I sat down with a hacking and coughing legend of Philly Punk, Rodney Anonymous of the Dead Milkmen, to discuss the upcoming Halloween gig at the Union Transfer, Adam Ant and, the bikers of the forest.
Rodney Anonymous: You’re lucky I’m talking to you. I only give interviews to my friends if they ask. I used to call up strangers and start giving them interviews without warning, like Catholic youth magazines. Right now I’ve been fighting a nasty lung infection for the last two months. It started out as a cold that went away quickly. That’s a red flag- when a cold goes away quickly that means something worse is about to move in.
Mega Jimmy: Any surprises in store for the upcoming show?
RA: Let’s see…I know the opening bands are so good they should be headlining. Seeing the Psychic Teens for the first time- you are like ‘wow!’ And Mr. Dead Guy sells the whole show by himself. I’ve always wanted to see Dave Denean’s act, actually I only do shows with bands I really want to see. I love fire eaters and freaks in general. Anybody can be an accountant, but freaks can always make money, freaks even made money during the Great Depression. If a kid asks me for career guidance , I’ll tell them to become a freak!
MJ: Who do you think are your most fans?
RA: Ryan Adams really likes us. Some of his stuff is pretty punk rock. I am amazed at how many Goths like us, I listen to mostly Goth and Industrial. I love Angels on Acid and I am a big fan of Ego Likeness. I met them, they are super nice. Sometimes it’s odd for me, I have a weird moment of disbelief when I find out people I listen to like our band. And liking us crosses all genres of music.
MJ: Do you think that punk rock needs a shot in the arm, and if the Republicans win, would that be it?
RA: I’m a member of the Green Party, economically I see no difference between Democrats and Republicans. Barack Obama has the same policies as Ronald Reagan. I think people are shooting punk into their arms. Is anything more punk than Angel Spit? You got to go to the Wall Street Massacre tour with Angel Spit, Cyanotic and MyParasites. It will kick you in the ass!
MJ: Any new songs?
RA: That is a good question. We have a lot of new songs, most of them are pretty angry. We are doing a great cover of a song by Rome from Luxembourg. The singer, Jerome Reuter, is good- that guy is Nick Cave good. Nick Cave is so good I would not be surprised to find out he has super powers. If you were trapped in a freezer with Nick Cave, he could laser it open with his eyes. I bet the guy from Rome has super powers! It’s better to write songs as a band, ’cause somebody can tell you if your ideas suck. Solo acts have no one to say, “that blows”.
MJ: So you play for the other guys and…?
RA: I’ll run something past them or my friends. I get no help from them sometimes. Let’s go back to using Nick Cave as an example. Nick Cave is always my hypothetical go to. If you were at Nick Cave’s house and you saw a guitar or a piano, aren’t you going to ask him to play? My friends will take the strings off my guitar to keep me from playing! When a friend sends me an MP3 of stuff that blows me away, I’ll be like ‘Haha, I heard something you haven’t heard.’ I’m such a dick. I think that sometimes you don’t need a good song , just a good song title. Billy Joel doesn’t have any good song titles, that’s what’s wrong with him. Lots of our songs are very funny, but it takes me a while to get it. Big chunks of our stuff is only there because Joe thinks they are funny.
MJ: So you’re sick right now? Is that going to impact the upcoming show?
RA: I’m pacing myself so I can be up for the show. I’ve been staying at home trying to get better. Right now, I’m missing the Ludovico Technique and Everything Goes Cold at the Starlight Ballroom. When I’m all better I’m going to get out to more shows, being old keeps me at home a lot. I missed Adam Ant.
MJ: I saw it, it was good!
RA: Wanna hear a great Adam Ant story? When he was dating Amanda Donohoe, some weird guy lunged at him with a knife. Well, Amanda Donohue not only disarmed the guy, but beat the shit out of him while Adam Ant hid behind her!
MJ: Well thanks for talking with me, good luck with the show!
RA: How is it out in…where do you live?
MJ: Out in Marlton Lakes, we just had a bear sighting about two miles away.
RA: I would shit my pants if I looked out my window and saw a bear. Those fuckers are the bikers of the forest!
