Debut Track with legendary MTV music man Matt Pinfield.
Liner Notes:
Welcome to the debut Track of Text, Prose & Rock N Roll!
Kris is honored to welcome her first guest, longtime friend and former co-worker, Matt Pinfield!
If you watched MTV in the mid 90's you know Matt Pinfield as the host of the seminal alternative music series, 120 Minutes.
Matt knew everything about music because to hear him tell it - he's a music fan first and foremost. That hasn't changed. Matt is as genuine today as he was when Kris met him 25 years ago.
So when it came time to choose the first guest for this podcast, Matt was the obvious choice. The night this podcast was recorded, it had been a long time since Kris & Matt had seen each other. They had so much to cover and little time to do it... what became of the Track was an honest and frank conversation about Matt's life in music, which he recently chronicled in his book, All These Things That I've Done: My Insane, Improbable Rock Life.
Check out Matt's book, now available on paperback!
Follow Matt on Socials: Instagram@MatthewPinfield - Twitter@MattPinfield
...if you like what you hear, please subscribe, rate, comment, then tell a friend!
Special Thanks to Glenn Pinfield, Austin Reading, Kristi Fuhrman, Jason Frankovitz, & Mike Bowman for contributing to this make this Track possible.
--
About the Podcast:
‘TEXT PROSE AND ROCK N ROLL’- is the only podcast dedicated to the written account of musicians. From artist memoirs to band bios, and anything in between. You'll hear first accounts from those who lived the lifestyle; a Book Club that rocks - literally.
It was Created, Hosted & Executive Produced by Kris Kosach.
It was Produced & Edited by Charlene Goto of Go-To Productions.
For more on the show, visit the website.
Follow Kris on Social Media: @KrisKosach
Follow Producer Char on Social Media: @ProducerChar
[TRANSCRIPT IS UNEDITED FROM ORIGINAL INTERVIEW, AND MAY BE OUT OF ORDER]
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:00:00] [00:00:00] Rolling. That's pretty, cause I don't know what else is gonna come out of our mouth.
Matt Pinfield: [00:00:03] Yeah. And I'm very, very grateful for that.
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:00:06] You know what? I haven't said this to you yet, and if I have, it
bears repeating. Um, thank you so much for doing this. Are you kidding me?
Matt Pinfield: [00:00:14] I love you. And I, um, you know, when I worked with you, when MTV started into was just such a brilliant idea because it was, you know.
MTV, slow having a conscience for be doing reality shows. Right. You know, which I mean, you know, they created it. So, I mean, that was their thing. But, um, when they decided we're going to do this channel, um, I was so happy to work with you and Jancey and you were just so amazing. You're just such a cool, kind, smart woman that for me.
It was just a great place to be. And I think about those things quite often. You know, like I always think about the people that I've worked with and um, and the [00:01:00] gift I've had to work with people that I love and care about. Some man
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:01:03] love Israel. I'm so grateful we had such good time. Yeah, it's really special.
Matt Pinfield: [00:01:07] How about, yeah, wasn't it? And it was funny guys. What I loved about it was they worked so hard, they didn't ever want to shoot it in a studio. So we'd be in like hat factories, right? Places where they made fudge and like. I remember when a fudge factor rat rats were running around
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:01:27] little Italy. There was a bakery there, and you can see in the, in the video, you can see like rats running above bakery in little Italy.
Matt Pinfield: [00:01:36] It was so wild. And, um, you know, my favorite was, this story's pretty fucking funny. Um, we were shooting in that place that I love. That was God, if I can't remember the name of it, but it was. You know, themed from, you know, new Orleans. Um, it was downtown. I used to go there all the time after we shot there.
[00:02:00] ope, devil moon. Remember that place? Old devil moon. It was like way in lower East side and it was just little place. That had, you know, it was a husband and wife had owned it and they played great music in there and you know, and they make food and it was so damn good. Yeah. The best was there. Side business was porn cakes.
So they made these cakes that were like, penises, vaginas, breasts, funniest thing ever. And I remember we were doing promos for Cox communications. And by the way, all I just want to say how nice the Cox people have been to me over the years. Because, you know, even when I had to record for or do live stuff for serious when Scott Weiland died, because, you know, how close friends, you know, we were in when, uh.
I needed to do my show because I was down there, you know, with my daughter, they would always be kind enough to let me use their studios, you know, [00:03:00] um, even if it was a different company. But, so here's what we did. We did it just to freak out our bosses. Cause of course this was never gonna make it the Cox.
But I remember we were doing a thing where we literally had to say, we want to thank you Cox communications for being the first TV channel or TV network to put M two on. And I held up this cock cake. It was like it was a giant pink penis cake, and I went, thank you Cox communications. We sent it back to the bosses.
Yeah, and then we told him it was a joke. Of course we had, we had the real things after that. Oh, of course.
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:03:38] You know, I don't know. I don't think I was there then. I don't think
Matt Pinfield: [00:03:41] we were on,
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:03:42] I remember a Satcom C3 transponder 13 that's it. That's
what I was on. I was on a satellite dish and prisoners watched me.
Yeah. That's about it. Incarcerated people and .
Matt Pinfield: [00:03:53] I need some water. Sorry guys. I'm going to get
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:03:55] some, sure, no problem.
Matt Pinfield: [00:03:56] No problem. But I want to tell you that, um,
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:03:58] can I show you what I did to your [00:04:00] book?
Matt Pinfield: [00:04:00] Yeah.
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:04:00] Look at this.
Matt Pinfield: [00:04:02] I love what you wrote.
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:04:03] I love your book. I mean, just, it is filled with like notes after some of these Ram pencils.
So it's kinda hard to see, you know,
Matt Pinfield: [00:04:11] zero zero is the best. Yeah. I mean, it's my favorite in the world. Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:04:20] Gatorade, zero you
Matt Pinfield: [00:04:22] can feel alone, you know, I love it. It's like just, it hydrates you. It's, it's very good, you know? I mean all the way around and it actually doesn't taste like shit. We're some of those like energy waters literally tastes like, you know, like just so shit you were like playing with in chemistry classes
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:04:39] so
Matt Pinfield: [00:04:40] disgusting.
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:04:42] Like my eyes keep going there. And I keep looking away from
Matt. I don't mean to
Matt Pinfield: [00:04:49] stick up for you. We are bounced to talk about, um, you saying that prisoners watched us. Right. You know,
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:04:55] incarcerate, I got letters from the incarcerated all the time. That's who watched me,
Matt Pinfield: [00:04:59] you know. [00:05:00] Um, I, one of my favorite things that I ever got to do, um, for the sober community was. And I was literally about to go into rehab again when I, um, when I did this thing in times square, you know, I was doing the morning show in New York city.
Um, it was 2009 May 1st. And there's a, there's a one charity called road recovery where they, um, you know, they literally like. Every fucking musician in the world has come there and hung with these kids that have adversities, like whether they're cutters, drug and alcohol problems, whether they be, they've been sexually or physically abused, like a lot of things that these young people have been through.
And, um, I was very proud to like, be a part of that, you know, because it was started by Jeff Buckley's road manager who was there when he died that day, you know, and you know, and that really, you know. Sent him over the edge, you know, like losing his friend, a friend he loved so [00:06:00] much. Yeah. So he started this thing called roller cover.
He, which was a charity that I've always been involved with. Right. So Wayne Kramer of the MC five. Right. You know, who's Tom Morello's idol, as you all know. Um, we would do a thing where we do concert every two years and raise money for the charity. And. We did it at the best buy theater, which used to be the movie heater behind MTV.
Remember that movie theater there? Right. So my favorite story is when Prince, who actually really likes me, but when he came in to bring us one of his records, I think the one would put, say control on it. He had the music department usually, you know, like will Smith would walk in after we played a record comes up, Prince sat behind us.
In the dark. Watch. A slow, we listened to his record. I love
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:06:52] Brits, by the way. By Mystere.
Matt Pinfield: [00:06:54] Yeah. But he was, yeah, it was cool. I mean, he said some real nice things about me, which I'm very, very grateful for. Yeah. But, um, yeah. [00:07:00] Anyway, going back to the thing I was talking about with Rona recovery, so we did this charity and we were raising money through the industry, and yes, uh, you know, people's generosity.
And we would do a concert every few years. So Utah jails. So when Kramer the clash wrote this song about him called gel guitar doors called clang. Clang goes to jail, guitar doors. You know, like Wayne has always said to me, um, yeah, you know, as a Coke dealer, I was a
better gardener. You know, like, I mean, his whole thing was, you know, back in the day, you know, but he spin out unbelievable pillar of.
Recovery and what an amazing man he is. And a beautiful, beautiful man and a true friend to me from for a very long time. And, um, you know, he, he had the, you know, they basically, the idea of this concert and what you did with it was you could do whatever you wanted. We would [00:08:00] throw to celebrate you. And we did one with slash and then we did one with, uh, we did one with Wayne and Wayne.
Wanted to go back to a prison and, and holding a meeting. Um, and talking about recovery, um, with prisoners, there were nonviolent drug offenders, right? So it was just. This incredibly beautiful thing. And when you talked about prisoners watching you, that's what I realized. When I got to sing sing prison, we all went up there.
You could not eat a month before you, you had to give them a, your ID because it was like so locked. Lockdown. I mean, you know, Al Capone, I mean, I don't know how many people were in there. I mean, you know, so we go to sing sing and there's one picture of all of us. That were there to like, do this concert for the prisoners.
Very Johnny Cash style.
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:08:57] Yeah, totally. Johnny
Matt Pinfield: [00:08:58] paycheck or those fish are [00:09:00] like Merle Haggard. We're doing like in like the, you know, the, the kitchen area and you're like sitting there and you're playing. And it was, um. I went up as the host of it, which is funny. And it was Jerry Cantrell from Alison Chainz.
It was Tom Morello from rage against the machine and audio slave. It was Perry Pharrell, you know, from Jane's addiction. Yeah. We all kind of all went up there, man. And we were like, um, Billy Bragg, you know, from England, who's, uh, that morning I remember we had a conversation about the drugs don't work. Um.
And what it meant, you know, the Verve song, you know, like for me and him, he was like, you know what? Yeah, the drugs don't work. Certainly they don't. But also he talked about how Richard Ashcroft wrote about his father because cancer drugs didn't work to chemo live. And, um, we had this incredible conversation.
Anyway, we're all in this short bus, right? So we're all in this little boss and it's like guys from every band. [00:10:00] And, um, we go and we did a concert. And it was beautiful. It was this beautiful moment. And when you talked about, you know, prisoners writing to you, I did not know, as I was doing that morning show in New York city, those guys were listening to every morning, and I said some pretty crazy ass shit under the rain.
Um, but they were fans and they were very much so, like, I think that people really respond to a love. Of music come and your passion. And which reminds me of, you know, when I didn't really know what was going to happen at MTV, but I was so grateful to, um, you know, I feel been in 93 years, you know, in the book.
And then I, um, got the gig, but all of a sudden it was like I get stopped in the hallway by the guys from yo MTV raps and it would just go, dude, it's a blocking Spanish community. It's really feeling you, man, because. [00:11:00] People have your knowledge, man. See, you know, it's, it's real. You don't believe me? There was a time in my life where I thought that I was way too passionate and way too caring.
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:11:10] Really. You thought you were too?
Matt Pinfield: [00:11:11] No. I mean, no. I wouldn't change. I wouldn't change for the world, but I thought I'd never get a chance, um, to like, you know, to literally have a voice that I needed to have. Um. You know, the difference. It's really interesting that a lot of people don't maybe understand, but you know, I loved radio from the time I was a kid.
You know, radio I loved, I would listen to the radio. I love the personalities if they're good ones. Yeah. A lot of ones that, like, some people think, um, I don't, you know, like, Oh, I can say is I love anybody who, you know, gets into working in radio to talk about music and, uh. Or do anything, you know, like, I mean, you know what I did.
This is really funny. I'm going to drink some water guys. I'm sorry. Go ahead. I'm so, you know, guys, you know [00:12:00] what's really fucked up? I don't have, I can't get my medications from my, I've got a doctor calling tomorrow morning to get my medications.
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:12:10] All right. Yeah. Let me know if you need a break. Okay. All
Matt Pinfield: [00:12:13] right.
I'm just so upset.
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:12:14] You know, you're answering all my questions. I'm not angry. I'm not even
Matt Pinfield: [00:12:17] saying, you know, I'm just pissed off about everything. Oh, that's all right. You know, I'd rather spread positivity. Fucking there's enough.
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:12:23] No, absolutely. There's a
Matt Pinfield: [00:12:25] lot of positive human beings, so we'll do that. We'll, we can talk
about anything you want, but here.
So we'll go back to, so when you talked about prisoners watching you, one of the things I realized was, you know, how much that means to people and you know what you're doing. The work you're doing, the things that you're talking about. And we have that incredible platform. You and I on M to to talk about music only.
Um, the idea was beautiful. It was a beautiful idea that we could sit there and talk. [00:13:00] We only could take, remember we would only do one break a half hour, right? Talk about what was before and after. And it was just. So fun and great,
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:13:09] but they would let you throw the script out and just say what you want it to say to you if
Matt Pinfield: [00:13:12] you want to go script.
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:13:13] Oh no. They made him keep a script. But if I had a better
story, right, they would let me tell a story. Yeah, it great.
Matt Pinfield: [00:13:21] All right. Thank you. It was amazing. It was just an amazing time. I, um,
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:13:25] it was very special. Do you think anything like that could happen again?
Matt Pinfield: [00:13:29] You know, there are so many, so many different ways that people use music discovery.
I think. What is needed in some way is more curation. Uh, there was an article recently in consequences. Sound is why we need MTV now more than ever, even if it's on MTV and 120 minutes or Headbangers ball. And they were talking about like, I think it's because you need a place, you know, to find, like [00:14:00] to at least center that thing, you know?
And I certainly. You know, love that. You know, you've got Spotify and Apple music. They do some really cool things. I mean, obviously my assistant and my sister at Columbia records is the global head of rock for Spotify.
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:14:17] Alison,
Matt Pinfield: [00:14:18] Alison Agner, one of the most amazing human beings I've ever met
in my life. And she works, you, you know, she was a gift.
Uh, she, um, it's just one of the greatest people I've ever known. I mean, she's family to me. And you don't have, the story's amazing. She was the number one college rep at Sony, and if you were in the number one college rep, you got a job. But every day she walked into human resources and said, I want to be MapInfo as the assistant.
And then eventually she finally got there and it was like, you know, it was like, she's family for life, you know, I love her so much. And yeah, that's great. I mean, you know, I just went over and visited her and her baby, and it's like, I, you know. There's a, you know, you know what it is, Chris, there's people [00:15:00] in your life, you know, you just got to let everyone know that you really love in your life or appreciate how much you care about them.
You know, I mean, life's too short. You know, I, I've, I've had so many issues, man, I've had weird things happen to me. Um, you know, I've, I've, I've struggled with, you know, my, obviously it's not a secret to people that have struggled with, you know, uh, drugs and alcohol from my life, you know. Um.
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:15:27] But Matt Pinfield: [00:15:27] all right.
You know? But you know, the thing is though, um. You're not, you coming back swinging. Yeah,
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:15:34] we do. I was saying, you're your grass Butte and man, you can stab him. You can burn him. You can
Matt Pinfield: [00:15:41] flogging. Pennfield's coming back.
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:15:43] But here's something I wanted to ask about in the book, and
I mentioned this to you earlier, you know, um, everybody who knows you knows that you.
Had this demon,
Matt Pinfield: [00:15:53] right? Yeah.
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:15:54] But you kind of gloss over it, don't you? I wouldn't say you Kloss over it, but you don't go to the deep [00:16:00] end. You go deep, but
Matt Pinfield: [00:16:01] you don't see why no one. I'll tell you why. Um, because Maya was,
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:16:07] she's
Matt Pinfield: [00:16:07] 18, my youngest daughter, I love both my daughters and they've had to, of course, like endure, you know, worrying them if your dad is going to be alive or dead, you know.
Um, which is something I, I, I just, it's terrible, you know, because, you know, my mom and dad were, you know, I, I couldn't have asked for a better mom and dad, you know, I mean, they were, uh, they were amazing in a sense that even though my father, who, you know, was a school teacher, he gave up the, uh, opportunity.
To be a major physicist cause he was so brilliant at the university of Georgia and Athens, um, you know, but he had adopted my brother and married my mom, who was his girlfriend when he was 13, 14. I came back from the Korean war. He was engaged to a woman out here in California, and she was [00:17:00] fucking somebody else.
And he threw the fucking engagement ring over the river. You know, my dad was such a cool mother fucker. I love him so much. You know, I miss him. You know. I mean, you know, and I say this, you know, he knows how much I loved them. He does. Um, but, you know, I wasn't always the easiest, but you know, we never are.
Right, right. You know, when you're a kid, you just, you know, you're just, you know, I all, I mean, for me it was rock and roll, and it was music. It was the soul of my life. And it was the thing that took me out of being in a small neighborhood, you know? Um.
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:17:37] You talk in the book about when you were being a little kid and music influencing you, did you really go to kindergarten clutching
Matt Pinfield: [00:17:45] vinyl?
Yes, I did. And I cried one day when I, when I was sick and couldn't go to school. The associations cherish was on the radio. And it's so funny because, uh, Terry [00:18:00] Kirkman from the association has a. You know, he w he saved me one time, you know what I
mean? So, it's funny how like a song or an artist you loved when you were five and these guys like came out of their way to help you.
You know what I mean? Like Ringo, you know what I mean? And, and Ringrose just a beautiful man, you know? Um, I, I, you know, I was that kid, man, you know, like my best friends from childhood, you know, I still have. You know, it's really interesting story. When the book first came out, I did a thing with Rob Sheffield of rolling stone and he sat there and said, I think it says a lot about you.
This wasn't what he said on stage. He said it in the car in a way back to New York city. He goes, he says a lot about you that you still have your best friends from when you were a little kid. Yup. He goes about who the person you are. And I thought about that because I have these two best friends, you know, that, [00:19:00] um, this guy Robert Schweitzer, who likes to tell people I moved to a new town, um, he was in the military for years.
Both these guys have different careers, but I won't necessarily go into that, but, um, he'll always remember me, goes. All right. I moved to a new town. I was eight years old, nine. He goes, you came up and sat next to me in fire grade and you said to me, have you heard Venus by the shocking
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:19:35] opening line? Your opening line is,
Matt Pinfield: [00:19:41] yeah, I mean, music was, to me. Um, the thing that really gave you freedom, but it also was the thing that truly verified any feeling that you had. Like for me, you know, like, I dreamed [00:20:00] that I was in love, you know, which I thought I was, you know what? I was like seven, eight, nine.
You know what I mean? With girls that I loved. Tennis, it's like, I know I listened to a song like, you know, and that would be. You know, it was always me like looking through the eyes and imagining. So getting to tell people that I really loved like did Bowen, Steven Tyler, you know how much they meant to me as a kid.
And Steven always appreciates that. You know, it's really amazing that I forgot there was footage out there of me and him singing sweet emotion together. yeah. And I was like, fuck. You know? But more importantly, just getting to tell people. That you've loved and admired all your life, wanting to work in music, having an incredible journey and opportunity to do it.
It's almost like, you know a thing which in the book about David Bowie and I like, you know, when he's sitting on the couch in front of me, you know, and he, and he says to me, you know, I really love [00:21:00] and respect your you and your knowledge of everything. I'm like, can't believe this guy is saying, you know, like, yeah, I have to actually stepping right there.
You know what I mean? But it's. But I'm very, you know, look, I'm grateful for the journey I've had. I've had really, really difficult personal struggles I've had. Um. Some other weird things happen, you know, like getting hit by the car and I want to get to surgery like two like a month ago. Like it's just like, it's like what else you got?
Come on.
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:21:30] Yeah, right. There's so much to cover in this book. The book is all these things that I've done my insane, improbable rock life by Matt Pinfield out now on paperback. You were just talking about Steven Tyler. I want to go back to that a second because here you are. You're so generous with everyone.
You know people you don't know. I've seen people on the street at South by Southwest who I don't think knew you walking up to you, just fans and used to have as much time for like a Steven Tyler. Then you as you do for a kid that is on the street, but. [00:22:00] I also want to point out that you write in the book, um, as generous and kind and sincere and sweet as you have always been to me and our friends in the room and all the rock stars and strangers.
You have also had the balls. Forget ACDC. You had the biggest paws on the mall because you told Aerosmith that they sucked. Right.
Matt Pinfield: [00:22:21] Well told me we were terrible live when I saw him. Yeah, I told him that. Yeah, I know why suck is a strong word, but I bet you know, honestly, I did. I go, God, you suck that show.
And I did tell them they suck and they go to me. Yeah, man. You know, we were fucking numb. We're on so much cocaine that we thought we were GarageBand. And we fucking, because you've gotta remember like leading up to that, I saw queen do not at the opera, the beacon theater, which was life changing, man, it was the fucking greatest thing I'd ever seen in my life.
Like I love Freddie mercury. I don't love the later [00:23:00] albums as much, but I love that run. Like I, I still respect anything they've ever done and love. Brian May and I'm so grateful to primary, higher meta. Right. The liner notes to the box set, you know, which was so fucking cool. Do you know I did that in the hospital?
Did you really? Uh,
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:23:21] do liner notes even exist anymore?
Matt Pinfield: [00:23:24] You know, it's just a strange time that way, but I think it's, you know, journalism is very immediate right now. So, you know, there's certain people like. You know, Lindsay Parker, who I love very much, who I, you know, do some stuff with, it's, here's techs on volume and, um, you know, Odessa for Yahoo.
Some people can really, um, they can cover being immediate as journalism is right now. Um, and also, you know, have, have a sense of history. And, uh, but. Yeah. It's a very, very different time. [00:24:00] Yeah. There, I mean, there isn't that, I mean, there really isn't anymore. You know, I remember people complaining that artwork on CDs was a big enough, like I remember when it was still all there.
Right. Um, you know, I still believe that there is, it's not a completely lost art if the artists really cares about doing it, but I think it's just a very, very different way now that young
people. Um, you know, how they express themselves and how they can get themselves out to their fans. Like, I just did this thing where I was singing.
Um, you know, it's funny, I song on every stage except for Madison square garden in New York city, but I've never, you know, but I've, I'd never sang in LA before and I w I sang it to Roxy, this class tribute couple months back, and I'm standing on the street after that. And Youngblood jumps out of a car and fucking comes over to me, hugs me.
He goes, yeah, my American dad. [00:25:00] Yeah, young boy, fucking low. You know, all of it. It's really cool that I'm really super grateful. There's a lot
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:25:08] of, he's bringing it back.
Matt Pinfield: [00:25:10] He's great. The islands, just doing
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:25:11] some interesting stuff
Matt Pinfield: [00:25:12] really was, you know, I was with her and her brother at the Ja alter ego thing and Hey, you know, what really blew me away was that, um, Billy covered.
A Rob Dickinson song in there. Rob Dickinson was from a band called Catherine wheel, who I loved. And, um, Rob doesn't like, it's really, it was from a solo album. It wasn't even a Kathryn Wilson, but Billy did a thing in England where she had to do a BBC session and covered the track. Yeah. I texted with Robin about it, you know.
Wow. And he goes, it's fucking great, man. But he's, he doesn't, he now builds. I mean, I'm sure your husband knows who he is because he builds the Supercars. That's what he does, and it's like literally cars that cost like [00:26:00] $200,000 wow. Like he's doing like. You're rebuilding like all porches and Lamborghinis and like actually reconstructing things.
It's his job. So he doesn't need . We'll get him. Maybe I'll get him a show. Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:26:15] I
Matt Pinfield: [00:26:15] don't, he needs some money from, uh, from Billie Eilish. But I think he really appreciates it. Yeah, I know. I do. Um,
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:26:21] but you know, all right, so let's talk about how the music industry has changed. I know we're kind of all over the board.
Sorry about that.
Matt Pinfield: [00:26:26] Well, you know, all over, because that's how. People actually. That's
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:26:29] true. That's true. And you know, I'm glad you said that because one thing I really, really want to do with this podcast, even though we're stepping on each other, I'm stepping on your
Matt Pinfield: [00:26:37] words, whatever
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:26:38] real, right.
Matt Pinfield: [00:26:40] And conversations, you know,
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:26:42] you want to change the landscape of music and you have Matt over the last 20 plus years.
You have,
Matt Pinfield: [00:26:48] you know what? I'm so grateful. I mean, when a kid like young blood. I, you know, it's so funny. I'm calling people kids. It's, you know, like white Reaper. I love those kids. Their dad wrote a book on the who, who sent it to me, and they're like. [00:27:00] Number one alternative record two weeks ago. And those Sam will text me from England to go, um, I'm in show.
I just went down, uh, the Chelsea and I was in this mud shop and I thought of you, I go one day hat, and he goes, dad, replicas of Quadrophenia outfits and fucking the jam and the, who am I? You know, I want to spend all my money there. So it's like I talk to young artists. That's what I do, you know, I'm so grateful that.
They truly appreciate how much I never gotten caught in one era because there's all these great new artists coming out. It's so important, you know, to stay. I mean, it's just, and I love this band from Canada called the glorious sons
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:27:45] and that today they're great.
Matt Pinfield: [00:27:47] They are on your recommendation. Yeah. I love that guys. Is fucking real. Is
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:27:52] that his real, yeah. So anyway, one of the things I really hope to do with this series, what I really hope to do is maybe like if I can push the needle in [00:28:00] my lifetime a little bit in broadcasting to take away all of this, what we used to call and radio instead of live talking like this instead of like that to talk.
You just taught curse. If you wouldn't need to crack your voice, whatever. All my words tell me to shut up. No, I just, my voice just cracked her. Yeah. But seriously, that's what I really hope to do.
Matt Pinfield: [00:28:20] So I just loved you. You were absolutely real genuine from the heart. When we worked together,
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:28:29] it didn't get me very far, did it?
Matt Pinfield: [00:28:31] You know what I mean? Actually, you know, like, I think, you know, we look at life. And so many different ways. And, um, you know, but I, I just think you're amazing. You've done amazingly great things and you're, you know, you really, I mean, quiz.
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:28:47] I am who I am. I sleep well at night.
Matt Pinfield: [00:28:49] I love you. And you want me to tell you something?
Shar, who, um, is recording us right now. Like, I'm going to talk about, I'm in a room right now with you, Charlene, who I love and worked with at, uh,K fog, [00:29:00] who we stayed, you know, we were friends through everything. Through, through the battleship. And Christie Ferman, who I fucking loved so much, you, um, you know, did make up on me and MTV and I loved her.
Like everything about her spirit, like, you know, like yours. It's like there's, there's something about people in your life that you, yeah, I just have this. Gratuity in this love for the people that I really fucking care about because I've been through so much fucking shit and I've almost died so many fucking times.
Sometimes my fault, sometimes not. Yeah. I mean, you know, I pushed fucking things way too far sometimes. When it comes to the party thing. Um, well, I don't know. We'd really call it a party, but
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:29:51] can we talk about, you know, I mean, you talking about all these things that have happened to you. Can we talk about May, 1976 [00:30:00] that's very real talk the first time you almost died.
I did not know this at all. And again, it's in the book and it blew my mind. And I've known you for 25 years.
Matt Pinfield: [00:30:09] I mean, you know, you never, um, you never know what to expect in life. And I, and I've learned this every day, like as we're going through this, the Corona thing and everything else, it's like, you know, I came, here I am, I'm 15 years old, you know, 14, 15.
Um, it was. I'll never forget it because the Ramones were tied to that birthday because, and it's in the book is the funniest story. And I found out the girl that we were both beating each other up over died. And I'm, you know, first sad, you know, that I heard that, you know, I loved on yet I was in love with her, but, um, you know, when I was a kid, you know what?
I'm like, guys, whatever that means. Right? 1112 but, um. No, I mean, that's just real estate, you know, as it is for you, you know? Anyway, in the book, we talk [00:31:00] about me and my friend Richie, and we're both Irish. We, um. Beat the shit out of each other in the bathroom or about the same height. You know what I mean?
You know we are. The difference was that his dad was a total mobster and I, my dad was a school teacher. His dad was like, whatever, man, like he's was Sinatra's friend, you know, Jean kata, you know what I mean? Like I would go over his house. I was so naive. I'd go. Hey, that's really cool. That's your dad with Frankston.
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:31:29] You can put it together.
Matt Pinfield: [00:31:35] Frank
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:31:35] Sinatra's a close personal friends,
Matt Pinfield: [00:31:41] like I was seriously like, fucking luck. Literally. That's like, I look back on it now and think it's just so brilliant, you know? Because like every city I've lived in, I've met, um. Some wise guys, whatever you want to call them. And uh, you know, he always, and your [00:32:00] fans, well, you know, there's always a, there's always a connection, but, so we beat this shit.
I'd be chairman in the bathroom. It was like the West hall ninth grade, and it was when, you know, it was at a time when, at least in that town, East Brunswick, New Jersey, um, that. Ninth grade was still in junior high school, and then, you know, everybody else went into 10th grade. Now, like it's everybody my most places in the country.
I think it's,
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:32:29] yeah, it used to be in nine 10 11 I mean 10 1112 and we were fucking right
Matt Pinfield: [00:32:34] guys. Let me tell you something funny. The seventies where I met this fucking guy, Chuck , I love this kid. He came from England. Liverpool big fucking guy, you know, like fucking, I mean a giant. Alright. And he loved Bowie.
He turned me on to kiss, even though he was a Brit, and he had T-Rex, Bowie, and slay directors. And I was like, you know, I was [00:33:00] hungry for anything fucking, you know, new, you know, I mean, music was where I found my up, my home and my solace, you know? So. He was the kind of guy, speaking of like how crazy times were back in that period of seventies where like people would like challenge, shout or do a fight on the fucking Hill.
And I remember that he went to the top of the Hill and this other guy had a fucking chain. I mean, literally people would fight with chains. Man, it was wild as fuck. Wow. And Chuck fucking caught the chain and punch this guy in the fucking head. He went flying and it was like. Don't fuck with Chuck . You
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:33:39] talk about him in the book. Matt Pinfield: [00:33:40] Big idea. Yes.
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:33:41] The one who you shoved 20 bucks in his haint mom's hand and yours, she would bring you
Matt Pinfield: [00:33:45] records. I loved his mother. She worked with my sister in law. You know, like they worked at a place called Corvettes, which is like a Woolworths or um, you know, it was a department store that had a record department, you know, but you know what?
There was [00:34:00] never any shenanigans with Mike sister-in-law because it was like they were away. I mean. If she, if she used a pack of gum, they would reprimand her. I mean, their security. Well, the place was called EJA Corvettes for years. I didn't realize it meant eight Jewish Korean veterans anyway, but it was one of the greatest record stores in the world.
I mean, it had, uh, so many great records. It's where I bought that Ramones record, but I bought so many things then, you know, but I mean. You. It's so funny. Years later I tell the story, I've told the story to Steve Jones of the pistols and Johnny rotten and those guys, how I fucking, you know, hitchhike up the highway to buy, um, you know, those sex pistols, singles and how I, the reason why I wanted them was my mom said, I've heard about this fucking, Oh, she didn't say that.
My mom never used that in lady. Yeah. She goes. I heard about this terrible pen from England that are spitting on [00:35:00] reporters
and
Matt Pinfield: [00:35:02] I know, yeah, yeah, it's really bad. Yeah. I can't do an Irish accent and I'm Irish with a fuck. I'm Irish English. Well, what? I just joked because my mom, she never said that, but it's, um, she said, actually, now I sound retarded.
No, my mom's said at that breakfast table, I remember. Listening to the radio at the breakfast table and cordon Lightfoot was on who I loved. Sundown, the carefree hi Wayne. And if you can read my mind, but I was at a time of my life for a record of the Edwin throats. Fitzgerald wasn't my thing, so I didn't, I wasn't into it, you know, and, and so it's playing and my mom looks at me and goes, I just heard about this terrible band from England.
That up, abused reporters, and I'm like, I got to find them now. You know, like anything that really. Was offending the rest of the world you wanted, you know, to find it, because
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:35:59] this [00:36:00] was all right. So wait. So after May, 1976 you had the aneurism,
Matt Pinfield: [00:36:04] you recovered that, you recovered that
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:36:07] when you and your bald kid, Ben , you've kind of started to
get into punk
Matt Pinfield: [00:36:12] and then punk happened.
But you know, like, I felt so fucked up at the time. I really, I was really sad. And then, you know, like I knew a guy in school that I was in love with, the silver girl. And, um, I told her like, he's just going to fuck you and whatever. And then he decided he had to beat me up in front of somebody. Um, while I had the fucking stitches in my head, you know, and this guy was like a karate expert.
So it's like, I mean, what do you do? I'll go, you want to fucking hit me? You want to beat me up? Go ahead and beat me up, asshole. Fuck you. You know what I mean? Um, I remember how fucking horrible that period was. I hated everything that was, you know, like I really was just so sad and [00:37:00] there I was just angry at the world like you would be, you're like, because for me, guys, I went from and look, a lot of people deal with a lot of other adversities, and now that I'm older, I have a very, very different view of it.
And I have so much compassion for other people. But when you're a teenager and you're like. You got something that nobody fucking has or even understands what it is. It's like, what's an aneurism man? Like, why did you come to school with stitches all the way across your head? Why do you feel like a fucking alien?
You know what I mean? You, I mean, you're confused that the say the least when you're a kid, you know? Right. I was. I tried to hold on to like the feelings that I had and the love for rock and roll and everything else.
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:37:53] Is it fair to say that music was your fifth therapy at the saw I Matt Pinfield: [00:37:56] had, yeah. And you don't, those days, you know, [00:38:00] people,
everything is so accessible now.
You know, in those days you had the record player at home, man. And then, you know, and then at that point it was only eight tracks, those pieces of shit, you
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:38:09] know. So you had to order an import.
Matt Pinfield: [00:38:11] Yeah.
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:38:12] And wait for it.
Matt Pinfield: [00:38:13] Oh, you know what, I, I, you know, I kinda got off one thing that I wanted to tell you, I thought people would find interesting about them.
Prison at syncing. Do you know they can't have CDs there? Because they can turn them into weapons to stab and kill people with, so the people, the guys in sing sing, want to get their own albums, have to order cassettes from the far East. The only place it's still, yeah. Isn't that fucking interesting? They told me that they're like, yeah.
I'm like, if you're like, dude, I listen in the morning. I'm like, Oh, you didn't hear me say that shit about wanting to fucking . Like I'm pretty fucking hardcore. But, um,
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:38:54] if they can have a radio, they can't have an MP three player. If it does, you're still main,
Matt Pinfield: [00:38:59] I mean, I'm talking [00:39:00] about this was 2009 okay. But I just remember how I really, I found that, but also how grateful I found those guys who were, you know, and because I disagree with so many, like the three strike law and all the other stuff.
I mean, fucking guys are in jail for smoking fucking pot and what the fuck? You know what I mean? Like, you know, I, I'm not a pothead. I never was. I mean, I did. I did. Harder trucks, you know, I like, I like things that would keep me awake when I was spinning at a nightclub and that's what I did. I would do speed.
I do Coke, um, you know, whatever. Somebody hat, cause I wasn't like always actively looking for it, but if it was there, I'd fucking, you know, I'm like, yeah, I'll fucking take it. I got to spin a four. Am I fuck yet? You know what I mean? So, and of course that didn't play out well, ultimately, you know? Right.
Because everything starts. There's a thing that we say in recovery is that it worked for awhile and then it stopped working. [00:40:00] You know what? It gets really, really can get really ugly and get and get dark, you know? Um, absolutely. And you know, honestly, you know, you never wake up in life and go, God, I wish I had a hangover this morning, or.
I wish I would fuck up and not show up for something. You know? Um, you, it's, it's a really, it's a really troubling, horrible disease, but I, there is hope in everything. Um, and the beauty is the people that I've become close to and found that have struggled and suffered the same things that I've gone through.
And I love those people so much. You know, I, um. And I gained strength from them, you know, and, you know, I hurt a lot, you know, I mean, there's a lot of shit that, you know, I've, I've dealt with, but, you know, [00:41:00] at the same time, you know me, I'm like, I'm forever an optimist. I mean, like, I'll find something positive out of fucking everything, you know?
And I am so grateful, um, to be alive today. Um, and. For the beautiful friends I have in my life and the two beautiful daughters, my mom, my brother and sister. Um, you know, I, um, my brother is really struggling right now with Parkinson's man, and it's like, he's very, very sick. And I just sent him a box of T shirts.
Like I ordered a bunch of his favorite albums, like on tee shirts farm, you know, um. Because he was always so there for me when we were, we were kids. You know?
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:41:43] I want to talk about your family a little bit, but let's take a break first. Okay. All right. This is text and present. Rock and roll.
--
Stupid to even do one of these, but um, okay, I'm going to play some, this is name that tune, but I'm only going to give you like a note cause your map. Okay.
Matt Pinfield: [00:41:59] Ready? [00:42:00] Yeah.
Yeah. It smells like teen spirit.
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:42:05] Okay. Very good. Okay. Is this not loud enough?
Matt Pinfield: [00:42:08] Oh, you can hear that. That riff. Okay. I'm very proud of that fucking clock. I have a 4 million sold.
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:42:14] I know. I'm so jealous of you. That's my favorite.
Matt Pinfield: [00:42:17] And you know what's crazy. Most of my really good POCs are
sitting in bubble wrap in a fucking container in New Jersey.
Like all, I mean, I don't even have my gold records here, and I'm going to say, I mean, I've got to go back to Jersey. I was planning on it until this fucking Corona fucking cock
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:42:33] on
Matt Pinfield: [00:42:33] them records come away. Anyway, I'm sorry guys. I'm just a little bit, uh. Yeah. Whatever. When we're all dead, records will still be sitting there.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Somebody will discover them like the fucking, you know what I mean?
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:42:45] Right, right, right, right. Like
Matt Pinfield: [00:42:47] what? He's fucking grandson will go like that. Goes back, Zach.
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:42:52] All right. All right. Ready? Next one. Okay. Ready?
Matt Pinfield: [00:42:55] Yeah.
[00:43:00] Bowie. You say you started us all right. Here you go. First note K. yeah. I'm having fun. It's easy. No, but it's awesome. You know? I, people don't try it.
Yeah. One of my first songs, well, you know, that was the first song I played by, by them on the radio in New Jersey. You know, I fucking added that record like when nobody else, because it was so wild. Like I'd heard about this band called Nirvana from the wonder stuff, who were like, they're, you know, this English band, who are my friends I'm on, you know, my one of their records, and I loved them.
And they go, there's this great fucking American band called Nirvana. I'm like. Cool. I'll check them out. They go, we saw them, they just play London. And I'm like, I went and fucking bought bleach. And then that single came out and I added it to a commercial radio station. You know, I would do shit that I let you go and look it up chances, you know,
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:43:57] knowing that band and I bought bleach two and 89 [00:44:00] I love that album.
I didn't think sliver was ever released. And so when I read your post, I went back and looked again and again and again, and did some research and then realized, Holy
Matt Pinfield: [00:44:10] shit. Yeah. It was a seven inch single field. Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:44:12] Did release that
Matt Pinfield: [00:44:13] before anything was out. Yeah, it was before bleach. Well, you know, the thing was the single was.
A sub pop thing and they heard that our station was really cool. So I called them and said, send me that, you know, whatever you have from Nirvana, like send me that new thing. And I go, we've got a new single coming out. And I'm like, okay, cool. So I played sliver and I always just loved it. It was just, you know, it's crazy now that you know, I've done so much shit with Dave and, and Chris over the years, you know, like we've become such good friends and it's, it's wild to actually, um, you know, it was, it was a great era.
You know what I mean? It's still great. I mean, there are many great artists out right now too, that still get me excited. So, but I am grateful. Andy showed her, I had this conversation.
What a fucking great [00:45:00] time to be a part of culture pop culture in the 90s when alternative was exploding and fucking gangster rap.
What a great fucking time. You know, if you like. It was cool. It was really, it was a fucking great time. I'm grateful I was there and a part of it.
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:45:17] I'm ready for another. Yeah. Okay. Do you know yet?
Matt Pinfield: [00:45:30] No. It sounds like Queen's fucking Brighton rock for a minute, but it's not. I know that. Oh, it's a record. That's a record I made
by crossfade. Yeah. I gave them their name, as you know, Hey, the worst band name in the world, sugar daddy superstar in it. And I go, guys, you know, I still want our band. I gave him a list of names and they put CrossFit. But I, um, I still want a band to use the [00:46:00] name night divides because it's a lie. It's from the doors break on through to the other side.
You know, night divides the day, but it looks really cool, like divides. And I'm like somebody that's pretty nineties and two thousands, but it's still pretty cool device. But that was one of the choices I gave them that I remember. I remember only the name they took and that, but it was like six fucking names just coming up with things, you know.
Fun. Right? It's crazy. That record was fucking number one. I was never at fucking six at pop. It was number one active rock. It was only number two and alternative because there was no way you could go pass the blow torch that was Boulevard of broken dreams by green day. So that record fucking sold 2 million copies for me and I never got a fucking check for.
Fucking residuals. No, because they fucking, you know, the, the accountants at Sony were like, Whoa, we spent all this money on PR. I'm like, you fucking fuck you. I got you still to me and fucking copies of that [00:47:00] record, but I didn't post. I know, you know, like, I don't, you know, I can't keep things positive. But it's a, it is, you know, they could pull shit like that back in those days, you know, I couldn't even take production credit.
I fucking co-wrote their second single off that record so far away. I finished the song, arranged it, but Tommy Mottola had like this rule. That you couldn't take production credit or sorry, in credit, like Jeff blue did with Lincoln park on hybrid theory. Um, and I fucking did all this shit on these records that I did, you know, like I told wrote fucking songs, but Sony had a fucking strict rule, which, um, you know, but, you know, I learned something very interesting.
I guys, I. Money Lipman offered me a label deal and I fucking turned it down to be loyal to will bought one and then we'll got fired the president. Um, so you know, it's just another one of those things guys. But that's interest. That's right.
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:47:56] Song yet there for you. What? That lady hasn't sung yet, Matt Pinfield: [00:47:59] maybe [00:48:00] interesting guys.
This
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:48:02] very far stories, right? You get like one note for this one. Okay. One, if I can keep my finger on this here. .
Matt Pinfield: [00:48:10] Yeah. Wonder stuff. So I was going to Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:48:12] cow.
Matt Pinfield: [00:48:16] Oh, the stuffies were the best. You know, I still stay in touch with miles. Um, you know, my favorite fucking song on that record is caught in my shadow. I love that track, but I love so many other songs. They were just, their friendship, his friendship with me was just. You know, one of the most giving things and he didn't really like many people music business, but he and I, you know, became friends.
I'll never forget, like, you know, just, I met him at the Ritz in New York city and I sent him a cassette of dinosaur jr because he wanted, like, he loved American bands. Um, and we stayed in touch. [00:49:00] I love that first album, the group machine. It's one of the best, you know, it's in, you know. In history, it deserves fucking much more credit than it's gotten.
You know? Um, those first three wonder stuff, albums were brilliant fucking records, you know, and they were so influential over there. Like I always tell people, I was standing on a style of the stage with Nirvana at . Live at reading 92 because the wonder stuff, we're the other headlining band on the other night and public enemy.
That's how big the wonder stuff were in England. They were the fucking biggest thing in the world there, you know, and, um, they were fucking great. And you know, I'm on that album. I do that. Yeah. A Hunter S Thompson thing.
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:49:42] Yeah.
Matt Pinfield: [00:49:43] Which is really fucking cool.
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:49:45] I saw your name in many credits. I saw your name in drama. Ramas credit greeting
nuts
Matt Pinfield: [00:49:54] when they put out that first album, cinema verite with anything, anything. I was only one of six people [00:50:00] thanked on the record because. I let them come up to my college radio show and fucking play direct. Fuck it. At first they go and they're like, we're going to thank Matt, and that was the number one alternative record.
For fucking all the 80s until smells like teen spirit like every year. If you were at 91 bucks in San Diego or listen to K rock here, yeah, it was when they did their countdown of the biggest records of all time, it was number one every year until fucking smells like teen spirit. That was number two.
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:50:32] I love drama.
Ramon
Matt Pinfield: [00:50:33] leprosy, boys.
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:50:34] I think of them every year on earth. I think of them on earth day every year.
Matt Pinfield: [00:50:38] Oh, dude, what are we going to do? Good. I love Sean. Johnny, you still, I love all the, you know the skies.
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:50:43] All right. You ready for another one? Yeah. Okay. I've only have a couple more.
I was going to
Matt Pinfield: [00:50:50] queue that up. The chance.
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:50:53] Okay. Sorry, my bad. That and make you go with the music.
Matt Pinfield: [00:50:58] Yeah. We throw by Wayne [00:51:00] Kramer, MC five you know, we're a. He's fun. He's such a brother. You know, he, um, he jumped a fence once to save my life. Um, you know, he's that kind of friend, you know what I mean? And he's obviously one of the most influential guitar players of all time.
Um, but he's a beautiful man, and he's like a devoted his life to helping other people that struggle with addiction. And, uh, he's a cool motherfucker.
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:51:28] Yes.
Matt Pinfield: [00:51:28] He had got the jams mother fuckers
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:51:32] one last
Matt Pinfield: [00:51:32] hopper relo is like, he's Tom's idle. There's a great picture of me, him and Tom in the studio. Jenny's is fucking so cool.
Like, you know, I gotta find it. It's somewhere buried in Guam.
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:51:45] this is the last one for you. Alright. Alright. Kind of an indie artists doing a cover. This is going to be a lot harder for it.
Matt Pinfield: [00:51:58] Oh my God. [00:52:00] How'd you find that? Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:52:01] What is it? It's me
Matt Pinfield: [00:52:03] fucking singing opium. Vola everyone's a winner, which I fucking love. But it's really funny when you hear me sing.
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:52:13] Now I get it. Listen, hold on. Matt Pinfield: [00:52:15] Got to hear this because
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:52:16] you have to hear
Matt Pinfield: [00:52:18] me sing it. Did I get ya? Oh my God, fucking, that's the coolest
thing ever.
You got to hear it.
So opium. WIOA was like a fake band name because it was a fake drug that we put together in a bag that when we were like teenagers, we're like, tea leaves, Tristan [00:53:00] fucking
name was opium bottle, and we're like. Well, you haven't tried to open your volume because we had fucking no one when we were kids.
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:53:12] I love it.
Matt Pinfield: [00:53:13] We were such crazy motherfuckers. But um, yeah, I, you know, it's funny, when that song was new, I hadn't really known it that well because it was, but, but it was only like three years later that I covered it.
I found it on a seven inch single like that somebody like was selling a bunch of singles from jukeboxes. And I realized, I'm like, I fucking love this song. This song is fucking cool. So I did a cover of everyone's a winner. The most recent guy who covered it was that guy Ty seagull, you know, he's out.
He's out of version a single of it, but, um, opium bottle. It was a. Cover band. We did like five originals, but it was just a fucking fun thing that I did with all these guys who were in other bands. Like I produced a bunch of local [00:54:00] bands, like no set. Which of those singles by no set like ask you later is fucking in Unisphere fucking sell for a lot of money and like he paying Discogs now these records I did same with that.
It's like, you know, four track or maybe eight track studio. Um, if you, it's funny when you listen to it because you know, like it, the quality is shit so fucking funny. I remembered when I was moving from Jersey to San Francisco, I put it on, I'd never played it for my, my ex- girlfriend, Alex. I go, who do you think this it?
She goes, me. I mean, she knew I sang on Jen. She saw me sing on stage at fucking Hammerstein ballroom and Roseland doing a. My Shawn Shane McGowan, who's what's in his birthday today? Alright, it's Saint Patty's day. I don't know, might not be, but when Coleen fairytale in New York is, you know, my favorite Christmas song of all time because it's the saddest.
[00:55:00] It's the funniest and saddest record all in like four minutes. Um, you know, I love fairy tilde New York so much because. I kind of, I felt like that character in that song, you know, like when you fall in love and you know, the beauty of that song that's fucking so amazing to me is that when you listen to ferry Tobe New York, they're talking about like dancing on fucking Christmas Eve and like on 52nd street.
And I sang the song at Roseland on 52nd street. And it's about the time of Sinatra. So it's like. Sinatra was swinging all the drunks, they were singing. We kissed on the corner and
dance through the night. And it's the most beautiful, like, you know, I love, it really captures the spirit. That's oddly that it's an Irish fucking song from Ireland, the boys of the MYP choir.
We're singing Gallway Bay. Cause you know, so many, I wish men became cops, you know, in New [00:56:00] York city. Um. And the bells are ringing out for Christmas day. But the beauty of that fucking song for me was like the second verse is so funny cause they're cursing at each other. And I once had a, she calls him a faggot and online, you know, she goes, I'm you scumbag, you maggot, you cheap, lousy faggot.
Happy Christmas your ass. I pray, God, it's our last. But he goes, you're right, I'll slot on chunk. He goes, there, you know, but they're fighting in verse two, right? And there was a band opening for Weezer and I was singing it right before Weezer went on stage at Roseland or like 5,000 people there. And the guy asked me not to sing the word faggot.
I said, well then I'm going to sing them. You scumbag, you Maggie, you look like pop. Saget that's what I changed it to. Just like she changed. No, she changed it to she cause she's the one who calls me back. It was funny, I just said told her to change the lyrics. But the beauty of that song is the love in the beginning, the [00:57:00] fighting.
And the last verse is, all regret is I could've, he goes, he goes, I could have been someone. And she goes, well, so could anyone. You took my dreams from me when I first found you. And he goes, but I kept him with me, babe. I put them with my own. I can't make it all alone. I built my dreams around you. It's a fucking beautiful song.
It's one of the greatest songs of all time. It is top 10 every fucking year. A Christmas in England and Ireland. It was number seven in the UK this fucking Christmas every single year. That song fucking comes out and it just never loses its, it's genius. It's beauty. And you know, fucking crazy ass fucking alcoholic Irishman like Shane McGowan wrote that song.
It's pretty fucking brilliant actually. You know, it's a miracle. He's still alive, but then people would say that about me
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:57:54] anyway, I have to thank all Matt Pinfield: [00:57:55] now. It's great. That's
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:57:58] Glenn pin. Give that to me. [00:58:00] I haven't been in touch with your brother. You have? Yep. I've been emailing back
Matt Pinfield: [00:58:05] and forth from my brother. Oh man. You know how
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:58:08] much I got in touch with him and he is just a great,
Matt Pinfield: [00:58:11] there's any one of the most beautiful, he's great.
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:58:13] And I really tried to get in touch with Brandon. I told you that. And I got as far as like the assistant of his management, um,
Matt Pinfield: [00:58:20] Robert Reynolds assistant. Yeah.
Kris Kosach Wellen: [00:58:22] Right. Yeah. Right. But you know, I mean.
Matt Pinfield: [00:58:27] That the story's out there and he loves the book on. But it's really
interesting cause I think he likes to leave a little mystery in it.
You know what I mean? Because I've told the stories and I think he likes to keep a little mystery in it. But you know. When I almost got killed and hit by the car, he fucking went on to seize the farm, said, you know, this song's for math and field. I'm like, and he dedicated it to me that night, which was so meant the world to me.
Cause I, I went there on a fucking Walker, broken fucking leg. Um, and I never, I'll never forget Tamburello's face when he saw me because [00:59:00] Tom was so shook and by fucking, you know, and which is a butyl, you know what, man? Like, you know, even Baba Booey, when I got hit by the car, Howard went on the air and he was just, Howard storm was just going through the news in the morning and then he just goes, stops and goes, ah, Hey, Matt.
Matt pitfall got hit by a car. He goes, you know, Matt, Robyn, right. You know, and so fucking Howard was fucking upset about it on the air, talked about it as Baba Booey. Baba Booey knew Rick Krim. He knew Rick was in touch with me in the hospital, so he. He told Howard, he goes, yo, yo Matt. So right. He's going to be okay.
But I have the bet, my F one of my favorite audio things ever, and it's when we were working together. You remember that morning got fucking, I got all that social media shit cause Howard went on the air and said I was his favorite DJ of all time. I'm fucking. That was the nicest fucking huge, Oh my God.
She's showing him Monday morning. He was, you know who I fucking love because I love Matt Pinfield on the air. [01:00:00] He goes, you know, he was cool MTV and all, but fucking man, I love his delivery. Like it was the fucking nice. It's like it was insane. Wow. You know, I have that. I have all that audio. That's amazing.
Yeah. That's a beautiful thing, right. You know? Yeah. You know, I'm glad. I'm appreciate it. You know, I'm still hear a man, you know, I'm a, I love you
Kris Kosach Wellen: [01:00:18] guys. This is an afterthought and I don't usually do this, but slam that for me. Of course,
Matt Pinfield: [01:00:23] I'm guys
Kris Kosach Wellen: [01:00:24] forever. I mean,
Matt Pinfield: [01:00:26] I love you guys so
Kris Kosach Wellen: [01:00:26] much. Nalliah in there. I love how we doing shirts.
Yeah. Great. All right. Well, you know, I mean, you think about it.
Kris Kosach Wellen: [01:00:36] All right. Hey, Matt, can you, let's, you started in radio way back in the day,
Matt Pinfield: [01:00:42] driving through snow storms. You know, the deal breaking down on the highway with a gas can, but there were cell phones because there was nothing I wanted to do more than be on the radio. I wanted to be a DJ since I was a child and I loved fucking radio.
But I also, [01:01:00] you know, had this built in thing that I thought that. A lot of commercial radio wasn't given enough artists, enough exposure that I loved. And I was one of those guys who was like, fuck man. Like when a new wave and punk thing happened. And even before that, you know, like, things that I love that were even metal on hard rock, you know?
Um. So I always believe that I, I got to get out there. I've got to have a voice, you know? And, and I was grateful enough, um, to get that chance, you know? But I never, I didn't know if it was going to happen. You know, it's really interesting that I ended up on the radio in New York city, the city that I listened to radio from the time I was a little kid with a transistor under my fucking pillow.
And, you know. I did a Sunday night show for 13 years onK rock there for fucking 13 years. Man. You know,
Kris Kosach Wellen: [01:01:54] and for anyone who's not in radio, that is
Matt Pinfield: [01:01:57] huge. Yeah. And then, you know, right now I've [01:02:00] flashed back, which is syndicated for West one nine years. You know, I, and I've had my ups and downs and everything else, but I will tell you that I, even when I was still Monice in New York, we had so much fun and we were fucking killing it.
We were having a great time. Um, and it. You know, it was an incredible experience for me. You know, I, uh, don't like the winters, so I'm glad I live in California now, but boy, but I love the people and I love, uh, you know, I loved in New York. I love people in Jersey, in New York, you know, obviously, because I'm so fucking cut from that cloth.
But, um.
Kris Kosach Wellen: [01:02:34] But when you started, you started like queuing up records like I did back in the day with vinyl.
Matt Pinfield: [01:02:40] Oh, you're there.
Kris Kosach Wellen: [01:02:41] Then we went to like dat, remember that? And then we had those carts with the CDs in them. And then now it's all touch screen, everything. So you went through the whole digital revolution, as did I.
But I want to hear you talking about, no one wants to hear me talk about it, but, um, but the whole Napster digital revolution. I want to see [01:03:00] that through through your binoculars.
Matt Pinfield: [01:03:02] Well, you know, I think that, you know, if I was a kid when Napster came out and I could have all the free music, I want it. Fuck yeah.
Because you know, you don't have a lot of money and you could like me, you know, you come from a family of teachers, you know, I mean, I used to cut lawns and fucking deliver papers and do whatever the fuck I had to do to buy records when I was a kid. So I would've. Absolutely loved Napster. And, you know, it's one of those really weird things that I learned something from a guy named Mark Geiger that I, I, you know, I love Mark.
He said ahead of God, he's gotta be fucking really bummed out right now, man. I mean, we all are everybody in the music business, but I, you know, he's, um. You know, William Morris, he's head of touring, you know, and he's one of my oldest friends from, you know, LA. You know, like when I first came here, you know, he hung out.
And, uh, but, uh, he said something really interesting when I interviewed him [01:04:00] in at sunset sessions in Palm Springs or Carlsbad, but he was a guest. And he, um, he said some very, very, you know, very, you know, kind things about me. He goes, look, dude. He goes, they can't invent you. You are who you are. But he also talked about how.
The digital age of music and everything else that's going on in streaming. You know, everybody who, you know, like resist change is going to lose, you know, like unfortunately. But at the same time, it's just progress. It's a beautiful thing. So I'm not. I don't have any, I love the fact that I can go on Spotify or Apple music and I can fucking, all right tonight, I want to hear that song, but a fucking by David Bowie, you know what I mean?
And I'm like in a mood and I turn it on and I'm like, it's right at my fingertips. And that was a dream when I was a kid, not even close. So I've always believed that, well, Mark Iger said that night was that I [01:05:00] really loved, was, you know. If you look at cable, you know, TV, originally they said, fuck, you know, cable, we're not going to change or whatever.
And now the building that I used to have an office in, in farm club is the Comcast NBC universal building. Okay. So I said, all right, I just have an office there, but I'm like, you know, I see that it was the same thing with cars. The train companies had a chance to buy in and they. Fucking said, Oh, fuck, fuck that.
You know? So, and eventually, you know, it was so progress and invention, you know, for me, something that I embrace. I mean, I, granted, I still have all my records and I think it's more of a kind of a fun hobby for me that I have all that final, I do love that. I grew up in, I had that record in my hand and I, because back then, man, you know, I've told Steven Tyler and David bummed tons of people that.
[01:06:00] You know, the only way you knew about them was reading a magazine and maybe you'd have two pictures of them, but they were like gods and they were like so removed from your life and your world. Um. Uh, some people think that we have too much information out there right now, but you know, me, I, I don't resist change because I truly believe that, you know, that's just very, very natural thing to happen in life, you know?
And, and so I'm bracing and I love my playlists on Spotify, man. And, um, you know what? I love podcasts and I've done two of them. You know what I mean? Well, they didn't do any shit. fucking promote them, but that's okay. Um. That's another story, but, um, as we know. But no, you know, I, um, I just feel that everything has been about change and I'm so grateful that I'm alive through it all.
And I see the way streaming means my daughter [01:07:00] Maya can listen to Arctic monkeys and the killers and like, um, you know, and like. You know, Drake in the next second, like I just love, what I do love about it is I think that I wish there were some more curation, but at the same time, I love that young people just react to what they feel and like.
Unfortunately, there's not a lot of curation where I think they get here more in there sometimes, you know, just listen to the lowest hanging fruit. You know what I mean? Yeah. But I mean, that's always been the way it is. I think it's the way, the same way that 13 year old girls control are the audience for top 40 pop music, because that's their life.
That's why six seconds of summer or one direction or who are great guys, but all, I mean, people. If you think about it, and I've always told people this, there was that period in grunge where Cobain was a pop artist, but that [01:08:00] was very rare. It was because all the young girls want to, you know, we're hot for them too, like it didn't matter.
Like, so at the end of the day, it's the same thing as let's say, to Harry styles for a young 13 year old girl. And I think that's fine. It's great. I mean, you know, and I. I don't resent anybody for finding of that gateway into music that they love. Whatever that stepping off point is. You know, like if I was listening to Abba's SOS in my bedroom, I mean, that's a fucking great song.
Yeah. I love it. By the way, that's in the book. Remember, I think I said it in a book like how I was singing in this rock band and we were all doing like bad company Aerosmith fucking. Bowie fucking rocks and music, and then I fucking make sure the windows were closed when I was listening to the seven inch SOS by album.
Kris Kosach Wellen: [01:08:52] I love . I Matt Pinfield: [01:08:53] love that song. Kris Kosach Wellen: [01:08:54] You
Matt Pinfield: [01:08:54] know, I don't fucking, I love song. I mean, the gift of [01:09:00] song, the beauty of us, which is why I've, I refuse, look on the Olympus, get out. And I know I went wild on the end of that record. It was so much fun. Like I wrote that script. No, I just go off. I just went off, but yeah, but it was awesome.
I didn't know. I'm not going to lie to you. I came up with that shit in the back of a cab. All right. Okay. I wrote it. Even Fred's lines, but I wrote it because. I wanted it to be fucking funny and cool, but I wasn't reading, but I went off. I met, it was memorized by the time I did it, and probably not even what I wrote, but it was really funny.
I just remembered this line. My friend said to me about a band, a friend in England who said about a band who you ended up becoming friends with. I would piss on their record to put out a fire. So I put that on that fucking thing, and he goes. Yeah, man. Then we became great friends.
Kris Kosach Wellen: [01:09:58] Whose idea was that? Was that Ross's,
[01:10:00] Matt Pinfield: [01:10:00] Fred was president.
Durst asked me. To be on that record. And, um, you know, I had flipped Flipgrid Ross, Kris Kosach Wellen: [01:10:07] producer
Matt Pinfield: [01:10:08] Ron know you're always in the studio of Brendan O'Brien, but I think it was Terry date. I can't remember exactly, but Brenda was mixing the record. Okay. And Brandon is, you know, he and I hang out, you know, we see each other pretty regularly in LA.
And I'm Brandon O'Brien. What a fucking, I mean, STP Springsteen rage. Pearl jam. What a fucking great record producer. Right. Amazing and beautiful.
Kris Kosach Wellen: [01:10:30] And a little time talking about Brendan.
Matt Pinfield: [01:10:32] Yeah. I loved him, man. You know, and I, um, I remember that that
was a fun experience for me. But you know, it's really interesting that it still resonates.
I mean, back then when AOL had favorite quotes they had, they're like fucking three of them that were like in the millions from my fucking.
Kris Kosach Wellen: [01:10:54] you get royalty checks for that, right?
Matt Pinfield: [01:10:56] No, um, you know, became me like 500 bucks a couple of times, but [01:11:00] it was fine. You know, I did it because it was fun, man. You know, and I, you know, I love those guys. We, um, you know, I have a strong connection to Jacksonville cause that's where my second daughter was born.
Maya and I love, I have friends there now still like young guys I met when they were 16 and helped them get their first break and now they're like. Fucking, you know, killing it in the world. And they are my friends to the end of time. And, um, and I, you know, and then scooter from cold is like one of my best friends, you know, where, you know, we're just super close, man.
You know, like he dedicated their last album to me because he fucking cried in the hospital when I got hit by the car. I mean, he literally broke down in tears, man. And it was, you know, um, but, you know, living through. Some of the things I've lived through recently, you know, and I, as we're dealing with this Corona virus thing, which I'm, I refuse to be afraid of, although I am [01:12:00] afraid of it for my mom, my mother, you know, I mean, I love my mom so much and I'm fucking scared for her.
Um, I mean, I'm scared for anyone. Like I don't want anyone to suffer or die from it. Man. I've been through some fucked up shit, you know, and I will tell you. You know, a couple of months ago I had the eye operation, right? So I'm sitting fucking there. One day I'm up at like, I'm up in the Hills and um, I see a flash of light in my eye, like, boom, it's like this crazy fucking thing.
Then I see this weaving lines that looks like somebody's hair. If you had three D glasses on going like this, and I was like, what the fuck just happened to me? And. Then it got a little more blurry. So, you know, I let it go for awhile. Like I did that lie by live alter ego thing. We believe I let him Coldplay and buy keys and Lumineers.
Yeah. It's cool. The Lumineers went to college and my [01:13:00] daughter, you know, like, am I a
Kris Kosach Wellen: [01:13:02] great channel
Matt Pinfield: [01:13:02] and they're such good dudes. I mean, she brought him to meet me. She was staying one of them for a little while, Weston, you know? Yeah. Fucking great. I love those guys so much. But anyway, isn't that funny? Um. I think.
Sure. Why didn't they do it when they were with us at the Levi's lounge? That lounge was fucking badass, you know? Oh, it's, yeah, you did. They did. they fuck they should. Oh, that's a whole nother story. Well, look, Justin fucking never should have let me go in here and Brian should never let you go. Let me tell ya.
He fucking, the ratings went into the fucking toilet. You know Kris Kosach Wellen: [01:13:39] you killed the station, man.
Matt Pinfield: [01:13:41] Why don't you let people say, well, no, there are people that fucking hate me for that. Like that are old fog heads. No, hate me.
Kris Kosach Wellen: [01:13:46] No,
Matt Pinfield: [01:13:47] no, no. But sure. You notice I want
Kris Kosach Wellen: [01:13:49] you killed.
Matt Pinfield: [01:13:51] Like I won over. A bunch of them would go, I wanted to hate you, man, but I actually love you now.
Kris Kosach Wellen: [01:13:56] I didn't know. I don't mean that. I mean the after you left, [01:14:00] it'sK fog died.
Matt Pinfield: [01:14:01] Literally died. Like fucking Noni and Alicia were fucking great man. Like there was good people there. But I'm, you know, miss was fucking pissed and you know, like they were, Brian was Knocky I don't want to,
Kris Kosach Wellen: [01:14:14] yeah, don't get it out.
We'll talk about this later. Okay.
Matt Pinfield: [01:14:16] Brian, you don't like. Fucking, she was having to work like two, three jobs, fucking killing herself. It was fun. I know she's hard. I know. Pisses me off, but let's all stop. Let's go positive at one point.
Kris Kosach Wellen: [01:14:30] No, that one at one point I'm changing the subject. At one point you go to work for Columbia in AR, the AR, which is essentially a talent scout, uh, that your.
Your career is hinged on the people that you give a thumbs up to, right? Everything divides on that. And, and you've got a great story there that you tell in the book, which is, uh, all these things that have happened to me, uh, that, uh, that I weight all these things that I've done, which is actually a song I'm going to let you tell the story.
Go,
Matt Pinfield: [01:14:58] well, you know. [01:15:00] I wanted to sign the killer so bad, you know, I was, um, but my friendship with them is still so intact, like a brotherhood, you know? And you know, I love to say that, you know, there were people that worked with me at Columbia that said, fuck those guys. They didn't sign with Def jam. I'm like, no, no, no.
That's not how I roll. I'm like. I wear two hats. I'm on the radio on K rock doing a new music show every Sunday night. And I am, I have a responsibility and plus my love for music. You know, I gotta look past the business of it. Of course, I was disappointed I didn't get to sign the boys, but I stayed friends with them, you know.
And, um, the story is pretty amazing because I was up, I signed a band from England called Longview, that I fucking loved that record. It was like a number three album. In England and the number three single called further. It was kind of shoegaze, but it was very somber and sad. It was like a very sad, sad song, his [01:16:00] Manchester band.
But I fucking loved it because it reminded me of being away from someone you love, um, which I've had to, I've had to, um, deal with that, you know what I mean? But as we all have, but I loved that band and I went up. To Manchester. I flew into Manchester, England, the sign them, and there was this great young guy that I hadn't met named Alex Gilbert, um, who, you know, signed the 1975 and work with Damien rice.
And you know, he signed Longview in England. So we were friends. And, um, he and I, uh, are on a train and. I'm signing long view, but I'm also gonna sign code in Cambria. They're playing at Brixton Academy in London and I realized the rest of the fucking chosen in the U S are going to be fucking feeding frenzy every a and R guy in the world.
I'm going to go somewhere where fucking nobody else is and fucking talk to them about doing a ride. The record deal. I was like, I flew there on [01:17:00] the train ride down. Virgin trains. By the way, you know, Richard Branson is a brilliant, amazing man, but Virgin trains kind of suck. They're fucking never on time.
So I get on his fucking Virgin train and I'm sitting there, this fucking great guy we had in A&R administration and Pete vis VARs love this fucking guy. Oh, and then I'm Greek dude, man. Right. You know? Anyway, he was just fucking smart and in the weirdest way. He just showed up in fucking Manchester, and I was like, dude, you're here.
Like I was this. I still think back about it and go, I love him, but how did he fucking end up there in my hook? It was fucking genius. Um, but anyway, we're on the train coming back down, and Alex Gilbert. Has his iPod and he goes, Hey man, I am, I was at South by Southwest like four months ago and somebody handed me this fucking [01:18:00] demo CD, a band called the killers.
Have you heard them? And I go, no, let me hear it, man. And I put my headphones on. I hear smile like you mean it. Then I went, fuck, I want to sign these guys like yesterday. I'm like, I just fucking loved it. And. There were only four songs that I had at that moment. Um, mr Brightside, which is now, by the way, the longest running single in the history of the British singles chart.
That's
Kris Kosach Wellen: [01:18:26] so cool. He told me that today. Yeah. That's amazing.
Matt Pinfield: [01:18:30] Mr Brightside, for some unbelievable reason, resonates is every fucking generation. Like everybody has felt that fucking song. Like my daughter Maya goes to me. I'd love this fucking song, dad. It's one of my favorite songs. She didn't say fucking song, but, and she's 20, 20.
So, and I hear from people that go to these shows with new artists, you know, and of course, I know a lot of new young artists, right? But they said that [01:19:00] every time mr Brightside comes on along with a PA, the fucking people go mad. Um, and. It's such a great song. And you know, I'm one of the only people who are ever pointed out that there's a part in it that is from the David Bowie song queen bitch.
And you know, it's so cool. It's probably in the book, cause I don't remember. But I remember when they needed to do joint division shadow play for the movie about joy division in Curtis control. And they call me and said, Matt, can you reach out to David Bowie? We have to get the rights to fucking use a poster of him in this video.
And I call Isobar. And I got it done in fucking five seconds for them, which was so fucking cool. I was very happy that I was able to do that. But I love those guys. I'm still great friends with them. I. Send him a picture of me in a killer shirt on new year's day, and Ronnie and Brandon will call and check and he goes, fuck.
He goes, you skinny bastard, you fucking, unbelievable. But it was more like, you know, like they always, um. You know, they've, uh, after I got hit by the car, um, and they went on [01:20:00] stage at the forum and said, this is for Matt Pinfield, man. They go, where are you? And I was of course, with them earlier and they were fucking blown away by it.
I think, uh, you know, my near death experience, not that it was the first,
Kris Kosach Wellen: [01:20:13] I lost count.
Matt Pinfield: [01:20:15] Yeah. I think most people have.
Kris Kosach Wellen: [01:20:16] But, but the bull of
Matt Pinfield: [01:20:18] time, I'm tired of, uh, testing that, by the way. Can I just be honest with
Kris Kosach Wellen: [01:20:22] you? Just slow down, man. Just chill out, man.
Matt Pinfield: [01:20:24] Yeah. I've been in one of the fucking night. I, you know, I don't
know, man.
I am, it's not lost on me. I mean, I'm S, you know, I don't, I'm not like other people. We're all say I don't have any regrets because I do regret some of the things that I fucked up and the things that I've lost. Course I do. I mean, you know, you have to learn it. Forgive yourself, but don't, I mean, you know, like you also, I mean, you could fucking beat yourself to death over it, and it could become a vicious cycle too.
You know, just like you're mad, you're mad [01:21:00] at yourself, and then you just continue to do the same behavior to try and bury the way you feel and how much pain you're in. And. I don't want to do that, you know? So I've learned to forgive myself for a lot of things that have happened in my life, you know? Um, but I'll tell you what I think I've always done.
It's been true to my love of music, and I love my daughters, and I've been a fucking, you know, I, you know, one thing, even in my worst days, man, I took care of my kids, you know? Um, and it's been hard, you know. In life. But you know what? I love my friends, man, and I, and I, I'm, I'm, I'm truly one of the most blessed human beings to have a beautiful group of friends, um, you know, that really fucking care about, you know, whether I, you know, I live or die and have good quality of life, you know, and, um, I, it's not lost on me, you know, that it's been a fucking really crazy hard road man, you know?
And, um. [01:22:00] You know, I always just tell people it's really interesting, you know, like, it's not cool to die young, you know, I, um, look at all the people that have died young, and, you know, when I was fucking young, I named every animal I had after a fucking dead rock star, you know? Um, I, uh, and then I look back on it as an, uh, you know, older man molder, man and adult, and go, no, it's not fucking cool to die young man.
It's fucking important to stay alive as long as you can. You know, especially because you got fucking people that fucking love and care about you, and you know what? You still have some message. And I believe that I'm very, very blessed because I believe that I'm still alive because I have a message to carry and music to turn people onto, but just to bring some fucking brightness and Joyce light to the world because.
Man, I've seen the fucking darkest steps, you know? Um, but, [01:23:00] you know, I, I truly, truly love my friends, and I love being alive. You know, like even in the insane times that we've gone through, like, you know, I. I feel very, very gifted by all the incredible experiences
I've had, you know, interacting with other human beings, people that, you know, just have so much soul.
And I love music like I do. And I will never, you know, ever, ever lose that part of me. That was the same thing I had when I was a child. And, um, you know, and I'm loving that. I'm keeping on working, you know, um, and I, and you know, it's. It's amazing. Thanks to Jeddah Apatow and, you know, saying that, you know, we put that post out there, that he loves the book.
All of a sudden, four days later, I found out the rereleasing it look, you know, I don't know if they're completely connected, but it just does seem like it could be, but, um. But I love when he came up to me and said to me that he fucking loved the book. I
Kris Kosach Wellen: [01:23:57] did too, Matt. It's a great book. [01:24:00] Everybody should buy this.
Yeah. If you know, if you're mildly interested in, in music, mildly interested in nostalgia, mildly interested in how to be a host of excellent host. This is the great book, and it's really just a story of heart and soul. I think I'm going to wrap it up right there. Yes. Anything better
Matt Pinfield: [01:24:18] you. Thank you, Chris. I love you.
And I'm so glad I'm in a room with three women that, uh, have been very important to me in my life. You know, I've always been surrounded by beautiful fucking amazing women, men, you know? And, um. And I, uh, I, I you, so respect that and care about that, you know, I'm going to cry
Kris Kosach Wellen: [01:24:37] fucker. All right. Wasting it. So we'll wrap it up there, but I have one more thing for you.
Okay. All right. We're going to play a little game. We're gonna play the name. That's cool. I'm going to, I'm going to quiz you all right? Okay.
Matt Pinfield: [01:24:49] I love this. I love California men. You know, I told, now I know why, um, you know, like, uh, my, they wrote California dreaming, one of my favorite songs I love, which
Kris Kosach Wellen: [01:24:59] they wrote [01:25:00] in New York. I think
Matt Pinfield: [01:25:00] they did. Yup. And they, they battled for years over whether it was
stopped into a church. I passed along the way.
I got down on mean nine knees and I began or pretended to play. And they didn't agree with what they sang. So if you've listened to it. You can hear Cass M Michelle sing different things.
Kris Kosach Wellen: [01:25:22] Really
Matt Pinfield: [01:25:24] say that right now. Good tip.
Kris Kosach Wellen: [01:25:26] I didn't know that.
Matt Pinfield: [01:25:27] And it's one of the greatest songs ever. I mean, when Jessica was
little, I would like play her.
Yeah. When Jessica was a little, I would like be in the car and I would play the Beatles and the mamas and the Papas. You know, one of my favorite stories about Paul McCartney is I got hired to do like his album special for new a few years back. And as you know, in the book, when I met him the first time, I was kind of afraid to talk to him because I did not want a beetle to like, you know, like kinda like pull me [01:26:00] off.
Like it was too. But then bill, yeah, bill Flanagan said to me, well, I was walking out of the bathroom and I saw a guy go by Paul. And like I saw, I could tell Paul probably, is Paul so cool and so smart that when he sees a situation where a person is weirdly uncomfortable, they'll keep going. Because I mean, you know, it's just going to be a fucking weird deal.
Um, so I saw that and. I'm at this, you know, I think I talked about it. I'm at this party for buddy Holly's 50th birthday. What would have been, you know, um, and you know, I love buddy Holly so much. You know, I, I am. So, anyway, I'm at this party. I'm with two radio legends. I had dinner with that night, Scott Shannon, and, uh.
And, and you know, and Steve, you know, who was the program director ofK rock in New York, Kingston, Kingston, who I love dearly. You know, I love those guys, man. I'm just thinking about it all. I'm, um, [01:27:00] anyway, you
Kris Kosach Wellen: [01:27:00] don't go. Yeah. So in the bushel, you talk about meeting up with
Matt Pinfield: [01:27:03] putting the party right the first time and being a little nervous.
But bill Flanagan, um, who was the editor of musician magazine, an incredible writer, a brilliant man, someone I loved dearly, you know. Been a friend through everything, you know? Um, and he goes to me, have you talked to Paul? And I go, I know, I dunno, man. Um, he goes, no, no, no, no. He knows you are man.
Just go talk to him. I saw he just shined some guy, man, like, and then I walked up to him and I always wanted to say that one thing, and I said to Paul, which was endeared us forever, was I go, you know what? The fucking critics. We're full of shit and assholes T in the 70s but all I gotta say is anybody who can write a song as beautiful as yesterday and here, there and everywhere, or it's metal is Helter Skelter and I'm down.
Fuck them. They you got, they got nothing on you. And he just [01:28:00] loved that. Like I said, that don't fuck a Paul. That's great. So why I bring that back up is that my daughter, both my daughters Beatles, were. It was so important that, you know, I played the Beatles for them, you know, when they were kids. And you know, I had more of the opportunity to do that with Jessica cause we drove around all the time.
So we'd be listening to mamas and the Papas and split ends and crowded house, like harmony music. Like I love fucking harmonies, man. And then me and Jessica would
harmonize. And it was the coolest thing in the world to do with your daughter. Like, you know, and I always told her when me and her mom got divorced that live forever by Oasis was my song for her because their emotion so heavy.
Um, yeah. Wow. I ever thought I'd get this emotional. [01:29:00] It's kind of fucking weird, right? Well, it's actually me, you know, live forever has the bridge that you and I may never be. All the things that we want to be now is not the time to cry. And that's the time to find out why. I think you're the same as me. We see things we'll never see.
You and I are going to live forever. And we know we're not gonna live forever. But there is the beauty of the moment of, uh, you know. I'll tell you a fucking funny story. So I come to LA and bonehead comes up to me from Oasis at the cat and the fiddle. It's a bar. And you know, I was drinking at the time.
It was a pretty fucked up week because I wasn't drunk every day. But. By any means. I mean, you know, I was just, what the fuck? I mean, you getting on a plane and I had fallen twice on the ice sober. My girlfriend had driven me to a bank of America and there was black ice and I fell on my ass and I went, what the fuck?
[01:30:00] So then I took a car into New York city, the band that I was working with on their record, you know, doing some co-production. I went up to help them carry down their guitars in the West village, and I slipped again on the ice and fucking hit my back. And I went, you know what? Fuck this. I'm not gonna fucking get out of this vehicle until I get in a fucking Courbet JFK.
So obviously I'm scared. I injured myself. So, you know, I was having some cocktails. I get to the cat and the fiddle, we're all fucking hungry, right? And we're like, this is. And so I'm pissed because you know, we're not getting any service and I'm walking up to the bar. Guy comes up to me and goes, you Matt Pinfield.
I go, yeah, he goes, fucking bonehead from Oasis, man. I go, fucking bought it. I go, dude, if we hadn't fucking done that cool shit on the air together, I probably would have never. Had 120 minutes or cause there was like this funny thing that we did meet him and know
Kris Kosach Wellen: [01:30:59] well, well wait, let's back [01:31:00] up for a second.
Cause you write about this in the book. Okay, so you music director in Jersey, then you get the call from Andy shone, I'm setting this up for you. Then you go to work at MTV and you're working in the music department and one day they need a host and they're going to have a waste. Just do it. But then Liam.
Matt Pinfield: [01:31:16] Yeah. Yeah. So you know, the truth is about that. Is that. I filled in in 93 with Depeche mode. That's the first band I interviewed. And I've done so much work with them since then. And I love them very much. And you know, and I've spent a lot, me and Dave, Gahan, man, we would hang out in the East village, me and him and Justin Thoreau, you know, cause Justin was a.
A very close friend, you know, we went through, you know what I mean? You know, like brothers, that was at that time, you know, Justin was, um, he would say to me, man, um, in fact, the last time I saw Phillips in my Hoff Hoffman alive, we were at this thing called the big vision awards. And I guys, I'm like, I keep going.
He's like, Oh, Hey. [01:32:00] It's all right. Right? So the last look, I'm fucking, you know, I'm just, I'm who I am, man, you know? Anyway, so. Justin Thoreau. I love very much. I mean, he was like a brother. I met him through Ben Stiller, the night of Ben stellar, um, did the imitations of me and MTV, which are fucking great.
And, uh. Through Jerry stall and then, um, but Justin and I and Dave Gahan from Depeche mode would hang out a lot. You know, like, we would just, and I remember the last, when everything was blown up for Justin, I was getting this award called the big vision award in New York city and a CABE supporter who was in Cobra Starship in Midtown, had been, I signed, gave me the award that night, and Roberta flack was giving someone an award there.
And I was a, I went up and sang, where's the love by Donny Hathaway? And Roberta flack into the microphone. She got up and gave me standing ovation. And I looked at her, I went, they took Dani way too early from us. [01:33:00] Like I took a lot of balls. I just fucking did. But I remember Phillip Seymour Hoffman and I joking about, cause he was Justin's best friend.
I mean, they were like fucking brothers, man. And I wrote about it in a book I wrote about how I. Justin found out from me cause he was sleeping. He was on the West coast and my girlfriend was like, Matt fucking Phillip died, my girlfriend Alice. And like, like texted Justin and wrote, man, I'm fucking so sorry about Phillip, man.
I know how much you loved him. I'm here for you. And two hours later he just texted me, Oh God. And uh, and they'd got in a plane and flew back. The East coast to be with Phillip's family. Um, I remember one of the funniest things ever with me and Phil up, you know, talking, you know, because you know, I met Phillip and Justin when they were, um, plus guys who were fucking insane.
They would ride motorcycles, sober, [01:34:00] sober guy riding motorcycles on the lower East side. I get on the back of one of their bikes. Scared shitless, man. You don't know, name Mike after row with him, and I'll just Chuck it anyway. That guy that's so off off the record, off the cuff, like it's not really, you know, but getting back to it, um, I just, I thought of a wood Depeche mode.
The funniest thing in the world was Phillip Seymour Hoffman goes. You know, I love Justin and I go, you know, Justin used to say to me, always the bridesmaid, never the bride. He goes, now he's the bride and groom. It was like the coolest thing in the world. I love him. I don't know, man. You know? It's. I've got flakes.
I've got stories. Um, that never end, basically, you know. Um, I could talk forever. I mean, it's probably, you know, a series as opposed to,
Kris Kosach Wellen: [01:34:51] well, yeah, we were just saying we're probably going to split this up and make it a couple of that business, but, um, all right. Let me talk, please talk about MTV and because you really were a voice [01:35:00] of a generation gen X, and tell us a little bit about that time for you.
Matt Pinfield: [01:35:05] You know, I never really cared about. Um, music more than I, you know, it's a funny thing. Maybe that's the wrong phrasing. You know, I was in a period where I, I cared about music at that time, as much as I ever did when I was a kid, which is something I still care about. That's why I love bands like glory, suns, Dez rocks, dreamers, tame Impala.
Um. Grandson, uh, nothing but thieves. I gotta listen to shit. There's a lot of new stuff out there that's really good. And I, and I'm very grateful that a lot of these kids know who I am, thanks to YouTube, because they go back on watch interviews that I've done, or it'll be a band from England, like dinosaur pile up, or kid from Leeds.
I'll walk back into the dressing room. Into the wrong dressing room. Um, and he goes, Holy shit, Matt pendulum in your fucking pockets. That interview there was with fucking Chino from the Deftones [01:36:00] was the greatest fucking thing I've ever heard it, you know, it's wild how things, you know, still really matter.
And I think the beauty of that time, and I've had this conversation with Andy Schoen, who was, you know, my, my, um, savior, you know, like, I mean, Andy. Hired me, changed my life forever, you know. Thank you, Andy. And we love him. Like I, you know, he's just one of those beautiful human beings on. He's fucking such a cool guy.
And, you know, recently, he and I did a thing together when we spoke on stage in Vegas. Um, uh, for the, you know, the, um. And Nevada tourism for the governor. And it was so fucking much fun. And it was so cool and would even a guy from, so the tourism boards from all over the world were there, and the guy from India goes, I didn't know you're going to be here.
He goes, come stay with us anytime, because I forgot how many countries my MTV broadcasts were in. I mean, there were every fucking where move the exception [01:37:00] of England because they had their own thing going on. Right? So. That's when me and Chris Martin became friends. Great story. He walks into Chiraq in New York city and goes, you're the fucking guy.
The only guy radio had likes in the movie. Me, me, people's easy you at. And that was it. Like it was really interesting that, and I've got some really interesting audio of Chris talking about that, like these Radiohead fanatics, watch them meeting people is easy. The entire film. Is about, you know, their disdain for, you know, like doing press.
It's boring people and just like having to do the room. And then there's this part in the movie where Tom's having fun and fucking laughing because of you, eh, well, I'm grateful for that, you know? But I mean, isn't that like, that was just a moment in my life and I didn't realize how much. It affected other [01:38:00] people that saw it from around the world.
It was wild. And it was just one day where somebody goes, me and Tom York are backstage at radius and musical guy goes, Hey, can I put a camera on the wall and film you guys? And that's what it was. You know, it's like, as soon as these things like that, you know,
Kris Kosach Wellen: [01:38:14] wait, wait, hold on. So. You. Oh God, now I've just lost my train of thought.
Sorry. You
Matt Pinfield: [01:38:20] got MTV. But
Kris Kosach Wellen: [01:38:22] yeah, no, and Andy show, but, but getting back to Radiohead and one, it talked very much about your style as a host because artists open up to you like you're opening up to me here because I'm talking to you like a friend, and you talk to them like a friend, but you go. Eat man. Yeah.
You don't really do prep D it's all in your brain to begin with.
Matt Pinfield: [01:38:42] Yeah. I mean, no, I mean, I will say that I will, um, you know, look up what people are doing recently, but it is all in my brain. I mean, you remember the funniest thing was, and I didn't care. You care. I love, I mean fucking,
Kris Kosach Wellen: [01:38:57] you know, you say you say
Matt Pinfield: [01:38:58] Elliot Smith [01:39:00] fucking, you know, sat there and we did that
MTU interview and I said, dude, what are you gonna do with that?
So bottle up and explode. He goes, I don't think it was Donegal. It's fucking great. Come on, man. That's my roommate at the time, predict like was in the studio, engineering him doing a thing for Kathleen Hanna and kill rock stars and all that, you know, and he just saw, excuse me, and he decided to put out the song on his X O album.
Very sad that we lost him, by the way. You know, I, I just, for me. I love what I do. I can do a short interview. I can do a five or six question interview. I can obviously, I mean, I've done morning shows and fucking, you know, a couple of cities, New York and San Francisco, right. Even, you know, I mean, in New York it was fucking great.
San Francisco was cool too, but it was, um, there were, you know, there were just, it was just a tough, you know, there was like so much management [01:40:00] change and craziness, but, you know. Charlene is sitting here producing this thing. Chino shot like we can put something. Oh, actually the funniest fucking thing in the world, and Charlie and I need you to give this to me.
We had like a comedian comment
the best.
Kris Kosach Wellen: [01:40:21] Oh my
Matt Pinfield: [01:40:21] God, I've been thinking about this and why I want it. And the most I w w we don't know. I don't even remember who it was, but it was the most boring fucking interview ever. Like it was like, there was no
Kris Kosach Wellen: [01:40:32] way you would have had a bad interview.
Matt Pinfield: [01:40:34] Yeah. Well, because they, they were fucking boring bound belief.
Right. Charlene is a big name too. I can't even, yeah. So anyway, the joke was. That's cool. I do the intro. We ask them a question. We're like, that was so fucking boring. Oh, you said that you know a lot of the air. I said to Charlene, I said it to like everybody there and then I go, Charlene, [01:41:00] Charlene edited me asking you the question.
Answering me for two seconds and then editing your fucking interview. I need that fucking tape. It was the funniest fucking thing ever. Is that cool? I mean, I don't, you know, I'm not gonna you still have it. Right. But it was so funny because really. God, that was the most boring fucking thing ever. How much of a can we air?
Like we should probably only answer true it out. True. So she goes in and it's sad fucking thing and I was fucking crying. It was the funniest thing ever.
Kris Kosach Wellen: [01:41:36] I wanted to ask you that. If you've ever had a bad ending, we have. So yes. But wait, what wastes it in? Before you get there, I want to say going back and going back to your prep, just one more time, you always say, go deep.
Know what you're talking about. If you don't know what you're talking about, just don't open your mouth.
Matt Pinfield: [01:41:52] I just, but I also understand that there are different tiers of entertainment and why you [01:42:00] know, you, I learned something very interesting in, in New York city when I was doing the morning show there that I've taken with me, but I love.
That I've been afforded the freedom to do very, very deep interviews and to like, just fucking make it a hang. You know, like some people feel like they're there with you in the room and, and I'm, and I'm asking the questions that fans want to know, but also are interesting to somebody who doesn't even know who they are.
So I learned something very valuable and radio that I would, um, share with anyone. Um, when I was in New York city, and it was, imagine there's like a clock monitor. Here's a half a clock. Now you're, and so there's a meter there, right? And when you go all the way to the left, it's people that don't give a fuck about the person you're interviewing.
And then when you go all the way to the right, it's the Uber fans. [01:43:00] The thing to learn is how do you meet it right in the middle. And the way you meet it right in the middle is find a common link that, you know, that is interesting to people. And one of my favorite interviews I ever did was with Brad Paisley because Fram Framus talked about this, you know, now she's like running, you know, running CMT basically, and she's the best man, you know?
But I remember when she asked me. What do you think about? I'm gonna carry on everyone in Brad Paisley and I'm like, fuck yeah. I'm like, there's a country station in New York, plus I wouldn't give a F. I'd fucking hang with them anywhere. Like I'm always, you know, I just, I love music and I love people that make music, you know what I mean?
So for me, it was great. And Brad sat in the green room, which was the production studio in New York city. Oh, by the way, there was one toilet with hot 97 our station and kiss. And I remember sitting on the toilet [01:44:00] and um, you know, you could hear everything. It was sorry. I'm like, you're gonna run the water.
I feel like I'm somewhere else. And then I hear this big voice coming down the hallway and its Reverend Al Sharpton. I just remember that moment of like. Yeah, I think I know that is loud. And you're in a stall and ominous know because there's only one bathroom for F in that, those three studios for males and females.
It was like, um, yeah, it was a little bit proportionate, um, in some way. But, um, you're getting back to, uh, the Brad Paisley thing. Um, I F. Would take any interviews a challenge, no matter what it is. Because when it's not even that, I mean, for me it's just about people. It's about music. It's about, you know, sharing fucking, you know, things that you really care about.
So Brad Pacey is sitting in the green room and he goes, ma, you know a monitor to do this. I'm like, what do you tell him? And I go, it's quaint, man. He goes, so he comes in, [01:45:00] he was the fucking coolest. He was so funny, man. All right, so we're on this station that's a hybrid. Alternative and rock. So it's like, you know, it's everything.
It's classic. We can play Zeplin and then we play, you know, fucking circle. Some pick ups. I mean, it was everything, right? So he goes to me, Matt, thanks for having me on. He goes, I think you just lost about half your audience. I got, no you didn't. But he would say he was self-deprecating. Right, right. But I said, no, he didn't.
And then I'm like, he plays. What an acoustic guitar he does. Layla, right. And then he, um, does his new single at the time, which is a beautiful song on his, um, American Saturday night album called then. But the story that meant so much because everybody's had their heartbroken, everybody's wanted to go back to like figure out if someone that you loved in your life still felt the same way that you did about them, you know?
[01:46:00] And, um. He told me this story, which I knew about, but I walked him through it with me on the air. And it fucking blew everyone fucking away. And people were calling up going, Holy shit, I don't even know who this guy is, but I love him. And this is the fucking greatest story ever. And the story was that when he started writing songs for other people before he became a solo artist in Nashville, he was going to college.
He had a partner who, who was his songwriter, and his girlfriend dumped him, you know, um, back in West Virginia. And he. Who was fucking devastated about it. You know, he was just dealing with like, you know, God, I fucking miss her. I love her. I mean, what the fuck? You know? She left him and he, um, talks about his partner in songwriting says, all right, you're going home for the holidays.
Why don't you try and find some closure, man, I figured this out cause it's, I know it's fucking hurting you in a big way. So [01:47:00] he goes back and he remembers. And that one of the first dates we've seen father of the bride, right? And a father bright part two is playing for the Christmas holidays, right? And, uh, and he goes, fuck, I'm gonna, I'm going to go fucking, I'm going to call there, man.
I'm gonna see if she shows up. So he drives to the movie theater in his pickup truck and gets out. He goes, it's a seven o'clock showing she doesn't show. And he. Gets back to his car. He says, I'm fucking almost in tears, man. I go back to my car, I put my, I about to put my key in it and I go, it was the line of clock show, like turns around and goes back and watches it again.
Well, she never shows up, but while he's watching the movie, he's looking at the girl that's getting married on the screen and gone, fuck, I need someone like her man. And, um. [01:48:00] Then all of a sudden he's got his first video coming and they have a list of people that you can hire to be in your video. He sees her name on it.
He goes, I want her. He meets her at the video shoot and marries her. Now they've kids. So he married the girl from father to pride, part two really story ever. I mean, it's so beautiful, right? Yeah. How do you not love that? Like how do you not feel the pain of separation and in the Redis? I mean, there's just, you can't, that story was something so beautiful
Kris Kosach Wellen: [01:48:33] and that she wasn't supposed to show up. That
Matt Pinfield: [01:48:34] was great. Yeah. Isn't that cool? Yeah, let's be, so that's my interviewing style is to actually, you know, it really depends on the artist, man. I mean, there's so many different levels of where people are and whatever your outlet is, whatever, you know, you're dealing with. I mean, are you dealing with the radio show?
Are you dealing with a podcast or you're dealing with something that you have to do for a very short period of [01:49:00] time. I mean, that's really what it comes down to. But, um, you know. I just walk into it pretty fearless. Um, you know, like I said, the only guy I was nervous about meeting was Paul McCartney. And you know, I got to tell him a few years ago that I had, we're going into the studio to NPR, and that's when I was like on the board of governors that Grammy's in New York and I, we were actually upstairs having a monthly meeting and I'm like, I'm going necessarily to be Paul McCartney.
I go, Oh yeah, that's cool. Like, it was funny and it wasn't even like, you know. It was just that NPR, he had rented burse studio cause he went from stern to me. And that was the only interviews he was doing that day. Um, and it was very, very, you know, I was very grateful. I mean, you know, I got asked to do this.
I mean, Jack and you know, I mean, I'm grateful when I'm asked to do anything, you know what I mean? Unless it's fucking lame. But, but. I walk in and I say to Paul, this man, I've seen you in [01:50:00] awhile. I go, Paul, like since I saw you last, I had another daughter. And he
goes, and I go, Hey, you know what? Started her out on you and the Beatles and the engineer from MPR goes, okay.
Yeah. We get tired of hearing that and he looks at him and goes, no, I never get tired of hearing that. It was the coolest thing of all fucking time because he just shot, you know, you shot that down. You said to me when we were leaving, and I have it on tape, when the interview was over, he goes, Matt, if it wasn't my anniversary.
Um, with Nancy, I think it's in the book. He goes, we'd go to a pub, have some drinks, and fucking talk about music. And that was a beautiful fucking thing.
Kris Kosach Wellen: [01:50:43] Beautiful part of it's in there. It's one of the
Matt Pinfield: [01:50:45] encounters. You know what? I remember all the stories because it
took me seven months to really write, you know, with Mitchell Cohen, who.
Kris Kosach Wellen: [01:50:54] Wait, wait, hold on a second. We're going to take one more break. Yeah. Make life easier on Shar here. Take one [01:51:00] more break. When we come back, I want to know how the book came together. I want to know what advice you have for the future. Okay. All right. Just a sec. This is text and prose and rock'n'roll.
Okay. We were back talking to Matt Pinfield about his book. All these things that I've done, my insane, improbable rock life. Um, I'm joined by Matt Pinfield. We're talking about what are we going to talk about next? You have to, we are shooting today recording today on st Patrick's day, and you have a YouTube story in your book.
You have all these amazing little encounters with all these stars from Bowie to the killers to the Ramones, and you got one about YouTube.
Matt Pinfield: [01:51:31] I'm very grateful because a lot of other writers and journalists. You know, I had have said to me, you know, the thing about your book was that it was not this gratuitous bullshit book where it was all about, Hey, I hung out with them.
It was really more about how much you love those experiences. You know, I mean, cause you know, I've read all the books and if it isn't real, then, uh. You know, and I'm not that [01:52:00] interested, but I've read some incredible books and like I said to you, my next book will be a lot more down and dirty. I just wanted to wait until my daughter Mio was old enough to understand it and not have someone in her school, you know, like.
You know, tease her about, you know, like I was, that's all that really mattered. I mean, I, I always think of my fit, my kids, my family, you always have, you know, my friends, you know, I just, um, you know, that's really for me, you know, been the driving force, you know, in my life. You know, when, when you get down, you know, and, and shit's just crazy and you're really mad at yourself for some of the things that have happened.
And you, uh, you know. It's like I have to always remember. Um, you know, that I have these children that I love so much, and man, I remember chart Reznor walking out one day, um, from [01:53:00] backstage at this show, and he puts his arms around me and he kisses me on both cheeks and goes, we're still here against all odds.
It's fucking coolest thing ever. Here's a question for you. It was the last night I saw Chris Cornell alive, and that really fucking devastated me. So that was, you know.
Kris Kosach Wellen: [01:53:18] Way to bring down the room, Matt, sorry.
Matt Pinfield: [01:53:20] That's like, but Chris Cornell was such a great friend of mine where
we were going to record at NRG originally.
Right. Um, he and I would just sit there and like, just talk outside on a little patio or an error in the backlog lounge. But we were friends, you know, obviously other than that, you know, we would talk, he would call me every single. Night on the first Audioslave Lollapalooza tour. Um, you know, so he talked to a real friend, you know what I mean?
When he was, you know, getting through it, I loved him so much. I still do, you know, and Chester to Chester was fucking, you know what, I [01:54:00] was going through rough shit, man. Chester would fucking call me. He would text me, you know, I, uh, you know, sadly to say, you know. It didn't hurt any less. But when Scott Weiland died, it was fucking, you know, really fucking hard for me.
But, but it wasn't as much of a surprise as Chris and Chester, you know? And that was fucking, but I, you know, loved all these people, you know, I mean, that's what we go through, right? I mean, we lose people in our lives. We, uh, people that we love that have influence on our lives, that have touched us in some way.
Like Bowie did. Um, you know, Bowie died sober, but he was, um, you know, it's just, you're such a beautiful man too, you know, and I think about those things, you know, I, I'm, I'm not sure why I'm still here. You know,
Kris Kosach Wellen: [01:54:52] your purpose isn't,
Matt Pinfield: [01:54:53] I believe that I believe in God and I believe in a higher power, and I
believe that.
[01:55:00] I have to, I have more work to do and a message to send. Kris Kosach Wellen: [01:55:04] I mean, on volumed. Right, by the way.
Matt Pinfield: [01:55:06] Yeah. Which has got to be dark, by the way. Great. Well, I mean, I like say dark. It's just going to, man, it's going to like reveal a lot more flaws, you know? But I mean, you know, but nothing with me is, you know, I'm not ashamed.
I'm ashamed of some of the things that have happened, but I'm not, you know, like I'm not ashamed because we have to live with ourselves. We have to say. You know what, I fucked up some things in my life, but I fucking love people and I've got a fucking heart goal. I'm fucking real. And I'm not going to beat myself up for the rest of my life about some of the mistakes I made.
I mean, and that's what, um, my friends in recovery have taught me, you know, was, um, to not hate, not, not beat up on yourself, you know, and you know. I was out at a [01:56:00]
restaurant right before they quarantined everybody here in LA. Two guys came up to me. One was a tattoo artist, one was a TV producer, and they both told me that I changed her life because I made them want to reach further to find out about new music.
And I was that thing that they looked forward to and that's what a beautiful gift, you know that I took that thing. That I was when I was three, four, five years old. The same thing, like I wanted to bring a record to school and turn people onto it and say, this is making me feel so good. . You should listen to this too.
You should try see what you think. That's a beautiful, beautiful, beautiful gift I've had in my life. You know.
Kris Kosach Wellen: [01:56:50] Let's talk a little bit about your style as a host. You talked about these people come up to you. You change their life. You did, you changed the lives of millions of people out there. You were literally a voice of a [01:57:00] generation.
That whole gen grunge, gen X.
Matt Pinfield: [01:57:02] You know, it's funny, even network TV shows you are Matthew Gray. Gubler um, you know, he's Dr. Spencer read on, um, criminal minds. Yeah. But, but anyway, he just told me the story. He goes, you know, I won't date a girl who doesn't know who you are. Oh, coolest thing in the world. And then you've got Jonathan Togo, who was on CSI Miami, and he goes to me, yeah.
He goes, if I could, I'd have a 120 minutes tattoo on my fucking, you know, just funny. I just, you know, and I got a phone call from a journalist that said that. One of my favorite actors, Michael C. Hall, who I love very dearly. Dexter was like, you know, one of my favorite shows, Shar, remember when fucking Billy Bob Thornton called the show and goes, Matt, why didn't you fucking call me back?
Now me and Billy Bob are brothers. You know, I love him. Goliath season one and two are so great, but, um, I, um, you know, we, we were friends and we still are. It's kinda cool, you know? I [01:58:00] mean, I love. When I appreciate someone's work, whether it's acting, writing, science, you know, song, and they actually appreciate what I've done.
I mean, that's fucking the only, I mean, that's a beautiful thing, you know, it means everything to me, you know? And, um. I, uh, anyway, guys, I'm so reflective today, right? Fibers.
Kris Kosach Wellen: [01:58:27] I don't know.
Matt Pinfield: [01:58:28] I don't want to touch you to find out. Don't touch me to find out.
You know what socks, how I was fucking literally going to go to South by Southwest.
I know where to go. Anyway, even it was canceled because I mean, my, my I, two of my three events were still on. Till like the last day and I'm like, eh, I guess there's not going to be a lot of barbecue to eat suburb ne. It was all about the music. It's funny, and I was painting myself over. I can't fly with a shitload of records, [01:59:00] right?
So I was going to fly with this box of 45 I couldn't believe. I went online and saw Amazon, they actually have a replica of the same box. I hadn't like 1970 like 45 bucks, just was dying. I didn't buy that one though. I needed w the other one was more psychedelic looking. It was funnier. So, I mean, it's a joke, but you know, I went through that.
I'm like, I mean, this is the kind of ridiculous shit that you're like, you know, paint over. If you're like a music geek like me. And I'm like, well, what 50 records am I going to play? And I found it. It was this band, the black angels club. So I decided that I would do sixties fucking garage rock and psychedelic, and I have all these records that are so fucking cool.
But then I was going to throw in, you know, like Jesus, Mary chain and Morrissey and a bunch of other shit. You know what I mean? Like, but it was just like, it all had to be on a 45 you know, I gotta be a little record and nah, I had it. All packed and ready to go. The geek in me and uh, [02:00:00] and then it's done.
And
Kris Kosach Wellen: [02:00:03] next year just save them. Matt Pinfield: [02:00:04] Just save them.
Kris Kosach Wellen: [02:00:05] I did. I wanted to ask Matt Pinfield: [02:00:06] you a few things. I go off on my
Kris Kosach Wellen: [02:00:08] and my memory is not like the insane thing that you have up there. I like forget like what I was going to ask you two minutes ago, but one of them is that you have these two beautiful daughters who you love so much, and you're in a room with three women right now.
Yeah. Okay. How would your career have been different in music? If you are you with, you know, your family and you're that crazy brand and yours and your passion for music, all that, but you're a woman. How would it have been different?
Matt Pinfield: [02:00:35] You know, I'm not sure. I mean, I probably would have a fight a lot harder.
You know, I love women. And in, you know, I always say that most incredible thing is, you know, um, that the women in my life, I mean, I've had, you know, obviously I've been through a couple of divorces and I, um, you know, but my love of women is never waned. I've [02:01:00] always treated women with a lot of
Kris Kosach Wellen: [02:01:02] you. Do you talk to Matt Pinfield: [02:01:03] them?
You know, I love, they don't all
Kris Kosach Wellen: [02:01:04] do that.
Matt Pinfield: [02:01:05] Yeah. You know, I'm just different, you know, I, I, it's really weird. You know, I, uh, I saw bombshell, you know, I went and watched it and I of course, knew one of the people in it that they were, someone was playing her, you know, from back in New York. And then, uh, she's beautiful, beautiful person, beautiful woman who I love, you know.
I love my kids, man. And I, um, I come from a family of women who are very, very strong, strong minded. And like my sister man, she's like a fuck. She's, she's a Brocket. She's a pistol to my sister, you know? Um, I love my sister Colleen. You know, she's gotten mad at me a lot over the years, but ultimately she's a, you know.
Told me she loves me. And that, you know, majorly came through with support. And, you know, when my father died, it was, um, I'll just never forget the day [02:02:00] because I was glad that I was in a good place, you know, and I, but I was also like, my sister calls me and goes, Hey man, you've got to get on a plane and you got to come down here.
And he goes, dad's not gonna be here much longer. And, um, you know, we, uh, I call him from the cab and, um, I go and get Jessica, my, my oldest daughter, and to fly down with me, I book us immediate flights and get the J, um, uh, Tampa, you know, and uh, he died and Clearwater's where he, where he is, but where he was, that's where he's buried actually too.
We always joke if he had a actually been buried in. Jersey, there would have been fucking 5,000 people there to see him, his funeral. But, uh, it was me and my family and a couple other friends. And this kid, Chris Dallenbach that I grew up with, he drove up from another part of town, which meant the world to me.
Um, because, you know, I, I love my father very much, but anyway, I'm going to say, [02:03:00] like, the last thing I got to say to my father on the phone, and he could barely speak, he, um. He, I just said, dad, I want you to know how much I love you, man. And, uh, y'all, I'm going to be there for mom. I'll be there for her. And he goes, okay, buddy.
And he could barely speak, but it's the last thing that came out of his mouth. And, uh, and uh, me and Jessica got on a plane, a champ, K, and the fucking plane, of course, was fucking delayed. Motherfuckers like, I'm like. Oh, so pissed off. I mean, you know, like, you know, those things that are at, or, you know, God grant me the, uh, you know, you know what I'm talking about.
Um, couldn't do anything about that. So I remember, you know, flying down on that plane and getting there and, you know, hospice was in my, [02:04:00] my mom and dad's place, and he was. In a coma. He wasn't conscious, but he grabbed my hand like he knew I was there, like he felt and held my hand. And then the next morning he, I watched him take his last breath.
Like I watched my father die and it was
beautiful that I could be there at that moment, you know, because I loved the man. I know how much he sacrificed, how much he gave for me. Even when they didn't necessarily understand me. You know, my dad would be a guy who, you know, he was such a genius
that he, you know, would build an am transmitter in the basement, you know, like at nine, you know, just trying to like give me things to do to, to chase my passions, man.
You know? And he built my first stereo from hand. Like he literally show, lacked the fucking thing. Like it was like the [02:05:00] wood, I mean. You know, he was an incredible man that I loved very much. I think I got to tell him enough. Um, but there are times when I say to myself, um, fuck, you know, I wish I could, uh, I know, he knows.
I know. He knows, you know, but I, when he, when he died and, you know, I was sitting there with my sister, my oldest daughter, and my mother, um. You know, there was this thing inside yourself that I said to myself, thank God I was not fucking in like somewhere out of my mind, like going wild. So I was there for my father.
I was so fucking grateful. And then I, I help take care of my mom. I helped take care of the funeral, me and my sister, like we did everything on, you know, and I. I manned up man, and I just like fucking did everything that you would do for somebody that [02:06:00] you love because it was hard enough for my mom and my brother who is right now suffering from Parkinson's disease.
Um, he couldn't handle. Um, I mean, he's a very strong man, but you know, like he. My dad's death was so tough for him. You know, he adopted my brother and my brother was never fucking half my brother was my fucking brother, you know, I loved my brother, man. My brother was so fucking cool. I remember a Beatles rubber sole and fucking the beach boys and you know, music machine talk, talk, and all this great music when we were younger.
And. You know, he bought me those records set like you didn't understand at the time. But, you know, giving me grateful that American beauty. I love that record. This is Glenn Glenn man Glenn. And then you put me the John Lennon pasta Colin Oban album with working class hero and isolation on it. And I listened to [02:07:00] isolation last night.
I needed to hear it like I put the vinyl on, you know, that my brother bought me. Um. He bought me the first led Zeppelin album, and you know, like there's the thing where we thought it was so cool that it said suck. We were like so dirty. Yeah. We're like nine, Oh, you know, communication breakdown. We were like, Oh yeah, you watch all the kids in Lira.
Let's do it again. We were so
Kris Kosach Wellen: [02:07:28] funny. God, Glenn Pinfield was not into smooth jazz.
Matt Pinfield: [02:07:32] Aw. My brother was so fucking cool, man. He loved all the garage rock. And then it was cool because then, you know, I would turn him on to things, you know, like I would turn him on to things too. Um, but it was like a share thing.
You know, my sister Colleen, who I love so much to, you know, she's my family's, you know what I mean? We were talking my last straw, like, people that, as you can tell, I mean, we're in . [02:08:00] Yeah. Um. You know, she had the doors, albums, and um, you know, Woodstock album, the first Crosby stills and Nash album. Man, I love those fucking records.
You know, I just, for me, the gift of song is truly everything in life. Like, you know, I mean, there's truly a song for everything, but there's a feeling that you get from discovering some or loving a song that. Can be so simple, but just strikes an incredible nerve in your heart. You know? And I, you know, like I listened to, you know, when I hear the story about Crosby, stills and Nash, and the first song that they ever sang together to harmonize was, you don't have to cry.
And that's still one of my favorite songs of all time. And it's only. Fucking two minutes long and it's a repeated verse, but it's so fucking good. Like it just, there's something about it that I love, [02:09:00] but you know what I mean? There's many, many songs on Pat up.
Kris Kosach Wellen: [02:09:02] All right, well let's take a real quick break.
The book is all these things that I've done by Matt Pinfield. Now on paperback. We're going to take a quick break and when we come back, I want to talk about something we have in common. Coming up in radio. Yes. And then get to MTV.
Matt Pinfield: [02:09:16] Okay. You got it.