Vault: Interview Collective Soul

Summary

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The Bert Show: Vault - Interview with Collective Soul

Date: October 28, 2025
Host: The Bert Show (Bert, Dean Roland, Ed Roland, Zoe)
Featured Guests: Ed and Dean Roland of Collective Soul

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Episode Overview

This episode is a special vault edition featuring an in-studio interview with Ed and Dean Roland of Collective Soul, one of Atlanta’s most iconic rock bands. The hosts and guests dive into the realities of rock stardom, reflect on what it’s like to hear their own songs on the radio, candidly discuss the financial side of being a musician, and clarify how song rights and covers work in the music industry. The conversation maintains the show’s signature blend of humor, candor, and authenticity.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Introduction & Collective Soul’s Legacy

[02:16-02:59]

• Dean Roland sets the stage, recognizing Collective Soul as "one of the biggest bands ever to come out of Atlanta."
• Noted songs: "Heavy," "The World I Know," "Shine."
• A fun, light-hearted start with Ed and Dean joking about their "biggest guest ever" status:
  • Ed Roland: "Not physically." ([02:37])
  • Dean Roland: "Yeah, not physically." ([02:39])
• Playful banter about Bert’s height and local radio connections.

Condensed Career Highlight

[03:15-04:07]

• The show plays a mashup montage of Collective Soul’s hits, encapsulating their career in just over a minute.
• Ed Roland jokes afterward: "Oh, we are done. Thank you so much for having us today. You guys are done." ([04:13])
• Dean adds: "You can retire.” ([04:16])

Hearing Their Own Songs on the Radio

[04:18-05:01]

• Zoe asks how it feels to hear their songs on the radio.
• Ed Roland shares honestly:

  "When it first happened, I would always listen because I would go, God, I could have sang that better...Now, if I hear a song on the radio, I usually turn it...it's because I hear it enough and I know, and plus, it's too critical." ([04:27])

• Initial excitement turns into critical self-scrutiny and indifference with time.

On Celebrity & Public Recognition

[05:01-05:47]

• Dean Roland asks if fame makes everyday tasks, like getting fast food, awkward.
• Ed Roland replies:

  "Usually people are very kind and it's usually as simple, to the point, 'love what you do.' And that's it. And you go, 'thank you.'" ([05:22])

• On fan encounters: Ed says they sometimes get "strange" approaches but emphasizes approachability:

  "We feel normal, you know, in a sense, we are approachable...Just come up and talk to us. And we're usually very happy to talk." ([05:47])

Realizing They "Made It"

[06:02-06:49]

• Dean asks when the Roland brothers felt they made the leap from local band to "rock stars."
• Ed Roland quips:

  "Like, when friends started calling, wanting to borrow money. Really? Yeah." ([06:11])

• Dean compares it to NFL rookies suddenly fielding handout requests.
• Ed contrasts musicians' financial realities with public perceptions ("one hit song, millions of dollars—it's not necessarily true"). ([07:07])
• Explains industry misconceptions stemming from 1970s media portrayals.

The Realities of the Music Business & Artist Ownership

[07:22-08:09]

• Ed Roland illuminates the economics of being in a band:

  "People don't understand you're borrowing money to make these records...you pay them back and when you make your money, they still don't let you own your music. Which is a big gripe I have." ([07:26]) "It's like borrowing money from a bank, paying the house mortgage back...the bank still owns it and they rent it out...That's what it means to me about masters. I hope I didn't get confusing on that, but it's really strange." ([07:26])

Cover Songs & Rights

[08:09-09:51]

• The discussion shifts to who owns the rights when others want to cover or sample their music.
• Ed explains some artists (e.g., Metallica, Dr. Dre) negotiated to own their masters, which fuels their stance on file sharing (e.g., Napster).
• Additional band member outlines the mechanics:

  "If he just wants to cover it, they can go ahead and cover it. But if they want to change any words or lyrics or music...they have to contact us, and they have to contact Ed, and then Ed can basically approve that or not." ([09:03])

• On Dolly Parton's cover of "Shine" and whether the publishing money comes back to the band:

  Ed Roland: "Yes." ([09:48]) Additional Member: "Ed gets all the money." ([09:49])

Closing & Final Jokes

[09:51-10:10]

• Hosts thank Collective Soul and joke about Atlanta roots ("from the bridge") and wishful thoughts about Puff Daddy covering "Shine."

  Dean Roland: "Collective Soul into his house. Listen for Shine. You know, that's going to be on some website somewhere. Hey, Puff Daddy's covering Shine." ([09:58]) Ed Roland: "I wish he would. I get paid, remember? I need to be driven around." ([10:06])

---

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Ed Roland on hearing his own hits:

  "When it first happened, I would always listen because I would go, God, I could have sang that better...Now, if I hear a song on the radio, I usually turn it..."
  [04:27]

• Ed Roland on fan encounters:

  "We feel normal, you know, in a sense. We are approachable...Just come up and talk to us."
  [05:47]

• Ed Roland on being "rock stars":

  "Like, when friends started calling, wanting to borrow money."
  [06:11]

• Ed Roland on artist rights:

  "It's like borrowing money from a bank, paying the house mortgage back...the bank still owns it and they rent it out...That's what it means to me about masters."
  [07:26]

---

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 02:16 – Introduction, Atlanta’s pride in Collective Soul
• 03:15 – Collective Soul career hits montage
• 04:18 – How the band feels about hearing their songs
• 05:01 – Navigating fame and fan recognition
• 06:02 – Realizing they’d "made it"
• 07:26 – The realities of record deals and music ownership
• 08:09 – Song rights, covers, and who gets paid
• 09:51 – Parting words and Atlanta in-jokes

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Conclusion

This episode offers a behind-the-scenes look at being in a world-famous rock band. Ed and Dean Roland deliver honest, often humorous insights about fame, money, artistic ownership, and legacy, while the Bert Show keeps things lively with their characteristic banter. Whether you're a fan of Collective Soul or just curious about the realities of rock stardom, this episode pulls back the curtain on music industry truths with warmth and wit.

Transcript

[Burt]

Morning Zoe. Got donuts.

[Zoe]

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[Ed Roland]

Nice.

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J free.

[Dean Roland]

You heard them.

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[Burt]

Listen, it's the Birch Show.

[Dean Roland]

One of the biggest bands ever to come out of Atlanta, of course, is Collective Soul. Great hits like Heavy, the World, I Know, Shine. But the thing that really stood out for all of us was how they told us that being a rock and roller is really not a lot different than anybody else. I think we've got the biggest guests that we've ever had in our studio today. Thank you.

[Ed Roland]

Not physically.

[Dean Roland]

Yeah, not physically.

[Ed Roland]

Thank you.

[Hers Advertisement Speaker]

Well, compared to Bert, though.

[Ed Roland]

Been working on this?

[Dean Roland]

Yeah, compared to Bert. Have you guys ever met Burt?

[Ed Roland]

No.

[Dean Roland]

You guys know Jimmy Baron, right? Yeah, he's shorter. Burt is shorter than Jimmy Baron.

[Ed Roland]

Really? Yeah.

[Dean Roland]

He's what, like four foot two?

[Additional Collective Soul Member]

Yeah.

[Dean Roland]

So he. He's bummed he couldn't make it. Collective Soul is in the studio. Well, part of Collective Soul, Ed and Dean Roland, thank you guys for stopping in.

[Ed Roland]

Thanks for having us, you guys.

[Dean Roland]

Oh, this is Collective Soul, by the way. On the off chance that there's someone listening who does not know who Collective Soul is.

[Ed Roland]

Declaration means yours is yours. My new it falls on me don't dream alone don't think aloud so she gathers free D I'm a step to the edge we'll come together now you let it chill, yeah Whoa haven't let your light shine down Before I let you from the pain you request.

[Dean Roland]

Ed and Dean Roland from Collective Soul in the studio. Your life's work condensed down to one minute and four seconds.

[Ed Roland]

Oh, we are done. Thank you so much for having us today. You guys are done.

[Dean Roland]

You can retire.

[Hers Advertisement Speaker]

Thanks. I'm just curious.

[Zoe]

How does it feel when you hear your own song on the radio? I mean, I know you've heard all your songs a thousand times, but I'm just curious, how does it work? How do you react to that?

[Ed Roland]

You know, when it first. When it first happened, I would always listen because I would go, God, I could have sang that better. Or could have. You know, we could have played this better. And then I've learned to kind of appreciate it and listen to it. Just make sure it sounds decent on the radio. And after that, if I hear a song on the radio, I usually turn it just. Cause I know how it sounds. It's not like something I like the. It was exciting at first, but like I said, even when we put a new song out, if I hear it one time, I'll listen to it just to make sure the mix feels right. And after that, I. I'll usually turn it. It's because I hear it enough and I know, and plus, it's too critical. And I'll sit there and go, I could have done this better. Could have done this better.

[Dean Roland]

You know, I'm fascinated by the whole celebrity thing. Like, it's fascinating to me because, you know, you guys, do. You guys, you're rock stars, you know, so it's like, how is it? Like, do you guys. Are you ever driving home and you want to go through a drive through and you think, you know what? I might get the recognition thing, I don't want to deal with it type of thing, or does that ever happen? Or do you just.

[Ed Roland]

Not at a drive through, but you do get recognized. But usually people are very kind and very usually as simple, to the point, love what you do. And that's. That's it. And you go, thank you.

[Dean Roland]

It's the most freakish thing anyone's ever done to meet one of you guys.

[Ed Roland]

Oh, that's not good. I don't. I don't know. That's. There's been a lot of.

[Dean Roland]

Because they do it, don't they?

[Ed Roland]

Yeah, it's kind of. Yeah, kind of. There's some strange.

[Dean Roland]

Is it weird you out?

[Ed Roland]

Yeah, a little bit. Just because, you know, we.

[Dean Roland]

We are.

[Ed Roland]

We feel normal, you know, in a sense, we are approachable. It's not like we make ourselves not approachable or anything like that. So you don't have to do anything strange. Just come up and talk to us. And we're usually very happy to talk. You know, it's. It's a compliment. And what.

[Dean Roland]

When did you guys. When did you guys first realize that you've gone from, you know, just being a rock band in Georgia to, like, you're like, we're rock stars. Like, when did that happen?

[Ed Roland]

Like, when friends started calling, wanting to borrow money. Really? Yeah. You know what? That's.

[Dean Roland]

I just talked to. I was just talking to Kim about the rookies on the Falcons who, you know, now are getting their first big paychecks, which compared to some football players, aren't that big. They're only talking, like 150, 200 grand, you know, relatively. That's not a ton of money. But these guys who, you know, three years ago were in gangs down in, like, Savannah who are now hitting it big and have people that used to be in their gang calling the Falcons office, leaving a message saying, I need 10,000 bucks, or we're gonna come up there and talk to you about, you know, does that really. Do you have aunts and uncles climbing out of everywhere?

[Ed Roland]

Well, we don't necessarily have. We didn't. We didn't come from gangs related.

[Dean Roland]

Yeah, what gang were you guys in?

[Ed Roland]

We're from the Bridge, man. We are. We're from the Bridge. No, just. I just think people misunderstand sometimes because the perception of music in general, back from the set, I think it started in the 70s that, you know, it was very flamboyant.

[Dean Roland]

Right.

[Ed Roland]

No matter if you had one hit song, you know, you had millions of dollars and it's not necessarily true, you know, So I just think the perception of what money we do make has been. They've been misled by the, by the media over the last. Over a lot of years.

[Dean Roland]

So, yeah, you gotta get a couple albums into it before you're paying cash for the new comic.

[Hers Advertisement Speaker]

Yeah.

[Ed Roland]

People don't understand you're borrowing money to make these records and you have to pay back the record company and. And they have a system down that's much better than the bank. You know, it's strange. You pay them back and when you make your money, they still don't let you own your music. Which is a big gripe I have. It's like borrowing money from a bank, paying the house mortgage back. You pay it off, but yet the bank still owns it and they rent it out to other people while you're still living there. That's what it means to me about masters. I hope I didn't get confusing on that, but it's really strange. And I think that's wrong. And that's the only business I can think of where you create something and yet you do not own it, even when you pay your money back. So I think. Well, I don't know where I went on that.

[Dean Roland]

You know what, that leads me into a question. Cause who owns the COVID rights? For example, Alien Ant Farm just did Smooth Criminal.

[Ed Roland]

Well, it's different for different artists. I mean, like Metallica, when they renegotiated their deal, they own their masters. They said, you know what? We're big. You give us our masters. That's why they had a problem with. And Dr. Dre and those people that do own their masters had a problem with Napster. Napster, because once again, and Napster's great for certain things, but I think it should be the artist's choice because it does take a lot of money, make music. So if you, if you want to give your music away free and so be it. But as an artist, you Know, you should have that choice. Somebody shouldn't be going, you know what? We're taking your work. So who does when.

[Dean Roland]

When. When Puff Daddy wants to, you know, remix Shine, who does he call? You guys? Record company.

[Ed Roland]

That's a manager question. Who would he call? Oh, God. Here we go.

[Hers Advertisement Speaker]

Hello.

[Ed Roland]

Oh, here we go.

[Additional Collective Soul Member]

Open the Pandora's box, though. No, actually, the way it works is if they don't change any of the lyrics and if the music stays completely the same.

[Dean Roland]

Right.

[Additional Collective Soul Member]

If he just wants to cover it, they can go ahead and cover it. But if they want to change any words or lyrics or music or, you know, the arrangement, and they have to contact us, and they have to contact Ed, and then Ed can, you know, basically approve that or not. That's how it works out.

[Dean Roland]

And they gotta get a clearance. If they do it completely, if they make it sound just like. They make it sound just like Shine. And they don't change any lyrics or anything.

[Additional Collective Soul Member]

Like an urban version of it.

[Ed Roland]

Yeah, Dolly Parton did Shine and she kept. You know, it's the same melody. I mean, you know, it's the same song. It's just. But do you get any money off of that publishing? Yes.

[Dean Roland]

Okay.

[Ed Roland]

Yeah.

[Additional Collective Soul Member]

Ed gets all the money.

[Dean Roland]

Thank you guys for coming in. It's Ed and Dean Rowland of Collective Soul. Atlanta boys made it big. From the bridge.

[Ed Roland]

From the bridge, man.

[Dean Roland]

Collective Soul into his house. Listen for Shine. You know, that's going to be on some website somewhere. Hey, Puff Daddy's covering Shine.

[Ed Roland]

I wish he would. I get paid, remember? I need to be driven around.

[Dean Roland]

There you go. Thanks a lot, guys.

[Ed Roland]

Thank you again.

[Dean Roland]

No problem. Collective Soul in the studio with The Burt Show. Q100.

[Burt]

Listen, it's the Burt Show. Morning, Zoe. Got donuts.

[Zoe]

Jeff Bridges, Why are you still living above our garage?

[Burt]

Well, I dig the mattress and I want to be in a T mobile commercial like you. Teach me, Saldana.

[Zoe]

Oh, no, I'm not really prepared. I couldn't possibly at T Mobile get the new iPhone 17 Pro on them. It's designed to be the most powerful iPhone yet and has the ultimate pro camera system.

[Burt]

Wow, impressive. Let me try. T mobile is the best place to get iPhone 17 Pro because they've got the best network.

[Ed Roland]

Nice.

[Zoe]

Jeffrey, you heard them.

[Burt]

T Mobile is the best place to get the new iPhone 17 Pro on us with eligible traded in any condition. So what are we having for launch?

[Zoe]

Dude, my work here is done.

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