interview with Pat Benny

The bumper to bumper traffic didn't help to calm my nerves as I made my way up the 405 Freeway, out to the San Fernando Valley to interview two members of the Broke Americans. I'd heard their music (see CD review, SBM issue #1) and became an instant fan. But I'd also seen their website, so I knew that they are superb musicians who live a lifestyle that this writer had to abandon twenty-some years ago or face extinction. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I feared that I was about to meet the Red Hot Chilli Peppers on steroids, or something even more volitale. What I encountered instead were two of the nicest, brightest and most hospitable young men that I've ever had the pleasure to meet. True, they are a study in contradiction, boasting of their talents while simultaneously assuming the role as their own harshest critics, but the prevailing theme was one of complete and utter honesty that this writer found most refreshing. They sometimes sounded as innocent and naive as babes in the woods, and other times expressed the wisdom of two very old souls. For example, Sean speaks so nonchalantly about his drumkit and custom designs, but the drums have to be seen to be believed and it will be a shame if he doesn't pursue this endeavor. Trevor is quick to proclaim their superiority over other bands in the area, but just as quick to critisize his own vocals. They appear to be living the American Dream, the Broke American Dream, to be precise, of having the freedom to think, live and, most importantly, feel in the manner they choose for themselves. I'd like to thank them for their time, their hospitality and their indulgence for an old hippie who persisted in comparing their music to bands that were popular long before their time. That is a bad habit that this writer is trying to break. Their music and lifestyle isn't for everyone, but if we could all approach life with the same courage, honesty and optimism as the Broke Americans, we would all be the better for it. So read on, dude, 'cause it's all good!

Pat: It's June 15, 2003, and I'm Pat Benny for Southbound Beat Magazine. I'm sitting here this afternoon with drummer Sean Topham and lead singer Trevor Mote of the Broke Americans. How're you doing, guys?

Trevor: It's all good.

Sean: Yeah!

Pat: I'd like to start off by thanking you for letting us spend your Sunday afternoon with you.

Trevor: Thanks for comin' out.

Pat: It's always a pleasure to take a little time to talk with a band as talented as you guys. I really love your BROKE AMERICANS CD. How long has it been out?

Sean: Two years, maybe.

Trevor: Yeah, about two years. Independent label.

Pat: Let's see, that's on the INDUSTRIAL STRENGTH label.

Trevor: Yeah.

Pat: Wasn't that about the time that you changed the name of the band?

Trevor: Yeah, we were goin' into the studio, and we were goin in under the name, THE ASSHOLES. The record company said: "You can keep that name if you like, we really don't care, but you can't really do anything with it." (laughs) As it turns out, we couldn't do anything with it. I mean, you can't put it on the radio, even though they say it all the time, but it didn't matter because all the songs are so filthy that...(laughs)

Pat: That was gonna be my next question. Why would they object to the name when...you've got some pretty outrageous lyrics. Trevor: Yeah, well. We have radio stations tell us all the time: "We think your CD is great, but we just can't play anything off it," and when you think about it, every other guy out there, EmmenEm, Kid Rock, they're saying 'fuck' all the time, but they've got the bucks to go back and do the censored version. You know what I mean. With us, it's a different story, and we didn't know the difficulties we were gonna run into, but...

Pat: In hindsight, would you have maybe stuck a couple of songs in there where the lyrics were benign, just to get some airplay?

Trevor: Either that or go back and change some of the lyrics--get the point across but so there wasn't so much filth, you know? Don't get me wrong; I love filth, you know. It's fun, it's shocking, but we're working on some new songs right now, and it's just a matter of getting it on paper and then you can go back and change what you want.

Pat: So, when you write a song, does the music come first, or the lyrics?

Trevor: Usually, Tim will throw the music down and then give me a tape. Then I'll write the lyrics. It's just a matter of how it strikes me, what motivates me. Or sometimes, Sean will have an idea and then I'll write a song around that or Tim will have...usually our ideas come from the funny shit that we say. We'll just be goin' off in rehearsal or someone will say something funny...

Sean: You mean, like (shouts) WHOOO-WHOOO! (everyone laughs)

Pat: One of the cuts off the CD, I DON'T THINK SO, was this directed at somebody? It sounds to me like there is a personal vendetta there, or were you just shouting at the breeze?

Trevor: Yeah, just shouting at the breeze, but each verse has its own personal vendetta. No one in particular, but the first verse...you know, this town has some bands that really blow, you know?

Pat: Ain't that the truth!

Trevor: It's probably (whispers) jealousy, the green headed monster. You know, they're playing at the Whiskey, dude, and back when that song was written, we were goin' with full guns and it's just like: Fuck all those people, but it was funny at the time.

Pat: It sounds like a harmless way to blow off some steam, and if that's what works for you, then that's what you go for. I sort of see you guys as the Frank Zappas and the Fugs of a new millenium.

Trevor: Frank Zappa's awesome!

Sean: Right there!

Pat: The Tubes, as well. I hear a lot of the Tubes in your music. They're still going strong. I saw them recently, and they kicked ass. They've still got that guy dressing up in that big blonde wig to sing WHITE PUNKS ON DOPE. It shows that there is a market for what I call "outrageous rock." How do you classify your music?

Sean: Everyone asks us that. We say: "Here's a song--listen to it."

Trevor: Because every one of our songs has a different feel to it.

Sean: I'd say: crazy rock and roll comedy, punk rock...

Trevor: I'd say Frank Zappa is a good comparison because there's musicality...you know the talent is there...the singing sucks; I'll be honest with you, the singing's not the greatest...

Pat: I'd have to disagree with you, there.

Trevor: Well, I appreciate that.

Pat: To sing in that manner, with that real throaty voice, is that wearing on you, night after night, or is the reverse true?

Trevor: It improves, yeah. I'm sure that someday I'll pay for it. If you do it when you're not used to it, it'll fuck your throat up. But, if you're used to doin' it...We had a bass player, once. I'd just gotten into town and he told me: "You've got to sing with more of that raspy sound," and I was, like, I don't think I can do it and he said: "Well then, you'd better find yourself another band," so I was, like, I guess I'd better do it! (everyone laughs)

Pat: It kind of has that METALICA sound.

Trevor: Metalica's cool.

Sean: I hope you're talkin' about old metalica. (everyone laughs)

Pat: I hear a lot of different kinds of music on your CD. Track eight, I'M PROUD TO BE AN ASSHOLE, has a Ted Nugent sound to it.

Trevor: That song is funny, because when we first wrote it, it was a slow, kind of country sounding. We speeded it up until it was almost a punk song. The lyrics were always the lyrics.

Pat: (reading from the CD box) Yeah, the lyrics: "I've got you in a strangle hold, baby..." That's Ted Nugent.

Trevor: Yeah, we had a lot of different sound effects on the slow version that we had to give up, and Tim played a Ted Nugent kind of slide on it. But, yeah, that was Ted Nugent! (laughs)

Pat: Track three, HIT SINGLE, has a Lynard Skynyrd sound to it. Was that intentional?

Trevor: I doubt it.

Sean: It was a Ska thing.

Pat: That's cool. I'm an old bluesman, and I think that music is an evolutionary thing, a work in progress. Everybody borrows from everybody.

Trevor: There's no way to escape it. I mean, how many songs have been written, twenty gazillion? There's no way you can come up with something brand, brand new that hasn't been done before. You just have to put your own spin on it.

Pat: When I listen to your CD, the first thing I notice is the lyrics, which are outrageous. The music is high octane, dynamic, but then there are all these subtle things, and I think to myself, these guys could play any kind of music that they please, and yet you choose to go for the outrageous.

Trevor: Yeah, and it's not that we're out to grab a headline, that's just what came out. If you saw us live...it's a party.

Sean: Beer Bong's all over the stage; We get the crowd into it. Usually, some drunk fucker will jump onstage and start singing. Girls taking off their tops, it's fucking outrageous.

Trevor: It is a fucking party. When I was a kid, my major band was VAN HALEN. You knew that Eddie was just the best guitar player, but what really did it for me was Dave, because he was just so outrageous. He was the ultimate rock star, and I said to myself, That's what I want to be. You know, just get crazy and party and all kinds of broads. And then reality struck. (laughs) But I don't think we sound like Van Halen, and I don't think our stage show is like them, but the roots are there. But the crowd, they know how much ass we kick, and they'll tell you. But, it's just a party.

Pat: They don't understand what it took to achieve that.

Trevor: They see the results. But, it's a party for us, too. You know, we have our base fans in L.A. and that's cool. But when you go out on the road and people ask for your autograph and say: "You're gonna make it, dude!" And I say: "I hope so!"

Pat: Let's go back to the band's name for a moment. How did you end up with the name, THE ASSHOLES?

Trevor: We were thinking about a name, and we had written all these songs and stuff. A couple of the songs that we wrote a long time ago are on the CD, like WHITE AND SKANKY...

Pat:I love White and Skanky!

Trevor: Yeah, that's a great tune. But we were thinking to ourselves, what if we just called ourselves THE ASSHOLES? That'd be great if we could do that and we thought, why can't we? So we did.

Pat: I don't know if you remember a band called THE BUTTHOLE SURFERS? They were a lot like you guys, in that it was not a persona; it was their lifestyle.

Trevor: Yeah, and they made a lot of money, you know. They had a major cult following.

Pat: So, if a record company came to you tomorrow and said: "We really like your band, but you've got to clean up your act. You've got to clean up your lyrics." Where's the line, where's the point where you say: "They're turning me into something else, and I'm not gonna do it."

Trevor: It's like, clean up the lyrics--no problem, I'll do it. At this point, I don't want to disappoint anybody, but shit...

Sean: Who wants to get up and go to work at seven o'clock in the morning?

Trevor: Because that's the whole thing; because, if you record music that nobody can play, you're not doing anything.

Pat: You're not getting your message across.

Trevor: So, you might as well do your music in a format so people can...get it. They'll hear the music, at least, and you're still getting your message across.

Pat: When the first Rolling Stones record came out and they wouldn't play it, wouldn't sell it because it had Slim Harpo's I'M A KING BEE. That's so tame, by today's standards, and it's because of Frank Zappa and The Butthole Surfers and guys like you that have created a place for people to say what they want to say.

Trevor: I remember when GUNS'N'ROSES came out. They were swearin' like crazy on that album, and I remember thinking that these guys were crazy...

Sean: (mimics Axle Rose) I'm fuckin' innocent!

Trevor: And that record sold a million copies. There's a fine line, I guess. If you've got the backing behind you, you can do whatever you want.

Pat: How long have you guys been together?

Trevor: It's been about five years, or something like that.

Sean: Longer than that, dude. We used to rehearse at my old house. The old bass player came back after we did the CD...

Trevor: He's always been around, but he's been doin' his own thing. That's why me and Tim formed The Assholes, because the first band was just so crazy that it didn't last. Do you remember SHRAPNEL? It was like that, just wicked, crazy stuff.

Sean: More of a Van Halen sound.

Pat: Have you had a lot of personnel changes?

Trevor: Not since we got this core group, not since we kicked out our old bass player. Not since he quit. He was ready to...(laughs) I don't know what he was ready to do. He couldn't take a joke.

Sean: Especially when you pissed on his shoe!

Trevor: Oh, dude, he didn't like that at all!

Sean: They were at a truckstop, takin' a leak, and Trevor pissed right down his sock!

Trevor: He freaked out, but if somebody did that to me, I'd be totally pissed. But then I'd be saying: "All right, fucker, I'll be gettin' even with you!

Pat: I guess that anybody that's gonna hang out with you guys better have a thick skin.

Trevor: Oh, we're definitely a thick skinned crowd. But we're down with everybody, as long as they're down with us. It's like a male lockerroom, you're bound to hear some controversial shit. If you're not prepared to deal with it, then you'd better not hang around...But so much in music is just so corporate, now. I doubt that you'll ever see bands that roll for, like, twenty years or more like some of the older bands.

Pat: Do you think that a lot of those bands from the 60s and 70s are still going because there was a lapse of talent to follow?

Trevor: The new generation, they're not exposed to things that are gonna last forever.

Pat: I've always loved THE ROLLING STONES, because they always gave their props to the guys that they learned from. But, as much as I like them, I wouldn't go see them now, because I saw them in 72, and now it's just a case of been there, done that. It's not that they're not good anymore, just past their prime. But, I've been saying that for thirty years.

Trevor: It's a one hit wonder deal, now. I mean, I doubt that anyone is gonna go see Linkin Park twenty years from now.

Pat: Yeah, where is Depeche Mode now?

Trevor: You know, in California, people will fill a stadium to see them, because that's the music from their era. But nowsdays, you've got people like BRITTNEY SPEARS. You've got all those boy bands. Who's gonna remember that? Those people are gonna be here and gone tomorrow. Even as far back as the 80s, people like MADONNA, she's going strong...

Pat: Because she has the ability to reinvent herself. The last time I saw ZZ TOP was on their Recycler Tour, and they weren't kidding, because it was basically the same music, but it was great. They're a band with good music and good songs. I hear a lot of ZZ in your music, especially the drums. Very solid, precise and technical.

Sean: Thanks, but I've got to give a lot of the credit to our guitar player, Tim. He sets the standards pretty high.

Pat: He shreds! He's amazing; he's not stuck in any one style of playing.

Trevor: Sean's right. Tim sets the bar pretty high.

Pat: Now, is he the type 'A' personality of the band?

Sean: He doesn't go out and party that much. We've got the gigs, and all, but he doesn't go out much. He's usually at home, practicing. When he comes into the studio or a gig, he's so skilled, and I'm like...

Trevor: The kid without his homework.

Sean: Yeah, totally! I'm the kid without his homework! But Tim's like...

Trevor: Tim's one of those people that, like...he's self taught, too. When he was young and learning it...that thing is just an extension of his body. He's constantly on himself, too. Like: "Oh man, I'm gettin' slower."

Pat: Can you tell us a little about your new bass plaayer?

Sean: Our current bass player, Mike "The Stoneman," is our original bass player. He moved out here with Tim from New Hampshire, where they went to school together. When it came time for Arron to leave, he was the natural person to fill his space. He's been family ever since.

Pat: Sean, a lot of our readers are interested in the equipment that professional bands use. What's your drum set of choice?

Sean: Well, I use Unigrip drumsticks...they sponsor me, so there's my plug, right there! (laughs) For drums, I'm not to picky about the name, I'll play whatever's in front of me.

Pat: Do you wind up tweaking whatever you've got, putting your own touches on them?

Sean: Yeah, I do all the custom graphics on my drum set. You'll see them when we start playin' out again, and I'll post some pictures on the website, http://www.brokeamericans.com . I'm thinking about starting an Internet business and sell my designs.

Pat: From the snare drum that I'm looking at here, it's not just drums, it's an art form.

Sean: Well, you can't go to Guitar Center and get something like this. It's either abolone or metalflake...

Pat: Ya gets your red or ya gets your blue...

Sean: Yeah!

Pat: Well, this CD is just so great. Can our readers order this from your website?

Sean: Yeah.

Pat: That's great, because this is one of the best things I've heard all year, especially for just gettin' your Ya Ya's out.

Sean: The website also has samples of our songs, so you can check them out.

Pat: Great. Well, I know that you've taken some time off. What's in the future for THE BROKE AMERICANS?

Trevor: Right now, we're working on a new record, you know? Just gettin' the new material worked out. It's hard to constantly gig and write new material at the same time. We've got some smokin' tunes coming out that I think are gonna surpass even what's on this one. Once again, there's gonna be the same kind of lyrical content. I really did cut down on all the swearin' this time, but when you listen to it, you'll get it. You're not gonna think of it as watered down. It's got the same cynicism to it. There's no love songs on it, but all of our songs are based on true life experiences.

Pat: Living here in Southern California...Do you think that your music would be different if you worked out of, say, Tulsa, Oklahoma?

Trevor: Nah. I'm still gonna be a dick, no matter what town I land in. (everyone laughs) Just don't spill my beer. 

Sean: (laughing) He quit the band over a spilt beer, once!

Trevor: I knew I wasn't gonna quit. I was just pissed. Eight dollars a beer, and he kicks it over like it ain't no big deal.

Pat: (laughing) Now wait a minute! At the beginning of this interview, you were bagging on your old bass player because he got mad when you pissed on his shoe. Now, you tell me you were gonna quit the band over a spilt beer?

Trevor: I wasn't really gonna quit! Believe me, I do see the comedy of my own bullshit. (everyone laughs)

Sean: After that, the new rule was that you could only quit the band once a year! (more laughter)

Trevor: Being in a band is like being in a family. You're not always gonna get along with your brother. Your brother is gonna fuck your girlfriend at least once in your life, dude. It's gonna happen and you may have to duke it out once in awhile to get it straight, and then you're back to normal. When you've got a good thing, you don't walk away from it.

Pat: I'm hearing that there is a very strong bond between you guys. Everything you've said about the guys who aren't here today...you speak of fondly and there is a strong sense of family.

Trevor: It is a family. I've been with these guys longer than I was with my family. I've known Sean since he was workin' in a fuckin' comic book store.

Pat: You have a newsletter, THE ASSHOLE CHRONICLE, in which you keep your fans up on what's going on...

Trevor: We like to throw in a lot of humor with it. We like to keep 'em entertained.

Pat: Well, you guys are a bunch of very talented and entertaining musicians. I want to thank you, because this has been great. I'm looking forward to your future projects and want to wish you all well.

Sean: Thank you for coming all the way out here.

Trevor: Yeah, no doubt. You'll be one of the first ones that we send some stuff to.

Pat: We'll be looking forward to it. Just remember that Ray Carver, our publisher and editor, is gonna want his three CDs. (laughs) Thanks, guys.

THE BROKE AMERICANS are on the Internet at: http://www.brokeamericans.com