Tag: punk

TMLE interview

Here’s a good interview with Spoons from a DC paper. I think it’s human and compelling and I hope Defiance, Ohio interviews sometimes come off this nice.

Express:

EXPRESS: Did you get to talk to [NOFX singer/Fat Wreck Chords chief] Fat Mike when you saw him at the Goons’ show?
SPOONBOY: No. I think he does really bad things with punk. I really don’t like Fat Wreck Chords or NOFX … for years and years Fat Wreck Chords was really apolitical, poppy and accessible and it became the face of punk, which is [a shame] because for me it’s a lot more of a politicized idea.More recently, since Bush was elected, it’s gotten a lot more politicized but it’s liberal politics that don’t get to the root of it. I don’t feel like Rock Against Bush makes any sense when Bush is just the symptom of systemic problems.

Fat Mike did the Punk Voter thing, but it’s just a recruiting campaign to get punk kids to vote Democrat. For me, punk is about rejecting power structures and having Punk Voter or Rock Against Bush is surrendering your power to these people. They’re Democrats, they’re a little to the left of Bush, but it’s still like, “Work for the system, surrender your power to these people.” It doesn’t seem punk to me. Punk Voter seems like an oxymoron.

EXPRESS: Does the rest of the band have the same politics?
SPOONBOY: Bepstein has different politics. I don’t believe in God; he’s pretty into Judaism. He thinks government is a good thing. More or less he wants to live the lifestyle he grew up in: suburban upper-middle class. That’s a pretty different from my point of view. But two people should be able to get along regardless of their politics as long as they’re not jerks.

madison, wi diy spaces

Justin, a boy that I met at PIX fest and when we played in Madison pointed me to this article about a diy warehouse space near where the freewheel bike project used to be.  The space is currently shut down as a result of publicity and related enforcement of building codes.  The tone of the article is frustrating and example of someone maybe not being totally ill-intentioned, but just not getting it.

accomplishment

I wanted to write about Plan-It-X Fest as it was unfolding, but that didn’t happen.  I guess I’ll try to write about it in retrospect.  One thing that I’m really stoked about is that we organized an entire fest, with around 1000 participants, and spent less money on the whole thing than many cultural fests pay one artist!

Manion Companion Guest Set

I’m going to be playing records on my friends Corinna and Riley’s radio show, The Manion Companion, on Bloomington’s community radio station WFHB. The show is from 11p-1a eastern standard time. You can liten in Bton at 91.3 and 98.1 FM or stream it on the web.

xo,
Geoff

Update: Here’s my playlist.

  • This is My Fist – Stoy of Reconversion from I Don’t Want to Startle You but They Are Going to Kill Most of Us (Left Off the Dial)
  • Zounds – Demystification from The Curse of Zounds + Singles (Broken Rekids)
  • Soophie Nun Squad – Maybe You Heard from Soophie Nun Squad/Abe Froman LP (Harlan)
  • Your Heard Breaks – New Ocean Waves from New Ocean Waves (Plan-It-X/Masa)
  • Red Monkey – Bike Song from Difficult is Easy (Slampt)

This is what I would have played had I had the time:

  • Gene Pitney – I’m Going to Be Strong from I’m Going to be Strong (Stateside)
  • Ballast – Resign Yourself from Numb Again 7″ (Self-released)
  • Chumbawamba – The Diggers’ Song from English Rebel Songs (Agit-prop)
  • The Good Good – Redefine from S/T (Harlan)
  • The Gibbons – Kindergarten Class from Gibbons/North Lincoln 7″ (Salinas)