The SPI Interview-The Gardes live on the Alternative Show, May 6th, 2004
Transcribed from cassette tapes.
(Gene Simmons song plays on the radio)
DJ CRANKE: How was that for some new music right there, boys and girls? That was "Firestarter" from Gene Simmons, man! Tell, tell, tell you what, that woke me up, what about you guys?
Grover: Ah yeah.
DJ: Let's play it again.
(laughter)
DJ: No…let's not, alright, that, that did, that woke me up, the cover really, uh, kinda piqued my interest, I'll just put it that way, hmm? Hmm? Hmm?
Grover: Nice ladies…
DJ: Do you like it? Do you like it? Look at that? Eh? Eh?
Grover: Yeah…
Siemers: So he just put out a single…?
DJ: Uh…I forget, we have ladies in the, in the room, so…we gotta be careful here-We gotta whole crowd of people in here! So these guys, I guess, are gonna put on a little live show for us in a little bit. Right, guys?
Grover: Yup.
DJ: Alright, we got the guys from the Gardes here, we got-alright, everybody, like, introduce yourself-Yup?
Grover: (laughs)
DJ: (laughs) What, did the calf fry get to your head this weekend or somethin'?
Grover: Yeah, I think so, man…
DJ: Nice hat, though, I like that. But, no, introduce yourself, guys, come on…
Horton: I'm Brett, and…
Siemers: My name's Aaron. I'm a sss…guitarist with the Gardes…
(snickering from a member of the entourage)
Grover: I'm Lance. I play bass.
DJ: Who's laughing?
Matheson: I'm Chad. Oh, that would be that guy back there.
DJ: (laughs) Why is he laughing? …What's wrong? I can't even see you!
(laughter)
DJ: I'm not kiddin'! There's like fifteen people here, this is, this is kinda creepin' me out, I don't-
(laughter)
DJ: I didn't know you guys were going to bring the quar-the quartet in here also to play with you guys…or whatever. So you guys had a CD release show this Saturday, right, last night?
Horton: Last night.
DJ: Right? Where was that? Tell us a little bit about that real quick.
Horton: It was at Mike's.
(silence then laughter)
Horton: At ten o' clock.
DJ: That is a little bit. (laughs)
Siemers: Some friends of ours, Aaron & Kira Frisby, put on an art show last night with some stuff that they'd been doing-
DJ: Mm-kay.
Siemers: -the past few months, and, uh, they invited Tyson Meade to play at the show…
DJ: Right.
Siemers: So it was a kind of a large gathering of…of friends, going back over the years. After the, the art show we had our CD release party at Mike's and-
DJ: OK.
Siemers: -we played a pretty short set, but it was great.
DJ: Well, that's cool, that's cool.
Siemers: We got to play.
DJ: Well, and you guys haven't played here in a while. You guys are basically from Ponca City, is that right?
Grover: We all live in different places.
DJ: OK.
Grover: I live in Austin, uh, Chad lives in Kansas City…
DJ: You live in Austin?
Grover: Yeah.
DJ: What are you doing back up here for just a sh-show? Just to play?
Grover: These guys made me come up, man.
(laughter)
Grover: I didn't… I didn't want to.
(laughter)
DJ: We made him, dammit! Come on up!
Grover: They said they were going to pay me a lot of money, but I didn't-they didn't.
(laughter)
Siemers: (laughs) We gave him twenty bucks.
DJ: You haven't seen that part?
Grover: Yeah, I saw twenty bucks.
DJ: Really?
(laughter)
DJ: Man…now I… And what do you play? You play bass?
Grover: Yeah, I play bass.
DJ: You play bass? If I'm ever looking for a bassist for a band, I know where to go to now, if you're gonna drive all the way up from Austin for twenty bucks a show…
Grover: No, that's only gonna happen this time around.
DJ: Oh, now you know better?
Grover: No, I'm not…
DJ: (laughs)
Grover: I might, I don't know, just depends…
DJ: Now you know better! Dammit… I almost had us a bassist, guys, I'm tryin' to put together a house band… a house band just to come in here and jam.
Grover: Oh yeah?
DJ: You know, with me every night…
Grover: What's the name?
DJ: I have no idea. Free Genitalia, I think, would be the band name…
Grover: (laughs) Free Genitalia?
DJ: Yeah.
Horton: You'll have to shrink them down. (referring to the cramped studio room)
DJ: Yeah, I already got the logo worked out and everything, it's gonna, it's gonna be nice…
Grover: We're working on a side project band-
(laughter)
Grover: -called Strike Force.
(laughter)
DJ: Strike Force?
(laughter)
DJ: Do-?
(laughter)
Grover: Yup.
DJ: OK, we'll talk about that later…(laughs) I don't know where we're goin'…
(BREAK)
DJ: Alright, that's right, and, uh, as the people have already noticed, we got the Gardes in the studio with us tonight. They're gonna be playing a couple of tracks off their new CD for us, and the CD's called O My Garde!
(laughter)
DJ: And, uh, did I say, did I say it right, guys?
The Gardes: Yeah…
DJ: Do you like that?
Grover: Garde-dammit.
DJ: Oh, are you all right?
Matheson: Oh yeah, I'm great.
DJ: OK, yeah, you look all right. Where's mine, man? Where's mine?
Grover: (laughs) He said he's great.
DJ: Where's mine?
Matheson: Uh…beer?
DJ: We got any more?
Grover: Janson Clark…
Matheson: (laughs)
Grover: Beer?
DJ: Alright. We may have to send somebody out there on a beer run later. You guys showin' up with just enough for yourself, I mean, come on!
Grover: Janson Clark…
(laughter)
DJ: (laughs) What do you, You know who the, you know who I am?
(laughter)
DJ: Alright. We got somebody actually on the line for these guys. Let's try to get these people on here…
(laughter)
DJ: Real quick…Hey, uh, Susan, are you there?
Susan: Hello, can you hear me?
DJ: I, I can, can you?
Susan: Hello?
DJ: Can you hear me? Susan? Can you hear me? Susan? Can you hear me?
Horton: I don't believe in Susan.
DJ: Susan…?
Horton: Not really… That's funny.
DJ: Susan? We heard you. Why can't you-
Susan: I'm here. Can you hear me?
DJ: Can you hear us?
(silence)
DJ: I can hear you, yes.
Horton: Hello?
DJ: But can you hear us?
Susan: OK, now I can hear you.
DJ: Alright, how are you doin'?
Susan: I'm doing great! I'm just so freakin' excited that the Gardes are in Stillwater and that they're all here together!
DJ: Wha-?
Susan: It's the craziest thing. I-I've been obsessed with Brett Horton since '99.
DJ: She's been obsessed with Brett Horton since '99?
Susan: Totally. Totally. I've been trying to follow him, kind of.
DJ: Uh-oh. OK…
Susan: Yeah, my brother, Mikey and I are here and we're like, pretty much the Gardes' number one fans.
DJ: Wait a minute, now, wait a minute…
Susan: Yeah, Frank Lava got us super into the Gardes with Legends Of Voddville, and I just want to find out, where can I find O My Garde?
DJ: Well…here, speak up a little bit. Hold on, there you go…
Horton: Hello?
DJ: Can you hear him?
(silence)
Susan: I can barely hear you all.
DJ: Can you hear him? …You can't hear him? …
Susan: No. Not at all.
DJ: OK. Say something to her. Again…
Horton: Hello?
Susan: Brett Horton, are you there?
Horton: Yeah…this is a prank call.
(laughter)
Susan: We heard you all are making a movie. Is that true?
Horton: You might be.
(laughter)
DJ: Wait a minute. Where'd you hear this about a movie?
Susan: On the internet.
DJ: On the internet? Are you guys making a movie, too?
Grover: Yeah…?
DJ: (laughs) Yeah! Sure! Why not?
Horton: Maybe. I don't know.
(laughter)
DJ: Well, why are you so obsessed with Brett?
Susan: Just because, like, it's, it's a long story. Like all my friends and I are just totally into Brett Horton. He's so awesome…
DJ: He's so awesome…
Susan: Yeah, let me let you talk to my brother real quick, Mikey, OK?
DJ: OK, she's gonna go talk to her brother…
Mikey: Yo, hello!
DJ: (mimicking tone) Yo, whattup, dog?
Mikey: Hello?
DJ: (mimicking) How you doin'?
(laughter)
Mikey: I can't hear you!
DJ: (mimicking) How are you?
Mikey: I can't hear a thing!
DJ: You can't-
Mikey: I just wish you would play that new record, man, we can't wait to hear that stuff!
DJ: (strange voice) Can you hear this? Can you hear me now?
Mikey: I can't hear anything, man!
DJ: Well, then, fine, then…I'm sorry, hey, well, we're just gonna… hang up on ya, I guess…
Mikey: Well, let me tell you one thing!
DJ: OK.
Mikey: I love this band! I love all the people in it! And I just think they're gonna take over the world! They're so-they're so cool, man, they from outerspace!
(laughter)
Mikey: Turn that stuff up, man, we can't wait to hear that stuff!
DJ: Who are you people?!?
Mikey: It's driving me crazy!!!
DJ: Alright, Alright! We're playing it next, calm down!
Mikey: But I can't hear you!
DJ: We're playing it next!
Mikey: I love the Gardes! Long live the Gardes!
DJ: Hey, thank you-
Mikey: Peace out.
DJ: Thank you. Yo! Peace out? (laughs)
Grover: Believe!
(laughter)
DJ: Peace out!?!
(laughter)
DJ: Does he, does he, does he? Obviously, he's never seen me because he would-he's gotta know how absolutely white I am…(laughs)
Horton: We gotta start prank calling people because we're getting pranked, I believe…
DJ: (laughs) Alright, well, hey, we gotta talk about the new album real quick, uh, it's called O…O My Garde! And, we're gonna be playing the first track off of this next?
Horton: Yeah.
Grover: I'm New To You.
DJ: Alright, I'm New To You. What a-when-why did it take you guys, why did it take you guys a year and a half to put something new together, past, uh, Legends Of Voddville?
Horton: We're not really a band.
(laughter)
DJ: You're not really a band?
(laughter)
Horton: We kind of are.
DJ: You kind of are?
Horton: (laughs) Yeah. We make music.
DJ: You have fans, I mean, you got people here.
Horton: We don't play very often, though, I mean, we just make music.
Siemers: Everybody makes music.
Horton: We write songs, and like, you know, that's us playing on there.
(laughter)
Grover: We kinda…we kinda converge like every year we seem to float back to each other. Everybody moves away.
Horton: We're from…we're from Ponca City, though.
DJ: OK.
Horton: Yeah, we've played in a bunch of different bands together.
DJ: Mm-kay.
Horton: It's all been kind of the same band with different names.
DJ: But-
Horton: We get sick of all the names.
DJ: Mm-kay. But this is a new record, and you can get this on your website, right?
Horton: Yeah, and-
DJ: What's the website?
Horton: Actually the band's name is actually spelled, um, T-H-E G-A-R-D-E-S, it's not, like, guards…
DJ: Not like, "guarding" a gate or anything…
Horton: Not like that or anything.
DJ: Mm-kay.
Horton: You think they can hear that?
DJ: I think, I think they can…
(laughter)
DJ: I can. I can hear you. I mean, I'm right here, but-(laughs)
Horton: Cool. Well, I guess, play 'em some…
DJ: Alright, well here's the new track off the new CD…uh oh, what?
Grover: Huh?
DJ: Uh oh, what? You guys-
Horton: I didn't say anything…
DJ: You guys are tripping me out tonight, man.
(laughter)
DJ: And I haven't taken a damn thing! Well, besides those six hydrocodone-
Grover: You're getting weird…
DJ: (laughs) OH HO HO!
Grover: Get weird with us.
DJ: Hand me the spoon, boys and girls, it's time to listen to the Gardes!
Grover: Clown shoes.
DJ: Here is a-clown shoes?
(laughter)
DJ: It's time-this is off their new CD, O My Garde! And the song is called I'm New To You.
Horton: Strike force…
DJ: We'll be back with more Gardes after this.
(I'm New To You plays)
DJ: Alright! We're still here with the Gardes having a good time and I think we have someone going off on a beer run for us, because we only got a few left and, well, that's what happens when you got twelve people in here, I don't know what else to say…And no, uh, no more crazy calls yet, just a couple of well wishers, a couple of people that have listened to the show last night, said they dug it, and want you guys to play again, but, you probably told them no.
Siemers: Well…it's just they'll have to wait in anticipation…
DJ: (laughs)
Siemers: For our next, it's a secret date.
DJ: But until then…
Siemers: Until then…
DJ: They can go out and buy the CD.
Siemers: Indeed.
DJ: Now, is the CD available anywhere besides the website?
Siemers: Well, uh, in Brett's backpack…
(laughter)
DJ: So you have to- (laughs) have to hunt down Brett…
Siemers: Hunt down Brett you can get a free CD…
DJ: Find Brett and you can get a CD or just get…
Horton: They're not in my backpack.
DJ: Oh, they're not?
Horton: Nnn…
DJ: Where are they?
(silence)
DJ: They're right here! (laughs) They're down there. They're somewhere in there.
Horton: They're somewhere in here.
DJ: Cool. Cool. Well, well, how did the show go last night at Mike's? It was a CD release party, essentially…
Horton: It was short.
Grover: Yeah, it was kind of rough…
DJ: Just a short show?
Grover: Yeah, the booking wasn't too hot so we only played for, you know, probably twenty minutes and the other band was kind of pissed, and, you know…
DJ: Who was the other band?
Grover: I don't even remember the name.
Horton: Something the rangers from Springfield.
Person from the entourage: Archemo Rangers.
DJ: Archemo Rangers?
Grover: Yeah, they were really good, um, there was just a miscommunication so we didn't get to play our full set.
Siemers: The music went really well, though.
Horton: We were fine, but there were some people that got kind of mad about not being able to see us and this one guy threw a glass at the other band.
DJ: Oh no-(laughs)
(laughter)
Horton: That's what I hear anyway.
DJ: That's not good!
Grover: Yeah…
Siemers: Not good at all.
Grover: Yeah, that's kind of bad, but, you know, they were cool guys and you know, worked it out, and you know…
Horton: It's funny.
Grover: Yeah. Pretty bad.
Siemers: They offered to split a gig with us in Springfield if we're ever in the area, so…
Grover: (mumbles something to the DJ)
DJ: (starts laughing) Those lyin' bastards! (laughs)
Siemers: The gig went really, really well, you know, we hadn't played, we hadn't played together in a few weeks as we said earlier we live in scattered places across the Midwest, and…
Grover: We actually practiced in the bar for the first time together before the show…
Siemers: (laughs)
Horton: We've never all played together before, this…
DJ: This line-up…
Horton: These four right here. We just came together and we had like kind of someone sub for us…
DJ: (laughs)
Siemers: Chad's got a, he's in a band called the Down Trunks…
Matheson: Yeah.
DJ: Mm-kay. Mm-kay. Did you find me a CD?
Matheson: Yeah. I'll get it to you.
DJ: You don't have one?
Matheson: Well, I gotta look for it.
DJ: Oh, OK.
Matheson: I've got a messy truck.
DJ: Oh, OK.
Siemers: And he's a talented enough drummer. He's a great drummer. He just sat in with us and played fantastically. So it all worked out…
DJ: That's very cool. Very cool, well, good, good, Well, we'll try to get some more people to call in here in just a little bit…talk to the gang…we'll play a couple more tracks off their CD, and, you guys got a bunch of equipment, are you gonna play a live, live tune also?
Horton: I don't know, we might.
DJ: Might?
Siemers: Maybe just one or two.
DJ: Alright, we'll see if we can talk them into doing that. Give us a call at…(clears his throat) excuse me. Give us a call at 377-
Grover: (mumbles something)
DJ: Trippy Weird Castles?
Grover: Yeah.
DJ: Is that what you said?
Grover: Yeah. That was it.
DJ: Wow.
Grover: Yup.
DJ: I'm curious to hear that one. (laughs)
A member of the entourage: It's good.
(Break)
DJ: (talking to a caller on the line) Oh. OK…
Caller: How are ya?
DJ: Well, that's even better! I'm fine!
Caller: Good. Let me speak to one of those Garde boys.
DJ: One of the Garde boys…
Caller: Yeah.
DJ: You got one on the line.
Caller: They are just so avant-garde, like, uh, will you guys play me a song, a live one?
Siemers: Yeah…sure, what would you like to hear?
Caller: Why don't you give me Piggyback Ride? I heard that's a classic.
Caller's friend: Ask them why they're being so quiet…
Caller: Why are you guys being so damn mysterious on the air?
DJ: (laughs)
Siemers: Yeah, I know, we've got a few shy ones here, but-
Caller: Well, Mr. Siemers, you're doing a dandy job of representing.
DJ: (laughs)
Siemers: Well, you know…(laughs)
Caller's friend: Hey, say something to inspire us, guys, we know how much you have inside you…
DJ: Is this Susan again?
Siemers: Well, maybe we should just play a song-
Caller's friend: No, this is not.
DJ: Oh. OK. (laughs)
Siemers: As musicians, we like to express ourselves through music…
Caller's friend: This is Sally Suicide, and I just am so excited to hear your music, it's driving us crazy, come on…
DJ: Sally Suicide…
Sally Suicide: Yeah.
DJ: OK. (laughs)
Siemers: Well, yeah, uh, I'm looking forward to playing a few songs…Piggyback Ride, I-I didn't know that you were familiar with that. That's kind of a… That song is very, on the… on the underground. It's not one that gets out much…
Siemers and Sally Suicide: (laughs)
DJ: So you want to hear Piggyback Ride?
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