Rob: So what have you been up to these days now that you quit Unida? Musically and personally on the horse ranch...
Scott: Ranch stuff keeps me and the Missus real busy, building fencing, maintenance, and working with the horses and stuff, but I manage to get over to the studio a bit. I`ve got a song coming out soon on a compilation of Fred Drake`s music that I`m real proud of - I poured my fucking heart into that one... and right now I`m working on vocals for a song in a film called Jailbait. A couple of bands might record here soon. I was hoping to mix the new Electric Wizard stuff here, but they got someone to do it in L.A., I think... And I just got a message tonight from my manager guy saying he`s got good news about my solo deal... I`ll find out more tomorrow. Man, everyone thinks we just sit around here getting fucked up or something, but there`s just not enough hours in a day around here....
Rob: What are some of the albums you have been listening to lately?
Scott: The last two newer things I really got into were Cave in "Antennae" and Filter "The Amalgamut", but I usually just get out the old stuff - you can`t go wrong there. Every once in awhile, my Wife and I will stay up all night getting fucked up and pulling out the vinyl - that`s the best...
Rob: Any plans on getting together a band and doing a tour with your solo project material? Or otherwise?
Scott: It`s very possible - I`ve had a few friends that have heard the stuff offer to do the live thing - we`ll see. It could be real fun, and I`ve got other stuff that I wrote and sang in other bands.... There`s another project in the works with an old friend... been swapping some riffs. Seems like I`m kind of aping his band, and he`s into my old stuff, so we`ll see how it turns out... I definitely miss the live thing, though.
Rob: What are some of the bands that you really dig that are newer bands, or maybe some bands old or new that aren`t as well known that you want to turn some people on to?
Scott: If this was for the members of BrittanySpears.com or something, I might be able to attempt to steer people to some cool stuff they`ve never heard before, but around this place, I`m a student, I guess... a lot of people around here know their shit!
Rob: Have you run into any of your old friends from the desert?
Scott: Man, last month, there was a new casino grand opening in Palm Springs, and everybody from one of my first bands, was there at the bar: Alfredo Hernandez, Mario Lalli, and Herb Lineau - we did the first record I was ever a part of - the soundtrack of Desperate Teenage Lovedolls, that had Black Flag and Redd Kross on it. We old!
Rob: What do you think of the Queens latest success?
Scott: There`s a very fine line between achieving success with your integrity intact, and being perceived as a sellout whore, and I think Josh has toed the line pretty well. When I joined Kyuss, Josh was fresh out of high school, and I was eight years older and had already gone through a lot of shit - and sometimes there was way, way too much concern for what people would think if we made a wrong move, and a lot of things got shot down that I see the Queens doing now... not that they`re bad things at all - I just wish that the youngsters would`ve had the wisdom to make those business decisions back in the Kyuss days - maybe things would`ve lasted a little longer... but the main thing - sometimes stuff that gets popular makes you think that society is really fucked, but seeing the Queens get somewhat popular brings back some of my faith in people`s taste...
Rob: What do you think about the new Metallica record?
Scott: Eeeek! Haven`t brought myself to listen yet. I liked the stuff I heard in the studio with those guys - it was just rough mixes and sounded pretty raw and pissed off. I gave Bob Rock a little shit for keeping bass players out of work... he was cool - I`ve worked with some huge producers, from Giorgio Moroder to Jellybean Benitez, and a lot of them don`t know shit - they just have great engineers. Bob gets slammed all the time, but that guy knows his shit, and he keeps the vibe way up - he`s like a brother with those guys... It`s gonna take a little time before I give it a proper spin, though.... that was tough, trying not to get my hopes too high... I saw those guys in L.A. at the Coliseum, and it was weird thinking that it had been even a remote possibility to be up there, and then I met Rob afterward, and that guy`s fucking awesome! Disarmingly nice guy... they`re all great guys - they fucking get treated by people as if they`re not even human - like they don`t have any feelings, but they`re just normal guys doing their thing. They`ve been through a lot.
Rob: How do you think the music industry has changed in the last 20 years, primarily the rock industry, and how do you see it changing in the next decade or two? For better or worse...
Scott: When I started in the early eighties, it was all about the DIY thing - bands like Black Flag and the Minutemen were huge inspirations for making things happen yourself and not compromising anything to anyone. A lot of crappy music was going on, with the whole hair-metal scene, and Jane`s Addiction blasted off, and then Nirvana really shook things up - it was really exciting to be around that stuff - there was just this electricity in the air around both of those bands before things blew up. The A&R people flocking to Seattle was pretty bizarre... designer flannel... I think the biggest change has been with the internet - it`s provided this magic portal for young bands to get their music to people all over the world - bands are getting pretty savvy to the possibilities. It`s really turning things upside down, and as always, the DIY people will survive... Bootlegging is a tough one - I think it`s hurt a lot of people that make their living exploiting music. If young bands don`t sell x amount of records, they get dropped. Label employees are getting laid off, record chains are closing... Record labels are being forced to really play things safe and not take the chances that they might have a few years ago. I think it`s gonna get harder and harder for bands to really break through to radio, especially when mega-companies are buying up all the stations, and major labels are paying big bucks to infiltrate the master play list. It just seems like the mainstream is gonna get even more homogenized than it already is.
Rob: What are some of the other websites other than StonerRock.com that you find interesting?
Scott: My Wife will testify that the majority of my online time is at Stonerrock.com... I check out Blabbermouth.net, Toolband.com, Pechanga.net to see what`s going on with Indian stuff, Democratic Underground....
Rob: Is there any chance of you getting back into a regular touring band?
Scott: You never know... for right now it`s really nice not to be expecting anything from a bunch of dudes or having them expect anything from me... I`m really content right now just doing my own stuff and project stuff with friends with no huge commitments for now except to my Wife, and my ranch.
Rob: Anything you would like to say to the community members and friends over at the message boards at StonerRock.com?
Scott: Nah, I`m there almost every day anyway!
Rob: Here is the part of the interview that we call the silly questions, you can answer these as short or as long as you want and just have fun with them! Thanks again Scott:)
If you weren’t a rocker, what would you most like to be?
Scott: I always wanted to be a demolition expert, blowing up buildings or running a wrecking ball. I used to draw pictures of me doing that stuff when I was 4 or 5.
Rob: What was your worst gig and why? What was your best gig and why?
Scott: Worst: Stuttgart, Germany, with Kyuss - our manager hid my beer stockpile, so fuck that - I made up for it with a bunch of Tequila, and blacked out for most of the gig - from what I`m told, I was flat on my back, soaking wet and filthy, tangled up in cables, and kept playing after everyone left the stage, forcing them to come back and play for 2 and 1/2 hours....
Best: Stuttgart, Germany, with Kyuss - it rocked!
Rob: Top three movies, books and albums of all time?
Scott: Spinal Tap/Happy Gilmore/Evel Knievel (starring George Hamilton)
Lucid Dreaming/Catcher In The Rye/Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up?
Pink Floyd "The Wall"/ Beatles "Revolver"/ Killing Joke "Democracy"
Rob: How often do you surf the net and what do you mostly do while online?
Scott: Almost everyday - checking mail, news stuff, hanging here, shopping....
Rob: What is your favorite city and venue to play, and why?
Scott: Enger, Germany, at the Forum. The Obsessed played with Beaver in this out-of-the-way little club in a tiny village, and people came out of the woodwork and rocked harder than any place I`ve ever seen...
Rob: What is the most rock `n` roll thing you’ve ever done?
Scott: Ask someone else about me and it`ll probably involve vomit, but my favorite is bonin` with my Wife on the ground in the middle of the desert during a generator party with The Obsessed and Wool in `91, and looking up to see a bunch of people watching, and us diggin it....
Rob: What’s the most rock `n` roll thing you’ve seen someone else do?
Scott: Being on tour with Mike Patton, you see lots of things....
Rob: What’s your worst "bad trip" story?
Scott: Nothing too terrible, but once some friends took some acid when we got to LAX to pick up a buddy, and then his plane was delayed a few hours.... not the ideal environment!
Rob: What’s the most painful thing you have ever witnessed at a rock show?
Scott: 1992, on the Danzig tour, Jesse James doing a stage dive in Detroit at Harpo`s during White Zombie`s set off a really high stage - the crowd parted, and he ended up breaking his collarbone... he had great form, though!
Rob: How old were you when you first realize you wanted to rock?
Scott: At age 4, I was a hardcore Ringo wannabe. I made a drum set out of cardboard boxes, pots and pans and stuff, and I`d jam with my Dad.
Rob: What’s the most embarrassing job you ever had?
Scott: No shame making a living, unless you work for the IRS or something, but the roughest was digging ditches.
Rob: What’s your favorite ice cream flavor?
Scott: Daiquiri Ice.
Rob: If you could date any rock star dead or alive in the world, who would it be? Movie star?
Scott: Hey - what is this - Tiger beat?! Well, my Wife was an extra in a movie with Johnny Depp and Robert Downey Jr. called Slow Burn around 20 years ago....
Rob: What would be the ultimate dream gig of all time line-up be, with your band opening? Limit to three bands please (including your own...) and where?
Scott: Pink Floyd reunion with Roger
Tool
Kyuss reunion with all members
at the Great Pyramid in Egypt
