On this episode of The Fred Minnick Show, musician and co-founder of The Crystal Method Scott Kirkland stops in to chat with Fred and sip some whiskey. Scott and musical partner Ken Jordan founded the band in 1993, becoming pioneers of EDM (Electronic Dance Music). The due released its debut album, Vegas, in 1997, and that record would go on to achieve platinum sales. The Crystal Method would go on to release five more club music albums, including 2018’s The Trip Home. On the show, Scott talks with Fred about creating a new musical style, touring, Louder Than Life, keto dieting, tequila, movies and much more.
Whiskeys tasted:
Smooth Ambler Old Scout (18:36)
Blanton’s Single Barrel (29:18)
Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Barrel Pick (38:56)
Barrell Bourbon 15 Year Old (1:15:56)
EPISODE SUMMARY
Fred and Scott discuss a variety of topics, such as:
Scott explains how The Crystal Method grew from attending dance party shows in small L.A. clubs back in the early 1990s.
He also recalls that as grunge died down toward the middle 1990s, Rolling Stone put an EDM band – before the term EDM existed – on the cover of Rolling Stone and declared the style “the next big thing.” The Crystal Method’s first album was released shortly thereafter, propelling the duo from the clubs into mainstream entertainment channels.
Scott also relates that his music is for more than just dancing – the band’s goal was always to make music that could be enjoyed in any situation.
While tasting Old Scout, Scott reveals he’s more of a tequila guy, but also talks of once upon a time enjoying a party drink called Flaming Dr. Pepper. (If you’ve not heard of this cocktail mix, it’s worth looking up.)
Scott also shares a memory of spending time at a friend’s house in Oklahoma and getting to try dozens of vintage bourbons in specialty decanters.
Along the way, Fred shares some Blanton’s with Scott – from a bottle that he says is one of the best he’s had in quite a while, citing the bourbon’s inconsistency in contrast to its scarcity.
They veer into a quick chat about their love for ice cream. And hot sauce. But not necessarily together.
Scott and Fred apparently narrowly missed meeting each other last year at Louder Than Life – The Crystal Method played before GWAR, which almost dusted Fred’s white suit with blood spray. Fred also related that somehow GWAR were able to sip bourbon through their costumes. Impressive.
After trying the Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel – which was bottled at barrel proof – Scott proclaims it “shakes everything out of the tree.”
Fred relates how, while serving in Iraq, he would have friends ship Listerine bottles refilled with whiskey to him to work around the no-drinking policy in the Army. He also discusses other memories and revelations from his time there in 2004-2005.
They then move into a discussion about how America is, as Fred puts it, “at a tipping point,” and he compares the state of the country today to how Iraq was 15 years ago, from civil unrest to kidnapping schemes on government representatives.
QUOTABLE
Scott tells Fred that early on, a prospective manager wanted the band to change its name due to the perceived drug reference. They were told, “OK, you guys gotta change your name. There’s no radio station that’s going to play your music because of your name. We were young and stupid, and we were, like, ‘But you remember it though, right?’”
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