Motion City Soundtrack Interviewee: Jesse Johnson, Justin Pierre and Tony Thaxton of Motion City Soundtrack
Date: June 15, 2006
In Person Interview
How’s the first day of Warped Tour? JP: So far so good. Knock on wood (Justin begins knocking on a tree branch) Knock on branch.
How does it feel to being up to the mainstage? JP: I think it’s going to Tony’s head a little bit because he brought his own bus and won’t let us on there. He also got his teeth done, too.
Like a grill? JP: Yes. Well, I don’t think we’re a headliner. We’re just on the mainstage. I think we were allowed to play the mainstage a few times last year, but this time we’re on the whole thing unless something weird happens and they kick us off and put us on the smaller stage. It’s possible. Right fellas?
JJ and TT: Yeah.
JP: So far so good. That’s the short answer.
What’s the craziest experience on the Warped Tour? TT: I thought you were gonna ask what’s the craziest thing that’s happened so far..
Hah, it’s only been one day! JJ: One year somebody pooped in the shower…
JP: I think one of my favorite things was last year shooting the Big D and the Kids Table videos. They would set up a camera and shoot a bunch of people drinking beer and sing along to the songs. I think they shot about 14 episodes of that. It’s not necessarily crazy, but it’s fun.
How do you guys feel about playing Washington D.C./Baltimore area? TT: I really like coming here since me and Matt are actually from Richmond. Usually, it’s closest to home as we play since we don’t tend to play Richmond as much. I’m always excited to come here since my friends and my family comes here.
You guys just had an album come out last year (Commit This to Memory). What are your plans for the follow-up? JP: We’re actually re-releasing that record with a DVD and a bunch of other special things. It’s coming out the 20th of this month. After that, I guess the next thing is to finish writing and recording the next record, but I don’t have too much information on that for you.
Are you guys still going to be on Epitaph? All: Yeah
How about a producer? Is it going to be Mark Hoppus again? JP: We don’t know yet. We’re trying to figure all that stuff out. I think he’s booked up to 2028. We sort of broke him into the producing business and now he’s huge.
TT: In the business really.
JJ: Yeah, he was a nobody before…Markus Hoppus.
JP: Is his name Markus Hoppus? I never thought about that.
Alright, next question. What’s on the DVD? All: Stuff.
What type of stuff? JJ: Us on golf carts, us playing a show, a lot of –
Oh, so it’s a more year spanding thing (not sure if that’s the right term)? Not like this year only? JP: Four years kind of. Interviews with us, intercut with a lot of show, intercut with four years of footage we shot of ourselves
TT: Four years of total bullshit. It’s really us being stupid, but I don’t know. It’s the kind of stuff I like to watch.
CF: Yeah, same here.
TT: So it puts aside what embarrasses us, we just let it fly.
JP: There’s a new video we shot for “LG FUAD.”
TT: The “LG FUAD” video is just for the DVD.
Is there any concept for the video or is it just live performance footage? JP: It’s really cool. It’s basically – I’m a big Vincent Gallo fan. I don’t know why I said that. Well, he’s like artsy.
JJ: I’m a big Galileo fan. Galileo! Galileo!
JP: Where was I? Oh yeah, the concept for the video. It’s very simple. It’s not an one take video, but the song gets passed on to different people like I come out a house and then I’ll sing it and then I pass it on to the mailman and he’ll sing it. It kinda goes everywhere.
TT: We’re not in it very much. However, the moments that we are in it – golden.
MTV Movie Awards…I mean MTV Video Music Awards? All: No, Movie Awards. You got it right the first time.
What are your plans after Warped Tour? JJ: We’re doing a couple of U.S. dates and then we’re going over to the UK and Europe. [After that] then hopefully we’ll writing and recording a new record.
JP: And I’m going to get tanked! By getting tanked, I mean I’m going to get into a shark tank and I’m gonna play with sharks.
JJ: Sharks in a Tank.
JP: Sharks in a Tank…Snakes on a Plane.
What movies have you guys checked out recently? JP: I saw The Break-Up. That’s the last thing I saw.
All of us: Did you like it?
JP: I liked it.
TT: Really? I never nothing but negative.
JP: It’s typical Vince Vaughn.
[The conversation then diverges into Jesse talking about the The Omen – by the way, he didn’t like it and he didn’t see the original either. The three of them then talk about other movies like X-Men 3, Over the Hedge, Mission Impossible 3, etc.]
Is there anyone you’re really excited to see this year [on the Warped Tour]? JJ: Buzzcocks.
JP: I never got to see Helmet when I was younger.
TT: I’ll probably watch Joan Jett to see her radness.
JP: I was standing right next to her last night. That was kind of weird.
[The conversation then diverges into us debating how old Joan Jett is. By the way, she’s about 48].
If you guys could remake the soundtrack to one movie, which would would it be? JP: Like a soundtrack that kicks ass?
I guess you could say that. JP: I don’t know!
JJ: This is a tough one! I’m gonna go with Friday. Does Rush Hour have a soundtrack? (Everyone laughs)
JP: I don’t know…that’s too tough [to answer].
JJ: I’m changing my answer to Nuns on the Run. [The conversation then again diverges into them talking about Nuns on the Run and other movies].
Is there one place you’ve never toured before that you would like to go to? JP: I don’t know. I’d like to check out anywhere I’ve never been to before.
Anywhere in Asia? TT: We’ve been to Japan.
JP: Japan is like the coolest place ever.
I heard the fans over there are pretty cool. I heard they go crazy and then… JP: Stop. They clap very briefly and remain silent. They never crowd you. Like if they wanna come to talk to you, they come up one at a time and the rest them stand back.
TT: They like to go oi! Oi! Oi!
JP: If they want to take photos with you, they all give the peace sign except for the obnoxious Americans.
They traveled there? TT: Yeah, they just end up there somehow.
[The conversation again diverges into talking about American naval bases in Asia]
JP (back to answering the question): Ireland, Iceland…
JJ: Alaska
JP: That’s the last state. Well, I still don’t think I’ve actually been to Vermont.
JJ: Let’s go there tomorrow. We’ve been there, haven’t we?
JP: I don’t think we’ve ever been to Vermont. I know we’ve been through it.
[The conversation leads off into them discussing Connecticut or “Ka-neck-it-cut” and the places they played there (Danbury). Justin then says sorry for the millionth time since the interview keeps diverging into little conversations (which I’m cool with)].
JP: You hate us now.
CF: No I don’t!
JP: Now you have a lot of stuff to work with for writing the newspaper. “Then they talk for awhile and ignored me!”
CF: No it’s cool really!
Any bands you would like to shout out right now? JJ: Say Anything
JP: Nightmare of You
JJ: I’d say The Academy Is but they don’t need it.
JP: The Spill Canvas…Men, Women, and Children…do they have to be on the Warped Tour?
CF: No.
JP: Cool, in that case, Tori Amos. I’m a fan of Zolof & The Rock-n-Roll Destroyer. They alright.
Last question, if you guys can pick three or four bands for a dream tour, who would you choose? JJ: I’m going to steal Tony’s answer and say Ben Folds.
TT: Bitch.
JP: Superchunk. A dream tour – I’m going to go with alive [bands] so it could happen. It would be weird, but it would be awesome. Ben Folds, Green Day, us – of course we would headline – we want to make sure everyone leaves
TT: How about Huey Lewis?
JP: I’m talking realistic here. Hey, Sugarcult toured with Green Day and we toured with Sugarcult so that’s like 1 degree away.
