The worst music news that I got this year was that The GC5 broke up. After 6 years, a bunch of great songs and hundreds of shows, my favorite band called it quits. The four of them have moved on...Paul, the red-haired, exhiditionist guitarist is back in school and Pete, the guitarist and singer with the healthiest appetite is in a Thin Lizzy cover band.
Fortunately, the other two, the McKean brothers-Doug and Dave, are carrying on and started a new band. Along with Ron Allen on bass, the 3 of them formed Motel Blonde. I have to say, although I have yet to hear a single note, this is as excited I’ve been about a new band in a long time.
They have a new disc due out on Thick Records and will be hitting the road hard in 2004.
Keep your ear to the ground for info and look out for this band in the new year.
Motel Blonde is: Doug McKean on guitar and vocals, Ron Allen on bass and Dave McKean on drums.
(Editor's Note:The photos are not actually of Motel Blonde, but do show the 3 members of the band as well as the guy who did the interview. My apologies for the low quality, random, out-dated shots. I hope to have better ones for you all soon.
Sink Hole Zine: I guess the obvious start to the interview would be, what the hell happened to the GC5?
Doug: We just got back from the last tour, started working on a new record, things weren't easy with all of us living in different places by then, the songs were going in a different direction, we'd been frustrated for a while at the lack of connection between what we were writing/doing and the audience. It just seemed like a good time to carry on as something different, since we had all these things to work against anyhow.
SHZ: Are you guys still friends, just not bandmates?
Doug: Yeah, and I think breaking up the band helped preserve that. I know I certainly appreciate the other guys more now that I don't deal with them 24/7. We were friends before the band, and that will always be the most important thing.
SHZ:I’m assuming that you guys had an albums worth of songs ready for the next GC5 record, did you scap all of those, or did they become Motel Blonde songs?
Doug: Yeah, we broke up in the midst of the recording. Things were fairly dysfunctional. We hadn't rehearsed all the songs as a band, and Dave and I were acting as a 2 man band for a few songs. That added to the impetus to put something different together to recreate these songs live.
SHZ: I love the name...Before you had a website up, if you just searched "Motel Blonde" it brought up scores upon scores of porn...Who coined the name and what is its etymology?
Doug: It's our friend Russ's name. He was gracious enough to let us use it. It's from "On the Road", just some phrase he used when describing things he was tired of.
SHZ: One of my favorite things about the GC5 was the complexity in songwriting. Never the standard cliche lines or choruses...are you also doing the songwriting for Motel Blonde and are you approaching things the same way lyrically?
Doug: Yes, I'm still doing the songwriting. It's still very much the same approach, I suppose. The only way I really know how. A couple years older, but not much different. Musically, it's much more broad, though.
SHZ:What is the new album called and what’s the story behind it?
Doug: “Blonde-Eyed Blues”. This was also Russ's title. Just a cool play on words, and there's a song on the record called Cross-Eyed Soul, so it goes along nicely, I think.
SHZ:Looking beyond the GC5 and at your other band, The Boys From The County Hell...It seems that line-up wise Motel Blonde is a stripped down version of it. Is there carry over from that? Doug: We've pretty much realized that there's no need to play music other than with your friends, at least for us. It's a drag when you have personality conflicts detracting from what you're trying to do. Once in a while, you'll have some band that clicks because of that type of thing, but we're all much too unprofessional to put personal problems aside. Better just everyone get along and be into what the band is trying to do.
SHZ: Just to clarify, Is Alan Thicke affiliated with the record label (Thick Records) at all?
Doug: No, but Kirk Cameron is the publicist over there.
SHZ: Since I know a lot of people don’t know what you sound like yet, how do you describe your style and are there MP3s or anything available that would allow for a sneak peak before the record comes out?
Doug: Midwestern rock. Very simple. Veering towards punk at times, towards soul at others. There'll be MP3s on our website in January once the record's mixed.
SHZ: For those who buy your record just cuz they love the GC5...Are they gonna be surprised, thrilled or disappointed at your sound?
Doug: I can see them going either way, really. There's definitely some stuff that's unlike any GC5 recording, so it'll surprise everyone to some extent. I think people that like rock music will dig it, people who tend to listen only to punk will scoff a little. It'll separate the men from the boys.
SHZ: Are you guys still recording at home, or did you do the studio thing?
Doug: God, you don't even wanna know how ridiculous the recording of this record has been. Suffice to say, it's a mix of both.
SHZ: As The GC5, you were pretty legendary as "Road Warriors", DIY touring the country many times over. Will that work ethic for getting out there continue with Motel Blonde?
Doug: Absolutely. Quantity-wise, yes. Quality-wise, I think we'll be a little smarter about it this time around. We'll be in town by summer 2004, for sure.
SHZ: Equally legendary was your "Ride The Mustache Tour". Are people still asking about that, and how the fuck do you follow that one up?
Doug: How could that be topped? Let the legend live. I'm sure we'll continue to find stupid things to amuse ourselves on tour .
SHZ: Is there a political stance behind Motel Blonde?
Doug: Actually, no. We've got our ideas, and we like to talk about them. It just seems less and less natural putting them into songs.
SHZ: When exactly can folks look for your new record? And do you have any plans for singles or vinyl releases?
Doug: May of 2004. We've spent so much time on this record, I don't even wanna think about any other releases until this one's done.
SHZ: If money were no object, whats the optimum liquid elixir to tour with?
Doug: You'd need Mountain Dew, and something alcoholic. Our taste buds are pretty dull at this point. Most anything would suffice for the latter.
SHZ: You guys are pretty well-read, Whats the most "life-changing" or inspirational book you’ve read of late?
Doug: Good books lately? The Brothers Karamozov, Ulysses, A Confederacy of Dunces. Don't know that any were life-changing though, at least in any grand sense.
SHZ: Same thing with records...
Doug: Townes Van Zandt - “Rear View Mirror”. Don't know about life-changing, but that record can fuck you up if you're in the right mood.
SHZ: I know you havnt played many shows yet, but what are some of the funnier events and occurrences of the early Motel Blonde shows?
Doug: Trying to play the songs right.
SHZ: Not being on tour right now, what does the typical day have in store for the McKean bros? Doug: Substitute teaching and making pizza. Ron goes to Wendys and works on the house he just bought.
SHZ: How would you guys like the GC5 to be remembered?
Doug: I think by quitting when we did, it was always a very pure thing, at least in my mind. From the sentiments behind the songs to the way we did things as a band, there was a nice bit of youthful altruism to it. We never did the easy thing or played to people's expectations. I hope people can remember seeing some good shows, hearing some good tunes, and sliding around on our bellies in skate parks wearing tomato hats.
SHZ: Any chance of a reunion tour?
Doug: If the four of us feel like getting together and playing those songs again and going on tour with it, there's no reason we won't. For right now, though, I don't see it happening.
SHZ: Shane McGowan vs. Paul Westeberg?
Doug: Both brilliant. Depends on the day of the week.
SHZ: When can folks expect to see you in Florida, and why should they come out and check you out?
Doug: We should be touring by this summer, so we'll be down there. They should come because they like good music, and you never know how we may be accessorizing at that point.
SHZ: Whats the one question you were really hoping I’d ask, but I didn’t?
Doug: I really think you hit the big ones. Thanks a lot, Marck. We'll see you soon.
SHZ:Lastly, end it with 5 words...
Doug: Lets play some rock n roll!
SHZ: Sounds like a plan...
For more info on the band, check their website, Motel Blonde dot com or their labels site, Thick Records dot com.
The Boys From The County Hell
The GC5
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