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| Taki Sassaris- lead vocals |
Well, I tried to make you guys wait much longer than this for part two of this amazing interview. After dozens of requests
I decided to put the second part out today in honor of my follow-up interview with Eve to Adam tomorrow. We are going to
pick right up where we left off, so if you didn't read part I you better get back to the interviews page and read that first.
Besides, why would you want to miss a word of what Taki and Alex had to say?
AS: Even the shows you saw, we're doing this for free pretty much. There's no money involved at this level. People
see buses and what not, but we walk away having dropped a pool of sweat and leaving with our pride every night.
ROR: And maybe some money for cigarettes and a drink after the show.
AS: Yeah, totally.
TS: But that's how much we love what we do. And that's what it's all about; the challenge of the performance of the
night. I mean, I love it. I love going different places every night and it's gonna be a different show. And if you notice,
on the tour we were just on, we were the only band to ever change our set up. Every night there was something different about
the show.
ROR: Yeah.
TS: We're a non-autopilot band.
ROR: Which I love.
TS: All the bands we get off on are spontaneous.
AS: People like to see something different.
TS: They react to the crowd. If you're in Raleigh one night and you're in Oklahoma City the next night it's a totally
different palette, a totally different canvas. The people are different, the energy is different; everything's different.
You woke up different that day. It's not going to be the same show.
ROR: You know what I noticed a lot? I just covered four shows on the Taste of Chaos tour, all the same bands of course
but different locations. You get to the point when you're press and your in the pit taking photographs that you know exactly
where to point your camera next because you know where they're going; where they're going to squat, where they're going to
spit, where they're going to do everything because it's all just so choreographed...
TS: It's choreographed (in unison with interviewer).
ROR: Yep.
TS: I hate that.
ROR: You get to the point where you're just like, "Do something different, please. Give me another shot. Why am
I even here?"
TS: Yeah. Well see, that's the thing; rock stars, Eddie Vedder back in the day was a huge inspiration to me because
he was so spontaneous and the energy that he would put out....guys like Scott Weiland, his spontaneity and willingness to
push the envelope. Even if he irritated you he'd push buttons in you and you'd go, "Damn, that guy really... it took
balls to do that." He went to the edge and he didn't care about it. So much today is....there's a mediocrity that's
dictating everything today, so pacifying. I think a lot of people are just apathetic because they're not inspired. It's
the artist's job and the performers job to inspire the crowd. A lot of people come out and they're looking for some kind
of magic. As a performer out in the crowd you have to create the magic for the crowd; that's your job, that's what you do.
If you can't get off on that fact alone as a performer you don't deserve to be doing it; because if you can't get jazzed up
hitting the stage to rock 50 people or 150,000 people in a stadium I don't know what to do for you. Because the money, I
can tell you, is not that good. The experience is arduous. You gotta deal with people that sometimes love you and others
that hate you. And you also have to deal with yourself every day, making sure that you keep yourself in check enough with
whatever you get off on, whatever substances or alcohol or whatever; that you get in and you do your job every day.
ROR: Right, because there's a lot out there when you guys are on the road.
TS: It's a vast, open...
ROR: There's the scene, the fans, girls, drugs, alcohol...
TS: Yeah, everything's pulling and tugging at you, pulling and tugging at you. You've gotta know how to keep weaving
and dodging, ducking, you know what I mean, all of that. At the end of the day everything takes away from what you're really
there to do which is to inspire an audience; inspire them to buy a record, inspire yourself, inspire them to go home and paint
something, inspire them to go home and write something. Maybe you're going to inspire them to talk to their kids. Basically
you are trying to inspire them to live. That's really what it is. That's how we look at our job. It's a rock and roll band
and we love rock and roll; but we look at rock and roll as an art form that through the last 60 years has become a canvas
of motion that has inspired people to try new things, to live to a potential that they never really thought they could. To
break down barriers; I think that is the power of music. Rock and roll is a volcanic, eruptive force of music. It's not
a quiet music. It's a very combative, volcanic music. There is no better art form still today, even with hip hop.
ROR: No, I agree.
TS: I can tell you, as powerful as hip hop is nothing beats a live rock and roll band. A great live rock and roll band
cannot be matched by samples, it cannot be matched by drums, triggers, by playing with pads or tracks, it's nothing like the
moment; and somebody who knows how to bring that moment to life, that's who I look to. I still look to Mick Jagger. I look
to Eddie Vedder. I still look to Dave Grohl, Scott Weiland. All these guys who are in their 40's, they know what's up because
they know what it's about; it's about the moment.
ROR: Like Steven Tyler, you know...
TS: Steven Tyler, I left him out. How could I leave him out? He's amazing.
ROR: How great of a performer is this guy is his 50's?
TS: Oh, he's amazing.
AS: He puts people to shame.
TS: You can't put a word on Aerosmith, and Steven Tyler especially as a performer.
ROR: He's amazing.
TS: He is amazing. He's an alien, in my opinion.
ROR: Every time I see him he just blows me away. I know it's coming, but he's just....
TS: He's a force.
ROR: He's out there doing flips, and doing all this stuff...
TS: He's a one man wrecking crew.
ROR: I couldn't do any of that on my best day, you know?
TS: So that's the thing. These are the guys you look to for inspiration because, until you beat those guys they're still
on the block for me. And it's not easy to beat those guys.
ROR: No, but I think you guys have the talent to pull it off.
TS: We just wanna run with them; we'd like to run with them. And that's what drives us.
ROR: Don't say that yet, because that's a question later on in the interview. Let's save that for later.
TS: Alright.
ROR: I was going to ask you, you've had some trouble spots along the road.
TS: Yep.
ROR: You've had some member changes...
TS: Yep.
ROR: Bassist changes mostly.
TS: Yep.
ROR: Record deals pending that didn't go through.
TS: Yep (laughs).
ROR: A few of those.
AS: Disasters.
ROR: Disasters.
TS: Yep (laughing still).
ROR: We talked a little bit about that, but how do you deal with that through ten years and end up where you're sitting
right now? And are you happy with where you're sitting right now?
AS: A sense of humor.
TS: A sense of humor is key. It's all about humor.
AS: (laughing with interviewer)
ROR: Well, you guys are smiling a lot.
TS: Just laughing, making fun of each other; you gotta keep it light. When you know who you are on the inside and what
you're really in this for, you never have to check that. What you have to check is who you are every day. How you wake up,
making sure you're not an asshole, making sure you're not too grumpy; making sure that you're being human. It's just maintaining
some humanity. The drive is always there. If you have the drive it's always there. You gotta maintain your humanity, and
sense of humor is key. And tenacity, you know?
ROR: Because there have been times that you...
TS: I want to show you something my friend gave me the other day in Tampa, Florida when we played there. He's a good
friend that we went to high school with. He has seen us go through the trials and tribulations of this.
AS: At least 100 shows.
ROR: I love that shot by the way (referring to some framed artwork).
TS: Yeah? This is an idea I had for the album, this is a landmark in Queens, as you come over the Queensborough bridge
from Manhattan to Silver Cup Studios. It's a very classic studio, it goes back to the 30's. So I thought it would be great
to replace it with the band name and the title. I wanted to have something from New York that wasn't touristy, but it's our
home. Queens is what nutured us and gave us the school of hard knocks. I really wanted that in the record. I wanted people
to know that Queens is our heart.
ROR: It's a beautiful shot. Artistically it's just gorgeous.
TS: My friend Tony gave me this quote the other day and it says, "Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence;
talent will not. Nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost
a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination are omnipotent. The
slogan 'press on' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race. No person was ever honored for what he
received; honor has been the reward for what he gave." It's a quote from John Calvin Coolidge.
ROR: That's amazing.
TS: He gave this to me as a gift, to the band, as kind of like, "I have witnessed what you've done, and I have witnessed
your determination and your poise, and you've never let it go." You know it's funny when you go back home to visit your
family, and you see your friends from high school and they know you've been doing this thing, you know? We could have gone
on to school and done other things, and what not. We never let this music thing go. Seven years go on, eight years go on,
and you start pushing the 10 year mark and people start going, "Hey, you still doing that band thing?"
ROR: "What are you guys doing with your life?" Right? (laughs)
TS: But there are a few friends that you can call true friends who recognize why you're in it and what you do it for,
that recognize you and acknowledge you as you're on your way to making it in a sense. This is a treasured gift. This quote
to me sums it up right there.
AS: Even through difficult times and disappointments, member changes, people leaving you and stabbing you, not trusting
people, managers gone bad....you know what I mean?
TS: Oh god, managers. That word to me is a joke. I'm actually co-managing this band right now.
ROR: And you're smart to do that in this business.
TS: It's also because we know ourselves. We work well with each other. We don't need a babysitter. Nobody needs to
tell us when to show up to the show. We're grown men. If you can't handle your day-to-day business you're a joke to me.
The point of the story is that we've been through it all; managers, member changes, deals going through the floor, deals looking
like they're pending and then not happening, this and that. Touring with national bands and then going back to the clubs
and slugging it out for like ten people.
ROR: Right.
TS: Yeah, let's go out on tour with Tesla for almost a month and then go back to the club scene. When you think you're
just about to break on your first record and then nothing happens, you know, you just have to go back to the drawing board.
We've been back to the drawing board quite a few times. We know what it is, but hey, it never deterred us because we love
it that much. We love what we do this much, and it also helps when you have family.
ROR: Your family is supportive, right? I know that you're sons of a doctor...
TS: Yeah, yeah. Our first obstacle was to get them involved and just respecting what we're doing; being able to at least
maintain a relationship with your family because that's the first thing. I mean, if you can't talk to your father because
he doesn't really like what you're doing or at least is respecting it, that obviously creates problems for a relationship.
But, you know, that's another thing. The determination and persistence...
AS: Our father is a very persistent guy.
TS: He is a super persistent guy. He's an immigrant. He came over here in the early 70's and has done amazing for himself
considering where he came from, a small little village in Greece growing up with nothing; not even shoes, not even anything.
This was post World War II stricken Greece. The Nazi's left nothing and he grew up in that. There were ten kids in one
room, you know, the kind of poverty that you can't imagine; a barrio or a ghetto in New York City looks like the Hyatt Regency
compared to where this guy comes from. So, what really got my father initially was that he really didn't understand the music,
but he could see that if these guys are not letting go of this thing three years now, four years now...
AS: Five years, six...(laughing with interviewer)
TS: He's like, "Wow, there's something wrong with you guys, but I love you for it. I love you're determination."
That was a huge testament to our relationship with our dad and our mom; that they saw that we were driven to take this thing
as far as we needed to go to make it.
ROR: It's great to have that kind of support, because how many parents want their kids to do one thing and the kids want
to do something else?
AS: Sure.
ROR: Especially when it comes to music, these stories are far and wide.
AS: Sure, yeah. You try not to embarrass them too though. Not getting involved with crazy drugs; I mean, we've all
had our day experimenting with stuff. Whatever man, you can't do this job if you're fucking hung over. If we're gonna rock
and sweat and really give it up, unless you're superhuman...
TS: Because we believe in the fact that you don't need to disrespect anybody.
AS: Yeah, exactly.
TS: We wouldn't disrespect ourselves and we don't want to disrespect our family and the people who believe in us. The
minute you take the stage and you're not prepared to be there you're wasting everybody's time.
AS: You have their name, you know?
ROR: That's always the moment, and I hate to say this being part of the press, but that's the moment when the press is
going to report on you...you know what I'm saying? They're looking for the flaws.
AS: Oh sure.
TS: Absolutely, they're waiting for it to break. It's way more interesting when it's coming down than when it's going
up.
ROR: If you guys are doing great and you're solid people then they could give a shit. But you make a mistake and they're
all over you.
TS: Absolutely.
ROR: And usually with a camera.
TS: Absolutely.
AS: Our last name is his last name too (referring to their father).
TS: So respect is a huge deal, and we've never lost sight of that. They're real happy with the way things are going
and that drives you also. You go out every day and you want to do well; you want to do well for yourself and you want to
do well for your family. There's nothing better than knowing that your family feels good about what you're doing, and is
enamored by how you're doing. I get the biggest kick when I call my dad up and he's telling me about our Myspace page.
AS: He's never been on the computer.
TS: He's not a computer guy, you know, and he's telling me (voiced in his best Greek accent), "Hey Tak, this Myspace
page...the hits are up today." I'm like, this is crazy.
ROR: That's too funny. I can relate to what you guys are saying because I don't get paid that much to do what I'm doing
here. It's all at my expense; the travel, etc.
AS: Because you really love it.
ROR: That's right. I do. I love what I'm doing. I've been waiting a long time to do this, to where my kids were old
enough and I could take some time and do what I want to do. I put all that on hold for a really long time.
AS: That's pretty cool.
ROR: My kids and I listen to all the same music. My daughter has been on stage with me for Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, you
know?
AS: You're the coolest mom.
TS: Wow, that's cool.
ROR: Yeah, I am, pretty much (laughs with Taki and Alex). but this is something I've been wanting to do for a long time;
it's just that nobody is giving me shit to do it.
AS: Yep, totally.
ROR: This is just, for awhile just for me and just so that I can sit down and do good reporting. I'm so tired of seeing
crap out there.
AS: That's pretty cool. We're excited to hear you say that.
TS: Well, you've done really good research.
AS: Yeah, yeah.
ROR: Well, thanks. I try to. I'm looking to get the real story of what you guys go through, because I don't think
people realize the incredibly hard work you do.
AS: We're in debt up to our ears. Credit cards, we're maxed out man. So we just basically keep doing it.
TS: But we don't give a shit either.
AS: I've never been happier really. (laughs hard with Taki)
ROR: That's what funny...
AS: Yep, that's the best part.
ROR: You look pretty happy.
TS: We're having a good time. When you get to do what you want to do every day, that's a great feeling.
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