MM - Hi, thanks for agreeing to take part in this interview with us we really appreciate it.
Rob Wylde: No problem. Thanks for the interest! 

MM - The band have recently returned from a tour of the US on the Metal Sludge X-travaganza III.  Overall, how did the tour go and how did you come to hook up with Metal Sludge in the first place?

 MM - How would you compare the fans in the States to those in the UK? Were they familiar with your music and just how receptive were they to your shows?
RW - We toured the US last summer and made a lot of new fans then, so when we came back this year we saw a lot of familiar faces who in turn had brought out their friends to see us.  We were really shocked as to how many people knew of us and knew all the words to our songs.  Our reputation has definitely grown over the last year! 

MM - Any funny stories or freaky fan tales you’d like to share with us from the many tours you’ve done in the UK or perhaps even this more recent US tour?
RW - I tell you what, we could right a book on the freaky people we've met along the way!!  One event that always sticks in my mind is playing in Wakefield on our 2005 UK tour with The Erotics.  I've never seen so many characters in one room in my entire life.  It was like a scene from Star Wars!  A blind guy even paid £5 to come and see the show for and walked straight into our drummer on his way in! 

As for the US, a girl who will remain nameless walked up to me and asked if she could do the unthinkable on my face as she thought I was pretty.  Oh, and Laney also woke up in bed with a gay guy this year too ... I could go on and on!! 

MM - How do you see the current climate for hard/glam rock in the UK at the moment and even further in the rest of the world?  Who do you see as your target audience?
RW - I think it's certainly getting better.  It seems that good time rock n roll is once again considered 'cool'.  The whole image aspect of it has come back too which is great but like with anything that becomes popular there seems to be a lot of fony bands coming through who are doing it just because its considered the cool thing. 

I mean having a Les Paul and a bottle of Jack Daniels in your hand doesn't mean you have the right to be successful.  Working your ass off and writing great songs is what it's all about and I don't think a lot of bands are getting that.  Having said that there are a lot of bands out there who are doing it and doing it well like Vains Of Jenna for example.  Those guys are awesome! 

I think our own audience is quite a bit different from the bands we sometimes get lumped in with.  We do get a load of the sleazy glam fans out to see us but as a band we're a lot more 'Pop' which attracts a lot of younger kids and girls as well.  We also have elements of Melodic Rock in there too which brings in the middle aged crowd so it's really all over the place which is how we like it.  We don't just want to appeal to one audience, that'd be boring.  We have the ability to entertain a wide range of people and can win over any situation we're put in. 

MM - In your opinion, what ingredient is the most important and vital of them all when making good music?
RW - Melody - simple as that!  Without a great melody you may as well give up. Some bands think that cranking up the Marshall to ten and playing big heavy riffs is the way to go which is cool but to really connect with people the melody's got to be really strong.  After all it's that which you hum to yourself in the shower!  We pride ourselves on writing songs that you can't stop singing for days, melodies that stick in your head like glue and won't leave!! 

MM - Stepping back in time a little, would you like to give us a brief history on the band, how it came to be, how it’s evolved, where you call home etc?

Since then we've toured the UK five times, toured Ireland, the USA twice and landed a bunch of high profile support slots with the likes of LA Guns, Vain, TrashLight Vision, Robin Black and Mitch Malloy.  We recorded our new EP 'Eat Your Heart Out' in March of this year and released it in June just prior to heading out on the Metal Sludge Tour.

 MM - How do you feel the bands sound has developed since it originally started?
RW - I think we've just grown as a band and are a lot more open to new ideas.  In the beginning I was just the Glam guy and Jamie was the Punk guy.  He wrote his stuff and I wrote mine but now we've both grown to appreciate each others taste in music a lot more and I think that shows in the writing.  The great thing is we never put up any stop signs in this band.  Meaning, if we all dig a song it doesn't matter whether it's hard and fast, poppy or whatever.  A good song is a good song and that's all that matters to us.  For example, on the new EP most people would say, you can't follow 'Believe In You' (a heart wrenching power ballad) with 'Eat Your Heart Out' (a fast angry punk song) ... and our reply would be 'Why not?  They're just both great songs!!'  We just do whatever makes us happy - simple as that! There are no rules! 

MM - Where did the bands name come from and what does it represent to you?  Can you remember any of the other names that were considered at the time? 
RW - Jamie came up with the name.  I remember thinking it was really unique, and one that everyone would remember because of that.  We named the band before Laney and Spike joined so they never really had a say.  I can't remember any other names we considered at the time.  All my ideas were shit!! 

 MM - The band have a new CD 'Eat Your Heart Out'.  Would you like to tell us a little bit about the songs that feature on it, when it will be due for release and where can our reader obtain a copy?
RW - The EP was released on June 17th. To me it's the natural progression from our first album 'Dial It Up'. So if you loved that, you'll love this even more!  It has pretty much everything but the kitchen sink.  From tongue in cheek pop rock to kick ass punk to power pop and everything else in between even a huge heart wrenching power ballad. It's all on here!!  You can order it through www.myspace.com/teenagecasketcompany or direct from our Online Store at http://homepage.ntlworld.com/j.delerict/tccshop.htm .  There's several other internet sites such as CD Baby and I-Tunes where you can get hold of it or of course you can always buy it at our shows as alongside T Shirts, Photos, Stickers, Keyrings, etc. 

MM - How does the song writing process work within the band?  Is it down to one particular person or do you all get involved?
RW - Me and Jamie are the songwriters. For the most part we write separately and bring in demos for the other guys to hear.  If everyone digs a song then we get to work on it and that's when everyone gets involved.  We all put our unique stamp on it and put it through the TCC Machine, give it a good stir and then voila! 

MM - What song is your personal favourite to play live and which one(s) really get the crowd going wild?
RW - I still really love to play 'Bad Girl' from our first album.  It's just got a really great feel and I never get tired of playing it.  As for songs that get the crowd going, I'd say 'Dont Look At Me Like That' is a favourite.  Every time we play it everyone goes fuckin' nuts!  'Mirrors & Wires' is another as is 'Hatred' and 'Another Part Of Me'. 

MM - For you personally what bands do you think were the most influential from: (a) the 70’s, (b) the 80’s, (c) the 90’s, and (d) today.
RW - From the 70's I'd go for KISS and Cheap Trick for the simple reason that both wrote amazing fuckin' songs that have stood the test of time.  As have the bands themselves.
 

 MM - How has the internet helped spread the word about the band and do you feel downloading is harming the scene of helping to keep it alive?
RW - The internet is a godsend for a band like us.  Without it we'd be screwed! It enables us to tell the whole world what's happening and is probably the single most powerful tool on Earth right now for bands, especially with the advent of MySpace which again has opened so many doors.  We've released 2 CDs, toured the UK 5 times, toured Ireland and played in the USA twice without a Record Deal, Management or help from anyone except word of mouth via the internet so it's hugely important. 

MM - Following on from that question, Mp3 - an abomination or a good way to make your name and music heard?
RW - We like to think we have honest, music loving fans out there so if they download one of our songs we'd like to think that if they like it they'll buy our CD.  I honestly think a lot of them do, but if a few fall by the wayside then so be it.  All we're concerned with is getting our music out to as many people as possible.  If that's via Mp3 then so be it.  At least they're hearing the music and at some point I'd like to think they'd come to a show and buy an album because of it. 

MM - In your opinion, who is the greatest genius of all time in the music business, and why?
RW - Desmond Child - who has written some of the most awesome rock songs of all time for the likes of Bon Jovi, KISS, Heart, Alice Cooper, Aerosmith ... the list goes on and on. In fact he pretty much single handedly saved most of those bands careers by writing songs for them.  I'd love to get the opportunity to write with him one day!! 

MM - If you were doing a gig on a desert island and could only bring one instrument with you for the whole band, what would it be and why?
RW - It'd have to be an acoustic guitar so Jamie and I could do one of our famous TCC acoustic sets! 

MM - What one thing do most people not know, have never known, and will probably never know about you unless they read this interview?
RW - A couple of things. I have a fear of Monkeys, Chimps and Baboons - in fact anything from the monkey family.  I also used to eat paper when I was a kid ... as in an exercise book!!  Me and my sister used to all the time.  Why? I'm not entirely sure.  We thought all kids did!!!