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Interview with Finch on Nov 30, 1999 by Archive Bot
Thanks to Pappas and Finch’s tour manager Nick. This interview was done at the Kool Haus in Toronto October 29th. If you don't already have it, you need to go out and get "What It Is To Burn". And if anyone in Finch ever asks you if you want a Finch t-shirt, just say no. Otherwise this may happen to you...they all thought it was "awesome". I think it's ugly and a piece of garbage.Pappas: I’ve just been working on the computer doing stuff with this new recording program so I’m just all…
PB: Out of it?
Pappas: Yeah.
PB: That’s okay. Remember how last time I talked to you how we were talking about Project Mayhem and Fight Club and how if I watched the movie I would understand why you guys are the way you are and why you look the way you look?
Pappas: Yeah, I remember. Did you watch it?
PB: Yeah and I still don’t get it. I still don’t understand what you were trying to say…
Pappas: Well, you know how they just fuck shit up and just have fun?
PB: Kinda…
Pappas: Well, I guess it’s hard to explain. Really it’s all about just fucking shit up and having fun.
PB: Okay, well we’ll forget the movie and talk about the song. There is a line in the song that goes something like, “can you begin at the ending so that I may begin again?”. Just taking that for it’s literal meaning, have you ever wanted to start again? Has there ever been a situation where you wished you could go back and change something about what you’ve done?
Pappas: Yeah…but I don’t think I would. I think it would be a bad idea to go back and change something because everything just happens. Like, you know? If you were to go back and mess with something you would probably fuck up the future. I wouldn’t want to do that.
PB: But is there anything that you regret?
Pappas: Mmm…nope. Not really. Small things. Like picking on my little brother and shit like that but nothing big really.
PB: Have you ever felt the urge to be violent?
Pappas: Yeah I have. Not recently, a little while ago I was so angry that, yeah… I think everyone feels that way sometimes.
PB: How is it working with the other guys in your band and collaborating in order to create the music, the finished whole, focused product that you do?
Pappas: I think the way that works out is because everyone in my band is so different.
PB: The dynamics you mean?
Pappas: Yeah. Someone will throw in their own ideas because we all have different ideas of what we think something should sound like. So we compromise until we all have made something that we think works. I’m working with four other people and it’s definitely a different thing. It’s crazy how it turns out. We usually just fight and fight and fight until something works out. Then it just turns out. I don’t know.
PB: Well, what’s the process like? Like, you said you were building a studio in the back of your bus…how do you write the songs? Does one person come up with the initial idea and then the rest of you fight until it becomes something that has been influenced by all of you? Or do you just get together and something just happens?
Pappas: Both ways. Sometimes people will write stuff, other times we’ll just get together and jam. We use different ways. Sometimes someone will write an entire song and come to us and say, “This is it”. Other times you’ll have all of us in one room and we’ll just take out each individual influences and come up with something by just playing. We’ll just start playing.
PB: You obviously all have similar tastes in music and you all obviously also have a lot of different influences which is really apparent on your album. Why do you think that it’s important for someone to listen to all different kinds of music and why do you think it’s a good thing that you all do have some musical influences that vary and that are different? Pappas: I don’t know. It’s hard to explain right now. You know, you just have to be diverse. You don’t know what good music is unless you listen to bad music and it would be boring if everyone just listened to the same thing because then everything would be the same. Do you kind of understand what I’m getting at?
PB: Kind of. Well what is your definition of good music?
Pappas: Something that has emotion. That has heart.
PB: How can you tell that? Can you tell that?
Pappas: I think you can. It’s gotta, well when you listen to something you get what they’re saying. They’re putting so much into it that you just understand. That’s what good music is. You can feel it. There is just something that makes you say, “Oh my god that is so good”.
PB: So, whatever you can relate to which explains why everyone has a different definition of what they think good music is versus what is bad. What is one experience of being in Finch that you want to remember?
Pappas: I just want to remember how much fun I’ve had. I am having so much fun. I’m having a blast.
PB: What is something that challenges you? Something that you find difficult.
Pappas: Just doing what we do. It’s crazy the way things work out. It’s a challenge everyday to do what we do. Dealing with people, touring, basically living in a big car with a bunch of other people. Being in a different place every night.
PB: What have you learned about dealing with people?
Pappas: Just how they are. How the people I have to deal with everyday are. How they react and human nature. What personality is like and I can predict people now. You learn how to deal with them because you have to live with them in such close quarters, deal with the egos and stuff like that.
PB: Well you just seem like you’re calm, that you’re just like, “Whatever” about everything.
Pappas: I am. ‘Cause we’re always going to play a show and we’re always going to keep going unless something tragic happens. I’m just having fun and going with it. Just being able to be in a rock band that tours and plays shows for a living. I get to hang out, talk to you, ride around in a bus. Get paid for it. I’m not going to bitch about it, it’s just like I could be working in some shit fast food place and hating life but I’m not. I’m in a rock band. I have to deal with shit and drama but that’s nothing.
PB: Are you a band that creates a lot of drama?
Pappas: My band will be pissed off at me, but yeah they do cause drama. They’re all little shit disturbers. But, whatever, it’s cool. It’s fun. It’s like a big riot. A big riot, rollercoaster that is touring around the country.
