Uncommon, that is exactly what they are! Not only because of the identical twin Daff and Trint, but because they are the nicest band ever! They proof that you can be ‘sex, drugs and rock’n roll’ without being an arrogant rockstar. You can listen to their music on their myspace: http://www.myspace.com/uncommonmenfrommars or buy their new cd ‘longer than an ep shorter than an album’ it’s in stores now! You also have the chance to read everything you always wanted to know about the skate-punk music and rock ‘n roll lifestyle of Uncommonmenfrommars! Lucky you!!Interview with: Ed Zeppelin (vocals and guitar)
Interviewed by: Pearl
Hi Ed Zeppelin, how are you?
I’m a bit hung-over and I have a sore throat, but that is normal.
Can you still sing with that sore throat?
Yeah, it sounds better when we play. It sounds like shit all afternoon, but after three songs it gets better.
You have performed in the Netherlands a lot! What’s the nicest thing about playing in the Netherlands?
Now we have friends in different places, that’s cool.
People bringing chocolate! And some of us enjoy smoking, so that is also very pleasant.
You are about to perform, are you nervous before you go to perform?
Not really, we get impatient cause we want to play. I don’t think we get nervous, maybe if we play like a big show or if we play with a band we really like. It is just usually a party, it’s party time!
The Undeclinables were supposed to play tonight…
They canceled because one of them is in hospital. We are not sure what happened, but I think he is okay, but he is still in the hospital, we’ll have more information maybe by tonight.
Do you prefer to play for a large audience or a small cozy audience?
We like everything, we love playing in tiny bars, and we love playing huge festivals. It doesn’t really matter, we just love to play!
Do you create the atmosphere on stage or does the audience create the atmosphere?
I guess kind of both. Sometimes you have to create it yourself, because there is no atmosphere. If we play a show and there are not so many people. If you don’t do something to change it, it is not going to change. Those are the harder shows, where we really need to put an effort to get a good vibe. Sometimes the crowd just goes crazy and they create the atmosphere.
What is that like in Holland?
It depends, this is the first show on this tour with Second Shot in Holland, so we will see! It is usually fun, I don’t really see a difference between shows in Germany, France or Holland. I guess it all depends on how many people there are. My best memory was in Holland, at a show with fourteen people, in a two hundred capacity room, but that was like the most fun show of the whole tour.Everybody was smiling and there was a really good vibe. Things happened that usually don’t happen. The crowd went on stage and we went down like you are the band, we are the crowd you know... It is just fun!
I saw that you performed naked...
Sometimes, it can happen...We do that when it gets too hot or when we know that it would be a problem for someone. Like we played in the middle of Paris once, right in the middle of the city on an outdoor stage. It was like old people and kids, families...That is the place where I would get naked.
Are you the typical sex drugs and rock ’n roll?
Not really, I mean I’ve seen worse. But yeah we do like to party. Not all of us,we are all very different. Some of us are not party-freaks, but I am and Jim is. I like sex, I like drugs and I like rock ’n roll, so I guess my answer would be yes! Still looking for sex, gonna find drugs after the interview and the rock ’n roll will be here tonight.
What makes you different from all the other rockstars?
Rockstars? Well I guess we are no rockstars. No, to me being a rockstar is not about how many records you sell, it is about attitude. I know bands that have sold two cd’s in their lives, played three shows and they are the biggest rockstars I’ve ever met! It is just attitude, when a band think they are better than everyone, just because they are on stage and they think they are awesome and some treat people like shit. That to me is being like a rockstar. We don’t do that. We don’t treat people like shit, we only treat each other like shit.
What is the difference between your music on stage and on the cd?
We play better on the cd, probably… A lot of people say that there is a lot more energy on stage.
Daff: Often people don’t get it till they have seen us live. Personally I think that it is important that people that wanna listen to our cd’s see us live first.
Ed: But that is just the drummer’s point of view.
What comes first music or lyrics?
Music, we always write the lyrics at the last moment when we are in the studio. When we have to track vocals we still have no lyrics. We just grab a piece of paper with Trint. That doesn’t mean we neglect the lyrics. We do talk about our lives and experiences, but the music and the vocal melodies come first.
You have recorded an acoustic album called Kill the Fuse, what do you prefer acoustic or electric?
Both, my brother Trint plays a lot of acoustic guitar. He actually just recorded a record with his side project called X-TV. They have just finished the album and it is mastered. It will be free for download on myspace, I can’t remember when, but it is very soon in December, so you should check it out! And the record will be available soon.
You also have a side project called Sons of Buddha, how do you manage to do both?
Uncommonmenfrommars is always the priority, but whenever we don’t tour we book Sons of Buddha tours in between. That is why since September I’ve been home like once or twice. Every time we go home with Uncommonmenfrommars I go on tour with Sons of Buddha and when we get back I go on tour with Uncommonmenfrommars.
Are you coming with Sons of Buddha to Holland?
We want to, maybe in February. We are going to try to hook up with Kevin from the Apers and make something happen.
So you are a skate punk band, do you all skate?
No, my brother Trint skates for a long time, but I don’t do anything that involves hurting myself or breaking bones.
Has he ever thought of being a professional skateboarder?
Daff: No he is not good enough, not crazy enough!
Don’t you think you can be anything you want?
Daff:You can be anything that you want, but I think when you play in a band and you end up being a musician it is not really like you choose to be in a band as like the music kind of chooses you. You just end up doing that and then one day you think: Hey I’ve made it, I’m a musician!Ed: But the difference between being in a punk band and being a pro skater is you have to be really good to be a pro skater, but you don’t have to know how to play music to be in a punk band. That is what punk is all about! Anyone can play in a punk band.
What do you think of the Emo scene?
Well, I’m not really into it, I think there is too much fashion involved…
Too much skinny jeans? Well you don’t have skinny jeans…
Skinny jeans? No they are kind of skinny, they are not slim not super slim, but they are just normal. But they are Johnny Ramone jeans! (Stands up and opens his zipper) Look it says: Hey ho lets go on the inside! So they are kind of slim, but they are still rock ‘n roll cause they are Johnny Ramones!
So you like the Ramones, have you ever seen them live?
No, unfortunately…
Is there any band you would like to see live, but never had the chance to?
Yeah, ACDC never seen them, Metallica, the Descendants, the Real Danger.
Daff: Generally when these bands play, we play also so we can’t see them.
What is the nicest band you’ve ever played with?
A lot of bands, like the Undeclinables we are friends with them. We did a tour with them in France a long time ago. A lot of Dutch bands, like the Heideroosjes, they are cool we’ve played a couple of times with them. They are nice guys. The Apers obviously… NRA from Amsterdam, they are the best Dutch band. One of my favorite bands ever! The Accelerators…The Real Danger, a Dutch band they sound like the Descendents, but we don’t know them I just like the music.
What made you come up with the unusual name Uncommonmenfrommars?
Well, exactly because it is unusual. You know, when we started the band, everyone wanted names like ‘No Effects’ very short names. So we did the exact opposite. Their albums always have names like ‘Dimimisabeble…’ very long names. So that is kind of why we took off the spaces just to make it look long, difficult to read.
Don’t you think it makes it harder to remember the name?
If you say it, but if you read it just once you will remember it forever. Next time you’ll see it you’ll say oo yeah!
So you exist a little more than ten years now, what changed during these years?
We drink more, we sleep less, we tour more, we have a lot more friends. My brothers have wives and kids. We play in different countries and we play a lot more in Germany and Holland.
Isn’t difficult to tour that much?
Sometimes, but I don’t have a wife or kids so I could tour all year, that would be fine for me. But my brothers have wives and kids so after a while they want to see their kids.
When you are on tour, what do you do during the day?
Ed: Drive, loading, soundcheck, put up the merchtabel, change guitarstrings, we try to eat or do interviews and then the show starts
What do you do after you played the show?
Daff: It depends, sometimes we stay up till 10 in the morning. Sometimes we’ll be in bed by three. You can’t go to bed before two, that is the earliest we’ve ever been to bed on tour. Because we don’t have any time, when you’re finished playing, you have to put all your stuff away, you have to get back in the van. When we are all back to where we sleep, it is already two or three. We live like some kind of vampires after a while. We life at night and we sleep during the day.
Do you ever go sightseeing when you are on tour?
We hardly ever have time. I’m gonna go sightseeing after this interview. We’ve played in Vienna like three times, but we have never had the chance to go sightseeing. We play in beautiful cities, but all we see are small rooms.
Daff: We don’t do a lot of sightseeing, but we meet a lot of people and it is just as interesting to hang out with people from the cities that we are touring in. I’d rather hang out with people that live in the city and be in the city like they are. You hang out with some guys and have a drink and talk with them about how their life is, that’s interesting I think about touring.
Is the tour almost finished now?
Yeah, the tour is almost finished.
Are you excited to go home?
Yeah, I mean my brothers are probably more excited than me. When I get home I’m probably just gonna take off and visit some friends. We have friends all over Europe now, so I might go visit the Apers in Rotterdam. We toured with Failsafe, I think I’m going to visit them for New Years Eve in Manchester. And there is Second shot from San Francisco, if I save enough money I’ll go visit them. Sometimes when I’m not on tour I’ll just hop in another band’s van. I have some friends, if I call them: Is there space for me? Yeah I’m coming!
What would you like to achieve in the next ten years?
Daff: Still be around!
Ed: We are totally happy with what we have achieved in ten years. So I think if we just keep on doing the same thing it would be perfect.
