Hour 2: John Ireland joins the show

Summary

Don, Hahn & Rosenberg Podcast – Episode: Hour 2 with John Ireland

Release Date: January 9, 2025
Guests: John Ireland (ESPN LA, Voice of the Lakers and Los Angeles Rams)

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1. Introduction to the Episode

The episode begins with the hosts, Don Hahn and Peter Rosenberg, introducing their special guest, John Ireland from ESPN LA. The primary focus of this episode is the devastating wildfires currently impacting Southern California, their effects on the local community, and the implications for upcoming sports events.

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2. Southern California Wildfires: A Community in Crisis

John Ireland provides a harrowing account of the ongoing wildfires in Southern California, particularly the destruction in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood.

• Destruction Scale:

  • [01:11] John Ireland describes the situation: “There's over 1,000 structures destroyed. The entire neighborhood of Pacific Palisades is gone.”
  • [01:20] He emphasizes the severity, stating, “The Palisades fire is more acres than the entire island of Manhattan.”

• Fire Containment Challenges:

  • [01:20] John explains the difficulty in controlling the fires: “They have 0% containment on these fires... the winds have been so bad. It was like the perfect storm.”
  • [02:18] He highlights how high winds exacerbated the situation, causing embers to ignite homes rapidly, leading to a “domino effect” of destruction.

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3. Impact on Local Sports Events

The wildfires have significantly disrupted the schedule of major sports events, leading to cancellations and potential relocations.

• Immediate Cancellations:

  • [02:47] John recounts the rapid escalation: “If you turn in for a movie, they would say it would never happen in real life. And yet it's happening.”
  • [04:33] Discussion on the Rams vs. Vikings game: Don Hahn expresses his opinion to move the game to Arizona, but John Ireland explains the logistical challenges.

• Logistical Hurdles:

  • [04:59] John elaborates: “65,000 people on the road... you want the fire trucks to have a clean shot to go wherever they're going.”
  • [05:30] He stresses the importance of keeping roads clear for emergency services, making the relocation of large events risky and complex.

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4. Personal Stories and Emotional Toll

John Ireland shares personal anecdotes and the emotional impact of the wildfires on the community.

• Loss of Homes:

  • [02:47] John reveals, “I’ve been talking to people for the last three days and some of my best friends live over there and they’re safe, thank God, but their houses are gone.”
  • [09:24] He mentions famous individuals affected, such as J.J. Redick: “J.J. Redick, the Laker coach, lost his house. He lives in Pacific Palisades.”

• Fatalities and Evacuations:

  • [07:32] John discusses the tragic loss of 25 lives, primarily due to refusal to evacuate: “Most of the 25 people who died were people that refused to evacuate.”

• Community Support:

  • [09:24] Acknowledges the support from companies: “Airbnb is giving everybody free housing. Uber and Lyft are not charging anybody in those fire areas.”

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5. Status of the Sunset Fire and Ongoing Efforts

The conversation shifts to the Sunset Fire near Laurel Canyon and the Hollywood Bowl.

• Containment Status:
  • [10:20] John states, “They have redirected it and they think they’ve got it under control. But again, the wind is what could trip it.”
  • [12:42] He cautions that even controlled fires can reignite due to unpredictable winds, making complete containment challenging.

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6. Technical Challenges: ESPN LA Station Knocked Off Air

John Ireland explains the technical difficulties faced by ESPN LA due to the fires.

• Transmission Issues:

  • [13:17] “They basically, our transmitter is in Altadena, and that’s one of the areas that was burning. And so we got knocked off the air briefly.”
  • [13:49] Apple’s response: “Disney... they just don't want their people on the roads. So we're off the air till Monday.”

• Broadcast Plans:

  • [14:25] John shares the uncertainty of returning to airwaves: “We can do stuff like I'm doing. Our plan is to go back on the air Monday, but I don't know if that's gonna happen.”

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7. Emotional Reflections and Community Resilience

The hosts and John reflect on the human aspect of the disaster, emphasizing the irreplaceable loss of lives and personal belongings.

• Human Spirit:

  • [14:48] John: “It's an extraordinary testament to the kindness of the human spirit... companies have rallied around the flag.”

• Valuable Possessions vs. Lives:

  • [17:36] Don Hahn: “Everything can be replaced, but one thing can't be replaced is a life.”
  • [18:00] Don adds: “It's heartbreaking... pets can’t be replaced.”

• Preparedness and Personal Safety:

  • [19:29] Peter Rosenberg encourages preparedness: “If you're interested in donating and helping out...”

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8. Diversion: Discussion on Metal Music

Towards the end of the episode, the conversation shifts to light-hearted discussions about metal music preferences among the hosts.

• Music Preferences:

  • [23:00] Don Hahn asks Peter: “What is your favorite metal band?”
  • [23:04] Peter: “Don’t have one.”
  • [24:03] Don: “Metal is pretty much through the entire song...”

• Personal Stories:

  • [27:13] Peter shares a personal memory linked to a song: “My first kiss with a girl was listening to the song...”

While this segment provides a brief respite from the heavy topics, it underscores the camaraderie and diverse interests of the hosts.

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9. Conclusion and Final Thoughts

The episode wraps up with the hosts expressing their gratitude to John Ireland for sharing his insights and experiences.

• Appreciation:

  • [16:06] Don Hahn: “That just blew me away.”
  • [16:15] John Ireland: “Anytime, boys. Hang in there. Have a good day.”

• Call to Action:

  • [21:39] Peter Rosenberg: “If you’re interested in donating and helping out...”

The hosts sign off by encouraging listeners to stay informed and support those affected by the wildfires.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• John Ireland [01:11]: “There's over 1,000 structures destroyed. The entire neighborhood of Pacific Palisades is gone.”
• John Ireland [07:32]: “Most of the 25 people who died were people that refused to evacuate.”
• Don Hahn [17:36]: “Everything can be replaced, but one thing can't be replaced is a life.”

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This episode of Don, Hahn & Rosenberg provides a comprehensive and heartfelt overview of the severe wildfires in Southern California, their widespread impact on communities and local sports, and the resilience of those affected. The addition of personal stories from John Ireland adds depth and urgency to the discussion, while the brief musical interlude offers a glimpse into the hosts' personalities beyond their professional roles.

Transcript

[Peter Rosenberg]

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[Don Hahn]

That sounds like heaven to me.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Listen live weekday afternoon starting at 3.

[John Ireland]

On 8 80, ESPN, the ESPN New.

[Peter Rosenberg]

York app, and your smart speakers. Ladies and gentlemen, it's 4:05 in New York City. It's Peter and Don on Don Han and Rosenberg. And a lot of the show today we've spent talking about what is happening to our friends and family in Southern California. And we wanted to bring on our our buddy and colleague from Mason in Ireland on espn LA is also the voice of the Lakers and the Los Angeles John Ireland. Hey, John, it's Peter and Don. How you doing, man?

[John Ireland]

I'm hanging in there, guys. I think anybody in LA would give you that answer right now. It's almost indescribable what's happening out here. If you turn this in for a movie, I think they'd kick it back to you and say, well, that would never happen in real life. And yet happening. There's over 1,000 structures destroyed. The entire neighborhood of Pacific Palisades is gone. And those are some of the most, the nicest, most affluent waterfront homes in all of Southern California. And the thing that is alarming, among other things, is that they have 0% containment on these fires. And fortunately the winds have died down because that's what's been keeping them alive is the winds have been so bad. It was like the perfect storm. The winds came up and once those fires started, they couldn't get them under control. They are starting to get direction of the fires under control, but they still listed as 0% containment. And as long as that's the case, I think everything's on hold out here.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Can you. I'm sorry, Don. I just wanted to set the scene here. Please, can you, John, just take us through the way the week unfolded for you, because I know I had friends who were at Monday Night Raw at the Intuit Dome on Monday, and there was no conversation of anything, like everything was regular in LA as of Monday night. And then Tuesday morning. It sounds like things unfolded from your perspective. Can you just take us through how things unfolded for you?

[John Ireland]

Yeah, I was in Dallas with the Lakers. They played there Tuesday night. And we flew back and guys, when we flew into LAX and looked down, it looked like the entire county was on fire. It's difficult to describe the scope of what happened and the reason that it went from, and you described it perfectly, it went from no problems at all on Monday to complete disaster on Tuesday was the wind the wind had in certain parts of that canyon down in Pacific Palisades. And to give your listeners a little perspective, if you ever watch the golf tournament at Riviera, which is probably the most famous golf course in Southern California, and their tournament is scheduled for next month, I have no idea if it'll go on because they did suffer some damage. Most of the course is still around, but it's that neighborhood that got devastated and it's the wind that did it. Had had it not been windy, I think the fire department could have got these things under control. But what happened was there were 40, 50, 60 mile an hour winds and those embers got up in the air and once the embers hit roofs of houses, the houses started to go. And once one went, it was like, for lack of a better description, like a game of dominoes. One house went and then another one went and then it just took the whole neighborhood out. And I don't know anybody, guys who doesn't know someone who's lost a house. Like I've been talking people for the last three days and some of my best friends live over there and they're safe, thank God, but their houses are gone, their property is totally destroyed. So the rebuilding is going to be the next phase of this and that's going to take a really long time.

[Don Hahn]

And John, we're now waiting on what's going to happen with the Rams Vikings game. They do have Arizona available to them on Monday. They're going to play a wait and see attitude. I've been on board saying, you know, I would just move it now and not even have to think about it, but because the next 24 hours are going to be so important with these winds dying down. Do you understand why the NFL is waiting before they make the move to go to Arizona?

[John Ireland]

I'm with you. I would announce it now and move it, but obviously that's just my opinion. The reason I would move it is the same reason they just canceled the Laker game. We were supposed to play the hornets [e-mail] arena last night there was a Kings game. They canceled that early in the day. They canceled the Laker game a couple hours ago. And guys, the Lakers play again on Saturday and then the Ram games not till Monday. And by the way, the Clippers are supposed to play the Hornets at the Intuit Dome on Saturday as well. So it's not just a football game. That's the biggest crowd that they would have to control. And the problem is like Sofi holds about 3,65,70,000 people. You don't want those people on the road because you want the fire trucks to be able to have a clean shot to go wherever they're going. And I think that as long as these fires are at 0% containment or even under 50% containment, you don't want those people on the road. So you might hear, you know, people might call your show and say, well, you know, Monday's three days from now. They don't need to move it. The issue is not that it wouldn't be safe to play the football game, the air quality would be bad. But the issue is getting 65,000 people from wherever they are into Inglewood, where the game is. It's the same argument you would make for the Laker game tonight. Crypto.com arena, where the Lakers and the Kings play, is fine. It's not affected by the fires. It's the, it's the transport, the people being on the roads. And God forbid anything would happen at one of those games if, you know, if somebody was to, you know, if a fan or a player or somebody needed an ambulance, it would be hard because all the, all the first responders are dealing with the fires.

[Don Hahn]

Right.

[John Ireland]

So I'm with you. I would move it, I would announce it today that, that they're just going to move it to Arizona and I would get both teams down there and use that as a distraction. But it's, it's risky to do anything where you're moving a large crowd of people. Like think about a basketball game, a hockey game, a football game, because they want the roads clear, if that makes sense.

[Don Hahn]

And, and the other thing, and I don't know if you know the answer to this, John, but like how many RAM players and personnel are affected by this? And do you think that there are any members of the Rams who don't want to leave to go to Arizona? Cuz they want to hunker down here to just know if their house is safe and their family's safe? Is that an issue?

[John Ireland]

It could be, but I think the people aspect of that has, like, most people are safe. That's the good news. There are fatalities. The number here was 25. And not to make light of 25 fatalities, that's tragic. But, guys, it could have been so much worse because so many people didn't want to evacuate. And Most of the 25 people who died were people that refused to evacuate there. And you can understand this if your whole life is tied up in your house and you see those flames coming. You know, a lot of these guys grabbed a garden hose, or some people have those devices where you bring your swimming pool and they're just trying to hang onto their house. I understand that sediment. But I hope if anyone ever gets in this situation, you realize if you're asked to evacuate, you gotta go. Because now if you stay to try and save your house. And again, I completely get it. I completely get the sentiment of trying to save all your memories and everything that's tied up in your house. But the problem with that is if you stay and you get trapped, then firefighters need to go get you, and that takes them away from the fire. So it's a good point that a lot of these guys might not want to leave, But I think by Saturday or Sunday, we'll have most people safe. The humans are safe. It's the destruction and the fires and the firefighters ability to get to the flames is why I would cancel it or not cancel it, but move it. Just because you want to have the firefighters and the police officers and everybody that's trying to deal with this, you want to have a clean shot to wherever the trouble is. And so it's more. It's more that I don't think the Rams would have. Like, I'll give you one example. J.J. redick, the Laker coach, lost his house. He lives in Pacific Palisades.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, man.

[John Ireland]

And. And so his house was totally destroyed. He has two little kids. The. You know, so the good news with. With JJ and with a lot of people down there and all the guys, I know the people are safe. And by the way, guys, and this is extraordinary testament to the kindness of the human spirit. Airbnb is giving everybody free housing. Uber and Lyft are not charging anybody in those fire areas. So all these companies have kind of rallied around the flag and said, look, we know everybody's devastated. Don't worry about paying us. We'll give you housing. We'll give you transport. A lot of restaurants are setting up, you know, where they're not in fire areas, they're setting up free food where you just Walk in and you can bring your family, you can go in there. So the people are doing everything they can. It's just they got to get the fires under control and right now they're not.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So that was the next piece I wanted to ask you, John, is that obviously Pacific Palisades will forever be different. It'll be a years long attempt at a comeback. Who knows if it will ever quite be the same kind of area that it was. But last night we started hearing about the Sunset Fire and heading towards and claiming some of Laurel Canyon that was contained well overnight. But it looks like that fire does still exist. Right? My question for you is, is the Sunset Fire still fully contained as far as you know? And do you agree with my assessment? My concern, John, was as bad as everything has been, if that fire had really continued into the hills and West Hollywood, we could enter another layer we've never seen that could be really hard for Los Angeles to recover from.

[John Ireland]

Well, I don't know if you guys are familiar with that area, but it's where the Hollywood bowl is, which is like the iconic concert venue in all of Los Angeles. And those flames burned right up to the bowl. And they were able to, I don't know if contain is the right word, but they were able to redirect it. And so now they feel like they've got that fire somewhat under control. Now again, the wind is what could trip it. Because even if, think about this. Even if you have a small fire, you know, like one like you're burning a fire pit in your backyard, if the wind picks up and starts blowing embers and those embers end up on the roof of somebody's house, there goes the house. And then there's that game of dominoes I'm talking about. So that fire, the one you're asking about, they have redirected it and they think they've got it under control. The Palisades fire is dying down. And part of this guys was they couldn't. The wind was so bad that they couldn't use air support, you know, so they had all these planes that were ready to dump chemicals and dump water on these fires, which is in California, how you treat a fire. But they couldn't put the planes in the air because it was too windy. And I think that particular fire, the Sunset Fire, appears to be under control. But again, I hesitate because I just heard a weatherman on TV used this phrase, it's better, but it's not over. And for that reason, it's better, but it's not Over. I think sporting events got to take a back seat, and you got to move these things around.

[Peter Rosenberg]

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[Don Hahn]

He came by my school for career day and said he was a big roas man. Then he told everyone how much he loved calculating his return on ad spend. My friends still laugh at me to this day. Not everyone gets B2B, but with LinkedIn, you'll be able to reach people who do. Get $100 credit on your next ad campaign. Go to LinkedIn.com results to claim your credit. That's LinkedIn.com results. Terms and conditions apply. LinkedIn, the place to be. To be. And from what I understand, this. This knocked you off the air, right? You're still off the air because of this, right?

[John Ireland]

Yeah, they basically, our transmitter is in Altadena, and that's one of the areas that was burning. And so we got knocked off the air briefly. They have us back up and running. But, like, you guys were owned by Disney. And Disney basically said because they employ, you know, 30,000 people in Southern California, from the parks to, you know, the studio to us ESPN people, they just don't want their people on the roads. So we're off the air till Monday.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Wow, that's wild.

[John Ireland]

And it, you know, we can do stuff like I'm doing. We can do stuff on the phone. I was actually preparing to do the Laker game tonight in case they didn't cancel it. I'm really glad they did. But we're. Our plan is to go back on the air Monday, but I don't even know if that's gonna happen, guys. I mean, we're gonna have to broadcast the Ram game. We're the home of the Rams, so there's gonna be some people inside the station, but I don't know if Mason and I will be in there. If Sedano and Scott Kaplan, who do the show after us, will be in there. It's all wait. And the tentative plan is Monday.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Wow, man. Well, listen, we really appreciate you taking time out and putting a voice to this and giving us some explanations. People here obviously deeply concerned, but you gave it some much needed context, and I certainly echo your sentiment. I've never heard of any disaster in which I've known of so many people personally who lost their home. It's flabbergasting.

[John Ireland]

And it's a lot of famous people, too, guys. You're gonna. The names are gonna start to come out, but you're gonna recognize a lot of the people that lost Holmes in this. They're very Famous actors, athletes, coaches, people like that. And not that their loss is more devastating, but than somebody who you don't know. But I'll leave you with this.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, but it does make it more relatable, though, John, in the sense that you're familiar with those people. So in a certain way, it can affect people in a different way because you go, oh, my God, I know that person in some way.

[John Ireland]

Right. And it also goes to show that you can have all the money in the world and you can't stop this.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Right.

[John Ireland]

You know, it's. It's. It's. And I'll leave you with this, guys. So to put it in perspective for where you guys are, the whole island of Manhattan is obviously large, but the Palisades fire is more acres than the entire island of Manhattan. So it would be the equivalent of everything in Manhattan burning to the ground, the whole borough. And so that will put it in perspective for some of your listeners, even if you're way up on 70th, it burned all the way down to Second Street. I mean, that's how bad this fire is. It's just massive.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Wow. John, we're glad you're all right and your family's all right. Thank you for making time, and let's check in with you again next week.

[John Ireland]

Anytime, boys. Hang in there. Have a good day.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Thanks, man.

[Don Hahn]

You too. You hang in, man. That really puts it all in perspective. Right? I'm gonna even strengthen my opinion that they should just move it now. I mean, when you just hear the perspective, I mean, that just blew me away. We both looked at each other when the acre equivalent of the entire island of Manhattan being on fire that.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Well, to me, what's so crazy about that is you talk about containing something. How can you contain something that big? You have people on all sides of it. Like, how many firefighters would it require when you picture something the size of Manhattan, to be able to come at it with all the angles you need and have enough helicopters dropping water from above? I mean, right? It's like Sim City. It's like an impossible task in Sim City.

[Don Hahn]

It's crazy. And he made another great point, and it was. We were talking about it during our meeting. How sad to see, you know, somebody out there surrounded by this fire with a garden hose. But put yourself in their perspective. They're trying to save. Their entire life is in that house, and it's all going up. And as this thing starts to travel and hopefully with the winds dying down, they'll be able to contain it. But there are going to be people that refuse to leave their homes. And so instead of focusing on the fire, now people have to go to try to save those people's lives. And now the fire spreads even more, so you gotta evacuate, as hard as it is to do.

[John Ireland]

Yeah.

[Don Hahn]

Because in the. Everything can be replaced, but one thing can't be replaced is a life. And I thought you'd appreciate this, too. Just being an animal lover, there was one thing I saw this morning where a guy was able to find his cat.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I saw.

[Don Hahn]

I saw it, and everything is gone. And he probably was just accepting the fact that so was his pet, and his pet was alive.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And the firefighter shows up with the pet.

[Don Hahn]

It was just. It just. It's heartbreaking. So I know that you sit there and go, well, you know, Billy Crystal's a millionaire. I'll be able to place. But it's not. It's not about. For some people, you know, the money is a problem, but for most of the people in that neighborhood, it's not the issue of the money. But just imagine, everything that you own, everything that you have, every piece of clothing, every piece of memorabilia, everything is just gone. Is gone. Yeah. The house can be replaced, cars, clothes.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And all that, but it's the other side for me. I am, you know, the kind of, like, borderline hoarder. I collect so much, I don't know what I'd do. And I said to Natalie, because, you know, our family has a little place on Long island near the water, and I'm like, hey, we need to. After this incident, I said, we store a lot of stuff in that house. And I said, we need to take our stuff that we have there, go through it, take the, like, couple of bins worth of stuff that we know we care about, and put it in its own place where if we feel there's ever a storm that could be like a sandy level storm again, we can grab those two bins and go. Because if you. If you're stuck in a situation where you have to go through all your stuff to try to find your valuables, it's impossible. But if you know where it is, you could throw it in your car and potentially get out. Obviously, to your point, the stuff doesn't matter, but there's family photos and family heirlooms and some things that really do matter.

[Don Hahn]

Yeah. And also, you know, the pets, you know, it's one thing, like, dogs are a little different. Like, a cat's instinct is to retreat deeper into the house. And then Nancy had a friend that died in a Fire. Trying to save their cat because the cat goes in. If you're an animal lover like Peter and I, these are. These are very important things that, again, can't be replaced.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Did you see? There's. Well, Natalie was. Natalie's been watching all of this stuff, and her heart's been breaking watching it. She showed me one video of this person trying to get their tortoise. They, like a huge turtle. Huge. I mean, like, you know, it's like the Maryland logo. You know what I'm saying? Like a big tortoise. And they're trying. They have to, like, use peppers to try to get it to come out of its cage and lure it so they could just get it and try to move it. And she said there were other videos of people carrying their dogs very uncomfortably. The dogs are struggling to breathe because you're wearing a mask. You can't put a mask on your pet. The pets want to run, so you have to drag. It's just the whole thing is a nightmare.

[Don Hahn]

So when you hear John, that's living through it and you're seeing these stories. As much as our life revolves around sports and how important these games are in the grand scheme of things, Peter, is. Is it that important?

[Peter Rosenberg]

No.

[Don Hahn]

So take. Take these 24 hours. The winds are dying down. Hopefully they'll be able to contain it to a point where the air quality gets better and they'll be able to get a handle on this and the game will be played. But to John's point, to my point, just. Just do it now. Why even have any other thing on anybody else's mind than containing these fires? Even for the people that are safe right now? Just the preparedness of, hey, wind, change direction. As you said earlier in the show, all of a sudden, you know, different neighborhoods that think that they're safe aren't safe anymore. You know, I'm making phone calls to people. You're making phone calls to people. I got a friend, one of my best friends, that says that we're fine. Is he gonna be fine tomorrow, Peter? Are they gonna be fine on Saturday? You just don't know.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Again, you're talking about. Literally, the direction of the wind can affect people's entire outcome. If you're interested in donating and helping out those in need in the Los Angeles area, some options for you would be the American Red Cross, California Fire Foundation, Canine Rescue Club, the ymca, Koreatown locations. This is just some of the things I'm seeing listed by the LA Times. But if you look online, there are lots of different places that you can donate if you want to help. Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast. I didn't listen to anything you just said. Catch the show on demand whenever you want.

[John Ireland]

Just subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Why am I trashed?

[Don Hahn]

Why me? You appreciate Metallica. I don't know. I don't think you're a fan, but you appreciate the Beatles of heavy metal?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Of course. I mean, yeah, in a, in a, in a. I, I, I, I actually turned on Kill Em all today after Ballard sent me Seek and Destroy. I liked it. I said, you know what? I should listen to Kill Em All. It's a very famous ride.

[Don Hahn]

The Lightning was very good. And they really came into their own during Master of Puppets.

[Peter Rosenberg]

So, yeah, I mean, I have appreciation. I'm not sure because I haven't listened to their music very much, you know, but understanding of their greatness.

[Don Hahn]

Well, you're not a metal guy.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Sure. No.

[Don Hahn]

What is your favorite metal band? Or do you even have one?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Don't have one.

[Don Hahn]

All right. So you just. And that's okay. You're not a metal guy.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I went to the Big Four concert, though.

[Don Hahn]

You did?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, sure, I did. So Yankee Stadium, baby. I was there.

[Don Hahn]

How'd you had that end up?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Don't worry about it.

[Don Hahn]

All right. I think I had arrangers. I had something going on because K offered me tickets, but I'm good on concerts.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You wouldn't want to see the Big Four, though.

[Don Hahn]

I've seen them all, but still at one point.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But I still would have thought you'd want to see them.

[Don Hahn]

No, that.56. I'm good.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You got your, you got. Well, you weren't 56 then.

[Don Hahn]

No, I was probably, what, 48. Yeah, it was, it was like, eight years ago.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I think I went with my, my old producer, Jake. You got your, you got your Megadeth, you, Slayer, your Metallica, and your Who's Lost?

[Don Hahn]

Anthrax.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Anthrax, of course.

[Don Hahn]

Slayer is amazing.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Never spent any time with the men.

[Don Hahn]

You should.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I don't think I'd like it, by the way. So here's the difference between me and Michael. Michael disrespects the entire genre and then.

[Don Hahn]

Just assume everybody's on drugs, which doesn't make any.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It's not even a drug to me. I don't even think of drugs and met at all. Honestly, to be on drugs would be, like, unpleasant to me. I don't even get it. I just don't musically connect with, like, speed guitar when it starts picking up. That's why I like Seek and Destroy more than every other one you pointed out because it stays at a tempo I'm more comfortable with the second it goes into the. My musical soul doesn't connect with it at all. The great Trog Keller, who used to be I love Trog, big fan one.

[Don Hahn]

Time said to me, what is it about metal you like? And the way I described it to him is no matter what, I don't care if it's a Barry Manilow song. I don't care if it's a classical music. Every piece of music has a. A crescendo or a moment that it builds up to where you kind of feel it.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I. I've heard this theory before. I know what you're going to say.

[Don Hahn]

Metal is that pretty much through the entire song, which it's so funny.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Maybe that's why I don't like it.

[Don Hahn]

Okay, no, listen, that's why I don't connect with it. A beholder. It's not something that everybody.

[Peter Rosenberg]

The kind of metal. The kind of metal adjacent music that I would like like. I like like cheesy, not as hardcore.

[Don Hahn]

So you like it like a hair band? You like what, like Poison, Motley Crue, Def Leppard?

[Peter Rosenberg]

I mean, listen, I like, I like the. I like Every Rose Has Its Thorn. I like, I like, you know, Guns N Roses songs. But that's not what I mean in terms of. Closer to being like fake metal. Kind of like. Jacob, you remember the old. Remember the old raw intro across the nation.

[Don Hahn]

Oh yeah, that's actually I was hoping.

[Peter Rosenberg]

They bring it back for this one. I know. What's the. What band is that again?

[Don Hahn]

I can't think of anything.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You know that song?

[Don Hahn]

I can tell you right now.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Hold on. It's cheesy. I'm not trying to say this is good music. I don't know if it's good music. My guess is do you know. Do you. Or the ECW song Let the Bodies Hit the Floor? You know that one?

[Don Hahn]

Yes, of course I know that song.

[Peter Rosenberg]

I like that one. So like I can like songs that hit pretty hard.

[Don Hahn]

It's like me with hip hop.

[Peter Rosenberg]

You have your specifics.

[Don Hahn]

There's certain things. I like some Ice T songs, I like some Ice Cube songs. I love Wu Tang, certain songs. But. Yeah, but. But the overall genre doesn't do it for me.

[John Ireland]

Right.

[Peter Rosenberg]

But then if I, If I were to play you like a random song that to me is a classic. Like, do you know what to do with like. So you like those songs? Do you know what to do with this. And this is Tribe. This is Q Tip. But you don't have to lie. He doesn't expect you to love his music. But, like, tell me when the beat comes in, if this does something for you. This is maybe my favorite rap song of all time.

[Don Hahn]

Okay.

[Peter Rosenberg]

It's in the top 20.

[Don Hahn]

I like it so far. Yeah, I like it, but I don't like it to the level that you like it.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Right. But you can still hear it. You can hear what's enjoyable about us.

[Don Hahn]

I think it's quality. I don't think it's trash or anything. It's just whatever moves us.

[Peter Rosenberg]

My first kiss with a girl was listening to the song. Oh, really?

[Don Hahn]

Well, that probably has a lot to do with it, right?

[Peter Rosenberg]

Actually, I was so forward. I was so ahead of my time that as I started kissing my. My. My high school sweetheart at this moment, I was having this day. I'm like, this is the best day ever. I literally said, I need my headphones. I need to hear that. Because I knew. I knew what that song was gonna be forever. It had just come out, and I said, I need to have this all at the same time.

[Don Hahn]

And it happened. Good for you.

[Peter Rosenberg]

No, So I did. Well, that was a good run for me.

[Don Hahn]

But I think I even played it for you. Like Slayer, Live Rain and Blood Into Black Magic. That is the ultimate for me.

[Peter Rosenberg]

And that hits you the most. That's it.

[Don Hahn]

And I. And I. And I played it for K. And K, like, wanted to walk out of the room and thought it was ridiculous. And yet it's something that's really important to me.

[Peter Rosenberg]

All right, here's. Here's the. Here's the random song that I. That I like that I'm saying. Give me a tape. This is a great raw intro. The open of smackdown versus raw, maybe 2006.

[Don Hahn]

The video game.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Oh, it's on the game, too? Yeah, they used it for the game too, so. I don't know, Don. I don't know if this sucks. I don't know if this is good, but I like this. And that's. It's kind of hard, right? I dig it. I don't know. That might be crap. I don't know.

[Don Hahn]

No, it sound. It sounded all right. And then we'll let the bodies hit the floor I, I, I that's the only song that I know by Drowning Pool, but it's. It's good. I just. I grew up on metal.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Listen, you don't have to justify anything to me. Thanks for listening to the Don Hahn and Rosenberg podcast. I don't want to know how the sausage is made, man. I just want to know.

[Don Hahn]

It's good.

[Peter Rosenberg]

Hear more of Don Allen and Peter.

[John Ireland]

Weekday afternoon starting at 3 on 8.

[Peter Rosenberg]

80, ESPN, the ESPN New York app, and your smart speakers.