Stephen Pearcy: The Culture Brats Interview

Stephen Pearcy is releasing his memoir, Sex, Drugs, Ratt & Roll: My Life In Rock, today. It's exactly what you'd want from one of the kings of the '80s hair metal scene: tales of backstage debauchery with tons of sex and drug usage. But there's also another side to the memoir which lets you in behind the curtain to hear about the bicycle accident that nearly left him paralyzed as a teenager but did lead to months in a hospital, the brotherhood of the band and its sometimes volatile relationships and inner-workings, his interactions and friendships with other musicians, the journey to superstardom, and his daughter Jewel, which is who finally got him into rehab.

I was lucky enough to chat with Stephen about the book, the bicycle accident, Robbin Crosby, the Sunset Strip, women, Simon Le Bon, Eddie Van Halen, and who would play him in the movie adaptation of Sex, Drugs, Ratt & Roll: My Life In Rock.

You're currently doing a book tour for Sex, Drugs, Ratt & Roll: My Life In Rock. How's that compare to a rock tour?
Well, I'm not releasing any energy, number one. Number two... it's just like an interview. It's just like doing interviews in Japan nonstop minute after minute after minute after minute, which is cool. I can handle it.

Are you doing readings from your book or just signing autographs?
I have three important personal events to go to, bookstores. I'm going to be setting up the reading thing probably in the next few weeks. That's my own thing, though. Hopefully they'll help.

Mickey Ratt gig, 1978
CREDIT: Stephen Pearcy

Urge Overkill: The Culture Brats Interview

If ever a band seemed destined for stardom in the early '90s, it was Urge Overkill. Hailing from Chicago, they had killer riffs, ironic attitude, and adulation of critics and fans alike. They had opened for Nirvana on the Nevermind tour and Pearl Jam on the Vs. tour. Saturation had been a critical and commercial hit (by this author's estimation, it was the 18th greatest album of all time) and "Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon" had been featured in the landmark cultural touchstone Pulp Fiction.

Yet after releasing Exit The Dragon, the band dissolved, victims of its own success. Blessedly, they have re-emerged in recent years, playing shows and even releasing an excellent album, Rock & Roll Submarine, in 2011. Lucky fans in Orlando and Atlanta get the pleasure of seeing them with another band-of-the-moment, Phoenix, this week. In anticipation of this, I caught up with guitarist/vocalist Eddie "King" Roeser to talk about the shows, their music, and how Urge fits into the musical landscape of today.

You're scheduled to appear with Phoenix on May 8 in Orlando and May 9 in Atlanta. What sparked that collaboration?
Phoenix invited us to join them for those shows. Apparently they've been fans of Urge for a long time and consider us an influence. So does Daft Punk, who is part of that whole scene with them in France. Three or four of the guys came to one of our recent shows and they reached out to us to have us play with them, which is a righteous thing to do.

You're not actively touring right now, but you are supporting your latest album, Rock & Roll Submarine. Prior to that it had been sixteen years since your last album, Exit The Dragon. What got Urge back into the studio?
We wanted to see if we were still capable of doing anything "Urge-worthy" and differentiated from our solo work. I'd been trying to have a career after Urge doing solo stuff. I had some music I didn't even bother releasing. I was signed to Matador at the time, but they called me up and said they didn't even know how to promote it, which was really hard. The fact is Nash and I both had a half-hearted approach to solo projects. Ultimately, the band chemistry... it's just better. When you're playing with a band, if you have that chemistry you get better musical results.

Someone hanging with Nash suggested an Urge show. We had a lot of support in Chicago to make that happen. We were hesitant; people don't understand how intense the creative differences were, or how insane and acrimonious it could be. When we broke up, I was really down. It was a horrible experience. With what happens with success... well you can fill in the blanks.

We probably should have taken some time off at the time instead of breaking up. But we did end up taking a break, I guess, and when we got back together it ended up being a lot of fun. We slowly started playing more shows. We were still re-establishing ourselves. We needed to make sure we were happy with what we were putting out there.

Crystal Fighters' Sebastian Pringle: The Culture Brats Interview

Like a shiny new object that defies categorization, the Crystal Fighters are now feverishly working towards making you stop, look, and listen to their unique brand of musical genius. While it is not at all surprising to me that they've achieved a certain level of notoriety overseas, their popularity and fan base in the States continues to swell as they win over audiences with their odd but alluring brand of musical fusion that frankly defies all labels.

We sat down to speak with Sebastian Pringle, the enigmatic but lovable frontman who gave us some insight about the new record, their upcoming tour, and avoiding the sophomore slump.

Hey Sebastian, thank you for taking the time to speak with us today. How are you?
No problem. We're good at the moment, back in London.

Since the last time we spoke with you, the band has been very busy indeed. You swept through the States--we caught your show at the Rock and Roll Hotel, you did a free secret show for fans in London, and now we are hearing new material and an album coming out on May 27th (Cave Rave). Where did you get the time to record new material during all this?
Well, it was all kind of fit in there. We dedicated the last year to the writing but in a month of writing, we kind of made these trips to the States which were a month long so once we got back we got straight back into the writing. And actually it did help a lot with being over there and seeing how people reacted to certain songs and stuff and it definitely informed the writing process as we were going along. But yeah, we spent a lot of time in the Basque country as well and as soon as we got back we'd go out to these houses in the hills and try to sort of reconnect with our roots of the band. That's where we wrote most of the stuff and then of course came out to LA at the end of last year to record the record. It was a bit of a whirlwind but we got it done and we're really happy with it.

I heard your May tour in Europe is completely sold out and while I was fortunate enough to catch you on the last leg of the East Coast run, I've got to say that you guys really surprised me. I'd heard many things about your live performances and I'd even seen some live footage, but nothing had prepared me for the energy of the crowd or the very interactive intimacy of a Crystal Fighters show. It was really intense. Are there any favorite memories you had of your non-stop trek across the States?
It was definitely intense! But it was a really fun time for us. We were touring in a vehicle with our good friends from London and it was the first time we'd really done or toured America and it was with a band we liked and so it was a great sort of bonding experience. Probably some of those times in the van, even though it was grueling distances, it was definitely a lot of fun and a bit of camaraderie was had. The shows were generally amazing. We were sort of shocked to see how many people came out to see us. Like selling out Webster Hall was pretty amazing in New York and of course the same in LA. To be able to shock people in some way, to show them our style, to get a reaction out of them was great as well.

I was interested in the number of really die-hard fans that came out along with the first timers. People knew the lyrics, danced along, got into it, and went along for the ride. When I wrote the concert review, I actually had a difficult time finding the proper words to describe it. Even had to break out a thesaurus because it was a little beyond my descriptive powers. You kind of have to be there to fully understand.
You do. Absolutely.

Brandon Cronenberg: The Culture Brats Interview

Brandon Cronenberg is that rare interview subject that immediately dispels the myth of his own creative genesis. Born the son of legendary and controversial filmmaker David Cronenberg, you'd think he just stumbled into movie making the way one falls unceremoniously into a gravel pit before discovering you have a god-given talent for shoveling.

Superb lineage aside, his chilling but oddly hard-hitting first feature, Antiviral, competed at Cannes in 2012 and was shown later at the Toronto International Film Festival, where edited and streamlined, it won for best Canadian first feature film.

I've got to tell you that I was surprised to find out that you went the unexpected and ultimately more difficult route by choosing body horror themed material . This is a gutsy but high stakes move considering you are slightly familiar with the master of body horror, the Baron of Blood himself. Did you ever have a moment during filming where you said to yourself, "I should have done a romantic comedy?"
Well, I didn't set out specifically to make a body horror film. I was just sort of, from the start, doing whatever I found interesting. I kind of thought that if I was going to get into filmmaking that I couldn't really worry about my father's career and what I was doing related to that, or else it would be kind of paralyzing and also it would define me squarely in opposition to him and it would define my work in terms of his career. I just kind of wrote a film that I thought was interesting and tried not to think about it too much.

This movie is a very specific bloody and withering critique on our obsession with celebrity culture. Frankly, we devour it and can't seem to get enough. In this film, it is a wanted infection. Growing up the son of a famous man who was on and around film sets filled with celebrities, do you feel you have a take on this that other filmmakers may have been lacking?
One scene in the film is the difference between celebrities as sort of these cultural constructs or media constructs and the human being behind that sort of public idea. I know it's not a novel observation to say that celebrities as they are in the media are different from the real person, but I think that when you know people and are meeting people who have that public "double," it's still somehow shocking how far that divide is. It definitely informed the script to a certain degree I think, just knowing people who live this.

Ed Roland: The Culture Brats Interview

It's been nearly twenty years since Collective Soul's Hints Allegations And Things Left Unsaid caught the world's attention. As frontman Ed Roland readied for a tour with the superest of supergroups, we caught up with him and talked about the band's anniversary, The Sweet Tea Project, and Kings Of Chaos.

How are you doing today?
Great, thanks.

You're getting ready to play three dates in South Africa with Kings of Chaos, an all-mega-star band consisting of Guns N' Roses' Matt Sorum, Gilby Clarke, and Duff McKagan, Def Leppard's Joe Elliot and Vivian Campbell, Skid Row's Sebastian Bach, and Deep Purple's Glenn Hughes. How did you get involved with the project?
I was blessed enough to join Kings of Chaos in South America last year and it was an amazing experience. And to be onstage with rock legends and my personal heroes is a thrill of a lifetime.

How will the shows work? You've got three great vocalists. Will you take turns doing sets?
Yes, all members take turns performing and then come together at the end of the show.

Will you eventually bring the show to the States? Maybe a week-long residency at Vegas or a mini-tour?
No set plans at this time but anything is possible.

Are there plans to record the shows for the fans to purchase?
Don't know this one.

Let's talk about Ed Roland And The Sweet Tea Project. What made you start another band? How does The Sweet Tea Project differ from Collective Soul?
Sweet Tea Project is releasing an album in April. The band started with mutual friends I've known for years writing songs that were not necessarily right for Collective Soul. Very Americana sounding.

It's been nearly 20 years since the release of Hints Allegations And Things Left Unsaid. Will the band or record label be commemorating the anniversary in any way?
Yes, we will be releasing a new album and touring in 2014 for the band's 20th anniversary.

Finally, we have two questions we ask everyone we interview. What was the first album, cassette, or CD you purchased with your own money?
Elton John's Greatest Hits.

And lastly, it sounds like you might be living a version of this in June, but you're in charge of a music festival. You can ask any five acts, living or dead, to perform on the bill with you. Which five do you choose and what song do you all perform as the final jam?
Paul McCartney, Elton John, Foo Fighters, Willie Nelson and The Cars. "Somewhere Over The Rainbow."

Steve Wynn: The Culture Brats Interview

In a world filled mostly with cold hard musical disappointments, you take your rare pleasures where you can find them. And it's one of those delightful surprises that catches my attention on a a dreary Monday afternoon: the news that The Dream Syndicate are not only reunited, but that they intend to play their first North American show in twenty five years at Wilco's Solid Sound Festival on June 22, 2013.

What's better than a summer that kicks off with the unprecedented return of a band that defined cutting edge alternative music, and influenced some of the best musicians in the world? Nothing! That's what!

Following a string of hugely successful and critically acclaimed shows in Spain last September where they blew people's minds and left them begging for more, it was clear that there was still more to accomplish, and no matter what happens when the band takes the stage on a warm summer day in June (and trust me, with their live shows, anything can happen), you can bet you haven't seen or heard the last of The Dream Syndicate.

So June 22, 2013 is going to be penciled onto the calendars of a lot of people living in North America. This is something people have really been waiting eagerly for, for twenty five years, and Wilco's Solid Sound Festival sounds like a great place to do it. Any chance you'll do more shows or will this be it for the States?
We've been taking the whole thing a little bit at a time. We played Spain last fall, the idea was if we have a good time and it feels like the music is still exciting to us and people we're playing for, then we'll do another little bit. So then we booked a tour of Europe for this May and of course the show at Solid Sound. I think each step along the way, if we're digging it we'll keep doing it and if not, we'll stop. And so far, it's been great.

I heard those shows in Spain blew the roof off, and it whet the appetite of those who have been starved for The Dream Syndicate. During your initial seven-year run, you produced some enduring music that really stands up when you listen to it today. The Days Of Wine And Roses exploded in 1982 and nearly everyone I talk to has you on their most influential or "best" lists. Did you worry about revisiting all this well-loved material live initially? And after last fall's excellent stage shows, was there an element of relief like "Damn, we still got it?"
I tell you now, at this point, the first round of the band seems like a long time ago, and not just as far as years and eras and decades and stuff like that, but as far as where we all were at the time, and what we thought about music and why we made it and what the process involves. And yes, you know, I think at this point all of us are just better at what we do and kind of have a lot of perspective about it. That's kind of why I wanted to reform the band, it was just kind of to see how our current state of mind would fit into the music and how that would work. It felt like unfinished business. What we did back then went by in a blip. It may have seemed like a long time back then, but really it was a short amount of time. I wanted to go back and make some of the music I wish we'd made and do some of the things I wish we did and experience it in a different way. Now all that is great in theory but it doesn't really matter until you go out onstage. The first show we did in Spain was a festival in Barcelona, and it just felt, from the very first song, like that daredevil high-wire manic adrenaline thrill that I used to have with The Dream Syndicate back when the band first started.

BBQ Films' Gabriel Rhoads: The Culture Brats Interview

When it comes to movie madness, cinephiles have a wide array of celluloid maniacs to choose from. It's hard to believe then, that only a little over 13 years ago we shuffled into the theater to meet Patrick Bateman, the chainsaw wielding godfather of the original soulless yuppie murder spree. It didn't take much to set him off (Was your apartment in a better location? Were your business cards printed with better quality ink?) and getting a bad table at an exclusive Manhattan restaurant could reduce him to tears, but there was something hauntingly familiar and funny about a guy who could wax poetic on the musical merits of Huey Lewis And The News or Whitney Houston before burying a hatchet in the back of your skull.

We recently spoke with Gabriel Rhoads of BBQ Films, a company that have a talent for resurrecting the movies we love with accompanying fan fare, touching a nerve with a movie-loving culture that's come to embrace and revere the films that captured a moment in our lives. In what promises to be one of the best, albeit perhaps the most unhinged, birthday events of the year, this cutting-edge cinema social club is hosting an no-holds barred 27th year celebration for Patrick in honor of his very important birthday. We expect every bit of '80s decadence you could possibly imagine when we roll back the clock at the Tribeca Grand Underground to give the man his due.

I want to start out talking about the BBQ Films event that's coming up celebrating Patrick Bateman's 27th birthday at the Tribeca Grand Underground with a screening of one of my all time favorite movies: American Psycho. Can I ask you to give our readers an idea of what attendees can expect when they get there?
Absolutely. What BBQ Films does is, we take a film and we create an immersive experience for that film. So everything from '80s VIP, just like Patrick Bateman's world, is how folks are going to be welcomed into the event. The velvet ropes, I don't know if you've ever personally been to the Tribeca Grand Underground, but it's a fabulous space down there, which when well lit looks very much like 1980s. It's very LUX down there. All of our guests are going to be in for a treat. We do many of these in warehouse locations in Brooklyn but this is going to be a luxury club so folks are going to walk in the door, they are going to have, obviously, time-relevant music like Huey Lewis And The News, Genesis and of course Whitney Houston.

There is going to be a theme performance by The Silent Drape Runners who will actually break down a Whitney Houston song for us. We'll have a 1980s themed photo booth with Robert Palmer themed back up dancers dancing for you, Pierce & Pierce employees and secretaries interacting with you while you grab your cocktails and explore the space. Oh and we always, always have our gourmet BBQ Films popcorn.
We believe very much in the experiential immersion in film so we always have our twenty five dollar ticket for folks to come and immerse themselves in the experience and view the movie but we also have seating in the private screening room as well. That's a few extra drinks and a really nice seat. We also have the higher priced ticket which we call "The Tunnel" where you get bottle service and you are treated just like Patrick Bateman. Oh and we introduced the thousand dollar floor level tickets called the "Indochine." A limo will pick you up at your location anywhere in the five boroughs and you stop by to pick up one of our actors for an immersive theatrical experience. You are in a private room with a private security detail, bottle service, full meal, and all sorts of surprises.

That one sounds delightful, but a little scary. Do you get a chainsaw and white sneakers with that package?
Actually, funny you should mention that. We introduced the "Dorsia" level, which is everything that you get in the other levels plus a custom Valentino suit and a chainsaw! Unfortunately, the Dorsia is unavailable. I'll let you in on a little secret, it was never available.

Belinda Carlisle: The Culture Brats Interview

To be sure, a good deal of music listeners the world over owe a debt of gratitude to Belinda Carlisle even if they aren't sure why. The longstanding songstress started out as the frontwoman of everyone's favorite '80s girl group The Go-Go's and launched an equally impressive solo career after the excessive train ride of the new wave movement saw the disbanding of many of our favorites only a few years into their careers.

Much is made of Carlisle's wild youth and her subsequent battles with a variety of issues, but the focus for fans remains the music, which has endured decades and still stands up fully on its own. March 19th sees the release of ICON, a greatest hits package from Universal Music. ICON contains the much-anticipated new track "Sun," her first English-speaking pop release here in the States after a lull of 15 years.

First and foremost, let's start off talking about some exciting news that on March 19th we'll see the release of ICON, featuring all your top solo hits and a fabulous new single, "Sun." What inspired you to include something newly recorded?
It's great, isn't it? It's funny. I had no real desire to do anything new, to be honest. I mean, my last album was in 2007, I think, and it was all in French and it did really well. I'm just kind of interested in doing stuff that is unexpected and so English-speaking pop didn't really interest me. My son kept pushing me, saying "Come on mom, you've got to do something" and I was thinking "No, no, no." So I said if something really good comes along, then I might. So my son actually found this song--a friend of his wrote it--and played it for me, and I went, "Oh my god, this is really amazing." I recorded it and it's catching fire actually. It's really weird, I mean, you know, weirder things have happened. So I love it and coincidentally, Universal was putting out... well, they wanted to put out a collection of my hits from the eighties and early nineties and make it part of the ICON series, which is different artists like Cher and Tina Turner and Sheryl Crow, and I thought, "That sounds kind of cool," so it worked out timing wise and here I am talking to you about it.

It's really hard to believe it's been something like fifteen years since your last pop release in the US.
Yeah, English-speaking pop release. It might actually be longer. I threw fifteen years out there when talking about it. I think it was in 1997, maybe? I'm not actually sure.

People are talking about you returning to the pop arena but because of the impressive size of your back catalog, you never really left. I can't turn on a station without hearing you some days.
It's funny, I have no desire to get back on any hamster wheel or be anywhere near where I used to be. Where I am now, it's great and I love it. You know, if something great happens then I'm just enjoying the ride and having fun with it as opposed to how I used to be so stressed out and so attached to what the outcome would be. Now, whatever happens is meant to happen and I'm just going to have fun.

That's a healthy way to approach it. You were an expat for a number of years, living in France and also in India.
Yes! And I still am, actually. Part of the time in France and here. I was part of the year in India, another part in France, a month here, and another month going wherever. For the past five years I've been doing that. I've got gypsy blood, I can't be in one place for too long.

Erik Griffin: The Culture Brats Interview

If you're a fan of Comedy Central's Workaholics, you're already familiar with Montez Walker. Erik Griffin is the comedian who brings the character to life. We sat down and spoke with him about his upcoming comedy album, his Comedy Central special, his record label, Workaholics, and horror movies.

How are you doing today?
I'm good, just tired. I've been doing a lot of traveling, so it's good to be home for a few days.

I heard you filmed your special for Comedy Central last week in Boston. How did that go?
You know, it went great. I was surprised how many actual fans were in the crowd. I really enjoyed it.

Do you when it'll air yet?
I have no idea. They didn't tell me any info, but I believe it's like the summertime. Probably late summer.

Cool. You recently signed to SideOneDummy and you're the only comedian on the label. What's that like?
I was just really moved by the owner of the label, Joe Sib. His enthusiasm for wanting to do comedy, his watching me a few times, and us having a real heart-to-heart conversation about it. It was like, "This is where I want to be." And what's more punk rock than a comedian being on a punk rock label?

Have you met any of the bands yet?
No, just passing through the office I've seen a couple of them. I've seen the guy from Flogging Molly. I'm down to meet more of them. I want to meet the Restorations because I really want to do a song with them because I want to do some comedy music also.

I've heard Technical Foul: Volume One and I think it's hilarious—--
You don't have to say that because of doing this. You can be honest.

I am being honest. I laughed all the way through it, especially--
That's great! It's really great to hear that because I haven't talked to anybody other than people in the label and the few interviews that I've done, so you're like the fourth or fifth person that's outside the label to hear the album so I'm really glad to hear that you feel that way.

For me, it brought me back to when I was young. It's been so long since I've sat down and listened to a comedy album, but that was something I did when I was a kid. I grew up on Raw and stuff like that.
Yeah, me too. I know exactly what you mean. That's why I did it. I always wanted to do it because when I was a kid, I would listen to comedy albums and they don't really do that anymore. YouTube and everything has taken that away and I was like, "You know what? I still want to do a comedy album."

You're right. You see the Comedy Central shows and YouTube and that's basically it other than just a few artists here and there.
Yeah. I'm trying to bring it back. It's old school, man.

Was it taped during various stops on your tour?
No, I actually did that in one shot at the La Jolla Comedy Store.

How does that work? Do you try to get friends and family to show up?
Nah. We advertised it and just wanted to get fans there, really. Not just friends, but fans because the fans are the ones. They go to comedy shows, they know how to act at a comedy show, and they're going to be more excited to see me. And they were.

How's the PledgeMusic thing going?
That's a new thing. I think I was the first comic on there and it's hard when it says PledgeMusic. It's kind of so-so. Some people did sign up. Some people are excited about it. I think it's a great system and if I was putting out a music album, I would definitely use that again. I would actually still use it again, regardless, now that I know more about it.

Workaholics, in my opinion, is one of the funniest shows on television. Is any of it improvised?
We improvise a little bit, but it's mostly based off the script. It's mostly scripted. It's from the mind of the boys, you know what I mean?

Some of it's pretty out there. Has there ever been a time when they came to you and asked you to do something and you just couldn't do it?
You would think that from the stuff that I've already done, that's already been asked. I trust their comedic sense and everything they've had in there so far: eating boogers, being naked, jumping in the pool. All of the stuff that they've already have has been... interesting.

Who do we have to talk to in order to get Montez on there more often?
Maybe start a Facebook fan page about it or something? I agree completely.



I love how you turned part of the one episode into "My Queen." Could you see yourself doing an entire album of songs?
Yes I do! I would love to do an entire album. I had so much fun making that song and doing that video.

Would you do it straight up or comedic?
It would be comedic because I'm a comedian. I'm a fun guy. I would take it serious, but it would still be fun.

One of my favorite bits on the album was about the scary movies. What are your five favorite horror movies to pop into the DVD player on a date?
I would never do that because I wouldn't want to be at home frightened in front of someone.

But it's one of the four types of movies they love!
If I had to pick five, it would be People Under The Stairs, Pet Sematary, of course Insidious, the movie I talk about.

Right.
Probably The Exorcist III and The Omen. Any of The Omens.

Thanks for taking the time to talk with me for a few minutes and I wish you the best of luck with the album. I think it's great and I think it's going to do very well.
Thank you very much. I really appreciate that.

More Erik Griffin: Official | Facebook | Twitter | PledgeMusic

Jeremy Shada: The Culture Brats Interview

On January 24th, Cartoon Network debuted Incredible Crew, a half-hour sketch comedy show produced by Nick Cannon. One of the show's six young stars is Jeremy Shada, who also voices the role of Finn on Cartoon Network's Adventure Time. We were lucky enough to sit down and speak with him about both shows and we even got our kids involved!

Is Incredible Crew improvised at all? Are any of the actors involved with the skit writing or creating?
Most of the show is written but there's some improv'd lines here and there and all the hidden camera bits are improv. None of the actors are involved in the creating or writing of the show, that all comes from our writers and producers.

You're also the voice of Finn on Adventure Time. Which is harder: voice acting or physical acting?
Physical acting is definitely more challenging but in the end there's a lot more reward from a performing standpoint and you're able to do more.

How did you get into voice acting?
I actually started with live action stuff like commercials, movies, and TV shows and then my agent decided to send me out for some voiceover spots. I was pretty good at it and it just kind of evolved from there.

You've had lots of big name guests on Adventure Time. Who were you the most excited about meeting?
That's a hard question but I would have to go with Mark Hamill because honestly, how often do you get to meet a Jedi?

You've performed a few songs so far on Incredible Crew. What was that like? Could you see yourself releasing a CD one day?
Recording songs is a total blast and super fun to do. It's a great experience and I love doing it so like I say with most things, I wouldn't be opposed to maybe doing something like that down the road if the timing and direction is right.