Bradley: Hi
I'm here with Mia.
Mia: Hi!
Bradley: Is
that your name? Mia?
Mia: My stage
name is Miss Mia if it's Chic A Go Go! and my other name is Mia
Park, my birth given name.
Bradley: You
are in the band Early Risers from Chicago.
Mia: Yeah, Early
Risers, it's fantastic. We have a banjo player who also plays
the guitar. We have a fabulous woman on Rhodes keyboards. We have
an alto sax player and me on drums. Three vocalist, it's a very
weird and interesting mix. What did you think?
Bradley: ...um...
(caught off guard) I thought it was a lot of fun! I thought it
was good. You kinda surprised me... I'm doing the interview!
Mia: Sorry! I
know I'm used to interviewing people!
Bradley: You
do interviews too?
Mia: Oh, I interview
bands all the time on Chic A Go Go!
Bradley: How
long has Chic A Go Go! been around?
Mia: Chic A Go
Go! has been on for 7 and a half years, I've been hosting for
5 and a half years. It's the longest thing I've ever done in my
life. I've never lived in the same place, had the same job, dated
the same guy, or done anything the same except for 5 and a half
years of Chic A Go Go!
Bradley: So
you're going to continue...
Mia: You know
it's a full force momentum, there's no reason to stop, it's one
of the most favorite things I've ever done in my life. I love
it.
Bradley: I
really want to check it out sometime. I've haven't been down there
yet!
Mia: Oh My God!,
Oh My God! You have to go!
Bradley: Tell
me, is it every Saturday, or every other Saturday?
Mia: Actually,
we tape once a month at Cable Access Studios. We tape about two
to three shows a taping. And our next taping is March 13th 2004
from 3-6pm. And the website for Chic A Go Go! is (http://www.roctober.com).
And the website for Early Risers is (http://www.earlyrisers.net).
Bradley: What
is the relationship between the magazine Roctober and the TV show
Chic A Go Go!.
Mia: Well, there's
Jake Austen, who I call the underground media emperor of Chicago,
he is a fantastic individual. He has been publishing Roctober
magazine for over 10 years. He also has a radio show at WHBK [88.5
FM] in Hyde Park. He also has a band called The Goblins. Althought
that's a secret so don't publish that... ...but you can publish
that.
Bradley: I
think it says that on (http://www.roctober.com)
it lists Roctober, Chic A Go Go!, and The Goblins.
Mia: Oh Damn!,
I Know!, but it's supposed to be a secret. His name is The Creeper,
it's a masked band, so it's supposed to be a secret, but everyone
knows... anyway Jake Austen is The Creeper in The Goblins, and
he is the producer and script writer and main force behind Chic
A Go Go!. Also behind Chic A Go Go! is his wife, Jackie Stewart,
she is the un-seen force. The way I've always described Chic A
Go Go! is Jackie is the spine, the skeletal system of the show,
Jake is the flesh of the show, and I'm the facial expression of
the show, I am the smile of the show. That sounds totally gay
but, that's what it is. Basically without her we'd be spineless,
without Jake there'd be no flesh. And I'd like to think without
me there wouldn't be a smile.
Bradley: And
without you we wouldn't have smiles, we need smiles to make us
smile.
Mia: Yeah I guess
so!?!?! It's interesting, I was a dancer on the first Chic A Go
Go! show 7 and a half years ago. A guy I was dating at the time
was in a band called The Three Blue Teardrops, a rock-a-billy
band, they were the very first band on the very first Chic A Go
Go!, and I went on as a dancer, and then two years after that
I became the host, because Jake and I were friends, and now I
am very close with them, we have a great working relationship,
so it's funny how life works, especially in a wonderful town like
Chicago.
Bradley: So
lets talk more about Early Risers...
Mia: Oh yeah!
... well, I sing and I play drums. There's Janet Emmert who plays
Rhodes Keyboards and she's in a band called The Afflictions with
Joe Cannon. Joe Cannon plays banjo and guitar and sings lead.
Joe Cannon was in a band called Check Engine with Steve Sostak,
who also plays saxophone and he sings, and Steve was in a band
called Sweep The Leg Johnny. So our rock flow chart is definitely
a little bit of nepotism, there's definitely a little bit of an
insestuous overlaping. But it's wonderful. It's a big family.
Bradley: A
nice mix. How do you describe the sound?
Mia: I would
say we sound like an indie-groovie Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds.
I think our music is a little dark but it's definitely very groovie.
We don't have a bass player, but we have a very danceable rhythm,
it's a very interesting band. Oh, on a personal note, this is
the third band I've been in without a bassist, unintentionally,
so as a drummer its been fun and challenging. But this band is
really unique. It's very concentrated on vocals, it's just got
a great groove. There's kinda that undefinable feeling that comes
when playing with a really good band. In the collaberative and
the creative sense we work really well together. By the way, I
am in another band called Kim and our website is (http://www.kimrock.com)
Bradley: You
are very connected, very involved.
Mia: I am. I
know. Is that bad? I spread myself as thin as butter, man. I'm
all over the place, I am. Yeah, I am a deputy registrar, I register
people to vote. I teach cardio-kickboxing. I'm a union actor with
SAG and AFTRA, I bar tend at Schubas. I book sunday nights at
the Beat Kitchen, I'm booking a Variety Show there in March, I
am really excited about that. I play in two bands Kim and Early
Risers is my main band. I play with a mime once in a while (http://www.rockmimeworld.com).
Starting to pick up with a honky-tonk band Gin Palace Jesters
(.com). So yeah I am all over. The secret is that I have a lot
of energy and I exercise, I try to get 8 hours a night of sleep,
I don't smoke pot, and I don't watch TV. Not watching TV is my
secret, honestly. Man, so many people watch TV, if you don't watch
TV you can get a lot done.
Bradley: How
do you get information about the world?
Mia: I listen
to NPR everyday. I am an NPR junky, I read Newsweek, and osmosis.
If I could afford it, I'd get the Utne Reader. I would rather
hear someone tell me a news report, or telling me their favorite
story, or favorite TV show, than actually watching the news or
watching the TV show. I have my own website too, my website is
(http://www.miapark.com)
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