Mike: What
was the first punk show you ever saw and what did you think
of it?
Ben Weasel:
Naked Raygun probably. Probably was drunk, probably had
fun, probably tried to avoid the skinheads.
Mike: What
was the last show you went to and how was it?
Ben Weasel:
Last show I didn't play that I went to was probably MTX
in '99 or 2000. I honestly don't remember it.
Mike: What
do you think about punk rock today compared to when you
first got into it?
Ben Weasel:
There was no money in it so you did it because you hated
the shit on the radio and wanted to make something different
and hopefully better. Now bands hear the shit on the radio
and try to copy it to make a career for themselves. Other
than that, it's the same old idiots acting like idiots and
boring people with their shitty bands.
Mike: When
and where was the first Screeching Weasel show ever?
Ben Weasel:
I think at a club called Batteries Not Included at North
and Clybourn in the summer of 1986.
Mike: Is
their one show that you have played that sticks out in your
mind bad or good for being the most memorable?
Ben Weasel:
I had a great time with the Riverdales opening for Green
Day on a closed-off street in Switzerland. We played as
the sun was setting and it was truly fucking beautiful.
But I also had fun pulling out my dick on stage and daring
skinheads to suck it and wondering if they'd punch my face,
but I was drunk a lot back then.
Mike: What
was your favorite venue ever to play at around Chicago?
Ben Weasel:
McGregors in Elmhurst was fun except for the dumb brass
bars around the stage. But, again, I was mostly drunk then
so I'm probably remembering it as being good when it actually
might have sucked.
Mike: Do
you prefer to play all ages shows or 21+ shows?
Ben Weasel:
All-Ages, all the time. 21+ shows tend to be populated with
people who are in their early twenties and who are still
excited about not living with their parents and being able
to drink legally. So they behave like assholes. Only they
play the part of jaded assholes. It would be more fun if
more people randomly beat the crap out of them.
Mike: Is
there one record that you have made that sticks out to you
more than any other as being most memorable to you and why?
Ben Weasel:
"Anthem For A New Tomorrow" maybe isn't my favorite,
though I like it a lot, but it's memorable because it was
the first record that I conceived in its entirety before
the band had ever heard a note of it. Art, music, titles,
everything. Made me momentarily feel like I didn't have
my head up my butt creatively.
Mike: What
are your 5 favorite records of all time?
Ben Weasel:
I don't really have favorite records. I like songs. Crimpshrine
was always my favorite of the East Bay bands in the late
1980s, though I'm a huge MTX fan as well. Dr. Frank is a
true genius; a man who has mastered the art of songwriting.
I always liked Hendrix a lot. I like the Stones and the
Kinks a lot more now than when I was younger. It took me
a while to separate their best stuff from the other lame
70s crap that was on the radio when I was growing up. I
liked the punk bands that were sort of pioneers, both musically
and in what they did to lay the groundwork for bands like
mine. Like D.O.A., Black Flag, Zero Boys, Ramones of course,
the Dickies. I tend to prefer American punk over the British
stuff, though some of it was good, the Pistols, Buzzcocks,
Rezillos, especially Wire. I love listening to Pink Flag,
then moving on to the Urinals and 100 Flowers, then the
Minutemen, then Jawbreaker. It all makes sense as you listen
to those influences and how those bands interpreted them
and it's mostly very good, occasionally a bit pretentious,
but mostly really good stuff. I like John Coltrane a lot
and I hear his influence in some more aggressive rock like
the Stooges, especially on "Funhouse," which also
seems to have a heavy soul influence. I am a big fan of
the Cranberries, though they need a new lyricist. I love
Bjork; if I wasn't married I'd be sending her love letters
because her music is utterly brilliant and she's pretty
foxy in a weird alien way. I think her lyrics are brilliant
as well. Right now in punk, I like the Obsoletes quite a
lot, they're insanely talented and they don't even seem
to know it. The Modern Machines would be good except their
drummer is unbearably bad. There's no excuse for hanging
on to a drummer who's that untalented. I don't care if he's
your friend, find a new friend who doesn't blow elephant
balls on the drums. A punk band can get away with a lousy
singer and guitarist like me, and a lousy bass player, but
a lousy drummer will drag you down every time. I liked Shotwell,
they took up where Crimpshrine left off very well, but I
don't know if they're still together. I kind of like the
Onion Flavored Rings too. And the Dillinger Four. I could
do without the alcohol-fueled "zany" schtick,
but they're for real and they know what a good tune is and
how to write one and perform one. But I don't understand
sticking things up your butt on stage. GG Allin already
mined that field. I hate the American Pie bands, the California
Elite, but so what, who doesn't?
Mike: Who
are your 5 favorite Chicago bands of all time?
Ben Weasel:
Naked Raygun.
The Effigies were good for a while.
Big Black were interesting but I don't
know or care what they were singing about.
The Bhopal Stiffs were great. They were
the best live band in Chicago in the late 80s and their
recordings are great but they still don't do the band justice.
They're the only band I ever danced to.
I can't think of any other great Chicago
bands off the top of my head. AOF did the Black Flag thing
good, but I never saw them live and their politics were
foolish.
Mike: At
this time do you like living in Chicago and what are the
pros and cons for you?
Ben Weasel:
I don't live in Chicago, I live in Oak Park. I love it except
for the weather. That's the old joke about the guys from
NY who moved to Chicago because NY had enough crime and
pollution and traffic, but the weather was too nice. Chicagoans
are pretty self-centered, you see it when you're driving,
or when you're in the supermarket and some fat pig is wandering
around aimlessly in the aisle blocking everybody's way with
a cart full of Honeycomb boxes and Oroes and Twinkies and
shit. And Diet Coke of course. If I wasn't from here, I
guess my criticism would be that there's too many fat guys
with moustaches. And as is typical of most big cities, there's
too many shitty bands taking up valuable space and time
and real estate in people's consciousness.
Mike: What
area of Chicago did you grow up in?
Ben Weasel:
I grew up in Prospect Heights and Mt. Prospect.
Mike: What
are your thoughts on Schaumburg?
Ben Weasel:
Big, ugly mall. Lots of dickheads in SUVs and Hummers getting
in the way of people who aren't enormous assholes.
Mike: What
are some of your favorite places to eat at around Chicago?
Ben Weasel:
I eat in Oak Park. Robinson's has the best ribs in the state.
Gepettos is great all around, but especially their thin-crust.
New Pot on Lake, Khyber Pass on Lake, Grape Leaves on Oak
Park. I even like the Mexican fast food place on Lake but
I can't remember their name. When I lived in the city, I
was addicted to Da Nicola, but they went out of business.
Also that Chinese place downtown, I think they were called
Tsang or something.
Mike: You
once wrote directed and stared in a low budget film about
punk vampires. Do you have any interested in being involved
in film making again?
Ben Weasel:
If the money's right, I'll listen to any offer. But I'm
not taking that stuff on myself. It costs enough money just
to make music.
Mike: Any
last words?
Ben Weasel:
Nope.
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