INTERVIEW
Interview from Touch and Go 20. Interview conducted on September 17, 1982, right after the Effigies show at the Wilson center. Spelling mistakes corrected, grammar and Tesco's own unique style are presented unaltered for your enjoyment.
Although I have ranted and raved about THE EFFIGIES I never undertook the quintessential interview with the powerhouse quartet from Chicago, so backstage of the Wilson Center where there present was the band, two sluts, made to look like french waitresses and myself and Ian Mackaye...and here is what they said...
TV: Where'd ya get the bitchin SHAM shirt?
John: The only good thing we did in Montreal was buy this shirt...
TV: Were Discharge up there?
Bonham: We played with em in Toronto...
Paul: They were a bunch of scumbags...
(long section of tape here is fucked up because of technical difficulties)
Bonham: ...and also we won't sign everybody and their brother to our label.
John: Ya we're trying to get a label organized and basically get a cross section of good intelligent bands that might not necessarily be thrash...we get alot of shit for sympathizing with bands that tend to be a bit more experimental and don't adhere to the straight hardcore punk type of thing...cuz the thing is, there's alot of good hardcore bands but for every good one there's ten shitty ones, right? Like some of these guys are like our friends and we tell them "sorry man--you're a good guy but your band stinks...
TV: So whats the best band in Chicago besides...uh...6 FEET UNDER(much laughter)
John: NAKED RAYGUN and TRIAL BY FIRE...alot of these bands...
(here a long diatribe against band with Clash aspirations, you know who)
John: Alot of these bands you'll hear about from one tape but they're so fuckin' lazy...
TV: When's the new record coming out?
Paul: You aren't supposed to ask questions like that...
John: Were trying to get the other bands going...
Ian: Is this your first stop or what?
Bonham: No we played Toronto and this guy named Jameel Emir who should be shot--no-one should ever deal with him.
John: He was supposed to get us 5 gigs and we got one...
Bonham: We played Toronto with Discharge and Vice Squad--more people came to our gig alone than their gig with us...
(Much talk here about how everyone present didn't care for the DK's on their recent tour and otherwise... much arguing with slut over whether band gets free cokes...)
TV:So what's...
(Ian bitching about how someone stole his Effigies shirt...makes mention of flipside interview...)
John: Listen man, I say this publically to the DC audience...the comments we made were stupid alright--alright we were pissed off in So. California, it was the low point of our tour--we lost three gigs in a row...so we get an interview with Flipside and we just start ragging on everyone we could find...
Ian: and they called us prima donnas...
Bonham: We've been called alot worse...
...slut barges in and announces "FREE COKES" (slight delay in interview)...much talk about how English bands come over and smell and take home large quantities of US cash...
Ian: But I do like the UK Subs a fuckava lot...
Bonham: Ya they were real good...
John: They are one of the few bands that have come over here and not slagged anything off...
Ian: Like over there it's like "You're an American...fuck you..."
John: I've been there twice the same fuckin story--except last time we went to the Last Resort and people were really cool--first time we went down King's Road and they were sayin all this shit...
(much talk here about how no British label would put out their records n UK--a necessity if you wish to go o-ver there at all...)
John: ...thats like basically this whole thing is a piece of shit that nobody really cares about...look how much time and energy people have devoted to this thing and it's just never going to get off the ground.
Ian: That's cuz it's not a movement its an individual thing...
Slut: Does that make you unhappy though? You should be proud that...
Ian: SHHHHH...
John: There comes a point where like I'm doing my job and I'm coming home and I'm doing gigs, and I'm not even making enough money to live so what the fuck...if a band like the Plasmatics makes 10 million dollars a gig and I can't even be making my living...like this place is really rare (referance to the choice-ness of the Wilson Center).
(Ian discusses his role in day to day Dischord)
John: Ya but the question comes up, "What are you going to do in 5 years or 10 years..."
Ian: Ya but I don't think in those terms...
John: That's true for yourself but then if you look at it you say fu ck man this shit is so great its timeless...people say its not a movement. Bullshit...
Ian: As a fuckin group--all the punks in America--we haven't accomplished shit except for showing people...but as individual scenes we've accomplished a fuckuva lot...
John: As long as these dicks like Wendy are around it's just another kick in my ass these people gotta be brought down...the whole thing about uniforms and all that...uniforms define certain things...and nobody can tell me "I don't believe in uniforms, long hair or short" and that's bullshit...you make a statement and that's the way you fuckin are...and I know what I fuckin' wear and I know what it means...I know exactly what it means--there's a fuckin code--it's unwritten but it's there...
Ian: I totally believe in gangs personally--I mean not bullshit gangs...but people who find they have, something in common and by being together they are stronger than one...but not Hollywood shit like lets go out and beat up people over 60...I like the idea of territory...I like the fact that like we're from Washington and you're from Chicago and I think that's fuckin cool as shit--we're doing something here and you're doing something there and somehow it works together...
John: That's the way it's gotta be...every band basically has it's domain...it's like a dog pissing on a tree...every band is that way...
(much talk, here about people who work to build a scene and those who bitch and moan about things etc)
Oil: I've always said, man you only get out of it what you put in.
John: And all these people want it on a silver platter...there's two groups of people...movers and dreamers--in Chicago all you've got is dreamers--
Ian: On the fuckin coatails.
Oil: Oh you're in the Effigies, oh wow....
Ian: That's like when Lyle went out there to college he doesnt look real punk rock and peo-ple were like "fuck you" till one day they found out he played in Minor Threat and it's kiss ass city.
John: The one thing that really pissed me off about Chicago was they could never get a decent fanzine going...to me...there's this dick mag called the Coolest Retard, these two chicks who run this are groupies...
this went on for quite a while longer but my typewriter's over... overheating...bye folks...