A Sink Hole Zine interview with The Lower Class Brats August 4, 2003-St.Petersburg, Florida
Ahhh.... The Lower Class Brats. Those Texas Droog Punks have been at it for 8 years now. They’ve gotten into the habit lately of touring, alot. Still, this was just their second trip to Florida. Since I missed them the last time, I made it a priority not to get strike two against me. It took a little schedule manipulating to make it, but I was able to squeeze them in between my two jobs. I had every intention of re-reading Anthony Burgess’ classic book that seems to inspire this band so much before seeing them. I was planning on watching the movie again, too. I thought this would brush me up just enough to ‘get it’ a little more. Of course, as always, my shitty work schedule got in the way of my Clockwork Orange refresher course and the show came quickly and I wasn’t ready. In the end, I was just glad I got off work in time and got the crew to the club in one piece without missing LCB, and I did, so...
They put on a raging show playing tunes like “Just Like Clockwork”, “Who Writes Your Rules”, “Ultraviolence”, “Psycho” and finally “What Is Love” by the Dead Boys as a crowd requested encore.
After the show I was able to coax Evo and Bones-the ‘Brats bass player and singer respectively, to sit down with me for a few. I must admit, I was a little scared that they would be speaking completely in some kind of Nadsat dialogue that would flow over my head. Fortunately, we all spoke that same white trash, lower class, bastardization of the English language.
The Lower Class Brats lineup has been the same for the last 6 or so years, it changed up a bit this year. The current lineup boasts old members Bones, the singer and swinger. Marty, the long haired, guitar playing rocker who was stuck at the merch table and couldn’t make the interview. And the new guys - Evo, the Derby sportin’ bass player and Mike Brats the drum-banging Virus fan.
Oh, yeah. The real reason I wanted to do this here interview is so I could give a neato ‘Clockwork’ referencey title. How about we call this little piece “Look what the cat drooged in”
Sink Hole Zine-So this was a treat, seeing you guys tonight. When are you coming back down here?
Bones-We’ll be out again before the years out. There’s no question about that. We’ll at least hit North-Florida again real soon, no doubt about it.
SHZ-Who are you touring with, what are the plans?
Bones-We don’t know any of that yet. We just know we’re just gonna tour this year alot, especially after the new record comes out, we’ll be all over the country, doesn’t matter who with.
SHZ-How long has it been since you’ve been through Florida?
Bones-Two years. We came through with the Unseen then. We just hit Jacksonville then.
SHZ-So this is the furthest into the state you’ve ever been?
Bones-This is the furthest south I have ever been in my life! Oh wait, besides Tijuana. Does that count?
SHZ-How does this rank compared to Tijuana?
Bones-Much better, much better.
Some Mohawked Guy who sat next to us-It’s safer!
Bones-Its much safer, much better. The people watching you play aren’t busy smoking speed out of lightbulbs either.
SHZ-Has this state been good to you?
Bones-Always. Well, I can’t say always. I’ve only been here twice. Last time was incredible. Back again, it’s still great. It’s worth the drive. We drove 8 hours to get here last night, but it’s always worth the drive no matter where you go to. As long as there’s people to see you. If the scene is small and tight, it’s good. If the scene’s large and tight, it’s good. If it’s just large, that’s good, too. A shows a show. Unless everyone who shows up is an asshole, or the club jips you or a bunch of nazi assholes show up, other than that shit, every show is great. We’re a pretty easy going bunch.
SHZ- So, you’ve been out for a month now-has every show been a good show?
Evo-We’ve had a great time every fucking night. We’ve had 24 shows in a row. They’ve been really good, the crowd sizes varies from really big to really small. Performance wise, I’ve had a blast every show.
SHZ-High and low, what’s the best and worst?
Evo-San Diego and Atlanta would be the best for me. That’s just based on crowd participation and the feeling I got being there. They were different sized crowds, but they were great, but really every show has been. I’m real happy.
Bones-Yeah, Atlanta was fun last night. We played the Neutron Bomb with Knife And The Stabs. There was no smoking or drinking in the club, so we went out to El Matodor, or El something Spanish sounding. Anyway, we were at some bar in Atlanta...We told everybody we were gonna go get smashed and we’d be back. We get out there to the bar, and I swear, you can ask Mike. This old lady bartender slipped some shit in our drinks.
Mike-She tried to roofy us, to date-rape our asses.
Bones-I can’t remember anything. On stage, I don’t remember a thing. I can’t remember getting there, singing, nothing.
Mike-I sat there looking at my drum set, wondering-“did we play?”
Bones-It was just 3 drinks. We each had 3 drinks and none of us could remember anything. It’s like, it normally takes 6 before your all ‘arrrghlll#$@!’ and whatever, but 3? That’s getting there, but remembering everything as you do it. SHZ-Did you look up and she was fiddling with you?
Mike-No, but she was all straddling my jock.
Bones-She was 40.
Mike-At least 45 or 50, dude, it wasn’t good. I’m like “What are you doing lady?”. We had a good time-I THINK!
Bones-Yeah, moving on and forgetting Atlanta-
SHZ-Which shouldn’t be that hard-
Bones-My favorite show that I can remember was at the Showcase in Corona, California.
Mike-Yeah, that was the fucking best!
Bones-And San Francisco was incredible.
SHZ-Now what made those stand out?
Bones-People, there were tons of them! We had 500 plus kids there, and they were turning kids away at the door! Like 200 of them. It was just like-Fuck! We’re not used to seeing this. This is completely new territory for us. All I can say is “Wow!” Just look into the crowd and...
Mike-Plus we scored a shitload of free bullet belts that night cuz the assholes at the door were confiscating them.
SHZ-Are you ever surprised when you roll into a town that you’ve never been to before and there’s all these kids who know all the words to your songs?
Bones-Sometimes yeah. Especially, if your in a real small town, then it’s a real wow, but...It’s good. Our songs are pretty simple. If kids are up front and they don’t know the words, I sing to ‘em. Then by the last chorus they’re singing along, too. It’s always a nice surprise when people jump up and start singing along. That makes a show for me.
SHZ-Alright, lets switch gears a bit... 95% of the people here, myself included, were born after Clockwork Orange came out. I think it was 1971 for the movie, the book came out in the early 60's. Do the kids get it? Do they understand the references? Are they like-‘Why are you wearing that hat?’
Evo-We don’t know if they get it, but they try! They try. A lot of high school ageg kids come to our shows in Derbys. I never asked one why they had a hat on. I wear it as sort of a way to add to the identity a little, it’s almost-
Bones-It’s something that, if they go to try and understand it. If they really understand the book or the movie-it will set them right. It’s about being yourself, it’s about-no matter what you do, right or wrong...you have the choice. You have that choice, it’s bred into you. You have the choice to do right or wrong. No matter what you do, it’s your choice. That’s one of the points of the book-be your own person. If kids find that out at an early age, well, hopefully they’ll make the right choices and do a good thing. But, its your freedom of choice, freedom to do what you want to...
SHZ-Do people come up to you guys at shows like “I just read the book, or I just watched Clockwork and I want to talk about it”?
Bones-Yeah, quite a few people, all the time really.
SHZ-What do they say?
Bones-The coolest thing so far is we had the guy who does Malcolm McDowell’s website, came out and did a two-hour long interview with us. It wasn’t so much about the band, more about A Clockwork Orange, the story and how it related to my life and our lyrics.
(This site , www.malcommcdowell.net, has an intense LCB interview on it and a whole bunch of other neat Clockwork stuff, check it out)
Other than that, kids come up to us all the time asking us to sign their DVD or video of it. People want to know when I first read it-when I was a kid, when I was in high school, I had to read it in class.
SHZ-Wow, that’s awesome. There are actually public libraries out there that won’t even carry the book, and you read it in school?
Bones-Well, it was a long fucking time ago, in a public school. Anyway, we had to read it in class. I think, the reason that teacher had us read it, was because of the languages. Just to get us to understand different language types.
SHZ-Nadsat?
Bones-Yeah, ya know, different kinds of slang, and the way that certain people speak differently. She was basically a hippie fucking teacher, just trying to make us think...
SHZ-Do you guys ever get confused with The Addicts?
Bones-No, they’re friends of ours.
Evo-There’s a little of similarities, obviously. Clockwork Orange, Droogs, all that. They have their sound, we have ours. We played with them a few months back and it was a great show. They have their version and we have ours. Its not like-
Bones-We both got it from the same fucking place!!! They didn’t make it up! They ripped off the movie just like we did! We’ve sat and joked about that with The Addicts before, that we all stole it from the same place. They’re good guys, and I think we enjoy each others’ bands and-
Evo-They have the English version, and we got the American version.
SHZ-The Texas version?
Bones-Yeah, we’re not fucking Americans, we’re Texans! Yee haw!
SHZ-What is it about Texas, is that where all the fucking freaks and weirdos live?
Evo-Most people are.
SHZ-And you’re from Austin, Texas?
Bones-The band is, yeah.
SHZ-I read a blurb in a tattoo magazine once that Austin has more people with their faces tattooed than any other city or town in the world. I don’t know how scientific the research is, but that’s quite a claim to fame!
Evo-I believe it.
Bones-Enigma lives there-so does Lifto. Lifto’s a good friend of mine. There’s whats her name with the tiger stripes-Enigma’s wife.
Evo-Plus various others...
Bones-Austin’s a pretty liberal city, a pretty cool place. Imagine if you took the cool part of San Francisco and stuck it into a small 8 block radius. Any night you could go downtown and have a good time. There’s always a punk show, it doesn’t matter who you’re seeing, it may be a shitty little band, but there’s always a show every night. Austin’s a cool place to live, it’s a good home base for the band.
SHZ-What’s y’all’s favorite Texas bumper sticker?
Bones-“Titty bingo”! How about “My wife-yes, my dog-maybe, my gun-NEVER”.
SHZ-Don’t mess with Texas!
SHZ-So, how about the new album?
Bones-September 8th, it comes out. Shit, I’m out of beer, I’ll be right back.
SHZ-It’s all you-tell me about the new album?
Evo-We wrote all these songs in the past year. I’m new to the band, Mike, the drummer, he’s new also. Besides “Just Like Clockwork”, which came out as a single, there are 10 new songs. It’s punk rock, obviously. Seventies style. We’re trying to deliver our different life stories in songs and I think we did a pretty good job. There’s some varying different speeds of songs, but overall I think it’s pretty powerful. I like it.
SHZ-Did everybody work on writing it?
Evo-Yeah, we all chipped in.
SHZ-You mentioned you were new. How did you come to end up in the Lower Class Brats?
Evo-An old member asked me if I wanted to join cuz he was quitting. It was that simple. Of course, I said “Sure!”.
SHZ-What were you up to before that?
Evo-I had played in some local San Antonio bands. Nuclear Fishsticks was probably the best. They’re still around with new members.
SHZ-How about The final Holidays In The Sun festival?
Evo-Nope, I missed that, I came in right after that.
SHZ-Now I think that everybody knows at this point what happened to Cheap Sex and Johny’s condition.
Evo-It happened on Friday. We were supposed to start the tour in New York on Sunday. It was so close. They had driven all the way from San Diego. They were an hour away from Philly were they were planning on stopping and of course they never made it.
SHZ-Was it hard getting into the tour after that happened?
Evo-Well, we knew that couldn’t cancel the tour, we knew we had to continue that and try to have a fun time with our shows, but at the same time we are all thinking that these guys should be here with us. We send shout outs and dedicate songs to them every night. They know that we had to continue. They understand. We’re really continuing with their spirit, too. Fortunately their all alive and everybody but Johny is back in San Diego now. I’m told he’s getting better there in the hospital. We can’t wait till he’s recovered cuz we want to try this again. To tour with them, we really want to do that.
SHZ-It sounds like you guys just want to tour and you don’t care who comes along. You’ll just hope in the van and whatever happens...
Evo-If we have the time, we’ll go. I mean, we’re at home, we’re writing new songs. We’re practicing new songs, but to play them live is what it’s all about. Presenting our sound and our shows to everywhere in this country, its what I want to do. We want to give everyone a taste of what we’ve got. Sharing what we have to offer.
SHZ-For you personally, is this a strange adjustment? I mean from not being in the band, to joining the band, to being on the road for a month with these guys playing all these crazy shows.
Evo-Not really. Honestly, this just feels so natural to me right now. It could be weird if I took a step back and tried to start analyzing everything. Then, it could be very strange. It could be weird cuz it’s not a normal life to travel city to city every day, but after a couple days you fall into a routine and then it feels normal. I mean I’m really comfortable, I’m having a great time and I’m really proud to be in this band.
SHZ-You know I think Bones went to Milwaukee to get his beer, I don’t think he’s coming back. I’ve got a tired little one who wants to go home and I’ve got to go back to work, so let’s tie this one up...
(Darvey, my 7-year old son, has come over to sit with us and he seems really tired and crabby)
SHZ-(to Darvey)Whats wrong kid? Don’t be grumpy now, you could say hi to him, OR you could probably punch him...
Evo-(to Darvey) Whats up big guy. Come on, you can hit me!
Darvey-(no words, just the evil eye)
SHZ-Guess not, anything else you want to say?
Evo-Me? No. Bones might. BONES!!!
SHZ-He ain’t coming back... Your final assignment is to sum life up in 5 words...
Evo-Just be true to yourself. That’s it. Put an exclamation point at the end if you want. Thanks for coming out, thanks for the support and I hope to see you again.
The Brats already have 2 full lengths out now, and are on the verge of dropping 2 more in the next two months. “Real Punk Is An Endangered Species-The Clockwork Singles Collection” comes out at the end of August on Punk Core Records. Their much anticipated new LP is gonna be called “A Class Of Their Own”. This will be available to the masses in late September, also on Punk Core.
The Lower Class Brats aren’t special, they have a website just like everbody else. Check it out and check them out.
Lower Class Brats dot com
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