Push to Fire Interview: Good Clean Fun
by Suzy Harrison
Good Clean Fun are one of many great bands playing at this year's Groezrock Festival in Belgium. Push To Fire got a chance to ask them some questions about the festival and their plans for 2010.
First of all, who are you and what do you do in the band?
I'm Issa and I "sing" and write the songs.
Where and when did Good Clean Fun form?
I wrote 3 of the 4 songs that became our first 7" when I was hanging out in Holland with some friends at the end of 1996. GCF officially formed in 1997 in Washington DC.
As a band, have you played many festivals, or do you prefer smaller gigs?
We definitely prefer smaller shows where you can really interact with the crowd. I think that is one of the basic things that makes hardcore so great; the lack of barrier between band and audience and I don't mean a physical barrier, although not having one of those is nice too. Some festivals are great though; some of my favorite shows ever were at Fluff Fest and Ieper Fest.
Have any of GCF been playing in any other bands or pursuing any other interests over the past four years (since the release of BCRAAHP)?
No...or at least not in a touring/serious band kind of way.
DC has always had a good name for producing solid HC bands, and new talent, is there anyone on the underground you think our UK readers should check out?
I'm actually living in Berkeley, California right now, which also has a rich punk rock history...but I also have a 2 year old daughter, so getting out to shows these days is a rare occurrence.
Berkeley, cool! We're gonna be in San Fran in September for a couple of days.
Come say hello! There are a million awesome vegan restaurants here!
If GCF could play a gig along side 4 other bands who would you choose to play with?
My dream has always been to play with 7SECONDS. I don't know who I would pick for the other three slots. Maybe some really terrible bands so we would stand out to the 7SECONDS guys as being awesome in comparison. That could work.
7Seconds are playing the UK in August... you should come with them!
I would be all for it! Sadly, they haven’t asked.
Due to your positive messages would you say you have an equal appeal to both straightedgers and non-straightedgers?
I definitely would like to think so. Although if you aren't familiar with straightedge, I'm not sure how much sense our lyrics would make. I certainly don't think of non-edge people as bad people haha. And I think on some level, FORMER straightedgers probably get the biggest kick out of some of the songs.
Tell us about Good Clean Fun The Movie...what's it about, do all the band members appear in it and do any other bands feature in the film? What was the inspiration behind creating a movie rather than a record? Has movie making always been something Issa has been interested in?
The movie is a coming-of-age love story. I realized that we are all terrible actors, and that if the movie focused on us, it would suck. So I found actual actors, and we are in the movie as little as possible. There are also short cameo appearances by members of Earth Crisis, Bane, Strike Anywhere, H20, and Youth Of Today. Filming those was a lot of fun. I've always been a huge fan of movies, and I've wanted to make one for a long time now. It took a whole lot of blood and sweat, but it was definitely worth it!
Any ambitions for a second one? Or was one film enough work...
I completely fell in love with the whole process…I’m definitely going to make a lot more films. And next time I’ll even know what I’m doing! I found that I really enjoy writing screenplays, and I’m excited to work outside the confines of a “gcf” movie. I’m not sure exactly what the next move is, but I’m working on a super-hero movie that I think will kick ass.
There are some other artists who have created non-tour related DVDs (e.g. The Vandals - Cake Boy). Which other movies/films by bands do you think we should check out (if any)?
I haven't seen the Vandals' movie... but I highly recommend Rock-N-Roll Highschool, starring the Ramones, to anyone who hasn't seen it. And, of course, Spinal Tap.
So, 2010 is here. Time to re-learn those songs, and play them again and again. Reasoning behind the euro tour and Groezrock appearance?
We wanted to live up to the song. It's actually going to be the line-up from 2000, so it will be a fun social reunion as well as a chance to get together and tour again.
What can we expect from your Groezrock show/Euro tour?
We play opposite AFI at Groezrock, so I sort of expect to see the back of a lot of people's heads, but I'm sure it will be fun. I'm really looking forward to playing in Moscow and adding Russia as the 36th country we have played in!
Moscow sounds pretty cool. What's been your favourite country to play shows and if you could go back to any again (not necessarily on tour) where would you choose?
Every country has been a unique experience…I know that sounds like a safe, non-offensive answer, but it is true. Some countries are “easier” to tour in than others (highway systems, high-quality equipment, etc) but those countries don’t have better (or worse) shows than other places. I’ve enjoyed seeing the different hardcore scenes around the world. My only regret is that we never made it to Asia. As far as vacationing goes…I’d really love to get back to New Zealand and Iceland as a tourist.
So this is the first time at Groezrock? And any plans to get down into the crowd if possible (break down the barriers...)?
This is our first time at Groezrock…I have no idea what to expect, but I’m sure it will be a lot of fun, with or (hopefully) without barriers.
Any bands who are playing Groezrock who you'd like to see?
I'm really excited to see Snapcase play because I missed their recent reunion and I've always loved those guys. There are tons of great bands playing...we'll just have to coordinate with Pennywise who gets to cover Minor Threat!
What are the essentials to take on tour?
Any good musician should always know where his towel is.
Plans for the rest of 2010? Any plans for a new album this year?
We have recorded 3-4 new songs, but I haven't figured out how/where we're going to release them yet. Two of them are Star Wars themed, so I'm thinking a picture disc in the shape of Darth Vader? We'll see.
That sounds good! Will we be able to have a taster of these songs at Groezrock/on the Euro tour?
I doubt it. Who wants to hear a “new” song on a tour? No one would know the sing-alongs! Yawn City!
