I met Joey and Jerry of The Voodoo Glow Skulls at the Punk O Rama tour when they came to Chicago. I got to talk to them about touring and their new cd. In many eager words, here is what they had to say.

Voodoo Glow Skulls Interview

Question: Does recording an album go fast or slow for you?

Joey: Kinda both. Sometimes some of the songs are really easy and you just bust through 'em. Some of them for me, the really complicated and difficult ones, we go over a couple of times.

Jerry: You have to make sure that the horn section has the riffs right. If they don't have the riffs right, then it goes fucking bad

Question: What are some of your music influences?

Joey: I like Jimmy Hendrix and Bob Marley. I also like Black Sabbath a lot. For more riffs and stuff I would have to go with Jimi Hendrix.

Jerry: I like Primus. I grew up on a lot of German music. a lot of ABBA.

Question: How did you come up with the name Symbolic for your new record?

Jerry: Because it is.

Joey: The record is like a symbol of our longevity and being able to weather the up and down trips of ska core. Just still being here after all these years. Just crawling our way up little by little.

Question: What is the best thing for you about touring?

Joey: Getting to see new places.

Jerry: Free beer.

Joey: the women. No just kidding. You think there would be a lot of women because it is punk rock but there aren't. It's all dudes.

Question: What do you think living in Riverside has done for your music career?

Jerry: Heat stroke.

Joey: Yeah, I think it has probably given us heat stroke and made us play faster. There used to be a good club there called Spankies where all the good bands used to play. Then the city closed down all the rock and roll stuff so there wasn't anything there for years and years. So it has made all the bands from our area try to play extra hard and extra original. There isn't anywhere to play so you have to try extra hard. We go to places like Kentucky and Kansas that have more rock and roll clubs than we do.

Jerry: Yes

Question: What do you hope to achieve with this record that you haven't with others?

Joey: Do you want to handle that one?(to Jerry)
Jerry: Better Horn riffs. We are trying to supe up the horn riffs of the band.

Question: Where did you get the name Voodoo Glow Skulls?

Jerry: It's a funny story, why don't you tell it(to Joey)

Joey: It is this little glow in the dark skull that you get at Disney land that glow.

Question: What role has Epitaph played in your success?

Jerry: I'll answer that. They put our records out.

Joey: That is pretty much exactly it.

Jerry: We are pretty much cooler than those other bands.

Joey: We had our first bus tour before we signed to Epitaph so we would be doing this no matter what label we were on, but it is cool to be on a good label. It's got good bands on it. Except for Straight Faced, man those guys are fags.(straightfaced was listening to the interview)

Jerry: Fuck those guys.

Question: If you had the chance to get airplay on something like MTV would you take it?

Joey: Fuck yes

Jerry: Yes, absolutely. We'll open up the music industry.

Joey: There are al these people, there are the core people that know what is up with music that go to see good bands because they know what good bands are. Then there is the vast majority of people that don't know shit. They will just give their money up to what ever is cool.

Jerry: Hey! Were back. That is all I have got to say right now.

Joey: For them to give their money to someone that is cool. I don't care. There is no mainstream, there is no underground any more, that was gone with the 80's. Now it is just music. It's just if you have to have a day job or not.

Jerry: Whether you can produce a really good horn riff.