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Listen Here: Randy Flowers Interview
Craig Garber:
All right. Hey everybody.
randy flowers:
Heh.
Craig Garber:
This is Craig Garber. Welcome to Everyone Loves Guitar with a great guest day with Randy Flowers. He’s most well known for playing with Meat Loaf for the almost 20 last years of his life. Super cool guy, uh, out of Nashville session player up there. Uh, and I want to just thank our mutual friend, Chris, the animal Cotros for hooking us up. Chris has been very kind to me as far as helping me out with the show and referring people and I really appreciate his support. So thanks Chris. And another good one. Um, all right. Cliff Notes on Randy’s best known for his almost 20 year relationship with Meat Loaf as both his studio and touring guitarist. He’s also played with Bread, classic rock band, great band, Laurie Morgan, Winona Judd, Adam Lambert and Beth Hart, was also a guest here on the show. Six, eight months ago, Randy played on Beth’s award winning album, Bang Boom Boom, which no, uh, blowing smoke up anybody’s rear, but it’s honestly one of my favorite Beth Hart records
randy flowers:
No kidding.
Craig Garber:
and no, it really is. And part
randy flowers:
Wow.
Craig Garber:
of the reason is the guitar playing was phenomenal on that, man.
randy flowers:
Thank you so much.
Craig Garber:
Yeah,
randy flowers:
Thank
Craig Garber:
it was
randy flowers:
you.
Craig Garber:
really good.
randy flowers:
I was very proud of that. Had a great time doing that.
Craig Garber:
Yeah, you did a great job on
randy flowers:
Of
Craig Garber:
that,
randy flowers:
course,
Craig Garber:
man.
randy flowers:
Joe Bonamassa was on that too. So there was one solo that wasn’t me. So. Ha ha
Craig Garber:
That’s
randy flowers:
ha.
Craig Garber:
all right. Currently, Randy’s doing a lot of session work in Nashville. Recent projects include working on Beth Hart’s new album being produced by Kevin Shirley. When is that coming out?
randy flowers:
I don’t know, it should be, we finished it, well, we finished in February, so I thought it would be out by now, but it’s probably very soon.
Craig Garber:
Okay, awesome.
randy flowers:
Can’t wait to hear it, can’t
Craig Garber:
Is
randy flowers:
wait
Craig Garber:
there
randy flowers:
to
Craig Garber:
a
randy flowers:
hear
Craig Garber:
title or can you not say?
randy flowers:
it. I actually don’t know it if
Craig Garber:
Okay.
randy flowers:
there is one, but it’s gonna be great, I know that much.
Craig Garber:
Awesome. Very cool.
randy flowers:
Yeah, yeah.
Craig Garber:
And, uh, Randy’s also touring with celebrating meatloaf, which is a meatloaf featuring it’s basically members of meatloaf touring band along with American idol winner, Caleb Johnson. He just came back from doing six, eight dates in London.
randy flowers:
We had six dates in the UK,
Craig Garber:
Very
randy flowers:
yeah.
Craig Garber:
cool.
randy flowers:
It was a lot of fun, yeah.
Craig Garber:
You probably, well, we’ll get into it. You’ve probably been all over the world, so that’s probably like not a,
randy flowers:
Pretty, yeah,
Craig Garber:
not a, yeah.
randy flowers:
pretty much. I’ve been just about everywhere except Japan. I’ve never gotten to tour in Japan somehow,
Craig Garber:
Really?
randy flowers:
but yeah. But I’ve been all everywhere, all over Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, just all over the place.
Craig Garber:
Awesome, man.
randy flowers:
Yeah,
Craig Garber:
Very
randy flowers:
except
Craig Garber:
cool.
randy flowers:
Japan.
Craig Garber:
Except Japan.
randy flowers:
Except Japan.
Craig Garber:
All right, man.
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
Well, thank you very much for coming on the show. I appreciate it. I’ve been looking forward to
randy flowers:
Thanks
Craig Garber:
hanging
randy flowers:
for
Craig Garber:
with
randy flowers:
having
Craig Garber:
you.
randy flowers:
me.
Craig Garber:
My pleasure,
randy flowers:
Yeah,
Craig Garber:
man.
randy flowers:
yeah.
Craig Garber:
So your dad played guitar and you started
randy flowers:
Yes.
Craig Garber:
playing at a very young age and you eventually started studying classical guitar at around age 13. How did that all come about?
randy flowers:
Well, there was just, I’m not sure if this guitar was just up in the attic and my dad brought it down at some point. It was an old Hagstrom, like a strat
Craig Garber:
Uh,
randy flowers:
style,
Craig Garber:
yeah.
randy flowers:
like baby blue Hagstrom thing. It had all these weird
Craig Garber:
I didn’t
randy flowers:
switches
Craig Garber:
know they made
randy flowers:
on it.
Craig Garber:
those style guitars. I didn’t know how extra Maidstrat
randy flowers:
Yeah,
Craig Garber:
style guitars.
randy flowers:
I didn’t either. But that’s kind of what I got started on. It had all these weird switches like you would see on a, you know, like on the Fender Mustangs or Jaguar, you know, all this. So. So yeah, that was laying around. It was meant to, my older brother Scott was playing it and it was meant for him actually, but he would be out and about on, you know, he’s five years older, so he’d be out and about all the time. And so I would sneak into his room, grab it, and just learn, I just played constantly. I, it was, I had put on records, you know, slow down the records half speed and learned as much as I could. And yeah, where am I going with this? That’s…
Craig Garber:
No, that’s it. That’s what was your parents supportive of you getting involved in music then?
randy flowers:
Absolutely. Yeah, they,
Craig Garber:
That’s really cool.
randy flowers:
they were very cool with it. Yeah. Actually, they get, they took me to a music store when I was around 12 or 13. And, and I met this classical teacher named Nelson Ramirez, a classical guitar teacher. And my parents got me studying with this guy when I was 13. And I’d learned so much from that guy. So yeah, I did that for probably three or four years of of classical lessons before.
Craig Garber:
That’s a lot of, that’s a lot of training. Three
randy flowers:
It
Craig Garber:
to
randy flowers:
was
Craig Garber:
four
randy flowers:
a lot
Craig Garber:
years.
randy flowers:
of training. Yeah,
Craig Garber:
Yeah.
randy flowers:
yeah.
Craig Garber:
Very cool.
randy flowers:
I learned so much in that period of time. Yeah,
Craig Garber:
So
randy flowers:
yeah.
Craig Garber:
in your bio, you had this there, which I found interesting. It said, after leaving college, Randy embarked. This
randy flowers:
Ha.
Craig Garber:
is like, I feel like I’m David
randy flowers:
Well…
Craig Garber:
Attenborough reading a docu, reading,
randy flowers:
I know, it’s funny
Craig Garber:
after
randy flowers:
though.
Craig Garber:
leaving college, Randy
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
embarked
randy flowers:
Haha.
Craig Garber:
on a transformative journey, touring extensively alongside your brother, Jerry, and Cuban singer Manuel Ballena, which is
randy flowers:
Uh,
Craig Garber:
where you got
randy flowers:
Belina,
Craig Garber:
your 10,000
randy flowers:
Belina.
Craig Garber:
hours. What’s that? Oh, Ballena, okay.
randy flowers:
Belina, yeah,
Craig Garber:
I was pronouncing
randy flowers:
yeah.
Craig Garber:
it actual Spanish, so, you know.
randy flowers:
Oh, that makes, maybe it is Belina, that’s very possible.
Craig Garber:
You had two L’s together is like a
randy flowers:
You’re
Craig Garber:
yeah.
randy flowers:
right. Yeah.
Craig Garber:
I don’t know. Maybe he was an American. But if you met
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
him in Elkview,
randy flowers:
It
Craig Garber:
he
randy flowers:
wasn’t, well, it was in Charleston, West Virginia.
Craig Garber:
might not have known
randy flowers:
That’s true.
Craig Garber:
that himself to be honest
randy flowers:
That’s a
Craig Garber:
with.
randy flowers:
good
Craig Garber:
I remember
randy flowers:
point.
Craig Garber:
I’m in Florida and I grew up in the Bronx.
randy flowers:
That’s a good point.
Craig Garber:
And that’s where you got basically 10,000 hours of practice. So like
randy flowers:
So
Craig Garber:
you said
randy flowers:
to
Craig Garber:
after
randy flowers:
speak,
Craig Garber:
college,
randy flowers:
yeah.
Craig Garber:
where’d you go to college?
randy flowers:
I went to West Virginia State, West Virginia State for like maybe two and a half years. And I was a music major there. And I, yeah, I gave it my best shot, but it learned a lot. I had a lot of fun and, you know, I played in bands in college and all that. You know, met some people that I’m still working with today.
Craig Garber:
That’s awesome.
randy flowers:
But yeah, that’s great. But I did not finish. This, some road opportunities came calling
Craig Garber:
That’s
randy flowers:
and.
Craig Garber:
like a extremely common. I mean, that happens to like 50% of musicians
randy flowers:
Sure.
Craig Garber:
who go to college and then they leave,
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
even if they’re like in Berkeley, it’s like, Hey, I got a call to go play on the road.
randy flowers:
Exactly, because you’re kind of like, well, isn’t that what this education is about to get out and do it? Otherwise?
Craig Garber:
Yeah, well, I could sit here in a classroom for another 18 months, or I could actually go on the road and do this shit. Yeah.
randy flowers:
Right. Yeah. And that’s the way we looked at it. And by we, it was my brother and my, our best buddy, John Denerich, we kind of came up our whole careers together.
Craig Garber:
What
randy flowers:
So
Craig Garber:
now your brother, what does he play? Is he, is he a professional musician?
randy flowers:
He is, he’s a professional. Yeah. He’s a, uh, a bass player with Keith Urban.
Craig Garber:
Oh yeah!
randy flowers:
Uh, yeah. And
Craig Garber:
I’ve
randy flowers:
he’s
Craig Garber:
heard
randy flowers:
been
Craig Garber:
of
randy flowers:
with,
Craig Garber:
him. Ha ha ha!
randy flowers:
yeah, he’s a, he’s a great, he’s very talented guy.
Craig Garber:
So
randy flowers:
Um,
Craig Garber:
the two kids got into and was your dad was not a professional musician. He just had this
randy flowers:
No,
Craig Garber:
guitar.
randy flowers:
not at all.
Craig Garber:
Wow. So
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
something was in the jeans though.
randy flowers:
It’s something. Yes. My, my parents, my, my dad kind of plays a little bit, but he’s like a, he’s a. kind of a mechanic type of person, like he works on heavy machinery. So his hands weren’t meant for
Craig Garber:
For
randy flowers:
guitar.
Craig Garber:
guitars, yeah.
randy flowers:
Right. So yeah, it kind of, I hear that my grandparents had some musical ability. So yeah, somehow it skipped a generation and it became a passion for Jerry and myself. So he’s a very successful, like I said, he’s been in Keith Urban’s band since 1995 or something like that. original band together called the Ranch and they put out one record and then that disbanded and Keith went on to do a solo thing and then Jerry started touring with him sometime in the early 2000s. But yeah, he’s a successful songwriter right now. He’s had like four number one hits on the country charts in the past
Craig Garber:
Really? That’s awesome.
randy flowers:
three or four years. Yeah,
Craig Garber:
That’s
randy flowers:
that’s
Craig Garber:
something.
randy flowers:
pretty amazing.
Craig Garber:
Let me ask you this though. Both of you had careers with big acts,
randy flowers:
Mm-hmm.
Craig Garber:
international acts for extent of a huge period of time. It’s not, that’s not heard of for
randy flowers:
It’s
Craig Garber:
one,
randy flowers:
strange.
Craig Garber:
not to do it’s, I mean, just things happen. People change, you know, they’re a new manager, excuse me, comes on or, Hey, you need a new direction or, you know, the wife says, Oh, you don’t like this guy or, you know, whatever.
randy flowers:
Right.
Craig Garber:
What do you think this interesting that both of you, so how do you think like you hung on to not hung on because that sounds like it was like,
randy flowers:
Well…
Craig Garber:
but how do you think you stayed on that meatloaf gig for that long, and it was there like a. I’m just curious now that you told me your brother is there a similarity in the thing that you feel may have helped to him.
randy flowers:
Well, I really don’t know the answer to that, except, you know, we are both kind of, we’re funny guys and have good personalities, I think, and people seem to enjoy being around us.
Craig Garber:
Well, you must be easy
randy flowers:
And then,
Craig Garber:
to get along. You must
randy flowers:
yeah.
Craig Garber:
have an easy demeanor to stick around for that long as well, like flexible.
randy flowers:
I think that must be the case. Because I’ve thought about that recently actually. How did I stick around that long? Because in the actual years of touring with Meatloaf was 2003 until 2016 or something like that. So in that time I saw so many people come and go,
Craig Garber:
Yeah.
randy flowers:
either get fired or quit or whatever. I think mainly is. Some people might disagree with this, but I kind of just did my job and didn’t get involved in too much drama. And I think I didn’t get too big headed and ask for too much money. A lot of people
Craig Garber:
Yeah.
randy flowers:
kind of ask for more money each leg or each year. And I guess I stayed at a level where it was kind of like, he just liked what I did. And just every tour that came up, he called me again, which I was… I was very grateful for it was
Craig Garber:
Yeah.
randy flowers:
a yeah, it was really cool.
Craig Garber:
That’s
randy flowers:
Because
Craig Garber:
great,
randy flowers:
we
Craig Garber:
man.
randy flowers:
yeah, he wasn’t, you know, it’s in America, you know, he’s not as well known, but like I had mentioned, like in the UK and all over Europe and Australia, he’s just huge. He’s like Bruce Springsteen or something in the
Craig Garber:
So they
randy flowers:
UK.
Craig Garber:
knew the songs beyond the like you can go to those countries and play deep tracks and people be singing.
randy flowers:
Oh yeah, big time.
Craig Garber:
Wow. Okay.
randy flowers:
Big time. Yeah. And, and play much larger venues like the last tour we did he played the O2 arena, which is like the biggest arena in London that I
Craig Garber:
Yeah,
randy flowers:
that I know of
Craig Garber:
that
randy flowers:
anyway.
Craig Garber:
had to be fun, right?
randy flowers:
It was great. Yeah.
Craig Garber:
Yeah.
randy flowers:
It was amazing.
Craig Garber:
That’s really cool, man. That’s a great
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
arena. Okay,
randy flowers:
It’s awesome.
Craig Garber:
1993 you moved to Nashville.
randy flowers:
Mm.
Craig Garber:
You were just a kid.
randy flowers:
Yeah, well, it’s 22 or 23.
Craig Garber:
That’s kid.
randy flowers:
That’s a kid. Yeah, I guess
Craig Garber:
Yeah,
randy flowers:
so.
Craig Garber:
yeah.
randy flowers:
Yeah,
Craig Garber:
That’s a kid.
randy flowers:
yeah,
Craig Garber:
That’s a
randy flowers:
yeah.
Craig Garber:
kid for sure. I mean, especially at this age for me now. It’s
randy flowers:
Oh, I
Craig Garber:
definitely
randy flowers:
know. I
Craig Garber:
a kid.
randy flowers:
know.
Craig Garber:
But what prompted that move and how did you get your career started there? Because it is definitely not easy to do, especially back then in that timeframe.
randy flowers:
Right.
Craig Garber:
It was a little more clickish, I think. And, you
randy flowers:
Absolutely,
Craig Garber:
know.
randy flowers:
yeah, and well, I think it was just blissful ignorance, right? Like we didn’t know what we were getting into. We were just kind of like, it was,
Craig Garber:
Oh, Jerry
randy flowers:
I moved
Craig Garber:
move
randy flowers:
with,
Craig Garber:
with you.
randy flowers:
yes, it was
Craig Garber:
Yeah.
randy flowers:
my
Craig Garber:
Okay.
randy flowers:
brother, Jerry and our buddy John Dedrick, keyboard player, so.
Craig Garber:
The guy from the Manuel gig.
randy flowers:
Exactly. Like,
Craig Garber:
Yeah.
randy flowers:
yes, we so we he went on to become he played with the Dixie Chicks, Michael McDonald, Kathy Griffin, like just a long list of
Craig Garber:
Is that how
randy flowers:
big
Craig Garber:
you met
randy flowers:
names.
Craig Garber:
Chris?
randy flowers:
I met
Craig Garber:
Cause,
randy flowers:
Chris
Craig Garber:
cause
randy flowers:
actually
Craig Garber:
Kathy
randy flowers:
threw
Craig Garber:
Griffin,
randy flowers:
it.
Craig Garber:
he used to play with Kathy Griffin.
randy flowers:
Well, it was Patty. My
Craig Garber:
No,
randy flowers:
name I’m getting it wrong.
Craig Garber:
that was Patty. I
randy flowers:
Patty
Craig Garber:
think
randy flowers:
Griffin
Craig Garber:
it was
randy flowers:
and
Craig Garber:
Patty Griffin it was.
randy flowers:
right. I don’t know how, I can’t remember meeting Chris, but we, anyway, I lost my train of thought.
Craig Garber:
Moving
randy flowers:
But
Craig Garber:
to Nashville.
randy flowers:
I met, it was in, yeah. Moving to Nashville, yes. So I had totally forgotten about this until I saw, until this interview thing came up. We were playing with some, like kind of a country, a female country artist. She was a. trying to get a record deal. And we made this little demo tape with this girl. I think her name was Amanda Thomas. So we were, and we were her backing band. And somehow we had in mind that we’re gonna move to Nashville and help her, you know, get a record deal and all that.
Craig Garber:
Yeah.
randy flowers:
And then we moved here and kind of everybody went their separate ways, you know, that all fizzled out. And then we just kind of, kind of, you know, but ended up doing our own thing.
Craig Garber:
How
randy flowers:
You know,
Craig Garber:
did you, so the, how did you get gigs when you first got there?
randy flowers:
Hmm. Well, I was, I had a friend working in a restaurant called Dalt’s Grill and I had to, I got a job there because we had
Craig Garber:
Gotta
randy flowers:
to survive
Craig Garber:
gotta
randy flowers:
somehow.
Craig Garber:
pay the bills, man.
randy flowers:
Exactly. So I was
Craig Garber:
It’s not
randy flowers:
waiting
Craig Garber:
like,
randy flowers:
tables.
Craig Garber:
hey, I’m here, Nashville. Yeah.
randy flowers:
Yeah, exactly. Yeah.
Craig Garber:
Unfortunately, it doesn’t work like that.
randy flowers:
Not at all. And the way I showed up with like just, I had like one, maybe two guitars and one little tiny PV band and amp. And I thought like, yeah, that’s fine. Isn’t it? Yeah, ready to do sessions or whatever.
Craig Garber:
But you can do that with two guitars if you’re,
randy flowers:
You can’t I
Craig Garber:
yeah,
randy flowers:
guess so.
Craig Garber:
you actually
randy flowers:
I guess
Craig Garber:
can.
randy flowers:
so. But I yeah, I didn’t I didn’t know I didn’t have any pedals. I didn’t know nothing. Oddly enough, side note that little amp is in the I don’t know if it’s still there but it was in the country music Hall of Fame
Craig Garber:
The PV band?
randy flowers:
on a display.
Craig Garber:
Yeah, yeah.
randy flowers:
Yes, because Keith Urban borrowed it from me. And in a never giving it back. He used it on the his first record. And
Craig Garber:
That’s wild.
randy flowers:
and it’s on display down there at the yeah. At the country
Craig Garber:
Should
randy flowers:
music
Craig Garber:
we make
randy flowers:
Hall of
Craig Garber:
a
randy flowers:
Fame.
Craig Garber:
big stink of that like here on this show to get your amp?
randy flowers:
Well, it’s funny, I ran into him at a party a few years ago and that’s the first thing he said to me. He was like, I’m gonna get that ant back to you at some point.
Craig Garber:
Oh, that’s
randy flowers:
And
Craig Garber:
so funny. That’s actually pretty cool. And he said that, you know, even if it
randy flowers:
it
Craig Garber:
was
randy flowers:
was
Craig Garber:
just
randy flowers:
funny.
Craig Garber:
joking and lighthearted,
randy flowers:
He
Craig Garber:
that
randy flowers:
was
Craig Garber:
was
randy flowers:
totally
Craig Garber:
really
randy flowers:
joking.
Craig Garber:
cool.
randy flowers:
Yeah,
Craig Garber:
Yeah, that’s awesome.
randy flowers:
yeah, yeah.
Craig Garber:
You know,
randy flowers:
So.
Craig Garber:
it’s funny, I play a PV Delta blues.
randy flowers:
Uh-huh.
Craig Garber:
It’s so an amazing app. It’s a little older. It’s like from the early 2000s.
randy flowers:
Oh yeah
Craig Garber:
But it’s, you know, a buddy of mine had told me to get this actually do Dave Amato is from REO Speedwagon.
randy flowers:
Dave Amato, no I don’t, I don’t.
Craig Garber:
Anyway, he was in town and he likes, you know, he’s got massive gear problems, you know, acquisition problems.
randy flowers:
Uh-huh.
Craig Garber:
And he says, Craig, you, you gotta, it was my wife and I went, we went to the concert and we were like in the, after the show eating pizza or something like that in the room.
randy flowers:
Mm-hmm.
Craig Garber:
And he’s like, Craig, I saw this amp at, I think it was Sam Ashman, maybe in Clearwater and he goes, it’s a JCM 800. It’s a vintage amp. You gotta buy it. And I’m like, and I’m like, well, I got this PV I love and I’m, and I’m also trying to be. You know, guitar gear is inexpensive and I’m, you know, my wife’s there and I’m trying to, you know, I don’t, I got enough. I’m like, you know,
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
and, and so my wife says, she goes, Craig, if Dave’s recommending you buy that amp, you should just go buy it. I’m like, I love you so much. You
randy flowers:
Hahaha
Craig Garber:
know, that was like so cool. And I bought
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
it and I wound up selling it. It’s just
randy flowers:
Oh, no kidding.
Craig Garber:
that, no, that PV Delta Blues amp is just for me, for my style, when I play his blues, it’s just
randy flowers:
Sure.
Craig Garber:
phenomenal.
randy flowers:
Is it
Craig Garber:
So
randy flowers:
a solid
Craig Garber:
I
randy flowers:
state app or is
Craig Garber:
know it’s
randy flowers:
it
Craig Garber:
a tube
randy flowers:
a tube?
Craig Garber:
amp 30
randy flowers:
Okay.
Craig Garber:
watt. And the reason why it’s so awesome is it’s a 15 inch speaker.
randy flowers:
Ah, interesting, okay.
Craig Garber:
It’s 30 watts and if,
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
but, and he kept so much head room with that and you know, it’s got two channels, it’s got a master volume, so
randy flowers:
Mm-hmm.
Craig Garber:
you could really get some great overdrive and you don’t have to like crank it super high. It’s
randy flowers:
Right.
Craig Garber:
I love it.
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
I love it. So
randy flowers:
That’s,
Craig Garber:
sorry.
randy flowers:
yeah, that’s
Craig Garber:
I mean,
randy flowers:
amazing.
Craig Garber:
but I don’t
randy flowers:
No,
Craig Garber:
know
randy flowers:
no.
Craig Garber:
the bullet. I don’t know the bullet though. Is
randy flowers:
It
Craig Garber:
that
randy flowers:
was, it was called a bandit actually.
Craig Garber:
Oh, sorry, the band.
randy flowers:
Yeah. It was just like, yeah. It’s a little tiny 112 solid state amp. And it’s for some reason it just sounded great. There was something special
Craig Garber:
That’s
randy flowers:
about
Craig Garber:
cool.
randy flowers:
this one. Yeah. So yeah, I used that for as long as I could until Keith took it from me. And then.
Craig Garber:
That’s funny. I’m going to get you that amp back. That’s hilarious.
randy flowers:
Yeah, I doubt it’s the actual one behind, you know, on display down there, because it’s,
Craig Garber:
Yeah,
randy flowers:
I think
Craig Garber:
I wouldn’t
randy flowers:
it’s been through
Craig Garber:
think.
randy flowers:
hell.
Craig Garber:
You’d think it’d be like a facsimile or whatever they call
randy flowers:
I
Craig Garber:
it.
randy flowers:
think it I think it is I think it’s just a copy. But but anyway, that was a side note thing. What was like I lost
Craig Garber:
Oh, the
randy flowers:
my train
Craig Garber:
question
randy flowers:
of thought
Craig Garber:
was,
randy flowers:
again.
Craig Garber:
so how’d you get gigs when you first started?
randy flowers:
Oh, okay. So I was my first meetings with people were came through this restaurant where I was working. I was just I was waiting tables and these regulars would come in, you know, quite often. And it turns out they were musicians and worked at a studio called hummingbird studios where they did
Craig Garber:
That’s
randy flowers:
jingles
Craig Garber:
huge.
randy flowers:
and commercials.
Craig Garber:
Yeah,
randy flowers:
Yeah. And
Craig Garber:
very popular studio.
randy flowers:
okay, cool. And then they said, like, you know, I talked to them over several times over several weeks and they said, bring your bring a demo tape down to the studio and we’ll see what we can do. And I did, I had some kind of cassette. I don’t know what I would have had on it. Like it might’ve been like me playing,
Craig Garber:
Eruption.
randy flowers:
oh, you know, like maybe a reference. It was probably more like, I think I had somewhere over the rainbow on there or something like that or.
Craig Garber:
You know what, man? That is such a beautiful song. I love that
randy flowers:
It really
Craig Garber:
song.
randy flowers:
is. It
Craig Garber:
It’s
randy flowers:
is.
Craig Garber:
do you, did you hear the, um, I’m sure you heard the is
randy flowers:
The…
Craig Garber:
the Hawaiian guy is, uh,
randy flowers:
Oh yes,
Craig Garber:
oh
randy flowers:
yes.
Craig Garber:
my God, that’s like, I brings tears to my eyes every time I hear that. It’s
randy flowers:
That
Craig Garber:
such
randy flowers:
is
Craig Garber:
a,
randy flowers:
beautiful.
Craig Garber:
I mean, beautiful rendition of that song.
randy flowers:
It’s amazing. It’s
Craig Garber:
Yeah.
randy flowers:
amazing. Yeah, so I learned a version of that when I was a young man. And it’s one of those kind of it’s my go to, like, if you want to be impressed when I have an acoustic guitar, because it’s got it’s got all kinds of you know, I’m using like the harp harmonics and all kinds of crazy things and
Craig Garber:
So it was like closer to that. You ever heard, I think it was like Michael E. Ferkins or something.
randy flowers:
My complete farkens, I’m not familiar.
Craig Garber:
Somebody like, or, you know, a guitar player did that on one of their albums.
randy flowers:
Uh huh. Oh, was it, um, Tuck Andrus, perhaps?
Craig Garber:
I’m going to look that up right now because it’s like an amazing version of that song. Let
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
me see if I can find this.
randy flowers:
Wait, I’ve got a guitar right here, so I’ll give you a sample.
Craig Garber:
Good
randy flowers:
So it
Craig Garber:
right
randy flowers:
was all
Craig Garber:
on
randy flowers:
this
Craig Garber:
man.
randy flowers:
stuff like.
Craig Garber:
Oh, you know what? You can’t play too much of it. They won’t they won’t allow it
randy flowers:
Oh right, well I won’t play the actual song, but like,
Craig Garber:
Yeah
randy flowers:
you know, all that kind of. those kind of heart harmonic
Craig Garber:
Dude, that’s
randy flowers:
things.
Craig Garber:
so nice,
randy flowers:
Oh,
Craig Garber:
man. That sounded great.
randy flowers:
thank you. Thank you. Yeah, I didn’t think about the actual can’t play the actual song
Craig Garber:
Well,
randy flowers:
situation.
Craig Garber:
it’s just that YouTube won’t, you know, they’re like,
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
Hey man, who’s got publishing, you know? Um, what, uh, okay. So you hooked up with these guys, you played them in a demo tape and they said, Hey, come down and do start doing some sessions
randy flowers:
Yeah,
Craig Garber:
with
randy flowers:
so
Craig Garber:
us.
randy flowers:
exactly. So I ended up doing lots of, I don’t know if you call them jingles now or
Craig Garber:
Yeah.
randy flowers:
what do you call them? Is it still
Craig Garber:
Well,
randy flowers:
jingles?
Craig Garber:
back in the day, they were called jingles.
randy flowers:
Yeah, yeah.
Craig Garber:
Yeah.
randy flowers:
So I ended up kind of just working at the restaurant on weekends and doing jingles all week. And
Craig Garber:
That’s awesome.
randy flowers:
you know, you got some like national coke commercials and stuff like that. I think I did a national Pepsi thing. So for me, coming from Elkview, West Virginia, which
Craig Garber:
Yes.
randy flowers:
pinched West Virginia, you know, it was, it was like, wow, I’m on a national co-commercial. This is bad ass. And
Craig Garber:
And you get performance on that, performance royalties.
randy flowers:
yeah, I don’t remember what the situation was. It, I wasn’t singing on it. I think I wrote one of them, but it’s still, it wasn’t anything to write home about, you know,
Craig Garber:
Yeah.
randy flowers:
but I thought it was going to be, I thought that it was gonna be like, you know, some fun mailbox money, but I don’t think it was.
Craig Garber:
Well, maybe they had a different con. Maybe they just, you would work for hire under their terms of the contract.
randy flowers:
It might have been, yeah. And it was national radio, it wasn’t like, I don’t think it was a national
Craig Garber:
Wasn’t
randy flowers:
TV
Craig Garber:
like NBC
randy flowers:
campaign.
Craig Garber:
or something.
randy flowers:
Yeah, I don’t think so.
Craig Garber:
Yeah.
randy flowers:
But it was still a big deal to me at the time
Craig Garber:
Yeah,
randy flowers:
when I was
Craig Garber:
it should be.
randy flowers:
20,
Craig Garber:
It was a big deal.
randy flowers:
- Yeah,
Craig Garber:
Yeah.
randy flowers:
it was
Craig Garber:
Very
randy flowers:
fun.
Craig Garber:
cool.
randy flowers:
So through that studio, met a lot of people that kind of led to a lot of other things. For example, that’s where not to bring up Keith Urban again, but that’s where one of the producers there said, Hey, I’ve got this, this Australian guy just came to town. He’s looking for a bass player for his band. And that was Keith Urban. And he, he got, that’s when my brother started playing with him back in like 93 or 94 and,
Craig Garber:
That’s a, that’s crazy,
randy flowers:
uh,
Craig Garber:
man. And he,
randy flowers:
yeah, it’s crazy.
Craig Garber:
and who, like 94, who’s Keith Urban? Nobody knows.
randy flowers:
Exactly.
Craig Garber:
That’s
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
so amazing, man.
randy flowers:
So
Craig Garber:
That’s the, that trajectory. And that’s, that’s the story. Those are always blow, blow me away. You know, nobody started out. I had this card somewhere, uh, you know, like some motivate, it was a, that’s a greeting card I bought.
randy flowers:
Right.
Craig Garber:
I think I bought it from my middle, my middle child, my younger son.
randy flowers:
Mm-hmm.
Craig Garber:
And I still have it here. And it says something like always remember. all these great musicians and artists and sports figures and yada yada, they didn’t start like that.
randy flowers:
Right.
Craig Garber:
Something like that. It’s just like,
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
hey man, keep going because he’s older and he’s going to college later in life.
randy flowers:
Mm-hmm.
Craig Garber:
So I always get him stuff like that. But it’s so true, man. Nobody’s Keith Urban. Like who’s Keith Urban back then?
randy flowers:
Exactly. But it’s funny though, at that time he was nobody. He was just playing in clubs and stuff, but he was still a star to me. Like he had that, I knew he was a star and he had that vibe even back then, even in small clubs.
Craig Garber:
In what way?
randy flowers:
So
Craig Garber:
Like what?
randy flowers:
I can’t explain it. I just knew he just had that thing where he was just a, he was already a great performer. And it was just like, That guy’s a star. I just thought of him as a star from the time I first met him back in 94. And
Craig Garber:
Like
randy flowers:
I don’t
Craig Garber:
really
randy flowers:
think he got
Craig Garber:
comfortable
randy flowers:
really.
Craig Garber:
being the center of attention in front of crowds.
randy flowers:
Yeah, absolutely. Yeah.
Craig Garber:
Interesting.
randy flowers:
And yeah, because it was just a, it was very odd for country at the time. They were a three piece band. It was called the ranch. And so it was just, you know, bass drums and guitar. So it was very different for Nashville at that time.
Craig Garber:
Yeah.
randy flowers:
So they really stood out. And, um, but unfortunately, it didn’t work in the, I don’t think it worked in the radio world at that time, because it was so different. But anyway,
Craig Garber:
and radio dictated everything back in that day.
randy flowers:
I think so. Yeah. Um, so I’ve gone off on three Keith Urban side notes so
Craig Garber:
all
randy flowers:
far.
Craig Garber:
right man
randy flowers:
So,
Craig Garber:
relax everything’s
randy flowers:
uh, I
Craig Garber:
good
randy flowers:
need to talk
Craig Garber:
man
randy flowers:
about myself here. Hello.
Craig Garber:
yeah I know that’s the issue see you can’t talk
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
about we get we could talk about why you don’t want to talk about yourself
randy flowers:
It’s right. That’s what I’m doing. I’m deflecting, aren’t I?
Craig Garber:
Yeah, you’re
randy flowers:
Yeah,
Craig Garber:
deflecting.
randy flowers:
that’s
Craig Garber:
That’s all right.
randy flowers:
yeah.
Craig Garber:
You know what? It’s you’ll be comfortable. Like by the bottom of page one, you’ll be like
randy flowers:
I think
Craig Garber:
right on track.
randy flowers:
it’s getting a little easier because it is very hard knowing that this is going to be listened to. Like what I’m saying is gonna be, somebody’s gonna listen to this. And.
Craig Garber:
Hey, if they listen to me, believe me, they’ll have no problem listening to you. I assure you.
randy flowers:
Oh, come
Craig Garber:
Trust
randy flowers:
on.
Craig Garber:
me on that.
randy flowers:
Come
Craig Garber:
Um,
randy flowers:
on.
Craig Garber:
so I guess shortly after David Gates from the band bread hired you to do a small tour with him,
randy flowers:
Yes.
Craig Garber:
how did he get in? Like, how did that
randy flowers:
I was trying to remember how this happened. And again, it’s going to, I think Keith Irvin’s name
Craig Garber:
Keith
randy flowers:
is gonna
Craig Garber:
Urban.
randy flowers:
come up again. Somehow David Gates came into, he was working with the same publishing company or something that Keith was. And he asked around the publishing company if they knew a guitar player. And somehow my name came up. I don’t know if Keith did, was in
Craig Garber:
Or
randy flowers:
there
Craig Garber:
maybe
randy flowers:
somewhere.
Craig Garber:
your brother or whatever.
randy flowers:
Maybe my brother, right. And I went and auditioned and I got that. And so we did just a bunch of, uh, kind of, uh, solo acoustic things with a 10 piece string section, like
Craig Garber:
ten piece
randy flowers:
a roundup.
Craig Garber:
okay
randy flowers:
Yeah. And,
Craig Garber:
that’s
randy flowers:
uh,
Craig Garber:
an unusual gig
randy flowers:
it was unusual.
Craig Garber:
for like a classic rock guy
randy flowers:
Yeah. It’s well, it’s almost, I guess they’re kind of in the soft rock kind of
Craig Garber:
Yeah,
randy flowers:
classification
Craig Garber:
yeah, for sure.
randy flowers:
a little bit,
Craig Garber:
Yeah.
randy flowers:
but beautiful songs, great, wonderfully written songs. And, uh, They’re not, it’s funny, they just haven’t held up in the history books as well as they should have. Cause the songs
Craig Garber:
Bread?
randy flowers:
are great.
Craig Garber:
Oh, and
randy flowers:
Bread,
Craig Garber:
his voice.
randy flowers:
yeah.
Craig Garber:
His voice.
randy flowers:
Oh, his voice is great. And what
Craig Garber:
I
randy flowers:
it’s
Craig Garber:
mean…
randy flowers:
like, he wrote all the songs. We didn’t write all the songs. He wrote, he was, Jimmy Griffin wrote the other half, but he did, like he wrote, actually wrote all the string parts himself
Craig Garber:
Hmm.
randy flowers:
and would rehearse the string section himself. Uh, anyway, very talented, uh, writer and a musician. I learned so much from that guy. And yeah, so
Craig Garber:
And then…
randy flowers:
yeah, go ahead.
Craig Garber:
No, go ahead.
randy flowers:
Oh, that’s, that’s it. I’ve just, um, I think, I think you’re about to ask the question. Then it led to the
Craig Garber:
Yes. Yeah. Okay. So that led to you becoming lead guitarist on the, when bread got back together, the reunion tour.
randy flowers:
Yes, the Bread Ring Union tour, 96, 97.
Craig Garber:
How was that?
randy flowers:
It was great because that was really my first time of really seeing the world. It was an actual world tour. They did, of course, all of America and then the UK. I think we did some of Germany and stuff like that, but it was South Africa,
Craig Garber:
Oh my god.
randy flowers:
Australia. So when I was, I was 25, 26, something like that. And… That was pretty cool for me.
Craig Garber:
Yeah,
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
would be cool for anybody.
randy flowers:
Yeah, it was amazing.
Craig Garber:
Shit.
randy flowers:
And it was my first taste of like that, you know, old rock and roll money, you know, like
Craig Garber:
Yeah.
randy flowers:
it really paid very well
Craig Garber:
Yeah, sure.
randy flowers:
for that time for me. And it was an awesome experience. So it was just kind of two years straight of traveling all over the world and playing these beautiful songs with. with a 10-piece, I think it was only 10-piece, it might have been 15 in some places, but it was a string section that they would pick up in every city and David…
Craig Garber:
That’s a lot of work for him to like, it’s one
randy flowers:
It
Craig Garber:
thing
randy flowers:
was.
Craig Garber:
you like Chuck Berry and you pick up a good, you know, a rhythm section, but like, you know, you’re picking up a 10 that’s a lot of
randy flowers:
Yes.
Craig Garber:
mouths, brains to manage.
randy flowers:
Absolutely. And, um, and to rehearse, you know, he, we’d have to do a, we’d have to rehearse the string players as well as do a sound check for the whole band and all that.
Craig Garber:
Oh my God.
randy flowers:
So
Craig Garber:
So that
randy flowers:
yeah,
Craig Garber:
was
randy flowers:
it was,
Craig Garber:
a pretty intense tour.
randy flowers:
it was, it was, it was just, I was so new and just, just having the time of my life. I was just, just having a great time. I was loving it. Um, unfortunately I started off. with, uh, like the else touring outside of Nashville, which is totally different. You know, like that, like a seventies rock group tour is a totally different way than a, than a Nashville act
Craig Garber:
Oh
randy flowers:
does
Craig Garber:
yeah.
randy flowers:
and did. And when I came back from that tour, I, I ended up getting, uh, a job with a kind of a big country singer at the time named Laura Morgan. Lori Morgan.
Craig Garber:
Laurie Morgan. Yeah.
randy flowers:
Yeah. And it was just like the total opposite way of doing things. If you know what I mean.
Craig Garber:
Yeah, well, like it was just more regimented and much more low key, I would imagine.
randy flowers:
Definitely more low key and it was instead of hopping on a plane and going somewhere for going on tour for a month or six weeks, you’d you drive over to, uh, I can’t remember where the bus met, but you’d meet the bus someplace at like a Kroger or a Publix or whatever at, and at midnight on Thursday. And then you would, then you would go on the bus and go play shows Friday and Saturday and then. bus home Sunday and then hop in your car and drive back home. It was, it’s just a, a
Craig Garber:
Oh,
randy flowers:
different
Craig Garber:
that must have
randy flowers:
way
Craig Garber:
been such
randy flowers:
of,
Craig Garber:
a bummer. They’re like,
randy flowers:
it’s, I know it’s,
Craig Garber:
where’s
randy flowers:
it’s
Craig Garber:
the plane?
randy flowers:
right.
Craig Garber:
I don’t get this. Yeah.
randy flowers:
Where’s my, so yeah, which hotel room is mine? And they’re like, uh, you’re sharing that one with, uh,
Craig Garber:
Yeah.
randy flowers:
this, with that dude. Um,
Craig Garber:
Yeah, that’s
randy flowers:
yeah.
Craig Garber:
the downside of having such a great, you know, like
randy flowers:
A great start.
Craig Garber:
a marquee band,
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
like to kind of break your musical touring cherry or something like that.
randy flowers:
Exactly.
Craig Garber:
In Nashville,
randy flowers:
Yeah,
Craig Garber:
yeah.
randy flowers:
so it was kind of, yeah, I guess it was kind of how do you say that? Like, it would almost better if I didn’t know that level first.
Craig Garber:
Yeah, I get
randy flowers:
Yeah,
Craig Garber:
it.
randy flowers:
yeah.
Craig Garber:
I get it. Because you expect everything to be like that. You’re like, Hey,
randy flowers:
egg.
Craig Garber:
where’s your
randy flowers:
Yeah,
Craig Garber:
plane?
randy flowers:
exactly. Exactly.
Craig Garber:
Wow.
randy flowers:
Yeah. So that was different. So yeah, then I did that country touring thing for about three or four years. Yeah, before.
Craig Garber:
So if somebody asked you
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
how do you like Nashville in 1997, and then someone asked you how do you like Nashville in 19, in 2001,
randy flowers:
Haha
Craig Garber:
you would have been like, well. Well.
randy flowers:
Yeah, exactly.
Craig Garber:
And
randy flowers:
Well.
Craig Garber:
97 would be like, fucking awesome, man. It’s great here.
randy flowers:
Yeah, exactly. Right. As long as I’m not in the Nashville music side of it, it’s great.
Craig Garber:
I hear
randy flowers:
But
Craig Garber:
you man.
randy flowers:
actually, I it’s funny, you mentioned in the 90s. Nashville is so simple back then, like, I don’t know if you’ve been to Nashville recently, but it’s
Craig Garber:
I was there about five years ago, four or five years ago. Yes.
randy flowers:
Okay, so it’s basically
Craig Garber:
Yeah.
randy flowers:
the same.
Craig Garber:
So it’s, it’s so crowded there. It’s like Orlando,
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
man. I just cannot believe the traffic.
randy flowers:
I know, it’s insane. It’s
Craig Garber:
It’s
randy flowers:
insane.
Craig Garber:
really, and like I’ve read articles about it, like about how the infrastructure isn’t, you know, wasn’t kind of like Tampa, but they,
randy flowers:
Mm-hmm.
Craig Garber:
they’ve had, they did a lot of planning in advance here to support it, but it wasn’t meant to support that number of people, whether it’s You know, water, utilities, everything.
randy flowers:
Right, right.
Craig Garber:
Yeah, it’s really, the growth is not, you know, the infrastructure not keeping up with the growth. It’s not possible.
randy flowers:
Yeah, right. Yeah. Uh, yeah, you can definitely see that on the, uh, on the roads. So,
Craig Garber:
Yeah.
randy flowers:
but, uh, I guess I’m used to it. It’s, it’s fine.
Craig Garber:
Hey,
randy flowers:
But.
Craig Garber:
so I’m gonna talk about some of artists you work with, Randy.
randy flowers:
Mm-hmm.
Craig Garber:
Tell me how you wound up first connecting with them and if you have a cool or interesting story about
randy flowers:
Hmm.
Craig Garber:
your experience working with them. So let’s start with Winona Judd. You worked with her for two successful tours and the live concert DVD, Scenes From A Lifetime. How did you hook up with her and any cool stories about working with her?
randy flowers:
Well, that was actually, it just came out of nowhere. I had already done, let’s see, this was about 2004, I think, I’d already done a year long tour with Meatloaf. I’d done this tour called Couldn’t Have Said It Better in 2003 and I think, yeah, it was a full on year long tour. Then we took a year off or Meat took a year off. And then, Pretty much soon after I got home from the meatloaf tour, I randomly got a call from Winona Judd’s people. They were gonna audition five guitar players the next day. And I was like, okay, I’ll give it a shot. Because
Craig Garber:
Do you know how they got, how did they get your name? Do you even know?
randy flowers:
it was through a guitar player named Tony Obrada had just seen my brother and I, we was another. Side note, we haven’t gotten into yet, but we had our own band where we tried to, we were like almost, we made a record and we almost got a record deal, one of those stories. But Tony had seen us playing around town.
Craig Garber:
Was he playing with Winona?
randy flowers:
He was, yes,
Craig Garber:
Okay,
randy flowers:
yeah.
Craig Garber:
so they okay so he very cool so he referred you to that
randy flowers:
Right, he just said, call this guy and see if he’s available. And like I said, I had, I think it was, I had one day. So I went the next day and auditioned. They gave me like five songs and I showed up the next day and somehow I got it. And so I,
Craig Garber:
and gave you the songs the day before.
randy flowers:
exactly. Yeah.
Craig Garber:
Were they her songs or just?
randy flowers:
They were her songs, yeah. So of
Craig Garber:
So
randy flowers:
course
Craig Garber:
you gotta learn
randy flowers:
I’d…
Craig Garber:
five songs overnight, that’s not an easy…
randy flowers:
It wasn’t easy, but that’s
Craig Garber:
What,
randy flowers:
one thing
Craig Garber:
plus
randy flowers:
about
Craig Garber:
with
randy flowers:
living
Craig Garber:
the
randy flowers:
in.
Craig Garber:
pressure of, it’s not, you know, it’s one thing if you’re learning it for your cover band,
randy flowers:
Right, right.
Craig Garber:
but it’s like you’re learning it for an audition that, you know, and it’s like, wow, now there’s only 22 hours left. Fuck. I got to get on, you know, and like
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
that time goes quick.
randy flowers:
It, I do remember it being kind of. Yeah. I was kind of like, damn, this is a quick little window here, but, um, I think. I just didn’t think much about it. It was like learning songs. I being in Nashville, working with all these people, like you kind of just, I can hear a song once and kind of know it.
Craig Garber:
Wow,
randy flowers:
So
Craig Garber:
that’s why you’re in Nashville, because you got that caliber of retention and performance on your instrument.
randy flowers:
I guess so. And I know several people that can do that. I just worked, like a lot of the session guys that just worked on the Beth Hart record with were the same way. You know, you can just hear a song one time and chart it out and know it basically. Now,
Craig Garber:
Yeah.
randy flowers:
of course, like all the little details, little guitar parts, like I have to kind of go in and give that a listen, but.
Craig Garber:
But you’re not expected to know that at that level after just for audition. It’s 24 hours notice.
randy flowers:
Yeah, you kind of you are. Yeah.
Craig Garber:
Really?
randy flowers:
I was expected to. It’s I think so, like they kind of expect to hear the songs as they want to hear them and or at least like they were on the record.
Craig Garber:
Hmm.
randy flowers:
So far in Nashville.
Craig Garber:
Interesting. I didn’t
randy flowers:
Yeah,
Craig Garber:
realize
randy flowers:
Meatloaf
Craig Garber:
that
randy flowers:
was
Craig Garber:
detail.
randy flowers:
not like that. He was just kind of like Just do your thing. Like, you know, do the signature parts of the songs, of course, but, but solos and all that, he was just like, I don’t care, do whatever you want. But
Craig Garber:
UVU.
randy flowers:
yeah, mostly in Nashville, it’s kind of like, most of the time they want you to play the, whatever was on the record.
Craig Garber:
Yeah, note for note Nashville.
randy flowers:
Yeah,
Craig Garber:
Yeah, pretty much.
randy flowers:
yeah,
Craig Garber:
Which
randy flowers:
which
Craig Garber:
is
randy flowers:
is
Craig Garber:
fine
randy flowers:
kind of
Craig Garber:
until
randy flowers:
funny.
Craig Garber:
like, why Brent, Brent Mason did this.
randy flowers:
Exactly. Yeah.
Craig Garber:
You know, or Dan Huff or something like that. Then
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
it’s like,
randy flowers:
Yeah,
Craig Garber:
I need
randy flowers:
Dan
Craig Garber:
another
randy flowers:
Huff.
Craig Garber:
day.
randy flowers:
I love that. I was playing.
Craig Garber:
Yeah.
randy flowers:
Yeah, exactly. Yeah, some can be very challenging. Yeah.
Craig Garber:
So you had an overnight audition. Anything memorable or interesting or cool story from your time with her?
randy flowers:
Um, let’s see. nothing’s really jumping out that much except that we did do a concert DVD called her story scenes, scenes from a lifetime. And I guess I was able to somehow looking back on I don’t know how I did this, but I juggled touring with meatloaf and one no for about two years. I don’t know
Craig Garber:
Wow.
randy flowers:
how
Craig Garber:
Yeah,
randy flowers:
I did it. Yeah.
Craig Garber:
that’s pretty.
randy flowers:
Yeah, somehow
Craig Garber:
Oh man, you
randy flowers:
I would
Craig Garber:
must have been, you must have been, you know, the problem is to get steady bread like that as a musician,
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
it’s not a big deal to juggle that. It’s more of like, I would assume like, Hey, it’s tough, but I’m really grateful that I can do that, you know, to have this, all this work.
randy flowers:
Absolutely.
Craig Garber:
Yeah.
randy flowers:
Yeah, exactly. I don’t think I knew how lucky I was at the time.
Craig Garber:
I or younger.
randy flowers:
Yeah, exactly. Yeah, I was I decided what this is the way it is. Yeah.
Craig Garber:
Right.
randy flowers:
But yeah, some so at some point, I had to, I had to choose one or the other. Or maybe, maybe she just I can’t remember exactly what happened. But I think maybe her thing just kind of came to an end. She stopped touring and And then I just went back to meet full time. But yeah, it somehow it all worked out where I would just, I’d do a six week meet, meet tour and then come home and she’d have shows. It just, it somehow worked out. I don’t know how
Craig Garber:
Yeah.
randy flowers:
it was amazing.
Craig Garber:
We’ll talk about meat then you started touring with him in 2003. You’re with him
randy flowers:
Thanks for watching!
Craig Garber:
when he passed in 2022. Uh, you played guitar and background vocals, sang background vocals on five of his albums and three live DVDs. God knows how many world tours. How did you first connect with him?
randy flowers:
That was pretty random. Back to my brother and I, again, the same characters,
Craig Garber:
and Keith
randy flowers:
my brother,
Craig Garber:
Urban.
randy flowers:
yeah, exactly, Keith Irwin. He wasn’t in on this one, but it was this guy named Pat Thrall. Have you heard of the guitar player, Pat Thrall?
Craig Garber:
Yeah, from Pat Travers, man, right?
randy flowers:
Yeah, exactly.
Craig Garber:
Yeah, yeah.
randy flowers:
Yeah. My brother and myself, we were playing in this. I think it might’ve been that Manuel Bolina, the Cuban guy. We were playing in this club in Charleston, West Virginia, playing whatever cover songs that were popular at the time, which was in like 1989, 90. And Curtis Steiger was in town, and the band was staying at the hotel where we were playing. We were playing at a hotel lounge or something. And Pat Thrall was playing guitar for… Curtis Tiger at the time. So somehow he was impressed with us enough to like, he got our information and we stayed in touch with Pat Thrall for years. And. And when we did have our, put our band thing together, our own solo project, Pat Thrall produced it. And
Craig Garber:
Oh, okay. Win the
randy flowers:
yes,
Craig Garber:
three, you guys. Yeah.
randy flowers:
right. So, so we made a record with Pat in around 2000. And in 2003,
Craig Garber:
What’s that record called? Is that select? Can people
randy flowers:
it’s,
Craig Garber:
download that on?
randy flowers:
right now it’s so funny. It’s not out anywhere right now. It’s called, if only for a while and the band’s called Pinch, but we’re, we’re gonna re- release it somehow because it’s it still holds up today oddly enough it’s really good
Craig Garber:
You should because
randy flowers:
rock
Craig Garber:
like
randy flowers:
music
Craig Garber:
it doesn’t, it doesn’t caution anything to put it on streaming
randy flowers:
That’s true,
Craig Garber:
pretty much.
randy flowers:
yeah,
Craig Garber:
Yeah.
randy flowers:
we talk about it all the time, but we just, you know, everybody’s doing different things and we’ll get around to it sometime this year probably.
Craig Garber:
Good.
randy flowers:
But yes, Pat basically threw my name in the hat and it was for, the position was a kind of a utility guy playing keyboard first and then guitar second. And I’m kind of like.
Craig Garber:
But what is Pat’s relationship with Meatloaf?
randy flowers:
Oh,
Craig Garber:
I
randy flowers:
I’m
Craig Garber:
lost
randy flowers:
sorry,
Craig Garber:
that.
randy flowers:
I left that part out. Pat toured with Meat Loaf throughout the 90s actually. He
Craig Garber:
So
randy flowers:
was
Craig Garber:
he
randy flowers:
on,
Craig Garber:
was his guitar player.
randy flowers:
he was Meat’s guitar player during that, when Anything for Love, but I Won’t Do That came out,
Craig Garber:
Yeah.
randy flowers:
like in, or 94 or something like that, like when he had, when Meat had his huge resurgence, Pat Thrall was playing guitar. And, I’m not sure how long he was in the band probably throughout the entire 90s, seven or eight years or something. And, um, so yeah, Pat threw my name in the hat and, uh, And then I flew to New York to audition and they told me they had packed for six weeks, but you might be going home the next day. Like if you don’t get the gig.
Craig Garber:
I have some good news and some
randy flowers:
Right,
Craig Garber:
not so good news.
randy flowers:
right. So if it works out,
Craig Garber:
Oh my
randy flowers:
great.
Craig Garber:
God.
randy flowers:
So it was, as
Craig Garber:
Not
randy flowers:
you can
Craig Garber:
too
randy flowers:
imagine,
Craig Garber:
much pressure.
randy flowers:
I know.
Craig Garber:
Get your shit
randy flowers:
And
Craig Garber:
out of here.
randy flowers:
yeah, exactly. Yeah. So I think Pat, Pat Thrall had kind of
Craig Garber:
So it sounds
randy flowers:
so.
Craig Garber:
like Pat, like, like you had this thing that wasn’t like a five people auditioning, it was just you.
randy flowers:
It was, there were about five people,
Craig Garber:
Oh, there
randy flowers:
but
Craig Garber:
were,
randy flowers:
I can,
Craig Garber:
okay.
randy flowers:
yes. And, but I think I was so highly recommended by Pat that
Craig Garber:
Well,
randy flowers:
they
Craig Garber:
he
randy flowers:
kind
Craig Garber:
was with
randy flowers:
of.
Craig Garber:
him for 10 if he was with him for almost a decade. That’s a, that’s
randy flowers:
It was, yeah, I might be wrong about the length
Craig Garber:
a hell
randy flowers:
of time,
Craig Garber:
of
randy flowers:
but it
Craig Garber:
a
randy flowers:
was.
Craig Garber:
hell of a recommendation.
randy flowers:
Yeah, it was it was very cool of him to do. Actually, he might have thrown in my brother’s name first because it is the position was a keyboard thing mainly. And then Jerry said, well, I think Randy would be more suited for that. So so, yeah.
Craig Garber:
So you played keys back then.
randy flowers:
I played keys, yeah. And of course, I kind of stretched the truth a little bit. They’re like, you know, can you play Battle to Hell on keyboard? I was like, absolutely. And and I’d never even heard the song. Somehow I
Craig Garber:
Right. That’s so
randy flowers:
some
Craig Garber:
funny. Everybody does that, man. Everybody does that to get gigs. And then you like,
randy flowers:
Yeah,
Craig Garber:
then you learn it afterwards. Yeah.
randy flowers:
exactly. So, so it’s very strange. Like, I was, I was sitting up here playing like my second gig with him. I was at Hyde Park in London. I’m
Craig Garber:
Oh
randy flowers:
playing
Craig Garber:
my
randy flowers:
key.
Craig Garber:
god.
randy flowers:
Yeah, playing keyboard in front
Craig Garber:
No
randy flowers:
of
Craig Garber:
pressure.
randy flowers:
like 120,000 people. It was like this thing where like Beyonce was right after us. And then it was, it was like, this is a crazy huge lineup. So I’m like, I’m sitting here playing keywords in front of 120,000. This is insanity.
Craig Garber:
How did
randy flowers:
But
Craig Garber:
that feel?
randy flowers:
it felt great. It was so cool. So I loved it. But I played guitar as well. So I was doing like half and half guitar. And I loved going back to the keyboard and like having some place to, something to lean on, some place to hide behind,
Craig Garber:
Yeah.
randy flowers:
you know. So I dug it. But after about, after the first tour meet was like, I think Paul Crook did the guitar player. was like, this is kind of ridiculous. Why is Randy playing keyboard? He’s, you know, I, my, my talent
Craig Garber:
So
randy flowers:
was in
Craig Garber:
he
randy flowers:
the
Craig Garber:
just like, you’re being wasted because your talent as a guitar player
randy flowers:
Right.
Craig Garber:
is
randy flowers:
He was so
Craig Garber:
the way
randy flowers:
he made
Craig Garber:
over.
randy flowers:
it like
Craig Garber:
Yeah.
randy flowers:
it. Right. He
Craig Garber:
But meets
randy flowers:
realized
Craig Garber:
like,
randy flowers:
he had
Craig Garber:
but
randy flowers:
a.
Craig Garber:
I only have to pay one salary.
randy flowers:
Exactly, exactly.
Craig Garber:
That’s why.
randy flowers:
Right now, I should say that I was the second keyboard player. Like I was the
Craig Garber:
Oh, because we
randy flowers:
yeah.
Craig Garber:
all right.
randy flowers:
Yeah, Mark
Craig Garber:
OK.
randy flowers:
Alexander was the real keyboard player, like that played all the real stuff. I was just doing like, you know,
Craig Garber:
So he
randy flowers:
little.
Craig Garber:
didn’t really need utility. I
randy flowers:
Not
Craig Garber:
mean, a key,
randy flowers:
not
Craig Garber:
another,
randy flowers:
really.
Craig Garber:
you don’t really have, unless you’re like Chicago, I mean, not even them, but you know, two, you know, unless you’re doing some jazz gig where you got one guy playing,
randy flowers:
Right.
Craig Garber:
you know, vibes or something like, or actual piano and other guy playing electric piano or Leslie or something.
randy flowers:
Yeah, it was kind of overkill. You know, I was doing like organ stuff and, and I think triggering samples and things like that, if there were any kind of noise things. But I think these days,
Craig Garber:
That’s automatic.
randy flowers:
everything’s that yeah, on tracks and all that. So this was a little bit before that, I guess. But yeah, so anyway, I just did that for maybe six months or so playing keyboard. Then it was like, let’s make this a two guitar shredding band.
Craig Garber:
Great.
randy flowers:
So Paul Crook, the other guitar player, he’s kind of, he’s a, he came from Anthrax. He was a, he was in the band
Craig Garber:
I was
randy flowers:
Anthrax.
Craig Garber:
going to say I know that name from somewhere.
randy flowers:
Yeah. Great guitar player. Totally different style than I, that I play, but somehow we just worked really well together. And it’s so, it became this guitar shredding thing that, that me love to use all the time.
Craig Garber:
Yeah.
randy flowers:
Every song had like, Paul, you take a solo, then, you know, do a chorus and then Randy solo time. So just lots and lots of guitar
Craig Garber:
That’s
randy flowers:
solos
Craig Garber:
awesome.
randy flowers:
live. It was fun.
Craig Garber:
How
randy flowers:
He
Craig Garber:
long did
randy flowers:
really,
Craig Garber:
Paul last in that pan?
randy flowers:
Paul, the entire time, he started a few months before I did at the end of 2002. And he, same with me, we worked the entire
Craig Garber:
Wow,
randy flowers:
time all the
Craig Garber:
that’s
randy flowers:
way until.
Craig Garber:
phenomenal. So you guys must have had really incredible chemistry musically and then vibe wise to support all the
randy flowers:
I guess so. Because…
Craig Garber:
I mean, come on. I mean, nobody’s last that long, especially in the bigger the act is, the more I don’t mean this in the wrong way, flakier they get and
randy flowers:
Yeah, absolutely.
Craig Garber:
just and more people around them whispering in their ear. And,
randy flowers:
Absolutely.
Craig Garber:
you know, this guy doesn’t look good in green. And, you know, that’s so important for the show, you know,
randy flowers:
Right.
Craig Garber:
like.
randy flowers:
No, I found it there. If they’re all insane, I think
Craig Garber:
Yeah.
randy flowers:
if you’re a certain amount of fame, you’re going to go insane, right? Like, I don’t think humans are really meant to be. Put on that kind of pedestal, like, you
Craig Garber:
Yeah.
randy flowers:
know, when you’re hearing that you’re great all the time.
Craig Garber:
You have to work to stay grounded and you
randy flowers:
I think
Craig Garber:
have
randy flowers:
so.
Craig Garber:
to work to stay grounded
randy flowers:
Yeah,
Craig Garber:
at that
randy flowers:
I can’t even
Craig Garber:
level.
randy flowers:
imagine. Yeah, I can’t even imagine what it would be at that level. Cause I’ve only experienced small little doses of it. Like for example, like when we went back to the UK last week, sorry, I got a little chest cold going on. There were a few times where people came up to me on the street to get a photo and
Craig Garber:
Really?
randy flowers:
get an autograph like from the last time, I hadn’t toured over there in 10 years. But I was like,
Craig Garber:
That’s
randy flowers:
what if this
Craig Garber:
wild.
randy flowers:
happened everywhere you went? Like that would,
Craig Garber:
Right, every day.
randy flowers:
every day everywhere you went, that would be really hard to deal with. Or you would
Craig Garber:
Yeah.
randy flowers:
just kind of, you would go insane.
Craig Garber:
Yeah, I would imagine that’s pretty tough.
randy flowers:
Yeah, and
Craig Garber:
Well, like I said,
randy flowers:
I.
Craig Garber:
you’ve got to work to keep yourself you like that has to be an active, uh, part of your self awareness routine, man, I think.
randy flowers:
I would think if you were at that level, yeah. Yeah,
Craig Garber:
Because otherwise
randy flowers:
for
Craig Garber:
you
randy flowers:
me,
Craig Garber:
just start believing
randy flowers:
yeah.
Craig Garber:
everybody’s bullshit.
randy flowers:
Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. Because everybody around you is probably on the payroll.
Craig Garber:
So you have nobody telling you like everybody’s getting right. That’s the other problem.
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
You’re paying people and it’s They’re afraid either they don’t want to speak up because they’re afraid of you know getting cut off, you know getting the gig
randy flowers:
Sure.
Craig Garber:
cut
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
or You know, they’re just you know intimidated by their boss or their passive aggressive or whatever. It’s hard to
randy flowers:
Right.
Craig Garber:
you
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
know
randy flowers:
It’s a strange business model where you have. Like a lot of things that I’ve been involved in, what it’s it all comes down to one person
Craig Garber:
Yeah.
randy flowers:
where if that one person is sick or if that one person loses their voice or whatever, you don’t work.
Craig Garber:
Right.
randy flowers:
Shows
Craig Garber:
Yeah.
randy flowers:
canceled that not many businesses are like that, you know, where it’s totally.
Craig Garber:
Yeah, if Tim Cook at Apple is out for a week, the company doesn’t like
randy flowers:
Right, the carry
Craig Garber:
fold.
randy flowers:
on, right?
Craig Garber:
Yeah.
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
Wow. Yeah, that is interesting. I never looked at it like it is a very unusual thing in that sense.
randy flowers:
Yeah, yeah. Only and I bring it up because there have been a few occasions with different artists where you have like this, the next year of my life was planned. And two weeks before the tour starts, it just got everything got canceled. And that’s happened to me twice. And
Craig Garber:
Like COVID.
randy flowers:
like that, yep, that was one of them. Yeah. Yeah, that was a whole different thing. What a mess that was, huh?
Craig Garber:
Oh my god, yeah.
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
Absolutely. I was I actually, you know, nothing. We work at home. My wife’s a realtor. So
randy flowers:
Okay.
Craig Garber:
we in and here in Florida, that was considered an essential occupation. I work at home. So it was kind of like, you know, fortunately for us was kind of business as usual.
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
But it was good. There was some just the sense of everything going on. It was like, I was really grateful. My kids are all nearby. you know, they don’t
randy flowers:
Mm-hmm.
Craig Garber:
live here, but they’re all close. I, you know, so I was, you know, family, the importance of family was, I mean, for me, that’s what I got out of that
randy flowers:
Sure.
Craig Garber:
a little more than, I’m glad I got that.
randy flowers:
That’s excellent. Yeah, that’s great that you were still able to do what you did.
Craig Garber:
Yeah,
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
right.
randy flowers:
Yeah, that was a weird time. A lot of people really enjoyed it. Like the whole,
Craig Garber:
Well, I
randy flowers:
the
Craig Garber:
think
randy flowers:
shutdown
Craig Garber:
a lot of
randy flowers:
thing.
Craig Garber:
people like
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
I, from a lot of musicians I’ve spoken to, anyway, that the fact that they were off the road for the first, you know, Hey, this is my first time in some guys 40, 50 years
randy flowers:
Sure. Yeah.
Craig Garber:
off the road. And it was like, man, it was so nice to
randy flowers:
Right
Craig Garber:
have my life back for the wall. You know, of course the financial thing for people was like scary as hell.
randy flowers:
Yeah, that was a little tough. Yeah, yeah. Having no money coming
Craig Garber:
Having
randy flowers:
in for
Craig Garber:
no
randy flowers:
like a
Craig Garber:
money
randy flowers:
year and a half.
Craig Garber:
coming in for two years. Yeah. Yeah,
randy flowers:
Yeah,
Craig Garber:
that’s
randy flowers:
that
Craig Garber:
kind
randy flowers:
was,
Craig Garber:
of
randy flowers:
yeah.
Craig Garber:
yeah, that’s a scary one
randy flowers:
That is scary. But that’s another thing for any young musicians listening. You definitely wanna be prepared for that kind of thing. You wanna have a good year or two set aside
Craig Garber:
I think
randy flowers:
of
Craig Garber:
it’s
randy flowers:
cushion.
Craig Garber:
great advice.
randy flowers:
Yeah, it’s almost a necessity, I’ve had a few things, like I said, it’s happened to me a few times. And if I didn’t have this cushion, I’d be in trouble.
Craig Garber:
You’d be scared to death.
randy flowers:
Oh my gosh. Yeah.
Craig Garber:
Yeah, to have to worry about that. And financial stress is the worst. I mean, outside of health, financial stress is like probably the worst stress out there.
randy flowers:
Oh, yeah. Yeah,
Craig Garber:
It’s
randy flowers:
exactly.
Craig Garber:
not fun. It’s
randy flowers:
No,
Craig Garber:
totally
randy flowers:
not
Craig Garber:
not
randy flowers:
at all.
Craig Garber:
fun
randy flowers:
Not at all.
Craig Garber:
So tell me What was the most crazy sort of like rock and roll story or craziest fan story that happened? While you’re trying with me what happened to that happened to you or that maybe you have observed Because
randy flowers:
Hmm.
Craig Garber:
that was kind of like almost old-school rock and roll his whole sort of thing
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
You know, I imagine the tours were pretty wild
randy flowers:
It was, he was surprisingly not so, wow, there was no drugs and
Craig Garber:
Really?
randy flowers:
yeah, not that I saw,
Craig Garber:
Interesting, that’s
randy flowers:
not
Craig Garber:
amazing.
randy flowers:
from, yeah, not from meat anyway. And he drank a little bit, but all the, it was wild in the sense that the band members, like at least I’m only speaking for myself, but I took advantage of that lifestyle. It was, as you can, You’ve heard from guys before, you know, you show up for work and backstage, there’s a bottle of vodka for three bottles of wine, case of a couple cases of IPAs, some whatever. And so we Yeah, it was a, it was a party. And we’d
Craig Garber:
Yeah.
randy flowers:
only do we never did two shows in a row. It was always
Craig Garber:
Oh, so you always have the next day off.
randy flowers:
Yes, so
Craig Garber:
That’s like a blessing and a curse. Ha
randy flowers:
It was
Craig Garber:
ha
randy flowers:
exactly.
Craig Garber:
ha.
randy flowers:
Yeah. So there was a lot
Craig Garber:
Oh
randy flowers:
of time.
Craig Garber:
wow.
randy flowers:
Yeah, it was, uh,
Craig Garber:
That’s
randy flowers:
yeah.
Craig Garber:
unusual. How come he never is that what this meets thing? He didn’t want to do two shows in a row.
randy flowers:
Exactly. He just, he didn’t want to do it that way. So, so say if we had a 10 show run, a lot of people that would mean two weeks, but for us, that would mean that could mean four to five weeks of being on the road
Craig Garber:
Oh my
randy flowers:
because
Craig Garber:
god.
randy flowers:
yeah, so
Craig Garber:
Was
randy flowers:
there
Craig Garber:
that
randy flowers:
was
Craig Garber:
idle too much idle
randy flowers:
a little
Craig Garber:
my idle hands at the devil’s workshop
randy flowers:
right.
Craig Garber:
or something like that? Yeah.
randy flowers:
Not really, because I think a lot of times we would travel on that day off. So
Craig Garber:
Okay.
randy flowers:
it wasn’t like we were totally sitting around in one spot. But sometimes we would sometimes we would hub out of I was thinking about this today. And that was the kind of rock and roll story that I had that I could the first one I could think of anyway. And it’s not that interesting, really. But we used to hub out of either London or Manchester, England, and just kind of have a private jet and jump over to jump over to Germany play a show come back that night. Stay
Craig Garber:
That’s really
randy flowers:
stay
Craig Garber:
tough to do a gig after that, a normal gig. I mean,
randy flowers:
It was,
Craig Garber:
it’s
randy flowers:
it was
Craig Garber:
like…
randy flowers:
weird. Like I said, driving over to the public’s
Craig Garber:
driving
randy flowers:
parking
Craig Garber:
over
randy flowers:
lot
Craig Garber:
to Kroger.
randy flowers:
and
Craig Garber:
Like,
randy flowers:
yeah. And, and the.
Craig Garber:
you make me drive and you’re making me and it’s not even a private jet.
randy flowers:
Right, I’ve got to carry my own bag on the bus. This is bullshit. What? Um.
Craig Garber:
Calling the what is the attorney general for these labor, labor violations?
randy flowers:
Right.
Craig Garber:
Yeah.
randy flowers:
Exactly. Yeah. So, but we did have, I just thought it sounded, it just felt like a rock and roll story to have. We had a kind of a plane crash in a private jet, coming from Germany to Manchester. One day where the plane went off the runway, like kind of they lost control of the plane and we skidded off the runway. And they shut down Manchester airport and, um, We had to like fill out survivor reports and all this kind of thing. So that’s, that’s kind of rock and roll to me.
Craig Garber:
That was pretty scary.
randy flowers:
It was very scary. I was messed up for a probably five years. Every time I got on a plane, I got that same feeling again. It was like, we, we hit the, we were on the runway with the, the plane. I don’t know what was going on, but they, it started yawling back. Is that the word? Yaw.
Craig Garber:
I don’t
randy flowers:
Where
Craig Garber:
know. I don’t know anything about flight.
randy flowers:
the wings were going like up and down, like we’re. The plane was just out of control. Somehow the pilots lost break or something. I don’t know. So we were just they had to like go off the runway into the grass. So I got that same feeling for years and years every time I landed in a plane.
Craig Garber:
Yeah, well, that’s a pretty, that’s a pretty scary thing.
randy flowers:
It was traumatic.
Craig Garber:
You want to?
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
Yeah, it’s not like, you know, you’re tripped off your go kart or your skateboard. I mean, that’s, you know,
randy flowers:
it was pretty
Craig Garber:
that’s scary shit.
randy flowers:
scary. Of course, at the time when it happened, after we safely came to a stop, we were all laughing and the stewardess brought out drinks for everybody and they were like, you’re gonna need this. But,
Craig Garber:
Yeah, I
randy flowers:
and
Craig Garber:
need
randy flowers:
we’re
Craig Garber:
that.
randy flowers:
posing for photos with the emergency responders and all that. But then after we saw the priest and they had to kind of. sequester us for a little while in this room and wouldn’t let us leave and it’s like, Oh, I guess this is kind of a big deal. And then the reality of what just happened kind of set in a couple hours later, like because so many things could have happened after the plank had caught on fire or whatever. We could have gone off, there was a ravine about 100 yards from where we stopped, you know, we could have ended up in there. Who knows?
Craig Garber:
Dude, two
randy flowers:
But
Craig Garber:
words,
randy flowers:
it was traumatic.
Craig Garber:
Leonard Skinnerd.
randy flowers:
If there you go. There
Craig Garber:
I mean,
randy flowers:
you go.
Craig Garber:
you know, that’s scary shit.
randy flowers:
Very, very.
Craig Garber:
Wow.
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
There had to be some, it must have been some crazy fan stories though, like, because Meat was so big
randy flowers:
It’s…
Craig Garber:
and his character was somewhat larger than life.
randy flowers:
Yes. Something is going to come to me.
Craig Garber:
Like were women throwing themselves at him constantly or
randy flowers:
Mmm.
Craig Garber:
at the whole, the band? Like, I don’t know. What was his crowd? What were the people, most of the people in the.
randy flowers:
Well, it depended on where we were, but they were definitely a little bit older by the time, because by the time I joined the band… he was kind of, I guess that would have been, you know, basically a classic rock act at that point, right?
Craig Garber:
Right.
randy flowers:
Like it had been 10 years before, since he’d had a big hit in America anyway.
Craig Garber:
Yeah.
randy flowers:
And so it was, you know, middle-aged older crowd, like it definitely wasn’t filled with hot young girls.
Craig Garber:
Right. Yeah.
randy flowers:
You know, there was some of that, but it wasn’t like a, I don’t know a Backstreet Boys concert or
Craig Garber:
Right, right,
randy flowers:
something like
Craig Garber:
right.
randy flowers:
that.
Craig Garber:
Yeah, yeah.
randy flowers:
Strange reference. That was the first boy band I could think of.
Craig Garber:
Yeah. I don’t even know who attracts girls. I mean, I guess like David Lee Roth and Van Halen, but they attract
randy flowers:
Justin
Craig Garber:
a lot of tons
randy flowers:
Bieber
Craig Garber:
of,
randy flowers:
or something?
Craig Garber:
tons of dudes.
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
Oh, I, yeah. Right. It was funny. I had a, I had a guy on the show. I think it was like, uh, one of the guys from one direction at maybe his broke off and his guitar player.
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
And, uh, you know, he asked me, cause, Hey, man, I’m coming to your town. Do you want to come? I said, listen, I don’t mean this the wrong way, but no, thank you. You know, it’s not really my thing. I said, but if you want to hang out and, you know, meet for coffee or something, that’s cool. And, uh, I said, but my daughter would love to see that show.
randy flowers:
Right? Right.
Craig Garber:
I said, he goes, great two tickets on the way.
randy flowers:
Oh, awesome.
Craig Garber:
So it was really nice, but I felt, I always feel bad telling somebody, no, because, you know, but I, but I think most guys get it right.
randy flowers:
Absolutely.
Craig Garber:
It’s just not,
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
may not be my cup of tea. The music wise.
randy flowers:
Right. Yeah, a lot of times I’ll go ahead and go along and go check it out just because it’s a free ticket. Like for
Craig Garber:
Right.
randy flowers:
example, I had some friends with the came through town, some crew buddies that work with Demi Lovato. And it was Demi Lovato and one of the Jonas Brothers. And he said, Do you want to come down? I said, OK, why not? So I went to this.
Craig Garber:
What?
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
Yeah, but these are like people you had established relationships
randy flowers:
That’s
Craig Garber:
with. It
randy flowers:
true.
Craig Garber:
was different.
randy flowers:
I’d work with for years. Yes, that’s
Craig Garber:
Yeah.
randy flowers:
true.
Craig Garber:
You
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
know, and I, the guy was really cool. It’s not nothing to do with him, but I, man, I couldn’t suffer through that. I’m sorry.
randy flowers:
Yeah, I get it. Yeah,
Craig Garber:
I mean, it was
randy flowers:
I get
Craig Garber:
just,
randy flowers:
it.
Craig Garber:
you know, but I knew my daughter would love it, you know, and he was, he
randy flowers:
That’s
Craig Garber:
totally
randy flowers:
awesome.
Craig Garber:
got it. I mean, I, I’d be like, as it is, I’m getting up there when I get a concert, you know, but like, I’d be like everybody’s grandfather at this, at that show,
randy flowers:
Oh,
Craig Garber:
you know,
randy flowers:
yeah,
Craig Garber:
I’ll be
randy flowers:
me too.
Craig Garber:
like, it’s just, it’s just not fun.
randy flowers:
Yeah, yeah, I’m with you. I’m
Craig Garber:
Um,
randy flowers:
with you.
Craig Garber:
okay, so let’s talk about Beth Hart, man. How’d you get
randy flowers:
Oh
Craig Garber:
hooked
randy flowers:
yeah.
Craig Garber:
up with Beth? And any, uh, stories with working with her?
randy flowers:
Yeah, that was kind of a Pat Thrall related thing too, in a way. Like I said, Pat produced a record that we made with that I made with my brother and
Craig Garber:
Pinch.
randy flowers:
Pinch. And
Craig Garber:
Dude, you can do all kinds of cool things with the logo for that and everything.
randy flowers:
It could be cool. Yeah. I was against it at the time. Cause it was, like I said, that was the name of the town that I grew up in.
Craig Garber:
Oh, is that
randy flowers:
And
Craig Garber:
the name of the town you grew up in? Okay.
randy flowers:
yeah, like I was born in elk view then across the river or down the road was pinch. So, uh, yeah. So, um, they, the other two guys in the band thought it would be funny to call a
Craig Garber:
I
randy flowers:
pinch
Craig Garber:
think it’s
randy flowers:
and
Craig Garber:
a hilarious name, Pinch.
randy flowers:
it
Craig Garber:
So
randy flowers:
is
Craig Garber:
it
randy flowers:
kind
Craig Garber:
is
randy flowers:
of funny.
Craig Garber:
a great, I think it’s a very cool name for a rock band actually.
randy flowers:
Oh, thank you so much.
Craig Garber:
What
randy flowers:
Uh,
Craig Garber:
did you guys play? What kind of music were you playing?
randy flowers:
it was kind of, um, it was just kind of pop rock, I guess, power pop in a way, like it was just almost British melodic guitar rock stuff. It was, it’s still, it still holds up today. I’ll do that. I’ll have to, uh, we’re going to put it together and, uh, and, uh, put something or re-release it because,
Craig Garber:
Yeah, that’d
randy flowers:
uh,
Craig Garber:
be cool.
randy flowers:
it was one of those deals we, we had lots of big people behind us, lots of great talent behind us. And we went to LA and showcase for all the big labels. And it was like, we’re just that far away.
Craig Garber:
Yeah,
randy flowers:
But you hear that story, how often do you hear that
Craig Garber:
a lot,
randy flowers:
story?
Craig Garber:
unfortunately.
randy flowers:
A lot.
Craig Garber:
And you know what else I hear that, oddly enough, I also hear this a lot is like, the worst thing that could happen to you is you get a record deal, like guys that get deals.
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
And it’s a, for whatever reason, it just happens to be a total clusterfuck. And
randy flowers:
Sure.
Craig Garber:
like, they’re like, I can’t get out of here fast enough or,
randy flowers:
Right.
Craig Garber:
you know, Dan Baird said something, you know, Dan Baird from the,
randy flowers:
I do,
Craig Garber:
in Nashville.
randy flowers:
yeah. Yeah, I don’t know him personally, but yeah.
Craig Garber:
He was on the show. He said something really interesting. You know, they, Georgia Satellites came out with their first album and the first song on their first work record was Keep Your Hands to Yourself.
randy flowers:
Okay.
Craig Garber:
And he said, you know, up until then, everything worked great. He goes, the problem with a band is once you start, once you start making money and you’re not hungry anymore, everything went to hell.
randy flowers:
I bet.
Craig Garber:
So I’ve heard, you know, and I’ve heard, so I’ve heard both sides of that story. And it’s, it’s unfortunate in either case,
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
because it’s something set you work so hard for.
randy flowers:
Absolutely. Yeah. In our case, we kind of started a little bit later in life with trying to do our own thing like Jerry and john were they just finished like this big Dixie chicks world tour that and we decided to put all these songs together that we’ve been working on over the years and record them. But anyway, yeah, it’s it was We didn’t have, by that point we were like maybe late twenties, thirties, and you have to really be ready to sacrifice everything. Like we, we did some of the opening act stuff touring around the country in a van. And that’s hard. And when, when you get an offer from the Dixie chicks or meatloaf or somebody to come out and do this tour for. The certain amount of money it’s hard to turn down at that point. And we kind of, we ended up taking. Every member of the band took that road, you know, ended up taking
Craig Garber:
Oh,
randy flowers:
a
Craig Garber:
it’s so tough. It’s really hard not to. You’re like, okay, private plane, really
randy flowers:
Right.
Craig Garber:
good money, really
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
consistent money or the van.
randy flowers:
or a van and like maybe making it maybe, you know, just, you know.
Craig Garber:
A van that I have to drive in and sleep in potentially as
randy flowers:
Right,
Craig Garber:
well.
randy flowers:
exactly.
Craig Garber:
I’ll take option A. Yeah,
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
it’s
randy flowers:
Yeah,
Craig Garber:
really
randy flowers:
it’s.
Craig Garber:
hard. Yeah.
randy flowers:
Yeah. And I wonder if I often wonder what would have happened, like if we did. You know, have like one hit song or something like what would be happening right now? Like
Craig Garber:
Well, if you
randy flowers:
it
Craig Garber:
had,
randy flowers:
could.
Craig Garber:
if you had a lot of the thing is if you’d have years, if pinch it had years of like, you know, you’re, um, the skin in the game you had with that probably
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
doesn’t sound like it was, I don’t mean like he didn’t work it, but like, as far as the time, you know,
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
if you commit three years or something and like, Hey, you’re seeing growth, you’re like, you know what, let’s carry out our vision and whatever happens, but this sounds like it was early on and that at early on it’s It’s really hard to like walk away from that.
randy flowers:
Right.
Craig Garber:
You just don’t have that much skin in the game at that point where it’s like, well, we got to follow this through. Or you’re
randy flowers:
right.
Craig Garber:
also thinking, Hey, we picked this up after the tour.
randy flowers:
Exactly. And then, yeah, it’s a tough one. But who knows, we might have had like, one successful song and then and then I, you know, who knows?
Craig Garber:
Somebody might be covering pinch tunes today. Who the hell knows?
randy flowers:
Oh, that’s, that’s very true. That’s very true. Or we’d be playing a casino somewhere in, uh, in Idaho,
Craig Garber:
Yeah,
randy flowers:
you know?
Craig Garber:
in what’s that? Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, yeah.
randy flowers:
Right. Exactly. Yeah. Uh,
Craig Garber:
Beth
randy flowers:
but,
Craig Garber:
Hart
randy flowers:
uh, Beth Hart, Beth Hart. Yes. Um, so, yes.
Craig Garber:
So
randy flowers:
So.
Craig Garber:
Pat Thrall and Keith Urban were like two key figures
randy flowers:
I can,
Craig Garber:
in your
randy flowers:
yeah, I keep bringing
Craig Garber:
musical
randy flowers:
that up.
Craig Garber:
life.
randy flowers:
Yeah. Jeez. So basically Pat, like I said, I guess he, he played some pinch stuff to Kevin Shirley, the producer. And so he was kind of familiar with, with me and blah, blah. But I was randomly playing at a bar in Nashville with this cover band I play and called guilty pleasures. And it’s been, it’s something that I’ve, I’ve been doing for about 15 years. And
Craig Garber:
Who’s
randy flowers:
it’s
Craig Garber:
in that?
randy flowers:
a, uh, just a bunch of. other musicians like in town, David Mead, John Denerich, Steve Eby. It’s a very large band, but they have this huge following of people and we just play 80s cover songs called guilty pleasures.
Craig Garber:
That’s so
randy flowers:
And
Craig Garber:
funny.
randy flowers:
so Journey was in town, Kevin Shirley was producing the latest The Journey record at the time, this would have been like 2011 or something like that. And Jonathan Cain’s daughter somehow this is I’m just not thinking of this now. Jonathan Cain and his daughter came to set in with the band. So we played. Oh, you know, some of the dirty stuff like. I can’t even think of any of the songs, like Faithfully and things like that. But with his daughter
Craig Garber:
So okay,
randy flowers:
singing
Craig Garber:
so they
randy flowers:
with
Craig Garber:
came
randy flowers:
Jonathan
Craig Garber:
to sit
randy flowers:
Cain’s.
Craig Garber:
in with guilty
randy flowers:
with
Craig Garber:
pleasures.
randy flowers:
guilty pleasures. So
Craig Garber:
Okay.
randy flowers:
yeah, Jonathan came in his and Kevin Shirley came along and kind of stay stuck around and watched me play with this band. They weren’t there to watch me but I somehow I impressed him somehow. And a few months later, he goes, Yeah, I saw you playing with this band. I thought you’d be great for this Beth Hart record. And it was so it was
Craig Garber:
Bang,
randy flowers:
bang,
Craig Garber:
bang,
randy flowers:
boom,
Craig Garber:
boom,
randy flowers:
boom.
Craig Garber:
yeah.
randy flowers:
Yeah. And He flew me out to California along with a guy named Michael Rhodes,
Craig Garber:
Oh
randy flowers:
the
Craig Garber:
yeah,
randy flowers:
bass player,
Craig Garber:
bass
randy flowers:
do you
Craig Garber:
was
randy flowers:
know Michael
Craig Garber:
late,
randy flowers:
Rhodes?
Craig Garber:
yeah of course,
randy flowers:
Yes,
Craig Garber:
late.
randy flowers:
unfortunately,
Craig Garber:
Sadly, yeah.
randy flowers:
very sadly. Uh, yeah, I was supposed to work with Michael on this. He was scheduled for this last Beth Hart record actually, but, uh, he was, we, he was ill and, uh,
Craig Garber:
Yeah, he was, he was
randy flowers:
yeah.
Craig Garber:
in feeling.
randy flowers:
So anyway, that’s very sad, but, uh, so yeah, that’s how that happened. Uh, I don’t know if I wrapped that up.
Craig Garber:
No you did.
randy flowers:
Okay.
Craig Garber:
So you flew out to LA? You guys
randy flowers:
If yes,
Craig Garber:
out to
randy flowers:
we
Craig Garber:
LA?
randy flowers:
went out to LA and, uh, stayed for a week. Uh, and I, I don’t remember the name of the studio. I think it was revolver studio. And, but anyway, um, like in Malibu, I think, but, uh, yeah, just a five days of tracking out there and, uh, Knocked it out. It was an Anton fig on drums. Um, so yeah. That was a pretty cool deal for me to get to work with, uh, with Kevin Shirley and Michael Rhodes and, and Beth Hart, she’s amazing. It was incredible.
Craig Garber:
Dude,
randy flowers:
And we.
Craig Garber:
she was great. I had her here on the show. She was one of my favorite guests I had. She
randy flowers:
Oh,
Craig Garber:
was
randy flowers:
no
Craig Garber:
really
randy flowers:
kidding.
Craig Garber:
nice.
randy flowers:
She’s
Craig Garber:
Yeah,
randy flowers:
an awesome
Craig Garber:
she was
randy flowers:
person.
Craig Garber:
phenomenal. Yeah, really patient, really kind, very open.
randy flowers:
She’s very open. Yes. She’ll randomly text me about stuff from this new record we just did. Like she’ll say, yeah, it’s really cool.
Craig Garber:
That’s
randy flowers:
I
Craig Garber:
nice.
randy flowers:
just listened to your solo on blah, and it made me cry. And I played it for this person. It made them cry. And anyway, she’s very sweet. Like she reaches
Craig Garber:
Yeah,
randy flowers:
out
Craig Garber:
she,
randy flowers:
and tells me
Craig Garber:
yeah.
randy flowers:
things. So yeah, I hope to see her again soon.
Craig Garber:
That’s awesome.
randy flowers:
Yeah,
Craig Garber:
I
randy flowers:
she’s
Craig Garber:
thought,
randy flowers:
great.
Craig Garber:
you know what? Now she’s had a guy that tours with her.
randy flowers:
Yeah, I think she’s had the same band for a long, long time.
Craig Garber:
blonde guy and she told me he’s been with her for like 25, 20 years at least. So
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
I guess he doesn’t do any of the studio work.
randy flowers:
Well, I don’t know if they do sometimes. I know the two that I’ve worked on, they’ve not been involved, but I
Craig Garber:
Interesting.
randy flowers:
don’t know if, yeah. Maybe it depends on which producer she’s
Craig Garber:
Who the producer
randy flowers:
using.
Craig Garber:
is yeah
randy flowers:
Yeah,
Craig Garber:
could
randy flowers:
that’s
Craig Garber:
be Yeah,
randy flowers:
very possible. Yeah.
Craig Garber:
and it’s Kevin Shirley a Nashville guy cuz that’s a Nashville.
randy flowers:
No,
Craig Garber:
He’s not
randy flowers:
no, he was never a Nashville guy. I first met him when he was living in Malibu. And then he moved to Australia in the, I’m not sure when, like maybe three or four years ago. So he commutes from Australia to Nashville to work on records all the time.
Craig Garber:
He’s Joe’s producer, Joe Bonamassa’s
randy flowers:
That’s right.
Craig Garber:
producer,
randy flowers:
Joe Bonamassa.
Craig Garber:
isn’t he? Yeah,
randy flowers:
Yes.
Craig Garber:
okay, all right,
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
all right.
randy flowers:
As, as well as, uh, iron maiden. Um,
Craig Garber:
Yeah, what a switch.
randy flowers:
I know. Yeah.
Craig Garber:
That’s
randy flowers:
So,
Craig Garber:
pretty wild. Oh,
randy flowers:
yeah,
Craig Garber:
that’s how the picture of
randy flowers:
cause
Craig Garber:
you and
randy flowers:
you
Craig Garber:
Steve
randy flowers:
mentioned
Craig Garber:
Harris.
randy flowers:
Steve Harris and that
Craig Garber:
Yeah.
randy flowers:
maybe that’s how that happened. I’m not sure. I can’t remember, but, uh, but yeah. Uh,
Craig Garber:
Very cool.
randy flowers:
very cool. But yeah, he’s an amazing producer and he, he works at such a different way. Like we.
Craig Garber:
In what way?
randy flowers:
Like in a sense that we. In the sense that we, we are all in a room together playing live and there’s really not any overdubs. It’s kind of like, uh, like in whatever I remember on this,
Craig Garber:
Like more old school?
randy flowers:
it’s very old school. Like, like if there was a part where I’d play slide on something and then the next section would be like, I’d have to, like, I’d take the slide off and then switch, like make changes like during it’s totally live, like really a very. well recorded live performance. And.
Craig Garber:
Do you like that better or do you like, like
randy flowers:
I like
Craig Garber:
not staying in a room together and like.
randy flowers:
I, some things, there is some magic that can happen in that situation, but also there is a, I do like sitting in the control room and just, and thinking about overdubs and things like that. Like just really honing in on things. But because with the live stuff.
Craig Garber:
Are you a perfectionist?
randy flowers:
Um, I don’t know. No, I don’t think so,
Craig Garber:
Okay.
randy flowers:
but not
Craig Garber:
Cause
randy flowers:
with
Craig Garber:
I
randy flowers:
music.
Craig Garber:
can see someone who’s like a perfectionist or someone who’s got like, you know, maybe OCD
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
would like that setting better because it’s like, you know, I mean, I’ve had people tell me this, you know, they, I know I could have done better. I had in my head, I knew the next take,
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
but they wouldn’t do it.
randy flowers:
Right. Exactly. No, in that in that way. Yes. Like, for example, there’s a song called Um, uh, what is it called? It’s caught up, caught on the rain from bang, boom, boom. And it’s got this big long blues guitar solo. And, and that was all, I’m sure we just did it a few takes of it. And Kevin probably comp together a few parts, but I
Craig Garber:
Right.
randy flowers:
hear that now. And I’m like, why did I could do? Why did I do that? I could have done, I
Craig Garber:
Yeah,
randy flowers:
would do
Craig Garber:
but
randy flowers:
that
Craig Garber:
that’s,
randy flowers:
so much differently.
Craig Garber:
but it doesn’t happen on almost everything.
randy flowers:
Absolutely.
Craig Garber:
Yeah,
randy flowers:
And unless
Craig Garber:
I never
randy flowers:
you
Craig Garber:
listened
randy flowers:
have…
Craig Garber:
to my show for that reason.
randy flowers:
You know what? I’ll probably not be able to listen to this either.
Craig Garber:
Yeah, I never, because I would just be like, Oh my God. I mean, it would be endless. The amount of
randy flowers:
You think so?
Craig Garber:
for me. Yeah, it would be just like self criticism. And I’d be like, Oh, that’s so stupid. How did I say that? Or
randy flowers:
Really? I think you, I’m very impressed with your, your abilities. You have a great
Craig Garber:
Well,
randy flowers:
voice
Craig Garber:
thank you.
randy flowers:
and yeah,
Craig Garber:
Thank you.
randy flowers:
you did a great job.
Craig Garber:
Thanks,
randy flowers:
But,
Craig Garber:
man.
randy flowers:
but I know what you say. I know what you’re saying. Like there’s going back and listening to something. The only time if, if I’ve sat somewhere and done overdubs until like, I thought that’s the best idea that I can get, then, then I’m cool with it forever. But you know, in a situation where it’s just like, like off the cuff, most the time you’re gonna think I could do something, I could have done something a little better there.
Craig Garber:
Well, I think that’s why a guy like Gilmore,
randy flowers:
Mm-hmm.
Craig Garber:
you know, he, nothing he does is really off the cuff. You know,
randy flowers:
Is that
Craig Garber:
as,
randy flowers:
right?
Craig Garber:
as far, as far as I’ve
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
heard, yeah, like everything he works out as solos in the studio,
randy flowers:
Yeah,
Craig Garber:
but they’re beautiful. Like,
randy flowers:
absolutely.
Craig Garber:
I don’t, I mean, you can play music. Like for me, he’s my guy. I don’t care where he works these out in his bathroom or his studio or off the cuff. I listen to that every day, you know, 24
randy flowers:
Sure.
Craig Garber:
seven. It would makes me feel so good.
randy flowers:
Yeah. I thought that guys, what a beautiful lyrical player
Craig Garber:
Just mad,
randy flowers:
without,
Craig Garber:
I mean,
randy flowers:
without being showy or
Craig Garber:
never,
randy flowers:
yeah,
Craig Garber:
never.
randy flowers:
cause that’s to me, that’s boring when somebody’s showy. Like, like the,
Craig Garber:
Me too,
randy flowers:
not, is that the
Craig Garber:
actually.
randy flowers:
rest of the wrong word, but
Craig Garber:
No, I mean, when you play like a bunch of notes, just to play a bunch of notes,
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
that’s like it. I don’t, I don’t, you know,
randy flowers:
Well,
Craig Garber:
I need to be moved. That’s for me.
randy flowers:
absolutely.
Craig Garber:
And that’s why I listen to music. And then maybe some people hear that shreddy stuff in their moves. I don’t know.
randy flowers:
Maybe I, it doesn’t do anything for me at all because I, maybe because you’re, you might be the same way. I know that anybody can learn something technically you can, if you spend enough time on something, you’re going to be able to play any kind of
Craig Garber:
Yes.
randy flowers:
this thing, but not everybody can have a beautiful vibrato. Like such as, uh,
Craig Garber:
Kill more.
randy flowers:
Gilmore or I think. Yeah.
Craig Garber:
Gary Moore.
randy flowers:
Gary Moore, I think Neil Sean has a beautiful vibrato, you know, it just the is the way somebody’s pick attack, John Mayer has a wonderful feel, BB King, like the way he can
Craig Garber:
Oh my
randy flowers:
shake
Craig Garber:
god, yeah.
randy flowers:
one note. Not everybody can do that, but it most people can, if you spend enough time on something can learn any kind of technical
Craig Garber:
Yeah, it’s
randy flowers:
bullshit.
Craig Garber:
practice time.
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
Yeah, it’s just time.
randy flowers:
And it’s
Craig Garber:
Time
randy flowers:
not impressive.
Craig Garber:
on.
randy flowers:
I don’t, that’s why I rarely listen to guitar music. I’ll tell you the truth.
Craig Garber:
You want to, you want to, at least for me, when I listen, I want to be able to like, you know, I have to be able to sing the melody or follow or at least I get lost when I start hearing all this shit because there’s no melody.
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
And I that for me, just for me, that’s what hooks me with music. I would never say that, you know, that’s the way it should be verbatim because everybody do the hell you want,
randy flowers:
Yeah,
Craig Garber:
you know,
randy flowers:
yeah.
Craig Garber:
but that’s what hooks me, man. Good melodies, you know.
randy flowers:
Absolutely. I’m the exact same way. I’m not impressed by flashiness.
Craig Garber:
You know there’s another guy like that? You ever listen to Ian Thornley?
randy flowers:
I don’t know that name.
Craig Garber:
Yeah, Canadian guy.
randy flowers:
Anthony,
Craig Garber:
He’s phenomenal.
randy flowers:
Anthony Ornly.
Craig Garber:
Yeah. But he’s actually a bit of a shredder, but his melodies are just beautiful.
randy flowers:
Oh
Craig Garber:
Now I’m
randy flowers:
really?
Craig Garber:
having a brain fart with that. I’m this is embarrassing that I’m this is what happens when you have 900 interviews in a short period of time.
randy flowers:
Yeah, how do you do that? Nine, is that, do you do something every day? Or several a day?
Craig Garber:
Oh, I was, I was, and Big Wreck is the name of Ian’s band. Um, no, when
randy flowers:
Okay
Craig Garber:
I first started the show, I did them every day because
randy flowers:
Wow.
Craig Garber:
I knew I had a, I, I didn’t, I just wanted to build up a little bit velocity.
randy flowers:
Sure, yeah, yeah.
Craig Garber:
And so I did that almost like pretty much every day.
randy flowers:
Do you find that a lot of people have the same story? Does it get boring? Or,
Craig Garber:
Not for me.
randy flowers:
or was
Craig Garber:
No,
randy flowers:
it wildly
Craig Garber:
I
randy flowers:
different?
Craig Garber:
know. Everybody has, you know, I think in general, just my observation, you got like, I don’t know, seven, eight personality types,
randy flowers:
Mm-hmm.
Craig Garber:
period. And then we all have some flavors. You know, if you’re personality type number four, you know, you’re going to have some flavors from maybe one, two and seven.
randy flowers:
Right.
Craig Garber:
So but what for No, not everybody has the same story. And, uh, what I, what I get out of doing these interviews is number one, uh, it’s a, it’s always comforting to me to learn, you know, I think we all live in a bubble a little bit and nobody really knows. You know, we all work hard and nobody knows what other people are doing.
randy flowers:
Right.
Craig Garber:
And everybody, and it’s, it reinforces for me. Hey man. Everybody’s got ups and downs. Everybody’s got highs and lows and everybody’s got to work real hard to get somewhere. Um, but no, I never, no, I’ve had some guests that were boring, but that’s not a function of
randy flowers:
Right.
Craig Garber:
their story.
randy flowers:
I can
Craig Garber:
It’s a function
randy flowers:
sure.
Craig Garber:
of them,
randy flowers:
I guess
Craig Garber:
but very
randy flowers:
I said
Craig Garber:
few
randy flowers:
that wrong.
Craig Garber:
of
randy flowers:
Not
Craig Garber:
them.
randy flowers:
the same because nobody’s going to have the same story. I guess I was just meaning like guitar players in general. There are a lot of similarities with our personalities.
Craig Garber:
me… um…
randy flowers:
I would assume, but you’re, but you’re interviewing much more than just guitar players now
Craig Garber:
Yeah, like
randy flowers:
from what
Craig Garber:
20%
randy flowers:
it, yeah.
Craig Garber:
are not guitar players and yeah,
randy flowers:
Okay.
Craig Garber:
it’s, it’s all across the board. I just like, I mean, for me, just getting around good people.
randy flowers:
Sure.
Craig Garber:
So if they, it’s
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
almost like, if you had the same story, I wouldn’t care because I’m in the velocity of a good person. And
randy flowers:
Hmm.
Craig Garber:
so I’m getting good person energy and that makes me feel like amazing.
randy flowers:
Sure, I get
Craig Garber:
You know?
randy flowers:
it. Yeah.
Craig Garber:
Yeah. So, but
randy flowers:
Yeah,
Craig Garber:
so
randy flowers:
I’m with
Craig Garber:
no,
randy flowers:
you.
Craig Garber:
not no, everybody’s, everybody’s story is slightly different. Everybody is slightly different, too, you know. So,
randy flowers:
Sure.
Craig Garber:
but I don’t know how people listen to me all the time. That’s what that’s my
randy flowers:
Not.
Craig Garber:
imposter syndrome. They I’m like, okay.
randy flowers:
Oh really? No, I’ve really enjoyed all the episodes that I’ve heard. You
Craig Garber:
Well,
randy flowers:
do a great job.
Craig Garber:
that was funny. Thank
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
you. I really, that’s very kind of you. But my, I had my wife and daughter, I said, listen, when Beth came on, I said, you guys like gotta listen to her story. Okay. You
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
gotta listen to her story because we’ve had addiction issues in both of our, you know, my wife and my families and, and I think
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
who hasn’t
randy flowers:
Sure.
Craig Garber:
nowadays.
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
I mean, it’s not like, you know, what is it? 10, 15% of the population, probably more nowadays has had some struggle with substance abuse. Right. So,
randy flowers:
Yeah, yeah, I’m sorry.
Craig Garber:
So, and my daughter’s listening, she goes, oh dad, it was really nice. So Anne listens to my wife, now we’ve been together 30 years, a little over, and she’s like, she goes, and she says, and she’s, we’re very direct with each other. She goes, Craig, I mean, how much can I listen to you?
randy flowers:
Oh, right.
Craig Garber:
And I said, I get it, but I said, you know, just listen to that, and I think she got through half the episode or something like that.
randy flowers:
Oh, that’s
Craig Garber:
I get
randy flowers:
funny.
Craig Garber:
it, you know, she’s with me all the time, so.
randy flowers:
Right.
Craig Garber:
And we’re just, we bust each other’s balls. So, uh,
randy flowers:
That’s funny.
Craig Garber:
yeah. Sorry.
randy flowers:
Well, yeah, I need to go back and listen to the
Craig Garber:
Yeah. Listen
randy flowers:
Beth
Craig Garber:
to Beth.
randy flowers:
interview,
Craig Garber:
It was,
randy flowers:
yeah.
Craig Garber:
it was pretty, and she, I’ll tell you how nice she was. We ran out of time. I think she had another interview and I said, and we’re like halfway through I said, Beth, would you be okay to, we can finish it? She goes, absolutely. And
randy flowers:
Very
Craig Garber:
we set
randy flowers:
cool.
Craig Garber:
it up. And right then and there. And it was like, I thought was very kind of her.
randy flowers:
That’s great.
Craig Garber:
Yeah. Cause it was
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
a long time around that interview.
randy flowers:
My experience with her has been nothing but positive
Craig Garber:
Yeah.
randy flowers:
and, uh, yeah. Um,
Craig Garber:
Any cool stories from that
randy flowers:
Um,
Craig Garber:
experience?
randy flowers:
okay, let me think. You have to edit out long pause.
Craig Garber:
No, you’re fine.
randy flowers:
trying to think. I mean, nothing really cool. Like it was just kind of I just saw her just in the studio every day all day. And it just incredible watching her do what she does. She’s because she plays piano and
Craig Garber:
phenomenal
randy flowers:
sings while
Craig Garber:
keyboard
randy flowers:
recording.
Craig Garber:
player.
randy flowers:
Yeah,
Craig Garber:
Yeah, she’s phenomenal
randy flowers:
great.
Craig Garber:
keyboard player.
randy flowers:
Yeah, she it’s she doesn’t think she is. She’s always like, sorry about this guy’s sorry about my timing or whatever. But she’s great. Like it
Craig Garber:
Yeah,
randy flowers:
just,
Craig Garber:
she’s right.
randy flowers:
it feels she, her timing is really great. And it was just incredible. Watching her work like being in the same room with her.
Craig Garber:
Yeah, I
randy flowers:
And
Craig Garber:
could see that being a good
randy flowers:
yeah,
Craig Garber:
experience.
randy flowers:
great. And I’m very excited for this record to come out because every song that we did, I was like, this is amazing. And then this is going to be the best song on the record, then the next song we would do like, okay, this is the best song on the record. So it’s gonna be a really, really good record.
Craig Garber:
I’m looking for who wound up playing bass on that
randy flowers:
A guy named Steve Mackey who,
Craig Garber:
Oh, I know Mackie. He’s
randy flowers:
oh
Craig Garber:
funny
randy flowers:
you do?
Craig Garber:
as hell. Oh my
randy flowers:
Oh,
Craig Garber:
God.
randy flowers:
he’s awesome. Yeah,
Craig Garber:
I had him on
randy flowers:
he’s
Craig Garber:
the
randy flowers:
a.
Craig Garber:
show. He’s he’s he when he came down with Joey went out and smoked cigars.
randy flowers:
Oh, no kidding.
Craig Garber:
Yeah, he’s
randy flowers:
Oh, wow.
Craig Garber:
a great guy. Yeah. He’s
randy flowers:
Yeah,
Craig Garber:
a really cool guy. Yeah.
randy flowers:
very cool guy, great bass player. Actually, I met him on the, he was in Winona Judd’s band when I did that. And
Craig Garber:
He’s a West Virginia guy.
randy flowers:
he’s a fellow West Virginia guy,
Craig Garber:
Yeah,
randy flowers:
yeah.
Craig Garber:
that’s right.
randy flowers:
That’s right,
Craig Garber:
Just like
randy flowers:
yeah.
Craig Garber:
a handful of like, uh, bass players from West Virginia, I think,
randy flowers:
That’s
Craig Garber:
or Virginia,
randy flowers:
right. Yeah, Lee
Craig Garber:
Keith,
randy flowers:
Hendrix.
Craig Garber:
Keith Horn.
randy flowers:
Okay,
Craig Garber:
Who?
randy flowers:
yeah, Lee Hendrix. He’s a session guy. He’s been in Eric Church’s band for years. But he, I was in college with Lee Hendrix and
Craig Garber:
in West
randy flowers:
we moved
Craig Garber:
Virginia.
randy flowers:
to West Virginia. But anyway, we were in a band together and all that stuff. But anyway,
Craig Garber:
That’s cool.
randy flowers:
yeah, lots of people. Yeah, Brian Nutter. All kinds of West
Craig Garber:
Think
randy flowers:
Virginia
Craig Garber:
the Wooten
randy flowers:
folk.
Craig Garber:
Brothers?
randy flowers:
If maybe, I don’t know about that.
Craig Garber:
Yeah, I think the Wooten
randy flowers:
That’s
Craig Garber:
Brothers are
randy flowers:
okay.
Craig Garber:
from there.
randy flowers:
Okay. I didn’t know that. Yeah, there’s
Craig Garber:
Something in that
randy flowers:
something
Craig Garber:
water
randy flowers:
in the
Craig Garber:
there
randy flowers:
water.
Craig Garber:
is something.
randy flowers:
Oh, wait, we don’t have.
Craig Garber:
Everybody from there, Mackie was from a really rural place as well.
randy flowers:
That’s right. Yeah. I can’t
Craig Garber:
Yeah.
randy flowers:
remember exactly where he, where he grew up, but, uh, yeah, I guess, uh, w when there’s nothing else to do besides, uh, you know, play records and.
Craig Garber:
hunting and drinking beer.
randy flowers:
What?
Craig Garber:
That’s
randy flowers:
Yeah. There
Craig Garber:
so,
randy flowers:
was a lot of
Craig Garber:
that’s
randy flowers:
that. That’s
Craig Garber:
so,
randy flowers:
right.
Craig Garber:
that’s horrible of me. Sorry, man.
randy flowers:
But no, that’s what it was.
Craig Garber:
That’s
randy flowers:
Except
Craig Garber:
my
randy flowers:
for
Craig Garber:
New
randy flowers:
the,
Craig Garber:
York.
randy flowers:
I, I missed out on the, uh, I never went hunting in my life. Oddly enough.
Craig Garber:
Really? And you’re
randy flowers:
Isn’t
Craig Garber:
from
randy flowers:
that
Craig Garber:
West
randy flowers:
crazy?
Craig Garber:
Virginia? Yeah,
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
that
randy flowers:
For West
Craig Garber:
is
randy flowers:
Virginia.
Craig Garber:
crazy.
randy flowers:
There was a lot of, uh, My childhood is mostly baseball and motorcycles. Like we, you know, we’d lived, there was this surrounded by wilderness and trails. So we would just kind of every day after school was riding motorcycles and four
Craig Garber:
baseball.
randy flowers:
wheelers and that kind
Craig Garber:
I
randy flowers:
of
Craig Garber:
think
randy flowers:
thing.
Craig Garber:
Mackey
randy flowers:
And baseball.
Craig Garber:
was an athlete in high school too if I remember correctly. I’m
randy flowers:
I think you’re right.
Craig Garber:
yeah
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
that’s
randy flowers:
But
Craig Garber:
cool that
randy flowers:
yeah.
Craig Garber:
you worked with him he’s such a good guy.
randy flowers:
It, it’s, yeah, it was so great. We, we,
Craig Garber:
So you
randy flowers:
I
Craig Garber:
had
randy flowers:
haven’t
Craig Garber:
a great
randy flowers:
seen
Craig Garber:
band
randy flowers:
him
Craig Garber:
there.
randy flowers:
yet with Steve Mackie. Uh, I got him Greg Morrow playing drums.
Craig Garber:
Yeah, drummer,
randy flowers:
Who’s
Craig Garber:
I had
randy flowers:
a,
Craig Garber:
him on this show here. He’s phenomenal drummer.
randy flowers:
he’s amazing.
Craig Garber:
Yeah.
randy flowers:
He’s incredible. Uh, another guitar player named Doug Lansky. Oh, I think you said
Craig Garber:
Oh
randy flowers:
you
Craig Garber:
yeah,
randy flowers:
had Doug
Craig Garber:
I had
randy flowers:
on.
Craig Garber:
Doug on the show too. Yeah.
randy flowers:
Yeah. Doug’s really cool.
Craig Garber:
Yeah,
randy flowers:
Uh,
Craig Garber:
very much.
randy flowers:
a keyboard player named Kevin McKendree.
Craig Garber:
I have I know Kevin. Yeah, he was on here.
randy flowers:
Oh, okay, jeez! Okay,
Craig Garber:
Yeah, yeah,
randy flowers:
that’s funny.
Craig Garber:
that’s all a great Nashville crew.
randy flowers:
It was, yeah, it was very
Craig Garber:
And
randy flowers:
good.
Craig Garber:
Kevin said love all these guys are really nice to
randy flowers:
Yes,
Craig Garber:
Kevin
randy flowers:
yes.
Craig Garber:
McKenzie is a real sweet guy.
randy flowers:
Very nice. And like, yeah, talk about like all these guys are just over the top, talented,
Craig Garber:
I know,
randy flowers:
just
Craig Garber:
yeah.
randy flowers:
ridiculously talented. So it was, you know, how
Craig Garber:
So it’s
randy flowers:
great
Craig Garber:
like an
randy flowers:
and
Craig Garber:
all
randy flowers:
we
Craig Garber:
Nashville band except for as Anton Figgs not in Nashville, he’s in New York.
randy flowers:
No, he Anton wasn’t on that one. He was
Craig Garber:
Okay. Oh, he was
randy flowers:
that
Craig Garber:
on the
randy flowers:
was
Craig Garber:
last one.
randy flowers:
that was the last one to write.
Craig Garber:
Okay.
randy flowers:
And we recorded an ocean way here national. I don’t know if you’ve that’s I’ve never been in that recorded in that big room before but it’s like the size of a massive basketball court or maybe it’s a
Craig Garber:
Wow.
randy flowers:
church or so. Anyway, we’re all in the same room drums and everything. That was really cool.
Craig Garber:
That’s cool,
randy flowers:
But
Craig Garber:
man.
randy flowers:
Yeah, it was great.
Craig Garber:
Oh, great crew on that, wow.
randy flowers:
It was, it was amazing. Yes. And Doug Lantzio’s the guitar player. He’s a, for some reason we just, we never even spoke of what we’re going to do. Like we’d, we’d hear the song. Beth will play it on piano. We’d, and we’d just kind of walk over to our stations. He would start playing something. I’d start playing something. We’d never discussed what we’re going to do, but it would be totally opposite. Like we would just
Craig Garber:
That’s
randy flowers:
have,
Craig Garber:
nice.
randy flowers:
so we have, we’d have a really cool thing going on and didn’t have to discuss anything. I was like, okay, you’re there, I’ll be here.
Craig Garber:
Yeah, he’s a good guy.
randy flowers:
Yeah, very cool dude. I enjoyed
Craig Garber:
Hey,
randy flowers:
working
Craig Garber:
so
randy flowers:
with him.
Craig Garber:
you’ve worked besides Kevin, you’ve worked with some great producers, Rob Cavallo or Cavallo and Desmond
randy flowers:
Cavallo,
Craig Garber:
Child.
randy flowers:
yeah.
Craig Garber:
Uh,
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
any takeaways? Like, what did you get out of those? Anything like those guys made some sort of impression or, I don’t know.
randy flowers:
Well, definitely with Rob Cavallo, I was at, uh, at his, his studio was kind of on his property of his, this massive mansion in Calabasas, California. And, um, I did a record called, uh, Hankle Teddy bear for, uh, with meatloaf and Rob produced it and I was out there for nine weeks, which is
Craig Garber:
Oh
randy flowers:
a,
Craig Garber:
my g- nine
randy flowers:
yeah,
Craig Garber:
weeks to make a record?
randy flowers:
nine. Yes, that was just my part. I think it went on longer than that. Like I, that, that was with tracking and I stayed behind and, and sang background on the whole record as well. So, um,
Craig Garber:
It’s only
randy flowers:
but
Craig Garber:
20 weeks to make a baby, I think.
randy flowers:
I’ll, I know. So
Craig Garber:
No, it’s 40,
randy flowers:
yeah,
Craig Garber:
sorry.
randy flowers:
it was, yeah. Um, it, uh, yeah, nine weeks of of working out at Robson. It was a really cool experience. It was back in 2011, something like that. And I guess the budget was just huge because
Craig Garber:
I was thinking
randy flowers:
it was just,
Craig Garber:
man like when was this in 1980?
randy flowers:
yeah, I know. Because a song would, we would take a week on a song and that
Craig Garber:
Oh my
randy flowers:
in Nashville,
Craig Garber:
god.
randy flowers:
that does, it usually takes
Craig Garber:
Three songs
randy flowers:
an hour
Craig Garber:
in a
randy flowers:
and
Craig Garber:
day.
randy flowers:
a half.
Craig Garber:
Yeah.
randy flowers:
Yeah, exactly. Yeah. So. And I was working with Tim Pierce.
Craig Garber:
Uh huh.
randy flowers:
I’m sure, do you know Tim Pierce?
Craig Garber:
Yeah, I know what time it is, yeah.
randy flowers:
So being in a room with Tim Pierce for several weeks and watching him work was fantastic. Uh,
Craig Garber:
He’s done so many sessions, man.
randy flowers:
Oh my gosh. Yeah.
Craig Garber:
Yeah.
randy flowers:
That guy’s just amazing. It was incredible watching him work. Like there’s he’s so fast and there’s no, there’s no mistakes.
Craig Garber:
Yeah.
randy flowers:
It’s a, yeah. So anyway, Rob Cavallo. It was just a whole different way of working. It’s that, I guess the California way. It’s like, let’s take a week on this song. And, and he’s just a, an encyclopedia of knowledge with rock music, especially Led Zeppelin. He knew he, he knows he can play
Craig Garber:
Who’s
randy flowers:
guitar
Craig Garber:
this, Tammy,
randy flowers:
really well.
Craig Garber:
you talking about or Rob? Yeah,
randy flowers:
Rob, Rob Cavallo.
Craig Garber:
yeah.
randy flowers:
He’s, he’s
Craig Garber:
Does
randy flowers:
a,
Craig Garber:
he play instruments on that?
randy flowers:
Rob is a really great guitar player. Yeah.
Craig Garber:
Okay.
randy flowers:
And he, he can play Led Zeppelin tunes note for note and very, very knowledgeable producer. It was a very cool experience working with him. And, you know, he had just produced, he’d done all of Green Day’s records. So, a lot of the gear that was in his studio was stuff made famous by some Green Day records and some, like the main amp I use, they call it the Dookie. It was a JCM-800 that
Craig Garber:
Right. I
randy flowers:
they
Craig Garber:
mean, it’s a great
randy flowers:
used
Craig Garber:
amp.
randy flowers:
on…
Craig Garber:
It just wasn’t for me, you know.
randy flowers:
I get it, yeah, because it’s probably too loud, right? Like…
Craig Garber:
It just it’s too loud
randy flowers:
To
Craig Garber:
for
randy flowers:
get
Craig Garber:
sure.
randy flowers:
it to do what you want it to do, it’s gotta, you
Craig Garber:
I
randy flowers:
have
Craig Garber:
like
randy flowers:
to,
Craig Garber:
overdriven natural
randy flowers:
yeah.
Craig Garber:
tube over a child. It wasn’t really practical for that. And it just
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
it didn’t have the I don’t know, the bottom end. I don’t know. I couldn’t
randy flowers:
I gotcha.
Craig Garber:
even just I mean, it’s a great amp. You know, just
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
the brown sound. This Delta PV Delta Blues amp just gets it to me better.
randy flowers:
I got you. Yeah. And, and it’s probably, you said it was a lower wattage thing, like a
Craig Garber:
Yeah, it’s
randy flowers:
30
Craig Garber:
30
randy flowers:
watt
Craig Garber:
watts
randy flowers:
or
Craig Garber:
with
randy flowers:
something.
Craig Garber:
a 15
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
inch speaker. So it’s a totally different animal.
randy flowers:
Absolutely. Yeah. Well,
Craig Garber:
but you’re playing a JCM 800
randy flowers:
I,
Craig Garber:
and
randy flowers:
Jason, yeah,
Craig Garber:
from.
randy flowers:
it was, yeah. From, and then the acoustic that was there was, uh, was the acoustic that green day used on, uh, another time. What
Craig Garber:
Yeah,
randy flowers:
was that song called? Uh,
Craig Garber:
I don’t know, but I know this one
randy flowers:
uh,
Craig Garber:
you’re talking about
randy flowers:
yeah.
Craig Garber:
name it.
randy flowers:
So, uh, anyway, the amount of classic, uh, Les Paul’s
Craig Garber:
time
randy flowers:
that he
Craig Garber:
of
randy flowers:
had
Craig Garber:
your
randy flowers:
there
Craig Garber:
life.
randy flowers:
was insane. Yeah. Yeah, it was insane. And then while we were there, side note, Adam Lambert, uh, somehow the, the Rob got asked to produce the, this Adam Lambert song for the 2012 movie soundtrack.
Craig Garber:
Right.
randy flowers:
And, uh, Rob was like, well, these guys are here already. Let’s just use this band. And Adam Lambert came in and we did a song called time for miracles, which is, you should look it up. It’s re came out to really cool tune. Uh, that like Anna Weimann singing it it’s at the very end of the movie and anyway just a great tune it’s worth checking out uh i was very
Craig Garber:
Was that the
randy flowers:
proud
Craig Garber:
name
randy flowers:
of
Craig Garber:
of
randy flowers:
it
Craig Garber:
the
randy flowers:
uh
Craig Garber:
movie as well, Time for Miracles?
randy flowers:
the movie the movie was called 2012
Craig Garber:
Oh, okay, you said that, sorry.
randy flowers:
yeah and uh the song was called um
Craig Garber:
time for
randy flowers:
time
Craig Garber:
miracles.
randy flowers:
for miracles
Craig Garber:
Oh, check
randy flowers:
it’s
Craig Garber:
it out.
randy flowers:
very cool so uh i was going somewhere with that or am i just rambling now i think i’m
Craig Garber:
No, no, like you’re going towards the things you learned from like some
randy flowers:
Oh,
Craig Garber:
of the experiences you have with these guys.
randy flowers:
yeah, yeah. Um, yeah, just kind of the opposite of what Kevin Shirley did, you know, and Kevin was just like, plug in, go, let’s play. And then.
Craig Garber:
Oh, and Rob was more measured and that’s nine weeks for one song. Yeah.
randy flowers:
It was, well, yeah, we’re not, I think we ended up doing like 12, 12 or 13 tunes. And it, it was, yeah, something like that. And like I said, that wasn’t all tracking. That was, that was me staying behind and there were several weeks of, of background vocals and, um, another side of Justin Hawkins was out there for about three of those weeks, uh, cause he had co-written some songs just from the darkness. Are you
Craig Garber:
Oh,
randy flowers:
familiar
Craig Garber:
I don’t
randy flowers:
with
Craig Garber:
know
randy flowers:
that
Craig Garber:
that.
randy flowers:
guy? Okay. Nevermind.
Craig Garber:
No,
randy flowers:
Anyway.
Craig Garber:
the darkness. Uh, yes, I know that band. What was their big hit? Um,
randy flowers:
A thing called Love.
Craig Garber:
Okay, I know the
randy flowers:
I
Craig Garber:
band.
randy flowers:
think.
Craig Garber:
I didn’t know any of the members of
randy flowers:
Okay,
Craig Garber:
the band.
randy flowers:
nevermind. He’s got a really cool YouTube show right now. Thought
Craig Garber:
Justin
randy flowers:
maybe you
Craig Garber:
Hawkins.
randy flowers:
were familiar with that, yeah.
Craig Garber:
No, I’m sorry. You know,
randy flowers:
Unless
Craig Garber:
unfortunately,
randy flowers:
I’m getting the name wrong.
Craig Garber:
like people always say, Hey, do you know this guy in this podcast? I don’t have any time to do anything, man. I, you know, anytime I’ll have, I’m playing guitar and I don’t do that anywhere near enough. I just,
randy flowers:
That’s
Craig Garber:
and
randy flowers:
great.
Craig Garber:
the other reason I don’t listen to podcasts is because. I don’t want to start overthinking myself.
randy flowers:
Sure. Yeah.
Craig Garber:
Like people have said to me, Hey man, you’re kind of like Joe Rogan. I’m like, that’s a compliment. Thank you. Cause I know he’s successful. I’ve
randy flowers:
Mm-hmm.
Craig Garber:
never listened to one of his shows. Cause I don’t want to start listening and saying, should I be doing this? Should I be doing, and you know, it took me like 50 something years to be like, okay with myself and I don’t want to start
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
fucking with that
randy flowers:
Well, yeah.
Craig Garber:
any more than I already have for those 50 something years before that, you know,
randy flowers:
Well, it’s funny you said Joe Rogan, because I was trying to think of who you reminded me of, and yet I could see that. Yeah. Or maybe it’s the sound of your voice. Is he from the same area of New York? I don’t know.
Craig Garber:
I don’t know
randy flowers:
But
Craig Garber:
where he’s from. I know nothing about him. All I know
randy flowers:
yeah.
Craig Garber:
is that
randy flowers:
Okay.
Craig Garber:
we have the same hair barber. That’s about it.
randy flowers:
Okay.
Craig Garber:
You know, so I don’t
randy flowers:
Gotcha.
Craig Garber:
know anything about the guy. He’s, you know,
randy flowers:
I see.
Craig Garber:
but so I don’t, I’m just, I don’t want to overthink stuff, you know.
randy flowers:
That’s probably smart. Um, yeah.
Craig Garber:
I don’t know, I just…
randy flowers:
Uh, cause yeah, the more you compare yourself to other, yeah, you definitely don’t want to do that and I, I’ve been guilty of that in the past and I’m working on that now, but just not comparing myself to other situations because everybody’s everything’s
Craig Garber:
I just
randy flowers:
different.
Craig Garber:
I’ve learned nothing good comes out of that for me,
randy flowers:
Nothing.
Craig Garber:
you know.
randy flowers:
No, it can’t. It can’t. Cause
Craig Garber:
And
randy flowers:
there’s
Craig Garber:
also, go ahead, I’m sorry.
randy flowers:
Oh no, I’m sorry, you go ahead.
Craig Garber:
Nope, you go.
randy flowers:
I was, I was, I can’t remember what the thought was.
Craig Garber:
About comparing yourself. I said, nothing good comes out of it.
randy flowers:
Yeah, it is. Yeah, exactly. It. Absolutely nothing good can come out of that. Because
Craig Garber:
I
randy flowers:
there’s you’re not you’re not living in gratitude at that moment. And
Craig Garber:
Yes.
randy flowers:
and that’s, that’s kind of I’ve learned something. I, you know, not to get too personal, but I did. I got sober a year and a half ago, it will be a year and a half tomorrow.
Craig Garber:
Congratulations,
randy flowers:
And
Craig Garber:
man.
randy flowers:
Well, thank
Craig Garber:
That’s
randy flowers:
you so
Craig Garber:
awesome.
randy flowers:
much. Uh, it’s certainly life changing. Um, but, uh, you know, your perception of the, everything in the world is different. You know, I,
Craig Garber:
after sobriety
randy flowers:
after,
Craig Garber:
before sobriety.
randy flowers:
after sobriety, yeah. You know, you, you’re open to seeing all the beauty and things that you never, that I never saw before. You know, I would just notice all the, uh, I’d live, notice all the negative things. And what I didn’t have or what you know, that person. You know, this person is working at in a stadium today. And this, you know, they’re posting on social media. And
Craig Garber:
And I’m a better guitar
randy flowers:
I,
Craig Garber:
player than him. I
randy flowers:
yeah,
Craig Garber:
don’t get
randy flowers:
like, right.
Craig Garber:
it. Yeah.
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
That’s on. Are you comfortable talking about that? So right. I can ask you a couple
randy flowers:
Uh,
Craig Garber:
of questions about that.
randy flowers:
yeah, because yeah, I would like to talk about that a little bit because who knows it might, it might help somebody.
Craig Garber:
Well, let me tell you, I had a young lady on my show named Grace Ask You. She’s out in that she used to be in Nashville. I think she’s in Memphis now
randy flowers:
Mm-hmm.
Craig Garber:
and that’s where she’s from. She’s like a fifth generation. I remember she told me she’s like a fifth generation Memphian
randy flowers:
Mm-hmm.
Craig Garber:
and she actually. Wound up being on the show, but she told me, she said, I found out about your show
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
because I was looking up musicians sobriety stories and I listened to a few of your shows. and it gave me permission to get sober.
randy flowers:
Really?
Craig Garber:
So what?
randy flowers:
Wow.
Craig Garber:
Yeah. So, so when people talk about this stuff and let me tell you, we have playlists. The sober playlist is like the second most popular playlist.
randy flowers:
No kidding.
Craig Garber:
Yeah. So, yeah. And I, so I think people are inspired by this. I think getting sober is a scary thing. I think asking for help is incredibly fucking scary. And I think that more people, when they hear other people were willing to do something like that, these scary things. And it worked. I don’t think I know that’s extremely helpful. So, you know, that being said, I don’t want you or anybody else to be uncomfortable about anything that I
randy flowers:
Yeah, no,
Craig Garber:
that
randy flowers:
not
Craig Garber:
I
randy flowers:
at
Craig Garber:
might
randy flowers:
all. I,
Craig Garber:
ask.
randy flowers:
you know, I, I would love to help anybody in any way that I can, you know, I certainly would have loved to heard more stories from, or more success stories, you know. But yeah, if you need help, there is help out there. And I definitely needed, I was up to the point where it, As I was describing earlier, the lifestyle that I led, there’s alcohol everywhere involved in music touring and it just becomes part of life. And it ended up taking over my life, especially during the COVID time. It just got out of control there.
Craig Garber:
think a
randy flowers:
But.
Craig Garber:
lot of people went through that experience that’s anything in COVID.
randy flowers:
Yeah, I heard, yeah, I’m not unique in that. I heard
Craig Garber:
No, because
randy flowers:
a lot of people
Craig Garber:
you don’t have to
randy flowers:
talk
Craig Garber:
wake up
randy flowers:
about
Craig Garber:
the
randy flowers:
that.
Craig Garber:
next day. You don’t have to get
randy flowers:
Exactly.
Craig Garber:
to work.
randy flowers:
Yeah, yeah. And the liquor stores were essential businesses
Craig Garber:
Yes,
randy flowers:
left open.
Craig Garber:
right. Go figure that the liquor store
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
and the dealer on the corner.
randy flowers:
Exactly. Yeah. Um, so anyway, yeah, it’s been a Like I said, it’s a new thing for me. It’s tomorrow, the year and a half, assuming I make it till tomorrow. I hope so.
Craig Garber:
Yeah, I hope so.
randy flowers:
But it’s man talk about life changing. Like I, I wake up at 530am now and I never did that my entire life my entire was the total opposite of that. I would see the sunrise, but it was maybe going
Craig Garber:
You were
randy flowers:
to
Craig Garber:
going
randy flowers:
bed.
Craig Garber:
to bed.
randy flowers:
Yeah,
Craig Garber:
Yeah.
randy flowers:
that happened quite often. So yeah, so
Craig Garber:
Let me
randy flowers:
yeah,
Craig Garber:
ask you this,
randy flowers:
I’m enjoying life. Yeah.
Craig Garber:
to whatever extent you’re comfortable, Randy, what prompted you to get so, like what was bottom for you to whatever extent you’re comfortable?
randy flowers:
Well, for me, it started with, I knew it was time, I was ready. It was ruling my life. And then it turned out that I had some pretty major health issues
Craig Garber:
Oh, wow.
randy flowers:
as a result.
Craig Garber:
As a result.
randy flowers:
Yeah. And my doctor was like, you kinda, you have to stop. You’re on this edge where, you know, if you keep going, it’s gonna, it’s, you’re going to be past the point of no return.
Craig Garber:
Yeah, you won’t
randy flowers:
Um, with
Craig Garber:
be able to get that liver transplant.
randy flowers:
exactly. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. It had gotten that bad. So,
Craig Garber:
Wow.
randy flowers:
so, but even knowing that I still didn’t stop drinking totally. It was.
Craig Garber:
Sure.
randy flowers:
Yeah, it was, that’s how.
Craig Garber:
I was gonna say something else had to happen other than your doctor, because that’s not the first guy that told you, hey man,
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
I don’t mean to sound funny, but I’m a little worried about you, or some version
randy flowers:
Right.
Craig Garber:
of that.
randy flowers:
Yeah, it wasn’t that it was, it just kind of came down to, um, first it was the health issue. And then one time towards the end of 2021, Jerry, my brother came over and just said, I think you should go to rehab. And I was like, what? No way. And because first of all, you know, my first thought was, aren’t those like 50 grand or whatever. And, but anyway, The next day I was like, I think you’re right. Let’s do it.
Craig Garber:
Oh
randy flowers:
So
Craig Garber:
really?
randy flowers:
yeah, so I went to Cumberland Heights. I’m getting really deep here, totally personal.
Craig Garber:
Go with whatever you’re comfortable with,
randy flowers:
But
Craig Garber:
man.
randy flowers:
you know, who knows, it might help somebody. Yeah, I went to Cumberland Heights here outside of Nashville. And yeah, I came out and it totally changed my life. A lot of people don’t, go to rehab several times. You know,
Craig Garber:
Oh yeah.
randy flowers:
I was, I was in there with guys that have been there in there seven times.
Craig Garber:
Yeah, I’ve
randy flowers:
And
Craig Garber:
had guys say, Oh man, I quit drinking a lot of time.
randy flowers:
Yeah, exactly. Yeah. And so for some reason, I guess I was ready. It just kind of it worked for me. And not going to you know, I’m still a work in progress, of course, but
Craig Garber:
Of
randy flowers:
it
Craig Garber:
course,
randy flowers:
is.
Craig Garber:
it was a work in progress,
randy flowers:
Yeah,
Craig Garber:
man.
randy flowers:
absolutely. But I got a lot out of it, even though I, man, I’m really getting too personal here, but I went at a terrible time. It was during COVID. So the, we were kind of in lockdown in there like,
Craig Garber:
Yeah.
randy flowers:
you know, it was there. It was just, it was weird. Couldn’t go out walking around the it was a beautiful place. And we’re not to go walking out in the trails for some reason. I don’t know why. If the COVID would follow you out there and attack I don’t know. But
Craig Garber:
What’s
randy flowers:
anyway,
Craig Garber:
what’s what I find weird is I see people walking around outside here alone
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
with a mask on
randy flowers:
Right.
Craig Garber:
Who are you gonna get kovat from yourself
randy flowers:
Right.
Craig Garber:
I mean that I don’t get you know
randy flowers:
Yeah. Um, it was, it was bizarre that we weren’t, weren’t allowed to go outside. Um, but, uh, they, you know, they were just following the rules and doing their best there at Cumberland Heights. But, yeah, I got a lot out of it and, uh, still hanging in there.
Craig Garber:
Did
randy flowers:
But,
Craig Garber:
you work
randy flowers:
uh,
Craig Garber:
a program? Did you work like AA?
randy flowers:
I am kind of in the process of that. Like I, yeah, I don’t really do the meetings, but I do the reading every morning.
Craig Garber:
Mm-hmm.
randy flowers:
And yeah, it’s definitely a thing I work on every day.
Craig Garber:
There
randy flowers:
Yeah, okay, that’s what you were talking about, okay.
Craig Garber:
you go. Yeah. So no, this is just a, this is like just daily affirmations. This is geared more towards, you know, the ACA adult children of alcoholics and dysfunctional families. So
randy flowers:
Okay.
Craig Garber:
it’s just strengthening my recovery. I’m assuming I know there’s books like this for program
randy flowers:
Uh,
Craig Garber:
for AA and NA as well.
randy flowers:
yes, yes. Uh, I’ve, I’ve tried to read as many as I can, or as I could, and I’m, you know, like I said, I’m still in the process and I’m just a, just an infant in terms of. Time of sobriety here, but, uh, but yeah, it’s, it’s strange to talk about knowing that this is, it’s going to be heard, but you know, like if it helps anybody, great. But,
Craig Garber:
I think
randy flowers:
uh,
Craig Garber:
it’s really important that people get it out there because I think you have a lot of people that don’t think it’s possible to get so.
randy flowers:
That’s true. Cause it’s, there are times when it just, it can seem impossible. The, I remember at the time thinking like, there’s just no way I could ever stop. It’s just too much a part of my life and everywhere you go, everything I do. Revolves around alcohol, you know,
Craig Garber:
Yeah.
randy flowers:
and it just seemed like there’s no way, but it’s, it’s surprisingly, it’s surprisingly easier than I expected. like touring and all that. Like I thought it was going to be really difficult to tour again.
Craig Garber:
Right.
randy flowers:
Being sober and it, it really wasn’t. It’s just. I my social aspect is a little different. Like I don’t hang out. You know, I can’t hang out after the show. I kind of just go to bed after I go to
Craig Garber:
Well,
randy flowers:
bed
Craig Garber:
you
randy flowers:
after
Craig Garber:
can’t
randy flowers:
the show
Craig Garber:
hang
randy flowers:
and.
Craig Garber:
out where there’s alcohol freely.
randy flowers:
Right, yeah.
Craig Garber:
I mean, you can, but it’s like that’s at one and a half years in. That’s
randy flowers:
It’s a
Craig Garber:
asking,
randy flowers:
little,
Craig Garber:
asking
randy flowers:
yeah,
Craig Garber:
a lot. I don’t think that’s,
randy flowers:
yeah.
Craig Garber:
I think you’re smart.
randy flowers:
Yeah, I just kind of stay away from it. And it’s no problem at all. I’m so used to going to bed really early now that there’s no issue. And nobody ever on earth says, oh, come on, man, why don’t you have one drink? Or, you know, like
Craig Garber:
people
randy flowers:
nobody
Craig Garber:
respect that.
randy flowers:
ever says that.
Craig Garber:
That’s really good to hear. I mean,
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
that’s almost sounds like something kids would say.
randy flowers:
Exactly. Like, but I think people worry maybe like, are people gonna think it’s weird that I’m not holding a drink at this party or whatever. And I find that people don’t care. No, nobody concerned
Craig Garber:
No, nobody
randy flowers:
at all.
Craig Garber:
can.
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
I knew a guy, I know a guy when he went to, he started going to program and he said, the thing that he got the most out of it, he said that I realized I was always worried about what people think of me and he goes, I
randy flowers:
Mm-hmm.
Craig Garber:
realize no one’s going to bed thinking about me. And
randy flowers:
That’s
Craig Garber:
I had
randy flowers:
a good point.
Craig Garber:
this, he goes, no one ever is going to bed thinking about, you know. And that was really helpful for him.
randy flowers:
I see, yeah. Yeah, well that’s really, that’s a great lesson to learn. And I think that was something I had learned late in life too, that people aren’t paying attention to you as much as you think they are. You know, it’s not,
Craig Garber:
Right. They,
randy flowers:
yeah.
Craig Garber:
they, they just, no one’s going to bed thinking about you. Nobody gives a
randy flowers:
Yeah,
Craig Garber:
shit.
randy flowers:
exactly.
Craig Garber:
I mean, they got, everybody’s got their own, you know, fucking laundry
randy flowers:
Sure.
Craig Garber:
list of stress, drama, tasks, shit to do list,
randy flowers:
Absolutely,
Craig Garber:
you know?
randy flowers:
absolutely. And, uh, yeah, you just kind of have to worry about, uh, as, uh, you know, keeping your side of the street clean and,
Craig Garber:
Mm-hmm.
randy flowers:
uh, and then, uh, seeing what happens. But, uh, I know life has been just nothing, but, oh, I should say nothing, but, but it’s been just lots of positivity. And, uh, like I said, like seeing the beauty in the world and things that I never saw before. And, and I’m just, I’m available. I’m present and I’m ready for anything at any time. Not anything, but you know what I’m talking about. Like
Craig Garber:
Yeah.
randy flowers:
I feel, I feel prepared and, and I say yes to things that I never would have said yes to. I probably would have, I probably wouldn’t have said yes to this a couple of years ago.
Craig Garber:
Really?
randy flowers:
Probably not.
Craig Garber:
Interesting.
randy flowers:
I don’t know. I don’t, I don’t know. I feel like the, I just. I used to just avoid a lot of things unless it was something I was very comfortable with. Yeah, and
Craig Garber:
Really interesting.
randy flowers:
I don’t wanna make it sound like I was falling down drunk at all. It wasn’t that case. It
Craig Garber:
No,
randy flowers:
wasn’t
Craig Garber:
but
randy flowers:
that
Craig Garber:
I
randy flowers:
situation.
Craig Garber:
take it as a misperception. People,
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
I don’t think, I think in the old days, you know, I don’t think that’s the, I should, if you’ve never been around people that drink, then you know, that’s not,
randy flowers:
Right, there’s
Craig Garber:
yeah,
randy flowers:
some
Craig Garber:
you don’t have
randy flowers:
high
Craig Garber:
to
randy flowers:
functioning.
Craig Garber:
be falling around drunk to say, man, I, I got to, you know, you could be, there are plenty of people that are functional alcoholics
randy flowers:
Absolutely.
Craig Garber:
all over the world, you know,
randy flowers:
Yeah. Yeah, and it’s surprising. Yeah. But where was I going? I keep losing my train of thought. But yeah, but yeah, not to say that what the all the work that I did in the past, is that where I was going? My past like when I was drinking, it wasn’t like I was putting out bad work or doing half ass stuff. Like I was still doing the best I could do. But I think now it’s just this much better. You know, it’s just like a few percent better. Like everything. doing now I feel like it’s just better in every way.
Craig Garber:
Yeah, and it’s also probably a few percent better every month.
randy flowers:
Absolutely. Yeah,
Craig Garber:
So
randy flowers:
absolutely.
Craig Garber:
it’s just like, you know, the compound interest effect of like, you know,
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
your life is a few percent better every month. That’s pretty damn good.
randy flowers:
It really
Craig Garber:
You know,
randy flowers:
is. Yeah.
Craig Garber:
yeah.
randy flowers:
So I feel like a success every day. Yeah. So, you know,
Craig Garber:
Awesome, man. Well,
randy flowers:
no matter
Craig Garber:
you
randy flowers:
what
Craig Garber:
are
randy flowers:
happens.
Craig Garber:
every day. You, every day you stay sober, you are a freaking success, man.
randy flowers:
Well, yeah, that’s true. That’s true.
Craig Garber:
What, what prompted you to start getting up at five 30? Like you get, is that when you go to the gym or like that’s a, you know, so you establish some structure. See, that’s
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
another thing I think like, and I give people that get sober so much credit for
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
this because, you know, you go from having no structure other than around, you know, your drug of choice
randy flowers:
Mm-hmm.
Craig Garber:
to like, uh, I’m up at five 30 every day. Whoa. That’s that total,
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
not in a diametrically opposite.
randy flowers:
Right. Now, when I say five 30, like that’s. I basically wake up when the sun rises. So it depends
Craig Garber:
Yeah.
randy flowers:
this time of year it’s raising around five 30, but it’s generally more like six 30, but it, um, I just, when I went to rehab, the schedule was getting woken up at 630 and you’re by 710 were in some kind of meeting situation. So I just fell in love with the morning. I, cause I, I guess I, I’ve missed that
Craig Garber:
Missed a lot
randy flowers:
for
Craig Garber:
of
randy flowers:
the
Craig Garber:
mornings.
randy flowers:
past 30
Craig Garber:
Ha
randy flowers:
years.
Craig Garber:
ha
randy flowers:
Yeah. Like my entire,
Craig Garber:
ha.
randy flowers:
even as a child,
Craig Garber:
Morning is
randy flowers:
like,
Craig Garber:
12.30.
randy flowers:
yeah,
Craig Garber:
Ha ha ha.
randy flowers:
exactly. Like even as a child, my, my mom will tell you like, uh, Like they had to like pour buckets of water on me to get me to get up and go to school and stuff like that. It was just never a morning person. But
Craig Garber:
Maybe that’s why you started drinking. That’s pretty fucking
randy flowers:
yeah,
Craig Garber:
severe.
randy flowers:
I know. It was like, yeah, I know this is traumatic. Um, but
Craig Garber:
Oh my God.
randy flowers:
I think that only happened like
Craig Garber:
Couldn’t
randy flowers:
once,
Craig Garber:
you give
randy flowers:
but
Craig Garber:
me a gentle shake?
randy flowers:
right. They’ve probably tried. I think I missed the bus so many times that they were like, God damn. Uh, but, uh, yeah. I’ve always been a late night thing, but somehow I love the mornings now. It’s just when
Craig Garber:
Yeah.
randy flowers:
I get so much done by, you know, 9 a.m. It’s when I get all my creative work done. And
Craig Garber:
Yeah.
randy flowers:
if I’ve been working on a project from home, I’d love getting started on it. You know, I do my little, I like watching the sunrise with a cup of coffee. That’s, that’s my
Craig Garber:
Yeah.
randy flowers:
favorite thing. And then.
Craig Garber:
So that’s very, dude, that is so relaxing.
randy flowers:
Oh, it’s great. And that, and for some reason it, it takes away some stress. Like I would always feel like I was running behind. Like when you, when you’re getting up at 10 or 11, it was like half the day’s gone. I kind of felt, it would just feel like I was behind and, and I got very little accomplished. Now
Craig Garber:
Sure.
randy flowers:
I feel like I get more accomplished by, you know, like I said, nine or 10 in the morning now that I used to get done in a week.
Craig Garber:
That’s
randy flowers:
Um,
Craig Garber:
awesome.
randy flowers:
yeah, it’s great. It’s great. And, um, like creatively everything’s better. Um, but, uh, but yeah, I just love the structure of, of getting up that early. Uh, now staying up late, you know, when I have gigs, it’s a little weird. It’s, uh,
Craig Garber:
Oh, because you’re getting in
randy flowers:
it’s
Craig Garber:
late and then you, yeah.
randy flowers:
right. Yeah. Cause I’m, I think I was, I was asleep last night by nine 30. Cause
Craig Garber:
Oh, awesome.
randy flowers:
I,
Craig Garber:
Oh my God.
randy flowers:
yeah.
Craig Garber:
If you see I’d love to get eight hours every night, man. That’s that’s
randy flowers:
It’s
Craig Garber:
you
randy flowers:
nice.
Craig Garber:
feel so good when you sleep seven, eight hours a night. Oh
randy flowers:
Oh
Craig Garber:
my
randy flowers:
man.
Craig Garber:
God.
randy flowers:
Yeah, that makes a difference. Yeah. And it’s, and it’s really bizarre to have slept eight hours and you’re like, it’s only 530 in the morning. Holy shit. So anyway, I,
Craig Garber:
That’s great.
randy flowers:
that part’s great. But anyway, I’m making it sound like this big, you know, rainbows and
Craig Garber:
No,
randy flowers:
you know,
Craig Garber:
I think it is rain. Dude, you’ve drank for 30 years and now you’re not. That’s rainbows, man.
randy flowers:
Well, you know, you’re right. You’re right.
Craig Garber:
Yeah,
randy flowers:
I
Craig Garber:
I think
randy flowers:
mean,
Craig Garber:
that is
randy flowers:
sometimes
Craig Garber:
rainbows,
randy flowers:
I think like,
Craig Garber:
man.
randy flowers:
well, all I did was just quit something, but it’s something that’s like, it’s in, it’s just such a huge part of our society. Um, and it’s, it’s strange. It’s, it’s cause it’s, it’s more dangerous than anything out there, right? Really? I mean, alcohol and it’s so accepted in our society. Um, Right? Like would you agree that it’s more dangerous than heroin or, uh,
Craig Garber:
Well, I do know that alcohol withdrawals
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
are alcohol withdrawals are literally the most devastating withdrawals that and I hear from alcohol and supposedly Xanax are
randy flowers:
Okay,
Craig Garber:
two of them,
randy flowers:
yeah.
Craig Garber:
two of the most, those are the two top most devastating things to withdraw from.
randy flowers:
Yeah, I believe it. Yeah. And I guess that’s what a hangover is, right? It’s
Craig Garber:
Yeah,
randy flowers:
withdrawals.
Craig Garber:
I guess you’re right. Yeah, yeah,
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
that is, yeah, that is what a hangover
randy flowers:
From what I understand,
Craig Garber:
is.
randy flowers:
but
Craig Garber:
Yeah, yeah.
randy flowers:
yeah, it’s just everywhere you go and it’s okay. And it’s almost a weird if you, it’s one of the most dangerous drugs in the world, but it’s weird if you don’t do it. It’s like, like
Craig Garber:
Yeah.
randy flowers:
if it’s odd, like you’re the odd man out. part of the, if you’re
Craig Garber:
I don’t
randy flowers:
a sober
Craig Garber:
know.
randy flowers:
guy to
Craig Garber:
You
randy flowers:
party.
Craig Garber:
know, I know plenty of people that don’t drink. I’d be
randy flowers:
I do
Craig Garber:
honest
randy flowers:
now
Craig Garber:
with you.
randy flowers:
as well, yeah. And it’s,
Craig Garber:
Yeah.
randy flowers:
but it’s.
Craig Garber:
It was just a crew. It’s the crowd you are hanging out with. That’s
randy flowers:
That’s true.
Craig Garber:
why it’s you’re hanging out with a bunch of fucking alcoholics, man.
randy flowers:
I
Craig Garber:
Of course,
randy flowers:
know
Craig Garber:
they’re
randy flowers:
that’s
Craig Garber:
going
randy flowers:
true.
Craig Garber:
to be like, of course they’re going to be like, you’re not drinking, you know?
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
But like, I know, I know a lot of people that just don’t drink. I drink socially.
randy flowers:
I…
Craig Garber:
And I never
randy flowers:
That’s great.
Craig Garber:
think and I’m very lucky because I have addiction in my family. And I am, let me tell you, I wake up almost every day and
randy flowers:
Mm-hmm.
Craig Garber:
say, thank you to my higher power because I don’t have to, I’ve never, cause I, I was lucky that by, I mean, there’s other things that have fucked me up, but
randy flowers:
Right.
Craig Garber:
that’s not, that’s not one of them.
randy flowers:
That’s
Craig Garber:
You know, my brother
randy flowers:
amazing.
Craig Garber:
died from that, you know?
randy flowers:
Oh,
Craig Garber:
And
randy flowers:
wow.
Craig Garber:
so,
randy flowers:
A
Craig Garber:
yeah.
randy flowers:
little sorry.
Craig Garber:
And so, well, I mean, you know, so, you know, I’ve had throughout my family, so I’m like, yeah. And I, The only thing I was guilty of, I was a workaholic for many, many years and
randy flowers:
Okay.
Craig Garber:
thank God that’s not physically damaging, but it, I
randy flowers:
It
Craig Garber:
missed
randy flowers:
can
Craig Garber:
a lot
randy flowers:
be,
Craig Garber:
of,
randy flowers:
I guess,
Craig Garber:
well,
randy flowers:
yeah.
Craig Garber:
I missed a lot of fun in my life that I should have had a lot more joy while I was doing that.
randy flowers:
I see. Yeah.
Craig Garber:
Yeah. And now, and honestly doing this show helped me get a lot more balance in my life. I don’t know
randy flowers:
Really?
Craig Garber:
why, but well, I think I know, I know why it’s because of listening to all of you guys that
randy flowers:
Mm-hmm.
Craig Garber:
did something. because you loved it.
randy flowers:
Yeah,
Craig Garber:
And I had
randy flowers:
okay.
Craig Garber:
never done anything that I outside of this show.
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
I’d never done anything in my life
randy flowers:
that
Craig Garber:
for
randy flowers:
you
Craig Garber:
joy
randy flowers:
loved.
Craig Garber:
for
randy flowers:
Really?
Craig Garber:
joy. I wasn’t programmed. I had a my childhood was so dark. I didn’t think you do think I didn’t you know,
randy flowers:
Wow.
Craig Garber:
I wasn’t like I didn’t happiness was not
randy flowers:
That wasn’t an option
Craig Garber:
I didn’t know
randy flowers:
or
Craig Garber:
you’re supposed to be happy. I just didn’t know
randy flowers:
right.
Craig Garber:
you’re supposed to be happy. I didn’t know you’re supposed to be happy.
randy flowers:
Really?
Craig Garber:
It was, I mean, it sounds stupid. I
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
didn’t, how would I know? I
randy flowers:
Well,
Craig Garber:
didn’t know
randy flowers:
no, I think
Craig Garber:
that.
randy flowers:
I know what you’re talking about, because there’s you almost feel. Bad if things are going well, is that.
Craig Garber:
Well, undeserving,
randy flowers:
Undesure. Yeah, yeah.
Craig Garber:
undeserved. I just never, nothing was ever happy when I was younger. So I never,
randy flowers:
Right.
Craig Garber:
it wasn’t like, I’m not saying this, like I feel bad about it, cause I didn’t know any better.
randy flowers:
Right.
Craig Garber:
You know, I didn’t, I literally didn’t know any better. I was, I didn’t like, what do you mean? Like happiness, what is,
randy flowers:
Yeah, what does that mean?
Craig Garber:
you work
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
and you work hard. And that’s what
randy flowers:
Right.
Craig Garber:
I thought. Like, no,
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
but you can be happy too. And I didn’t learn that till I did this show. And that’s why I’m so committed to this show.
randy flowers:
That’s incredible. Wow.
Craig Garber:
Yeah, I didn’t. I mean, I’ve learned so much from this show, from listening to people’s stories.
randy flowers:
Well,
Craig Garber:
You know,
randy flowers:
uh…
Craig Garber:
I almost feel like I’m self felt selfish sometimes for doing it.
randy flowers:
Well, I can see it being therapeutic because I, I kind of had almost forgotten that we’re doing a podcast here. I was just
Craig Garber:
Hahaha
randy flowers:
enjoying, I was enjoying, I was just talking to you
Craig Garber:
So
randy flowers:
and,
Craig Garber:
I
randy flowers:
uh,
Craig Garber:
likewise.
randy flowers:
yeah. So that’s, huh, that I guess you’re doing a good job then you’re,
Craig Garber:
I don’t know. Thanks.
randy flowers:
you’re.
Craig Garber:
I’m just…
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
I don’t know.
randy flowers:
It just became a conversation because, uh, that’s yeah, I was worried about that actually, cause I. I usually just kind of clam up and but now I’ve just been rambling that crazy.
Craig Garber:
No, you’re good, man. You’re not even rambling, you’re fine. No, no,
randy flowers:
No,
Craig Garber:
you’re
randy flowers:
I’m
Craig Garber:
not
randy flowers:
enjoying
Craig Garber:
even rambling
randy flowers:
it.
Craig Garber:
at all.
randy flowers:
I’m enjoying it. Well, thanks.
Craig Garber:
But man, congratulations, and I’m so happy for you.
randy flowers:
Well, thank you so much. It’s, you
Craig Garber:
Keep
randy flowers:
know.
Craig Garber:
up the good work one day at a time, man.
randy flowers:
Yeah, I think I think good things are coming and, you know, because they yeah, everything’s been on the upswing, as they say, so everything’s
Craig Garber:
Good.
randy flowers:
going better and better. Like you said, there’s one percent better every day and.
Craig Garber:
That’s
randy flowers:
We’ll
Craig Garber:
a lot
randy flowers:
see
Craig Garber:
of
randy flowers:
what.
Craig Garber:
percent better
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
come six months and then nine and 12 months, you know?
randy flowers:
That’s true. I’m going to be like 2176 times better. So
Craig Garber:
Good,
randy flowers:
that will make me. Yeah.
Craig Garber:
right on, awesome, whatever.
randy flowers:
No joking.
Craig Garber:
I forgot what I was going to say. I lost track
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
of my thought, but, uh, yeah, that, uh, I’ve learned so much from all you guys. It’s been amazing. I mean, yeah.
randy flowers:
That’s
Craig Garber:
And
randy flowers:
excellent.
Craig Garber:
that hap, yeah, the happiness thing is probably the one of the most important things I learned in my whole life, you know, cause I don’t do anything now unless I’m happy about it and I’m, and I’m like joyful about it.
randy flowers:
That’s wonderful.
Craig Garber:
I
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
do nothing.
randy flowers:
That’s incredible that you’re at that point. Like I, I can’t say I’m there yet where I only have, or I’m
Craig Garber:
I abuse
randy flowers:
still only doing
Craig Garber:
myself
randy flowers:
this
Craig Garber:
with that longer than you have. So
randy flowers:
yet. Oh, that’s true.
Craig Garber:
I’m a little older than he is a little, you know,
randy flowers:
Not really. Just a,
Craig Garber:
I’m 59.
randy flowers:
I I’m 53. So, uh,
Craig Garber:
Yeah, but
randy flowers:
it’s
Craig Garber:
you
randy flowers:
not,
Craig Garber:
look a lot
randy flowers:
not
Craig Garber:
younger
randy flowers:
much.
Craig Garber:
than I do. Ha
randy flowers:
Well,
Craig Garber:
ha.
randy flowers:
well, I’m, I’m far away from the thing I’ve got, you know, but, uh, no, that’s not true.
Craig Garber:
No, you
randy flowers:
Uh,
Craig Garber:
look, you look,
randy flowers:
I do
Craig Garber:
you
randy flowers:
feel
Craig Garber:
look at,
randy flowers:
good for 53 though, I will say that.
Craig Garber:
yeah.
randy flowers:
I feel good.
Craig Garber:
How much better do you feel sober now? I can’t imagine like how much better you’re, were you working out when you were
randy flowers:
it I was
Craig Garber:
drinking?
randy flowers:
like
Craig Garber:
Really?
randy flowers:
up until the up until the you know when COVID shut down all the gyms and stuff like that.
Craig Garber:
Yeah,
randy flowers:
I
Craig Garber:
that
randy flowers:
think
Craig Garber:
sucked.
randy flowers:
I didn’t do anything for that whole year and a half two years I was a mess. But before that I was it was still a big part of my life. I just didn’t make it to the gym until two in the afternoon. You know,
Craig Garber:
Right,
randy flowers:
but
Craig Garber:
that’s
randy flowers:
it was
Craig Garber:
amazing
randy flowers:
it was
Craig Garber:
that,
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
that is amazing that you, that’s commitment.
randy flowers:
It was, yeah, it was, it’s always been a big part of my life. And I, and I never, like I said, I wasn’t like a crazy drunk person where I just couldn’t function at all during the day. But
Craig Garber:
But that’s
randy flowers:
I.
Craig Garber:
a myth about people that are alcoholics.
randy flowers:
Exactly.
Craig Garber:
You don’t have to be like, it just has to be something that you can’t handle. I think, I don’t know, I shouldn’t really say that because I’m
randy flowers:
Yeah,
Craig Garber:
speaking out of
randy flowers:
I
Craig Garber:
turn.
randy flowers:
mean, no, not at all. Not at all. But, but no, it’s certainly always been something important to me, the exercising and now more so than ever. And of course, I love hiking deer. I guess I don’t know if I have any hiking down there. And,
Craig Garber:
No, Florida is the
randy flowers:
and
Craig Garber:
flattest state.
randy flowers:
that’s right. That’s
Craig Garber:
Florida
randy flowers:
right.
Craig Garber:
is the flattest state in the country, man. Like I think the biggest hill like is on the turnpike. It’s like 25 feet. Cause
randy flowers:
That’s right.
Craig Garber:
something
randy flowers:
That’s
Craig Garber:
like,
randy flowers:
right.
Craig Garber:
yeah, no,
randy flowers:
What
Craig Garber:
it’s
randy flowers:
was I
Craig Garber:
totally
randy flowers:
thinking?
Craig Garber:
flat here.
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
Nope. I walk a lot. That’s the only thing I do.
randy flowers:
Okay, well, at least you can do that all year all year round,
Craig Garber:
Yeah, I
randy flowers:
obviously.
Craig Garber:
do that all. I walk a lot. Yeah.
randy flowers:
That’s
Craig Garber:
You
randy flowers:
great.
Craig Garber:
know, in fact, during
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
COVID I had a problem with my leg and I wound up long story, but I like my leg was not working and the only thing and it was, it was a terrible nerve pain, sciatic nerve pain. And the
randy flowers:
Mm-hmm.
Craig Garber:
only thing I could do, I don’t know how I even figured this. I know it was vanity. I couldn’t go to the gym and I couldn’t
randy flowers:
Ah.
Craig Garber:
live with myself not exercising. So I forced myself to walk and
randy flowers:
Ah.
Craig Garber:
Oddly enough, the only thing that made it better was walking, but it wouldn’t make it better. It was like, so I, you know, a lap around the block here is like two thirds of a mile. By the third lap, I was walking upright and nobody would even know there’s something wrong with me. But the first lap, my wife, I remember she went out one day, she goes, oh my God, I saw you walking. She goes, I felt so bad. She goes, you look like an 80 year old just had a car accident. I
randy flowers:
Oh
Craig Garber:
feel
randy flowers:
no.
Craig Garber:
like I couldn’t move. It was like hobbled up. And I wound up
randy flowers:
Wow.
Craig Garber:
walking five miles a day because
randy flowers:
Oof.
Craig Garber:
that was the only thing that made me feel good.
randy flowers:
Wow.
Craig Garber:
And I mean, that was it. So I just would, I couldn’t work
randy flowers:
That’s
Craig Garber:
very
randy flowers:
incredible.
Craig Garber:
much. It was nuts.
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
And, uh,
randy flowers:
Wow.
Craig Garber:
yeah. And I, and, and people say walking, you know, you got to do intense cardio. I’ve
randy flowers:
Mm.
Craig Garber:
never been a leaner in my life doing that.
randy flowers:
Really, just from
Craig Garber:
I was shredded
randy flowers:
steady walking. No kidding,
Craig Garber:
and I was
randy flowers:
I believe
Craig Garber:
walking
randy flowers:
it.
Craig Garber:
at a snail’s pace. I,
randy flowers:
Wow.
Craig Garber:
I would just was not speed walk because I couldn’t. Yeah.
randy flowers:
Isn’t that interesting?
Craig Garber:
So, and I learned from that slow and steady, you know, it’s the
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
I always had also like, I had a punishment thing, like unless I’m killing myself at something, I couldn’t excel at it. And then I doing that, I learned, well, that’s bullshit. You just got to do something every day. You just it’s time in it’s consistency. Right.
randy flowers:
Yeah, you’re exactly
Craig Garber:
And,
randy flowers:
right. Yeah.
Craig Garber:
and so that allowed me to realize that I could be much better at guitar. It’s got to be consistent. You
randy flowers:
Yeah,
Craig Garber:
know, it’s practice
randy flowers:
so
Craig Garber:
every day.
randy flowers:
let’s talk about that. Yeah.
Craig Garber:
Yeah.
randy flowers:
So where you mentioned when we first spoke that you, uh, you’ve been playing like five years or something like
Craig Garber:
Yeah,
randy flowers:
that.
Craig Garber:
that’s
randy flowers:
So
Craig Garber:
it. Six years maybe now, yeah.
randy flowers:
that’s great. So you’re, you’re right at a level where you’re everything’s new, but you’re still, you’re good enough to enjoy what you’re
Craig Garber:
Yeah,
randy flowers:
playing
Craig Garber:
I’m starting
randy flowers:
and
Craig Garber:
to like, wow, I like, I’ll learn a new song on YouTube. And I’m like,
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
holy shit, this is getting easier. I can’t believe it. It’s, it almost feels like a superpower, man. Like,
randy flowers:
Sure.
Craig Garber:
wow. Like, and
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
I’m lucky. I am very blessed to have an excellent year.
randy flowers:
Oh, that’s great.
Craig Garber:
Yeah.
randy flowers:
That goes a
Craig Garber:
Really
randy flowers:
long
Craig Garber:
good
randy flowers:
way.
Craig Garber:
ear. Yeah.
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
And, and I, and I’m not unaware of that and I’m very grateful. Um,
randy flowers:
That’s great.
Craig Garber:
but
randy flowers:
That’s
Craig Garber:
yeah,
randy flowers:
huge.
Craig Garber:
so I’m at that period now where things are like, you know, I mean, I, I
randy flowers:
It’s
Craig Garber:
still.
randy flowers:
clicking.
Craig Garber:
Yeah, things are clicking. I still have a long way to go, of course, but my goal is sometime by the end of this year, I hope to get out and play with other people.
randy flowers:
Oh that’s great.
Craig Garber:
Yeah,
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
because I learned from you guys again, that’s how you’re going to get better. You know, you can only get so good playing by yourself in the
randy flowers:
That’s true. Yeah. Doing the yeah, playing any kind of gig situation is, yeah, it’s totally different. Because no, but even know, something you’ve worked up at home a million times, it’s going to be totally different when you can’t hear yourself properly or, you know, when you’re out in front of a crowd doing it.
Craig Garber:
Yeah. And just interacting
randy flowers:
You know,
Craig Garber:
with other musicians. I mean, I
randy flowers:
girls
Craig Garber:
played music
randy flowers:
throwing
Craig Garber:
as a
randy flowers:
their
Craig Garber:
kid.
randy flowers:
panties all over your, you know,
Craig Garber:
I think I missed that window. I think
randy flowers:
yeah, actually, I did too. I just made that up. Yeah.
Craig Garber:
I missed that window, but, uh, but yeah, so I’m like, I’m like, you know, I’m like probably a solid intermediate player. Yeah. And
randy flowers:
That’s
Craig Garber:
I love
randy flowers:
perfect.
Craig Garber:
it. And it’s just the joy I get out of playing guitar all the time. It’s like outside of hanging out with my wife, nothing makes me happier.
randy flowers:
Wow, that’s excellent. Well,
Craig Garber:
Yeah.
randy flowers:
in the photo I saw of you, you had a blue, was that, is that a SIR?
Craig Garber:
That was,
randy flowers:
Sure. Um,
Craig Garber:
no, it was,
randy flowers:
I’m sorry.
Craig Garber:
it was at NAMM.
randy flowers:
Oh, okay. Okay.
Craig Garber:
My guitar, my old guitar teacher was playing a booth at NAMM and he had this guitar
randy flowers:
Okay.
Craig Garber:
and he goes, I said, he goes, Hey Craig, check it out. And I started playing it and he took a picture of it. So people say, Oh man, you played at NAMM? Like sort of, but not really.
randy flowers:
Okay, gotcha.
Craig Garber:
Yeah,
randy flowers:
Okay,
Craig Garber:
so I was
randy flowers:
that’s
Craig Garber:
just
randy flowers:
cool
Craig Garber:
at NAMM. But you know what? You know how many people tell me, God, you look so happy in that photo.
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
And I was, I was not because I was, I was just playing guitar. It felt great.
randy flowers:
Yeah,
Craig Garber:
I was
randy flowers:
that’s
Craig Garber:
so
randy flowers:
awesome.
Craig Garber:
happy.
randy flowers:
I love it.
Craig Garber:
Yeah.
randy flowers:
Uh,
Craig Garber:
I was so happy.
randy flowers:
I wish I need to get that back. Yeah. But, uh, because I was thinking of the other day, how guitar has too many damn choices, like,
Craig Garber:
Yeah, it’s a tough
randy flowers:
you
Craig Garber:
instrument.
randy flowers:
know, you have, you have either like a strat sound, like as far as the sound, you know,
Craig Garber:
Mm-hmm.
randy flowers:
everything’s going to be a strat sound of Les Paul sound, uh, tellies or then, then you have your pedal board. And then you have your amp and what kind of speakers you have in the head. It’s just an insane amount of choices involved.
Craig Garber:
Yeah. Which makes it different, especially at your level where, where you’re keenly aware of the subtleties of each, you know, you, you can understand in your head before you do it, okay, well, if I turn this, you know, fuzz pedal knob up from five to seven, you
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
are much more sensitive to that than I am.
randy flowers:
That’s, yeah, that’s true. Yeah, but.
Craig Garber:
And it makes it inf, you know, so you have more choices now. So it’s like click, you know,
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
the number of choices you have to make are tougher than me because I’m ignorant of the subtleties.
randy flowers:
Well, yeah, and maybe those choices are unnecessary now that I’m thinking about it. Because simplicity sometimes is the way to go.
Craig Garber:
Yeah, but when you’re playing a
randy flowers:
Just
Craig Garber:
session…
randy flowers:
a guitar. That’s true, like you kind of expected to be able to handle any kind of thing that gets asked for. And yeah,
Craig Garber:
Well, that’s how
randy flowers:
that’s
Craig Garber:
all these
randy flowers:
true.
Craig Garber:
guys come in with sessions. They’re coming in with like three or four guitars, couple
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
of pedal boards, because they don’t, you don’t know what’s called upon you and you don’t know what, excuse me, what you’re going to need to get the right sound. And you need
randy flowers:
Yeah,
Craig Garber:
to be
randy flowers:
like,
Craig Garber:
like fully armed.
randy flowers:
that’s true. It’s funny speaking of, well, the Beth Hart record that because this just happened. So it’s fresh, fresh in my mind. But I took, I think I took 10 guitars down there,
Craig Garber:
Oh
randy flowers:
and
Craig Garber:
my god, wow.
randy flowers:
three amps. And because just because I didn’t know
Craig Garber:
Wow.
randy flowers:
what exactly
Craig Garber:
You don’t know.
randy flowers:
what to expect, because when we get the we get the demos, but it’s just a piano vocal. And so I
Craig Garber:
And
randy flowers:
ended
Craig Garber:
that doesn’t
randy flowers:
up
Craig Garber:
tell you anything about what
randy flowers:
production
Craig Garber:
the real
randy flowers:
of the
Craig Garber:
vibe
randy flowers:
song.
Craig Garber:
is going to be. Right.
randy flowers:
Exactly like you could go anywhere. But I ended up using this Jerry Jones Longhorn bass. It’s like a six string. It’s, it’s kind of a what’s a six string guitar, but it’s a an octave down.
Craig Garber:
So it’s like
randy flowers:
And
Craig Garber:
a
randy flowers:
it’s
Craig Garber:
baritone
randy flowers:
like,
Craig Garber:
guitar?
randy flowers:
it’s like a baritone guitar, but it’s a full
Craig Garber:
Okay.
randy flowers:
octave. And I ended up using that on just about every song. And it’s like this,
Craig Garber:
Wow.
randy flowers:
cause when it’s run through distortion and it’s just this crazy sound that I’ve never heard before. And it just, it just
Craig Garber:
That
randy flowers:
worked.
Craig Garber:
was probably
randy flowers:
Like
Craig Garber:
a surprise that you wound up using that guitar so much.
randy flowers:
it was, cause I, I used it on one song, just I, I’m going to bring this just for the hell of it and Kevin said, Oh, that sounds cool. And then the next song is like, Hey, bring out that, uh, that thing again. And then the next one, like, so it just kind of, it’s just, uh, it’s we, yeah. a baritone longhorn bass run through all kinds of shit and it sounds pretty cool.
Craig Garber:
That’s awesome, man.
randy flowers:
I don’t know how I ended up there, but I guess we’re talking about the amount of instruments and choices that you have to make with guitar and these damn and singers show up with just their themselves.
Craig Garber:
Yeah.
randy flowers:
And I was, I was missing that too.
Craig Garber:
Not fair.
randy flowers:
So something I was on the other day and I’m like, yeah, Paul just spent like What he has here is probably costing like 50 grand and, and you walked in and you have a cup of tea and some hot water. That’s all you had to spend. Like that was your investment.
Craig Garber:
Oh
randy flowers:
No,
Craig Garber:
man, yeah, that’s very
randy flowers:
I’m kidding.
Craig Garber:
true.
randy flowers:
Of course. But I’m cause I’m jealous that, uh, you
Craig Garber:
Ha ha!
randy flowers:
know,
Craig Garber:
No, it’s tough to, you know, I’ve had so many session guys on the show as you know, but
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
I think that’s a tough, I mean, that’s a tough gig. You gotta like have a Swiss army knife of everything.
randy flowers:
Absolutely. And I, I’m certainly not, you know, the A-list session guy in Nashville at all, because I spent most of my time on the road. But so yeah, there’s guys that do it every day. That’s a whole different thing. Yeah, they have to
Craig Garber:
Yeah.
randy flowers:
kind of have everything available at any time. But then again, with the Nashville stuff, it’s not going to be that diverse, right? Like, it’s not going to be that crazy. It’s
Craig Garber:
No,
randy flowers:
still going to It’s
Craig Garber:
but
randy flowers:
still
Craig Garber:
you still
randy flowers:
gonna sound
Craig Garber:
got
randy flowers:
like…
Craig Garber:
to invent something.
randy flowers:
That’s true, that’s true.
Craig Garber:
You still got to invent something. You know,
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
you know, uh, I had two guys, I’ve had a lot of session plays, you know, uh, Rob McNally, he’s an excellent
randy flowers:
I do.
Craig Garber:
player.
randy flowers:
Yeah. Uh, actually, uh, yeah. Uh, I met him fairly recently actually,
Craig Garber:
He’s a
randy flowers:
but
Craig Garber:
hell
randy flowers:
he,
Craig Garber:
of a player.
randy flowers:
yeah, he’s, he’s great. He does a lot of work with Kevin Shirley as well. Um,
Craig Garber:
Oh, does he?
randy flowers:
yeah, I think,
Craig Garber:
Okay.
randy flowers:
uh, I think he’s. Yeah. Uh, the last record Kevin did in town, uh, he used Rob. Um, but yeah, I’ve never gotten to play with him, but I hear nothing but great things.
Craig Garber:
Oh, great player.
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
And then Jeff King, do you know Jeff?
randy flowers:
I do, but it’s been a long time since I’ve
Craig Garber:
Yeah.
randy flowers:
seen
Craig Garber:
He’s
randy flowers:
him, yeah.
Craig Garber:
another super talented guy. He does a lot of touring, but not a lot of tours with Reba and with Brooks and done.
randy flowers:
Oh, okay.
Craig Garber:
Yeah.
randy flowers:
That’s
Craig Garber:
But
randy flowers:
cool.
Craig Garber:
he does, he’s, when he’s not there, he’s in the studio all the time.
randy flowers:
I see. I see. Yeah. But I’m certainly not, you know, one of those everyday master session guys.
Craig Garber:
Sure. There’s
randy flowers:
Yet.
Craig Garber:
not many of them, man.
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
There’s not many of them
randy flowers:
But
Craig Garber:
yet. That’s right.
randy flowers:
yet that’s right. But anyway, but I do I do a lot of stuff from my home studio here, you know, tracks
Craig Garber:
Tracks,
randy flowers:
and stuff. So if anybody
Craig Garber:
laying down
randy flowers:
ever
Craig Garber:
tracks
randy flowers:
needs
Craig Garber:
people.
randy flowers:
any tracks, yeah, hit me up on my website or Instagram or whatever. Yeah.
Craig Garber:
I’ll tell people where to get hold of you too
randy flowers:
Okay, cool.
Craig Garber:
in a few minutes. Um, let me add, and hey man, thank you for sharing all this stuff about you’re getting sober
randy flowers:
Oh,
Craig Garber:
and
randy flowers:
well,
Craig Garber:
I wish
randy flowers:
yeah.
Craig Garber:
you nothing but the best of luck with that.
randy flowers:
Hopefully, you know, hopefully it wasn’t too heavy and. But no, I’m happy to talk about it because it’s one of my greatest accomplishments. You know,
Craig Garber:
Yeah, sure.
randy flowers:
I can’t I can’t
Craig Garber:
And
randy flowers:
say
Craig Garber:
if
randy flowers:
the word accomplishment, but
Craig Garber:
Now you’re
randy flowers:
anyway,
Craig Garber:
good.
randy flowers:
yeah.
Craig Garber:
It’s pleasure
randy flowers:
So,
Craig Garber:
paints
randy flowers:
you know, I
Craig Garber:
of
randy flowers:
I’m
Craig Garber:
service
randy flowers:
very proud
Craig Garber:
to
randy flowers:
of it.
Craig Garber:
others, man.
randy flowers:
Well, I’m sorry I missed that. Sorry.
Craig Garber:
You’re being of service to others by
randy flowers:
Well,
Craig Garber:
sharing
randy flowers:
yes,
Craig Garber:
that.
randy flowers:
I hope so. I hope
Craig Garber:
Yeah,
randy flowers:
so.
Craig Garber:
oh,
randy flowers:
Yeah. If
Craig Garber:
definitely.
randy flowers:
if it helps anybody to. to hear something about it, then that’s great.
Craig Garber:
It does. I get emails and stuff all the time on social media that, Hey, I heard this guy, thank you for doing that. I just got sober or I’m just, I was struggling
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
and I listened to that and I heard it at the right time. So yeah, it does help. It will be
randy flowers:
Well,
Craig Garber:
helping
randy flowers:
that’s
Craig Garber:
somebody.
randy flowers:
actually no, yeah. Thanks for letting me
Craig Garber:
Oh, for sure, man.
randy flowers:
ramble about it. Yeah.
Craig Garber:
Now you’re rambling. I appreciate it.
randy flowers:
Thanks, man.
Craig Garber:
Let’s go let’s since we start talking about gear, what’s your go to guitar right now? And what other two guitars round out your top, top three?
randy flowers:
Uh, I’m pretty boring when it comes to that guy. I gravitate towards track guitars, stress dial. So, so I ended up having, um, my main one is, uh, it’s just an American deluxe vendor strat it’s got a humbucker. It’s a Jeff Beck model humbucker in the, in the bridge. Cause I, I just
Craig Garber:
Is
randy flowers:
like
Craig Garber:
that the
randy flowers:
to
Craig Garber:
beige
randy flowers:
have,
Craig Garber:
one in that photo you sent me?
randy flowers:
um, the beige
Craig Garber:
I think that was
randy flowers:
one.
Craig Garber:
single coil. It was like a, a rosewood neck and it was like a turk, a turtle, uh, was it a turtle shell?
randy flowers:
Oh, yes, I don’t I don’t have it in this room. But yes, it would have
Craig Garber:
Yeah,
randy flowers:
been that photo. Yeah, it’s kind
Craig Garber:
that
randy flowers:
of
Craig Garber:
was a cool looking guitar.
randy flowers:
wide. Yeah, it’s a really it’s just a great workers guitar. I love it. That in I don’t have it out here either. But my have an SG that I kind of end up recording with most of the time.
Craig Garber:
Tell me about that.
randy flowers:
It’s just a straight up SG. I bought it from another West Virginia guy named Brian Nutter. Who was in Keith Urban’s band. There’s Keith Urban again. It
Craig Garber:
There
randy flowers:
just
Craig Garber:
you go.
randy flowers:
keeps, keeps coming up. Um, and he had, uh, I don’t know if he had it wired this way or he bought it this way, but it’s, you can roll out the humbucker pickup. Like you can kind of either make it totally a single coil or roll in some humbucker. So it’s, you
Craig Garber:
I’ve
randy flowers:
can
Craig Garber:
never
randy flowers:
get a
Craig Garber:
seen
randy flowers:
real
Craig Garber:
a roll in switch, I’ve seen like a push pull
randy flowers:
Yeah, same here.
Craig Garber:
that
randy flowers:
I’d never
Craig Garber:
switches
randy flowers:
seen
Craig Garber:
it
randy flowers:
that.
Craig Garber:
to a single coil but that’s
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
really,
randy flowers:
It’s pretty interesting. Like
Craig Garber:
that’s
randy flowers:
you say,
Craig Garber:
a
randy flowers:
you
Craig Garber:
cool
randy flowers:
can go
Craig Garber:
mod.
randy flowers:
like, it’s really cool. I need, I need to ask him where he did that. Cause it’s very cool.
Craig Garber:
Yeah,
randy flowers:
So you get
Craig Garber:
I was
randy flowers:
some
Craig Garber:
just
randy flowers:
crazy
Craig Garber:
thinking about
randy flowers:
combinations.
Craig Garber:
who did that.
randy flowers:
Yeah. So that’s why I ended up, I use that all the time. Cause it’s such a, for an SG is just crazy versatile. Um, so that, and, um, then I bought this. a PRS strat this year PRS started making these the silver sky.
Craig Garber:
Oh, the yeah, the John Mayer.
randy flowers:
Yes,
Craig Garber:
Yeah.
randy flowers:
yes, there was I get made fun of about the that I have
Craig Garber:
Did John
randy flowers:
a john
Craig Garber:
Mayer think?
randy flowers:
mayer. Yeah, but it’s a really great guitar. And it’s kind of been my favorite one this year.
Craig Garber:
What so does that sound like a regular do the pickups on there sound like a regular strat?
randy flowers:
It does, and oddly enough, that’s I, I can’t use that. Like say a bridge pickup on a strat. I can’t use it. It’s just too, too thin. I’ll always have to change the bridge pickup out. And yes, this one was just a straight up single coil situation. And it’s very real stratty. Like if that’s what you’re looking for.
Craig Garber:
Yeah, that’s what I was asking.
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
So what do you change? What pickups do you put in? What do you like?
randy flowers:
In this case, I just put in a Seymour Duncan little 59, like it’s a humbucker
Craig Garber:
My
randy flowers:
in
Craig Garber:
15th?
randy flowers:
the size of a
Craig Garber:
Yeah, I know, yeah.
randy flowers:
single. Um, I just slapped it in there to see what happened and I, and I like it. So, um, yeah,
Craig Garber:
Do you do
randy flowers:
because
Craig Garber:
that work
randy flowers:
it’s
Craig Garber:
yourself? Like, do
randy flowers:
no,
Craig Garber:
you do the, okay.
randy flowers:
I’m, I’m worthless when it comes to that kind of thing.
Craig Garber:
It’s, it’s, it’s a spec. I mean, it’s another, it’s another business, man. It’s not,
randy flowers:
Oh yeah, like…
Craig Garber:
you can’t casually just repair pickups, man. I’m sorry.
randy flowers:
Exactly. I think I tried it and I just it’s just over my head. I’d rather leave that to the pros.
Craig Garber:
Yeah,
randy flowers:
And
Craig Garber:
you have to like
randy flowers:
yeah.
Craig Garber:
that stuff. It’s really meticulous work. And unless you’re
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
enjoying that, I don’t think that would be something
randy flowers:
Yeah, but I hear that it’s very easy to do. I’ve just never taken the time to do it.
Craig Garber:
Yeah, I hear the same thing. I wouldn’t even think about it. I
randy flowers:
Yeah,
Craig Garber:
just have no interest. I don’t
randy flowers:
right.
Craig Garber:
even like changing my strings. I do that, but I mean, I don’t like it, you
randy flowers:
No, it’s no fun. No.
Craig Garber:
know? No, there’s nothing.
randy flowers:
Especially when like, uh, I had the same guitar tech for the, uh, for, I guess, I guess it was 14 years or whatever. And, uh,
Craig Garber:
Oh my God, with meat.
randy flowers:
he, with me, yes, I never had to change. I never
Craig Garber:
Oh my God,
randy flowers:
touch
Craig Garber:
you have
randy flowers:
anything.
Craig Garber:
to change strings.
randy flowers:
I was so spoiled. Not enough to change my own strings, like an animal. I have
Craig Garber:
hahahaha
randy flowers:
to, I have to like, I have to, I have to carry my guitars into a, wherever I’m playing. It’s ridiculous.
Craig Garber:
That is nuts,
randy flowers:
I.
Craig Garber:
man. That’s crazy.
randy flowers:
I don’t get it.
Craig Garber:
That’s
randy flowers:
But,
Craig Garber:
nuts.
randy flowers:
but yeah, the string changing thing. I used to change string or Charlie, my tech, we used to change strings every two shows, I think.
Craig Garber:
Wow.
randy flowers:
And now, and now I get as long as I can out of, I’ll
Craig Garber:
Hell
randy flowers:
leave
Craig Garber:
yeah,
randy flowers:
him on there for, yeah.
Craig Garber:
it’s like an hour of wasted time.
randy flowers:
Exactly.
Craig Garber:
It’s
randy flowers:
And
Craig Garber:
like, yeah.
randy flowers:
they’re making like D’Addario makes some great strings these days where they’d last a long time. So
Craig Garber:
I used, what do you call it? Uh, now I’m having a brain fart.
randy flowers:
Ernie Ball?
Craig Garber:
Yes. Thank you.
randy flowers:
Okay, I just totally guessed. Okay.
Craig Garber:
The slinkies man. And I
randy flowers:
Oh
Craig Garber:
love
randy flowers:
yeah.
Craig Garber:
them and they last along. I mean, they’re fine.
randy flowers:
Those are great.
Craig Garber:
What are you playing out of amps? Like I see a fender back there. What do you
randy flowers:
Oh
Craig Garber:
primarily
randy flowers:
yeah,
Craig Garber:
use?
randy flowers:
that’s not really, that’s another one, but it’s a backup. But I mainly use a, a fender basement. It’s a 60, 1967 basement into, uh, it usually a matchless cabinet, uh,
Craig Garber:
Okay.
randy flowers:
a little two chose match, matchless cabinet, but I also have some fender cabs. I ended up selling a bunch of amps recently. All the stuff that I toured with, I just didn’t use anymore. I had a bunch of Marshall heads and what else? Just sold all kinds of things. But I’ve come down to just a 60s Fender Baseman. It’s the most simple amp in the world. It’s literally just, there’s volume, bass, treble. I think
Craig Garber:
That’s it.
randy flowers:
that’s it. And it’s just a platform, just a clean platform for all my pedals. It takes pedals better than any amp that I’ve ever had before. And it’s the best sounding amp I’ve ever had. It’s what it’s, which is crazy. It’s
Craig Garber:
Yeah.
randy flowers:
just a, it’s so yeah,
Craig Garber:
Well, let
randy flowers:
I have
Craig Garber:
me ask you
randy flowers:
a few
Craig Garber:
this.
randy flowers:
of those.
Craig Garber:
I saw one yesterday. I had to drop my, the, the PV Delta
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
blues to the repair guy.
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
He had a fender basement there. It was like
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
a tweed looking amp. I think it was a combo look like a two
randy flowers:
Okay.
Craig Garber:
- Have you ever heard that? Or is that doing anything about that?
randy flowers:
Yeah,
Craig Garber:
It was rather,
randy flowers:
that,
Craig Garber:
it was a newer amp.
randy flowers:
okay, that was probably the reissue. And
Craig Garber:
of the
randy flowers:
would
Craig Garber:
solid
randy flowers:
it have,
Craig Garber:
state.
randy flowers:
no, I think they’re, they’re two, I believe, and I think they have like four, four 10s in them, is that correct?
Craig Garber:
Okay, it could have been I could have been
randy flowers:
But I like those a lot too. The combo, the new,
Craig Garber:
Okay.
randy flowers:
if it’s, if it’s what I’m thinking of, those are really good. If you like, do you like to get dirt from your amp or do you want it? Do you do that through pedals?
Craig Garber:
No,
randy flowers:
So.
Craig Garber:
I like to have a master and a
randy flowers:
Okay.
Craig Garber:
volume and get something that can get really dirty.
randy flowers:
Okay, gotcha.
Craig Garber:
And ideally at two channels even if they’re.
randy flowers:
Okay, yeah, that’s, that’s the way to go. Of course, then you have to use an effects loop and all that if you use delays or what it reverbs. I kind of stopped doing that just out of just I like simplicity.
Craig Garber:
Well, see, I don’t use an effects because I don’t even know. I wouldn’t even know what to do with that. I just plug the pedals in. I don’t use pedals very often. I do have a delay, but
randy flowers:
Okay.
Craig Garber:
I don’t know. Maybe I’m, I mean, I’m probably doing it all wrong. So.
randy flowers:
Not really, no, there’s no, there’s no wrong. I think if, if there’s amps distorted and you put delay in front of it, the delay sounds a little wacky sometimes,
Craig Garber:
Oh, okay.
randy flowers:
but,
Craig Garber:
That’s who you’re saying. Yeah. But
randy flowers:
but
Craig Garber:
I usually
randy flowers:
some people,
Craig Garber:
don’t use delay with distortion.
randy flowers:
okay, there you go.
Craig Garber:
Like I practiced some Pink Floyd songs with the delay.
randy flowers:
Okay.
Craig Garber:
And there’s no distortion, that’s a clean sound.
randy flowers:
Oh, okay. Then
Craig Garber:
That with my,
randy flowers:
you’re golden.
Craig Garber:
my phase 90, sorry.
randy flowers:
Okay, oh, yeah, gotcha. Speaking of phase 90, I think, even Halen would put delay pedals in front of his dirty amp. And that’s kind of that’s part
Craig Garber:
Oh,
randy flowers:
of
Craig Garber:
interesting.
randy flowers:
his sound. Yeah.
Craig Garber:
Yeah.
randy flowers:
So,
Craig Garber:
Me
randy flowers:
so
Craig Garber:
and
randy flowers:
anyway,
Craig Garber:
Eddie.
randy flowers:
that’s right. You. Well, have I have I kind of talked your ear off?
Craig Garber:
No, no, I have a few more questions. Tell me your worst
randy flowers:
Oh,
Craig Garber:
gig ever.
randy flowers:
oh gosh. Um, worst gig ever. I, I saw this question and I, I couldn’t think of anything specific, but I’ve just had, I’ve had a worst period ever of, uh, of, of gigs. Uh, I don’t want to say who the artist was because it, but, uh,
Craig Garber:
No, tell me off the air, that’s fine. Because I’ll
randy flowers:
okay.
Craig Garber:
be curious to know, but.
randy flowers:
Okay. Just. Um, it was something fairly recent actually. Um,
Craig Garber:
Oh,
randy flowers:
a
Craig Garber:
I think
randy flowers:
Nashville,
Craig Garber:
you told me.
randy flowers:
okay. I might’ve told you that,
Craig Garber:
Yeah,
randy flowers:
yeah.
Craig Garber:
yeah.
randy flowers:
Nashville base act and, uh, just county fairs and port-a-potties and dirt and mud. That’s the way I describe it. Like, uh, just a bunch of port-a-potties and mud. And that’s,
Craig Garber:
Yeah.
randy flowers:
uh, you know, like a summer of that. And, uh, that just. That was the soul crushing
Craig Garber:
Yeah,
randy flowers:
thing. Yeah.
Craig Garber:
I can see you not enjoying that. Especially,
randy flowers:
Not
Craig Garber:
yeah,
randy flowers:
at all.
Craig Garber:
you have, you know, it’s a, like I said, it’s a blessing and a curse to have that frame of reference.
randy flowers:
Exactly. Yeah.
Craig Garber:
Yeah.
randy flowers:
It’s, uh, I, the last thing I did, I was working with some really young guys, not really young, you know, late twenties or something. And they were just loving it. They’re like, they’re like, this is awesome. Cause they, they’ve never seen anything
Craig Garber:
They
randy flowers:
else.
Craig Garber:
don’t have a frame of reference.
randy flowers:
Exactly.
Craig Garber:
Yeah.
randy flowers:
Yeah. And, uh, not to sound like I’m, I’m not, well, it sounds like I’m a jaded old dude, but it’s not that,
Craig Garber:
I get it.
randy flowers:
but
Craig Garber:
I get it.
randy flowers:
yeah.
Craig Garber:
You know, look, you’ve been flying private jets for 20 years.
randy flowers:
Yeah, I know.
Craig Garber:
And then like you’re in the state fair, it’s an adjustment, man.
randy flowers:
It can be, yeah. Yeah. So, but I’m kind of staying away from that kind of thing now. I’m saying no to those types of things.
Craig Garber:
Good,
randy flowers:
So,
Craig Garber:
good.
randy flowers:
yeah.
Craig Garber:
Dude, tell me you’re at,
randy flowers:
Okay,
Craig Garber:
I’m sorry,
randy flowers:
sorry.
Craig Garber:
you’re gonna, was there something else?
randy flowers:
Oh, no, I was just opening a cough drop.
Craig Garber:
Tell me your top three desert island discs
randy flowers:
That’s a really tough one because it, it probably, it changes all the time, right?
Craig Garber:
Just
randy flowers:
Like
Craig Garber:
for right. Yeah,
randy flowers:
day
Craig Garber:
just
randy flowers:
to
Craig Garber:
for
randy flowers:
day,
Craig Garber:
now.
randy flowers:
like the
Craig Garber:
Just
randy flowers:
top
Craig Garber:
for
randy flowers:
things
Craig Garber:
now.
randy flowers:
that I can think of artists wise, um, it would have to be probably Elvis Costello, uh, mighty, mighty like a Rose. I love that record. And this is just something that I’ve been listening to recently. Probably Fiona Apple, when the pond and then Jeff Buckley, grace.
Craig Garber:
That’s
randy flowers:
These
Craig Garber:
a good,
randy flowers:
are.
Craig Garber:
both of those, all those are good, right?
randy flowers:
Yeah, just great songs. No flashy guitars in any
Craig Garber:
No,
randy flowers:
of those.
Craig Garber:
Grace is a pretty moving record.
randy flowers:
That’s just, yeah, it’s fantastic. That guy’s, uh, yeah, he was incredible.
Craig Garber:
All right, man, a couple more questions.
randy flowers:
Okay.
Craig Garber:
Uh, this is interesting. Has your life been different than what you’d imagine?
randy flowers:
Hmm That’s a good question. And in some ways, yes, and in some ways, no. If you would’ve like, when I was a kid, if you would’ve told me, you’re going to get to be on stage with Sammy Hagar playing free bird. Uh, one of these
Craig Garber:
Haha
randy flowers:
days. And I, and I did that a few years back. Like I was, he showed up to some, uh, meatloaf show and I
Craig Garber:
He’s
randy flowers:
was like,
Craig Garber:
everywhere.
randy flowers:
I’m once.
Craig Garber:
That guy’s ubiquitous,
randy flowers:
I
Craig Garber:
man.
randy flowers:
know. Yeah.
Craig Garber:
He’s like shows up everywhere that dude.
randy flowers:
He’s a, he’s a,
Craig Garber:
He really does.
randy flowers:
he’s a social dude. Um,
Craig Garber:
Him and Dave Grohl.
randy flowers:
yeah. Dave girl’s everywhere.
Craig Garber:
Yeah,
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
he is.
randy flowers:
They’re, would you say they’re the most popular rock band
Craig Garber:
The
randy flowers:
out
Craig Garber:
Foo
randy flowers:
there,
Craig Garber:
Fighters?
randy flowers:
right?
Craig Garber:
Yeah,
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
I don’t know enough about who’s popular. I don’t, you know,
randy flowers:
I dunno.
Craig Garber:
I don’t, yeah, I think they’re pretty, I mean, they’ve
randy flowers:
Amen.
Craig Garber:
gotta be one of the top ones. Also too, like there’s a lot of younger bands I just don’t know that are pretty popular.
randy flowers:
That’s true. Yeah, it just seemed like they’re the
Craig Garber:
But
randy flowers:
biggest selling
Craig Garber:
they’re always playing
randy flowers:
act.
Craig Garber:
big stadiums. Like
randy flowers:
Yeah,
Craig Garber:
they don’t,
randy flowers:
yeah.
Craig Garber:
they don’t, they’re not playing, you know, they’re not playing a shed on the weekend. They’re,
randy flowers:
Exactly. Yeah.
Craig Garber:
they’re, they’re playing massive stadiums, massive
randy flowers:
And not
Craig Garber:
arenas.
randy flowers:
many rock bands get to do that anymore.
Craig Garber:
Yeah.
randy flowers:
Aside from
Craig Garber:
Not every
randy flowers:
Metallica
Craig Garber:
day, not
randy flowers:
or
Craig Garber:
for
randy flowers:
whatever.
Craig Garber:
every show.
randy flowers:
Exactly. Yeah. So what was the question? I’m sorry, totally.
Craig Garber:
How’s your life been different than what you’d
randy flowers:
Oh, has
Craig Garber:
imagined?
randy flowers:
it been different? Um, yes, I guess I guess yes. But not in a bad way. I mean, I guess I just wanted to be, there was a time when I wanted to be an artist. I wanted to be, to play my songs, sing my songs, and then I did the band thing where we, I wanted to be more of a creative person and not necessarily a sideman. And I kind of have made my living as a sideman, making other people rich. And,
Craig Garber:
Sure.
randy flowers:
and,
Craig Garber:
Man, I hear
randy flowers:
uh,
Craig Garber:
this a very common thing.
randy flowers:
yeah, and it’s, it’s just something like, it’s certainly not complaining, but, uh, cause when you get the offer to do something like that, or have an opportunity to do that, you take it, you like, you don’t want to turn that down. Like, um, or some people do and, uh, and, and pursue their own thing, I, I didn’t do that, but yeah, it’s different in that way. I kind of. I wish I would have gone a more creative route. I think I’m doing that now actually more so than ever, even though it’s just gonna be for me and the few people who might wanna hear it. But yeah, I guess it’s different in that way that I’ve been a sideman. Yeah,
Craig Garber:
Yeah, interesting.
randy flowers:
yeah, but that’s
Craig Garber:
And,
randy flowers:
okay.
Craig Garber:
uh, I, I’ve, I’ve heard that from a lot of guys, you know, like they wanted to be an artist and they realize if I want to eat, I can’t be an artist at the same, you
randy flowers:
Right.
Craig Garber:
know, at the same time, it’s just, you gotta make a choice.
randy flowers:
And it takes a certain personality to be a front man. You
Craig Garber:
Yes.
randy flowers:
know, and I don’t have that. You have
Craig Garber:
Yeah,
randy flowers:
to,
Craig Garber:
it’s tough. It
randy flowers:
yeah.
Craig Garber:
is. Yeah, I think a lot of things have to come together personality wise and environment wise for that to work. And I think
randy flowers:
Absolutely.
Craig Garber:
it’s a, you know,
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
uh, Two questions.
randy flowers:
Hmm.
Craig Garber:
The toughest decision you ever had to make.
randy flowers:
Oh. Hmm. That’s a really tough one. And I think the sad part is, it’s not sad, but I lived a life where I’m saying this is, you know, a past thing. I didn’t make decisions like, and when I did, I didn’t trust them. Uh, because
Craig Garber:
Yeah.
randy flowers:
I was like, was I drinking? Was I hungover? Uh, and so many decisions were made for me. as a musician, you know, it’s a touring thing like, oh, somebody says, be in the lobby at 3pm. And then at the show, you know, whatever, be ready for soundcheck at 330. And then I guess what I’m trying to get at is, I’m terrible at making huge decisions. And I can’t even think of the one I’m thinking about it’s too personal to even go into.
Craig Garber:
That’s fine.
randy flowers:
Even though
Craig Garber:
No
randy flowers:
I’ve
Craig Garber:
worries. You got
randy flowers:
laid
Craig Garber:
deep
randy flowers:
out,
Craig Garber:
enough.
randy flowers:
I’ve gone like, yeah, I’ve laid all kinds of stuff out there. I can’t believe I did that. But though, I’m kidding.
Craig Garber:
No, it was great, man.
randy flowers:
But, but yeah, yeah.
Craig Garber:
Last question.
randy flowers:
I guess, yeah,
Craig Garber:
Get
randy flowers:
last
Craig Garber:
you
randy flowers:
question.
Craig Garber:
a free you
randy flowers:
Okay,
Craig Garber:
from the pain
randy flowers:
all right. Actually, yeah, okay.
Craig Garber:
of that question. Biggest change in your personality over the last 10 years and how much of that change has been intentional and how much has just been a part of aging natural part of aging.
randy flowers:
Hmm. Well, I think of course that would the biggest change would come from the being sober and just kind of. saying yes to most things and I don’t know. That’s not part of the personality, but just
Craig Garber:
So that was intentional,
randy flowers:
I’m more willing.
Craig Garber:
just intentional changes you’ve made.
randy flowers:
Intentional changes. Yes.
Craig Garber:
Yeah.
randy flowers:
And, you know, I, I don’t want to miss anything anymore. And I, I kind of wake up as early as I can and try to get as much out of life as I possibly can. So
Craig Garber:
Awesome
randy flowers:
that’s
Craig Garber:
man.
randy flowers:
different, yeah. But I don’t want
Craig Garber:
Randy,
randy flowers:
that to personally, yeah.
Craig Garber:
I mean, I can’t thank you enough for, for your time and thanks for being so cool to hang with and for being so open and sharing stuff. Let me tell people, um, where to find you. First of all, um, Randy’s got a YouTube channel, so it’d be great if you could subscribe to that. It’s Randy flowers music. He’s website. You can find them online at randyflowersmusic.com. If you’re interested in working with Randy and on playing some tracks on your record. You can contact him either through the contact tab on his website, again, randiefflowersmusic.com, or you could hit him up on Instagram, which is same randiefflowersmusic or Facebook, which is randiefflowers. And if you’re interested in taking some zoom lessons from him, uh, again, same thing website or his Instagram and, uh, hook up with him. And if you wanted to play tracks, you know, send them some information, send them your songs, uh, give them some information, what you’re looking for out of him. And You know why you think he’d be a fit this way he can get back to you with some You know logical answer is if this make I mean if you’re looking for
randy flowers:
Right.
Craig Garber:
shred metal You know he can make that decision of you know, maybe not might not be the best person to serve you on that So
randy flowers:
Right.
Craig Garber:
just give him some tracks. Let him know what you’re doing what you’re looking for Uh, dude, is there anything else that you want to sell? Can I can I pimp you out anymore here, man?
randy flowers:
I think that’s it. No, I appreciate your time, Craig. I had a good time.
Craig Garber:
Thank you,
randy flowers:
It was
Craig Garber:
man.
randy flowers:
fun.
Craig Garber:
Thank you. Hang
randy flowers:
Yeah.
Craig Garber:
on one second and we’ll wrap up. And thank
randy flowers:
Okay.
Craig Garber:
you so much for everything, man. I really mean it.
randy flowers:
Thank you.
Craig Garber:
Everybody. Thanks so much for listening. If you enjoy this, share it on your social media channels. We appreciate your support. Thanks very much to Randy flowers for sharing his time with us and giving us a little piece of his life. And most important, man, remember that happiness is a choice. So choose wisely, be nice, go play your guitar and have fun till next time. Peace and love everybody. I am out.