Travoltas
Interview with vocalist Perry
Issue 2, Summer/Fall 2003
Feeling a little down lately? I have the solution: Pop some Travoltas into that cd player of yours. Trust me. It may not get you a date with Liv Tyler, but you'll be bouncing around in no time.
S&S: For people who may not have heard of you yet, can you tell us what instrument each band member plays?
Perry: Well, my name is Perry and I sing. Then we got Vince who plays the guitar, Dan on bass, Woody hits the drums, and Skoke cranks out sounds on the keyboard
S&S: How did you all meet?
Perry: Vince & I met in high school; way back. We had nothing better to do than just start a band and play Ramones songs. We started the band in 1990 and recruited new members since, but this line up is definitely the best! We're pretty close, almost like family.
S&S: Now, you are all from Europe, correct? How does it feel to tour the United States?
Perry: It's a dream come true to be honest. I mean, we tour Europe quite often, but being on stage in America is something different. It can be tough, but we're enjoying every minute of it. The audiences can be pretty good out here, you know; we're getting a great response.
S&S: What is your favorite country to play in and why?
Perry: So far, that would be the US, Italy, and Sweden. Especially in the last two. Things can go out of hand; we ran into some crazy shit the past years!
S&S: Who are some bands you look up to?
Perry: Definitely the Beach Boys and The Ramones. These bands are without any question are our number ones. The Beach Boys for their genius harmonies and song writing (thank you Brian Wilson) and The Ramones for being the coolest band ever: great songs and always true to their roots. They were raw power!
S&S: Do you like to play any cover songs? If so, which ones?
Perry: Not really; we play one Beach Boys song once and a while: "Little Honda", but we [would] rather play our own tunes. We're not a cover band!
S&S: You guys have popped out albums consistently and annually since your debut in 1996. What is your favorite release?
Perry: I guess the new one: Endless Summer. Not because it just came out, but I think the songs and the production on this one are the most personal to me. But then again, I'm proud of all the stuff we've put out, even our shitty sounding debut haha!!
S&S: Perry, you have produced several of your own albums. Does producing give the music an even more personal feel?
Perry: I think so. I guess when you produce it yourself, you really can shape the songs the way YOU want to hear it, and the way YOU want to present it to an audience. So, it's safe to say that our own productions are what we are about. But we had to learn how to produce. Sometimes you get too involved so you have to step back. Marky Ramone taught us a lot in that when he produced "Modern World".
S&S: What was the best part about recording your latest cd, "Endless Summer"?
Perry: It was a lot of fun [and] very easy to record. The engineer and studio owner is a good friend of ours, so the atmosphere was perfect. I guess we work the best if everybody's having a good time. I had the most fun in producing "Lori". It has that Phil Spector feel. I love the way it came out!
S&S: Seeing that you all are incredibly handsome men, I'm sure the ladies would like to know: Single or taken?
Perry: HAHA! You should see us when we're in our smelly van after a 12 hour drive! Well, to be honest, we're all single except for Woody (drums) and Skoke (keys). It's hard to have a girlfriend when you're never at home. Maybe we didn't meet the right ones yet!
S&S: Have you had any crazy fan experiences?
Perry: The craziest thing happened in Sweden in 2000. We played a festival in the middle of the City of Malmo; about 30,000 people showed up. After our show the police had to protect us when we ran offstage, cause there were so many kids running towards us screaming & yelling! Then, the police got mad at me cause I just wanted to sign their cds and stuff, causing even more commotion. I felt like being in the Beatles for a minute.
S&S: What can you tell us about your video for "Let's Go Away"? Did anything particularly funny happen on the set?
Perry: Hell yeah! We shot it at a real brothel somewhere in Belgium. We did something similar for the 'Do It Again' video, but this time it's a lot funnier. We all dress up as 70's pornstars who are forced by this creepy director to star in his latest porn flick. Of course, being the nerds we are, everything goes wrong. Besides some friends, there are some real "working girls" in that video, you know! It's up to the viewer to find out who is and who's not. Needless to say, we had a good time..
S&S: What is the best memory you have of the band all together?
Perry: That's a tough question. What impressed me the most was a show we did in Amsterdam in 2001. We performed in front of 50,000 people on a square in downtown Amsterdam. It was aired on national television with 1.5 million viewers. I was shitting bricks when I was walking up that stage. It was incredible. But it's not always about the high numbers. I've got great memories of a show in Italy, when we played in a tiny bar, packed with about 100 people who could barely move. We didn't even have a stage. But when we started playing, everybody went nuts. After the show, we partied until the morning with all the locals. No one left the bar!
S&S: Thank you, Perry, for this interview! I really appreciate it and I'm sure your fans in Jersey will too!
Perry: Thank you too! I just want to say we're having a great time here and I want to thank everyone who came to see us play! We'll be back!