Interviews by Jason Gross (February 1998)

You must understand (tho it's prob over-evident) that antipathy between band personnel was the glue that promoted the posture. Anger was as involutional as it was directed at appropriate targets outward, but that was just the nature of the dog. I suppose it's unfortunate that it has all wound up in a giant cesspool of dys-communication and resentments - but perhaps this was unavoidable, ie. as per the definition of the fabric that tied us together to begin with- Gregg Turner

One tip for anyone out there considering interviewing bands- make sure you know how much animosity still exists between the ex-members. Trust me, you don't want to get caught in the middle. Friendly or unfriendly fire is just no fun.

I'll leave it at Gregg's comments about this but lemme tell you about the Samoans. The Los Angeles punk bands that started up in the late '70s were a helluva lot more strident than their London or New York counterpoints (see THE DECLINE AND FALL OF WESTERN CILIVIZATION for more details). Even in a scene teaming with outrage, the Angry Samoans still stood above the pack. They were undoubtedly the biggest bunch of hated outcasts then (which is no mean trick considering that they were competing against Fear, the Germs and dozens of others). They cultivated the seething hatred of club owners, other bands, DJ's and anyone else in the industry around them- not exactly a great way to make the big time though.

Musically and lyrically, they were able to match their antics. Listening to each of their individual releases or the whole shebang which came out as The Unboxed Set, you hear slobbering, mean, hard-nosed rock and roll that spewed its hatred all over parents, girls, friends, enemies, their music scene and anything else that got in their way or inside their brains- hey, they never claimed to be role models. These bunch of tantrums tickle not just the juvenille delinquent in me but also the rock fan who's always dying for no-holds-barred music.

After pissing off everyone in sight and somehow still lasting a decade, the band fell apart though leader/co-founder 'Metal' Mike Saunders has resurrected another version of the band. To find out what happened and why and how this could have happened, we have the testimony of two original members who, I'm happy to say, are no longer at each other's throats. I think...

GREGG TURNER INTERVIEW

KEVIN SAUNDERS INTERVIEW