Exclusive Interview with Pennywise’s Fletcher Dragge
by Michelle Oberg
RUKUS MAGAZINE: Hey Fletcher, 2010 was a big year for you. Talk about the Viking Funeral Records label you started with Kevin Zinger of Suburban Noize and Ken Seaton of Hardline Entertainment.
FLETCHER DRAGGE: It’s probably the worst time in history to start a label so we figured that’s when we’d start one to prove everybody wrong. It’s something I’ve been into for a long time. We know there’s not a lot of money out in the record industry at this moment in time and there’s a lot of bands that don’t have homes anymore. There’s bands out there like Authority Zero, that had no where to go and they deserve to have their music heard. The concept is we’re just trying to do a label strictly of punk rock or hard music. It’s home for bands that aren’t selling hundreds of thousands of records but are getting out there touring and wanting to put out music and do something cool. It’s me, Ken Seaton, and Zinger who all put our heads together and said, “…This will be fun.” It’s about supporting the punk rock scene at the ground level spot.
RM: Aside from the new label, Pennywise had a big year too…
FD: Yeah, we’ve had an interesting year, with Jim Lindberg quitting the band after 22 years and getting Zoli [Teglas from Ignite] on board and touring a bunch. Yeah, it’s a pretty big year…
RM: You called Zoli “a natural replacement” for Jim, what is the history there?
FD: Oddly enough, he was Jim’s first choice as well. He’s crazy enough to be in Pennywise for one thing, but second of all, he’s really passionate and involved, politically and socially aware of what’s going on around him in the world. He’s just the real deal and goes out there and gets in the trenches. He also has a great voice and he can sing Pennywise songs. We’ve been touring with Ignite for years but once he joined the band we figured out he’s totally insane but we’re all insane so it’s a perfect match. The main thing was Zoli being able to play old school Pennywise. If you go out and buy our record you deserve to see a Pennywise show. That’s the pay off, that’s the greatest part of being in a band – coming out on stage and singing “Bro-Hymn”. From here on out we’re just opening a new chapter with song writing and Zoli’s vocal abilities. We’re bummed Jim is gone and we tried really hard to keep him in the band but he just took a left turn and didn’t want to be part of it and the democracy, which I hate to put like that, but it got to a point where he was dictating what we should or shouldn’t do and that’s not what Pennywise is about. We are a group and make decisions together. Jim just had a different way of looking at things. To each his own; he’s made his statements and wanted to be the head shot caller, like in his new band he started practically a day after leaving Pennywise.
RM: It sounds like he wanted to be a one-man band?
FD: Right, but I never thought of Pennywise as a one man band. It just hurts your feelings because you’re wondering did he hate us that much or hate me that much? It was like he turned his back on us as friends, brothers, and business partners, which was secondary. Though he says he’s got respect for us, we don’t really feel that way at this point in time.
RM: Have you heard Black Pacific?
FD: Yeah, of course. The first song they put up was literally a Pennywise song. It was almost note for note and I mean there are only so many notes on a guitar but it was literally the music off our last album. Whatever, I mean there’s room for both Pennywise and Black Pacific fans. It’s not the prettiest of situations but hopefully we can put it to bed someday.
RM: Right now you’re working on a new album scheduled for undated 2011 release. Any tracks completed yet?
FD: [laughs] We don’t have anything completed yet but we have songs that are almost completed. We get into a rough state to find out if we like them. We probably have 70 songs right now, it’s retarded. We want this album to be good – we’re opening a new door for the next generation. The ideals and our show are still intact, we just want to carry it on, and hopefully the new songs will translate. We’ve never done this for the money or the fame or the power or the industry egos, we’re doing this because it’s our love and we will continue to do this until we can’t do it anymore. Hopefully the fans can respect that, come out, and just have a good time.
RM: Did you vote this election?
FD: I didn’t vote which is really bad to even say, but I’m trying to be honest. A good friend’s father passed away so it was just a crazy week.
RM: Would you ever consider running for office? What would you run for?
FD: I would quit Pennywise right now and chop off my left arm to be President. It’s so important for someone to really get in there, and I’m not saying I’m perfect and have all the solutions, but if I could do it, I would. I probably can’t though because of those couple felonies.
RM: There are lots of notorious stories involving you, what’s the most exaggerated?
FD: There are tons of exaggerated ones! It’s just media, that’s how it is. Recently there was an incident were I got on the wrong bus at Warped Tour. It was [the band] Alesana’s, they said we came on their bus and attacked them blindly, destroyed their bus unprovoked and someone could have been seriously injured if the cops weren’t called. When in reality we got on mistakenly, I was drunk, I made a sandwich, they didn’t like it, they threw something, it ensued and basically the worst thing that happened was to me, getting tased 5 times by the cops. Now we’re all friends but that’s just how it goes.
RM: Speaking of Warped Tour, you have a long history with Kevin Lyman. Are you on the 2011 line up?
FD: I don’t know. I recently sent him a text message saying that we’d be in to do the markets we didn’t do last year, so hopefully they’ll have us. It’s still number one fun summer camp and I can’t believe how awesome of a job he’s done, its better now than it was 5 years ago.
RM: Now the quickie questions. Do you have any stage rituals?
FD: Drink some vodka, or as I call it “medicine,” and a quick warm up on the guitar.
RM: What’s the hardest part about touring months on end?
FD: No hard part. I love being on the road, that’s just what we do. Partying every night gets tiring. Some people are out for the first night and want full speed, but you just did it for 17 days in a row and you say, “Ok, yeah, yeah, yeah,” So its kind of grueling in that aspect of it. It’s still fun as hell. I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.
RM: Is there anything that has to come with you on tour?
FD: Nope, just the usual: jeans, a couple pairs of Vans, some hats and that’s pretty much about it.
RM: What was the first record you bought with your own money?
FD: I believe it was The Dead Kennedys “Holiday in Cambodia” single, and then it went down hill from there, whatever I could get my hands on.
RM: First car you drove?
FD: 1962 Thunderbird. I was 12 years old. My mom went into the market and I told her to leave the keys so I could listen to the radio. I took my buddy and blasted a 90mph pass up Marine St. by the beach. He was screaming while pushing on the imaginary brake. By 14 I was borrowing cars to take all the older punk kids to their gigs to earn my credentials. You can read about that in my book one day.
RM: Do you plan on penning a memoir?
FD: I’ve been planning on writing a book for 10 years. I’m thinking of calling it “Statute of Limitations” considering there are a lot of criminal elements but I don’t want to incriminate myself so maybe it’ll be fiction. No one will let me in their house again [laughs].
RM: Do you have a favorite album or artist right now?
FD: That’s a tough one, I flop around a lot. I’m listening to Eminem right now, it was an impulse CD. I used to hate him but now I think he’s cool, he’s got some really cool music.
RM: Lastly, who’s producing the new album and will there be a tour following the release?
FD: Cameron Webb is producing our new album, he did our last album too. He’s an awesome guy who knows how to deal with Pennywise. He walked off the Disturbed record to do ours, which shows you where his heart is at; it was pretty rad. When we get back from overseas touring in April the new album should be out around then and then we will take on a US tour.
RM: Thanks for catching up, best of luck with the new album, and Funeral Records.
FD: All right, will do. Take care.