Days after his birthday, Sully Erna from Godsmack called in to discuss what the band has going on, along with his "I Stand Alone - The Sully Erna Story", which you can watch now. The interview you can listen to is below.
He told me how the documentary started, after writing manuscripts for his book "The Paths We Choose". He says his story is about perseverance. That's an understatement. "So many times I could've easily ended up dead or in jail." He told me how music really saved his life.
He said he was nervous watching it, but he thinks it came out good. I watched it in one setting. There was stuff in there that surprised me, and some stories that were, as he said, hard to believe. He's a guy who literally had to fight to achieve his success. "There really is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, it's just a mother f&#$#er getting there."
People may or may not know, Godsmack was a late-blooming band. Most rock bands get their start in their 20s. Godsmack started to break in their 30s. That's unheard of in our business. He said after years of trying to make it as a musician for so long, he put the band together to just scratch an itch.
He also talked about how drummer Shannon Larkin joined the band. He said they didn't even do auditions for drummers when he came aboard. Suly went on to explain how he joined the band and how the "drum battle" started. That's a highlight of any Godsmack show.
As far as what the band has going on this year, he said they probably won't be working on any new music, but touring with an intimate night of music and storytelling.
You can watch the documentary on Apple TV, Amazon Prime, and other streaming services.
i stand alone: the sully erna story
Here's the trailer for the doc. I watched it in one sitting. It's easy to get through and well worth it for any rock fan.
Sully erna - the paths we choose
Sully said the documentary came about after writing his book. You can order a copy of that below.
https://www.amazon.com/Paths-We-Choose-Memoir/dp/0910155984
the famous drum battle
The nightly drum battle between Sully and Shannon is something I never miss. It's killer! Watch it below if you've never seen it before.
godsmack - i stand alone
I Stand Alone is out now for streaming. Here's the song that inspired the title. A classic Godsmack track!
Talkin' Rock With Meltdown interview with sully erna
Check out the interview here. If you don't mind, feel free to subscribe and follow the podcast for future guests. Next week I'll be talking to a legendary rock guitarist.
