The Loiterers

(the Loiterers line-up has since changed....this particular interview is about 3 years old. They are presently looking for a bassist & a drummer so if you live in the Long Island area try contacting Jen) The Loiterers are a butt kickin' punk band from Long Island and happen to be pretty nice as long as you don't get on their bad side. If you do manage to tick them off though look out because the guitar player Jen knows Kung-Fu and the drummer Zoe is famous for getting into fights at shows. Chad and I interviewed (this was back in the day when Joe "Mountain" Dewey was still around ) them recently and this is how it went.

CORNFLAKE OVERDOSE-Everybody identify yourselves and tell us what you play.
JEN-I'm Jen and I play guitar.
RICH-I'm Rich, I play bass.
ZOE-Zoe, Drums.
IAN-Ian, vocals.
COD-Okay, how long have you guys been together?
IAN-About a year and a half.
COD-How did the band start?
JEN-Me and Ian, we got snowed in at his house one time and I had my acoustic guitar and we figured out how to play "In This Room" by GG ALLIN. And uh, what else did we learn?
IAN-Two GG ALLIN acoustic songs.
JEN-Yeah GG ALLIN acoustic songs, and that's when we officially got together and played instruments. And then like six months later we found Zoe to play drums, and Ian was playing bass then, but then we got Rich to play bass so that Ian could like jump around and stuff.
COD-How do you describe your sound?
RICH-We rock.
COD-You rock?
JEN-Yeah, yeah.
COD-How do you rock? Like DEF LEPPARD?
RICH-Almost, but more of a garagey type punk sound.
COD-Oh, okaky. Garagey punk DEF LEPPARD.
JEN-Yeah, just like DEF LEPPARD.
RICH-They were one of our biggest influences.
ZOE-ANTHRAX.
RICH-And JUDAS PRIEST, we love them.
COD-Are you "hell bent for leather"?
JEN-Don't forget MADONNA she's my biggest influence, and PUFFY COMBS.
COD-Where did you get the name of your band from?
RICH-Cuz we like to stand around.
JEN-Yeah
COD-Do you guys have jobs?
RICH-Periodically.
JEN-Uh well, we do have jobs but don't tell anybody because it would ruin our image. Zoe's on unemployment but everybody else works.
COD-How often do you play?
JEN-Like practice or shows?
COD-Shows.
JEN-Shows, We got like a show every weekend.
IAN-Sometimes twice a weekend.
COD-In Long Island mostly or in the city alot?
IAN-We've been playing like, Conneticut and Massachusets and like the tri-state area I guess, but not Massachusets. (okay whatever you say Ian)
JEN-Yeah Conneticut, we have alot of shows in Conneticut. All over Long Island and we play in Massachuisets, New Jersey, Pennsylvania.
IAN-New York City.
WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE PLACE?
JEN-I like playing the "Tune" in Connecticut. I like it there.
COD-The Tuna?
JEN-The Tune.
COD-What is that?
JEN-It's like a big punk club.
IAN-And they even have a little record store in there. It's really cool.
COD-How would you describe the scene in your area?
JEN-It's us.
IAN-We're it.
JEN-Yeah we are the scene. I don't know, there's us and there's like some ska bands. Well there's some now defunked pop bands.
RICH-There was alot of bands though.
JEN-Yeah, all the bands broke up. They all fight with each other.
IAN-Most bands like for the most part just like end once somebody goes away to college or gets out of High School and feels like they have to get a real job.
JEN-Yeah but THE LOITERERS are too good for school.
COD-Well you used to go to school didn't you?
JEN-That would ruin our image too.
-IAN-There's nothing wrong with going away to school but just like dropping everything like alot of people do.
COD-Do you have any recordings?
IAN-We have a demo tape that's a combination of live stuff and stuff we recorded in the basement and stuff we did in the studio and we're going to record next weekend in a real studio.
COD-Oh okay, for what?
IAN-A 7". Probably a couple of 7"s. We have alot of songs and I'd rather put stuff out in 7"s because I figure people would be more willing to buy, ya know a 7" and check out a new band rather than like a cd or whatever.
COD-Is it with a label?
JEN-One of them will be.
COD-What's the best part about being in a band?
IAN-Playing live.
JEN-Playing lots of shows.
RICH-Getting big.
ZOE-(mumble, mumble)
COD-What's the worst part?
JEN-The worst part? Uh, when like people won't dance. When they just stand there and look at you with their thumbs up there bums.
COD-That's the worst part?
JEN-Yes, the worst part is when people just don't do anything. The second worst part is when Zoe goes into the bathroom when she's doing an interview like she did just now.
COD-What's the most memorable or craziest show that you've ever played?
JEN-Uh gee.
RICH-There's a couple
JEN-Well there was one where we were covering "Now I Wanna Be Your Dog" and this guy friend that we know dressed up in a skirt and chased Ian around and beat him with a newspaper while he was singing "Now I Wanna Be Your Dog".
COD-Who are some of your musical influences?
RICH-We have alot.
JEN-Yeah we have alot of influences. I mean as far as bands that we cover we do Sham 69, The Misifts, & Iggy.
IAN-So far anyway.
JEN-Yeah, so far those are like the three covers that we always do.
COD-What Misfits cover do you guys do?
JEN-I Turned Into A Martian
IAN-We're influenced by GG Allin alot but without alot of the anti-audience attitude that he had.
JEN-We're pro-audience.
COD-Do you guys prefer to eat meat raw or cooked?
JEN-We don't eat meat?
RICH-I eat meat.
JEN-Rich does not eat meat. No, Rich is the only one that eats meat so Rich can steal the question. Speak into the microphone....say it.
RICH-I'm not a vegetarian and I'm punished for it
COD-So Rich, do you like your meat raw or cooked?
RICH-Both
COD-Have you ever had blood sausage?
RICH-Had what?
COD-Blood sausage.
RICH-Uh, no what is it?
COD-It's sausage that has lots and lots of blood in it.
RICH-Wow.
COD-What role should politics play in punk and what role do they have for you personally?....and that's for each person.
IAN-I'm a politically minded person but not everything that I write about, like in fact most of what I write about isn't about politics and I think that bands that stick to just straight political issues alienates people alot. I like to mix them in with like ya know, regular songs about ya know whatever, having fun or different like, strange things, whatever comes to mind. But outside of that we have a zine that pretty much reflects that same attitude. It has some articles about political issues, and things about sex and drinking and stuff like that. This weekend we're doing a benefit for "Food Not Bombs" which I do out here and I'm starting this anti-police brutality thing as soon as I get a POBox and make up some stickers.
COD-Have you ever been beaten by a cop?
IAN-Um, I've never been beaten by a cop but I've been harassed by them and I wouldn't say like I was brutally beaten, but one time he picked me up by my shirt and: "What are you some kind of tough guy?" but I've never been beaten like bloody.
COD-What about the rest of you guys? Are you guys into politics at all or no?
RICH-We have a firm belief that our music is just about having fun.
JEN-Exactly, yeah, I don't think that punk rock music necessarily has to be political. I mean it's okay if you want to mix politics with your music but....
COD-But that shouldn't be the objective right?
JEN-Yeah because it gets really boring when your going to see a band and just everything they sing about is their politics. Because no matter how politically orientated you are, your views are never really that vast that you can write that many songs about that many different things if your only gonna write about politics. I'd rather have fun writing about different subjects then constantly being about politics.
IAN-If you look at CRASS, I mean like half of their stuff they should of just like wrote down in a book and published it rather than ya know, just like lecturing people over noise.
JEN-Yeah and I don't really want to alienate anybody ya know. Except for the nazis.
COD-You guys get nazis at shows?
JEN-Yeah a couple, but we took care of it.
ZOE-I took care of them.
COD-Do you guys vote?
JEN-Yeah I vote. Ian votes. Ian actually he works for the voting committee. He actually goes and pushes the button.
COD-How do you vote usually?
JEN-I vote democratic. I'll never vote for anybody that's in the pro-life party, even if they're also represented by democratic party. I usually vote straight democrat across the board, but I'll never vote for anybody that's pro-life.
RICH-We think abortions should be mandatory.
JEN-Yeah.
COD-You do?!
RICH-We're pro-abortion.
JEN-Yeah I am pro-abortion
(In no way does COD condone abortion and little does Kung Fu Jen know but I am still upset by these statements to this day....let me just stop here before I really go off)
COD-THAT SUCKS!!
RICH-Why's that? (smart guy this one)
COD-Cuz I think that babies are little people and you shouldn't axe 'em up.
IAN-I think people should have to take a test before they have children and like if they fail it, it gets aborted (boy there's an idear for ya....talk about redundant AND ignorant).
JEN-Yeah, you've got to have a license to have a dog but you don't have to have a license to have a kid.
COD-What about just plain irresponsibility when somebody's horny and they decide to have sex. Do you think it's right that they just go ahead and take care of that "problem" by killing it?
RICH & JEN-Yeah.
RICH-It should be put to death.
JEN-If they're gonna put it up for adoption that's one thing but most people don't put it up for adoption. They think that they'll put it up for adoption, but they say "Oh look it's so cute, I'm gonna take it home". And then they just neglect it.
(enough of this pure dung)
COD-In the midwest, wallet chains, airwalks, baggy pants and stuff like that are a huge fad for young kids getting into punk. Is there any sort of trends in the New York scene that bother you guys?
JEN-Um, well baggy pants, yeah those are pretty annoying.
RICH-You see them everywhere.
ZOE-I hate bellbottoms.
JEN-I'm really sick of seeing people with their face just like pierced to death. Ya know they got everything pierced. They got their eyebrow, their nose, they got their lip, their chin, their cheek. I'm sick of it.
COD-You know somebody with their chin pierced?
JEN-Yeah. Especially people with their chin and their nose and only thier chin and their nose.
COD-Do you guys think that veganism and anarchy have become less of a conviction and more of a trend?
JEN-People don't even know what anarchy mean. They're like "Oh look there's a punk rocker with an anarchy sign. If I put an anarchy sign on me I'll be punk rock too". They don't even know what it is.
ZOE-As far as the vegan thing, most people just say they're vegan. Alot of people I know they're not vegan. They'll be like "I'm vegan" and then they wear like leather boots or some crap like that, that's not vegan.
IAN-The anarchy thing, I Mean, most poeple don't read anything about real anarchism like Noam Chonsky or anything like that. So most of them think it's just about like throwing beer bottles around and ya know just creating a situation.
COD-How do you feel about the currne trend towards poppier more consumer friendly "punk"?
JEN-Well I think it's actually on a downfall now. Ska is what's now becoming commercially popular. The punk commercial explosion that's pretty much over. At least out here it is. Yeah, it's like it's not so much the punk now it's just everybody is like: "oh, ska is just so cool. I'm gonna be cool cuz I'm ska".
COD-Yeah it is starting to come up here a little bit more I noticed.
JEN-Yeah, ska is the big trend now. Especially with bands like Sublime and Smashmouth or whatever their names are. They completely took the place of Rancid and Greenday.
COD-What about punk today do you think is really good?
JEN-I think that it's really good that there seem to be alot of kids that are willing to get shows in their area. Just kids that wanna put shows on, wanna get their bands to come and play. I think that's really good. There seems to be alot more involvement.
RICH-If you care and your innovative people notice.
COD-What is the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to you?
JEN-Ever, or something to do with the band?
COD-No, just period.
IAN-What is this, Truth or Dare or something?
JEN-Good Lord that's gonna take some time.
IAN-I walked out of the bathroom one time and there was some toilet paper stuck to the bottom of my shoe (laughter).
JEN-He means that too, he's being totally serious. It's like if you stick anything on him he's completely paranoid.
IAN-If I go into a supermarket I feel like if I brush up against anything I feel like there's a pricetag on me, then I feel like my whole body is covered with little stickers (laughter).
RICH-A bunch of guys watched me pee when I was in jail, and I'm not well endowed so (laughter).
JEN-That's sad.
ZOE-Okay, I was really drunk and I went in to the bathroom to masterbate and I was like completely drunk. I forgot to put my pants on and I came back out all ready to play (laughter).
IAN-When did that happen.
JEN-I don't think I have one. Oh I'm sick right now and I just had to go to the doctor last week and the nurse gave me a shot in my butt.
ZOE-I got a shot in my butt too.
IAN-It's really hard to be embarrassed when you just don't care.
JEN-Yeah, we really don't care.
COD-Is it farther to get to New York or by car?
JEN-Is it what?
COD-Is it farther to get to New York or by car?
JEN-To get to New York or by car?
ZOE-Is it easier you mean?
JEN-Like what do you mean? Like by train or by car?
COD-No, is it farther to New York or by car? (by this time we're cracking up just messin' with them)
JEN-That makes no sense. Is it farther....... what aer you talking about, what's the option? (laughter)
IAN-Yeah, the train leaves the station at....
JEN-Rephrase the question.
COD-Okay, would it be farther to New York or by car?
JEN-That makes no sense Joe. Listen to yourself.
COD-Alright forget it. What was the first punk show you ever went to?
JEN-The first punk show I ever sent to was a free DEAD MILKMEN show.
COD-When was that?
JEN-It was in '88
COD-What about everybody else?
IAN-I saw the RAMONES when I was really young because my sister was into that whole scene.
COD-How old are you?
IAN-Me, I'm 24.
COD-Since there are two girls in the band do you get hassled by other girls or the opposite sex?
JEN-What?
IAN-Do you get hassled by other girls in other bands or just girls like in general because your in a band? (no, not quite Ian but close enough I guess)
JEN-Me?
COD-yeah, since there is two girls in the band do any of you get hassled by other girls or guys?
JEN-All the girls are scared of me and Zoe cause we're real butch. No, people are basically scared of us.
IAN-In general
JEN-In general people are really kind of scared of us.
COD-How do the guys in the scene react to that?
IAN-The trendy kids like....If you push the envelope and all like there's rumors about us saying that we're involved in cult rituals, that I like uh....like just people blow things way out of proportion. You know, you go out on stage in leopard skin underwear with a strap-on dildo on and you know they think your Aliester Crowley or something.
RICH-Some kids' parents won't let them come see us.
COD-Really why?
IAN-Because of stuff we do on stage and because of all the drug references in our songs.
RICH-We're all about corrupting the youth.
COD-You have alot of drug references in your songs?
JEN-Yeah.
IAN-Just about every kind of drug that there is.
JEN-Yeah
ZOE-There's nothing wrong with drugs if it expands the mind (yeah just look at the wonderful things it's done for your guys' way of thinking....thank you drugs).
JEN-I don't do drugs or smoke or drink. I'm not str8edge. Yeah I drink sometimes but I don't get drunk.
ZOE-She used to smoke. She was a bad girl.
JEN-Yeah, I smoked for 7 years but I quit in July.
IAN-I drink heavily and I take whatever drugs are around whenever I can as much as possible.
COD-Do you guys get along with your parents?
JEN-No.
IAN-I don't have parents.
JEN-Yeah, Ian's an orphan.
ZOE-I don't have any parents either.
JEN-Zoe lies, she has parents. They're really stupid.
RICH-My Mom is my best friend.
COD-What is your guys favorite BLACK SABBATH album?
JEN-I don't like BLACK SABBATH (thems fightin' words Jen)
RICH-Paranoid.
IAN-Sabbath Bloody Sabbath.
COD-How do you feel about punk being fragmented into all different kinds of scenes and styles like crust and emo and grindcore and stuff like that?
JEN-I think it's good. I think it just makes it accessible to more and more people because there's so many different styles of music for them to get into. The more alternatives that you have the better. I mean the more options that you have the better.
COD-What about the crusties not going to the emo shows and vice versa?
IAN-I think that, that's ridiculous. I think more people should be open-minded about listening to different styles of music like, we like psyco-billy and we like 70's punk, some hardcore.
JEN-My whole feeling on this is you can like whatever music you want, it's just the people that are putting on the shows should try and have more diverse bands together, that's what were doin' now. Whenever we get the chance to set up shows we get ska bands, we get punk bands, we get hardcore bands all at one show.
COD-Would you trade your ear for an extra mouth?
JEN-Trade my ear?
COD-Yeah, for an extra mouth.
JEN-No
RICH-I'd trade my mouth for an extra ear.
JEN-I'd trade my ears for an extra eye but I don't know. I only want one mouth.
IAN-Would you you have two tongues too?
COD-Yeah, everything.
IAN-Okay yeah, I would want two tongues.
JEN-No, I want 3 eyes.
RICH-Where would the mouth be?
COD-I don't know.
IAN-And think about how much extra money you could make.
JEN-Yeah, you could make a hundred bucks at once instead of just fifty.
COD-Any kind of final words?
JEN-Yeah I think that The Loiterers are the coolest band in the world and everybody should listen to us and we have demo tapes so you should get our address. Write to us and get demo tapes.
COD-How much are your tapes?
JEN-$3.00 ppd.
IAN-If you know two chords you should start your own band. If your bored with what's happening around you, you should get up and do something, set up shows, start your own band, and do whatever you can to change your surroundings.
COD-Did you guys get a HADJI (Chad od's old band) tape?
JEN-Yeah it was cool.
COD-You like it?
JEN-Yeah, I like the second song on it.
COD-What song is that?
JEN-I have no idea what the name of the song is. Joe what was that 2nd song that I liked?
COD(jOE)-Happy day I think.
COD(chad)-The John Denver song?
JEN-Is that what it was?
COD-Yeah.
IAN-Jen hordes everything that Joe sends us. (laughter)
JEN-I horde everything everybody sends to us. When people mail us records & demos & stuff, I take it.
COD-See that's not even cool, that's terrible.
JEN-I'm selfish, what do you want?
THE LOITERERS may be contacted at:
24 E. 6th st. Patchogue, NY 11772
or call: 516.289.6887 or email Jen

You will be able to see The Loiterers perform a couple of their songs on the up & coming COD video comp.



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