Meltdown chats with Breaking Benjamin

Beasley Digital

4/17/2025

Transcript

00:00Hey guys, backstage here at DT with Ben from Breaking Benjamin, of course, the big show tonight, nothing more,

00:05as well as the guys from Bad Wolves and Five Finger Death Punch.

00:08How's the tour been going so far, man?

00:09Everything's been going great, man.

00:11These guys are awesome, and it's just been a lot of fun, and we're really, really...

00:16There we go.

00:17Hey, let's try it again. Go ahead.

00:19Hey, how's the tour been going?

00:22Hey, listen, the first job a singer has to do is learn how to turn the microphone on,

00:26so we'll just keep going, man. Go ahead.

00:27My microphone is just on all the time.

00:29That's right. Somebody turns it on for you.

00:31Yeah, there you go. Yeah, that's all right, man. So everything's going well out here?

00:34Yeah, no, everything's going great. Everybody's been really cool, and it's been a lot of fun,

00:38and we're really, really just honored to be a part of it.

00:41Yeah, a couple more shows left to go here. I think five or something like that?

00:43Yeah, something like that. It's been a long run, but it's been going by quick because it's been so fun,

00:49and everybody's been really awesome, so it's just a great time.

00:53Yeah. I was flipping through your Instagram the other day thinking that no one was going to talk to you,

00:56and I saw your birthday cake. We share the same birthday.

00:58Oh, really? Cool.

01:00Pisces.

01:00Pisces, yeah.

01:01Your creative type?

01:03Well, I guess so. I mean, yeah, I guess I've always been kind of artsy and stuff like that,

01:09so I guess it really fits the mold of what it says Pisces are.

01:15Yeah.

01:16Plus, I'm left-handed, and I think that's something that's Pisces, too. Are you?

01:20No, I'm right.

01:20Yeah, it's all right.

01:21But I can't play an instrument or sing or anything.

01:24Oh, it's all good.

01:26But I do like to do creative things.

01:28So tell us about this new record, about the band, how things are going so far in 2018 here.

01:33Yeah, I mean, we just cut a record not too long ago, put it out.

01:37It's called Ember, and we're just out here supporting it,

01:40and everybody's been really awesome supporting it, like all the fans and everything like that.

01:43So we're just riding the wave again and having a really good time.

01:47And I didn't do a lot of – I didn't do all of the writing on it,

01:52so it's really cool to be able to, like, listen to it and not –

01:55and be able to, like, enjoy it that way because when I do, like, all of the writing on it,

01:59I can't really, like – like, am I too into myself here, you know?

02:04So it's cool to listen to a song that somebody else wrote.

02:06I can kind of, like, enjoy it more because I didn't really write it

02:09and I didn't have anything to do with it other than the vocals and stuff.

02:13But, yeah, it's been really cool.

02:14It's been really fun, and people are really enjoying the album and enjoying the tour.

02:18And so I think all the bands get along so well

02:22and everybody's really cool and down to earth and everything like that.

02:24And I think that that vibe kind of, like, comes across to the crowd

02:28and they get the sincerity that we're all, like, buds out here and having a good time.

02:32Now, being a Pisces, like we were just talking about,

02:34I kind of like to be in control of things.

02:36Do you seem like the kind of person that likes to be in control of things as well?

02:39I think I like to be in control of things that I can't be in control of more so

02:43than wanting to be in control of everything.

02:48But, no, I mean, I just kind of, like, let it be what it is, you know?

02:53I can't control everything.

02:55As far as music is concerned, I don't like to control everything.

02:58I just like for it to be, like, done right.

03:00That's all.

03:01If I don't have to control it, then I'm cool with that.

03:04Now, as far as Breaking Benjamin is concerned,

03:06I mean, you've obviously been there since the beginning of your band.

03:08What are the benchmarks of success that you look to reach?

03:13Well, I mean, I'm grateful for what we have, you know?

03:16So I've already exceeded beyond anything I could imagine doing in this business.

03:23Yeah, I mean, you know, you start out, you just want to play music, you know?

03:26You don't expect to have platinum albums or anything like that.

03:30Like, I didn't have any expectations like that.

03:33Those things are amazing, and they're things that our fans have given to us.

03:36But I didn't go into being in a band and be like,

03:39I'm going to have this and I'm going to have that.

03:41That wasn't, like, my goal.

03:43My goal was just to make music and play music.

03:45And back in the day, I mean, I was playing, like, three hours

03:52and getting, I think, like, $300 for it.

03:55And I was like, wow, I just made $300 in three hours.

03:59You knew what you liked.

04:00Yeah, I was, like, so, like, ecstatic about it.

04:03Like, I couldn't believe it because back then, you know, it's,

04:06well, $300 is a big deal, but back then it was like, wow,

04:08I just got paid $300 to play music.

04:11And it was, like, this amazing thing to me, you know.

04:14So it's just, I never, I just kind of take it as it comes

04:18and I don't really have any expectation.

04:20And even something like that was something I thought was just awesome at the time.

04:24I ate like a king.

04:26I just ordered a pizza.

04:29Yeah, order the lobster.

04:30Yeah, not even lobster, just me eating like a king as a pizza and some wings.

04:34So that's what I did.

04:36Hey, speaking of eating, growing up in the middle of Pennsylvania,

04:39are you a wet-bottom fan or a dry-bottom fan?

04:42I don't know what that is.

04:43A souffle pie.

04:44Oh, God, souffle pie.

04:46I like souffle pie.

04:48It's not bad.

04:49Actually, my family growing up, they had a clothing store that Mennonites,

04:55we would take clothes that had little flaws in them,

04:58and then Mennonites would sew them.

05:00And Mennonite is, like, a less strict but almost just as strict version of an Amish.

05:06Yeah, so I'm around all these Mennonites all the time,

05:10and they would always bring that, always, because that's their thing.

05:14You know, that's like an Amish thing is shoofly pie.

05:16So they would bring shoofly pie in all the time.

05:19So I ate it constantly, and it was good.

05:22I love it.

05:23I really don't have a preference.

05:25I'll eat anything.

05:25But I don't know.

05:26It was always the same.

05:27It was never, like, wet-bottomed or dry.

05:29I don't know what that is.

05:30They say there's a difference.

05:31They're guys that you're either on one side of the fence or the other.

05:34Yeah, I don't know the difference.

05:35I only ever had the one kind, and it was good.

05:38Yeah.

05:39You know, this will be the first time I've seen you guys, I think, since the Shinedown tour.

05:42We actually took a plane full of listeners two years ago and saw you guys in Vegas.

05:46Cool.

05:46And as I was walking through, I saw Vinnie Paul.

05:48I'm like, VP, what's going on?

05:50He's like, help down.

05:50What's happening?

05:51You know?

05:51And did you ever get to meet Vinnie?

05:53Or did you know him a little bit?

05:54I don't know him, but I did meet him very briefly.

05:57We did a radio festival with them, and I met him and Dime at the same time.

06:00That's how long ago it was.

06:02Yeah.

06:02It was just really briefly, and they were really cool.

06:05But, man, it would be awesome to have been able to.

06:08Well, he saw you that night.

06:10Yeah.

06:11Yeah.

06:11So I met them.

06:13Yeah.

06:13But, yeah, I didn't really get to.

06:16I'm, like, kind of scared to.

06:17I'm still that way.

06:19Really?

06:19Yeah.

06:20I'm still that way with people that I really, like, admire.

06:23Yeah.

06:24Yeah.

06:24I'm still that way.

06:25Wow.

06:26I would have never guessed that.

06:27Yeah, I am, man.

06:28All these years, huh?

06:29Yeah, no.

06:30Dude, I'm just a normal guy.

06:32Like, I don't really do anything, like, rock star-y, you know?

06:37Like, I go to the grocery store.

06:38Sometimes there'll be somebody there, and they'll be like, what are you doing here?

06:42I'm like, getting toilet paper.

06:44Hey, guys.

06:47Like, how do you get it?

06:49You know?

06:50So I'm just a normal guy with a really cool job.

06:53So, yeah, people like that, sort of, like, I'm like, uh-uh.

06:57Yeah.

06:57So you guys got this tour wrapping up here in a couple days.

07:00I'm sure you're going to probably take a little bit of time off, tour through the winter and the whole thing.

07:03Yeah, this five-finger thing is going on for a long time, which is really cool because we're all having a great time and everything.

07:09But so we're just going to take a couple breaks in between the legs of it and just keep on trucking.

07:13Well, Ben, good luck.

07:14Safe travels.

07:15Thanks so much for taking some time with the Riff.

07:16Thank you for having me, man.

07:17You guys are awesome.

Meltdown chats with Breaking Benjamin

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