Melissa Etheridge
4/29/20261 hr 1 min
On this week's episode of Artist Friendly, Joel Madden is joined by Melissa Etheridge. Following the release of her latest album, Rise, the Grammy and Oscar-winning rock alum joins Madden for a hopeful, wide-ranging conversation. Sitting across from each other, they traverse how a cancer diagnosis two decades ago completely rewired the way she eats, thinks, and moves through the world — and why 22 years later, she’s never felt better. Etheridge also reflects on losing her son to an opioid overdose, the foundation she started in his name to fund psychedelic research for addiction treatment, and what it felt like to come out in 1993.
Listen to their Artist Friendly conversation on Spotify.
Follow Artist Friendly! IG: @artist.friendly TikTok: @artist.friendly YouTube: youtube.com/@artist.friendly
Host: Joel Madden, @joelmadden Executive Producers: Joel Madden, Benji Madden, Jillian King Producers: Josh Madden, Joey Simmrin, Janice Leary Director/Visual Producer/Editor: Ryan Schaefer Audio Producer/Composer: Nick Gray Music/Theme Composer: Nick Gray Cover Art/Design: Ryan Schaefer Additional Contributors: Anna Zanes, Neville Hardman
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Clips
Showing 10 of 12Transcript preview
First 90 secondsMelissa Etheridge· Guest0:00
Well, life is a practice.
Joel Madden· Host0:01
Yeah.
Melissa Etheridge· Guest0:01
We're not supposed to get it all perfect, you know? There's things you learn, and you'll keep learning, and it's all we're doing, is learning. [singing] No bad times. I don't wanna have bad, bad.
Joel Madden· Host0:12
I don't like to miss- Anything ... when I get to meet someone for the first time.
Melissa Etheridge· Guest0:16
Aw.
Joel Madden· Host0:17
It's like a nice, it's a nice thing.
Melissa Etheridge· Guest0:19
It's a nice, it's a nice energy.
Joel Madden· Host0:21
It's, sometimes it's really nice, you know?
Melissa Etheridge· Guest0:23
Yeah.
Joel Madden· Host0:23
Sometimes it can be like, whoa, but sometimes it's really nice.
Melissa Etheridge· Guest0:27
Good.
Joel Madden· Host0:28
And I have to say, it's, like, wonderful to meet you.
Melissa Etheridge· Guest0:31
Aw. Well, thank you.
Joel Madden· Host0:32
Yeah.
Melissa Etheridge· Guest0:33
I have, uh, lots of people in my family who are very excited that I'm meeting you, and I'm very excited to meet you.
Joel Madden· Host0:39
That's really nice to hear. It's so funny how, like, you're such a, you, you, you're such a, a iconic, you know, your music and you as a- Yeah ... uh, the idea of you.
Melissa Etheridge· Guest0:49
Yeah.
Joel Madden· Host0:49
[laughs] Right? So the idea of you, 'cause I, I've never met you before.
Melissa Etheridge· Guest0:52
Uh-huh.
Joel Madden· Host0:52
So, so it's just my idea of you, right, is so iconic and so badass- Mm ... and so all these things, so rock and roll, and then to meet you is really lovely.
Melissa Etheridge· Guest1:02
Cool.
Joel Madden· Host1:02
They're, it's really nice.
Melissa Etheridge· Guest1:03
A lot of people think I'm gonna be really intense or something, but I- Well, your music is, has- Yeah ...
Joel Madden· Host1:08
an intensity to it.
Melissa Etheridge· Guest1:09
Yeah. But I'm- It's bold ... I'm very relaxed. I've been in California- Super cool ... for 40 years.
Joel Madden· Host1:14
You, you're in California?
Melissa Etheridge· Guest1:15
Yeah.
Joel Madden· Host1:15
That's cool. I'm very, it's really great. I'm buzzing.
Melissa Etheridge· Guest1:19
Cool.
Joel Madden· Host1:19
Good.
Melissa Etheridge· Guest1:20
Good, good.
Joel Madden· Host1:20
And we look like we could, like, maybe- Yes, we can- ... be in a band together ...
Melissa Etheridge· Guest1:23
we can be in a band together. We could.
Joel Madden· Host1:24
We could. I, I really like it. [laughs] Uh, how are you doing today?
Melissa Etheridge· Guest1:28
I am very good today.
Joel Madden· Host1:29
Yeah.