Interviews

Fat Mike

Interview with Mike & Erin on Nov 30, 1999 by Archive Bot

Thank you to Mike and Erin for both doing this exclusive interview with punkbands.com. A huge thank you to Vanessa at Fat for her support and consideration. Pictures courtesy of Fat Wreck Chords. 

PB: Fat Wreck Chords is one of the bigger indie labels out there, and not many people know what goes on behind the scenes. What are the day to day operations like and what role do you two play?
Erin: Mike handles the more creative side of the label, and I handle the financial side of the label. On a daily basis, I spend most of my time overseeing the staff and answering questions, and talking to band members on the phone. Mike gets to do the fun stuff like sequencing songs for new releases, and trying to get tours for our smaller bands, and I get the boring stuff like royalties and taxes.

PB: Honest Don's and Pink & Black are also under the Fat umbrella. How did they both form and who are they run by? How do the goals of the two sub-labels differ from that of Fat Wreck Chords, if they do?
Erin: Honest Don's was started so we could sign bands that didn't quite fit on Fat, bands that were more poppy or not really that punk.
Mike: I always wanted Fat to be a punk rock label and nothing more.
Erin: Pink and Black was started for girl bands. I'm trying to build a label that supports female rock bands in a way that the mainstream music industry doesn't. Both labels are run by Mike and myself, same as FAT. 

PB: A few months ago there was a lot of speculation about Alkaline Trio joining the Fat family? Was that just a rumor, or did it actually almost happen? Also, are there any bands that you'd really like to see the Fat roster this year?
Mike: Yeah, that was just a rumor. I was trying to get Alkaline Trio to do a 7" for Fat Club, but that was it. They had some problems with Vagrant I think, but it's all good now. As far as other bands go, we just got Dillinger Four and Larry Arms. That's rad enough. We don't need nothing else.

PB: It seems like the new thing for a label to do is have a "package tour" (Vagrant, Victory, etc..). Does Fat have any plans to do that in the future, and what would some of the possible bands be?
Mike: We've already had four Fat tours. Two in the US and two in Europe. One had No Use, Mad Caddies, Snuff, and Consumed and the other had Propagandhi, Avail, J-Church, and Fabulous Disaster. Later this year Less Than Jake is headlining one, and also we're putting one together for Japan.

PB: With a label with the popularity such as Fat, I was wondering if it's hard to produce such great music/bands without those bands and the label "selling out"? Labels like Drive-Thru have a roster of bands that are basically shopped to major labels. Is the Fat Wreck Chords like a family?
Erin: It sounds corny, but FAT is very much like a family. We are close friends with most of the bands on the label and would count many members as our best friends, even vacationing with some (Joey from Lagwagon, Max and Spike from the Utters, Jeffrey and Cinder from Tilt). So your question as to is it difficult not to sell out, it's never even been a question. Fat has always been more about the relationships we form with the bands, and of course, putting out good music. We wouldn't sell out our bands anymore than you would sell out your mother.

PB: Can you give the readers a brief history of the label?
Mike: Fat started in 1990 with a NOFX 7". We signed a few bands like Lag Wagon, No Use for a Name, and Propagandhi in the early days and everything took off in the mid 90's. Is that brief enough?
Erin: It was an unexpected surprise when I actually quit my day job and began running FAT full time. I never thought it would actually make money.

PB: If you had the chance to spend the day with Osama Bin Laden what would you do, and what bands would you bring him to see?
Mike: Who's that? 

PB: When looking at the Fat roster there is a true variation in style. Tilt to Less Than Jake to The Mad Caddies to Rise Against. Your newest signing was The Lawrence Arms, so I was wondering how you have come up with such a diverse group of bands. Who makes the final decision?
Mike: Me. Fat Mike. We usually have a big office meeting when I'm not sure about a band and everyone has some input, but generally I sign bands that I like, and (more often than not) are alcoholics.

PB: Lastly, thanks again for taking time so spill your beans. Not every label is run by a husband/wife combo. What's it like working with each other and do you ever disagree on the signing of a band, etc....? How do you deal with that?
Erin: Actually, we disagree quite often at work, not usually over the signing of a band, but over other things. I'm very conservative and Mike is more of a risk taker. Also, Mike's very laissez faire and I'm a control freak. I think our differences work out for the better of the label, because we are on such opposite sides of the spectrum that when we compromise the decision is right in the middle. Luckily, we don't disagree much in our personal life, so as long as we leave work behind at the end of the day, we stay happy.
Mike: We argue sometimes at work, but when we get home I tell her that I was wrong and it won't happen again. That strategy works out pretty well for me.