The Hippos : (Band) interviewed by http://www.enteract.com/~eric721/mtc the hippos, from los angeles, california, are easily one of the most rockin' ska/punk/pop bands around. their horn and harmony-laden style of ska is unmistakable. complete with ghoulish keyboards and synthesizers, the hippos will rock you right out of your seat and into a skankin' frenzy. we caught up with them at the fireside bowl in chicago, but then couldn't get them to shut up! see for yourselves. mtc: alright for the record name everybody in the band & what they do ariel: o.k., my name is ariel, I play guitar & sing, rich plays trombone & keyboards & does backup vocals, louis sings with me & plays trumpet, danny plays trombone, james plays bass & kyle plays drums. mtc: how long have you been together? ariel: like 3 ˝ yrs.something like that. mtc: & you live in california? ariel: yeah, l.a. mtc: are you afraid that ca is going to break off & fall into the ocean? ariel: I actually contemplate this thought almost everyday in my sleep… mtc: do you? ariel: no. (laughs) that would suck, we would all drown. mtc: you might not drown ariel: really? mtc: it might just float away ariel: you mean it might just become an island-an island of california? ariel & somebody else start a conversation off on their own, we're just left hangin for a second, he asks something about their new album & I quickly shove the recorder back in ariel's face ariel: july hopefully, it's done it's just not mixed & right when we were done recording it there was a merger between all of these major record labels & all the budgets froze up & we thought we were going to get dropped, but we didn't get dropped, so that was good. it just kind of slowed things down a little bit but it will be out now, it's all good. it just takes time to set up, plus we don't have our shit together, we don't even know what it will be called or anything. mtc: do you have the artwork done? ariel: no, oh no we're not even close to on top of it. it's just fucking sitting there, I can't wait for it to be done, it will be done though…we have a deadline, it has to be done by april 15th, so somehow, it will be done…there's that. mtc: yep, there's that...we've got that out of the way. mtc: what label is your new record coming out on? ariel: the new one is coming out on interscope. we signed the deal over the past summer and toured a little bit & wrote songs & then recorded the record. at this point, our first record with them, they were just like "do what you guys want to do, write whatever songs you want to write, pick whatever producer" obviously within a certain amount of money, ya know? so it was really like our own thing, it was really crazy. it's fun. mtc: what do you plan to do after this tour? ariel: our last show is march 30th, & then we have stuff to take care of like artwork & mixing the record & everything. then in april, we're going to do some shows up north in california, we're going to do this whole west coast thing in may till probably like june & then in june, we're going to try to come back out again... mtc: have you been to the east coast yet? ariel: yeah, we just got back from it, it was o.k. shockingly. mtc: how were the turnouts? ariel: it was our first time in a lot of the places. it was our first time in new york & it was packed. it was great. mtc: ...& I wonder about new york, because it seems to have this big hardcore scene going on... ariel: well, we went on this really ghetto tour a long time ago & we played new jersey & there was like 3 people at the show & it was really rough. so then we played n.y. this time at coney island high, it was packed & the kids were awesome...everybody was singing along & rocking out so it was good... & it was weird cuz it was our first time, so, I was really thrilled with anybody. we played philadelphia, it was awesome, it was packed...we played with a cool band named lounge. we played atlanta, georgia with a band called jets to brazil...it was really good. & we played boston, it was great. (eric finally joins me for the interview) mtc: is this another hippo? ariel: yeah, this is danny... mtc: hello danny. danny: hello (eric introduces himself to ariel & danny) mtc: (eric) yeah richard told me to pinch your ass, but ya know... mtc: (amy) that's right...you wouldn't want him to be disappointed in you eric...haha! ariel: don't be shy (a little ass pinching takes place) "awwww there ya go!" mtc: (eric) i'm a little shy when it comes to that kind of thing. ariel: it's alright, you just gotta kind of break the ice...just say fuck it. mtc: who are you going on tour with this summer? ariel: I don't know, we were talking about doing some stuff in may with riverfenix, that would be cool. mtc: I think for anybody's first tour it would help to go out with somebody well-known...what did you guys do? ariel: we went out by ourselves. danny: the first time, yeah... ariel: we went out one time & tried our best to play with the bigger local bands. we were playing in front of like 40 kids, that's great, that's kind of what the first tour was like. the second time we got lucky, somebody dropped off the face to face tour & we got to do the south with them & that really helped us out...now we have a solid following in the south cuz we got exposed to a lot of fans. the third time we went out, we kind of went out again on our own but actually we went out with riverfenix, homegrown, the impossibles, the supaflys, cousin oliver...it was like this whole big tour...nobody knew any of us, we were all just hanging out having fun. (totally off the subject here...patrese joins in...) patrese: o.k., what would you prefer...underwear or panties? ariel: well, I guess you're referring to the female side, right? patrese: unless you wear panties... danny: you mean underwear as far as... patrese: as like, if you're speaking about underwear, like, "hey girl, you better get those pink underwear..." ariel: I don't think I feel comfortable using the word panties. danny: underwear is kind of cheesy. ariel: i'm into underwear. danny: i'm not into underwear...i'd rather do like... patrese: panties? danny: no, no, not panties either... ariel: you don't have a choice dude, two things... danny: only two things? ariel: yeah, choose between them... danny: can I abbreviate & say undies? patrese: o.k., undies. mtc: that's just like panties though. danny: pantalones? ariel: that's pants. mtc: alright, I got a question...do you have any of your own theories that you strongly believe in? danny: jesus christ. if you caught me like three years ago when I was smoking weed, i'd give you every single thing, but I don't do that shit anymore so I lost them all. ariel: my brain's a little frozen right now...i'm sure I have some theories... danny: we believe in the chupacabra. mtc: what's that? danny: you don't know what the chupacabra is? ariel: it's a white flying bat...OH, flying rat...it's like a grey rat... danny: we saw one twice. chupacabra is...cabra is a goat...i don't know why they call it...it's a flying bat like rat type thing that goes & kills cows, they drink cow's blood. ariel: yeah. mtc: &, like, nobody has ever really seen one? danny&ariel: oh yeah, well, we've seen one like two or three times at least. mtc: like where? danny&ariel: california...driving at like four in the morning...i think they're from california... mtc: & you've seen these things flying by...?...how do you spell it? danny: it's phonetically...chupa - cabra...chupa means sucking & cabra means goat, I don't know why they call it the goat sucker. mtc: oh. ariel: that's what it is..cuz it sucks goats blood. danny: no, it sucks cows blood though. mtc: maybe goats & cows. ariel: maybe when there are no goats around, they go for cows... mtc: are there more cows or goats...they take what they can get, right? danny: I don't know, maybe that's something you'll have to look up... mtc: how big are they? ariel: i'd say the wing-span is like...yay... mtc: ...bigger than a breadbox but smaller than a half-stack...? ariel: exactly. danny: breadbox...who uses breadboxes anymore...i remember having one, but... ariel: its body could probably fit in a breadbox. danny: yeah, but what size is a breadbox? mtc: a little bit bigger than a loaf of bread. danny: oh, o.k. ariel: it's probably a little bit smaller than a loaf of bread. (we attempt to explain and get a visual picture of how our mother's breadboxes open & close) mtc: so, where are you driving to next? danny&ariel: minneapolis...jinx mtc: that's a long drive. ariel: we've got nothing but long drives ahead of us. mtc: do you guys book your own tours? danny&ariel: no, we have though... mtc: what kind of advice would you give to bands that are booking their first tour... danny: hook up with bands in other cities...call bands that have gone on tour that your friends with & they usually have numbers & if they don't, then I don't see how that band got around themselves. ariel: when you find out about bands from other towns playing, try & get on that show & meet them & bring in your friends...it's all about relationships. danny: making friends...it's who you know & who knows you. mtc: yeah it is. mtc: do you have any funny tour stories? danny&ariel: OOOHHH! we got a couple...DO I! we got some... mtc: alright, throw them at me...(ariel grabs the recorder) (eric & ariel decided to discuss how ariel's name is pronounced)... ariel: i'm used to being called AIRiel or airIEL or whatever... mtc: (eric) like the little mermaid? ariel: yeah, but in the little mermaid, she was called ariel. mtc: (amy) I think it was more AIRiel ariel: well, but you know the crab? mtc: (eric) but honestly, you look nothing like her. ariel: well, yeah. i'd like to think that I kinda do...so, o.k. then, funny tour stories...today we were really freezing cold, we're not used to this shit...so, we got to the gas station, (danny throws in "we're not from orange county") ...the east coast likes to have these blow dryers instead of paper towels. that's not so big in l.a., so we like to go in the bathrooms to thaw out. so, james & rich ran into the bathroom with the key...i think three people went in at first & one person left & gave the key back. then that key was given to this lady. she went over to the bathroom & was about to go in & they were in there like, "OOOOOOHHHHH YEAH!" "OH OH YEAH"...just like ooooohhhh OOOOHHHH! cuz they're thawing out & they're all excited about it. so, we were in the little convenience store & the lady comes in & she puts the key down & goes, "I don't know what's going on, but I went to the bathroom & there are two guys in there & I don't know what they're doing but i'm just waiting." s he thought there was some monkey business going on in there, if ya know what I mean. but the truth of it is, they were just in there thawing out... mtc: yeah right, we hear ya. (james walks over) james: that's a great story... mtc: it's a funny story... danny: so what were you guys really doing in there? mtc: thawing out, right? ariel: you can make this sound as funny as you can without sound effects...sound effects are a big part of this story...maybe a little illustration of what the lady thought was going on & what was actually going on. danny: ...figure 1 vs. figure 2 - what really happened... mtc: do you have a kitty? ariel: my cat's name is gabby. danny: my cat's name is muffin & my old cat... ariel: danny's cat died. danny: he was like 18 yrs. old. ariel: I like all cats except for carter...(richard & stefanie's cat) mtc: do you have any nicknames? ariel: we only have one nickname... danny: well, that's richy stix... ariel: no...balls. danny: no, balls isn't anymore though. ariel: there's only one nickname...his name is james & his nickname is "jiznuts". it started back in the day when there was like the snoop dog language going on...we called him "jizames" ya know like... mtc: "whas up jizames & the hiznouse...word" ariel: right, exactly...see, it turned from jizames into jiznames into jiznuts...and speaking of jiznuts...what up jiz? (james comes outside again talking on a cell phone) mtc: is he calling his girlfriend right now? danny: yeah, probably mtc: that's sweet. do the rest of you have girlfriends? ariel: noooo, grrrrrr... mtc: is that a good thing or bad thing? danny: bad dude...he had a girlfriend for like two years. ariel: fuck girls...just kidding. mtc: that's technically what you do to girls...that is unless you're into... danny: ...the other thing. mtc: what do you think of the midwest? ariel: I like the midwest...i don't know if i'd live here...it's a little cold for my fancy. danny: it's alright. mtc: see, but in california, it's warm all year round & you don't get the temperature change ariel: you know what? that's just fine with me. mtc: danny, are you afraid that california will break off into the ocean someday? danny: hell no dude...i will be so long dead before that happens. mtc: there's some new fault line right through orange county. ariel: ...orange county can go down. (danny & ariel discuss where ariel lives) mtc: aren't earthquakes scary? ariel: I had fun, I like earthquakes. mtc: doesn't it like ruin everything in your house? danny: yeah, as long as you put... mtc: ...you have everything velcroed down? danny: that bubblegum type material. ariel: when we had the big northridge earthquake was the first time I met most of my neighbors. it was like unity. I woke up & was like, "what's going on?" my mom was like, "come on, come on! there's an earthquake!" I was like, "no, I don't want any...blah blah blah..." I was really tired. mtc: I would freak out if the ground started shaking. (ariel explained to us what being tired is like) danny: our t.v. fell over, I had like three friends sleeping over & the t.v. missed my friend by like an inch. ariel: my shit was tossed all over the place. (a couple of girls tried to leave...danny & ariel tried to convince them to stay for the rest of the show...we found out that the hippos were going on like yesterday, so we decided to continue the interview after the show.) **the hippos put on an awesome show at the fireside** mtc: so, tell us the dreidel story...for those of you that don't get this, it's on the drive-thru records comp, "christmas gone wrong" ...the dreidel song is way at the end. ariel: richard & stefanie put out this christmas cd...and they're telling me, "ariel, you're the only jew, you've gotta represent...blah, blah, don't sell out, blah blah"...i didn't know what to do - what am I going to do, go into the studio & record a fucking ska version of some hanukah song? I kept putting it off cuz i felt kinda dumb about it. finally, i'm at their house & they are on their way to master the cd & they have all the DATs & everything. i'm just there chillin & they say, "you gotta do it right now". i'm like, "alright". we went into the bathroom with their little tape recorder. we were just fucking around checking for levels while i'm screaming & being stupid. finally we start to do it. the first few times i'm busting up & it's so ridiculous, everyone's laughing & I sound like a drunk maniac. I guess the fifth time probably, I got a clean version of it & they're all "great we're leaving". i'm like, "don't fuck with me, use the version that we got, no laughing, nothing, don't use anything else." they're like, "don't worry, no problem." about a month later when the cd came out, I'm listening to it & i'm like, "those assholes!" they put on the one where I started laughing. it gets worse, i'm listening & thinking, o.k., it's not that bad, it's kinda funny. then, I noticed that the last song ends & there's more room, I go, "oh, a hidden track, that's great, what's that?" I'm fast forwarding & all of the sudden it's me screaming & being stupid, meanwhile, my mom is in my room. i'm like "mom, look I did a hanukah song." she's like, "oh that's so great" & we're having a good laugh & I start screaming, being stupid, not knowing the words & "fuck this, blah blah blah" my mom was all disappointed in me & I'm like, "you bastards!" now every show we play I get harrassed, people are like "play the dreidel song". then, on top of that, they make posters, "featuring - ariel from the hippos." how embarrassing is that. completely exploiting me & they love it. it's cool you know, I love those guys, it's funny. it's all jest. I would be having a great laugh if it was somebody else. so that's it basically. mtc: how can people find your stuff? ariel: go to the store & if it's not there, have them order it. try to get them to, it really helps us out when people request it. you can always order stuff through the internet & write to us, write to vagrant records, our record label. feel free to write to us, we write back, we love it. mtc: in closure, what do you have to say? ariel: in closure I have to say, beware of the chupacabras because they exist & they will get you.