born. Silent Dave, you got any ska players? Even in the VR:(explosive laughter) What?! questions? oldies, Prince Buster & his DH: That’s his middle name Silent Dave: Nope. contemporaries swore, or though, he’s a lucky guy. I won’t ask about indvidual used the cultural slang of On the way here you men- songs. From your position their day. tioned the Upstate NY vibe. as musicians writing 12.13.98 DH: Prince Buster had a whole The Haunt If you could elaborate on songs, not necessarily ska X-rated album Ithaca NY those thoughts, or if you but any songs, what are VR: Lloydie & The Lowbites... In the van on don’t care to then don’t. your thoughts on vulgarity? Definitely slack. West Green St. DH: My experiences with Upstate, I We help with a ska TV DH: I don’t know though, I think have relatives that live up in show cable axs, and got a when we write lyrics we just try to an interview with victor ruggiero & dave hillyard! Potsdam, so me & my cousins phone call a not too long keep them into something we’re would get shuttled back and forth ago from this caribbean feeling. If I had an idea that had VR: This is like my racing jacket couple months now. We did four doing this thing, do you want to from California and Upstate New sounding guy concerned a curse word in it, I wouldn’t have Interview with the Slackers US tours and one European tour come down? And so now its York a lot during the summer. We’d because the word fuck a problem with writing it in a song take one. Please introduce within that time, so... developed into a theme, the last end up spending a couple weeks was said in a context of but I guess I’ve never really... (to yourself VR: Before that we used to do one, on the cover of The up there. It’s interesting, you know anger. He called to voice DH: I’m Dave Hillyard, I play kinda like 2 week deals, go up & Question, that one was planned. Vic) We don’t have any curses do its weird because there’s like his discontent, because saxophone down the East coast, go to like (Dave laughs) we? We’re G-rated almost. Well, college towns up here, then there’s vulgarity is not what these VR: My name’s Vic, Florida. Make a trip to Chicago or Albums are like children. you know what I mean though all the industrial towns with 50% musics are about. I under- Like actual word wise... I play keyboard, or organ. a couple gigs in Ohio, something. How did the name of your unemployment, and then there’s stand where he’s coming Talk about your first job in The past year, it’s definitely been band, The Slackers come VR: Yeah, I don’t know the guys living out in the woods. from, but today in 90s music a heavier schedule. about? Is it the ‘90s lingo DH: There’s subtext. Definitely. It’s very bizarre and yet its part of American culture, that’s DH: My first gig? In support of your latest 2 ‘being slackers’ or is it a VR: Would The Beatles have put New York State but it really has part of language, everyday Or your first job playing ska records, 1997’s Redlight reference to slack reggae, curse words in their songs? Did nothing to do with New York City. language for some people. DH: My first gig was 1985 I think, I and now the Question. I You play slower tempo ska they? had barely been playing VR: Yeah, definitely gothic. Gothic So consequently, in much have a question, or more of music. DH: I don’t think so saxophone. My friend at the time is the word. American ska music, that’s an observation perhaps of VR: We named the band kind of VR: If it fits in, that’s okay. I mean Dave Douglas whose father was an DH: A lot of Norman Bates shit you bound to happen some- Slackers’ cover art. It accidentally. It was initially going definitely Sic & Mad [Vic’s accountant, His dad had an end of know... where. As far as The always features Chris to be called The Silencers, then it punkrock side project] has fuckin’ the tax year party.. (Vic laughs) and VR: Not gothic in the sense of Slackers go, you play a Qualiana [aka The Wix]. was going to be The Suspects, cursewords all over the place. the band was called “The Saints” Peter Murphy. (laughs) Maybe more roots-respecting Was that concept a fully the this, the that, anything that DH: I curse a lot in normal and we were a mod/ska band and around Poe. style. What’s your take as speech. we fought viciously over the songs conscious decision, or did sounded ominous and began with it just happen the whole an ‘S’ because I was into the letter VR: Actually, the old Slackers we were going to play, and... material had curse words in it, a VR: (Interrupting disbelief) Really? time? And if so, do you ‘S’ that week. And somebody had Our band gravitated naturally toward couple. DH: Yeah, we played the end of the expect it to continue? written it on our rehearsal studio the traditional, or I guess what they DH: In “Sooner or Later” do you tax year accounting party for Dave DH: Actually the first one... I think wall. It’s this big building every- Douglas’ dad. (both laugh) Chris was helping us hook up body used to write graffiti on all call “traditional”. I don’t call it that. curse in that? What about you Vic? with a photographer, and we had the walls and shit. Somebody VR: Only when I sing “I’m gonna VR: Um geez man... a totally different album cover in wrote “Luis is a slacker” Luis cut your fuckin’ head off!”(laughs) DH: First gig mind. She brought it in and we Zualaga is our drummer. Later, but that’s not in the proper lyrics. VR: First Gig..I played Dexy’s hated it, basically it was not much we’re sitting there going through That only happens when certain “Come on Eileen” at a talent show. liked. We were arguing over it all these names & someone read people are around. (more laughs) I was like eleven and someone said those pictures the wall and said, “Well, Luis is Yeah, no we don’t have any DH: Yeah? What were you playing? were taken as kind of a joke, slacker, so that means the rest of curse words, I don’t think in any VR: Bass. Upright. I got the gig right? Turns out half as a joke of you must be. So you’re the of the Slackers tunes. because I was the upright player But it’s not something that her and muck... Slackers.” It stuck. DH: You knew both strings. you’re totally conscious of, VR: Well that was when we had DH: That’s how it happened, cool. VR: Yup (nods in agreement) it’s just what happens. As shown the band the pictures at VR: Yeah cool. I think it was actu- DH: Fair enough. (We all laugh) it also kinda does in daily the photo session and everybody ally a Back to The Future refer- The Slackers started in speech. was like aw man, we said no, ence, you know, McFly! You’re a NYC, Brooklyn to be more VR: Yeah, its like I had to actually specific, and now where are don’t use those pictures. And I slacker! Chances are that’s where it came from. think through and see if there you based? protested, no this is cool. It was a DH: Names are kind of like, when were tunes that had any. VR: New York City picture of a black girl, just looking kind of real lonesome. It was sup- you’re born with your name, you DH: I don’t think we’re really You’re still NYC based, but opposed to the idea, but we the record label has posed to be better late than don’t even think about it after awhile, it’s just your name. don’t... I don’t know. A lot of changed. never. Just very dreary kind of VR: I like when people tell me that music today is very superficial to DH: Well our record label is based like whatever, and everybody they have names like, my name’s me in terms of lyrics. If the mes- out of Los Angeles, but we still live thought they didn’t know if that Audrey, after Audrey Hepburn. sage is “I’m a badass” or “Fuck in New York and its... Guys live in works. Then the photographer You know or my name’s such & you, I’m gonna fuckin’ kill you”, Brooklyn and Vic lives in New said let me just snap a couple of such after the character in this people do it cause it establishes Rochelle right now. pictures, Chris was hesitant at movie, a lot of girls tell me that some sort of an image. I just VR: It’s like a suburb. first but then agreed. It was total- ‘My mom named me after such & haven’t really needed to establish Are you on the road a lot? ly accidental. The same thing such. You know..