Celebrity Jobber with Jeff Zito - Rachel Bolan from Skid Row

Summary

Podcast Summary:
Celebrity Jobber with Jeff Zito – Rachel Bolan from Skid Row
April 17, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this episode of Celebrity Jobber, host Jeff Zito sits down with Rachel Bolan, bassist for the legendary New Jersey rock band Skid Row. The show’s premise explores the early jobs and pre-fame lives of celebrities, delving into who they might have been if they hadn’t made it big. Rachel discusses his blue-collar upbringing, formative odd jobs, family support, and the pivotal moments that led to Skid Row’s stardom. The conversation also covers Rachel’s new solo album, "Gargoyle of the Garden State," his songwriting process, and the ongoing legacy of Skid Row.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Jersey Roots and Attitude

• Jersey Connection: Rachel and Jeff immediately bond over their shared New Jersey background, discussing what makes people from the state unique.
  • “Jersey people are just tough men and women. Sometimes the women are tougher than the guys.” — Rachel Bolan [04:47]
  • “We’re natural born storytellers... we’re honest, bluntly honest. That makes us feel good, even if it makes other people not so good sometimes.” — Rachel Bolan [04:09]
• Influence of The Jersey Shore: The hosts reflect on perceptions shaped by pop culture and insist that real Jerseyans are different from TV stereotypes [05:03–05:23].

2. Meeting Snake Sabo and the Formation of Skid Row

• First Encounter: Story of meeting bandmate Dave "Snake" Sabo in a music store and connecting over shared work ethic and ambition.
  • “He was taking two buses to get there, you know, and to get to work. And we... hit it off.” — Rachel Bolan [06:06]
• Band Chemistry: Early days of songwriting with Sabo and guitarist Scotty Hill, recognizing their creative synergy:
  • “Silently, we were both thinking, like, wow, this is pretty special. And then here we are 40 years later.” — Rachel Bolan [06:51]

3. Musical Upbringing and Influences

• Family & Musical Tastes: Rachel is the youngest of four, absorbing musical tastes spilling from his siblings’ rooms; influences ranged from The Beatles and Jimi Hendrix to Kiss, the Ramones, Brit-pop, and New Wave.
  • “All of those influences and even influences on the periphery from the other rooms ended up on this record—really, even if it’s a tiny little part here and there.” — Rachel Bolan [08:07]
• Solo Debut’s Significance: Releasing his first solo record, "Gargoyle of the Garden State," is “monumental.” He relishes the freedom to incorporate all his influences [08:18–08:43].

4. Songwriting for Skid Row Versus Solo Work

• Choosing Songs’ Destinations: Rachel explains why some songs don’t fit Skid Row’s sound.
  • “If you bring a song to the band, you can tell within a second if everyone's into it or not.” [09:39]
  • “I like my life to be simple. I like my songs to be simple. That's where... it's easy to tell what's going to column A and what's going to column B.” [10:29]
  • “I'm not as good as Scotty and Snake... they'd have to dumb down their playing to play on this stuff.” [10:50]

5. Making “Gargoyle of the Garden State” and Guest Musicians

• Collaborations: All album guests (e.g., Danko Jones, Corey Taylor, Damon Johnson, Steve Conte) are real friends. Rachel describes how he envisioned their contributions for specific songs, making the project feel even more personal.
  • “Everyone that was on the record were my friends... It made a monumental, special occurrence in my life even more special that they said yes.” [12:08]
• Recording with Danko Jones & Corey Taylor:
  • “Corey Taylor would sound really good on this song, so I called him... He was done in 45 minutes. He's just great.” [13:27]
  • “Danko... as nice of a guy as he is, he looks like the imposing person... but he's just such a nice guy.” [14:12]

6. Reflection on Fame and Career

• Looking Back: Rachel admits to regularly reflecting on his journey, especially before stepping on stage.
  • “Every night as the intro rolls, I think... I'm like, wow. In about 15 seconds, we're going to be running out on stage, living our dream again.” [17:05]
• Work Ethic Philosophy: Lessons from his father—a major theme in Rachel's story—emphasize hard work and self-worth.
  • “Whatever you do, don't be afraid of hard work, because hard work is what makes you successful. If you dig ditches for a living, be the best damn ditch digger you could be.” [18:17]

7. Early Jobs Before Skid Row

• Landscaping: Not afraid to get his hands dirty, as illustrated by digging out a dead tree for a landscaping company—a moment that became a parable about work ethic [17:56–19:42].
• Boardwalk Hustle: At Seaside Heights’ Casino Pier, Rachel worked a basketball carnival game as a teen, dealing with unruly tourists and tough situations, sometimes resorting to brandishing a hammer for self-defense!
  • “So my dad’s like... if someone’s bigger than you, hit him with a big stick... that’s where I got the whole idea for the song ‘Big Stick’.” [21:55]
  • Memorable moment: “Some guido started giving me a hard time, so I reached out and went, bam, right next to his hand. He’s like, ‘Whoa, whoa, this dude’s crazy!’ I was like, ‘Now we have our boundaries.’” [22:45]

8. Parental Support, Plan B, and Going “All In”

• Family Encouragement: Rachel’s parents bought his first bass, lent him money for equipment, but insisted on having a “Plan B.”
  • “My mom and dad were like, ‘You need a plan B.’... I said, ‘I have a plan B.’ I totally have a plan B. I didn’t have a plan B.” [24:23–25:57]
• No Real Backup Plan: Rachel did learn home construction from his dad but was determined to chase music above all else.

9. Life-Changing Moments & Paying it Forward

• Key Breakthroughs:
  • Hearing “18 in Life” on New York’s Z100—an enormous commercial station—was a surreal turning point:
    • “I hear 18 in life on there... and I’m like, oh my god... These are rockers... now rocking out to the song... This is so unbelievable.” [29:24–30:11]
• Paying Parents Back: On receiving his first significant royalty check, Rachel paid his parents back $8,000 he owed for their financial support; a proud, emotional moment.
  • “‘How much do I owe you?’... She said, ‘$8,000.’ I put the money on the ledger. She goes, ‘You don’t have to pay it all at once.’ The old man from the other room: ‘Let him pay back the goddamn loan!’” [31:03–32:14]

10. Skid Row Legacy and Moving Forward

• Reunion with Sebastian Bach?: Rachel confirms the band is focused on moving forward, and the door is closed on another tour with original vocalist Sebastian Bach.
  • “It is what it is. We’re here now. We’re still Skid Row, and we’re heading into the next chapter of our career.” [34:47]
• Band Dynamics: Addresses rumors about being “tough” in a band—Rachel insists he expects hard work from everyone, himself included.
  • “I don’t expect any more of anyone else than I do out of myself... Going right back to what my old man said: don’t be afraid of hard work.” [33:08]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "Jersey people are storytellers. We're honest—bluntly honest. And that makes us feel good, even if it makes other people not feel so good sometimes.” — Rachel Bolan [04:09]
• "If you’re going to dig ditches for a living, be the best damn ditch digger you could be.” — Advice from Rachel's father [18:17]
• “My mom kept ledgers of what all of us kids owed her... I got my first substantial royalty check... I just had them wrap it... I put it on the ledger… dad: 'let him pay back the goddamn loan!'” — Rachel Bolan [31:03–32:14]
• “I went into dad’s workshop, and I found his framing hammer. I brought it to work... some guido started giving me a hard time, so I reached out and went, bam, right next to his hand… Now we have our boundaries.” — Rachel Bolan [22:05–22:45]
• “Corey Taylor would sound really good on this song, so I called him… He was done in 45 minutes.” — Rachel Bolan [13:27]

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Timestamps for Major Segments

• Jersey culture & origin stories: 03:05–05:35
• Meeting Snake and Skid Row’s beginnings: 05:24–07:08
• Family influences and musical upbringing: 07:08–08:43
• The solo album and songwriting process: 08:43–11:20
• Collaborations on the album: 11:20–15:23
• Reflection on success and work ethic: 17:03–19:48
• Early jobs (landscaping, boardwalk): 19:53–22:45
• Family support and “Plan B”: 24:18–26:38
• Defining career moments: 27:26–32:23
• Band legacy and solo outlook: 33:01–34:58

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Conclusion

Rachel Bolan’s journey from a blue-collar Jersey kid to rock star is rich with anecdotes about hard work, supportive family, colorful early jobs, and a deep commitment to his dreams. Through stories of digging ditches, handling carnival games, and navigating both family expectations and music industry challenges, this episode provides an intimate and engaging portrait of the man behind Skid Row’s bass.

Rachel’s new solo record "Gargoyle of the Garden State" is out June 12, with the lead single “At War With Myself” (featuring Danko Jones) available now.

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For more about Rachel Bolan and Skid Row:

• skidrow.com
• Listen to "Gargoyle of the Garden State" (June 12 release date)
• Podcast at celebrityjobber.com for more episodes

Transcript

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[Jeff Zito]

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[Rachel Bolan]

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[Rachel Bolan]

Hey everybody, thanks for checking out another episode of the Celebrity Jobber Podcast. I'm Jeff Zito. We're streaming everywhere, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Iheart, wherever you listen to podcasts. And please hit that subscribe button. Really could use your help with the subscribing. Would love a five star rating and please leave a review if you wanted to check out all of our past guests and episodes can do so easily by going to celebrityjobber.com I think it's fascinating to take a look at some of these people that we know and find out who they were before fame. My guest today is the bassist for a New Jersey band who kind of broke through in the late 80s early 90s songs like 18 in Life, I remember your youth gone wild. Rachel Bolan had a life before fame growing up in New Jersey. We'll find out a little bit more about his life before joining Ski Skid Row. We'll find out about what his parents did for work, what he did for work before Skid Row reached their level of success and maybe the big break or that life changing moment. And FYI, Rachel Bolan releasing his debut solo album titled Gargoyle of the Garden State, set to drop June 12th. And you can check out the lead single right now. It's called At War With Myself and features Canadian rocker Danko Jones. Really great song. Check it out. We're about to find out all about Skid Row bassist Rachel Bolan, who's my guest this week on Celebrity Jobber.

[Jeff Zito]

The Celebrity Jobber Podcast with Jeff Zito. If you like what you hear, please subscribe, give a five star rating and leave a review. Check out all our Past episodes on Apple podcasts, Spotify or wherever you pod.

[Rachel Bolan]

What if these celebrities weren't famous? What would they have become?

[Jeff Zito]

What was their first job?

[Rachel Bolan]

We're about to find out. Hey, Rachel.

[Jeff Zito]

Wow. I was panicking. Could not find the link.

[Rachel Bolan]

No worries. Yeah, you know what? I'm, I'm from Jersey. I've been in this business for over 30 years and I've never met you

[Jeff Zito]

before, so it's, that's crazy.

[Rachel Bolan]

I thought finally. Me.

[Jeff Zito]

Yeah, yeah, I, I've heard your name a million times.

[Rachel Bolan]

Right on.

[Jeff Zito]

I've never actually met you.

[Rachel Bolan]

That's cool, man. You still in Jersey?

[Jeff Zito]

I actually just moved back about a year and a half ago, something like that.

[Rachel Bolan]

So I work at the, I, I work at the Rat. So it's probably the, the station that you would probably listen to. But I, I, I grew up in, in Watchong Summit area for a lot of years, so.

[Jeff Zito]

Yeah, Yeah.

[Rachel Bolan]

I don't know what it is. What do you think it is, Rachel? About us Jersey guys? You think like there's something, it's like I always find a connection with the Jersey guy. I don't know why. I think maybe because everybody's against us. What do you think?

[Jeff Zito]

Yeah, you know. Yeah, a little bit of that. I, I would say, I mean, it's where very unique. We're different than anywhere else in the country. I mean, New Yorkers are New Yorkers and we're very similar in certain ways. But the thing with Jersey, I find is we're natural born storytellers. And, and my dad had a saying for people that told a story that they, they could really cut down to half the time. He used to say, ask that guy the time, he'll tell you how to build a watch. But we are storytellers and we're, we're honest, bluntly honest. And that makes us feel good, even if it makes other people not, feels not so good sometimes. And that, that's something that, when I moved down South, I really had to dial back because I say stuff to people and they'd be like, this guy, this guy's an ass. Right, right. It's just we, we, we're tough. I mean, Jersey people are just tough men and women. Sometimes the women are tougher than the guys.

[Rachel Bolan]

I think you're right.

[Jeff Zito]

Yeah. And you know, we share a lot of similarities with New York and with Philly and stuff. It's this area. But Jersey is just different.

[Rachel Bolan]

It is, it's, it's something we, I don't know, maybe it was the Jersey Shore that kind of got people upset about people from New Jersey to where real people from Jersey are like, wait, that's not. That's not us. But I think you're right. I think, you know where you stand with somebody from New Jersey. They're going to just tell you flat out, you know.

[Jeff Zito]

Absolutely.

[Rachel Bolan]

And I think that's probably you. It up pretty well. So. So I. I had a conversation with Snake earlier on. On this podcast and in its infant stages four years ago, and he said, I was working at a music store in Tom's river, and this guy comes and he looks like a rock star. This guy comes in and it's Rachel Bolan. And I. I just ended up saying, like, hey, man, we should do. We. You know, we should do something together. So is that. Is that kind of how you remember meeting Snake?

[Jeff Zito]

Yeah, yeah. I went in the music store that I used to go to all the time, and he was fairly new there, and he said he was from Sayerville. I was like, why? That's like an hour away, man. It's like over, like, almost 60 miles away. He's like, well, I can't get hired up there because they want me to cut my hair. And I was like, I like this guy. I like his work ethic. And so he take it two buses to get there, you know, and to get to work. And we. We hit it off, you know, he. He dropped a lot of names.

[Rachel Bolan]

Oh, yeah, he was that guy, huh?

[Jeff Zito]

Yeah, he dropped a lot of those. But I was like, we got together and he had a band, and I had a band. I had a band with Scotty Hill, actually. And so we just. We just got together and started writing songs. And I think silently, we were both thinking, like, wow, this is pretty special. And then here we are 40 years

[Rachel Bolan]

later, you know, Believable. Unbelievable. So what about growing up, your family? Were they musical people or. Or did you. How did you find this?

[Jeff Zito]

They liked music that, like, they. Everyone listened to music. I'm the fourth out of four kids. So there. There was a lot of music playing in the house. You know, from my one sister's room, we had, like, Herman's Hermits and the Beatles and stuff like that. From my brother's room, there was always Jimi Hendrix in Chicago and Miles Davis. And then my other sister's room was like, a lot of, like, Melanie and Carly Simon, James Taylor type stuff. And, you know, I was absorbing it all. And then I found my own way, you know, with Kiss and, you know, Ramones eventually, and just stuff like that. Stuff like, and then, like, Brit pop, then Brit, like Bay City Rollers type of stuff that just, you know, it's kind of made for a young kid. And so just all of that and all of those influences and even influences on the periphery from the other rooms ended up on this record, you know, really, Even if it's a tiny little part here and there, like my new wave, my love of new wave could be in a baseline or, you know, let's. I want to play a guitar part that sounds like the keyboard part of that Devo song. You know what I mean? Stuff like that. And that's what made this. I mean, having putting a solo record out at this point in my career is special to begin with, it's monumental, right? For me. But to have all those influences just be put into one place, it was. It's a pretty amazing feeling.

[Rachel Bolan]

So. So you were saying in another interview that I was watching not too ago, that, you know, when you record stuff, this is, like you said, this is your debut solo album, first time you've ever done this. And. And I heard you say, like, hey, you know, sometimes. I'm writing all the time, and it's. I know it's not quite right for Skid Row. Can you tell me what that means? Because, like, I. I figure anything you come up with is going to be what Skid Row should be like, because. Because it's you. So what does that mean when you're like, you know, I didn't think this was quite right for Skid Row.

[Jeff Zito]

Well, first off, it. It. It's not just me, because Skid Row is all of us that are in the band. So everyone has to feel good about a song. And so if you.

[Rachel Bolan]

You.

[Jeff Zito]

We've been doing it so long. Excuse me. That if you bring a song to the band, you could tell within a second if everyone's into it or not. If everyone's playing hard, like, oh, yeah. You know, and digging in, and if everyone's kind of like. But they don't want to hurt your feelings because they're your bros, you're like, all right, just put that one to the side. So with all this. This stuff is obviously such a departure from Skid Row that, you know, I wasn't hearing, you know, soaring vocals or. Or just, you know, epic guitar solos and stuff like that. This is. It's simple. It's like me. It's my attitude. I'm a man of simple. Simple. Like, I like my life to be simple. I like my songs to be simple. And that's. I Write simply. So that. That's where I. It's easy to tell the. To what. What's going to column A and what's going to column B, you know what I mean? And, you know, I. I had some of these songs for a while, and I, I still feel strongly that they could not be skid row songs without changing the whole feel of the songs, you know, because first of all, I'm not as good as Scotty and Snake, you know what I mean? There I. I'm fortunate enough to be in A. To me, the best rock guitar duo in a long time and like, maybe ever, you know, and so it would almost be like they'd have to dumb down their playing to play on this stuff.

[Rachel Bolan]

I don't think so. I, I think. I think the. The single At War With Myself is great. Really catchy. And I'm a big fan of Danko Jones. So are you. Are you friends? Yeah. How did you get all the guys? Are they all friends? Because I did hear you say one guy wasn't into it and he just said, no, thanks. So was. Was that guy a friend or, or. And not anymore. He.

[Jeff Zito]

He wasn't. He was someone I really looked up to. And, and it. You take that chance, putting it out there, you know what I mean? But, yeah, everyone that was on the record were my friend. They are my friends. Corey Danko, Damon Johnson, obviously the Rob, Scotty and Snake and Steve Conti. These are all my friends. And even more friends that did backup vocals. Ryan Cook, Paul Taylor, my friend Matt Farley. These are all true friends of mine that I could call any time and say, did you see the game last night? You know what I mean? Yeah. And yeah, so that made a monumental, special, you know, occurrence in my life even more. That much more special that they said yes. And I didn't write songs around them, but I knew immediately, like, oh, Nuno should play on this song. I'm hearing that kind of Nuno, right? Just Flash and Soul on which was Jet Black Universe. And. And you know, I had the, the one song Rock and roll Star. I. I heard Scotty and when Scotty came in and did the. The solo, I was like, oh, my God, like, he never. Both, Both Snake and Scotty, it's like they'll play stuff. And I'm like, I'm so glad I'm in a band with these guys and not trying to be in a band with these guys.

[Rachel Bolan]

That's cool. That's cool.

[Jeff Zito]

And everyone that, that did it, like, I, I was like, I had the Song written? Yes. I could sing it with the exception. Well, I'll get to that in a second. Like, the songs that I'm eventually going to be singing, because if I take this on the road, they're not going to be there. But I'd be like, man, Corey Taylor would sound really good on this song. So I called him, like, you want to sing this song? It's got a Sham 69 feel, too. He's like, I'm in. Send me the song. And so I sent him song, flew out to Vegas. We had three hours booked in the studio. He was done in 45 minutes. He's just great. And then we talked about punk rock for another two hours. So, you know, and Danko, same thing. I. I didn't write that song around his voice. I was singing the whole thing, and then I was like, man, it would be really cool. Our voices are similar in ways, but there's a. There's a distinct contrast with his because he. As nice of a guy as he is, he looks like the imposing person, like, just like, oh, my God, I'm gonna rip your head off and pee down your neck hole, you know, And. And. But he's. He's just such a nice guy. And I was like, I think our voices would sound really good. And, you know, and I. I love the way it came out. And he was so much fun. He came down. He did the video. It wasn't even Jersey for 24 hours. He just. He just fitted in. And. And I was lucky that everyone said yes, you know, And Steve Conti was the guy. I'm sure you know Steve. You're.

[Rachel Bolan]

You're.

[Jeff Zito]

Anyone in the Northeast knows Steve. You know, he was in the Dolls and, you know, Company Wolves, and. And now he's with Michael Monroe. And I'm like, man, I know that I can't sing this song. I would need someone with more vocal control and soul. I could sing faster songs. I could sing rhythmic songs, angst, whatever, but I know I can't do this. So I called him, and I was like, man, would you sing this? And he agreed. He's like, I'll sing this song, you know, in his New York accent. And. And when it came back, Nick and I just looked at each other. We're like, perfect. It's a perfect guy to sing this song. The Celebrity Jobber podcast with Jeff Zito.

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[Jeff Zito]

The Celebrity Jobber Podcast with Jeff Zito.

[Rachel Bolan]

I almost look at this like. Like writing a book, right? Like, it's like when, like when you write your. Your autobiography, when you. You reach this, this level of success, you know? And that's kind of how I look at it for, for musicians coming out with a. With a solo record, like you being a part of Skid Row for so many years. Did you ever. I mean, do you ever do that, that look back, that, you know, take a jog down memory lane? You look at yourself as a teenager? Yeah. You ever just look back to and say, man, this is wild. This is a wild ride. I really. Because you have to admit, the guys that aspire to be famous, to be rock star, be a, you know, an athlete, these are dreams that a lot of people have. The difference is the average Hammond Egger can't put that work or don't. They don't have the talent to achieve that stuff. It's very hard. It's, you know, one in a million shot. They say, did you ever take that time and look back and say, wow,

[Jeff Zito]

I, you know, all the time.

[Rachel Bolan]

He did it, man.

[Jeff Zito]

You do all the time. And it happens every night as the intro rolls. I think of that before when we're on tour, I just think of it. I'm like, wow. I just look out at the crowd and I look at my best friends and I'm just like, this is amazing. We're in about 15 seconds, we're going to be running out on stage, living our dream again, right? Every night we're going to be doing it again. And then we run out on stage and the rush is just like, to the point where I'm out of breath sometimes, like, because I'm thinking about it and the adrenaline is just like. And I've barely moved and I'm like, you know what I mean? And it, it, you know, my parents always instilled with all four of us and my friends is to appreciate the good things that come your way. And my dad would always say to me, he had. He had a lot of stuff that didn't seem to make sense as a kid, but as I became an adult, it still pops in my head. But he would always say, whatever you do, don't be afraid of hard work, because hard work is what makes you successful. He goes, if you go and dig ditches for a living, be the best damn ditch digger you could be. And just. You just work hard at that. And so it was funny. I was not digging a ditch, but I was digging. I was working for a land before skid row. I was working for a landscaping company. And one of the trees that one of the crews planted had died for some reason. And it was a pretty. It wasn't a huge tree, but it was like the ones by the sidewalks, and we had to get it out. So everyone's kind of digging at it, digging at it and trying to rock the tree. I'm like, it's not going to. And the boss is standing right there, and he's like, I'll be right back. So I just jumped down with an ax and a shovel into a hole that was about four feet deep. And I'm just, whack, whack. And I'm hitting it. And the boss came back with, like, I don't know, some kind of. It wasn't a chainsaw, but it was something to remove, make it easier to remove a tree. And I had it done, and I did it by hand, and I rocked it back and forth. Everything snapped. The other guys grabbed it and pulled it out. And the boss helped me out, and he goes, if you work as half as hard on your music as you worked at getting that dead tree out of the ground, because you're gonna make it, that's. Never forget that.

[Rachel Bolan]

Well, that's big. That's big. Something you took with you forever. Forever. At one of your first jobs.

[Jeff Zito]

Yeah.

[Rachel Bolan]

Can you remember, was that your first job, landscaping?

[Jeff Zito]

No, my very first job was working at Seaside. Well, not. Not counting working with my dad. Like, he built houses. So I would go and do little stuff like here, cut this. Cut 15 of these two by fours, like, doing little stuff like that, right? But my first job where I was getting paid by a boss and had to deal with the boss was working up on Casino Pier.

[Rachel Bolan]

Oh, man.

[Jeff Zito]

At a basketball. And I. I was. I wasn't old enough to drive, so I was probably like, I don't know, 14ish, right? So I was up there and I have to deal with just all the drunk guidos I came down. They take.

[Rachel Bolan]

Oh, yeah. And back then, Seaside had a bad reputation back then, I bet, right? Not like now. Not like now.

[Jeff Zito]

Yeah. And so I'd be there, and I'm this scrawny little kid, and these guys Are trying to impress their girlfriends and they're missing it. You had to throw a basketball into a hoop, and the hoops were slightly smaller. And they told us to inflate the basketballs so they bounce. And so I'd always get harassed, especially if he had his girlfriend with him. And he'd take, like. Behind me was where the ocean pretty much was. The average ocean was what, you know, the waves were breaking there and the beach, right? So they take these basketballs and they whip them in right over the whole thing into the ocean. And sometimes they'd stay on the beach. Most of the time, they got washed out into the ocean. And then my boss told me to go get it after my shift was over. I go, you want me to swim out into the ocean to get the balls? He's like, you gotta go get him. He goes, go get a net or something. I go, I. They're 50ft out. They're like. They're. They're like almost where they break them.

[Rachel Bolan]

And it's at night. I'm not going out there.

[Jeff Zito]

I'm not going out. So anyway, I got a couple. I. I walked down there and I'm like. I watched for him to leave. I was like, I'm not getting these balls. And then one came in. I brought one up and I put in. And I was dealing with that every day, that kind of stuff. Every day, drunk guys wanting to pick fights with me because I had long hair. Or the girlfriend said, oh, you're cute, or something like that. So these guidos want to jump over. So I'm like, yo, dude. You know? So my dad's like. And that's what influenced. My dad had a saying, if someone's bigger than you, hit him with a big stick. And that's where I got the whole idea for the song big stick. So I was like, okay. So I went into dad's workshop, and I found his framing hammer. So I brought it to work. He's like, what are you doing with that? He was driving me to work. I go, are you using it today? He's like, no, no, I'm not doing any framing today. I was like, this is the big stick. He goes, you can't hit somebody with a hammer. You'll go to jail. I was like, I'm not going to hit them. I'm going to hit in their vicinity, though, right? And so, sure. Sure as hell, some guido started giving me a hard time. So I reached out and went, bam. Right next to his hand. And he's like, whoa, whoa. This dude's crazy. I was like, all right, now we have our boundaries.

[Rachel Bolan]

Oh, that's awesome. That's a great story.

[Jeff Zito]

The Celebrity Jobber podcast with Jeff Zito.

[Commercial Announcer]

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[Rachel Bolan]

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[Jeff Zito]

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[Rachel Bolan]

Prices may be higher for delivery.

[Jeff Zito]

Celebrity Jobber.

[Rachel Bolan]

So we're talking about, like, okay, this is a big dream, you know, like, did you think, what were you thinking if, if it didn't work out, if skid row didn't work out? Are you thinking that you were going to go into this business or did you have aspirations to go to college? Or what were you. What was your, what was your plan? Did you. Were you just too young to have a plan? You're just like, fuck it. Well, you know, rock or bus?

[Jeff Zito]

My. Well, yeah, my parents were very supportive.

[Rachel Bolan]

That's awesome.

[Jeff Zito]

Like, extremely supportive. They bought me my first base. They. They lent me money for a van so I could get the gear around. It's always a bass player with the van, so they were always supportive. My mom, I, I just had to graduate high school. She's like, Because I, I hated school, man. I really, really hate it. I love seeing my friends, and I really liked a couple of my teachers, but I just hated. I felt like I was trapped there and I was wasting my time when I could be writing songs. And so I, sometimes I get detention and I'd be like, finally I could. I had time to write songs and I. And write and write. So. But my mom and dad were like, you need a plan B, right? We have all the faith in the world in you to do this, but you need a plan B. Because at this point, I taught them. It didn't take much talking. They knew I hated school. I. I had no interest in college. So whatever money they put away, I was like, can I please borrow that money for a van and for some gear that's actually gonna work? You know? And they're like, yes. So they said, but we need you to have a plan B. And I said, I, I have a plan B. I totally have a plan B. I didn't have a plan B. So I'm like, when I met. And then it brings me to when I met Snake. I'm like, okay, this guy's on the same collision course with success that I think I'm on, you know, hitch my

[Rachel Bolan]

wagon of this guy.

[Jeff Zito]

And so we, we started writing songs, and they just started coming to us like that. But I, I didn't have a plan B. I knew what I could do because I knew a lot about construction. I knew how to, I knew how to build a house because of my dad, right. He showed me a lot of stuff. And I, I, you know, between him, my brother, my cousin, you know, we could, we could definitely build a house. And. But it's not what I wanted to do. And they were, mom and dad were totally cool about that. And, you know, I, I, I, I just, it was, it was. Or an or bust.

[Rachel Bolan]

That, that was a. That's very important, though, having the, the support of your parents, because. Absolutely. If they didn't support you, I, I think things could have been different. Who knows? I mean, but that is, I think that's very, very important. What about, what about the moment that changed your life forever? There. There had to be. I mean, you probably worked gradually a little bit more. A little bit more, you know, 18 in life, whatever that came out. But was there a moment that you can remember, defining moment? Whether it was hearing the song on the radio, signing the record deal, a call from somebody, playing a show, a defining moment where you guys looked at each other and you were like, I think everything's gonna be different for us here on After.

[Jeff Zito]

Yeah, there were a couple and in different situations with one time I went. We were doing press in New York City, and we were on tour, but we flew to New York and we were doing press for, like, three days. I didn't even go home to New Jersey. I just stayed in New York. So I went to see friends and we went to the old Cat Club.

[Rachel Bolan]

And

[Jeff Zito]

yeah, it was a cat club, right? In New York City, or am I thinking, yeah, the Cat Club. So I go there and I met a couple people. My friend Michael Lago and my friend Mary Gormley, who were both A R. They did a R for two different labels. Michael signed Metallica. Mary had a bunch of big signings, and we were all in town at the same time, and we were all kind of coming up at the same time. So I met them there, had a great time. Met Joey Ramon. Awesome. I was blown away.

[Rachel Bolan]

Yeah.

[Jeff Zito]

It was just. He was so nice and so cool and I didn't realize how tall he was. Five, nine. I'm like, I don't even come up to this dude's armpit. But he was so, so nice to me. And so I grabbed a cab back because I, you know, we had to start press at like 10am or something like that. It was already like 3am so I'm in a cab and it was hot out, so I had the windows down and there's a car parked next to us at a light. And it was on. What was a super, super commercial radio station in New York back then?

[Rachel Bolan]

That was probably what Stern was on, which was Krock.

[Jeff Zito]

Right? Was there Z100 back then?

[Rachel Bolan]

Yeah. Z100 was like a pop, like a top 40 station. Huge. But yeah, hu.

[Jeff Zito]

Yeah, that's what it was.

[Rachel Bolan]

Yeah.

[Jeff Zito]

Yeah. And all the DJs had lots of reverb and delay on their voice. So I'm in the. The cab and all sudden I hear 18 in life on there. Oh, man, that's a big station, Z118. And I'm like, oh my God.

[Rachel Bolan]

Yeah.

[Jeff Zito]

Like it's not. I'm not listening to it on a rock station. I'm listening to it on the most

[Rachel Bolan]

commercial station from the top of the world. From the top of the.

[Jeff Zito]

That's.

[Rachel Bolan]

That's huge. Yeah.

[Jeff Zito]

And so I'm listening to this and they're dudes that do not look like they go to our shows at all.

[Rachel Bolan]

I know exactly what you mean. Like generic looking guys with like polos. They're like, these are rockers.

[Jeff Zito]

Exactly. And now rocking out to the song. And we kept stopping at the same lights. And I was just like, this is so unbelievable. Like, no one's going to believe this story. There are no cell phones then where I could call. Listen to this. You know what I mean? And I got back and I barely slept that night because I was so excited. Celebrity Jobber. The Celebrity Jobber podcast with Jeff Zito. There was another point where so my mom kept ledgers of what all of us kids owed her. Right? Owed.

[Rachel Bolan]

Right.

[Jeff Zito]

You know, borrowed. Because it was never like, we're giving you this money. It's like, we're not charging you. Interesting. But we're loaning you this money. And it was a great character learning experience.

[Rachel Bolan]

Absolutely. I'm sure you didn't think about it the same way you think about it today, but you sure appreciate mom doing that.

[Jeff Zito]

Yeah.

[Rachel Bolan]

Yeah, absolutely.

[Jeff Zito]

So I remember I got my first substantial royalty check, and it could. It could have been a million dollars, right? But it wasn't. No, it was nowhere near that. But I still owed them about $8,000. I went and cashed a check. I took the $8,000 out of it, and I just had them wrap it in a. Those little money wrapper things. And I go, ma, I go. And my dad's in the living room watching tv, right? He was hysterical. Like, they both are really funny, but dad was freaking hysterical. So I go in, I said, how much do I owe you? And she goes, let me see. She takes out the big ledger. She's like, there's your sister, your other sister, your brother. Here's you $8,000. And I go in my jacket, I go, wow. And I put it on the ledger.

[Rachel Bolan]

Wow.

[Jeff Zito]

She goes, how much is there? I go, $8,000. I said, we are square. And she goes, oh, you don't have to pay it at all times. The old man from the other room, I let him pay back the goddamn loan. That moment, wow.

[Rachel Bolan]

It was.

[Jeff Zito]

It was a big moment. I saw, like, she was trying not to show it, but she's like, that's great, you know? And dad came into the room, gave me a big hug. It was great.

[Rachel Bolan]

Yeah, man. That's a cool story. That's a cool story. It's funny, Rachel, you know, you seem like a pretty nice guy, and I'll tell you, let that get out, I. Well, I. I ruined my street cred. I hear on the inside, you're. You're tough. You're tough to be in a band where I hear Rachel's tough, man. I know there's a lot of singers that are. That are trying out right now. You've got this really public thing going on with Sweetwater, which is really cool. I'm following it. I even have some ideas of some. Some guys. Some friends of mine that I think would be good. And one of them goes, dude, Rachel, she's. He's tough to be in a band with, man.

[Jeff Zito]

What. What.

[Rachel Bolan]

Why are you. Do you just grind these guys? Like, just.

[Jeff Zito]

I don't think. I don't think I'm tough to be in a band. I mean, I don't expect any more of anyone else than I do out of myself. Maybe that's what they're. They're thinking. But, I mean, you know, we.

[Rachel Bolan]

We've.

[Jeff Zito]

We've made a mark. We've made our own mark on, you know, on music. You know, be it small, be it big, whatever it is. So, you know, we, we all, it's not just me. We all expect someone to put in the time, as we all do, and put in the hard work, as we all do. Going right back to what my old man said. Don't be afraid of hard work. And, and, yeah, I, I don't. I, I think, I think I'm pretty easy to be in a band with. I mean, but I, I know. Then Scotty has said to me, he's like, you know, sometimes, dude, you have your way of thinking, and it's kind of hard to get in between those cracks. I go, I know, I know, but I have vision and stuff like that. But, you know, well, I, I, I'll

[Rachel Bolan]

guess I'll just end with this. And I know. And I have to. You gotta realize. I have to. So the Sebastian chapter, you've, you guys have all made it very clear that that's a direction that was in the past and that you're moving forward. And I do know that the fans would love to see at least maybe one last tour with those, with the, the guys together. Is it, is it, Is it even? Are you in Snake and Scotty, do you guys talk about it or leave the door open a little bit? It's just, it was just too, too much. Just, Just too much that you're.

[Jeff Zito]

It is what it is. Right? Right? It is what it is. You know, we're here now. We're still skid row and, and we're heading into the next chapter of our career.

[Rachel Bolan]

Right on. Okay. Well, you know, I gotta ask.

[Jeff Zito]

You really don't have to, but I get where you're coming from.

[Rachel Bolan]

Yeah, I gotta, I gotta. I mean, because again, if that's what the, you know, I hear from the streets, you know, everybody wants it, but then they realize that there's, there's a reason that it doesn't happen and time moves on. And that's all that you have to say about that. So, Gargoyle of the Garden State Are you the gargoyle?

[Jeff Zito]

I would be the gargoyle I am the gargoyle Paul McCartney was walrus I

[Rachel Bolan]

am the gargoyle the gargoyle of the Garden States. The new album, it's coming out June 12, and the new single with Danko Jones at war with Myself is out right now. Rachel Bowen, Skid Row. Great, man. Was, Great conversation. Thanks for digging deep and telling me all about your family and, and your dad and that. That's good stuff, man. Really good stuff. I appreciate it, man. Have a great rest of your day, and good luck with the. The solo. I. I love it. I really think it's great, and I think I can do really, really, really well with it. So thanks.

[Jeff Zito]

Yeah, man. Thank you. I'm really proud of the way it came out.

[Rachel Bolan]

You should be.

[Jeff Zito]

You should be.

[Rachel Bolan]

Thanks again. All right. Born James Richard Southworth, Rachel Bolan, from Point Pleasant, New Jersey, grew up in a blue collar household. His dad built houses and seemed like his. His old man really instilled that work ethic into Rachel. And he reflected on that several times during the interview and seems like he got a real kick out of his old man and it talked about some of his earlier jobs before skid row, and he was a landscaper. He also talked about working at Seaside Heights, which was kind of a beach town with a boardwalk, kind of a tourist trap. And on the boardwalk, there's a bunch of, like, pizza places and arcades, and it's kind of like the county fair. A lot of games and stuff where Rachel was working by the basketball hoops. Had to bend the basketball hoops so you couldn't really swish one in there and win some crappy Grateful Dead mirror or whatever the hell they were giving away, you know. So I think it was pretty cool. It seemed like he had a pretty close family, and mom and dad, he mentioned several times were supportive of his music career. And think about that, how important that is. Like, your son has long hair and he's in a band. You know, usually mom and dad would probably steer you away from that, cut your hair, get a real job. But they supported him and they loaned him money for a van and talked about how his mother kept a ledger of all the money that the kids owed them. And one of Rachel's most satisfying moments was getting his very first royalty check, which was, he said, a substantial amount. And he knew that he owed his mom and dad $8,000. So he took that money out, asked mom how much he owed. She took out that ledger and she said, $8,000. And he slammed the money down, said, here you go. I'm all paid off. We're square. And that was such a satisfying moment for Rachel. And I think it's really cool and shows you how, how tight knit that he was with his mom and dad and that support that he got from home, you know, again, they must have seen something in him to support him, because I would think most parents would try to deter their son from joining a rock band or making that their profession, you know. Rachel also talked about A life changing moment for him. He's cruising around and listening to one of the biggest radio stations, Z100 in New York City. I remember that station as a kid and their motto being serving the universe from the top of the Empire State Building. And Rachel's listening to that station, Z100, which by the way, wasn't a rock station. It was like a top 40. So it played, you know, all of the popular songs, Madonna, Michael Jackson, all that kind of stuff. So listening to that station, hearing skid rows 18 in life and he said he would look at some of the cars around him and people were singing along to that song and they were kids that weren't going to his shows. Not the rocker type of kids, like regular kind of clean cut people singing his song. It was that moment that he said to himself, wow, I think were about to do something big. I thought it was a great story. And I've heard a thousand times how the band has kind of moved on from original lead singer Sebastian Bach. But I had to ask because that's what the fans keep asking for. You know, one tour with the original band and it looks like that ship has sailed. Rachel gonna be touring behind his debut solo album, Gargoyle of the Garden State. Check out the first single called At War With Myself featuring Canadian rocker Danko Jones. He's also got a ton of guests on this album, including Corey Taylor from Slipknot, Stone Sour. The album Gargoyle of the Garden State from Rachel Boland set to drop on June 12th. More details up on the website skid row.com I'm pretty sure having a supportive family helped Rachel Bolan achieve his personal goal of being in one of the biggest rock bands of the late 80s and early 90s skid row. You know, without that support, who knows, maybe Rachel would still be working on the boardwalk or maybe he'd go into business with his old man building houses or landscaping. I think it all worked out for Rachel. Thank you for checking out another episode of the Celebrity Jobber podcast streaming on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Iheart, wherever you listen to podcasts, follow on Instagram, celebrityjobberpodcast. Also YouTube.com thesignce celebrity jobber bonus content on substack.com celebrityjobber and of course, check out all of our past guests and episodes [e-mail] who were these celebrities before they were famous? Regular people just like you and me. Thanks so much for listening and until next week, I'll see you then. I'm Jeff Zito.

[Commercial Announcer]

It's time to bring on the blooms at the Home Depot with Spring Garden deals. Find savings on hanging baskets and flowers to brighten your backyard or any space that needs instant color. Then get everything you need to plant and protect them, with low prices guaranteed on soil and mulch. Dig into Spring garden deals for four days at the Home Depot, now through May 10. Exclusion supply see homedepot.com Pricematch for details.

[Rachel Bolan]

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[Jeff Zito]

We were made for the moments when

[Rachel Bolan]

you live like you mean it. When you don't just hear the music, you feel it. When you let the bonfire burn into the night and find places you'd never

[Jeff Zito]

spot on a map.

[Rachel Bolan]

So when the moment calls, choose to reach for the bright yellow. Can choose yellow? Choose Pacifico 21 Discover responsibly Pacifico Clara beer imported by Crown Imports, Chicago, Illinois.