If there were one person I feel the word "unsung" was made for in the punk rock/pop punk world, it is Chris Barnard who most of you better know as B-Face. For more than two decades, this is a man that has always been there, be it in The Queers, the Groovie Ghoulies, or the Mopes just to name off a few of several very well celebrated bands he's been a part of. Even in the case of where he's not a founding member, there's just a magic in the presence he possesses that makes me favor that particular era most for the band and many others feel the same. He's easily been one of the greatest influences in his generation with a style of bass playing that blows most anyone out of the water and an incredibly gifted existence as a songwriter/composer. In spite of all that, he stays within obscurity. He is a prolific creator and an enigmatic one at that... Those are just a fraction of the mountain of reasons I have in wanting to interview him and in a moment of bravery when I met him last June in Baltimore, I asked and luckily he agreed!! If you are a bass player or even just a punk rocker and this man does not move you to inspiration, you need to check your pulse. Without further a due I present to you all with great honor, B-Face.
Sara: First off, thank you for taking the time to speak with me, B-Face! How is everything on the eastern front?
B-Face: Not too quiet right now - I just got back from New Haven about fifteen minutes ago, where I saw Kepi and Kevin Seconds play. Kevin's wife Allyson was there and sang with him for most of his set. Due to stupid traffic being stupid, I missed most of Kepi's set, but we hung out after. Fun time. They also played here in Cambridge last night, an excellent show. I am personally going to flyer and promote the next Kepi and/or Kevin Seconds show in a fit of rage, because the turnout was somewhat sparse and that is unacceptable.
The night before, Eric Law and I saw the Little Richards play before some utterly (and unintentionally) hilarious band of Berklee students. The contrast between the two bands could not have been greater. I pointed out to Eric that the Little Richards could have done their set again in the time it took the other band to set up, and he pointed out that they could have done it twice.
Tomorrow night I have three shows to choose from, so yeah, things are loud on the eastern front right now. Plus, the Sox are in first place - can't beat that. Suck it, Handsome Dick Manitoba!
S: Alright. Now with introductions and greetings out of the way, let's head into the question I like asking to establish a sense of who you are as a person and musician. At what point in your life did you know music would be your path and what was/were your biggest influence(s)? Also if the Queers were not your start in playing, what was the first band you were in?
B: I never planned on being involved with music to the extent that I have been. I guess my mind was made up once I had already been in the Queers for a few years. Music's just always been there, even when I was a kid. Sometimes in a bad way, like I remember sitting on the floor in front of the stereo when I was maybe 5 or so, with an agonizing headache, listening to either Steely Dan or the Doobie Brothers. I was so fucking miserable. I hated it so much and I'm not even sure if I knew anything beyond how godawful I felt. I can still picture the threads in the rug I was staring at, in pain and listening to this torturous crap. But on the flip side of that coin, when I heard Jimi Hendrix I was obsessed. Loved it. Johnny Cash even predates Hendrix in the list of stuff I have always liked. But I got into Hendrix way more. I also remember loving the hell out of the early Kinks stuff that my dad would play. He and my crazy Uncle Bob were my biggest influences. I learned all the good shit from them. Bob taught me how to play guitar. Both introduced me to the '60's garage and early punk bands like the Seeds and the Sonics, stuff that I love. But then they get divided on the later punk stuff. My father was not a fan of stuff like that or the '70's-era punk. He was a cop and has stories of arresting one of the Ramones and totally insane shows at Hampton Beach, NH. So he was not amused.
My first bands never really did anything. The second band had potential, it was kinda what most people call "power-pop", and we were looking into a Boston gig when that all fell apart. It turns out the 5 songs we had were stolen. The singer had a cassette of an ex-roommate of his doing these songs and so I couldn't just steal some guy's shit. I left that band and was trying to start my third when I got a call from Joe about playing in the Queers. He actually called me at the drummer's house, during our rehearsal. It was weird. Oh, also the week before my first practice with the Queers, I tried out for my crazy Uncle Bob's band but I couldn't do both so I went with the one that was more my style.
S: This next one touches on a subject I know myself and many others have always wondered about since the first time I saw it. Where did your stage name "B-Face" originate from?
B: When I was in high school, most of us had nicknames. My last name starts with a B, so my friends called me B, B-Skull, B-Dog, B-Face, B-Head, B-Meister (seriously), BB, pretty much anything stupid and beginning with the letter B. In Exeter, NH there was a theater called the Ioka that would play the Rocky Horror Picture Show at midnight on weekends so we would occasionally crash that. One night we all went completely hammered, and when I stood up in the theater one kid started chanting "B…. FACE! B….. FACE!" and then all the other fucking idiots joined in like a pack of howler monkeys and it just stuck. I hated it. It makes no sense. Later when I was introduced to Joe, my friend Terry called me "B-Face" and Joe thought it was stupid and as such had to use it all the time.
In a few years I found out that "B-Face" is also a term occasionally used in, I was told, Britain, referring to what we call the B-Side of a single. So that made it almost acceptable.
S: Being in the Queers for nearly a decade had you witness quite the revolving door of mostly second guitar players and a drummer or two. Who were the ones you enjoyed working with the most?
B: Well Hugh, of course. Both as a person and a drummer. He was great at both. Vapid was always good to have in the band, and again personality comes into play here, as well as being on the same page as us when it came to music. A major player in this bizarre movie was JJ Rassler, gotta mention that character. Great guy, great guitar player, smart and all that good shit. Plus he contributed to the band "behind the scenes", helping manage for a bit and with songwriting, especially on "Don't Back Down". He was there in the studio for that record as well as the very first LP recorded, which was "Grow Up".
There have been other people I loved playing with, but those are the ones from the Queers that come to mind.
There have been other people I loved playing with, but those are the ones from the Queers that come to mind.
S: This is a bit of an extension from the previous question. Dan Vapid is someone that you shared a stage with early on and to this day still have a connection that most recently materialized in the form of a dream come true for me to see the Mopes last June in Baltimore. Tell us about the early days of meeting each other and what do you think keeps you collaborating together?
B: I first met Dan when Screeching Weasel was touring and they played in Joe's basement on New Year's Eve. I'm pretty sure it was the night of 1991 into 1992. That March I took a train to Chicago (I was supposed to fly but my ticket made its way into someone else's hands - that's another story). We had a show with Screeching Weasel and the Vindictives out there. Vapid picked me up at the train station and we proceeded to "paint the town red", as he put it. From the start we got along and just hung out a lot on and off the road. Sitting around with guitars and beer and nothing to do is a good way to get songs written, so we did a lot of that but I have to admit that most of the stuff we fooled around with were really just silly songs. A few of which we deemed amusing enough to remember and later record as the Mopes. The EP is more of the goofy, 50's-inspired novelty songs we had, where the LP is pretty much straight-up pop-punk.
We are still friends although we rarely see each other, but when we get a minute to catch up it's always nice and more often than not, the guitars come out again.
We are still friends although we rarely see each other, but when we get a minute to catch up it's always nice and more often than not, the guitars come out again.
S: Best lineup for the Queers without a doubt as far as myself and many others are concerned was the incarnation that consisted of Joe, you, and Hugh O'Neill. As someone on the outside just watching any clip of live footage from this era, it seems the chemistry between you and Hugh was strong. Can you tell us about him and what he meant to your life?
B: Getting to know Hugh was a good lesson in the old saying "Don't judge a book by its cover." In the first few months I thought I knew him and what he was all about but I was in for a surprise. I thought he was just some callous jerk when I first met him but it turns out he just thought I was some young punk fuckwit trying out for bass. He was more right than I was. There was a lot to that guy that he didn't show others. Great guy, and one that I still find impressive to this day. Not just his drumming, I mean more than that. But fuck, he could play! I didn't even know at first how lucky I was to be in a band with him. The best drummer I have ever played with. He knew what it was about, and that is a rarity on any instrument. Everyone wants to show off, or fuck around, or get attention, but so few concentrate on what the song needs. That dude knew what was up.
Also, fun as HELL to hang with, whether you are going nuts partying or just shooting the shit about whatever. Funny ol' bastard. Smart.
S: In my own personal experience of interacting with you in just ordinary conversation, I am very fond of the love you still have for punk rock. When many others have changed, what keeps your passion going for it? Also since you really defined yourself in period of time that I'm very attached to as a punk rocker, do you think people actually still "get it" anymore?
B: I've been pleasantly surprised by the amount of bands that have delivered the goods to us all over the past couple decades. There has been and always will be far, far more crap out there, though. But once everything changed in the stupid little punk world, like when Green Day and Rancid took off and then the utter garbage that followed was called "pop-punk", I assumed I'd be hugging my old records and shaking my cane at the world for the rest of my days. But there always has been a few pockets of weirdos that "get it" and throw some good shit out there.
The way things were is gone. That happens. But there really is always at least one good band out there. I suppose there always will be. Right now it's the Little Richards.
S: What bands are you listening to the most right now? What's your favorite one of all time?
B: Lately I have been throwing on the Amoebas, Davie Allan and the Arrows, the Stomachmouths, the New Town Animals, and a ton of Holly Beth Vincent. I got her "Demos Federico" and holy crap. The first CD is amazing. The second one I listened to once and never, ever will again. But the first one… wow.
For all-time favorite, I can't pick one. Not even with a gun to my head. I would change my mind too much and the dude would shoot me just so that I'd shut up. I mean the Ramones are obvious, but then I think of the Cramps and they become my favorite for a few minutes. Then it gets complicated when a band puts out an utterly perfect record and later stuff sucks, so their rock-point average (RPA) is dragged down. Like Teenage Head. Their first record is one of the best ever. Second, not bad, third, ok, etc. And Radio Birdman, they too are victims of this. Moments of fucking awesome and then some alright stuff. Iggy Pop as well. So many great bands have put out some less than stellar stuff. Even the Ramones! Don't hate me for saying it, Sara.
For all-time favorite, I can't pick one. Not even with a gun to my head. I would change my mind too much and the dude would shoot me just so that I'd shut up. I mean the Ramones are obvious, but then I think of the Cramps and they become my favorite for a few minutes. Then it gets complicated when a band puts out an utterly perfect record and later stuff sucks, so their rock-point average (RPA) is dragged down. Like Teenage Head. Their first record is one of the best ever. Second, not bad, third, ok, etc. And Radio Birdman, they too are victims of this. Moments of fucking awesome and then some alright stuff. Iggy Pop as well. So many great bands have put out some less than stellar stuff. Even the Ramones! Don't hate me for saying it, Sara.
S: Another side of you I really admire is your being an artist that's both so natural and unique with what you've created visually. Two covers you've designed that would be the most memorable are the Parasites "Burnt Toast" and my favorite for the Lillingtons "Shit Out Of Luck". Are you still pursuing art? What was the most favorite piece you've done?
B: I still am, yes, but for a few years I sort of flew under the radar and kept my head down, and avoided humans as much as I could, so I haven't done much in a while. At least not for other people. I'm always drawing for myself, I guess. Lately though, I've been emerging from my cave and I have been asked to do a few things. Just today I was working on a logo for the band Psycho. I did stuff for them beginning in the early '90's and they still use that stuff now, but now I am updating an older logo of theirs. Also I have been tossing around the idea of doing my own comic book, chronicling all the fucked-up things that I've seen (and done) since I started playing punk shows. I can't decide on a when to begin it or what to call it, but I've put some ideas down on paper and we'll see what happens. I imagine if I finish one or more, I will photocopy them for a some friends rather than worry about anything further than that. The idea is to just do it and keep the creative juices flowing. Get back in the game, etc.
The Parasites' 7" was one of many drawings I did for them. Always sitting in Dave Parasite's apartment on tour. I always thought I could have done a better job back home with more time, but he never seemed to mind. He's a good guy. Come to think of it, though, I did the artwork for their Ramones cover album at home, and it took forever. But it was never used. Selfless Records decided against it (and never returned it - I'm looking in your direction, Todd!).
My favorites are actually stuff I did when I was a kid or a teen. My dad was a cop and recruited me to help with designing the new paint jobs on the police cruisers, although the final one they picked was dictated to me by him rather than something I came up with. I always felt proud when I would get pulled over by those fine-looking vehicles. But really, shit like that has a huge impact when you're a kid. Not getting pulled over, I mean, though that can leave an impression, but I mean seeing stuff you've done actually being used out there in the world and all. I did other crap too, for the newspaper and some businesses. It really gets you stoked to see your stuff out there.
My favorite band-related art is probably the poster I made for a show that had the Coffin Lids and Tunnel Rats open for the legendary Blowfly, or the cover for Alan King's fanzine "Kill The Scene." That one threw some folks for a loop, and I think we both got a chuckle out of it. A couple tattoos I designed are also my personal faves. Just two days ago a friend of mine showed me some ink he had that I designed. On the other hand, some drawings I've done really bug the shit out of me.
S: Aside from being a highly celebrated bass player, you're also experienced as a composer writing songs early on in your career with the Queers, forming many leads for the Mopes, and even have a writing credit on "Slow Down" which appeared on the first Methadones record. Have you always played guitar as long as you have bass? What's the contribution to music you've written that you're most proud of?
B: Highly celebrated! There's the name for my comic book! Better than "I Was a Teenage Queer". Anyway that whole aspect gets pretty muddy, in that I only ever wrote maybe two whole songs for the Queers, but wrote some lyrics ranging from a single line in a song to all the lyrics except for a single line in another song, and sometimes it would just be a riff or a change or just a bass line, or whatever. At one recording session, for "Move Back Home", I had to force Joe to expand on his lyrics, otherwise almost all the songs would have just one verse. He was fucking pissed at me but I insisted. He wouldn't let me help, but he only had a single verse per song that he would repeat. He wasn't in a good place (as the saying goes), so he wasn't into the recording or anything much. So in that case I didn't do much writing at all, but the album would have been far worse if I hadn't made Joe do it. And it kinda ended up sucking anyway. What a nightmare that was. No one would say anything to Joe because he was about to go nuclear, but someone had to, so I did and I ended up being the bad guy. Don't get me wrong, I loved seeing him throw a tantrum. Gave me funny stories to tell my buddies back home. But it was a bitch at the time. Most of the guitar stuff I did on the Mopes was just simple shit that needed to be done. I probably wasn't the only guy who could do it, but I had the ideas in my head and the ability in my hands so fuck it - roll tape. Also, I don't remember writing "Slow Down" at all - I know I definitely didn't write the words. Maybe I helped with the arrangement, I dunno.
I've played guitar for a lot longer than I have played bass. I got a guitar when I was in 8th grade or so, but didn't get a bass until I joined the Queers, at 19. However, I'm terrible at guitar. Not the best on bass, ok, but I am at least capable! The Mopes stuff was about the limit of my capabilities on guitar. I could do that, but not a lot more.
I've played guitar for a lot longer than I have played bass. I got a guitar when I was in 8th grade or so, but didn't get a bass until I joined the Queers, at 19. However, I'm terrible at guitar. Not the best on bass, ok, but I am at least capable! The Mopes stuff was about the limit of my capabilities on guitar. I could do that, but not a lot more.
S: Being a musician has also been something that's taken you many places in the world. Where have you had the best memories touring through?
B: I guess I'd probably have to break it down into different places that I liked for different reasons. I can love a city for the maniacs at the shows or for something even sillier like how cool it looks from a certain direction. Anything. The most fun ones in America have consistently been Austin, Atlanta, Seattle, San Francisco and of course Boston. New Orleans is unique. I like Chicago and have a buttload of good memories there. I've spent a lot of time there and for a while it felt like a second home. Tokyo comes to mind when I think outside the US. That's one weird-ass city. Basel, Switzerland and Amsterdam are beautiful and full of the nicest people around. And Madrid, Barcelona, and many places in Italy. Spain and Italy are awesome but France is between them, so…
S: I'd like to use this question to give you a place to talk about a big transition in your career that was pretty heartbreaking for many of your fans. What can you tell us about the point in your life when you left the Queers?
B: It had to be done. Talk about insanity, wow. I have always been the type of person to put up with stuff for far too long than was good for me, but the positive aspect of that is once I finally snap and make a decision to end it, it's always been permanent. This has happened since I was a teenager, and still seems to be the case. I just have had enough of something and I can't take anymore, and things must change. That happened with the Queers. People who have heard some of the bullshit stunts that Joe has pulled have almost always asked why I put up with it. Well, for years it was because I am loyal and there was the added aspect that I believed in the band and wanted it to continue on. I both loved the band's music and the shit that the band made possible, like touring, recording, meeting weirdos, etc. The usual.
When I left I kind of worried that I could never do awesome stuff like that again. But you can only take so much, and I had to bail. Thankfully I stayed busy with the Ghoulies, to whom I owe a huge amount of everything. Great folks.
When I left I kind of worried that I could never do awesome stuff like that again. But you can only take so much, and I had to bail. Thankfully I stayed busy with the Ghoulies, to whom I owe a huge amount of everything. Great folks.
Just as an aside, regarding that lineup of the Queers dissolving, I need to say something about it that's bugged me for years. It's usually said that I left to join the Groovie Ghoulies, and Hugh got sick with a brain tumor and left due to that. Even Joe has claimed this, not just people who weren't involved and don't really know. This is absolutely not what happened. First - I left the band with no clue if I would play music again, though I always kind of knew it's what I wanted to do. But I mean I had no plans to join any band. No plans, no one had asked me, I hadn't asked anyone, nothing at all. I did not leave for another band. I just left. Within the next year another band asked me if I wanted to help on a single tour. That was the Ghoulies. They were going out on their first solo tour and at the same time, Roach had a family member who was pregnant with her first baby, and Roach needed to be there, understandably. They were extremely close and this was a huge event in anyone's life. So Kepi called and asked me if, by the time they got to Boston and no baby had burst forth onto the scene, I would be willing to get in the van for the last half of the tour. Mainly in case Roach had to suddenly fly home to be there, I could take over for a few shows on guitar. That way they could say yes to doing the tour, knowing they could finish it. If the tour ended and she never had to leave, then great, we all had fun and I helped out with gear and merch, driving, idiocy, etc. In Boston I played some songs with them on bass (which I had done on the previous tour, when they were opening for the Queers) and we just decided to have me do that, and Roach play guitar, and Kepi could bounce around unhindered. When Roach finally had to go home, Kepi simply took over on guitar. A while after that tour ended, they asked me if I wanted to go out again. They knew I wasn't playing in the Queers, I knew I needed to keep busy, and so that's how that started.
The other thing I need to address is Hugh's illness - he had left the band before he or anyone even suspected he was sick. I need to stress that, because that is a fact and to say he left because of his cancer is completely false. I can see why Joe might want to rewrite history, or to be fair, he may actually not remember it correctly, but I certainly do. Hugh did not leave the Queers because he was ill. That was later, and entirely unrelated.
I've been kind of sitting on that shit for some years now, and fuck it, I have no reason to help anyone gloss over the truth. So there it is. Neither the Ghoulies nor Hugh's tumor had absolutely anything to do with the band folding. Nothing. The band fell apart because of stuff that had happened before. Not after.
I've been kind of sitting on that shit for some years now, and fuck it, I have no reason to help anyone gloss over the truth. So there it is. Neither the Ghoulies nor Hugh's tumor had absolutely anything to do with the band folding. Nothing. The band fell apart because of stuff that had happened before. Not after.
S: Things certainly weren't over by a long shot after the chapter closed on the Queers due to your involvement with another pioneering band. The Groovie Ghoulies are by far one of the most unique bands to have ever both existed and paved the way for pop punk. What can you say about the time you spent with them?
B: Nothing negative! Some of the best people I have ever met in my life. Roach is as sweet as you would imagine, and intelligent and fun and has perfect taste except I seem to remember she liked flan, but we can ignore that. Kepi's the real thing. That man walks the walk. Loves Rock and Roll. He's a Rock and Roll Shark, you know. But he probably likes flan too. Well, those are small issues, not real negatives.
I could fill a book with ramblings about how much fun I had with them. Just the touring alone was a huge change from what I was used to. They enjoyed seeing the sights, being the tourists, finding cool stuff in out-of-the-way places, and everyone was an equal. They knew how to work and have fun doing it. I'm also really happy with the recordings I did with them.
I could fill a book with ramblings about how much fun I had with them. Just the touring alone was a huge change from what I was used to. They enjoyed seeing the sights, being the tourists, finding cool stuff in out-of-the-way places, and everyone was an equal. They knew how to work and have fun doing it. I'm also really happy with the recordings I did with them.
S: You've got such a long list discography wise!! What recording was the best time you had in the studio?
B: Recording the Mopes' EP was nothing but fun. The Tunnel Rats were close, but in a far more chaotic way. But yeah, the first Mopes' session, that was a riot. The actual trip out to Chicago and last-minute writing of a song was cool too - "Wipeout on the Dunes", that came about when we were sitting around and I was playing what I thought would be the bass line for "The Hula Hoop" (it didn't work), and Lumley was playing cardboard boxes with his hands and we went from there. So all that was entertaining but the actual session itself, where you are working, was just great. Laughed my ass off. Having fun while getting work done? Fuckin' crazy concept! What did I think, I was playing in the Groovie Ghoulies or some shit? And some sounds and stuff, like the drum beat and backups on "Gorilla", all last-minute, and all worked. Tons of fun.
S: The measure of success is one that's very individualized, meaning something completely different from one person to the next. What has been the highest point of your career as a musician? Not from popularity or recognition necessarily but more just of a moment in your life where you felt most proud of what you do?
B: One time when I was doing my usual bitching and moaning about some stupid band-related crap, really nothing that mattered at all, and wondering why I even bothered and blah blah blah, Larry Livermore shut me up by just saying that through playing shows and making records, I had "made many people happy." I had never actually thought about things in that specific way. Almost 20 years ago, and I still remember it. I can't even remember what exactly I was yapping about, but that shut me up immediately and gave me something to think about. I kinda felt good about that. Man, I sound like a fuckin' hippie. I guess that made me proud, though.
Another high point was playing for a few years with the Real Kids. Though that also had some extremely rough patches. Still, they are a favorite band of mine and to be able to play in that band and get to be better friends with them was great. I became a better bass player, too.
A few other moments spring to mind, but they really are only meaningful in my head. Playing with the Ramones, Iggy Pop, Dickies (I just realized that at each of those shows I was in a different band), and places like CBGB's and The Rat. But those really have no significance to anyone but me. Thousands of bands have done all those things. They ultimately don't mean much at all. It's just a small personal satisfaction, I guess, to think about them.
S: The Tunnel Rats, for those who don't know is one of your most recent bands and I've seen news saying you're getting together to play a show. Is there any plans for new material as well? Also are there any other projects you have right now?
B: We only have the show because the fucking mighty ANTiSEEN are doing New Hampshire a favor and crossing its border once again. Nothing else. The Tunnel Rats are sort of a back-burner type thing we do when we feel like it. We've been around almost 20 years now but everyone has other things that come first. As for other projects, I don't have anything long-term as of right now, but I will be filling in on bass for two shows with the Downbeat 5. They have been a favorite of mine since I first saw them play, so I am really stoked for that but then of course I am also a little anxious for the same reason. But it will be a blast, I am sure. I've known JJ and Jen for years, and the drummer Dan seems really cool. The guy who I'm filling in for, Mike, kicks ass too. Check them out if you haven't already. Awesome band. Consistently awesome. High RPA.
S: These last few questions will be fun just to end on a light note!! Alright, first one. Because you have played with just about everyone, who would complete the lineup for the band of your dreams?
B: Joey Ramone on vocals, Dee Dee Ramone on bass, Johnny Ramone on guitar, Tommy Ramone on drums, and me in the crowd.
S: Tell us, what is your ideal setup to play through? Bass, head, and cabinet.
B: I would have to say a good old P-bass from the 70's or so would be almost ideal but they can get pretty heavy after an hour or two. So… my white Fender bass but with some different pickups.
For amps, if I can't have an Ampeg tube head then I would need to get another old Sunn Coliseum head. Best amplifier I ever had. It's still in my basement, for no reason. It's busted. It's just sitting down there. But I can't get rid of it. Kind of like Norman Bates and his mom's corpse, come to think of it. I should put a wig on it. I had an Ampeg with the Queers for a while but I always went back to that Sunn.
For a cabinet I'm not as particular. 8x10 Ampeg, I guess. As long as I wouldn't have to move it. Those things are fucking dangerous. One tried to kill me in Italy.
For amps, if I can't have an Ampeg tube head then I would need to get another old Sunn Coliseum head. Best amplifier I ever had. It's still in my basement, for no reason. It's busted. It's just sitting down there. But I can't get rid of it. Kind of like Norman Bates and his mom's corpse, come to think of it. I should put a wig on it. I had an Ampeg with the Queers for a while but I always went back to that Sunn.
For a cabinet I'm not as particular. 8x10 Ampeg, I guess. As long as I wouldn't have to move it. Those things are fucking dangerous. One tried to kill me in Italy.
S: What I like most about you in just watching your live performance aside from the way you move is the even demeanor you always seem to have. I've watched you both command a larger stage and then dodge mics in a riotous and smaller situation with what always appears to me, a lot of ease. What's the craziest night you've ever experienced in playing shows?
B: The craziest have usually been crazy in a bad way. But not always! Oh, and dodging mics isn't always a success. One night in Ohio I wasn't paying attention and got hit hard enough that the grill on the mic left little x-shaped cuts around my eye socket. But it could have been worse - on that same tour Matt from Rancid got his nose broken by a mic. Damn! Anyway, really bad stuff has happened at shows, the worst of which I'll skip over, but I will say that if you play in a punk band, expect to be amused and disgusted. Sometimes both at once.
S: In closing I'd like to thank you greatly, B-Face for giving me your time in doing this interview and end in tradition. That will be in the form of a Ramones related question. You can choose from one of these options or all if you want!
What are your: top five songs, albums, lyrics, moments, or memories of your choosing related to the Ramones?
B: 5. "Babysitter" is one of the best songs in the world. Leave Home is their best record. Tommy was their best drummer. Sheena was a punk rocker.
4. I think Dee Dee Ramone once got rid of me by pretending he had to take a leak. I ran into him on Hollywood Boulevard and when the conversation turned to a musician that Dee Dee was uncomfortable talking about, he started fidgeting and said "I reeeally have to pee." So of course I apologized up and down and said "yeah, of course, sure, take care, bye!" and let him leave immediately. As he walked away, it occurred to me that he'd taught me how to get out of a conversation I didn't want to be in, whether he meant it that way or not. Thanks for everything, Dee Dee!
3. My first Ramones show was Dec. 10th, 1988. Yes, I was a very late-comer to the Ramones party, but that's how it went. All that stuff you hear about the Ramones changing peoples lives in the early days, well they still had it in '88, because truthfully that show changed mine! A cliché, I know, but facts are facts.
2. Playing a gig with the Ramones in my home town. The only time I ever played in the town where I grew up, and it was with the Ramones!
1. The Queers were in NYC one night, playing Coney Island High, and among the folks in the place were Joey and Dee Dee Ramone. We covered "Rockaway Beach" as we often did on that tour. After the show a friend told me he looked over during the song and and Joey was standing there looking stoic as usual, not moving, but mouthing the words while we played. Joey Ramone was singing along!
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