E338 Des Rocs on Writing the Theme to Borderlands 4, Embracing Imperfection, and Making Albums in the Age of TikTok

This week, we're scratching The Itch for a triumphant return! Des Rocs first appeared on The Itch over four years ago to discuss his debut album A Real Good Person in a Real Bad Place. Since then, he's toured the world, dropped his excellent second album Dream Machine, and even sailed the seas on Shiprocked. And we've covered his live show on the podcast at least half a dozen times. Now he's back with his third album, To Hell and Back, and we were well overdue for a proper catch-up. Though we wish we could've had him back sooner, the long gap between conversations gave us the opportunity to dive deep wit Des on how he's changed as a person and a performer over the years on a journey that may not have taken him to hell, but has taken him from dingy recording spaces all the way to placement on massive TV programs and video games. And as always, Des is a man of rock and roll principles, so we had to dig into his dedication to releasing full albums in the age of TikTok singles, as well as his belief that if you've gotta play the social media game, you might as well poke the bear a bit while you're at it. Enjoy. Listen to The Itch Rock Radio Show Rock with us every Sunday night from 6-9pm CST on KCLC-FM in St. Louis. Outside the area? Stream online at 891thewood.com, TuneIn, Radio.net, and OnlineRadioBox! Connect With The Itch For any and all friendship, questions, inquiries, and offers of pizza, The Itch can be found at the following: Website: itchrocks.com Facebook: Facebook.com/itchrocks Instagram: Instagram.com/itchrocks Email: [email protected] Support the Show Thank you so much for listening. If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave a positive review and rating on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Podchaser to help our audience grow. Reviews only take a minute and help us reach more rock fans just like you. Credits Our theme song, "Corrupted", is used with permission from the amazing Skindred. All other content is copyright of The Itch. All rights reserved, including the right to rock on.Read transcript