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California native Frankie Kazarian has a busy week in California with tonight's live AEW Dynamite in Los Angeles and Friday's Rampage broadcast from Ontario, CA. Wedged in between is Kazarian's band Gutter Candy playing the infamous Whiskey A Go Go on The Sunset Strip alongside Jeff Hardy's band. Kazarian sat down with PWInsider.com yesterday to talk his intersecting loves of wrestling and music and how they sparked his career to begin with. Highlights from the conversation, transcribed by Billy Krotchsen:
AEW's long awaited California debut: "Yeah, you know what man, the last week in Vegas is a drive for me as well. And this week in Los Angeles and in Ontario, all drives. So for two weeks out of the 52 week year, I'm not getting on a plane. So I'm very, very grateful for that. That's cool. And yeah, man, like, as a kid that grew up in SoCal, being able to perform at the Forum and the Whisky back to back, that's literally a dream like scenario. You know, I never would have thought I would have been on the stage at the Whiskey. I dreamt it, I never thought I would have been performing in the Forum but those dreams are literally coming true. And it's a little cliche, but it's very cool man and I don't take these for granted and am very psyched to be part of AEW's debut in SoCal, it took long enough. Here we are, and we've got a lot of stuff planned this week and I'm ready to go."
AEW selling out the Kia Forum: "Well, so for anybody that lives in Southern California that followed basketball, this is where Showtime started. This is where the Lakers had that run in the 80s-90s and all those games they played and it's a legendary venue just for that. Oddly enough for pro wrestling, I actually never watched a match in the Forum for pro wrestling because when I was a child, I was primarily a fan of WWF television and WWF ran the Los Angeles Sports Arena which is down the road a bit. I used to go watch house shows, a couple of seminars and events and all that there. And again, the Forum was WCW running every once in a while, and I wasn't necessarily a big WCW fan, just because I didn't really get WCW television here in SoCal, so I never actually got to see a wrestling show at the Forum but I have seen a lot of concerts with Ozzy Osbourne, Metallica, Korn, Ice Cube, a bunch of concerts there and just being in that building, just walking in and seeing the banners and the jerseys and just knowing the history there, it's just cool. It's just one of those historic venues you know, likened to an MSG, obviously it doesn't have the cache that that building has but for the West Coast, it kind of does. So it's just really cool. It's really cool to be in that building. As a performer, you know, being a kid watching games in there and, you know, taking somebody to be in that building is, again going back to the word surreal, so that's really cool. It's a staple in SoCal. You know, I don't think they're ever going to do anything with that venue. There'll be sacrilege. Obviously, we got Staples, which is a bigger venue and closer to downtown but the Forum is always going to be there man, and I'm happy to be there."
Kazarian's band Gutter Candy playing Whiskey A Go Go tomorrow: "[It's] cool for any fans that might be in town in between Rampage and Dynamite. It's a day off and it's, you know, right there in Hollywood and it's a good spot to go. Yeah, I mean, obviously I have been there, I've seen shows there, obviously as a fan, and I've been fortunate enough to play the Whisky twice. This one, however, is going to be very special, very different, very unique, because I mean, like, you got my band Gutter Candy. And there's another band who's friends of ours called We Are Wasted who are really cool. And then you got Jeff Hardy, headlining the thing and unbeknownst to me, I didn't know Jeff was still actively gigging or doing the performances, he'll be doing an acoustic performance. So when I found that out, I obviously jumped at the opportunity. Because a lot of fans, you know, they always, you know, whether it's Jericho or me or Jeff or Mickie James, anybody that does music there was like, oh, we need to get a big collaboration. Again, that would be really cool, because you could bring those two worlds together. So we're kind of doing that right now. So when I found out Jeff was headlining, Jeff was psyched that we were going to be there. I was psyched that he was going to be there. He's never played the Whisky so he's really happy about it. And like you said, it's like this venue is when you walk into that building, it's very small, but you look at that stage and just the bands that have been on the stage is literally a who's who of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame or even hip hop, everybody who's anybody has come through played the Whisky. So it's going to be really cool. And dare I say, this might be the only time this pairing is going to happen. So anybody that wants to kind of witness a little bit of history, I would definitely say check it out. Anybody that wants to just go to the Whisky and experience it. Check it out. It's going to be a fun gig. My band Gutter Candy brings a lot of high energy, a lot of a lot of really fun party vibes. We're all about a good time. You know, Jeff coming out and performing his music, again, is very cool, very inspiring to be somebody that you know, keeps one foot in pro wrestling and one foot in the music profession. So it's going to be cool. It's the way it's all laid out. It's a pretty stacked week for me, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I like spinning a lot of plates and this week's definitely one of my busiest but it's also going to be one of the most fulfilling."
What fans can expect from Gutter Candy musically: "Yeah, you're definitely not going to see a reggae band or anything like that. It's just, you know, just fair warning. We used to tag ourselves as the band that 1987 forgot. You know, early on with Gutter Candy we'd play a lot of originals. We play a lot of rock, rock radio hits from the 80s and 90s. A lot of Guns N' Roses, Motley Crue, Poison, INXS, you know, some Ramones, we're kind of all over the board with that, mixed with a lot of our original songs and we have a stage show. We're not just dudes out they're playing, we do a performance, we have a show. As far as influences, personally my influences, I come from a rock and metal background like my favorite band, obviously Metallica, but I'm also a huge fan of the Rolling Stones and huge fan of The Beatles, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden. And I kind of wear all those influences on my sleeve. And yeah, Gutter Candy, it's a party. Anyone that is coming, expect to party. It's fun. This time we actually got a lot more brand new originals that nobody's ever heard that we're going to bust out some stuff that we were just in the studio recording. So this, this I think is going to be our first gig where we're playing probably more originals than the covers, which is really cool, exciting for us because people are going to be hearing those soon when we release them. So that's also something really cool. We also have a new guitarist, it's going to be his first gig with us. So all the stars kind of aligned to this gig and the timing is perfect. And it's going to be a good time. I know a lot of the AEW talent are going to be at the show. Because like I said, it is kind of the day off in between the two wrestling events. And a lot of people were asking me what you know, where to go, you know what to do in SoCal and you know, a lot of people wanted to hit up the Sunset Strip as it was and it just so happens now we're playing there so it's going to be fun, you know, the celebs are going to be out, a lot of talent is going to be out, it's going to be a crazy a** night man. And I love crazy a** nights so let's get it done."
Comparing the adrenaline rush of competing in the ring to performing on stage musically: "It's very similar. And, you know, I've been playing bass guitar for...since I was 18/19 years old. And so I've been wrestling obviously since 19/20 years old. Wrestling obviously is my job, my profession, my passion. So when I started with Gutter Candy about five years ago, we started getting...the performance aspect of it came natural to me because I'm a performer. And yeah, it's, it is very similar, that rush, that adrenaline of being up there on stage and walking in with your bandmates and playing a kickoff set and see if people moving and dancing and responding to your stuff in the same way, as with responding to your moves and your selling and the drama and the story you're telling in the ring, it's very much similar, just this is the most part a lot less painful. I'm not falling down on stage, at least not on purpose. So that helps. Yeah, and it's just, it's another creative outlet. Just a different one. You know, I'm a creative person by nature so I can't be one of those people that just, when I'm not wrestling, just sits or does the hobby where I'm just, you know, I'm not constantly thinking or creating or performing. "
Reuniting with Rick Bassman of UPW fame, who is promoting the concert: "Yeah, it's interesting. I mean, I worked for Rick and got a lot of notoriety and really kind of got my name on the map at the national level because of UPW and because of wrestling alongside guys like Samoa Joe, John Cena and Christopher Daniels and a lot of other guys who had developmental contracts at the time. I met Rick a couple years into my career and then started with UPW, and him and I always had a, we had kind of a relationship getting off to a rocky start, but after a while we became pals and became, you know, business associates and he did a lot for me. Got me a lot of different opportunities, you know, not only in wrestling, but theatrical, being out here in SoCal. And yeah, that's, you know, we're looking at 20 plus years later and you know, he recently got in contact with me and asked me about this event, this gig at the Whisky and if my band wanted to be part of it. And it's just really cool. It's just, you know, those relationships you form early on. You know, those, there's going to be moments where they come back, and that's why I've always tried to keep really good relationships with pretty much everybody I've met in this business because you never know when you're going to be in a position to help somebody out or vice versa. So yeah, it is really cool. Like you said, it's a full circle moment."
Wrestling's connection to rock music inspiring Kazarian's life: "So let's be honest, Rock and Wrestling. I mean, I got into professional wrestling because that's right when I, that's right when it hit as a fan was like '85. So, and those two worlds I've always, you know, kind of run neck and neck in terms of similarity. I look at somebody like Chris Jericho and what he's done, where he's taken Fozzy, and that's inspiring to me as a friend of his and as a fan of his and see what he's done with that band and they have made Fozzy a legitimate band because they are good, because he's put in the work and he's dedicated so much time, effort and passion into that project. And he can tell you better than anyone because he's playing festivals. So he's getting that reaction on a much larger scale than a band like Gutter Candy but yeah, I mean, the two go hand in hand. I think they always are. That's why I'm drawn to rock and roll just as much as I'm drawn to pro wrestling. My gateway into pro wrestling, a quick story, is Rocky III, because I'm a huge fan of the whole Rocky franchise, giant fan, Rocky III was my favorite. Going to a video store when I was very young with my cousin, my mom and we saw the cover of WrestleMania I which just come out on video and I saw on the cover of that, what I thought was Thunder Lips and Clubber Lang, who was Mr. T and Hulk Hogan but I only knew them as Thunder Lips and Clubber Lang, I asked my mom could she rent it, I was like what is this? I thought it was like a prequel to the movie Rocky, I was like why are these guys hanging out? Yeah, we didn't know because we were such Rocky fans and so she was nice enough to rent it for us and popped it in and saw Tito Santana against the Executioner or whoever it was and just hooked immediately, to this day Tito is one of my favorite wrestlers, and then I was like, wow, what is pro wrestling. My dad was a fan when he was younger and I was like, well, I'm enamored with pro wrestling now. So I'm watching on Saturdays and you know, this is when they first started doing the really silly like the Slammys and you know, Land of 1000 Dances and the wrestlers singing and I remember watching videos of when the going gets tough, the tough get going and there was a montage of WWF action and stuff like that. And it was just very much it was kind of aftermath of the Cyndi Lauper stuff, but there was still very much a crossover and like the MTV channels at least out here there was, so it just hooked me. It had everything I liked at the time it had, you know, athleticism, which I liked. It has a story which I liked. It had the comic book hero aspect, which I like, the you know, the Rock and Roll performance, the stage, the setting, it had everything. It hooked me immediately. But yeah, that was kind of it. So it's like basically Rocky III, WrestleMania I and then that whole at five and six when there were still a lot of crossover it was just, it was everywhere, especially out here. It was just everywhere and I couldn't get enough. I have to say I owe my career, I suppose to Stallone. If he doesn't make that movie, if he doesn't cast Hulk Hogan, you know, maybe I would discover wrestling because obviously it was very popular then but I don't know maybe, I don't know if I do or not, but to this day, I'm a huge fan of Sly's work, everything he's done. But honestly, that was my gateway and it's shaped...I have everything I have right now because of pro wrestling. So it's actually very, very special to me."
Transitioning into a veteran role in the locker room: "I still, you know, I'm sitting there in my locker room when I'm changing next to Arn Anderson, Tully and Dean and Jerry Lynn and um, I still feel like a kid. I'm like, I don't know if I belong here these guys you know, these are legends. These are some of the best ever to do it. You know, and I still just kind of feel like a kid doing my thing. But you know, I kind of look in the rearview and I'm like, oh wow, I do have 25 years and I've been a part of every company. I've done some pretty cool things. So yeah, I mean, I guess I have earned that through a lot of hard work and dedication. And yeah, and I'm, I've never, ever, ever, ever been a guy to go up and give unsolicited advice to people. There's enough people doing that especially in pro wrestling locker rooms, you know, guys walking around giving their opinions, which is cool. But you know, I've always been the guy that if asked to watch a match or asked to critique something, I certainly will, you know, I will absolutely go out of my way and do whatever I can to help that person. To answer your question, yeah, it's just, it's strange. You know, I just like I said, I'm still kind of just that kid that loves doing this. You know, now I'm just you know, I'm not just a fan of Jerry Lynn's, he's a friend of mine, I'm not just a fan of Arn Anderson, he's a pal. You know, I'm not just studying Dean Malenko's matches, I'm sitting with him catering and we're talking, we're joking around. It's really, sometimes one of those, see the forest for the tree moments, you know, it's uh, well I'm very fortunate to forge relationships with the guys that you know, that were my heroes and still are my heroes and, you know, for often different reasons now, it's cool. In my advanced age, I really don't take that stuff for granted, you know, anymore and I think there was a time when I did. Now, I'm very appreciative and very happy that I have these relationships with these guys that are my heroes and now my friends."
Kazarian's band Gutter Candy will play Whiskey A Go Go tomorrow. Jeff Hardy and PeroxyWhy?Gen will perform a special acoustic set. For more details and tickets, click this link. Kazarian and Jeff Hardy will both meet and greet fans after the show, signing autographs, memorabilia and taking photos.
AEW is running Ontario, CA this Friday with a Rampage taping. For tickets, visit www.AEWTix.com.
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