But then she’s not working, and she starts flying out on occasion to join the tour for a while, and suddenly she’s in that mix, at his side, full bore.

[Shakes head, smiling]

She could party too.

Or if we’re on a break and he’s with her and they go out, especially after that album and all that was in it that people now know, it’s almost a frenzy around them.

And that is not her vibe.

His either, obviously.

Looking back, I wish she was on that tour with us, start to finish, and then all the ones after.

Because when she was, the one-two tag team of Preach lookin’ after the band in his way, and Lyla doing it hers, with Tom’s overlording…

[Laughs]

I think, maybe…

I might be wrong, but I think if she was all in instead of in and out, things woulda gone different.

[Off tape]

Why do you feel this way?

First, because Lyla didn’t put up with any shit from women.

Not when it came to the band.

And in some cases, it’s gotta be a woman who takes care a’ shit like that, you know what I’m sayin’?

She could sniff out a loser or a user faster ’n snot, and she had no problem weeding them out.

She also did not delay in doing that.

And she got such a reputation with it, the vast majority of the time, women didn’t try to dick us over.

But also, with that and with her around…

You just don’t be a bitch or an asshole around a woman like that.

I mean that both ways.

The women we had, they looked up to Lyla and for the most part, she showed them the way.

And us guys, we never wanted to disappoint her, so she showed us the way too.

Second, Lyla has no interest in it, and I’ve noted repeatedly Preacher is protective as fuck, and you do a lot of press on tour. Every city, it’s more reporters or photo ops or radio shows.

Tom set it up so if we did interviews, it was not in band space. No one ever had all access, and after the String thing, it was very rare they got close to the band in any area that was considered personal, like our dressing room.

Tom made the label hire space or get another suite and that’s how we did interviews.

This way, we could keep them far away from Lyla.

And this meant, because everyone mostly wanted to talk to Preacher, okay, she was with the band, with him.

Taking care of the band.

Taking care of him.

But Preach bogged down with reporters?

That means she’s with the band.

And Lyla has to be taking care of somebody.

Lyla left to her own devices is not good.