Video: Stone Gossard and Chad Smith Talk Life in a Rock Band

Rob Slater on August 28, 2014

You’ve now found the best way to burn that last hour of work for the day. MusicRadar got Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith and Pearl Jam’s Stone Gossard together for a candid talk before Pearl Jam’s show last October at the Barclays Center. The 90s rock titans dig into all of the geeky aspects of growing up in a rock and roll band including tour stories, hidden side projects, recording (Brendan O’Brien has produced six Pearl Jam LPs and RHCP’s Blood Sugar Sex Magik) and much, much more.

There are infinite amounts of greatness in this hour-long chat including Gossard and Smith reminiscing about their early days on tour with The Smashing Pumpkins as well as their “jazz odyssey” improvisational band along with Dave Navarro and Lonnie Marshall called Cease and Desist. While the group wouldn’t record anything, they’d play some gigs (including an all Van Halen cover night) in small clubs but never properly toured after Smith broke his wrist. “It was a blessing,” Gossard quips. Another impressive aspect is the rock lineage both sift through during the entire video, whether it be side projects or random recording sessions that never amounted to anything. You West Coast rock junkies will thoroughly enjoy.

Watch the full conversation below.