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LAGWAGON
München 2006

"We`re just trying to milk this thing as long as we can“

Suiciderock: You just toured in the US and now you started to tour in Europe. Is there any difference between the US audience and the European audience?
Jesse: There is usually a bigger audience. The European audience has been always good for us. I really like to play in Europe. They are very enthusiastic. For example tonight we have this barricade infront of the stage but normally we don’t. In the US you always have this barricades infront of the stage. I like it pretty much if it’s not there.
Suiciderock: Can you decide wether you want a barricade or not or does the venue fell the decision for you?
Jesse: It’s usually the policy of the club. It’s all about liability and that kind of stuff.

Suiciderock: For this show you have „A Wilhelm Scream“ as support band and as I know you choose your support band by yourself. Which criteria are important at this point and what is the story behind „A Wilhelm Scream“? Or did the recordcomapany decide this time?
Jesse: We usually decide the bands. They were actually suggested to us by the presenter of our tour, but they are a great band: We are getting arround pretty well.
Suiciderock: So, you’ve seen them?
Jesse: I have never seen them before this tour. I heard them but I never seen them live. They are really good.

Suiciderock: You get around a lot. What impressed you the most and what depressed you the most?
Jesse: What impressed me the most is when we go somewhere and there is water in some box... (laughs). That’s amazing; fine German technology.
Suiciderock: I didn’t know you don’t have it in the Staates, ‘cause normally if we get something in Germany you already have it in the Staates.
Jesse: Yeah, I’m just jelous. They never figgured out to get some water in the box...
Suiciderock: Now you can go back then and say you invented it...
Jesse: That’s true. I will make a fortune...
Suiciderock: ...and the most depressing thing?
Jesse: The most depressing thing is just beeing away from home for such a long time.

Suiciderock: The band was formed in 1990. Remember your early days. What would you say, changed in the meantime?
Jesse: Well, people actually come to see us play now. That’s nice and I’m still learning how to play, but I play a little bit better than I did back than. I couldn’t play at all, when we started with the band. I didn’t know since that we grew older and fatter and we need more sleep. Anything to add? (looks at Chris, who just entered the room).

Suiciderock: You are still compared to NOFX by the media. Does this botter you?
Jesse: Ehm.. I think I kind of get used to it. No, we toured together a lot. And all of our songs... You know I guess I can see where this comparism comes from.
Suiciderock: I guess your first tour was with NOFX?
Jesse: Yes, our first European tour. We did like 9 shows in Germany.

Suiciderock: You can see people wearing your t-shirts on so many festivals even if you don`t play there. . I read that someone claimed your shirts would be more known than the band itself... First of all, do you think it`s true. And if that`s true is it a problem for you?
Jesse: Probably yeah (laughs). There was this reviewer in Germany. We couldn’t really understand because it was in German, but the only thing we understood was „Lagwagon the T-Shirt band“. So I guess we are the T-Shirt band, yeah. But now we are known as something else: „The box water band.“

Suiciderock: Your latest album „Live in a Dive“ is a live album, which has been recorded at the House of Blues in New York. How comes that you made a live album and how was it for u to record an album infront of the audience? Have you been nervous?
Jesse: A little bit, because we knew if we mess up it’s gonna be on the record. That was a little bit nervewrecking but ok. The crowd was really good.
Suiciderock: Did you record it in one night?
Jesse: No, we did it in two nights. So if something goes really bad we had the chance to take it from the other day.

Suiciderock: The album cover is really unusually contrary to other cover artwork of different bands. You painted a comic story for that. Who had the idea for that and where did u take the inspiration from?
Jesse: You know fat records have the „Live in a dive“ series and every album has a different comic on it. In the 50’s we had a lot of Horror Comics in the US like „Tales from the cript“ and stuff like that. It’s based on that.
Suiciderock: It’s a good idea.
Jesse: Oh, thank you.

Suiciderock: Your latest album has been released one year ago. Have you already planned another album and when are you planning to hit the studio again?
Jesse: Yeah, we planned to release an album last November. That’s our big plan.

Suiciderock: Almost everyone of you has his own family now. How do you handle it when you are on tour with your family? Are they coming with you or do they stay at home?
Chris: Chris doesn’t...
Jesse: The rest of us is married and Joey has a kid. We take them with us sometimes. But usually they are at home. They are the responsable parts of our relationships. Do you know what you call a musician without a girlfriend?
Suiciderock: No...
Jesse: homeless... Yeah they keep things ok (laughs). Oh that sounds bad... That’s not their only function...

Suiciderock: Now you’re 16 years older since you formed the band. How would you describe this 16 years?
Chris: A blur...
Jesse: A big hazy blur. I guess next August I will have spent half of my live in this band. I don’t know if that’s good or just really really depressing.

The door opens...
Jesse: This is dave...
Suiciderock: Hi Dave.

Suiciderock: Which future plans does Lagwagon have?
Jesse: We`re just trying to milk this thing as long as we can.
Dave: That’s a future plan...
Jesse: We just have to see what happens. We never really think too much. We just gonna live day by day.
Suiciderock: That’s it. Thank you very much.
Jesse & Chris: Thank you.