Interviews: F*cked Up

Fucked Up are currently touring in support of their new album The Chemistry of Common Life, and before their Philadelphia show, Punknews' own inquisitive Aruban, Ollie Mikse, had a chance to talk to members of the band (Damien Abraham, Mike Haliechuk, and Josh Zucker) about their newfound "fame," records, and why school buses don't make the best of touring vehicles. Photos by Jen Warner.
You can click Read More for the interview.

It’s a terribly cold Saturday night in Philadelphia, and the sun is setting. Outside The Barbary, Ollie and Jen are waiting to be let in, but until that happens, they look around and observe the people, the venue, and the vans parked in a row on a street next to an almost non-existent pavement. It’s becoming apparent that something is missing tonight. Fucked Up, indie rock’s newest "it band" is playing tonight, but you wouldn’t guess it from the looks of the crowd or the setting: a (nevertheless) sold-out early show of about 100+ people in the outskirts of Philly, where things are moving along smoothly. Where are the hipsters? The tour buses? The chaos?

The instruments are set up and at 8:30 the entire Fucked Up line-up is on stage and ready to go. Damian Abraham introduces the band and the first note hits. The crowd responds and it immediately becomes apparent that the non-believers have had it wrong all along. The venue is tiny. The show is sold out and packed. There’s sweat, bewilderment and enthusiasm in everyone’s faces, and people are here to have a good time. This is a punk show through and through.
You guys are touring with the Vivian Girls right now. How has the tour been so far?

Abraham: It’s going really good. It’s weird. I’m sure it’s weirder for the Vivian Girls, because we’re playing a lot of punkier shows, but they’re all punk kids, so it’s not that weird for them.

Zucker: It’s weird if you consider how their band sounds.

Who’s decision was it to tour with them?

Abraham: We’re friends with them. They sing on the new record. We’ve known Katie for years.

Weren’t you touring on a tour bus before?

Abraham: We finished that tour a couple of weeks ago and it was a fucking horrific nightmare.

Was everything just scattered throughout the bus?

Abraham: We had a trailer, but one day they left the trailer open, so all our bags fell off on the highway in Berkeley. Let me tell you, a school bus is not a viable alternative to diesel, because we ran out of vegetable oil, and we were going up one of those hills that you go up between San Francisco and Portland, and the bus’ power cuts down five miles into it. We were like, "Oh my God, this is a disaster!" Trips that would normally take you two to four hours to make would take us ten to eight hours.

Were all the seats taken up?

Abraham: No, we had tons of room, but school buses are designed for maximum discomfort, and seats that you cannot sleep on, like 90 degree angles, and like there’d be flat surfaces and then, for no reason, a screw. So, you go to lie down and it’s like, "It’s drilling into my brain."

You guys did a marathon show a couple of days ago in New York. How’d it go?

Abraham: It went really well, actually. Best case scenario.

Zucker: Yeah, it was a best case scenario. Everything that could’ve gone wrong, didn’t. I mean, the cops showed up, but let it cool off and air out for a couple of minutes.

Was it difficult to set up a show like that? Because, you don’t exactly have 12 hours of material.

Abraham: No, but we didn’t even play all our songs.

Zucker: And, we were only four minutes short of 12 hours.

Abraham: We played some songs twice. We had other people come and play.

Was everyone there that was supposed to show up?

Haliechuk: Yes, everyone was there!

Abraham: No, I mean, some of those people we just bullshitted.

Were there any surprises?

Abraham: Yeah, there was an amazing jam that happened with Jay Mascus and Jim White from Cat Power’s band, and Matt Sweeney from Chavez and Zwan.

Did everyone stay on their instruments or did people trade off?

Abraham: Yeah, we traded off. We have friends that came and did some stuff. But, the big surprise for me was that Ezra from Vampire Weekend came and did Someone’s Gonna Die Tonight by Blitz, and did an amazing version of it. Everyone was giving him shit when he got on stage, but he wasn’t taking any of it. The greatest surprise was at the end of the night when we were packing up and ready to go. Michael Stipe showed up and congratulated us on playing 12 hours. I was like, "Would you have played with us if you had gotten here in time?" And he said, "No, probably not."

Fucked Up gets a reputation for being a band that doesn’t really get along with its members. Is that still the case?

Abraham: Knock on wood. This tour’s been awesome as far as us getting along is concerned. As recently as our last tour there were fists flying, but this tour has been great. First day was a little rough. I wanted to kill Mike.

Is it hard to go on tour, though, knowing that you guys don’t tend to get along and being in close quarters for such long hours?

Zucker: That traveling arrangement is hard for anybody, right? It’s not the anticipation of what is guaranteed to happen, but of what might happen, because in the best case scenario we all get along fine. Worst case scenario is a lot of uncomfortable travel situations with all the personality disorders.

Abraham: Two days before tour this time I had a bad melt down and went to the doctor and got stronger anger anxiety medication. Plus, I know I’m going to subject them to hardships and myself too, so it’s hard to put yourself in that position. Especially now that we’re all doing this as a job. It’s difficult because so much is riding on it. Before when it was just fun, not that it’s not fun now, it feels a little different.

Being in a band with so many people, how does that affect the decision making process on tour and writing songs? Is there a certain go-to person who makes decisions, or is it democratic?

Abraham: Fucked Up works like this: there are two votes. Mike gets one vote, and the rest of us make up the second vote.

Haliechuk: It depends what the decision is.

Abraham: Songwriting is a different thing, because there’s this system in place where Jonah and Mike share the burden of the music, and Mike and I share the burden of the lyrics, and then Sandy and Josh all write their parts and contribute. Our songwriting process is in place from the get-to.

Zucker: Most bands at this stage would be focusing on their songwriting. Songwriting comes almost secondary almost to running this kind of band.

Abraham: We know, when we write a song, what’s going to happen. That part of the band is the most functional part. The band works real well in the studio.

You’ve been pretty vocal about your relationship with Jade Tree deteriorating…

Abraham: That depends on who you talk to. I think they did their job as best they could. My interpretation is that, there’re two people running that record label who don’t want to be running a record label. As such, we as a band wanted to do something different that they couldn’t handle, so they wanted to be compensated…

And they got compensated! Was it you guys, or Matador?

Abraham: It was Matador, but guess who ends up having to pay it? But, we still have a relationship and the record is still out. It just wasn’t a good situation for us as a band. And, if you ask everyone in the band, you’ll get six different answers.

But, before Hidden World was even out, what attracted you to Jade Tree in the first place?

Abraham: They asked. They were fans of the band. They asked us and we were in the studio at the time, and the deadline was looming. So, if we wanted the record to come out that year, we had to sign a contract right away, so we did.

Were there any hesitations at first?

Abraham: Oh no, it was cool! I mean, it changed the band entirely. Fucked Up has evolved four times. We went from a demo band, to a band that put out records, to a band that’s on a label…

To the cover of NME…

Abraham: Yeah!

Then Playboy…

Zucker: PlayGIRL you mean!

Abraham: You know, the first interview I ever turned down was for Nuts Magazine.

You know, that’s going to be your downfall…

Abraham: I know! Dudes who love boobs would have bought our records!

Zucker: But with the whole thing with Jade Tree: I wasn’t comfortable with doing that, because I thought everything would get diluted like that, but I was proven wrong. The Jade Tree thing didn’t work out…

Now that you guys are on Matador, are things better and more comfortable?

Abraham: I think Matador is the best possible home for a band like us. I can’t imagine another label that would be able to deal with us.

Looking at Matador’s back catalog, it doesn’t seem like you guys fit in.

Abraham: But, you’ve got to look back further at Matador’s catalog with, like, the Dustdevils and Deathwish. They’re all dudes that were in hardcore bands. I knew they had a hardcore past. It means a lot. They’re our kind of people. And, when something goes wrong, they’re there for us.

Did you know the new album was going to be on Matador before it was done?

Abraham: Yeah. The album took so long to make, but this would have been the new album no matter where we ended up.

It’s strange that indie rock, a genre that has shunned punk rock, is starting to embrace it so much these days with bands like Jay Reatard and you guys. And, you’re even on the cover of NME now. Is hardcore the new indie rock?

Abraham: I think everyone in indie rock has a hardcore past. Everyone talks about authenticity, but no one wants authenticity. They want a reworking.

Let’s talk vinyl. You guys have a massive back catalog of 7"s and 12"s and only two proper studio albums. Is that a format that everyone in the band is happy with?

Abraham: Yeah, I think so. I think 7" is the proper format for pop music and hardcore. We’re all record collectors. I was definitely the guy at the beginning that kept stressing an album, like, after the second single.

For some bands, though, it never happens fast enough. Like, even as soon as the new record is out, the band is already ready to move on and do other stuff.

Abraham: Yeah. We have another record that’s coming out -- The Year Of The Rat. I was thinking last night, "I’m so tired of playing Baiting the Public," but at the same time, every night, I’m the guy who wants to do it!

You mentioned The Year of The Rat. Those "Year Of" series -- are they written exclusively for those releases, or are they sort of leftovers or b-sides from the album sessions?

Haliechuk: Yeah. We write them a minute at a time, and expand on them.

Abraham: We wrote "Year of the Pig" exclusively for that, but when we sat down to write "Year of the Rat" the financial crisis was happening. We were like, "Perfect!"

Will Year of the Rat still be out by the year’s end?

Abraham: Yeah, hopefully!

Haliechuk: By January. It’s still in the Chinese calendar.

For a band that has such a massive yearly output, is it hard to keep up with such a schedule.

Abraham: Year of The Rat was a chore for everyone. But, it’s usually very intensive between that, Chemistry of Common life, Year of the Rat and singles.

Some old stuff has been collected on the Epics In Minutes album. Are there plans to release another singles compilation?

Abraham: I think we’re going to do a singles comp called Blaze Ships. I like the exclusivity of some of our singles, though. It’s part of the thrill of the hunt. And, in our era of downloading, everything’s obtainable.

What’s the rarest piece of Fucked Up vinyl out there?

Haliechuk: The rarest is probably the shampoo colored vinyl.

Abraham: There’s a couple that have a Pearl Jam label.

Haliechuk: There are 30 copies of Chemistry of Common life on Reel-to-reel.

Abraham: There’s a "Since You’ve Been Gone" 10", too.

You guys are all vinyl collectors, and the package for the Chemistry of Common Life is pretty mild, in general, with no limited covers, etc. Is that how you guys wanted it?

Abraham: Fucked Up never really sets out to do limited stuff like that, really. We just want the record to be out there. With Hidden World, there were some the label wanted to make limited. This time, the record is on 180g vinyl. It was the first time that, when I looked at the finished record, and I was like, "Oh, yeah!"

Vinyl’s making a huge comeback. For someone who’s been collecting vinyl for so long, do you think it’s a fad that people are collecting records now, or people are actually starting to care about how their music looks and sounds?

Abraham: It’s hard to say. The pendulum probably swung too hard one way, and now it’s come the other way. People want to sit down with their records. It’s a ritual. I have an iPod, but there’s a romance that’s missing from it. For me, I’m glad I’m able to buy parts for my record player without going to a tiny little store. At least, it’s great for us, because we get to enjoy the spoils of it.

Maybe people will go back even further and Reel-to-reel will be the new format.

Abraham: We should do wax cylinders! We wanted to do a music box, but Turbonegro already did that.

Trumped!

Abraham: Exactly! Fucked Up: we’re not going to reinvent the wheel, but we’ll give it a damn good spin!

How has Fucked Up’s new popularity affected the crowd at the show?

Abraham: It really hasn’t shown up!

And, it seems like you’re getting tons of exposure in a scene that doesn’t know what to do with you.

Abraham: Yeah!

Haliechuk: The difference is that we get a lot more shit from friends.

Abraham: People who used to love us, now hate us. And, celebrities come out to our shows.

There’s also a tendency in the band to not take yourselves seriously. Is this the general consensus? Is the interview process your least favorite part?

Abraham: Actually, I love doing interviews, and I love talking to people. I think Mike hates it… Doing interview is my favorite part. Mike’s interviews are a little more satirical.

Yeah, what’s with the obsession with Vampire Weekend?

Abraham: Mike, you want to take this one?

Haliechuk: There’s just a really good band with hardworking kids.

Abraham: Yeah they’re real young!

Haliechuk: We’re just helping them out.

Abraham: They’re super nice people and they became the biggest band in the world, and they give us something to talk to.

So, in the spirit of not taking interviews seriously, I thought we’d end the interview with some lighthearted questions.

Abraham: Absolutely!

Favorite food to eat while on tour?

Abraham: Oh, shit… I’m going to say, as a band, sushi,

Best song to walk on stage to?

Abraham: Hmm…Mine is "Bring it On "by Organized Confusion. Or, "Juggernaut" by Crown of Thorns.

Average number of guitars per song on Chemistry of Common Life?

Haliechuk: Fifteen.

Best UK Anarcho-Punk band: The Subhumans or The Crass

Abraham: Neither! Canadian Subhumans KILL the UK Subhumans. Mike from NOFX said how much better the UK Subhumans are than the Canadian ones. I met him at a show and said, "I can’t believe you said that. That’s insane!" Amibix is my favorite UK Anarcho-Punk band. I’m trying to think of one that no one’s ever heard of…The Seize!

True or false: you guys caused $2000 worth of damage performing on MTV

Abraham: The first time or the second time? The first time? True! Second time, no one knows, but it was more.

True or false: until recently no one in the band knew how to drive.

Abraham: Define "recently."

Within the last year?

Abraham: False! But, when we first started, true: no one knew how to drive.

Haliechuk: I could drive!

Abraham: Yeah, then you lost your license, because you ran your car into a fucking house! Although, depending on who you ask no one in the band still knows how to drive.

Explain the phenomenon of "Chair Tipping."

Abraham: Oh! It is probably going to be in the Olympics! Two people face off on chairs, one foot on the ground, the other in the air against the other person’s. The referee holds their feet. One, two, three, and they try to knock the other person’s chair over. Sandy’s probably the champ, but I am the overall winner.

Is Avril Levigne really a coke-head?

Abraham: Yes! From what I know having hung out with her. She fake-smoked when I hung out with her, you know.

Was there ever a moment you wished Fucked Up was called something else?

Abraham: Ah… [Laughs]. When we were crossing the border I said we were called "Broken Social Scene" and they detained us! And, I really wished we were called that because when they investigate us. I knew we were going to be fucked!

Is it embarrassing for your mom to tell other people what you do for a living?

Abraham: No, I think she’s actually proud. I think she gets a kick out of it.

You guys are a pretty sophisticated hardcore band, in my opinion, and it’s hard to categorize your style. I was wondering what you thought of the term "glam-core" to represent the band’s style.

Abraham: I like that! I like "hipster-prog punk."

That sounds like the Mars Volta.

Abraham: Yeah, actually. Glam-core: I like that!

Finally, favorite albums out this year?

Abraham: The Nodzzz album, Lil’ Wayne, and the Jay Reatard singles collection really grew on me listening to them as a whole.

Awesome. Thanks, guys.