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Drugs Dragons interview with Tony “The Tonys” Sagger, Eric “Erroric” Mildew, Kevin “Bob Evans” and Luke “Puke Drugs” Chappelle

November 23, 2014

Drugs Dragons interview with Tony “The Tonys” Sagger, Eric “Erroric” Mildew, Kevin “Bob Evans” and Luke “Puke Drugs” Chappelle

Drugs Dragons continue to probe into the nihilistic chaos of noise and distortion with their latest album II & I/III.  If you’ve never heard Drugs Dragons before I’m going to say something I never thought I would say, they sound like Wau Y Los Arrrghs in a lot of ways.  The unhinged tunes crash, burn and meld into a perfectly solid unit, stronger than steal and ten times as heavy.  There’s a whole shit ton that I could say about Drags Dragons, about how perplexing and interesting it is that they bring such heavy surf and traditional garage rock driven guitar to the table, about how they exorcise the demons of the past from their sound with a dose of tortured psychedelic punk insanity, about how they manage to create a howling mass of sound that manages to reach out and touch the listener, like shrapnel from a hand grenade!  I’m not going to try and explain the twisted genius that is Drugs Dragons, really.  To be honest, I’m not extremely interested in labeling or defining them and neither are they.  I’ve been into Drugs Dragons for a couple of years and the only thing I can really say fro sure is, this is some real deal shit right here kids.  This isn’t any of that; I wanna be on the radio, canned anger, repetitive, derivative, airwave fodder.  Drugs Dragons are something, well they’re something new.  You could call it occult street rock, primitive noise punk, psychedelic cave rock, bat shit insane surf…  I mean, you could call Drugs Dragons any manner of things!  Instead though, I’d rather you draw your own conclusions.  The harsh, and at times abrasive, sound that defines Drugs Dragons, challenges and almost taunts the listener, daring them to talk back or shut off the record, neither of which you’re be capable of.  I mentioned that they released their sophomore album on Dusty Medical Records not long ago, what I neglected to mention though, is that it’s limited to only two hundred and fifty copies.  So what are you waiting for, a written invitation?  Put some words in your eye sockets below, load the bong, chug a beer, click the link below, and if you thought the afore mentioned combination of mind altering substances messed your head up, you ain’t heard nothin’ yet!
Okay, let’s start
with the basics.  What’s the lineup in
Drugs Dragons at this point?  Is this the
original lineup or have you all made any changes as far as that’s concerned
since the band started?
Puke Drugs:  The Tonys
Sagger: Guitar and Backup Vox, Erroric Mildew: Drums and Electronics, Bob
Evans: Bass, Puke Drugs: Vox, Lyrics, and Electronics.  This is the second line up.  The original line up included my brother
Zorach Dragon
Erroric:  Bass players
are fags.
Are any of you in
any other active bands or do you have any side projects going?  If so, can you tell us a bit about that?
Tonys:  Erroric and I
are in The Ornerys, a band not even a year old with a 45 coming out on Terror
Trash soon.
Erroric:  Psychedelic
landscapes, The Ornerys and Rock for Retards.
How old are you
and where are you originally from?
Puke Drugs:  I’m
thirty two and I’m a life long south-side Milwaukee resident.
Tonys:  Thirty seven,
Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Erroric:  I can’t tell
you that.
What was the local
music scene like where you grew up?  Did
you get very involved in that scene or see a lot of shows when you were
younger?  Did that scene play a large or
important role in shaping your musical interests or shaping the way you perform
at this point?
Puke Drugs: 
Absolutely.  Milwaukee’s punk and
rock scene has been decent for over a decade now, and the people that
consistently create are generally very supportive of each other.  I wouldn’t be in this band if it weren’t for
me doing artwork and drugs for the Night Terrors, the retarded older brother of
Drugs Dragons.
Tonys:  I have been
playing music in Milwaukee for over fifteen years, and for that part of my
life, have been very involved in contributing to what I, and other artists,
musicians, etcetera are doing here.  That
being said, it’s constantly evolving and changing.
What about your
home when you were a child?  Was there a
lot of music around?  Were either of your
parents or any of your close relatives musicians or extremely interested or
involved in music?
Puke Drugs:  My father
had a huge record collection, and liked a wide variety of music.  My parents pushed me in the direction of
visual art, but fostered a deep love for music in me at the same time.
Tonys:  I’ve been a
ham for attention since I was but a wee lad, and music has been a big part of
growing up and showing off.
Erroric:  My Grandpa
played accordion and harmonica.  But he
died when I was five.
What do you
consider your first real exposure to music to be?
Puke Drugs:  It was
probably in the womb, but those days are hazy, at best.
Tonys:  I can’t even
remember, ‘cause it’s been so integral to my life.
Erroric:  I had a
dream about meeting Ray Charles and the Pepsi Girls at the mall.
Kevin:  My two older
brothers had already started collecting 45s by the time I was in kindergarten,
so it was always around.
If you were to
pick a moment, a moment where everything seemed to change for you, a moment
that opened your eyes to the infinite possibilities that music presents and set
you on the path your on musically, what would that be?
Puke Drugs:  I went to
primarily African American schools as a kid. 
In one of my music classes in middle school we had to invent an
instrument and play a song in front of the class.  I made a shitty drum out of a coffee can that
had like bells and chimes on the inside of it. 
So, I covered the Offspring’s “Come Out and Play” on a shitty drum using
only my shitty twelve year old voice to a bunch of black kids that were howling
with laughter.  At this point I knew that
I was headed for greatness, because music is a journey.  You know?
Tonys:  I would say
Puke’s answer, but I didn’t go to retard public school.  So, I’ll say the release of the first Sagger
45 on Big Neck records.
Erroric:  The Expo at
the Wisconsin State Fair, 1994.
What was your
first instrument?  When and how did you
get that?
Puke Drugs:  My first
real instrument was a computer with the Sonic Foundry ACID program.  I made Sub Par, Muslimgauze, and Coil
electronic music with it.  I also used
the computer for masturbatory purposes. 
With pornography.  So, aside from
that time John Coltrane beat off into his saxophone, I started the trend of
musicians using their instruments in auto-erotic escapades.
Tonys:  I’ve had so
many instruments since I was a wee little boy, trumpet, keyboard, banging on
pots, a cat…  I got a couple toy pianos
last year and smashed them.
Erroric:  I got a
whistle at that Expo in ‘94.
When did you
decide that you wanted to start wiring and performing your own music?  What brought that decision about for you, or
was it just kind of a natural progression of being given the ability to create
something and express yourself?
Puke Drugs:  The Tonys
asked me to be in Drugs Dragons.  I said
yes because he had beer and there was a promise of pot.  It’s been six years now, and I’m starting to
think that he didn’t really have weed after all.
Tonys:  Whoa buddy, I
never promised shit!  I’ve been
performing all my life and probably decided around sixteen I could write my own
songs to go along with my performances.
Erroric:  When I got a
double sided tape deck boombox with speed controls.
How and when did
the members of Drugs Dragons originally meet?
Puke Drugs:  The Tonys
and Erroric met at a salsa dancing class. 
Bob Evans met them shortly there after, when he was their boss at the
Mrs. Fields Cookie Kiosk in the Southridge Mall.  I met Bob at a 2k Fun Run.  Then, I met the Tonys and Erroric at Bob’s
fortieth birthday.  We immediately bonded
over how funny his fortieth birthday card was. 
It said, “Lordy, lordy, look who’s forty!” and there was a picture of
the grim reaper looking at his watch. 
Can you imagine?  It’s like,
“forty is old, and this card is just reminding everyone that you’re not young”;
priceless.  It still gets me to this day.
Tonys:  Me too!  He’s old! 
It reminds me of the time we met your not literally deceased brother Zorach.  Me, him, and Erroric all laughed
and laughed at the time he was telling us of his camping expertise and then
dropped all of those hot dogs in the fire and pissed on the tent.
Erroric:  We met at
Bob Evans’ gangbang in 2001.
What led to the
formation of Drugs Dragons and when would that have been?
Puke Drugs:  Beer and
the unfulfilled promise of pot led to the formation of Drugs Dragons in
2008.  I’m checking online with a number
of different law firms to see what can be done about this weed situation right
now.  Most of these websites are asking
for money though.  Pfft, lawyers.  You guys know what I’m talking about; I’m
talking about how they always want money.
Tonys:  I’m a lawyer,
lawyin’ all over the place.  Lawyin’
left, lawyin right, lawyin hard all night, every night.
I almost laughed
out loud when I first came across your self-titled album in the record
shop.  There’s something about your name
that’s just unforgettable and infinitely entertaining to me!  What does Drugs Dragons mean or refer to in
the context of your band name?  Who came
up with it and how did you go about choosing it?  Were there any close seconds you almost went
with you can recall at this point?
Puke Drugs:  I like to
think our name is about Vlad the Impaler getting dusted and throwing bodies on
stakes, but Google says our name is a reference to the third episode of season
two of “Mad About You,” where Paul Reiser accidentally drinks a glass of liquid
PCP and hallucinates Helen Hunt as a dragon, and then wakes up in a pool of
gore with his wife’s entrails strewn around the room like streamers at Satan’s
birthday party.  Marriage humor!
Tonys:  Our name is
about C.H.U.D.s!  Too many fuckin’
C.H.U.D.s!
Erroric:  Hobo
assassins.
Is there any sort
of creed, code, ideal or mantra that the band shares or lives by?

Puke Drugs:  Get
money, fuck bitches, eat plenty of fiber.
Tonys:  Don’t forget
to feed Bob his sausages and penis medications.
Erroric:  Leave me
alone.
Where’s Drugs
Dragons located at these days?  How would
you describe the local music scene where you’re at?
Puke Drugs:  We’re
still on the south side of Milwaukee. 
Our local scene is pretty good, if you can count a “scene” as maybe
thirty people doing something at least interesting.  The rest of the music being made in Milwaukee
is the product of floppy-hat models, with impeccably quaffed facial hair, doing
their best imitation of music made for commercials that was popular five years
ago.  We just got our first Postal
Service knock off band!
Tonys:  Have you
noticed Milwaukee has at least five (gasp!) partially running record
labels!?!  Wow, we’re in the big
time!  This shit can only happen in the
rust belt.
Erroric:  We live in a
town with bands.
Are you very
involved in the local scene in your opinion? 
Do you book or attend a lot of local shows or anything?
Puke Drugs:  Bob and I
used to book and DJ shows as the Get Drunk DJs. 
We don’t do it so much anymore, since the punk and rock national scene
was hijacked by some squirrely zippity-do-dah motherfuckers, only interested in
social climbing and the corporate pay day that rewards those bland enough to
write poppy, peppy garage rock with no discernible edge.  I’m still active in the “scene”, in that I go
to shows and talk shit with my buddies and watch bands rise and fall.  Occasionally I will produce art for some of
these bands, or try to get them booked for opening slots with touring bands.
Tonys:  Not so much
anymore…  There’s always working, band
practicing, writing/dreaming shit up.
Erroric:  I go to
every show we play.
Has the local
scene played a large or integral role in the sound, history or evolution of
Drugs Dragons, or do you feel like you would be doing what you’re doing and
sound like you do regardless of where you were at and stuff?
Puke Drugs:  The local
scene has no effect whatsoever on what we’re trying to do.  I feel like Detroit’s music scene is closer
to what we are.  Drugs Dragons isn’t
really a band that tried, or tries to go for a singular sound or image, we’re
an ugly amalgamate of our individual personalities and tastes.  So, we’d probably sound the same if we lived
in Brooklyn or Branson.
Tonys:  I agree with
Puke, however, just as in Detroit or Chicago, I believe my friends and peers
have definitely influenced me personally. 
So much love, so little heart.
Are you involved
in recording or releasing any music besides Drugs Dragons?  If so, can you tell us about that here
briefly?
Puke Drugs:  I
recorded a neo-gospel group called the Hormel Chili Singers, which was a
challenge due to the theological differences between Christianity and me
wanting to get my dick wet.  Look for the
album in early 2011 on Fat Wreck!  Bob
runs Dusty Medical Records and Pet Supplies, Inc. from atop a giant pile of
cash, shrieking orders at malnourished Malaysian orphans slaving over online
vinyl orders, and fancy tins of high priced dog food.  Once, he caught one of these starving
children eating the gourmet dog food and threw a beaker full of acid in his
face.  We all had a good laugh.
Tonys:  I run Terror Trash Records and also recorded Static Eyes’ side for our split. I’ve recorded
too much to tell all…
Erroric:  I release
music from my butt every morning.
How would you describe
Drugs Dragons’ sound to our readers who might not have heard you all before in
your own words?
Puke Drugs: 
Lovecraftian mutant street gang rock, with a dose of humor, and totally
political stances on the issues that matter. 
Smash the state!  Someone once
called us the Bell Biv Devoe of psych punk, but I like to think of us as the
Terry Bradshaw of poundin’ puss.
Tonys:  A nightmare
you will never wake from.
Erroric:  Primitive
death.
You all seem to
take whatever sounds you want and toss them into a heady stew of psychotic
noise, but there’s an underlying plan that unites it and gives it this higher
sense of purpose if you catch my drift. 
I’m curious who hear who you all would cite as your major musical
influences?  What about influences on the
band as a whole rather than just individually?
Puke Drugs:  We’re all
on the same page when it comes to The Hunches, Clone Defects, Country Teasers,
and The Spits.  Tonys has been really
pushing a Big Head Todd and the Monsters angle for awhile now, but the
reception by the rest of the band has been weak to say the least.
Tonys:  I write the
music and am inspired by what I want… 
Gonna get “Bittersweet” stuck in your head one of these days.
What’s the
songwriting process for Drugs Dragons like? 
Is there someone who usually comes to the rest of the band with a riff
or more finished idea of a song, or do you all get together and kick ideas back
and forth until you work out an idea that you’re interested in working on and
refining together as a unit?
Puke Drugs:  Tonys
writes all the riffs, him and Erroric jam on it, come up with different parts
and shit, then I ruin it all with lyrics and tone deaf animal noises.  As we’ve played together more and more, we
refine songs in a group dynamic, and Bob has been invaluable in this
regard.  We have another entire album
written, and it’s some of the best stuff we’ve ever done; which is, admittedly,
not very impressive.
Erroric:  Tonys yells.
What about
recording for Drugs Dragons?  I think
that obviously most musicians can appreciate the end result of all the time and
effort that goes into making an album when they’re finally holding it in their
hands.  Getting to that point, though,
getting things recorded and sounding the way you want them to, especially as a
band can be extremely difficult to say the least and recording has been the
death of many a great band over the years. 
What’s it like recording for Drugs Dragons?
Puke Drugs:  We treat
recording as a party.  We don’t tend to
get hung up with how we want things to sound in our heads, versus how things
sound in reality.  We’re not control
freaks, we tend to let things play out as they are.  We want our records to sound like they were
made of filth and slime, not the product of a sterile recording session where
every sound is intentional and all life has been squeezed out of the songs by
demanding egos and OCD perfectionists.
Tonys:  Also breaking
toy pianos!
Do you all like to
head into the studio and let a technician handle the technical sides of things
so that you can just concentrate on the music and getting things to sound the
way you want them to, or do you like to take a more DIY approach where you
handle that stuff mostly on your own, so that you don’t have to compromise or
work with anyone as far as the sound is concerned?
Puke Drugs:  We go
into the studio with a game plan, but the last two 12-inches would not sound
the way they do without the assistance of our super-bro Josh White.  He’s like Phil Spector with better hair and
machetes instead of guns.  He taught us
how to free-base wasp venom and the value of having a library card.  Have you ever seen Where’s Waldo?  It’s a good reading book we got from the
library.
Is there a lot of
time and effort that goes into working out every aspect of a song before you
record it, with the arrangements and compositions meticulously planned and
airtight beforehand?  Or, do you just get
a good skeletal idea of what a song’s going to sound like, while allowing for
plenty of room for change and evolution during the recording process?
Puke Drugs:  Both,
actually.  We got this other book from
the library called Danny and the Dinosaur
Long story short, this kid fucks a Velociraptor.
Tonys:  True story.
Do hallucinogenic
or psychoactive drugs playa a large or important role in the songwriting,
recording or performance processes for Drugs Dragons?  I mean the name would imply some sort of
relationship, but I’m never quite sure how seriously to take such things as I
have a tendency for over analyzation.  I
don’t mean it in a negative regard either, I mean, people have been tapping
into the altered states that drugs produce for thousands of years for the means
of creating arts and I’m always simply curious about their usage and
application when it comes to the art that I personally enjoy and consume.
Puke Drugs: We all smoke weed nearly constantly.  And I myself have taken psychoactive drugs
semi-regularly since I was eighteen.  I’m
pretty sure all of us would live in a constantly altered state if it were at
all feasible.  I view psychoactive drugs
as the key to the origins, evolution, and transcendence of the human mind, so
of course they play a huge part in our music. 
Fuck, they play a huge role in me making scrambled eggs, petting a dog,
cleaning the sink, mocking clouds, pissing into an open grave, filling a mylar
balloon with rotten broccoli farts and giving it to a dying kid at the
children’s hospital, etcetera.
Tonys:  Are you a cop?
Erroric:  Bring me
some drugs.
Tonys:  Do you guys
like my hat?  It’s really, really
small!  What do you think of sharks that
ride bikes?  I like them.
In 2010 you all
put out your material that I’m aware of, the self-titled Drugs Dragons 12” for
Dusty Medical Records.  Can you tell us a
little bit about the recording of the material for Drugs Dragons?  When and where was that at?  Was that a fun, pleasurable experience or
more of a sort of nerve wracking proposition at the time?  Who recorded it?  What kind of equipment was used?
Puke Drugs:  We
recorded with our buddy Justin Perkins at his then studio.  It was an okay experience, but since we were
a new band at the time, and half of us had zero recording experience, we sorta
view that record as a dry run to the latest record.  Err, I mean, it’s an amazing record that can
change lives and open up new musical frontiers for the listener and it’s
available now on Dusty Medical Records and Pet Supplies, Inc!  And on iTunes; iTunes is a website that has music
on it.
Tonys:  Maybe on
youboob too?  They’re a musical website
that has videos!
Erroric:  I sleep
through the recording process.  We have a
trained cat that plays drums on all the records.  His name is Lil’ Erroric Meowldew.
You also released
two 7-inch singles in 2010, “(I’m In A) Brain Grave” and Cold Controls.  Were the tracks for those singles from the
same session(s) that produced the self-titled album released that year or were
they recorded during different session specifically for the releases?  If they were part of different sessions can
you tell us a little bit about the recording of the material for those singles?
Puke Drugs:  We
recorded those songs as demos, previous to our recording session for the
self-titled album in the Tonys’ basement/musky sex dungeon.  It was my first time singing on a recording,
and it sounds like it.  I believe we made
a frozen pizza afterwards and enjoyed a round of Wii bowling.
Tonys:  All true!  My sex dungeon has sadly since been retired.  Recorded by Ben Kastner.
In 2011 you
followed up your first album and the two singles with The Milorganight 12” EP
once again for Dusty Medical.  Was the
recording of the material for that EP very similar to the session(s) for your
first album?  Who recorded The
Milorganight material?  Where and when
would that have been at?  What kind of
equipment was used this time around?
Puke Drugs:  We
recorded the EP with Josh White in a place in Milwaukee called the
Fortress.  I can’t exactly remember what
equipment was used, but I believe there may have been a guitar involved, and
possibly some microphones.
Tonys:  And a piano
graveyard!  At least two walls were
there.
Last year in 2013
you released a split 7-inch with Static Eyes fro Terror Trash Records.  What song of yours was featured on that?  Is that still in print at this point?  Do you know if it was a limited release or an
open ended pressing?  Where did your
track from this split come from?
Puke Drugs:  We have
two tracks on that split, “WAITING AROUND TO DIE” and
“FESTER/BREED/SCATTER”.  It’s still in
print and probably will be for the next decade or two, so act fast!  We recorded with Jordan B. Davis, of Mystery
Girls and Space Raft fame, in our practice spot.  We love Jordan; the person, not the country.
Just recently you
all released your sophomore album follow-up to 2010’s self titled album, II
& I/III as always for Dusty Medical Records.  What was the recording of II & I/III
like?  When and where was the material
for II & I/III recorded?  Who
recorded it?
Puke Drugs:  We
recorded II & I/II on the twentieth anniversary of Jeffy Dahmer’s arrest
for creating unlicensed sex slaves in his dingy one bedroom apartment.  Goddamn government won’t let you do anything
anymore.  The album was recorded in a
gutted house in the Milwaukee suburbs by wasp venom freebasing enthusiast Josh
White.  It was a whirlwind, adrenaline
fueled, white knuckle trip into the heart of tenderness and comfort.  Afterwards we got high and went
swimming.  Well, Tonys and I went
swimming.  Erroric didn’t swim because he
forgot his water wings, and Bob Evans wasn’t in the band yet.
Does Drugs Dragons
have any music that we haven’t talked about yet, maybe a single or a song on a
compilation that I might not know about?
Puke Drugs:  We have
some stuff that wasn’t included on the first album, some stuff from a live
performance at Milwaukee’s only radio station 91.7 WMSE, another song from the
Jordan Bench Davis sessions, and a whole album yet to be recorded.  We also have numerous demos of shit that has
never seen the light of day.  Maybe
Burger Records wants to put out a cassette once we buy the requisite
neon-plastic sunglasses, brand new leather jackets, and dumb retro mop-top
haircuts all the fey west coast dweebs are rocking.
Tonys:  Matador be
knocking on the door if we move to Brooklyn, but c’mon.  Fuck that.
With the recent
release of II & I/III album, is there anything else planned or on the
horizon as far as releases go that you can share here with us?
Puke Drugs:  We’ve got
another album written and will release songs on 7” in the rare event that any
label is interested in wasting money on us. 
WINK MOTHERFUCKING WINK, RECORD LABELS.
Erroric:  I think
we’re done.
Where’s the best
place for our US readers to pick up copies of your stuff?
Puke Drugs:  Probably
through the Dusty Medical Records and Pet Supplies, Inc website.  If you buy our albums, I believe there’s a
free download code for cat litter.
Erroric:  In
Wisconsin.
With the
completely insane international postage rates these days I try and provide our
readers with as many possible options as I can for picking up imports!  Where’s the best place for our poor international
and overseas readers to score copies of your stuff?
Puke Drugs:  I assume
you can pick up our albums in the ninety nine cent cassette bins at most car
wash places.  Do other countries even
have cars?
Tonys:  …Or ask
Goodbye Boozy Gabriele.  I think that’s
in that Italy place.  Italy’s real,
right?
Erroric:  Buy us plane
tickets to tour in Europe.
And where’s the
best place for everyone to keep up with the latest news, like upcoming shows,
tours and album releases from Drugs Dragons at?
Puke Drugs:  Facebook,
which is a website devoted to pictures of food and cats, and the inane
ramblings of idiots.  The Tonys’ favorite
movie is about Facebook.  He’s a real The
Social Network head.  He has tattoos of
the Winklevoss twins on each of his testicles.
Tonys:  I love Social
Network!  Zuckerberg is dreamy!
Erroric:  The
leprechauns will tell you.  So will
lepers.
Kevin:  Facebook.
Are there any
major plans or goals that you all are looking to accomplish in the last of 2014
or in 2015?
Puke Drugs:  I’m
hoping to finally learn Malay so I can taunt Bob’s orphan slaves, but this
Rosetta Stone thing is a bunch of bullshit. 
So, instead I’m just hoping to have some real good pancakes some time
soon.
Tonys:  I’d like to
buy a duck.
Erroric:  Goals are
for losers.
What, if anything
do you all have planned as far as touring goes?
Puke Drugs:  We can’t
tour all that much because we’re real people, with real shit going on in our
lives.  Touring is for delusional souls
that think that playing Carbondale on a Tuesday night will somehow lead to a
life of opulent luxury.  We’d jump at the
chance to tour Europe or Africa once this whole Ebola fad blows over, though.
Tonys:  Bob can’t be
five miles away from his fridge at any given time.  Or a Culver’s.
Erroric:  Nope.

Do you all spend a
lot of time out on the road?  What’s life
like on the road for Drugs Dragons?  Do
you enjoy being out on tour?
Puke Drugs:  We just
tend to get fucked up and pick fights with each other, which is fun. Once I
farted while getting out of the van and it almost made Erroric barf. Life on
the road with Drugs Dragons is like life on a highway, in that I want to ride
it all night long.
Tonys:  Going to play
Detroit (Urinefested) this year Bob had to walk up to two drive thrus after
forgetting his food and/or getting irritated with wait times.
Erroric:  These guys
suck.
Who are some of
your personal favorite bands that you’ve had a chance to play with over the
years?
Puke Drugs:  Your
usual Midwest weirdo punk bands and your usual surly southern punk bands.  Our first show ever was with Wizzard Sleeve;
that was pretty cool.
Tonys:  Timmy Vulgar,
Sonny Vincent, Bon Iver featuring the Backstreet Men; nee Boys.
Erroric:  Human Eye,
Liquor Store, and Static Eyes.
In your dreams,
who are you on tour with?
Puke Drugs:  Diamond
Dave era Van Halen or maybe Mozart.  They
both seem to have a knack with snaring snatch.
Tonys:  Timmy, or
people that aren’t the people in this band.
Erroric:  Little
Richard.
Do you have any
funny or interesting stories from live shows or performances that you’d like to
share here with out readers?
Puke Drugs:  Once, we
were playing and I had a beer.  Beer is
an alcoholic beverage.  Another time we
played a show and I had a beer again. 
That’s about it.  Oh, and one time
I killed a seeing eye dog with my bare hands, but that’s pretty unremarkable.
Tonys:  We do dumb
stuff.  Someone has to be there to
witness it.  Will it be you?
Erroric:  Like when
Puke pukes or Tonys falls down?  Nope.
Do you all give a
lot of thought to the visual aspects that represent the band to a large extent,
stuff like flyers, posters, shirt designs, album covers and that kind of
thing?  Is there any kind of meaning or
message that you’re attempting to convey or get across with your art?
Puke Drugs:  I’m
generally in charge of art work.  I try
for psychedelic, Lovecraftian, cave-man visions, and pledge-huffing plastic
80’s horror movie schlock.  We’re just
trying to get the message across that libraries are a great place for
learning.  They’re also good for
masturbating behind potted plants while you watch people read.
Tonys:  Shut up with
the library shit.
Erroric:  I close my
eyes.
Do you have anyone
that you usually turn to when it comes to the visual aspects of a band?  If so, who is that and how did you originally
get hooked up with them?
Erroric:  Puke draws.
Puke Drugs:  We
settled on me doing most of it because that little bitch Banksy was all like,
“Sorry, I’m too busy with my dumb tags and crap.  I’m British or something, so cheerio
mates”!  And that lazy fuck Picasso is
dead, so we settled on the next best thing, having me do it for free.
With all of the
various methods of release that are available to musicians today I’m always
curious why they choose and prefer the various mediums that they do.  Do you have a preferred method of release for
your own music?  What about when you’re
listening to or purchasing music?  If you
do have a preference, what is it and can you tell us a little bit about why?
Puke Drugs:  We only
like vinyl because then we can prove to other, less-intelligent people that we
alone are fans of music.  Everyone else
with their iPods and cassettes and such are just vapid posers.
Erroric:  I like
records.
Do you have a
music collection at all?  If so, can you
tell us just a little bit about it?
Puke Drugs:  Fuck
yeah!  I got everything Alvin und ze
Chippenzemunks (Germany) ever released, including their rare and adorably
Teutonic cover of “The Whisper Song”.
Erroric:  Don’t touch
it.
I grew up around
my dad’s collection of music, and he always let me listen to anything that I
wanted to.  But it was him taking me
around to the local shops and picking me up random stuff that I was interested
in that really left its mark I think.  I
developed this whole ritual, where I would rush home, grab a set of headphones,
read the liner notes over and over, stare at the cover art and let it drag me
into a whole universe that it created along with the music.  There was something about having a physical,
concrete object that’s connected to the music that always made for a much more
complete listening experience for me.  Do
you have any such connection with physically released music?
Puke Drugs: 
Absolutely.  I did pretty much the
exact same thing with my dad when I was a kid, and still do to this day.  We try to create the same universe building
thing in our music, but either a) the general populace isn’t insane enough yet
to dump their minds in our junkyard, or b) we’re a terrible band and no one
gives a shit; probably ‘b’.
Erroric:  I like
records.
On the flipside of
that picture, digital music is here in a big way these days, like it or
not.  If you add the internet to the mix,
well you really have something on your hands at that point.  Together, they’ve exposed people to a literal
world of music that they’re surrounded by and allowed for an unparalleled level
of communication between bands and their fans, which has eradicated geographic
boundaries that would have crippled bands even just a few years ago.  It’s not all peaches and cream though, while
people are being exposed to more and more music, they’re not necessarily very
interested in paying for it at this point. Not to mention, it’s harder than
ever to get noticed in the chocked digital jungle out there with everyone being
given a somewhat equal voice at this point. 
As an artist during the reign of the digital era, what’s your opinion on
digital music and distribution?
Puke Drugs:  It sucks
for the reasons you’ve mentioned.  Beyond
the information static drowning out the signal, there’s no mystery any
more.  And when there is mystery, it’s a
carefully crafted gimmick.  It just seems
like people buy, or like music, as a status symbol now, like it’s a badge of
coolness to be a fan of whatever flavor of the week bullshit is being pushed on
gullible and eager to impress kids.
Erroric:  Boo!
I try to keep up
with as many good bands as I possibly can, but it’s hard to even know where to
start these days.  Is there anyone from
your local scene or area that I should be listening to I might not have heard
of before?
Puke Drugs:  Head on
Electric, Static Eyes, Phylums, Aluminum Knot Eye, Space Raft, Holy Shit!, Moon
Curse…  There’s more, but you’ve got like
fifty fucking questions here and my mind is in the bathroom taking a dump right
now.
Erroric:  Static Eyes,
Indonesian Junk, and Head on Electric.
What about
nationally and internationally?
Puke Drugs:  Have you
heard this Miles Cyprus girl?  She looks
like Dopey from the Seven Dwarves and sings about love and stuff.  I also think Taymart Swifter is pretty good
at singing about love and stuff.
Erroric:  No Bails,
Liquor Store, and Timmy’s Organism.
Thank you so much
for taking the time to talk with me so in-depth about the band!  It was awesome talking with you all and
getting to learn so much about your creative process and history.  Since you all were so kind and generous with
your time, I’d like to take this opportunity to open the floor up to you for a
moment.  Is there anything that I could
have possibly missed or that you might just want to take this opportunity to
talk to me or the readers about?
Puke Drugs:  Library
cards are great because you can find good reading books to look at.  There’s these series of books called The
Berenstein Bears
, about this family of bears that go around messily mauling and
devouring people, which is really what family’s all about, you know?
Tonys:  Seriously,
thank you for your time and patients. 
Shut the fuck up about the library. 
Do drugs!  Fuck books!
Erroric:  I quit.
DISCOGRAPHY
(2010)  Drugs Dragons
– Drugs Dragons – 12” – Dusty Medical Records
(2010)  Drugs Dragons
– “(I’m In A) Brain Grave” b/w “Predator Weapons” – 7” – Terror Trash Records
(2010)  Drugs Dragons
– Cold Controls – 7” – Terror Trash Records
(2011)  Drugs Dragons
– The Milorganight EP – Dusty Medical Records
(2013)  Drugs Dragons/Static
Eyes – Split – 7” – Terror Trash Records
(2014)  Drugs Dragons
– II & I/III – 12” – Dusty Medical Records (Limited to 250 copies)
Interview made by Roman Rathert/2014
© Copyright http://psychedelicbaby.blogspot.com/2014
One Comment
  1. Anonymous says:

    Some kind of failed joke.

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