AN INTERVIEW WITH PHESTER SWOLLEN and BOB LEE OF THE ROTTERS

Maximum Rock n' Roll

MRR - So let's start at the beginning. When did the Rotters start? What was the original lineup? I guess back then L.A. wasn’t the hospitable punk rock climate that it is now, eh?

PHES - We started in late 1977 but didn't play any gigs until 1978. The original lineup was Nigel Nitro on vocals, Rip Chord on bass, Johnny Condom on drums and me on guitar. However, the band was started by Nigel, myself and a drummer by the name of Bruce Brink. He bailed out before we played any gigs. I think he was afraid of the local Ventura rednecks beating the crap out of him for playing punk instead of Free Bird. He had a good point too. They didn't like us. He rejoined the band around '84 and played some of our best gigs. We also had a bass player before Rip for about two weeks. His name was Rafael Hernandez who thought he was 6'2", blond with blue eyes and came from Finland. We thought he was just eccentric and making a joke but he actually believed it. He was psychotic. It didn't work out. I don't really count him as ever having been a member but it makes for a good story. He never learned a single note of a single song. But he did lock himself into the recording studio sound booth and the rest of us out for about two hours while he pretended to play all our instruments. That was the end of that.

As far as LA not being hospitable back then, well, nowhere has ever been hospitable to us, any place, any time. We've been pelted with shit everywhere we've played. So that's a hard one to answer. At least the cops don't single punks out for abuse in the same way. But then most of us are older and have learned how to tow the line and act like responsible adults. On the other hand, if you consider the demise of Al's Bar, I'd say LA is a lot less hospitable to punk than it was a few months ago.

MRR - Your first single "Sit On My Face Stevie Nix" caused quite a stir. I guess changing the spelling of her named proved to be a hallow strategy to ward off lawyers. For those that don't know, how would you describe the reaction to the (now classic) record? (Fleetwood Mac’s reaction, and then the subsequent reaction by local clubs, record stores, etc.)

PHES - We didn't change the spelling on the sleeve to protect ourselves from lawyers. We made that with a felt pen in about five minutes and didn't think "NICKS" would fit. So we cheated. Looking at it today, I don't know where we got that idea. I could have forced the extra letters in there no problem. "Nicks" is spelled correctly on the record itself anyway. And "NIX" was lame pun. As for the reaction by Fleetwood Mac, they failed to see the humor in it. I guess there's no accounting for taste. It was during the time Mick Fleetwood was penetrating Stevie Nicks with his penis behind Lindsay Buckingham's back. So, not only did Stevie take offense but so did Mick for some reason. We got his dander up. He must not have liked the idea of anyone else horning in on his action even though he was horning in on someone else's action. Mick called KROQ where we were actually in rotation, although I'm ashamed to admit it today, and threatened them with a lawsuit. Then he had the Big Mac law team pester and harass all the record stores in LA with the threat of no more Tusk albums if they sold our single. Yeah right! Like who the fuck cared! Tusk sucked the tapeworms out of John McVie's ass. And they didn't run Warner Brothers anyway so they didn't really have the power to do that. It was all bluff. Some stores wussed out and some gave them the finger. And then, Mick Fishface himself called Nigel at home and threatened us directly with a lawsuit. Nigel was the wrong guy to threaten. He just laughed at Mick and told him to fuck off. The cocksucker can't play the drums worth shit anyway. I doubt he was any good at blowing coke up Stevie's ass with a straw either.

MRR - You were in rotation on KROQ? How did that happen?

PHES - Yeah, that seems pretty improbable doesn't it? There's no way in Hell that could happen today. Anyway, we snuck in. Being young, naive and full of chutzpah, we drove down to Pasadena to get Rodney Bingenheimer to play our single. Of course, there was no way. But Nigel hung out at the back door with some punk looking types whom he assumed were guests and walked in with them. Then he let the rest of us in. Nige was good at that kind of skullduggery. It turned out to be The Ramones and Clem Burke of Blondie. They let us hang out for a while even though we didn't have any drugs for Dee Dee and finally played a test pressing of "Sit..." Then they put us live on the air with Rodney and The Ramones. That probably wasn't a good idea. Rodney asked us if we liked The Ramones but at the time we thought they were too bubble gummy. So Nigel and I almost simultaneously said "Uh...well...uh...we like The Sex Pistols." Rodney broke for a commercial and then the technician said "You guys gotta leave NOW"! We were booted out the door into the alley. But KROQ was inundated with requests for the song after that.

MRR - Is there any truth to the "rumors" that Peter Greene is really a big Rotters fan?

PHES - You betcha'! I get a fruitcake every Christmas from him.

MRR - How long was it before you issued your second single "Sink the Whales (Buy Japanese Goods)?" Why is that record so damn hard to find these days?

PHES - The second Single, "Sink The Whales, Buy Japanese Goods" came out about six months later in 1979. Compared to "Sit..." we couldn't give it away. So we all got discouraged and boxes of them ended up in the garage only to be tossed in the trash a few years later. I keep hoping to run across a box of 100 someday. I could use a new car. But I'm just dreaming really.

MRR - What prompted the band to move to Japan? How active was the band at that time? How was the reaction of Japanese audiences compared to what you were used to in L.A.?

PHES - It was just a series of weird coincidences that we ended up in Japan. I think we all wanted to get away. We didn't really decide to move there as a band. Nigel is still there after 18 years or so. He'll never be coming back. We've lost him. He now plays the role of the wacky foreigner on the radio. Johnny Condom is over there too. His work sent him over right before I came back. As far as I know his head is shaved and he's a monk who thanks the headmaster for whacking him with a bamboo cane when he falls asleep during meditation time. We were able to have a couple of fun, no point practices with him. He's been there eleven years, ain't never comin' back. We've lost him too.

Let's see, the reaction of Japanese audiences... They sat politely in horror and tried not to look. But we never got to play any proper punk gigs. The only gigs we played were in front of mostly terrified teenage girls. Strangely enough there was always one lone guy in the back rocking out. For all I know it was the same guy every time. We weren't really very active. We just got together every week to get drunk and blow off steam. It ain't no fun being the "gaijin" for too long in Japan let me tell you. A lot of steam builds up.

MRR - When did you move back to the states? How active did the band remain?

Phes - I've been back about eleven years. After Stink came back there was an attempt to reform with Bruce Brink on drums and Dave Grave on vocals but aside from one good gig at the Sixth Street Rendezvous in San Francisco, it didn't work out. It took me about six years to readjust and become a normal American again. I'm not sure Stink has yet. So we took another break. It's been about six years since we started rebuilding and it's been a long haul. I think we're there now but I'm the only original survivor. But it's been worth it. The current line up with Bob on vocals, La Jaime on bass and for our last gig, Travis Johnson from The Dickies, on drums is the strongest it's ever been. Unfortunately, it looks like Travis is going to take some time off from music. So if you know of any good drummers with experience who might be interested let us know PLEASE!

MRR - And now there seems to be renewed interest in the band, sparked by the reissue of the two old singles along with a bunch of unreleased tracks from that era. How would you describe people's reaction to the "Pull it and Yell" release that came out last year on Bacchus Archives?

PHES - Well the reissue singles aren't out yet but will also be on Bacchus Archives. The reaction seems to be good for 'Pull It And Yell' but I haven't seen any reviews personally. I hear they've all been good but one and it was respectful. At least we haven't been compared to a parking lot full of whale vomit.

MRR - Hot on the heels of that Bacchus Archives release, the band is working on it's first release of new material in a long while, "Bukkake Beach Party." Tell us about that, when will it be out?

PHES - I'm afraid we're not going to call the album "Bukkake Beach Party". I believe Mike Love and Chuck Berry are dukeing it out over who gets that one along with Vidal Sasoon who wants it for a new hair conditioner. We don't want to enter into the foray, or have to explain it to our families. I can just see my son asking me what 'bukkake' means for years and then being horrified when he finally finds out. I know I was. I might enjoy explaining it to my mother-in-law though. Hope you're not disappointed. It does have a nice "ring" to it. We'll choose something tasteful like "Meatwood Fuck" or "The Jism Kings". Ok back to business, as of doing this interview we haven't mixed. That's this weekend (late August). We're real happy with the tracks and won't release it until we have a mix we're happy with. It's the first recording since 1979 with an active line up of the band. It sounds pretty much like we actually sound live right now too. There are a bunch of new songs, of course, some old songs that have never been recorded or released and some retooled, re-recorded versions of songs off 'Pull It And Yell' and 'Presumed Dead In Japan'. There's a cover of a song written by Tom Holliston, the guitar player of NoMeansNo, and a cover of a 24 year old punk classic from the great '77 era central coast punk band Publik Enema written by former Rotters singer, Ron E. Fast. And for you purists, it's all analog. No digital clarity or finesse for us. As far as who'll be putting it out and when, I have no idea. Gonna hafta shop it around. But Lee Joseph at Dionysus/Bacchus Archives/Hell Yeah will get first crack and hopefully pick it up.

MRR - What happened to Ron E. Fast?

PHES - About a year ago he took four hits of acid at a gig instead of his usual one or two, fell off the stage and cracked his skull open. He nearly died. In fact there was a wild rumor running around L.A. that he had. He decided to retire. We also thought we needed a younger guy with more intestinal fortitude so we got Bob. I still have an occasional band with Ron E. and Edwin Letcher called 'Silky And The Glow Worms'. Ron E. and Edwin were in Publik Enema and the three of us go back 23 years.

MRR - To fans who haven't heard the band recently, your sound is even faster and rawer than it was back then… Most bands get mellow with age, are the Rotters becoming meaner and leaner or just more pissed-off and jaded?

BOB - With me & Jaime in the band, it ain't getting any leaner. But it is getting better and better, and that happens as you learn what you're doing. Meaner or just more jaded? Most of the jaded people over 30 that I know stay home at night and listen to Stevie Nicks records now. The rest of us still have our bands and practice a lot so we can kick people in the head every time we play. Even if we get jaded about not being everybody's favorite or having a record come out right, we still ain't jaded about playing the songs right.

Right meaning, in a manner that tears your fucking head right off.

PHES - I started out jaded and pissed off as fuck. So I guess I've been mentally prepared for the worst all along. Some things have been much worse than I could have possibly imagined though. Nevertheless, I've become less and less jaded over time. There's a good solid core of bands here in LA that play for the love of the music and nothing else. They have no expectations or delusions of fame and glory. Nor do they try to compete to see who's the best. This really helps. That competition crap is bullshit. When we lived in Santa Barbara and Oxnard there was a heap of bands all trying to be the next big thing, strutting around like the cock of the walk. Fuck! It's not good to take this stuff too seriously. You can't worry about being the biggest fish in the toilet. Everybody gets flushed down sooner or later.

Like Bob said, the goal is to play the shit out of the songs and that's it. That's all that really matters. That's why we go see bands. That's why we play. As long as we do that we can hold our heads up even if only five people see it and four of them work in the club.

MRR - How many people have been in Rotters? Isn't it a little known fact that Spinal Tap was based on the Rotters? Didn't one of your ex-drummers try to assassinate the President?

PHES - There have been 789 people in the band. Spinal Tap is a pale imitation of the real deal. Hell! Our drummers blow up BEFORE they even make it on stage. But don't let that scare you off if you're a prospect. Those days are over. I swear. As for an ex-drummer trying to shoot the President, let's see, was it Slick Willy or that Tex Ass we've got in there now? I don't remember. But if it was Little Bush, too fucking bad he missed. We can pretty much kiss the ecology, our jobs, our futures and you name it good-bye huh? But we'll be able to buy all the guns we want and kill each other or take pot shots at the President for that matter. Hang on a second, I have to wipe the foam off my mouth. I'm not at liberty to say one way or another about the exploits of Kimon "The Senator" in Washington, DC. But I can tell you this; he's there. He's a rabid Democrat. And he's on a mission from God.