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Bobcat:
You've been to Europe and Japan this year so far?
How was Japan?
Frank:
Japan was strange. We'd check into the hotel and check
the place out like we always do, you know to get the
feel for the place, and these kids would just hang
out in the lobby. They'd be there later: three hours,
the next day! Finally they'd get the nerve and come
over and say "sign this!". It's just crazy - one time
I got chased down in this mall, everything there is
built up, like the first 5 floors are like a department
store, like a indoor swap meet, the next 10 a nice
fancy hotel, and the nightclub would like be on the
30th floor. I got lost in the dept. store part and
went down the escalator and heard "Hey!, it's the
Voodoo Glow Skulls!" and like all these kids chased
me down and cornered me and wouldn't let me go until
I like, signed, all their shit. It's like a bunch
of aliens, real weird.
B: How's
the SnoJam tour doing so far?
F: It's
been real fun, Snowboarding, Skating.... we're going
to Anchorage for four days and freeze our asses off
now. Only playing one day, but we have to drive back
to Seattle tonight (5 ½ hours..) and fly up there.
Eddy: And
this... (points at the heavy snowfall outside) we're
not made for this. We're from Riverside where it's
eighty degrees and sunny. Snow's nice in small amounts!
F: This
show tonight was really cool because it was the largest
one we've ever played in British Columbia. It's real
hard to get good all-ages shows up here.
B: It's
hard everywhere, but in Vancouver, Canada it's a real
bitch. Guttermouth played recently at a Recreation
Center and they had to start at 3 p.m. and be over
by 6 with 3 bands playing on the bill.
F: We played
the Town Pump a couple months back and it sucked because
it was 19+ only.
B: Soooo.
(long belch) how's that new album coming along? Jorge:
It's called "Baile de los Locos", which in English
means 'dance of the crazy people', and... shit!, it's
snowing really hard now!....( it snowed like a foot
that night) .. the album will be out May 6th and will
be heavier and harder then the last one.
B: Are
you doing this album as well in English and Espaniol?
F: No,
but the title track and another are in Spanish, so
we'll leave this album at that.
E: Yeah,
we don't want to start a tradition or something that
we have to do every time.
B: Any
good metal licks in this one, Eddy?
E: uh.
B: Ozzy?
Metallica? I thought I heard the beginning riff to
'Shout at the Devil' tonight.
E: uhhhh.
No, just more horns and crazy shit.
F: Not
commercial like our last album. Not radio-friendly,
this one's got variety with swing and jazz style,
kinda like Madness's 'One Step Beyond'
B: Figurewise,
how did the Spanish version of 'Firme" sell?
F: 30,
40 thousand. Both versions did real well considering
that we had no real promotion, just really good distribution
with our label. We sold big in Japan, Europe, even
South and Latin America.
B: South
America?
F: like
I said, we've get albums everywhere and the Spanish
version did real good there. I heard any band on Epitaph
does well there. I hope to tour there soon.
B: Any
funny songs on 'Baile'?
E: One
song, "Elephantitis" is great. It cracks on women
rock, like Alanis, Melissa Etheridge, and others.
The last 2 years have been 'the year of female rock',
but it's all crap like Sheryl Crow who just sing about
their groupies, the men and their large nuts.
B: I heard
Alanis's first demo tape from 1992 and it sounded
like Paula Abdul techno-poop.
Mike: Hey,
how do you guys like Pharcyde?
F: they're
cool.
B: They
were really damn stoned before they went on stage!
(laughter)
F: Pharcyde's
real cool. They've played with rock bands in the past,
but it's probably really weird for them to play between
rock bands.
E: To tell
you the truth, I'm not into it, I'm from Riverside,
play guitar, and listen to old punk and ska. I'm into
hip-hop, but i'm not there. It's still cool, though
F: Yeah,
we can hang.
Mike:
Do you think Pharcyde respects you guys?
F: Yeah,
but I can never really tell. For all I know they couldn't
give a shit.
B: How
about Face to Face? You hang? (laughter ensues..)
E: The
drummer's cool. That's about it, all I've got to say
about it.
J: Yeah,
drummer can hang. It's just we live near each other
and see each other all the time, just don't really
have anything in common.
B: Sounds
good enough. I think we're headed over to the Pharcyde's
bus for an interview for Mike. (a hush falls over
the crowd. Even Brodie, the sax player, stops coughing..)
F: I've
got a real funny story you should know about them.
B: Go ahead,
Sleestak readers want to know.
F: OK,
they got this trick where every night they've got
2-3 guys that go though the crowd and pick out good
looking girls. They invite them on stage, remember
all those girls?
B: Yeah,
during 'Under the Sea', a song that goes "'Ya know
there's other fish in the sea, there is.."
F: Yeah,
well they get these girls back to the bus, drink and
smoke up, then announce " OK, if y'all are down with
the Pharcyde, take off your clothes. If your down,
stay. If not, leave!" It's really funny looking at
the video, you remember that guy with the video camera
that was walking around? (We nod) He showed me this
video, and there's like all these girls that we've
seen before the concert and there they are now buck
naked sitting around and one of the guys from the
Pharsyde would just walk around and get on one of
the girls and go to work.
B: Shit,
(laughs) look at Mike's eyes! They're so wide!
F: It was
like a fucking porno, man. A porno. Straight up. And
they do this every night!
Mike: (
read this part with a German accent, like his.)
Oh Sheeeet! I thought they were smart. They're like
respected and not into the gangsta' sheet!
B: OK,
I think i'm ready for the Pharcyde's bus now, let's
go!
Mike: Uhh,
Bobcat... do you really...?
B: No,
just kidding. Let's go over and get you a interview
though before it gets too late and we have to see...
ummm, any questionable material. Thank you Frank,
Eddy, Joey, and company.. Hope you guys come up to
Seattle soon with some days to spare so we can raise
some hell.
Epilogue:
We went to the Pharcyde bus and a big dude opened
the door and let us in. Surprisingly, there were only
like 10 girls on the tour bus, but the back door was
closed. After sitting in the heavily-pot smoke filled
front room for a 20 minutes chatting with the crowd,
a shirtless Bootie Brown (from the Pharcyde) emerged.
The interview went great for Mike and he was stoked.
Sorry that's probably not the ending you wanted to
hear. But hey, you never know what happens inside
a tour van, or during the wonderful life of a star!
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