Interview with Chris Dodge
(Taken from The Crlass Menagerie
#47)
CM: So what is the latest news from the SPAZZ
camp? I hear there is a
nationwide tour in the works!
Chris: Yep. June & July we're hittin'
the states to play our unique brand of
ballroom-satanic-cajun-polka. The actual dates
will be listed in Slap A Ham and
625 ads in MRR.
CM: Describe SPAZZ live for those not
lucky enough to have seen you yet.
Chris: Halitosis with a beat.
CM: SPAZZ has released so many limited
edition and hard to find 7"ers and
splits that it is hard to keep up with them all!
Any plans to get all
those songs together on one release for a big
party?
Chris: Yep. There will be a CD on Slap
A Ham that will compile all of our out of
print vinyl efforts....even the early stuff that
really sucks.
CM: What new releases can we look forward to?
Chris: Split 7" with Lack Of Interest,
Split 7" with Opstand, Split picture disc 7"
with MITB, Split 7" with Black Army Jacket, Split
7" with Jimmie Walker.
And that's only for April!
CM: On the new album you encourage fans of power
violence to respect the roots
of the genre. What do you see as the roots
of P.V.? What makes it a
distinct genre, or is it?
Chris: The roots would be every extreme
band from Neos to Siege to Pandemonium to
newer bands like Infest. It definitely
has it's own sound. Lotsa fast & slow
extremes thrown in together. Buy one of
our records to find out....
CM: SPAZZ records seem to have a "theme".
Freaks, pro-wrestlers, skate
boarding, devil worship, kung-fu movies, etc.
What are some new themes in
the works?
Chris: Dog grooming. Floor mopping. Wine
tasing.
CM: You just released a split 5" with GOB that
was dedicated to a zine editor.
When do I get a record dedicated to me?
Chris: As soon as you do something silly
enough to merit being ridiculed by us for an
entire record.
CM: If you were Jack Tripper which roomate would
you go for?
Chris: Neither. I'd choose the sex
starved Mrs. Roper.
CM: Who would win a fight between Gilligan and
J.J. Walker?
Chris: J.J. is from the ghetto and Gilligan
is a scared suburban nerd. You decide.
CM: How come SPAZZ didn't win a Grammy
this year?
Chris: Because they didn't accept my bribe.
CM: What does SPAZZ do for April Fools
Day and Halloween?
Chris: This April Fools Day we're going
into the studio to record. That is
unless the studio guy is playing a trick on us.
On Halloween we do what everyone
does....lick the cloven hoof!
CM: What was cooler the KISS reunion or the SEX
PISTOLS one?
Chris: If I had to choose between washed
up guys in their 40's playing songs from the
'70s or washed up guys in their 40's wearing
makeup and costumes and using
props and pyrotechnics and spitting fire and
blood and playing songs from the '70s,
it's no question that I'd choose the latter.
CM: How much money did you spend on KISS in the
last year?
Chris: About $100 (ticket, T-shirt, tour
program)
CM: What musical styles do you really hate?
Chris: Really, really bad indie rock (and
there's a lot of it).
CM: What styles do you love that would surprise
people to know about?
Chris: I like just about everything from
XTC to Steely Dan to Marty Robbins to The
Kids Of Widney High to Weezer to King Uszniewicz
to Simon & Garfunkel to Billy
Squier to George Benson to Vince Guiraldi to
the Beach Boys to ABBA to the
Carter Family to early Van Halen to early Kool
& the Gang and so on. I could
literally ramble on forever (and I often do).
CM: -Now that you and Lydia are married can she
quit pretending to tolerate SPAZZ?
Chris: Pretending? What do you mean?
She's never pretended! She's always been very
honest about the fact that she hates SPAZZ.
CM: If you could tour with any band ever, who
would it be?
Chris: Kenny G. Just because it would
bum everyone out.
CM: If you could have any guest musician ever
on the next SPAZZ album who
would it be?
Chris: Lionel Hampton. But I think
he just died.
CM: What cover tune would you love to play on
a SPAZZ record that Dan and Max
would never do?
Chris: Probably "Freedom Of Choice" by
Devo or the Beatles' "Piggies". They would
make great heavy songs.
CM: What is the dumbest show on televsion?
Chris: "Married With Children". They're
the Ropers of the '90's except even less
funny. Obvious humor always makes me mad.
CM: What was the dumbest question in this interview?
Chris: The one about being a hermaphrodite.
CM: Any parting shots for the hordes of SPAZZ-ticks?
Chris: Remember to burn the Crass Menagerie
before you pillage it.
Thanks to Jeb Branin from The Crass Menagerie
for the interview. Get on The Crass Menagerie mailing list by clicking
here