Let’s talk a little bit about start of the band. The band found a place to play in Whitestone that you guys dubbed “The House.” How did it affect the growth of the band?
Keith, myself, our friends Gordon, Bryan, whatever, we were trying to put a band together since 1970 and couldn’t do it. We just didn’t know how and we kept trying local musicians who were obsessed with arena rock and hard rock and prog rock and whatnot. And it wasn’t until Keith and [original bass player] Marek [Pakulski] rented it in Whitestone in 1975 that we had a place. They fixed up the basement and we had a place to play. We had seen the Ramones by that point, we’d seen Television, Suicide and everybody else, and by early 1976 Keith and Marek had picked up these instruments. And then finally I had the nerve to go up to a microphone and take out a harmonica and start playing – I had been playing harmonica since 1970-71 – and sing.
From that moment we said “We can do this.” By May 16, 1976, we did our first thing at CBGBs. But The House was “it.” We had incredible house parties. Animal House would pale to the type of parties we were throwing. And it all got back to idea that rock and roll, playing rock and roll, was meant to entertain people, meant to entertain teenagers and young people and make them go crazy and dance and drink and whatever it was. It wasn’t meant to make forty thousand people in a stadium hold up their hands with a lighter or stand up or sit down all at once. It was meant to make a lot of kids sweat and have sex or do whatever it was.
What’s your favorite memory of playing CBGBs?
CBGBs was never really our favorite place to play. It was our favorite place to see bands. But CBs wasn’t a great place for us to play. So we shifted over to playing at Max’s and my favorite memory of playing at Max’s is I think we were opening for Wayne County. Wayne gave us a chance to play on a weekend and a bunch of kids came. There were all these tables in front of stage and they just pulled away all these tables. And the waitresses were like “No, no you can’t touch the tables.” The kids pulled away all those tables and everyone started to dance and that was my favorite memory of playing at Max’s.
The band hasn’t seen the success of bands like the Ramones but that hasn’t deterred the band from making music and staying together all this time.
To say the least. We always say the Fleshtones laughed in the face of success. I mean, really, we got so close so many times in the 80s. We were right there and breathing the same air as the bands that opened for us like the Go-Go’s and R.E.M. and whatnot. The fact though is that all these bands are gone and the Fleshtones are still here. So who knows? Maybe success will find the Fleshtones or something. But our success is being able to play, being able to put out records and having some kind of life. And playing the type of music that we want.
Also, it’s not a lot of people, but a lot of people come up to us and say “The Fleshtones changed my life” or “The Fleshtones are something I look forward to.” People in bands like R.E.M., the Dream Syndicate, the Go-Go’s or whatever. Having bands like that come up and say “You guys were the guys that made us want to form a band.” So that’s kind of a piece of success.
What do you think helps keeps the process of writing songs fresh after all these years?
The process of writing songs has become easier. I’m not running out of ideas, I’m gaining ideas. A lot of songs that I come up with even now are song ideas and melodies I’ve had in my head since the late 60s. I have this store of songs and tunes and ideas that only now I’ve begun to figure out where these pieces go. And I think same thing for Keith. And even Kenny. Right now we’re on a roll and I hope it stays that way.
“For a Smile” features vocals from Mary Huff from Southern Culture on the Skids. The band’s had some recent history playing with Southern Culture over the years…
She sang that song and a song called “Everywhere in Nowhere.” And again, the song “For a Smile,” I had that song in my head since the 70s, parts of the melody since the 70s. And it was only until I realized that Mary Huff could sing it that the whole song came to me. I’m quite happy with it.
Why did you think that?
I was listening to a lot of girl songs, pre-Beatles type girl songs. And I was thinking “Who do I know that can sing this?” Originally I was thinking of the tune for our late friend Wendy Wild. But when we passed away in the ’80s I kind of forgot about the song a bit. When we were working with Mary and the Skids – we know them quite well – it just came into my head and also the idea of recording a bunch of songs that were more acoustically driven. And the idea of recording them in our neighborhood with Florent Barbier. So we did “For a Smile” and “Everywhere in Nowhere” and the song “The Right Girl.”…Mary’s a great singer.
How do you think the chemistry of the band now compares with when you started?
Well when we first started it was all new to us and our chemistry was quite nice. Although somehow when we started we had trouble with drummers. Right now the chemistry is great. Our chemistry in our heyday, in the early to mid ’80s, was very explosive. And probably kind of dangerous, physically as well as mentally. We got hurt a lot. Anything could happen. But many time there’d be melt-downs on stage and violence and whatnot. We don’t have that anymore. Right now the chemistry is really good. We all enjoy playing with each other. We all have a feel for what we’re doing on stage.
So that’s how things like the Wheel of Talent are born. The Wheel of Talent all of a sudden just happened on stage, it just happened. No one said “Hey let’s do this tonight.” It happened while we were playing. Quite frankly, it was a thing that when I was a young teenager going to see bands….that’s what I was craving, that’s what I wanted to see out of bands instead of planned out show. I wanted to see that kind of inventiveness, spontaneity. And we’ve got it now. And we’re enjoying it. So the band’s in a good spot.
The band’s been the recent subject of recent books and documentaries. What’s the biggest thing you’ve learned doing those kinds of things?
Sometimes I’m very envious of a lot of people I consider to be minor player in the world of music and whatnot that they lack recognition and whatnot. And sometimes I used to say “Well the Fleshtones have been written out of history” and in a certain way we have been. But we were there and not only where we there, but – I’m come right out and say it – we influenced a lot of people to start bands, to get up on stage, and these people will come up to me personally and tell me that. Also what I do with The Cutting Edge show, I was just walking past the poster of a Katie Lane doing Broadway and the first time she was on national TV she was on my show. And I can say that about dozens and dozens of supposedly important cultural icons. We got the book and movie. I would have liked more archival footage in the movie but unfortunately the director couldn’t get a hold of it. Because people must think this footage is worth a million dollars. It would be nice to get that footage in a movie. But overall I’m pleased with that. They ask me what would have I had done if I had made the Fleshtones movie and I would say “I would make us more successful.”
The band’s been on Yep Rec Records since 2003. How’s the experience on that label compare with past labels?
It’s the best thing that ever happened to the band. I’m so proud of Yep Roc Records and proud of all of the releases. Yep Roc goes against all of the old so-called wisdom of the recording industry that killed the recording industry. They’re a successful label for putting out what they think is really good music. They’re music fans. They’re not like business dudes; they’re good businessmen but their record stands and the music stands. Being on Yep Roc Records is the best thing. Because we know we can come to them with all of our ideas to put out a Spanish language EP or whatever and they’ll go for it. They came up with the idea of doing the zombie compilation, teaming us with Los Straitjackets and Southern Culture, it was a wonderful idea. Novelty records, why not?
Any final thoughts about Wheel of Talent ?
Every record I feel we do with Yep Roc I feel better about. It’s not the most definitive record at all. There are a lot of Fleshtones albums. But it’s a great place to start. Why not start with this record? It’s fun, like you said it has some commentary, has some depth – there’s more to the Fleshtones than twisting. Although being able to twist is damn good. I think it’s a great record. We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel, it’s just the Wheel of Talent.
I really enjoy doing interviews. Keith, Kenny Bill, and I, we all started as fans of music. We didn’t start as musicians or closet guitarists or whatever or people that want to be rock stars. We’re fans of music. So I was the guy reading these articles and wondering and trying to find out about my favorite bands and whatnot. So I’m totally into it. I like talking about the Fleshtones and my past. At this point I realize I have quite a past in music. The last thing I’ll say is, let’s do it for Marty. Marty Thau. OK?
No Comments comments associated with this post