PETER BALL INTERVIEW

1. Who's in the band? When did you form?

the current lineup is:
Father Damian: Vocals
10,000 Marbles: Guitar
Concentration Camp: Guitar
Uncle Remus: Bass
G. Beat: Drums.

Marbles: We had to ditch some players (John Dee, Robin Black), because things didn't work out. We think we have a stable lineup now. We played our first show in June of 2001, and formed a few months prior to that.

2. Where and when was your first show?

Marbles: June 4th Toronto at Planet Kensington with Crispus Attucks

3. How did you come to choose Fucked Up as a band name? How (or if) does it releate to what you have to say as a band?

Marbles: We wanted to pick a name that was a word a lot of people already used in their common speech. Tons of punk kids say "fucked up", to describe every sort of situation. Now when they say it, they have to think about our band. It relates, in that the message of our band is wanting to command the attention of people, and to find subtle ways to get into their brains.

4. Did you have anything specific you wanted to say when Fucked Up got together?

Marbles: No. My philosophy is: "Don't think".

5. What has the feedback been like when people read your lyrics or hear your music?

Marbles: We don't get any feedback about the lyrics. People usually say bland things like "nice show" or "cool record". We just played a show with THE GOSSIP and their guitarist came up to our merch table and said "its real great how you guys have all these records you put out" as if we were 10 year olds. We've had lots of good reviews, but mostly for Police, which is sort of a played tune at this point anyhow. On one hand, the point of the band is to confuse people, but its annoying when it actually happens. Most times people just say bullshit like "sounds like Negative Approach" or "Sounds like Poison Idea" - its like when you hand a paper in and get a C+ and wonder whether the teacher read it or not. The problem is that people don't want to pay attention to the things they get. The illth economy is based on the principle in putting as little effort and labour into commodities, and having people enjoy or use them for the most limited amount of time possible. If things are well made as to last a long time or to have people foster a real attachment to them, there is no incentive for people to get sick of them and move on to the next thing on the shelf, and the products won't go bad or get broken. We put hours and hours and hours into writing music, and designing the layout of our records and writing lyrics - we know all we are doing is making commodities and products, and we want people to enjoy them and become attached to them so they don't become pieces of waste. But people are so used to using things immediatly and moving on - using records like cigarettes, smoking them up and moving on.

6. Any reason why your newest ep is coming out on Testpattern? Will Deranged be releasing anything by you guys in the future besides the CD? What's going to be on the CD?

Marbles: A guy Tim wrote to me after the first single came out and said he wanted to do a record. Keep in mind this is in late 2001 he's writing me. I wasn't really sure how releases were going to pan out at that point, the schedule in 2001 was to put out Litany and the Haymaker split right after No Pasaran, which obviously didn't happen. The songs for the split were recorded in the same session as Police (which came out a year and a half ago), and it hasn't yet seen the light of day. "Litany" was planned probably 2 years ago - atleast 2 of the songs are that old and the record is just coming out. The shit we write in practice is essentially always on a 1 or 2 year delay where the songs we're doing by ourselves are way different then the songs that are being released at any given time. Tim was a straight dude and he ran a low-profile label so we were into doing the record with him. He follows the band around on tour and comes up to our shows from Connecticut, and is part of the family. He has the logo tattooed on his arm, it just made sense. Deranged is putting out the Dangerous Fumes LP. The cd has cuts from all the records and some other shit, the demo, etc.

7. On that topic, any particular reason you are releasing several singles versus say putting out an Ep or and LP?

Marbles: Because eps are bullshit, and we don't have enough material for a worthwhile LP yet. We are writing one now.

Beat: Pretty much at this point releasing singles is JUST for the sake of aggravating the State of Florida.

Marbles: Oh yeah fuck. The dude who does "Sound Idea" distro in Florida refuses to carry FU recordsbecause they only have 2 songs. Get a clue.

8. what can we expect to be coming out in the next little while?

Dangerous Fumes LP
Diptych 12"s
one or two singles for the LP
Live 12"
Palimpsest 7"
split with haymaker 7"
split with godspeedyoublackemperor 12"

9. How have local shows been? Have you seen an increase or decrease in attendance or crowd participation since you first started playing shows?

Marbles: Our live local shows are terrible. We aren't playing shows after we get back from tour, and the left for dead show in may will probably be the last FU show until the LP comes out (which probably won't be until late 2005 or later). We have to play the same songs over and over again live because we don't practice with enough frequency to push newer songs into the setlist. Most nights I would rather kill myself than play a show. There has been a decrease in participation, thankfully.

Beat: Contrary to what Marbles thinks, there has been an increase in audience over the few years we've been together. By now, Fucked Up on our own can draw at least 50 people, all who are usually compelled to participate in one way or another. Personally I enjoy playing live very much, but at the risk of losing our guitar player and song writer to suicide, I suppose I can live with a hiatus.

10. This tour you're about to go on with Punch in The Face and 14 or Fight; is this your first time playing outside of the Toronto area?

Marbles: We've played boston, chicago, buffalo, hamilton, montreal, cleveland, etc.

Beat: Not the first trip outside Toronto, but certainly the farthest we've travelled away from home, and the longest we'll have been on the road.

11. How did this tour come about? Who's idea was it initially?

Marbles: Me and ebro are friends from before these current bands, and we had them up for a show in 2001. We started making loose plans to tour together then, but never had the time to do it, plus for most of the time we've been a band, we haven't had our own amps or guitars and never really cared to tour. Now we feel we could be into it, so we decided to set one up. Most of the people in our band have a difficult time dealing with each other for longer than the hour it takes to practice, so we've been wary of sticking ourselves into a van for a week and a half. But I've got 7 or 8 boxes of FU records collecting dust in my room, so its time to venture into the greater world and get rid of them.

12. Have you had many problems booking venues for this tour? how long will you be on the road?

Marbles: Nope. 9 days.

13. Any show(s) in particular you are psyched about playing?

Marbles: The last one.

Beat: I'm very excited about playing in Chicago and Boston.

14. Canada has been cranking some great sounding bands lately and it seems they are getting quite a bit of well deserved recognition south of the border. What would you attribute this to? Are we finally coming into our own in terms of turning out competent HC bands?

Marbles: About 4 years ago about 20 or 30 people got together and started having meetings about the bands that canada had been cranking out lately. We figured that most of them were shit and we wanted bands from this area to start becoming popular. We decided as a result of those meetings that people would start forming bands guided by sort of a rigorous screening and judging process. People were sorted into bands at the beginning and everyone sort of helped each band to create their own sound that their band was going to focus on. It didn't work at first, like bands like Countdown to Oblivion or Hacksaw that formed as a result of those meetings, but after some initial bungling, people have been able to properly hone their instruments and sounds, and some good bands have been formed. Career Suicide, Haymaker, No Warning, all those bands started as ideas in those get-togethers.

15. While we're on the topic of the US; It also seems more bands are crossing the border to come play in Canada. Why do you think this is? Does it have mainly to do with the fact that there are more bands here to play with now?

Marbles: I have no idea.

Beat: I don't think it has to do with the more bands that are from Toronto, but more with the number of bands that simply exist now. There is a vast number of hardcore outfits in North American circulation and for some reason they all have the idea to tour. So, with Toronto being a big city and people here interested in seeing their bands, these US acts just show up. I don't think the local scene (which is deceptively lively and prosperous) has ever been a selling point for bands on tour. Not that many, anyways.

16. How much life is left in Fucked up? Can you see this band existing in say, five years? Or is this something that can even be predicted?

Marbles: Fucked Up at times already seems like the walking dead. We have already broken up 3 times and come to blows once. We're all too iritable to make this happen for much longer, and all have to much other shit on the go. Damian is a tv producer, Remus just had her first kid, Camp is usually in prison when he's not on the street, ect. We're going to try and somehow write and record this LP and then probably kick the bucket. The life we have left is for the tour, which because of interpersonal problems is only hanging on by a thread, and the LP. Anything other than that, consider a bonus.

Beat: Though I'd like to see the band stay around for a long time, I honestly can't see it happening. Marbles is too obsessed with his own creative blockage to really be into the band any more. He's put himself into an inescapable rut. Me and him talked about doing music post-FU, though, so at least some good will come of our demise.

17. What are some bands you are listening to right now?

Marbles: Right now I'm listening to David Axelrod, Der Blutharsch, The Originals, the Detroit Prophets, Arcana, Desperate Bicycles, the Beach Boys, Anti Cimex and the Ramones.

Beat: Chronic Submission demo, Sudden Impact demo, Youth Youth Youth demo, Sacrifice demos, Clarence Carter, Arthur Conley, Hank Ballard, Holly and The Italians, RF7, Sodom, and Repulsion.

18. Seems 3-4 years ago there weren't that many new bands coming out that were worth listening to. But these days there seems to be a lot of great HC bands coming out of the US and Canada . Seems hardcore goes through 3-4 year period of putting out good bands, then nothing for 8-10 years then it starts up again. Do you think we are on the upswing or the downswing of the current cycle?

Marbles: Well in the late nineties there was his hero is gone, left for dead, h100s, teen crud combo, etc. Now there are some cool bands but way more shittier ones. I think there are always a handful of awesome bands, I think what changes is the perception. People decide to pay attention to certain types of bands eratically, which accounts for why people think there are so many great bands aroudn today. People just have become better at convincing themselves of it. Beat: I think there are certain upswings, and that we are in one now. For every Teen Crud Combo and H100s there were just as many crappy bands, though. There has always been the same output of music, just fewer rose to the top in the past. Also the passage of time helps bury all the forgettable crap. Right now output is humongous so the amount of bands people consider Ôgood' is skewed somewhat by the sheer numbers of it all, but there are a good few bands producing decent, well thought out music.

19. Anything you want to add?

Marbles: Never Learn Not To Love.

Beat: This too, perhaps was forseen.

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