The Wayback #52 | Eddie Bravo

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Wayback #52 | Eddie Bravo

Introduction

In episode #52 of The Wayback, host Ryan Sickler sits down with renowned martial artist and musician Eddie Bravo. The conversation delves deep into Eddie's nostalgic memories, his tumultuous upbringing, and his passionate journey through the music industry. With heartfelt reflections and engaging anecdotes, the episode offers listeners a comprehensive look into Eddie Bravo's multifaceted life.

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1. Eddie Bravo's Early Life and Family Background

Eddie opens up about his childhood, providing a vivid picture of his family dynamics and early experiences.

• Grandparents' Influence:
  [04:22] "My grandfather and grandmother on my mom's side, they had 10 kids and six. Six women, six females and four males. And we used to go to my grandma's house. That was just heaven."

  Eddie fondly remembers time spent with his maternal grandparents, highlighting the warmth and support he received there, especially in contrast to his experiences with his stepfather.

• Complex Family Dynamics:
  [05:00] "My mom's single with two boys, different fathers. She went back and started seeing her original husband, and then they started dating, and then they moved into a house together."

  The reunion of Eddie's mother with her original husband brought both relief and tension, as Eddie found himself navigating the complexities of a blended family.

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2. Childhood Memories and Early Influences

Eddie shares nostalgic stories that shaped his interests and aspirations.

• First Encounters with Music:
  [09:17] "When I saw Kiss Alive, I was eight years old. I saw them on stage with their amps turned to 10, cranking out these anthems. The crowds were screaming, and I was like, I want that. I need that love."

  This pivotal moment ignited Eddie's passion for music, specifically rock, driving him to emulate his idols.

• Visits to Jimco and Montgomery Ward:
  [07:37] "Every Sunday, we'd go to Jimco. It was just like Walmart. We'd walk in, and my grandpa would give us each $2 to spend."

  These trips were more than just shopping excursions; they were adventures where Eddie and his siblings explored various departments, fostering a sense of independence and curiosity.

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3. Musical Journey and Band Experiences

Eddie delves into his foray into the music world, detailing his experiences with various bands and the challenges faced.

• Forming Resistance:
  [23:53] "The band's name was Resistance. We were a speed metal band. I was the drummer."

  Resistance was Eddie's initial step into the music scene, allowing him to express his love for metal and perform alongside like-minded individuals.

• Transition to Blackened Kill Symphony:
  [24:05] "After the speed metal band, we formed Blackened Kill Symphony. It was like industrial rap."

  Seeking creative evolution, Eddie and his friend James ventured into a fusion of rap and metal, aiming to bridge the gap between different musical genres.

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4. Personal Struggles and Overcoming Adversity

The conversation takes a poignant turn as Eddie recounts the hardships he faced during his formative years.

• Abusive Household:
  [34:58] "My stepdad wasn't the coolest guy ever... When we got back from the Boy Scout trip, my mom was beat up. He dragged her out into the front yard by her hair."

  This traumatic experience profoundly impacted Eddie and his brother, instilling in them a resilience that would later influence their personal and professional lives.

• Financial Hardships:
  [35:30] "Now we're broke as fuck. My mom's supporting three kids with $150, so she had to go on food stamps."

  Despite the financial struggles, Eddie highlights his mother's unwavering dedication to providing for her children, albeit under challenging circumstances.

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5. Evolution in Music Production and Collaboration

Eddie discusses his growth as a music producer and his collaborations with notable figures in the industry.

• Work with Danny Loner from Nine Inch Nails:
  [26:03] "I started working with Danny Loner from Nine Inch Nails. He's one of the best producers out there. We started making some tracks and I put out an album."

  This collaboration marked a significant milestone in Eddie's career, allowing him to experiment and refine his production skills.

• Mix Flick of Death and Devotion:
  [27:29] "It's an album with 15 songs from three bands. Smoke Serpent, Hook Thieves, and Temple of Mirror. Each song is paired with scenes from iconic movies."

  Eddie's innovative approach to music production combined his love for film and music, creating a unique multimedia experience for listeners.

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6. Near Miss with Record Label and Lessons Learned

Eddie recounts a close call with a record label that taught him invaluable lessons about the music industry.

• Almost Signing with Hollywood Basic:
  [30:11] "We had record label interest, we had a manager. Rachel Matthews from Hollywood Basic came to check out the band."

  The excitement of potential success was short-lived when the record label representatives abruptly left during their first performance, leaving Eddie and his bandmates disheartened but determined to persevere.

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7. Reflections and Insights

Towards the end of the episode, Eddie reflects on his experiences, offering listeners wisdom drawn from his life's journey.

• Realization of Being Brainwashed into Stardom:
  [29:12] "I realize now, I realize now, now that, wow, I was totally brainwashed into wanting to be a rock star. If I could do my life again, I wouldn't try to be a rock star. I would make music, but I wouldn't want to be a rock star."

  This introspection underscores the importance of authentic passion over societal expectations, a lesson Eddie emphasizes through his narrative.

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Conclusion

The Wayback #52 with Eddie Bravo is a compelling exploration of a life marked by passion, adversity, and relentless pursuit of dreams. Through candid storytelling and reflective insights, Eddie offers listeners an intimate glimpse into his world, making it a memorable episode filled with humor, heartache, and inspiration.

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Notable Quotes

• Eddie Bravo at [04:22]: "That was just heaven. I was always happy at my grandma's house."

• Eddie Bravo at [09:17]: "I was like, I want that. I need that love, you know what I mean?"

• Eddie Bravo at [23:53]: "We were a speed metal band. I was the drummer."

• Eddie Bravo at [29:12]: "I was totally brainwashed into wanting to be a rock star."

• Eddie Bravo at [34:58]: "When we got back from the Boy Scout trip, my mom was beat up."

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Closing Thoughts

This episode masterfully balances lighthearted reminiscing with profound life lessons, making it a must-listen for fans of Eddie Bravo and those intrigued by the intertwining of personal history with professional endeavors.

Transcript

[Ryan Sickler]

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[Eddie Bravo]

It'S better over here.

[Kirsten]

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[Eddie Bravo]

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[Kirsten]

Than just a house. It's your home. The place that's filled with memories. The early days of figuring it out to the later years of still figuring.

[Eddie Bravo]

It out.

[Kirsten]

For the place you've put down roots.

[Eddie Bravo]

Trust Amica Home Insurance Amica empathy is our best policy.

[Kirsten]

Guys, we have a new tier on our Patreon and it includes exclusive bonus content. Listen up. Right now, for just $5, you get the Honeydew a day early, you get it ad free and you get a full bonus episode of the Honeydew with y'all where listeners highlight their low lights. And it's gonna stay that way. Five bucks. And for just $3 more, you're also going to get the Way Back a day early and ad free. But that's not all. You'll get exclusive bonus content with the guests, some fun segments, maybe some games and we'd love to get you guys involved. And that's all for only $3 more. And there's no censorship on any of the Patreon episodes. Subscribe now.

[Eddie Bravo]

Hey baby, we gonna be here all day.

[Kirsten]

We gonna be here all day, baby.

[Eddie Bravo]

I like this kind of party.

[Kirsten]

Welcome back to the Way Back. Everybody. Ryan Sickler here. I want to say thank you starting them all like I always start them. Thank you for supporting this show, for supporting anything I do. Thank you. I love my life. I love this show. This is a show you have to watch. We're doing a great job bringing people's path to life. Kirsten, Sam, are killing it And I'm just. I really love sitting back here and talking to all these guests. Very excited to have this guest sitting back here with me today. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Eddie Bravo. Welcome to the Way back, buddy.

[Eddie Bravo]

Thank you for having me.

[Kirsten]

Promote anything you'd like, please.

[Eddie Bravo]

You could find me on 10th planetjj.com and I got a podcast called look into it. It's on Rumble. And I also just released an album, a comedy music album about. I released it like a year ago. It's called Jar of Flies and the band's name is Hook Thieves. It's available on all music platforms. Bands called Hook Thieves. Album's called Jar of Lies. It's like a parody of Alice in Chains. Jar of Flies, it's like a parody of that. And it's all joke songs. I mean, I'm singing lead, so it's a joke in that. It's just all parody songs. I got a song about climate change. I got a song about the border, you know. All right, it's single. The video is called El Coyote. It's sung through the eyes of a human smuggler through the border. It's. It's hilarious.

[Kirsten]

I'm gonna check it out, dude.

[Eddie Bravo]

Coyote on YouTube. Check it out.

[Kirsten]

All right, brother. Well, before we started recording, we were just talking about things from the past, and you got so excited about something we're going to check out. This episode is dropping. Today is the day after Christmas, so I want to do a little bit of. I want to start this off with some Christmas. But before we do, this seat in the back of the station wagon facing traffic. You said you have ridden in this before?

[Eddie Bravo]

Yes, my grandfather. My grandfather and grandmother on my mom's side, they had 10 kids and six. Six women, six females and four males. And we used to go to. I was being at my grandma's house was. That was just heaven. I was always happy at my grandma's house. You know, living at my house when my stepdad was there, that's a whole nother story. But my. My stepdad wasn't the. The coolest guy ever, you know, and, you know, I wanted to be at my grandma's house as much as possible because my grandma and my mom, her daughter, were having kids at the same time. So I have two aunts that are the same age. So we grew up never like my sister. So I couldn't wait to hang out with my sisters and play with them. Alice and Patty love them to death. And I, you know, I just wanted to hang out there all the time and I had. I have an older brother and a younger sister in my family. They have the same dad. I'm in the middle with a different dad. My mom got married to Alfonso Bravo. Had my son, her first. Her son, Alfonso Jr. They got a divorce. My mom's single with a boy, and then she's out partying. She loved it. She wanted to be a singer. She was always going out partying, and she meets a club promoter. My dad. My dad was a club promoter, and he got her pregnant. And unfortunately, he was married and had five kids, you know. Yeah. So it was kind of like a sticky situation. So it didn't work out. So now my mom is single with two boys, different fathers. She went back and started seeing her original husband, and then they started dating, and then they wanted to try it again. And so, boom, we moved into a house, rented a house. Now we got this. He's my stepdad, but he's my brother and my sister, my younger sister's real dad. So I'm like, right there in the middle. And he was cool. He was like, you know, I'll raise him, I'll support him. You know, I'm not going to really acknowledge him or anything like that, you know, but, you know, he. He wanted, like, pure family nights, too. So there was times where it was my brother's birthday or whatever, and they left me with the babysitter, you know what I mean? So it wasn't. It wasn't like the happiest. It was a. I understood on his end. He. I was a reminder of when they were away, when they were apart, you know, And I was a. I get it. I get it. He. It wasn't like he was like, just beating me up or anything, but.

[Kirsten]

But the. Your grandparents were your biological. Are your. Your maternal grandparents, your mom's mom and dad?

[Eddie Bravo]

My mom's mom and dad live down the street, like, three blocks.

[Kirsten]

And so you'd roll with them sometimes.

[Eddie Bravo]

So I would. And every son, I'd cut the grass. My grandpa would give me five or push.

[Kirsten]

Were you pushing, or did you have a ride and mower to cut the grass?

[Eddie Bravo]

No, Push.

[Kirsten]

Push.

[Eddie Bravo]

My grandfather raised 10 kids on cutting grass and doing, like, manual labor. So he wanted, you know, so he'd give me five bucks if I mowed the front and backyard. And I do that on Saturdays. And then Sundays we would go to Jimco. Do you remember Jamco? Jamco was the original Walmart.

[Kirsten]

Oh, remember that? I don't remember.

[Eddie Bravo]

There was a Jim Co.

[Kirsten]

I'm in Maryland, and I remember we had like Sam's Club and we had Pace. There was one called Pace.

[Eddie Bravo]

Yeah, this was. Jamco is huge. It's just like Walmart.

[Kirsten]

Okay.

[Eddie Bravo]

There it is. Every Sunday, my grandfather and my grandmother and. And my two aunts that are my age because all the other kids already moved out. It was just my grandma and grandpa and my Alice and Patty, their daughters. My. My aunts, but they were the same age. They were a couple years older than me. And we'd go to Jimco in. In the. In the station wagon. Big brown. It was a Chevrolet something big brown, gigantic thing. And when we'd get the Gem company, right when we walked in the front.

[Kirsten]

Door, and real quick, you got three in the way back and like three or four in the back seat. And then we were scattered all over. Bunch of people in that.

[Eddie Bravo]

It was Allison, Patty, and me and my brother. My brother would come along too. My brother's four years older than me and he was older than my aunts. And so he was older, I was younger, and my aunts were in the middle. We're Mexican.

[Kirsten]

Okay, go ahead. So what are you going. What do you like to get at GemCo? Did you have a thing. You going to get action figures? What do you.

[Eddie Bravo]

So when we'd get there, my grandpa would. We. We'd walk in and then he'd pull out his wallet and he'd give us each $2. And then he would. Him and my grandpa, my grandma would go to the grocery store section and then we would just be wild. We would go. We would go wild and on our own. And then we'd find each other. We'd be in the men's department and the toy department. We're all over the place. And there's a record department. Once I got into Kiss, I was always in the record department. That's where I got my first Kiss record. Was that Jeo.

[Kirsten]

Really?

[Eddie Bravo]

Yeah. Kiss. Was it Kiss Alive.

[Kirsten]

Kiss Alive.

[Eddie Bravo]

Kiss Alive. And I saw. Did you remember the Kiss movie? Kiss meets the Phantom of the Park.

[Kirsten]

Yeah. And then I find out when I get older, it was all dubbed with like, they quit in the middle of the movie and stuff. Do you know that they.

[Eddie Bravo]

They. They used a lot of the doubles, but it. The them on stage. It was really them on stage.

[Kirsten]

But I mean, in the. In the amusement park and stuff. Oh, like there's a guy like Jean Simmons growls in it and stuff.

[Eddie Bravo]

Oh, yeah. It was the worst movie ever. But I was eight years.

[Kirsten]

Beats Phantom of the Park. I think it is. It's awesome.

[Eddie Bravo]

It Was it. Was. It changed my life, though, because when I saw that, I saw them on stage with their amps turned to 10, cranking out these, these, these anthems. And then the crowds were screaming and all the girls were screaming. And I'm 8 years old, I'm like, I want that. I want that much love. I need that love, you know what I mean? Because my dad wasn't really around. I had a stepdad. And. And then. So when I watched that, I was blown away. I was just completely blown away. And I'm like, I just saw the fans and this. I just wanted that in my life. Was. I was on a mission to be like kiss. So we went to Jimco. I went right to the Kiss section, and I was looking for the song Rock and Roll All Night. I'm like, I gotta find this song. So I found the song and it was on Kiss Alive. I didn't know what live records meant or anything. I'm like, I didn't know. I had no idea. And my aunt goes, I think this is a concert record. I go, what are you talking about, concert? So I bought it, took it home, put it on. And then in the beginning, the crowd swells in. I'm like, what is this, a football game? You hear the crowd. I'm like, what is good? Then? Then I, you know, you wanted the.

[Kirsten]

Best and you got the best. Yeah. Hit. That's the. That's the movie. There they are. There they are. In front of the roller coaster.

[Eddie Bravo]

No, they filmed it in Magic Mountain.

[Kirsten]

Is that where it was?

[Eddie Bravo]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Kirsten]

Dude, you know how big you have to be to have a movie after you?

[Eddie Bravo]

NBC. NBC.

[Kirsten]

What I was getting at was, so for Halloween, I met. I met Gene at one of my shows at the Comedy Store just a couple, maybe a year or two ago. And he came back and he's like. He pointed at me, he said, you're a very good looking, funny man. I was like, thank you, man. And I. I didn't know what to say. Any problem? This is what I said to Gene Simmons. I was like, dude, I was you for Halloween. Twice when I was a kid. I didn't know what to say, you know, it's crazy. And we had these Halloween masks and they were that, that like that vinyl, you know what I'm talking about? And then the mask with the rubber band on the back.

[Eddie Bravo]

30 bucks.

[Kirsten]

Yeah, that was 100 that. And then we had an Ace Freely one. So my brother and I would switch. It was like, we got four years out of that. But then, look Up. Kiss dolls. Yes, bro.

[Eddie Bravo]

Yes.

[Kirsten]

This was something I was saying. Christmas, this is our. We're gonna have some fun. Yes. Look what they're worth now. What are they worth? Get the out. I mean, it's nuts. Yeah, we had these, too. We would get these for Christmas. We'd be stoked to get those.

[Eddie Bravo]

1. One of the most memorable Christmases ever.

[T-Mobile Ad]

Yeah.

[Eddie Bravo]

As a child, probably the most memorable is there was a big wheel called the Cheetah. It was a brand new type. It was the greatest big wheel ever. It's called the Cheetah. And that's all I wanted. And because.

[Kirsten]

Yeah, there it is.

[Eddie Bravo]

There it is.

[Kirsten]

I never heard of this before. If you're. Listen, it's like a chopper front with the. Sit down on the big wheel.

[Eddie Bravo]

Yeah, it's a chopper big wheel.

[Kirsten]

Yeah.

[Eddie Bravo]

So my grandma and my grandpa gave me a little bit more love than they did my older brother, only because they were like. They kind of felt sorry for me because my. I didn't have a real. My real dad wasn't around, and my grandpa actually hated my stepdad and loved my. My real dad. They used to, like, drink tequila. When he was seeing my mom, he would be hanging out with her dad, my grandpa. So my grandpa and my real dad were friends. And so me and my brother had a big rivalry. I love him to death now. I mean, we're. You know, that's just. It's just childhood sibling rival rivalry, you know? But he was kind of a little bit. A little bit uneasy because my grandma gave me a little bit extra and, you know, and he knew I got the Cheetah, and he was jealous, dog, that I got the Cheetah. So I thought they hid it in my aunt's room. They brought it out. It's Christmas. They. I unwrap it. I go, oh, my God, I got the Cheetah.

[Kirsten]

You just losing your mind, dude.

[Eddie Bravo]

My brother jumped on it and broke it. Yes. He broke it. I never wrote it. He broke it. He jumped on it and broke it. He was so mad. He was so mad that I got it.

[Kirsten]

Yeah, you never got to ride it.

[Eddie Bravo]

Never. Oh, that's hard.

[Kirsten]

Heartbreak.

[Eddie Bravo]

No, he got it. He just took it and he broke it. He broke it in half. He just slammed down on it. He goes, me first. I'm going on it first. That, and that was devastating. I'll never forget that. Yeah.

[Kirsten]

I thought you're about to say it's a day. My mom and aunt killed my brother on Christmas. Actually, now you just made me think of another Kiss thing too. The kiss remote control van.

[Eddie Bravo]

So damn. I don't. I don't remember that.

[Kirsten]

My brother did the same thing your brother did with this kiss remote control van right here.

[Eddie Bravo]

Dude.

[Kirsten]

Dude, remember this thing?

[Eddie Bravo]

I don't remember it.

[Kirsten]

I got this for Christmas one year.

[Eddie Bravo]

I didn't even know that existed.

[Kirsten]

Yep. I was fire.

[Eddie Bravo]

Look at the box.

[Kirsten]

Is great. It was awesome. Look at that.

[Eddie Bravo]

It's.

[Kirsten]

That van's badass. And it was the old school, you know, I think you. You press in for the up, down, and you could steer the wheels a little bit.

[Eddie Bravo]

Yeah.

[Kirsten]

And my brother was pissed that I got this and he didn't get this. So we're out in our driveway. I mean, fresh out of the box. A couple minutes after Christmas. I'm out in the driveway with it. I'm riding it around the driveway. And he goes, let me see. And he grabs it. That took it right out the street. A car ran right over and crushed it.

[Eddie Bravo]

Same thing. We got the same story.

[Kirsten]

It just happened to be kissing. You just made me remember that.

[Eddie Bravo]

Wow.

[Kirsten]

Crushed into pieces. I ran inside crying and I was so upset. Yeah, that thing's. What's it worth out, Kirsten? It's worth a good chunk of money. I told him about it. I was like, you know how much that van's worth, dude? $400 on that for that little old van. But it worked. It was badass.

[Eddie Bravo]

Dude, that's. That's so crazy that it happened to you and it was a kiss related.

[Kirsten]

I know. I'm saying. Just made me remember that. That's 100. I've told that story before. So tell me about. We were going to talk about Evil Knievel because I had mentioned we have one here. We got the crank guy and I took it out in the driveway here and show my daughter. And luckily it, you know, it showed off. He did a wheelie and. And he spun around and popped back.

[Eddie Bravo]

There's a badass commercial it for it too.

[Kirsten]

Let's see. Let's watch.

[Eddie Bravo]

See the commercial.

[Kirsten]

Mine never did that. Badass, dude.

[Eddie Bravo]

That's all I wanted.

[Kirsten]

Right?

[Eddie Bravo]

That's all I wanted.

[Kirsten]

Boom.

[Eddie Bravo]

So my. My dad, my biological dad would come around like once a year. He'd go to my grandpa's house, my grandma and grandma's house. And, you know, and then, you know, my aunt would say, your dad's here. Come over. You know what I mean? After that, he already split with my mom, but he'd come back by every now and then. And one time he just showed up at my school because at. By at night he was a club promoter. He brought Mexican bands in. Into downtown LA and in Orange county like Santa Ana. He would bring big Mexican bands and he. He was a promoter. But during the day he had to pay the rent. I didn't pay so much. He drove like a bobtail like commercial food. He delivered food to restaurants like big ass canisters of mayonnaise and ketchup and pickles. And he worked on Sr. Right Croft or whatever. It's a big green truck. And my. My. My brother would always talk. She goes, your dad drives a big ass green truck. He would. Oh and with a big can and had a big can. He goes dude, you're.

[Kirsten]

My brother would always say you're each other's dad.

[Eddie Bravo]

Like your dad your drives a green truck with a big can on it. And my biological last name is Kano. That's my biological name. And he would say look at Cano Kano, it's perfect. And. And then one day he showed up to. To school like unannounced. And I'm in the playground and he's just standing there with his green uniform and, and he. And you know we. I run to him, give him a hug. He gives me a $100 bill. Dog. I'm in. I'm in pro. I'm in fourth grade.

[Kirsten]

That's like a thousand.

[Eddie Bravo]

He gives me $100 bill and I had to give it to my teacher to save it. So I don. Then another time he came, you know, he. He took me to Montgomery Ward which is. Is like a. Like a gem company.

[Kirsten]

Oh yeah.

[Eddie Bravo]

But it doesn't have a grocery department. Montgomery Ward is more like.

[Kirsten]

It's Sears. Like a Sears. Cuz it's got all. It's got the. You could buy a tractor.

[Eddie Bravo]

Yes.

[Kirsten]

A ride mower in Mongo.

[Eddie Bravo]

But they didn't have food. But like Je. JCO had a supermarket too, so.

[Kirsten]

Oh, look at all the homeless people around Montgomery Ward.

[Eddie Bravo]

So he took me to Montgomery Ward, dude. He took me to Montgomery Ward and said you can buy anything you want here. One thing. Anything you want.

[Kirsten]

Wait, without a price cap.

[Eddie Bravo]

That's what he said. Anything.

[Kirsten]

And what'd you go for?

[Eddie Bravo]

What'd you think?

[Kirsten]

I go Evil Knievel dude.

[Eddie Bravo]

That's. I could have got a 10 speed or a bike or a turbine. I didn't care. Yeah, I had to have the evil Evil Knievel toy.

[Kirsten]

Dude. That's great. Now okay, so you mentioned he show up at school sometimes. And Kirsten did her research on Your old honeydew episode. And you just briefly mentioned stealing NFL pencils to sell. Dude, we used to collect these all the time, man. I would have been the kid buying from you for sure.

[Eddie Bravo]

There's another store like Montgomery Ward. It was called Newberries. Newberries was just like. Montgomery Ward was just different. And Newberries had the NFL pencils. And me and my brother would steal them and sell them for 10 cents at school for extra cash. Those are the ones.

[Kirsten]

Look at that.

[Eddie Bravo]

So I'd be at school like. Like, hey, what do you need? Tampa Bay Buccaneers. What do you need? Chicago Bears.

[Kirsten]

But you selling them for what? 10 cents. 10 cents, dude, that's a good hustle. Where are you getting them from? The. What's from?

[Eddie Bravo]

Newberries.

[Kirsten]

Newberries.

[Eddie Bravo]

Newberries. Oh, man, that's great. NFL pencils were hot back in the day.

[Kirsten]

Dude, that's Seattle. Where's the Seattle?

[Eddie Bravo]

Do people still use pencils?

[Kirsten]

There's the Baltimore. Great question. Yeah. There's the Seahawk ones. I already like that because it always had green and blue on it.

[Eddie Bravo]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Kirsten]

Where's the Baltimore Colts? I don't even see it on there.

[Eddie Bravo]

And then we'd play pet. You ever play pencils? We play pencil.

[Kirsten]

Break it.

[Eddie Bravo]

Yeah, we're playing tell.

[Kirsten]

Tell people that don't know. Tell people.

[Eddie Bravo]

It used to be a very popular game in the 70s and 80s where you'd, like. You'd play pencils. You'd hold your pencil out and then a guy would flick it with the metal, you know, try to hit it with the metal little eraser holder and try to break the pencil. And if you couldn't break it, then it was your turn. You just. It was like. Like that slap show. You know what I mean?

[Kirsten]

Yeah, that's what it evol.

[Eddie Bravo]

That, like, epic slap. What's it called? Super slap.

[Kirsten]

Yeah, we used to break pencils. Now you're all breaking each other's face.

[Eddie Bravo]

And there was guys that were really good. They, ah, they, you know, all they need is one or two shots. They're going to break your pencil.

[Kirsten]

Did you ever do tests with the eraser?

[Eddie Bravo]

What's that?

[Kirsten]

That's where a person would take an eraser and they'd rub it on your skin and you just take it until it ripped your skin off and you'd have to yell stop. When you couldn't take it anymore. We called it a test.

[Eddie Bravo]

I remember.

[Kirsten]

Curses. Got a test. Go.

[Eddie Bravo]

Oh, my God.

[Kirsten]

Did you call it a test? What'd you all call? I don't know.

[Eddie Bravo]

We were in, like, Kindergarten.

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I don't think we were saying.

[Kirsten]

Okay, good point. We would sit there and just. And you.

[Ryan Sickler]

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[Eddie Bravo]

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[Kirsten]

Somebody will let you do your hand until they were like, okay, no more. And then you have a scar. You have any scars from childhood? Any, any, any from.

[Eddie Bravo]

Yeah, my head.

[Kirsten]

What's that one? Oh, I do see it right there.

[Eddie Bravo]

Yeah, my brother picked me up and threw me and I went head first into the. The bed frame. Oh, and just cracked my head over.

[Kirsten]

That's a good scar.

[Eddie Bravo]

Me and my brother have a lot of stories.

[Kirsten]

School related. You mentioned peachy folders. Now I never heard of these, so.

[Eddie Bravo]

Peachy folders were huge. I guess it was a west coast thing. But they were like kind of orange, yellowish and they had like, like. It was like a bunch of different sports. Basketball. See right there, the one on that one right there, top left. Yeah, you look at that.

[Kirsten]

Oh, I've seen these before. That's what. I never had any, but that's what these are called.

[Eddie Bravo]

And then people would draw and make it look like cops chasing something. And then he would draw, make it look like, like they put a big afro on the tennis player. You know what I mean? Or something like that. There you go, look.

[Kirsten]

Oh yeah, right here, right here to the left. There it is.

[Eddie Bravo]

Yeah, people would always do that. That. That's hilarious. I would end up taking a bunch like making a collage of heavy metal bands like Rat, Motley Crue, Kiss, Wasp, you know, once I started getting into junior high and. And then put them over my peachy folder and then put clear tape. So it was like a collage.

[Kirsten]

Like you laminated It.

[Eddie Bravo]

Yes, yes, exactly. I still got a couple of those.

[Kirsten]

That's great. Right here. Look what we got here.

[Libsyn Ad]

Is this a band you'd put on?

[Eddie Bravo]

Yeah, that's. That's n. I'm 19 right there.

[Kirsten]

What's your. What's your band?

[Eddie Bravo]

The band's name at that was Resistance.

[Kirsten]

Resistance?

[Eddie Bravo]

Yeah, Resistance. That was that. We were a speed metal band.

[Kirsten]

Walk us through. Who played what here?

[Eddie Bravo]

Black guy. That's James Watson. He. He played guitar. That was my best friend. And then Kent, the guy above him, he was the singer. And Willie, he played bass. And that's Kelly McLaughlin. He played guitar. He's a shredder.

[Kirsten]

And were you guitar also?

[Eddie Bravo]

No, I was. I was the drummer at this point. I played. This was speed metal band. And then after the speed metal band, we. We drunk. We drop. I got sick of playing drums and playing fast. So then me and James, we formed a band called Blackened Kill Symphony. And it was like industrial rap. So he went from playing guitar in a speed metal band and me playing drums in a speed metal band to now I'm like a music producer and he's the rapper. Oh, you know, once I. I didn't know he loved rap. I thought he just loved metal. I thought, you know, I was like. I thought he was just a metalhead. He never brought up rap, ever. And when he. When I found out, I looked through his collection. I go, you like rap too? He goes, fuck yeah, I love rap. I go, dude, let's do a rap project, you know? He goes, what about the rest of the guys? I go, no, no, no, we're not gonna quit. Let's just experiment on the side. It'll be like a side project. They started getting a little jealous. Like, what are you guys doing on the side? You guys making some rap shit? We're just experimenting on the side. So to. And then we put out a demo, but to not piss him off. The band was called Black and Kill Symphony. But on the demo we put a resistance production.

[Kirsten]

That's nice. Ego.

[Eddie Bravo]

Oh, do we want to piss him off? And then we ended up. We ended up just moving to Hollywood and just dust leaving, leaving the speed metal behind. And, you know, we got into rap industrial. I wanted to make a rap that metalheads and new wave people would like. So my rap, my rap wasn't like, you know, funky or bluesy or jazzy. It was metal and like. Like Depeche Mode, Marilyn Manson, Nine Inch Nails, rap.

[Kirsten]

I'd like to actually hear that. You still have some of that old stuff.

[Eddie Bravo]

Dude, I I got. I mean, I still make that kind of stuff.

[Kirsten]

Do you really?

[Eddie Bravo]

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Kirsten]

In that same genre, Yeah, I gotta.

[Eddie Bravo]

I got an album. I got an album on YouTube. It's a. It's a. It's a. It's a. A weird kind of album because I ended up producing a lot of bands growing up that never got signed or anything, but I was always doing these projects, had all these projects. And so once I started working with Danny Loner from Nine Inch Nails, he's one of the best producers out there. I mean, as far as this genre is concerned, this kind of music that I like, he's perfect, and he's one of my best friends. Yeah, we started making some tracks and I put out an album. It was like my out. It was like. It comprised of three bands that I put together. It's an album with 15 songs. It's called Mix Flick of Death and Devotion. You can find it on YouTube. And it's. It's 15 songs from three bands. Smoke Serpent, Hook Thieves and Temple of Mirror. And they're all mixed up. And each song on YouTube is cut to, like, the greatest movies ever. So it's 15, like, movie trailers with my songs to go with them and re edited and recut. My film producer, Michael Plaster, he edited, I would say, take this movie, take the song, put them together, mash them up. And he does, like, an amazing job with it. So, I mean, it's been up on YouTube since I put it. I released that 2017. Just look up Eddie Bravo, Mitt, Mix Flick of Death and Devotion. All right, So I call it Mix Flick. It's like, instead of a mixtape. Yeah, it's a mix. There's a bunch of movies.

[Kirsten]

I love that.

[Eddie Bravo]

The Shining, the Crow, Enter the Dragon, Saving Private Ryan, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Memento. Just all the greatest. Scarface. I. I cut a song to Scarface, man. So the. Visually, even if you don't like the music, it's like an hour and 15 minutes. Just mute it and just leave it on. And you can hang out with your friends and you could watch the greatest scenes of the movie, but you don't have to pay attention because you could have conversations. Because if you're watching a movie now, you can't talk.

[Kirsten]

I love that.

[Eddie Bravo]

You know what I mean? So it's like. It's a good thing to just, like, at a party, when everyone's talking, there's all this noise. Put Mixed Flick of Death and Devotion up, mute it. Don't hear the music or play Whatever music you want. Play your favorite music. It's super entertaining. You get hooked. You're like. It's just the best. You see the whole movie in three minutes.

[Kirsten]

That's. That's great.

[Eddie Bravo]

Yeah.

[Kirsten]

It's also interesting that you leaned into sort of producing music like your biological dad.

[Eddie Bravo]

He didn't produce music.

[Kirsten]

He was promoted.

[Eddie Bravo]

He was a promoter.

[Kirsten]

But still, you're in that world.

[Eddie Bravo]

Yeah, I'm promoting Jiu Jitsu. I do that with Jiu Jitsu. You know, I put Jiu Jitsu shows on. He put on Mexico.

[Kirsten]

Music was important to you then, huh?

[Eddie Bravo]

Kiss. When I saw. When I ate, that was it. That football.

[Kirsten]

It wasn't just about the love. You wanted to be in a band to get that love too?

[Eddie Bravo]

Yes, I guess. You know, I wanted to live the rock star lifestyle. You know what I mean? I just wanted, you know, everyone was chasing everybody that wants to be in a band. They want to have all these girls all over them and they want to be adored. They want people screaming for them. They want to go backstage and it's just heaven and everyone's partying and. And, you know, that's what everybody wanted. You know, that's what your brain. You brainwashed into thinking that. And, you know, I was caught up in it. They got me good, man.

[Kirsten]

They got me good.

[Eddie Bravo]

They got me good, man. I. I realize now, I realize now, now that, wow, I was totally brainwashed into wanting to be a rock star. Like, if I could do my life again and know everything, I would not try to be no rock star. I would, like, I would make music, but I wouldn't want to be a rock star because, you know, if I would have got signed in the 90s when I was. That was when I was really trying to get signed. And I almost did. I had record label interest, we had a manager. We almost. We had a Rachel Matthews from Hollywood Basic, come check out the band. And when we first moved to Hollywood, me and James, we said, fuck the speed metal, let's move to Hollywood. Let's do this new industrial rap shit and we're gonna. So it was just me and him. I put together all the music. We made a demo. It was just me and him. He did the raps. I sang a little bit, you know, but it was. It was like Lincoln park. This is 1991, 92. And the plan was, okay, what, we have a demo tape. Let's. We bought you. You could buy a. A book with all the record label addresses and who to make it out to. You. You go to A guitar center.

[Kirsten]

I used to go get it. Sam French was the same thing for agents and managers. Y.

[Eddie Bravo]

Exactly. So what. What. What I did was I. The plan was we're in Hollywood. I'm living in this tiny little right off Hollywood Boulevard in Sycamore. That building was built like in Tartaria times. It's old and dude, it was like. It was like, dude, we lived in a. Imagine lit. Two guys living in a hotel. Yeah, that's what it was. I had a curtain that I stapled to the ceiling. That's your side. Is my side. And we mailed out all the tapes and the plan was we're gonna mail them all out and then put a. Get put together a band at the same time. But record label interest right away. I'll never forget that phone call. Rachel Matthews, she's legit in the music business. She goes, she. She was like, I'm interested. What are you guys playing? I go, we had. We didn't have a band yet. Like, oh, probably like in a month. I'm like, damn. She goes, okay, let me know. And so then I booked a gig really quick at the Roxy. It's. Anybody could book a gig at the Roxy or the Whiskey. You just got to pay. It's like, pay to play. They're like, you. You're gonna sell 100 tickets, you know, so you pay to play. But so I set up a gig. I called a bunch of like, put together a band real quick, got on the recycler and go, we're. Do. We got band with label interest, Bands with band with record label interest, looking for a drummer that's into this Nine Inch Nails rap, You know, it's like Nine Inch Nails, you know, Ice Tea, Slayer, Depeche Mode, that kind of shit. And we got a drummer, we got a keyboardist, I got an old guitar. We put up together a band really quick. We had a. And it was. There was so much going on in the band. We were not tight at all. And all of a sudden, I'll never forget this. We're. I'm so nervous. I'm like, oh, my God, it's finally happening. It's finally happening. I'm getting. Going to get a record deal. Rachel. Matthew, she's coming. She said she came in with Steve Jones. They're sitting right there with the rocks. Like, oh, my God, I got so nervous. I had fucking diarrhea in the backstage. I just had the runs, dog. I was so nervous. I was so nervous. And then we go out and the keyboard player that we got the keyboard player that we got, he was. We got the recycler. We said, anytime you see a band with label interest, people jump on that, right? So we had this key. He was so certain we were going to get signed. He got a limo, dude. He got. He came in a limo with chicks. The keyboard player. Yeah, he.

[Kirsten]

Guess who else they got? They got his ass. Oh, dude.

[Eddie Bravo]

So. So in the middle of the very first song.

[Kirsten]

Keyboard play.

[Eddie Bravo]

In the middle of the very first song we're playing, there was nobody there. We didn't have a following. So it was empty. And they're, like, sitting in the back. The middle of the song. They get up and walk the out. And I never heard from them again. And we're on stage, dude. I'm on stage having, like, a heart attack. We got to keep playing. The limo driver left. He goes.

[Kirsten]

He took them with him.

[Eddie Bravo]

He's like, we're out of here. You guys are good. He probably made a deal with him, goes, dude, if we get. If we get a record deal, you're gonna be my limo driver, like, permanent.

[Kirsten]

Hilarious.

[Eddie Bravo]

Yeah. So then we had. We had to go back to the drawing board and get tight. And so we weren't tight.

[Kirsten]

We sounded like, all right, let's jump. I got one. A couple more things before we get you out of here. Let's hear about food stamps. Yeah. Talking about this, when I was catching.

[Eddie Bravo]

Then my. I mean, my stepdad and my mom got back together when I was five. So from, you know, until I was five, I was. I was at my grandma's house most of the time. We lived there. And a little bit with my. I lived with my biological. My biological dad, got my mom an apartment in. In downtown la. While he was married. He was trying to divorce his wife, leave his kids, and. But he never did. So my mom went back. Back to Orange county to my grandma's house. And then at 5, now I'm living with my stepdad. So from the ages of 5 to 10, those were the dark ages with my stepdad. But he left at 10. Me and my brother come back from a Boy Scout trip, and my mom's beat up, and we're like, what the. What happened? She's like, you know, she explained how he beat the. Out of her, dragged her out into the front yard by her hair. My uncle. My uncle lived next door. He came out with a shotgun. They called the cops, and they arrested him, right? And then arrested him. When they released him, he let. He went back to Mexico. So he disappeared. So when we got Back from the boy scout trip. Me and my brother were like. My brother didn't like him either. So when we found out, like, we were like, oh, my God, Mom's up. And she told us what had happened. And I was like, is he coming back? And she goes, no, he ain't coming back ever. That one. I was like, okay. Hope you get better, Mom. So we. Me and my brother walked to our room because we shared a room. As soon as we closed the door, we both stood, started jumping on our beds. Now we're like, we're free. We're free because when he. When he got home from work, we had to be home, dog. He made us do chores.

[Kirsten]

I also like that you're respectful enough to know your mom's up. Physically abused and crying. You're like, all right, Mom. And then you're like, dude.

[Eddie Bravo]

We're like, yeah, he used to make us. He used to treat us like slaves. We had to make orange juice for him. So we had to sit there and you know. You know those. Those little plastic things where you do do that? He. We would make squeeze, dude. He would make. So it was fresh squeeze. And I would take sips out of it. I made that. And then I'd have to fill it back up with water so he didn't notice. So I take sips, and I put a little water in. I'm like, that. I made this. And you know what he got us for Christmas one year? An electric orange juice maker for him. For you. It'll be easier for you guys. It was an electric one. He got it for us. We were happy. We're like, oh, this is gonna be. It's gonna be easier now.

[Kirsten]

Oh, look, it's a gem company. It says it's a Jeffco juicer. Never heard of Jeffco in my life till everywhere.

[Eddie Bravo]

When my stepdad was around, he was actually a Porsche mechanic in Newport Beach. He was one of the best Porsche mechanics. Mexican, you know, Mexican Porsche mechanic. And he was. I remember Strauss and Newport Beach Porsche that two. Two dealers were bidding for him. And I'll never forget the. He wanted $2,000 a week cash. And one of them, Strauss, I think they said, okay, boom, we'll give you 2,000. He was a really good Porsche mechanic and a BMW mechanic. But then he beat my mom up. He leaves. He disappears. Now, fuck, we're broke as fuck. Now my mom's supporting three kids with $150, so she. For food stamps. And we got it for one month. And then they said. Then she got like, A. Like a promotion right at that time. So then they. We got it for one month. But when it comes. When it. When it comes to food, growing up as a kid in the 80s, it's all about cereal. Lucky Charms, Honeycomb, Cookie Crisp tricks, all that, right? But my mom wouldn't get us that. She would get us toasted oats. Because if she got us a box of, like, Fruity Pebbles. I'll finish that in one day. Day. Yeah, yeah, one day. Fruity Pebbles. Those boxes were too small. They needed to make giant box, but they did it.

[Kirsten]

Family size didn't exist back then.

[Eddie Bravo]

Cocoa Pebbles, they were too small. So she wouldn't. Every now and then she would go, okay, Honeycomb or something. But me and my brother would just. We would just go right through Captain Crunch. Are you kidding? So when we went to the. We got food stamps. My mom. My mom, I'll never forget. We're in at Vons in Santa Ana on Bristol. I think it was Bristol. In, like, Edinger, there was a Vons.

[Kirsten]

Put the fruit hoops back.

[Eddie Bravo]

She said no. She said no. Said, yeah. She goes. She said. She looked at us and she goes, get whatever you want. And then she.

[Kirsten]

Of those moments in your life, she took off.

[Eddie Bravo]

She took off and got whatever she wanted. And me and my brother were. We were just in the cereal. We got everything. We got everything. Peanut butter, Captain Crunch. We got it all.

[Kirsten]

Peanut butter Captain Crunch. I Forgot about Smurf, Mr. T. All that damn Cookie Crisp was great. That's good.

[Eddie Bravo]

Chocolate chip cookies for breakfast? Are you kidding me?

[Kirsten]

Y. For breakfast? Yeah. Yeah. Look at that.

[Eddie Bravo]

But it only. That only happened once. And then they took away our food stamps.

[Kirsten]

This is a great episode, man. Thank you for doing this.

[Eddie Bravo]

Thank you for fun.

[Kirsten]

Way to go out.

[Eddie Bravo]

I love the idea, man. It's just. Just talking about old stories.

[Kirsten]

I love nostalgia. Promote whatever you'd like. One more time.

[Eddie Bravo]

Go to propen.com. there's an Eddie Bravo line. We got an electric cherry. We got a dead orchard. We got flavors based on Jiu Jitsu moves. And.

[Kirsten]

Yeah, that's the guillotine in there. You got the guillotine in there?

[Eddie Bravo]

Twister. I do.

[Kirsten]

Twister.

[Eddie Bravo]

Lemon. Lemon twister. Lemon twister. I love it. I love it.

[Kirsten]

Thank you, brother.

[Eddie Bravo]

Thank you, man.

[Kirsten]

Appreciate it as always. Ryan Sickler on all your social media. Talk to y'all next week.

[Eddie Bravo]

Now at T Mobile, get four 5G phones on us and four lines for $25 a line per month. When you switch with eligible trade ins, all on America's line largest 5G network.

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[Ryan Sickler]

In the dry states of the Southwest, there's a group that's been denied a basic human right. In the Navajo Nation today, a third.

[Eddie Bravo]

Of our households don't have running water.

[Ryan Sickler]

But that's not something they chose for themselves. Can the Navajo people reclaim their right to water and contend with the government legacy of control and neglect? That's in the next season of Reclaimed, the Lifeblood of Navajo Nation. Listen now wherever you get your podcasts.