The No-Fi "Magazine" interview with Panty Lions

Q: how's it going?

A: ok. you? i'm waiting for adeline to show up. we're doing vocals tonight. was hoping we could make some ground before she shows up and crashes the party.

Q: all right, first of all thanks for doing this interview. i consider you a friend and its always cool to get to do this with a friend. its less formal and allot more fun. I've seen you both with the beard and without the beard, what are your future plans for the beard?

A: i think this one might be around for awhile. you never know though. it's super hella lame to talk about it cuz it gives it more weight than it's worth but they definitely have a purpose, for me at least. it'd be nice to step out of the studio in a few months and have a big ugly beard to show how long i've been away, out at sea. it also does an ok job of keeping the girls away which is a good thing for me at the moment.

Q: i've overheard girls talking about how much they like your beard, so that might backfire a little.

A: yeah, it seems the bigger it gets the more they start coming around. the dudes all hate it though. maybe that's why.

Q: you used to be in earlimart, why did you leave?

A: start with the easy questions why don't you? it's a kind of long and sad story but for the record, i never left. and i was never fired. it just kind of happened and it happened real slow so it wasn't very clear but everybody seems better off for it so i think it was a pretty good thing. i love them like sunrise from a rowboat. they ruled sunset junction, by the way.

Q: i wasn't sure if i should ask or not, but thanks for answering.

A: it's all good. i like the tough questions. keep em coming.

Q: okay, well here's an easier one. give me a brief history of the panty lions?

A: well, it actually started before earlimart, i think. it was just ariana (from earlimart) and i messing around in my room. i had bought this cheap nylon string guitar from mexico and we realized it sounded really nice with her telecaster so we started writing stuff and we tried recording a little but we both suck at the mechanics of recording. earlimart took up a lot of time so we focused on that for a good long while but every once in awhile we'd squeeze a panty lions practice in... we played barns and living rooms exclusively for awhile. more recently we were offered a tour with daniel johnston and ariana couldn't do it cuz she was out with earlimart so i scrambled to find some other people to replace her with. i had to replace her with three people actually cuz she was that good. i knew adeline from around these parts and thought she was cute and stuff and heard she could play guitar so we started talking and she fit rite in. it was perfect. the bass player and drummer i knew from fresno circles but they're not around so much anymore. i hope they come back, though. or i hope i meet more really cute girls who play instruments.

Q: that would be good. but i hope darren and ronald come back.

A: yeah, or cute girl versions of them. ronald's working at express in the mall somewhere in new york.

Q: you seem to be on tour constantly, or at least always traveling...give me your best tour story?

A: hmmmm...there are so many. i f'ing love tour for that reason. on the first national earlimart tour we went camping allot cuz we were so broke. we were out with fiver and every night we'd get a couple 30 packs of cheap beer and just drink ourselves silly. after polishing off the better part of the beer i dared dave woody from fiver to walk out onto this log that went like thirty feet out into this lake...i knew it would be impossible in our condition but dave got up there and did it. out and back. i tried afterward and couldn't take a single step without falling off so to top his act i tried to trade some beer for some firewood from the deaf youth group camping next to us. either they didn't understand my drunken version of the sign language alphabet or they knew we were the ones who stole all their other firewood earlier in the evening.

Q: good story

A: i think most tour stories are kind of you had to be there-type stories.

Q: i have to ask, what was it like touring with L7?

A: i only did a few dates with them, in the midwest. they were pretty done with, i think, but i was totally into them. still am. they're just the most amazing girls. we were in minneapolis on a sunday and it was impossible to get alcohol due to state laws but apparently those laws don't apply to L7 cuz we got wasted. the beauty process was such an overlooked record.

Q: they were great in that john waters film serial mom.

A: i never saw that. i totally suck.

Q: they perform in it towards the end and kathleen turner gets in the mosh pit.

A: how cute. they had the marshall high school marching band open for them at the el rey once. they played an L7 greatest hits medley. i thought that was pretty classy.

Q: that's pretty cool. they were also on the original ramones tribute album that came out in like 1991. they did "suzy is a headbanger." it was amazing.

A: they always are.

Q: talk about your involvement with the wild hotels of the sea label?

A: i was kind of against starting a label cuz i know how much work it is but ariana really wanted to do it and we had the pine marten record which i thought was just mind-blowing so we just ran with it. her and i sort of do the dirty work but we're both so busy we brought our friend "mike shea" on board to take care of a lot of it. we're doing a bunch of 7"s in the near future: earlimart, pine marten, silversun pickups and maybe a seawolf / panty lions split.

Q: i love that pine martin cd.

A: me too. a lot of people didn't get it, i think. it's kind of weird.

Q: i gotta get those guys to do a no-fi "session"

A: they'll do it in a heartbeat i'm sure. if you can get them away from the bbq.

Q: they're seriously like one of my favorite bands right now. they blew me away at that crazy derby show and i cant stop listening to the cd

A: they're going on tour at the end of this month so hopefully people elsewhere will catch on.

Q: i hope so.

A: they should be playing stadiums. underwater.

Q: i heard you went to UCLA. what did you study?

A: i got a b.a. in mass com. that's where i met ariana. we passed notes in class.

Q: haha. i started as a communications major. but changed to english

A: and now you write for a magazine and i communicate!

Q: and I do a radio show. weird huh?

A: we both win!

Q: YES! do you have a "day job"?

A: i don't. and haven't for a while. i've been getting a little bit of money for tour managing lately, so that's pretty cool. but then i'm out watching other bands have fun while i take care of the dirty work. i'm homeless, too, so i don't have rent or bills.

Q: everybody wants to live like that, what's your secret?

A: just a beard.

Q: that last answer may have answered that...no rent no bills

A: it wasn't supposed to. oh yeah, that. i thought you meant the beard.

Q: haha

A: i take care of those who take care of me. that's the secret.

Q: that's rad. and i don't know anyone who doesn't love you.

A: ah, that's sweet to say.

Q: tell me about your parents?

A: really? rad! ok, my dad is turning 89 next week. he's the best. seriously, people always say that about their dads but my dads way better than theirs. and my mom rules, too. she takes good care of me. she makes me egg salad sandwiches.

Q: aww

A: and she'd make you one, too. she's like that.

Q: awesome. i don't really like egg salad sandwiches but i bet hers are great.

A: yeah, egg salad is kind of gross. hers are no exception but they got a lot of heart.

Q: ok. this is the part of the interview where i say the name of a band or performer and you describe the feeling you get when i say their name...

A: fun!

Q: pine martin

A: caruthers. it's a small farming town outside of fresno. mark's from there and a lot of his lyrics are from there. makes me all warm and nostalgic for the valley.

Q: slumber party

A: phew! slumber party takes my breath away. hands down the prettiest girls in rock. aliccia says the things boys like to hear girls say. that's her secret, i think.

Q: dios

A: the best thing to happen to music since the spice girls. and hotter, too. all the bands you've mentioned are good drinkers, too, and that definitely helps in my book.

Q: okay...well on that note...grandaddy

A: good one. i love those guys. sort of like the pine marten thing, i just have a real soft spot for stuff from the central valley. i think maybe you have to be from there to realize how much the music comes from there. same goes for pavement. we get compared to both those bands allot but i'm pretty confident that we don't rip them off, we just come from the same place. and for the record, i had a beard when i met those guys way back when. before they patented the look.

Q: grandaddy is my favorite band in the universe. i bought jason a beer once and asked him some ridiculous questions into a tape recorder but he was really really nice.

A: yeah, he's a good one. good heart. all of those guys got good hearts. and even better livers.

Q: built like alaska

A: i go way back with those guys, too. it's too bad they live in the grandaddy shadow. same goes for all those modesto bands. they're all so good in their own rite.

Q: fiver

A: same deal. they've gone thru so many membership changes lately cuz people are having kids and starting real jobs and joining other bands and stuff like that. it ain't easy being a band from those parts. dave's working on a new record. i hope people hurry up and start catching on.

Q: tom waits

A: i went thru my tom waits phase. that was a long time ago. he's so good at what he does but now he just sounds like such a parody of himself. there was a time when i'd be nervous to meet him, now i don't think i'd care.

Q: i disagree, but that's okay. i love tom waits

A: lets duke it out...i can write a tom waits song before you can make your argument.

Q: haha! kaito

A: i'm a little too close to that one. love em. i'll leave it at that.

Q: all right. silversun pickups.

A: addy's here now. can i let her answer that one while i go pee real quick?

Q: okay

A: here she is. i'll be rite back.

Q: hi adeline!

Ad: hey quin what's goin on?

Q: the question is describe the feeling you get when i say the name silversun pickups?

Ad: um....they kill me? in a good way?

Q: all right. i could definitely agree with that.

Ad: like, hands down my favorite band right now, and it's not cause they're my friends or whatever, it's just that when i hear them/see them and stuff, it's like they're speaking right to me, i know that sounds cheesy. did you see the la weekly thing? where they said when brian sang "everything is connected and beautiful" and it was?

Q: i didn't see it

Ad: that silly line in that silly review made me cry like a girlie movie.

Q: awe. i cry at that stuff too.

Ad: i just think they take a lot of the elements of music that we're all really familiar with, the best parts of it, and turn it into something that totally describes (with music and feeling more than words) what everybody's going through,. it rules.

Q: i think that's what makes a band good. when they can talk about something that everyone relates to. not just what happens to them.

Ad: totally... uh oh here's ashod, mom's on IM and i can't fake it for mom

Q: okay. nice talking to you.

A: she says, "you too!" ...mom says "hi" by the way. she wants to know where you want your egg salad shipped.

Q: tell your mom i'm coming over for an egg salad sandwich. can you name any bands that are guilty pleasures for you? for me, it's kiss, early bryan adams and burt bacharach.

A: i don't think of it as a guilty pleasure but i know a lot of folks have a weird thing about elastica. i love them to death and want to have their babies. "the menace" is one of my favorite records of all time. i also like a lot of country stuff. the radio in the van rite now is set to kzla which is really bad new country. have you heard "have you forgotten?"

Q: i don't think so

A: that's the chorus, they rhyme it with, "and what about osama?"...my bad, â¤œbin ladenâ¤*. that rhymes better.

Q: haha! where do you see yourself in 5 years?

A: i don't even know where i see myself next week. wherever it is, i'm sure it'll be awesome.

Q: ok. last question. and the easiest question of all...what is the meaning of life? if anyone should know this it is you.

A: i've been thinking about this one a lot lately. unfortunately, i don't know that i have a succinct answer. i'm going to go with the spinal tap answer, have a good time, all of the time, and maybe a little bit of don't take anything too seriously, and also, do luv. i think that might be the title of our new cd. for reals. "do luv". doing luv is fun. love everything. always. have a good time all the time. be a comedian. i'll visit your grave everyday. if i can ever find it. did the guy from american movie quote spinal tap or am i just making that up? was uncle bill a spinal tap fan??? i might be onto something here.

Q: perhaps! all right, ashod, this has been great. i wish we could have done it all in person but it was still good. and i would like to extend an open invitation to you to appear on my radio show anytime. playing music or hosting. whatever you want.

A: ooh, yeah. i want to help dj. that's the best. and yeah, in person is always more fun, but you know how it goes sometimes. addy wants me to let you know know her other band joe lies is playing at the scene on Oct. 8. it's their first show so it'll be real cute. i'm not gonna be here so you gotta represent.

Q: all right. and i will try to come check it out. happy recording. and i'll talk to you soon. take care.

Q: all right

A: you too, my ninja! sweet dreams. sleep tight.

Panty Lions have an album out right now on Amazing Grease Records called "So Dang Rad" and a website along with the rest on "The Ship" collective on www.the-ship.com.We hope to have them back on No-Fi "Radio" sometime between this year and next.