Nate’s Interview with Wes Scantlin of Puddle of Mudd

I was fortunate enough to get to interview Wes Scantlin of Puddle of Mudd, and here's what we talked about.

We began the interview talking about quarantine basically canceling concert season of 2020, and how fortunately Wes is not only a performer but also a songwriter so he's been spending a lot of his time locked away unable to tour writing new music. He also mentioned how important it is to isolate and prevent the spread of the virus so that things can eventually get back to normal.

I then mentioned that Puddle of Mudd was the last national touring act I was able to see before COVID shut everything down at the Mesa Theater in Grand Junction and Wes replied speaking about how he remembers the point at which everyone began wearing masks and he and the band realized that it was a big deal.

Puddle of Mudd's latest record, 'Welcome to Galvania' was actually recorded in John Denver's old studio/home in Malibu, California, and Wes spoke about that experience in writing and recording the album. He also went on to describe what Galvania is, which is essentially derived from the feeling you get that results in goosebumps - a concept introduced to him by his father.

Apparently, Wes Scantlin is a big Kansas City Chiefs fan, as the material that Puddle of Mudd has been working on most recently will be catered to the NFL and The Chiefs in particular.

We ended the interview with one of my favorite Puddle of Mudd stories, which is how they caught the attention of Limp Bizkit's Fred Durst early on in their career. The story starts with Wes recording a Puddle of Mudd demo tape, which he then was able to put in the hands of Durst at a 'Family Values Tour' show by finagling his way backstage with a fake backstage pass.