The “King of the Music Scene:” A History of Ronnie Radke

Credit: Falling in Reverse

If you are or know someone who dresses in an alternative fashion, you’ve undoubtedly heard one of these two phrases: “Why do good girls like bad guys”, or “I met a girl and I really thought she liked me.” These universal taunts for those of the “emo”/goth scene are all thanks to one man (mostly.)

 If you listen to the genre that is “emo” or, more specifically, emotional alternative, you’ve probably heard his name before. Ronnie Radke. The self-proclaimed “king of the music scene” was born on December 15, 1983, in Las Vegas, Nevada. A place that, in his own words, is not somewhere a kid should grow up. Ronnie and his brother were abandoned by their mother at a young age and raised by their father and grandmother. Ronnie had grown up in an incredibly unstable environment and was exposed to drug abuse from a very early age.

From his formative years, he had been interested in music. When he was in High School, he started playing the piano. Ronnie had been influenced by Blink-182 to start his own band, called “3.0,” which he had started with his friend at the time, Mitch. For this era of his life, Ronnie ran away from home, dropped out of school, and lived with Mitch and his mother. Unfortunately, this band didn’t make it big. Altogether, they played only a few shows across their hometown of Las Vegas. 

After 3.0 had broken up, Ronnie moved back in with his dad and re-entered school. Subsequently, he found that he was having trouble paying attention in class, so he dropped out again. In 2002, at a talent show, Ronnie met a talented young man named Max Green, who was at the time in a band called Almost Heroes. They became fast friends and formed the band True Story, which slowly turned into what is modern-day Escape the Fate in 2004. 

In 2005, Escape the Fate entered a radio competition that was judged by members of emo legends, My Chemical Romance. The band ended up winning an opportunity to open for My Chemical Romance in their upcoming tour alongside other music greats, Alkaline Trio (which just so happens to be one of my favorite bands) and Reggie and the Full Effect. This caused them to gain significant exposure as a band. In October of 2006, Escape the Fate released their debut album- and the only to feature the vocals of Ronnie- Dying is Your Latest Fashion. 

Later that year, Ronnie was involved in a tragic altercation that resulted in the death of an 18-year-old named Michael Cook. Ronnie was not directly responsible for the killing of Cook but was sentenced to five years of probation on the charge of battery.

In June of 2008, Ronnie was arrested again for failing to report to his probation officer. He was ejected from Escape the Fate and sentenced to two years in a Las Vegas state prison, where he would form his final project, Falling in Reverse.

While in prison, Ronnie worked on writing the songs that would go on to become the tracks of the Drug in Me is You, Falling in Reverse’s debut album.

Ronnie was released from prison on December 12, 2010. Not long after, in 2011, Falling in Reverse, at first composed of guitarists Derek Jones and Jacky Vincent, bassist Mika Horiuchi, drummer Ryan Seaman, and Ronnie on vocals, released the aforementioned debut album, The Drug in Me is You, to which they were met with a mixed critical reception, but a very positive commercial success. The album debuted at number 19 on the Billboard Top 300. 

In 2012, bassist Mika Horiuchi and Ronnie Radke came across some differences that led to an argument, and ultimately the expulsion of Horiuchi from the band. Shortly after, Ronnie was arrested during a concert on the charge of aggravated assault after throwing a mic stand into the crowd and injuring two people. Six Flags has since banned all metal and hard rock bands from performing in its premises. 

In their 15 years together as a band, Falling in Reverse has released five albums and seven standalone singles. They are considered one of the biggest hard rock bands of all time and have a considerable fanbase. Ronnie Radke has been drug-free for almost 20 years and has turned his life around.

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My name is Brody Beck. I’m a sophomore here at Poudre. This is my first year with the Poudre Press. I’m a huge music nerd, and I adore attending local shows. When I graduate, I would like to go on to higher education to become an audio engineer at a recording studio and perhaps pursue my own interests in creating music.