Sahil Laul: So he stops and he goes, I feel like having a massage. And I'm sitting outside of the thing and I'm saying to myself, I might be waiting for Robert Platt. He might be in a Robin tug right now. Robert Plant at a massage parlor, selfies with Joe Perry, and a long-lost handwritten letter that'll bring you to tears. What do these things have in common? They're just the surface of the most epic rock and roll conversation you're ever gonna hear. Coming up right now. Welcome to Count's Culture, where cool never clocks out. I'm Danny the Count Coker. If you love cars, bikes, rock and roll, good vibes, and unforgettable stories, This is the place for you. Even if you're not familiar with me or the work that we do at Count's Customs, you are more than welcome right here. No matter who you are, where you live, what you believe in, each and every one of you is now an official member of the Count's Customs family. Now I promise to bring you the most amazing guests, each with a jaw dropping and emotional tales about fame, life, and everything in between. So thank you for listening and I hope you enjoy the ride. Every episode, I'm joined by one of my members of the Count's Customs family and today, I'm honored to be in the presence of my brother, Mr. Stoney Curtis. What up, Stoney? Man, everything is great. This is great. It's a pleasure to be here. Amen. And this is episode one, man. This is gonna be great. I know, I know. It is incredible. So for those of you may or may not know, ⁓ outside of cars and motorcycles, music was the first thing in my life. My father was a musician, brought me up. in music. I was an old school gospel singer from 100 years ago, give or take, and music is so important to me. you may or may not know, but I am blessed to be the lead singer in a classic, vibed 70s, very 70s rooted hard rock band called Counts 77. And my brother Stoney Curtis here is the lead guitar player. for Count 77, founding member. We have been doing this together for 15 years. Yeah. You know, there's like certain things where I don't really remember life without doing certain things. Yeah. So yeah, Count 77 has been a huge part of both of our lives. Absolutely. For at least 15 years now. Absolutely. Well, we've been blessed. to work with one of the greatest producers, Mr. Mike Varney. We've done ⁓ two original records, two original Count 77 records. We're working on a third. We've got a new single that we're gonna get out there and get released pretty soon. But I've been a Stoney Curtis fan for long before we ever met. I used to, cause Stoney's got his own ⁓ solo band, kind of a blues rock vibe. It's Tony Curtis Band and I was always going to Tony Curtis shows before we actually ended up on the same stage at the same time and now we're Count 77 and been doing it for 15 years or so or whatever, man. Listen, we got ⁓ a really cool guest here and that's one of the reasons why you're here because we're going to be talking a lot about music on this particular episode. ⁓ So before we bring our guest out who is just amazing, we had a little bit of a drama here. last night. What in the world went on here at about two o'clock in the morning? You were here mixing, you were here running a session in the studio, and something went down here at two o'clock in the morning. Yes, thankfully I was here and it was about two in the morning. ⁓ Over the past week or so, they've been working on the water mains out on the street. So from time to time they turn off the water, that's fine, but when they turn the water back on, the fire alarm goes off with You know, the system here. Well yeah, you know, everything is sprinkled and fire risers and alarms. So when the water pressure changes, the alarm goes off. Exactly. So I heard the fire alarm going off and I knew the water was off. I they turned the water back on. So I just kind of wandered in here into the lobby and I see the water starting to come under the door. And it's coming in at an alarming rate. ⁓ nice, yeah. So I just kind of started to... and started grabbing all of this stuff and tried to slide it out of the way thinking, okay, we got a little issue here but it shouldn't be too bad. But it kept coming in. I step outside, I look, they blew the main water line right here. Whenever they turn that water back on, it exploded through there and literally lift the... The parking lot pavement. ground, yeah. And water is just bellowing out of there and it's coming in here, right? And it's going... everywhere in the parking lot. I didn't know what to do. The water department, 911. And I apologize. It's two o'clock in the morning. Who you gonna call? Yeah, so I apologize. This is the right number to call, but I do have an emergency here. And they connected me with the fire department. Our wonderful men and women of the Las Vegas fire department were here. minutes. And then we went on our search, tried to find where to turn off the water. And then luckily we were able to get ahold of the guys out there and they shut it all down. And ⁓ yeah, so for a good three hours, three inches of water all through here, there, sweep, sweep, sweep. then luckily, you know, your wonderful team came in this morning and started just getting it all ready so that we weren't ⁓ stopped. Yeah, man. You know, I'm blessed with such an amazing team that you said, like you said, you know, came down here in the middle of the night and helped us. get all this cleaned up and get us back going. So, you know, here we are. And I am a guy who believes in miracles and modern day miracles. Thank God you happen to be here. Because, you know, if you weren't here, this would have been, this flooding would have gone on for hours. Hours. mean, think about- damage would be endless. Yeah, I mean, think about in 45 minutes, we had three inches of water in here, all through here. Yeah. You know, if that went on for- three, four, five hours, oh my Lord. Yeah, yeah, exactly. It would have been a complete disaster. Well, thank God we're good now, and since we've survived the flood, let's talk about something cool. Yeah. Okay, between what you've been working on, what bands are doing right now, the recordings, tours, and just the state of music, there's a lot going on. What has got your attention lately? Well, I mean, for me, for 2026, I think, you know, The big thing for me that has my attention is the Iron Maiden Run For Your Lives tour, which comes to the US near the end of the summer. ⁓ Iron Maiden was a big one for me when I was a kid. For me, it's always been blues, blues rock, rock and roll, hard rock, and I love everything. But Iron Maiden was a big one for me when we were kids, and now they're going out on a tour where they're kind of celebrating and focusing on the first six, seven albums of Iron Maiden, which is what I call my Iron Maiden. So really excited about that. I think that's gonna be a travel show for me to go do a couple shows. Well, it's Iron Maiden, so this has gotta be a world tour. Yeah, it's absolutely a world tour, and they are on this tour now, but it doesn't come to the states here until near the end of the summer. So definitely looking forward to that. So you're be doing a little traveling yourself, because I'm sure you're gonna go more than once. Absolutely. That's a big one for me, especially that era of the music that they're focusing on. And then we have a lot of great things coming up with our Count, 77 band. We have a Stoney Curtis album coming out. ⁓ And then we have just great things going on locally with the Count band. Right. Okay, listen everybody, don't go anywhere. In just a minute, I got one of the most influential, knowledgeable, significant figures in rock. History is gonna be here. The mastermind behind that metal show, he's got more stories than the Bible with the rock community. It's the one and only Mr. Eddie Trunk coming up. Don't go anywhere. Steven Tyler started Janie's Fund for a simple but powerful reason, to help girls heal and move forward after trauma. I've been honored to support and work with Janie's Fund over the years. This is about giving young women access to counseling, education, stability, and the confidence to reclaim their future. Janie's Fund is built on compassion, community, and real impact because every girl deserves the chance to stand strong. Learn more or get involved at JaniesFund.org and help change a life today. Tonight's guest is one of the most influential voices in rock and metal history, a broadcaster, journalist, archivist, historian, and un- apologetically passionate fan whose fingerprints are on four decades of music culture. Four decades. He's the man who bands call when they want their story told right, and the guy who elevated heavy music when nobody else in the mainstream media really cared. He's written books, broken bands, hosted national radio shows, co-created that metal show, dug deeper into artists' careers than anyone else in the business, and he's interviewed more rock legends and I've had cars in my shop. And that is saying a lot, my friends, but that's the resume. Behind the mic is a guy who loves the Giants, obsesses over pizza like it's religion, and archives rock history with the precision of the Library of Congress. A broadcaster, a historian, a super fan, a tastemaker, a memory machine, and my dear brother, the one and only Mr. Eddie Trunk. Hi, brother. Where is that guy, man? That guy's soundin' badass if I say so myself. And where's his mansion and yacht doin' all that stuff, Well, I know, we're gonna have to find out where all that is, man. I'm trying to get a water softener in a condo. It sounds like I should be in a castle. How you doin', my brother? I'm great, man. It's great to be here. It's awesome to be here. And this guy, too, over here. Stoney Curtis, and that, well, you know. Your Ed McMahon over here. You are correct, sir. That's what I needed. Well, Stoney's here because, you know... This is about music today. ⁓ This storyline. And ⁓ if anybody knows music, it is you. And ⁓ Stoney is family and you guys are brothers and we're brothers. And so we're just gonna have some fun here, man. And I just, really appreciate you coming and joining us on the premier episode of Count's Culture. It's an honor. It's an honor and it's great to be here with two true brothers and ⁓ get a little. try to get a little better job on the heat in here maybe, the temperature, otherwise we're all good. Well it's tribute to David Letterman. Exactly, who I love. Absolutely, absolutely. All good. Eddie, you're the guy who introduced half of America to their favorite bands. That's the truth, man. What did you listen to on the way here to the studio tonight? ⁓ what did I listen to? You want to know the truth? Tell me. I already love it. I'm just showing you my age. Okay. My favorite channel on SiriusXM is something called Doctor Radio. Where it's actual doctors. And every hour it's the men's health show, it's the prostate health show, it's the mental health show, it's the heart show, the brain show. And you know what? The way healthcare is now, if I can get some free healthcare, I'm getting it. I'll call in, I'll be like, hey man, my last colonoscopy was, what do you think? My PSA number's this, what do you think? And I'll talk to the doctors. Bro, I love it. have like, Mr. Rock knowledge, Mr. Rock music, Mr. Rock promotion for 40 years. And what'd you listen to when we were here? Doctor Radio, all the way. Doctor Radio. I needed my medical, I get my, we're all getting older, you gotta keep up on stuff, man. Now listen, earlier in the day, I was listening to the new Alter Bridge record, and I was listening to a new record coming out from J.B. Cannon. I'm staying up on my music, but when I get in the car, need to like, you my life, my whole life, almost 24 seven is music. So there are times I like to kind of just get away from that and just clear out from that a little bit and listen to something else, whether it be a podcast, talk, sports talk, I listen to a lot of sports talk, especially when I'm back in Jersey and... And yeah, Dr. Radio is the shit, man. That is not the answer that I thought and I'm loving everybody. So listen, you've been in Vegas now for what, five years-ish? Yeah, as a part-time resident about four five years. Okay, how's it treating you and what, ⁓ something that has completely surprised you about Vegas, anything? First of all, how it's treating me, mean, ⁓ Vegas always was my favorite city. And people are surprised when they hear me say that, because I think the immediate thought, to this day, when I tell somebody how much I love Vegas, the immediate thought is, you must be a wild gambler, partier, drinker. I'm actually none of those things. I rarely drink, and I never hardly ever gamble. No, I'm not opposed to it, but I don't. ⁓ And it's not that at all, but as you know, having lived here for so long, you know, this town can be a lot of things. And I do suggest to people who maybe have a drinking vice or a gambling vice that maybe it's not the place for you. But I don't have those issues. ⁓ And I love entertainment, I always did. I obviously work in it to some degree. And this is a town where you can go to anything on any given night and see anybody. ⁓ I love food, so there's amazing restaurants here. And what really opened my eyes to Vegas, one time, ⁓ probably 20 years ago, I rented a car, which I'd never done. And then all of sudden, when I got off the strip, I realized, I'm like, ⁓ wait a there's home of the world out here. There's suburbs, there's new communities, there's a lot of different people, and that's when I really fell in love with Vegas, because I grew up and still live some of the time in the New York, New Jersey area. And for me in Jersey, even though I'm 35 miles from Manhattan, it's two hours, it's $80 to park the car, it's $30 at the tunnel, it's whole thing. Here, 20 minutes away from anything, and it's awesome. So there's that, and I guess as far as surprising would be the community of people outside of the Strip. There's great people here, and I made. I say all the time, I probably more friends here than anywhere else in the country. And just genuine good people. There is a perception, and I agree with you, there's a perception of Vegas is the one street and downtown. You got the Las Vegas Boulevard strip and downtown. And maybe a gazillion years ago, it really was pretty much Las Vegas Boulevard and downtown. And the minimal communities really supported that. But like you said, There is so much going on here all over the place. It's not just that one street anymore. It's not just that It's changed a lot too. Absolutely. It's become much more of a, with the sports teams, et cetera, it's become more of family, people bringing their families here, people moving here. our little city is turning into a pretty big city. bet. All let me ask you this. You're a Jersey guy. You're Jersey born and raised. Is there a venue? a store, a greasy spoon, a place back home that you still get like really homesick for. ⁓ sure, there's just a local pizza Italian restaurant called Forte that the minute I get back I gotta go there and have a meal. Nice. And it's one of these super casual places, you go up to the counter, order, go sit on the side, eat your food, nothing fancy. Yeah. Just great though. Yeah, but it's proper. Great. I love it, I love it, I love it. All right, so check this out. Your baby right now, and still after like all these years, it's Trunk Nation. What's the heartbeat of the show heading into 2026? What's the fire that keeps you behind that microphone, bro, every single day? I'll tell you, ⁓ the show you're referencing, the radio show I do right now on SiriusXM, ⁓ this year is in its 10th year of existence. Congrats, bro. Yeah, thank you. Overall, this is my 43rd year in broadcasting, and this is my 10th year doing a daily rock talk show. And I gotta tell you, Danny, when ⁓ the idea was presented to me for this, a guy named Roger Coletti came to me and said, I'm gonna start this channel that's going to be all rock, no, I shouldn't say all rock, all music talk and interview. And we want you to be our rock guy, we want you to be our afternoon guy. I was skeptical because I'd been jerked around a lot, quite honestly, and I was like, this ain't gonna happen. Long story short, unfortunately, the whole channel is gone that started it and every show that was on when we launched is gone except mine. I'm the only one standing and they moved me to another channel. And I gotta tell you, ⁓ in all my decades of doing radio, it's the thing I enjoy the most. Now don't get me wrong, I love playing music for people. For people that don't know, this is a pure talk show. I actually don't play music. But it's really important now because we're in a time now, I think, where people need more direction and curation as to what to listen to and to hear about. Because let's be honest, if I told Stoney or you about a great band right now, in two seconds you could go to your phone and hear it. Well, I can't, but you can. Right, because you still have a flip. Most people can't. Danny's living in a different era. No joke, you even text. But you have this ability to do that now. So now it's not about like, ⁓ you gotta send somebody, as much as I wish people still go to record stores and I grow up working in one and I encourage them to do so. ⁓ The reality is you can get anything you want most people can on their phone. And I love being that guy that can steer people in those directions. So every day I get on the air at three o'clock Eastern time and. It's live and it's interactive and I don't know what's gonna come. I love spontaneity. I don't know what's gonna come back to me on the phones. I don't know what somebody's gonna poke the bear that day and set me off. I don't know if I'm gonna read something five minutes before I get on the air that's gonna make me mad and I'm gonna want to vent or make me pray something. It's very. immediate, reactionary, and I love working like that. I love live, I love spontaneity, and that's what keeps me on my toes. people would say all the time, like, is there enough to talk about every day in the rock world? Yeah, I mean, I do two hours a day, and I could easily do four or five. Plus, I got a great audience that comes back at me with so much stuff. And I never know, like, I do this thing called Free For All, and it's just like, that means literally, hit me with anything and let's go. And you just don't know what's gonna trip that day. You kind of base it on a sports radio kind of talk. That's kind of like the idea behind it. Yeah, I'm a big sports fan and I listen to sports talk radio and when I started doing it, that's exactly it. I actually called it Sports Talk for Rock fans. That was kind of like the concept of it and that's kind of what I do. But every day it changes because people call in and they lead you down different little paths. That's the great thing about It changes every day. The greatest benefit that I have is having done this my whole life and building an audience. And I'm super grateful for that. To have hung in there and done this since I was a kid in 1983 and to still be doing it and still be doing six shows a week live, among many other things. I'm super, super grateful for that. And it doesn't ever get beyond me. Along those lines though, Eddie, you are still breaking bands. You're giving them a platform. How do you decide, how does Eddie decide who gets the spotlight? What catches Eddie Trunks' ear, especially early here in 2026? It's the same thing that drove me from when I was a kid discovering music. It's really simple. It just has to impact me. It just, I know it when I hear it. And it really, at the end of the day for me, has always come down to two things. Songs, first and foremost, and vocal. I've always been a guy that was immediately gravitated to voices that I liked. it doesn't, sometimes when I say that, people think, ⁓ it's gotta be like a Freddie Mercury or Jeff Tater, this amazing voice. That's all great, but not necessarily. Just a voice that I like. If I like the vocal, there's a good chance, and the song's good, there's a good chance I'm gonna be into the band. Like to this day, I get super hyped when I find something that I'm like, wow, this is really cool. And it's gotta be real, and it's gotta be organic, and it's gotta be like, you know, honest and, you know, just great rock music. And nothing gets me more excited than whether I hear old stuff like that, that I grew up with that I loved, and maybe new music from those bands. or when I hear a new band that's kind of got that vibe. Okay, all right, I totally agree with you. I gotta have a melody line as well. There's gotta be something melodic about it. It's gotta be pleasing to the ear. I have to have Yeah, and it's really hard to, it's super hard, even people in my position, to navigate everything right now. Because we were in a time where we're all old enough to know that we were in a time where you couldn't release music. without a record deal. You physically couldn't put music out. in any way, so if somebody handed you a CD or an album or a cassette, it was like, whoa, you passed all these thresholds Yeah, through the gate. Yeah. Yeah. Now, in the last five minutes, a thousand songs just went up, or videos went up. So it's made it way harder for even the general, me even, but the general public to kind of, pick the needles out of the haystack. And as a result, a lot of good stuff gets lost in the mix. Agreed. And the great thing too about what you do is that, know, it's helping keep a lot of these acts relevant and out in the public eye on some of these bands, legacy bands that have been around for a long time. It keeps a lot of them out there and keeps a focus on them in some way. Well, thanks, Tony. mean, it's weird, man. I'm just a rock nerd. I don't think about all the things that have spun off or that I've helped or that I've worked with. But look, if I'm being honest, there's the other side of it too, because I am very passionate in my beliefs about things. I'm sometimes honest to a fault about them. I do believe that's important and I do believe that gets me my audience. Even the haters are still gonna listen. ⁓ We're in a time with social media where people creatively edit things and misrepresent things. I've heard, I've clicked around on YouTube and been like, oh, there's a clip of Slash talking about Ace Freely, I gotta hear this, and I'll listen to it, I'm like, wait a minute, that's my interview. Somebody cut it up and cut me out of it and pretended like they were interviewing me. So there's all kinds of stuff, crazy nonsense that goes on that you kind of have to roll off your back and plow forward, but it creates problems because sometimes people will misrepresent things, take things out of context, and then I get into trouble with these artists. They make these assumptions and I get outcast or whatever, but fortunately enough people know me to pick up the phone and say, hey, let's talk about this if there is a beef. I gotta do what I gotta do, they gotta do what they gotta do, and occasionally there's gonna be some wreckage along the way. out forward. No, your honesty about the industry over and over is extremely refreshing, even when it creates waves. And people aren't used to getting that. Like, there's so, like, I hear about that all the time. Like, people aren't used to hearing the truth about the industry. And I worked on the industry side, too, and that's been valuable to me, but they don't, you'd be surprised how many people just don't understand how the music industry works. They think that artists, if they had a song and a video on MTV in 1988, They're multimillionaires set for life living in a mansion. They don't get the reality of how these people have been ripped off or the manipulation or the politics or the biases. And I don't have a problem blowing the curtain back on that. I think it's important for people to understand. We've heard you do that and it's cool. It's way cool. The honesty is cool. okay, now before we get going here, you're gonna get one chance to put me on the spot here as the host of this. be it cars, music, life, Vegas, whatever, ask me anything. I promise you I'm do my best to not dodge it and give a real answer to you. So this is something completely different. So I'm gonna prepare for this question. I'd be curious, know, ⁓ like many, loved, loved, your club, Vamped. Amen. Which, may it rest in peace and may it return one day. But of all the bands and experiences and moments you had ⁓ as the owner of that place, ⁓ what was the one? What was your favorite? What stood out? What was the moment for you, your favorite moment in your years of VAMPT? You don't have to say meeting me though. That's a really, really, really great. Great question. The magical moment. I have two answers. I'll let you go to. To come to that right now. Number one, ⁓ I grew up in music. My father was a musician, brought me up in music. I used to be a singer 100 years ago, and then I walked away from it for years. And then something happened on the stage at Vamped. And that was when my guys ⁓ organically on a John Zito jam night, we all ended up on the same stage at the same time jamming. And it was an honest organic thing. And it brought something back into my life that was really missing. And a big part of that is the connection with my father who's watching from heaven these days. And I hadn't done that in a hundred years. And I will. always cherish that. And that happened on stage at VAMPT. And I've never looked back, and that's why, know, Count 77 and we've been together for 15 years, but that's probably one of the greatest things about that place for me on a personal level, ⁓ is it gave me something back in my soul that was really missing. And there's not ever a time that 77 performs that I don't have a moment with my dad. And so that's crucially important. And was that the catalyst to get you back on stage singing again? Absolutely. That was moment. That was 100 % when it happened for me. And I'm so thankful for that. So now before I get all emotional, I'm going to go on to part two. ⁓ The other thing that really stands out in my mind, and as you know, 16 years, Vamped ⁓ supported the rock scene in Vegas and brought some amazing national bands and artists through Las Vegas. And so we've had some incredible stuff on there. But for me now, this question was directed towards me. For me, ⁓ one of the greatest moments in my life for Vant also was I got to sing with Robbie Krieger. ⁓ I got to do Doors. I'm such a Doors fan. I'm such a Doors fan. I love the Doors. I love the music. I love the songs. I love the band. I love all of it. And ⁓ Robbie Krieger with his solo band came and played a show. on stage at Vant and he had me come up and I got to do a few songs, Doors songs with Robbie. Robbie and I standing there beside each other him playing and me singing my butt off doing the Doors stuff. those are a couple of moments that. They're delicious for me. I'm glad I was part of both of those. Absolutely. That's great to hear that. Absolutely, Curtis. Absolutely. I mean, I'm not kidding you folks, listening and watching. This is truly family here. Okay, listen everybody, don't go anywhere. We're going to take a little break. We got more with Eddie Trump coming right back, so stick around. There are a few causes more important to me than camp freedom. Camp freedom isn't about what someone's lost. It's about what's still possible. We give disabled veterans, first responders, and Gold Star families something powerful. Time outdoors, shoulder to shoulder, fishing, hunting, riding, away from hospitals and stereotypes. Out here, it's not therapy, it's camaraderie. If you're looking to support something real, monthly giving, sponsoring land, or just learning more, Camp Freedom is changing lives one acre at a time. Head to CampFreedomPA.org. to show your support. All right, Eddie, let's rewind for a minute here. Now, before the books, before the interviews, before the fame, who was the kid, Eddie Trunk, growing up? I mean, I was very, very lucky that I grew up ⁓ in a very, very ⁓ supportive, ⁓ loving household. A younger brother, ⁓ my parents, ⁓ very supportive of my... rock obsession, which happened very, very early in my life. I'm very lucky and grateful I still have both my parents. And ⁓ they're still very engaged with me and I talk to them every day or two and ⁓ they're still trying to, looking forward to me getting a real job and putting on a suit and going to work in the morning. But they haven't quite figured it out yet. know, TV, radio and books, they still are like, what do you do again? You it's like, you've got to have a backup plan. But no, you know. I grew up with a lot of music in the house. And my parents grew up in the 50s, so my mom loved her Elvis and all that sort of stuff back in the day, and I grew up with those records on the days of the stereos that were built into furniture. The liquor cabinet. The felt over the speakers, you pulled up the big thing and there's the turntable. I missed that for a minute. You too. Everything was so much better. So much better. So I would go and I'd play their records and I'd pull their records out and I'd listen to Elvis or 1001 Strings or whatever they had in there. you know, I was just, I got that bug very early and then junior high school, walking home, well, I heard this band called the Razz Berries, which is a power pop band. I heard a song called Go All The Way in the backseat of my parents' car. Oh, that big heavy opening riff going into that melody. And that's the first time as a kid I got like goosebumps. I'm like, what is this? know, distorted guitar. And that really was the moment where I became like, I gotta like, I gotta find out more about this. I was probably 10, 12 years old. My parents would drive me to the record store and I'd buy the 45, buy the album. Couple years later, walking home and I discovered Kiss and then it was really game over and that was like a huge game changer. But the cool thing was my parents were always like cool about it. My parents to this day are every Sunday going to church and very traditional in a lot of ways but they weren't freaked out when I bought home Kiss Destroyer like a lot of other families would be like, get that devil music out. They were cool about it. Yeah, well because it's not devil music. no. And they let me go to my first concert at 13 in New York with a friend in Madison Square Garden, an older friend who took me in. So they were always very cool about it and that was very, very helpful. But I grew up, ⁓ my mom is Italian. I grew up in a very Italian dominant family, very Italian values, literally in the back of an Italian liquor deli store that I would walk home from school because my mom would have to work there at night. And my dad, very hardworking and just, you ⁓ middle class suburbs of New Jersey, but always just the music thing. And that was the only thing for me. I did horribly in school, horribly. And it wasn't because I was dumb, but I just, the minute I discovered rock music, I didn't care about anything but rock music. Just get me out of math, get me through history, get me through science, get me to... the next minute I can listen to or buy a record. Well, this is gonna lead me to my next question. Where you're headed right now. You weren't just a rock fan. You were an archivist, before you even knew probably the meaning of that word. You saved liner notes, press materials, ticket stubs, magazines, tapes. What in the world back then did you think you were building? Was this a collection or like deep down inside, did you feel like this was gonna be something more for you? No, interestingly, I've never been a collector. I'm not a guy that goes out and collects things. mean, if somebody gives me something, great, but I've never been like the collector guy. For me, doing all that was about gathering information. Because for me, all I wanted to do, once I discovered this music that I loved, my whole thing was how can I share it with people? I want to spread this. To that end, first thing I ever did was did some writing in my high school newspaper and reviewed records. Okay, there's a way that I can write about it. ⁓ Then I got a job in a record store. There's a way I can sell it to people and tell people you should buy this and what have you. And then my local rock station in New Jersey, ⁓ the guys who owned it would come into the record store. I'd badger them and be like, hey man, let me go on the air a couple hours a week and play some of these records for people. and shut up kid, you know anything about rock music, you know anything about radio. And I'm like, doesn't matter, I can do it, can do it. I make a demo tape on my friend's pirate radio station in his basement in Staten Island. And then I present that when the owner comes in and he's like, is this, this station doesn't even exist. Don't worry, is it good enough, give me a couple hours. went up started doing a radio show in 1983. Now I'm playing music for people. And then because I'm playing music that nobody else is playing, a guy that owns a label named Megaforce Records comes up to me and literally knocks on my door and says, I got this band called Metallica, no one will touch them, I'm not leaving until you play it. Okay, I played it. As he walks out, he says, if this band ever happens, he goes, I'm gonna hire you to work for my record company. Yeah, right, that band's ever gonna. Right, right, right, right, right. This band called Metallica. They did alright. They did alright. Couple years later he calls me up, he's like, the band took off. You're gonna hire, so now I'm working for a label, I'm doing radio, I'm still working in a record store, I'm writing. So I just became consumed with it and to your point, like, all of this information, this gathering, this curation, this research, this reading the liner notes, this gathering of stuff was really all. just from my head so that I can spit it out to people. And gather information. What did you learn? What did you learn about the music business that really works from that record label experience, both good and bad, for better and for worse? What'd you learn out of that? When I was on the label end? Yeah. Well, that lasted for about four years. ⁓ I learned there's no better feeling than, again, these were the days you couldn't do anything in music unless you had a record deal. So there was no better feeling than being able to find something you loved and give that band a shot and give them a deal. And I did that, I signed about four or five bands in my career. A couple of them did pretty well, a couple of them tanked, you're always gonna bat about 50-50 if you're lucky. I, to have that experience, to go to a band that you see pounding away, rehearsing, looking for the dream, and to be able to be that person to walk in that day and say, you know what guys, we're gonna do a record. You're literally talking about discovering some bands early on. Being the first guy in America to give them airplay. When did you feel the shift from, I'm talking about rock, to I'm actually helping define it. Well, pretty early on because the first thing I did in radio was pitch this idea for what at the time was called a metal show. And metal shows still exist, but I don't feel like what I do now is a metal show anymore because metal has changed and evolved and I've gotten way broader. And now look at what I do more under the rock umbrella, ⁓ metal still being a part of it. I have no problem with that, but it's broader than that for sure. I've definitely opened more as I've gotten older. But when I was doing a metal show, there was pretty much nobody else in the country doing such a thing. There may have been a guy on Long Island before me, that's debatable as to whether I was a little before or he was a little after me. And there may have been somebody in the Bay Area. But remember, this is long before the internet streaming, so it's a little bit of a gray area. But around that time, 1983, there really was no such thing as a metal show. And I had this idea to do this show to spotlight that kind of music, because we were selling a lot of it in the record store, but it wasn't getting any airplay. And I've always hated the way rock and metal kind of get marginalized. And people think that they can look at... they can go in this room and they can look at somebody and say, ⁓ that's a metal fan because they got long hair and earrings or maybe tattoos. Well, you know what, in my career, I have become friends with professional athletes, surgeons, lawyers that you would not look at and say that's a metal fan who are huge metal fans. So I've always tried to, like, my own appearance, people are like, you're the metal guy? You don't have long hair, you don't have, no, I mean, I don't need to wear the outfit, it's in me, you It's way bigger than people give it credit for because of that. But I fought those stereotypes for a long time and I still do to some degree. And I really wanted the opportunity to be able to, ⁓ like I said, share the music with other people. And when I got on the radio at 18 and started playing these records nobody else was playing, I felt an immediate reverberation from that, from people. Because... The station I started at, a little rock station in New Jersey, still on the air, WDHA, doesn't broadcast to the New York City market. But suddenly I'm getting phone calls at 18 years old from the big labels in New York saying, hey, I wanna bring Wasp in. These were new bands at the time. I wanna bring Quiet Riot in. Wait, you wanna come to the Sticks of Jersey? And yes, because what you're doing is. making an impact. We're seeing a spike in sales. So right then I'm like, wow, this is working. This is kind of connecting with people. And that was early on I felt that. Well, this might lead me to the next question. So you kind of found yourself in a rare space. mean, you're a guy that the fans trusted, but also the artists, the bands trust, which is amazing. When did you realize that... You know, I'm officially in this circle now. When did that hit you? I don't know if there was like a specific moment for that. I feel like it just kind of built over time and because I've always done a, I mean, I'm best known for radio and my old TV show for sure, but it's weird because people know me for different things and I don't know where I necessarily connected with them sometimes. It's funny because people to this day will come up to me and they'll be like, hey man, ⁓ love your show. And I appreciate that. And I'm not saying this from an arrogance standpoint, but I'll say which one. Because over the decades, even now, I do diverse things. And I'm not sure if they're asking me about radio, TV, or whatever. So it's like been a cumulative thing. There are still people that I'll meet, especially in New Jersey, where I'm from. that will come up to me, I'll be out to dinner at a mall and they'll come up to me like, dude, you sold me my first Def Leppard record. ⁓ And they're like, I and they go, you, I came into the record store and you told me to buy this band called Rat who had an EP out. I'll never forget. it's like, so you don't know where you made that connection. ⁓ But it's just. You know, I guess, like when I've noticed I've really kind like, when I get a text from Tony Iommi, I'm kind of like, you know, just recently I interviewed Joe Perry, who I've known for a while, and I'm a massive Aerosmith fan. But we just, Stoney and I went to go see him. Stoney and I, and our friend Brent Woods, went to ⁓ Phoenix to see Joe last year. And I did an interview with Joe before that concert to promote his tour. And then five minutes later, I still have it, he sends me a text, paragraphs long, saying how much he enjoyed talking to me because I know his music so well and all that. And I'm reading that and I'm like, what? And then he and I go to the show. And we're like total Waynesworld. Like surreal. Like we're outside of his dressing room and it's the Joe Perry sign on it. We're like taking pictures. And we're adults with children. know? It all goes back to being a 14 year old. Yeah. Immediately. So this guy comes out and he's like, he's like, my friend John who works for him says, Joe wants to see you, but just you right now. So I'm like, I to these guys and my other friends outside that I'm like, okay, just. give me a minute, I'll be able to get you guys in, then I go in, and I'm talking to Joe for like 15 minutes, I go, Joe, I got friends outside the door, they're, you mind, so I'm like, no, bring them in. And then these guys come in, and everyone's like, hum, hum, hum, hum, hum, hum. And then we're talking about Joe's guitar, and he pulls the guitar out, we're taking pictures, and it's like, it's like, what is going on here? And then I'm like, you know, I'm like, yeah, man, it's pretty cool. Yeah, it's cool. And it's like, it's because of whatever I've done. And it makes me really happy that I can bring somebody like Stoney or Brent or these friends that I have along for that ride. Well, that goes back to the fact that the fans have trusted you, but the artists trust you. Yeah, I try not to be annoying. I try to be... My geekiness... And my excitement, if I've done anything good, it's good, I'm very good at keeping that in the moment internalized. And then after, like to this day, people that listen to my radio show know I do this. See the 70s guys are the ones that I grew up with the posters on my wall. That's the sacred ground. The 80s guys, as much as I love them, I came up with them. So they're more like contemporaries. I still love them, but it's different. But to this day, if people listen to my radio show, and he listens, when I hang up with Iommi or I hang up with somebody, Joe Perry or something like that, during the course of the interview, I'm fine. I'm like rolling like anything. And then it's like, Joe might say something like, hey, Eddie, man, I really enjoyed this, thank you, it's always great to talk to you. Okay Joe, thanks. I can't even get to the commercial break without going on the air. Holy shit, like ⁓ my God, like he knows, and like that's the shit right there, you I gotta let it out on the air. And that's the passion in me, but that's just like, so I wouldn't ever do that to the person, or in the course of an interview, or all the people I had on my TV show, I'd never do it like there. But I might go back in the green room and do it. Yeah, yeah. It's like a backstage etiquette. You know, right. As an artist etiquette. got, bro, I love that. I love that about you where you haven't become jaded in it. You know what I'm saying? You haven't been. All right, I got something for you. got something for you. You know me. You know I definitely like to have my fun. So on this podcast, it's not all straight talk. I got a few games that I like to play. We do a segment here and it's called ⁓ What's in the Garage? ⁓ because your music collection would embarrass the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, we're gonna change it to what's in the vault. So I wanna play a game with you right now without saying what it is. Don't give away the item. I want you to describe your favorite rare item from your personal collection. Vinyl, backstage pass, autographed piece, tour artifact, anything that's priceless to you and the history of Rock and Roll. Stoney and I and everybody at home, we're gonna give it our best guess as to what the item is. And even if we don't get it, then later you can tell us what it is. What is that one thing? It's a letter. Okay. Yeah, so it's not an item that like, it's a personal thing. Somebody wrote you a letter? Yes, an artist. Okay. Wow. Do want me to give you more hints? Yeah. Well, it's an artist that we lost recently that I was extremely close to. And I recently found it in a yellow old envelope stashed with my stuff. And what he wrote to me and what he said in it was just like ⁓ I had forgotten all about. And it was written to me. It's because it's dated ⁓ probably 88. You know, and yeah. And you recently found it because he was on your mind, I'm sure. Well, I recently found it because I was going through stuff for this documentary being done on me that they wanted to film and they were going through my stuff and there's this old kind of yellow envelope and I was like, what is this? And I opened it up and there's this letter which I had not probably read since 88. Well, Stoney and I both know and love you like a brother and we both know simultaneously, three, two, It's Frehley. Yeah. Yeah. Well, and Ace Frehley, of course, was a dear friend of Eddie's. Are we right? Yeah. It's gotta be from him. And Ace has a lot to do with Eddie's career when he was producing bands and was the vice president at Megaforce. Yeah. So he signed Ace to his first solo deal. So I know that was a big deal. That's huge, Like Stoney saying. That brought Ace back. You're in Ace's relationship with Special. Yeah, it really was. ⁓ it's still very fresh that we lost him. And it's very, very difficult. he, of all the artists that I've worked with in my life, he was the guy I had. definitely the most history with. And it's a crazy story to have a thing where a kiss was such a big deal to me and then less than 10 years at 21, 22, there's photos of it of me signing him to this deal at Megaforce. It's crazy story. Yeah, yeah. But it's just a crazy story and that was the start of our relationship. And it was a big risk. It was a you were taken as well. was huge risk because at that time Ace had a big history of drugs, alcohol, driving his car wrong way against traffic and he was viewed as a liability. Nobody wanted to take a shot at him. And I did and we were forever bonded for that. he, I didn't realize this, but in 88, he would have probably just made the first record. We did three and a half records. We had three records and an EP together. it probably was after he made the first record before he was about to go on tour for that record. he wrote, Ace was always on the cutting edge of computers, even back then. He was into computer graphics. As a matter of fact, if you have his second solo album, those are my feet in the inside sleeve, because he took a photo of it and he digitized it. That's a whole nother story. But he had written me a letter and he made letterhead on his computer. So he made his own letterhead. He was very proud of it, because that was something most people couldn't do back then. And it says, from the desk of Ace Freely with his font, and he dated it, and he wrote to me, I can't remember verbatim, but it was something like, dear Ed, ⁓ I can't thank you enough for the shot you took on me. We are gonna do great things together. I love you for this. ⁓ He goes, here's a couple passes for the tour, please come out and hang with me anytime, you can come and we're gonna do great things together, I love you for this and your friend Ace or something. And I just, when I found it, I read it and it was like. That had to be heavy, Heavy, you know? And it was just, ⁓ just again, surreal. Surreal's the word, like when you ask me about how I. feel when I realize I've made impact with people. I don't ever think about it. And then I sit back and I look at something like that that I found. From a name like that. From somebody like that, I just couldn't believe it. ⁓ I want to, now that I know where it is, want to frame it and do the right thing with it. But it's just, yeah, it's crazy. he was always there for me ever since, and I was always there for him. And he had his slip ups and I tried to... help him as best I could and he knew that I'd always be there and anything I always needed. I mean, he played my party two years ago, he was there for me, always. So he always had my back, I always had his back and it's a huge, huge loss and when he passed last year, I think people realize when you saw the outpouring from every guitar player. you still have his back, that's a great thing too. Yeah, well recently I had to speak up because some... one of his former band members said something stupid. So yeah. And again, that's the honesty that I love about you. I know exactly what you're talking about. I respect that. I'm not gonna let that happen. mean, Ace used my show and my platform to kind of fire back when people got out of line and now that he's gone, I'm not gonna let that happen. Well, I truly appreciate you sharing that with us, because that's an item that... didn't know that was gonna be that deep and thanks for Yeah, I mean, don't get me wrong. have amaz... Again, I've never been a collector, but I appreciate the things people have given me. Michael Schenker gave me a signed guitar on my old set of my old TV show. Things like that are super... My first gold record I ever earned. Gold and platinum records are super important to me because I'm not a musician myself. And I really... And I've never been a... I will never go out and buy a gold record just to put on my wall. They're earned. And when the bands felt that I've done enough for them to award me one, that's really mental, always meant a lot to me. And my very, very first one I ever got was from the band White Lion, who I believed in before they were even signed. We became friends because they came up in New York. I was their first ever interview and I really helped them out. One of the first bands I really helped out a lot. And I'll never forget, there was a legendary rock club in Brooklyn called L'amours that they kind of broke out of. And they did two nights at L'amours. The Pride album had just come out, weight was blowing up, they were becoming this huge band. And they got their first gold record that night. Atlantic Records brought in their gold records, they were backstage, and I was in the audience just rooting them on. before they, even before they let Atlantic present them with the gold record. Mike Tramp comes up to the mic and he goes, hold on, before anything, it's crazy to think about, I get still thinking about it, he goes, because I'm just, again, I'm 20 something in the audience, he's like, before we go anywhere, he goes, none of this happens without our friend Ed Trunk down there, he goes, Ed, get up here, and out of nowhere they go behind and they pull out the gold record to me and they present it to me on stage. That's huge. And I'm like, that's the first time I ever got a gold record. Yeah. Yeah, and I got home and I put, I stared at that thing and it's like, hit me. And I was working for Megaforce at the time. And this is funny, because I wanted to sign them and John, the owner of the label, wasn't feeling it. So he passed on it. That was a great day when I walked in with that gold record and put it right over my desk. I want get back to your amazing career, bro. So, okay, joining VH1 Classics. launching that metal show, changed the landscape, frankly, for rock television. It really did. What part of that experience shaped you the most? And not necessarily as a broadcaster, but as a person. I have this kind of thing that I've always said to people who are pushing bands. You have to find this fine line between being persistent, but not being annoying. Okay. And... I had to be that to get that show on the air and to keep that show on the air. Because there was a lot of pushback. I was working with a lot of people that did not understand rock music. I was, you know, I was not only a host, but I was a co-producer. So I was putting out the fires behind the scenes. I was the liaison between my other two, and I say it with love, Knucklehead. co-hosts and the network. I was the guy bringing in the artists and booking 95 % of the show. And ⁓ just the fact that I was able to get a show like that on the air, keep a show like that on the air for 14 seasons against limited marketing and limited budgets. I would get these great opportunities. Iron Maiden would call me and like, come on our plane to Brazil and shoot an episode. Nikki Sixx called me, come on stage at Staples Center for the final Motley show, let's do something. Network, not in the budget. Yeah, how frustrating is that gotta be? And the show was blowing up. So it was a real catch 22. I gotcha. And again, I'm not here to bitch about it, it was an immensely- Oh, it's amazing. Proud thing for me. And I'm so grateful for the people that still ask about it. But I always think, because I'm always thinking forward, I always think of- as great as it was, as great as it could have been with another going to the next rung, which we never were quite able to do. Let me ask you this. You have, over the years, you've interviewed some of the biggest legends in the industry. Give me an interview that blindsided you in a good way. Robert Plant. I love it. I'm happy. TV. VH1 Classic before that metal show, because again, I was a host VJ for four years before we launched that show. And that's how I was in at the network already. ⁓ I got called to go to interview Robert Plant in England. I did it twice, about a year apart. But the first time I was told that we were gonna go over there and he was gonna be, know, he'd be ready, he's gonna be difficult, this and that. And I don't know the man at all. So, you know, I just go in there with an open mind and try to be prepared and what have you. And ⁓ I get to England and check into the hotel and, you know, here comes the golden god himself. my producer had set up this set with like couple chairs like this in front of like a fireplace and all that. And he comes walking in and he looks, he's like, boy, hell, this looks like a hallmark greeting card or something. Let's go take a walk in the square and just shoot the shit, mate. And I'm like, immediately like, great, love it, right. So we get mic'd up and we go to this, this all aired, I have it somewhere, and we go to this market and he's just like walking around and he's just like picking up tapestries and like, know, he's like, what do you like this? It was just so fun and natural and like great. My favorite thing was, my favorite thing was, This was like this outdoor market and they had like tents and they had like things and there was this room or this RV that said massage, know, offering massages. So he stops and he goes, I feel like having a massage, because that's they say massage. I go, what? goes, yeah, I'm gonna get a massage. He goes, do you mind waiting a few? Robert Plant, man, go do you. So he goes in, he breaks off, he goes, give me 30 minutes or so, whatever you need, bro. And he goes in and I'm and I'm sitting outside of the thing and I'm saying to myself, I might be waiting for Robert Plant, he might be in a Robin tug right now. He might be getting a happy ending right now. And he is the god. When the mood strikes you. because I don't think he had a crick in his neck. right. And I'm sitting out and I'm like, damn, like where in my world did I ever think I'd be in England? Right. in the middle of an interview waiting for Robert Plant to get a rub down. And then he comes out and he's like all refreshed and he's like, okay mate, where were we? You wanna go get a spot of tea? I'm like, sure Robert, let's go. So that was one that was like completely, and then we get back to the set, we do the last part on the set with the fire and the fire's still going and this is the caper, he's like, why the hell is it still with this fire? And I swear to God, he picks up a bottle of mineral water. and he's like, we've got to extinguish this. And he throws the mineral water at the fire and I swear to you, he turns to me as he's doing, he goes, he starts singing the immigrant song. Comes from the land of the ice and snow as he's putting out the fire. You're kidding me, dude. My mind was How cool is that? How cool is Greatest guy. I love that. hugely refreshing to me because I'm a huge Zeppelin fan as are most everybody. Yeah, and the other one I was told was gonna be a major was John Mellencamp. Because back then, I used to do every kind of music and every genre. And Mellencamp, whose nickname is Little Bastard, so he lives up to the billing, they were like, Mellencamp's gonna be the biggest, his nickname's Little Bastard, he's gonna be a problem, he's gonna be a problem. And he was great. Awesome. know, because these guys, they're a problem if they pick up on the interviewer not knowing what they're talking about and not dumb stuff. Got it. Saying stuff. Got But once he knew that I kind of knew music and stuff, he was totally cool. Stick around, everybody. We're going to take a short break. We got more with Eddie Truck. We're going to push his buttons coming up here in a minute. If you're a fan of this podcast, of Counting Cars, or of my shop Counts Customs, head over to countscustoms.shop for official gear. collectibles, and shop favorites. Or better yet, come by and see it all right here in person. The builds, the history, the vibe, it's not a showroom, it's an actual working garage. Online or in Vegas, Count's Customs is always worth the stop. All right, Eddie, you know I love cars, so I couldn't help myself. I gotta ask my guests a series of escalating questions, like shifting the gears of a car. You ready for this? Sure. Okay, all right, first gear. You're known. for your raw knowledge, but your Giants obsession runs just a zip. What's your earliest, clearest Giants memory, the one that locked you in for your life? Well, going to my first game, you know? When was that? The Giants stadium opened in, I believe, 1976. My uncle had season tickets, and I would have been 12. And my uncle and my dad took me to the game and Giant Stadium was brand new at the time. And it was the first pro football I was exposed to and seeing the red and the blue and white and red uniforms and the whole experience of it was just overwhelming. I just, know, they were, it's funny, the teams that I root for in sports all share something. when I got into them, they were awful. Awful. And that actually is endearing in a way. I actually like that. Because it's easy to jump in when a team is great and everyone loves them. Jumping on a bandwagon. Right. When you can jump in on the ground floor when everyone's hating on them and take the ride up with them, it's special. And I used to go to the games, like when I was younger, it could be December and there could be three sheets, three inches of ice on the seats and I'd be out there, they could be two and 10 and I'd be out there like with these hand warmers like this. In my shoes and I'd like, and I remember my uncle would be like, oh with this and he'd be in the car with the heat on for the second half listening on the radio. Real quick, I was at the game, there's a very legendary thing among football fans. It was known as the miracle of the metal lands. when they were playing the Eagles and they were, had the game won and Joe Pasarchick turned in the saddle, kneeling down, decided to make one last handoff. There's a fumble, Herman Edwards, the Eagles picks it up, scores, no time left. Out of nowhere, one of the most heartbreaking losses ever against one of our archrivals. And I used to have this thing, it was cold and like my dad was like, let's go, let's go, get a jump on the traffic, I'm gonna be in the car. And I used to have this thing that was like, dad, I don't leave till the clock says zero, zero, zero, zero. I gotta be here till the end, right? So my dad was waiting in the tunnel. I was at that game as a kid. My dad is waiting in the tunnel, he's like, come on, it's freezing, let's get to the water. And I'm like, hold on, dad. And I would wait on the railing. just to see the last play, and then I turn around and I run out with my dad. And I'm on the railing and I see this unfold. And my face just goes. And then I turn around and my dad's like, what's the matter? And I go, they lost. What do mean they lost? He said to kneel down, they can't have lost. Right, it was one. They lost, he comes back out and he looks at it. And at that point, there was like no replay or anything. Right, right. Because it was 70 something, Yeah. The year, you know, the technology was there. Yeah. And my dad looks and he looks up at the scoreboard and he says, what the hell happened? Out of that? Yeah. I was like, I told you, and to that, to this day. I wait till zero, zero, zero. That's great, that's good. That's good, all right, all right. Second gear, what genre of music do you respect but never really want to host a show about? Well, I respect most genres of music. I respect country, not my thing. ⁓ I respect jazz, not my thing. I respect blues. There's more in line with blues with rock, so I kind of get that connection. ⁓ I don't get EDM at all. I don't get rap at all. I just can't hear melody in that. It's not my thing. So I respect anybody that can create music that moves a lot of people. So in that sense, I guess I could say I respect EDM. because there is an art to it, I guess. And it's moving people. It's moving people. People come out, they love it, they're into it. They're connecting with it on some They're connecting with it. to that, I have to say I respect it for that, but I could never, never listen to it. That EDM show is not gonna happen. I gotcha, I gotcha. Okay, third gear. Who is your Mount Rushmore of rock and Probably the most difficult question on the planet for somebody like you. And I've done this on my radio show. I've had people call in with this. So it's four people. Yeah, that's it. Four people, Mount Rushmore of rock and roll. So for me personally. Yeah. I mean, I think I know probably. Well, it's gotta be someone from Kiss. Right. I just don't know where I go with that. Right. Of the four original guys. Well, it's your choice. It's Eddie's guys. Okay, so this may come as a surprise to some people, especially because the guy doesn't like me. ⁓ I get it, I get it. Personally, but I can't lie, and I've always given the answer consistently. My favorite member of Kiss growing up was always Paul Stan. Got it? He was my guy. I loved his songs. I loved everything he did. The best. So I gotta put him there, personally. We got three more guys. Three more artists. I gotta put Eddie Van Halen there. Love it. Changed the game. Blew my mind. 1978, I get the first album in the Columbia House Record Club. Dropped a needle here, running with the devils. You gotta be kidding me. Yep. I gotta put Joe Perry on there. Massive Aerosmith fan. To me, still the coolest man that ever strapped a guitar on. With a large blues influence in his rock. But just cool, the epitome of cool. I just saw the, had the, Stoney and I just had this moment because there's this photo of him on the Aerosmith bootleg poster. He's wearing a flannel shirt. He's got a red BC rich over his head, the hair. And I was just like, I had that poster on my wall. I'm like, that's the coolest thing I've ever seen. And yeah, so I got to put Joe there. We got Paul Stanley, Eddie Van Halen, Joe Perry. You got one more. This is a band that to this day, their music is timeless and amazing to me and never gets old to listen to. And it's a band that's not a household name, unfortunately, a band called UFO. Their records just... Timelessly, never do I put a UFO on and not be like loving hearing it and hearing the songs. And if I'm go with a member of that band, and this is probably gonna surprise a lot of people, I'm gonna go with their bass player, Pete Way, who sadly passed away. Because their guitar players are the focal point, Stoney will be the first to know, mean, Shanker, Agad, I also equally love Paul Chapman who replaced him. Phil Mogg, their singer. one of the most underrated singers and lyricists in the history of rock music. I will say that a billion times. The reason I'm going with Pete is he was the dirty essence rock and roll of that band. Yeah, he was definitely the character and the soul of it for sure. The Keith Richards of bass influenced from Steve Harris and Nikki Sicks bouncing around. The attitude... ⁓ And even Phil, the singer, has said, Pete was out of the band, he had his demons, but he said, without Pete, we lost just our essence. And he wrote a lot of their big songs too. So Pete was super important to me, I loved Pete, sweetheart of a guy, and ⁓ off the top of my head on an impossible question, that's what I got. That is an impossible, okay, got Paul Stanley, Eddie Van Halen, Joe Perry, Pete Way. Now you've gone through, ⁓ Industry collapses, format shifts, technological revolutions. How you feeling about the coming AI wave and how it may impact what you do so well? Well, the biggest thing that may save me is that I have shifted much of what I do to talk-based. And because 90 % or more of the programs I currently do are ⁓ talk-based. That is kind of bulletproof, I would hope, from AI. Because it's me. It's all coming from me. Now, if I was sitting here with you right now doing six music shows a week, I would tell you I'm doomed. Because... We already in radio, there's something for years now called voice tracking, where you can have one person on 20 radio stations at a time, and they're not even in the building. And they're just exporting these tracks, and it sounds like you got a live host there and you don't. That ship sailed, and that's only gonna get worse with AI. But if you're doing talk radio, sports, politics, music, whatever you're doing, you really can't, that I'm aware of, unless there's a, put it, Elon can put a chip in the back of my head and download my brain out. Maybe, you know, but at that point I'm retired, man. I mean, I'm just like, not worried about it. So I hope for that reason I'm okay. I'm really concerned though for music overall because what can be done with music and replicating music, I've had more than one friend who's a professional musician saying, it's over, bro. Well, this is what leads me to fifth gear. Fifth gear, when you think about where music is headed in the next decade, what excites you and what kind of horrifies you, what keeps you awake at night? Well, they're kind of tied together. So what horrifies me is what we just talked about. ⁓ I mean, I'm getting things sent to me that I don't know if they're real or not, right? I don't know if there's a person that really created this. And I just had an experience where ⁓ mutual friend of ours, Jason Hook, ⁓ reached out, we had dinner and he's like, hey, what's the theme of your radio show? What channel is it on? I told him the next day, he sent me three songs that were theme songs from my radio show that he had nothing to do with but he punched it into a computer. And it blew my mind. Because it was good, it fit, and it was like, I was like, what is happening? And that's where, that was the holy moment for me of like, whoa. So that was very, that, freaked me out, and that is scary, and I've That is the scary thing though, is because it is good, but then it's horrifying, because none of it's real. Well, Barney and I were just in here the other night, the same night we had the flood. ⁓ And he pulled up a video of a band, young band, plays the song, total 70s vibe, cool guitar, even has a photo of this band, these young guys go, wow, this is great. 65,000 views in two weeks or something like that. And then at the end of it goes, oh man, it's AI. And the whole thing was fake. And that to me is scary. To where you don't even, it has a photo, it has a song, totally non-existent. It's scary, has no soul. I think it was Warner's that just gave a $2 million deal to an AI creator. There was a country song that was number one that was AI. mean, had to be disclosed it's AI. I mean, I don't even, I mean, look, I'm not, as much as I'm an old school guy, I'm not opposed to technology and there's been great advances. And I hope with AI that there are so many positives that we're talking about. Whether it's in the health world, they're talking about the advances in cancer research, more power to it in that regard. But some of the arts and the creative stuff, it's really, really concerning. Well, on same page with that. I feel the same way about technology. I love that it's advancing. I feel the same way about the AI. It's amazing that it's advancing. And I do believe that our nation needs to be the ones who are the head of it. But as from the artist perspective, it's horrifying. Yeah. And the thing that's encouraging for me is the response to that from some bands in that there are now, there is now bands that are coming out and... intentionally coming from a more organic place and wanna just plug into relapse and sing and are speaking out against it and letting people know what they're doing and how they're doing it. And I feel that that kind of course correction is a good thing and it's making there be maybe a little more awareness with people saying, yeah, you should care about. what you're actually getting and if it's real or not. I love that. I love that artists are doing that, because to me, I want things to stay real. I want it to have a soul. I want that. Overdrive. I saw a clip of McCartney just recently. He was on stage and he was playing his piano and the piano was out. And he's trying to get it to go. He's on stage and he's sitting to his tag. He's like, what's going on with the piano? And then he stops for a second and goes, and the mic goes. Well, at least you know it's real. And I'm like, you need that kind of artist taking ownership. They've got to wave that flag because it creates awareness for all the stuff that isn't. Especially somebody at his level to call it like that. I love that. Well, you know, as ⁓ somebody we know always says, we all saw Terminator. You know how this is going to end. We do. We do. Credit Barry Barnes for that one. Let's shift into Overdrive. What's the one project or dream? but you still haven't pulled off that one of these days, man, you really wanna make it happen for you. I'd love to host a game show. Really? Yeah. Yeah, I think I could do that. think I'd be pretty good at it. I think you would be great at it, be honest with I I never tried or never don't have a connection to, but I think I could do that. I actually, would love to, even if just for a week, I'd love to... I'd be a news anchor. Because I can crush a teleprompter. I love it, I love it, I love it. That's great. I used to blow away the people at the TV network because without even reading the copy once, they would load it and I would just rip through without a hitch and they would be like, whoa. I love it. And when you think about it, when I watch local news or whatever, they're just reading to the next segment, I'm like, You know, just for the experience of it. And I did do one thing last year that I always wanted to do that I can say is gonna happen and is gonna be seen this year. I always wanted to be in a movie, like an active movie. And I went to England and was cast in a biopic on the Rock Band Scorpions. And I went over there to Warner Brothers Studios, full on regular. production, always what I wanted to do, trailer, makeup, this, that, know, costume, whatever, actors. And I did a bit where I played a roadie, had a little wig on, was dressed in like this, I posted a picture of dressed like it's 70s, I'm holding a case, and I had like three lines. And ⁓ go to England, three, four great days in England, fly back. Week later, the producer calls me, he's like, ⁓ Hey man, this all went great, but I got some news for you. I'm like what? He goes, your scene was cut. I go, what? I go, did I suck that bad? He goes, no, no, no, no. He goes, we just cut that whole storyline so it wouldn't have made sense. goes, I guess. But here's the good news. He goes, come to Burbank next week, we got a different part for you. So I went to England basically for nothing, but it was fun. and it's fun experience. And I went into this little studio in Burbank and I shot a scene where me playing like an MTV news person. So it wasn't a stretch. But it's still fun experience. So I'll be in it in that capacity. What's the movie doing? The movie's called Wind of Change and it's a biopic about the band Scorpions. But it's all actors, they're not in it. It's about them growing up in Germany, the Berlin Wall coming down and all that. When are we gonna get to see this? we know? Probably soon. ⁓ The guy who produced it is a friend of mine, name's Ali Afshar. he, ⁓ Scorpions are very important to him. He grew up, he fled Iran as a kid. ⁓ Found huge success here in America making movies. And he needed my help in getting some ideas for the movie when he was creating it. And he said something to me, we were sitting in his studio in his... in his office in the lot at Warner and Burbank and he said to me, he man, goes, thank you so much for all your help with this. He goes, I don't know how to repay you. And I go, well, put me in it. He what? I want to get you involved. goes, put me in it. I go, I'm not telling you I'm an actor. I said, but I can make you a VJ or something. He's like, done. Perfect. All right, congrats on that. Now, ⁓ first off. the Academy. What's that? Call the Academy, get my Oscar ready. I can see it through Golden Globe. Yeah, exactly. Okay, this has been, by the way, it's been amazing sitting here talking to you. Wow, thank you. I'm honored that you're my friend, number one, but number two, learning, thank you brother, learning so much and hearing so much about this. So it's almost time to let you go, but before I do, it's time for one of my favorite things that we do on the podcast. This is something we call Pump the Breaks, where the fans of the show. They send in any questions that they wanna ask and we deliver them completely unfiltered to our guest. If you don't wanna answer any of this, don't sweat it, you don't have to, just say the word pump the brakes. And this is like a rapid fire thing, so are you ready? All right, right. Question number one. What's harder, telling the truth about a band or keeping the audience happy when they don't wanna hear the truth? ⁓ telling the truth about the band. Okay. That's the harder part. All right. All right. Number two. Who's the most overrated band in rock history and who's the most underrated? The most underrated is UFO. That's easy. Got it. Not even close. Overrated? You don't have to if you don't want to. No, I... Okay. The Grateful Dead. Don't come after me, Dead. I just don't get it. Number three. What's a band you used to love that you just don't connect with anymore? If you say Count 77. Yeah man, that's tough. I'm trying to... It could be an obvious one if you look at it in a certain way. ⁓ Kiss? Yeah, Kiss could definitely be one that you don't connect with anymore that you've... Yeah, well that's because of how it went. That's a great point Yeah, I mean that was the most sacred band to me and they I didn't go see him for the last 20 plus years Because I couldn't connect with what they were doing. Yeah, that's a great call. That's that is a great call I remember a guy in in in Burbank not too long ago in the van on the way to the Ronnie James Dale bowling tournament Having a full-on rant about that. So that was a good call. Is that me? Is that you number four? What's a band you didn't like early on? But now, you absolutely respect. ⁓ Led Zeppelin. Really? I never disliked Led Zeppelin. Right. I just didn't really get it. Yeah. And when I was younger, Led Zeppelin was viewed as a competitor for the rock throne to kiss. Okay. And they were literally like, Hit Parade or Tiger Beat would have like Kiss vs Zeppelin, know, it sounds ridiculous. But I was so in the kiss world that anything was a threat to Kiss. So I wouldn't even let myself listen to Zeppelin objectively. ⁓ Now I love Zeppelin. Awesome. Thanks to the fans, by the way, for sending in these great questions. We're at the finish line, brother man, so I got one more question for you. ⁓ When you look at the work you've done. bands that you have championed, the careers that you have helped, the history that you have preserved. That's a big one. What do you hope people say about your contribution to rock a hundred years from now? That's heavy. Yeah, I mean, you have done so very much. They are gonna talk about you 100 years from now. See, I appreciate you saying that. honestly don't ever think like that or in any way, shape or form, but I really like, you know, when you get to be my age and I've done this for as long as I have, I mean, you know, I'm 61 years old now. I mean, I've been doing this forever, but I just don't ever really think like that. But I hope somebody thinks of me this I hope they, I've always said, people have described me in all different ways, historian, this journalist, whatever. I just, always thought of myself as a fan. I just think of myself as a fan. But I hope people realize that everything that I've done, pro, con, they agree, disagree, whatever, comes from a place of passion and caring for the art form, caring for the future of rock music. I care so much about that. I really want it to have a place at the table equal to the other genres of music. And I want it to be treated respectfully and I want the artist to treat it respectfully. Like I despise these artists that are faking it and playing to tracks. And I'm so passionate about that because I feel that's the true death of rock and roll. It's the true death of the live experience. And I want that purity of rock music. But I just hope that people look at it as somebody that did everything they could to engage people and to keep the art form alive and to keep the genre alive and keep it healthy and keep it respected and keep it... moving forward, mean, you know, the whole thing for me started because I was made fun of for the music that I liked as a kid and I was marginalized for it and I was an outcast for it. I always wanted to rally against that. I always wanted to put it in the right light. I always wanted to fight against the stereotypes for it. I always wanted to advance it. And it was always about spreading it and letting... other people know about it. And to this day, that's still my favorite thing. My favorite thing is when I meet somebody and they tell me, hey, you turned me on to this. You got me into this. You sold me my first Aerosmith record. You were the first time I heard Metallica. You know how many people come up to me now who are 25 and are like, You know what, man? I'm a rock fan because when I was 10 or 12, my dad sat me next to him on the sofa and made me watch that metal show every weekend. And that hits me right here. And they're like, I'm into rock because I watch that show. And I'm like, so I hope that whatever they say, they realize that I did these things not to become rich and famous, which clearly didn't happen, but because of the passion for it. Whatever's come with it in terms of making a living, that's the gravy. But it was really driven by that love of it, and it still is. That's a great answer, brother. And I can say this about Eddie as a friend and a fan. And the same goes for you as well, is that what you see is what you get. He's the same guy with Joe Perry as he is with Joe the Plumber. He's always genuine with the people that come up to him and the fans that want to tell him about their first concerts and all that kind of stuff. That's one of the things that I admire about both of you guys. Thank you, man. I'm super appreciative of anybody that gives a s*** about what I do. You know, it's funny, a lot of people think my last name is a fake name or stage name. It's not. It's my real name and there's a reason for that. Because I was made fun of when I was in high school a lot and I was like, damn it, if I ever get to the point where anybody's going to know about me or they hear me, they actually hear me on the radio one day, I want them to damn well know that's me. That's the kid at Madison High School that they made fun of and not... I don't want to be Eddie Edwards. I want people to know that's him. Is that him? Yeah, that's him. To that point, I would always say, if I ever get to the point in my life where people feel strongly enough about me to want to say hi to me or take a photo with me or want me, man, that's going to be an amazing moment. I've been fortunate that I've been in that mode with rock fans for a really long time and I don't take it lightly, man. I take it. very, very, very grateful for it and I do my best to never forget that. Amen to that. That's a great answer, brother man. Let me say this to you. Thank you for being arguably the single greatest rock and roll fan to ever exist. Thank you for sharing with us this time. Thank you for sharing with us these stories. Your entire 40 year career, thank you for sharing it with the world. and for spending this time with us right here, man, on Count's Culture. Everybody for watching, listening, and being a part of this episode with us at home. Start the wave, Eddie Trunk. Thank you, man. Thank you. I appreciate it, brother. You rock, You rock. Let's go get something to eat. Let's go. You in? Never have to ask me twice. You in? Stoney, you hungry? Let's go snort some whiskey. I love it. I love it. Thanks for joining, everybody. You guys rock. What a show. What a show. He's great. know, I mean, again, you're just scratching the surface with so much that he's accomplished in his life. And he's such a great dude. And, you over the past 10 years, we've become really close. You know, we saw our first concerts three weeks apart, you know, being Kiss, you know, our love for UFO, our love for music, our love for sports, you know. So he's just a great all around dude. And this was great. And we're just scratching the surface on so much stuff. That's the other part of it. Eddie doing this for 40 years, ⁓ that's amazing. Anybody doing anything for 40 years, but he's been doing this for 40 years. What he brings to the table, the knowledge ⁓ is unbelievable. Like you were just saying too, it's more than just sitting here talking to a guest. He's a brother, he's a friend. We hang out with him and just love him to pieces. But the things that he shared with us here today. that strong and I still just, my throat still gets thick of the letter, the ace letter. Yeah, for sure, for sure. Because they really did have a great connection and ⁓ ace would call him all the time and bounce stuff off of him. There's one story too about a year or two ago, ace was on his show when he was battling with Paul Stanley and it literally is two of the greatest hours in radio history because ace was just so funny. ⁓ But yeah, this is a true brother and he's a real music fan and ⁓ this was ⁓ just scratching the surface, There's so much more to him, but I'm glad we did this. Eddie Trunk, man. That's gonna do it for this episode of Count's Culture, my friends. Thank you guys for all tuning in. We appreciate it. Love that you guys came and hung out with us. ⁓ We don't take a single minute of this for granted, so thank you. If you want the full experience. head over to our YouTube channel at Counts Culture, and culture is with a K, and watch the entire episode there. You can also find the show on all major podcast platforms, and please connect with us on TikTok, X, Facebook, and Instagram for exclusive and behind the scenes content. And until next time, stay cool, take care of each other, and I can't wait to be back here with you all again. God bless you guys.