NO-FI "MAGAZINE"
interview with
Interview by Chris Beyond!
Conducted at Astro Burger, West Hollywood,
August, 1997
It's weird when you know so many people who are friends with a particular band and you hear so much about that particular band from them and never actually meet them. This is how it was with POSSUM DIXON. I had actually SEEN them a long time ago opening for THE DEAD MILKMEN in some country western bar. Strangely enough, we actually met through the internet. I e-mailed them through my link to their site and surprisingly they called me up a few days later. POSSUM DIXON have put out several self-produced singles and two albums on Interscope Records. Currently they are finishing up their third album which should be out between now and early next year. We conducted this interview at the space-age Astro Burger in West Hollywood.
CH = Chris Beyond (The Interviewer person)
R = Rob Zabrecky (Vocals, bass)
CE = Celso Chavez (Guitar)
CH: How did POSSUM DIXON get together as a band?
R: Well, we put the band together back in the eighties...the very very very end of the eighties. Celso and I had gone to junior college together and, uh, we decided that we were gonna start something new and have a band.
CE: We're the fallout of the explosion of the late eighties.
CH: So it's post post post new wave.
CE: I guess you know...we met in college and we just wanted to play music...started playing.
CH: I just thought I'd add that junior colleges are where the best bands start.
CE: I agree, yeah.
R: I'll add that junior colleges are where MOST bands start.. (laughing ensues) No one wants to go to school there. It's like you go to a junior college because you didn't go to a big college first off...and because it's cheap and because...you still live at your parent's house and because it's pretty god damn easy to get a pretty high GPA and have a part time job...let your parents think that you're doing something with your life god dammit....and the weekends, you know, you can rock out and go to clubs and do your thing and make flyers and have a good time and still feel like you're sort of in high school, but grade 15, 16, and 17 is much cooler than 11, 12.
CH: My girlfriend sez the same thing except in a more harsh tone like "you're just going to junior college cuz you don't want to do anything."
CE: It's basically true, y'know. It kinda like puts off the real world, I guess, if you want to call it that.. The reality of what's goin' on.
CH: Extended high school.
CE: Yeah, I guess, you know. I hated high school anyways. Hated college.
(more laughing)
CH: I'm one of the few people who actually liked my high school. I guess I'm more of a nerd than I like to pretend I am. What's the real deal behind the recent departure of Sully? (Rob O嘯ullivan the recently former guitarist) "Sully" because of the two Robs in the band...a lot of people don't know that nickname.
R: There's one Rob now. (Rob and Celso laugh) So ah, I would say creative differences only because he got a lot of really good ideas and he's really smart and really talented. I think in some ways he kinda' outgrew the band. He was growing in a different way though. We're all definitely going somewhere and we're in transition...but he was heading somewhere else and, you know, we started the band so we could do things that were different. We weren't gonna be having these restrictions and once when we felt we were restricting each other, that's when he felt it was time to split.
CH: Was he leaving for glam metal? Was that where he was going?
R: Yes.
CH: That's kind of where they all go...after a while.
R: They go to, uh,... Lancaster.
CH: Lancaster; The home of Glam Metal.
CE: Is amicable the word? Simpatico? Tranquil?
R: Is that spanish?
CE: That's spanish.
R: Simpatico?
CE: Simpatico, I believe it is. It sounds like it. Simple.
R: SIMPATICO!
CE: It was like Rob was saying...Robert had expired his stay. He just wanted to move on.
CH: So everything's cool. We don't have to hear otherwise from other sources now.
R: Everythings cool. We're great friends.
CE: Yeah, there's no weirdness, you know. On our parts or his parts. So that's good. It's kinda' weird. There was no drama involved. It's like breaking up with a girlfriend. One day he was at practice and the next day he wasn't. Just the three of us now.
CH: Awwwww. It's kind of weird doing doing this interview, because we know all of the same people, but we just never met. That's why I thought it was a weird way for me to introduce myself to you instead of us being introduced by the people we know...so I introduced myself...anywayyyy...um...Do you still have the same sound without Sully or is it in development?
R: I dunno...We're doing it everyday, so it's hard to see any changes, you know? It's like when you're at the beach house trying to get a sun tan or trying to put on weight...you never know cuz you're stuck with it. Hell. I think we're changing. I think we're definitely, uh,...people always say that their band is mature...it sound kinda...lofty to say that...bordering on pretentious, but I think we're just going on to the next step. Just do what every band does that's been together for nine years. Throw the punches and hope that you can make music together. We're changing though. Opening up the new door.
CE: I think he said it pretty well.
CH: You guys are recording right now right? How's recording going and when can we expect another record?
CE: Hopefully by the beginning of 1998. We'll be done in September and hopefully by January it'll be out. The Fall is always a bad time to release records. You're competing with all the Christmas catalogs...Tina Turner's probably putting something out and all that kind of shit.
R: I don't think we're competing with Tina Turner.
(laffs and guffaws)
CH: You can always do the POSSUM DIXON Christmas album. What's your favorite landmark and why?
R: Landmark...uh, where?
CH: Anywhere.
R: Right now...AstroBurger. AstoBurger's cool cuz it's on a famous corner. It's been here for so long they changed their sign. Across the street used to be the world famous Okie Dog that's now Fat Burger and that's a bummer. that's a fat bummer. But, you know...I love this corner...it's cool. That area廣 great over there. The old auto parts.... (pause) It's good.
CH: There's also something weird about...I mean have you ever eaten at fatburger? (Rob shakes his head in the negative) I never have either and I'm just afraid to. I expect to this this big white lardy burger.
R: Yeah...right...I know. Couldn't do it.
CH: I don't know how they stay in business.
CE: It's also very neon, you know?
CH: You might get some neon in your burger.
CE: Yeah. I don't know if I have a favorite landmark. There's a lot. There's a lot. Lately it's been, um,... I live over in Mar Vista right now. It's this drive from La Brea up in Baldwin Hills...and there's these old...oil...what do you call them? You take La Brea up to Stocker. It's like the shortcut from here to LAX. It's just this...this...on top of this hill...There's just tons of those things, man.
CH: I know exactly what you're talking about.
CE: They're not moving. They don't work. They just sit there.
CH: It's all brown and stuff up there.
CE: There's fencing around it. There's litter. Looks like something like in the forties, they thought they were gonna find oil.
CH: Do you have any odd tour stories?
R: They're all odd. A buncha' odd numbers every damn one. 3s and 6s and...(pauses. Realizes his mistake. Celso laughs at him.) 3s, 7s and 9s. They're all fucked up.
CE: Touring is just odd! It's weird.
CH: What was it like touring with the late DEAD MILKMEN?
R: Yeah, we used to be friends with them. We toured with them and we had a really good time. We were really green at touring at that point. So we were going out there and drinking a lot.
CH: Which was fine with them.
R: Which was very fine with them. We definitely made some friends out there. Through being silly. Their whole thing is the sillier the better. Silly to them can mean anything. They don't care if people think they're geeks or if people think they're cool. As long as it's good and wacky, it's fine.
CH: You probably have half your odd stories jut from being with them.
R: Well, yeah...well the more we toured the less the ratio goes down, you know? At first every night something weird would happen. We were on tour so much on our own that shit would happen and just kinda' slim down, you know.
CH: Got used to it.
R: Found our own niche.
CH: Have you heard their new bands? TOUCH ME ZOO and BURN WITCH BURN?
R: They're cool, yeah. They definitely are. Joe's a very talented songwriter. Rodney's just...anything weird is fine with him. Dave Blood gave it all up for studying school in Indiana. Dean Clean kinda got disinterested in music, I think.
CH: Which one of you is the better fighter?
CE: I don't know. I'm usually pretty good at getting my ass kicked and Rob's pretty good at saving my ass from getting kicked more...so...
R: We both suck.
CE: Yeah.
CH: You were the kids being chased after school?
CE: No. I got hassled here and there, but for the most part no.
R: I had one bully. Brian Tinsley was his name and I hope he's somewhere far away right now. He used to knock the crap out of me and take my lunch money before school every day. Then put my arm behind my back. I still never got him back and I was like...
CE: Are you serious?!? He put your arm behind your back?
R: Yeah. In third grade.
CE: That is not good.
CH: That's sad. I think I got beat up in sixth grade really bad. (actually he just punched me in the stomach) We had some sixth grade graduation thing and I told the principal and then he couldn't go...and then I felt bad for him cuz he was crying like a little sixth grader. That's my little story. Segue...You recently witnessed the band/barfight at Smalls with members of SIX VOLT SUNBEAM. Since Omar can't be here to tell us what happened and you have a first hand witnessing account...tell us about what you saw.
R: Well...There we are at Smalls...Wednesday night. Pretty good crowd. There's SIX VOLT SUNBEAM playing...doing their thing with the exception of Rob Wagner from the 99TH FUCK YOU playing guitar. Famous for...tricks. Always tricks that guy, you never know what's going to happen. They're playing along...the last song comes on and they have a radio shack strobe light. Something every band has in their closet.
CH: I had to control that same strobe light at one of their shows.
R: It kinda' goes off and on and covers about a whole three feet. Unless you are onstage you can't even see it. So that was alright. And Rob decides to, uh, he's got these firecrackers strapped on to him. They were on the guitar. He took a match, struck it and he just started poppin' boom boom and he just started shakin' and he looked like he felt he shouldn't have done it. Like he's, "oh, I fucked up." and then he threw his hands up in the air and it just kinda' exploded. the owner of Smalls is one of those guys who's been in Prison or in the service...he's HUGE! He comes tearing through the crowd, shuts off the sound, which is not stopping the fireworks, he turned off the PA is what he did. So the amps are still on on the stage. Goes on stage...starts turning off amps. he and Rob get into a scoff. The scoff turned into this guy Greg Franco. You know that dude?
CH: Yeah from FERDINAND.
CE: Naw. I don't know him.
R: Old friends with Byron. You know him. He jumps up on the stage and the three of them are up there and you see arms getting thrown...backs against the wall. Meanwhile there are loose firecrackers going "Pow! Pow!" And there a bunch of feedback happening through all of it...it was just beautiful. It was totally excellent and that band just got so much better from doing that, I thought. that was really good.
CE: That sounds like a true rock and roll show.
CH: It sounds really scary. Specially for a small place like Smalls. I heard that like everyone was like rushing for the doors like a stampede. Tell us about your house. Everyone makes a big deal about your house. Is it haunted?
R: Well, no it's not haunted and uh I just gotta say for the record that BAM magazine...that guy John...they came over and did that thing...I don't know. I just can't say anything bad about anyone at that magazine. It's all done for the greater good of things. You hear some dissing in the hearsay section, but other than that, it's pretty gratuitous. I don't know. My house is fine. It's nice. I kinda like it private and I don't know why he wanted to come over and do some pictures.
CE: It's a good place to sit and play guitar. Comfortable.
CH: How many guitars do you have?
CE: Me? I have...three.
CH: Do you have one for damage and roughness?
CE: No, but...they all get damaged. Rob sold me this acoustic recently. It's great man, it's got a really sexy back. (!!!) The action is really high on it, but it sounds great. It's like a good acoustic that you can take in the car with you without a case. Sixty bucks and you don't have to worry about it. Yeah, it's great.
CH: Who are some of your favorite local bands?
CE: Favorite local bands... My favorite local band is actually this band W.A.C.O. Yeah, you've heard of them. They're doing something with music that no other band is right now. It's uh...I love Steve.
CH: I've never actually seen them live. I know Sherri (from SLUTS FOR HIRE) is in it.
R: She's sort of alumni. She goes in and does some shows...or she doesn't.
CE: Yeah, they're really cool. Their songs have this happy-sad thing going. It's a mini orchestra.
R: Yeah, W.A.C.O. I think anything Billy Patchen from the 99TH FUCK YOU does is fine with me.
CH: What is he doing right now? I haven't heard from him in so long.
R: I don't know. That's true.
CH: Here's the cheesy typical Silverlake question. Now that the hype is dieing down...you were one of the first bands that I know of that sang about Silverlake. (Everyone begins to laugh) Didn't you actually build Silverlake from the dirt?
R: I filled that lake over there with my blood. The blood from my family. And I started rock shortly after that. and put the two together.
CH: You molded the bandmates from clay...
R: Definitely.
CE: Silverlake, Burbank, North Hollywood, etc...alright man. Here it is.
R: I wish there were more good bands from the area. There's a LOT of bands... I just don't know how many GOOD bands there are.
CH: Plus a lot of the bands that are being classified as Silverlake bands are actually from everywhere else...like SIX VOLT SUNBEAM.
R: Is Lisa (S.V.S. bassist) from Silverlake?
CE: Yeah.
R: Where's Omar from?
CH: North Hollywood.
R: He is?
CH: Yeah.
CE: It's probably more easier for the press to recognize it, you know?
R: For people to like and to hate all at once.
CH: Now there's the "Los Feliz" scene.
R: You heard about that too? THE BOMBORAS. Yeah all these bands...I don't really know. I've heard of it...and Echo park.
CH: Echo park...that's scary. Isn't that the murder capital of Los Angeles right now?