Q&A With Kim Shattuck (The Muffs)

Q&A With Kim Shattuck of The Muffs & Noreen Sobczyk First off full disclosure: As a teen I wanted to recreate the Stop Pretending era Pandoras so bad that a friend bought me a pink paisley guitar to form my own garage rock band. Are you and Melanie (Vammen) currently friends? Kim: Yes! Melanie and I are buddies again. We finally kissed and made up after 17 years of not speaking. I love that girl. She's amazing. We have so much in common and have a similar sense if humor. Reconnecting with Melanie is the best! I was looking for a picture of you with the band where you cheekily (no pun intended) lift up your dress and it sent me to links I never want to visit again. Although I did appreciate seeing the line “fertile fun bags.” Where and for what was that photo taken? Kim: I don't remember that photo. I believe you about that though. I used to lift my dress a lot. I actually just did that at the Burger Au Go Go. I was showing the crowd how I wear mens underwear under dresses now. You always seem free spirited. Not like mugging for cameras, but authentically free spirited. Have you always been that way? Kim: I am a big goofball a lot of the time. Definitely not pretentious or self important! Speaking of that, the song “Cheezy” - any comment about whom this song was written? Kim: I probably shouldn't out the recipients of my ire. That would just be mean. As a weirdo I’ve always kind of used that word positively is there a reason you used that word for ”The Boy Next Door” and is it based on truth? Kim: It's a truthful song about something that happened. And when I say 'Weird' in this song I mean it as the bad weird. I was sitting down in my house to write lyrics for a cool song I just wrote the music to. I literally sit down with my guitar and paper and all of the sudden I hear banging and shouting from next door. It's scared me and my dog. I tippytoed out the back door and peeked over the fence and saw our neighbors weird son hitting his garage with a baseball bat and screaming obscenities. I locked all the doors and shut all the blinds and sat down and wrote the lyrics to the song in literally 3 minutes. Thank you to the dick neighbor for inspiring one of my favorite songs. My favorite lyric at the moment is from that song. I like “He’s an empty vessel made of cotton candy,” both the line and the delivery. Do you have a favorite lyric from this album? Kim: I kind of like "and no smarter than a wooden floor" from “Weird Boy Next Door” and The second verse of “Up and Down Around” which is "I don't care what I'm saying half the time. Are you scared when all I do is rhyme?" Because that actually happened once when I was at a buffet where they had an espresso machine and a chocolate fountain and I was so jacked up from overindulging on caffeine that I literally couldn't say anything unless I was rhyming. I also was talking very very fast. You write some of the most snarky intimidating lyrics and pair them with upbeat hooky pop. How do you decide which melody gets the angry or happy lyrics? Kim: I don't think about it at all. If you think when you write lyrics your lyrics will be stupid. Thinking is bad. I’ll make a note of that! Courtney Love stated a while ago, and I’m paraphrasing, that she’s “the only one still doing it.” Meaning (I assume) being a rock n roll woman. I immediately thought of you. What do you think about that sentiment? Kim: Courtney says stuff like that all the time. It's very entertaining. Indeed it can be entertaining. Speaking of entertainment what are your 5 favorite rock movies? Kim: A Hard Days Night, That Thing You Do, Charlie is My Darling, Don't Look Back, and Loudquietloud. As a fan of both I was disappointed in how The Pixies touring slot ended for you. Anything you would care to comment upon now that time has passed regarding your experience? Kim: It was actually a fun thing to do for the most part. The shows and the audiences were amazing. Charles (A.K.A. Frank Black or Black Francis) was super nice to me. He's a great guy. Really smart and funny. We had great spirited conversations about art and music and I will forever be grateful that he was trying to have me in his band. He was my advocate practically the whole time. I love a lot of those songs. I still do. Just because it ended abruptly doesn't mean my taste changes. I still like what I liked. Did Whoop De Doo come to fruition after the incident or was it already planned? Kim: The album was finished in Jan 2013 when I was asked to be in the Pixies. But we had a hard time deciding on a title. We put the album on hold until I could have a break or the Pixies tour was done. But when Charles said his “Whoop Dee Doo” comment (Black Francis said in the press, I think to Yahoo, that "changing bass players was no big deal, woop de do"), we all three decided that would be an amazing title. Is it frustrating to be a band that consistently delivers the goods but never really achieved huge commercial success? (Save for the "Kids in America" cover for Rock Band 2). Kim: I try not to worry about stuff like that. I just want to be happy with the songs I write and if I love the album we make then nothing else matters. You have the best growling scream in rock n roll rivalled only by Kat Bjelland. How do you do that? Does it ever affect your singing? Kim: It's the easiest thing in the world. To scream and then to immediately sing pretty is like driving. You floor it and go fast. Then you slam on the brakes. No big deal as long as you take care of the car. I became friends with a friend of yours Bill Bartell (A.K.A. Pat Fear from White Flag) only a year or so before he died and didn’t have a ton of time with him, but he’s still missed. I wonder if you have any stories or memories of Bill you would like to share? Kim: Bill was nuts! We had some funny times for sure. He bribed me to sing that stupid Jefferson Airplane song. I didn't want to do it but he wore me down. Then he gave me $10.00. I sang it. I felt like a whore!! Haha. “White Rabbit”? Kim: Yeah, “White Rabbit.” How did you come to be associated with Burger Records? I like so much of what they do. Kim: Ronnie and Roy started hearing about them. I just found out Ronnie and his gal and Lee and his gal went on a double date once. Where did you find the album cover art? Was the back sleeve shot a nod to The Monkees old radio booth gag or just a coincidence? Kim: I was studying photography in 1984. My boyfriend and I went to the zoo and I think he was sketching people and I was photographing them. I spotted a cool looking old couple looking at the gorillas and ran up behind them to get a shot. I love photographing people from behind because it makes them look so much more poignant. I didn't know our back cover looked like the Monkees. Our new video does though. Have you ever done an exhibit of your photographs? Kim: I was in a couple of group shows before, but I'd love to have an exhibit. It's on my bucket list. Do you enjoy touring? Do you prefer studio to touring? Kim: I love doing music for a living. I adore being in the studio. Playing live shows is amazing. Writing songs in my bedroom is the coolest thing ever. Get The Muffs amazing album Whoop Dee Doo (Burger Records/Cherry Red Records) and stay tuned here for any video or tour news.

Anna Waronker Q&A

This Is My Happening presents a Q&A with the very talented and very busy Anna Waronker:

First off, thanks for taking the time to do this for my DIY blog. I very much appreciate your time. Congratulations on the accolades you and your writing partner Charlotte Caffey (The Go Go's) have received for Lovelace: A Rock Opera. You wrote the music and co-wrote the libretto with Jeffery Leonard Bowman. That’s quite an undertaking. Bowman conceptualized the work, so how did you come to be involved with such a unique project?

AW: Jeffery came up with the idea to write a musical about Linda after reading her obituary. Charlotte and I became involved shortly after, primarily music-wise. It wasn't until several years later that we decided to turn it into a rock opera. That is when Charlotte and I got involved in writing the book and libretto. Honestly, Charlotte and I would have never become involved with Linda's story, and we are so grateful, because this show has become an incredible outlet for us both musically and emotionally.

Having been horrified by Linda Lovelace's book Ordeal, I'm a bit curious as to the tone of the musical. Some press has stated Lovelace: A Rock Musical was based on the porn film Deep Throat, but having seen the clip on the show's website, (here), it appears to heavily incorporate Ordeal and Linda Lovelace’s subsequent role as a feminist speaker. Can you explain the tone or tones of the musical? Did you manage to inject humor?

AW: It's not an adaptation of Ordeal, but we do touch on a lot of the same experiences. The show is pretty emotional. The only fun part is when she films Deep Throat, because the people involved - Harry Reems and Gerard Damiano - are such characters. There usually isn't a dry eye in the house by the end. I may have cried every time I saw it.

You’re watching Inside Lovelace Sizzle DVD v1_768K_Stream.mov. See the Web's top videos on AOL Video

Any chance of future performances in other cities in the U.S.? Or has the proverbial wad been shot? (Pardon the pun). Are you now just an owner of the work for licensing purposes?

AW: We are in the process of setting up a few different ways for people to see the show in the US. No wad has been shot. We want this show to go on for a long time.

In 2002 you released both your first solo album Naked, and Ze Malibu Kids' album Sound It Out, ( a Caffey, McDonald, Waronker version of a Cowsills experience). You also did the cult classic web series Bitchin’ Ass, which originally aired on www.reddkross.com (here). It's currently also available on youtube. It’s a really funny series, clearly done for the sake of creating art and a good time. Plus - who doesn’t love wigs?

AW: I think we did Bitchin’ Ass in 2001 or 2002. (It’s) definitely my favorite theme song that I've ever written.

Do you have any funny stories to share about the series? Speaking for the fans, we hope there are more bizarre family art projects in the future.

AW: It's all a little peek into the magical and crazy brain of Jeff McDonald. You would have to ask him.


Your new album California Fade is your first solo work in almost a decade. It seems your first album's cover art would have been perfect for this album. It’s themes are so personal. Was there any trepidation about sharing it with an audience?

AW: Yes, but that's just how I do it. Some of it is actually embarrassing to listen to sometimes, lyrically speaking. But I really love the record and it captures a very big turning point in my life - into becoming a true grown up... well, sort of.

“Can You Feel My Love” speaks about your new world with your son. How has becoming a parent influenced your writing? Your world?

AW: It has literally changed my life. In such great ways and also very hard ways. It's been a pretty radical shift in terms of my day to day life. I've been self employed my whole life, and in charge of my time. I became a very hard worker and my focus was sharp and endless. Now I have episodes of that, but my focus is naturally on Alfie (ED: her son with husband Steve McDonald). And getting rest. And having relationships with my friends and family. And keeping my work alive has never felt more important.


You seem like a confident, "kick ass" woman, and yet extremely vulnerable. It’s a precarious balance. What do you think helps keep your writing balanced in that way?

AW: First of all, thank you. My writing is as honest as I can be. Sometimes it's very much my side of the story, but I don't hold back. Writing was the first thing in my life that was ever all mine. They were my thoughts, my ideas, my gut feelings to listen to or not. My finished result. My opinion. And mostly, my place to put whatever was affecting me, instead of storing it somewhere in my mind or body.


You not only produced this record, but also took the helm on vocal and string arrangements. Are these skills that you’ve had to work at over the years via various projects, or do they come naturally to you?

AW: I have always done vocal arrangements. One of the misconceptions in That Dog was that Rachel and Petra were the harmonic geniuses. Don't get me wrong, they have insane abilities vocally, but the core sound of That Dog came from me. I have always thought in harmony, and I think that is why I enjoy doing strings as well. It's another voice to harmonize ultimately.

Any advice for writing?

AW: Don’t settle. It shows.

What’s your process?

AW: My process is all over the place. Sometimes lyrics come first. Sometimes a melody, or a chord progression. I think the thing that is most consistent is that I like to write while recording. I feel like it captures that initial chemistry.

What’s your favorite part of being a musician?

AW: How it feels when I'm doing it.

Your least favorite part of being a musician?

AW: I have hated touring and the politics a lot in my life. It has been such a long time that I don't know how I would feel about them now. Chances are that I will feel the same.


What’s next for Anna Waronker? Sounds like maybe a tour?

AW: I want California Fade to have a long life. I'd love to play some shows. I’m planning on it in April. I also want “Lovelace“ to go to New York City soon. And I want to make another record. But for right now, Alfie just woke up from his nap and I want to go scoop him up.

Thanks for your time - it is very much appreciated.

Five Foot Two Records (here) established by Anna Waronker and Charlotte Caffey, is selling California Fade, and the digital version includes two extra songs. A limited Anna EP is included with the vinyl version of California Fade - which has been given the deluxe colored vinyl treatment. This boutique label’s roster is small, but it packs a wallop and includes the work of Redd Kross members Jeff and Steve McDonald (to whom Charlotte Caffey and Anna Waronker are married, respectively). Also included is the truly fantastic and fun album Really Really Happy by The Muffs.

For a good time call, er read a review of Waronker's new album California Fade on Popshifter.com here.