With my regrets to the record labels, I always have the best intentions when interviewing bands. Your standard boring interview would include their influences,
how much they looove their record label, and how grateful they are to My Chemical Romance for letting them open. However,
These Arms Are Snakes are not a band of puppets answering questions they've practiced in the mirror, so instead, we talked about their new songs,
how much Fall Out Boy sucks, and how they love gay people.
Tuula: So, how long have you been on tour, is this the start of the end?
TAAS: Just a quick jaunt for us, it's just a few days. It's all new songs, to see if it worked live before we record it.
Its nerve-wracking but more exciting for us. There was a general idea that we wanted to do something more innovative, more classic rock
influence, not as thrashy as the last record was, in some ways slow it down a bit, more psychedelic, and introspective.
Tuula: That's a good word.
(laughter)
TAAS: Some of it has less structure, and then some of it has it's moments where theres like, absolutely no structure at all.
Well gonna go back and record almost immediately after this. Weve going on the fourth to record these songs,
there's a single were gonna put out with Suicide Squeeze. The record label will put out a 7 inch with a song from them and a song from the record, then it's out in october
Tuula: Do you have any obscure album titles that reviewers can ask you what does that mean?
TAAS: It has a lot to do with Pepsi and Bank Of America.
Tuula: You should call it cooperate sponsorship = priceless.
TAAS: It should be called daddy needs new jeans.
(Another band member) It should be called My Hostile Chemical Fallout Boy Romance.
Tuula: Chemical Romance? That guy kinda scares me.
TAAS: He's odd looking
Tuula: Yeah, he's odd looking, and it's like when I was a little kid and everyone liked Duran Duran, this faux persona thing taking over teenagers.
TAAS: It sucks, it's like the new Limp Biscuit. it's mainstream pop music, it's pretty much on par with Britney Spears.
Tuula: (sarcastically) Yeah, but now it's edgy
TAAS: The thing that sucks is that we've interacted with those bands, and it's always like, We LOOOVE your band, I know you don't like our band because you know we suck, but we LOOOVE your band and we're
like, so then why are you...? oh, wait, you're smart, you're making money. If you know you're in a bad band, why are you doing it? That's what I hate about those bands.
Those douchebags, they should know better.
Tuula: Have you toured with any bigger bands like that?
TAAS: We toured with Under Oath and that was very educational tour.
That was our foray into the Warped tour. Do you know who they are? They're like a Christian band. I grew up with a lot of Christian hardcore kids and bands and they were cool,
they always had their own thing going, good music. You couldn't tell the difference between them or anyone else.
So I wasn't biased going on this tour, I was like alright, everyone has their own belief, and whatever, everyone's allowed to think what they want,
and then we go on this tour and it turns out they're like this the most republican fucking band.
Tuula: Like, we hate black people and lets have a prayer circle kind of thing?
TAAS: Yeah, like we're gonna pray for black people and gay alcoholics.
We'd be in the room and all of them would start praying together before they went on, it just felt all awkward, know?
Tuula: Like the football guys that pat each other on the butt.
TAAS: I guess I just come from from a different school of punk rock ideals. It seems so out of place within punk rock. It just goes to show how not
rebellious rock music and punk music is anymore. If you believe in punk rock and you can say that you believe that George Bush is a good man and...
Tuula: It doesn't really mesh
TAAS: The praying thing got me, but one day we had this friend say hi on tour. He's black and he plays the drums, and they (Under Oath) were like Oh yeah,
he's really a drummer, he's a black guy. (imitating in Christian Rock voice, whatever that is) My mom always told me all those black men could play drums...
all those colored boys...The same day they made some comment, they kept using the word faggot, but not even like ironically, just like, I hope no one thinks I'm a FAGGOT or anything.
We were somewhere and there was a gay rally and they were like, I'm not going to go out there with all those faggots. That was in Toronto, that's right.
(General laughter at Under Oaths expense.)
Tuula: And what with punk rock, you guys arent really a marketable band, do you ever see yourself getting to the point where you will be?
TAAS: (There is a pause.) No...(laughter.) I think it crosses your mind at some point, when you're broke and you can't pay your rent, and you're like, are we ever
gonna make any money off of this? Do we care about that? You question it a lot. But were writing a record now that's more one-dimensional than the one before, it's
pretty out there so I don't know if we really care.
Tuula: There are bands that are well known, people have heard their name yet they're still under the radar. Im like, how does it work? Do you just get a day
job and work at a different Starbucks for a month?
TAAS: Rich girlfriends..uh, no, it doesnt work most of the time. All of our musical influences, when we were like, we wanna do something like that, we took
their records and sold them. Which of course is why it's great having this thing so I can just download them all. (gestures to the laptop playing Fela Kula)
Tuula: Do you guys have friends in bands that you play with?
(silence)
Tuula: Enemies in bands that you play with?
TAAS: We played with Big Business recently, there's a lot of bands...Akimbop...all of our friends bands are more popular than us.
Then there's all the bands from seattle that you've heard of.
Tuula: Uh...like Nirvana?
TAAS: Yeah, they're cool guys, we hang out with them all the time.
Tuula: You guys don't have any pre show rituals, no prayers.
TAAS: Drinking, stringing of instruments. Oh, wait, and we all hang out. I feel so much closer to you, man.
Tuula: Speaking of faggots, Bob Mould! (Copper Blue by Sugar starts playing on the laptop) Yeah!
Tuula: like Sugar. I loved Husker Du.
TAAS: Yeah, this is great.
Tuula: Hooray for faggots. So, anything good about San Francisco>?
TAAS: We love San Francisco.
Tuula: All those faggots and colored people.
TAAS: No, didn't they put them all on the other side of that bridge?
TAAS: No...brian and I were like, three years ago, couldn't stand coming here.
But then we met some cool people, that local band, Communique? They're from here, we toured with them, and from that point on I've always loved to come from SF.
Tuula: There's no parking.
TAAS: Oh, that's like Seattle. I really hope SF doesnt fall into the ocean
Tuula: Well, you guys had an earthquake right before us.
TAAS: Yeah, but it was minor compared to what happened here. I was in LA and there was a HUGE earthquake and it was all, like, people driving off the bridges,
backyard walls all coming down, I crawled up on my bed and hid.
Tuula: Any last words for any fans who reside in the area.
TAAS: KEEP IT REAL! Keep it real, bro. Yeah, that sounds good, let's keep it.
Tuula: I think that's it?
TAAS: I dont know, don't you have any last words for us?
Tuula: Good luck...good luck with that prayer circle. Pray to like, the Beer King or something. Have you guys eaten a burrito here yet in SF?
TAAS: Like the MIssion ones or something? The big ass ones? I dont know, I don't like that. They're like, here's your rice, your beans. All this shit, like, THERE IT IS!
Tuula: Every band I interview is like, I LOVE SF! THE BURRITOS! Thats all I could get them to talk about.
TAAS: As opposed to...killing small children or something. Let's get drunk. I wonder if our van got towed??
Tuula: Probably.
Tuula Ala
