Here's where you can get to know the loveable fuck-up known as Rick Rose Rude just a little bit better... although we don't know why you'd want to.
The First Church Of Holy Rock & Roll Interviews RRR December of 2000
THE RICK ROSE RUDE INTERVIEW (grilled by DJ Philly Phil)
In Florida, as I write, politicians stand in legions with their dicks in their hands, while the one-man rock and roll dynamo from Florida, Rick Rose Rude, demonstrates to the world how live oughtta be lived. Rick Rose who? Dig in, brothers and sisters....
Q: All you have to is listen to the radio, MTV, or whatever the fuck your typical retail outlet is playing to know that, here at the turn of the century, there's some major confusion about what ROCK AND ROLL is. Your music--and your personal inertia--seems to me infused with the original rock and roll spirit. What's your personal definition?
RRR:Basically I'm just doing what I believe in, which is rare these days. Everybody wants to be a star & be on MTV & the radio & make a million bucks. They're so caught up in that, that they're running around like beheaded chickens. I mean, they jump from one trend to another & there for never find themselves musically. It's no different than if someone had a different personality every time you talked to them. I don't see how someone can have a different musical personality all the time. These bands are ridiculous. They hate me so much but if I were to become the next big thing, they'd all be dressing like me, playing like me, acting like me, the whole 9 yards. But as always, they'd miss the big picture & give totally watered down re-interpretations. I miss dangerous rock & roll for rebellion's sake. Where the people were overcome by mental & soulful anguish & it drove them to drink & do drugs & be loud & wild & to play each note like it could be their last. People that had to help others if they couldn't help themselves. I'm one of those people.
You see, I am who I am. When I started, I was this way, when they find me dead, I'll be this way. I am rock & roll. You can always count on that. When a new Rick Rose Rude CD comes out, if you're a fan, then you don't have to worry about liking it. If ya liked the last one, you'll like the new one! You don't have to worry about me going techno or anything. My career has been very consistent & I'm too stuck in my ways to change!
Basically, I'm tryin to reclaim rock & roll for the working class. I'm sticking to it's original ideas & I'm applying the punk DIY ethos to it. Don't wait for shit to come to you. Make it happen yourself! Fuck the middleman! Do it & get it out there! With my releases, I'm trying to prove that production doesn't matter & neither does the packaging! If you have GREAT songs & they're comin from the heart, they'll shine through! All the production in the world & all the glitzy packaging in the world isn't gonna make a shitty song good, even though most musicians seem to think so. Besides, the real rock & roll was raw as fuck anyway! They slung a mic over the band & recorded straight to record! Now that's PUNK!
Q: Could you describe the genesis and development of your rock and roll career thus far?
RRR:It all began in pieces, here & there. I think All the shit that my biological parents put me through definitely fucked me up & lead me down the path I've taken. Music was always around & something about the more personal performers always attracted that wounded side of me.
When I was 4, my cousins had to stay with us because they're Mom had to go in the hospital unexpectedly & they were gonna go see Kiss. Their Mom was gonna go but as she was in the hospital I got her ticket! I don't really care for Kiss but at 4 that made a huge impact on me! Then, when I was 6, Johnny Angel's mom was takin' him to see the Stones & I begged & begged & begged my Mom to let me go! She finally agreed & that really knocked me on my ass!
Then, when I was 9 I asked to see my real mom & she said "No". I flipped! I didn't realize it at the time but looking back, that's when I dived headfirst into Johnny's record collection, began wearing suits everyday, refused to go back to church & became a juvenile delinquent.
By the time I was 11, I was playing bass in a middle-school band called Frankenstein. Very punk. I'd been writing songs & when I joined I talked them into doing those. We did 2, "Regurgitated" & "So, Sue Me!" for a compilation someone put together of bands at the middle school & high school. They were done in a garage, on a cassette tape & were pretty funny! I was becoming pretty popular & then my grand-parents(Who I call Mom & Dad because they raised me) decided they needed to move to FL & live out their "golden years". My life ended!
They bought a house in Ocala. FL. A town filled with inbred red-necks! I constantly got into fights at school & began to hate & despise most "Floridians". I really began to rebel! I eventually found some like minded souls & started a band called Roxie Rocks, named after Roxy Music & Hanoi Rocks. I was the singer & in the end, I ended up being the singer & guitarist. We wore make-up & our girlfriends clothes. Keep in mind, this was/is a red-neck town! We lasted from 86-89, during which time I ran away from home repeatedly, began taking & selling drugs & decided I hated the world! We folded when the drummer joined the army(he was older than us) & the bassist was sent packing to a reform school.
I did nothing of note through high school except quit to become a full time drug dealer & write songs. At some point in 91 I put a group together called Father Love Dog with an old school acquaintance named Brian Johnson on lead guitar & we went through several rhythm sections, offended everyone in Ocala & released some demos & one impossible to find cassette before breaking up in late 94 with a mix of confusion & regret. I do have to give Brian a little credit though, he was the first one to support my ballad streak but that's all I'll give him credit for. Our story & break-up is a novel in its self & since I'm getting long-winded enough, I wont go in to it.
After that, I tried getting tons of groups together but nothing worked. Everyone was a trendy MTV wannabe & I packed my bags & moved to Orlando. Things there weren't much better & by 97, after years of trying & trying to no avail, I got bogged down in the daily grind & just ceased to exist. Eventually I saw a promising ad in a local mag from a kid influenced by the Dolls, Stones & T.Rex & gave him a call. We hit it off & started a group called Heroin. Months went by & we had no rhythm section. Just unanswered ads. I went to rehearsal one day to find all of Jamie's stuff gone, along with everything I had laying around there. Most missed is my vinyl Atlantic pressing of "Sticky Fingers" with the zipper.
Then I started hanging out a lot with this girl named Shasta who I'd met back in 94. We'd sit around all day doing acid & listening to the Vaselines & one day she just started singing along & I was like "Hey! How come you never told me you could sing?!" "You never asked." she replied & with that, the Teenage Jesus Superstars were born. We decided to be an acoustic duo, her on vocals & me on guitar & that we would shock & offend coffee-drinkers EVERYWHERE before moving on to alcoholics! She was bi & didn't make ANY gender changes when singing my songs! We made one unreleased album called "The Bible Of Pop" before Shasta opted for a modeling career & left me stranded.
Next pit stop, the Love Drags. My friend Chris Boitano had recently bought a bass & we had a common love for groups like the Knack & the Romantics & decided to start a band that would be something like a bug bomb, only it would kill lameness instead of bugs. We were both disgusted by radio & the local bands & had absolutely nothing better to do. We asked drummer Steve Nettles to join us for a demo session & we knocked out a few tunes. Then Steve bailed on us.
Chris & me devised a plan. Why not make a demo, use it to get press & then find a drummer & lead guitarist?! Maybe it was just crazy enough to work! Halfway during recording, Chris lost interest. He said he'd rather work on cars in his spare time. He did leave his bass at my apartment for several months though, which allowed me to finish up what became "Have Faith". I sent copies to every fanzine I could & the reviews, & then the orders started pourin' in! I've just kept at.
To be honest with you, I don't really think I've progressed since then & I haven't wasted my time trying to get a band together. Once I find a new locale, I intend to try again though.
Q: You are one aggressive, fearless, expressive SOB! What drives you?
RRR:Love for rock & roll & hatred towards the son of a bitches who've did their part in murdering it & are now trying desperately to cover it up! Plus, I believe that I truly am the bustard son of either Johnny Thunders or Keith Richards & there for, Virtually Indestructible! Love letters from fans & hate letters from detractors! Bi-Sexual girls. William S. Burroughs, Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, Sylvia Plath, suits, Raymond Chandler, Charles Bukowski, Spinal Tap, amphetamines, wine, Mel Brooks movies, speed, Drew Barrymore, cocaine, champagne, Christina Applegate, The God Father movies, female models, Charlize Theron, Comedy Central, Les Pauls, Cameron Diaz, amplification, Vincent Van Gogh, reefer & Tiffany-Amber Thiessen.
Q: You've definitely taken hold of all of the possibilities that the digital and internet revolutions offers the rock and roller to re-invent yourself as a star.
RRR:I basically had no choice. There was no other way! One of my many motto's is:"Make due with what ya have". & that's all I'm doin'. I'd never really touched a computer before I'd met this guy named Chris Seabury. He made me a web-page & made me a MP3 site & got me going on it. We were gonna go to CA & he backed out at the last minute & I told him to go fuck himself! He then changed all the passwords to everything. I no longer have access to my MP3 site or that original web-page & I've tried to have them removed with no success.
Then I met David MacKay, who became my manager for a while. He really got me goin' on the internet. I'd stay at his & his fiancee's place for days at a time doing nothing but checking out the internet! I was AMAZED at the possibilities! I'd already invaded the mailbox of virtually every fanzine known to man so I next decided to invade the e-mail boxes of every fanzine known to man! I started doing the JunkiE-Mails. This was December of 1999. Much to my surprise, very few people asked to be removed & people actually enjoyed them & wanted to hear music! The list kept growing & growing & growing & growing! I now have to do 2 separate sends on those because the lists are so big. I think I do so well with them because I have a blast doing them! Most bands take themselves so seriously & I don't! I mean, it's music! Not a job! It's suppose to be fun! Most musician's report their news so seriously & I make it into jokes! People were e-mailing me telling me they laughed all the way through it & they wished more bands had such charm & humor! I even lampoon myself, NOTHING IS SACRED! ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!
I would get hate-mail, but it would be from anal-retentive musicians who are so up-tight they're bound to explode like those poor white mice in "Rock & Roll High School"! I built a new web-page & it gained me even more fans! I now get orders from all over the world for RRR CD's & stuff. I get love & hate letters almost daily via e-mail & hardly a week goes by that several orders don't come to my Mother's house. A month before the wreck I'd even quit my job. Between the mail order & selling stuff on E-Bay I was making enough money to survive.
Q: Take us through the process, from where your song ideas come from, to recording to the final product (plus merch), 'cause maybe some of us can do the same thing!
RRR:Basically, they all come from my life. What you hear is me. It's my diary. I'm the same lovable, adorable screw-up that I am in the songs. Honestly, I have a lot of issues. I think most of them stem from my birth parents neglect but I have this huge hole in me that I'm always trying to fill. I don't handle rejection from the opposite sex very well. It sends me on these unbelievable drinking & drug binges. When I sober up & come down, there's usually a tape deck near by with a tape in it. I'll just play the tape & there's the acoustic demos of the songs. Then it all comes back! Next, I'll work out an arrangement for them & start recording multi-track versions. I won't do something more than 3 times. If it ain't jiving I let it go for another time. I also go for feel over perfection. I'll record at least 30 songs for a project so that I can pick the best ones. I think that's a mistake a lot of musicians make. Once they get 10 songs they say, "OK! Got it! Let's make the album!" I don't think everything that I write is good. Most musicians think that anything they come up with is great! That's the wrong attitude to have. Plus I'd rather be over prepared then under-prepared. I just say to myself, is this something I would listen to? Would I like this? If it's yes & only yes, then it gets approval & goes out. & I like everything to be just like the songs, immediate & catchy. So, I like an album title that says it all & will stick with ya. Same for the covers that I make. With the Merchandise, I just try & convey my spirit, ya know? It's the same process as the music. It's one & the same really. Just me expressing the frustration that's inside of me & hoping others can relate to it. That's the ultimate pay off
. Q: What are your ambitions, beyond the considerable feats you've already accomplished?
RRR:To make a living playing music. To be as big as Thunders was or Hanoi before they split. I'd love to be wealthy but I don't want the fame. I think it's ridiculous. You lose your hunger & are less creative. You can fart & the masses will buy it. Ya know why, cause they don't understand. They just do what MTV tells them to do & I don't care for fans like that. MTV have them programmed. So their opinion doesn't really mean shit to me. One of the new songs even says: "You program the hits like you program the viewers, Think you're so cutting edge, you're so fucking clueless. Damn the MTV Generation, I don't give a fuck about your new sensation. It's got no heart, it's got no soul, It's just plastic passion, beyond control. Whatever happened to rock & roll?!" I just wanna keep on playin' music & be able to do it my way. I REFUSE to do it any other way!
Q: What have been your biggest obstacles so far?
RRR:The brainwashed, idiotic, trendy, pathetic, self-serving, uncultured, moronic masses! That & not having a band!
Q: In what songs of yours do you feel you've gotten closest to what you hear in your head?
RRR:I don't think I have yet. I've always been horrible at analyzing my own stuff! Ha ha! I do wanna try & create some kinda hybrid of Glitter, Punk & Power-Pop. That's what I go for each time I record. Have I succeeded? I dunno. As long as people like it, I'm flattered.
Q: Do you view the influence and style of your models (Thunders, Stones, T-Rex) as a specific response to the pervasive lifelessness of today's musical world?
RRR:I just love this stuff! If it was popular, I'd still be playin' it. I'm the Chuck Berry for the 21st Century! It's what I was born to do. So the current state of things has made it rougher for me? Well, bring it on, Baby! I've always been a fighter! I survived a car wreck that no one can believe didn't either kill me or paralyze me, so let the masses do what they want to me! As Oscar Wilde said "Bad taste is in the majority". I'm Jesus Christ & they haven't nailed me yet!
Q: What current artists feed your fire?
RRR:Oh shit, Phil! Tons! There's GREAT rock & roll out there! It just ain't in the mainstream! The Beat Angels, the Dimestore Haloes, Nutrajet, The Malakas, The Black Halos, Mr.Ratboy, The Beatings, Silver Star & The Jukebox Angels, Texas Terri & The Stiff Ones, man, I could go on & on & on! Anyone who contacts me knows that I plug these bands & others non-stop! That's another one of my better traits, I genuinely care about the scene. So many bands don't because they consider it "helping the competition". Bullshit! I'm still a fan, ya know?
Q: I dig your full-on rocking songs, but I also admire your willingness to wear your heart on your sleeve and write late-night doomed-love songs, an often-ignored rock and roll genre. How closely do these songs come to the real life of Rick Rose Rude?
RRR:Very! I can tell ya the names of the girls I wrote 'em for! I think love songs are the best. Those are the problems that most people face. I use to be a very heavy lyricist but one day I realized, the biggest threat I face each day is the opposite sex! I've got a new one that goes:
"Can't you see? It's World War III?! We've been drafted into...the Battle Of The Sexes"
Besides, I'd always liked performers who wrote about their lives. Prime examples, Johnny Thunders, Peter Perrett & Ian Hunter. I don't know any other way to write. I'd feel like a fraud if it wasn't real, ya know? "Can We Go Steady Again?" is about Anna, "Try So Hard To Smile" is about Crystal, "The Girl Won't Come", "Space Cadet", "Amphetamine Blues" & "Hung-Up On A Pin-Up Girl" are all about Shasta, "Dearest Girl" is about a childhood friend named Jessica who took her life & so on & so forth. There's 2 new one's called "Celia Cool Charm" & "The Disappearing Girl" about this girl I'm into now named Celia. Why am I so honest? I don't really know. I guess because I believe if you're gonna sing about somethin' & expect people to relate & respond you've gotta believe in it. But then again, falseness has sure sold a lotta records, but I think anyone who's read this far has already figured out I don't care how many records I sell.
Q: Who's in your current band?
RRR:Me, myself & I! Man, NO ONE wants to be seen with me! Look at the crap FL has spawned! Manson, Matchbox 20, 7 Mary 3, Sister Hazel & trust me, there's more comin'! There is no end in sight! & FL is PROUD of this! No one will give me the time of day here! & aside from Focus, not even the local mags! That's why I turned my attention towards getting reviews in fanzines & the internet. With no band, I had to find other avenues of promotion.
Q: How do your live performances differ from your "studio" recordings?
RRR:Everything's done acoustically. Just me. Sometimes Jessi Sanders will join me on back-up vocals but it's usually just me. Now, note, I can rarely get booked. No one will book me! The last show I played was in November at the K & K, here in Ocala. The response was great & the kids seemed to love me. The K & K booked me for 2 more shows in January & then pulled the plug on both a week before each show. Crap was given as a reason & they promised to rebook me & never did. I call & harass everyone in FL but when they find out I'm by myself they just tell me they're not interested. They hang up before I can call them a prick! Greg Reinel said "The Orlando music scene goes out of their way to disown him. So he's gotta be doin' something right."
Q: What's the typical Rick Rose Rude fan like?
RRR:Someone who's been to school in one form or another. Either college or the school of Hard Knox! HA HA! They seem disenchanted, frustrated, bored, intelligent, educated, cultured & desperately in need of some honest to God rock & roll action! They're people that I try to become friends with. I answer every letter & send them loads of free stuff. They also seem to have a good sense of humor & enjoy their JunkiE-Mails.
Q: Your recent postings on a 311 message board raised some eyebrows. The whole dialogue is one of the most hilarious--and revealing--rock and roll moments of the year (see excerpt below), and a great example of why what you have to offer IS PURE ROCK AND ROLL. Looking back on it, what's your take now on the incident?
RRR:I've always had this thing about me. This knack to just piss people off. Kinda like the Dolls & the Pistols had. I was bored! I do stuff like that a lot & then lose interest. Several of the postings were lost somehow. One of mine & some by some others. I think it just goes to show what I'm trying to say about FL. The message board was that of Focus Magazine & it was all some local airhead who thinks he's a star because his band gigs in St.Petersburg. Notice I didn't tell them about my accomplishments! My world-wide press, my world-wide fans, etc. I just didn't care to. It's pointless. All the while they're(actually him) telling me how I suck. So I figure they must be really somethin'. So I asked them to give me somethin'.! Well, where's the proof?! He wouldn't give me any. He probably has none & was just jealous at what I've achieved. I'd do it over again. I'd love to see his face when he finds out Focus are doin' a feature article on me! That would be a priceless picture!
Q: What are the 15 records you'd take to a deserted island if shit got too ugly here?
RRR:I pack like a woman, Phil! So, I'd take the following 15 artists catalogue's:(never do what you're told! Ha! Ha!)
01.Johnny Thunders
02.Hanoi Rocks
03.Rolling Stones(I'd mostly just take the 60's & early 70's stuff)
04.Replacements
05.Dogs D'amour
06.Stooges
07.Beatles
08.Ramones
09.T.Rex
10.Mott The Hoople
11.Velvet Underground
12.Big Star
13.Alice Cooper(69-74)
14.Faces
15.Cheap Trick
TRANSCRIPT OF THE INFAMOUS 311 MESSAGE BOARD "INCIDENT"!
Why the Hell is there a 311 tribute?! Is the state of music getting THAT BAD?!?!?!?! Have mercy on my soul & just shoot me now!!!!!!!!!!!!!! http://www.rickroserude.com Rick Rose Rude 12:51 AM On 12/3/2000
RICK--TELL ME WHAT CALIBER AND I'LL E-MAIL YOU A BULLET AND YOU CAN SHOOT YOURSELF PLEASE. KEN 7:40 PM On 12/3/2000
So we have a critic who doesn't like 311 and must speak up and show his support of anti-bands. The president of i only like this band or that band. Never mind that it is all just music, that's too deep ,isn't it / 311 FAN 7:44 PM On 12/3/2000
Hey Rick Rose Rude-- I just heard a song of yours on mp3....I can't believe you are judging other bands who have already made it by listening to your garage-trash. What you think you can bring back neil young grunge.??? oh ha ha,he he LAUGHING OUT LOUD 8:2 PM On 12/3/2000
Check out this guys website...rickroserude.com.. Man this guy is full of himself..a legend in his own backyard....I'm not a big 311 fan but it's like night and day compared to this guy as far as quality of musicianship goes...please give me a brake...This has to be Candid Camera.. anybody who sucks as bad as he does makes a judgment against a big act. whew.....somebody just shoot him. still laughing 8:7 PM On 12/3/2000
why the hell is there a rickroserude web page. It is useless and stupid. what are you some kinda weirdo. It's a joke. you are a joke. your music is a joke. Why did you waste mp3 space with those garage band songs...good marketing, bucky..must be a republican. Web Page police 8:11 PM On 12/3/2000
Aww, poor babies! Did my opinion upset you! Boo hoo! Have your "Mommy" call my "Mommy" & have her punish me! Pardon me for havin some style & doin my own thing! That's the biggest sin around here, isn't it?! God forbid I'm not tryin to be Matchbox 20 or somethin! Keep the hate mail comin, I'm gettin a GOOD laugh out of it! Rick Rose Rude 8:41 PM On 12/3/2000
i checked out rick's web page and i thought i was really neat! i wanna meet him cuz i think he's right and the rest of you are wrong! and mr. web page police...how can someone with such a closed mind call SOMEONE ELSE a republican?? jenna rawk 11:15 PM On 12/3/2000
i have to agree with mr. rude on the "need" for a tribute to a band that is, uh, how should i put this, worthless. and, judging by the responses that his post has initiated i also wonder about the musical maturity of those responders. maybe a quick trip to RAWK SCHOOL is needed...or at least a re-look at spinal tap! oh yeah...who else thinks that limp biskit is as stale as last week tuna helper? manthon 11:24 PM On 12/3/2000
O.K.--By reading the posts here about 311 and Rick Rose and a few other little tidbits. These bands that are getting smacked have already made it.... Once you make it a tribute to you is a good thing, in listening to Rick Rose music and seeing his website, saying you are doing something diffrent is not the truth. The style you are representing is very stale and actually lacks musicianship quality BONGO 8:44 AM On 12/4/2000
I'll say anyone who is trying deserves credit, but to be so critical when you aren't as good as you project deserves the smacks you got. I've checked out the 311 tribute website and allot of the bands are amateurish, some are highly professional, the point is it's a tribute to them by their fans who are musicians. I read Rick's tribute on the board this morning. ooops. It's the Biz. BONGO 8:54 AM On 12/4/2000
Checked out rickroserude.com. A great band like 311 has nothing to worry about. Ravishing Rick Rude 9:29 AM On 12/4/2000
Well then, who's doing what I'm doin around here? I didn't say I was original, I said I do my own thing. I'm sorry that your taste buds & standards have been so lowered by the biz that you wouldn't know the essence of R & R if it kicked you in the nuts! My main point was, have 311 even been around long enough to warrant a tribute? Rick Rose Rude "mailto:rickroserude@hotmail.com" 9:33 AM On 12/4/2000
Hey Rick- Just do your own thing but lay off the other bands, the masses are into what 311 represents and your style is the stale sound. It's good you are doing your own thing but Johnny Winters meets Neil Young in a car wreck isn't gonna get it here. The coverbands here are doing better than what you are---It's a no sell here. But do what makes you happy. You can't judge what you don't know here. MUSICIAN 12:41 AM On 12/4/2000
Mr. Rude describes his sound as "a mixture of punk, power-pop & glitter". Umm, the only punk about it is the cheap recording. Did you get that done at Full Blown by the guy that worked on the Barb Wire film? LOL! Rufus "mailto:rickroserude@hotmail.com" 12:53 AM On 12/4/2000
Where can I hear all your guys awesome music at?! You guys must be burnin up the charts? So where can I hear your stuff so I can make fun of it?! You made up your mind to hate my stuff before you even heard it! Fact! Rick Rose Rude 1:6 PM On 12/4/2000
Well 311 does have 5 albums, legions of fans and they made it out of Omaha, so I'd say yes! Can you claim that? Lil glitter bug "mailto:" 1:30 PM On 12/4/2000
You're a rocket scientist aren't ya?! I mean all these people who are puttin me down!I wanna hear their music! Man, they way their talkin it must be somethin! I wanna hear it so I can review it on here! I don't care to claim! It's art not a popularity contenst! Rick Rose Rude "mailto:" 1:58 PM On 12/4/2000
Now see what you did Mr. Rude. Anybody can fill their online locker with mp3s. I was saying we were on a tribute c.d. sold as units world wide which is the 311 popularity. Not just locally.. my band's original band is called HEMPUS. My cover bands are SKYWAY & SOULMATE. We play out all the time and we are into the local scene with tons of resources. KEN "mailto:SKYWAYPROD@AOL.COM" 3:11 PM On 12/4/2000
Go to coffeestain.com and talk the smack there. To Chris @ Full Blown-- you guys have a great deal going here, don't let the twits get to ya man. Music is the scene not a judgment that's for the D section of the rags. But some do have 2 thumbs up (their ass). KEN 3:14 PM On 12/4/2000
RudeDude, you came here with the attitude first! Don't talk smack if you can't handle it. I KNOW you'll be back tosee this. Nick Hexum 4:9 PM On 12/4/2000
Rick would just like to add:"The only thing more stupid than 311 are their fans!"
Focus Magazing Interview Rick Rose Rude
December of 2000
Rick Rose Rude: Just A Song by Chip Edwards
Posted 02/01/2001
“Rude Dude, you came here with the attitude first! Don’t talk smack if you can’t handle it.”
Nick Hexum
“Mr. Rude describes his sound as ‘a mixture of punk, power-pop & glitter.’ Umm, the only punk (thing) about it is the cheap recording. Did you get that done at (at the same studio) by the guy that worked on the ‘Barbed Wire’ film? LOL!” Rufus
“Rick—tell me what caliber and I’ll e-mail you a bullet and you can shoot yourself, please.” Ken
“I checked out Rick’s web page and I thought it was really neat! I wanna meet him cuz I think he’s right and the rest of you are wrong!” Jenna Rawk
Yep. The Eatmag message board was sizzling. Interrupting the endless stream of gig announcements, studio plugs, and “farggy” epithets was a note from Rick Rose Rude about some upcoming tribute compilation with a local band’s contribution. Hey, we’re all sick of ‘em. Rude was just sicker than most.
But in the exchange of opinions, Rude alluded to his own musical experience. Tough times, no gigs, grouchy bandmates. But instead of slogging around Ocala, desperately looking for any musical inspiration or positive feedback, Rick just did it himself.
Yeah, we say that a lot at this mag. DIY. Just do it.
And that’s exactly what the aspiring guitarist-slash-singer-slash-drummer-slash any other noisemaker did in his bedroom studio. Not so brilliant, eh? But his songs are different than most. A little glam, a little garage trash, maybe some bubblegum punk for good measure. Like Jonathan Richman meets Johnny Thunders. You either get them, or you don’t.
And that’s the real charm- as if you could call Rick charming. Unlike a majority of professional recordings, Rick makes no pretense about his music’s shortcomings. They’re cheap. They’re done in one take or less. And their mix of scratchy, detuned guitars, cardboard drums and pleading vocals is distinctly on purpose. It’s music by real people. It’s real music.
And it’s really bought by a lot of international folks who dig Rude’s gutsy, neanderthal rock. After mailing countless review discs to every publication that he could scrounge up an address, the reviews started running. And running. And the web site kept getting hits. And mail started pouring in for tape requests. And so did the checks to Rick’s house.
Granted. It’s not a great sum of money. But Rude has tapped into a glam/trash/scumrock underground that loves his musical jubilations. For Rude, it’s been a perfect solution to express himself without all of the usual trappings. Just a song. Just Rick.
Focus: Considering all of the feedback and commotion on Eatmag’s announcement board, how come I’ve never read anything about you?
Rude: Very few people have ever tried to write anything. I’ve only been interviewed twice. One magazine never got printed. And then this underground fanzine interviewed me, but it went out of business before it ever went to press. I’ve warned Focus about both of those...but I guess you still want to continue. Even with all the hate mail that I’ve been getting on your web site.
Focus: So noted, but that wouldn’t make any difference.
Rude: I’m always amazed at the reaction to some of my jokes. I go by “Rick Rose Rude, Rock ‘N’ Roll Star.” It’s just a joke, but some people treat it like I have a big head, that I’m full of myself, tell me that I suck. God, why are people so uptight?
Focus: I suppose people are very passionate about their choice of music...
Rude: Yeah, well I am, too. But, I also want to have fun. After all, it’s just music. If you’ve read any of my press releases, they’re just jokes. I make fun of everything that happens to me. Most people find them funny and entertaining, and they respond to them. They remember them and they tell their friends about them.
Focus: Well, I know that’s how you came to our attention. I know everyone at Focus and Star Booty gets a big kick out of your music.
Rude: Thanks.
Focus: So give me the bio...
Rude: I was born in Indianapolis in 1975. My grandparents adopted me, because my father was an alcoholic and my mother was a junkie. Both of them abandoned me. Around the time I was a teenager, I sorta flipped out. I began wearing suits everyday. I wanted an image that was different than all of the other punk kids, who were in combat boots and mohawks. I was into all of the glam bands like the New York Dolls and Hanoi Rocks. My friend across the street had a huge record collection, so we played music all the time. Through him I really got into the Sex Pistols and The Ramones. Along the way, I started playing bass, although my band played just one gig at a birthday party. A girlfriend in the 6th grade gave me the name of Rick Rose Rude. Which was cool, because I was going to go by the name of Richie Dagger, after The Germs’ song.
Unfortunately, around that time, my grandparents moved from Indianapolis to Florida. Their golden dream. Life really sucked from that point for me. So here I was, stuck in Ocala. In middle school, I sang in a band called Roxy Rocks, from about ’86-’89. I didn’t really do anything musically when I was in high school since it was really redneck. I wasn’t popular at all. People really hated my guts.
After that, I started a band with Brian Johnson called Father Love Dog. We went through a series of bassists and drummers, I began playing guitar for the first time. We put out one demo tape, called The Modern Day Love Affair and Conspiracy, which went nowhere. We ended up moving to Orlando, from about ’93-’99, but I could never get a band together. No one wanted to hear what I was into. Basically I just ended up recording a bunch of solo tracks. I couldn’t find people to play with, so I just decided to hate the world, lock myself in my room, and make some music.
I put out a couple of solo demo tapes to try to put a band together, but the response was completely negative. “No, I don’t want to do this crap. This music is just so simple. You don’t have any talent. You’re bullshit.” So by ’97, I was sorta beaten down, I didn’t know what to do. I was just going through the grind- getting up every morning, going to work. I just wanted to blow my brains out. I wasn’t even recording anymore.
Then I saw an ad in the paper from a guy who was into the Stones and Dolls. We tried to start a band called Heroin, but we couldn’t find a rhythm section. He eventually stole some of my stuff, so our friendship was over. Then I started a duo project with a girl singer named Shasta called The Teenage Jesus Superstars. We did a few open mic gigs, but that was over soon because she lost interest.
But I did end up starting a band called the Love Drags with Chris Boitano. About halfway through, he lost interest and bailed. So I ended up finishing the demos and putting them out as “Have Faith.” About then I realized that I was never going to make it by playing out, that they only way to do this was by myself. By then, I had decided to move to California, so I just started sending tapes out to everyones magazine I had ever heard of. Then one night we were in downtown Orlando and picked up a copy of The Fritz and began thumbing through it. I couldn’t believe they had reviewed my f***ing tape! Chris was so excited that he wanted to start the band up again. But then everything fell through. I blew off the band idea, because I was leaving for California, but then the people I was going with backed out. So I returned to Ocala because I figured I could live cheaper there. About that time, people started reviewing the tape. And then, the mail orders started coming in, and I started to make some decent money from Italy, Japan, Germany, places like that. It was a lot better response than I ever got from America!
So I decided to make another record called “Murder By Guitar,” which is pissing the right people off, while the others are pretty happy. For once, I’m pretty pleased.
Focus: So you were totally blindsided by this overseas response?
Rude: Yeah, I can’t believe people like me. I’m in total shock. I certainly don’t have any aspirations to be a rock star. Well, maybe as big as Johnny Thunders, or someone like that. This success is very amusing. I get orders from tapes and CDs from all over the world. It’s really flattering. I would love to play out, but I beat my head in while I lived in Orlando. I look at it like this: I’m sitting on my ass all day and making money, while some of these guys are out traveling, starving all the time.
Focus: Was there a turning point?
Rude: Well, one of my biggest inspirations has been Greg Reinel of Nutrajet. He just does not care what anybody thinks. He’s successful, but he doesn’t give a rat’s ass. I’ve always been that way, but I’ve always had people caution me, advise me that I should watch what I say, that I need to be more nice. Huh. I’m not going to kiss anybody’s ass to get anywhere. F*** that. I will hate the world, stay in my room, record my music if that means I can do what I want.
I believe that people like my music because it’s very real and very honest. When they buy one of my CDs, they know they are getting some real rock ‘n’ roll. They don’t have to worry about me going techno.
Focus: It’s definitely back to basics. It’s the roots of the roots. Along with the one-man band approach, it sounds like your music is all bottled up inside.
Rude: Well, I always thought that the worst musicians were the best songwriters, too. I think that really good players, that know so much technically, can’t really get their emotions out. They are all tied down to rules. Like Johnny Thunders and Keith Richards aren’t the greatest musicians, but they write the greatest songs. Just like The Beatles or The Ramones. I just think they have an undying passion to express themselves creatively.
Focus: How do you view yourself in all of that?
Rude: I’m there for people who are desperate for some rock ‘n’ roll, that are just sick of all this crap. The music industry has set such low expectations for its audience. After all, rock is about rebellion. That’s the point I’m making. I’m trying to bring some of that back to the people. That’s part of the reason that I put out crappy CDs with crappy production. As long as you have passion and some good songs, that’s all that matters. Those discs that are all done up with beautiful artwork and sound so professional- their songs suck! Bland, generic, boring. I’m not trying to say that I’m so original, but I’ve taken my influences and ran my own way.
Focus: I think about 75% of the charm of your discs is because they are so lo-fi and amateurish. If they had a stronger production, I don’t know that I would have listened to them...is this the music that you hear in your head, or would you prefer a bolder, more expensive production?
Rude: I just want the music to sound like it was done live. I know there are shortcomings. I don’t know how to play drums very well. Certain frequencies get lost in the mix. But I just want it to sound like I'm playing in your living room.
Focus: It really flies in the face of all the MIDI technology and all the producer-oriented works that seem to be popular.
Rude: I just like three-chord pop songs. I don’t think that I would ever sign to a major label, but if I could rip one off for enough money, I would. After I took their shitload of cash to go into the studio, I would record everything in one day, split, and then spend the rest on hookers and cocaine!
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