- 16 hours ago
Taylor Momsen of The Pretty Reckless joins us for an Audacy Check In to talk about the band's upcoming album, 'Dear God,' and their raw and real new video for "When I Wake Up."
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00:00But what's going to be different about the headlining tour?
00:02It's been a minute.
00:03I want to say it was like 2021, 2022.
00:06So to be able to be back in control, like in the driver's seat again, is going to be very
00:13exciting.
00:13Like to not have to get off a stage at a certain time and to, you know, have lights and
00:18to make the set whatever we feel like that night.
00:22And, you know, that kind of thing is just incredibly exciting.
00:26And then get to see all the fans, you know, like it's your show.
00:29And it's just a different energy.
00:31It's a different vibe.
00:34It's Abe Cannon.
00:35It's an Odyssey check-in.
00:36So exciting.
00:37I'm talking to Taylor Momsen, The Pretty Reckless.
00:39New song, Taylor, When I Wake Up.
00:42I love this song so much.
00:44New album, Dear God, coming out June 26th.
00:47I luckily was able to hear the whole album.
00:48People are going to love this album.
00:50I know there's only a few songs out now.
00:52They will love it.
00:53You have headlining shows.
00:54You're opening for ACDC.
00:56You're playing Aftershock.
00:57Like, The World of the Pretty Reckless might be the greatest it's ever been right now.
01:03It feels good.
01:04I'm not going to lie about it.
01:05It feels really, it's very exciting to have new music out.
01:09It's even more exciting to have a release date for the full album.
01:12It's even more exciting to know there's a headline tour on the way because it cannot wait to be headlining
01:18again.
01:20It's been amazing.
01:21Like, we're, I feel like we're in a really good place and everything that's about to come is just incredibly
01:27exciting.
01:28What will be different about the headlining tour as opposed to like, I mean, obviously you can't put your full
01:33scale, you know, production behind opening for ACDC.
01:36But what's going to be different about the headlining tour?
01:40Well, it's just, it's us through and through.
01:43Like, to me, what I'm so excited about is we haven't headlined a tour since like, it's been a minute.
01:50I want to say it was like 2021, 2022.
01:54So, to be able to be back in control, like in the driver's seat again, is going to be very
02:00exciting.
02:01Like, to not have to get off a stage at a certain time and to, you know, have lights and
02:06to make the set whatever we feel like that night.
02:09And, you know, that kind of thing is just incredibly exciting.
02:13And then get to see all the fans, you know, like it's your show.
02:16It's just a different energy.
02:18It's a different vibe.
02:19And it's one that I've missed quite a bit.
02:22So, there has to be something so cool, though, about opening for ACDC.
02:25And then all these dudes that maybe never even heard of your band, they leave their massive, pretty reckless fans.
02:32Like, even as long as you've been in the game, some dude at that ACDC show has never heard of
02:37your band, which is unbelievable.
02:38But it happens every night, I'm sure.
02:40Oh, definitely.
02:41And it's been, I mean, touring with ACDC has been, we've talked about it, but it's been amazing.
02:46Like, it's one of the greatest experiences of my life.
02:49And I don't want it to end.
02:51But it's not.
02:52We're doing both.
02:54I'm getting the best of both worlds.
02:55It's awesome.
02:56But, no, it's very fun to, ACDC's audience is interesting because, like, I was warned ahead of time that they
03:04specifically are not going to like you.
03:06Like, they are there for ACDC.
03:08They do not care about the opener.
03:10And you're like, watch this.
03:11Well, they're going, they're waiting for you to get off stage.
03:14And I'm, my whole thing is, I'm going to make you like this by the time we're done.
03:20And so, I, like, there's always one person in every, that I can see.
03:25Granted, it's a stadium.
03:26But one that I can see that, it's not like they hate it, but they, they're waiting.
03:30They're waiting for ACDC.
03:32And I just make it my mission to make them crack by the end of the show.
03:37By the end of the show, their hands are up in the air.
03:38And it's, I play a little game with myself.
03:40And it's been very, very fun.
03:42I always love it.
03:44So, I'm going to see you guys with ACDC at Levi's Stadium.
03:47And then I'm going to see you at Aftershock.
03:48So, I'm excited about both of those shows.
03:50And I'll be seeing you, like, next six months twice.
03:53So, I'm excited.
03:54Yeah.
03:55All right.
03:55So, we have to get back to when I wake up, okay?
03:58The video is the greatest music video I've seen.
04:02And I can't remember the last time I saw a video like that.
04:05And it's, it's one of those videos where I, I want to ask you, the day after it comes out,
04:11what did it feel like for you?
04:12Because I feel like it's like you wrote it.
04:13Like, when you write a book, it's like a vulnerable place the next morning.
04:16You put out a video like that, which is the craziest video I've seen in 30 years.
04:22I can't remember the last video I saw like that.
04:24If you haven't seen the video, it's you.
04:27You're banging everyone.
04:28You're doing drugs.
04:29You're drinking.
04:30It's like, it's a fun video.
04:31If you go on the YouTube, like, analytics.
04:34And I, by the way, I didn't even know you could put something like that on YouTube.
04:37If you go to YouTube analytics, I promise you, the biggest spike will be that scene of you
04:42in the elevator with that girl.
04:44I'm going to guess the spike is like this and people are going to like replay it like
04:47700 times.
04:50Well, thank you.
04:51First of all, I don't know if I remember your question now, but I love your enthusiasm for
04:56it.
04:57I, I think my first thought when we put it out was really all I thought for the first
05:02day was at what point is this going to get taken down?
05:06Yeah.
05:06That's what I was thinking.
05:07I'm like, what?
05:08But there's the age restriction now, but it's still up.
05:11So that's, I'm impressed.
05:13No, it's the video was a, it was an undertaking on my part.
05:18We shot for two days.
05:20You know, I'm directing it with Chris Acosta.
05:23I filmed most of it like physically.
05:27It was, it's, you know, it's the visual representation of, to me, what When I Wake Up is about.
05:35And it's like the song.
05:38It's a lot of fun to watch.
05:41You know, it's a lot of fun, but it, it takes a, you know, a dark turn that it's, it's
05:48kind
05:48of what it's, what When I Wake Up is saying, where it's like, we all know the story, you
05:53know, we've all heard it before.
05:55Some of us have lived it.
05:56I'm one of those people.
05:58And it's, you know, where you, you live a life of excess and debauchery and, you know,
06:06chasing things outside of yourself to escape whatever's, you know, your demons and whatever's
06:12tormenting you.
06:13And, and, and that, that only goes one way at the end of the day, like that only goes
06:19down.
06:19Um, and so that's what, that's what the song is.
06:22And that's what I really wanted.
06:23I wanted the video to, to feel like that, um, to really take you on that journey with
06:30me of something that I lived and survived, you know?
06:36Did you ever have a day like that back in those days?
06:38Like literally like that video?
06:41Well, the video technically takes place over the course of a few nights, uh, but it's,
06:47uh, yeah, I've, I've lived, man.
06:50Let's just put it that way.
06:52I've lived.
06:53Yeah.
06:54It's like the rock and roll life that people like always dreamed about right back in the
06:57day.
06:57And it's like, I feel like everyone's afraid to show that these days you never see it.
07:01Like no one, even Motley Crue won't do a video like that now.
07:04Um, you, yeah, you don't.
07:06And I think that, but you know, to me art in any way, you know, from music to visuals,
07:12it's like the, the best art is when you're not disguising anything.
07:18Like it's, it has to be, it has to come from an honest place of, and, and there has to
07:24be
07:24a rawness to it and a reality and a reality to it in order to have it, um, be its
07:31most
07:31authentic.
07:32And, you know, that song in particular was, is, you know, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's,
07:39it's in one way, very self-explanatory, but you know, but on, on first listen, but on the
07:44more you listen to the song, the more you realize that this is not, it's a good time until it's
07:49not.
07:50And I think that that's really the point of it.
07:52And the, and the video had to reflect that, um, there was no way to sugarcoat that.
07:57And I think the only way to kind of get that across was to do it the way we did
08:02it.
08:02I also had this concept and I, I saw it so clearly in my head and I really wanted to
08:07make
08:07it.
08:07So we did.
08:09And you perfectly captured all the key.
08:11Cause you, I saw on your Instagram, you were actually filming with like a helmet on,
08:15right?
08:15So all those perspective shots, that was actually you.
08:19And there's the way you shot it.
08:21It's so beautifully shot.
08:23It just, it's such a, it's a great video.
08:25Like, I can't remember the last time I saw a good video, I guess.
08:28Like, well, I love videos and I'm sad that they're like slowly disappearing.
08:33Like we need a new video because I, I love, I love the visual extension of the song, like
08:40from the album cover to the music video.
08:41And, uh, we need a, we need a new, a revival of it.
08:45So hopefully I can be a part of that.
08:46Cause it's, it's, I just, I think I, I enjoy making them and I, I can't not, I have a
08:53concept
08:54or an idea for a video for every song I've ever made.
08:57And it's just simply not in the budget to make them.
09:00So it's like, you know, um, so yeah, you have to cherry pick which ones actually get visuals
09:05attached to them and to that extent.
09:07Um, so I'm really glad that when I wake up, it has the accompany, a company and accompany
09:13and mint.
09:14Whoa, Taylor, as the video to go along with it.
09:18That's what I'm trying to say.
09:19Can't we get some billionaire to fund all your videos?
09:22Like there has to be a pretty reckless fan out there that has hundreds of millions of
09:25dollars.
09:26Can't they just fund everything?
09:28Like, where are you?
09:29Do you have any billionaire friends?
09:31Cause I don't, I live in the rock and roll.
09:34Um, but if you know anyone or if you call me up, yeah, if you're watching right now
09:41and you have a lot of money, she wants to make videos for every single song moving forward.
09:46Can you, what do you mean?
09:47200 grand a video, 500, what are we looking for here?
09:50Oh, I don't know.
09:51I mean, we did, uh, this last one was, I'm not going to give numbers because I actually
09:55don't even know off the top of my head, but it was not as much as you would think.
09:58We've, we've, it was, you know, a lot of friends, a lot of favors and as it was, you
10:03know, rooted in being so raw and feeling like you're there, like you didn't, we didn't need
10:08all the accoutrements of, of everything.
10:11It was a very weird shoot, man.
10:13That's what I'm saying.
10:14Like you have to feel weird.
10:15Just a lot of those scenes, like you just must feel weird.
10:18I mean, I was, I was quite comfortable, but I think I probably made some people uncomfortable.
10:26But I'm in charge, like I'm in charge.
10:28So it's, it's all me like, you know, so I, I am guiding it.
10:33So, um, follow my bad influence, I guess.
10:37I don't know.
10:37It was a lot of fun though.
10:39It was, it was, it was like five, we shot till like five in the morning for two nights
10:43in a row.
10:43It was exhausting, but it was, it was a good time.
10:47You've become such an amazing rock star.
10:49I forgot that you're even an actor.
10:50So like, I completely forgot that you did that in your past.
10:53So I'm like, oh yeah, that's right.
10:55She does that too.
10:56She's like great at that too.
10:58So, well, it was to me, I like emoting the song.
11:04Like I like, I like emoting the, the, I like giving a visual to the song and emoting it
11:09and the way that I mean it.
11:12And, and sometimes, you know, in videos, my vision doesn't always get accomplished.
11:16Cause like, I always write the treatments.
11:19I'm always doing everything behind the scenes.
11:22And sometimes it, it takes a turn where it's like, this isn't exactly what I saw and wanted
11:27to make, but it's a version of it.
11:30When I wake up is, I feel very confident in saying this is like through and through what
11:34I set out to accomplish.
11:35And we did, and that's, that feels great.
11:37It's one of those songs.
11:38The first time I heard it, I couldn't get it out of my head.
11:41So that's how, when I, when I hear a song and I'm, I'm singing it after one play, I know
11:46it's going to be a massive hit.
11:47So that's where I find a song like that, but just like gets stuck in your head immediately.
11:52That's why this song should be like the theme song for like some kind of a TV show or like,
11:56like shameless had a great theme song, you know, like all these shows.
12:00Like, I feel like it's an iconic song.
12:02They could be the theme song for a TV show.
12:05Well, I feel like you need to make some phone calls for me.
12:07You need to call me some billionaires.
12:09You need to call some TV places, you know, like you're pitching, you're selling this
12:13right now and I'm loving it.
12:15Yeah.
12:15Well, we need, we need five, at least 5 million in album for Taylor just to get the videos
12:20made at least 5 million.
12:22Let's do that.
12:23What's the, what's the top film budget?
12:26Let's go with that one.
12:27Like what are the costs that that's what we need?
12:30Exactly.
12:30You're talking about like old school things like music videos.
12:33You know, did you see that vinyl sales were a billion dollars the most since 1983?
12:39Yeah, skyrocketing.
12:40I love it.
12:40I'm so like, I'm so happy about that.
12:42I don't know if everyone's actually listening to the vinyl, but it definitely shows that they're
12:47appreciating the art.
12:48And I think that that is so cool because it was so sad to me when, you know, I stream
12:54music
12:54like everyone else, like, of course, but it was so sad to me when you started to slowly
13:00see the art disappear because like record covers and like reading the credits and reading
13:05the lyrics.
13:06Like that was such a part of my music experience growing up.
13:11And it was something that you look forward to and you obsess over and, you know, all
13:15the details and all the, everything the artist put into that piece of work.
13:19And to see that kind of slowly disappearing for a time period, there was really sad to
13:24me because I spent, because like an artist, I spent so much time and effort working on
13:29all of this.
13:30And where's anyone going to even see this though?
13:32Like on a tiny little thumbnail on their phone.
13:35Like that's so sad.
13:36Um, so the fact that that's coming back around is, I think it's incredible.
13:40I'm like, that makes me so happy.
13:42That warms my childhood heart and adult heart.
13:46Yeah.
13:46And if you have an awesome cover that could sell the album, like all your maiden probably
13:51made millions of dollars just based off the covers of their album.
13:54Oh yeah.
13:55Just off Eddie alone.
13:56I mean, look at the t-shirts and stuff.
13:58It's a hundred percent.
14:00Like you need, you need the whole, the whole package, man.
14:04It's all, it's all important.
14:06So the new album is called dear God, June 26th.
14:09The new song.
14:09When I, if you haven't heard when I wake up, what are you waiting for?
14:11Go watch, watch the video, please.
14:15And forget, forget this coverage.
14:17I got nothing to add.
14:18It's all the video.
14:19Just watch the video.
14:20Like if you haven't watched it, you're making a major mistake.
14:22Like just, it's a good, like they don't, like I said, they don't make good videos
14:26anymore, at least not like that.
14:28Nothing that awesome has, I can't remember the last video that good.
14:31I'm thinking in my head now, like nothing's coming.
14:34Nothing's popping in.
14:35Like I'm thinking of like awesome videos.
14:37I'm thinking like November rain.
14:38I'm like, I can't, I can't think of anything current.
14:40I am loving your passion right now.
14:43I mean, great videos.
14:44There, there's, there used to be a ton.
14:47I don't want to say a ton.
14:48Cause there's not a ton of great anything, but there was a, it was more common.
14:52Um, like Cochise by audio slave.
14:55One of the greatest videos ever.
14:56Like just, um, that was like 30 years ago or something.
15:01Like, I feel like that was yesterday.
15:04That's what's so bizarre.
15:05I live in a, my own bubble of music.
15:09So I, that still feels like I heard it for the first time yesterday.
15:12I saw it.
15:14Um, but thank you, dude.
15:16Like, seriously, your, your passion is exciting me right now.
15:19I'm, you know, I, I was, I was lucky to see sound garden live.
15:22I was lucky to see audio slave live multiple times when you did the rock and roll hall
15:27of fame.
15:27Did you feel like when you played with sound garden, did you feel like you were channeling
15:31Chris Cornell?
15:32Cause I was watching you.
15:34You were moving like Chris Cornell, like your bodies used to, I felt like Chris Cornell was
15:39standing there the way you were moving around.
15:41It's not the way you normally move on stage.
15:45I think that, you know, I don't, I don't, how do I say this?
15:51I don't really like doing covers.
15:53Um, it's, it's just not for me.
15:57I don't, I like singing my own material.
15:59Um, because to me, when I sing, I'm emoting something that is deep inside me that, you
16:06know, I'm, I'm never just singing a song, if that makes sense.
16:09Um, and sound garden is the only band that when I, I know it so well, I like, I listened
16:19to it so much.
16:20Um, it's so a part of my DNA, um, as a person, as an artist that it's the only band
16:27that when
16:27I, I mean it, I guess is the way I'm, what I'm trying to say.
16:31Like, I, I don't feel like I'm, it's not, I'm not singing someone else's song, even though
16:36I'm singing someone else's song.
16:37Like I identify with it so much.
16:39It's so a part of me that I feel that I mean it.
16:42And so all you're trying to do when singing any song is emote what the song is saying,
16:48or at least what it's trying to like convey what the intent of the lyric is.
16:54Um, and it's not necessarily like, it's not literal.
16:57It's more, it's a, it's a feeling and sound garden is so layered and deep and important that
17:05I don't think there's any way to sing those songs and not feel it.
17:09Um, so that's, I mean, that's how I try to do it, I guess, if that makes any sense.
17:14I don't know.
17:15Um, but would you play with them again if they decide to do some shows and they're like,
17:19Taylor, we want you to sing, would you, would you do it?
17:21I mean, of course.
17:23I mean, sound garden is, I love them to death.
17:27Like I love them as people.
17:28I love their music and anything they need me for or want me for like, just even as a friend,
17:34like, of course I'll be there.
17:36Like a hundred percent.
17:37I have one last idea for you.
17:39They just announced that most likely whole are coming back.
17:42What about a whole, I saw that.
17:44Is that real?
17:45But then I saw something saying that that was totally not real.
17:47I thought it was real, but who knows?
17:49I mean, anytime there's smoke, there's fire, right?
17:52Like, that's true.
17:53Like I haven't heard.
17:54Or it's what?
17:57Or it's just AI.
17:58Oh, that's that too.
18:00Yeah.
18:01Yeah.
18:01What I do now is I need, I need 10 sources like anything.
18:04And this is good too, because there's a lot of morons who get all their news from memes
18:08on social media.
18:09So this has forced us now to not believe anything, which is actually better.
18:14That is true.
18:15All right.
18:16I'll give you that.
18:17It makes it requires for everything requires fact checking.
18:20Yeah.
18:21Everything.
18:22What about a whole and pretty reckless tour?
18:25That'd be cool.
18:26I'm a, I, I think holes great.
18:28I mean, I don't, if that's a real deal thing, I got no issue with that.
18:33And I'm going to make that happen.
18:34All right.
18:35So it's billionaires, television shows and a whole tour.
18:41Yeah.
18:41Let's put, let's put the song as a theme song for a big, a big, it has to be a
18:44bit, we
18:44can have some nonsense or just be a good, huge, something epic.
18:49Yeah.
18:50It'll be on Netflix 10 seasons plus.
18:52So then you'll make royalties off that too.
18:54Totally.
18:54I like how you think, man.
18:57So dear, I heard the whole album.
18:59You will love this whole album, but you don't, you can't hear it now.
19:01It's not until June 26th.
19:03But when you can hear is when I wake up.
19:05So I would listen to it.
19:06I would listen to it three times and then you're going to love the song and then watch
19:10the video.
19:12See, that was, see, you noticed that was a strategic thing on my part too.
19:15I didn't want to put the video.
19:16We like with Brian death, we put the video out and the song out at the same time, because
19:20that was the first thing we'd released in a long time.
19:23And I wanted to come out with like identity.
19:26Um, and with, when I wake up, I, we spaced it out a little bit because I wanted to give
19:31the song space to breathe for the listener before we imparted the mayhem that is the
19:37music video.
19:38Oh, there is something about creating a visual for something.
19:42Cause when I hear something, I create my own visual.
19:44So you're giving me like, like I just brought up November rain.
19:47Anytime I think in November rain, I think about slash in the desert.
19:50I think about the guy jumping through the wedding cake.
19:52I think all that stuff.
19:53So it is good.
19:54Like you said, to give me a minute to like experience it for myself.
19:58Then you give us the visual digested and like equate it to your life and see how you see
20:04how you actually feel about it before it's, you know, the whole thing shoved into your
20:09mind.
20:10Um, but yeah, that was, that was the logic and it's seems to be working.
20:14So I'm into it.
20:16Very exciting.
20:17When I wake up, dear God, June 26th.
20:19And I will see you the day after my birthday, August 5th at Levi's stadium opening for AC
20:22DC.
20:23So I'm excited about that too.
20:25It's very close to my birthday.
20:26I'm July 26th.
20:27So we'll have to have a related birthday celebration.
20:30Yeah.
20:31All right.
20:31Well, it was so awesome talking to you again.
20:33Thank you so much.
20:34Oh, it's so great.
20:35Good to see you, man.
20:36Thank you so much.
20:38Have a great day.
20:39You too.
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