The Queers were founded in 1982 by singer and guitarist Joe Queer. Blending the sound of the Ramones, Beach Boys, and Screeching Weasel, The Queers continue to rock hard and tour all around the world. After playing phone tag with the band’s cellphone, I was able to get in contact with bassist Dangerous Dave, who informed me that Joe Queer needed his beauty sleep. Dangerous Dave joined the Queers in the late ’90s, when The Queers had just signed to Hopeless Records and released Punk Rock Confidential. Dave discusses touring, their new album, and his disgust with today’s music.
How long have you been in The Queers?
I started playing with Joe [Queer] in late ‘97, ‘98. Yeah, there were some changes in the lineup back then, and he asked me if I wanted to play and that was basically the beginning of the end there. I’ve been playing with him ever since.
How’s life on the road?
It used to be a lot wilder. We don’t do a whole lot anymore. It’s kind of real mellow and chilled out; we’re all a little bit older now, we don’t really go out and party or anything. It’s more mellow than it used to be, which is actually good. You don’t feel hung-the-fuck-over driving [while] carrying gear. It’s a little easier, actually.
You have a big tour coming up, for about three months or something like that?
Well, it’s not straight. This is actually the longest we’re out on a single tour right now. We’re out until mid-December and we’ve been out since early November. But we got all sorts of shit coming up: east coast of Canada in January, and [in] February we’re going to Italy and Spain and Russia. Japan in April, and then I think a couple more shows in the States. There’s a new album out, so we gotta be busy for it.
Is it possible to tour too much?
Yeah, definitely. For sure, and we’ve done it too much. Some places too much, like Europe; you get over there and you have to stay there for five or six weeks. It’s just depressing there; you get sick of not speaking a language and communicating, or knowing where the fuck you’re going. You get over that shit. And a lot of times you’re playing in front of 10 people in bum-fuck north of Spain. Actually, Joe leaned over to me in the middle of our set once and said, “I wish I was at home watching ‘Bonanza,’” and I had to agree with him. It just bums you out, you know what I mean? Try to stay with a positive attitude and it gets you through it. Some people get bummed out in the middle of tour and want to leave and it’s like, “Dude, you’re not even a week into it and you’re ready to go home?” We try to stay positive. You know it’s better when you’re at home and shitting in your own toilet, so it’s all good.
Has there ever been a city that you went to that you had low expectations for, but the crowd blew you away? Has there ever been a time like that?
Some of the smaller towns you go to…Casper, Wyoming was a really early-on-the-map type city, but it used to be really good. You get like three- or 400 kids out and you’re like “Fuckin’ eh! I’m in Casper, Wyoming. I didn’t even know this city existed!” Some of these places, the kids have nothing else to do, so when a band comes through they’re really appreciative.
Last year, you were supposed to show up in Montreal in February, but that was canceled. I talked to Off With Their Heads and they said that Joe started some restaurant in New Hampshire.
It was actually outside of Atlanta. He was starting the restaurant and it fell through. It’s not happening right now. That’s why those shows didn’t happen, unfortunately. But we’re going to be coming back up there in April or May. We always feel bad when stuff like that happens, but that’s the business. Shit happens and you can’t do anything about it.
Was there a different approach you took when you recorded the new album?
Not really. It’s what we always used to do and what we’re comfortable with. Aside from the last previous albums — I’m not going to name names, but you get stuck in ruts and you’re kind of under control with what the engineer wants to do and how it’s going to be done, with the auto-tune and the click-tracks. Why don’t we just go back to how punk rock albums were supposed to be recorded? Hit the fucking record button and let’s do the song! If you get a good vibe off of it…if you like it, you like it. That’s it! Don’t go back and put every little drum hit right on time. If you listen to the album, the tempo fluctuates quite a bit and it’s fine. It’s the way it used to be!
All the great albums were recorded before all this new technology — we don’t have to use it just because it’s available. I never understood punk rock to be so robotic and sterile and lame — I always thought it was raw and fun. That’s the way it was done, and that’s what we do. You don’t read reviews that say, “The fourth word of the third verse of track seven, one minute and 20 seconds in, well, that’s a little off.” Hopefully, more bands will take the approach that they don’t have to follow the trend of using auto-tune on every single vocal line and matching up the bass line with the kick drum on every single note. It’s okay to be a little bit off; makes it more fun. Listen to the old albums — there are bad punches on Ramones albums. No one gives a fuck!
Right now, I’m scrolling down this huge list of past members. Has there been a member that really pissed you off and you just couldn’t have him in the band anymore? This is the part where you can name names.
Not really, I’m pretty mellow. I get along with everyone. Well, no — Steve Stress, he was a fucking asshole, that guy comes to mind. We fired his ass in Italy and sent him home from there. That was a pretty good tour, too. It’s hard. Every band has fights. Keith Moon, Roger Daltrey, and Pete Townshend hated each other, probably still do. Either members get tired of it or we get tired of them.
There’s a lot of punk bands out there that play two-minute songs with three chords and have simple lyrics. What has made The Queers prosper beyond those other bands, who have been left in the dust? What makes the Queers so damn special?
We’re the lucky ones because The Queers used to be on Lookout [Records] who had Green Day, Operation Ivy, Screeching Weasel, The Mr. T Experience, all these great bands who you can’t really see anymore. Screeching Weasel does shows here and there, The Mr. T Experience doesn’t tour anymore, Operation Ivy is done.
I think it’s a mix between nostalgia and good albums. There’s a difference between writing a song called “I Farted” or a song called “I Can’t Stop Farting.” There’s a certain smartness to the dumbness. That’s how we write songs — [we] come up with a funny title and write the music around that. Like I said, we’re the lucky ones that can still tour and make a few bucks, and as long as the kids come out, we’ll keep doing it! There are just so many bands. I think people would rather stick to what they know instead of going out and seeing some band they don’t know. They might be good, they might suck, [but] chances are they are gonna fuckin’ suck. Personally, I think when people hear about The Queers, they know we’re good, so they’ll come see us. I don’t know, maybe I’m just making shit up.
Is there anything you want to add? One last thing you want to say about The Queers or you want to say to America?
No, not really. You can put that. [laughter]
Great. So that’s how we’re ending it. Way to go.
Alright. It’s been good talking to you. I guess I’ll see you in Montreal.