I'd especially like to give a huge thanks The Briggs for taking time out of their day and doing this interview for me. I'd also like to apologize to The Briggs for asking them so many questions. After typing this up I realized I am about the worst interviewer in existence, and can not come up with a decent question. Ever. I'd also like to thank my friend Nick Sanford for going to this show with me, braving the crazy fuckin' Red Sox fans, and taping the interview.
Haley: Who's your favorite serial killer and why?
Jason: Benny, Benny's my favorite serial killer, but he's decided to play bass now, and stop all the killings.
Ben: The uhhhh... what's his name? from England, the uuuhh...
Joey: Jack the ripper?
Ben: Jack the ripper! Cause he got away with it for so long, and everybody still argues who the hell he is. That's a good criminal, imposter...
Jason: Yeah! I agree!
Joey: I can't think of anything right now [Laughs].
Jason: Say, "I conquer," it's much more professional!
Haley: Okay, let's talk about your new album.
Haley: Which one of your songs would you completely get rid of, if you could?
Jason: As far as inspiration? As far as what its about?
Haley: I haven't heard it yet..so..
Jason: Oh, really? Well, we recorded 15 songs for it, we picked 14 that we thought were the best. And it was out first time working with a producer, and Duane Peters was, I don't know. What would we say about Duane Peters?
Joey: He was very funny to work with, he's a very hyper guy.
Nick: That guys off the wall, I met him a few years ago.
Jason: He comes in going, "yeah guys this is crazy!" What was it, an accident he was telling us about? With that guy that stopped in the middle of the road? And he almost hit him?
Joey: Yeah I remember that.
Jason: Duane Peters...
Joey: Well, I mean it's the strongest thing we've ever done, so far it's the, you know, I think it represents us well as a band and shows what we're about.
Haley: So you think it's better then your other one?
Joey: Definitely.
Jason: It was very straight forward and we did it in 9 days and, you know, we didn't, we didn't really sit and think about it too much, we just sort of recorded it and we were done, that was just the more straight forward approach, which we haven’t really taken. You know? And Duane really sort of helped that gel too because he was just sort of like, "it's fuckin' good! You're done!" and stopped hitting the record button, you know? He knew when to say stop, which was really cool. But what we did do is take a lot of time and really think before hand what we really wanted to say, which we didn't do in the past I think we spent more time before the studio really making it what we wanted it to be.
Jason: Wow.
Joey: Ha.
Jason: I'd say all of them.
Joey, Ben, and Jason: [Laugh]
Jason: Start clean. If one goes, they all go!
Joey: Uhhmmm.. [very long pause] Nothing off the last album that I would really get rid of, everything I like, so..
Ben: I agree.
Jason: We're proud of it. We wouldn't have put it on the record if we weren't.
Joey: That was song 15.
Jason: [Laughs] Yeah, song 15, the one that didn't end up on the record.
Ben: We preempted your question.
Joey: [Laughs]
Haley: What's your opinion on the new wave of punk music?
Jason: We spent a long time talking about this on the way out here. It's such a toss. Like Brody and her perfectly cut Misfits t-shirt that shows her breasts. Perfectly. [That comment was directed towards me and my Distillers t-shirt]. You know, I love Rancid, always, and you know, their, they've changed, I think a lot of bands sort of get influenced by that and everyone does what they do.
Ben: I don't know, we spent a long time trying to define that on the way out here like, a lot of the bands, like people are quick to call sell-outs and stuff, now a days when its just becoming more mainstream. Now its becoming more accepted for bands to be making money at what they're doing, its not considered, it doesn't have a negative effect on the band, cause they're still playing the same music they'd be playing anyways, whether they're making money doing it or not, you know, its...How were we comparing that, what were we comparing that to? Oh oh, like the movie industry, like uhh.
Jason: Yeah, yeah, yeah, like, what, at what point do you get upset with a band for having some kind of success when somebody like uh, what was the director we were talking about?
Joey & Ben: Quinton Terentino.
Jason: Quinton Terentino, can make, you know, millions of dollars making a film that everyone loves, and no one gets upset with him for making a successful film, and he's still considered the...
Joey: Cult hero.
Jason: Yeah, the cult hero.
Ben: These are really long answers.
Jason: It is. These are really long answers.. But I think in a round about way it makes a lot of sense. About people being too quick to not like a band just because of, just because they're making money, or because maybe they progressed their style a little bit.
[At this point they're discussing gross things in their hair, and Chris shows up.]
Haley: Do you see your style of music changing in the future?
Jason: I think it'll progress as it progresses. I think a lot of bands change, you know? Whatever it is, whatever natural course it takes.
Joey: Yeah, I think its hard to you know, say where it's going to go or anything like that, just, it just happens to change when it does, you know? But I think it would be impossible for a band to stay exactly the same.
Jason: Alright Poo you say something now, you haven't said anything yet.
Chris: What's the question?
Jason: Do you see your style changing over the years, or having some sort of evolution.
Chris: Yeah, I see it progressing like, just, like, people get old and so does your music, like, it progresses like you grow old, and you grow old with your music.
Jason: If you were making the exact same album...
Chris: Yeah, if you were making the same album for ten years its going to sound like shit after a while, your gonna get bored with it, so are kids, so like, music progression is just like a natural thing.
[Un-decodable talking]
Ben: We all have our moments. Yours is now.
Joey: Alright, what’s the next question.
[This part was difficult to figure out who said what...some of it could be wrong. sorry.]
Haley: What CD is in your CD player right now?
Ben: What is in the new van..
Jason: We were listening to the radio last but uh...
Joey: We've been listening to a lot of different stuff.
Jason: In the van?
Joey: Yeah.
Ben: Angelic Upstarts?
Joey: Yeah, I think that was last.
Chris: Yeah.
Jason: Yeah, I think that was the last thing. Angelic Upstarts is in the CD player. Done.
Ben: Short and to the point!!! [Pause] Sorry.
Haley: If you were a super hero what would your name and power be?
Jason: Wow.
Chris, Joey, Ben: [Laugh]
Haley: I had to throw some stupid questions in there, sorry.
Ben: I'd be Benny The BMX. Not much has changed. Oh, my super power, you know like when your falling or something really crazy is happening and everything kinda slows down, I don't know if that makes sense to you guys, like when your falling down, and all of a sudden shit slows down, that would be my power, I'd be able to do that all the time.
Jason: Slow motion?
Joey: Slow everything down?
Ben: While everything else is going regular speed.
Chris: Captain Sodomy!
Jason: Captain Sodomy?!
Ben: I don't know if I feel comfortable with you being behind me all the time. Who are you gonna be?
Jason: Yeah! Joe!
Chris: You can be my first mate Falachio!
Joey: No, I would be Fashion Joe, I'd have matching outfits every night.
Chris: Jason?
Jason: Yeah, I think I'd be the Super Independent Record Store Guy who knew about every single album ever made.
Ben: Every off-print and studio recording.
[Joey says something here...but couldn't understand him because of Ben.]
Jason: Yeah, like Hi-Fidelity.
Chris: You'd be Jack Black.
Haley: My friends 6 year old brother wanted me to ask you what your favorite movie was, so that's the next question.
Jason: We all have a lot of the same movies. Spaceballs we really liked, Ghost Busters, right?
Ben: Snatch is all..
Joey: Goonies is a very popular one.
Jason: Goonies.
Jason: A lot of really good 80's movies.
Ben: We agree on a lot but we learned on the way out here that a lot of us haven't seen a lot of the movies that everyone else really likes.
Haley: Redneck Zombies, I recommend that movie to everyone.
Chris: Redneck Zombies?
Haley: It's on Troma Films.
Chris: I haven't seen that.
Haley: It's good. It's really cheesy.
Chris: I have the Toxic Avenger with the full head crushing scene at home.
Joey: "Things you never knew about the band" there's a movie line you never got. Alright there you go.
Haley: Biggest influences?
Jason: I think I'm going to sit this whole interview out.
Haley: I'm sorry these questions aren't that great...
Jason: Biggest influences? [Pause] No it's not that, it's I don't want to be put on the spot and be quoted for something very stupid.
Chris: I pick strummer.
Joey: uhh.. The Pogues. Shane MacGowan is a big influence of mine.
Ben: I'd say, me personally Johnny Cash.
Jason: and food! Food is a big influence!
Ben: Food. Yes. How far we're gonna drive, when we're gonna stop...
Joey: It carries a lot of weight in the band.
Jason: Yeah, I think.. Who else.. oh jesus...
Chris: That's enough.
Haley: What are the ups and downs of being in a band?
Jason: Being in the car too long is definitely a down.
Ben: We've been driving for three days.
Jason: Too much driving.
Ben: Getting sick on the road.
Joey: Getting sick really sucks. I'm sick right now, I've been sick for the last three days. It's not comfortable.
Jason: The up is when the crowd really gels with the show and everything is one big pile of energy.
Joey: Pile of.. [laughs]
Jason: And the whole thing goes just right. That's probably the biggest up. Is when you end a show and you just want to hug everyone.
Ben: Biggest down is the detours, detours, sleeping in the van, and uh..
Chris: Not showering.
Ben: Not showering.
Joey: We did all the negative stuff.
Jason: Poparatizy, I think that’s the biggest down!!!
Everyone: Laughs.
Jason: Yeah. there you go. Alright.
Haley: What do you do to pass the time while you're driving?
Ben: A lot of music.
Jason: Sleep and listen to music. Play stupid games.
Chris: Yeah.
Joey: What we do is, we play, someone will say a quote from a movie, and then everybody has to guess what movie it is.
Chris: Yeah, we're lame. We're not really all that cool.
Jason: It takes hours. It's like walking into a record store and when you're put on the spot you forget every movie you've ever seen.
Ben: We try and right songs, but we haven't done that yet.
Jason: Not yet.
Joey: That doesn't work out as well as we hoped.
Ben: It just doesn't happen.
Jason: Everyone has different attentions in the van. Sometimes Benny flashes this little blue lights on his key chain to pretend like there's a police officer behind us. It usually makes the driver swerve off the road. [Ben proceeds to make police car noises.]
Ben: Harass the toll booth people.
Joey: Whatever it takes.
Haley: What were your favorite and least favorite classes in High School. (More proof that I suck at making up questions. Angela is better then me.)
Joey: Just about everyone [laughs]..uhh...
Jason: I hated Math. I can't stand Math. It was my worst subject.
Joey: World History. I hate World History.
Chris: I liked US History.
Joey: Yeah, US is alright.
Chris: World History sucked ass.
Ben: I hated Geometry, I liked Math, but I hated Geometry. I liked, uh, I had a creative writing class which was pretty cool.
Joey: It's so entertaining watching them. [The crazy fucking Red Sox fans!]
Nick: I can't wait for the riots to start.
Chris: I didn't have good enough grades to keep going in Math, so I only took two years of Math. They're all like, "You can't take Math your Junior year," I'm like, "so what do I do?" they're like, "take art!". I was like, "sweet!".
Ben: I took a lot of night courses when I was in High School, a lot of medical night courses, and I did that for a while. But, uh, eventually it just got to be too much.
Haley: Is that it?
Jason: Alright. That’s it?
Haley: No, that's not it!
Ben: No that’s it for that question!
Joey: What?
Jason: I was gonna say, I was looking through your sheet and you didn't ask us that cunt question yet!
Haley: My friend made this for me, like, we sat down and did the questions together so it says some pretty strange things on here.
Jason: Look we got hearts all around here!
Haley: Yeah, she drew hearts all over it.
Jason: That's for you!
Chris: That's for me? That's sweet!
Joey: That kind of sums us up actually.
Haley: Cunt? or Hearts?
Jason: Have the riots started?
Ben: I hope so.
Jason: There's people on the roof. [Yells at the huge crowd] You know we're conducting an interview!!!
Haley: Any hidden talents?
Jason: Masturbation! No one does that like we do.
Haley: That seems to be a popular answer to that.
Jason: Oh, is it? No, that was a joke!
Haley: It's a popular answer, masturbation, and sucking your own dick.
Ben: You get a lot of guys who can suck their own dick?
Jason: No, we just say it. Benny is actually a pro. BMXer. He can actually flip the shit on the streets and ramps.
Ben: Yeah, I work for BMX Plus Magazine, I don't know if that would be my part time job now, since I'm on the road currently. I guess it would bounce back and fourth, when I'm home it's my full time job, and when I'm on the road it's my part time job. But I shoot a lot of photos, and write a lot of things when I'm on the road.
Jason: I produce bands at home, so I do a lot of sound engineering and stuff like that. And uh, I used to skateboard too, but I suck at it now.
Joey: I don't have any hidden talents.
Ben: Joey is very good at fashion. Joey does fashion. Very good at it.
Chris: I can blink for extended periods of time.
Jason: And he snores like no ones business.
Chris: Hey, It don't bother me none!
Haley: If you weren't in the band what do you think you'd be doing? Is the band enough to support you guys, or do you need to have other jobs?
Joey: All of us have jobs. Just.. we don't make money on the road. What would we be doing if we weren't in a band?
Ben: I'd be riding my bike, or something like it. Supporting myself riding bikes somehow.
Jason: I think I'd try and save the world one band at a time. Weeding through all of the crap, starting with us.
Haley: How'd the band get started?
Joey: Well, we're brothers [Joey and Jason] so we've been playing music together for a very long time. And we started out just messing around in the garage or whatever, and then we started bands, and ended up just evolving into this band.
Chris: [laughs]
Ben: We were later additions. I was a really recent addition. Poo has been with the band for a little bit.
Chris: About three years.
Jason: Yeah, Ben still has his price tag.
Ben: I'm new as of two shows back.
Joey: This is his third show with us.
Haley: What sets your band apart from the masses, like, why should people check your band out? (Thanks to Overated Magazine for this one. Sorry guys.)
[silence]
Joey: Uhh...well I think that...uuhh.... Our music has some diversity to it rather every song sounding the same. That is a quality that I think a lot of bands lack. Well, obviously everybody has their own opinions, but that’s just my own personal opinion about it.
Jason: I think that definitely..yeah.. we're a very versatile band, the music's all over the board, but it's all kinda carried the same. So, a lot of people can like it, and like all of it, not just like...
Joey: One song.
Haley: Best show ever played?
Jason: Hartford, Connecticut. I think that was probably one of the best. I mean there have been a lot of great shows, but...
Haley: Was that the one with Flogging Molly?
Jason: Yeah.
Haley: Yeah that was awesome.
Jason: That was a fucking great show.
Chris: Hartford, and Baltimore was cool. That one show that was in Connecticut, the Empress Ballroom? Where's that at?
Nick: New London maybe?
Joey: That's in Danbury.
Chris: That was a pretty small show, but the kids went crazy, that was a good show.
Haley: Did you guys enjoy the Warped Tour?
Joey: Yeah, the Warped Tour was good. Warped Tour's a lot of fun. It's rough though, it's really rough. Especially when you're in a van, you're in a van driving yourself, and you're not on a bus, it makes it really hard.
For More Information:
• Official Site: www.thebriggs.org
• Label's Official Site: www.sideonedummy.com