Interviews

Street Dogs

Interview with Mike on May 26, 2005 by Archive Bot

Mike McColgan is like a hurricane with a Bostonian brogue. He dropped into the punk rock world with a bang and a band - the soon to be ubiquitous Dropkick Murphys. Just as soon as he became indispensable, he disappeared to serve his community as a firefighter. Now in a final reversal, Mike is back, this time at the helm of the Boston punk band Street Dogs. Street Dogs have dropped two essential albums since their inception, most recently 2005’s Back To The World, and have been touring nonstop. Their most recent tour takes them all across the globe in support of psychobilly mainstays Tiger Army. 
 
Punkbands.com’s Greg Weissel caught up with Mike McColgan at the Santa Cruz stop of the tour as the sun warmed the parking lot and echoes of Tiger Army’s soundcheck bounced around downtown. Mike was nothing if not a gracious host, offering a cold beer as he himself deferred to water, and answering questions with a lucidity and maturity befitting a man who, if he had not taken the time to answer his social conscience, would be at the forefront of the scene.
 
 
punkbands.com: It’s a tough time to be a punk band that supports the troops. 
 
Mike: Yeah the troops. That’s important. Not the war, but the troops.
 
punkbands.com: Your song Back To The World is very sympathetic to the plight of the enlisted soldier. What has the reaction been when you play that song here and abroad?
 
Mike: I think its pretty good because we clearly and implicitly state that we want the troops to come home. Now. Safe and sound. The men and women of the armed forces of the United States. I think the song on our first record “Tale of Mass Deception,” clearly states where we stand on that policy. America and the world got hoodwinked about the war. It was this big push about WMDs and the imminent means to deliver them, and that was, you know, not true. The impetus and the drive to go to war in Iraq was purely financial and anybody of reasonable intelligence can see that.  It’s the world’s second largest oil reserve. The men and women of the armed forces join for any number of reasons,to get an educational money, to get a job. They’re human beings and they’re not policy makers and it’s not a debate society and they have to go and many of them don’t want to be there. So we have a level of empathy and sympathy.  I was a soldier at one time so I can identify. 
 
punkbands.com: Do you consider yourself a war buff?
 
Mike: You know, when it comes to war, I think Norman Schwartzkoff said it best a long time ago; The last thing he would ever want to, the last decision he wants to have to make is to send people into battle. War is inherently cruel, heinous, disastrous, and unfortunately throughout the times it seems to be necessary and at times unnecessary.  There’s really no rhyme or reason to it, but I guess it’s always been a political tool.  No, I wouldn’t consider myself a war buff. I’m also not going to sit here and be incredibly idealistic and say there should never be any wars. If the Americans hadn’t gotten involved in World War II we might be speaking German right now. There are wars that are meaningful and there are wars that are questionable.
 
punkbands.com: On a song like You Alone which eulogizes a friend of yours, does it bother you when people miss the message and just think its a great song?
 
Mike: I think the songs is about self-empowerment. When you’re dealing with adverse situations in your life you look to yourself and your resolve and your ability to stay in the game and show up everyday for life, and things will turn around. At the end of the song I refer to people who didn’t get that chance, and were taken away without reason.  I had a friend Greg Riley who passed away that way in a motorcycle accident.  He was a guy who was doing the right thing and had a great life.  he just got his chance to live knocked away. The end of the song gets personal, while the beginning is kind of about believing in yourself. A keep your head up kind of ethos.
 
punkbands.com: Any reason you chose to do a video for that song in particular?
 
Mike: As a band, we collectively felt like it was a strong song. We all knew Greg too, so it meant something to us. Mark Higgins, who is a good friend of ours and directed the Savin Hill video, kept bugging the shit out of us to do a video for You Alone. We might do another one later, but right now we just have the one. It’s Mark’s fault. He just hounded the crap out of us, you know?
 
punkbands.com: So you quit the Dropkick Murphy’s to be a firefighter. Are you still active in the department when not touring?
 
Mike: I left DKM in April of 1998 and I was on a civil service list for the Boston Fire Department.  When I left DKM I prepared for that process of becoming a firefighter; I started to work out, I started to read the books. In early 2000 I got hired to be a firefighter, because it takes forever to get hired off a list. I was on the job for four years until I got dragged back into music again. I got a phone call from a good friend of mine and it was to work on some songs, and those songs became a show, that show became a demo, that demo became an album, that became a tour, and that became another European tour and another label and more tours. Now it’s full time.  It’s what I’m doing with my life. I’ve taken an extended leave of absence from the Boston Fire Department.  I feel grateful to have a second shot at music. It’s great.
 
punkbands.com: Street Dogs have a kind of Clash-influenced traditional/classic punk sound.  Do you see an inherent contradiction in the term “classic punk” or “traditional punk”?
 
Mike: My personal meaning to what punk is is that it can be whatever the fuck you want it to be. There’s bands that lean towards Oi!, or a more poppy sound, or speed-core or metal. There are so many classifications and subgenres. My idea was three chords, pumping your fist in the air, singing about what you know and just going balls out on stage.  From the fans side of it: always going to shows where the kids took care of each other whether it was skinhead punks, hardcore kids, psychobilly kids - just everybody.  In Boston growing up, the whole ethos was take care of each other and believe in the message and believe in the music. When I hear “classic punk” and “traditional punk,” I get hesitant or reluctant to believe that it’s relevant. I get wary whenever labels get attached to anything. Punk rock can be whatever you want it to be.  It’s freedom.
 
punkbands.com: Do you feel Street Dogs fit in with the rockabilly crowd on this Tiger Army tour?
 
Mike:  It’s funny you mention that because when this tour started we were nervous, skeptical, we questioned how people would perceive us, but it’s blown us away. Tiger Army’s crowd seems open and receptive to us and we’ve done really great on the tour.  At the outset we were nervous. Here we were, a street punk band - we have our anthems, we have our folkier side and we wear it on our sleeve.  We wondered if people would back it, but they have and we’ve been pumped about it.
 
punkbands.com: Is the crowd for a Street Dogs show different than when you played with DKM?
 
Mike: I think there’s a lot of similarities. The thing is, when we started with Dropkick, the crowd was a little older. The crowds I’ve been encountering with Street Dogs have been very young. Like now, I see a whole new generation of kids and they want to know stuff, they want to know about the older music. They’re exposed to the stuff that’s on the radio or on TV, but they want to know. They’re at the barricades, and they have so many questions, and you meet them after the shows. I think that’s the main difference.  With DKM, we were playing to 18+ and older crowds, a lot of all ages shows too, but now with Street Dogs we try to focus on the all ages shows because we feel that’s the best crowd for us. When we were growing up, all ages shows were always the best for us.  That’s the main difference. There are way more similarities than there are differences.
 
punkbands.com: What is a typical street dog? Rotweiller? Pit Bull? Chihuahua?
 
Mike: My idea of a street dog could be that stray dog on the corner that comes up to you and needs a sandwich or a bath. Or maybe if you’re hanging down by the local dockyard and you’re down in your neighborhood and you see a pack of dogs just roaming around. I think it’s just a mutt. There’s no refinement. There’s no poodles in street dog world.
 
punkbands.com: Who would win in a fight between a street full of dogs and an army of tigers?
 
Mike:  If you’re talking animals I’d have to say that an army of tigers is a formidable pack of animals. I mean, they’ve got big teeth, they’re extremely muscular, they can move really fast. Dogs are kinda limited in what they can do. We put up a good fight, but I think the tigers would get us on teeth and speed.
 
punkbands.com: You have a lot of love for Boston, but what’s your favorite city you’ve seen on tour outside of Massachusetts?
 
Mike: That’s a very difficult question. I’d have to say it’s tie between San Francisco and Seattle. Seattle is a beautiful, beautiful, beautiful city. There’s so much to do. There are so many great restaurants and clubs. And San Francisco has just limitless things to do and see, and the overture in real estate is cool and just the way it’s structured and built and the vibe it has - it’s an excellent city.
 
punkbands.com:  Did the Street Dogs have a San Francisco date on this tour?
 
Mike:  Actually we did prior to this one. We did one at Slim’s before the Reno date, so about two days ago. It’s great venue.
 
punkbands.com: Well, we’re in Nor-Cal right now, so I have to ask - what Berkeley bands were you referring to in the song Strike a Blow? 
 
Mike: Green Day. I thought that Green Day changed a lot of things. They came up and they busted their balls and they worked really hard and they were on independent labels. I thought when they made the jump to the major labels I don’t think they compromised themselves or became something else. They were very forthright and brazen and outspoken about what they were and how they didn’t want to be pigeonholed or labeled. They were a very very bold band; what they did was courageous.
 
punkbands.com: You enjoy the drink. Can you take us through an average night of boozing with Mike?
 
Mike:  Well, Mike has been on the bright for a considerable amount of time because Mike doesn’t play well with others when he drinks. But Johnny, Marcus, Joe, and Toby - they love to booze and PBR is the beer of choice. I usually wind up being the designated driver and I gotta go collect the rest of the dogs and throw a net on them.
 
punkbands.com: Why did Street Dogs sign with Brass Tacks Records?  Did you think about releasing the albums through Hellcat?
 
Mike: We didn’t get approached formally by Hellcat. There were maybe six or seven labels that approached us and we came close to signing with SideOneDummy, but at the last second we opted to go over to DRT because they offered us the option of having an imprint and giving us some A&R control over it and giving us a good deal.  Brass Tacks is our own label and later this year we’re going to put out a compilation, tentatively titled, “Anthems From The Asphalt: Volume One.” We’re looking to put bands on that are friends of ours and bands that are of interest to us. Later down the line we’ll formally sign bands. Creating this imprint allows us to stay in this community and maybe bring in some younger bands from Boston or beyond and it keeps that communal spirit alive.
 
punkbands.com: Have you ever had a really terrible haircut because of punk rock?
 
Mike: Yeah, this one I have right now. I got the clippers used on me in Reno. 
 
punkbands.com: The song White Collar Fraud is very anti-white collar frauds.  What color is the collar of the singer of a successful punk band?
 
Mike: I guess maybe the color of the collar of a successful punk bands is black lately.  Alkaline Trio, Green Day - every picture I see those guys in they’re wearing long sleeve black Ben Shermans and red ties. We were joking about that the other day.  We love those bands, but every picture we see: black pants, white belt, long sleeve black Ben Sherman, red tie, eyeliner, spiky hair.
 
punkbands.com: You quote Bob Dylan in Unions And The Law. Do you see Street Dogs as rooted in the same American tradition that spawned folk singers such as Dylan?
 
Mike:  At times, I think we lean on that a little bit, because those are bands we listen to, but I think we are more rooted in rock&roll and punk rock. Those are influences on us more than folk.  Dylan, old Bob Marley, Billy Bragg - those were the folk elements that are in us. The protest spirit. Folk and punk can seem like polar opposites, but when you take a hard look at it there’s a lot of similarities lyrically and politically.
 
punkbands.com:  Thank you Mike. The new record is great.
 
Mike: Check out the tour if it comes through your city. Check out the Street Dogs if you get a chance. We’ll give it 110% every time.