- 4/22/2025
Don McCloskey performs "First In Flight" and "Son Of It All" (with a full band!). He talks about how he met his bud, Rob McElhenney, and how Don's music wound up in Mythic Quest.
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00:00our next guest has an album out it is called the chaos and the beauty and a couple of gigs
00:07this weekend if you're going to the always sunny podcast at the met on saturday uh sunday and
00:13monday you will see him performing with his band who are all here with us this morning
00:18every single one of them yes ladies and gentlemen don mccluskey is here hey don how are you good
00:25man it's good to be here nice to see you and everyone with you about the whole crew almost
00:31seven pieces all together here how many uh when if you say almost how many more people could you
00:36possibly cram into this band a key player a key player will be there okay uh well listen you guys
00:41were were warming up um here's what i'd like to do yeah i i want to i want you to go ahead and play
00:48right now okay i want this to get out on the radio because we were having so much fun while you guys
00:53were jamming i mean like i'm over here dancing it got me in such a mood the song the first song you
00:59were playing here was that was first in flight right yeah okay and this is uh this is a single
01:04now this was on mythic quest right was the song used yeah it was uh the season two uh finale episode
01:10okay and the reason i want you to go ahead and play right now and you premiered it here yes yes
01:15exactly i want i want our program director bill weston to hear this yeah and i want him to hear it
01:19right now because it just sounds awesome and then we'll chat a little bit if that's cool with you
01:23all right so this is don mccloskey this song is first in flight wait till you hear this on mmr here we go
01:29two american boys gonna conquer the dream gonna turn the bicycle into a flying machine and against all
01:50my eyes they believe that they will get a little closer to god i don't kill devil
01:57but when the winds come a blow in then the skies turn black there's no way of knowing if you're making
02:13it bad do you succumb to the circumstance do you resign to your faith or do you find the strength
02:20within to take a leap of faith and no more will i stumble and no more will i fall can't crash into my
02:29knees but i'm beginning to crawl yep standing on my own feet oh i'm running to the light feel like
02:36jumping from the mountain like the first thing when you're out there in a free fall it's such a long
02:52way down and the wind rushing by give you a brewing sound will i hit the ground running will i make it
03:00right it's been a long time coming but i'm feeling signs of light and no more will i stumble and no
03:08more will i fall can't crash into my knees but i'm beginning to crawl yeah i'm standing on my own feet
03:16while i'm running to the light feel like jumping from the mountain like the first thing
03:22what kept me from sleeping in the middle of the night what kept me sleepwalking in broad daylight
03:37what kept me from seeing the best in you what kept me from saying everything i needed to
03:46you spoke straight from my heart so how could i hide all these feelings i feel when i'm by your side
04:12oh i stopped trying so hard just let it ride and now you got me back hoping with arms wide open it'll be
04:20all right and no more will i stumble and no more will i fall can't crash into my knees but i'm beginning to crawl
04:30yeah i'm standing on my own feet while i'm running to the light feel like jumping from the mountain
04:36feel like jumping from the mountain feel like jumping from the mountain feel like jumping from the mountain
04:55yeah oh my goodness wow wow you're just tuning in don mccloskey hang on a second i gotta
05:18have to finish my pina colado uh that music just makes me feel good that was cool that you guys
05:25did the conga line that was awesome you didn't have to do that that was cool i that music like that
05:31just makes my heart swell makes me feel good you're having a heart attack i'm having a heart attack
05:36i'm sweating that's an angina i have diarrhea no preston do you know what it reminds me of in
05:43the best comparison uh the graceland yeah yeah yeah and a multitude of others but that's
05:51one of the ultimate feel good um you know musicianship uh lady smith black bomb all those
05:59things that gels together yeah right right right really we're drawing uh from there as well it's a
06:04good vibe guitar yeah yeah guitar lines are pretty evocative of sure you know uh peter gabriel so and yeah
06:11yeah you've got the the full percussion sound the the backup vocals everything is just uh it's a
06:18very full sound and a very happy so my question about that song i'm so caught up in the in the
06:23melody and the rhythm and all that stuff i didn't i'm not even paying attention to what you're singing
06:26what is it yeah yeah that's the whole thing like what's it about what's first in flight about
06:33the lyric is just a place it's really about um north carolina's uh license plates that's really
06:39yeah yeah first in flight yeah well listen i've listened don i've listened to the record a bunch
06:44i love the song and and it took me about six or seven listens before you you talk about the
06:49orville uh and and uh wilbur wright so they're like there's wright brothers references yeah and
06:54actually talking about first and flight and i realized it was i think there's like plane references
06:58in here yes yeah i was initially inspired uh by david mccullough's book uh the wright brothers
07:02about the wright brothers and you know i used to go to um the outer banks as a kid uh for vacation and
07:08you know it was in my in my mind somewhere and then i read the book uh by david mccullough and
07:14the story of them overcoming what they had to overcome in order to achieve uh flight and that's
07:20awesome that you have the first in flight yeah we've got the uh we got a license plate up here so
07:24what what what gave you the and then that's the extension like for anything that we're
07:28anything that anyone's trying to overcome okay as a metaphor as a metaphor okay to take a leap of faith
07:34in your life about whatever obstacle you're you know is presenting itself to you at the time okay
07:39because i was going to say a song about just uh you know the wright brothers and giving it that
07:42caribbean flavor is kind of an odd pairing but uh there's more to it than that yeah uh yeah um i
07:49don't really know what to say about that well if i could request a song about alexander
07:54bell that would be our first in phone yeah i'm glad you asked we go through eli whitney
08:00yeah yeah well it was really nikola tesla who
08:04this song is both of them this one goes out to matt and curie
08:09shout out to matt uh speaking of shout outs uh let's meet your your band members if you don't
08:16mind going around the room and introducing uh people and what they play yeah this is sean hennessey
08:19on percussion here very cool uh hey hennessey sean hennessey oh i love it um uh matt kepler
08:28on bass uh that's uh matt is uh on bass and we don't have a song for you right now oh by the
08:35way everybody from the philly region or i think so yeah oh that's awesome excellent all right and who
08:41else uh chuck staub on bass nice no he plays drums right these are the drums right yes okay
08:47yes i'll do the bass you do the instruments all right very good yes um chuck staub in the name
08:53of love that's it stop in the name of love i love hannah taylor here on uh nice backup vocal
08:59we're all singing together so this is hannah taylor yeah hello sarah b muller
09:05which means beekeeper in german it's true it's very true buzz buzz and ross bellenoir on uh guitar
09:16very good excellent tasty one of the great uh philadelphia guitarists right here have you guys
09:21all been uh most of you guys together for quite a while or is the band members kind of come and go
09:26record uh together uh most of us were on the record together and uh so that was that's been what four
09:31years yeah no that took a long time to do but so we've been together since the record and then uh
09:37we've been playing for about a year okay because the last time you were here i believe is when uh
09:42you wrote unstoppable that's right uh for the phils yes that was a uh great band but different band
09:49and also philly uh yeah great yeah that was uh chuck treese and um tom spiker and yeah we did the
09:56uh unstoppable uh what's the anthem yeah for the phillies yeah yeah which was great but that was
10:03several years ago that was 2009 after they'd won in 2008 it was gorilla delphia and and uh we played
10:09it quite a bit and uh it was terrific it was so long ago we won the world series that's how long ago
10:13yeah and now we're going to be back in the playoffs this year so maybe a 2022 version all right let's go
10:18call this one stoppable yeah we've been playing stoppable for 10 years easily stopped for two decades yeah
10:24there is a lot of stopping us it's not as preposterous as we previously uh now your your
10:32relationship with uh with rob uh macklehenny uh you know obviously i had mentioned uh mythic quest
10:37that the uh that the song first in flight uh was in uh season two uh you guys uh have a long history
10:43you grew up together or went to school together we're not um like colonoscopy close that's like you
10:48know that's ryan reynolds and he are that close right now but uh no uh we we went to high school
10:54together we've been friends for 20 uh 30 30 years at this point okay and i love how he um listen he's
11:00over there and he's doing big things uh but he does not forget where he came from uh you know and and it
11:06does as much with and for you know the people that he loves and and and loves here in philadelphia
11:11i was talking to my friend uh who is friends with his sister and his sister wrote my favorite episode
11:17of mythic quest yeah it was a standalone uh episode she's amazing katie mccleheny is absolutely
11:22incredible and very gifted writer um and that episode is fantastic yeah yeah she did a standalone
11:29episode for mythic quest um that the name of the episode i can't remember but you should check it out
11:34okay it's very very good yeah just say it into your mode it'll figure it out yeah right now did you did
11:39you pitch uh rob on on trying to get the song into the uh uh the soundtrack or mythic quest no so we um
11:45he came to the studio when we were recording uh they were premiering the first season of mythic quest
11:51at like a theater down the street or you know in brooklyn um alamo draft house i don't think any of
11:57this matters um then uh he stopped by the studio wings every tuesday night
12:01but i digress but i digress easy part
12:15they were premiering the show they were premiering the show he stopped by the studio he heard uh all
12:22the songs early on when it was finished um i sent him some of the tracks and i and he was like oh
12:27this is great we talked about the album for a little bit and a couple maybe weeks or two months
12:31later i get a text uh do you mind if we use uh first in flight uh for the end of you know for the
12:37finale of the season two yeah yeah and i said you know let me let me sit on this for a little bit
12:43pretty uh protective of the uh licensing now let me ask you it was perfect it was actually like
12:50perfectly uh sorry um it was used in the uh like narrative oh it was very loud yeah yeah yeah if you
12:57felt that it was not appropriate right right or that it was oh oh yeah if you felt protective of it
13:04oh if it was way off kind of relationship with robber you just say oh yeah i don't think he would
13:08even i i he wouldn't even be like can we use it if it was way off okay it's perfect i mean if you've
13:13seen the it's that's the reason it's on there it really is uncanny uh they were looking for a song
13:18you know they were editing putting different things in uh for that moment yeah it does completely work
13:23yeah it's the two main characters who are about to embark on their next uh mission and it's like
13:29uh leap of faith is you know the line leap of faith comes on right at that moment and
13:35sales into the credits sometimes that's the best way yeah yeah yeah that's good don i want to thank
13:41you uh you've been enormously flexible we were supposed to have you in like two months ago and
13:44then i think you got covid and then like a couple of people here got covid and it's just been a work
13:49in progress so thanks for adjusting but now we're doing it right in front of the the it's always sunny
13:53podcast at the met so can you tell us a little bit about like what you guys are going to do
13:56because i think the podcast itself they don't quite know what it's going to be like out on stage
14:00but they do know that you're going to be there for it yes yeah we're going to open up uh
14:04the the you know it's a live podcast so i don't know if anyone knows what that's going to be
14:08it's like it's a television show it's a podcast based on a television show it's a live show of a
14:15podcast based on a television show here's some music in the beginning but it's going to be awesome
14:20it's sold out and obviously it's just going to be a great uh hang and it's at the met and it's
14:24couldn't be a better venue it couldn't be a better like reason you know to be there so you guys are
14:28going to do a set ahead of time before the podcast or how's it going to work out are you the house band
14:33wait no no no we're doing a set beforehand okay okay all right cool anybody else playing that
14:37night or just uh you know i think we open it up and then it's uh it's podcast time okay when did
14:41the album when did you when did you complete it when is it uh when did it become available uh the
14:45album uh in at the end of april okay yeah all right so it's uh that's available on spotify
14:50it's fully out there um yeah you premiered it here uh first of play yeah and it's the first song
14:55to a million uh streams on spotify because i think it's because of you guys that's what i think
15:00that's good and the alamo draft house and the alamo draft house shout out two for one tuesdays
15:05don't miss chicken wings and jackson have you picked up any sponsors along let's not let's not
15:13forget you guys were local shots for jackson so jackson gets some credit for oh absolutely jackson's
15:17been great uh from the beginning like he's uh been playing local shots um for yeah my since my
15:23second album oh yeah absolutely shout out to jackson well let's get another song uh the album is called
15:27uh the chaos and the beauty and uh what song would you like to play now don uh this next one is oh
15:33you know what it's from the record that we that was just talking about it's from uh northern liberties
15:36and uh the song is called son of it all and it's uh background up in the area and and more excellent
15:41excellent all right son of it all and if you're headed to the always sunny podcast event uh either
15:48on sunday or monday you'll be able to see the band performing live uh so make sure that you get there
15:53early and uh get ready to be entertained so uh don mccloskey on mmr here we go
15:59son of the park and son of the home
16:03son of the mind body and soul
16:19son of the love
16:21son of the hate it's out of control
16:25son of the park and son of the home
16:28son of the mind body and soul
16:31son of the love
16:33son of the hate
16:36i was born
16:38son of a mccloskey
16:39son of a moore
16:40son of two young boys
16:42set to fight an old man's war
16:44son of the nights they stayed awake unsure
16:46that would be the night they would sleep tight forevermore
16:49son of the wives they returned to
16:51son of the lives they came back down to birth to
16:53son of the babies they gave birth to
16:55son of the first born and the girl next door
16:58son of the young amore
16:59that the world could never keep down
17:01son of a young man who rolled up his sleeves at 19
17:04and come home at night and throw the meat down
17:06son of his young wife whose voice with a sweet sound
17:09to the baby she was sick asleep
17:11even on weeks when ends would not meet
17:13son of the hometown
17:14son of the lost girl
17:16son of those who reach for the bootstraps
17:18when the world knocks them down
17:19son of the park
17:20son of the home
17:22son of the mind body and soul
17:25son of the love
17:26capable of
17:28son of the hate
17:29it's out of control
17:31son of the park
17:32son of the home
17:34son of the mind body and soul
17:37son of the love
17:39capable of
17:40son of the hate
17:42son of the need
17:44that would rise
17:45from the streets and playgrounds
17:46of Bristol in the summertime
17:48son of the long toss
17:49holding up our cars
17:50for a touchdown or rebound
17:52thinking we were the sixes and eagles
17:54son of the old sound
17:56that came down from my mom's vinyl
17:57ripping on needles
17:58son of hometown
17:59james brown
18:00the rolling stones
18:01and beetle
18:01son of the new sound
18:03the sonic amazement
18:04that had me losing my mind
18:05pressing rewind
18:06and seeking salvation
18:07son of the park
18:08son of the home
18:10son of the mind
18:11body and soul
18:12son of the love
18:14capable of
18:16son of the hate
18:17it's out of control
18:18I was born
18:19son of the park
18:20son of the home
18:22son of the mind
18:24body and soul
18:25son of the love
18:26capable of
18:28son of the hate
18:30it's out of control
18:32son of the whole thing now
18:56the ball of wax
18:57the human race
18:58stranded and spinning
19:00and hurling through space
19:01son of the mess we're in
19:02son of those who don't know
19:03where to begin
19:04son of those who have given up
19:05and given in
19:06son of those who rise above our time
19:08whose eyes burn with fire
19:10son of those whose tongues
19:11cannot tell lies
19:12son of those who shine
19:14son of the sages
19:15who blaze throughout the ages
19:16son of the prophets
19:17who bleed on pages
19:18whose words alone
19:19can cut through bone
19:20and move mountain ranges
19:22son of those whose minds
19:23are considered dangerous
19:24son of the freaks
19:25unafraid to take the streets
19:27son of the brave
19:27and scoop their minds
19:28unafraid to disturb
19:30the peace
19:31the soldiers
19:31who walk shoulder to shoulder
19:33up on the governments
19:34of the world
19:35and sing the freedom
19:35ringer it's all over
19:37son of the pain
19:38and the laughter
19:38son of the bombs
19:39that fall like rain
19:40at the end of days
19:41and son of the sun
19:42that rises on the morning after
19:43son of the mind
19:47body and soul
19:48son of the love
19:49capable of
19:51son of the hate
19:52it's out of control
19:53son of the heart
19:55son of the heart
19:55son of the heart
19:56son of the heart
19:57son of the mind
19:58body and soul
19:59son of the love
20:01incapable of
20:03son of the hate
20:04it's out of control
20:06it's out of control
20:18the dessin
20:18Tony
20:19and
20:19and
20:20in
20:21the
20:22space
20:22Oh, oh, oh, oh.
20:52Yeah, me too.
20:54Some plays drums.
20:55Can I please join your band?
20:57Come here out, buddy.
20:58Wow.
20:59We'll just have double drummers.
21:00We'll be there, triple drummers.
21:01Hey, man, 38 Special did it, brother.
21:03Yeah, it's true.
21:03They were all caught up in us.
21:05That's right.
21:05At Union with the drum.
21:08What's that?
21:08Were you banging on the drum at the Union?
21:09Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
21:10Yeah, I opened the Union game.
21:11Bring that.
21:12Don't bring that drum.
21:14And a little bottom end for you guys.
21:16If you're just tuning in, Don McCloskey and his band are here this morning.
21:19The Chaos and the Beauty is out now.
21:21It's the album.
21:21They're going to be playing at the Always Sunny podcast.
21:25Are there other, what's a tour situation?
21:28Anything going on now or later on?
21:30Or is it just kind of continuing on?
21:31So the shows at the Met are sold out.
21:34Right.
21:35The album release at Ardmore Music Hall, October 14th.
21:39There you go.
21:40That's the one.
21:40Let's come right up on that.
21:41That's the whole band, the whole crew.
21:43Cool.
21:43So that's the album release.
21:44And then we go to the West Coast in the beginning of the year.
21:48Okay.
21:49And do the tour there.
21:50Then we come back and we'll tour the East Coast.
21:52Okay.
21:52And then hopefully we get to the middle part.
21:55Right.
21:55Yeah.
21:55It is just harder.
21:57It's like four hours in between everything.
22:00Right.
22:01In the middle.
22:01Casey's going to be seeing some of that.
22:03He's heading out on the road.
22:04You want me to set up some tour dates for you in Missouri?
22:06Yes.
22:06Is there, there are Alamo Draft Houses in each of these, in every city.
22:12So we can, yeah.
22:14The Alamo Draft House House Band.
22:16Oh my God.
22:17Dude, let's do one more.
22:19I know you guys have three songs.
22:20Yeah, yeah, yeah.
22:21All right.
22:21Let's do another one.
22:22Well, thank you so much for having us.
22:23We'd love to do another song.
22:24Absolutely.
22:24We're having too much fun.
22:25What song are you going to play now?
22:27This one is called Open the Door.
22:28It is one of the first songs I wrote, but I haven't recorded it until this record.
22:32So it's on the new album.
22:33The album's called The Chaos and the Beauty.
22:35If anybody wants to check it out, it's on Spotify.
22:36And everything else.
22:38And this is called Open the Door.
22:40All right.
22:40It's Don McCloskey on MMR.
22:42Here we go.
22:43I change my mind every day, love.
22:57So how could I possibly say, love, that everything is going to be right?
23:04When I can hardly say, love, that everything is going to be right?
23:08Because I need someone to open the door.
23:12Yes, I need someone to say, love, that everything is going to be right?
23:13Yes, indeed.
23:13I just can't live this way anymore.
23:15I'm on the wall.
23:17I'm on the wall.
23:18I'm on the wall.
23:19And when we redecorate, I just say, have it not to be anymore.
23:23I bend my knees every day, love, that God would maybe show me the sign that I'm not talking
23:40to say, love, that everything is going to be right?
23:41And when we redecorate, I just say, have it not to be here before?
23:45See, I know it's only in my life.
24:04Time, I know this because you tell me all of the time, time, time, you know you tell me all of the time, time, time, you know you tell me all of the time.
24:17I ate your chip rich for breakfast today, and breakfast was at 158, and all I could think was Jesus, here we go again, cause I need something to open the door, yes indeed, I can still live this way.
24:47I'm on the wall, jump on the floor, and when they redecorate, I just said, haven't I been here before? See, I know, it's only in my mind, oh, I know this because you tell me all of the time, time, time, you know you tell me all of the time, time, time, you know you tell me all of the time.
25:17My life swings like a pendulum, love between accident and dumb, luck, the wind alone can blow me away, could someone tell me why I'm standing here anyway?
25:37Cause I need someone to open the door, yes indeed, I just can't live this way anymore, I'm on the wall, jump on the floor, and when they redecorate, I just say, haven't I been here before?
25:53God please, God please, God please, God please, time, time, time, let me blow up in the door.
26:09Big finish
26:17John McCloskey
26:20Good night, Cincinnati
26:21Did you break his string?
26:24He did, I was here
26:25I had a guitar
26:26In case he was going to be the roadie
26:29The roadie that jumps in
26:31To replace his guitar after a broken string
26:33That's the song where the ladies
26:35Start taking their clothes off
26:36I noticed that too
26:38That was nice
26:39And by the way, I love this text
26:41It says, oh, this is the Chipwitch song
26:43And that is the line that stood out to me too
26:48I had a Chipwitch for breakfast
26:49Which, and by the way
26:51Another text says
26:53I've just downloaded everything
26:55All Don McCloskey now
26:57So that's what we want
26:58Thank you, person who just did that
26:59There you go, very important person
27:01The album is called
27:04The Chaos and the Beauty
27:05And like Don said, you can get that now
27:07You can get it on Spotify
27:08Download it
27:09It's local
27:10It's awesome
27:11By the way, the person that did the download
27:12Manager at the Alamo Draft House
27:14Oh, really?
27:16I think they're required
27:17To do that
27:18But
27:18Tuesday, two for Tuesdays
27:20Yeah
27:20Well, listen
27:21You guys sound wonderful
27:22Congratulations on this
27:23Thank you
27:23Great body of work
27:24That you've created
27:25And enjoy these shows
27:27With Rob and friends
27:28And then
27:29We'll remind people
27:30About that show
27:31October 14th, you said?
27:32Yes, that's right
27:33October 14th, Ardmore Music Hall
27:35Great venue
27:36Tickets on sale now
27:37But not for long
27:37Yeah, exactly
27:39Awesome
27:39Thank you guys so much
27:40For being here this morning
27:41Thank you guys so much
27:42Honestly, thank you for
27:43You got it
27:44I got it
27:55Thank you
27:56I got it
27:57heater
27:58I got it
27:58And then
27:59I set
28:00entire
28:01You
28:02And then
28:02Did
28:03Why
28:03I got it
28:04You
28:05Hey
28:05Whoa
28:05Oh
28:06I got it
28:07Let
28:08I got it
28:10I got it
28:11I got it
28:13And then
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