june
8, 2002jojo interviews *BEN BLACKWELL* from the dirtbombs
june
8, 2002
the empty bottle - chicago, IL
Ben Blackwell facinates me and I can't figure out why. Is it because he shares my appreciation for Dave Grohl? Is it because I enjoy reading those White Stripes updates he sends out? Is it his charm? I don't know...there are many interesting facts about him that you'll have to find out for yourself. I asked him five questions via e-mail (he is "more clever behind keyboard" - his words) and the rest in the band room of the Empty Bottle. If Ben isn't yr favorite Dirtbomb, no worries - there are appearances by other Dirtbombs. This was a really fun interview. Alisa from the Red Lights comes along for the ride...
jojo: What’s yr role at Italy Records & is anything going to be released soon?
ben: I don’t think I have an official title. I have a key to Dave’s house. I can go and fold singles & take them when I need them. I try to send out orders & keep Dave on his toes. I talk to distributors…I don’t think we have releases coming out anytime soon because Dave’s broke. We were supposed to do a Bantam Rooster single, a Happy Supply album, but god knows if it’ll ever get done. The more I get involved with Italy Records the more I wanna get less involved – the more I wanna do my own label, seeing how bad Italy is run. I love it at the same time – I love Dave and I love all the records we put out. That’s why I still do it.
jojo: What are your thoughts on 40's, ho's and terrorism?
ben: Where i come from, 40's are the drink of choice among the inner-city urban dwellers AND the underage, white, upper class suburban high school students. The 40 really breaks through all boundaries. Ho's...I can take 'em or leave 'em. I believe it was Shakespeare who said "Life ain't nothin' but bitches and money, and bitches ain't nothin' but tricks and ho's." Terrorism...what do you think i'm gonna say? Of course i'm against it...what kind of sick, red book-carrying facist are you?
jojo: Any bizarre tour experience you’d like to share?
ben: We just got back from Europe. We stayed at a bunch of hippie communes. We stayed at this place in Copenhagen called “Christiana” (sp?). “Christ – I – Ania” for you journalists. We were in Dublin – we played at this castle with the Von Bondies. We had gotten a hotel room, and we were trying to draw a cab but we couldn’t for like 10 minutes. It was absurd. Finally, our driver, this 300 pound Irish guy with a shaved head…
mick: Scottish!
ben: Scottish – fuck him, I’ll say he’s Irish for the interview just to piss him off! Anyway, we couldn’t get a cab. Brian, our driver, had the brilliant idea of hiring two horse drawn carriages to take us to the hotel. If we would’ve walked, it would’ve been a five to ten minute walk. It ended up costing us eighty euros, which is the equivalent of eighty dollars, to take these rides. That was one of the reasons we didn’t make any money on tour - sound financial decisions made by tour drivers. I digress. Keep it going!!
jojo: Fine – favorite “yo mama” joke?
ben: Help me out (looks at band mates)! Do I have one that I go to, guys? We trade jokes.
tom: Yo mama’s armpits so hairy she looks like she got Buckwheat in a headlock! Actually, my favorite one is when they tell that old dumb joke – “What do you call someone who hangs out with musicians?” and they say “yr mom”.
ben: I think that would be my favorite.
tom: I’ve got a good joke for Ben’s mama!
ben: Yeah, why don’t you go tell her that, Tom?!? Ask her about what she found in the tour van, too!
(Ben’s sister walks in – this will be her first time seeing the Dirtbombs. His mother is also seeing the show tonight.)
ben: Keep the ass fucking jokes to a minimum, Tom! Don’t talk about my Milli Vanill - leave those to Pat.
jojo: Have you recorded/been in any other bands besides the Dirtbombs & the Lost Kids?
ben: I played in my basement with my friend Nick. We played a battle of the bands at our high school. We did Nirvana & Foo Fighters covers. We got a kid that was younger than us to play bass that knew all of the Nirvana songs. We didn’t have a name. I wanted us to dress up – I brought a bunch of suit coats and ties. So we got dressed and I had my head turned; Larry asks, “Ben, is this alright?” and he’s got this blue, corduroy suit coat, a blue tie, and no shirt on underneath. I said, “Fuck yeah! That’s awesome!” We played Sliver, Dive, Aneurysm, and Louie Louie! (jojo’s note: Oddly enough, Alisa’s band the Red Lights does a cover of “Louie Louie”) The Dirtbombs played “Louie Louie” in Zurich and they loved it! Anyway, we gave up playing when we both got cars. He got into smoking weed and I got into music.
jojo: Speaking of the Foo Fighters, I wanted to tell you that I also went to that Foo Fighters/That Dog show! (jojo’s note: see ben’s bio page at the Dirtbombs site) I’m a Dave Grohl fan.
ben: Really? I thought it was great.
jojo: I liked the tour they did with Mike Watt better…
ben: Yeah, the tour before that. I remember being in sixth or seventh grade when that tour came by. I really wanted to go and I forgot about it, so I saw them the next time they came around at the State Theater. Every time I’ve seen them since, it’s gone down. We were in Europe for most of May, and I must have missed the announcement – Queens of the Stone Age played Detroit with Dave Grohl! I was pissed. I found out after it sold out that they were playing. Shows like that – you know someone you know is getting in, but you don’t know who! tom got in, snuck backstage and got to talk to Dave Grohl. We were in L.A. with Larry, who runs In the Red, and we went to Amoeba record store, which is the size of a K-Mart. We were driving away and he said, “So Ben did you talk to Dave Grohl?” I was like, “What are you talking about?”
“Dave Grohl was in Amoeba! He was in there buying records! I thought you saw him or else I would have told you.”
I was like, “Fuck man!” Being my age, growing up where I grew up…
tom: I told Dave Grohl that there’s a 19-year-old in my band that would service you many times.
ben: Did you tell him that? Did you really say that?
tom: Yeah!
ben: Fuck yeah! I would do service on Dave Grohl quickly if he asked. Dave Grohl is the drummer you look up to.
tom: Hey, she’s got a Blondie shirt on! (Points to Alisa)
ben: The Dirtbombs are opening for Blondie in Detroit!
tom: At the Palace…
ben: Yeah, at the Palace which is where the Pistons play their home games.
pat: (inaudible)
ben: Shut up! It’s at the Palace! We can live can’t we?!? Blondie specifically asked for the Dirtbombs to open for them in Detroit. The place where they’re playing is where I saw Soundgarden in my freshman year of high school and Rage Against the Machine with Wu Tang Clan.
tom: Rage Against the Machine?
ben: I saw Rage Against the Machine three times, Tom!
tom: Uggghhh….
ben: Rage Against the Machine, rose tattoo – it equals out, Tom.
tom: No it doesn’t!
ben: The guys give me shit for liking the Foo Fighters and Rage Against the Machine. I don’t care.
jojo: How does the age difference work out?
ben: Yeah…slight age difference! I’m mature for my age (sarcastically). I knew all the guys in the band just from hanging out at shows and running into each other. It just seemed like a matter of time before i got myself wrapped in the incestuous detroit scene. I was the biggest Dirtbombs fan – I had all their records. Now that I’m in the band, I think we suck. Someone was talking about a survey where they asked young people today what “R&B” stood for – 50% said “I don’t know” and 20% said “Rhythm & Bass”! We play rhythm & bass music.
jojo: I would be psyched to play all those places at that age…
ben: Oh yeah – I’m grateful to take off school and go to Europe to play rock shows! I was really apprehensive – I had to go up to my professors and say, “I’m gonna be gone for two weeks; my band is playing some shows” and one of the professors said, “That’s so great – what’s the name of your band? Where are you playing?” The next day in class, she said, “I know he’s gonna hate me for doing this, but you have a future rock star in your presence!” She was pointing me out in class! Everyone in the class hates me now.
jojo: If stranded on an island, which Dirtbomb would you prefer to have with you?
ben: I would take (Jim) Diamond 'cuz I get along with him the best.
jojo: I hear you were in Mooney Suzuki for a day…
ben: The first time they played in Detroit was at the Magic Stick. Me and Eddie (who plays guitar in Ko & the Knockouts) were the only ones there, and they just blew my mind. They played like they were playing in front of 10,000 people. After the show, I nervously approached and talked to them. They had this big fascination with The Go, so I told them about who was in the band that week, what they were recording…in December of 2000, I got word that their drummer left. I went out there and practiced with them for 3 days. A week before the tour, I called Sam and he was really bummed. They got someone else to play drums because it was hard to practice – they are in New York & I’m in Detroit. I booked a free show and I got to play with them. We played eight songs in twenty minutes. It was one of the happiest times of my life.
jojo: Who’s next to sell out?
pat: Clone Defects
(jojo's note: two of the Clone Defects are trying to get some shut eye - they end up not getting any with everything that was going on)
ben: The Clone Defects get mentioned in every interview.
jojo: How do you feel about Chicago beating out Detroit for the #1 murder capitol of America?
ben: I guess it's good for Detroit & bad for Chicago. Murder is not the best interview topic, but if it comes to that, murder's bad in most cases. The thinning of the herd here is fine by us. It's a great place to play a show, but as Tom will attest, you don't wanna live here.
jojo: I live here!
ben: Well I'm sorry. There’s a saying – “Anyone who lives in Chicago that doesn’t have to…"
tom: It’s a very nice city…
ben: Right - it’s a beautiful city, but if you can get out, get out!
tom: But don’t go to Detroit.
ben: Yeah - go to Milwaukee! Don’t raise our fucking rent. I wanna keep streets where I can park my car in front of my house. I like it that way.
jojo: So there’s no gentrification up there?
ben: I think people are trying but failing! Down by where the studio is, they’re building huge condos. Two blocks down, there’s bums begging for change. It just doesn’t work.
jojo: Any advice for a band putting out a record and wanting to tour?
ben: Make friends with bands that you like. If bands like you, keep in contact with them. If you can’t find people that wanna put out yr record, put it out yourself. If yr good enough, good stuff will happen to you. If nothing starts happening, you should take it as a sign.
jojo: That’s good advice ‘cuz some people won’t let it go.
ben: Exactly!
Thanks to the Ben, the Dirtbombs and Ko (from Ko and the Knockouts) for a really fun Saturday night.