Live to Thrash, Thrash to Live - ssssnakes/Arteries interview

Hopefully by now you will have fully digested the words from The Cut Ups interview and are ready for desserts. What better than a delicious little conversation with the sweet and sassy Jamie Morrison of sssssnakes and The Arteries? Recorded at Punk n' Bowl in Bloomsbury where booze flows freely, lots of the finest punk rock bands fill the air with headbangable vibes, and dangerously heavy bowling balls are tossed with reckless abandon. PUNK N' BOWL 3, DECEMBER 20TH AAARGH!

If you had to choose between your job and your band which would it be?

I don’t have a job. Next question.

What’s the most romantic thing you’ve done for a person?

It’s probably for Lotty. Once when we played in a really shit place I bought her some flowers at a Tesco, and we bought whipped cream too, but we used all the whipped cream on ourselves and then I gave her the flowers when I smelt of stale whipped cream.

Uhm, what’s a good question to ask someone in the Arteries?

I don’t know, you’re the interviewer dickhead.

But I have nothing to say to you.

Come on pull this together, live a little. Dig deep. Hey why don’t you ask me about The Ergs? What kind of influences do you have? The Ergs. What kind of bands do you wanna be like? The Ergs.

Fuck, sorry. Are you gonna go all Henry Rollins on this interview?

Hey punk, you want something about the punk scene? Start your own scene man! You got something to say? No? Well I got something to say! I’m gonna say all this… has your girlfriend ever done something that makes you not sexually attracted to her? Because mine has, haha.

How many times do you get mistaken for the Ataris? You’re definitely more attractive than Kris Roe.

Thanks. I appreciate that because you know, I do pride myself on my looks and my looks only.

I all of a sudden feel like a might be able to speak some more now. Are you bringing back the 90’s punk rock scene with the Arteries?

No! Everyone says we are. It’s shit, what the hell?! Have you ever listened to us? We’re more metal than your mother!

Fair play my bird.

We’re bringing back rock n’ roll we’re not bringing back anything 90’s. We’re bringing back the 80’s. We’re bringing back the 60’s! Have you ever seen Spikers 3D? That’s what we’re all about.

I haven’t, I have no idea what Spikers 3D is. Final Arteries question!

Ask something about Ssssnakes, we’ll come back to the Arteries. Ok, ssssnakes interview - GO! Then we’ll go back to the Arteries.

Is ssssnakes more of an emo band than punk rock?

Emotional. We sing about ferret shows.

Are ssssnakes role models in punk rock?

I mean ssssnakes are role models, yeah, definitely role models just in life you know?

How do you feel you convey a good message to the kids of today?

Well one of the lines in a song goes, “don’t do drugs, stay in school, it’s cool.” so like that I guess.

If you saw someone snorting coke of a descendents album cover, what would you do?

That reminds me of a time when we were on tour with Bangers and this guy after the show was snorting coke off of Sommery and I said “Hey! Have you heard that descendents song Good Clean Fun, it’s all about not doing drugs and kickin’ ass.” It also says lets take the drugs out of sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll and I agree.

Who in your opinion is the most attractive member of the Arteries?

Oh, back to the Arteries. But definitely Rhys Jenkins. DEFINITELY Rhys Jenkins without a doubt. He’s so hot right now.

What’s the weirdest place you’ve ever played?

Once we played up in the North East England and it turned out to be a wedding party and I think their mate had booked it or something, so all of a sudden we’re ruining someone’s wedding party and there was about 25 people just sitting down not enjoying it. We had a blast, even though it was weird.

Ssssnakes or Arteries?

Ssssnakes till death!

Um, who has the best hair in Arteries?

Miles obviously. Although I’m growing a mullet right now. Yeah, I’m growing a euro mullet. Why did you choose to do this interview in the only windy place in the venue?

My judgment is all boozy! This interview is going to be a split with the Cut Ups, how do you feel about that?

Sounds great! We’re doing a split 7” why not an interview too? That’s the way I feel.

When uh, I have nothing to say.

Come on.

Ok, what’s this about a split with the Cut Ups?

Well, I’m glad you asked. We apparently doing a split with the high and mighty Cut Ups. Recorded this summer released this September.

Do the Arteries advocate smoking weed?

What? Yeah, but I’m pretty sure the Cut Ups don’t.

I’ve been spreading the rumour that the album The High and Mighty” is all about smoking weed.

Not in Jon Shoe’s eyes. Maybe in Reza’s though. I think the thing with the word high is that it’s a metaphor, and you can read into it what you will.

What would your interpretation of the high and mighty be?

I think positivity and being proud within your scene.

Jamie, you’re a notorious…molester, no, party animal, do you have a memorable tour moments?

All my good stories involve Pugs. Pugs, I mean he parties like no one else. There’s been times when he’s been butt naked and I’ve been power washing him with a fire extinguisher, you know right in there, right up deep.

I heard the other night he refused to pee until someone had peed in his butt.

Yeah, that’s happened. I wasn’t there that night, but I’ll vouch for that being the truth. There’s too many stories involving Pugs, you all know him, you all know the stories. I don’t need to say them into a dictaphone, they just go unsaid.

Have you heard any shitty reviews of Blood, Sweat, and Steers?

Not so much shitty as inaccurate. There’s many a review that says if you like Lagwagon you’ll love the Arteries. I mean maybe we dress like Lagwagon, but we don’t sound like them.

I think you look more Swedish.

Thanks, well I don’t know if I mean thanks, just whatever. But yeah, not dogshit reviews just inaccurate 90’s Fat Wreck references which I don’t think are necessarily true, I mean we’re heavier than that. Yeah, we’re no Manowar, but we live for AC DC and Thin Lizzy; we’re a guitar band.

Hey, I wanna know more about The Arteries. What’s the dope on The Arteries? I mean, what’s the deal with The Arteries?

What kind of a question is that?

It’s an open question. So you can run free with your answer.

Come on, I can’t answer that. What’s the dope on the Arteries? I think you’ve got enough for a zine page here.

I need one more good question! Is there any sexual tension between members of The Arteries?

Yes! There’s lot of sexual tension between two band members – Rhys Jenkins and Timothy Sudbry Those two are gay for each other. They even admit it.

Does it come out in any of your songs?

It comes out in the van a lot when they’re asleep on each others shoulders. Every camera we’ve ever taken on tour comes back full of pictures of them hugging. You know, they don’t only harmonise together, they sleep together. They live in harmony. But Tim’s got a girlfriend – a spanner in the works if you will.

I wanna get topical - Can you connect to what Miles sings about?

Yeah sure, just every day stuff – girls, parents, bands that suck, bands that rule.

How does that relate to anyone over like 15?

Well I think I’ve grown out of that kind of 90’s Fat Wreck scene, but it still relates to me. We don’t write for other people to relate to, but if they can then kick ass. But we write it because that’s what he wants to sing about, or what I wanna sing about, or what we all wanna sing about. If people can relate to that, cool, but if they can’t, we don’t care.

Jamie you’ve been a pleasure to talk to.

You’ve been a pleasure to talk to. You’ve been the best interviewer ever. THANK YOU. Don’t tread on us!

* There's a link for Specialist Subject Records in the side bar on the right of this. Order The Cut Ups/Arteries spilt 7" from there! My friend Andrew has just started his own distro and needs the help. Plenty of other good records for sale too, 'ave a little browse my birds.