Modest Mouse
interview w/ Isaac by Jimmy Hey(?) from PNNP issue four

Modest Mouse likes to take the same gritty alleys to work
as Bukowski must have - whenever employed, that is.  Like
Bukowski, they know how to make the dreary side of dreary
seem dreamy.  While most working class bands sound like 
Rocket From the Crypt or Born Against, MM uses pretty 
sounds that don't seem to fit.  While U2 goes on hiatus
at the discotheque, MM moves in and brings their own 
arsenal of tools to make you love them.  The word is 
"common," not "base."  enjoy...

Jimmy - What's your drug of choice?
Isaac - Cocaine's good.  I like that stuff.
J - Have you ever inhaled Freon or smoked crack?
I - Done some crack.  It sucked.  It was like waiting to 
get your ass kicked by your dad.  I used to have one of
those inhalers for whip-its but the fucking thing froze
to my teeth.  It was locked on too.  I thought I was 
gonna kill myself.
J - You got to be careful, it can freeze your lungs.
I - I wanted to get it off but it froze my lips to my 
teeth.
J - What was the first guitar you owned?
I - Yamaha.  My friend, she was maybe gonna get us a 
guitar and it didn't work out for her.  I kinda ripped 
her off and bought this new guitar from her for $100 
bucks.  I got a bad reputation like that.  I'm getting
better, I won't rip my friends off like that.  Remember
when I ripped you off Trevor?
Trevor - Yeah!
I - (heartfelt) That sucks.
J - Do you go to raves ever?
I - Been to a few, we played one.  Some after hours party
on New Years.  Rave on one side, rock on the other.  It
was fucking horrible.  I felt like I ate a handful of
mushrooms and was having a real bad time.  We didn't play
till 5 in the morning even though we were supposed to 
have our pick of when we wanted to play.  We played three
and a half songs, knocked over some shit and got cut off
cuz the sound guy was all freaked out.  "You knocked my
mic over man!?!  Come on dude!"
J - Are you ever coming back down to LA?
I - Yeah, we'll come down, kick everyone's ass.  We blew
Beck off the fucking stage.  Homeboy didn't know what hit
him.  Nah, Beck was fucking great.  He was really good.
But Money Mark is a fraud.
J - Yeah, live he's pretty crappy.
I - No, as a human being he's pretty crappy.  He's got 
nothing going for him.
J - Why are you banned from DGC?
I - Weird, I hadn't heard that.  We're banned from DGC?
How'd that happen?  Maybe because I got in a fight with
the Gold Mountain people who are Beck's managers.
J - I guess things blow up, you know.
I - Well, I'll fucking kick their ass again.  I have no 
problem with Beck, but his people are pricks.  There's 
this rule that most clubs have that the opening band 
takes care of their business first because it takes only
like 7 min. or something.  You know, T-shirt sales and 
everything.  I'd rather have sold them myself, but you 
can't.  So I wait in line quite a while to talk to the 
guy and this girl comes up, pushes me aside and says,
"I'm sorry, I have to take care of Beck's business, it'll
only take a minute."  It takes an hour and fifteen 
minutes.  I'm cool, she was an asshole to the guy who she
was dealing with.  The next night she tries to pull the
same asshole shit and I'm like, "We've been really kosher
to you all and you've been a real asshole.  Why don't you
do some thinking here."  And she exploded and I pulled 
the drunk Irish guy and argued.  Then Steve Wool, a guy 
who was with us, got in it after her manager jumped on me
and I was about to sock his fat ass.  We stole all of 
Beck's beer too, though.  We didn't steal it, we asked
him, "We have to have this beer."
J - Was it good beer?
I - It was fucking some of the best beer I've had in my 
life!
J - Do you have any guns and how many.
I - I have a 20-20.  A 30 ought 6 of some sort.(??)[sic]
J - Do you ever use it for self-protection?
I - Nah... but that would be cool, huh?
J - To just straight kill some crazy motherfucker?
I - I'm not into shooting people, just things.  Just 
stuff.  Objects is cool.  Just to watch you destroy
something.  I like that kind of witchcraft.  It's not
right for people to shoot at each other.  One exception,
bad politicians that get paid too much.  They fuck up,
they get shot at.  They should get shot at a lot more
because they really are fucking up.  Either that or they
quit faking likt they're doing anything and let me keep
my paycheck.  Of course, then I'd be able to buy bigger
guns.  Hot damn!
Brian M. - Hey, are you an actor?
I - Yeah.
B - When are you acting?
I - Right now.
B - What's your best role?
I - Isaac the cock-tamer? [sic]
B - Who's the only person in the world that you respect
enough not to act in front of.  That you are just real
with.
I - Dang, there's a shitload of those people, to be 
honest.
B - Really?  That's good.
I - Most everyone, I think.  I think it's *me* too.
*I can't act in front of that guy, it bugs me.*
J - This is my first interview I've done, so, I'm 
struggling here.
I - It's all good.  The way it is, you and I are just
having a conversation here, like shooting the shit.  See,
you and I are gonna do drugs when we hook up.  You like
drugs, right?
J - Yeah, I love drugs.
I - Me too, that's the way to be.  You're so close to 
Mexico too, maybe we should go hook up with Peyote and 
go to TJ [note: Tijuana] and watch people do it with
donkeys or whatever they do.  Those heavy hallucinogens
are what I'm after but I can never find them when I feel
like doing them.

..............................finis... ?

transcribed by *phiL* [psmoker@hotmail.com]
		reprinted without permission