Interview with John (Jughead) Pierson of Screeching Weasel/Even In Blackouts/The Mopes

Photo by A.V. Club
By Chris Carlton

Squid Pro Quo: A lot of people know you from your time in the Chicago punk scene as founding guitarist of Screeching Weasel. But they may not know that you're also a talented playwright. What was your first play, and how did you get started in theater?

John Pierson: "Well actually, if we are talking about Chicago, I think more people know me from theater. I get many more acknowledgments on the street from my theater projects than any of the bands I have been in. My first full-length play was in high school as the waiter in "Death Of A Salesman." But at Columbia College, I went there for five years and never auditioned once. I was more into taking literature classes than acting. I studied improvisation for about 10 years and still teach classes in that. I toured for a couple years with an improv troupe called Sheila. The first play that I wrote and performed was called "The Philosophy Of Nonthings," which was the inspiration for my production & publishing company called Hope And Nonthings."

SPQ: Can you give our readers a little history on The Neo-Futurists?

JP: "I teach 8 week classes on Neo-Futurism so a brief history leaves out a major understanding. Here is the website. But we do have a manifesto, which I am including right here:

"Neo-Futurism In A Nutshell"

Neo-Futurism is a new approach to performance that advocates the complete awareness and inclusion of the actual world within the theater in order to achieve a goal: to bring people to a greater understanding of themselves and each other.

Rather than upholding contemporary theatrical conventions of character, setting, plot, and the separation of audience and performer, Neo-Futurism aims to present actual life on stage by creating a world in the theater which has no pretense or illusion. This means that:

1) You are who you are. Your name is your name. Your age is your age. Your appearance, physical condition, and way of speaking, as well as your personal history and life experiences are none other than your own. You grew up in your hometown. You're gay, you're straight, you're married. You've never been to Seattle. You know who you are and what you've done. Use it.

2) You are where you are. In most cases this means on a "stage" in front of an audience. Currently, specifically, this means you are probably reading this interview off a computer screen. That's not a T.V. you're watching (maybe it is). This isn't a castle in the Alps. The gun is fake. If you need a prop, get it. If the ambience is wrong, change it.

3) You are doing what you are doing. All tasks are actual challenges. If you can't do something, you must be actually physically unable to do it. If you're pulling, really pull. If you're having sex, really have sex. If you forget your lines, you've forgotten your lines. If you're not supposed to know what's going to happen next, make sure as hell you can't know. You're not sleeping on stage, you're lying there with your eyes closed. No need to "act" tired as you enter the stage with an empty suitcase. Fill it up with rocks, run around the block three times. You'll be tired. No need to dredge up a lot of emotion to endow that sheet of paper you're holding with all the seriousness and poignance of your father's death certificate. Bring it in. If your father's alive, what are you doing saying he's not?

4) The time is now. Deal with real events in your current life in your current world. If you broke up with your boyfriend on Tuesday, don't say you're still together on Friday. If a politician pissed you off by what they said six months ago, don't complain about it now. It's history. Write about how it affects you today. Theater is the medium to reflect what is going on now, because theater is going on now. Theater takes place in real time and space. That audience is right in front of you right now. Deal with that.

The bottom line is that Neo-Futurism does not pretend or buy into "the suspension of disbelief" - it does not attempt to take the audience anywhere else at any other time with any other people. The idea is to deal with what is going on right here and now.

These guidelines are not set forth as "rules and regulations" but more as a jumping off point with which, it is hoped, people can find a greater meaning in their everyday lives. The aim is to empower and affirm not just the lives of the performers but the lives of the audience members as well.

Greg Allen
Revised May, 2008"

SPQ: Do you find more pleasure in writing and performing as an actor, or as a musician? Or is there an even balance in both?

JP: "For many many years my production of plays was exactly equal to the number of albums I was recording, now they are off a bit, but I think they hover somewhere around 24 each. With Even in Blackouts, people say I was consistently the happiest they have ever seen me. I can feel that while playing with that band. We didn't have as many rules and stress as Weasel. So with EIB, it trumps being onstage for theater. But I really don't think I could live without writing and performing theater."

SPQ: You have also written books for Hopes And Nonthings publishing. One a book of your plays you had written up until that point, and one called Weasels In A Box. Are there any plans for a new book release in the near future?

JP: "I have a new novel coming out in October called "The Last Temptation Of Clarence Odbody". Which is an alternative story to the famous movie and short story, "It's A Wonderful Life." I'm pretty proud of it, I never thought I would write this type of parody book (fan fiction) but I just couldn't get the story out of my head, and after a year I gave in and started writing it. Three years later, it is about to be finished."

SPQ: Besides your writing and acting, you have been a part of some amazing bands over the years. Screeching Weasel, The Mopes and Even In Blackouts have all made such an impact in the Chicago scene, your influence is undeniable. Who influenced you as a musician?

JP: "My influences are varied depending on the band. Growing up I was a huge fan of the guitar work of Brian May (Queen), Ritchie Blackmore (Deep Purple, Rainbow), and Martin Barre (Jethro Tull) I think those type of bands besides Traffic and Oingo Boingo taught me that it was OK to be weird. I think this added to my odd clothes wearing in Weasel. Most of the solo work that appears in Weasel I believe was influenced by bands like Judas Priest and AC/DC, with perhaps a little Descendents thrown in. Even In Blackouts was my clashing of those influences with the acoustic bands of my youth, Bob Dylan, Jim Croce, Cat Stevens, and later, Tom Waits. Punk bands that I would consider influences are few, beyond the people I knew like Lint from Operation Ivy and Chris Barrows from The Pink Lincolns. I loved Keith Morris from The Circle Jerks, and Adrenalin OD were another of my favorites."

SPQ: In the early Weasel days, did you ever think the band would influence a whole generation of punk bands?

JP: "No, I don't think you can ever really know that. But being in a band had always been one of the few things I wanted to do. As a child most kids talk about wanting to be a scientist, doctor, astronaut, but I never had a single thing. I think my family was so busy dealing with divorce, violence and drugs that I never had a chance to consider that stuff. So when I graduated high school I just basically did whatever the hell I wanted, and worked hard to make it happen. And that is still what I do now. I don't ever really settle on being any one thing, but they all seem to have something to do with creativity."

SPQ: When you formed Even In Blackouts, you literally invented a style of music that was never seen until that point, acoustic punk rock. How did you come up with that idea?

JP: "I don't really believe I invented anything. Nothing the band does is very unique. I think it is great and actually pretty smart, but it's all taken from many different influences. It is rooted in the same philosophy that started Screeching Weasel. We just played the things we were interested in void of any positive repercussions beyond our own enjoyment. I think the fact that Ben and I were just pretty damn dedicated people is what made that work. So when I started EIB I purposely said to myself that I needed to start from scratch and do something different. So I started with elements that I saw as very different from SW. A female choir-trained vocalist, acoustic guitars and what I believe to be darker concepts and instrumentation. But what I tried to apply to the band is the energy that excited me from playing punk rock. I think this shows best in the live performances of EIB. It is difficult to play an acoustic guitar that hard and fast, but the wonderful thing is that it creates a desperate energy, like constantly falling off a cliff. It hurts to play like that. For the first couple tours, I couldn't sleep at night because my fingers hurt so badly. Some nights I even cried.
And what could be better than ending this interview with the fact that I do indeed cry?"

SPQ: A huge thanks to John for taking the time to talk with Squid Pro Quo. Such a talented and diverse gentleman. Thanks again, John.

Interview with Dan Vapid on Screeching Weasel's "First World Manifesto"

Photo by Katie Hovland

After discussing female meatheads and how MTV's Jersey Shore is similar to the Harlem Irving Plaza of the '80s, Dan Schafer (aka Danny Vapid) answered some questions regarding Screeching Weasel's first studio album in 11 years, "First World Manifesto."

Squid Pro Quo: Can you tell me when you joined Screeching Weasel, how you heard about 'em, how you joined and what was it like?

Dan Schafer: "The first time I heard about them was in 1986 through the Daily Herald newspaper. There was an article about a punk rock band from Prospect Heights called Screeching Weasel. In the photo, they all had long hair. It was pretty funny. I remember being excited that a punk band lived that close to my hometown of Des Plaines, just two towns over. I remember just getting my driver's license and meeting up with Martin from Los Crudos at some venue in the west suburbs to see them play one of their first shows. There were like five people there beside us. Somehow it got canceled. After that, Screeching Weasel did a short stint of 21-plus shows, which I was too young to see.

Sometime in '87, they began playing all ages shows at the original Durty Nellies, located in downtown Palatine. I was a singer of a hardcore band at that time called Generation Waste. Screeching Weasel and Generation Waste played a few shows together when both bands had demo tapes for sale. Recording and selling demo cassette tapes was common back then. When Generation Waste broke up in '88, I spent about a year playing with random people but nothing seemed to stick. When Warren Ozzfish quit Screeching Weasel in 1989, they were looking for a bass player. I told them I could play bass, even though I couldn't play very well at the time. I was a huge fan of "Boogada Boogada Boogada" and practiced the songs like crazy. I got to become a member of one of my favorite bands."

SPQ: What was your first practice like or your first experiences with John and Ben and whoever else was there at the time?

DS: "Good. I remember rehearsing for an EP we were about to record called, "Punkhouse." I remember being very excited to play in the band and make a record. Back then, making an actual record was like a dream come true for me. I also thought Ben wrote great songs and the band had tons of potential and was bound for success. It's a nice memory for me."

SPQ: What were the major tours/breakups/shows/memories until Screeching Weasel's most recent hiatus?

DS: "The most memorable SW tour was my first in 1989. We toured in Ben's car with only our guitars, luggage and merch. Our first show was in Corvallis, Oregon; a 40-hour drive. I remember during my driving shifts, Ben and John somewhat lecturing me to stay in the left lane while passing only. We were singing "100 Bottles of Beer on the Wall" and other stupid games to pass the time. Our next show was in Berkley, CA at Gilman Street, which was a venue started by the people from Maximum Rock N' Roll magazine. Playing Gilman Street was a big deal back then. I remember playing San Francisco and a hall in northern CA with Green Day; they were just starting out. We were meeting lots of people and bands from all over the country. It was pretty cool but the tour was long and brutal. When we got back from that tour, the band broke up.

I started Sludgeworth soon after, in '89. I was playing for about a year when John Jughead asked how I felt about playing in Screeching Weasel again at the club, McGregor's, which was located at North Ave. and Route 83 in Elmhurst. I remember telling him I never wanted to stop. I think it was assumed I did. Ben and John had a project called The Gore Gore Girls, but were having problems getting it to go.
Larry Livermore from Lookout Records! told Ben he was interested in releasing a record by his band if he called it Screeching Weasel, so we were back in business.

In the summer of '91, we toured out to the west coast and recorded "My Brain Hurts" at the Art of Ears studio in San Francisco. I remember feeling pretty good because I was playing more of a role in the band. I was writing songs, singing backing vocals, giving input and they liked my ideas. That really meant a lot to me. Although I never took it personally, the guys in Generation Waste were sometimes patronizing when I offered creative input, probably because they were older than me. Some of it was probably deserved. But still, that early experience with Screeching Weasel, getting encouragement from Ben and John and watching Ben write songs played a huge role in wanting to pursue music further and working on being a songwriter.

After that, we toured through the south and east a few times, recorded "Wiggle" "Anthem For a New Tomorrow" and in the fall of '93, played a last show at a venue in downtown Forest Park. Screeching Weasel wasn't going to play live anymore. I can't speak for everybody but from my perspective, we were getting to the point where we were on auto-pilot live. I can remember Ben and I talking about it. During our last show, I was thinking about what I was going to have for dinner later that night and Ben was thinking about the movie, "Eddie and the Cruisers" for most of the set. I don't remember any tension at that point in time, just a need for a change."

SPQ: Tell me about 2007/8-present, doing "My Brain Hurts" in its entirety and getting the name Screeching Weasel back.

DS: "There was a business dispute between Ben and John over the ownership of the band. When that dispute was over, the idea of playing under the name, Screeching Weasel seemed more appealing to Ben. Having been an observer and member since the band started, my perspective is different than many. For some, the lack of Jughead is a charged subject and the band has lost something integral and vital. I don't see it that way at all. From about 1988 and on, I realized the success of Screeching Weasel is due to Ben, not John. Ben started the band, conducted a good portion of the business and wrote a large majority of the songs, including the signature leads that fans presumably attribute to John. To me, there should have never been a dispute in the first place over who's the owner of the band. It's always been obvious to me. All that said and done, I'm glad that Ben decided to reform the band and ask me to be a part of it. The response to the "My Brain Hurts" set was great, and we have had a huge amount of enthusiasm about Screeching Weasel coming back."

SPQ: So then what's it like without Jughead after all these years?

DS: When Ben was playing, "My Brain Hurts" under his solo set, I received an email from John stating how disappointed he was in me. I didn't see the harm in it. Ben was performing songs he wrote in a past band. I do it all the time. So did John, with his old band, Even In Blackouts. He made a public statement about it in which he claimed he wasn't my friend anymore. It felt self-serving and a little hypocritical to me. He didn't seem to care when he was playing in Screeching Weasel and I wasn't in the band anymore. I wasn't disappointed at him for playing in Screeching Weasel without me and I certainly wasn't sending him disapproving e-mails about it. I was simply asked to re-join a band I was a part of. There was no conspiracy or anything personal about it. It made for a lot of drama from Screeching Weasel fans all over the Internet and I understood that John's feeling were hurt. With that said, he benefited greatly for doing very little in terms of contributing to the sound of the band for many years. He was, how I saw it, a guy mainly into theater who knew Ben in 1986 who could play guitar well enough. Musicians willing to play punk rock back then were hard to find. I think John's talents are better-suited in acting and play writing. I believe that's where his heart has always been. I believe we have a line up now that is superior to the one we had back in the early '90s and I'm excited to see where it will take us."

SPQ: Has Ben changed? Is he the same dude you grew up playing music with?

DS: "Somewhat. Both of us are 20 years older now, and he's a father and a husband and that creates change for anybody. But he still gets a kick out of writing a good punk rock song. That side has always been there. He's good at it, so I'm glad to be working with him again."

SPQ: Do you feel you've changed? If so, how, and in what ways have you stayed the same?

DS: "Yes. I've changed somewhat too. The older you get, the less and less you care about what people think. I used to think that I could never be a musician at 40. That would be lame and absurd. Not to throw out a cliche, but you're only as old as you feel. I feel young at heart. I always think of my grandfather, who's 103. He still goes out and does things all the time. Although never perfect, I feel better without all the baggage that comes with being in your 20s. Also, I never thought I would be a dad! My wife and I will be having a baby in May! These things and others have changed, but music has been a constant for me and I don't see myself changing in that regard."

SPQ: What was writing "First World Manifesto" like as opposed to the rest of the albums you played on? Was the process different because there are different faces and hands involved, or is it you and Ben doing all the writing? Or just Ben? Just you ever?

DS: "Ben has always done the bulk of the writing in Screeching Weasel. I co-wrote only one song called "Dry As the Desert." We had Mike Kennerty from the All American Rejects producing. I never worked with an actual producer before. It was strange at first, but in the end the record came out great. While throwing down backing vocals and guitar tracks, each idea was discussed with Mike, so that was a new process for me."

SPQ: In an interview I read with Ben, he said he likes to have control over the band and push everyone to work hard and keep high standards. How does this work for everyone involved and being you're a senior Weasel member so to speak, is there that pressure on you as much? Or does your relationship exist on a more liberal level when it comes to business?

DS: "I think bands should always keep their standards high. You should always be pushing the envelope and never rest on your laurels. The pressure's on everybody and that's a good thing."

SPQ: Has the big Screeching Weasel hiatus of the 21st century been a good thing? How's the scene changed? Do you think it will be as good as it used to be? Better? Worse? And in what ways?

DS: "The hiatus was good in the sense that most of the fans had never seen the band live. Fans are eager to see Screeching Weasel and that's great. I'm grateful to be a part of something people appreciate. Overall, people everywhere that we have been touring have been very enthusiastic and supportive of Screeching Weasel."

SPQ: What can we expect on the new album? It's going to be on Fat Wreck - will it be heavy on the politics? More introspective looks on society?

DS: "Yep. You can expect Ben's ranting that you either love or love to hate. You can expect Ben's signature songwriting combined with some of my backing vocals and a new lineup of seasoned players."

TEEN IDOLS: Back in 2009

(Phillip Hill/left, Jason Fanboy Duarte/middle, Pete Mittler/right)

By Jason Duarte

Growing up as a punk rocker in Tennessee or "redneck central," as Hill explains, was tough - the bullet scar on his leg proves that.
"You'd have about 30-50 people at each show. Once Green Day hit, it got bigger. The biggest we ever had was about 700 people for a Teen Idols show. The last few shows I saw in Nashville were pretty small. Even the bigger bands only have maybe 200 people show up. We haven't played there since I think 2002, but it was packed back then - it sold out," Hill said.
But since he left Tennessee in 2001, Hill has been working as an engineer at Sonic Iguana Studios in Lafayette, Indiana . He moved to Chicago in 2003.

One thing's for sure though - the Teen Idols' new album will be out in 2010. The Teen Idols haven't released an album since 2003's "Nothing To Prove" on Fueled By Ramen Records.
"We're thinking about recording around Christmas time, maybe a little after," Hill said.
The new album will be recorded at Sonic Iguana. The current band he's producing in the studio is the Old Wives from Alberta, Canada.

The Teen Idols' upcoming album has yet to get a title, or songs, for that matter.
"Usually, that's the last thing that happens," Hill said. "I think that when we did 'Pucker Up,' we were just calling it 'The Second Album' until we decided to call it 'Pucker Up' because that's the song that stuck out. And our third album - that title's just a joke. It's a play on the movie, 'Full Metal Jacket.' It was supposed to be funny but people took it the wrong way and said, 'Oh, they think they're so cool with their leather jackets,'" Hill said with a laugh.

The band broke up in 2003 after an argument between the band members. "My hollow body guitar got smashed," Hill reflected of the 2003 fight. "I had gotten in an argument with Heather, she pushed me into a drum kit with my guitar and the neck split down to the seventh fret. It sat in its case for five years. Then, a guy I know who used to play rhythm guitar for The Queers said 'I'd like to try and fix it,' so I sent it to him. He brought it to one of the shows and it was like brand new. He used glue, clamps, epoxy...but there were still battle scars. Two days after the fight, I took a Greyhound bus from California to Chicago. I thought a lot and wrote a long e-mail basically saying how things had gotten fucked up. So I made sort of my 'manifesto' - like 'this is the way it should be run' kinda thing. Everyone was still too upset over the argument and weren't willing to talk about playing together at that time."

Predating that, Hill and Keith Witt didn't speak since late 2000, when Witt was fired after their last tour of Japan.
"Keith kind of became our arch-enemy. There were lots of hard feelings," Hill said. "He moved to Chicago, and I had already been living here. He got a hold of my number somehow, called me and told me he was living here now. We patched things up and we're good friends again. He actually got married last year to a girl from Tennessee and I was the best man at his wedding. So the old wounds have healed." Hill said.

In the past year, Hill has tried to get the original Teen Idols members back together to record and play. Drummer Matt Drastic was originally interested, but his busy schedule wouldn't allow him to commit to the band. Heather was also approached to fill her old position as the band's bassist, but she declined.

Since 1992, the band's been through its problems, trials and tribulations.
"There have been about 13 different band members since we started", Hill said.
But the Teen Idols are back in 2009 with Phillip Hill on guitar, Yvonne Szumski of The Scissors on bass, Keith Witt back on vocals and Nathan Bice of Even In Blackouts/Deadly Sins on drums. Catch the Teen Idols for Riot Fest Saturday at the Metro in Chicago with Anxiety High, Teenage Bottlerocket and the Dead Milkmen.