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Rancid
The setting for this interview was quite interesting. There were journalist of all kinds: Teen Beats Magazine, college newspapers, underground magazine and fanzines, and even an independent television show. The Warped Tour task force was more organized than Mr. Rodgers! They situated all the people who were waiting for an interview with Rancid at one table, everyone who wanted an interview with All at another and so on...It felt like a high school cafeteria. Elysa and me sat there waiting to throw pickles at the asshole across the table from us.
Rancid is probably thee most important band in my life today, so as you’d expect I was very anxious going into this interview. Before this interview the only images of Rancid I had were the posters that took up one whole side of my room. After the interview I had my own pictures of the band and the memory of spending time with Matt Freeman. I usually don’t get all cheesy over interviewing a band but this one meant everything to me. Anyone who puts down the Warped Tour can suck it. This interview with Matt Freeman makes dedicating the past year to doing a zine worth it. I think Elysa would agree!
----Wustin
Wonka Vision: So who’s your favorite Spice Girl?
Matt Freeman: I think it’s Ginger but I think she left right? She seemed the least offensive.
Wonka Vision: How has Rancid been changing emotionally and mentally over the last five years?
Freeman: I don’t fucking know. I’m a lot calmer than I sue to be. I can only speak for myself. I’m not as quick to get really angry with people. I’m in a lot better health than I use to be. I use to smoke three packs of cigarettes a day, drink gallons of coffee. That’s probably why I’m a lot calmer.
Wonka Vision: What’s your favorite beer?
Freeman: I like Olympia beer from Olympia Washing ton. I don’t think you can get it out here on the East Coast. I don’t really drink that much beer but when I do drink, I like really cheap beer.
Wonka Vision: What’s been the strangest Photo shoot you’ve ever done?
Freeman: I can tell you one that didn’t happen...this guys wanted us to get in these fucking garbage cans and poke our heads out the top like Oscar the fucking grouch. And we were like “No”. And he’s telling us “I wanna do it, you have to do it”. We were like “No we don’t”. He got all mad and we did a typical band shot. He wasn’t very happy about it but fuck ‘em!
Wonka Vision: Have you ever had groupies following you or anything?
Freeman: Not really, I’ve had some girls write me these weird letters saying, “I love you”. I just sort of smile and be nice.
Wonka Vision: Why do you guys lift weights before you go on stage?
Freeman: We don’t weight lift before we go on stage! We lift weights but what are you talking about. Not before we go on stage, fuck that@ if you do that you’ll tighten up all your muscles. It’s a stupid thing to do.
Wonka Vision: Who’s your favorite Willy Wonka character and why?
Freeman: I like Gene Wilder cause he was fucking nuts. I saw that movie when I was like five years old and those oompa loompa people scared the shit outta me. Them and the flying monkeys from the Wizard of Oz. That was torture, “What do you get when you’re kid is a brat...Ahhhhhh!”
Wonka Vision: What do you think about your band being on the cover of major magazines?
Freeman: I think it’s fine. I’d rather see us there than someone else.
Wonka Vision: what makes you stand out from the rest of the band?
Freeman: I’m shorter than everybody else is. 5'9 ½ and I’m stocky. So I’m sort of like the freak show.
Wonka Vision: Did you ever think about wearing platform shoes?
Freeman: I never had to. I don’t really care. I like myself.
Wonka Vision: Are you happy?
Freeman: Yeah I’m happy. Got no complaints.
Wonka Vision: How old are you?
Freeman: 32, born in 1966. It was one of those nothing years. ‘65 ya hear about Vietnam. ‘67 was the summer of love. ‘69 was the moon launch. ‘64 was the election after Kennedy. ‘63 Kennedy died. ‘62 was the Cuban Missile Crisis. ‘60 was the presidential election where Nixon lost. ‘66 NOTHING happened
Wonka Vision: You were born.
Freeman:I was born. April 23.
Wonka Vision: How come you don’t sing anymore like you did on Rancid “Rancid”?
Freeman: It just sorta happened that way. I think Tim and Lars sing really well. I like to play bass; I was never really into singing that much.
Wonka Vision: Is Rancid as much fun as it use to be or has it become more of a business atmosphere?
Freeman: Oh yeah, we wouldn’t do it if it weren’t fun. There’s no way I’d put up with half of this shit. Ya gotta put up with some crazy stuff sometimes, and yeah there’s business involved. Ya gotta deal with the business but at the same time it’s all what you make of it. We make a lot of our own decisions on what ‘s going on. Bottom line is we do it because we love it.
Wonka Vision: Do you make good money with the band?
Freeman: I have a decent living. I’m not rich if that’s what you’re asking. I’m able to support myself. We’re able to rent a bus. We do fairly well. Not with touring cause it’s just so expensive. Being on an independent we do much better than we would if we were on a major. We don’t go into debt and we don’t take tour support, and we don’t borrow any money. My cat’s happy. He gets Frisky’s everyday.
Wonka Vision: Who is your dream woman?
Freeman: Probably Exene Servenca from X. I think she’s fucking amazing.
Wonka Vision: I noticed you guys are doing a lot more reggae stuff on the new record. Are you smoking more pot nowadays?
Freeman: We don’t smoke pot. I used to when I was like 16 but that was a terrible drug for me. I didn’t like it at all! If people wanna do it I don’t give a fuck. But it makes me turn into Captain Kirk of the Starship.
Wonka Vision: who is the ultimate band to listen to in a car on a date?
Freeman: That’s a good question. It all depends. #1 What kind of date it is? #2 what you’re doing. Now, at one time I had this date in San Francisco. I had a ‘66 Cadillac at the time. I used to have my hair greased back in a pompadour. I had a really nice shirt on and I really wanted to impress this girl. So I pulled up and I’m thinking I look just like the fucking Rat Pack. Like Dean Martin up there in my fucking Cadillac. I took the girl up to this place called Twin Peaks in the city where you can see the whole city at night. I was playing Tony Bennett the whole time. That was cool! But if your going to a show ya play X or something. It all depends. If you’re going on a road trip, ya wanna play the Blasters or Jonny Cash.
Wonka Vision: What’s the most creative thing you’ve ever done on stage?
Freeman: My biggest creative thing is I gotta make sure Tim and Lars don’t run into me. Dodging them is a full time fuckng job. It’s like being at a fucking hockey game. I got tagged once. While we were recording the Ruby Soho video, Tim whipped around and his guitar hit me right in the ear. I tried to play but I was like “Cut”!
Wonka Vision: What’s going on with your other band Silencer?
Freeman: Tim records some wongs every once in a while; I’ve been playing on a lot of those tracks too. It’s me, Tim, Vic of the slackers, Josh Freeze of the Vandals, and Simon Barstinister. We play whenever
Wonka Vision: what’s your favorite Rancid record?
Freeman: I’d like to say “Life won’t wait” is our best record, but “Let’s Go” is really close to my heart. I wouldn’t say it’s our best but I love that record. Just because it’s our second record and we never did that before. Operation Ivy put out one record and it was gone. Lars joined the band. That was Rancid.
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