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kind of looked at me—this was before the Dolls got there when the band’s great and 150 people to see back together, literally a month—and he said, ‘For these guys who basically sold their souls to pack the FrankensteinFrankenstein you, alright.’ place and make no money at the end of the night too. And Manitoba—I grew up in the Bronx, and The It’s really sad. Dictator guys are much older than me, but that’s That’s got to be rough for you guys too because 30003000 the first rock and roll band that I used to see you come off as a very stage-oriented band. walking around the neighborhood, and I was Once in a while they ask us to play some of the always kind of enthralled with these guys, rooms because some of the club owners like the band Handsome Dick. So the first real band I got and give us opportunities, which you’re not really into when I was four or five was The Dictators, supposed to say, but when these clubs are packed and I’ve known Richard for so many years, and they need an opening band, they’ll call us because and I asked him to do some backgrounds on they know we can deliver or whatever. it and it was no problem. But it’s tough because when we started doing this, It just started developing into what it we started finding these little pubs and playing, bringing became. It’s interesting because another some people, but it’s not like a cover charge, it’s having reason we decided to do a cover record is some fun. Another thing is these little pubs, especially because, in this day and age, we’ve shopped in this area, they seem to come and go every couple around some of the original records that we of months, or have name changes. It’s just hard to have, we did get some offers, and it wasn’t right. keep up with, it gets frustrating. It’s definitely a difficult We’ve all been down that road before, so scene to play.The pay-to-play has really had an effect. why would we want to sell our souls? When we put What was the approach with this record? together this idea, it was like, ‘There’s nobody’s soul We just stopped worrying about bands and labels It’s to sell because it’s not our music to begin with, so we and this and that. We just said, ‘Fuck it, let’s start It’s might as well just have some fun with it.’ doing it for us instead of anybody else, and if anyone A good philosophy. wants to join the party, they’re more than welcome.’ Alive!!!Alive!!! Rock and roll’s about fun anyway, so let’s have We’re all influenced by The Dolls and The Pistols, Queen some. Let’s have some fun instead of being stressed The MC5 and The Stooges, but to say that now is by JJ Koczan and others out about going over budget or under budget or almost embarrassing.You hear these bands, ‘Yeah, Look up “musical too numerous to this or that.Will this one like it? Do we like it? All those we’re influenced by The MC5,’ or, ‘We’re influenced bravery” in Webster’s mention. crazy emotions start going through your head. by The Stooges,’ and that’s the music I grew up on, Dictionary, and you might be Roth, whose swagger and That’s another thing too, it’s a very fun record. and I always went back to it, especially in the surprised to discover it’s not in there. gruff delivery has been part of this balanced You’re kind of going against the grain with it. metal days. However, look it up in The Aquarian Weekly’s Dictionary breakfast for the NJ rock scene for over a decade, Music ended to me in ’79.The grunge movement, But now, the first couple of times you get fooled, Of Righteous Phrases For Use In Intros—available assembled a cast of his heroes to aid him in this labor I don’t think that movement would have ever existed and it’s like, ‘Where? How?’ Singing about chicks and now at fine retailers everywhere—and you’ll almost of love, including David Johansen (), without Black Sabbath. But yeah, I didn’t get that cars, and that’s cool if that’s what you’re into, but it certainly find the words “Mixing Nirvana and Beatles Cheetah Chrome (The Dead Boys), “Handsome” Dick whole thing in the ’90s where singers were looking seems like it’s the cliché to say, ‘Yeah, The Stooges.’ covers in an upbeat song less than three minutes Manitoba (The Dictators) and Leif Garrett (VH1’s like they were a deer in headlights and ‘Let’s not have Half of them don’t even know who The Stooges in length.” “: Leif Garrett”). any fun.’The hair thing was just utterly ridiculous, it are. Frankenstein 3000 (not to be confused with Dracula After several weeks of ducking me in public and was like watching Dude Where’s My Car? It had What about record labels? 2000 or 2010:The Year We Make Contact) are a avoiding my calls, he recently took a couple minutes the same kind of mentality. As far as the whole Frankenstein thing, you just Jersey-bred rock monster comprised of limbs Keith out to answer intelligent questions like, “Hey, how’d But since Nirvana, there’s really been nothing over start throwing your hands up in the air, and go, well, Roth (vocals, guitar), Dave Lister (guitar), Eric Hoagland you do that?” and “So what’s David Johansen really the top exciting.There hasn’t really been a movement. we did this, we won that, how many times did we play (bass) and Clint Gascoyne (drums), and it is they like?” Here’s the highlights: I’m waiting for it to happen. I would definitely jump there? The indie labels, they just wanted a little bit who have accomplished this courageous feat. In fact, How did you arrange all the guest appearances on, I’d love to be a part of the revolution and I feel like too much, and it’s almost better that you and your it’s how they start their album of covers, America’s on America’s Hit Remakers? I’m young enough still to be, but I don’t know. friends and some people who really enjoy what you Hit Remakers. Fortunately I’ve known a lot of these people from These record companies keep shooting themselves do have it, rather than give it to somebody that’s A jump-up-and-down good time anomaly in an age playing in bands for so many years. David Johansen’s in the foot, and what was once 20 is down to five. not going to do anything with it and you get enough of emaciated shoegazers, Frankenstein 3000’s ’70s one of my pals. Plus I work with him, I produce and They’ve all merged together. I remember Capitol and money to buy a sub sandwich and they own that speed/ flight of fancy might come off strange engineer his radio show for Sirius, and we just share all those, they were once independent labels. The recording or they own you. to those used to sitting alone in the dark with the a lot of thoughts. choices are so limited, I feel bad. But it was just a lot of fun making it, and it was kind headphones on, but for anyone looking to have a bit Initially that was on a Dolls tribute record that came There’s definitely a lot of bands out there, and of sad when we reached the mastering stage, because of fun, F3K provide a flawless soundtrack with their out last year called Jet Boys To Babylon, and I said, there’s bands that can hook 150 of their friends we threw ourselves into it for a couple months, and up tempo takes on classics ‘They asked us to be on this Dolls tribute, I just to come out, and you walk into some really concentrated on it, and when the from The Pretenders, think it would be super cool if you would of these rooms that were once smoke cleared, it was like, ‘Ah, back , do it with us.’ And great, and there’s five to the real world.’But if we could Cheap he people turn on people to some of Trick, these artists they never heard before and let them see what it was originally all about— that’s another thing we’re hoping may happen.

America’s Hit Remakers is available now through Main Man Records. F3K will be playing a pre-CD release party at The Saint in Asbury Park on Nov.12 with Staggerwigg. For more info, check out frankenstein3000.com and mainmanrecords.com

8 ARTS WEEKLY NOVEMBER 9, 2005 www.theaquarian.com