Robert Kelly Talks Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll On The Anthony Cumia Show
Kelly was a guest on the Anthony Cumia Show where he discussed his part on the brand new FX show “Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll” starring Denis Leary. He told Cumia about the premise of the comedy – “It’s Denis Leary’s new show and it’s about a band that used to be on the verge of becoming the motherfuckers and it all fell apart before the hit single came out. He did this and fucked that and snorted this and fucking drank that. The band breaks up… never to happen.”
Kelly is referring to Denis Leary’s character on “Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll,” Johnny Rock. In the new series, Rock is a middle-aged musician who really wants to another shot at fame– the shot he blew back in the 90s when his band, The Heathens, broke up just before they were about to explode on the music scene.
Robert Kelly talks about where the series picks up. “It’s 20 something years later and something brings the band back together. I play the drummer, Bam Bam,” he said. Kelly told Cumia that he went through months learning to play the drums, to get the part– and he learned on skype. “This awesome friend of mine, Bill Hayward — he’s a drummer from Scotland — he found out [that Kelly was up for the part]. He listens to my podcast, “You Know What Dude!”, and he taught me on Skype, two hours, three hours a day, from Scotland. I got this little ‘Roland’ kit, electric kit. I would sit there for hours going ‘doom bat boo boom bap, doom bat, 1-2-3-4, one and a two and a three and a four’ for fucking hours with this guy. So, I did that for 2 months and I got the part.”
Production has already started on “Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll”. One scene was shot at Irving Plaza in New York City in front of 400 extras going crazy for the return of The Heathens. Robert “Bam Bam” Kelly was living a real life Rock & Roll dream. “So we fucking jam dude. Bum Bum Pow! I end… drop my sticks… the place went crazy! My heart’s pumping. I’m like, I’M IN THE WRONG BUSINESS! I FUCKED UP! I should have just been —— when i was 19. It was un-fucking believable. I should have been doing paradiddles”.
Later, when they took the pads out of his drums and had him play for real to get a few more shots, Kelly said, the executives brought him back down to earth. “I looked at the directors face. It looked like i was electrocuting them,” he said. “I’m 43 bro and I took up the drums 8 months ago. I try to play as much as I can, but to get this hand, this hand, this leg and this leg to do fucking different shit is nuts.”
Kelly gave Cumia a sneak preview of his Bam-Bam’s look which includes a leather vest, chains, rings, bracelets, shiny converse and even skinny jeans. “They weren’t that skinny,” he added, “they were just tight.”
“Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll” isn’t the only project that Robert Kelly is preparing for 2015. He’s got a new special he’s working on, “Live From the Village Underground,” He shoots that hour in October and it will be out next year. And of course you can also hear his podcast “You Know What Dude!” on RiotCast.com.
Watch for “Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll” starring Denis Leary, Robert Kelly, John Corbett, Elizabeth Gillies and Elaine Hendrix to premiere on FX next year.
You can subscribe to The Anthony Cumia Show at AnthonyCumia.com and listen Monday through Thursdays from 4pm to 6pm et.
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