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| Big D and the Kids Table - 06.12.05 | First off, I’d just like to say thanks a lot for taking the time do this interview. I really appreciate it. Now, whom do I have with me, and what do you do in Big D and the Kids Table?
My name is David Mcwane and i'm the singer guy.
Awesome. Great to have you here. Alright, it seems like you guys like to do most of the work involved around your band in a "do it yourself" fashion. How do you guys continue to do what you do on such a DIY level for so long?
Well, we just barely get by. We do everything DIY, because 1) that's all we know, and 2) the music scene is only supporting Pepsi/Coke - Disney World type bands these days, which we are not one of.
Fans bring uys food on the road which crazy-double-triple helps, but as far as "how do we continue to get by", well, we're musicians and we love music, so we make it work. Me, i've been homeless now for about 2 years and the couch that I most often crash on has been infested with terrible, biting bed bugs for about 5 months now, so i've had to move on from that place. All the sources I was having to live with were just making me tired, and it was just real unhealthy. See, man, there's a level of suck that people really don't get, there's a level of poverty that upper and middle class people don't understand. People talk about not having any money, "dude, i'm so broke", or not having any food around their house, but it's not until you really have no money for over 6 years and no food other then some that people give you or some that you snatch from work when you have enough time to hold a job before tour. Do you realize that glorifying poverty is lame? Did I just go on a tangent?
Tell us a bit about what's been going on with you guys lately. Anything exciting happening? I know you've got your long haul on the Warped Tour coming up, but is there anything else?
Well, we just finished basically being on the road for 2 to 2 1/2 years. How It Goes, our new 20 song full lenght on Springman Records came out. And a spit ago, we got back from 4 weeks in Europe, which were badass. Then we took a month off, and yes, we are now getting packed for 9 weeks on this years Warped Tour.
It seems you guys are gaining more and more popularity everyday. I mean, what with taking Bowling For Soups place on the Ernie Ball stage on the Warped Tour, and being included as an "upcoming" band in that Alternative Press article and all that., how are you taking it?
Well, two ways:
1) Holy fucking shit has Alternative Press been nice to us lately. Nicest fucking people in the scene. The Suicide Machines took us on tour and paid us 50 bucks of THEIR merch money. But, Scott for A.P., man he’s just been the greatest to us. After a while, when only bands that you think suck-ass are being glorified you start to take it personally, so yeah, the A.P. thing really made us feel good. And, the Bowling For Soup thing, well don’t tell anybody, but we still can’t can’t fucking believe it.
2) As far as shows, I think our fans have always been there. I just think there are a lot of people who realize that they have out grown their emo CD's and can’t take listening to some dill weed being creepy about being dumped. I’m no macho-macho man, but I think a lot of kids have their own problems and don’t want to back up some one childs lyrical winning. Ha ha ha, just get me started.
I heard you guys shot a video for your song LAX off of your latest record "How It Goes". Any idea on when that will be released and when we’ll get a chance to check it out?
The video crew ditched us 3 days before the shoot to do a video for ‘AND YOU’LL KNOW US BY THE TRAIL OF OUR DEAD’, that was backed up by MTV. I have nothing but mean things to say about that, so i'll just smile and have the reads image what we thought. But, after the Warped Tour we will try again.
Speaking of LAX, one can only notice you tend to use the word "fuck" (and it's variations) a lot in that song. I'm just wondering if that was done in order to help get the point you're making across more clearly, or was it just what you were feeling at the time and what came out when the lyrics were being written?
I wrote those lyrics on the subway in Boston after I got out of work. The moment I sat down until the moment I got up - about a 30 minute ride. They are as they were written. The emotion was brought on by Big D's first visit to L.A. Being who I am and living the way I do, my experience in L.A. enraged me. All those E HOLLYWOOD shows, showing movie stars buying t-shirts for 3,000 bucks or weekend get aways for $50,000, is just wrong. I work my ass off from dusk till dawn and I’ve never owned more money than $2,800.
It just their mentality, their mind, it’s so cruel and petty. They have no sense of anything but greed and insecurity, and don’t believe those L.A. kids that say, ‘yah man, I know I hate it too.’ Not all these elitists look like Pamela Anderson and Ashton Kutcher, they’ll be artists, musicians, actors, all dressed down. Hell, we’ll see some of them this summer at the Warped Tour drunk at night talking bullshit to us. Thank GOD the Dropkicks will be there.
All right, let's talk about your latest record for a little bit. What are your favorite songs on there and why?
- Little Bitch cause i've always loved that song.
- LAX
- New Nail Bed, because you read about my sexual history - ha ha ha.
- Flashlight
Do you personally feel that you guys evolved at all on How It Goes, in comparison to your past releases? If so, how?
Fuck yes. Everything is jsut better, in my opinion. Alot of people love older records, not because they're better, but because it's more of the fact that it reminds them of old fun memories that they don't have yet with the new records. Plain and simple, 'How It Goes' is badass.
It seems like 95% of all the ska bands coming out today sound like they're trying to copy the third-wave style that Reel Big Fish and some other bands made huge years ago, but you guys tend to stray away from that and do your own thing. How do you guys ensure that you maintain
your original sound you've built?
We don't know anything about Reel Big Fish and Less Than Jake. I think that was a west coast thing. Reel Big Fish has that 'Sell Out' song, right? That's about as much as I know about that. We're more of Operation Ivy, Specials, Slapstick , Suicide Machines lovers.
Is there any ultimate goal you'd like to reach with your band, assuming you haven't reached it already? What did you set out to achieve with this band?
Well, like you said, we did already reach it. So, our new goal, out of spite, is to get the respect from all the people who have held us down. We want to play that stupid big stage, we wanna play on fucking Conan, we wanna show all these idiots that we got there not by their rules.
Thanks to a good friend of mine for this question submission, and I thoght it would a pretty cool topic. If you could make a ska mix, or a mix CD in general, what songs would it be on it?
The Specials
Old Trojan comps
Bad Manners
The Selector
The Body Snatcher - if I could re-find it
This Dynomite % releases
Prince Albert
Desmond Dekker
and Chris fucking Murray
Who, personally, do you feel are the most influential people or bands within the ska scene? Who do you look up to and take inspiration from?
Just look at the last question...
Where did the idea for starting a ska band come from? Why not a rock band, or a metal band, or a pop group? Why ska?
We love it.
If you were given the opportunity to choose any bands to hit the road with, who would it be and why?
Melt Banana, because i'm in love with Yako, the singer. Or, No Doubt before Gwen got married so I could see if I had a shot. I'm a dick.
Alright, that's all i've got for you today. Thanks again for doing this interview. Do you have any last words you'd like to leave our readers with?
Yeah yeah, Big D has a new record coming out called 'Strictly Dub'. We also have a DVD coming out and then after-after-after all that we're gonna release a 'Strictly Rude' record with a 'Strictly Trash' record.
Thanks man, I hope I did alright.
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www.bigdandthekidstable.com |
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Displaying posts 1 - 7 of 7. |
07:38 PM on 06/12/05 | everything about big d kicks ass. i love these guys. can't wait to see em at warped. | | |
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10:36 PM on 06/12/05 | Big D puts on one of the best shows. I love them | | |
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11:31 PM on 06/12/05 | i have nothing but good things to say about big d. i could go on forever. come back through worcester guys, you can crash at my place......... | | |
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01:00 AM on 06/13/05 |  Originally Posted by Brandon Allin
Do you personally feel that you guys evolved at all on How It Goes, in comparison to your past releases? If so, how?
Fuck yes. Everything is jsut better, in my opinion. Alot of people love older records, not because they're better, but because it's more of the fact that it reminds them of old fun memories that they don't have yet with the new records. Plain and simple, 'How It Goes' is badass. |
Sorry for coming off elitist, but I really prefer the old Big D sound, back when Skip was in the band. I fell in love with Big D because of the two voices bouncing off each other. The last two albums have been really solid, and probably better musically, but to me they just feel they are lacking the dual harmonies.
Also, I've got some beef with Big D that I've just got to get over with. They were my favourite band from 1999 to 2001; my band actually got back together because we had a chance to open for them (which we did this year.) I saw them play the ska is dead show last october (2004). My friend and I kept on asking them to play Tommy; which probably annoyed them, but, my friend talked to them after the show and they PROMISED to play Tommy for us next time they came around. When I saw them in February this year, I was dissapointed. We requested Tommy, and they made fun of the request. I had been a fan for years, I had brought them food over the years, and then they just shrug off the request they promised to play. I'm sorry, I lost respect for them that night. | | |
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01:03 AM on 06/13/05 | awesome. i love 'how it goes'. i've never had the pleasure of seeing them, but i'd love to. he seems like a really cool guy. | | |
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08:29 AM on 06/13/05 |  Originally Posted by McDiggity Sorry for coming off elitist, but I really prefer the old Big D sound, back when Skip was in the band. I fell in love with Big D because of the two voices bouncing off each other. The last two albums have been really solid, and probably better musically, but to me they just feel they are lacking the dual harmonies.
Also, I've got some beef with Big D that I've just got to get over with. They were my favourite band from 1999 to 2001; my band actually got back together because we had a chance to open for them (which we did this year.) I saw them play the ska is dead show last october (2004). My friend and I kept on asking them to play Tommy; which probably annoyed them, but, my friend talked to them after the show and they PROMISED to play Tommy for us next time they came around. When I saw them in February this year, I was dissapointed. We requested Tommy, and they made fun of the request. I had been a fan for years, I had brought them food over the years, and then they just shrug off the request they promised to play. I'm sorry, I lost respect for them that night. |
dude thats crap, you loose respect for the band because they didnt fuck up there set list for you. ?! c'mon i have been following this band forever now as well and i have seen them over 10 times and they always try to please the crowd with there setlist. when i saw them a few months ago some dude asked them to play there old op ivy cover of soundsystem and they threw it in, so thats poor luck they couldnt throw in that song. you can't not respect big d and there ethics, in a time where most of my favorite bands disappointment with not staying DIY and in interviews trying to defend there choice for going to a major or some shit, big d is on the same page of their fans. and they have a good sense of humor so dont get your pants in a twist for them making fun of the request. sheesh toughen up dude. | | |
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