Much Music Interview
From Much Music
Thursday, March 18, 1999
Master T: HEY, COMING YOUR WAY LIVE HERE IN MuchMusic, AND WE'VE GOT THE MEMBERS OF MARVELOUS 3 HERE, AND WE HAVE SLUG.
SLUG.
Master T: JAYCE.
JAYCE.
Master T: AND BUTCH. ALL RIGHT. HERE'S THE C.D., "HEY" ALBUM. I LIKE THAT.
IT'S GOOD.
Master T: NOW
YOU KNOW WHAT? LIKE, JUST JUDGING FROM WHAT I'VE READ ABOUT
YOU GUYS AND LISTENED
TO YOUR MUSIC, YOU GUYS ARE, LIKE, ON THE VERGE OF BEING THE NEXT BIG THING.
IS THAT WHAT THEY'RE SAYING? RIGHT ON.
Master T:
JUDGING FROM THIS. I DON'T KNOW HOW TRUE THIS IS, BUT JOHN RECKER,
(sp?) THE PRESIDENT OF
ELEKTRA --
HiFi/ELEKTRA --
Master T: -- HE
WAS AT ONE OF YOUR GIGS, WAS SO IMPRESSED. HE HOOKED UP A
CONTRACT ON A NAPKIN
AND BASICALLY SAID YOU GUYS CAN HAVE ANYTHING.
CLASSIC ROCK 'N ROLL STORY.
Master T: IS IT TRUE?
YEAH, IT WAS TOTALLY TRUE.
Master T: SO, OKAY, WHAT DID YOU ASK FOR?
IT TOOK ABOUT 42 NAPKINS TO GET EVERYTHING WE WANTED, BUT AFTER HE DID, WE ROBBED HIM BLIND SO...
Master T: YOU DID?
YEAH.
Master T: DID YOU GET HOOKED UP BIG-TIME?
YOU KNOW,
THAT'S KIND OF THE BENEFITS OF WAITING A WHILE TO DO -- TO GET
SOMETHING. I MEAN,
WE'VE BEEN DOING THIS FOR A LONG TIME. WE'VE BEEN TOURING, YOU KNOW -- I SHOULD SAY THE
STATES BECAUSE WE'RE FROM ATLANTA -- IN A VAN AND JUST DOING ABOUT 250 SHOWS A YEAR, SO
WHENEVER WE FINALLY GOT A CHANCE TO GET WHAT WE WANTED, WE GOT EXACTLY WHAT WE WANTED
INSTEAD OF HAVING TO, YOU KNOW, GET PUT THROUGH THE WRINGER SO TO SPEAK.
Master T: I MEAN, THAT WAS THE GOOD THING ABOUT IT. I MEAN, FROM WHAT I'VE READ, IT SEEMED LIKE YOU GUYS REALLY KNEW THE INDUSTRY, AND I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR A BAND TO KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THEY WANT BECAUSE, AS YOU SAID, THERE'S SO MUCH STUFF THAT CAN GO ON. ONE THING YOU'RE NOTED FOR IS YOUR LIVE SHOWS, IN TERMS OF THE ENERGY THAT YOU GUYS KICK OUT AND EVERYTHING.
ABSOLUTELY.
Master T: FROM THAT, YOU ACTUALLY SPARK SONGS FROM THAT AS WELL.
OH, YEAH.
Master T: HOW
DO YOU -- 'CAUSE I FIGURED YOU WOULD BE SO FOCUSED ON
PERFORMING -- HOW DO
YOU END UP GETTING IDEAS FOR SONGS?
UHMM, I WROTE MOST OF THE LAST RECORD WHILE DRIVING, SO -- NOW THAT WE HAVE A DRIVER, I'M KIND OF SCREWED. NOW THAT WE HAVE A BUS DRIVER, I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO. I THINK I'M GOING TO HAVE --
YOU DROVE WITH YOUR KNEE.
I KNOW. I WOULD DRIVE THE VAN WITH MY KNEE WHENEVER IT WAS MY TURN TO DRIVE, AND I HAD A LITTLE NOTEBOOK PAD, AND I WAS SITTING THERE AND WOULD WRITE AND THINK TO MYSELF AND CUT THE RADIO OFF. NOW IT'S A LITTLE TOUGHER. I THINK I'M GOING TO HAVE TO TELL THE LABEL TO LET US GO HOME FOR ABOUT SIX WEEKS SO WE CAN DO NOTHING BUT JUST DRIVE AROUND TOWN IN OUR CARS.
Master T: DRIVE AROUND ATLANTA?
YEAH, TO GET SOME WRITING INSPIRATION FROM THAT.
Master T: HOW
DOES IT WORK IN TERMS OF BREAKING A BAND IN THE STATES? THIS IS
EXACTLY WHAT HAS
HAPPENED WITH YOU GUYS. HOW TOUGH IS IT TO BREAK? I KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE BEING IN TERMS OF
CANADA, BUT COMING OUT OF ATLANTA, I'M NOT SURE WHAT THE SCENE IS THERE, IN TERMS OF POP
GROUPS OR, YOU KNOW, GROUPS AND STUFF. SO HOW DIFFICULT A PROCESS IS IT?
IT'S TOUGH
BECAUSE THE KIND OF MUSIC THAT WE DO IS VERY OVERRUN. THERE'S A
TONS OF BANDS DOING
WHAT WE'RE DOING, WHICH IS JUST CONSIDERED JUST POP
ROCK. I THINK YOU HAVE
TO STAND OUT A LITTLE BIT ABOVE THE MOULD, SO TO SPEAK, BECAUSE THERE'S A FINE LINE TO
WHAT'S JUST FUN TO LISTEN TO AND WHAT'S FUN TO WATCH AND BE A PART OF AND BE ENTERTAINED,
AND SO I THINK WE'VE ALWAYS FOCUSED ON OUR LIVE SHOW. OUR LIVE SHOW IS VERY IMPORTANT TO
US BECAUSE BACK BEFORE WE HAD RADIO SUPPORT OR A LABEL TO DO ANYTHING, WE HAD NOTHING BUT
OUR LIVE SHOWS TO KEEP BRINGING A CROWD BACK. SO WHAT WE COULD DO IS INCORPORATE THE CROWD
INTO THE SHOW. WE WOULD MAKE THEM FEEL A PART OF IT INSTEAD OF TREATING IT LIKE A SOUND
CHECK -- TELEPHONE! -- AND SO IT WAS KIND OF LIKE ONE OF THOSE THINGS WHERE IF WE DIDN'T
HAVE A CROWD TO REACT TO, WE COULD JUST PLAY TO OURSELVES AND HAVE A BLAST, BUT IT STARTED
BUILDING FROM TWO PEOPLE TO FOUR PEOPLE, TO SIX PEOPLE, TO 20, TO 200, AND THAT'S HOW WE
BUILT IT UP. SO I THINK TOO MANY BANDS TODAY DON'T -- DON'T CONCENTRATE ON PUTTING ON A
SHOW ANYMORE AND THAT SUCKS.
PLUS WHEN WE WERE KIDS, I MEAN, WHEN THEY ASKED WHAT YOU DID, YOU WANTED TO SEE A ROCK SHOW, A ROCK CONCERT WITH A ROCK SHOW. YOU DIDN'T GO WATCH A BUNCH OF GUYS STANDING THERE LOOKING AT THEIR FEET AND GOING "I'M MAKING MONEY AND I HATE IT."
WE DON'T. (Laughing)
WE LOVE IT.
Master T: THE
THING IS, TOO, YOUR SISTERS WERE INSPIRATION IN TERMS OF JUMPING
INTO THE MUSIC CRATES
AND LISTENING TO STUFF THAT THEY WERE LISTENING TO IN TERMS OF SOME OF THE BANDS AND
STUFF. ONE THING ABOUT THE RECORD THOUGH IS IT'S UP; YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? YOU PUT IT ON
-- YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? -- BECAUSE THERE'S SO MANY ALBUMS; YOU GUYS TALKED ABOUT THIS...
YOU KNOW.
THAT'S WHY WE DID IT. THAT'S WHY WE DID IT. WE DID IT BECAUSE WE WERE JUST SO SICK AND TIRED OF HEARING, YOU KNOW, WHINING AND COMPLAINING THROUGHOUT THE '90s THAT IT WAS LIKE WE GOT OUR DOSE OF IT; LET'S GO ON TO MOVE ONTO SOMETHING ELSE. I GUESS THIS IS CONSIDERED NEW AND FRESH AND EXCITING.
Master T: DO
YOU FEEL LIKE YOU'RE LEADERS? I MEAN, YOU'VE BEEN DOING IT FOR A
WHILE, BUT YOU GUYS
FEEL LIKE YOU'RE THE LEADERS OF --
I THINK WE'RE BRINGING IT BACK. IT USED TO BE THAT WAY MAYBE TEN YEARS AGO, AND I JUST THINK WE'RE TRYING TO BRING IT BACK INTO THE MUSIC.
YEAH, WE'RE RESURRECTING SOMETHING THAT HAS BEEN LOST SINCE ALBUMS QUIT -- STOPPED BEING CALLED ALBUMS AND BECAME C.D.s.
WE HAD BEEN ON THE SCENE FOR A LONG TIME, THOUGH. WE'VE HAD A LOT OF FRIENDS THAT STARTED BECAUSE OF US, AND I'M NOT SAYING WE'RE IN THE FOREFRONT AT ALL, BUT A LOT OF THEM HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL NOW, AND THEY'RE SO HAPPY TO SEE US FINALLY GETTING OUR CHANCE.
Master T: ONE THING I WAS GOING TO ASK YOU... IT'S GREAT WHEN YOU GET THAT LITTLE TASTE OF SUCCESS IN TERMS OF SIGNING TO A MAJOR LABEL. SOME PEOPLE THINK IT'S A BIG DEAL, BUT IT'S STILL A LOT OF PAPERWORK, AND YOU AIN'T SEEN NO MONEY YET, BUT HOW DO -- LIKE, SOME OF THE BANDS, THAT YOU KNOW, PART OF THAT SCENE, HAVE ACTUALLY SEEN YOU MOVE ONTO A LEVEL THAT I'M SURE THEY'RE TRYING TO GET TO. IS IT A REAL POSITIVE THING?
OH, YEAH.
THAT'S THE BEAUTY OF THIS. THERE IS STILL SOME COMMUNAL FEELING
THESE DAYS IN A WORLD
OF SEGREGATED STYLES -- EVEN IN A WORLD OF SEGREGATED STYLES WHERE IT USED TO BE ONE BIG
MELTING POT OF, YOU KNOW -- I GUESS PROBABLY BACK IN THE DAY, DURAN DURAN MIGHT HANG OUT
WITH MOTLEY CRUE, BUT NOT ANYMORE, YOU KNOW. IT'S LIKE KORN AND HANSEN AIN'T GOING TO
HANG.
Master T: YEAH, I CAN'T SEE THAT.
WITH US, WE'VE
GOT A LOT OF FRIENDS THAT ARE IN THE BIZ THAT ARE, YOU KNOW,
PLAYING AND SELLING
MILLIONS OF RECORDS, THAT ARE FRIENDS OF OURS. WE'RE
EXCITED FOR THEM.
THEY'VE SEEN WHAT WE'VE GONE THROUGH OVER THE LAST SIX,
SEVEN YEARS, I GUESS IT
IS, OF TOURING, AND THEY FEEL LIKE WE'RE GETTING WHAT
WE DESERVE, AND WE FEEL
LIKE WE'RE GETTING WHAT WE DESERVE, TOO, YOU KNOW? I MEAN, WE'RE PROUD TO BE OUT THERE
HAVING THOUSANDS, HOPEFULLY MILLIONS, OF PEOPLE LISTENING TO OUR MUSIC, BUY IT, WANT TO BE
A PART OF IT, WANT TO MAKE IT A PART OF THEIR EVERYDAY LISTENING LIVES.
Master T: WAS IT TRUE THAT YOU WERE THE GEEK OR IS IT LIKE -- GEEK IN HIGH SCHOOL OR -- (Laughing) I READ YOU WERE SUPPOSED -- WERE YOU GEEKY IN HIGH SCHOOL?
NO.
WE WERE PRETTY COOL. I DON'T KNOW.
Master T: I READ -- I CAN PULL IT OUT SOMEWHERE AND SHOW YOU. SOMETHING ABOUT YOU WERE KIND OF A GEEK.
I'M JUST KIDDING.
WHAT WE WERE IS
WE WERE THE 1% IN OUR HIGH SCHOOLS. WE ALL THREE WENT TO
DIFFERENT HIGH SCHOOLS.
BUT WE WERE THE ONLY GUYS THAT -- WE WERE THE GUYS THAT WERE JUST LIKE IN OUR OWN WORLD OF
WANTING TO CAMP OUT FOR MOTLEY CRUE CONCERT TICKETS AND GO TO SHOWS AND DO BAD THINGS
WHILE EVERYBODY ELSE WAS WANTING TO GO DEER HUNTING AND HAVE A GUN RACK ON THEIR TRUCK AND
PLAY FOOTBALL FOR A LIVING OR WHATEVER. WE HAD A DIFFERENT MOTIVE. MAYBE -- WE WEREN'T
GEEKS; WE WERE JUST ON THE OUTSIDE. WE WERE THE GREASERS, LIKE IN "OUTSIDERS."
THAT'S OLD SCHOOL, OLD SCHOOL.
FROM THE TIME I WAS A KID, I KNEW I WANTED TO BE IN ROCK N' ROLL, PERIOD.
Master T: AND HERE YOU ARE ON THE VERGE OF BIG SUCCESS.
I HOPE SO.
Master T: I CAN SEE IT HAPPENING DEFINITELY. DEFINITELY GO JUMP OUT AND GRAB THE ALBUM, MARVELOUS 3's, "HEY" ALBUM. THEY ARE TONIGHT GOING TO BE HOOKED UP WITH COLLECTIVE SOUL AT THE WAREHOUSE, SO MAKE SURE YOU CHECK THAT OUT LIVE. ALL RIGHT. SO, MY MAN, SLUG, THANK YOU.
THANK YOU, I APPRECIATE IT, MAN
Master T: JAYCE. BUTCH, INTRODUCE YOUR VIDEO.
AND WE GIVING THEM WHAT THEY WANT, TOO.
GOT TO GIVE
THOSE PEOPLE PROPS OVER HERE, RIGHT? THEY'RE MAKING NOISE OVER
THERE.
Master T: INTRODUCE YOUR VIDEO.
VIDEO IS
"FREAK OF THE WEEK" BY US, MARVELOUS 3. (Playing "Freak of the Week"
Video)
**Much Music**