Belushi Speed Ball Fun at Milwaukee Metal Fest & New Album Toxic Waste Was Everywhere In The '80s

0:04 Hi, you have done to censure. Wow for you you. It is the pipe Man here on the Adventures pipe Man W four c Y Radio. I'm super excited right now because I did media coverage, as you guys know, at Milwaukee Metalfest, and one of the top sets of the whole festival was with this band, and oh my god, it was so much fun. Besides just being a badass thrash show, it was just the fucking most entertaining show ever.

0:46 So let's welcome to show Vinnie from Blushy Speedball. How are you hey, I'm doing good. Thank you so much for having me, and thank you for all the kind words that that means a lot. Oh my god, it was like I think nowadays, there's so many bands out there that you gotta do things differently to make it interesting and stand out fun and that was definitely you. I mean, the music's fucking great, so that's great, But to go to a live show, I want, you know, I want to be entertained too, you know, and that like, I don't care if you even liked the music, that was an entertaining show. If you didn't even like metal or punk or anything like that at all, you have still had fun at that set.

1:34 I think that you hit the nail on the head. I think that's what attributed to a lot of our success, is that we we do more than not that there's anything wrong with it, but we do more than just play music. There's a theatrical aspect to the bands, and those were always my favorite bands growing up. You know, like I'm a It's no secret I'm a big juggalo and I see pe puts on a really good show. If you don't like their music, still seeing them live, it's an experienced guar same way Alice Cooper, you know kiss, Like I always liked bands that went above and beyond, and. There's different ways to do it. We just choose to throw trash out at the crowd.

2:17 Yeah, well I love that too, Like, you know, fans dig when they have like souvenirs and well props and shit you threw out there, man, Like people were eating that shit up. Yeah. I've always said that, like our other member of the band is the crowd is the fans. So like, you know, it's fun when you get to be a part of the show and you're in it. Also, you know, everyone feels like they're in on the joke and it's fun with we actually had, oh god, we had way way more to throw out.

2:59 That was like it was like a quarter of what we had the rave and rightfully. So I get it, but there was a little bit of a miscommunication what we could bring because we played it two years ago and. We you know, we brought out, Oh god, I threw out like two hundred NERF guns. We brought out all these inflatables and all this stuff, and so I had all these things and not to say names, but. The year that we played in the main room, a bunch of people throughout they didn't throw it out. A bunch of the crowd grabbed trash cans and like dumped all the trash all over the place, like literal trash, like liquid trash. And then like I guess, someone got hit in the head with one and got really hurt had to go to the hospital.

3:47 The security was telling me this. So they went through all the stuff we had to throw out. Because I had two hundred rap gifts, like I had to say, a genesis in one of them. I had like all the things, and they didn't want the crowd to like potentially hold on to it. The entire day because we were playing so early. That was the other thing, And like, I don't know, get drunk and throw it out a band or something like that, which is understandable, you know, because as people are coming in, you know, they're searching everyone to make sure no one. No one has this stuff on them, you know that they're not bringing crazy items in. And here we are throwing out for all these. Crazy people do act stupid, so it you know, it does happen.

4:32 I mean I got that. I wasn't. I was stressed because I had to like figure something out. So we got there about ten am, got there early, and they kind of let us know this. We had, oh god, I had like a thousand rolls of toilet paper to throw out. And they're like, well, we'll have to charge you a competti charge, and. Really, well, no one, no one ever. And I said, well, I'll pay it, and then they were like, no, we just can't do it. And because again so early, they didn't want the ballroom destroyed. But the thing that no one ever believes me on is at the end of a blue she said, I give everyone trash bags.

5:12 And I always say, hey, real fans clean up. Real fans clean up all the trash. If everyone does, they'll be done seconds. We did it at the Gathering of the Juggalos, and they had it spotless because we threw out so much shit. I was. Goring that they obviously don't know you, because yes, you trash places, but then you're also meticulously cleaned them afterwards. So I think they were stressed. I think they were trying to go worst case scenario, and I got to respect them for that. They're making sure everything's right. It's a really big festival. You know, we're low man on this totem pole on that main stage. I mean, I get it. You know, you got suical tendencies and kill Switch Engage and you know the Cob and like all these like legendary metal band that still had to go on. And there's like fifteen minute changeovers, twenty minute changeovers, you know, so I understand it. I sent the boys out. Then we had some stuff animals.

6:11 I sent them out to two separate good wills, and I said, buy every single stuff animal you can, and if you could find one, find a Goodwill outlet, because good Will outlet's do all the bins. And it's like a dollar a pound for like home goods and stuff and that's stuff. He's stuff animals that counts for that. So I sent them to two separate good wiels. One found a goodwill outlet. I say, hey, fill a cart full of shirts also, so we had a bunch of soft. Things to throw out. But yeah, no, it was about a quarter of what we really had. We were really I had these. I had like twenty ginormous inflatables, and they didn't want that. And I again early in the set, they don't want something getting hurt, and they don't want this part. I kind of got too with the inflatables because like obviously Green Jellow Uh closed out the bar stage and they always have inflatables. But the difference is when we played two years ago same it was kind of the same time frame. We were closing out the bar stage, so it didn't really matter what we threw out because there was.

7:13 All the two bands left. You know, they're worried if we threw out a bunch of inflatables, Well then you have these giant inflatables that everyone's crowdsurfing on for the entire rest of the day. Yeah, I can see that the risk grows exponentially, So yeah, no, very respectfully, like I I understood, and I agreed with the decision. I just had to scramble I get enough stuff. So but yeah, it came out really really well, and God bless that whole place filled up. I was really uh, I was really surreal to look out there and just see a see of people, you know, right before you hit so. Right and that early in the day. And I love that you were going to throw out as I went.

7:58 I used. I I use a lot of the big festival Blushi shows. To like clean out my shed, to clean out my like declutter like a spring clean, so you know, whatever has just been sitting. Because like in a way with Blushi, that's the other thing our trash that we threw out, the trash bags, which we did do some of that. It's what I call clean trash. It's it's literally like paper and cardboard that I save if I get an Amazon package, like I put in that in you know, these garbage bags and I save them up. It tries my wife nuts because I do it in the house and then I throw them in my shed and I get you know, I love and then whenever we have a show, depending on the size of it, I'll grab like, Okay, I need fifteen trash bags and I'll grab them.

8:47 But that gives the illusion that you're actually throwing out trash. It makes a mess. But when you're indoors and you do recyclables and things that aren't gross, people can clean up really really fast, no doubt. Know. We uh, it's been a learning experience. We've been doing this for almost fourteen years now, and we really dialed it in. We used to do like indoors a lot of like La Croix and candy and gross stuff, and we still had the same rule that we won't leave unless it's clean. But I'd be at bars scraping the floor until five am, you know, And so that is right there, man. Yeah, yeah, So I got sick of that, and I'm like, well, the crowd doesn't want to clean it if it's really gross and wet and messy.

9:32 So you know, what can we How can we make this simpler? You know? Yeah? And it's funny you mentioned green Jello because I was going to say to you that would be like, to me, that'd be kind of ultimate tour. Yeah, you could have you green Jello and insane clown posse. Oh god, that'd be insane. Yeah, that would be a dream come true. So yeah, Bill actually reaches out to me, and I look at him like a father figure. He's he's one of my biggest inspirations. Man Speaker is with what he did with Green Jello. I had Serial Killer on VHS in uh, you know, in the nineties, and I think he's a genius. I think the way that he runs that band kind of like how Black Label Society did it.

10:22 I think, I mean he was doing it first, but to where he has like different chapters. Well, you know, Bill can jump on a plane and fly anywhere anywhere, and there's gonna be musicians there to be his band, you know, because he's. Got something like a thousand members. And then yeah, and he just he puts on a really good show. And again it's one of those things where he gets the crowd to be a part of the show. So oh I I I had a video of their pit and it was all it was all water, the water noodles. Yeah, and everybody's hitting each other with the water noodles. I was like, this is the most fun pit ever. And you know, I've been in lots of pits, but that was like a yeah, and then you're the same with yours too, like, so that's why I say it'd be the perfect combo because I just had so much fun at those two sets just because of the entertainment value alone. And of course I like the music and everything, but the entertainment alone, like it just that's the best therapy ever. Like, with all the shit going on in the world, that was the best therapy ever because you just escape all that shit and laugh your ass off.

11:34 Yeah, you get to be a kid again. That's that's a really big theme for us. Anyways, all the music is is nineties nostalgia from my childhood. And you know, I had a really really fun childhood. My father took us to the toy store all the time, and nice video games and teenage Mutant Ninja turtles and cartoons like and uh, what's funny is I always thought i'd outgrow like watching cartoons, But it's all pretty much. I love hearing that that. Like everybody talks about their shitty childhood stories. I love somebody when they're talking about how great it was, and like, yeah, it's funny you're mentioning cartoons. And I remember, I don't know what age I was. I think it was like eleven or twelve.

12:17 In my dad's like, Okay, enough with the cartoons. Already, you're not a kid anymore, right, Yeah. You're supposed to outgrow it. I think it's a society that's something that we lost sight of, Like there's nothing wrong with embracing your childhood and having fun with it and still having fun as an adult with it. And there's a place. I this comes up a lot in interviews. There is a place for very serious music because people need to feel that, they need to have those feelings being expressed. But there's also a place for bands like Us and Psychostick and Green Jellow that are there for you to basically have fun and to escape reality. And you know that's one.

13:03 Hundred percent, And you know it's funny you should say about being fun as an adult because they are already stupid rules. Like I'm fifty nine years old, and I would say, like, nine years ago, I was doing this, and I'm no different now, but I was doing this uh ice skating charity event, Okay, And I go with this other woman that like is part of my station, same age as me, and I'm lacing up my skates and she goes, you're gonna go skating. I'm like, uh yeah, it's an ice skating charity event. They invited me as the radio personality for the charity. I think I should be skating. And she goes, and you have your own skates?

13:46 Or are you a child? And I'm like, who said that at fifty years old that you can't ice skate? Like I ice skate, I rollerblade, I skateboard, I surf, I go to I game. I was just at like Universal Disney, you got your roles with I gotta be an adult and be stupid. Yeah, be an adult. Not have fun. Now that you're an adult, now's the time to have fun because you got the you actually got the money to go do the things and buy the stuff that you want. You know, and exactly, yeah, I not have fun, you know, likeial.

14:28 Especially an opportunity like that. I'm big on on uh. And if if there's an opportunity like like you said, to basically ice skate for free and just have. Fun for a day, like why not make an event out of it. It doesn't just have to be work. I mean exactly, if I'm getting my tires done and there's downtime I'm gonna go walk around wherever area I'm at and go explore and try to make a day out of it. You know. You know it's funny too, because I do me coverage at like festivals all over the US, you can Europe, and when I'm done with my interviews, I'm out there in the pit right like all my media friends are like tired leaving. I'm like, what the fuck? Why do this if you're not gonna go have fun too? Yeah? Yeah, exactly.

15:17 And you know it's funny you mentioned Psycho Stick because right before Milwaukee Melfess, I was doing Welcome to Rockville and I was interviewing them. You'll have to check out the interview. It was one of the funniest ever because we got a code read. You know, We're getting evacuated in the middle of the interview with deb What caused that. It's fucking Florida during hurricane So we got evacuated three days in a row. Like literally I lost twelve interviews due to weather. Like I had forty two total, but twelve of them. Nope. But the Psycho Stick why it was in the middle we were supposed to leave and they just in the middle of the interview, start freaking out, like on purpose, you know, yeah, And it was just this whole thing, and I'm yelling at the person running media that's telling us to get out, and like because I'm friendly with them, and like, what do you mean code read? Like and I already interviewed that band because there was a band read that I interviewed earlier, So I mean read, I already interviewed that band. This is psychostick.

16:26 Yeah it was shit. Like see, that's what it should be all about. And yes, you're right, the serious stuff has a place too, and that's great therapy too. To get your ship out, I think you need a balance of all of it, you know. I agree. There's a lot of music purists that that uh, that don't give us the time of day because they think we're mocking music. And I'm like, no, we're a serious band. Like we write everything. I just I'm not feeling the feelings that other people are to put that in the music. And I'm very big on being authentic and being honest, and there's sometimes I sprinkle some serious stuff in there. It's usually in the verses. There's some like I lost my father in twenty twelve that was actually a big man. Yeah, that was a big catalyst for me to actually start Blushi because I was in and out of bands all throughout my teens and it never failed. I'd join a band and like one person would decide like, hey, I don't want to do this anymore, and the whole thing, the whole project would fold up instead of being like, hey, let's find someone else. And so when I start Blushi, it was a studio solo project that just went in and wrote one song and you know, the majority of everything, and it just had this idea that you know what, no matter what, I'm going to keep it going and if someone steps away, hopefully it's amicable. It hasn't always been, but hopefully it's amicable, and we could just find someone someone else to fill that role and they understand that

17:58 that's the vision, that we keep this and going no matter what. And so, like we've had a rotating lineup for years because we're all adults, we all have lives and being in a touring metal band and getting out theres and for everyone. And I will say now I have one of the strongest lineups I've ever had. And yeah, yeah, it's been it's been really awesome, you know, the new album. All the albums in the past, I wrote all the guitars and pretty much majority of the music, and I'd have my buddy record guitar for me, but I was writing it. He would fix a lot of the parts. But I'm not the best guitar player you know, in the world, but I was good enough to write it well. This album, I think I only wrote three or four songs on it because the rest of my guys, Derek and Jamison, they all understood the vision and I could trust them to write this style of music.

18:53 They kind of got it like okay, and so kind of circling back to my point about being authentic. You know, if I'm a pretty optimistic guy and I look at every single day like it's a gift, and because that's what I'm feeling, it wouldn't be true to myself to write, I guess more serious, or to write feelings that I'm not feeling. You know. I think that the crowd would sense that, and it goes for goes for nostalgia content too. I've had I've had a lot of people tell me like, hey, you got to write a song about bay blades or about yu Gi. Oh. And the problem is is like that wasn't really a part of my childhood, and I kind of I was outgrown.

19:38 I was a little bit too old for Yugo and babloids when they start coming out, So I don't have the attachment I do, like I would. Like SpongeBob or Ninja, you know what I mean. So, like, again, it wouldn't be authentic. I can't really sit down and write a song about something that I don't feel passionate about, which is weird to say feel passionate about cartoons. But I mean that's the truth, you know. I can I could sit there. I could sit there and yeah, yeah it well exactly, I could sit there and uh, you know, write a song about the Terminator because it's like my favorite freaking movie, you know. So I think that's a really big key factor to what I don't know sets us apart.

20:22 There's a lot of important too in metal to be exactly the way you are, Like, yeah, if you want to be unauthentic, do pop, but metal, yeah, you know, it should be authentic. Punk should be authentic. Like and you're right, we can tell, like I can look up there and I can tell if somebody's being authentic or if they're just dialing in. And to me, this genre is not one that should ever be dialed in. I agree. Not to say band names, but like there's a lot of really really famous artists that you know, people only like their for four or five albums everything. Ever since they don't, they can't really get into it. Well, a big reason for that is, you know, when they were younger, they were struggling and they were hungry, and they're writing about things that are really going on in their lives.

21:15 But then all of a sudden, you know, now they're millionaires and they're crossing it in life. But it's hard to produce music with the same raw vibe to it. Yeah, and even if it's like really well put together, you listen to it and it feels like it's missing something. It's it's missing like that passion or. Maybe they this is weird, but sometimes bands get really really really good at their craft, like amazing to where it's like formulaic, and. Then all of a sudden it feels like it's almost produced by a computer. You know, so that no doubt and you lose that rawness too. And yeah, and to your point, Joan Vandals told me one time, like he knew I wouldn't ask this question, but everybody asks him, like when when are the Vandals coming out with new music? And it's like, who on somebody in their fifties writing a punk rock song, right right? And that's the reason, like, because you don't have that same attitude or usually as you did when you're a teenager writing that angry shit.

22:15 Right. I would say the exception to that rule speaking of punk is is probably fat Mic from No Effects. Oh he's authentic, yeah, but a. Big, a big part of that is because exactly right, Yeah, he's he's writing and writing about what he's feeling. And he's always had a very big satire and uh maybe sarcastic would be the word I'm looking for, kind of snarky, you know what I mean? Like this, Yeah, yeah, he does a really good job of taking shitty situations and making it funny. And that's that's why I think like he could put out a song and everyone would still listen to it and they'll still have that same feeling, you.

22:56 Know, yeah totally. Well, I'll tell you to your new album. Uh you know it hit home for me, just the name of it, Okay, Hell yeah, maxick waste was everywhere in the eighties, and I come from the eighties, like I was at all the first shows of a lot of you know, huge bands in thrash that were not huge then, right, And I feel like it's kind of weird that in twenty twenty six you could take a lot of eighties songs, change the names and still they would be relevant. One hundred sad too, man, It's sad that we can still write songs about the same bad shit that we had to write about in the eighties.

23:43 Yeah, yeah, nothing's really I don't know, A lot hasn't changed. It's just been hidden in different ways, and there's different terminology for it. Exactly exactly. And I gotta tell you too, you know, I want the listeners to hear from me directly the story about all Pete's x'es. Oh, and and why you are you know what he did for you and why you are so dedicated to raising money to help him and justice for him. Yeah. So, for those that don't know, Pete Lee was the one of the original flattest Maximus is for perguar, he was my flattest from the nineties, like when you're watching Beevis and butt Head.

24:34 And Jack the world comes on, that's Pete. And you know, I love the Beeves and Bay video game for Sega. I can speed run it, like I can beat it in about twelve minutes. It's a hard ass game too, but it's like, uh, it's my go to and when you when you beat it, you know, if you do the the easy ending, there's Pete right there. You see a little digital Pete playing playing guitar. So to me, he's someone I always idolized and looked up to. And uh, for those that don't know or haven't seen the Guard documentary, he got shot during an attempted carjacking in the nineties and almost died, and he had to have a colostomy bag, he had to have part of his colon removed and and through that, you know, he's had a lot of health issues and he's going through something where there was you know, I'm not one hundred percent here because I know he told us, but I think something happens with a surgery that they didn't do it correctly, and he you know, he's been really suffering a lot of pain and and you know, battling these these health issues, and he had a settlement for a pretty large sum of money, and the one person that's supposed to pay him out has been dragging. They have the power to basically drag their feet in court and kind of just ride it out and make Pete kind

26:06 of suffer with no money, and so he's struggling, so every little bit that we can give him. There was a GoFundMe. Last year around January or February to try and raise some money for him, and all the fans kind of donated, but I tried to look for opportunities to be able to donate some money to him. We first did this with when we toured with X Cops, which is peat Lee, and we had all these Blushi X Cops shirts that had like the tour dates on the back, and we had a bunch of extras, so I lowered the price on them to try and sell them, and basically any profit that we made off of him, I was just given straight to Pete and those are still available in the band camp and so on this tour with X Cops.

26:52 Pete is one of the most genuine, humble, nice human beings you're ever going to meet, and again he's got all this. Just like we all do. But he's got all this bage and he's going through it and he's still when we're in Dallas, said hey, I'm having everyone over. We're gonna have a big cookout. And so he invited us over to his house. And it was, I don't know, a few hours before the show. And we get over to this house and he's got like five or six women in this house and they're cooking and they're pouring us drinks and they're serving us and like it was the most surreal thing ever. So we're in this guy's house. We're in one of my hero's house and he's got you know, gold records on the walls, and he's sitting there basically just giving us all this hospitality.

27:33 And it was just a very surreal thing. And it and it shows that, you know, you have someone that's a quote unquote rock star who's been very successful in their music career, humble enough to basically entertain those that you know, maybe aren't at the same level that he achieved, you know, and that was probably the highlight of that tour. And it was such a surreal thing, you know, Like, so we I had this idea to write this song, and I messaged Pete was like, hey, man, can you have leads on it for us? You know, I'll pay you, And he was like, absolutely, you don't have to pay me. I still did. I send some some money and it came out amazing, and then of course, you know, we got the lyric video for it, so people can see what I'm talking about, and it's all just a reference to Pete basically hosting us and all his exes, all these women beating us.

28:28 And so then obviously you have it behind you. That design is on a T shirt and any shirt that we sell. I did one hundred of them. They're limited edition. I did one hundred of that design. If I saw all that, I'll make something else. But all profit from that's going to Pete to kind of just help him with whatever he needs the money for, if it's taking care of his health, paying his bills, trying to basically pay a lawyer to get his money, you know see. And I love that because it's not like you're Tawka Okay, where you you know, you can afford to just give away all the money on your merch okay. Don't like the way people make money as an artist nowadays is merch.

29:13 So the fact that you're giving it all way like that says everything about you. And that's why if they don't buy these shirts, they can't listen to my show. Fuck them, that's right, you know, like I mean listen. That's why you know, I think you are a great artist, because it's not all about musicianship. It's all about who you are as a human being. And like, hear the story. That's why I want you to tell a story because people don't realize a lot of musicians, big or what have you. They're just human beings. They're same as everybody else, and just treat them like that, you know. And and they're all good people. You know. It's it's fun, but it's your job, you know, it's you know, And so I love that to hear also other artists supporting other artists, because that doesn't always happen either, you know, sometimes there's that cattiness or whatever, like you know, but you are true great human being with great music and fucking one of the most epic live shows. And I've seen thousands of them, you know, and I just I remember I didn't catch a lot of sets because I was so busy at Milwaukee Metalfest, but I made sure to go your set because I knew it would be a blast. I made sure to go Green Jello. Yeah, like a chant. Green Jello sucks and hit people with water noodles. Yeah, and like see, that's what it's all about.

30:45 Like metal should be fun, and yes there's serious parts to it, but music is the best therapy. And having a fun environment like that, like it makes everybody escape their problems. So thanks, thank you for that, and thank you for helping everybody by giving great music and helping Pete just go out the goodness of your heart and remembering too that like he took care of you, like we all take care of each other. That's right, you know, And so for all that, thanks for being on the Adventures of Pipemin. Thank you man, I appreciate it, my pleasure. What's up? This has been from Blucy Speedball. You're listening to the Pipe Main on W four c WHAT Radio.

31:30 Thank you for listening to the Adventures of Pipemin. I'm w for CUI Radio.