Primer 55’s Joshua Toomey Talks Podcasting, Touring, & More

Joshua Toomey is Primer 55's bass player and host of the Talk Toomey Podcast. In the 10th year of his podcast, we discuss talking to our favorite rockers, putting the band back together, and hitting the road (The Machine Shop with Smile Empty Soul on Saturday, November 1st), and more.

He's done more than 500 episodes of his podcast, Talk Toomey. He's interviewed rockers from all over the spectrum. That podcast led to another one with fellow bassist, David Ellefson. He said he mentioned it to him, and he's now co-hosting that one too! "It's funny interviewing him over the years, and that's how the David Ellefson show came about, because I just, at the end of our interview, I'm like, dude, you need your own podcast. As he went on "You know, he's a great talker, he's a great storyteller." And that's how that podcast was born.

With the 25th anniversary of their first album, Introduction To Mayhem, they're once again hitting the tour trail, something Joshua didn't think would ever happen. "You know, obviously, with our singer (Jason "J-Sin" Luttrell) passing away and our guitar player (Bobby Burns) having some health issues, there for a little while. And so I was just like, I'll probably never play live again in a band situation like that because I'm in my mid-40s now. And I'm like, the thought of starting a band right now sounds crazy. But I've done some stuff, you know, like jam nights and things like that. I've gotten up and done those."

He went on, "And those do kind of, you know, scratch that itch to get on stage and play some songs and do some things here and there. But, yeah, just getting back on stage after all these years is wild."

They've got dates through the rest of the year.

He grew up a metal fan, never missing an episode of MTV's Headbangers Ball, which exposed him to bands, and eventually to interviewing them as well. "But, man, those Headbangers Balls were influential for me.
I mean, that's where I found out about Pantera. That's where I found out about a bunch of bands.
So, yeah, it's been cool to kind of be able to interview the heroes, you know, be it media, be it music, and whatnot.
So, it's been a fun time."

Sunday, they play the Event Venue in Cadillac, Michigan. I had to ask him if he's going to visit the KISS monument at the high school. "One of the reasons I play any instrument is because of Ace Frehley, rest in peace.
So yeah, I will be. When I just saw Ellefson a couple days ago, and we talked about that, I was like, How far is the Cadillac memorial from the venue? And he's like, dude, he's like five minutes. I was like, all right, I'm going!"

Watch the interview above; there's a lot we talked about, then go see Joshua and the band Saturday Night at The World-Famous Machine Shop in Flint, and Sunday at the Events Venue in Cadillac.