Comedian Bert Kreischer sits down with Goose members Rick Mitarotonda, Peter Anspach, and Ben Atkind backstage at Red Rocks Amphitheatre on the latest episode of his Bertcast podcast.
Kreischer’s longtime love of jam bands is well-documented, as his is his love of partying like a rock star. His conversation with Goose—identified in the episode’s title as his “favorite band”—highlights the stark contrast between his hard partying ways and Goose’s temperate touring lifestyle, but first the discussion begins with the band’s origins and name.
“I was working at a taco place in Fort Collins and ‘goose’ was like kitchen lingo there. It was just a dumb thing that was said all the time and I thought it was really funny. Now I don’t think it’s funny anymore. I can’t believe it’s stuck,” Rick explains.
“Rick wanted to change the name for so long,” Ben jumps in.
“There [were] many, many times I was like, ‘Alright, things are starting to come together. We should probably get a real band name,’ and it just never happened,” Rick concurs.
“It was almost ‘Maverick’,” Peter notes.
Ben describes the band’s first jam with Peter, which they all agree was the first time the group tapped into something special. “That jam had a major impression on me too,” Peter says. “It was sick. I think Rick has a voice memo recording of it.”
After discussing Goose’s pretty sudden rise to prominence in 2019, Bert and the band compare and contrast their lifestyles on the road. Bert seems surprised to learn that the three musicians typically walk on stage sober.
“I’ll sometimes take a hit of a joint pre-show,” says Peter, who cops to smoking weed only occasionally.
“We might do like a shot of tequila before second set or something like that,” adds Ben, who says he partied hard and played stoned in his younger days.
“A shot? Cool…” Bert sarcastically replies.
“I like the micro. I like the mushrooms,” admits Rick, who no longer smokes weed.
The band then tells a story of getting pulled over by police and searched for weed back when they travelled in a van with a trailer for their gear. “You got pounds, ounces? Ounces, pounds?” the cops probed according to Rick.
The story becomes a cautionary tale when Rick explains how Peter told the officers, “I have a joint in my backpack,” which gave them probable cause to search the trailer, resulting in Ben’s arrest. Luckily, though, they let him go with a future court appearance and the band made it to the gig that night.
“Peter should have shut his mouth,” Ben notes.
The interview continues with an in-depth discussion of the band’s less obvious musical influences, pre-show rituals, success, connecting with fans, and much more.
Watch Goose members Rick Mitarotonda, Peter Anspach, and Ben Atkind chat with Bert Kreischer on his Bertcast podcast below.
Goose is gearing up to host Goosemas at Hampton Coliseum in Hampton, VA on December 8th and 9th. The 9th is sold out, but limited tickets remain for the 8th. Visit the band’s website for tickets.
After that, Rick Mitarotonda will head to Dead Ahead at Moon Palace Resort in Riviera Cancún, Mexico January 12th–15th, where he will join a lineup featuring Bob Weir, Mickey Hart, Don Was, Jeff Chimenti, Oteil Burbridge, Jay Lane, Tedeschi Trucks Band’s Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi, Margo Price, and “very special guest” Sturgill Simpson. Click here for more information.
Bertcast # 600 – Red Rocks with My Favorite Band Goose