The Distillers

Tony Bradley, guitarist for The Distillers was kind enough to sit down with me to answer some questions as they passed through Edmonton with Crowned King and Darker My Love. We had a nice chat about their new album, Coral Fang, MP3s, interviews, and cannibalism. Thanks a lot to Laura for setting it up and to Tony for doing it.

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Bobby: Okay, starting with the basics, can you please state your name and what you do in The Distillers?

Tony: I’m Tony from The Distillers and I play the guitar.

Bobby: How did you guys all meet?

Tony: Well, Brody started the band in ’99 and she knew Andy through the Nerve Agents; they used to play shows together. And Andy started playing the drums for The Distillers and Andy knew Ryan through the Bay area punk scene. I met Brody in LA in 2000 or ’99, I don’t remember; and I was their guitar tech for tree and a half years or so, and then I joined the band right before the last record.

Bobby: Okay, let’s talk about the latest record. “Coral Fang,” where did you get the name from?

Tony: You know, I forget. Brody got it from a book or something. The actual reference was “Plastic Fang,” but John Spencer named his last record that so she decided to change it. But its a reference about a book or something, I can’t remember where its from.

Bobby: What was the idea for the graphic artwork? With the girl bleeding all over, what was the idea?

Tony: Well Brody had ***Tim walks in to grab a bottle of water*** this guy actually, Tim Presley right here, he’s in “Darker My Love”. He used to be in the Nerve Agents with Andy and wanted him to do the artwork for it and she gave him a bunch of lyrics and stuff and it was all his interpretation of her lyrics and stuff. So it was all his doing, he’s an amazing artist. He’s done all the artwork for his records and has done all of our T-shirts, just a rad dude.

Bobby: Why did you have to do a “safe cover”?

Tony: Because the record label made us *laughs*. No, because in order for our record to be carried in big chain stores around America and stuff like that or wherever, we had to have an alternate cover or they wouldn’t carry our record. And we wanted kids in the middle of nowhere, the middle of America, to be able to buy our record at a Wal-Mart or Best Buy where its like the only place they can buy records kind of thing. So we had to do that for that reason. It kind of sucks, like we didn’t want to do that; but we kind’ve had to.

Bobby: What’s your favorite song off the album and why?

Tony: I would probably say “Coral Fang” or “Love Is Paranoid” cause they are just like faster. “Love Is Paranoid” was the last song that we did in the studio and it was kind of like, well not rushed, but like we kind’ve did it really fast and I just like the way it came out better. It didn’t have time to get processed in the studio and all slicked out and stuff like that. It was just like BAM, we recorded it, mixed it, it was done. I like that for that reason.

Bobby: How did you pick your singles, like which ones you wanted to be the singles?

Tony: The single things weird. You get input from the label, and input from all the different people that work with the bands, but ultimately its our choice. I really don’t remember why we picked “Drain The Blood” as our first single but we figured “The Hunger” because that was getting a really big response all over the world, the kids really seemed to like that alot.

Bobby: How do you guys normally write all your songs?

Tony: Brody writes all the songs, like the songs and the lyrics and bring them into practice and we kind’ve put our parts on top of them and arrange them and there it is.

Bobby: Why did you decide to make the transition from Hell-Cat Records to Warner Music?

Tony: I really wasn’t in the band when they did all that, so I really don’t know why they did all that. But basically its like you want to have the resources to have your band. You want to be able to be in the studio for as long as you want and be able to go on tour and have your record distributed all over the place. I would say it was for those reasons.

Bobby: Why do you think major labels are picking up more and more punk bands lately?

Tony: I don’t know, its kind’ve what sells to the kids, like a whole mall punk thing going on. I don’t really like any of that music. Its what a big population of the kids are into. It just sucks because once that starts happening, the bands start to get watered down. I mean, you take a band like NOFX who like started the whole sort of thing; and they are cool because they were kind’ve like pioneers for that sort of music; and then now, its on like the third, fourth generation of it and I don’t really like it. I think the bulk of it is crap.

Bobby: If you could pick one person or band, dead or alive to tour with, who would you pick to tour with and why?

Tony: Umm, I don’t know. That’s a hard one. Dead or alive….? The band Dead Or Alive! Ya, those guys.

Bobby: Why?

Tony: I don’t know, I have no clue.

Laura: For their fashion influence!

Tony: *laughs* Ya, for their fashion, and eye makeup. And the guy with the eye patch.

Bobby: What do you think the best thing about touring is?

Tony: Playing shows. Its kind’ve like the only reason why we are here. All the other stuff is in between. Its kind’ve hard to be on tour, be away from home and stuff. Especially for a long period of time, like we’ve been on tour since June pretty much straight. But playing the shows is all that matters. Its all for that one hour a day.

Bobby: Why did you decide to become a musician?

Tony: I don’t know. I’ve always liked to play music, I started playing music in the fourth grade and I’m almost twenty-eight now; so its been a long time. I don’t know, I’ve just always like it. It was something I could do in my room by myself and not have to worry about what anyone else had to say about it. There was no competition. It was just like me, alone, in my room doing it and you know, I’ve just always wanted to do it.

Bobby: Can you tell us something about the band, or one of the members of the band, that not many people know? Like a deep, dark secret?

Tony: A secret? Let’s see… Ryan wears women underwear! It’s true.

Bobby: You’ve probably done a lot of interviews being in The Distillers, what is the most annoying interview question that you’ve been asked?

Tony: What does punk mean to you? That, or “Tell us about Brody’s personal life” kind’ve thing. Because I like all kinds of music. I love punk stuff, lots of old punk rock and stuff like that. But today, I don’t think the word means the same as what it used to. Now its a title of a magazine, a fashion thing. I don’t know, it doesn’t really mean anything to me. I just like different kinds of music and different bands. As long as its good music, it doesn’t really matter. It doesn’t need a label or a title.

Bobby: If you could be a woman for one day, what would you do and why?

Tony: *laughs* I can’t answer that, there’s a woman in the room though!

Laura: That’s okay, I’ve heard it all before.

Tony: If I could be a woman for one day, what would I do? Aww man… I don’t know if I would want to be a woman for one day. Only one day? I think you’d need a little more then one day. I probably would want to be a woman during her period cycle to see what its like. Because they all say its like the most painful thing and I have no idea what it feels like. So I guess it would be kind’ve cool to be able to understand what its like.

Bobby: Now a days, you can find MP3s all over the Internet, Kazaa, Morpheus, things like that. How do you feel about that? Good, bad, what’s your opinion?

Tony: I don’t know. I do that stuff. I go to Itunes and buy songs and stuff. So its like your paying a dollar for a song and stuff, and that way the band still gets money and its like I don’t have to go out and spend fourteen dollars on a record that I only really want one song from. In that way I think its kind’ve cool, but as far as file sharing and all that stuff, it hurts. I mean fuck the record industry and fuck the labels and all that stuff because they are like multimillionaires; its really only the bands that get hurt. Bands don’t sell records like they used to. Like a band like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs who are like all over the press and like huge, ten years ago that band would’ve sold like six million records and they haven’t even sold a million records. I mean, I don’t know what they’ve sold, but they would’ve sold a ton of records ten years ago, its not like that anymore. Its kind’ve like good and bad, but I don’t care; its fine with me.

Bobby: Okay, if you guy were stranded on a desert island with no food and nothing to eat, which one of the band members would you eat to survive?

Tony: *laughs* I don’t know. Well, we wouldn’t eat me first, I’ll tell you that much because there’s really not a lot of meat on the bones. It would have to be either Andy or Ryan. They are the biggest dudes, we’d probably eat them. We would actually make them fight, and then the loser, we’d eat them.

Bobby: If you could have one thing at this moment, anything in the world, what would you have and why?

Tony: One thing? Right now.. A kitty.

Bobby: A cat?

Tony: Ya, I want a cat real bad. I haven’t been able to have a pet for so long because I’ve been gone on tour for like four years pretty much on and off. Me and that guy, Tim, we live together and we’re both on tour now and we’re like “let’s get a cat”, but we can’t. So ya, we’re gonna buy one soon.

Bobby: I guess that’s about it, do you have any shout-outs before we end?

Tony: Ya, you guys should all check out “Darker My Love”, the first band on the tour. They are putting out a record on Tarantula Records, which is the Explosions’ record label. I think its comes out next month. They have it on sale on tour right now, but I think it comes out next month like in stores and stuff. They’re kind’ve the new thing. They are an awesome band and are going to go places.

Bobby: Okay, I guess that’s about it, thanks a lot.