| 512-Go!» | Austin City Limits Music Festival 2007 |
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Butch Walker has been in about a million bands, like Southgang and Marvelous 3, and he also writes and produces for several other artist you may know, like Bowling for Soup, Avril Lavigne, Pink, Lindsay Lohan, Simple Plan, Sevendust, The Donnas, Hot Hot Heat, The All-American Rejects, and Fall Out Boy. We contacted Butch to ask him about his newest band, the Let’s-Go-Out-Tonites, which will back him at this year’s festival. And mostly he tore us a new one. This guy rocks.
That Other Paper What can we expect from your live show at ACL this year? Tell us a little about the Let’s Go Out Tonites.
Butch Walker My live show will be a cosmic, spacey, visual psychedelic trip to the senses, complete with confetti, animal costumes, and me exiting a space craft inside of a huge inflatable clear sphere… That’s actually the Flaming Lips. My show is pretty good though.
TOP You’ve had a number of bands in the past. What do you find is the biggest difference between working as a solo artist and playing in bands like Southgang and Marvelous 3?
BW Well, Southgang was a bad hair metal band from when I was a kid, so that one is fucking obvious. I don’t think you could pay me to sound like that now.. And Marv 3 was just us being 15 years too late and five years too early on the whole poppy-indie-skinny tie-eyeliner thingy. I like what we did, but I regret a lot of the shit I wore, that’s for sure. But hey, ask me 10 years from now how I liked wearing a waistcoat, fedora, and cowboy boots way back in ’07. I don’t think I answered your question.
TOP What is the most memorable thing that’s happened to you on stage or on tour?
BW Well, I toured China way back in my hair metal band, and we were the first American act to go there and play. It was a huge nightmare with management, bookers, etc. and we got screwed out of our gear, money, travel home and everything. We were young and just a bunch of uncultured rednecks from Rome, Georgia. That didn’t understand why we would play a show, then leave town and see billboards of us endorsing some shitty Chinese beer that we never even heard of, let alone got any for the trip home. Oh, that, and we had to play a show in a sports arena on ice. Yes. They were training for the Olympics in Jilin, China, and we played the arena there, but they didn’t cover the floor, so our amps and drums were on little wooden crates and we sat there on the ice. Freezing and swearing – in English of course.
TOP You’ve also written and produced for a lot of other artists. How is writing for other artists different from writing your own material?
BW That’s a boring question and a boring answer, but I can tell you that it pays way better to not be concerned about who the hell is gonna think your music is cool or not. But I guess that’s the trade-off. I love the double life.
TOP Has any band you’ve produced really made an impact on you? How?
BW Well, I worked with Lindsay Lohan on her record, just to see what a fucking trainwreck would be like. So trains hurt on impact. That’s what I learned. Oh, and I paid my parents’ house off with the money.
TOP Who else are you excited to see at the festival?
BW The White Stripes! I also love this girl named Cary Ann Hearst. She’s the real deal. Reminds of Shelby Lynn. Old school Shelby. And, God, the list goes on and on. I’m a music junkie, so I might overdose.
TOP When you come to Austin, what do you like to do here? Any Austin favorites?
BW Well there’s a Beauty Bar there, and that’s always fun. Plus I think we are gonna rock an after party there after our show. I love the food. The beer joints are great. I hate the weather, but I’m from Atlanta so I get it.
TOP What did you tell people you wanted to be, as a kid?
BW I saw Kiss play when I was eight years old and I knew what I wanted the minute that big fat demon-bat guy blew fire out his mouth.
TOP So convince us! Why should we come see you at ACL Fest this year?
BW God, this is funny. I need a business card or something that says “for Reel RocknRoll Original Tunez… We have a P.A. System too!” I don’t know. I suck at this. Just come watch me until you have to walk over and get a good place to stand for Meg and Jack.
Note: We talked to Butch before the White Stripes announced that they will not be playing the festival.
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