Interesting interview with Ultimate Fakebook

[sppunk]

So this may be the wrong board... you all should like these quotes he gave me. I talked to Ultimate Fakebook lead singer Bill McClain for like an hour today because they're doing a show on my campus Thursday, and he said some pretty cool stuff (especially about Wilco, The Vines and music labels).

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Many bands don’t take themselves too seriously and realize that they can’t be around for many years. Will UFB be around in 10 years as the same band, and if not, what will you be up to?

It’s hard to say. I think we will honestly be around (as Ultimate Fakebook). As far as our commitment and attitude, we definitely act that way at least. This band isn’t just a hobby for us, we firmly believe in rock and believe in being in a band. That separates us from other indie bands. We’ve always dreamed of being rock ‘n rollers, but that doesn’t match up with our desire to rock.

What’s the most interesting/unique tour story you can share?

We get asked that all the time. It’s so hard to come up with an answer, but it’s because every day is fucking crazy on the road. It’s pretty much non-stop adventure. We just got off tour and had some fun nights out in New York with them, but it’s nothing beyond the typical botchery of rock ‘n rollers. We have played a couple of nutty places like skating rinks, and a lot of church’s which is always kind of weird. We played a hockey arena in Kansas a few years ago - they had this thing where bands played after the game and they asked us to be the second band to ever perform. I think we were the last band to do that, too.

What newer, popular band that is out right now is the lamest, and why?

That band The Vines. Now, they’re not the worst band I’ve ever heard, but they are pretty lame. When you factor in how much hype they have gotten and how good they are, it makes no sense at all. I mean they were on the cover of Rolling Stones for God’s sake, what’s up with that? Anyone with an ear can hear that they are a complete rip off of Nirvana. Nothing they’re doing is so special that warrants the hype they get. The Strokes and The Hives deserve some of the hype, but when the radio and television started to hype up The Vines, you know they are getting desperate.

What’s with the 1980s flashback attitude?

That’s the era we all grew up in. That’s the time period we are from and it’s my nostalgic period. It’s fun and makes me think of having a good time and having fun seeing bands at local shows and it all wasn’t so serious. It’s been more of a recurring thing, especially in our first three records.

Do you have any preset goals as a band – like to sell one million albums, make it on MTV or just show up, unload your gear and rock?

All that stuff sounds great to us. It comes back to the part about us being really serious - we want the whole enchilada. Our major goal is to make a classic record that can stand the test of time and be a good record and not just part of a genre or a flash in the pan. We always want to play to more people and in more countries. We want to be entertainers. We are so sick of the rock ‘n roll thing where standing on stage is cool – we want to provide good, fun musical entertainment.

You guys pulled the big indie no-no and signed with a major label (Epic), but left to sign with another indie label. How did this affect your fan base and overall musical attitude?

It didn’t really affect any of it at all. All that stuff (musical scene) doesn’t really matter to us. We got our start on an independent label because we just needed someone to put it (the record) out. We got signed with Epic and it was totally in line with what we wanted. We have already seen ourselves as written music that can be on the radio and not just to an indie crowd. The music is more important to us and we have never really been too caught up in the whole indie scene.

Did leaving Epic hurt the band?

Not at all. It’s about the whole attitude of getting dropped. I mean, fucking Wilco got dropped for God’s sake. What are we going to say about that? It’s more about the music than the label.

If you were stranded on an island with one album, what would it be? Also, who’s your favorite band?

I’d take an album by The Cure – Desinigration. I can’t get that one out of my cd player. But, I have a couple of favorite bands. It’s always pretty easy to say the Beattles, but they’re like the greatest band of all time, so it should be easy to say that.

Ever get nervous before a show, and if so, what do you do about it?

I really never do (get nervous) before a show. I get more nervous in the studio sometimes because it’s so hard. The very first time I ever sang I got nervous. I realized I was just so nervous even though I felt confident. I was scared to death.

Who was the coolest band to perform with?

One of the coolest tours we’ve ever done was with the Get Up Kids and At The Drvie In last year, which was our first ever real tour. Every show was sold out and then some, with all these kids standing down blocks trying to get in and just rock out. There was just a lot of energy going around with all the bands at that time. We fell in love with those guys.

You guys have a very pop-punk demeaner about you, but more raw than Weezer, Jimmy Eat World, etc. Is this a conscious effort the band tries to convey when making an album or does it just end up that way?

We all go in the studio as a pretty assessable and easy going band and just rock really good. We see ourselves as a band that could be on radio, but radio is so horrible we know we aren’t probably going to do that right now. We like some of the production styles of all of those bands, but we probably haven’t had the huge budget they have had yet either. Who’s to say what we would sound like given that, though. It’s hard to tell what you’re going for in the studio and what your results are when you’re done recording.

Why should anyone buy your record?

They shouldn’t. They should come see us live, get the album for free and give it to as many people as they possibly can.

You are all obviously really into movies, especially from the 80s. What’s your favorite of all time and why?

Right now, if I had to pick, Star Wars would probably be my favorite of all time just because I’m a huge fan. That’s just who I am I guess. But right now, Boogie Nights just blows me away on so many levels.

Do you think the Oscars are a bunch of crap like everyone else?

They’re not as much as bunch of crap as the Grammy’s are. All the Grammy’s do is give awards to a band who made the most amount of money and is the most popular at the time. The Grammy’s are just whack. The Oscars, though, are pretty cool – even though they give the Oscar to an actor sometimes when it’s not their best film, but they’re just rewarding them for all of their work I think. Overall, the Oscar’s are pretty legit.

What do you guys do more of – eat fast food or drink beer?

It depends on how you break it down. Throughout the week, we will go to more fast food places for sure and there may be one day where we can’t get beer. But, the thing is, we have way more beer when we actually drink than we ever have food. If you added up the amounts, I’d go with beer.

i had a chance to see them a while ago at a small venue around here, but i didn't.