Beardo And Weirdo

Craig
  • 4.8 (17)
  • Comedy Interviews
  • Updated Weekly

Welcome to The Beardo And The Weirdo Podcast! The show starring comedian Craig Gass and the slightly lesser-known musician Chris Kael, from Five Finger Death Punch. This podcast is all about sharing funny, interesting, and poignant behind-the-scenes stories about the music industry and stand-up comedy - stories so crazy you might not even believe they're real! Listen as Chris and Craig candidly talk about their lives, struggles, and triumphs in two of the craziest businesses to ever exist.

  1. 19h ago

    Chuck Billy Fought Cancer Wrong...And It Worked | Beardo&Weirdo 90

    Chuck Billy interview reveals the Testament frontman's full story — from schoolyard bully and meth years to a cancer diagnosis at age 38 that split his life into two testaments. His new memoir Holding My Breath documents the native healing journey, the mysterious arrival of a healer named Charlie, and the stubborn defiance that carried him through 25 years cancer-free. The thrash metal legend details how getting expelled from high school killed a promising sports career and launched him into the Bay Area thrash scene alongside Metallica and Exodus. Chuck Billy explains how his childhood habit of literally holding his breath until he blacked out became the through-line of his life — from bullying his way through youth sports to controlling every Testament set list. Rob Halford wrote the foreword to the book in two days, and Randy Blythe of Lamb of God penned the afterword. Chuck describes the night a healer appeared at his door unannounced, performed a ceremony with flutes and chanting, and told him the wind would be his spirit guide. Weeks later, his blood work came back cancer-free. A second healer at the Center of Geronimo required Chuck to walk through a pack of wild wolves just to reach the front porch. The grounding techniques and mental visualization he learned there replaced the Catholic faith he grew up with, transforming him into a self-described spiritual person rather than a religious one. Chris Kael of Five Finger Death Punch and comedian Craig Gass connect deeply with Chuck's transformation, drawing parallels to their own recoveries from addiction. The conversation covers turning down a songwriting session with Gene Simmons, growing up in Dublin California with baseball legend Randy Johnson, and how tragedy and cancer reshaped Testament's creative process for the better. The book Holding My Breath is available at chuckbillybook.com, on Amazon, and through Premier Collectibles with copies signed by both Chuck Billy and Randy Blythe.

  2. Oct 8

    Everyone Gets the Queensryche Breakup Story Wrong | Geoff Tate Explains - Beardo&Weirdo Ep. 89

    Geoff Tate, original lead singer of Queensryche, sits down with Chris Kael and Craig Gass on Beardo and Weirdo to share never-before-heard stories from four decades in progressive metal — from hearing "The Lady Wore Black" on the radio for the first time while building transistor radios to getting politely dismissed by David Gilmour of Pink Floyd at an Earls Court afterparty. The conversation covers Operation Mindcrime's final tour, the real story behind the Queensryche split, and what Gene Simmons actually said that changed everything. Tate reveals that Silent Lucidity, Queensryche's biggest hit with over 26,000 monthly YouTube searches, nearly got cut from the album entirely — saved only after orchestrator Michael Kamen delivered his arrangement and brought the entire studio to tears. He also recounts touring with Metallica on the And Justice for All tour for a full year, opening for Def Leppard in arena spectacles, and driving VW vans across Europe with Ronnie James Dio's blessing and only one roadie handling all the gear. The episode digs into how record labels pressured Queensryche to sound like Bonnie Tyler, tried to carve the ten-minute "Suite Sister Mary" into three radio singles, and why Tate never compromised his creative vision despite the machine pushing back. Chris DeGarmo's departure, the corporate dissolution of the band, and the infamous knife story rumors all get addressed directly. Tate now runs Backstage Pass Travel with his wife Susan, taking thirty fans per trip to villas in Italy, castles in Germany, and off-the-beaten-path locations across Europe where John Moyer from Disturbed co-writes songs with attendees. From making Tina Turner tea without recognizing her at Mayfair Studios in London, to Alice Cooper custom-fitting him a TaylorMade driver at a celebrity golf tournament, to listening to Dark Side of the Moon on a grassy hill while getting stoned with Ronnie James Dio at his final festival performances — Geoff Tate delivers the kind of first-person rock and roll history that only someone with forty years on the road can tell.

  3. Oct 1

    Bruce Kulick Faced Death: KISS Reunion and his Heart Surgery - Beardo&Weirdo Ep 87

    Bruce Kulick, lead guitarist of KISS from 1984 to 1996, sits down for his first major interview since surviving open heart surgery earlier this year. Diagnosed with a bicuspid aortic valve over a decade ago, Kulick details the full story of his valve replacement — from the initial diagnosis in Sherman Oaks to the four-hour procedure at Dignity St. Rose hospital in Henderson, Nevada — and explains why proactive cardiac monitoring saved his life before he became, in his own words, "a walking time bomb." The conversation covers Kulick's sternum recovery, his month sleeping in a recliner, the physical therapy that rebuilt his strength, and the emotional shift that followed. Kulick describes feeling more energy and clarity than before the surgery, crediting his wife Lisa and surgeon Dr. De Sheer for the outcome. He also shares the bizarre post-angiogram complication no doctor warned him about and the KISS fan profusionist who told him, "I kept you alive for 80 minutes." Beyond the health story, Kulick opens up about the KISS MTV Unplugged taping that catalyzed the original lineup reunion, why he called the KISS farewell show at Madison Square Garden "a missed opportunity," and his current relationship with Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley. He reveals that a new solo album is underway with collaborators Todd Kerns, Brent Fitz, Zach Thorne, and songwriter Joe McGinnis — including a song called "Without Her" written during recovery about Lisa's role in his survival. Chris Kael of Five Finger Death Punch and comedian Craig Gass host this episode of Beardo and Weirdo, recorded in Las Vegas. Kulick reflects on meeting Brian May in 1975, the Vinnie Vincent Nashville performance, and why the non-makeup era of KISS deserves more recognition from newer fans discovering the catalog on streaming platforms. Kulick closes with a message about proactive health for the rock and roll community — get physicals, listen to doctors, and follow recovery instructions to the letter.

  4. Sep 24

    Carrot Top REALLY Didn't Want To Present Our "Best Podcast" Award - Beardo and Weirdo Ep. 87

    Chris Kael of Five Finger Death Punch and comedian Craig Gass react to the Carrot Top Self Harm Story, share their own battles with addiction and depression, and accept their Best Podcast award from Vegas Rocks magazine — all on the same night. The episode moves from dark humor about their friend Scott Thompson to raw, unscripted confessions about what it feels like when nothing can reach a person spiraling toward rock bottom. Chris reveals two self harm attempts within 30 days during his time in Five Finger Death Punch, describing how waking up after a failed attempt became the moment of clarity that pushed him into recovery. Criag shares his own experience with cocaine-fueled depression, recognizing the chemical crash as a warning sign before it was too late. Both hosts stress that the people most likely to follow through are the ones who never tell anyone — and that letting friends know they are loved is the only preventive measure that matters. The conversation shifts from the heavy to the absurd when Criag recounts being Jedi-mind-tricked by Henry Rollins using the exact same technique Criag invented for dismissing drunk fans backstage. Billy Sheehan, Steve Vai, and Michael Anthony all appear at the Vegas Rocks award ceremony, where Sheehan — the man who once handed Kael the Revolver Golden Gods Best Bass Player award — greets him with a casual "nice to meet you." Kael turns the sting into a lesson about how celebrities protect themselves from awkward fan interactions. The final act covers Criag attending Iron Maiden in a stadium with Megadeth and Anthrax opening, leading to a side-by-side comparison of Janick Gers prancing onstage and Billy Squier's career-ending music video — same dance moves, wildly different outcomes. Kael then previews the Yell With Kael singalong segment that has taken over Five Finger Death Punch's live shows, crediting his standup comedy work with the confidence to step out front as a solo performer. Beardo and Weirdo won Best Podcast at the Vegas Rocks Awards after just 18 months, and this episode proves exactly why — no other show pivots from Carrot Top jokes to genuine mental health advocacy without missing a beat.

  5. Sep 17

    Quiet Riot's Kevin Dubrow CHOKED OUT a member of Guns n Roses, Alex Grossi Saw It - Beardo&Weirdo Ep. 86

    Quiet Riot guitarist Alex Grossi reveals never-told stories from inside the most chaotic tours in 80s metal history — including the night Kevin Dubrow physically choked out Guns N' Roses drummer Steven Adler on their shared tour bus. Chris Kael of Five Finger Death Punch and comedian Craig Gass sit down with the 23-year Quiet Riot veteran for a raw, uncensored conversation about addiction, dysfunction, and survival in the heavy metal touring circuit. Grossi details the 2004 Bad Boys of Metal tour where he served as house guitarist for Kevin Dubrow, Steven Adler, Janie Lane of Warrant, and Joe Leste of Bang Tango — all sharing one bus, all battling active addiction. The band burned through four buses in four weeks, and the tour crawled to its finish line at a biker bar in Yucaipa, California. Grossi also recounts how VH1's Celebrity Rehab production team deliberately supplied alcohol to Janie Lane and set up Steven Adler's on-camera arrest, staging moments designed to capture train wrecks rather than provide actual help. The episode covers Grossi's path from playing Connecticut bars at age 15 to getting accepted at Berklee College of Music, dropping out after realizing his instructors had never made it as working musicians, and learning the business side of touring directly from Kevin Dubrow and Frankie Banali. He shares firsthand accounts of Rudy Sarzo's legendary niceness, Kevin Dubrow's second-act humility, and how the 90s forced arena-level bands to reinvent themselves with rental cars and local backline. Grossi also discusses Jizzy Pearl's departure from Quiet Riot and the viral emergence of John Tora, a young vocalist whose Kevin Dubrow impression is so accurate that fans accused him of being AI-generated. Now five years sober after hitting his breaking point during the pandemic, Grossi reflects on watching addiction destroy Janie Lane, Steven Adler, and Mitch Hedberg while sharing hard-won perspective on what it takes to sustain a career — and a life — in rock and roll.

  6. Sep 10

    Josh Wolf Speaks about JELLY ROLL and Sticking His Finger in Weird Places - Beardo&Weirdo Ep. 85

    Josh Wolf sits down with Chris Kael of Five Finger Death Punch and comedian Craig Gass for a raw conversation about surviving 30 years in stand-up comedy, the 1990s Seattle open mic scene that produced Joey Diaz and Brody Stevens, and the George Carlin mentorship that changed everything. Fans of stand-up comedy history and behind-the-scenes comedian stories will hear details never shared publicly before. Wolf recounts the Pioneer Square hustle that funded his early career, the night Brody Stevens threw a punch at Craig Gass during a Tacoma open mic, and how a YouTube comedy special with 14 million views saved his career after ticket sales collapsed post-Chelsea Lately. The conversation shifts between laugh-out-loud stories — a mushroom-fueled belly button encounter at the Old Chella festival, James Inman riding a city bus with a bucket of piss — and genuinely emotional moments about single fatherhood, Brody Stevens's death, and why vulnerability on stage became Josh Wolf's signature. Craig Gass shares his own origin story of bombing so badly in Tucson that he walked off stage shaking, only to return three years later with a chip on his shoulder that caught George Carlin's attention. Wolf, Gass, and Kael also trade stories about Bill Burr obsessing over Steven Adler's drumming, Jelly Roll's legendary generosity toward fans, and how arena-sized crowds forced Five Finger Death Punch to slow down their songwriting. The episode covers the Seattle Comedy Underground, Joey Diaz's early gambling schemes, Cedric the Entertainer starting alongside Kathleen Madigan, and why Josh Wolf treats his Friday late shows as three-gram mushroom experiments. Three decades of friendship between Wolf and Gass surface in stories that range from a George Carlin New Year's Eve at Bally's Las Vegas to the moment Wolf told a room of six people "Thank you, Seattle!" and dropped the mic. The Jelly Roll divorce question gets saved for the Patreon, but not before Wolf reveals enough to confirm the friendship runs deeper than most fans realize.

  7. Sep 3

    Backstage at the Ramones 50th W/ Travolta, Billy Idol, Green Day & Blink 182 - Beardo&Weirdo Ep. 84

    Five Finger Death Punch bassist Chris Kael and comedian Craig Gass reconnect mid-tour on Beardo and Weirdo to break down the FFDP 20th anniversary tour, the viral Aidan Mullen interview about the Metallica bus crash that killed Cliff Burton, and behind-the-scenes footage from the Ramones 50th anniversary celebration at Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Kael reports the band is playing the strongest set of their career alongside Cody Jinks and Ava Under Fire. The conversation covers Ivan Moody stopping a show during a dangerous Cincinnati heatwave to hand out water, the origin of Kael's "Yell with Kael" crowd sing-along segment that started as a spontaneous moment on night one, and how he Rick Rolled an entire arena at PNC New Jersey with full production support. Kael burned 1,548 calories on stage during the Cincinnati show — nearly double his usual 900 — and came dangerously close to heat exhaustion backstage afterward. Craig shares first-person footage and stories from the Ramones 50th anniversary show featuring Travis Barker on drums, Tim Armstrong of Rancid on bass, Billy Joe Armstrong of Green Day, CJ Ramone, Billy Idol, and John Travolta. Backstage encounters included John Frusciante of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, John Five, Matt Pinfield, Priscilla Presley, and Bam Margera. Craig also recounts hanging out with Russell Peters at a Pittsburgh cigar lounge after a comedy show and tells an unforgettable story about accidentally telling John Frusciante an unflattering anecdote to his face. Kael opens up about the reality of touring — the brutal challenge of sleeping in bus bunks as a six-foot, broad-shouldered man, the Whoop recovery data showing 18% recovery on bus nights versus 82% in hotels, and how that sleep deprivation originally drove his heavy drinking. He also discusses his transition to cigar lounges as a sober social alternative and the new star coach bus setup for the next leg. The episode covers Kael's Jones Beach prank on Gass that backfired spectacularly, the Banana Man viral moment guest visiting a Canada show, and Punched Energy gummies as the podcast's first official sponsor.

  8. Aug 27

    METALLICA's Darkest Night: A Survivors Untold Story - Beardo&Weirdo Ep. 83

    Metallica's 1986 tour bus crash in Sweden killed Cliff Burton and trapped guitar tech Aidan Mullen beneath the wreckage. Mullen, who was pinned under the overturned bus with Burton lying across his arm, shares the full firsthand account of that night for one of the only times publicly — from waking up mid-crash to being unable to breathe under the debris to hearing production manager Bobby Schneider's voice pulling him free.Mullen traces his path from answering a classified ad for the Eric Martin Band in BAM Magazine to getting the call from Bobby Schneider offering him the James Hetfield guitar tech position on the Master of Puppets tour supporting Ozzy Osbourne. He arrived in Lexington, Kentucky having never heard a single Metallica song, only to find Hetfield in a cast from a skateboarding accident and Ozzy wandering the hotel lobby in a yellow dress at nine in the morning.The conversation covers the Metallica bass player auditions after Burton's death, including Mullen's account of picking up a scrawny Jason Newsted at San Francisco International Airport — and knowing immediately he would get the gig. Mullen details the lasting physical and psychological effects of the crash, from chronic back problems caused by decades of defensive sleeping postures on tour buses to panic responses triggered by turbulence and lane departures. The accident also prompted sweeping changes to European tour bus safety regulations, ending the era of plywood-over-window bunk construction and exhausted drivers working spotlight trusses before overnight drives.Hosted by Craig Gass and Chris Kael of Beardo and Weirdo, this episode captures a rare insider perspective from someone who lived through one of rock history's most devastating losses and continued working at the highest levels of the touring industry with Def Leppard, Phil Collins, Eddie Money, and Mesa Boogie.

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4.8
out of 5
17 Ratings

About

Welcome to The Beardo And The Weirdo Podcast! The show starring comedian Craig Gass and the slightly lesser-known musician Chris Kael, from Five Finger Death Punch. This podcast is all about sharing funny, interesting, and poignant behind-the-scenes stories about the music industry and stand-up comedy - stories so crazy you might not even believe they're real! Listen as Chris and Craig candidly talk about their lives, struggles, and triumphs in two of the craziest businesses to ever exist.

Information

  • Creator
    Craig
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    92
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Craig
  • Show Website
    Beardo And Weirdo

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