We met with Spike Slawson from Spike And the Gimme Gimmes to talk about the Christmas tour, his bolero inspirations and life on tour.
Interviewed by Marta Antosz, photo credit: Josh Roush, courtesy of the Dino & Luigi Presents
Tell me about the Christmas tour. How are you finding it so far?
Spike: All familiar places, except I don’t think that we played Santa Cruz in a long time. It was a good warm up show and but everywhere else we’ve played before, like Sacramento, at the Ace of Spades. Tonight, we’re going to be at the Anaheim House of Blues, where we’ve been a number of times in the past.
And then, you’re going to the UK for the English part (at the time this interview is published the band is already in the UK)
Spike: Yes, we are. Cold and wet, is what is going to be. And there are going to be as I’m sure you know, I don’t know if you’ve been to the UK around this time of year, but there are still going to be orange women in camisoles and short skirts, running around in high heels, getting in fist fights. It’s going to be raining sideways, and you’re still going to have that phenomenon, like they are built different, especially the further north you go. But, you know, that’s just my impression (laughs). „They’re animals”. I mean, it’s in my DNA too, so I’m laughing with them, not at them.
So tell me, why did you decide to put out All I Want for Christmas Is You as a single? There are so many Christmas songs, you could have chosen so many different ones. Why this one?
Spike: I think this song really has the potential to become a Christmas classic someday in the future, and that’s why we decided to cover it. It was just obvious. It was right in front of our face. It was so close we couldn’t see it. It’s like a natural, organically, spontaneously occurring promotional campaign. I don’t even think anybody lifts a finger to promote the song, and yet every year, around mid-October — or, you know, maybe they waited until after Halloween this year, although I know it kills them — but she gets defrosted. And this song, much like the Slade song in England, doesn’t need promotion. It’s a spontaneously occurring cultural phenomenon that starts every year in late October or early November. So we’re just piggybacking on this organic, natural media blitz.
Are there any other Christmas songs you’d consider covering in the future?
Spike: Oh, there are all sorts. We’d eventually like to put out a whole record of Christmas songs. Our favorites — I mean, there’s Wham!, obviously. Paul McCartney. The Kinks had one, but that’s a band I dare not touch. I love them too much. What would be the point? It wouldn’t be better. But I do love Father Christmas. That’s a great song. There are a lot of really bad Christmas songs, but if you dig, you can find some decent ones. The Beach Boys, for example, did a whole Christmas record. I think they even wrote one or two songs for it. Some years — not this year — we do The Man with All the Toys, which I think they wrote.
As a private person, what’s your personal favorite Christmas song — and your most hated one?
Spike: By Christmas time, I hate them all, because I’ve heard them so much. (laughs) But my favorite would probably be Father Christmas, or some obscure Spanish Christmas songs that I really love. There’s one by Johnny Albino called Nuestra Navidad. It’s about wanting to be home with his girl for Christmas. It’s really beautiful, and he has such a gorgeous voice. If you haven’t heard Johnny Albino — he sang for Trío Los Panchos in the ’50s and ’60s — do yourself a favour. At first I thought he was a woman. He has that Wayne Newton effect, like it sounds like his balls haven’t dropped yet, but it’s beautiful. Such intensity. Nuestra Navidad is one of my favorite Christmas songs ever — Our Christmas, I guess.
How did the idea for the Gimme Gimmes come together?
Spike: I can only speak from my perspective. I was working in the shipping department at Fat Wreck Chords — shipping clerk, shipping manager, whatever. And I’m not proud of this, but I’d occasionally come in still drunk. Like, not even hungover yet. I once sent a shipment of a band’s records to the wrong continent. So the management was desperate to find me a position where I could do less damage. And that was the cover band Mike and Joey had been working on for years. Their idea was that on any ’90s punk record, the best song was usually the cover. So why not make a whole record of covers? The ’90s were rough for punk. San Francisco had great garage and surf bands — The Mummies, Trashwomen, Supercharger — but a lot of Southern California stuff wasn’t my thing. But the covers were good. Doing covers eliminates a lot of guesswork related to song writing. The songs are already written. You just need outfits for them. I did less damage as a cover band singer than I ever did as a shipping clerk-slash-manager.
What’s the hardest part about doing cover songs? People think it’s easy.
Spike: If it becomes difficult, then it’s not worth pursuing. If it takes more than 15 minutes to get a pleasing version together, we know we’re on the wrong path. It’s supposed to be fun, and it’s hard to convey fun without experiencing it. A record is like an event that resonates through time. People infer things that weren’t there. That’s success. You have to leave room for imagination. With live music, your only job is not to get in the way. People already want to have a good time. And we often work very hard at losing the crowd, because we’re comfortable playing the heels. Like wrestling — the bad guys. Ironically, the nights with the loudest boos are the nights we sell the most T-shirts.
How is it playing with the current lineup? Can you tell me more about your bandmates?
Spike: Pinch started with the English Dogs, founding member, UK ’82 punk. Once The Damned saw him live, they wouldn’t let him go for 20 years. It took a cover band to rescue him. He’s got this anglicized punk jungle boogie. I love it. Then there’s CJ Ramone. I still have to pinch myself. Not just punk history, but its present legend — and an incredible human being. Jake Kiley from Strung Out — thoughtful, charming, but a jungle cat with a hot-pink Jackson guitar. And Swami John Reis — Drive Like Jehu, Rocket from the Crypt, Hot Snakes. He sets the bar impossibly high. I couldn’t be happier with this lineup.
Are you already working on new music? What’s cooking?
Spike: The hard part is curating. There are lots of wrong choices. I want to stick with AM gold — ’70s adult contemporary — but there’s been so much deliciously bad pop since then. Generally, the best choice is a song I can’t f****** stand.
Who were your biggest musical influences?
Spike: Beatles, Stones, Yardbirds — in that order. Stevie Wonder. Chris Bailey from The Saints — probably my favourite punk singer ever. The Ramones, Johnny Thunders, New York Dolls. I love irreverent bands — The Damned, The Vibrators, The Fall. Never Mind the Bollocks is essential. But we’d never straight-up cover punk songs.
How do you take care of your voice on tour?
Spike: Chinese loquat syrup — Pei Pa Koa — in lemon ginger tea. A Vicks steamer. I warm up for 20 minutes. I grew up in Pittsburgh — wet climate. The desert dries me out. Steam helps where water doesn’t.
What is your favorite and least favorite thing about touring?
Spike: Favourite is the show and right after. Like working in a kitchen — that post-shift drink, joint or coffee. Least favourite is not knowing where and when I’m going to be able to use the bathroom in the morning. Nobody talks about that.
What are you passionate about outside music?
Spike: Languages – Italian, Spanish. Boleros. Mexican and Puerto Rican trios. I started a bolero band, Los Nuevos Bajos. We have releases coming on Tamayo Records. Movies — Italian neorealism, Pasolini, Rossellini, French films from the ’30s–’60s. I love cinema.
Will you be touring with your other project once the album is out?
Spike: Absolutely. I can’t wait. These guys are monster players. We’ve only played Panama City so far, but I want to take it everywhere. Boleros are heartbreak songs — about beginnings or endings of love, never the middle. Maybe that’s our niche: boleros about the middle of a relationship. (laughs)
You recently played Poland. What are your memories, and do you have a message for Polish fans?
Spike: As a Pittsburgher, Poland felt like the motherland. I remember our first visit in Wrocław, talks about meth — the good northern stuff — I didn’t try it. Everyone wanted me to come to their mom’s house for food. Our last show was in Kraków. The city was breathtaking. The pierogies were unbelievable. Beautiful city.
Thank you so much, Spike.
Spike: Thank you. I’ll see you soon.