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THE SUPERSUCKERS
"The greatest rock-n-roll band in the world"
by Jonathan Williams
Photos by Aysha
From the July 2003 issue of Prick Magazine.
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 Eddie Spaghetti (vocals/bass) |
 Dan Bolton (guitar) |
 Rontrose Heathman (guitar) |
 Dancing Eagle (drummer) |
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Many bands have claimed to be on a mission to save
rock 'n' roll over the past few years, but few have truly
followed through with such promises. Sure, a lot of
them have created some underground stirrings by bringing back
classic ideals like sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll and making plenty of
songs about not much more than that. But in the end, most of these
bands have remained relatively obscure in the shadows of nu-metal,
rap core and pseudo-punk bands delivered in angry, rebellious packages
that appeal to today's youth.
The Supersuckers, on the other hand, are truly fighting the
power with their latest release Motherfuckers Be Trippin'. Not just
because of celebratory songs of decadence like "Rock Your Ass" and
"A Good Night For My Drinkin,'" bar brawl-inspirers like "The Fight
Song" and "Bruises To Prove It," or hell-raisers like "Damn My Soul."
Although these are certainly powerful weapons in the
Supersuckers' arsenal, Motherfuckers... is also the band's first new
rock record since starting its own label (Mid-Fi Recordings) in 2001.
"We definitely want to do better with this record and this campaign
or whatever you'd call it than we've ever done in the past,"
says head 'Sucker Eddie Spaghetti in a brief moment of sincerity.
"Because we feel strongly about what we're doing and because
we're doing everything on our own now we have a lot to say and a
lot to prove by really succeeding all by ourselves. It would be really good for us to look back on this project a year from now and say,
'Fuck yeah. We kicked ass. We sold more records than ever before.'
That sort of shit."
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Despite Spaghetti's optimism, "Rock-n-Roll Records (Ain't
Selling This Year),"
the lead track on
Motherfuckers...,
seems to set a sarcastically
pessimistic
tone by pointing out
the pitfalls of sticking
to one's guns in spite
of what might lead to
more commercial
acceptance.
However, Spaghetti is
quick to point out
that the Supersuckers
aren't really
so concerned with
the bureaucratic
elements of the music industry.
"I guess on the surface it would seem
pessimistic," he admits. "But even at the
end of that song is, 'At the end of the day
I'm going to do it my way 'cause I've got to
have something good and fun to play.'"
"To me, it's a lot more tongue-in-cheek,"
he continues. "Really and truly, if
we were pessimistic or if we were bitter
we'd have to care. We care about making
good music, but the stuff that surrounds
it and I guess the business of
making music doesn't make us change."
In fact, change is something that
doesn't come easy for the Supersuckers. While many bands
change band members almost
as often as guitar strings or
drumsticks, the Supersuckers
have had the same lineup since
1989. And even when
they're exploring their
twangier side, as they did
on their first Mid-Fi release
Must've Been Live, a live
recording of one of the band's Country Western sets, the
country Supersuckers are still the same Supersuckers who
rock like there's nothing to do but rock.
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 Eddie's band logo tattoo by Sam Wolf at Lucky Monkey
Tattoo Parlour in Ann Arbor, MI. |
 Eddie's tattoo by Lynn Goswell
(Lucky Devil - Seattle, WA) |
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"We're totally bipolar," says Spaghetti of his band's dual life. "I'm
at a loss to explain why we do that. [Most bands] would call themselves
something else if they were going to do something that was
that dramatic of a departure from what they're known for."
"But it was the Supersuckers that made this other kind of music," he goes on. "When we do
these country shows, I like to make it known how similar these things are. They're very simple, very
honest styles of music that you can pick up a guitar and a month later have learned as many Hank
Williams songs as Ramones songs."
And, whether its punk rock or Country Western, there's always room for more songs about
drinking beer and taking drugs and there are plenty of such songs on Motherfuckers... (despite the
band's no smoking policy backstage).
"We just do what we like to do," Spaghetti confirms. "Generally speaking, it's an escapist sort of
art form. There's lots of good artists out there saying important things that should be said, but we
hate to learn so, you know,we don't make anyone else learn."
He must be trippin'!
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For more information and tour dates, go to www.supersuckers.com.
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