Yungblud | The Magnificent Others with Billy Corgan

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Yungblud | The Magnificent Others with Billy Corgan

Podcast: The Magnificent Others with Billy Corgan
Host: Billy Corgan
Guest: Yungblud (Dom)
Release Date: October 1, 2025

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Episode Overview

This episode features an in-depth conversation between Billy Corgan and Yungblud (Dom Harrison), exploring Yungblud’s journey as an artist poised at a rare, transformative moment in his career. The dialogue centers around authenticity, artistic evolution, the resurgence of rock, navigating fame, and advice for sustaining a legacy in music. Billy acts as a mentor and peer, discussing legacy, authenticity, and the pressures that come with artistic breakthroughs.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Yungblud’s Transition and Artistic Vision

• Embracing Rock:

  • Yungblud describes his intention behind embracing rock unapologetically, feeling emboldened after hearing Billy Corgan’s public endorsement:

    "I want my voice to be the leader. I want my sense of imagination to be limitless, and I want to put rock music at the forefront of my brand..."
    (Dom, 00:14)

  • The album Idols symbolizes reclaiming himself and anchoring his music in rock’s authenticity.

• Crossroads and Turning Point:

  • Dom recalls feeling at a crossroads at 27, finally committing to a vision he’d harbored since he was 22, catalyzed by encouragement from his idols.
  • Billy acknowledges the rarity of such transformative moments:

    "The moment that you're in is so rare… you don't realize how rare it is."
    (Billy, 01:48, repeated sentiment at 47:15)

2. Breaking America and Musical Authenticity

• Cracking the U.S. Market:
  • Billy shares insights from his own career and the contrast between U.K. and U.S. rock sensibilities, emphasizing that American rock demands authenticity “from the street up.”
    (06:30–11:06)
  • Dom reflects on the energy of American crowds and the purity of purpose driving Idols:

    “I really went from a purist mentality with Idols... I want to create something that's going to elongate the imagination and almost reset me in a place where I want my voice to be the leader.”
    (Dom, 08:27)

3. Legacy, Authenticity, and Generational Bridges

• Confronting Legacy:

  • The Are You Ready Boy documentary and the decision to record live at Hansa Studios were both about confronting legacy head-on, not bowing down to it. (15:16)

• Authenticity in the Modern Era:

  • Dom discusses the challenge of proving authenticity in a world where everything is documented and curated.
  • Advice from Ozzy Osbourne:

    “You cannot take that on. You have to do what you do, and people will maybe probably understand it in hindsight.”
    (Dom, 19:58)

• The Pressure of the “Youngblood” Name and Blood Fest:

  • Dom narrates feeling pigeonholed by his stage name and how Blood Fest (a celebratory/funeral hybrid gig) helped him reconnect with the broader meaning and community of Youngblood. (23:33)
  • The show signaled that Youngblood had become bigger than himself—now representing a spectrum of fans beyond the original core.

4. The Rock Genre’s Uniqueness and Tribalism

• Rock’s Resurgence:

  • Dom and Billy discuss the cyclical resurgence of rock, its community and resistance to fakeness, and how it contrasts with pop and hip-hop.

    “Rock music is about pioneering while being adherent and respectful to the past…”
    (Dom, 11:06)
    “Rock is about being in the mud and being the beauty within the dirt...”
    (Dom, 35:31)

• The Power of Tribes:

  • Billy likens the rock scene to “tribes” (Pumpkins, Metallica, Slayer, Tool, etc.), highlighting unity and generational crossovers during landmark shows like the Ozzy/Black Sabbath reunion in Birmingham. (34:20)

5. Pop-to-Rock “Reverse Crossover”

• The Elton John Comparison:

  • Billy proposes that Yungblud has achieved a rare “reverse crossover”—from pop to rock—comparable primarily to Elton John, who started in pop but became a rock icon.

    “You can sing pop, you can sing a ballad, and that crowd will go with you… Elton John's one of the only people ever who was poppish, first ballady piano, who crossed over rock.”
    (Billy, 38:58–40:12)

• Future Projects & Collaborations:

  • Dom previews a five-song collaboration with Aerosmith releasing in November, reveals ongoing inspiration, and mentions “Idols Part 2” is nearly ready but is also eager to create new solo music based on current momentum. (44:09–44:45)

6. Advice for Longevity and the Path Forward

• Billy’s Core Advice:

  • The path to stadium longevity:

    “It’s only gonna work if it’s your music... They want your music, not my music through you.”
    (Billy, 52:41)

  • The importance of creative partnership, citing Elton John and Bernie Taupin as a model—but with Dom insisting the lead must be his own authentic voice. (54:11–54:19)

• Handling Pressure and Vision for the Future:

  • Dom openly shares that he’s feeling the pressure (“Whoa...”), but also feels prepared, especially with the forthcoming Aerosmith project and the authenticity of his new work. (48:09)
  • Dream: To lead rock into stadiums globally, staying true to self and growing the genre he loves.

    “I would love to be able to play stadium rock all over the world because I think that's where I come alive as a frontman...”
    (Dom, 50:36)

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Memorable Quotes & Moments

On Hearing Billy’s Encouragement:

“I remember going up home and going, look at this. It is time. It hit me in the face like a comet right in my... in between my eyes.”
(Dom, 00:00 and repeated sentiment at 04:15)

On Rock’s Uniqueness:

“Rock music is all about truth and all about passion and all about humanity... it pulls you right back down to earth because... rock is about being in the mud and being the beauty within the dirt and the... seeing your breath in the cold.”
(Dom, 35:31)

On Crossing from Pop to Rock:

“You can sing pop, you can sing a ballad, and that crowd will go with you.”
(Billy, 00:09/39:09)

"Elton John's one of the only people ever who was poppish, first ballady piano, who crossed over rock."
(Billy, 39:36)

On Craft and Ownership:

“It will only work... if it’s your music. Your music they want... not my music through you.”
(Billy, 52:41)

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Important Segments & Timestamps

• 00:14 — Dom on leading with voice and rock’s authenticity
• 01:48 — Recognizing the rarity of breakthrough moments
• 06:30 — Billy on U.K. vs U.S. rock and authentic roots
• 11:06 — Dom on rock’s attributes and vision for Idols
• 15:16 — Recording live at Hansa Studio, confronting legacy
• 19:58 — Ozzy’s advice on authenticity
• 23:33 — Blood Fest redefining Youngblood’s identity
• 34:20 — Billy on rock tribes and community
• 38:58 — Pop to rock crossover, Elton John comparison
• 44:09 — Surprise Aerosmith project & new creative momentum
• 47:15 — Billy on seizing rare creative windows
• 50:36 — Dom on vision for his future and playing stadiums
• 52:41 — Billy on what truly sustains an artist’s legacy

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Conclusion

This dynamic episode captures Yungblud at a pivotal point—embracing his rock roots, securing respect from musical legends, and inheriting the weight, challenge, and legacy of the genre. There’s a prevailing theme of authenticity: the power of self-belief, the necessity of leading with one’s vision, and the importance of seizing creative momentum while staying connected to community and roots. Billy’s mentorship and Dom’s candor offer an inspiring look at what it takes to go from being "one to watch" to potentially joining the ranks of stadium rock legends.

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Transcript

[Dom]

I remember going up home and going, look at this. It is time. It hit me in the face like a comet, right in my. In between my eyes.

[Billy]

You can sing pop. You can sing a ballad, and that crowd will go with you.

[Dom]

I want my voice to be the leader. I want my sense of imagination to be limitless, and I want to put rock music at the forefront of my brand and my idea because it's what I've grown up with.

[Billy]

The moment that you're in is so rare. It probably. I know you know it's rare, but you don't realize how rare it is. Dom, thank you for being on my show. Let me start here.

[Dom]

Thank you for having me. I'm so excited to be here, man.

[Billy]

Long overdue, I think, but let me start here. Okay? I hate doing interviews over zoom. So I've only done two. Hold on, hold on. I've only done two. One with Sam Moore of the Great Sam and Dave Soul group because he was 89 years old, you know, couldn't get on a plane. And you, because I can't pin you down because you're moving like a comet across the. The sky at the moment.

[Dom]

It's wild, man. Honestly, I really appreciate it because we're in. I'm in Detroit at the minute, and I was literally just like, I've got to do this. I've got to do this with Billy, man. Please, let's just, like, try and get to a remote. So. So I appreciate it.

[Billy]

So normally, I don't know if you've seen my interviews. I like to do, like, a deeper dive, like, everything from childhood, family, everything. So I feel like this isn't the right way to do it. But I want to do is what I would call, like, a heat check, because you're at a very interesting moment of your musical and personal life. So it's more like a drop in. Like, let's just kind of see where you are. And the idea here would be, if we look at this in 20 years, we'll see which one of us was more right about where you end up.

[Dom]

I know it's. It's been so funny with you because I almost see you as like Gandalf for me, because you've made comments about where I'm at, and then it kind of, like, happens. I'm like, hang on a second. Like Gandalf or Yoda, you know?

[Billy]

I mean, I like Gandalf better.

[Dom]

All right, fair deal.

[Billy]

Okay, so we'll just jig it. Jig and jog around. Nothing too serious today. We'll save that for another time. But. So you got Idols out. You're out on tour on the Idols world tour, which, by the way, very unique name. Idols album. Idols World Tour.

[Dom]

Yeah. Wild. Wild.

[Billy]

That's one of those ones, like, nobody sat and thought like, idols. Idols World Tour.

[Dom]

Yeah. It's been such a strange. I don't know, it's almost been, like a manifestation to what has happened within this album and this tour. I think, like, I made a. An album really about reclaiming oneself and. And. And really doing what I wanted, you know? I think. I think.

[Billy]

It works, right? Like, it's working and it works.

[Dom]

Yeah, yeah. And it worked. Honestly, I think it's still crazy. It was so. It was so serendipitous that we're doing this, because I really remember feeling quite a crossroads in my life when I hit 27. And I really. Idols was an album that I've been envisioning Since I was 22 years old, you know, and I am. I really remember seeing you say something about me on the Ali Haagendorff podcast. I remember you talking about my voice. And honestly, you were such a massive part of that turning point. Because I think when you. I don't know, I think when you, like, look at your idols, like someone like you to me, I think kind of when you know them on a personal level and when they talk about you, you have kind of. Before that you have no point of reference. All you have is yourself, your friends, your record company, the people around you. But when you hear someone you look up to and an Idol, you look up to go like, I think it's time for him to sing, and I think it's time for him to do a rock album. I think it's time for him to lean into really what he wants to do. Because I see this thing, but it's not quite linked up yet. I literally was like, oh, finally. I feel like I can really lean.

[Billy]

Into why I didn't know that. So I'm very touched that.

[Dom]

That 100%. I remember going up home and going, look at this. It is time. It hit me in the face like a comet right in my. Right in my. In between my eyes. Because I think what's been interesting is I've been doing this since I was 18, and you never expect to. For people to even care at the start. You love it, you believe it, and then the whole world suddenly gets involved and has. Has an opinion. And for so long, people have been telling me to twist the idea of rock music instead of Just really. Just go for it in its purest form that I fell in love with it with. And then good old Billy Corgan goes, I wish you'd just sting that. And then I'm like. And then. And then. And then I was like, ah, okay, let's go. And I think this whole journey really, really has been so beautiful because I've settled into the first iteration of what I believe I will be doing for the rest of my life.

[Billy]

Yeah.

[Dom]

The musical. The journeys I'll be taking for the rest of my life, you know.

[Billy]

Yeah. Well, that's what we call in the band a musician's timing, you see. So it's the right quote on the right day, you know.

[Dom]

Yeah. Wild. Hit me in the face.

[Billy]

Well, I remember seeing you. Let's call it Mach 1, you know. Remember seeing a clip of you maybe on the Jimmy Kimmel show or something. You're walking backstage and you were singing, and you kind of came out to the crowd and the whole thing. And I thought, okay, this. This guy can sing. But then to that point, all the marketing was very much, you know, typical pop.

[Dom]

Yeah.

[Billy]

At least what we would call pop here. I know. I know the UK scene is slightly different.

[Dom]

Yeah.

[Billy]

Which is. And I don't mean this in any disrespectful way. I don't know him, but. Cause I was at Virgin Records when Robbie Williams was signed to Virgin. And Robbie was obviously a stadium act in the uk, but couldn't get arrested in America. And I remember having conversations with American record executives. Cause it was my record company. Because they were curious for my opinion why Robbie was having trouble getting traction in America. And I said, the thing that helps Robbie work in the UK doesn't work in America. American. The American rock scene, like, Robbie always kind of played with rock. There was even that video where he, like, dressed up like Kiss or something, like, you know.

[Dom]

Yeah.

[Billy]

Nothing disrespectful. I have a lot of respect for Robbie, but you've got to come from the street in America with rock. You can't come top down like you can in the UK. You got to come up from the bottom, up 100. Do you feel that now that you're finally getting that other traction in America?

[Dom]

Yeah. I think what was. What was so interesting about that last record was, I think my first album, I was 18. I was mad. Brexit had just happened in the UK the first time I got to vote. And the whole basis of that campaign, young people would lie. I mean, the whole population was lied to. So me and My friends really felt misrepresented within music. You know, I think, like, I wrote an album, my first album, I was 18 years old, about what me and my friends are talking about down the pub. And then that went absolutely bananas, out of control, more than I would ever expect. And I think then all these opinions kind of come into play by people who didn't really get you at the beginning anyway. And I think when you kind of the biggest thing, the biggest lesson I've kind of had to learn to navigate when. When I've reached this point in my life, going into Idols, going into Blood Fest, going into the next music, is kind of me, like, not taking no for an answer and being like, guys, like, I ain't doing that or I'm not going to go. And I don't want you to put me with a load of writers because you think they're going to give me this magical thing that you think that I need. When I think the most beautiful thing about kind of space and going home and listening to your peers and listening to actual rock stars, you've written actual classics, who sold actual records is. Is kind of this. This sense of purity and this sense of truth of. I went home and I was like, what do I want to do? Even if it's the demise of everything, if it's the last stand, if it's the last moment, what I want to be remembered by, oh, that was his last thing before he fell off the face of the earth. He died. He. You know, I mean, he went to open a guitar shop or whatever. You know what I'm saying? It's like. And that was. I really went from a purist mentality with Idols being like, okay, I want to create something that's going to elongate the imagination and almost reset me in a place where I want my voice to be the leader. I want my sense of imagination to be limitless. And I want to put rock music at the forefront of. Of my brand and my idea because it's what I have grown up with. You know, I grew up in a guitar shop. My. My dad and my granddad are guitar shops. And the most beautiful thing about this album is it. It smells like soldering wire, Tolex glue, and. And Marshall. Marshall's overheating. You know what I'm saying? And I think, like, you can feel that. And it's so interesting. I would say to any artist when you. It's always beautiful getting lost, because when you. When you kind. If you can figure out your way back, you become more yourself than ever. You know, I think it's, it's, it's been cool because people can smell the truth. And I think that's why, again, people are starting to resonate in a bigger level than just the Young Blood core with, with this album. Someone's like, oh, wow, this, this feels like it's onto something here. Maybe it's not fully there yet, but that's cool. It's like, oh, it's always about the journey.

[Billy]

It's always about the journey. It's interesting because if you look at any artist journey that you would respect, you usually can see a couple songs before the album where they really have the breakthrough. You kind of see the glimmer. Then there's the breakthrough record, which I feel like you're finally on, which is weird. Cause you've had a lot of success. It's not like you were nobody. But the amount of times I've heard your name coming out of people's mouths in the last 60 days, it's like random people. I mean, the guy park in my car comes up and wants to talk to me about you.

[Dom]

That's crazy.

[Billy]

But I mean, but that's, that's, that's, that's how I know you're cracking America. Yeah, you gotta, it's gotta be street up. Where literally, like, sorry, but the. Literally, the guy parking the car has to see something in you. It's a very egalitarian society in that way. We don't have the classism like you have in the uk. It really is a working class country. Even if we've gone away from that.

[Dom]

Yeah, yeah. I can really feel that on this tour. It's so strange, the effervescence of the crowd at the minute. I mean, I've told America three times, but it's never been like this. This is like. And I said that I think I kind of really did clean house on this album. I had a lot of people telling me a lot of things and I was like, guys, I really want to just go back to basics and I really want to play these. I'm in the Fillmore in Detroit tonight. Like I was. I've never played here. I wanted to go and walk the boards. That you did that Zeppelin did, that Iggy did that Bowie did. I wanted to go and do America and play like the Palladium and the Fillmores and these real rock and roll venues with this album that is so adherent to the way I believe rock shouldn't homage to the past, but be dragged into 2026. 27, 28, 29. Yeah, because it's all about imagination. That's why I think. I think rock music is such a. An incredible genre because it's the one genre you can't fake. Hip hop or pop gives its crown to whatever's biggest in that moment. Rock music is about pioneering while being adherent and respectful to the past and knowledge. And. And this. This sense of community doesn't give the keys away. It's. It's reluctant and. And it's. And it's. That. That's fun, you know? I mean, I think we debate, we debate, we debate, we debate, we debate. And it's kind of. It's cool, man. You know?

[Billy]

Okay, so two things. Number one, you're talking about playing these iconic venues because you wanted to walk the boards that these great bands have walked. Can you feel it?

[Dom]

Categorically, yes. It's wild. Like, I played the rave last night. We saw the rave in Milwaukee. And to see everyone on the wall and to speak to the owner about it and just to feel. I don't know, man. Like, I believe when you're writing songs or when you're a musician, all the energy's floating above you. You've just got to catch it, you know? I mean, the fish are all above there. You just gotta have the. The rod out to catch it. Or you're gonna catch it, or. No, Gallagher's gonna catch it or Iggy's gonna catch it. You know what I mean? It's like. And you can just feel it. And it's. It's so. It's so beautiful to be on this run in America as rock music rears its head again.

[Billy]

Second thing I was going to say is. And you're figuring this out, so I'm not saying anything you don't know. But I can tell you this from having lived it. They really want you to grab that thing. They really do. No matter what anybody tells you, they're there because they want to see you go for it.

[Dom]

I think that's what's beautiful about American audiences as well. It's almost like when the American audience get behind you, it's the biggest crash of a wave you've ever felt.

[Billy]

Well, the Stones, the Beatles.

[Dom]

Yeah, man.

[Billy]

Everybody had to come over. No matter how great they were, and they were great. They all had to come here because there's something about. Because this is really the heart of rock and roll, right? I mean, no matter how many generations go by. And by the way, when I say rock and roll, we're talking Motown we're talking stats.

[Dom]

Yeah. Screaming Jay Hawkins, Bo Diddley, Bobby Waters, like, that's the vibe. Because when you think about rock and roll and when you think about the Beatles and the Stones leading into Sabbath, leading into everything, like, after that, it was all rooted in American blues music that we. That we put in a British accent, put some leather on, you know what I mean?

[Billy]

So I haven't seen the Are you ready boy doc yet. Um, Ali Hagendorff, our. Our mutual buddy was here earlier today and we were talking about you. And she had seen it with her husband, and so I was asking her some questions. But the idea of you kind of staring down, you know, what you're after in. In the dock. Can you just speak to that a little bit?

[Dom]

Yeah, I. I think this album was really about confronting legacy, not bowing down to it. You know, I wanted to. Cause it was the most musically ambitious project we've ever done. I wanted to re record a live version of the album three weeks after we delivered it. You know, I mean, not after. Not after we've been on the road for a year. I still wanted that heartbeat when the red light goes on. It's not muscle memory yet. I don't know necessarily how I sing it yet. I think because when you're in the studio, you kind of. It comes out of you for the first time, so the magic is encapsulated. And then two years after you've been playing it on the road, it's muscle memory, so you can sing it in your sleep and you know every inflection, you know every breath. But I really wanted to kind of go to a legendary studio, Hansa Studios in Berlin. Bowie, iggy, Lou Reed, U2, Depeche Mode, you name it, and stand in the room and see if I could step up and perform this record in the room where so many epiphanies and hits have come from that ceiling. And really just kind of challenge my band to recreate this album. And it was such a crazy experience because Paul Dugdale directed it. And he's such a great director because he is all about the truth. And I. And I love that about him. And I think he's been. He's been making films for pop stars for quite a long time. So I think he was ready for a bit of unhinged behavior, you know, I mean, in the film, I was like, I want you. We're there for 10 days. I want you to roll everything. I don't want to. I don't want any part of the edit. Because if I, you know, what it's like as an artist, if you have part of the edit, you can kill the honesty of the film because you. I don't know, oh, I don't look good there. Or I'm singing a bit out of tune there or. Or we're having a argument there. Or maybe I don't want to reveal that. I was like, right, you get free reign. I'm going to see it once. I've seen the film twice. It's so uncomfortable for me to watch my. Oh, God. But I think letting it. Letting it happen and letting it be out there was something that again, I think, like. I think the biggest issue people have had with me is they have questioned my authenticity. Because in today's day and age, there is no mystery anymore. I think, like, when you put out Simon Dream, you are on MTV and it's. And it looks epic and the photographs are dope and everything's crazy. But you don't see Billy in a bathroom scratching his ass every day. Do you know? I mean, on the iPhone in today's. To break through, you have to document everything to even get above the surface. And I think it was hard for people to understand sometimes to see in a world where everything is so edited. And we all do it. I do it to break through into the. The two millisecond attention span. So I really wanted to create a film that would be a sense of elongation of the imagination so people could really get to know who I am and then make an honest judgment whether they hate me or they love me. You know what I mean? I think that's cool that I think it was dope to be like, right, roll it and see what the happens, man. You know?

[Billy]

So in talking to Allison, my perception is you're on a, like a once in a lifetime role. And we'll talk about that in a second. And I've been calling that shot for three years. So I feel like Nostradamus over here. But Allison's. And you know, she loves you, so, you know, you know how she feels about you. But she said, you know, look, I've known him since before his first stuff came out, and he's very much in charge of where this whole ship is going. You know what I mean? The Youngblood Inc. You know what I mean?

[Dom]

Yeah.

[Billy]

But the question is. And it arose from something she said, you know, she said, there's a lot of people who are not in this. You're talking about authenticity. A lot of people aren't sold on what he's bringing to the table. And I, of course, did one of these, like, oh, those people don't know what the hell they're talking about. But I thought it was interesting to ask you. And it's not a speak to the haters question. It's more like where you see people divided on you. Is it a question of authenticity? Is it a question of talent? Like, what is the. What is the vibe you're getting up off the street where people aren't sold?

[Dom]

Yeah, I think. I think it's. I think it's. Sometimes people don't. Don't believe me. And I. I welcome that challenge because I think it was so interesting when I spoke to Ozzy about this, he was say. He'd said, like, you cannot take that on. You have to do what you do. And people will maybe probably understand it in hindsight. I think, especially in rock music, I think every generation before, it's like, my dad's dad didn't like Oasis because he thought they were ripping off the Beatles. And I think every kind of people before. It's hard to. It's hard. It's hard to understand someone who is trying to kind of do rock music in a new way. Because, of course, I'm referencing the past. Like, we all were. You know, I'm seeing. No, I'm saying.

[Billy]

I mean, the amount of. The amount of people I've ripped off is. You know what I mean?

[Dom]

Exactly. That's. That's. That's the.

[Billy]

That's the game. That's the. That's the fun of it.

[Dom]

That's the fun of it. And that's, that's. That is what I think is really exciting about rock music. I think what was beautiful about the Birmingham gig is. I think the biggest thing with it all is Young Blood as a name. It almost a negative connotation around it was, oh, I can't like that because it's for the kids. You know, I think it became such a. I think it became a thing. Oh, I might be a bit old for that. So it was already like, kind of was segregating a demographic almost. But I think what was beautiful about the Back to the Beginning show was it was the first time when an older generation of rock fans had something in common with me. And that was our mutual adoration for our genre. I think people went, oh, he's just a. He's just a rock fan. He's just a. He's just a Sabbath fan, like we all are. And I think it's kind of gave people a little opening of a Door to maybe fall down the rabbit hole. And when you take something like Blood Fest, I think Youngblood was a. Was a within. This transition point was such a. A strange thing for me to navigate because I was almost falling out of love with my name because the only things I was becoming insecure about were opinions people were saying about me on the Internet. You know, you, you read things and then you get insecure about things you didn't even know existed.

[Billy]

You know, I mean, she's like, no, your tooth, right?

[Dom]

Yeah. Is that what people think about me? You know, I'm saying, and. And I was like, are you going to be Youngblood forever? And that was a question. I was like, oh, I didn't really think about that at 18 years old. I just believed in this idea with everything I got and ran with it. And I remember at the end of the self titled album, which was probably the most lost I'd ever been, because I was listening to a lot of people, I really was like, I need to stop now and I need to figure out if Youngblood was gonna be a Ziggy Stardust and if I was gonna go on to another, another thing. But the one thing that made me really refaw in love with my name was Blood Fest. Because after the album I said, right, I'm gonna take a year off the Internet, eight months off the Internet, and I'm gonna try and take stock of what I want, want to do, but I'm gonna hold an event to say goodbye to the first iteration of.

[Billy]

Ah. So we're supposed to be a funeral?

[Dom]

Yes. Almost like a. A goodbye to the first iteration of sure. Whatever. Whatever the hell this has been. And in my head I was secretly hoping, like, please let this gig give me an answer or a Runway. I wanted to put everyone in one place so I could kind of almost take stock and be like, all right, where are we at right now? What is, what does this represent? And 27,000 people turn up to a field and it blew my mind because it was the first time I saw families, babies, mums, dads, obviously 15,000 young kids going nuts at the front. But it was the first time that Youngblood almost became bigger than a 19 year old kid from the north of England singing about politics, letting his mad ADHD brain be like, I'm gonna experiment here and I'm gonna do metal and I'm gonna do rap and I'm gonna do pop and I'm gonna do rock. And it was almost like a celebration of this kind of personified confusion within music. That we were. 30,000 of us were feeling okay. And I was like, oh, Youngblood is bigger than me now. It's. It's this. It's this thing so Dom can go and experiment with different music or really settle into rock and hard rock, because I think that's what I was setting out to do from the beginning anyway, in a much more purist way, because people have their own idea of what Youngblood is within themselves. You know, I'm saying, like, some people are there because the first album. Some people there because of the third album. Some people there because they just like what the community represents. Some people there because they're obsessed with the music. Some people are there because they're the friends. Their friendship group is within the community. And I think it kind of made me go like, I cannot control what people think about my art. I have to make an album for myself, and I have to make this next adventure about what. What do I want to leave behind. And I think that's a moment where this clicked. And I've not. I've never known that until 27. So it's very interesting to again, be like, oh, I think this is the start of the rest of my life now. You know, I mean, I feel like I've really settled.

[Billy]

First off, the piece of advice that Oz gave you is worth a billion dollars.

[Dom]

100%, because.

[Billy]

And I've learned it, but he said it better than I could. It's the weirdest thing in the world, because the minute you. You get a record deal or somebody pays some attention to you, right? You know, because let's face it, there's a lot of people on this planet. The minute you break through into that other side, somebody starts telling you how you aren't that special. And they start saying, but if you want to be special, if we could take this. That you do, and we add this little thing, and that's. That's. Now, in the modern world, in the 21st century, pop music is the machinery by which someone like you is more able to work your way up whatever that proverbial golden ladder is. But what Ozzy understands, what I understand, what Steven Tyler understands is. Is at the end of the day, it's about you. And if you don't believe in you, it just becomes this, like. It's like a weird. Like, it's. You're. You're. You're a. You're a star in your own movie, and you don't even want to be.

[Dom]

In the movie 100%. That's a. That is A crazy quote because it's so bizarre looking back on it now because I remember when that album came out, I was in New York and it gone number one in seven countries. And I, but I was like, I could have done better. Why did I listen to people? There were good songs on it. But I was like, I was not happy and, and. But now I look back on it, I'm like, I do not regret it because it was the biggest smack in the face that I needed. It was like a.

[Billy]

But see, you can only feel the sting of that if you're, if you're that high up that mountain.

[Dom]

Yeah.

[Billy]

And it's a lonely place because everybody else is looking saying, well, I'd trade for that in a second. You're like, no, you don't understand, this isn't my top speed. You know. And the other thing I was going to say, and I hope you understand the beauty of this, I think when Ozzy and Sharon added you to that show, it wasn't just adding you to that show. The tickets were already sold. They brought you on to continue this beautiful thing that we've all built together. And what I've said to so many people, and I'm sure you've been asked a thousand times about that show too, because it was a magical three days. It was, it was unbelievable. I mean, we'll talk about that in a second. But the thing that was so beautiful about it is I said, where in the world can you see somebody in their 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s? And we're all pointed in the same direction. Completely the biggest cue to the pop world. And we weren't even trying, trying to do it 100%.

[Dom]

It was, it was mind blowing when we were all there, when everyone was taking the photographs and I'm like, I'm kind of there and you're there and, and James Hetfield's there and Ozzy's there and Geezer Butler's over there and Chad Smith's over there. And I'm like, what kind of simulation is this? But it was the most humble, respectful, positive backstage I have ever been amongst. It was wild because it was the rock scene. And I think what was so wild is that concert single handedly has ignited another spark within the monster of our genre. Because again, generationally, we all have something in common. Yes, it gets a little bit softer as the younger we get because the new generation is more emotional and it's more open and it's a little bit less kind of. But everyone is there for a common Reason. And it was like, I felt so honored because I remember getting the call and I thought, oh, they're going to ask me to do the wizard. Or they're going to ask me to do, like, like nib and like, just go, like, use my pure, unfiltered energy. And Sharon goes, we want you to do changes. My first thought, I'm like, oh, a piano. Me, 50,000 people.

[Billy]

And Birmingham too, by the way. Yeah, not London, Birmingham.

[Dom]

Yeah, Birmingham. You know, I'm like, real, real people and a live stream at home. Nowhere to hide. And I, I, I was like, okay. Wow. And I, I, I think it was one of the craziest experiences in my life, because when you are there amongst your idols, all of you were there backstage, and you're kind of the young buck. And then obviously the show was loud and it was heavy and it was energetic. But then I had to go on stage and there is nothing but me and Adam Wakeman's piano and Ozzy's entire legacy pinned in front of all of us. I think it was, it was, it was the most scene I've ever felt by the universe ever. But I think the way I kept it under control was the biggest thing I learned was I, I think when you walk on stage, did you know this? Like, when there's 20,000 people out there, you're trying to take it in. But when you can take that torch and turn it into a laser beam and sing it to one person, whether that person be yourself or that person be a lover with that person, be a friend or a brother or a mother or whatever. I sung it to Oz and I just was like, thank you, man. And I feel like I've never been that locked into a performance ever. Or like that. I've never felt that in space or on the moon or whatever. You know what? When we talk about when you're a kid, like, you fly. I was flying. You know what I mean? And I remember at the end of it when I was like, getting the crowd to sing at the end, I didn't have that planned. It was in the last chorus, I was like, I want him to hear them backstage. And I want him to know that when he walks out, this roof is gonna erupt.

[Billy]

Yeah.

[Dom]

And I think when you can be on stage and you can almost alleviate your own ego and sing to not just the man that's Ozzy, but the energy force that has been curated for all of us there. It was the most mind blowing. It was the most mind blowing kind of lesson ever.

[Billy]

See what's so beautiful about rock music and that pop can never figure out, no matter how much they game theory the out. Right. Black Sabbath is the band that should not be completely. And yet here we are, what, almost 60 years later in a stadium, and there they are. Right.

[Dom]

And the songs just still hit right there.

[Billy]

What, they have one hit song?

[Dom]

Nope.

[Billy]

Basically, Paranoid, I think, was the only hit song Sabbath ever had.

[Dom]

Yeah, well, yeah. Fair, when you think about it. Yeah. When it. Like a chart in song.

[Billy]

Yeah. That's what I'm saying is pop can't understand the power of rock when it's. When it's organic, you know, because it's.

[Dom]

A movement, it's an idea, it's a. It's a. An encapsulation of. Of the. The imagination of. Of the left turn, of the unknown, of the alternative, of the alternative mindset. Instead of it being. I mean, like, when you listen to like, Fairies Wear Boots and all those time changes and those just. Like what? Like what? Like, it's just insane.

[Billy]

Like they were smoking a lot of geezer.

[Dom]

Yeah, like. Yeah, 100%. But like, to be there amongst it. And it's so amazing to hear, like, you say that as well. Like, it just felt like this. This, like. I don't know, this coming together of five armies, you know what I mean? To like, take on the world.

[Billy]

For me, it's tribes, you know what I mean?

[Dom]

Yeah.

[Billy]

No, really, you got the Slayer tribe, you got the Tool tribe, you got the.

[Dom]

You know what I mean, Pumpkins tribe, you got the Aerosmith tribe, you got the Youngblood tribe, you got Metallica tribe.

[Billy]

Which is like tribes.

[Dom]

And it was the biggest thing in the world. It's so funny. Even like the VMAs the other night with the VMAs to obviously honor him. And I think we were probably one of the only acts singing live there. You could tell, you know, I mean, amongst all the bubblegum and amongst all the. The. The award show pizzazz, to have us just play live and it'd be the most viewed video on the Internet the day afterwards. You can feel rock music is all about truth and all about passion and all about humanity. Well, it's like, you know, I think life, it is life and it's. And it pulls you right back down to earth because you're right, pop music is the elevation caricatured version of a heightened version of life that people can tap in every two minutes to distract themselves. Where rock is about being in the mud and being the beauty within the dirt and the seeing Your breath in the cold.

[Billy]

And there's plenty of room for both. But when the music business gets too tipped one direction now you see, now the kids are coming. They're not. They don't want. They don't want. They want real and real. Real, real right now, 100% feel it. Because I've been watching some of the clips from your tour and it is very real.

[Dom]

Yeah, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's wild. It's just like we've, we've never, we've never had this ferocity before. It's like, it's just. I don't know, it's just. I. The way I can say, it's just life. It's life in every. It's anger, it's sex, it's happiness, sadness, everything in this. These like 3,000 cap theaters that's just like about to blow the lid off and there's like 2,000 people on the wait list and 500 kids outside who can't get in. But we're all a part of something. And it's just like. I don't know, man. It's amazing to. Again to feel rock music come back because it's spherical. If you look at like punk, you've got ammo and the sniffers. If you look at hardcore, you've got turnstile and not loose and indie, you've got like Fontaine's DC and like rock like me in the middle. And then everyone else like the, the, the resurgence of albums, iconic rock albums coming to the forefront of tick tock again. It's like, I don't know, man. And I think even country music, rock always follows country because country is rooted in the songwriting. And then rock music is the songwriting with heavier distortions and sex appeal and like insane lyrics. You know, I mean, it's just like. I think country always opens the door to more emotional.

[Billy]

Country is. Country is rock before rock. I mean, that's. Yeah, it's just rock without the riff. That's all completely. Jimmy Page understood that better than anybody. That's why there's so much country influence in Zeppelin completely.

[Dom]

And it, and it's, it's, it's cool, man. It's. It's so weird because you always dream of a moment like this and when it comes, you're just like, holy wow. This is because she almost like not doing anything differently. You've kind of been more yourself than ever. And then the world kind of goes, all right, cool. This is, this, this seems legit. You're like yeah. Oh.

[Billy]

So let me ask you this. And this is my own theory, but I had to figure out a. Because saying you're crossing over is accurate, but it doesn't describe it. Okay. So I had to come up with my own term, which is like you're crossing over in reverse. And what I mean by that is crossing over pop to rock is very, very, very rare. Very rare. So off the top of your head, name the people of crossed over Pop to rock.

[Dom]

Wow. Oh, my God.

[Billy]

I mean, there's only one I can think of off the top of my head. But I'll leave it to you. I was.

[Dom]

I would say. I would say the. The poppiest rock crossover would be a band like the Cure for me.

[Billy]

Okay.

[Dom]

I think happy, sad.

[Billy]

Okay.

[Dom]

Because Robert Smith is a rock star.

[Billy]

But he wasn't pop first, though. That's the thing.

[Dom]

No, he wasn't. You're right. I literally can't think. You tell me. Go on.

[Billy]

Okay. This is the person I most compare you to. So if you indulge me to explain why. And I would tell you this in private. So this is. This is the same conversation we would have if we were just a little bit.

[Dom]

I'm excited.

[Billy]

Out the bar. Okay. Elton John. Elton John. And what I've been saying for three years is this kid, you is Elton John. And what I mean by that is you can sing pop, you can sing a ballad, and that crowd will go with you. So you could do a tiny dancer type song and it would feel great, incredible. But you can also sing rock.

[Dom]

Yeah.

[Billy]

And Elton John's one of the only people ever who was poppish, first ballady piano, who crossed over rock. And that's what I keep telling people and why I've been selling people for three years. Don't sleep on this kid. Because he can sing both. And the Ozzy concert showed, let's call it rock world in general, that this guy. His heart's in the right place, but he can sing rock.

[Dom]

Yeah, man. That's crazy. I think that's blown my mind. He's so right. His troubadour days. He was. He was. He was a pop star. And then he just merged into.

[Billy]

Yeah, it was this kind of Piano man stuff. And that was of the time. But when he went rock is when he really exploded, you see?

[Dom]

Yeah. Wow.

[Billy]

He started doing Benny and the jets and Philadelphia Freedom and sa. It's all right for fighting. That shows you why Elton John. Yeah, but that shows you why Elton John hit that other level and why he was a Stadium act and not just a big pop act. Which is why Elton is such a rare talent.

[Dom]

Yes. Because it goes. It goes to a deeper level. And I think that's what's kind of beautiful again now, like, as I. I'm going to put out a project in the next couple weeks with some more heroes of mine. But then in November, I've told everyone to clear it because I think more than ever, I'm so inspired to write, I think, for someone like me. When you look at it, I'm a kid from a guitar shop whose education was T. Rex, Bowie, Text Pistols, exploited the Clash. Moving into kind of me finding NWA and Shoegaze, like bands like you and. And Public Enemy and everything. Myself, who dreamt about it and then in the guitar shop is almost like the kind of graveyard of rock stars who tried and to kind of end up here. I feel like I'm seven again in my dad's shot. Yeah, it's weird. It's like, so exciting to me, like going to guitar shows and my dad, I feel like, oh, I don't know. I feel so lucky to have been. I don't know the world to see me in this light, in this moment, because it's truly in my blood, you know?

[Billy]

Yeah. And the thing is, what's funny. And you know, because, you know the pop game, they're all going to start trying to figure out how to do what you're doing, and they're not going to be able to because they don't have the love for it.

[Dom]

Yeah, they don't have the love for it or the knowledge of it or the understanding of it. I think, like, with it all, again, it comes from the street up.

[Billy]

Let me stop you. See, this is the beauty of Ozzie and Sharon, okay? And this is that crazy partnership that they have and had in their wisdom. They decided to include you in that fraternity almost in anticipation of where this was going to go.

[Dom]

Yeah.

[Billy]

And that's the beauty of it, right?

[Dom]

It is the beauty of it. And it's like, again, it was such a gift to me because to be seen by the world within the genre that I love and that I ultimately want to do. But I've almost been fighting against the streamers and the label and the da da da. It's like, yeah, no one wants to do that, but to be given. Aussie, Aussie to be able to get and Sharon to be able to give me a platform, to be able to be like, let's carry this on together. Let's all carry this on together. Was a moment where everyone else. Now the other parties are getting involved in like, oh, how do we do that again for these X, Y, Z artists? It's hilarious. It's like, it's like, guys, what the. Come on. I've been, I've been wanting to do this years where everyone's been telling me to twist it or let's get a rapper on a song to make sure that the mainstream or block all this bull instead of being like, let's just lock in and make. Make great music. You know, I mean, it's so interesting. It's like. But now it's, it's. It's amazing. Everyone's like, yeah, man, do, do, do what you want. I'm like, oh, great. So now I get to go for six weeks in November and make a project, which I'm really excited about is the idea.

[Billy]

Because I, I saw somewhere and you tell me is. So the. I. You presented Idols as kind of a Part 1 conceptual work. Is this a continuance of that or is this going to be something different?

[Dom]

What's been mental is I think part two is ready to go, which is a continuation of Idols. But I think I've got some heavy. My energy is, Is really inspired at the minute. And I think I've got a. I've got a project, five song project coming out with Aerosmith, which is wild because me and me, Stephen and Joe got together before the Aussie thing was even about. I think we were just gonna write together for fun because I think like when your heroes are like, yo, do you wanna get in the studio? I'm just like, yeah. What? So we were writing.

[Billy]

Especially those two.

[Dom]

Yeah, especially those two. And we hear, we heard our voices together and Stephen was like, oh my God, you can get up to the places where I can go. That's crazy. And there was almost this friendly competition between me and one of my all time vocal heroes that I've sat in my room and studied and we sound good together on tape that we made. Ended up making five songs together that's coming out in like in November. And I think I'm again, like, I'm just so inspired right now. I think, I think I want to put another album in February that I'm yet to write. And then Idols part two will come out when it's ready too. So I just think like this ferocity of a moment that you're talking about where you get songs present themselves to you because you know what it's like when you sit there and you go, okay, like I don't know. I won't speak for you, but when you write it, when. When I hear a masterpiece like Mayonnaise, I'm like, that was a universe's gift to Billy. Like, that just came out of the sky through your body. You know what I'm saying? Like, you can't. You know, I mean, I think, like, you hit a moment and you hit a piece of, like, the energy comes through you.

[Billy]

Oh, absolutely.

[Dom]

That you can't. You can't plan for.

[Billy]

Yeah. When we.

[Dom]

Okay, I'm gonna write this absolute world.

[Billy]

But let me. Let me tell you real quick about that song. So that. That song, we were. We were in Japan and James Y. Hawk came into my room and said, I got this idea for a song. Can I play you. He had, like, a tape, Walkman, that's how long ago, 1992. And he played me the song. He had the, you know, the basic chords, and he played me the song in the Walkman. And I immediately heard the melody.

[Dom]

Wow.

[Billy]

I heard it immediately, and I had no way to record the melody. And I just remembered it. I heard the song one time. So months later, we're in back in the US and we're working on the song. I'm living in a parking garage, no joke. So when we wrote that song, it was like, literally, like, I'm living like a piece of shit. You know what I mean? I don't know if I'm gonna be able to write this album that became side Me Street. So that song is a circumstance of this weird stuff that just kind of happened. And that's why I would encourage you. Sorry. To make it about you again is when you have that instinct. I need to get back in the studio. You need to listen to that. Because the moment that you're in is so rare. It probably. I know. You know it's rare, but you don't realize how rare it is.

[Dom]

No, yeah, it's.

[Billy]

It.

[Dom]

It's. It's. It's wild because it's all a. I don't know. It's like a sponge, isn't it? You take the energy that. Whatever the hell's going on, and then you try and make sense of it through music. And I think those times in your life don't come around. They come around.

[Billy]

That's exactly what. That's what I'm saying.

[Dom]

Slice.

[Billy]

That's what I'm saying. It's like, you want to get that on paper or a piece of tape, as we used to say. Although it's Digital these days, 100% okay, so last thing, because like I said, when we really sit down, I really want to sit down and have a deeper conversation about how you got to be this insanity moving comet that you are right now. How are you doing with the pressure of the moment? And I'm not saying you're handling it well, you're not handling it well, but now you're hitting that other level of pressure.

[Dom]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I think it's so funny you said that because yesterday was the first time I went, whoa.

[Billy]

I'm laughing because I know the feeling.

[Dom]

Yeah. You know, I mean, I'm like, I think it was so funny. One of my best friends and photographer takes all my pictures. Tom is sat within the room with me because we're obviously filming this remotely right now. But I kind of went up to him yesterday and was like, whoa. Like we have never. I think after the VMAs and the kind of the, the ferocity of that, I was like, I've really got to kill this. But I think, I think the Aerosmith records are so great that I think I feel good about that because I'd already written them with them, you know, I mean, so like that they're ready to kind of come out and take this wave. And it's rock, man. It's real in rock. Like guitars right up live drums in solos. In every song, wailing, screaming. Me and Steven Tyler just compete in with each other in the most beautiful way. Like honestly, like to form a relationship with him, arguably probably one of the greatest vocalists of all time and to kind of pick his brain and to like just meet someone who's just crazy.

[Billy]

Energetic, wild as an artist, a real visionary. Because he, he's really one of the only people maybe outside of ZZ Top that figured out how to make blues pop.

[Dom]

Yeah, man. And to make all those bluesy runs just sound cool as you know, I mean like the wrong singer doing those bluesy runs over the top of these songs. Like. Oh, shut up. But he is just. He's got it. And, and it's like to, to be able to again, it's so weird. Like to make an album called Idols was like an eight month manifestation to be like being the, the fraternity, as you said of kind of around the Black Sabbath show. To be talking to you and becoming friends with you, to be making records with Aerosmith. It's like, I don't know what the heck I wish for, but album was like rubbing a magic lamp on it, you know?

[Billy]

Yeah. So, okay, last thing.

[Dom]

Come on then.

[Billy]

20 years from now how does this go.

[Dom]

In my imagination? I keep writing as much music as I can. This moment gets, goes absolute bananas. And I would love to be able to play stadium rock all over the world because I think that's where I come alive as a frontman. I think I enjoy playing to big crowds like that because it's where everything makes sense. I love the energy of 50,000 people coming together as one and screaming and just that pulsating thing. Even between the songs when it's like.

[Billy]

It'S a nice sound, it's just the.

[Dom]

Craziest thing in the world. Like that would be the dream and again to, to carry on a new energy of the genre that I love and that I've known for my whole life since been six hours old. I mean that's counter with the Beatles ukulele across me, Nick, you know, I mean it's like it was, it was always what I knew. I think, I think, I think it was so interesting when across my life I never want people to, I never want people to think that I had music handed to me because I grew up in a guitar shop. It was almost like the opposite. Everyone was like, don't do that, you'll end up working here. You know what I mean? Um, so I almost like hid that away. But my, my upbringing was pretty rock and roll, man. You know, I mean, I, I, I got to, I got to be around guitars all day. My, my, my, my weekends were full, like polishing dust off 3:30 from 1964, you know, I mean it was like epic, you know, and tuning guitars and I think, I think to be able to be here in this moment, to be able to be with heroes around me in a genre that I love, I'm just going to give it my best shot.

[Billy]

Okay? So my 20 year prediction. It's easy to say Elton John because we can understand what that means. We've all seen the shot of Elton at Dodgers stadium wearing the Dodgers rhinestone suit. He's on the piano with the baseball bat. Right? Just remember and I'll tell you this publicly and I'll tell you this privately, it's only gonna work if it's your music. Yeah, it's gotta be you and your music and your voice and your heart. It will only work. And don't let anyone tell you differently. If you get there, it'll be. Because then this is my prediction, you will be in that stadium 20 years from now and they will be singing along to the hits that you're, you haven't written yet. And the Classics you haven't written yet. But it's only going to happen if it's your music. Your music they want. Your music. They don't want my music through you. I'd love to write a song, and we've talked about that, but I'm saying it's got to be you, because everybody you name check, it was their song.

[Dom]

Categorically agree. I literally was having that conversation yesterday because I think I'm getting a lot of great opportunities to work with people. But I agree. I was like, I have to go with the producer that I did my last album with, because he makes me feel alive and he makes me feel limitless. And obviously, I can bring other people in and work with amazing collaborators.

[Billy]

Yeah. There's no Elton without Bernie Taupin. We know that.

[Dom]

No, completely. Completely.

[Billy]

But you don't feel he's singing somebody else's song.

[Dom]

No. You're so right. I agree. I agree. And. And I feel more excited than ever to. To explore that. And. And it's crazy that you said that, because. I don't know, man. We're intertwined in some way. You're almost like, in the back of my mind. It's crazy because I'm like, now it's like, I've got this amazing project coming out with. With these icons and that I love and that I. I had a massive hand in writing, but now it's the time to go and carry on this idea of idols that I sat in a room and was like, every chord, every lyric, everything was coming out of my head and was being led by me, you know? So it's going to be insane.

[Billy]

All right, 20 years from now, we'll pull the tape out. Of course, we'll both be poor and dying.

[Dom]

Literally. Literally, like, busking in a. Fucking. Busking in the subway. Like, come on, Billy. Still got it, man.

[Billy]

So 20 years, I'm. I'll be 78. And you'll be. How old you be?

[Dom]

Like, I will be. I will be 48.

[Billy]

Okay, so you'll be 48 and I'll be 78. We'll be busking on the corner somewhere.

[Dom]

I hope so, man. I'll hold you to that.

[Billy]

All right. God bless you, Dom. See you soon.

[Dom]

Thank you, Billy, man. Thank you so much for having me, man. I really love that. It's an honor. Thank you.

[Billy]

Cool. Thanks.

[Dom]

Love, guys.