Rock stories from inside the room.
Dean Delray's LET THERE BE TALK runs on backstage energy: music memories, comedy craft, tour chatter, and long conversations with artists. It favors lived-in detail over polish, moving from Seattle photos and Laurel Canyon lore to Guns n Roses, Testament, Queensrÿche, and club comedy.
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Dean Delray's LET THERE BE TALK is a music-and-comedy conversation show with the feel of a late-night hang after the gig. It is brisk. The episodes often begin with practical life on the road: upcoming comedy dates, Patreon mentions, travel, old friends, and whatever record or documentary has recently lit a fuse. Then the show swings into the real subject. Recent conversations include Chris Vos from The Record Company, Dizzy Reed, Mark Normand, Geoff Tate, and Chuck Billy from Testament. The music talk is not detached or encyclopedic. It comes through memories of Lollapalooza, Seattle photography, Laurel Canyon houses, San Francisco bands, vinyl, guitar sounds, drum technology, old clubs, and the way one band leads backward to another. That is the show's natural motion. A single reference can open into Jane's Addiction, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Turnstile, Geese, Fontaine's DC, or MJ Lenderman. It is especially alive around 90s rock, metal, punk, hardcore, and the family tree of influences beneath them. Comedy sits beside the music rather than outside it. Mark Normand's episode frames stand-up as writing, grinding, club work, and the pleasure of watching a comic who is in it for the craft. The interviews leave room for careers to sound messy and human. Chuck Billy talks about a book, cancer, early Bay Area years, and Testament before and after a major life rupture. Geoff Tate's episode turns toward recording tools, live sound, and how technology changes the stage. Dizzy Reed's episode carries the appeal of hearing from a long-running Guns n Roses member with a solo record in hand. The show is reverent about artists, but not polished into blandness. Its edge comes from proximity: old rooms, old records, friendships, road habits, and the bodily charge of seeing a band or comic land in real time. It is for listeners who want the culture talked about by someone standing close to it.
Made for: For rock, metal, punk, and stand-up fans who like interviews full of tour stories, record talk, and career memories. It especially fits listeners drawn to 90s rock, comedy clubs, and artists comparing craft notes.
What sets it apart: The show stands apart through its firsthand, memory-driven texture: venues, records, friends, gear, and old scenes become the path into the interview. It feels less like a press stop and more like artists talking after the show.
Dean Delray's "Let There Be Talk." This original podcast is a unique blend of rock and comedy talk with some of the biggest names in music, comedy and entertainment.
Based on 6 episodes we listened to · September 2026
Dean Delray gets musicians talking concretely about songs, instruments, touring and the choices behind a working rock career.
Dean Delray turns musician interviews into shop talk with a fan's memory and a working performer's sense of the road. Conversations with Frank Bello, Paul Gilbert, Geoff Tate and Chris Vos move easily between records, instruments, touring and the decisions that shape a band's…
Steve Rosen was there when Eddie Van Halen weighed a Kramer endorsement; you get his take.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
Chris Voss traces The Record Company from its breakout record to the roots that fed it.
Dean Delray keeps the tone loose and memory-led, letting Chris Voss talk through The Record Company and the record that helped put the Los Angeles band on the map.
Jeff Tate turns sampled drums and cloned guitar tones into a grounded debate about what rock sound still needs.
Jeff Tate is back with Dean Delray from Italy at 6 a.m., five years after Episode 582, with a new record on the way and "Power" due this week.
A relaxed Chuck Billy conversation about his book, The Gathering, cancer, Testament, and Sid Vicious barking in the background.
Chuck Billy's story comes through as a portrait of a career split by cancer, with Testament's own changes running beside it. He moves from the book he has been editing for three or four months into childhood sports, Guilt and Rampage, and the moment The Gathering signaled a new…
A loose, guitar-heavy catch-up that digs into the Beatles-leaning story behind "To Be With You."
Paul Gilbert anchors a loose, guitar-first catch-up that moves from his new solo record WROC Rock to Mr. Big and Racer X, and it carries the easy rhythm of two people who have known each other for years.
A loose backstage-style talk about Grammy logistics, Anthrax history, and the practical work behind a band milestone.
Dean Delray's conversation with Frank Bello works best when it feels like a backstage catch-up that happens to land on real logistics. Bello's account of the recent Grammys trip gives the episode its spine: leaving an Anthrax cruise show, getting Joey Vera in place for the…
A loose, roots-minded conversation about The Record Company's breakthrough and the older sounds behind it.
Dean Delray's conversation with Chris Voss tracks The Record Company's rise around Give It Back to You, from heavy touring, major radio traction, and Grammy attention to opening for John Mayer.
A cassette archive and a Marshall stack pull Edward Van Halen's guitar mythology into the room.
Steve Rosen's long friendship with Edward Van Halen gives the episode a close, lived-in path into the guitarist's world. Rosen, a Guitar Player Magazine writer who first met Edward backstage at the Whiskey, follows the trail from early interviews to an old-school cassette…
Chris Voss starts hot.
Big guitar talk, right out of the episode.
The host shares humorous travel anecdotes from Minneapolis, discusses the Queens Of The Stone Age tour, Walter Payton's Porsche for sale, and the curse of fake news.
This episode features an interview with musician Josh Homme, discussing his career, recent Bon Scott tribute performance, and the host's reflections on his own 60th birthday and rock and roll experiences.
The host shares personal experiences from recent travels to Austin and Phoenix, discusses fatigue and sleep patterns, and recounts a story about his dog Gertie's birthday celebration and a past barbecue outing with musician Jay Buchanan.
The host reflects on Memorial Day weekend, shares memories of the 1983 US Festival, mentions Ali Siddiq's new comedy special, and celebrates Gertie the dog's 9th birthday.
The host reflects on 90s music and grunge era photography, sharing personal connections to artists like Charles Peterson and Jay Blakesburg while discussing his deep appreciation for that musical period.
Dean Delray opens with tour dates, running through Durham, Quincy, Vegas, and Phoenix before bringing in Chris Voss of the Los Angeles band The Record Company.
This episode features an interview with Dizzy Reed, the longtime keyboardist for Guns N' Roses, discussing his solo album, the band's current tour, and his experiences in the music industry.
The host shares personal anecdotes about the Red Hot Chili Peppers, including connections to the Laurel Canyon mansion where they recorded 'Blood Sugar Sex Magic' and stories about friends who lived there, such as Howard Tiemann of Guns N' Roses.
The host interviews comedian Mark Normand about his new Netflix special 'None Too Pleased' and discusses his career, comedy craft, and experiences in the New York comedy scene.
Dean Delray's LET THERE BE TALK episode 848 puts Jeff Tate back on the show to discuss Operation Mindcrime 3 and the single "Power." Tate says the new record keeps the Mindcrime universe but shifts to Dr.
Dean Delray talks with Chuck Billy about Testament, the new record released in October, and the upcoming Thrash of the Titans tour with Overkill and Destruction.
The host opens with the date, a Vegas recap, and a stretch of gratitude before bringing on Paul Gilbert.
Frank Bello joins Dean for a conversation about bass, Anthrax, and a recent Grammy moment.
This episode features an interview with author Steve Rosen about his 26-year friendship with guitar legend Edward Van Halen, based on his book and recorded interviews from his time at Guitar Player Magazine.