Interviews

Rocket From The Crypt

Interview with JC2000 on Nov 30, 1999 by Archive Bot

Special thanks to my buddy Jessie over at Vagrant and JC2000 of Rocket From The Crypt for making this interview possible. This interview was done on July 28th at The TLA in Philadelphia before a sick show put on by Rocket From The Crypt. Their newest release "Group Sounds" is out now on Vagrant, and you can check out all the latest news on the Rocket From The Crypt front by going to www.rftc.com. 

PB: Your new album "Group Sounds" out on Vagrant combines so many different kinds of influences, and the band finds a way to make them all make sense. What were you trying to achieve on the new album?
JC: You're always trying to achieve a synergy of all the different sounds and influences that you have. Coming from a punk background most of us, and to experiment and just dabble with different genres, and expose people to something a little outside of what they are comfortable listening to. Kind of pushing the envelope a little bit of experimentation with the band. The punk rock element can be very retentive sometimes, and they play the punk points game where nothing outside of it is really valid. Does that make any sense?

PB: What are some of your main influences?
JC: My main influences, well I play the trumpet so probably a lot of trumpet players. I like a lot of different kinds of music, but influences I don't know. I have to go with The Clash. The first album I ever bought was probably Combat Rock by The Clash. I stamped it with my little "Jason" rubber stamper when I was in elementary school. That was the beginning of my record collection.

PB: How hard is it to take such a diverse band as Rocket From The Crypt and have the sounds all make some sort of sense?
JC: Well..... it's not easy, but if I was to tell you the secret than everyone would be doing it. It's just a lot of time spent down in the lab basically, doing all of the alchemist work!

PB: It's all about the chemistry right?
JC: It's all about the chemistry!

PB: The move from Interscope to Vagrant did nothing but the best for the band. What caused the move and are there any regrets?
JC: No, absolutely not because the people at Vagrant are more on our level and we see eye to eye. You don't have to put it into terms which they understand, because they already understand it. We are speaking the same language, and the fact that we are working with people who are of our peer group is so much easier. Working with Interscope wasn't that bad until the end when it just like fizzled out. There was just not a lot of communication. With Vagrant it just feels like.... wow we're home.
(Speedo enters the conversation now)
SP: I think they were a bureaucracy. In the major label bureaucracy you end up having to explain yourself like thirty to fourty different times to every department. Everything is departmentalized. With Vagrant there is none of that red-tape.

PB: Have any of you guys ever had two girls at once? If you haven't would be down with that and why?
JC: Yea.... definately! That's one thing I hope to take care of before I die. Do you know any girls? 

PB: From seeing pictures the band it looks like style plays a role on stage. What role does style play in Rocket From The Crypt?
JC: Style is a large part of what we do, because it kind of is what seperates us from other generic bands that are trying just to recycle the same sounds. Style plays a large part because style is survival basically. It's your indentity. It's a little blown out sometimes but it's a refreshing change from all the strip-down reality bands that are playing now who are just bare-boned and boring as hell.

PB: I read in an article that "Group Sounds" is the closest the band has come to capturing your live performance. How hard is it to do that, and do you agree?
JC: On a level of one to ten difficulty it's very difficult. I think it's true what you said. We've come pretty close to capturing it but there is no substitute for it.

PB: It's not a usual occurance that a band from San Diego packs up to go to Memphis to record an album like you guys did with "Group Sounds". Besides being the home of Elvis, what inspired you to travel east and what was the experience like?
JC: Mainly barbecue and just good thrift stores. Petey collects guns so there are a lot of gun shops down there that he raided. A lot of records that were recorded in the studio we like, and we like the sound on 'em too. That and barbecue sauce.

PB: What sets Rocket From The Crypt apart from the rest of the indie rock world?
JC: What doesn't set us apart?
SP: We're HORNY!
JC: We are very horny. There's an abundance of horny independant rock bands, but what makes us especially....
SP: HORNY FOR COCK!!
JC: What makes us especially horny is our level of hornyness which is by far the horniest.

PB: What's your favorite porno?
JC: The only one I could think of is one my friend has called Zazel. It's insane. I'm not like a big porn collector, and I don't even have one! This one Zazel kind of scarred me. It was more about the special effects and make-up than anything. It was really over the top. This women had these huge, prostetic, satanic horns sticking out of her head and her name is Zazel. She's a demon. I only caught five minutes in the middle, but I highly recommend you finding Zazel because she will leave an impression on you.

PB: I know you are probably sick of the question where you got your names from so instead...... if I played air guitar for Rocket From The Crypt what name would you give to a crazy son of a bitch like me?
JC: "Crazy SOB" heheheheheh

PB: A couple years back you had the single "On a Rope" which was a song many people thought would make you guys become big, but that didn't happen. How big of a dissapointment was that, and how do you rebound from such a failure?
JC: There's more disappointment from people like our record label. That's their ambition. There's pro's and con's to making it big. Personally I'm glad where we're at right now and enjoy the level of notoriety we have and the appreciation. Also, the hardcore respect we get from people of all walks of life and our family members. One of the main reasons I want to make it big is to please my grandmom and mom. Also, so I can do things to help out the "fam" I want it to seem like everything I'm doing is worth the time and effot. These things mean more to the people in my life than they do to me. 

PB: Can you elaborate on some of the experiences you had with the Insane Clown Posse?
JC: Elaborate? What are you are aware of. We did this festival with them in France called Trans Musicale. It was the night before we played that they played, so since we were there a night early we went to go check them out. It was in this huge fuckin hockey arena or something like that. They had these big trampolines and they have a sponsorship by this soda company. They had this huge coffin on stage filled with three liter bottles of soda and there were two trampolines.... one on each side. The Insane Clowns would take the soda and squirt each other and poor it over their heads. Then, they would bounce it off the trampolines and see how far they could launch it our into the crowd. It was just pretty insane... pretty insane. You had to really be there, but hopefully we can do a tour with them really soon! "Bro-down" with all those guys and really get inside their heads. I like cheap soda just as much as the next guy.

PB: How was appearing on MTV's Spring Break and would you ever do it again if asked?
JC: Yea. I think we would. It was fun, I mean like I always cracked up whenever I saw those things on TV. I always thought everyone looks so dumb on this show. The funniest thing was when we were playing and I looked out and saw my step-sister sitting on my dad's shoulders all like "Whhhooooooooooo" wearing a bikini top and she actually caught a beach ball. I just went "Oh my god I'm on of those people, how did this happen". The whole time she was just yelling my name as loud as she could. It was in 1994 I think. The whole thing should have never happened but I'd do it again.

PB: Twelve years and nine albums later you must be pretty happy with the success Rocket From The Crypt. How happy are you with the current state of the band?
JC: I wasn't in the band when they formed, but I've been in the band for seven years though. I definately think that we have hit a stride right now. There's been happy times! They come and they go. It's been the best job you possibly could imagine having. Being able to see the world, and just meet great people, and hear great music. Eat all kinds of good food and drinks. It's like the world is your classroom! I wouldn't trade this experience for anything. I think we may be onto something.

PB: When you hear the word enema what comes to mind?
JC: Blink 182!

PB: Anything else?
JC: Ka-ka! Same thing!

PB: Lastly, thanks for taking the time to talk to punkbands.com and I really look forward to seeing you guys for the first time tonight. Four years down the road what can the fans expect from the band, and what do you think you guys will be up to then?
JC: In four years? Well..... I think we should be having the "Behind The Music" VH1 special on us by then. I'll probably be at home with my popcorn and my little fuzzy bunny slippers watching it. Maybe I would just have taken a joy ride with the car I bought my mom.