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. 1d ago

    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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. Aug 20

    A Heavy Conversation With Papa Roach's Dave Buckner - Beardo&Weirdo Ep. 82

    Dave Buckner, original drummer of Papa Roach and the man behind the billion-stream hit "Last Resort," reveals how cocaine addiction nearly ended his life during the height of the band's success — and how reaching his 50th birthday and 10 years of sobriety became the milestone he never expected to celebrate. Beardo and Weirdo hosts Craig Gass and Chris Kael sit down with their longtime friend for a raw conversation about fame, self-destruction, and the recovery path that brought him back from the edge, Buckner details the exact trajectory of his addiction, from being known as "the sober guy" in Papa Roach's early days to trying his first line of cocaine on a crew bus in Europe in 2002, well after the band had already exploded worldwide. The conversation covers how drug use escalated from casual experimentation to daily consumption of multiple eight balls, how even his own drug dealer expressed concern for his well-being, and why the rock and roll lifestyle created an environment where nobody had incentive to intervene. The former Papa Roach drummer entered his first rehab in 2007 after calling bandmate Jacoby Shaddix for help, but alcohol continued to pull him back through years of relapses. Buckner describes the specific courtroom video of a drunk driver who killed his own two-year-old son — the moment that triggered what he calls his spiritual awakening and permanently removed the desire to drink. His last drink came on June 15, 2016, after checking into his third and final outpatient program. Buckner's story of surviving nu-metal fame and cocaine addiction while rebuilding relationships with his parents, his wife Stacey, and his son stands as a testament to long-term recovery work through 12-step programs and the people who refuse to give up on someone still struggling.

  6. Aug 13

    Rikki Rockett - Why Poison Needed a CONDOM MACHINE On Their Tour Bus - Beardo&Weirdo Ep 81

    Rikki Rockett reveals the behind-the-scenes survival tactics, personal betrayals, and wild road stories that shaped Poison's 40-year career — from flyering cars outside a Sammy Hagar show in a broken-down Chevette to headlining stadiums with Mötley Crüe and Def Leppard. Craig Gass Chris Kael and Dave Buckner sit down with Poison's founding drummer as he promotes his new memoir Ghost Notes: My Life in Poison, uncovering a side of the glam metal era that even longtime fans have never heard. The conversation covers Rockett's 27-year Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practice, his paranormal investigations with TAPS from Ghost Hunters, and the pivotal moment when Talk Dirty to Me broke on MTV after the band's grassroots flyering campaign on the Ratt tour. Rockett also details how Bret Michaels operated like a politician backstage, why the band kept a condom machine on their tour bus, and the night he met Lars Ulrich at the Rainbow after a magazine pitted Poison against Metallica on its cover. Rockett explains how Capitol Records shelved the Crack a Smile album when grunge took over, forcing him into a creative hiatus where he pursued comic books instead of music. He describes the physical toll of 1980s drumming — where producers demanded machine-like precision and banned ghost notes — and how his side project Rocket Mafia finally lets him play with the swing and dynamics he always wanted. Dave Buckner, original Papa Roach drummer, shares parallel stories of destroying his body from overpowering the kit during the Last Resort era. Ghost Notes: My Life in Poison chronicles Rockett's trajectory from dishwashing dropout in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania to arena-level rock stardom, with Corey Taylor contributing the foreword and Rocket Mafia touring through December 2026.

  7. Aug 6

    Five Finger Death Punch UPDATE & Funny Stories From The Road - Beardo&Weirdo Ep.80

    Chris Kael, bassist of Five Finger Death Punch, reveals that the band's upcoming Legacy album will have two singles out before the tour launches, confirms new songs will be added to the live setlist for the first time, and explains why he chose to stop dating entirely to focus on music, therapy, and channeling what he calls a "simmering rage" into songwriting. Craig Gass and Kael break down the emotional mechanics of being a working musician who still carries anger despite years of sobriety and professional success — a conversation that extends into Phil Labonté's viral comments about men and therapy, with Kael offering a pointed rebuttal from personal experience. The episode covers how Craig Gass built an unlikely network of touring industry professionals starting at age fourteen by sneaking back into concert venues after security clocked out, a hustle that has now come full circle with crew veterans reaching out to him for job referrals. Kael matches that story with his own — the tale of how he cold-messaged a stranger on a Spector bass owners group on Facebook to borrow a five-string bass for the Five Finger Death Punch "Under and Over It" music video, and how that same stranger is now his full-time bass tech on the current touring cycle. The conversation detours into Frank Bello of Anthrax discussing musical angst across generations, Robert and Chloe Trujillo watching their son play bass for Suicidal Tendencies from a private balcony in Melbourne, Sebastian Bach's move from Las Vegas to Los Angeles, and Chris Jericho's legendary method of staging fake candid photos with professional wrestlers as a teenager in Winnipeg. Craig also recounts performing standup at a Times Square comedy club where audience members mistook him for someone from King of Queens, and Kael shares the time he mistook Lakers fans at his hotel for Five Finger Death Punch fans waiting for autographs. Beardo and Weirdo continues to sit at the intersection of heavy metal touring life and standup comedy road stories, with Kael and Criag trading the kind of unfiltered moments that only happen between a working bassist and a working comedian who share a Las Vegas zip code.

  8. Jul 30

    Tesla's Jeff Keith Loves Dogs, Has Awkward Moments With Jeff Beck - Beardo & Weirdo Ep. 79

    Jeff Keith, frontman of the multi-platinum rock band Tesla, reveals the full origin story of how a small-town kid from Georgetown, California, went from driving septic tanks and mixing cement to selling millions of records and touring the world for four decades straight. In this sit-down with Beardo and Weirdo hosts Craig and Five Finger Death Punch Bassist Chris Kael, Keith walks through the exact moment that changed his life: sharing a microphone with Frank Hannon at a Sacramento bar audition in 1983, the only move that convinced the band he was their guy.Keith breaks down the making of Tesla's new covers album Homage, dropping July 17, 2026 alongside a tour with Mötley Crüe and Extreme. He explains why the band chose to cover songs by Elvis Presley, Freddie Mercury, and others — and how George Jones's longtime keyboardist Kent Goodson became the only outside musician Tesla has ever brought into a recording project. Keith also recounts the night he performed alongside Jeff Beck in Japan with Jimmy Page watching from the audience, a soundcheck miscommunication that left Beck shouting directions mid-song, and the strict no-touching rule Keith learned about the hard way.The conversation digs into Tesla's decision to go completely sober in 2004 to support guitarist Tommy Skeoch before a Scorpions tour, a move Keith frames as simple brotherhood rather than sacrifice. He tells the story behind the hit ballad "What You Give," revealing it was inspired by the death of his dog Brandy — not a romantic relationship — and how someone dismissing his grief with "it was just a dog" became the emotional catalyst for the lyric. Keith also shares his rescue of a stray dog and six puppies from a Texas roadside, a cross-country drive to find them homes, and his ongoing connection to animal rescue alongside Kael's Las Vegas charity work.Four decades after seeing Bon Scott at his first concert in 1978, Jeff Keith still names that moment before every Tesla performance, a ritual that connects a Future Farmers of America kid from Idabel, Oklahoma to one of classic rock's most enduring careers.What did you think of the show? Let us know in the comments!Be sure to subscribe to the channel here: @BeardoAndWeirdoPodcast Check out the Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/BeardoandWeirdo

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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
    88
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Craig
  • Show Website
    Beardo And Weirdo