Interview by: Aaron
Photos by: Travis
With everybody trying to jump on the big “rock resurgence” bandwagon these days, nobody still comes close to touching Rocket From The Crypt. Buddyhead had a lot to ask these guys, so before one of their shows in L.A., Aaron and Travis cornered founding member Speedo in the corner of the kitchen in the back of the club. Besides Aaron having to hold back Travis while Speedo shit talked Axl, things went pretty smoothly.
buddyhead: hey, how ya doing?
speedo: great.
buddyhead: why don’t you tell everybody your name and what you do in rftc.
speedo: my name is speedo. some people call me john cos that’s the name my parents gave me. i sing and play guitar in the band called rocket from the crypt.
buddyhead: cool. so your new cd out is called “all systems go 2″ and it’s on your brand new label correct?
speedo: yes, the label is called swami.
buddyhead: ok, and you started it with john from sympathy right?
speedo: yeah, it’s long gone john and myself.
buddyhead: what motivated you to start your own label?
speedo: um, i had a lot of free time this year and it basically stems from the fact that i like making records and i made records with other bands as far as producing them and helping them record and it’s just something i’ve kinda always been into. it also came down to the fact that we were struggling to get off our label and it was just the right thing to do at the right time. just put our records out ourselves and do it in a manner which we feel comfortable doing. i’m really fortunate to have a record like “all systems go 2″ to be my first release. all the guys in the band are real proud of it. it’s all songs that have been released in various formats over the last 8 years, so it’s cool to get everything out there.
buddyhead: it couldn’t possibly be everything though could it?
speedo: no, basically everything we record doesn’t necessarily see the light of day. even the songs that do, if they’re not on an album, they’re scattered on compilations, or european only things, asian only releases etc. so that kinda makes it hard for people to ever hear these songs without paying exorbitant amounts of money for import prices and that’s nothing that anybody in the band is really into. we like our stuff to be available.
buddyhead: do you have any intentions of releasing any stuff from different artists on the label besides rftc?
speedo: yeah, in february, the second record we’re putting out is by a band called hot snakes. after that we’re gonna do a couple more rocket things. we’re going to re-release the “hot charity” album we did in 95. it was a vinyl only release, so we’re gonna put it on cd finally. there’s a couple other rocket things planned after that. then i’m gonna do a swinging neckbreakers live record. they’re this amazing rocknroll band from trenton, new jersey. i’m gonna do a compilation of san diego bands that is going to be the ultimate compilation to end all compilations of san diego bands.
buddyhead: what kind of bands do you have planned for that?
speedo: it’s going to be a good cross section, but it will be the cream of the crop from san diego. it’ll be rocket, hot snakes, the locust, run for your fucking life, hopefully we’ll get a track from gogogo but their bass player is out of the country for a couple months. it’s what i feel are some of the greatest bands from san diego now.
buddyhead: so you think the san diego scene is pretty strong now?
speedo: it’s awesome. san diego is a really weird city because it’s always like alive and barely kicking. it’s a city that always has one foot in the grave in a sense that there isn’t a tremendous amount of support and the support that is there is basically people in other bands or… y’know what i’m saying?
buddyhead: totally.
speedo: and it’s not necessarily a close knit scene, cos there’s so many different kinds of bands, but it’s good. i think there’s a lot more good music in san diego than in los angeles right now. there’s just more diversity. and without having a real music industry, you tend not to have bands that are trying to base their sound or what they’re doing based on any kind of commercial aspirations. it seems to be a lot more grass roots and low key and casual.
buddyhead: so i heard you guys have totally severed your ties with interscope, is this true?
speedo: yeah, since february we’ve been trying to work on an agreement so that we can get off the label.
buddyhead: i heard that maybe on the last record, they weren’t satisfied with the album the way you guys turned it in.
speedo: y’know, i really don’t have anything bad to say about it. we’re off and we’re grateful that they let us off. they didn’t treat us poorly, we just felt that we would be better off doing something else. there wasn’t any conflict other than the fact that we didn’t feel the situation was ideal for us. i didn’t think we were ever given a fair shot.
buddyhead: did it feel like it was a totally different label compared to when you originally signed with them?
speedo: it definitely is. maybe that’s part of the problem.
buddyhead: you didn’t have to deal with fred durst or whoever it is new that works over there now did you?
speedo: no, but if i did have to deal with that guy, i’d probably put a bullet in my head.
buddyhead: did you ever see dre over there?
speedo: never saw dre, i could tell you who i did see. gerardo, remember gerardo? i don’t know what his position is, but he always walks around without his shirt on, even behind his desk. i bumped into him in the restroom, literally, and he wasn’t wearing a shirt. i saw shaquille o’neal there too.
buddyhead: haha, did they put out any of his records?
speedo: maybe one of them. yeah, he’s a real musical genius.
buddyhead: speaking of major labels, what is your reaction to current mainstream music?
speedo: i think mainstream music, like always, is just plagued with so much crap. i don’t want to be negative… none of it relates to me. it just seems like a whole different universe that i am not a part of. a lot of the stuff i hear is just repellent to me. i don’t want to sound like a grumpy old fart but… when somethings bad it’s not offensive, but it’s when it’s being shoved down your throat, that’s when hatred begins. you’ll have a band like korn, which i think is terrible, and you’ll think they’re the worst thing you’ve ever heard until they spawn 800 bands. then it’s like, “woah you thought that shit was bad, check out the bands that were inspired by them.”
buddyhead: for awhile when we saw a little bit of rocket on mtv or on tour with big bands, it seemed you guys could appeal to the mainstream. do you see that happening ever?
speedo: well… what we do is really based on pop structure. it’s not rocket science. i think what we do is very immediate. with that, i wouldn’t rule the possibility out. but people have to come to us, we’re not going to them. the majority of people in the world don’t go out looking under rocks for cool bands. it has to smack them in the middle of the head, not once but maybe 20 times before they get the hint it might be cool. i kinda doubt it to tell you the truth, it’s not what we’re going for.
buddyhead: will you guys sign with another major or put out your records yourself now or what?
speedo: i dunno what’s up right now. we just put out a 12 inch e.p. on our friend max’s label, we’re recording new stuff, the majority of the set tonight is all new songs… y’know that kinda thing.
buddyhead: i’ve also heard talk that drive like jehu still owes interscope one more album before they’ve finished their agreement with the label. mark told me he doesn’t even own a drumset anymore, so is that even possible if it were true?
speedo: no, it’s not true. jehu is over. the only thing even jehu related anymore is me and the singer, rick, are doing the hot snakes. it’s rick, myself, jason from delta 72, and gar wood who was in tanner. that record will be out in february. we’re gonna do a little tour in late february/march and that’s about it. the other jehu guys…mark is an awesome record producer. him not owning a drum set anymore is kinda gross though. mike is an awesome chemist and has a new band called corrugated which is in a similar vein as jehu. it’s just like dissonant guitar, angular, thudding bass lines, it’s really cool.
buddyhead: what kind of stuff have you been listening to lately?
speedo: right now all i’ve been listening to for the past couple months is this ethiopian music. there’s this series of compilations called “ethiopics” and it’s up to like volume 7 and it’s very soul and r&b influenced music. it’s just like crazy vocals and scales with a very primal and raw soul thing goin on. kinda like james brown mixed with african music, but unlike most other african music, it’s more mideast sounding. other than that, swinging neckbreakers, as far as rocknroll goes, few do it as good as them. detroit cobras released an amazing record this year. i really dig royal trux, blonde redhead, those are some new things i like.
buddyhead: do you have any plans for when y2k goes down?
speedo: i’m going to mexico. just lay low with some friends.
buddyhead: do you have any weird opinions about that whole thing?
speedo: yeah, i just know that people love the opportunity to freak out. with all the paranoia, i wish all those people would just go freak out somewhere else. i don’t think it’s a wise idea to go out partying that night. it’s not that i think anything wrong is going to happen, i just think there’s gonna be so many fuckin idiots and morons that it’s gonna be the worst case of amateur night you’ve ever seen.
buddyhead: if you thought the world was going to end on january 1st, what would you do?
speedo: i guess i’d just be depressed.
buddyhead: have you ever been arrested?
speedo: hehe, it’s not all that it’s cracked up to be. it doesn’t give you any credibility that’s for sure.
buddyhead: why did you get arrested?
speedo: it was a few different times all for stupid, innocent stuff… urinating in public, indecent exposure, that was during the same time. once for ice block sliding which is when you get on a big block of ice and slide down a hill. i got arrested for that. let’s see… disturbing the peace, i was at a party that got broken up so… oh, i was arrested in arizona for cutting a guys finger off.
buddyhead: what?!
speedo: it was on accident. rocket was playing phoenix, and some dude was just flipping me off all night long. i kept saying, “hey, hey, you gotta stop.” so whenever i would look his way, he would turn his middle finger into a peace sign. then as soon as i would look away, he’d give me the bird again. i saw this happening, so finally i told him if he didn’t put the finger away, i was gonna cut it off. i had just bought this switchblade in tijuana and i thought it’d be funny if i broke it out. so i break it out and grab his hand. he turned away, but as he turned away, he jerked it towards me. the top part just went, “shhhhck” and came right off on the stage.
buddyhead: ohhh man! damn kids, don’t fuck with rocket.
speedo: yeah, all the arrests happened before i was 25 so…
buddyhead: how old are you now?
speedo: i’m 30.
buddyhead: i know you’re bored answering the tattoo questions, but i always wondered if you guys really did get everybody in with a rftc tattoo, and can you still do that when you play a larger show or big festival?
speedo: not all the shows, but like 80 percent of them. places where the band doesn’t have a say with what goes on, no.
buddyhead: do you have one?
speedo: yeah, everybody in the band has one. somewhere.
buddyhead: on your website, you guys have pictures of all the really good rftc tattoos. i was wondering if you ever see just really bad rocket tattoos?
speedo: oh, the worst are the better in my opinion. this guy barry in philly who is a friend of ours has the best rocket tattoo in the entire universe. he had it done at 3 in the morning, completely by himself, with a tattoo gun he borrowed. the guy only gave him 5 minutes to do it. it’s all a single line, like a really bad rocket outline kinda crooked. he thought that maybe people wouldn’t know what it was, so he wrote in his own handwriting underneath it, “rocket”
buddyhead: don’t you feel a little bit guilty about that?
speedo: no it’s awesome man. but y’know, i thought gg allen had the best tattoos in the world.
buddyhead: what do you think of canadians?
speedo: they’re cool cos they have really funky hair usually. it’s like the canadian fro. i love canada actually. i think toronto is a super progressive city, i think montreal is kinda weird and cool, i think vancouver is beautiful and one of the finest cities in the northwest. the whole middle of it though is like one big dead zone.
buddyhead: i dunno, it’s a weird question. we just get a weird vibe there and were wondering how you felt.
speedo: try the vibe in saskatoon sometime. you think the mullet is only an american phenomenon?
buddyhead: do you guys do well up there?
speedo: we don’t go there very much, but whenever we do, we do really good. they like to rocknroll up there.
buddyhead: i heard one place you do well is europe. does that mean all the groupies are hairy?
speedo: i dunno. i don’t really get with the chicks y’know? i’ve been married for awhile. i don’t think people are in this band to get laid. i’m not saying there’s a puritan element, but it’s not a priority.
buddyhead: didn’t you take wesley willis on tour once?
speedo: yeah.
buddyhead: did he head-butt you?
speedo: yeah, he butts everybody in the head.
buddyhead: did he write a song about you guys?
speedo: yes. he wrote it before we took him on tour. we were so awestruck that somebody wrote a song about us but at the time we didn’t know that he wrote a song about the shit he took in the morning or walking to the store y’know?
buddyhead: are you backin any of the new guns n roses stuff?
speedo: i hated them when they were around the first time. i thought they were the worst piece of fuckin crap i’ve ever heard, why would i want more? it’s like goin through a smorgasbord, gettin the shits, then saying, “lets go get a second helping.” fuck no. they were terrible. axl rose sounds like somebody squeezing the air out of a dead, rotting cat. when he came out with the backwards baseball cap and the bandana and singin about “niggers and faggots” i mean, fuck that asshole. any guy who needs a massage before going on stage and then contemplating whether he’s going to play or not is a fuckin rock star, cock suckin, son of a bitch whether it’s him or marilyn manson.