Aaron Lewis Goes Solo

Photo: The Howard Stern Show

Aaron Lewis of Stain’d stopped by to promote his new solo album and discuss his keep-it-simple approach to songwriting: “If it’s good it usually sticks with me. I’m not going to say that I don’t ever write with a pad. I mean, it definitely comes to a point in a song where, ‘Ok, I’ve got five different things that have come flying out of me that all were pretty good. Now how can I interweave them all together to make out a song out of it?'”

Aaron admitted his write-nothing-down method wasn’t foolproof: “I’ve probably lost a lot along the way.” Howard asked if pot played a role in Aaron’s laidback attitude, and Aaron nodded, saying he was “maybe a little bit” stoned at the moment. He last toked up “just before we came over here…I probably took three hits maybe–just to take the edge off.” Aaron said he rarely drank–pot is his drug of choice.

And Rogue

Photo: The Howard Stern Show

Aaron then performed his new single, ‘Country Boy’ and explained it’s ‘I’m proud to be an American’ as a shot at the current administration: “I don’t think our First Lady is proud to be an American and I don’t think our President is very proud to be an American either.”

Howard was a little surprised by the remark, but Aaron went even further: “There hasn’t been a President in our history that has come so close to King George himself.”

Record Labels Like Single Boys

Photo: The Howard Stern Show

Before he left, Howard asked Aaron how he felt about the record label system. Aaron shrugged: “They’re not the enemy but there’s just a lot of times where they seem to be in the way.”

Aaron said one label asked him to lose weight–and reconsider his marriage, telling him: “If you’re going to do this and be a rock star, do you really want to be married and tied down?”