RC: How's the tour going?
BC: We are having a great time. The Street Dogs and The Adolescents are great people and the the crowds have been good. Thanks to some friends and family giving us places to stay, we are keeping gas in the van and food in our bellies.
RC: Anything crazy or unexpected happen so far?
BC: Well, there were some fights between staff and fans at a show which resulted in cops and an ambulance showing up, Johnny from Street Dogs has a black eye from a kamikaze microphone and we have gotten drunk just about every night.
Actually, the latter was expected.
RC: I heard there's an interesting anecdote behind the "Billy Crooked" moniker. What's that?
BC: As much as some may think it has anything to do with a southern appendage, it's much more north. A friend of mine in high school sucker punched me and broke my nose. Needless to say, we weren't friends after that and I was left with a crooked nose.
RC: Now, you guys are often referred to as a "political punk band", but it usually seems that you have a message that's more blue collar than political. What do you think?
BC: We don't try to preach or even take a particular side on issues. We are trying to point out some things that we think are screwed up, like feeling pressure from a Christian government, or being "worked to the bone for pocket change", [a line from] "Draw By Numbers", or the idea that peace would be attainable if there wasn't such a crave for money and power. Vanity and the way magazines try to make people clones and do their best to control by false media. There's so much to say about s**t we want to get across but it really is best put to music.
RC: You guys are from Cleveland, which has a long music history, the Dead Boys coming to mind immediately. How's the scene there now?
BC: The scene is kind of fading. There are some great bands who have came from the area. You mentioned The Dead Boys who are one of my favorite bands of all time. Devo, The Pretenders, Pere Ubu and a whole genre/scene which these bands came from. Cleveland has great venues to play but I feel like people have a sense of defeat. Great bands that we have seen come and go over the years have basically gone unnoticed because there is little attention to our hometown.
I don't think our "punk" scene will ever go away, I think it's in a rut right now.
RC: The Vacancies have a great old school sound, but it runs all over the boards, from your fast aggressive sound on "Children of the Century", to the crunchy poppier sound on "Radio Revolution" to the anthemic "Save Yourself". How would you describe your sound?
BC: That's tough to say. Our influences come from all over the spectrum. We just try to write songs that we like and try to write the best songs we can. We didn't even set out to be a "punk" band. It just happens we like to play faster aggressive music. I guess it is just a reflection of who we are as people.
There's a lot to be p***ed off about these days, so i couldn't see playing happy fun time let's dance and smile music. Not to say we don't enjoy what we do or try to have a good time but the sound is what it is. We stay away from labeling our sound as pop, punk, hardcore or whatever, which also makes it harder for us to build a fan base.
RC: Who are your biggest influences, musically or culturally, or however?
BC: Like i said before, we all have different influences but I'll mention a few of mine: The Dead Boys, The Ramones, The Clash, Bob Marley, Charles Bukowski, Bob Dylan, The Stooges, Minor Threat... I could go on but I won't.
RC: What are you guys listening to now?
BC: Well, we brought a Sirius radio for the tour. It's just easier than bringing CDs in the van. we mainly listen to the New Wave Station, Underground Garage, comedy stations and a lot of Howard Stern. So far on the tour I've picked up the new Bronx and Valient Thorr album.
RC: What gets you from show to show on the road?
BC: I own a Chevy cargo van that we use at home for gigs, but it would never make it five weeks. So we rented.
RC: Probably one of the biggest things to happen to you guys thus far was being scooped up by Joan Jett and signed to her label. How did that come about?
BC: We found out that Joan Jett and the Blackhearts were playing a theater near Cleveland. So we sent our first record and a press kit to the promoter who passed it on to Joan. She liked the record and we got the gig. We stayed in touch with her and Kenny Laguna (her long-time partner, producer and manager). We got booked on another show with them and that was when she offered to put out our next record. There was no question of yes or no.
RC: And then to have her and Kenny Laguna produce the album - how was that?
BC: It was amazing. They believed in us and our music and let us make our record. There was no bulls**t attached. Joan was an incredible mentor and made the whole experience pleasurable. Of course we were intimidated at first, but they are both fun and extremely down to earth.
