NoMeansNo

LB: Thanks for talking me today. If you could start out by introducing yourself and tell us who you play for?

TH: My name is Tom Holliston, and I play guitar for Nomeansno. I also have an alias that is Tommy Hanson from The Hanson Brothers.

LB: And The Hanson’s are playing The Horseshoe Tavern next week aren’t you?

TH: Yes we are, we are incorporating a mini tour with our Nomeansno tour. The Hanson’s will be playing in Ontario and Quebec, and then we will make our way home playing some shows along the way.

LB: So tell us a bit about the new album you’re touring and promoting right now.

TH: Well it’s not new. It has been out since ’06. It is called All Roads Lead to Ausfahrt. I think it is some of our best work in years, and I am really proud of it.

LB: On your new album I understand that the writing process has shifted from it being Rob’s ideas to more of a group effort. What positives came out of that switch?

TH: Well Rob is still the principal lyricist but yes that’s how we did it. It worked out really well. It’s like anything else the more creative minds you get together the better ideas you will come out with.

LB: It’s easy to over look the obvious sometimes when you are working on your own do you agree?

TH: Yes exactly. Rob has Pro Tools at his place, so he messes around with that quite a bit. We just start with a riff and go from there. Then we share and compile ideas.

LB: Nomeansno has been around for thirty years. What makes you guys so ageless?

TH: Ageless??? Look at us. I’m 49 turning 50. We just do our thing. We are still having fun and doing exactly what we want to be doing. But we are not ageless at all. You should see how stiff I am after a tour.

LB: Would it be fair to say that Nomeansno has always put more emphasis on the music than band image or band marketing?

TH: Absolutely we do, I mean look at us. Three old guys in their fifties who are balding or grey. Not a whole lot to market there.

LB: Fair enough but you guys are a seminal punk band with a cult following. Plus I have seen Ben Affleck with a Nomeansno shirt in the movie Glory Daze.

TH: Hahaha, there you go, but back to your question for us it’s all about the music.

LB: Today is national record store day (whatever that means). Is there a record store in your hometown or anywhere in the world that you would consider a favorite and why?

TH: Oh tough question. Well there is this one in Amsterdam, which I can’t recall the name off hand, but it is these three little houses, and each house sells different genres within the houses. It is very cool and I have found some great records there over the years. And in my hometown of Vancouver there is Red Cat Records, which I really love. Lots of good finds every time I go in.

LB: I recently saw online a clip of David Grohl buying records and one of the singles he bought had a Nomeansno song on it. He went on to say that along with Bad Brains that you were his favorite band and by far the best live hardcore band he has ever seen. Do you get any satisfaction from influencing musicians that have had a significant impact on modern music like David Grohl?

TH: Really (his eye brows raise to the roof). I think it is amazing that someone like Dave Grohl would say that about our band and it really means a lot. I know that Dave has also mentioned to Rolling Stone about how much our drummer John has influenced him. It is really quite flattering.

LB: I read you guys played 175 shows in ’07. What does one do to decompress after that much touring?

TH: Decompress. Well I never really stop playing music. It’s my life. That was a tough year. We usually don’t ever tour like that anymore. We like to leave gaps of time between cities we play in, so people don’t get too tired of us. I guess that’s the way we keep it fresh. We also like touring new places to us like Macedonia, which was a great show. Although we were in Macedonia the same time Kosovo was about to declare its independence. So just as we got to the Serbian/Macedonian border all the power went out and the tanks were being deployed, so that was a scary time, and it took five hours to cross the border. It was also very interesting. One can read as much as they want about this kind of stuff, but to actually be there and see what these folks go through is very eye opening. But after that we took a bit of a break. Having The Hanson Brothers too can be a bit much. It’s like opening the steam valve wide open. I think the fourth album “It’s a Living” well let’s just say I am in no hurry to do another Hanson Brothers record. I think we have taken it as far as we can, and the fourth one a live one was because of The Ramones “It’s Alive”. If we did another one, I just don’t see three guys in there fifties playing that style of music. So this lag of The Hanson’s tour could be the last one for a while, at least for me.

LB: Do you have the same feeling towards the Hanson’s live shows?

TH: Yes pretty much. Maybe the odd benefit show in Vancouver or something but that’s about it for me.

LB: Since your time with the band where has been the most special or unique place/venue that Nomeansno have ever played?

TH: Well in Canada our two favorite cities are Toronto and Edmonton. We also have some great places we love to visit in Europe too. Hamburg is one of my favorite places to play for sure. I think Hamburg is the bands second home. We just always have a great show there and we love the audience too. We really love touring with other bands too for example the band playing with us tonight Potty Umbrella. We have been touring Europe with them since ’98 I believe. I think they are the first Polish band to tour Canada and they are having a great response. I think one of the best tours we have ever had was in 1995. It was ourselves, Alice Donut, and V Day from Japan. It was just a great bill and every night I was amazed. Alice Donut is my favorite live band, so every night was just a stone groove.

LB: What is the best show you have ever seen at the Commodore Ballroom in your hometown of Vancouver?

TH: Jeez. Well March of 1980 I saw XTC on the Drums and Wires tour, and that was right up there I think. I also saw in ’87, well I was working at CBC Vancouver and I saw Paul Burleson who played with Johnny Burnette in The Rock and Roll Trio Band and DJ Fontana who was Elvis’s drummer, and I got to meet them. I felt like I was going to collapse I was so excited. That was great to see those guys rock. Age really doesn’t have anything to do with the intensity one can bring to what one does.

LB: Who are Nomeansno fans in 2009? Are they old school’rs who hang out by the back and jump into the pit for songs like “The River”, or are they new school’rs coming to check out a seminal punk band?

TH: It’s a very pleasant mixture of both. Old school is a relatively new term. Again it’s like most people who were into punk rock years ago were basically reform schoolers or high school dropouts rather from a new school or old school. It’s just stuff that happened. There was no plan or specific vision of making something great and wondering if it is going to last. But like I said our shows have a great, pleasant mixture which is great, and it’s a real luxury that we can have people of all ages to come check us out and still be interested in what we are doing.

LB: Which album from your bulky discography would be the best starting point to someone who has never heard a Nomeansno record?

TH: Well my favorite of all the albums is still “Why do they call me Mr. Happy?” It has the best flow. I also like the new one Ausfahrt quite a bit. It’s sort of an amalgamation of our previous stuff with a little more direction. I don’t think any one album is indicative to who we are as a band. Our strength is and always has been our live performance. So I would suggest coming to a show. Finding out what songs you liked, and go from there.

LB: Is it a faux pas to ask you a hockey question or is that only for your other band?

TH: No not at all, but I must warn you I am way more of a baseball fan than a hockey fan, but I will try my best.

LB: Will your beloved Vancouver Canuks make it to the Stanley Cup finals this year? They are looking pretty good, and you look to have an unstoppable goalie.

TH: I can’t predict that. I just don’t know. I’m always wrong. So if a young person was to go out and take my word and bet the farm they may lose it all, and I just don’t want that on my conscience. They should just go to the track with their money.

LB: Well you need to go and eat dinner so if you could leave us with some immediate plans for Nomeansno?

TH: Well I think when we are home in May and we might do a little recording. We are going to be in Europe for all of July and we are doing a west coast tour in October and then down to Brazil and Argentina after that. So in the meantime we will do some pockets of recording. We are looking to release three or four 12 inches. We probably won’t be releasing any full lengths for quite some time. We see the death of the album, and we feel we could write stronger 5 or six song 12 inches. We just have so many places to play now. We are already booked into 2010 in Japan and Korea so that’s quite nice. It’s just going to be much easier to record three or four songs.

LB: Has touring Canada and the US gotten old and boring for you guys? It seems you really love touring Europe, Korea, and now Brazil. Is there an element of the unknown that lures you to tour in these countries?

TH: It hasn’t gotten old. It’s nice to play at Lee’s Palace because you know there is going to be a good PA. Younger bands would be stoked to play an exotic place like Sudbury you know. Whereas it’s fun and I am not making fun of anybody, but it’s when the PA’s are terrible it starts to get old. Not to lay blame on anybody or any promoter. I think people in Europe have a better understanding if it sounds really good it will be a better show where as in Canada and especially the US (not everywhere) people have a tendency to get caught up in the concert itself whether it be buying beer or viewing it as a social event. Some venues just aren’t concerned with buying new sound gear, and to me that is what gets old. We put X’s on the calendars when we are playing places like Edmonton and Toronto.

LB: Well Edmonton loves their hockey, punk rock, and their beer. I want to thank you for this interview and I hope you have a great show tonight. The PA sounded fine during sound check.

TH: Cool well I thank you for your interest and your patience.