Talkin' Rock With Meltdown Podcast

I spoke with Rik Emmett earlier today and thought it was so good I didn't want to wait to post it. Yes, I know I posted an interview already today (with Gene Simmons), but it's my podcast, and I make the rules!
Obviously, I had to ask Rik about the tour and putting the band back together with some help from Phil X, Brent Fitz, and Todd Kerns. He was all about talking about that, Mike Levin not playing any of the shows, and the "Summer of Canadian Rock Trios" with Rush getting back on the road in 2026.
Then, it's a classic interview with Fred Durst and Wes Borland from Limp Bizkit from 2010. This interview aired on WRIF but was never posted online, so here it is. It's cool to go back and listen to how the guys split and got back together. There are also some other cultural references, including a social media interaction with Neil Diamond. You may or may not recall that.
Enjoy these two interviews.
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It's always a thrill to talk with "The Demon" Gene Simmons of KISS. The dude is a rock icon, and he's coming to UWM Field in Utica on September 20th, along with Derek St Holmes and Kaliedo.
Gene was gracious with his time as we spoke for thirty minutes about his upbringing, recently turning 77 years old, his solo band and KISS, and lots more.
What's the best non-musical financial decision he ever made? How have he and Paul Stanley remained so tight over all these years? How much unreleased KISS material remains in the vault? Those are some of the questions Gene answered along with his thoughts on his son's band, Stanley/Simmons, touring with RUSH, and much more.
Give the interview a listen, then grab your tickets to see Gene at the USPBL Fall Music Classic at UWM Field in Utica, Michigan.
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Battle Axes: A Hard Rockin' History Of Pointy Guitars is the book out now by Canadian author/musician Sean Kelly.
Talking with Sean was a blast! I'm not a guitar player, but I've seen a few in my life. Many with "pointy" guitars. Sean briefly dug into the history of how guitars got pointy and who played them. He showed off some of his own (the video will be posted next week) and his favorites.
Sean is a Canadian musician who's played with the likes of Nelly Furtado, Cooney Hatch, Honemoon Suite, and many more. He's been around a guitar or six, and tells great stories of getting some meg-rock stars to contribute to the book, some misses, and everything in between.
This is a fun conversation. Go grab the book wherever you buy books; it's out now!
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Great to reconnect with Phil Collen of Def Leppard. If you didn't know, he has some other projects outside of his main band. One of them is a band called Man Raze. Back in May, they dropped their Lock, Stock & Barrel (Complete Recordings 2008-2011) Phil tells me about that, along with another project he's in called Crossbone Skully with Tommy Henriksen of Alice Cooper, and the great Mutt Lange.
As he brought that up, I had to ask him about the impact that Mutt had on Def Leppard. Let's just say that Phil gave Mutt a LOT of credit for their success.
We talked about new music, upcoming tours, residencies, and lots more.
Thanks to Phil for the time and to you for listening.
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Legendary drummer Matt Sorum joins me to promote the live album honoring Paul Rodgers and Geezer Butler. Here's the list of rockers on the record, Corey Taylor (Slipknot), Lzzy Hale (Halestorm), Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple), Nuno Bettencourt (Extreme), Charlie Starr (BlackBerry Smoke), Phil X (Bon Jovi), Steve Stevens (Billy Idol), Matt Sorum (Guns N' Roses, Velvet Revolver), Robert DeLeo (Stone Temple Pilots), Stevie Salas (Mick Jagger), Mike Mangan (The Cult), and Paul Ill (Alicia Keys). And let me say, the record sounds as good as this line-up!
Matt told me about forming the Adopt the Arts Foundation and what it's meant to him. He was thrilled putting the musicians on stage, and more excited after hearing the finished product. So much so that he decided to put it out on vinyl. You can pre-order the album now with the info below.
In the intro, I accidentally said the album is available for pre-order on the 13th. That's false; it started on the 3rd. Get yours today!
PRE-ORDER ALBUM HERE
Title: Sound & Vision Live
Format: Limited-edition all-star double vinyl album
Pressing: Limited to 2,000 copies
Price: $99.98
Pre-Sale Begins: August 3, 2026
Record Release Celebration: September 13, 2026
Online Availability: Exclusively through Experience Vinyl
Beneficiary: Adopt the Arts Foundation
For album information and online ordering, visit Experience Vinyl.
For event and foundation information, please visit Adopt the Arts.
We did talk about his time in Velvet Revolver, GNR, and The Cult as well. Matt's an open book as we discussed many topics, and he's very easy to talk to.
Go grab a copy of this killer album...let's sell it out for the kids!
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