|
Artist: High School Motherfuckers Date:
25 July 2004
|
| MM - There's not a
lot of information about your band on the internet, can you introduce
the band and give us a brief history? Like, how you came to hook up with
each other, where are you from etc… Davy : Well, I joined the band in October 2002 thanks to Pam’s girlfriend whom I met at university. They were looking for a lead guitar, they love boozin’ and rockin’. What else could I expect from a band? We started as a Ramones tribute band and played our first show in Paris – by the way, we’re based in Paris - with Jean Beauvoir. We’ve played a few concerts since then, but not many. Paris is a shitty place to start a band since there aren’t enough venues. MM - Where does the band’s name 'High-School Motherfuckers’ originally come from? What other names did you consider before agreeing on this one? Stuffy : The name came from the Ramones song "Rock’n’roll high-school" ! We just change it a little bit! This was our first choice and we keep it. MM - For anyone who isn’t familiar with the band, how would you describe your music and who do you see it most appealing to? Davy : Stuffy writes 98% of the songs and we give them their final shape at rehearsal. Each of us has his own feeling and is influenced by different things in the world of music. I’m definitely a Motörhead fan. These guys are the ones in Rock’n Roll. MM - How do you like to differentiate yourselves from other bands in the same genre; what would you say is the trademark of HSMF? Stuffy : We have a hard rock’n’roll sound with punk feeling and glam melodies! Not lots of bands are playing in this style, I think? MM - Complete this sentence … ‘Everybody needs a little bit of HSMF in their lives because …’ Davy : ‘…because we all spend our lives fighting that madness lurking within our brains and Rock’n Roll is shock treatment and HSMF the doctor’ MM - Would you like to tell us about the new CD and in case anyone can’t find it in their local store, can you recommend any online retailers they could find it? Stuffy : For the moment you can order it from our website. We are working now for finding distributors etc... MM - Where can our readers find out more about the band? Do you have an official website they could check out? Also is there anywhere on the net people can listen to some of your songs? Stuffy: Check news and all the shit at www.highschoolmotherfuckers.fr.fm ! MM - If you could nominate just one song that you’ve recorded to sum up the bands playing style and feel which one would it be? Davy: Wow! Eeeeerm… Perhaps "Rock’n Roll U". It’s powerful and the chorus is somewhat melodic. Stuff: I’ll say… "Will I grow up" ! MM - Who writes the songs that you perform, is it a solo effort or do you all have an input with ideas? Davy: As I said above, Stuffy wrote 98% of our material. What usually happens is that he brings over a new song, we play it and make suggestions for breaks, choruses…etc. We try these, discuss them, quarrel over them, have a few beers, then we agree and the song is O.K. MM - Naturally, the music comes first, but the visual performance should not be under estimated. What can one expect from a HSMF live show? Davy: We’re all stark naked with curlers in our hairs and we tell funny stories that we hear at our tea sessions with the spinsters of our neighbourhood! MM - When you're not performing and recording new material what do you all do for a living? Davy: I’m a bloody fuckin’ teacher of English… Stuffy: I have my own records mail-order (www.wildsidemusic.fr.fm) and I’m starting my own lil’ label too (www.shotgungeneration.fr.fm)! MM - With all the changes that music has gone through over the years, what do you personally think of the current music scene? Davy: D’ya really want me to tell you that? Apart from a bunch of damn crazy bands such as Adam West in the U.S. or The Bones in Sweden, nothing’s really up to much these days. What is said to be the renewal of the rock’n roll scene is nothing but commercial stuff which is labelled "rock’n roll" by major companies that just don’t give a damn about what they’re selling as long as they make money. And then, you can hear loads of suckers say that they listen to rock ’n roll because they heard the White Stripes on the radio while the Backyard Babies hardly gather 300 people at their show in Paris… MM - Have you ever played while drunk or under the influence of drugs? Davy: Oh no! God forgive them! They don’t know what they say. I promised Mother to be good. Hey man! We’re playing Rock ’n Roll… MM - Do you feel that rock bands in general don’t have that genuine sense of hedonism we saw in the past? Davy: Well, possibly, yes… Obviously things have changed. But don’t you think this is true for the whole of society? Result, high-performance and so on are today’s words. Seriousness has certainly taken the place of a more relaxed way of living. As far as music is concerned, yes, there was a time when you just plugged your guitar and played and it was O.K. Now you meet many bands that try to be musically perfect in their own style and in this respect, they avoid being pissed or stoned. Well, you can’t criticize the fact that people endeavour to do their job properly, but being too serious is the first step towards being a fuckin’ pain in the ass. You’ve just gotta know what you can do and what you can’t when you’re high or drunk and act accordingly. MM - What’s the most important bit of advice you were given by another musician? Davy: When we recorded last year was my first recording experience and Stéphane, the engineer, who’s also a guitarist helped me choose the gear for the recording. I really learnt a lot from that work session. Stuffy: Johnny Ramones said "Never practice guitar at home”!!! MM - Do you think it’s weird that without bands, music channels, magazines, labels and venues would not even exist but now they exert so much influence over bands that they almost control them? Davy : It’s not something I worry about. There are thousands of bands throughout the world and not enough room for everybody, hence a kind of competition. This band can’t play at that venue tonight because that other band is there. O.K., that’s how it goes. What makes me angry is the fact that most people no longer choose what they like. This is imposed upon them by the majors and all the promotion that is done. You stand little chances to get known today if no one puts money to promote you. People just stay home and wait for "pre-digested" stuff just like a young bird is waiting to be fed. "Have you heard of that new band?" "Well, I haven’t seen them on T.V." Who’s gonna be on T.V. if not those who are promoted by a big record company? There was a time when people, instead of watching T.V., went out and saw the bands live. So, if you were successful as a musician it was because people really liked what you did, not because you were forced upon their mind through T.V. or the radio. MM - What are you listening to these days yourselves? Old classics or modern bands? Do you ever listen to music that is very different from what you do, if so what? Davy: Say, from Tchaikovsky and Dvorak to Immortal and Dark Throne. Stuffy: Yeah, we are all listening old classics, modern ones... in every style, from Hollywood Teasze to Swordmaster, Beatles, Kreator, Cypress Hill… I personally listen lots of glam and… black metal! MM - Some day when you are old and have kids ... what is the one thing you want to tell your children about being in a band? Davy: I won’t tell them anything ’cos I won’t have children… or with ketchup! Stuffy: No need any children too! MM - Describe each member of the bands personality with three words per person. Davy: Believe in nothing Stuffy: Don’t trust anyone MM - What is your motto in life? Davy: Well, something I can’t translate a word for a word in English. About life. I wouldn’t say make it the best possible but "Make it the least bad possible" or "Make the badness of life as little as possible". Stuffy: Something classical like "Live fast die young". MM - If you could have anyone locked in a room so that you could torture them for a day, who would you choose, and how would you torture them? Davy: I would have George Bush and his team in a black mass. Stuffy: Lots of guys who’re telling me what to do of my life, what’s right or wrong for me! The best torture for me is finally when I’m right and they’re wrong, ah, ah!! MM - Now we turn the tables. Who would you most like to be locked in a room with for a day and how would you like them to torture you? Davy: Guess! All right. If she’s got a devilish pretty mind and body and a full bar, I might play her game. Stuffy: I don’t really need to be tortured!!! Or maybe with a mountain of drugs?! And by… Claudia Schiffer making some experience on my body!?! MM - Lastly, is there anything you would like to say to all our readers out there? Davy: Well, if you like our music, hope to meet you one of these days for a gig and a few drinks. If you don’t like it, we can still have the drinks. |
|
All content copyright of The Mayfair Mall Zine unless otherwise stated. |