DETOX DARLINGS
1. Let us know about the story of your band.
Like Gladiator, The Wrath Of Kahn and Princess Bride, Detox Darlings began with the noblest intent: revenge. A long time ago, 1996 actually, from a band far, far away I had been kicked out of my last group, a wig-wearing Rocky Horrorshow styled outfit called Young & Fabulous and in the tradition of Lemmy, Ozzy and Dave Mustaine I was Hell-bent to prove what an ill-advised decision Y&F’s leader had made. Now years later, thanks to the exquisite efforts of rock chick extraordinaire JetSet Jenna on vocals, the fiery fret board talents of lead guitar superstar Charles, badass bassist Kenny and Johnny the House on drums, you’re interviewing me and Young & Fabulous are but a footnote to our history and not the other way’round.
2. Do you think that you remain loyal to the tradition of bands such
as New York Dolls ?
Detox Darlings are doing the best we can to carry on the glitzy, gritty
legacy left by Johansen, Thunders and co. all for living fast, it’s just the dying young part we can do without.
3. Do you face problems with the police due to your image and
lifestyle?
The police in NYC aren’t as cool as they used to be about ten years
ago when you could basically shoot up in the middle of St. Marks Place
without raising a shaved eyebrow. Now, forgetaboutit, ya can’t even
enjoy a beer in a paper bag without it leading to a $50 fine. The
trick is to get a little bottle of booze and mix it with your favorite soda
in a cup from a fast food place. A cop taught me this trick actually,
and the cabaret laws seem to have loosened a bit so it’s not illegal
or at least not enforced to dance in small clubs. So, bitch as I may,
things could be a lot worse as far as rock’n roll vs.the law is
concerned.
4. How different is the situation for Glam scene in New York since the late ’80s when hair metal bands were famous in USA ?
To be honest, NYC has never been a real glam town. In the 80s hardcore
and thrash metal were much more popular than glam in the Big Rotten
Apple. Aqua Net addicts did have their night though at a place called the
Cat Club where every Wednesday it was spandex, high heels and cherry
red lipstick. And that was just the guys! A decade or so later, sadly
the scene hasn’t changed that much for dye-hard rock’n rollers.
Except the place to be now is Don Hills in Soho which is coincidentally
owned by the same groovy guy who used to run the Cat Club. And Don
Hills rocks especially hard on, you guessed it, Wednesday nights, when the DJs spin killer cuts by Kiss, Cinderella, Poison and a dose or two of
Detox Darlings!
5. What are you doing this season, maybe writing songs for a new CD?
This summer in the city between gigs Detox Darlings can be found
working on some new riffs in the air conditioned comfort of our rehearsal
studio or chilling and swilling some cold ones at a couple of our favorite
dives. It’s a sweet low down life on the streets and between the
sheets, but somebody’s gotta live it and it might as well be us.
6. I noticed that you play very frequently, live shows, is it a part
of group’s philosophy ?
Absolutely, playing live is what it’s all about. Being on stage,
melting mascara burning your eyes, feeding off the audiences energy,
scamming as many drink tickets as we can off the promoter. You just can’t reproduce that kind of vibe in a studio no matter how much champagne, coke and hookers you bring in.
7. How hard is to survive in today’s music scene ?
That’s like asking how hard is a diamond, Chinese algebra or Pam
Anderson’s left breast. But hard is the way it’s always been in the music business. Whoever said getting there is half the fun was a lousy mathematician. But playing in a band, even if you aren’t moving platinum numbers still beats sitting home, watching TV, trying to figure out who’s getting voted off the Island next.
8. What about the Labels , which is your relationship with them ? Any good or bad situation that you’d like to share with us ?
The labels we’ve dealt with for different compilations: Delinquent, Amp Records and Vicious Kitten have all treated us fairly. As for a bad situation, we were hammering out a $30k 3 CD deal with The Telegraph Company until it fell through at the last minute. That was a big disappointment, but we learned a lot about contracts, budgets, and sucked down a few pricey dinners. So you live and burn. Then move on, stay in the game and try not to repeat past mistakes or come up with too many new ones. I’d never say it’s all good but it ain’t all bad either.
9. Groupies ?
I hate to break Britney’s heart, but being married to JetSet Jenna has taken me out of the groupie game. But as you can imagine by Jenna’s poise and double D personality I’m not missing much. Depending on the day of the week everyone in the band is in a committed relationship. Either they’re seeing someone or they need to be committed.
10. Sex ,Drugs and Rock n Roll?
Yes, YES and YEESSS!
No sleep til Detox
