Sandiegopunk.com interviews Guttermouth
Guttermouth recently put on an amazing performance at Lou's Records. They played three songs from their new album Gusto, and the rest of the set consisted of old fan favorites. After the show the band stuck around to meet fans and sign autographs, during this time, I had the privilege of asking Mark some questions...
Matt: So Gusto seems to be getting a lot of hype. Everyone is talking about how it's so different from your other albums, some people are saying it sucks other say it's good, what are your thoughts on all this?
Mark: Well what I think is that we made the party punk album of 2002.
I was getting so tired of the same old watered down punk that you hear every day. It's like that same band, with different album titles and different song titles. And I hate that, you know, it's so boring and I wanted to do something different.
Matt: So when you went into the studio you had the idea to make it sound like that, it didn't just come out naturally like that?
Mark: Yeah we wanted to do it like that.
Matt: Where is your studio?
Mark: It's in my house, so when we do albums we just party and write music, and it's all mine so we don't have to pay money for it. We just throw back a couple of drinks and get that cool kind of buzz, not horribly drunk, and just start playing.
Matt: So how many of your lyrics are written while under the influence of alcohol?
Mark: I would say the majority. Like with Gusto, we were pretty wasted, I was on drums just going at it, screaming, and the other guys were starting to put a rhythm to it so we recorded the crappy version.
Matt: So you recorded the real version when you were sober?
Mark: Yeah we came back a day or two later and finished it up.
Matt: Alright, you just did this free show promoting the new album, and...
Mark: Didn't you have fun?
Matt: Yeah I had a blast, the music was great the band was funny, it was a great time.
Mark: Yeah I felt a bit awkward, playing in a parking lot, it felt all ghetto, didn't Warped Tour play in a parking lot?
Matt: Yep.
Mark: Wow, it's amazing how ghetto Warped Tour is and it still sells. But yeah, we just wanted to play some new songs and show kids what it was like.
Matt: Why didn't you play "Scholarship in Punk," isn't it the sing of the new CD?
Mark: Well, to be honest with you, I don't sing that song very well, so we decided to cut that one out this time around.
Matt: Are you going to be going on tour, playing at venues?
Mark: Yeah we are we will be back in San Diego soon too!
Matt: Right on do you know where or who will be opening or anything?
Mark: No that's all far away and we have no idea now. HEY THERE'S CLINT!
Clint: Hey what's going on guys? (Clint starts to talk with other people).
Matt: How is the situation with Clint, have you convinced him to stay in the band?
Mark: Yeah almost. We are trying to get him to quit his day job.
Matt: Clint, what's you day job?
Clint: I am a...
Mark: He is a farmer.
Clint: Yeah, I farm toads.
Matt: You will be shooting a video for "Scholarship in Punk" soon, right?
Mark: Yeah in like two weeks or something, up north.
Matt: You know what it will be about?
Mark: No not really, the video probably wont even be released here in the US. It will over in Australia.
Matt: Yeah you guys are huge over there, huh?
Mark: Yeah we are like rock stars or something.
Clint: It is fun to be away from the band and then get back together and go over there, because we are apart for so long then we are together and all big, it's a good feeling.
Mark: I think Clint likes being away from the band period.
Matt: At your show at Cox Arena, with Pennywise, it looked like you broke your foot, what happened?
Mark: I broke 3 bones on top of my foot, it was so lame, after our set I went to the hospital, over by the college, it's kind of ghetto over there, isn't it?
Matt: Yeah kinda.
Mark: So yeah, I go there and the doctor looks at it and tells me it's nothing and hands me some painkillers and a bandage. A couple weeks later it is all swollen up and I can barely put pressure on it, so I go to a real doctor, he actually X-Rays it and tells me I broke three bones. And I still had to pay the doctor at the first hospital.
Matt: Wow that's lame.
Mark: Yeah but I have insurance so it wasn't a big deal.
Matt: What type of sports do you play during your off time?
Mark: Uh nothing really, stuff here and there.
Matt: Weren't you at the Punk Rock Pro Am, at the golf course?
Mark: Uh yeah, we played 3 holes and then we got drunk and talked to people.
Clint: That's what you do, the only way to play golf; play 3 holes then you're out.
Mark: It was so weird, I got paired up with the manager of Rock 105.3, I had never met him so I am all wasted drooling all over the place while he is driving the cart, it was funny.
Matt: Do you remember how you did on the first 2 holes?
Mark: No man, it didn't really matter, my mission that day was to talk to as many people possible.
Matt: Your new album cover, you painted that 7 years ago?
Mark: Yeah, and when we decided to name the album gusto they wrote that in the thinking bubble and that's how the cover was born.
Clint: We also came up with the name soup.
Mark: It's a fun word to say, I even drew it one day.
Matt: How old is your drummer? (He looks really young).
Mark: He is 12.
Matt: Haha, what is he really?
Mark: He is 25, he is younger than us and he is loosing his hair so its all good. We all like to call him 12 though.
Matt: Well that's all the questions I got, anything you want to say.
Mark: Yeah, I would just like to say that we made a new album, it's is a bit different, but it's good. Who knows what we will make for our next album, it could be another Musical Monkey album, we don't know. I was just so tired of all the same punk, that tries to like, send a message to the world and everything, I mean who really cares, we just want some good music and have fun, and that's what we did.
Matt: So if your fans turn out to not like this album, will you lean towards making a Musical Monkey style album or will you keep on making Gusto type albums?
Mark: We will do what we want, because we are at a position that whatever we do, we will have a fan base behind us. I like songs like "Gusto" and "Foot-long;" I think they are rockin' songs. We played them a little differently today, to try to get the crowd more into it, but I still love those songs.
Matt: Yeah they sounded different live, they were a bit faster.
Mark: So yeah we are just having fun and doing what we love, so that's all.
Matt: Right on, we will see you when you come back to San Diego.
Mark: Cool, later.
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