Oxymoron
from Limburgh, Germany

Wonka Vision: Is this your first time here?

Oxymoron: Second, been here in ’96. It was just playing the East Coast and middle of ways to Minneapolis, and Salt Lake City.

Wonka Vision: Is Cyclone records helping you out with this, or did you guys save money and do the U.S. Tour yourself?

Oxymoron: Actually, it was an idea from M.A.D., which is a tour agency in Germany. They do the tours for the Dropkicks there of course as well, and they had the idea to put out this split single and to go on tour. Actually, we were supposed to go on tour of Europe last year but it just didn’t take off. So we just said let’s do America. The flight and the food are free! With technical problems with the stage and stuff that everyone had, Dropkicks as well. This was a really good show.

Wonka Vision: Are there skinhead problems in Germany?

Oxymoron: It’s been worse. When the wall came down especially in eastern Germany there has been a real problem but it’s getting better. We played in Germany, a tour just for like three weeks, before we came over here, and our last gig was really amazing. It was in eastern Germany, it was a really big crowd hundreds of people. Lots of skinheads there but no trouble at all. If it were a couple of years ago there would have been fights and police.

Wonka Vision: Are the police brutal about it?

Oxymoron: If there’s some trouble they’re always on the side of the right wings. If there are punks and Nazis fighting each other, they are all on the side of the Nazis. They just want to beat up the punks when they see a fight. Couple of years ago we had a gig and it was in support of Germany. There were about 300 of 400 people there. At least 80 percent of the people were right wing because loads of bands played there and the whole gig like a hundred people stood at the back wall, it was bad. But it is getting better.

Wonka Vision: Is Oxymoron involved in the skinhead movement at all as a band?

Oxymoron: Well we started as a mix band. We had a skinhead bassist. We just made a lot of music that everyone was into. Well punks and skins mainly but for everyone who was into that kind of music. So anyone can come to our gigs. We don’t want to say were just a punk band and play to just punks or anything like that, its just bullshit. But that is because I think lots of people get into it today without being specifically one style or something. That’s really a good thing I think. It keeps it alive. It’s all the same I think actually.

Wonka Vision: Are you guys big into beer?

Oxymoron: Where we come from there is an area of Germany called Franconia it’s the best beer in the whole world. American beer is shit (laughs) really. German beer is a lot cheaper than here. In Germany when we play the bands always get free beer. You can drink everywhere, you can drink in the car, you can drink on the streets, and it’s no problem at all.

Wonka Vision: What’s the drinking age?

For beer it’s 16, for everything else its 18, but if you drink at 14 on the street and nobody cares. We don’t have ID’s there either, if you’re not old enough nobody cares. Last night we nearly got arrested because of drinking in public. We had paper bags around our cans. The cops came and wanted to take us away. I think the only reason they didn’t take us away is because we said we were German we didn’t know. So they just said, “Alright, last warning.”

Wonka Vision: What’s the biggest culture shock for you in America?

Oxymoron: The stuff with the beer. It’s really bad, and it’s so expensive here. In Germany a can of beer would be about 60 cents. For here its like $2 I think maybe more. We’ll get used to it I think. We have enough time on a seven-week tour.