LWL Interview: Darkbuster
From Episode #17

INTERVIEWED BY TARA FEELY

Tara: Ok, so this is Darkbuster (or part of). You are?

Lenny: Caca.

Danny: I'm Deer in the Headlights.

Mike: Sweet Pea.

Tara: So you guys are now playing here at Axis for your big reunion show after...three years?

Lenny: Couple of two years...but who's counting?

Tara: Two years. Now, what made you guys get back together?

Lenny: It was Danny's idea.

Danny: It was my brainchild.

Lenny: He had nothing else to do! Basically bored...

Danny: I said, "Why not?" You know?

Lenny: Called the guys up!

Tara: But you guys are all doing other things. You're not, though [pointing at Danny].

Mike: He basically called us up one day and said, "I'm getting the band back together."

Lenny: Yeah! "Are you guys in or are you out? Let's go boys!" [laughs]

Tara: But you guys are doing other things as well....

Lenny: I'm playing in Lenny and the Piss Poor Boys, Gurly's in the USM. Danny was in the least noteworthy [band] Avoid One Thing, and if I could recommend one thing, probably avoid that thing! [laughter]

Tara: Since you've gotten back together you had obviously broken up, what was the story behind that?

Lenny: It was Gurly's idea!

Mike: That was my brainchild.

Lenny: Gurly's idea, it was like, "Things are going too well, we're just fuckin' awesome with making too much money, two of us just isn't good enough..."

Tara: It was like a Jane's Addiction thing, quit while you're ahead.

Lenny: Well, not a Jane's Addiction thing, really, because Gurly's no good in a corset!

Tara: Oh come on, I think he'd look good in a corset!

Lenny: Kind of like a Jane's Addiction thing, minus the 17 million dollars that they make every time they go on the road....

Tara: What do you think sets you apart from other punk bands?

Lenny: We drink better! And that's an open challenge to any other fuckin' band thinks they can drink as good as we can. Right there, that's a challenge, right there!

Tara: What do you think is your best song, your worst song, and your most memorable song, of all the songs you've written?

Mike: The best songs are the ones that I wrote! Nah, I'll answer the question in order: "Jerk", "You Jerk", "You Fucking Jerk".

Lenny: I'll buy that!

Mike: Best song, worst song, and most memorable. [laughter]

Tara: [to Erik, recently arrived] What do you think are the three...what's the most memorable song, the worst song and the best song?

Erik: Of what? Of all time?

Tara: No, of Darkbuster!

Lenny: Yeah, all time first!

Erik: Anything by Enough is Enough. Most memorable song, the fuckin' Foxwoods Theme. [laughter]

Lenny: Hey - let's live for the wonder of it all!

Erik: That song, tied for first, and what is it? Best song ever? Of all time? Back in Black.

Lenny: Now Darkbuster songs.

Erik: Darkbuster songs? Worst song - "Good Times". Most memorable song - Doobie doobie doobie doobie doobie doobie doobie [singing intro to "Pub"] What song is that one? [laughter]

Danny: Talk about a song that's most memorable!

Erik: That's the most memorable, 'cause no matter where you are, you're buying groceries, the guy's like, "Can I see your ID?" You go, "Hell, shoobie doobie doobie doobie doobie doobie doobie...fuck!" And then also the Foxwoods motherfucker comes in....

Lenny: Let's live for the wonder of it all!

Erik: The best song, tied for the best song [is] "Ronald Regan", and uh... "Motown" is pretty fucking good. That's a fucking great song.

Tara: What do you think of the punk scene in Boston now, as compared to when you guys first started out, and what are your favorite bands that are playing now?

Lenny: It still stinks, man. The punk rock scene in town stinks still. It was good when I was a kid in the early 80's. Now? I don't know man, it's tough getting in and playing. The Bluebloods, you like them guys?

Mike: I love those guys!

Lenny: I guess they're coming up, except Gurly says the guy dances around with his guitar a little too gay! [laughter] I mean, Suspect Device, there's a ton of good bands around, but I don't know...Boston was legendary at one time and it ain't anymore, I don't think.

Tara: Well, ok, you were talking about how you think the Boston punk scene sucks now...

Lenny: YOU were talking about how the Boston punk scene sucks!

Tara: Well no, you said you thought it was better!

Erik: No, you said it sucked!

Danny: Why do you hate punk so much? [band laughs]

Tara: I actually think the punk scene's a lot better than it was even 10 years ago....

Lenny: Name three good punk bands in town! [to Danny] We'll turn the interview around! [laughs]

Tara: Three good punk bands?

Lenny: Three good punk bands, NOW!!!

Tara: Three good punk bands? Suspect, Kings of Nuthin', Unseen! BOOM! Those three bands.

Mike: I think it's good, I just think the kids are less interested these days as they were in, say, 1996 or 1997.

Tara: How do you think the beer throwing thing started? Is it just because like in the old days, back with the Sex Pistols, the kids would spit at the audience?

Lenny: Beer is cheaper than spit! Basically that's what we figured.

Paul: It actually started from us, spitting beer at the crowd at a couple of shows, and people started going "Fuck you!" and throwing it back at us, and it just got out of control....

Lenny: For future reference, if we play any more shows, anybody can throw anything they want - hopefully transmissions - but throw 'em at Gurly!

Tara: Here's another question which I know you've heard a million, million, million times, but I'm gonna phrase this differently...

Lenny: Oh not the Unseen thing!

Tara: Of course! But in retrospect.

Lenny: Forget it!

Danny: This interview is over!

Lenny: That's what we do! Just like Johnny live from the Sex Pistols, right now. [gets up, covers camera with hand] It's over. Interview's over. The interview is over!

Tara: Phrased differently, in retrospect, how do you feel about that song, now that it's become so huge. Do you regret writing it?

Lenny: No, we don't regret nothin'! I'll tell you what - I wrote the song, and the one regret I have is that it followed them around. In hindsight, it was all about my perspective, not what's gonna tail them around. It was about what I thought at that particular moment. The only regret is that they have to live with the stigma, you know what I mean? They're all good guys, fuck 'em. If they don't like it, fuck 'em.

Tara: So here's a question from your old history: how did you guys initially get together?

Lenny: We were all playing in other crappy bands. Basically, we decided to get one bigger crappy band going.

Erik: Lenny was on one of his "I'm gonna be sober" kicks...so he called me down and said "Let's start a sober thing, 'cause I don't wanna hang around all my cokehead buddies." So we put a couple X's on our hands, started playing Earth Crisis shows. So we went around to a lot of shows, actually travelled with them, just to not do drugs with them. Then Mikey didn't want to be in his band, so we added him, and became the best band evah. Evah. EVER.

Tara: I remember one time - I knew Paul from when he used to be in Mung, and I ran into him at a show somewhere, and he said, "I'm in this new band, it's great, it's called Darkbuster."

Lenny: Ask him where he is now! [laughter]

Tara: So I was like, "Oh, ok," and it didn't sink into my head immediately, and then I went to the Rumble one night and it was first round, upstairs, and I stood in the back of the room with Grant Thayer just watching, and it was the first time I'd ever seen you play, the first round, and I said, "Holy shit, this is the most amazing thing I've ever seen! This is what it was like to see Gangreen." Now I know how those kids must've felt.

Erik: Just, better!! 'Cause that guy fuckin' stinks! [laughter] What the fuck song did he ever write that was good?

Tara: "Alcohol"!

Erik: Alright, that wasn't bad, but I mean, c'mon! Now, "Jerk". That's what I'm fuckin' talking about! "That Mic Gave Me Strep" - that's a fuckin' classic! That shit's gonna get me in the Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame, dude! Fuck that shit - "Alcohol"!

Tara: They're gonna give you a star outside of Virgin - remember how they had all those stars?

Erik: And no signature, just a fuckin' Speedo, in the glass!

Paul: Outside the Ramrod, maybe!

Lenny: Nah, there's already one there - it's a brown stain! It's not quite a star! It's more like a splat mark! [laughter]

Tara: So now how long were you in the band before you left? [to Erik]

Lenny: Erik was in the band until he got tired of carting our drunk asses around. And Danny picked up when he left.

Tara: You did the record, and then you [Danny] picked up after that. And you were with them when they won the Rumble, obviously. And Paul, when did you start?

Paul: I was with them in '99. I was in the band for probably two months....

Mike: You joined in October, October 2 was our first show at O'Briens.

Danny: Yes!

Paul: I remember my first show Lenny had thrown and smashed a guitar.

Erik: It was the worst show, hands down, the entire band has ever played.

Danny: He actually made my girlfriend cry!

Lenny: That's not tough.

Erik: I remember just feeling fuckin' horrible by asking Paul to be in the band! [laughs] I was like, "If you don't want to be in it anymore, it's cool!"

Mike: The best part about that night was Lenny riding his bike through the crowd all shitfaced! He was swerving and yelling at people, "Get out of the way!!"

Tara: So who do you want to challenge to a drinking contest?

Lenny: I'd like to challenge Faster Pussycat.

Erik: Nice!

Paul: How about the Dropkicks?

Lenny: Yeah.

Erik: I'd like to challenge 'em to a fight, maybe! [laughter]

Lenny: And that's only him, Kenny. Only him.

Danny: Him, and all of you!

Erik: I just wanna fight somebody, so it might as well be you guys. I'll fight you guys whenever the fuck you want! [laughter]

Lenny: Actually I had this idea years ago about every band in Boston boxing for charity. So anybody that wants to try to outdrink and outbox us...excluding Blood for Blood. [laughter] And Reach the Sky.

Tara: Would it be bare-knuckle?

Lenny: No, no, it's 8 oz. gloves, three minute rounds...

Danny: Any Math Rock band that wants to challenge us!

Tara: So if Cave In wants to challenge you?

Danny: Yeah, Emo, Math Rock...

Lenny: Piebald! Piebald! What about all you "tough" bands like Piebald, Helicopter Helicopter...you are the guys we wanna go after!

Danny: You hear us, Mr. Airplane Man?

Lenny: Bring both the girls, bring both'a'yas! I won't even break the brass knuckles out. We'll fight fair - we'll fight fair!!

Mike: [laughs] Mr. Airplane Man...