Brett Reed of Rancid

First up from Issue 2: Brett Reed of Rancid.
Interview at the United Center, Chicago, IL 7/16/1998 (I actually found the date this time!)

Whoever thought it would be a good idea to hold a hard-core extravaganza show in a parking lot during the middle of July in Chicago was either a complete idiot of fucking out of their mind.  All I saw as I approached the United Center Parking lot I envisioned cracked sculls on cracked asphalt and sweltering heat reflecting up from the asphalt. I guess it could have been worse. . . It could have been gravel. Strawberries the size of Clinton's legal expenses would then have to be added to the picture.


I picked up my press pass and before I located the beer tent I had developed the thirst of twenty.  The first of several beers was purchased (at exorbitant prices, too bad Moisst doesn't supply expense accounts) and I headed up front to check some of the acts.  As I surveyed the pit as it shifted between stages all I could think about was what it would be like to bathe in the sweat of countless others in the fucking aborted setting of the venue.


Rancid eventually took the stage and pounded out their set.  It was during this time that I noticed that I had a photo pass.  I headed up front and stood stage side with my disposable camera and beer in hand as I snapped shots amongst those equipped with high-powered telephoto lenses and the like.  The set ended and on the way to the interview stopped for yet another beer.  I then stopped into a port-o-san and stared at used toilet paper, blue viscous fluid, and bloody rags as I formulated my attack at this interview.  I left with a well enhanced buzz, and found I had only two questions to ask and needed another beer.  The beer would be easy to procure. . . more questions wouldn't be so easy to come by.  If my subject wasn't entertaining I was dead in the water.


I checked in at the press table and nursed my beer while I waited for the band to show.  I was eventually seated with their drummer ,Brett Reed, and we sat down for a little chat.

MOISST:  So, uh, How ya doin man?

RANCID: Good, just got done, I'm a little tired.  The air just went out on out bus again so It's pretty hot in there.

MOISST:  Yeah, these are brutal conditions.

RANCID:  Yeah, we've had pretty good luck with our bus a lot of busses are having problems, but it's all good though.

MOISST:  O.k. so ah, schitt, during the opening of one of your songs your singer made the statement that, "The only good fascist is a good fascist,"

RANCID:  Right.

MOISST:  To what extreme are you guys as a band prepared to back up that statement?

RANCID:  Ya know there aren't as many nazis' showin' up as there used to be, but ya know if a nazi at our show, which there has been, we'll stop the fuckin show and tell 'em to get the fuck out.  Like in Philly there were problems, we had to stop the fucking show. . . like get the fuck out. . .usually they chill out go to the back or they fucking leave, um, it depends on how many of them there are, ya know a lot of kids don't realize that three hundred against ten will out number them and you can beat the living shit out of them. . . it's intimidating ya know, it only takes a couple of assholes to ruin a show.

 MOISST:  Yeah, I was at a show out at a place in Phoenix called the bank or some schitt like that with like Vandals, DI, and Youth Brigade, and these skin-heads came out, and they started making a total scene during Youth Brigade, yelling anti-sematic things. . .The singer stepped up and said 'Ya know there's a hundred of you guys, and a few of them, why don't you guys go off?'

 RANCID:  Yeah, did they do anything?


MOISST:  No, they just ended their show.

RANCID:  And they didn't do anything?

MOISST:  They just stepped off.

RANCID:  It's not the band's 100% responsibility to control what's going on in the audience, there's only four of us. . . we can stand up there and yell all we want. . .We can go down there and start beating them, but then we get law suits up the fudging yin-yang.  There has to be some balance there, ya want to have the kids bringing in their own scene, we go to a different scene every fucking day.  Did you watch H2O's set?

MOISST:  Yeah.

RANCID:  They're friends of ours.  They put it pretty well, 'We don't promote violence, but if you see a fucking nazi ruining the fucking show. . . beat the fucking living shit out of them.  Ya know what I think it's died down I think a bit but. . . they don't come to our shows as much any more.  The last time I remember was like Florida; it was mellow, but BURHUUUP! Excuse me.

MOISST:  You guys up on any current events?

RANCID:  Like Politics?

MOISST:  Not even that, ah, Ya know Marv Albert just got his job back? Did you hear about that?

RANCID:  The back biter?


MOISST:  Yeah, do you think it had anything to do with the documented proof of his oral skills?

RANCID: Ya know what, I don't really keep tabs on sports announcers. Ya know there's not a lot of time to watch too much T.V., on the road, so ya know, we're not too much up on current events.

MOISST: So you don't even like ah follow the ass biting sports announcers.

RANCID: I don't know, ya know that sort of thing goes on every day, ya know what's wrong with it? It's kinda ridiculous that they take a celebrity to make a big deal out of it. Ya know there's blow-jobs going on in every house hold in America with ya know your wives or girlfriends. It's the American way. It's fucked.............

MOISST: Yeah ya know it's like Thomas Jefferson used to run around screwing his slaves. They even made a fuckin' movie about it staring Nick Nolte. Did you know how Christopher Columbus died?

RANCID: No.

MOISST: Syphilis. Did you know that the greatest discoverer in the history of the world died of syphilis?

RANCID: (long uncomfortable silence )

MOISST: So uh . . . anyways do ya got anything ya just wanna spout out about. Anything that just pisses you off? Any rants or anything?

RANCID: No. I'm a happy guy. I'm pretty content. If there was anything that ya know did piss me off I wouldn't necessarily use a interview to get them across. They're my problems, I deal with them I don't want to subject the kids to some fuckin' whiny bullshit. I like the new record I love the tour. . . all these guys are amazing. The tour has turned out to bee a hundred thousand times funner than we could have ever imagined. It's like fuckin punk rock summer camp. Every day we barbecue after work, we light off fireworks, we steal golf carts, you name it, it happens. Ya know summer time debauchery at its finest.

MOISST: Who's your favorite Spice Girl?

RANCID: I don't really have a favorite Spice Girl. I kinda like Posh Spice, ya know she's into wearing black and what not . . .but ya know she's going out with some kind of soccer-ruby hero type guy. I don't really want to go there. The Spice Girls are cool, they're out there ya know girl power. I mean it's all a fabrication, but that's great they all do what they do, they're out they're having fun. They're cool ya know. . . they do what they want to do.

MOISST: All right man nice meeting ya.

RANCID: Yeah, nice meeting you. Go put some sunscreen on and enjoy the rest of the show.