Date: November 26, 2025
Name of podcast: Backstage Pass Radio
S9: E10: dUg Pinnick (Kings X / Grinder Blues) Motown Roots to Metal Truths

SHOW SUMMARY:
A voice that can shake a room and a bass tone you can feel in your ribs—dUg Pinnick of King’s X joins us for a candid, wide-open conversation about art, survival, and building a sound that refuses the mold. From a childhood spent glued to record players to the thunder of Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple, dUg traces how Motown roots and gospel grit fused with heavy riffs to form the King’s X blueprint. We talk about the business as he’s lived it—70 years of evolution and disruption—why validation culture can starve the soul, and how a band can stay small on charts yet massive in people’s lives.

dUg breaks down his uniquely architectural approach to writing: drum groove first, guitars and bass next, and lyrics last, pulled straight from lived emotion. He opens the hood on tone design, too—signal splitting for grit and chime, frequency carving that lets bass feel huge without drowning guitars, and why a 12‑string bass keeps his hands honest. We revisit the Dogman era with producer Brendan O’Brien, tuning choices that made the record hit like their live show, and the stubborn love that fuels a cult following decade after decade.

There’s warmth and wit here—AC/DC dinner stories, the joy of seeing U2 at the Rose Bowl, and the humility of knowing fans bring their own history to every chorus. dUg shares what’s next: final tweaks on his solo record, the spark of a rock-and-roll cooking show, and a stack of ideas ready for the next King’s X chapter. If you care about songwriting, bass tone, heavy music history, or simply staying true when trends shift, this conversation delivers depth you can use and heart you can feel.

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Artist(s) Web Page

www.kingsxrocks.com

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