ME FIRST & THE GIMME GIMMES – AN INTERVIEW WITH SPIKE

ME FIRST & THE GIMME GIMMES – AN INTERVIEW WITH SPIKE

By Ralph Beauchamp

Spike Slawson is the lead singer of the daring cover supergroup, Me First & The Gimme Gimmes. The band currently consists of Slawson of Swingin' Utters, Fat MIke (Bass/Backing Vocals) of NOFX, Joey Cape (Guitar/Backing Vocals) of Lagwagon and Dave Ruan (Drums) of Lagwagon.

Me First & The Gimme Gimmes they function solely as cover. They take on song patterns, entire musical genres, even special occasions and “punks” with rapid fire destruction. Their main reasons for being are to entertain and drive their fans into a frenzy. They wear outlandish costumes and destroy the inner sanctum of musical convention. To MFGG, nothing is sacred. Their whole essence is the definition of chaos and their fans love it.

Spike was kind enough to take some time out of their extensive tour to talk to AMP about all things MFGG.

AMP: What was the original concept of creating the band?

SPIKE: Like anything worthwhile in life, there is always a rough outline to follow with plenty of blanks to fill in along the way. I think that's the basic philosophy of the band. Speaking of Joey and Mike, whose idea it was, they wanted to create a group that was less serious than their other entities. Since they both enjoyed the cover bands playing, they had this vague idea and they knew it MFGG it will always evolve and change.

It's a simple idea. First choose a crazy outfit. The original was Hawaiian shirts. Then practice some cool songs to cover. Our first show was within a week of our first practice. Since Mike and Joey had some juice behind their names, we were playing bigger venues than most start-up acts. The whole idea was just to have fun.

AMP: How do you choose the songs to “punk-up”.

SPIKE: I didn't know how to choose them and initially that was Mike's job. He had a better “popular sensibility” at that time. What we determined early on is that if it took more than 10 minutes to come up with a working version, then it probably wasn't going to work. Also, if I didn't like a song or artist, those were the ones that worked best.

I'm not a fan of Neil Diamond or John Denver, even though I respect them both as artists, but the covers of their music went crazy because they wrote great tunes. Once we broke it up, I had to admit that the songs were so powerful that we managed to kill them.

AMP: Are there any songs you think are taboo to cover?

SPIKE: Ironically, up Take a break, which was our most popular release, even though the R&B songs we covered still had good beat, rhythm and pocket, something got lost in translation. I believe it was because of our attachment to the subjects. I felt it was a wrong approach because of the limitations. We should have picked the best songs available at the time.

We also wouldn't do bands like the Kinks, the Beatles or the Rolling Stones because they're too important. They should have the final say on their music. Moreover, since they already wrote their songs in a rock & roll idiom, what new do we have to say on the subject.

AMP: Is there a particular artist or music genre you'd like to cover?

SPIKE: At this point, it's about individual artists and songs, because being tied to themes isn't productive or a recipe for a successful album. The hardest thing for us is to stay current.

About a year ago we played a young lady's quinceañera party and recorded it for a record coming out this summer. We were playing a bunch of artists, including Vincente Fernandez and Jose Alfredo Jimenez. The girl and her friends didn't really know their songs, but her grandparents loved them. We felt we had to make at least one concession to the young lady since it was her party. The young people were not having a good time until the DJ came on and played more current music. So we played an Olivia Rodrigo tune that was really hard to make. For me, the transition to the present is difficult.

AMP: Staying on the same topic, how much fun was it to play both a mitzvah and a quinceañera?

SPIKE: It was perfect. The bar mitzvah was easier in some ways because the kid was the son of Mike's publicist. There were some natural allies present. Some of the people knew who we were and knew some of our songs. In addition, adults drank beers filled with wine. So they finally relaxed and had a good time.

At the quinceañera, there were no natural allies. The girl's mom was great from the start, but some of her uncles didn't appreciate some of our off-color jokes. This started as an organized contest with 91X which is a radio station in San Diego. They were one of the first stations to play our songs. They checked different families and chose the most worthy one.

We knew in advance that for the record to succeed, this would be an unsuccessful live event and that's how it went. For our entire first set there was no one on the dance floor. Most people there felt like we were imposing. During the break, the DJ kind of saved the day and all the little kids got up and danced. The second part of our set was much better. People got up and danced and the energy was flowing. Overall, we had a great time.

AMP: What are your best songs to play live?

SPIKE: A lot of the previous stuff, although I love playing new songs like we did at the quinceañera because the audience response is always a mystery. We just did a tour with Flogging Molly and the Violent Femmes and I started to realize that our place on the bill was to be the odd ones out. Our mission is initially to provoke the audience to react even if it is in a negative direction. Then we have a chance to bring them back in. My real enjoyment is when I start trolling the crowd and somewhere along the line I bring them back into the fold.

AMP: The band has performed all over the world. Is there a show that clearly stands out?

SPIKE: We played one night in Pittsburgh, which is my hometown, for fireworks night at a Pirates game, and I don't know who in their organization thought that was a good idea, but it really was an adventure. The group wasn't doing well at the time and the only full houses they could muster were on fireworks nights.

From the moment we booked, we all wondered if this would be a good idea. A few days ago we were a bit nervous. Our rig was set up around second base and when we were doing the run and sound check the day before we heard one of the directors say “it is what it is”.

The next night we went out into the field and luckily we were out of projectile range. After the first song there was deathly silence. That's 35,000 people who are completely quiet. The second song was an irreverent version of “Stairway To Heaven” and the booing began.

The Pirates organization chose the song list and the third song they chose was “Sweet Caroline” which everyone knows is the Boston Red Sox fight song. Then the budding began in earnest. I look at Mike and he's smiling and I can tell he likes the situation. All the while, fireworks are going off all around us. I felt like I was on acid. The booing went up until it looked like the whole building was up and running. The person I felt worst for was my wife sitting in the stands.

As we left I gave the crowd a Queen Elizabeth style wave and when we got back to the stadium one of the Pirates reps said we had better stay here for an hour or so. We had made a second appointment, but our manager texted us that we were fired. This has to be one of our most memorable shows.

AMP: Who chooses the wardrobe for your shows?

SPIKE: Audra Angeli-Morse. She is our style guru. Audra comes from a punk background and all her creations come from her twisted imagination. She is a big fan of John Waters. She also loves Euro and American trashy fashion. He describes it as American Schlager. It's always over the top. Audra is completely responsible for our look and feel. I'm just glad that Mike and Joey left so much room for continuous improvement.

AMP: Is there a question you've always wanted an interviewer to ask and what's the answer?

SPIKE: With me, whoever I talk to, I always give too much. I am not looking for sympathy or empathy but some kind or reaction even if it is negative. Sometimes I feel like I have to stay mum and not let people behind the curtain meet the wizard. There are many questions that are still difficult for me to answer.

What I would like to be asked is difficult. Actually you pretty much asked them all and I hope I answered them well.

AMP: Any last words for your fans?

SPIKE: We are available for weddings, funerals, estate sales, etc. Just give us a call.

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