but

it's also the people that you meet through.

442

being in this world and stuff and then what that leads to sometimes.

443

mean, if you would have told little kid me who just absolutely despised the Freebird so

much that one day I would be talking to Michael Hayes on FaceTime, I would have been like,

444

what's FaceTime?

445

But then I would have been like, there's no way that's ever gonna happen.

446

So yeah, and then.

447

Then fast, did another interview recently with a dude that knows Buddy Roberts' son.

448

And I was just like, God, what is happening with the world?

449

But pretty wild.

450

And it's also, too, again, through your music, too.

451

Your music is leading you into all these different paths, too.

452

And it's just like, again, you go to a show, you meet Alexa Bliss, you're doing all this,

and then all of sudden she's like, hey, you want to FaceTime Michael Hayes?

453

And you're like, yeah.

454

And it's just, it's so cool to see how so many of those things intersect and how one thing

can lead to another.

455

Again, I think the overarching thing of this whole interview is just you never know where

you're going to end up.

456

You never know.

457

What's going to happen even for me being a fan of you guys for years, being able to say,

okay, cool.

458

In 2019, I have a wrestling podcast.

459

We're trying to think of ways to grow the show.

460

Someone's like, you should write entrance themes because you're a musician.

461

I'm like, I don't even know where to start with that.

462

Start talking to people, been doing entrance themes now for four years.

463

Say, Hey, it'd be cool to have a podcast to talk to musicians and wrestlers because that's

my life.

464

And then all of sudden I'm sitting here with you today, being able to talk shop about

music and wrestling, which is.

465

Bananas, little 15 year old me is not thinking of that.

466

Well, I'm 36 now, little 15 year old me at the time, but.

467

It's a great lesson though that you should treat every relationship...

468

you know, with, with, with delicacy and with, and with normalcy and with just, you know,

be yourself and, be cool to people and be nice and, and put yourself out there.

469

And there's, guess there's lots of lessons to learn here, but you know, I tell my, my kids

all the time, you know, it's just like, you just never know what meeting somebody is going

470

to, what, that's going to be and whether it's, it's bad or good, you know, you never know

what that's going to end up being down the road.

471

And so, you know, try and be a

472

as you go and put a smile on people's faces and that will come back to you and it

certainly does for me.

473

Yeah, absolutely.

474

And the thing is too, you take up so many different places in the music industry.

475

You know, you're obviously with Bowling for Soup.

476

You are writing lots of different country music out there too, under your name.

477

And then also one of my favorite things that you've done within the last couple of years,

because I love the band, the Punk Rock Factory stuff, you did let it go.

478

For me, I'm a friend with Fred who's done some solos for them on their records.

479

And I loved hearing them the first time.

480

I can't even remember what the first song...

481

I think probably their cover of Down Under was the first song that I had heard.

482

And then, you know, you get into everything afterwards and then all of a sudden you show

up on let it go.

483

And I'm sitting there just like, dude, again, just another banger.

484

And I'm just like, obviously he's working with them and they're working with him because

why would they not be?

485

Hey.

486

Man, I found that band during the pandemic and I was like, this is going to be huge.

487

I I didn't, I wouldn't say I found them.

488

mean, I, I became aware of them and I just started following them, you know, and then I

reached out and I said some, you know, I said some nice things and, and, but I, I'm just

489

so happy for them.

490

It's gone so great.

491

Now they're touring all over the place and doing great numbers and, people just love it.

492

And, and yeah, we're playing together at Wembley arena here, in December, December 13th.

493

and we've got another little surprise release coming out soon and so absolutely yeah just

think that they're there those guys found what it is they do and they figured out if we

494

just stay the course you know it's gonna work and it certainly has and they just keep

figuring out different ways to expand it and I'm just there it's brilliant really is

495

with them, the way that they cover songs and the way that they write songs, it's like,

there's a lot of us who have done covers of, you know, popular songs or Disney songs and

496

whatnot.

497

And it's really cool.

498

But the way that they've been able to do it, it's got kind of like that melodic hardcore

technical thing to it.

499

And then it's obviously very punk.

500

And I'm just like, man, those are two things that will always tug at my heartstrings.

501

And with Let It Go, that was the first one that they put out from that record with you.

502

I think that was like the first single.

503

When they put out that record, were they like, hey, here's a list of songs that we're

doing.

504

Do you want to choose from them or were they like, Hey, we think you'd be awesome on let

it go.

505

And you kind of worked with what they gave you.

506

Yeah, I...

507

I remember.

508

I think if they would have let me choose that's probably what I would have picked.

509

But I can't quite remember how it happened.

510

But I know that it happened in a way where we were both like, this just makes all the

sense.

511

I have a young son who's 12 and so that was long enough ago where I had just watched that

movie for two straight years.

512

I was very very familiar with it.

513

Well, every kid was watching it.

514

um But I remember hearing that song in the theater when we went and saw the movie and just

going, holy crap, they've done it again.

515

This is gonna be like Aladdin.

516

They're gonna have a song on the radio.

517

This is gonna happen.

518

And sure enough, it didn't take a genius to be able to say that, but I just remember

hearing that song and being like, that song is a smash hit.

519

and it certainly was and is.

520

But yeah, when they asked me about it, I was just like, you know, I would love to do that

song.

521

yeah, it came out really, really good.

522

And that was definitely one of those ones where I really like putting that kind of stuff

out because it shows a little bit different side of my range that like, it doesn't really

523

make sense for me to sing that kind of stuff in Bowling for Soup unless I'm joking around.

524

And so when I get to release something like that, it's fun.

525

to hear people go, the pop punk guy's got some pipes, you know, and that always makes me

feel good.

526

I will say too, was listening to that song and I'm just like, this is awesome.

527

This is awesome.

528

And as you're on the train of let it go featuring you, you're like, what's going to happen

with that one note?

529

And we all know the note.

530

We all know the note at the end.

531

We're like, what are we doing?

532

Where's it going?

533

Where's it going?

534

And it comes in.

535

You're just like, was like, Jared nailed the note.

536

Okay, great.

537

yeah, yeah, I was very, very happy that they left that in because they had, know,

production wise, they sort of bounced between me and PJ and singing wise.

538

so was like, gosh, I hope they let me have that part.

539

And I was very glad that they left it in for sure.

540

So awesome.

541

So I got two more questions for you before we go.

542

And these are questions that I ask everybody who comes on the stream, musicians,

wrestlers, everybody.

543

The first one is a wrestling centric question.

544

So if you had to book a wrestling card with three matches that involved musicians putting

on the boots and wrestling in the ring, what would those three matches be?

545

And what would the matches be?

546

What kind of matches would they be?

547

So these are musicians that are going to wrestle one another.

548

That is correct.

549

man.

550

the first thing that comes to mind is Four Year Strong, because those guys all look like

lumberjacks.

551

And they look like they could all kick some ass.

552

So I would put Four Year Strong, so I guess there's four of them, up against, let's see,

who would I put them up against?

553

Who's another band?

554

Up against Gwar.

555

And it would be a four-man tag team.

556

is what it would be.

557

And I think that would be a very, very good match.

558

And there'd be some creative cheating and a lot of blood.

559

in my mind, four years strong would come out on top.

560

um

561

would be using a lot of weapons, but for your strong, they'd put it up.

562

they are and they're they're they are not small dudes.

563

They are like they all look like, you know, they're all like ripped Then let's see.

564

What else would we do?

565

Let's say we we put

566

You know what?

567

I'm not going to just, I'm not going to be sexist.

568

You got to have a girls match, right?

569

Because females are like just as popular now as, I guess, right?

570

I mean, it's like a big deal because it's, know, when I was, when I was a kid, you know,

the von Erichs and then Chris Adams and gorgeous Jimmy Garvin, like the girls were their

571

valets and they would get in there and chop it up sometimes.

572

But you know, they, they weren't like, it's so cool now that, that the female wrestlers

are so awesome.

573

and their storylines are cool.

574

you know, I mean, I feel like Alexa Bliss, I feel like, Lexi saved the whole freaking

organization during the pandemic, you know, that storyline, what else were they going to

575

do?

576

They couldn't wrestle, you know?

577

I mean, they had to have something.

578

Um, do you know what I'm talking about?

579

Like her with the doll on the swing and stuff, you know, mean, that, they had, that was,

that was really cool.

580

Um,

581

her with they had her paired with the fiend and everything and like the character work

that she put on from what she was before everyone was like I'm not really sure how it's

582

gonna work but Alexa Bliss pulled it off like better than anybody thought and even now she

kind of skirts between different kinds of character work but everyone's just like you know

583

she could go back to doing the fiend stuff like you never thought that

584

the girl that was in the video for Alexa bliss or the girl that started off in NXT was

going to be able to pull off this like hyper scary character.

585

And even in one of the, in even one of the promo, she does something and Bray turns to the

camera, Bray.

586

Why he's like, shit.

587

Like it was the coolest thing.

588

So I agree with you.

589

Yeah.

590

That's cool.

591

Yeah, man.

592

All right, so let's have we'll go we'll go Avril Lavigne versus Lolo.

593

Lolo I'm about to tour with.

594

So we go like the queen up against the the new up and comer pop punk princess, right?

595

That's good.

596

to that too.

597

There's very much storyline to that.

598

Like, hey, you're the queen, you've been doing this forever, but it's my time now.

599

That's right.

600

See, I know what I'm doing here.

601

It's weird though to like, I gotta be honest, it's a little bit weird to like start

calling girls queen and princess.

602

It's 2025, but we are talking wrestling and there's theater to this, right?

603

Like, let's don't, don't come back on me on this shit.

604

let's also be clear too, Avril Lavigne's one of her stage names is the Pop Punk Queen.

605

Pop Punk, you know, so that's what I'm referring to with it, yeah.

606

well, I'm with you.

607

Look at us both scurrying around John to make sure that we're good.

608

No, but I think that would be good, right?

609

That would be a good story.

610

So far, this card is kicking butt, you know?

611

All right, all right, one more.

612

I'm gonna go, let's go with...

613

I say, like a...

614

Let's go like a classic pop punk thing.

615

I'm gonna go Newfound Glory versus All Time Low.

616

They're all really tall.

617

They're all good looking dudes.

618

Like that could be a really good match.

619

All Time Low versus Newfound Glory in a, what is it called?

620

If everybody's in the ring at the same time.

621

like a tornado, Texas tornado tag.

622

Yeah.

623

Tornado, Kerry Von Erich.

624

I can get very much behind that.

625

Funny story about Newfound Glory too.

626

When I went to school down in Florida, I went to school at FAU in Boca Raton, and we

played at this place about 10 minutes away from there called Solid Sound Studios, where

627

apparently it was run by, I forget which person in Newfound Glory, but it was run by their

aunt, and everyone kind of knew it, but no one ever said it until three years later, they

628

all of sudden did a small show there when they were revving up for tour, and like...

629

they told people like two hours in advance and they still packed this like small little

rehearsal studio, which is what it was with like three to 400 people in like two hours.

630

I was like, this is the craziest thing in the world.

631

Cause she never brought it up.

632

She was never like, Hey, run by the aunt of the new found glory guys.

633

Right.

634

But like everyone knew.

635

then within two hours, boom, you want a secret show?

636

Well, here's your secret show.

637

Yeah.

638

Last question I got for you before you go and

639

If the other one was difficult, this one's probably a little bit harder.

640

If you had to give three songs on a Spotify playlist that would represent you as a person,

what would those three songs be?

641

man, you're right.

642

That is tough.

643

Three songs, me as a person.

644

I would probably go...

645

You know, I speak a lot about mental health and that's something that is really important

to me.

646

It became important to me late in life in that I didn't really experience depression and

anxiety until I was into my 40s.

647

And so just that whole aspect of life and sharing myself, I'm gonna go with I Will Survive

would be the first one that represents me.

648

And then let's go with, I think the next one is gonna be

649

Man, this is a hard question, John.

650

Am I the only one that is thinking too hard about it?

651

Does everybody think about it a little bit while they're doing this?

652

Every person that's come on the stream has said, this is the most difficult question, even

more than the, let's go ahead and put musicians in the ring one.

653

Everyone's just like, man, I'm a musician or I'm somebody that's very influenced by music.

654

How am I supposed to only choose three?

655

Yeah, yeah, I'm go You know what?

656

I'm just gonna throw caution to the wind here.

657

I'm gonna go I will survive.

658

I'm gonna go suburban home by the descendants And then I'm gonna go

659

man.

660

We'll go with...

661

wait, hold on, I got one.

662

It's gonna be something by Frank Turner.

663

I still believe by Frank Turner.

664

Good choice.

665

Good choice.

666

And those are songs too, that I think all embody different portions of what you've talked

about.

667

And it really shows like, it shows the range of Jared.

668

You know, I don't know if a lot of people might just go, okay, it's going to be three pop

punk songs or something like that.

669

But you embody so much more.

670

You embody so much more in the world of music, mental health, everything that you again

have cultivated over the last X amount of time.

671

So that's a really great list.

672

I love that list.

673

I appreciate that.

674

Yeah, absolutely.

675

Well, Jared, it's been great talking to you about wrestling music, everything in between

on ropes and riffs.

676

I thank you for your time and thank you for hanging out with us today.

677

Thanks for having me, this has been a lot of fun.