Talkin' Rock With Meltdown Podcast

Ted Nugent is never at a loss for words, and this episode of Talkin' Rock is no different. He's playing some shows in July, and you don't want to miss the 77-year-old flame-thrower. You can see him in Lexington, Michigan, on July 7th & 8th, then in Sterling Heights at Freedom Hills on the 10th, and in Paw Paw on the 11th.   "How lucky am I?" Ted says to the fact that he's rocked peop...

Rocker Tim Montana has a new record dropping on July 31st. Jam-packed with special guests including Jerry Cantrell, Billy F. Gibbons, Slash. Charlie and Martin Sheen, Royal Lynn, and Robert Patrick. Yes, all those special guests! The song Break Me Down mentions "Ghosts in the basement", so I had to ask him if he'd ever had a paranormal experience. As with most people, he does. He also told me abou...

Great to get Chris back on the podcast. He's been out of Slipknot since 2019, but he's got a lot to keep him busy. On this episode, we discuss his relationship with Black Sabbath drummer Bill Ward. "He's like another father to me. That guy's amazing." He said they talk just about every day. He tells me about his friendship with the late Phil Campbell of Motorhead, golfing with Alice Cooper, and hi...

The Brutal Devine is the name of the new Spread Eagle album. It drops on Friday, June 12th, and the guys are here to tell me about it. The album contains 10 tracks. Produced by Rob, and written over the course of the past few years, the guys love this album. Rob said, "We made a fantastic record that we know our fans are going to like. So far, the reviews are off the charts." Ray chimed in, "It's...

Kenny Wayne Shepherd returns to Talkin' Rock. He's got a validictorian in his household! That led to a conversation about his own school days. He told me his longing to make it in the music business may have taken away from his own academics, but it's turned out OK for him. Kenny came to Detroit last summer for the Road Kill Nights event. That was a fun day! He's all about the muscle cars, and so...

What a privilege to talk with rock royalty like Ian Gillan. Deep Purple's 24th studio album drops on July 3rd, called Splat! Ian and I talk about his love for making new music, working with legendary producer Bob Ezrin, and a newfound energy in the band. That energy? Guitarist Simon McBride. Ian reaped praise on Simon for bringing a new spirit to the fold. Besides talking about the new "heavier" a...

It's always great to talk with John Bush, especially when his band Armored Saint drops a new album! Emotion Factory Reset dropped last week, and, as the kids would say, it's a banger! He tells me about certain songs on the album. One that was very emotional and personal from a family point of view. I did ask him about a couple that seemed to be aimed at a particular person. He also spoke about the...

It was great to connect with the legendary Mikkey Dee. This guy has been the backbeat of bands from King Diamond to Don Dokken, to Motorhead, to the Scorpions. Now you can add his latest band, Lex Legion , to that list. Made up of guys he played with in King Diamond's band, Andy LaRocque, Pete Blakk, and Hal Patino, then throw in vocalist Nils K. Rue, and you've got a band that delivers heavy-hitt...

Pepper and Woody from C.O.C. came on to discuss their latest albums, Good God/Baad Man. It's an all-out guitar assault, and I recommend it! I had to ask them about the Live Volume album, which was recorded on April 20th, 2001, at the local concert theater, Harpos. We discuss the recording of the album. The initial process for the record began about 3 years ago. The boys were jamming guitars, drink...

Operation Mindcrime is considered a masterpiece by rock fans. Geoff dropped OMC 2 a few years back, and now the completion of the story with Operation Mindcrime 3, which came out Sunday. I had a chance to catch up with him before he plays Saint Andrew's Hall in Detroit on May 9th. What's it like to drop a new album nowadays? How many people had their hands in this project, helping him? He explaine...

Richie Faulkner is back on Talkin' Rock! This time, he tells me about the latest Elegant Weapons album, Evolution. The new album dropped on April 24th, and it rocks! We discuss some of the guests on it, as well as some particular guitars he used. By the way, if you listen to YouTube, Richie has written descriptions of each song. Pretty cool to hear about these tracks right from Richie himself. We...

What a thrill to meet the one and only Peter Criss! I'd never met or interviewed him before, and I found him great to talk with! His new solo album is out, and it's fantastic. The music covers the gamut of old rock n' roll, to the blues, to 50's rock, and much more. It's honestly one of the most diverse albums I've heard in a long time. Peter talked to me about the album and the many players on it...

Wow! For a non-award-winning podcast, I get some cool guests! Gene Simmons was in Detroit for the grand opening of the Rock & Brews in Royal Oak. We discuss that, look back on KISS putting their make-up back on and playing Tiger Stadium 30 years ago this coming June, and some questions from local Detroit icons. Rachel Bolan from Skid Row drops a solo album in June. There are lots of rocking gu...

Two big rock stars, one non-award-winning podcast! Maynard is up first, talking about Puscifer, the latest album Normal Isn't, the creative process, and more. He's spoken about being a self-doubter, which seems crazy, so I had to ask him if he gets stage fright. The answer might surprise you. What about seeing a show at the Sphere? Not so much, according to him. He and his band play the historic F...

What a non-award-winning episode! Yes, you read the title right. Zacky Vengeance is up first to discuss his solo record, Dark Horse, which drops on April 3rd. The first song he released from it is called Lighthouse. He talks about that song and the rest of the album. He speaks to how different it is from the material from A7X. We discuss the writing process and how he played, according to him, abo...

Craig Gass is touring the country, bringing the laughs to fans all over. This weekend, it's Detroit's turn as he plays shows at One Night Stan's in Waterford. To say he has some rock stories is an understatement. Not only does he have rock stories, but they're also funny as Hell! On this episode, he tells me about meeting Lars from Metallica for the first time and opening for them! How about upset...

The new Pretty Reckless album, called Dear God, drops on June 26th. She and the band played with AC/DC last April, but before that, it hadn't been since the fateful night of the last Soundgarden show. She discussed opening those major shows worldwide. As we talked, she was in Chile. For I Am Death was released a bit ago, with the latest single called When I Wake Up. As with much of their catalog,...

Sebastian Bach is out bringing the Party Never Stops tour to fans all across the country. Our turn in the Detroit area happens on March 15th at District 142. Limited tickets remain. Talking with him, we discuss his connections to the Motor City, and there are many. He also told me why he still uses a corded microphone. Of course, we talked about Twisted Sister. Well, I was allowed ONE question. To...

Believe it or not, the Van Halen 5150 album turns 40 at the end of March! To celebrate, the guys are dropping a deluxe version of it on March 27th. According to the press release, The deluxe edition not only contains a remastered version of the album, but also more than 90 minutes of previously unreleased recordings from their August 27th, 1986 concert at the New Haven Veterans Memorial Coliseum i...

The Triumph machine is gearing up for a big return in 2026, and drummer Gil Moore was nice enough to come on the podcast and discuss where the band sits from a rehearsal, set list, and member point of view. Of course, I had to ask Gil, a hockey fan, about the Winter Olympics and the fact that the United States and Canada could face off yet again for Gold. He's been busy getting Triumph back up and...

The new BLS album drops on March 27th. Zakk talks about the title, Engines of Demolition (sort of). So far, only a couple of songs have dropped from the album: Name in Blood and Broken and Blind. Zakk does talk about the final song on the record, Ozzy's song. We discussed Back to the Beginning, Pantera, and the possibility of new music, as well as yacht rock, Super Bowl predictions, and more. Oh,...

It was a pleasure to speak with Rod for the first time in my career. He celebrated his 50th year as a professional drummer this past September. We discuss that and his latest project, Voices of Extreme. Before we got to those topics, Rod shared some great stories of touring with Rush and the legendary Neil Peart. He spoke about what an average day was like on that tour, his personality, and more....

Mark Kendall is an original member of Great WHite, and soon you'll be able to learn much more about him. His autobiography is in the works and is set for a spring release if all goes well. Mark talks about that, remembering things he'd long forgotten, writing about his friend Jack Russell, and lots more. We started off the conversation with a health update. Mark is fighting kidney cancer and is wi...

Geoff Tate kicks off a new year of Talkin' Rock episodes. The former Queensryche frontman talks about his upcoming tour (May 9th - Saint Andrew's Hall), as well as an update on Operation Mindcrime 3 that he says is going to drop this summer. Did he think he'd be playing Operation Mindcrime in its entirety this many years down the road? Why did they play the whole album while touring on Empire in t...

What an honor to have all three original members of Triumph on with me. Rik, Mike, and Gil have put the band back together and are hitting the tour trail in 2026. What caused them to reunite? Why are they opening the tour in Canada? Will they ever get into the Rock Hall? All of these questions are asked in a very fun conversation. One I didn't think I'd be having in 2025. Tickets are on sale now f...