- 4/23/2025
Brian Fallon of Gaslight Anthem stopped by the WRAT studios and hung out with The Morning Rat Race's Carl Craft and Davey Mac. While there he performed "Positive Charge" and "National Anthem" live on the air.
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00:00Gaslight Anthem on Jersey's Rad Radio 95.9, the Rad with the new song History Books.
00:05Brian Fallon from Gaslight Anthem is in the studio with us.
00:09That song, a duet with Bruce Springsteen.
00:12Bruce Springsteen, look at you.
00:14Look at you.
00:15What kind of guitar is that that we're hearing?
00:18Because almost at first I wasn't sure, it sounded like a Moog or something in the guitar solo of that song.
00:24Oh, that's Alex.
00:25That's Alex Rosamelia.
00:26And so it is a, it was probably, it was either a Jaguar or a Les Paul that he was using,
00:33but he makes his guitar sound like otherworldly things.
00:37It's got a really cool sound.
00:39It's very unique.
00:40Yeah, it's cool.
00:40Love it.
00:41It does sound like a Moog, doesn't it?
00:43Yeah.
00:44Actually, at first I thought it was a Moog, and then I'm like, oh, wait, no, that's a guitar.
00:47Yeah, well, he and the producer, Peter Kadis, were very close about sounds and all this stuff,
00:54and they're really good about it.
00:55And they, I don't know, it's kind of cool.
00:57That song's a home run.
00:58Yeah, thank you there.
00:58I hope at some point you get to sing it actually with Springsteen in the room with you.
01:05I hope so, too.
01:06Yeah.
01:06Yeah, I mean, you know, if he's not busy next year, I'll be around.
01:11That's from History Books.
01:12It comes out in October on the 27th.
01:14One of the songs that we have really been enjoying on the air here, Brian, and me particularly,
01:20is Positive Charge.
01:24Tremendous.
01:25Somehow you wrote a song about me.
01:28It's a common thing.
01:29That's what the Son of Sam thought, too.
01:31Just be careful, Brian.
01:33So it's funny.
01:33I've talked to a lot of guys who say, wow, that song's about me, too.
01:38Yeah.
01:38Like, there have been a lot of guys stepping forward saying, I've been in that spot.
01:42Yeah.
01:43Is that you in the mirror?
01:46Yeah.
01:46It's me, and it's the band, like, with the audience, and it's all four of us.
01:51And it was the first song I wrote when I decided, I said, okay, I'm going to go write, if I can
01:58write four songs that I feel are, like, quality Gaslight Anthem songs, I'll call Benny.
02:04And then he'll be the first one I'll call.
02:05And I said, you know, I have to do this first.
02:09And that was the first one that I wrote for it.
02:12So it was pretty, like, you know, it was pretty wild and pretty freeing and a pretty, like,
02:18big, I don't know, that felt like a big barrier breaker for me, that song.
02:23Yeah.
02:23Huge.
02:24The first one.
02:25Interesting.
02:26That's a song that we will, like, I personally will walk down the halls just singing that
02:32song.
02:32Yeah.
02:33And kind of annoy everyone here.
02:36Keep going.
02:37It's so catchy.
02:39You know, that's the thing about you.
02:40You know how to write those catchy songs.
02:43That's a real talent.
02:45It almost reminds me sometimes, I know you're Bruce guy, but it almost reminds me of Tom
02:49Petty.
02:50And just like, I don't know how you guys are able just to take, it's not simple, but it's
02:56just you're able to somehow write, just find the essence of the song real quick.
03:01I try to listen to music that's, you know, very catchy like that.
03:06But Tom Petty is probably one of the most important people to me, songwriting wise.
03:12Yeah.
03:12Like, Bruce, I would say lyrics, you know, story, intensity.
03:19But Tom Petty is definitely, like, the song structure guy that I go to.
03:23Okay, see, I can hear that.
03:25But it's an art that you guys are just able to get that riff, you know?
03:31And then the harmonies, like vocally, and just everything is all point.
03:35That means something to so many people.
03:38You got your guitar.
03:40Would you play that for us?
03:41And I got this.
03:42See, this is even, the reason I play this, it's a Gibson Dove, and I play it because Tom
03:48Petty played it.
03:49So that's one.
03:49Oh my God.
03:50That's so interesting.
03:51He didn't play this guitar, but that's the model that he played.
03:54No, but as soon as you mention that, I can literally envision, I'm a big Tom Petty
03:58fan myself, and I can envision him playing that.
04:00Yeah, so that's why, because I love him so much.
04:02Oh, wow, this is awesome.
04:03All right, here we go.
04:21Where did you go?
04:32I would say that to myself often, like I was dressing up for a coffin, to lie down and can't say
04:43Yeah, I know I was lost in my own distance.
04:48I was overcome by the incidents in my mind.
04:55Will you call into me from outside of a dream?
05:00I want to love, I want to love you a little longer.
05:07I was invincible many years ago, and I was so much stronger.
05:13I want to smile, like a letter from an old friend.
05:22My arms are white as oceans, how I missed you, and feeling good to be alive.
05:29Wherever I'd go, there were whispers in the vestibules, reminders of my time with you on my own.
05:52It's hard to know when your mind declares a war on you.
05:59Like the thoughts inside my skull would do, it's like I was blind.
06:05And I'm sure I saw the signs, but didn't know.
06:11I want to live, I want to love you a little longer.
06:18I was invincible many years ago, and I was so much stronger.
06:23I want to smile, like a letter from an old friend.
06:31My arms are open oceans, how I missed you, and feeling good to be alive.
06:39Need a spark, need a positive charge, plug it into my brain, make me love this life again.
06:55I want to live, need a positive charge, plug it into my veins, make me love my life again.
07:07I want to live, I want to love you a little longer.
07:13I was invincible many years ago, and I was so much stronger.
07:20I want to smile, like a letter from an old friend.
07:28My arms are open oceans, how I missed you, and feeling good to be alive.
07:35How I missed you, how I missed you, and it's good to be alive.
07:48And it's good to be alive.
08:02So special.
08:04So good.
08:06That's awesome, my man.
08:08That is so special.
08:10Nice.
08:10I mean, my gosh.
08:12How do you, like, how do you do all of it?
08:16How do we thank you for that?
08:19No, you don't.
08:20You just listen to it and enjoy it.
08:23That's it.
08:23That's all you do.
08:24Because I don't, I mean, I don't know.
08:27It's like songwriting is still, it's the last form of real magic, you know?
08:32And it's divine intervention.
08:34You don't know.
08:35It just comes down to the local idiots, and we write songs.
08:39It just comes down into our heads, you know?
08:41We're like pizza, pepperoni, you know, I hope my wife still likes me.
08:45Like, you know, and like, and then, you know, and then don't forget why I had the fabric softener.
08:50And then all of a sudden, the song comes out, and I was sitting on my couch, you know, like an idiot, like, just, like, kind of sitting there.
08:58And I did that.
08:59And I was like, okay, that sounds like something.
09:04And then I just talked about how I felt the last million years of my life, you know?
09:10You know, I'll tell you this right now.
09:13I'd like to hear your opinions about this, this AI stuff with the songwriting.
09:18Yeah.
09:18No computer could write what you just wrote because they simply don't have any life experiences.
09:25That is a song that you can truly feel.
09:28This is someone who's been around the block.
09:30Yeah, I don't think it is.
09:31What do you think about this?
09:32Because there's weird issues.
09:34Like, they put together a Beatles song without even them knowing about it.
09:38Yeah, I think that it's weird.
09:40It's this weird kind of, like, it's this thing that certain humans have.
09:44I think maybe in, like, the tech industry, they want to play God, and they want to try to, like, you know, create something that's not, that's still mysterious.
09:52They want to take the mystery out of it and, like, you know, and pick it apart.
09:56And sometimes I think when you do that, you really, well, you know what?
10:01It's not really a threat because they can never do what we do.
10:04You cannot write, a computer cannot write that song.
10:07So, I mean, I'm like, you know, I really, I really don't, I'm not worried about it, but it says, like, I don't like it when they do, I really hate it when they do, like, the, the Kurt Cobain one now.
10:18When they try to, like, show what he, what he.
10:20What it could be now.
10:21What it could be now.
10:21And it really, that is, that's disturbing.
10:24Yeah, I agree.
10:25Actually, because, you know, what you wrote on that couch came from such an emotional point.
10:30Yeah.
10:31And it's that emotion that I'm connecting with as the listener and that other people are saying, wow, this song just came up at the exact moment that I needed.
10:42That's like a direct quote from my friend Jason.
10:46Hey, this song came up at the exact moment that I needed it.
10:49Yeah.
10:50Right?
10:50Same.
10:52Yeah.
10:52Me too, just a couple months earlier.
10:54Yeah.
10:54Yeah.
10:56How are you doing now with all that?
10:58Good.
10:58Like, are, you like the guy in the mirror?
11:00Well, yeah, you know, like, more than before.
11:03Yeah.
11:03Because, like, now, you know, you get to, like, you get, I think you get older, you get more bitter, or you realize that, you know, you have to, at some point, I think, go, oh, my problems.
11:13Uh, how much of that is me, you know?
11:16And you've got to, I mean, sure, part of it could be, you know, the people around you, but, you know, you do have to, I think that's the thing that stops people from, the people who don't change and then the people who do change are the ones that say, what part of this is me doing this?
11:31Yeah.
11:32Whatever it is that's causing the problem in your life, you know?
11:35Right, right, right.
11:36Jeez, man.
11:36It's Brian Fallon, Gaslight Anthem on the air at the red.
11:39Cheery morning stuff, you know what I mean?
11:41Yeah, suck down that coffee.
11:43All right, so, like, woo-hoo, hey, if that's what you need.
11:48Yeah.
11:49All right.
11:49You know, what's up?
11:51It is good stuff, because we've been dealing with a lot these last three years.
11:55Dude.
11:56And, like, there's, you know, with some of this stuff, it was very difficult to find an outlet for almost, you know, whether it's grief or whether it's just restlessness due to the lockdown or stuff like that.
12:11And I'm telling you, me and, like, tons of people, they would go to your music, Gaslight Anthem music, and different bands that we like.
12:18Yeah.
12:18But Gaslight Anthem is one of those bands that just makes you feel good, like a nice blanket, you know?
12:24You know, because it's like, it's comfort, comfort.
12:27Familiarity to it.
12:28And comfort, I guess, your music does.
12:30Would you say that this is a COVID song or a COVID product?
12:34I would not.
12:35No.
12:36Because I think this was on the outs of COVID.
12:40Yeah.
12:40This was, I mean, I can't say that it wouldn't have affected me, you know, but I don't, not, no, not at all.
12:47It's been interesting to see some of the art that's come out of that whole lockdown and isolation and mental anguish.
12:54Right.
12:54Sure.
12:55Yeah.
12:56Brian found a Gaslight Anthem on The Rat this morning.
12:59We're going to take a little bit of a break and come back.
13:01He said he would play something from handwritten.
13:03There you go.
13:04Which is.
13:04This is awesome.
13:05This is a good day.
13:06Can we just, like, prevent you from leaving?
13:09Probably not.
13:10Probably not.
13:11I think his management might have a problem with that.
13:13No, screw them.
13:13Screw them.
13:14He's never leaving The Rat.
13:15I told you before, get the checkbook out.
13:22All right.
13:23So we're back with Brian Fallon of Gaslight Anthem.
13:26I think this is going quite well.
13:28It's spectacular.
13:29We're going to get the checkbook.
13:30We're going to call Mr. Beasley and see what we can do.
13:34We're going to get the God's checkbook out for you.
13:37Get it out.
13:37None of your tour dates have anything local, I've noticed.
13:41Well, yeah, because, see, people go, you're not playing here.
13:45And I go, well, I would like to remind you, Lord willing, this is not the last tour we will ever do.
13:50Oh, good.
13:50So we're going actually out west on this end because we haven't been there in so long that we're just going to play for them because we haven't.
14:01So later, though, when the record comes out after that, that's when we're going to do, like, you know, real big tours around here and vocal and everything.
14:10We will never not do a tour.
14:12Why would we do that?
14:14Right.
14:15I feel like people always do that every time some band, any band, announces a tour.
14:19They're like, what about?
14:21And then they're like, this isn't the only tour they're going to do.
14:23You know what I mean?
14:24You understand this is the only way we make money anymore.
14:27So there'll be more.
14:28What were those, you did a Pony solo show recently.
14:32How was that?
14:33It was good.
14:33I did it with my friend Donovan Woods, and it was really cool.
14:36It was like the governor was coming up with New Jersey Arts.
14:41Right, right, right.
14:41So, like, different people in different venues in New Jersey were playing.
14:45And I was just one that they asked to do the Pony.
14:47And I was like, yeah, I'll do it, sure.
14:48What's the difference between a Brian Fallon solo song and a Gaslight Anthem song?
14:52Big price difference.
14:54Big price difference.
14:55No, I actually don't know if that's true, but we try to keep the tickets pretty low.
15:01But the, I mean, solo show is usually like an acoustic story thing, but the band shows, it's all of it.
15:09Well, not the show.
15:11What do you mean?
15:11The song.
15:13Oh.
15:13Because you said that if I could write four Gaslight songs, I would call the band up.
15:18Well, the difference.
15:19So you must have known.
15:20Yeah, I mean, how do I say, how is it different?
15:24I don't know.
15:25I mean, well, obviously, the guys putting their, you know, their playing on it makes it different, for sure.
15:30But also, I think it really is the mentality where it starts and the emotion where it comes from and what that mentality is.
15:38A lot of the solo songs are one person to one person.
15:43The Gaslight Anthem songs is always us.
15:47It's always us.
15:48And it's been us since the beginning.
15:50And it's us talking to you, whoever you are watching or listening.
15:55And it's that.
15:56It's that communication.
15:57So it's very, I don't know, the band is a more, I don't want to say ceremonial, but it is.
16:05Because it's like a thing.
16:06But it's a big communication between a lot of people.
16:08Whereas the solo things may be like you sit down and call a friend.
16:11Yeah.
16:11And that's it.
16:12Would any of the lyrics change once you introduce the song to the rest of the guys in Gaslight Anthem?
16:18Would that affect how you wrote the song initially?
16:23Um, no.
16:25It would, well, actually, one song I thought was going to be a, I just wrote it in the interim and I didn't know where it was going to be.
16:33Because it wasn't, I was kind of like done doing this.
16:36I had been like, okay, I made Local Honey, I feel good.
16:39I'm done with this for a while.
16:41And then I felt like I had some songs and I didn't know where they were going to go.
16:47Or I had one song and I was like, wow, this could kind of, that was sort of part of the changing of the mind thing.
16:54Because I wrote a song and I was like, well, this is like a, could be a solo song.
16:58And then I said to myself, like, but it could be a Gaslight Anthem song.
17:02And it's really not that different.
17:04I mean, when you're, you know, I'm the person like who does the lyrics and the melody and the little, you know, the guitar thing.
17:11And so they all come from that same place.
17:14But maybe the mindset is different.
17:15It's heart.
17:16But it's intangible.
17:18It's tough for me to like narrow it down.
17:19You're doing a great job articulating it, actually.
17:21Because it's, you know, it's a different experience.
17:24Yeah.
17:24You know, like, and it's interesting because now that I think about it, you know, guys who you like, Petty and Bruce, they all did stuff with bands.
17:34Whether it's Heartbreakers and E Street Band.
17:36But Dan would do maybe a solo record.
17:39A solo project.
17:40Here or there.
17:42Any other influences besides those guys?
17:44I'm curious.
17:44Yeah.
17:45I mean, there's tons of people.
17:46Tons.
17:47But like with your songwriting sort of style.
17:50I mean, any Dylan in there?
17:52You know, not too much.
17:53Okay.
17:54Because Dylan, I always find a little intimidating, to be honest with you.
17:58I feel like that's learned, you know, people who've read a lot of books.
18:05Maybe they went to college.
18:06Poets.
18:07You know, that seems like a higher thing.
18:09Mine is more like I go to Wawa, you know?
18:12Bob Dylan maybe goes to, I don't know.
18:16But there's power in both.
18:18No, I'm not saying.
18:18He goes to some place with a barista.
18:20Well, or he goes to the mountains somewhere and I don't know.
18:24But I'm not saying it's, I'm not trying to diss Bob Dylan.
18:27I love Bob Dylan.
18:28No, I don't.
18:29I like to listen to him.
18:30But I don't, that's a little, it's a little above my pay grade, is what I would say.
18:36I don't, that's not for me.
18:37It's just not your style.
18:38I like more raw, I don't really care if the song is grammatically correct.
18:43I don't care if the, you know, the perspective, you know, if they're talking to you and then
18:48you say I and it changes in the middle of the song.
18:50I don't know.
18:50Like, I come from punk, you know, and I like, I like that stuff.
18:54I really like, you know, those bands.
18:57I like, it's hard.
18:59And I, you know, and I really, even before punk, I come from like Pearl Jam and Nirvana.
19:03Right.
19:03You know, where it was just abstract city.
19:05Yes.
19:05You know, and it was just kind of emotion right there.
19:09That's, that's what I come from.
19:10Cool.
19:10You know?
19:11That's great to know too.
19:12Yeah.
19:12It's tough.
19:13Yeah.
19:13I wish I could say Dylan, but no.
19:16Big influences on.
19:16No, but it's cool to hear you say Pearl Jam because like we're roughly the same age.
19:20Yeah.
19:20And I'm just, I like to hear you, you know, talk about that or Nirvana for that matter.
19:27It's the second time you brought up Kurt Cobain.
19:29Yeah.
19:29He was a big, big influence on you.
19:32So from the, from that standpoint of artists that may have influenced you, you know, what
19:38I was saying was, man, that song Positive Charge spoke to me.
19:42Yeah.
19:42And other people are saying, man, that spoke to me.
19:44I want to, I want to get back to that guy I knew.
19:47Right.
19:47That guy who had all that fun.
19:48Yeah.
19:49Right.
19:49What songs spoke to you from other artists?
19:54Like, is there a song that spoke to you where you said, wow, that dude wrote that or that
19:57woman wrote that song for me?
19:59Yeah.
19:59I mean, like it's, there's tons of them, but like to, you know, thinking about just right
20:05now off the cuff would be, I mean, there's like Tom Petty songs big time.
20:11Like, you know, um, some of his songs, like that song square one, I think is a real big, uh, big one for me.
20:20And, uh, that's a, you know, starting over song.
20:22I think, um, the promise, the, the, the Springsteen song on the piano, that version from tracks that, that one for sure.
20:31Um, but man, like I, I always thought like Serve the Servants from, uh, Nirvana.
20:37Awesome.
20:37Okay.
20:38Um, great song.
20:39Yeah, really.
20:40And I thought, um, you know, Off He Goes by Pearl Jam is a big one that I thought I could relate to a lot, you know, like leaving for tour all the time.
20:48Right.
20:49Yeah.
20:49And those songs.
20:50But, uh, yeah, man, there's a ton.
20:52Like if I, if I stopped and really made a list, I could probably think about it.
20:55You know, another big one, Corduroy, uh, Pearl Jam.
20:57Love that track.
20:58I heard it on a three play over the weekend.
21:00I was like, damn, I haven't heard that in ages.
21:03So good.
21:04How about you and Eddie doing a little duet now that I think about it?
21:08We did one time in, uh, in,
21:10Florida.
21:10We did, uh, State 11 Trust together.
21:12Yeah.
21:12Oh my God.
21:13Do we got that on YouTube or something?
21:15Probably.
21:15Oh, I'm looking, as soon as you leave, I'm going to be watching.
21:19Ethel Merman's going to have another ride.
21:21You brought up, off he goes.
21:23I got no coat tattooed on my arm.
21:24I love it.
21:25Yeah.
21:25I'm a huge fan of you guys.
21:27Pearl Jam.
21:28This is unbelievable stuff here.
21:30So you said you might play a little something from, uh, handwritten for us?
21:33Yeah.
21:34I'll play that for you.
21:34What are we going to?
21:35Practice it.
21:36Let's try it.
21:37What are we doing?
21:38Uh, we'll, we'll do a national anthem.
21:40I think that would be awesome.
21:41Yeah.
21:41And if I mess it up, it's your fault.
21:43Okay.
21:44I'd take the blame.
21:45All right.
21:45I'll just have to take a zero off the check.
21:47That's all.
21:49Gotts is the guy that we blame everything on.
21:50And since he's standing here in the room, we're just going to blame him.
21:53Okay.
21:53All right.
21:54Go ahead, man.
21:54This is fantastic.
21:56It's Brian Fallon, a gaslighter.
21:57You know what I mean?
21:59I don't know.
21:59Yeah.
22:00You don't have to.
22:00You don't even have to say anything back.
22:02You know.
22:05I love you, Brian.
22:06Yeah.
22:06I love you, too, man.
22:07You got to be hard.
22:08You know?
22:08Never will forget you, my American love
22:25And always remember you, wild as they come
22:33And though if I saw you, I'd pretend not to know
22:41The place where you were in my heart is now closed
22:49I already live too many ghosts
22:56And everybody lately is living up in space
23:09Flying through transmissions on invisible airways
23:18With everything discovered just waiting to be known
23:25What's left for God to teach from his throne
23:33And who will forgive us when he's gone
23:40So take what you need now, honey
23:48And do what you like
23:52Don't worry about me, mama
23:57I'm all right
23:59Can't stand the weather
24:05No, I never liked the rain
24:07We drink on the job
24:13And then we go home early
24:15I remember she used to look so good in that dress
24:23Now she just screams how I promised her more than this
24:31Take it easy, baby
24:36It ain't over yet
24:38So take what you need now, honey
24:46And do what you like
24:50Don't worry about me, mama
24:55I'm all right
24:57And if there's something you need
25:05And if there's something you find
25:09It never gets you through the night
25:14It never gets you through the night
25:18And I never will forget you, my American love
25:26And I'll always remember you
25:33Wild as they do come
25:35Thank you
25:46What a treat
25:47Unbelievable
25:47Unbelievable
25:49What a treat
25:50Brian Fallon of Gaslight Anthem on the rap this morning
25:53Geez, Louise
25:54Playing the last cut on that beautiful record you guys did a long time ago
25:59Brendan O'Brien
26:00Yeah
26:00Handwritten
26:01Fantastic
26:02Yeah
26:02Thanks so much for being here, my guy
26:04Thanks for having me
26:04Absolutely killed it, man
26:06Make sure everyone
26:07If you're not checking
26:08If you're not going through your Gaslight Anthem discography after this morning
26:12Come on
26:13You're nuts, okay
26:14Support Brian Fallon
26:16Support Gaslight Anthem
26:17I got kids to feed
26:18Support Jersey rock artists like this
26:21He's got kids
26:22He's got kids to feed
26:23They're going to grow up and run your country
26:25The new record drops on October 27th
26:30Halloween record
26:31We look forward to seeing you back in our area real soon, man
26:34Thank you very much
26:35Safe travels, Brian
26:36All right
26:36Say hi to the rest of the band for us
26:39I will do
26:39Peace
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