Saturday, December 22, 2007
Saturday, December 8, 2007
let's paint the world beige!
BLAND -- unintentional plots of painting the world beige foiled by the no good temp who is on the clock and getting paid to rock the boat. Or so he thinks. With his conversation stopping rants about how American Idol doesn't matter. Not when you're pushing paper clips after the vote count is in. Now we disagree and welp. We don't get him.
AI matters! As does Dancing with the stars. In fact Stevearino seen Donny Osmond at Foxwoods ,and he says the mighty DO still has it. So when he and Marie finally come to their Mormon senses and tour again. We'll all be there. So stick it cool guy.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
behavior modification sedation snacks
Here's an article lifted from Yahoo.--- Sleeping pills definitely not a good thing for the kiddies. Or even worse is prescribing Trazodone to catch some zzzz's and to cut the edge off of those nifty behavior modification sedation snacks that all the "problematic" yutes in school are prescribed.
Sleeping pills for kids top global list of bad products
Tue Oct 30, 1:42 AM ET
Sleeping pills advertised for children, dangerous toys and bottled water taken from local reservoirs are among the world's worst products, a global consumer group said Monday.
In announcing its bad products awards for 2007, Consumers International said the top prize went to the US subsidiary of Japanese firm Takeda Pharmaceuticals for promoting a sleeping drug for children.
The company ran a television advertisement in the United States which used images of children, chalk boards and a school bus to sell its drug Rozerem.
The "back-to-school" advertisements, which complied with US law, promoted the sleeping pills to parents without including health warnings for children, Consumers International said.
"This case demonstrates the lengths to which some drug companies will go to increase sales of their products, how direct to consumer advertising can promote irrational drug use, and how weak regulation can foster irresponsible corporate behaviour," the group said.
Another award went to drinks giant Coca-Cola for pushing marketing "into the realms of the ridiculous" in the United States and South America with its Dasani bottled water which is sourced from the same reservoirs as local tap water.
Kellogg's, best known for its cereals, was given a bad food award for the worldwide use of cartoon characters and marketing aimed at children despite the high levels of salt and sugar in some foods.
"Kellogg's are one of a number of international food companies that make money by selling products high in fat, sugar and/or salt," Consumers International said.
"Threatened with litigation in the US, Kellogg's have agreed to change some of their marketing practices, however we believe they are doing too little, too late."
Toymaker Mattel was also named over the global recall of more than 19 million products made in China because of high lead levels and small magnets.
Last month the US toymaker apologised to China, saying the vast majority of recalls were due to design flaws and had nothing to do with where the toys were manufactured.
"This is a classic case of avoiding accountability and shifting responsibility on a global scale," Consumers International said.
"Wherever the fault lies, the safety of consumers was compromised and this should be the full focus of Mattel's attention, not finger pointing and not blame dodging."
Consumers International, a global federation of consumer advocate organisations, said the awards aimed to highlight the abuse of consumer trust.
"These multi-billion dollar companies are global brands with a responsibility to be honest, accountable and responsible," the group's director general Richard Lloyd said.
"In highlighting their shortcomings, Consumers International and its 220 member organisations are holding corporations to account and demanding businesses take social responsibility seriously."
The awards, which were announced at Consumers International's World Congress in Sydney, were whittled down from submissions by consumer organisations around the world.
Criteria for final selection included the size of the company, the scale of sales and marketing, the impact on consumers, and the potential for change by the corporation.
Sleeping pills for kids top global list of bad products
Tue Oct 30, 1:42 AM ET
Sleeping pills advertised for children, dangerous toys and bottled water taken from local reservoirs are among the world's worst products, a global consumer group said Monday.
In announcing its bad products awards for 2007, Consumers International said the top prize went to the US subsidiary of Japanese firm Takeda Pharmaceuticals for promoting a sleeping drug for children.
The company ran a television advertisement in the United States which used images of children, chalk boards and a school bus to sell its drug Rozerem.
The "back-to-school" advertisements, which complied with US law, promoted the sleeping pills to parents without including health warnings for children, Consumers International said.
"This case demonstrates the lengths to which some drug companies will go to increase sales of their products, how direct to consumer advertising can promote irrational drug use, and how weak regulation can foster irresponsible corporate behaviour," the group said.
Another award went to drinks giant Coca-Cola for pushing marketing "into the realms of the ridiculous" in the United States and South America with its Dasani bottled water which is sourced from the same reservoirs as local tap water.
Kellogg's, best known for its cereals, was given a bad food award for the worldwide use of cartoon characters and marketing aimed at children despite the high levels of salt and sugar in some foods.
"Kellogg's are one of a number of international food companies that make money by selling products high in fat, sugar and/or salt," Consumers International said.
"Threatened with litigation in the US, Kellogg's have agreed to change some of their marketing practices, however we believe they are doing too little, too late."
Toymaker Mattel was also named over the global recall of more than 19 million products made in China because of high lead levels and small magnets.
Last month the US toymaker apologised to China, saying the vast majority of recalls were due to design flaws and had nothing to do with where the toys were manufactured.
"This is a classic case of avoiding accountability and shifting responsibility on a global scale," Consumers International said.
"Wherever the fault lies, the safety of consumers was compromised and this should be the full focus of Mattel's attention, not finger pointing and not blame dodging."
Consumers International, a global federation of consumer advocate organisations, said the awards aimed to highlight the abuse of consumer trust.
"These multi-billion dollar companies are global brands with a responsibility to be honest, accountable and responsible," the group's director general Richard Lloyd said.
"In highlighting their shortcomings, Consumers International and its 220 member organisations are holding corporations to account and demanding businesses take social responsibility seriously."
The awards, which were announced at Consumers International's World Congress in Sydney, were whittled down from submissions by consumer organisations around the world.
Criteria for final selection included the size of the company, the scale of sales and marketing, the impact on consumers, and the potential for change by the corporation.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
phony organics
So here I am eating organic pumpkin seeds from a company "based" in Dayville, Connecticut called Woodstock Farms. The companies mission statement states "Our farmers, their harvest and your well being are the heart and soul of our commitment to you and to our place on earth." Cool right? Wrong.
Further along the label reads: Product of China. -Made in a plant that processes peanuts, tree nuts, soy wheat (gluten) and milk products. Oh boy.
Wtf? Not made from New England pumpkins. This is complete crap. Green organics flown in from a country that has the worst industrial regulations, non existent human rights laws. The lesson here is read those labels closely while you're in the stores. Buy local pumpkins and make your own seed concoctions.
Further along the label reads: Product of China. -Made in a plant that processes peanuts, tree nuts, soy wheat (gluten) and milk products. Oh boy.
Wtf? Not made from New England pumpkins. This is complete crap. Green organics flown in from a country that has the worst industrial regulations, non existent human rights laws. The lesson here is read those labels closely while you're in the stores. Buy local pumpkins and make your own seed concoctions.
Friday, October 12, 2007
The Starbury Revolution
The Revolution will be televised….sorta.
NY KNICKS Stephon Marbury launched a dirt cheap sneaker alternative with the chain Steve and Barry's known as Starbury. If you read up on the brand, the idea behind it is to provide quality sneakers without the Jordan price tag. Around 14 bux to be exact. The design of the shoe was put together by an agency that helped Nike and Reebok in the past. To cut costs pleather is substituted for leather.. In addition, I guess they are pumped out of the same low wage Chinese factories that the others are using.
The cheap alternative to Jordan's possess the high-end function. Cool... I wear Starbury 1's -- tight as fudge.. Starbury II's are considerably looser and nicer fitting. My problem with their revolutionary approach is well.. Steve and Barry's don't seem committed to their own campaign. I have been in store's in Massachusetts and New York.. And they suffer from the same less than ambitious staffing.
TAUNTON, MA -- at least had customer service that had a clue as to why they were hired. Greet customers, keep the shrink low and occasionally make the store look presentable. The sneaker dept. was a joke. 3 or 4 designs from the line on hand.. And boxes stacked behind one another with no rhyme or reason. 5 1/2s , 8's. 11s. In the sitting area, the visual resembled a bomb going off. Open boxes, tissue paper thrown everywhere. Not to mention… the place looked dirty.
I have worked retail for a decade and a half.. I know people are slobs and generally take their "the world owes me something", shit where you eat attitude everywhere they go. Unfortunately, the staff had the same attitude when I shopped at the Bellport, NY Sunshine Plaza location as well. We were passed a dozen times by staffs who were far busy doing nothing. All of who passed the circular shoe display that looked like it was freshly looted and from a visual standpoint looked revolting and unacceptable by the worst management standards. Apparently, this is okay by S&B platform guidelines.
This is a new store and it seemed like the place was more in going out of business week mind frame rather than getting ready for a successful Christmas season. The shoe selection equally miserable. Is this going to continue when the Chicago Bulls Ben Wallace line drops?
When is the revolution slated to begin? If you are going to offer an alternative to all the Finish Line, Foot Lockers out there… commit to it. Do not try some half-assed feeble attempt because this is where many revolutions past have failed. Sorry to inform you but there's tedious work involved. It is not just praise, celebrations and blaring loud In Store infomercial lip service. Now… are you ready to monkey wrench the Jordan machine?
NY KNICKS Stephon Marbury launched a dirt cheap sneaker alternative with the chain Steve and Barry's known as Starbury. If you read up on the brand, the idea behind it is to provide quality sneakers without the Jordan price tag. Around 14 bux to be exact. The design of the shoe was put together by an agency that helped Nike and Reebok in the past. To cut costs pleather is substituted for leather.. In addition, I guess they are pumped out of the same low wage Chinese factories that the others are using.
The cheap alternative to Jordan's possess the high-end function. Cool... I wear Starbury 1's -- tight as fudge.. Starbury II's are considerably looser and nicer fitting. My problem with their revolutionary approach is well.. Steve and Barry's don't seem committed to their own campaign. I have been in store's in Massachusetts and New York.. And they suffer from the same less than ambitious staffing.
TAUNTON, MA -- at least had customer service that had a clue as to why they were hired. Greet customers, keep the shrink low and occasionally make the store look presentable. The sneaker dept. was a joke. 3 or 4 designs from the line on hand.. And boxes stacked behind one another with no rhyme or reason. 5 1/2s , 8's. 11s. In the sitting area, the visual resembled a bomb going off. Open boxes, tissue paper thrown everywhere. Not to mention… the place looked dirty.
I have worked retail for a decade and a half.. I know people are slobs and generally take their "the world owes me something", shit where you eat attitude everywhere they go. Unfortunately, the staff had the same attitude when I shopped at the Bellport, NY Sunshine Plaza location as well. We were passed a dozen times by staffs who were far busy doing nothing. All of who passed the circular shoe display that looked like it was freshly looted and from a visual standpoint looked revolting and unacceptable by the worst management standards. Apparently, this is okay by S&B platform guidelines.
This is a new store and it seemed like the place was more in going out of business week mind frame rather than getting ready for a successful Christmas season. The shoe selection equally miserable. Is this going to continue when the Chicago Bulls Ben Wallace line drops?
When is the revolution slated to begin? If you are going to offer an alternative to all the Finish Line, Foot Lockers out there… commit to it. Do not try some half-assed feeble attempt because this is where many revolutions past have failed. Sorry to inform you but there's tedious work involved. It is not just praise, celebrations and blaring loud In Store infomercial lip service. Now… are you ready to monkey wrench the Jordan machine?
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
I RESIGN!!
Okay here's a slightly enhanced version for my non myspace galaxy cruisers.
Usually I end my employment situations in a blaze of glory. so it brings me much dismay to announce that this has been two in a row where i leave a job on good terms. I shake hands and say bye. There's no four mile paper trail of shredded bits in my wake. So, for all those of you who were concerned about my mental well being, spiritual growth over the past few years i guess the above speaks volumes
For those of you on long island who were going through Model Citizen withdrawal..fret not. you'll be sick of me by New Years b/c the ol' MC will be relocating to the scenic plains of wonderful Patchogue, NY. NO... you pessimistic bastards...Melissa did not give me the boot. She's with me step by step (and no i'm not doing 12 steps.. walking meditation...but that will be a whole other bulletin) and in it for the long haul (geesh someone get this girl a shrink already --yuk, yuk, yuk)So mark your calanders. make sure you have your caller iD working 'cuz ol GG will be back on pat med stomping grounds. And I guess now you can screen your calls and make your miserable selves busy again.
THE REVIVAL ---weekend bicycle races through patchogue's historic waterfront are currently in the works. THE BIRDLAND RUN...is also being drawn up. A lovely ride through Patchogue's Montauk Hwy. to the part of Bellport that Isabella Rossellini does not reside in.. and ends at the destined for landmark status Spicy's Birdland. We'll then indulge in some wings or fish 'n chips. Since I'm not trying to be a complete exclusionist .. i'll let some of you smoke rock with the locals. Though, you will be completely responsible in transporting yourself back to Patchogue, and/or posting your own bail. Maybe even checking yourself into detox on Monday. That's up to you. (They're usually packed up on weekends) So start training and get your cardio up to snuff. We have extra bikes so you wont be able to have the ol' it got stolen from outside the bodega excuse.
cheers,
Groovy
Usually I end my employment situations in a blaze of glory. so it brings me much dismay to announce that this has been two in a row where i leave a job on good terms. I shake hands and say bye. There's no four mile paper trail of shredded bits in my wake. So, for all those of you who were concerned about my mental well being, spiritual growth over the past few years i guess the above speaks volumes
For those of you on long island who were going through Model Citizen withdrawal..fret not. you'll be sick of me by New Years b/c the ol' MC will be relocating to the scenic plains of wonderful Patchogue, NY. NO... you pessimistic bastards...Melissa did not give me the boot. She's with me step by step (and no i'm not doing 12 steps.. walking meditation...but that will be a whole other bulletin) and in it for the long haul (geesh someone get this girl a shrink already --yuk, yuk, yuk)So mark your calanders. make sure you have your caller iD working 'cuz ol GG will be back on pat med stomping grounds. And I guess now you can screen your calls and make your miserable selves busy again.
THE REVIVAL ---weekend bicycle races through patchogue's historic waterfront are currently in the works. THE BIRDLAND RUN...is also being drawn up. A lovely ride through Patchogue's Montauk Hwy. to the part of Bellport that Isabella Rossellini does not reside in.. and ends at the destined for landmark status Spicy's Birdland. We'll then indulge in some wings or fish 'n chips. Since I'm not trying to be a complete exclusionist .. i'll let some of you smoke rock with the locals. Though, you will be completely responsible in transporting yourself back to Patchogue, and/or posting your own bail. Maybe even checking yourself into detox on Monday. That's up to you. (They're usually packed up on weekends) So start training and get your cardio up to snuff. We have extra bikes so you wont be able to have the ol' it got stolen from outside the bodega excuse.
cheers,
Groovy
Friday, July 6, 2007
Hellfire Boys Club -the abyss and back
here's another gem that almost plunged into a binary clusterfuck. NY's Hellfire Boys Club have been purveyors of the long island dark arts scene for quite some time now. what started as an std ala THE CLAP ..the breakout manifested one hundred fold into a whole other entity..blasting sarcasm and political ideas guide a sea of wayward souls towards a light of redemption. choke on this, pop consumer!
LEWD: Hellfire Boys Club? Is this like a place where disenfranchised Satanist teens can get together and meet?
SHAWN CLAP:If by "meet" you mean "fuck", then yes, I'd call that an accurate description.
LEWD: So let’s discuss the name change. You used to be THE CLAP and now you’re not, what lead to the decision of changing the name?
SHAWN CLAP:Well, The Clap was a band, and a very good one at that, but the Hellfire Boys Club is a gang.
LEWD: Okay now do I still call you Shawn Clap or Shawn Hellfire?
SHAWN CLAP: Since so many women have "Property of Shawn Clap" tattooed on them, I figure it best to just keep that name.
LEWD: The name suggests elements of Magick and Necromancy? Do any of the members subscribe to those belief systems or belong to any secret societies or anything?
SHAWN CLAP: The first rule of the Hellfire Boys Club is: You don't talk about the Hellfire Boys Club! The second rule of the Hellfire Boys Club is....
LEWD: Have you ever resorted to thumbing through a tome like the Necronomicon to perhaps find a hex or something of the sort to use on those goofy Long Island post core emo philips bands that are currently touring and polluting this godforsaken country with girlie bangs and bad songs?
SHAWN CLAP: I don't spend much time worrying about that sort of music or American Idol or contemporary jazz or, for that matter, anything that is utterly devoid of a soul.
LEWD: Are you guys going to keep drawing from the Clap song catalog during your live performances?
SHAWN CLAP: We'll do Clap covers, so long as the song is worthy of a Hellfire Boys Club rendition.
LEWD: Now what do I do if say I, wanted to get a copy of The Night The Condom Broke are those still available or did the other Clap make you take them off the market?
SHAWN CLAP: You go to where all the 'carpe-diem, live each night like it's yer last' punks go - the internet! www.hellfireboysclub.tk
LEWD: Should we expect to see more live appearances from the HBC than say the live output of your previous incarnation?
SHAWN CLAP: Granted, we've been notorious for our '12-minute-and-then-storm-off-the-stage' sets. I wish we had some deep, meaningful explanation for this sort of behavior, but it's basically just contempt for theaudience. I have nothing but contempt for my audience.
LEWD: Hopefully my add doesn’t annoy the shit out of you. Do you ever feel that people on the Island were glad to see The Loiterers pack up and split, so that they could disguise their “my mom cooks cookies while the kids have shows in the basement” nouveau Americana as something more decadent, and perpetuate that illusion unchallenged?
SHAWN CLAP: The Loiterers were a fine gang, pioneers on Long Island. In the beginning the kids who hung around were the real deal, no parents giving a shit about them at home. No expectations of a pleasant future some day. Kids who escaped from Juvie and would survive on their wits and courage. Those were the types of boys and girls that originally gravitated towards The Loiterers. But it couldn't survive, not with Ian Nihilate's all-encompassing lust for children. It clouds your judgment, you let outsiders replace insiders and, eventually, you have no choice but to flee into the night, under the cloak of darkness.
LEWD: I remember going to some Food Not Bombs benefit and the kid’s living room was bigger than Abc No Rio and Ground Zero combined. The funniest thing was his mother kept walking around and she wasn’t wearing a bra and had her high beams blaring. I think that was the only time I thought, “You know this isn’t so bad.”
SHAWN CLAP: Indeed, being wealthy, living in a large home and having a trophy wife with large mammory glands is quite underrated. I'm surprised more people don't try it.
LEWD: My old therapist stated that it was necessary to develop short term and long term goal plans, so with that said. What should we expect from Hellfire Boys Club this year?
SHAWN CLAP: I heard that your therapist mentioned you quite often in her Suicide Note.
LEWD: Okay for a closer I was just wondering, have you ever taken one of those craps where it’s caked inside your ass for days even after three days of wiping and showering? I dunno.. I really need to change my diet.
SHAWN CLAP: So, do you write these 'joke questions' yourself, or do you farm that sort of work out to professional comedians?
LEWD: Let’s say one of my readers wants to shit in a bag and mail it to you, where should they send it?
SHAWN CLAP: Haha, good one. We both know you don't have any readers.
LEWD: Hellfire Boys Club? Is this like a place where disenfranchised Satanist teens can get together and meet?
SHAWN CLAP:If by "meet" you mean "fuck", then yes, I'd call that an accurate description.
LEWD: So let’s discuss the name change. You used to be THE CLAP and now you’re not, what lead to the decision of changing the name?
SHAWN CLAP:Well, The Clap was a band, and a very good one at that, but the Hellfire Boys Club is a gang.
LEWD: Okay now do I still call you Shawn Clap or Shawn Hellfire?
SHAWN CLAP: Since so many women have "Property of Shawn Clap" tattooed on them, I figure it best to just keep that name.
LEWD: The name suggests elements of Magick and Necromancy? Do any of the members subscribe to those belief systems or belong to any secret societies or anything?
SHAWN CLAP: The first rule of the Hellfire Boys Club is: You don't talk about the Hellfire Boys Club! The second rule of the Hellfire Boys Club is....
LEWD: Have you ever resorted to thumbing through a tome like the Necronomicon to perhaps find a hex or something of the sort to use on those goofy Long Island post core emo philips bands that are currently touring and polluting this godforsaken country with girlie bangs and bad songs?
SHAWN CLAP: I don't spend much time worrying about that sort of music or American Idol or contemporary jazz or, for that matter, anything that is utterly devoid of a soul.
LEWD: Are you guys going to keep drawing from the Clap song catalog during your live performances?
SHAWN CLAP: We'll do Clap covers, so long as the song is worthy of a Hellfire Boys Club rendition.
LEWD: Now what do I do if say I, wanted to get a copy of The Night The Condom Broke are those still available or did the other Clap make you take them off the market?
SHAWN CLAP: You go to where all the 'carpe-diem, live each night like it's yer last' punks go - the internet! www.hellfireboysclub.tk
LEWD: Should we expect to see more live appearances from the HBC than say the live output of your previous incarnation?
SHAWN CLAP: Granted, we've been notorious for our '12-minute-and-then-storm-off-the-stage' sets. I wish we had some deep, meaningful explanation for this sort of behavior, but it's basically just contempt for theaudience. I have nothing but contempt for my audience.
LEWD: Hopefully my add doesn’t annoy the shit out of you. Do you ever feel that people on the Island were glad to see The Loiterers pack up and split, so that they could disguise their “my mom cooks cookies while the kids have shows in the basement” nouveau Americana as something more decadent, and perpetuate that illusion unchallenged?
SHAWN CLAP: The Loiterers were a fine gang, pioneers on Long Island. In the beginning the kids who hung around were the real deal, no parents giving a shit about them at home. No expectations of a pleasant future some day. Kids who escaped from Juvie and would survive on their wits and courage. Those were the types of boys and girls that originally gravitated towards The Loiterers. But it couldn't survive, not with Ian Nihilate's all-encompassing lust for children. It clouds your judgment, you let outsiders replace insiders and, eventually, you have no choice but to flee into the night, under the cloak of darkness.
LEWD: I remember going to some Food Not Bombs benefit and the kid’s living room was bigger than Abc No Rio and Ground Zero combined. The funniest thing was his mother kept walking around and she wasn’t wearing a bra and had her high beams blaring. I think that was the only time I thought, “You know this isn’t so bad.”
SHAWN CLAP: Indeed, being wealthy, living in a large home and having a trophy wife with large mammory glands is quite underrated. I'm surprised more people don't try it.
LEWD: My old therapist stated that it was necessary to develop short term and long term goal plans, so with that said. What should we expect from Hellfire Boys Club this year?
SHAWN CLAP: I heard that your therapist mentioned you quite often in her Suicide Note.
LEWD: Okay for a closer I was just wondering, have you ever taken one of those craps where it’s caked inside your ass for days even after three days of wiping and showering? I dunno.. I really need to change my diet.
SHAWN CLAP: So, do you write these 'joke questions' yourself, or do you farm that sort of work out to professional comedians?
LEWD: Let’s say one of my readers wants to shit in a bag and mail it to you, where should they send it?
SHAWN CLAP: Haha, good one. We both know you don't have any readers.
Supreme Commander - The Lewd interview!!
I had a better intro written on the old hard drive that took a shit on me, so here's the less than spectacular one. SUPREME COMMANDER are a bunch of no good bastards from that no good city that's a short missle rocket launch from the bedroom where that piece of shit Dubya sleeps. They play a harsh style of H/C that recalls Leeway and Bad Brains during their better moments. Here's the present, here's the chat that I had with the band before they went out for an evening of felonious activity.
LEWD: Okay let's get the preliminary question out of the way. Who the hell is who and what do you contribute to Supreme Commander?
Dan: I am Dan. I play guitar and write songs.
Reiter: I play drums. Boo is our singer. Todd plays bass.
LEWD: Now the name Supreme Commander, was this influenced more by say Star Wars films than say D&D role playing manuals? Or are you just pc gaming geeks?
Dan: For the record: The chicken came before the egg and the band camebefore the game. We came up with it first and had no idea there would be ashitty computer game with the same name. If you're reading this and disagree, you can contact our legal representation at the Law Offices of Moneyberg and Dollarstein.
Reiter: Do you want to join my campaign? I've been running it for almost12 years. We meet on Wednesdays at the hobby shop behind the mall… SupremeCommander culled its moniker from a drunken conversation we had with thesinger of another band in our rehearsal studio. He claimed his father wasSupreme Commander of the Air Force. We thought it was both improbable andhilarious that there was a Supreme Commander of anything real. We'd beentossing around the usual batch of shitty band names: Poop Fight, Army ofPoop, Turd Soldier, Vorpal Sword when Dan suggested Supreme Commander, andhere we are.
LEWD: Here's a variation of a question that I asked Two Man Advantage. How didyou guys team up and decide to do a split 7" and how was it touring withthose sons of bitches?
Dan: Two Man rule in every way. Awesome dudes, funny as shit, nicest guysand those are some talented motherfuckers. Their live show is unbeatable.Touring with them was awesome. I know this from the pictures and storiesthat I've heard, because I don't remember most of it.
Reiter: Two Man owed me huge as I'd developed the hockey motif for themseveral years ago. They were intent on pushing this whole track-and-fieldthemed group and I told them straight up the idea was shit. For one thing,track shorts only look good on a certain physique and none of those boys arereally set up that way. Also, my old band toured with them while we were onGo-kart together and we became fast friends. I always thought it'd be greatto do a release with them and we made it happen.
LEWD: I was looking on your Myspace page and you have a thousand plus friendson there. How does this translate to live shows, are they coming out indroves or are the still being cyber hermits and staying home?
Dan: They pretty much all come to every show. Its crazy. We've been selling out arenas at every stop of the tour.
Reiter: I'm in another band that has, like, 4500 "friends" and it doesn'tseem to really translate into attendance. It's a lot easier to be someone's"friend" when all it means is clicking a button on a webpage.
LEWD: I noticed you have a lot of attractive women on there as friends too. Nowwhy not put in a good word for yours truly instead of being greedy and hogging them for all y'all?
Dan: This is not a problem. We're a family and we share everything. I'll send a few your way. Just don't blame me when they turn out to be fat 55-year-old men in real life.
LEWD: Let's talk about musical influences. I was listening to your stuff and ithas a sorta Leeway and Judge tone to it. Rather than me say what I think,what bands do you feel were influential in the shaping of the SC sound?
Dan : Well I grew up in NY at the time when those bands were playing soyeah. I don't think we draw specifically from Leeway but definitely from theera, sure. I think its cool that people hear influences that we don't evenmean but probably can't deny. I mean, we certainly aren't doing anythingrevolutionary. But I'd say Gorilla Biscuits, AF, Cro-Mags, Warzone, TokenEntry. Personally, I love all that shit. I also love bands like Dag Nasty, 7Seconds, Lifetime/Kid Dynamite, Kill Your Idols. Our bass player likesSuicidal, Anthrax, metallica and 80s cheese metal. And Boo brings someflavor that a Jew a Wop and Herr Reiter just don't have. Oh and by the way,I saw the Leeway reunion and they were better than Bad Brains (with JohnJoseph).Twenty years later and they were so fucking tight. That was cool.
Reiter: As far as "hardcore" goes, I'm more into the DC variant. Since highschool I've loved GI, Dag Nasty, Swiz, Soulside the Holy Rollers…Scream,too. I'm a lot less likely to listen to that stuff these days, but I stilllove and respect that music. Ya know, that's not even true. I just putGovernment Issue's "You" on my iPod last week. But these days, I'm a lotmore into soul and reggae and other stuff and that stuff creeps into thedrum parts.
LEWD: Let's talk about DC these days. I just seen a poster for Good Charlotteand apparently they're "DC's finest". Do you feel this to be an accurate claim?
Dan - Who? As far as I'm concerned, anyone who thinks GC is from DC, is representative of DC music or even gives a shit about them is not a person I am the leastbit concerned with. This band has nothing to do with DC or underground music. It certainly has nothing to do with underground music in DC. But honestly they are not a group that I or anyone else involved in DC Punk and HC spend any time thinking or talking about. I don't even think people hateon them. I care as much about Good Charlotte as I do about Nickelback.
Actually, that's not true, i know the words to Nickelback songs from beingin my car with a broken CD player and it's quite possible that I wouldn'teven know if I'm listening to Good Charlotte.
Something that IS worthtalking about is the fact that you can go see Alleged Bricks and watch KentStax play drums in DC. You've got bands like Magrudergrind and The Twats touring the country like fucking maniacs. Magrudergrind has something like10 7"s out and a 40 song CD discography. They've toured the country 2 or 3times and been to Europe. And they probably average about 19 or 20 yearsold. You've got Set To Explode, the new DC super group. DC fixtures, TheGoons, V.P.R. and a whole shitload of lesser known bands like Porch Mob,Official and more. These people all love what they're doing and makeabsolutely no money doing it. DC has its ups and downs but I think itspretty cool right now. I've noticed a lot more musical tolerance, differenttypes of bands and cross-genre support. Its cool and makes shows fun. Also,you have to remember that Baltimore is only an hour north of DC. And whilethe two scenes are separate and distinct, there is a lot of support betweenthe two cities. Its cool.
Reiter – The only people who consider Good Charlotte a "DC" band are in theband.
LEWD: Should we expect Supreme Commander to be totally anarchic and endorsing Nintendo Bongos any time soon?
Dan - Personally, I will endorse anything. Contact the legal department forthe paperwork and my fee structure.
Reiter – This is a strange question, my friend. It seems like a bit of a,you know, non sequitur. My answer is "fish."
LEWD: Since you guys are residents of the DC Home for Aging and Out of WorkPunk Rockers, how do you feel about witnessing stuff being touted as Punk and Hardcore and its nothing more than a upcoming jingle to sell sneakers orextreme flavor pop tarts?
Reiter – The commercial co-opting of punk has been on-going since the musicbegan. It doesn't really bother me in the slightest, really. People willassign their own value to the music and let it generate meaning in verypersonal ways. There's always going to be kids with spikes and crazy hairwho are really, really into punk and hardcore. No soda company can take thataway from them. The machinery is too vast and too exacting in its mission tofold sub-culture into mass culture. It's not even worth fighting in anythingbut the most personal and/or academic of ways. The fucking Clash are sellingcars now. Does that lessen their music? Not to me. Does it lessen them aspeople? A bit.
LEWD: I just seen a commercial for some new movie and the pitch line is, morepeople are voting for America's latest idol than voted in the last election,and while it's a funny way of selling a movie it's a pretty sad fuckingreflection on how things are. Since you're in DC do you feel the retardationradiating from the White House microwaving and scrambling people's brains orwhat?
Dan - I'm going to let the guy getting a Master's in Government field thisquestion.
Reiter – The government and its people are in a mutual breakup. They needsome space to get this whole Christian theocracy set up and we need sometime to not be stressed out about the truly diabolical shit theadministration is up to. I think it's really hard to have hope or to feelengaged right now. Government has never seemed more vast or less interestedin its responsibilities. We're supposed to be able to control this shit, andwe can't. It's an elected body that no longer feels any responsibility toits citizenry and I think it's created a groundswell of apathy. People feelpowerless against this shit. And, in a lot of ways, they are. So, yeah, it'sreally, really sad.
LEWD: Okay so what's the deal with a full length? Is that coming out any time soon?
Dan - well, we are actually in the studio working on an EP right now. Thesplit 7" with Two Man on Basement Records will be out any minute and our EPwill be released on A389 Records out of Baltimore right after the split.This is a great little label owned by Dom of The Slumlords. aka - hardestworking man in Hardcore. We can't wait to get this record done and out tothe people. I think we'll let people chew on those for a bit.
LEWD: My therapist, my old GM and my ex all asked this question, and godforbid if the answer is shitty, so I thought I'd throw it at you. What areyour plans for the future, where do you see yourself in 5 years? Do you still see us together in that picture… ooops okay omit that last part!
Dan - 5 years is along time Greg. Plus, with my luck I could fall into abarrel of tits and come out sucking my own thumb. Know what I mean? Our planis to write songs, record some records, play shows, make some kids run intoeach other and stay together until we all hate each other and can't take itanymore and break up, just like every other band...But I definitely see you in our future Greg. Its been more than 10 years now. I couldn't get rid ofyou when you lived down the block and now they have the Internet and eventhough you're 2000 miles away its like you're sitting right here with me.We're stuck with you... Hey, thanks a lot for the opportunity to spread thegood news. Good luck with the zine Greg and thanks for supporting us and TwoMan and promoting the record. Check's in the mail!
LEWD: Okay let's get the preliminary question out of the way. Who the hell is who and what do you contribute to Supreme Commander?
Dan: I am Dan. I play guitar and write songs.
Reiter: I play drums. Boo is our singer. Todd plays bass.
LEWD: Now the name Supreme Commander, was this influenced more by say Star Wars films than say D&D role playing manuals? Or are you just pc gaming geeks?
Dan: For the record: The chicken came before the egg and the band camebefore the game. We came up with it first and had no idea there would be ashitty computer game with the same name. If you're reading this and disagree, you can contact our legal representation at the Law Offices of Moneyberg and Dollarstein.
Reiter: Do you want to join my campaign? I've been running it for almost12 years. We meet on Wednesdays at the hobby shop behind the mall… SupremeCommander culled its moniker from a drunken conversation we had with thesinger of another band in our rehearsal studio. He claimed his father wasSupreme Commander of the Air Force. We thought it was both improbable andhilarious that there was a Supreme Commander of anything real. We'd beentossing around the usual batch of shitty band names: Poop Fight, Army ofPoop, Turd Soldier, Vorpal Sword when Dan suggested Supreme Commander, andhere we are.
LEWD: Here's a variation of a question that I asked Two Man Advantage. How didyou guys team up and decide to do a split 7" and how was it touring withthose sons of bitches?
Dan: Two Man rule in every way. Awesome dudes, funny as shit, nicest guysand those are some talented motherfuckers. Their live show is unbeatable.Touring with them was awesome. I know this from the pictures and storiesthat I've heard, because I don't remember most of it.
Reiter: Two Man owed me huge as I'd developed the hockey motif for themseveral years ago. They were intent on pushing this whole track-and-fieldthemed group and I told them straight up the idea was shit. For one thing,track shorts only look good on a certain physique and none of those boys arereally set up that way. Also, my old band toured with them while we were onGo-kart together and we became fast friends. I always thought it'd be greatto do a release with them and we made it happen.
LEWD: I was looking on your Myspace page and you have a thousand plus friendson there. How does this translate to live shows, are they coming out indroves or are the still being cyber hermits and staying home?
Dan: They pretty much all come to every show. Its crazy. We've been selling out arenas at every stop of the tour.
Reiter: I'm in another band that has, like, 4500 "friends" and it doesn'tseem to really translate into attendance. It's a lot easier to be someone's"friend" when all it means is clicking a button on a webpage.
LEWD: I noticed you have a lot of attractive women on there as friends too. Nowwhy not put in a good word for yours truly instead of being greedy and hogging them for all y'all?
Dan: This is not a problem. We're a family and we share everything. I'll send a few your way. Just don't blame me when they turn out to be fat 55-year-old men in real life.
LEWD: Let's talk about musical influences. I was listening to your stuff and ithas a sorta Leeway and Judge tone to it. Rather than me say what I think,what bands do you feel were influential in the shaping of the SC sound?
Dan : Well I grew up in NY at the time when those bands were playing soyeah. I don't think we draw specifically from Leeway but definitely from theera, sure. I think its cool that people hear influences that we don't evenmean but probably can't deny. I mean, we certainly aren't doing anythingrevolutionary. But I'd say Gorilla Biscuits, AF, Cro-Mags, Warzone, TokenEntry. Personally, I love all that shit. I also love bands like Dag Nasty, 7Seconds, Lifetime/Kid Dynamite, Kill Your Idols. Our bass player likesSuicidal, Anthrax, metallica and 80s cheese metal. And Boo brings someflavor that a Jew a Wop and Herr Reiter just don't have. Oh and by the way,I saw the Leeway reunion and they were better than Bad Brains (with JohnJoseph).Twenty years later and they were so fucking tight. That was cool.
Reiter: As far as "hardcore" goes, I'm more into the DC variant. Since highschool I've loved GI, Dag Nasty, Swiz, Soulside the Holy Rollers…Scream,too. I'm a lot less likely to listen to that stuff these days, but I stilllove and respect that music. Ya know, that's not even true. I just putGovernment Issue's "You" on my iPod last week. But these days, I'm a lotmore into soul and reggae and other stuff and that stuff creeps into thedrum parts.
LEWD: Let's talk about DC these days. I just seen a poster for Good Charlotteand apparently they're "DC's finest". Do you feel this to be an accurate claim?
Dan - Who? As far as I'm concerned, anyone who thinks GC is from DC, is representative of DC music or even gives a shit about them is not a person I am the leastbit concerned with. This band has nothing to do with DC or underground music. It certainly has nothing to do with underground music in DC. But honestly they are not a group that I or anyone else involved in DC Punk and HC spend any time thinking or talking about. I don't even think people hateon them. I care as much about Good Charlotte as I do about Nickelback.
Actually, that's not true, i know the words to Nickelback songs from beingin my car with a broken CD player and it's quite possible that I wouldn'teven know if I'm listening to Good Charlotte.
Something that IS worthtalking about is the fact that you can go see Alleged Bricks and watch KentStax play drums in DC. You've got bands like Magrudergrind and The Twats touring the country like fucking maniacs. Magrudergrind has something like10 7"s out and a 40 song CD discography. They've toured the country 2 or 3times and been to Europe. And they probably average about 19 or 20 yearsold. You've got Set To Explode, the new DC super group. DC fixtures, TheGoons, V.P.R. and a whole shitload of lesser known bands like Porch Mob,Official and more. These people all love what they're doing and makeabsolutely no money doing it. DC has its ups and downs but I think itspretty cool right now. I've noticed a lot more musical tolerance, differenttypes of bands and cross-genre support. Its cool and makes shows fun. Also,you have to remember that Baltimore is only an hour north of DC. And whilethe two scenes are separate and distinct, there is a lot of support betweenthe two cities. Its cool.
Reiter – The only people who consider Good Charlotte a "DC" band are in theband.
LEWD: Should we expect Supreme Commander to be totally anarchic and endorsing Nintendo Bongos any time soon?
Dan - Personally, I will endorse anything. Contact the legal department forthe paperwork and my fee structure.
Reiter – This is a strange question, my friend. It seems like a bit of a,you know, non sequitur. My answer is "fish."
LEWD: Since you guys are residents of the DC Home for Aging and Out of WorkPunk Rockers, how do you feel about witnessing stuff being touted as Punk and Hardcore and its nothing more than a upcoming jingle to sell sneakers orextreme flavor pop tarts?
Reiter – The commercial co-opting of punk has been on-going since the musicbegan. It doesn't really bother me in the slightest, really. People willassign their own value to the music and let it generate meaning in verypersonal ways. There's always going to be kids with spikes and crazy hairwho are really, really into punk and hardcore. No soda company can take thataway from them. The machinery is too vast and too exacting in its mission tofold sub-culture into mass culture. It's not even worth fighting in anythingbut the most personal and/or academic of ways. The fucking Clash are sellingcars now. Does that lessen their music? Not to me. Does it lessen them aspeople? A bit.
LEWD: I just seen a commercial for some new movie and the pitch line is, morepeople are voting for America's latest idol than voted in the last election,and while it's a funny way of selling a movie it's a pretty sad fuckingreflection on how things are. Since you're in DC do you feel the retardationradiating from the White House microwaving and scrambling people's brains orwhat?
Dan - I'm going to let the guy getting a Master's in Government field thisquestion.
Reiter – The government and its people are in a mutual breakup. They needsome space to get this whole Christian theocracy set up and we need sometime to not be stressed out about the truly diabolical shit theadministration is up to. I think it's really hard to have hope or to feelengaged right now. Government has never seemed more vast or less interestedin its responsibilities. We're supposed to be able to control this shit, andwe can't. It's an elected body that no longer feels any responsibility toits citizenry and I think it's created a groundswell of apathy. People feelpowerless against this shit. And, in a lot of ways, they are. So, yeah, it'sreally, really sad.
LEWD: Okay so what's the deal with a full length? Is that coming out any time soon?
Dan - well, we are actually in the studio working on an EP right now. Thesplit 7" with Two Man on Basement Records will be out any minute and our EPwill be released on A389 Records out of Baltimore right after the split.This is a great little label owned by Dom of The Slumlords. aka - hardestworking man in Hardcore. We can't wait to get this record done and out tothe people. I think we'll let people chew on those for a bit.
LEWD: My therapist, my old GM and my ex all asked this question, and godforbid if the answer is shitty, so I thought I'd throw it at you. What areyour plans for the future, where do you see yourself in 5 years? Do you still see us together in that picture… ooops okay omit that last part!
Dan - 5 years is along time Greg. Plus, with my luck I could fall into abarrel of tits and come out sucking my own thumb. Know what I mean? Our planis to write songs, record some records, play shows, make some kids run intoeach other and stay together until we all hate each other and can't take itanymore and break up, just like every other band...But I definitely see you in our future Greg. Its been more than 10 years now. I couldn't get rid ofyou when you lived down the block and now they have the Internet and eventhough you're 2000 miles away its like you're sitting right here with me.We're stuck with you... Hey, thanks a lot for the opportunity to spread thegood news. Good luck with the zine Greg and thanks for supporting us and TwoMan and promoting the record. Check's in the mail!
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Two Man Advantage interview
While Long Island has become synonymous in some circles with those silly all bangs no balls emo boy hair bands, groups like TWO MAN ADVANTAGE reassure all true believers that Hardcore Punk still exists. Long after the latest cloud of scenester pop bullshit clears, these guys will still be standing strong. Their latest release is a split 7 inch with Dc’s Supreme Commander. It’s a hearty slab of ruck n roll continuing the PUCK CORE spirit that began brewing with Drafted. Here’s an interview I did with Two Man's Captain.
LEWD: Okay so you guys have something new for us, a split with Supreme Commander. How did this combination come about and how was it touring with those sons of bitches?
Captain:Yes - April 11, 2006, on Basement Records...marks the first new 2MA music to hit the streets in years & we’re excited about it. It came about because we knew Reiter, the drummer for Supreme Commander...he used to be in the Daycare Swindlers, who we toured with & played a bunch of shows with & became friendly with over the years. They were amazing, but, as all amazing bands tends to do - they broke up. So – it was their idea, really...they asked if we’d be interested in doing a split with them - and it took about 1 second to say, "heck yeah!". I wouldn’t quite call what we did a "tour"...it was supposed to be 4 shows together - it ended up being 3...it was great...great bunch of guys - and they write great songs & put on a great show...we wish the tour could’ve lasted for 6 months.
LEWD: So what’s the hold up with the Drafted reissue, when can we expect to get a copy of this thing?
Captain: The hold-up has been because we’re lazy asses. We took a long time getting the music together...’cause it’s not just going to be Drafted - the re-issue is also going to have the demo & the songs from the 2 early split 7"’s on it. And then we took way too long to put together the artwork...but all that HAS finally been finished & sent to VMS Records...so now the ball is finally in their court. It’ll be out sometime in the next 6-9 months hopefully.
LEWD: You guys had your stuff on the Terror Firmer soundtrack. Did you have the pleasure of interacting directly with the Troma Team?
Captain: Yeah - "Surfin’ the Crowd" was on that one...same version as was on the split 7" with Mad Cow Dizeaze 182 - which means it’ll also be on the Drafted re-issue. It’s not a song we’ve played live in many years - and we probably won’t again...I’m not even sure we remember how to play it. We get requests for it...which we have to pretend we don’t hear.Anyway...no - never had any interaction with anyone at Troma about being on the soundtrack. I have a copy of the movie - and I’m not even sure our song is audible.
LEWD: It seems Two Man have been broadening their horizons and dabbling with ladies Roller Derby. Is this a direct reaction to there being too much sausage at the hockey games?
Captain: Hahaha....perhaps! Although - you do see a lot of girls at hockey games...and there is women’s hockey, too - we’d be more than happy to play. Yeah - we’re the opening entertainment at an upcoming roller derby game here on Long Island...it’s the first time we’ve done it - so we’ll see how it goes. Roller derby has made a HUGE resurgence in the last couple of years...if it goes well - and we’re invited to do it again - I’m sure we will.
LEWD: I hear the band are looking to go take on Canada. Now when I hear Canada, I think higher alcohol by volume in their Beer and a lot more H/C action in their strip clubs. Were either of the two, elements that lead to the decision to hit the Great White North?
Captain: Oh yes - absolutely....alcohol & strippers....that’s all we needed to go. But, seriously....we’re a band devoted to hockey - we’re a band that lives not too far from Canada...why the hell haven’t we played a show in Canada yet?? It’s insane that we haven’t -and we’ve been talking about it for years. But – the opportunity came along. The Hudson Falcons (who I’ll actually be drumming for on that tour) invited us to come along for their 2 week tour. We can’t do a full 2 weeks...but we’re going to do the 2nd half of it — all the Ontario shows & maybe the final show of the tour in Buffalo.
LEWD: How did the whole 69 Minutes of Fame documentary come about, did someone decide that Can’t Stop The Music [ednote: It was the Village People "comdedy" with Steve Guttenberg] should be given a punk rock twist?
Captain: Mark Foster, the director of 69 Minutes of Fame, has been friends with Skate since long, long, long before 2MA was a band. That’s what he does for a living -he’s a director...commercials mostly...commericals you’ve seen, in fact. He’s been a close friend of the band since the beginning, he had come on roadtrips with us - just for fun - and he got the idea of doing a documentary about a small band on tour...there are plenty of tour movies - but they’re usually about bands who are rich & famous & live a life filled with glamour. He decided to make a documentary about a band who sleeps on floors, plays in front of maybe 100 kids one night, and 10 kids the next night - and who -when they finally go home - have to go work "real" jobs to pay the bills.
LEWD: Can we expect a dvd of this film anytime soon?
Captain: You know - there’s never really been an "official" release of any sort. We’ve had VHS copies & then some limited DVD copies...but I really don’t know if there are future plans for the film. It did play in a film festival last summer - and I think 3 people were there to watch it.
LEWD: Okay since this zine is circulating in Avalanche territory, the Avalanche were one of the few teams that have played your music during their games correct?
Captain: I can’t swear by it...but I think Colorado was one of the teams that played some songs from Drafted a few years back.
LEWD: Now half the band supports the Islanders and the other Rangers, right?
Captain: Well - Drunk Bastard, MYK and myself are both Islanders fans. I’m not sure who Snapshot or Rookie routes for - but I’ll throw him in the Islander mix. Skate is a diehard Ranger fan. And Coach is a Penguins fan - which is OK - since he’s originally from Pittsburgh.
LEWD: Does this contribute to any drama on the road, example: because someone disses Mike Bossy and someone else slags Ron Duguay?
Captain: Oh yeah....fights over hockey stats quickly turn into bloodbaths. By the time we show up at the show – it can often be hard to actually play because we’ve turned each other into pulp.
LEWD: Did you ever imagine that you’d see a day when Bryant Gumball would have an award winning sports journalism program?
Captain: I guess not - especially since he sort of left sports behind for awhile there.
LEWD: I don’t like to delve too deeply into a person’s spiritual beliefs but did you feel that Slapshot II was just blasphemous?
Coach: Oh - absolutely. I’m all for making movies about hockey - and having them be comedic...but you don’t fuck with a classic unless you can make another classic....i.e. Godfather II...that took a lot of balls to do, but they pulled it off. But don’t put Slapshot II out just for the sake of the brand name...it was awful - people should just watch the original one twice.
LEWD: Any plans for a new full length?
Captain: Absolutely!!! The split with Supreme Commander & the Drafted re-issue aren’t the only releases in our future. We’re doing a split with another Long Island band called Sick Of Talk which is supposedly coming out on Gutshot Records. Other than that - we’re going to be getting a "real" release for the Live at CBGB CD that we put out ourselves a few years ago, a split with Kill Your Idols - and definitely a new full-length.
As always, Greg, thanks for the interview & the support. People can e-mail us at TwoManAdvantage@yahoo.com, visit our website at
http://www.twomanadvantage/, or become our friend on MySpace at www.myspace.com/twomanadvantage
LEWD: Okay so you guys have something new for us, a split with Supreme Commander. How did this combination come about and how was it touring with those sons of bitches?
Captain:Yes - April 11, 2006, on Basement Records...marks the first new 2MA music to hit the streets in years & we’re excited about it. It came about because we knew Reiter, the drummer for Supreme Commander...he used to be in the Daycare Swindlers, who we toured with & played a bunch of shows with & became friendly with over the years. They were amazing, but, as all amazing bands tends to do - they broke up. So – it was their idea, really...they asked if we’d be interested in doing a split with them - and it took about 1 second to say, "heck yeah!". I wouldn’t quite call what we did a "tour"...it was supposed to be 4 shows together - it ended up being 3...it was great...great bunch of guys - and they write great songs & put on a great show...we wish the tour could’ve lasted for 6 months.
LEWD: So what’s the hold up with the Drafted reissue, when can we expect to get a copy of this thing?
Captain: The hold-up has been because we’re lazy asses. We took a long time getting the music together...’cause it’s not just going to be Drafted - the re-issue is also going to have the demo & the songs from the 2 early split 7"’s on it. And then we took way too long to put together the artwork...but all that HAS finally been finished & sent to VMS Records...so now the ball is finally in their court. It’ll be out sometime in the next 6-9 months hopefully.
LEWD: You guys had your stuff on the Terror Firmer soundtrack. Did you have the pleasure of interacting directly with the Troma Team?
Captain: Yeah - "Surfin’ the Crowd" was on that one...same version as was on the split 7" with Mad Cow Dizeaze 182 - which means it’ll also be on the Drafted re-issue. It’s not a song we’ve played live in many years - and we probably won’t again...I’m not even sure we remember how to play it. We get requests for it...which we have to pretend we don’t hear.Anyway...no - never had any interaction with anyone at Troma about being on the soundtrack. I have a copy of the movie - and I’m not even sure our song is audible.
LEWD: It seems Two Man have been broadening their horizons and dabbling with ladies Roller Derby. Is this a direct reaction to there being too much sausage at the hockey games?
Captain: Hahaha....perhaps! Although - you do see a lot of girls at hockey games...and there is women’s hockey, too - we’d be more than happy to play. Yeah - we’re the opening entertainment at an upcoming roller derby game here on Long Island...it’s the first time we’ve done it - so we’ll see how it goes. Roller derby has made a HUGE resurgence in the last couple of years...if it goes well - and we’re invited to do it again - I’m sure we will.
LEWD: I hear the band are looking to go take on Canada. Now when I hear Canada, I think higher alcohol by volume in their Beer and a lot more H/C action in their strip clubs. Were either of the two, elements that lead to the decision to hit the Great White North?
Captain: Oh yes - absolutely....alcohol & strippers....that’s all we needed to go. But, seriously....we’re a band devoted to hockey - we’re a band that lives not too far from Canada...why the hell haven’t we played a show in Canada yet?? It’s insane that we haven’t -and we’ve been talking about it for years. But – the opportunity came along. The Hudson Falcons (who I’ll actually be drumming for on that tour) invited us to come along for their 2 week tour. We can’t do a full 2 weeks...but we’re going to do the 2nd half of it — all the Ontario shows & maybe the final show of the tour in Buffalo.
LEWD: How did the whole 69 Minutes of Fame documentary come about, did someone decide that Can’t Stop The Music [ednote: It was the Village People "comdedy" with Steve Guttenberg] should be given a punk rock twist?
Captain: Mark Foster, the director of 69 Minutes of Fame, has been friends with Skate since long, long, long before 2MA was a band. That’s what he does for a living -he’s a director...commercials mostly...commericals you’ve seen, in fact. He’s been a close friend of the band since the beginning, he had come on roadtrips with us - just for fun - and he got the idea of doing a documentary about a small band on tour...there are plenty of tour movies - but they’re usually about bands who are rich & famous & live a life filled with glamour. He decided to make a documentary about a band who sleeps on floors, plays in front of maybe 100 kids one night, and 10 kids the next night - and who -when they finally go home - have to go work "real" jobs to pay the bills.
LEWD: Can we expect a dvd of this film anytime soon?
Captain: You know - there’s never really been an "official" release of any sort. We’ve had VHS copies & then some limited DVD copies...but I really don’t know if there are future plans for the film. It did play in a film festival last summer - and I think 3 people were there to watch it.
LEWD: Okay since this zine is circulating in Avalanche territory, the Avalanche were one of the few teams that have played your music during their games correct?
Captain: I can’t swear by it...but I think Colorado was one of the teams that played some songs from Drafted a few years back.
LEWD: Now half the band supports the Islanders and the other Rangers, right?
Captain: Well - Drunk Bastard, MYK and myself are both Islanders fans. I’m not sure who Snapshot or Rookie routes for - but I’ll throw him in the Islander mix. Skate is a diehard Ranger fan. And Coach is a Penguins fan - which is OK - since he’s originally from Pittsburgh.
LEWD: Does this contribute to any drama on the road, example: because someone disses Mike Bossy and someone else slags Ron Duguay?
Captain: Oh yeah....fights over hockey stats quickly turn into bloodbaths. By the time we show up at the show – it can often be hard to actually play because we’ve turned each other into pulp.
LEWD: Did you ever imagine that you’d see a day when Bryant Gumball would have an award winning sports journalism program?
Captain: I guess not - especially since he sort of left sports behind for awhile there.
LEWD: I don’t like to delve too deeply into a person’s spiritual beliefs but did you feel that Slapshot II was just blasphemous?
Coach: Oh - absolutely. I’m all for making movies about hockey - and having them be comedic...but you don’t fuck with a classic unless you can make another classic....i.e. Godfather II...that took a lot of balls to do, but they pulled it off. But don’t put Slapshot II out just for the sake of the brand name...it was awful - people should just watch the original one twice.
LEWD: Any plans for a new full length?
Captain: Absolutely!!! The split with Supreme Commander & the Drafted re-issue aren’t the only releases in our future. We’re doing a split with another Long Island band called Sick Of Talk which is supposedly coming out on Gutshot Records. Other than that - we’re going to be getting a "real" release for the Live at CBGB CD that we put out ourselves a few years ago, a split with Kill Your Idols - and definitely a new full-length.
As always, Greg, thanks for the interview & the support. People can e-mail us at TwoManAdvantage@yahoo.com, visit our website at
http://www.twomanadvantage/, or become our friend on MySpace at www.myspace.com/twomanadvantage
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
