Talon Reid: Spin Sets, Side Hustles, & Hollywood Stories

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Detox Retox with Tom Schwartz

Episode: "Talon Reid: Spin Sets, Side Hustles, & Hollywood Stories"

Date: April 22, 2026
Host: Tom Schwartz
Guest: Talon Reed, DJ/Actor/Producer
Podcast: Detox Retox with Tom Schwartz

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Overview

This episode finds Tom Schwartz joining longtime friend and multi-hyphenate creative Talon Reed for a candid, humorous, and at times poignant glimpse into the life of a modern DJ, actor, and side-hustle king. Broadcasting from Talon’s studio in Dublin, Ohio, they discuss the grind of the music industry, the evolution of DJ culture, hustling in Hollywood, navigating fame and reality TV, and the highs and lows of working across entertainment, all while sharing personal stories, hard-earned wisdom, and a sense of real camaraderie.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Ohio Adventures, Local Recommendations, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

• Tom’s first time in Ohio on tour with Talon; he describes Cleveland as a city with "a thing going on," "lively and teeming and optimistic," (05:04), referencing its renaissance, creative energy, and historical link to the birth of rock and roll.
• Local Tips: Janet from the Valley gives a rapid-fire Columbus foodie guide—North Market, Catalina’s pancake balls, Mike’s Grill dive bar, Donato’s Pizza, El Vaquero for Midwestern Mexican. Tom confesses he didn’t make it to any but felt the local spirit anyway.
• Rock & Roll History: The story of DJ Alan Freed popularizing the term "rock and roll," his impact on desegregating music, and anecdotes from the legendary Moondog Coronation Ball (06:18-07:19).
• Rock Hall tour: Tom shares his excitement over exhibits like SNL’s 50th anniversary memorabilia and the original "Dick in a Box" costume (08:18).

2. Meet Talon Reed: DJ, Actor, Producer, Hustler

• Introductions and Banter: Over beers, the duo talk Ohio State pride (15:41-16:28). Talon is closely tied to Buckeye football camps and frequent events.
• Career Rundown: Tom rattles off Talon’s many hats—DJ, actor, musician, father, producer, philanthropist, entrepreneur (17:00-17:08).
• Touring Life: Talon is currently on tour with Red Jumpsuit Apparatus for their "Face Down" 20th anniversary, both DJing and performing on stage (17:22-18:12).
  • Notable Quote:
    "I’m doing all the emo nights…after I close with them, I actually am on stage for Face Down… then I close with the emo night set after."
    — Talon Reed [17:49]
• International Residencies: Talon recounts gigs in London, El Salvador (his favorite), and plans for South America (18:24).

3. The DJ Hustle: Breaking In, Side Hustling, and Hollywood Networks

• Hustle Mentality: Talon details constant outreach—DM-ing, cold messaging, and leveraging connections.
  • "I go on ChatGPT, I hit up every…club in Paris with my EPK. I'm telling you, I'm not in Paris in two weeks, and I'm booked." —TR [18:58]
• Networking as KEY:
  • "My network is my net worth…you need to do the business side." —TR [23:20]
• Bravo/Reality TV Impact: How being connected to Vanderpump Rules, and the "Bravo DJ" phenomenon, shaped opportunities, but also generated resentment from those who grind for years (21:03-22:50).
  • "It takes 10 years to get good at anything. Then you start to master it…another five to…implement your work." —TR [23:49]

4. Economics of DJing—Clubs, Festivals, and Negotiations

• Pay Rates Then and Now: Early club gigs paid $1,200–$1,500 for 2-hour sets; now rates drop due to "pop-up TikTok DJs" willing to work for free (24:05-24:26).
  • "That's why I don't do the clubs as much anymore…My goal was to be chilling on yachts in the south of France." —TR [25:08]
• Big Name DJ Economics: Insight into six-figure paychecks for headliners—Calvin Harris, Skrillex, etc.—and the economics that make it (barely) viable for clubs (30:37-34:45).
  • Club revenue hides in bottle/table service, sometimes for brand-building or promotional reasons.
  • "People don't drink. This new generation, they're kava people. They don't drink." —TR [33:32]
• Industry Shift: Lower bottle service revenue → slashed resident DJ rates → migration toward festivals, corporate gigs, and southern Florida/Nashville scenes.

5. How to Become a DJ: Practical Advice (DJ 101)

• Getting Started:
  • Learn music theory: "You need to know about music." (36:00)
  • Start hands-on: "Get a mixer, get a laptop, plug it in, and just get to work." (36:16)
  • Song selection and crowd-reading are critical:
    "Song selection is king. It's transitioning, reading a crowd." —TR [37:31]
  • Technical proficiency and improvising under pressure:
    "Last night…my channel went out. So I was echoing out…you just figure it out." —TR [37:43]
• Words of Wisdom for New DJs:
  • Don’t work for free—undercutting hurts the industry ([49:07])
  • Study global sounds:
    "Take the time to…listen to every culture’s music and…make it your own." —TR [49:07]
  • Versatility matters: blend genres, adapt to crowds ([49:48])

6. Storytime: Hollywood Side Hustles & Life Lessons

• Hollywood Anecdotes:
  • Margot Robbie’s birthday serenade on the set of Birds of Prey ([42:54])
  • Jay Z, Halsey, Selena Gomez, Andre 3000, and more—Talon’s video vixen run ([44:00-44:51])
  • "People mix up celebrity with billionaire…we made 100k in a Chrysler commercial, but that was like that one time…in LA doesn’t really go that far." —TR [45:03]
  • Importance of financial realism and the afterglow of “big” paydays being short-lived ([45:27])
• Life Philosophy:
  • "If you enjoy what you're doing, then…it's not work." —TR [45:38]
  • Talon’s grandfather:
    "Being a know-it-all…is…the most unattractive thing…we’ll never know it all." —TR [45:56]

7. Friendship, Family, and Tour Life

• Personal Moments: Talon’s son, Baby TJ, makes a cameo (29:35), underlining the blend of hustle and real life.
• Reflections on the Journey:
  • Manifesting dreams:
    "I have all my vision boards still… I mapped out tours and I picked up the DJ thing and I said, I don’t care who I’m with…I’m not going to be limited." —TR [48:15]
• Camaraderie: Tom and Talon’s rapport shines—lots of collective laughter, ribbing, admiration, and genuine connection.

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Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• On DJ hustle:
  "It takes a lot of…cold messaging everything on the planet…if I want to go to Paris tomorrow…I’m not in Paris in two weeks, and I’m booked." —Talon Reed [18:58]

• On Club/Social Currency:
  "My network is my net worth." —Talon Reed [23:20]

• On Industry Shifts:
  "You got all these pop-up TikTok DJs and it's like they're just playing for free. So it's like, bro, they've cut all of our damn rates." —Talon Reed [24:26]

• On The Realities of Fame:
  "People mix up celebrity with billionaire…we made 100k in a Chrysler commercial, but that was like that one time…in LA doesn’t really go that far." —Talon Reed [45:03]

• On Perseverance:
  "If you put those goals out and you…pursue them constantly, I was like, I'm not gonna take no. I'm gonna ask a million mother truckers." —Talon Reed [48:15]

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DJ Advice Segment: Quick Reference

• Get a mixer and a laptop—start practicing ([36:00])
• Master music theory and song selection
• Read the crowd; versatility is key
• Expect technical glitches and learn to adapt
• Don’t work for free—protect your worth ([49:07])
• Continually study, blend, and respect music from all cultures ([49:07])
• Stay humble, hungry, and never stop learning ([46:15])

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Memorable & Lighthearted Moments

• "I used to see Talon in the clubs in LA…Do people still go to clubs?" —Tom Schwartz [25:34]
• Talon recounts drinking and doing a “shoei” with Chad Kroeger of Nickelback at an Oscars party ([40:06])
• TJ, Talon’s baby, drops in as a “future rock star” ([29:47])
• Laughter about "detox and retox" being their secret to anti-aging due to years of debauchery ([29:02])

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Upcoming for Talon Reed

• Touring with Red Jumpsuit Apparatus: 20th anniversary "Face Down" tour (Mexico City, Bogota, Buenos Aires, Chile, Peru, Sao Paulo—end of July onward) ([47:39-48:01])
• Find Talon on socials: @talonreed (47:26)

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Final Inspiration

• "Don't work for free…Also, really take the time to…listen to every culture's music and…make it your own." —Talon Reed [49:07]
• "If you enjoy what you're doing, then…it's not work." —Talon Reed [45:38]
• Tom: "Love you, Talon…let's get after it." [50:58]

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A warm, fast-paced, and wisdom-filled episode—equal parts hustle, heart, and humor. Perfect for anyone interested in the realities of entertainment, side hustles, or just finding balance in a chaotic, creative world.

Transcript

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It's now time for your weekly retox with Tom Schwartz.

[Tom Schwartz]

Are you ready to rock? Lets rock and roll today. First time in Ohio. I don't know a goddamn thing about Ohio, but I'm on tour with my friend and our guest today, DJ Talon Reed. Never really been to Ohio, so I wanted to consult literally the only person I know off the top of my head, my dear friend Janet from the Valley. She's going to give us a few recommendations. Janet, where should we go when we're in Ohio?

[Janet from the Valley]

Schwartzy, I am so happy that you were in Columbus, Ohio. And I'm not gonna lie, I'm a little bit jealous. I haven't been back in a while and I really, really miss a lot of my Columbus foods. So I made a little list for you, but I wanted to highlight some of them because some of them are absolute musts. Okay. North Market. Big market that has, like, probably 50 different restaurants. Foods of all cultures. It is amazing. You can walk around, get like a bite of everything. It's so, so good. Okay, you have to go to Catalina's and get their pancake balls. It's in the short north where I lived after college. I grew up in Dublin, Ohio, which is the burbs. But afterwards I moved down to Victorian Village in short, North. So a lot of these recommendations are right around the short north and Victorian village area.

[Interjector/Listener]

Okay.

[Janet from the Valley]

Ultimate dive bar. Because I know you're a dive bar guy. Mike's Grill in the short North. It's cash only. They have old school Jell O shots in the little containers.

[Tom Schwartz]

It's just like Janet Jello shots. I feel profiled and seen.

[Janet from the Valley]

If you're looking for something fancy for food, Hyde Park's amazing Guild House.

[Talon Reed]

What else?

[Janet from the Valley]

Oh, Forno Marcellas and then also. Oh my gosh, there's so many. I'm getting so hungry right now. Just saying this. Donato's Pizza. Classic Columbus spot. Thin crust pizza sliced into little squares. If you get the pepperoni, it's edge to edge pepperoni. You won't see a. A spot of cheese on that thing. Also recommend their hot chicken pizza. That's unbelievable. Ooh, speaking of chicken, Hubbard Grill in the short north. Best fried chicken ever. Right next door to that is Northstar Cafe. That has the best veggie burger. And they have a juice called the Shooting Star. That's orange ginger carrot juice. Really good for a hangover. Bodega for best craft beers and like, cool little brewery kind of place to hang out. Really, really good. Oh, oh, and my ultimate favorite, Jason makes fun of me because he's like, we have the best Mexican food in la, but if you're looking for a more Ohio Midwestern Mexican, you know, kind of that not so classic with the best white cheese dip ever. El Vaquero. They have a short north location now and it is so unbelievable. I hope you are having the best time with the best Midwestern soulful people. We're just. I. I don't know, I just. I love Ohio. I miss Columbus. I'm so happy you've gotten to spend some time there. And I hope you get to eat all of the delicious foods I suggested.

[Tom Schwartz]

Oh my God, Janet, you went above and beyond. And how do I repay you? By literally not going to one of your recommendations. I'm so sorry, but thank you to the rest of us and for the next time I go back. Had some time constraints because I was on tour jamming with my boy Talon Reed, hosting some events and I'm recording this after my trip. I was digging Ohio, though. Oh, IO love Dublin. The short North. I was grooving, you know, like, foodies say they eat something really good and they're like, omg, it was a religious experience. It literally changed my life. Well, the Long Islands at Char bar changed my life, but not for the better. Still traumatized. Great bar, though. I'm really digging Ohio. Cleveland in Particular has my heart. Cleveland's got a thing going on. Locals are telling me they're in the midst of some sort of renaissance. The arts district, new bars and restaurants. It just felt lively and teeming and optimistic. Also, Cleveland's the birthplace of rock and roll. What you guys know about that?

[Talon Reed]

That's the fat man from Houston. Fat Domino and Don't Leave Me this Way. And here comes Sonny Hootin Boy Terry Hootin along on Victor and hooping and jumping kids call your mama boy.

[Tom Schwartz]

That right there is the voice of DJ Alan Freed, who is a legend in Cleveland. Many trace Cleveland as the birthplace of rock and roll. Back in the 50s, he was spinning rhythm and blues, R and B, soul music at a time, well, to be frank, when music in America was really white segregated. And yeah, with help from the record store owner, Leo Mintz, Freed brought that sound to a wider and wider audience, rebranding it with the borrowed blues slang rock and roll. And then, well, according to Mike and Alyssa, there was this massive concert.

[Interviewer/Host]

He threw like one of the first

[Tom Schwartz]

rock concerts in America, the Moondog Coronation Ball in Cleveland. And long story short, they sold 10,000 tickets. Like 30,000 people showed up and all hell broke loose. They essentially rioted. And it was referred to as one of the disc jockeys, I think Alan, as rockin and rollin. And the name just stuck. I open and botched at you guys because I actually got a tour at the Rock and Roll hall of Fame in Cleveland. Highly recommend it if you've never been. It is magical. You can feel the lore, the history in there. It's really beautifully curated. Also right now they're featuring Saturday Night Live, 50th anniversary with all kinds of garb and costumes from your favorite skits from snl.

[Interviewer/Host]

You know what I'm talking about? Yeah, that's what I'm talking about.

[Tom Schwartz]

They had the original Dick in the box costume there.

[Interviewer/Host]

Okay, that wasn't the most noteworthy one, but that's the one that made me laugh the most.

[Tom Schwartz]

I hadn't heard that song in forever. Go check it out. Yeah, I dig Ohio Cleveland. We're gonna meet up with Talon, my boy who's been DJing forever now. Everyone's a DJ now. I'm a DJ. I mean, I DJ in my bedroom, but I like DJing. Everyone a Bravo at least, right? I don't know, it's like almost become a punchline in the Bravo verse. You guys were roasting my boy Kyle. Eye rolls and scoffs. 43 year old DJ. Well, guess what? Now he's killing it. I saw Kyle's set up in London, Ontario, and it was awesome. It's never too late to start a new side quest. A new venture, a new career, Start your life over all shiny and brand new, right? James has killed it. Wasn't long ago we saw a set at Coachella's Neon Carnival. I was mixing it up with Matty Reese up in buffalo. Yeah, man, DJing is a lot harder than it looks.

[Interviewer/Host]

Unless you're like a press play dj,

[Tom Schwartz]

which I won't judge you as long as your music's good. But, like, it's a lot of responsibility. You set the tone for the whole night. Okay? It's a lot of pressure on you if you choke or the music stops or your transitions suck or your music selection sucks. But yeah, let's go meet up with my boy Talon and see what it takes to start out as a dj. Especially if you're not on a Bravo television show. He's led a very fascinating life, and DJing has allowed him to travel the world. He's been all over, man. Work with all kinds of cool artists. He has cool stories, and I thought it'd be fun just to check in with them, see how he's doing. So today we are rocking and rolling with my boy Talon. Also, before we start the interview, sorry for this long introduction. Can we get like, a petition to get Sheena Shay good as gold in

[Interviewer/Host]

the Rock and roll hall of Fame? Mike, Alyssa, if you hear this, do something Pandora.

[Tom Schwartz]

Okay, next stop, let's go meet up with town real quick. Wakey wakey, eggs and let's get bakey. How was your 420? Yeah, good. I like how 420 is kind of went from like a taboo punchline of a holiday to like, the real deal. There's been like a cultural shift and it's like a sacred day to show yourself some love. A little TLC with some thc. A nice healthy retox. Hope you had a good time. These days I'm more. Well, less bakey, more wakey. I just love a nice, calm, gummy session. Or maybe like a nice orange creamsicle THC soda sipper. That's where Indacloud fits in. Indacloud is your fully legal online cannabis dispensary for gummies, exotic flower premium pre rolls, and zero sugar THC sodas, which are delicious. Yep, that's what I'm talking about. Everything available is federally legal hemp THC lab tested and shipped discreetly to your door.

[Talon Reed]

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[Interviewer/Host]

Talon Reed. We're live.

[Talon Reed]

We're live.

[Interviewer/Host]

Where are we? What are we doing?

[Talon Reed]

Tom, right now you are in my music studio in Dublin, Ohio.

[Interviewer/Host]

We are drinking an undisputed Ohio beer. Why do they call it undisputed?

[Talon Reed]

Cheers, mate. I just cracked mine. It's called undisputed because in 2014, Ohio State was the undisputed. Nash were the undisputed national champions.

[Interviewer/Host]

Wait, you know I bleed garnet and gold FSU man right here. But. But for the sake of you, today you're the star of the show. Can we do a little. Oh, oh, sorry guys. That's the chant they do.

[Talon Reed]

That's what we do.

[Interviewer/Host]

That's what we do. Oh, my God, you guys. Tyler Reed, you don't know. No, no, no.

[Talon Reed]

We believe Scarlet and Gray.

[Interviewer/Host]

By the way, you're. You're the semi official DJ for the Ohio State Buckeyes.

[Talon Reed]

I do the Buckeye football camps.

[Interviewer/Host]

That's right.

[Talon Reed]

With Braxton Miller and Troy Smith. They do football camps. They do the Ohio State charity events. You know, Jim Trestle's out there. Our national championship coach, Urban Meyer, who we're going to be at his pint house today.

[Interviewer/Host]

You guys, I'm on tour right now with the great talent Reed. Back to back shows. We're doing some Vander bunches I guess we're calling them. We're on a mini tour right now. You're on tour? Well, first of all, let me introduce you. Dj, actor, musician, father, producer.

[Tom Schwartz]

What else do you do?

[Interviewer/Host]

You wear many hats.

[Talon Reed]

I. What else do I do? I do a little bit of philanthropy as well.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yes, you do a little philanthropy. You're an entrepreneur. By the way, he DJed till 3am after he DJed all day for our show in Cleveland, shout out to the saucy brew house.

[Talon Reed]

Yeah, saucy.

[Interviewer/Host]

And you are actually on tour right now with Red Jumpsuit Apparatus.

[Talon Reed]

That's correct.

[Interviewer/Host]

For people who don't know, can you make them in the know?

[Talon Reed]

If you feel like a man when you push around, do you feel better now?

[Interviewer/Host]

Thank you for jogging their memories. One of the most iconic songs from the mid-2000s, red jumpsuit apparatus, face down. Is it the 20th anniversary for that song right now?

[Talon Reed]

20th anniversary. I'm holding the record right here. I'm holding the. The Red Jumpsuit. Actual vinyl.

[Interviewer/Host]

Let me take a picture of that.

[Talon Reed]

Yes. And we are. I'm doing all the emo nights. Like, basically, I'm tied in with the group, doing, like, in between sets. And then after I close with them, I actually am on stage for Face Down. And then I close with the emo night set after. And that's. We're hosting, like, the whole tour with giving a little emo night session for everybody. And that's my. My addition to the tour.

[Interviewer/Host]

Okay, you just answered my next question. Our next question. You guys, I'm curious what it's like to. To be a touring dj. You've traveled the world. You've had residencies all over Los Angeles. You're about to go on tour in South America, right?

[Talon Reed]

Yeah, yeah, we're doing with Red Jumpsuit, actually. I mean, the residencies, they go far, man. I'm out in London. I got a residency in London. El Salvador is my favorite, which I was just showing you. Nally beach out in El Salvador. I got a residency out there. Place called Superb in El Salvador. I'm taking you out there so I can break the ice of El Salvador. To you.

[Tom Schwartz]

It's a hidden gem.

[Interviewer/Host]

You're one of the rare DJs that managed to make a successful career. You've traveled the world. You're booked and busy. You are grinding. I'm dabbing talent up right now. Cause you are grinding.

[Talon Reed]

It takes a lot of. You gotta wake up every day and go, how many people am I gonna hit it? How many Instagrams am I gonna hit? I'm like cold messaging everything, everything on the planet, just throwing everything I can to try to get, you know, if I'm like, okay, I want to go to Paris tomorrow. I start hit. I go on chatgpt. I hit up every freaking club in Paris with my epk. I'm telling you, I'm not in Paris in two weeks, and I'm booked Talon.

[Interviewer/Host]

That's one thing I admire about you. You're a great friend, but you are intrepid, ambitious, tenacious. You are a grinder, brother. I see you out there hustling every single day. This. This industry. You're an actor, too. You're a music. You're a dj. It's not for the faint of heart. It can wreak havoc on your nervous system. You DJ'd all day for me. You took a beat, then you DJ'd all night in Akron.

[Talon Reed]

Yeah, actually.

[Interviewer/Host]

Home of LeBron James.

[Talon Reed]

Yeah, exactly. I forgot about that. What's crazy is my break in between leaving you and going over there was literally packing up all that equipment. I spent three hours doing that.

[Interviewer/Host]

Wow.

[Talon Reed]

I don't ever do that. I told them, I'm like, I need to double my rate. Man, this is wild.

[Interviewer/Host]

People always ask me, like, schwartz, what do you do when traveling around doing these shows? You want to tell them from your point of view what we do.

[Talon Reed]

Oh, it's epic. Okay, so. So just so y' all know, what Tom is doing is honestly, it's a mixture of things. Like, you're not only, like, people want to know they don't get to ask questions. Watching a TV show, that's ridiculous. You know, it doesn't make sense. But you answer things through, you know, the panels and all these things. This is one on one personality. Like, they're really getting to know.

[Interviewer/Host]

Very intimate.

[Talon Reed]

Yes. And it's like they get to know you, not what the network wants you to be for them.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yes. And it's like, I'm hugging. We're shaking hands, kissing babies, exchanging life. I love the sense of community.

[Talon Reed]

Just kiss my baby. I appreciate it.

[Interviewer/Host]

Shout out to Baby TJ.

[Talon Reed]

Baby TJ. Talon Jr. He's in the house, literally, right now.

[Interviewer/Host]

But, yeah, to me, it feels like a family reunion because I grew up together with these people. We've been in each other's lives for over a decade. Right. 11 years.

[Talon Reed]

The crazy is I've known a majority of you, like, the same time you've all known each other.

[Interviewer/Host]

Can you explain the audience? Your connection to Vanderpump rules.

[Talon Reed]

So I was a VIP and nightlife host in Hollywood before I came. A dj. That was my side job as an actor. And I met Shayna way back when. She used to come out to my clubs. And then that's how I kind of broke in and met you guys. It was kind of random, but I was coming. I didn't know what this whole Vanderpump was. It wasn't a thing back then. It was sometime in 2010 or it

[Interviewer/Host]

really took off season two and it became part of like the cult. It came up cultural phenomena. Not this sounds like cocky, but I think people would say like a part of the zeitgeist. It came kind of a cultural phenomenon and it kind of blew up season two back in 2013.

[Talon Reed]

Yeah, it really did. And, and I didn't. I was like, you know, then I met James later and he was coming out to my clubs and I was trying to get him booked and I was like, dude, I can't. Like they just, they saw you on this reality show, they just think you're that. And I'm like, there's a difference. Like, you know, it's hard to establish it and that's. And then I did this. I did a season with you guys. I don't remember what season you've dabbled on.

[Interviewer/Host]

Many seasons.

[Talon Reed]

I just kind of pop up. I'm like, like, you know, I'm just your buddy, you know, just like there

[Interviewer/Host]

to that point what you just said, it's like cuz in back in the day, I think it could work against you being on a reality show as an aspiring DJ. Now everybody on Bravo's DJing, everyone's a DJ. I DJ.

[Talon Reed]

And that's what I wanted to talk about actually.

[Interviewer/Host]

Is there any resentment coming from someone who's had to grind their way up for someone? I'm not gonna name names, but if I wanted to right now, I could probably, I'm a decent dj. I could probably go around a tour and make like 5 to 10k a show.

[Talon Reed]

I'll actually. No, I'm not going to show you because then I can't come on tour with you.

[Interviewer/Host]

I'm never going to be a DJ. You guys, the world bravo has enough DJs. I'm a bedroom DJ. But is there ever any resentment from your OGs, the guys you came up with, about people who come in and all of a sudden they're doing shows in Vegas and making 15k, 20k for sure. Really?

[Talon Reed]

Well, it's because guys think what I tell everybody. I get you put in this work, I get you built this and you're producing and this and that, but you're still where you are, right? And that's because you're not doing the other side of the work, which is the business side and the business side, like everybody's like telling like, yeah, you're like, you're great at what you do. But yeah, of course, I mean, I'm not the best. Like there's obviously there's shit ton of guys that are better than me, but my network is my net worth, which is obviously, we all know that term or that whatever.

[Interviewer/Host]

Social currency.

[Talon Reed]

Exactly, thank you. And but it. When you utilize, you know, like knowing every, like I just know a lot of people in Hollywood. So I was like, oh, I could play music. And then that was 15 years ago. Now I've been doing it for so long when you, it's like with anything when you're doing it that long, it takes 10 years to get good at anything. Then you start to master it, then you need another five to really show, hey, I'm good. And implement your work and what you like to do into what you're actually getting booked on.

[Interviewer/Host]

Now can we do a little DJ 101 for any aspiring DJs that might be listening? I think it's a great hobby. I DJ as a hobby. DJ 101. How do you get your first gig? Say you've built up the confidence, you put in the reps like when you first start. So for instance, at TomTom. You've DJed at TomTom a couple times, haven't you?

[Talon Reed]

Yeah, multiple times.

[Interviewer/Host]

Shorts and Sandys. Usually we pay around 3 to $500, sometimes $600. Is that the average going rate for just a bar restaurant?

[Talon Reed]

So now it seems to be. When I was playing, I get paid 12 to $1,500 for a two hour set. Like that's it.

[Interviewer/Host]

That's nice.

[Talon Reed]

Yeah, I mean that was, I'm talking, this was like 13 years ago.

[Interviewer/Host]

That's good money.

[Talon Reed]

I mean that's. And I'm like, now they're like trying to skimp me and shit. And look, it depends on your situation and your credibility, your experience, whatever. But the problem is you got all these pop up TikTok DJs and it's like they're just playing for free. So it's like, bro, they've cut all of our damn rates. And that's why I don't do the clubs as much anymore. I work at corporate events, I do festivals. I'm in, I'm in the south of France in June at the Cannes Lions Festival. I did, I was with, last year, I was with Busta Rhymes there the year before I was with Ludacris. Like I'm on tour with these guys doing in south of France, chilling on yachts and shit. Like that's what I wanted to do. That was my goal, was to do that.

[Interviewer/Host]

And you've achieved your goal.

[Talon Reed]

I mean honestly, I got, I have a beautiful life. I got tj, you know, like, I got, you know, I'm chilling, and I get to go on tour and still come see my son every week. And it's. I'm happy. I'm not where I. I'm never gonna be where I want to be.

[Interviewer/Host]

I don't think we're always. No, we're always. We're always chasing if we.

[Talon Reed]

Exactly.

[Interviewer/Host]

Or listen. No, we're building. We're growing.

[Talon Reed]

Building. Yeah.

[Interviewer/Host]

I'm content, but I'm not content, if that makes sense.

[Talon Reed]

I would ever be doing this.

[Interviewer/Host]

This is so weird. I used to see talent in the clubs in Los Angeles. By the way, do people still go to clubs?

[Talon Reed]

I don't think so.

[Interviewer/Host]

Do you ever. Do you have any residencies in Los Angeles? What's the hottest club in LA anymore?

[Talon Reed]

There isn't one.

[Interviewer/Host]

Really?

[Talon Reed]

No. I'll tell you right now. There's three clubs in la, and I was just in LA last. I just, I just did the Grammy afterparty in la. I just did the Oscars after party.

[Interviewer/Host]

You did the Grammy party with red jumpsuit apparatus? Yeah, for the 20th anniversary. Yeah.

[Talon Reed]

Ronnie performed at the Grammy after party with me. Like, but he was dressed up in a tux and everything. It was right after tour, and he was like, I, like, coaxed him to come up on stage. He really didn't want to. And he was with his fiance, and, like, he just got engaged. Congratulations, Ronnie.

[Interviewer/Host]

Ronnie. Shout out to Ronnie if you ever

[Talon Reed]

hear this Ronnie Winter. He will hear it.

[Interviewer/Host]

That's a big face Down's a big song like we talked about for especially survivors of domestic abuse. Yeah, it's like, a very emotional song. People really connect with that.

[Talon Reed]

And, and one thing I never got talked. I didn't talk to Ronnie about when we were on tour. Is that the interview he had about what that song is about? Yeah, that, like, I had the same experience in my life. He had his mom being abused. So I witnessed that. We'll go into details about it, but, like, it's more common. And you think about it, it's like, yo, this dude wrote an epic song about, like, abuse in the family that is so monumental. And people didn't even think about, like, that was from his hurtness.

[Interviewer/Host]

No, you can, you can feel it when you listen. It's a powerful song.

[Talon Reed]

Yeah.

[Interviewer/Host]

I mean, I've cried to that song.

[Talon Reed]

Luckily, I, I, it's emotional. It makes me emotional.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah, man, I see you tearing up right now.

[Talon Reed]

I'm getting a little.

[Interviewer/Host]

Well, I can't imagine. It's a powerful song. And it's so cool that you're on tour with them.

[Talon Reed]

It's. It's honestly to get to be on stage, like to even play that. Ronnie has me up there because I close I'm up there for Face down. And then I ring out the last note of Face Down. It ends on a chord that opens up My Chemical Romances chord. The same chord that Facedown ends on is the opening chord of My Chemical Romance. I'm not. Okay, okay. So when you hear. If you're at one of our shows where you have a bunch of shows coming up. I'm not on the Canadian tour yet, but I'm about to request it.

[Interviewer/Host]

Shout out to Canada. I love Canada. I'm always in Canada.

[Talon Reed]

I'm Canadian. Are. My family's from London, Ontario.

[Interviewer/Host]

I'm always in Canada. People are confused as to what I'm doing.

[Talon Reed]

Try to get me on the Canadian ones. I want to go to Canada.

[Interjector/Listener]

It's Kayl Lowery. Join me for Barely Famous. You might think you know me, but trust me, you don't know this version of me. This is where I say what everyone is too scared to ask and ask the questions that nobody wants to answer. I'm talking exes, unexpected guests, viral chaos, messy relationships. Really just all of it. Nothing is off limits. Nothing is off the record. And yeah, things can get a little unhinged. It's real, it's raw, and it's probably going to make you gasp at least once. So follow rate and review Barely Famous. Wherever you get your podcasts.

[Interviewer/Host]

We going back to talking about like Bravo DJs and like people that pop like not flashing pants. Because like, for instance, my buddy Kyle cook, he's been DJing a long time and now he's kind of blowing up.

[Talon Reed]

He's.

[Interviewer/Host]

He cooking. He cooking. How's a good DJ. But he's, he's my age, he's 43 and people gave him a lot of shit.

[Talon Reed]

You do not look 43, bro. I don't get this all the time too like, but like we were like not to like, again, not to sound like like D bags but like we've been for the amount of debauchery that we've been involved in over the years. Like the fact that we still like look like hella.

[Interviewer/Host]

We should be, we should be leathered, withered, wrinkly, curled up and we should be in an assisted living facility.

[Talon Reed]

No, we're just, we're blessed with, with our genes.

[Interviewer/Host]

Well, we take. Well, we detox and we retox. Because I Like to drink and have a good time. But I work out. I just worked out before the show. By the way, we're going live in literally less than an hour. Yeah, me and talent are doing a podcast.

[Talon Reed]

They're calling me right now, but no,

[Interviewer/Host]

but like going back to like this, the. The phenot. This Bravo DJ phenomenon. Wait, somebody at the door.

[Talon Reed]

Open it. Someone at the door.

[Interviewer/Host]

Probably your baby.

[Talon Reed]

My baby.

[Interviewer/Host]

Hi, guys.

[Tom Schwartz]

Hi, tj.

[Talon Reed]

Oh my gosh. Okay. Hey buddy, hop out, hop out. Okay. We love you. Hi, buddy. We got a guest appearance.

[Interviewer/Host]

Hey, TJ's in the house. Yeah. Beautiful baby boy talent. Junior.

[Talon Reed]

Can you say hi, everybody?

[Interviewer/Host]

Future rock star. We just gotta know. I love the cameo.

[Talon Reed]

So cute, you guys.

[Tom Schwartz]

Thank you.

[Interviewer/Host]

That was so adorable. Going back to like, yeah, bravo DJs. There. There's so many great DJs. Kyle's a really good DJ, but people gave him a ton of. They're like, really? 43 year old DJ, he got mocked relentlessly, but now he's touring the country

[Tom Schwartz]

and he's making bank.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah, I mean I get like, I think people gave him cuz they're like, they knew it was going to have an adverse negative effect on his relationship at the time. But that's a whole nother thing that's blowing up right now in their divorce. But like also it's the economics of it. Like you can easily make 5 to 10 to 15 to 20 grand a show. So like he's laughing all the way to the bank. I don't know, like the economics also for like big DJs, like say for the safer instance, like a headliner like Calvin Harris.

[Talon Reed]

Yeah.

[Interviewer/Host]

I don't think people realize that they can make like 2, 3, 4, $500,000 for one show. Is that right?

[Talon Reed]

Yeah, I watch all of those come. I'm very in. Like I see all the contracts because how I negotiate. I have a lot of friends in the industry. That's how they tell me, like what I should be doing. Like, everybody's at a different level. I mean, I still depending on if you're doing international. Like I pitch more like, I'm like, okay. I always start high. I'm like, okay, 10k, I'm gonna need that. And then they're like, oh, well, we don't have a budget for that. And I'm like, okay, you asked me. So there's the thing. Okay, can you do 8K? And then they'll, you know, it's kind of a negotiation thing. And they're like, well, we got six and I'M like, we'll do seven, five. And you know, and it's kind of a thing, but like, maybe they're like, no, we were talking like $500. And I'm like, okay, well, I need at least 2K. You know what I mean? This is jump around. But if you're. Yeah. If you got hits like Calvin Harris. If you got hits like Calvin Harris, you're like, I need 100k, easy. Different.

[Interviewer/Host]

Like, I was. I was looking at this, trying to break it down. Like Talon, you've been in the business for what, how long? How long you been DJing? 20 years.

[Talon Reed]

Since 2013.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah, so. Oh, okay, so just over 10 years. Over a decade.

[Talon Reed]

Anyway.

[Interviewer/Host]

13 years you've been grinding at it. Like, okay, I wrote this down, you guys. The economics. This is crazy to me. Say Calvin Harris. Let's just say Skrillex is DJing at 11 in Miami and they're gonna pay him.

[Talon Reed]

I used to play with. You did before he was Skrillex, but he was in from first to Last. He was the drummer for first to last.

[Interviewer/Host]

Really?

[Talon Reed]

He was a drummer and singer of a band on Warped Tour that I played with back in the day.

[Interviewer/Host]

Well, after we break down the economics, because I'm confused to how they're. How it can be profitable for a DJ like Skrillex. So let's just say he makes, say, 150k to DJ at 11 in Miami. And I'm. I'm looking, it's like I'm wondering how they. I'm wondering how they turn a profit. But then I look at like, how much like a premium table in at 11 Miami is like 20 up to 50k. For the best table in the house, it can be $50,000. Right.

[Talon Reed]

So this is what I tell people. I used to have clients when I was in my prime, back in the early 2000 and tens, when LA was the shiz. Now it's like I told you, there's only like three clubs and they're dead when you go there.

[Interviewer/Host]

Tumbleweeds.

[Talon Reed]

Yes.

[Interviewer/Host]

Straight up.

[Talon Reed]

And I'm like, well, they're dope because there's only three. But back then I had clients that would spend 200, $2,000 specifically because the bottles were some reason. $101,000? Yeah, 200. Yeah. $101,000 for a magnum of champagne.

[Interviewer/Host]

Right?

[Talon Reed]

And these were Chinese clients that would roll up. They had owned an energy drink company. They would roll up on this huge tour bus with their energy drink, and they would literally come and spend the money to do promo for their new energy drink that we had in all of our clubs on Hollywood Boulevard. And they. They don't drink. These Chinese guys don't drink. They're still spending a quarter mil on alcohol.

[Interviewer/Host]

The way they. Way they see it is brand building.

[Talon Reed]

Right, right.

[Interviewer/Host]

Establishing a name. Like, so when they hire someone like Calvin Harris, Skrillex, John Summit, it's like, about brand building.

[Talon Reed]

Exactly.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah.

[Talon Reed]

You take $202,000 in alcohol. That was in the 20 cents. No one spends money on alcohol anymore. People don't drink. This new generation, they're kava people. They don't drink.

[Interviewer/Host]

I love Cava. We did an episode about it, Shout out to Kava. But, yeah, but, like, yeah, in Miami, people still do. Like, Miami's different. Nightlife is still thriving in Miami.

[Talon Reed]

I just moved there. You did? Yeah, like six weeks ago. I just moved to. I live in Hollywood, Florida now. So I have my studio here, right? Yeah. In Columbus or in Dublin. But, yeah, I just moved out there. Like, literally, I'm leaving for there tomorrow. Like, I'm driving all. I'm taking the car all the way there because all my stuff is there. And that's my new. My new move is to get. The scene is popping out there. Southern Florida. Southern Florida. And I just came from Nashville two days ago. Nashville is the new la. Southern Florida is just Southern Florida. But it's. I wouldn't live in. I wouldn't be down in Miami. I like Fort Lauderdale. I like a little bit north, where it's a little cleaner.

[Interviewer/Host]

Love. Love Fort Lauderdale. Love Hollywood, Florida. Love Miami. But, yeah, just. I don't know. Like, when I found out how much big DJs make, I just. My first thought was, how do these clubs turn a profit when they have, like, a residency in Ibiza, but they don't anymore. Is it more about brand? Is it more a brand? Like, are they just writing off the losses to build their brand in anticipation of future income and revenue?

[Talon Reed]

But that's the thing. That's. That's the complication. So I just started working with. You see this. This hat right here?

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah.

[Talon Reed]

What does that say?

[Interviewer/Host]

It says Dallas Komodo.

[Talon Reed]

Komodo Dallas, That's David Grundman's club. That's where I'm playing. Next Saturday.

[Interviewer/Host]

Dallas is coming up. Shout out to David Grutman, who just dropped his book. He's an icon in the business.

[Talon Reed]

Love that guy. He is literally, like, been putting me. Well, my boy Cody over there, his. His GM at Komodo. Long story short, the. I was reading an article about how they've dropped. Not David, but just the clubs in Vegas in general have like almost cut the, the residents rates in half because they're not making bottle service.

[Interviewer/Host]

It's not economically viable anymore in Miami. I think it is. People still ball. Listen, I don't know, maybe I'm ignorant, but from what I've seen, I don't go out of Miami.

[Talon Reed]

By the way, nice shirt, dude.

[Interviewer/Host]

I'm rocking.

[Talon Reed]

Yeah, I see that one. A bum.

[Interviewer/Host]

You guys. We went to the Rock and Roll hall of Fame yesterday. It was iconic.

[Talon Reed]

I'm going back and getting that shirt. That's the one.

[Interviewer/Host]

But yeah, it's just, it's. It's. By the way, you're also so. Okay, going back. Hold on a sec. Because I got to ask for anyone out there who's listening who wants to be a DJ, can we do like a 2 minute talent from your POV? What do you need to do to start as a DJ in this day and age?

[Talon Reed]

Okay, to start as a dj, first of all, you need to know about music. Okay? Like I, I studied music theory. Like my whole life has been about every type of music that there is.

[Interviewer/Host]

It's not just pressing play. Although you can do that. People do prerecorded sets. But, but you could show.

[Talon Reed]

You mean it shows. Like, you could tell if someone's like flavorful or if someone's like. People tell me all the time, they come up, they're like, man, I'm so happy you're here because you're actually giving me an experience. And then they just leave $200 on the table. This happens all night long. They don't do that if they're not having a great experience or their wives are not. They come. My wife fricking loves you. You're Mexican. Like I'm not. But that's because I read the room and you got to read the room. If you see some older people, I'm telling you, 70s and 80s are the go to. You can never. I'm telling you, 8 year olds know 70s songs and 80 year olds know 70s songs. Everybody knows. You play some good funk, you play some good James Brown. You play some good. Shout out to Jason Brown. That's James Brown's grandson, he's a DJ that I tour with. But you play, you know, these throwbacks like people like that. It's a safe zone. I just, I always tell everybody, just master, you know, your music theory, understand your playlists. And then when people ask you questions you have, you just go to it. You're not over here fumbling around looking like a nut. But that's deeper in it. You really just need to get a mixer, get a laptop, plug it in, and just get to work. Like, you just start just trying it. I mean, it's just.

[Interviewer/Host]

There's so many great YouTube tutorials, but song selection is king. Am I right? Reading a crowd, reading the vibes and anticipating what they want to hear. Song selection is king, right?

[Talon Reed]

It's transitioning.

[Interviewer/Host]

It reigns supreme over technical proficiency. But you still have to, like, you can't echo out. So that's. You guys know what? You can't echo out after every song because it'll start to drive people crazy. You have to be versatile.

[Talon Reed]

Unless you absolutely had no choice, because I'm not gonna lie. Last night, one of my channels went out, and I was echoing out because the other channel didn't work. And so I was echoing out, and then I was just dropping into it. I was like, yeah, sometimes. And that's the other thing. You have to learn how to handle emergency situations and just solve the problem if something like that happened. My channel went out. One channel went out last night. So I'm sitting in front of this whole crowd and I'm like, shite. Like, what am I gonna do? Just figure it out, dude.

[Interviewer/Host]

Like, honestly, it's. I know people. I think people underestimate.

[Talon Reed]

This a great beer, by the way.

[Interviewer/Host]

It's so delicious. Shout out to Urban Myers. We're gonna be there. Oh, yeah, we're going to. We have to leave in, like, 20 minutes.

[Talon Reed]

Yeah, yeah, we're gonna be at Urban Myers.

[Interviewer/Host]

People. People, underestimate the stakes. As a dj, you are setting the tone. You are making or breaking people's nights. If the music isn't good, people are probably. They might not come back to that club or bar or restaurant ever.

[Talon Reed]

And the catch is, you never going to please everybody. You're never going to please everybody. There's always one person, like this girl. It's girl last night. But I call everybody out. But I think she was at our show yesterday, and she came all the way to, like, a group. Bunch of groups came over to Akron for my other show after our show, and I didn't. I was like, how do they even find this place? It's like 45 minutes away. And they were yelling on the side, nickelback. Nickelback. This is a gift.

[Interviewer/Host]

Nickelback is so back, by the way.

[Talon Reed]

Yeah. First of all, I'm not going to get into about why I play guitar, but how you remind me was my shiz when I was growing up, like, I. That's all I wanted to play on guitar, but not the time and place. There's time and place for every genre. This is a gangster hip hop venue. I'm not playing. I can't play Nickelback. I'm sorry, sweetheart.

[Interviewer/Host]

It's so funny. I'm thinking of. Tom is actually good friends, the lead singer of Nickelback.

[Talon Reed]

No way. Chad Kroger.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah. And I actually got to hang out with him. I don't want to put him on the spot, but we actually went to a gala. I met Chad multiple times. He's a gem of a human being and he's an incredible talent. But I'll never forget this story time. We were at a gala. I think it was for a party for the Oscars, and it was in West Hollywood, and I was there with some of the other castmates from Vanderpump Rules. And if I remember, Randall was there, and there was red carpet. I think it was either a Grammys or an Oscar party. And I was so grateful to be invited, just to be in the mix with all these A listers, Musicians, actors. But Chad was there, and we drank and I. And I took a shoei with him. Do you know what a shoe he is?

[Talon Reed]

I have no idea.

[Interviewer/Host]

It's where you pour your drink in your shoe and then you chug it out. Yes.

[Talon Reed]

You're kidding me.

[Interviewer/Host]

That is my claim to fame.

[Talon Reed]

No way. No way.

[Interviewer/Host]

Can we do some story time with you because you've worked with, like, you've. You're in the orbit of big time.

[Talon Reed]

I actually have the. Okay, I'm actually. I want to use this moment because this is one of the coolest stories and. Okay, so I worked on the film Harley Quinn, and we were talking about this when we were in the Rock and Roll hall of Fame. Tom wasn't. He didn't know. I'd worked on a lot of film projects. Dunkirk. I was Jay Edgar. I fought Leonardo DiCaprio. And Jay Edgar did a. My first stunt credit was getting pistol whipped by Leonardo DiCaprio in the movie J. Edgar directed by Clint Eastwood. It was my very first stunt credit. That's actually how, like, I got through the Screen Actors Guild. Like, it was this whole thing because. Anyway, we'll get into that. But the one I want to tell you about is the Harley Quinn Birds of Prey movie with Margot Robbie. I got put in it to play Ewan McGregor. I got to work with Ewan McGregor for months, and I got put in to be one of his goons. Is what they call it, like one of his henchmen or whatever. And they really liked that my hair was dyed blonde. It was bleached blonde. Because I would just got done shooting the Pink music video featuring Eminem, and I went through 100, like, auditions, a thousand guys against me, and I booked it to play. If you guys look up, it's called Revenge by Pink featuring Eminem. And me and Alicia, we shot it. So you guys see me, it's me rapping in Eminem's like, Detroit house and with all my slim shadies. So anyway, my hair was dyed for that. And that's the only reason I swore I would never dye my hair. They paid me a good amount, so I dyed it. Then Justin Timberlake booked me in the supplies music video because he liked my hair. And then I go do this Harley Quinn thing. And then they're like, the director, her name was Kim. She's like, instead of doing that three day henchman thing, we want to put you on as the body double and the stunt double for everything for Ewan McGregor's right hand man, the bad guy. She's like, it's not the same role, but you'll be on the set for months. And, you know, it's a guaranteed, like, whatever. And I was like, I'm down to build some relationships. So I, like, lived on Warner Brothers a lot doing this, but. But every day I'm in the week of my 31st birthday, March 13, I'm in the joker's lair, right? And they're like, talent, get in position. And I run up to the joker's lair and I like, lay down. In this scene, if you guys watch Harley Quinn, Birds of Prey, my character, who's played by Chris Messina, he does a bunch of Ben Affleck movies. Very famous actor, great guy. Shout out to Chris. He gets shot by an arrow and he dies, right? And Margot Robbie is laying on the floor. She's been shot by a different dart of some sort where she's paralyzed and so she's numb on the floor. He gets shot in the neck and passes out in her lap. Crazy. Every day for the whole week of my birthday, I am laying in Margot Robbie's crotch, right? Like, literally.

[Interviewer/Host]

Respectfully, Respectful.

[Talon Reed]

Respectfully.

[Interviewer/Host]

No, respectfully, you're doing a job.

[Talon Reed]

I was getting paid, you know, by the. You know, by Warner Brothers to do that for real. And so I'm like, every time they go down, get in position, I have to, like, run and, like, lay in Margot Robbie's like, lap. And she puts like a Script on my face. I'm like, what are you doing up there? She's like, she's like, just like, you know, like under like lining, like highlight words and all this. And I remember my birthday was the next day. And they're like, talon, get in position. And I was down, like flirting with a stunt chick or something out at Crafty. And they're like, talon, go. I was like, I just went on break. So I like run up into the Joker's lair and I lay down in position and I look, I'm like, where is everybody? There's no cameraman, there's. Margo's not there. And all of a sudden Margot and the whole cast come out with a brownie with a candle in it and they sing Happy Birthday dressed as Harley Quinn. The full cast. And it's something. There's no pictures and no video. I mean, it's such a top secret project. I could never tell anybody this, but like, I didn't do my freaking birthday with Harley Quinn coming out with a brownie. And then I laid in a crotch right after. Crazy.

[Interviewer/Host]

That is iconic. And you've lived many lives. You've also done a lot of music videos, right?

[Talon Reed]

I'm like the video vixen of males music videos.

[Interviewer/Host]

Let me go through your catalog real quick.

[Talon Reed]

My first video I ever did, how I got into this, the industry in 20 in 2009 was Jay Z put me into the. Onto the next one music video. So if you watch the video, it's just me with my hawk tap shirt off, rapping with him and Swizz Beats and Young Jeezy. The next one. Damn, I don't even remember him. I did Halsey Closer me and Selena did Heart Wants what it once. And that's the thing I told you yesterday, the Closer video, we're on set. I don't really watch it because like my ex was at me and I was like, I don't want to snitch. I mean, she was cool, but I just don't. Yeah, whatever. But anyway, we're on set for like mad hours and like Halsey comes out with the boys and they're like, you guys want some tequila? And they like three bottles of tequila and get us all lit. There's always some cool ass story, you know? Yeah. And then other one was Lloyd Dedication to my ex with Andre 3000 and Lil Wayne was in it. I mean, there's so many.

[Interviewer/Host]

I like that you surround yourself with greatness. You're in the orbit of. Yes. So many superstars, musicians, actors, performers. DJs. And it's cool, man. You've lived such a. You're living such a fascinating life.

[Talon Reed]

It's funny because I, I've done all this stuff, right, and you'd think I'd be chilling on a yacht somewhere. Retired people, what I tell people is they mix up celebrity with billionaire. They mix those things up, you know, and, and it's like, yeah, we made 100k in a Chrysler commercial, but that was like that one time, you know, and like 100k in LA doesn't really go that far. After like 6 months it really does.

[Interviewer/Host]

And it sounds, it sounds like hitting the lottery and it feels that way, but after, after taxes, low agent fees, all, everything, you know what I mean? It gets eaten up fast. It really does.

[Talon Reed]

People don't get it. Like, I can work, work, work, work, work. And you know, I'm still, you know, I'm, I'm actually reinvesting in us. So it's just a never. It's never anything. But if you enjoy what you're doing, then it doesn't. It's not work. You're just, you're just getting to hang out with your friends and have a good time.

[Interviewer/Host]

Do you still love it? Do you still love touring, DJing?

[Talon Reed]

I love it, dude. Every day, Every day it's like my pass. Papa said, rest in peace. Papa, he, you know, at 98 years old, he said, talent. I still learn something new every day. And being a know it all and thinking, you know, everything is like the most unattractive thing on the planet. We'll never know it all. A 98 year old man told me before he died, I, I will never. You know what I mean?

[Interviewer/Host]

It's like that's wise because it's the, the older you get, the wiser you get and you realize the more you know, the less you know.

[Talon Reed]

That's so true. And when you ex. When you understand that, you learn so much more, you know, because you don't have that blockade in your brain going, hey. You know, like, you know.

[Interviewer/Host]

Yeah, I, I respect the humility. And we're gonna cheers. We gotta go in like five minutes, so we're gonna sip our undisputed Urban Meyer old Lager.

[Talon Reed]

Yeah, this is delicious, man. Shout out to the Buckeyes, Braxton Miller. Shout out, player. Troy Smith. I love you, Teddy Ginn, everybody. These are the, these are the legends. And right behind you is all they're all signed on. The helmet we got behind HiM is a 2002 National Championship helmet. 2014 National Championship helmet is that is that.

[Interviewer/Host]

Is that Drake from Josh and Drake?

[Talon Reed]

Yeah, that's. That's the. Up there is. I used to tour with Drake Bell from Drake and Josh. I'm going to be with him on Tuesday at Disney World. Shout out to my. He and him used to. We did our runs back in Hollywood back. I was on Nickelodeon, so I did like Nickelodeon Disney. That's a whole other thing. I haven't talked about that. I mean we can do a whole episode on kids. You have.

[Interviewer/Host]

You are the most interesting man in the world. Talon, You've lived so many lives.

[Talon Reed]

If you guys watch Glee, look out for one of the warblers. That's your boy.

[Interviewer/Host]

Where can we find you?

[Talon Reed]

Talon at Talon Reed. T A L O N R E I D On all hand. I'm the only Talon Reed.

[Interviewer/Host]

Apparently you're the only Talon Reed. If we want to catch you on tour with Red Jump soup apparatus, where can we catch them? South America is coming up soon.

[Talon Reed]

Yeah. So we got in in July.

[Tom Schwartz]

It is.

[Talon Reed]

We start end of July in Mexico City. That is. Let me get this.

[Tom Schwartz]

Shout out to Mexico City.

[Talon Reed]

Yeah, Mexico City is going to be epic sauce. That is on. Oh, here it is. Oh, 20 year anniversary. Don't you fake. Geez. We got a lot of dates coming up.

[Interviewer/Host]

I think we'll just go to their website.

[Talon Reed]

Yeah, yeah, it's on the Instagram. But it's. It's end of July and then we. We hop over to Bogota, Colombia, then Argentina, then Chile, then Peru and then we end in Brazil and Sao Paulo.

[Tom Schwartz]

Wow.

[Interviewer/Host]

Did you ever picture your life would be like this 20 years ago?

[Talon Reed]

Yeah. Yep.

[Tom Schwartz]

It's.

[Talon Reed]

I've had. I have all my vision boards still in my office. I literally mapped out tours and I picked up the DJ thing and I said, I don't care who I'm with or what, I'm not going to be limited. And I just, you know, when you think like that, you get those things. I'm not saying you can be like, oh, I want to be a billionaire. You go get a billion. But if you put those goals out and you, you know, pursue them constantly, I was like, I'm not gonna take no. I'm gonna ask a million mother truckers until you like the mother truckers.

[Interviewer/Host]

Son of a biscuit.

[Talon Reed]

Son of a biscuit. I'm muting my. I'm. What's it called?

[Interviewer/Host]

You're editing yourself, censoring yourself.

[Talon Reed]

I got a three and a half year old now. So, like I'm trying. I realize everything I say. Literally he Repeats it, like, immediately after, like, six times.

[Interviewer/Host]

Talon. Last thing before we go.

[Talon Reed]

Yes, sir.

[Interviewer/Host]

We're live in, like, a half hour.

[Talon Reed]

Yep.

[Interviewer/Host]

Any words of inspiration for aspiring Bravo DJs?

[Talon Reed]

I would say don't work for free because, well, you're cutting our rates. Actually, that's what my DJ trainer said. He'll say, don't be working for free. And I'm like, okay, player. Like, whatever. So that's one. But also, like, really take the time to. To listen to every culture's music and. And care about, you know, their style and make it your own. Like, I do hip hop with Zim Dance Hall. When I was in Zimbabwe, in Africa, I was like, I met this dj and I said, I'll give you my hip hop from la. He gave me his Zim Dance hall, and we did a mesh out in the rain in this freaking jungle party. And I learned how to DJ hip hop with Zim Dance Hall.

[Interviewer/Host]

Your versatility. I've had the great pleasure of witnessing it in person. Like, you're playing. One minute you're playing Chuck Berry on the. On Carnival Cruise. The next minute you're playing Roll Out Ludacris at the club in Vegas. Like, shout out to Luda. You're all right, man. We're gonna wrap it up.

[Talon Reed]

Yeah.

[Interviewer/Host]

Shout out to Ohio. Shout out to Talon Reed. Shout out to Urban Myers Pine House. We're gonna be there. Yes.

[Tom Schwartz]

We're also.

[Talon Reed]

This is our. This is our fourth date together.

[Tom Schwartz]

We, by the way, we're bringing biebercella.

[Talon Reed]

Yeah.

[Interviewer/Host]

To Dublin today.

[Tom Schwartz]

We have a surprise performance from a cover band.

[Interviewer/Host]

Justin Bieber.

[Talon Reed]

You know we're coming back to Cleveland too. Did they tell you last night?

[Interviewer/Host]

No, they didn't tell me that.

[Talon Reed]

Are you kidding me? No, they told me while I'm packing up. They're, like, due to popular demand, you guys are coming. So we're doing Cincinnati on the second. Yeah, they booked another. We're doing Cleveland again on the third.

[Interviewer/Host]

That's right. Oh, you're coming with me.

[Talon Reed]

I'm with you again.

[Interviewer/Host]

You guys come see us. Cincinnati. We don't have the venue yet, but we do.

[Talon Reed]

It's Cartridge Brewery.

[Interviewer/Host]

Oh, Cartridge Brewery.

[Tom Schwartz]

May 2nd come, hang out.

[Talon Reed]

Saucy is the same, guys.

[Interviewer/Host]

I bring all kinds of cool leftover swag from Schwarzenegger, Sandy's Tom Tom. And it's really fun. It feels like a warm hug, a family reunion. Love you guys. Love you, talent.

[Talon Reed]

I'm wearing a Schwartz and Sandy hat right now.

[Interviewer/Host]

All right, let's get after it.

[Talon Reed]

Love you Brother, we gotta get to work. Love you.

[Tom Schwartz]

Guys.

[Interviewer/Host]

You, me.

[Tom Schwartz]

Did we rock? Did we roll? Sorry if that episode was a little manic. We were in crunch time, like, literally

[Interviewer/Host]

about to go on.

[Tom Schwartz]

Thank you, Talon, for sitting down with me. Thank you to the saucy brew house Urban Myers Pine house in Dublin, Cleveland. I see you. I think I'm in love with you. Janet, thank you for the recommendations. The whole team who put this little mini tour together. Evan, our manager, Ryan, Kaylee, who else? Krista, who am I missing? What a great effing crew in a great city, Ohio. I see you. Thanks for the love. Also, before we go, you guys, I always have to remind you, you, life comes at you quick. Sometimes you can use a little breather, a little financial breather. Okay, maybe you're moving. Maybe you had some unexpected expenses. You need a few months to float while you get it together. Or just to like, ease the burden of that first and last month's rent. You just moved across the country. It's expensive. It's a shock to the system, to the wallet. Life comes at you quick. Like I said, if you could use a little breather, check out rent now, pay later. Rnplcredit.com rent smart, stress less. Check it out. I wish they had this service when I first moved to la. Cause there was a few months I just barely got by. I don't know how we did it looking back. Living with Jackson, Tom and Kristen, man, hanging on by a thread. But you gotta keep on keeping on. Check it out, little breathing room. Rnplcredit.com Right now, pay later, you guys. Love you, Ohio. Let's rock, let's roll. All right, till next time. Take it easy and keep that harmony.

[Talon Reed]

Complete. Pluto TV has thousands of free movies and TV shows. We're coming at you with everything we got. This is the mindset free. This is the mantra. This is the. With movies like Pineapple Express, the entire Star Trek film franchise and Gladiator and TV shows like Survivor, SpongeBob SquarePants, the fairly odd Parents and Ghosts. Pluto TV is always free. Huzzah. Pluto TV stream now pay never.