LIVING COLOUR 24-7 SPYZ
(From page 76) and hardcore because
there really isn't a lot else out there.
Rock can just die out; it's not always
going to be there. Kids are eleven
and twelve years old see what's hap-
pening. They know that Whitesnake
sucks and they're turning to other
forms of music. For rock's own sake,
it's time that it opens the doors and
lets the rabble rush in.
Has anything exciting happened in
rock in the past few years?
The last shot in the arm rock got
was the punk thing. Forget about
Emerson Lake & Palmer and all that
crap! Forget about Yes and
overblown arrangements and get
back down to basics! I think that the
artificial barriers between musics
and people have to collapse to forge
some interesting new stuff. It's amaz-
ing that a band like Metallica is finally
in arenas.
How do you plan to not fall into the
"machine" that you say rock and
roll's become?
First of all, you have to be willing
to take the machine of industry and
subvert it. I have a reputation for
being fairly outspoken and as a band
we feel that we go through life once
and we might as well be real about
it. We also have to speak our minds.
The whole process of being a star is
fairly overblown. Sure, if your act is
strong you'll eventually make money
after a couple of tours, but you've got
to concentrate on your work, your
axe, what's in your head. You also
have to be empathetic-if you lose
empathy then you have nothing to
sing or write about. Singing about
being a rich rock star and scoring on
some girl after the show is completely
empty. For a lot of these "rock stars"
the money seems like it'll never stop
and it keeps flowing in and that com-
pletely destroys people; they start
churning out crap. That's a point I
think I'll never reach.
What's the difference between
being successful and being a rock
star?
I think success is just writing a
good song or feeling good about
what you're doing-that's success.
Once success has a price tag you
never get to it because the stakes
always seem to keep going up and
the price tag always gets higher.
People think that they own stuff, but
there comes a day where their stuff
owns them. There are people who
live quite well without every imagin-
able latest convenience. It eventual-
ly becomes a question of how to turn
that unnecessary stuff down. It will
consume you and eventually destroy
you. That's something that I don't
want to see happen. There are
people out there dealing with life who
have no arms or legs. Not to belittle
your own problems, but it's your
responsibility to carry on, do what
you can do every day and be humble
about it.
100
(From page 83) like that. It's a growing
process: new label, new band. We
can make them like they can make
us. Even Run DMC made it on what
I would consider an independent
label. It's better to be a big fish in a
small pond than a nobody on a giant
label like Columbia."
Surprisingly, the Spyz haven't ex-
actly won the Black Rock Coalition's
seal of approval (the BRC is an
organization founded by Living Col-
our main-man Vernon Reid to nurture
young, black rockers). 24-7 Spyz may
be just a little to wild-natured for them
to handle. "I don't like them," says
Peter. "We joined them because they
were a black organization that was
against Apartheid and supported the
whole idea of black guys playing
rock. Then, when we got a little more
wild, they started questioning what
we were doing. They said we were
too wild. What!?! I thought this was
supposed to be the black rock coali-
tion, not the black soul coalition. The
ultimate dis is what just happened to
us. We were supposed to play with
Living Colour at the Ritz here in New
York and they kicked us off the bill.
They told us that we had been play-
ing too much and there were other
bands that could use the work.
"Vernon doesn't like us-we run
around, moon the crowd, scream
and curse and that's too wild for him.
That really got me-I wish we never
played with him or his band."
The Spyz are bound to make it on
their own. There's a sincerity and
work ethic behind them that few
possess. "The black kids are going
to have to come to us because we
are black," says Peter. "The whites
will eventually come like they did with
people like Prince. I want to do what
the Beastie Boys essentially did:
cross-over to an entirely new au-
dience. The way we're going to be
marketed is important. We can be on
Soul Train! We can be in black as well
as white publications. Homeboys.
hardcores, heavy metal fans-they
can all dig us.
"I was just talking with Dr. Know
from the Bad Brains, who is a real
inspiration to us. When they first
came out, nobody was interested in
hearing them. That's why they wrote
stuff like 'Banned in D.C' Now, they'
play the Ritz and kids will be lined
up around the block. There's money
for new bands like us."
How far can they take it?
"I don't think once we become
famous we're ever going die," says
Peter. "If you die once, people can
forget about you and let you die. Look
at Elvis-they won't let that guy die.
I want to win an award, be on TV, start
our own fashion craze-bigger than
Boy George, with everyone dressing
all funky. Man, by that time I won't
even be speaking English, probably
Japanese or something like that!" I
MAIL DROP
(From page 8)
CAN'T HANG
I was very disappointed by the
movie "Gleaming the Cube,"
especially its high-speed skateboard
tow sequences. Two years ago my
best friend died in the hospital after
hanging onto the back of a mini-
truck. Mark Smith was in a coma
after sliding on his face and hitting
the curb with his head. Since then,
when I skate I take all of my frustra
tions out on curbs, benches or
whatever. Be careful, stop and think.
This could have been your best
friend or even you. With this word of
advice, go skate and please don't be
an idiot like my best friend was
J.J. Lewis
Irvine, CA
Hey, no need to kick a man when he's
already dead. Ted
GOING BANANAS
Bananos Bunyanos KICK! I was
looking through the Feb. issue and
saw the recipe for them in Skarfing
Material, so I said to my sis, "Hey.
let's make some!" We had no oil so
we skated to the store and picked
some up. We were all set to fry those
puppies. I started to heat the oil until
I saw wisps of smoke (more like
clouds), then we floated those nan-
ners in the pan. Something happen-
ed within the next 40 seconds, 'cuz
the nanners turned black and smoke
started rising from the stove! My sis
kept frying 'em and I cranked the win-
dows open. By now the entire kitchen
was a major smoke hazard. I picked
up my Thrasher and started waving
it in the air, trying to get the smoke
out the window so the frickin' smoke
alarm wouldn't go off. All this, and
havin' to tell my parents that things
wer real cool in the kitchen. (Yeah,
right!) Anyway, things did cool down
and we got the smoke to clear, fin-
ally. We munched those nanners
down. They're great! (Even if they
were burnt black.) Gosh, I've never
had that much fun in the kitchen.
Thanks for the recipe.
Jen Burford
Ashland, OH
Just don't smoke 'em. Ted
DEFINITION PREMONITION
I was thinking about how when I
go to a family sort of gathering, peo
ple become confused shortly after
asking the inevitable uncle-type
question, "So, what sports you
play?" "I play some basketball and
mostly I skate." "You're a skater,
huh? Ice skate, or what?" "No, i
skateboard" "So, you play baseball,
huh. I decided maybe we could
seperate ourselves from the gliding
in boots ideas and break a rule of
grammer. Instead of being a "skater
let's become the more specialized
Sounding "skatist." (ska'fist) n. A
person who skateboards. Well...
maybe not.
I'm Waiving my Hand
Brad Bennett
Lincoln, NE
Just be careful, Brad. If your uncle's
hard of hearing he might think you like
to hurt people. Ted
BUS BUST
Me and six friends were skating
my launch after school. We had my
ramp over on the side of the street
where cars usually park. While we
were launching some lame bus
driver stopped and said we weren't
supposed to be in the street and that
my ramp was in the way. We said we
were allowed to have it there, then
he said he was going to call the cops
We said go ahead, so he did, on his
little CB We waited about thirty
minutes and the cops still didn't
come. He was holding up traffic while
he waited there in his bus. The kids
in the bus were starting to get pissed
and wanted to go home. My mom
finally came home. We told her what
was happening, so she went over
there and bitched him out. She told
him that it wasn't his job to be telling
kids to get out of the street. Then my
mom went and called the cops on
him and the bus driver got a thirty-
five dollar fine for holding up traffic.
Way to go Mom!
Paul
Cheyenne, WY
It's those small little dramas that make
life so exciting. Ted
WITHOUT PA-ROLL
On December 20, 1988, I was in-
carcerated because I refused to take
a skateboarding after dark ticket.
Now I'm faced with possibly six
counts of assault and battery and
resisting arrest (all on the police of-
ficers). I'm a pacifist and a lifelong
surfer and skateboarder, but skate
harassment is skate harassment (a
little intox from Tijuana could have
added to the violence, however). I got
my share of skate violations as a
juvenile and I turned 18 last February
17th. Now I'm looking at jail time for
the next two years. I guess I'll be able
to buy beer north of the border before
I see my skate again. Your mag
keeps me looking forward to grinding
my first curb when I get out.
Patrick Rountree
San Diego Detention Facility
HEAVY PETTING
It was very sad. My hamster died
today. Her name was Fluffy. I took
care of her and then one day she
became very cold. I tried to warm her
up, she was hardly breathing and
couldn't move a muscle. Then she
all of a sudden became very stiff and
just died. I buried her in a shoe box.
I had to dig under the snow. It was
February 8, 1989. I made a cross for
her too. I had another gerbil named
Nibbles. She was 4 years old. (Most
live 1½ years.) I love all my pets. I
cried when Fluffy and Nibbles died.
Poor animals. You can get back to
reading about skateboarding now.
I Love Pets:
Elton Wilson
Deerfield, IL
STAFF INFECTION
You people are sick! You have a
communist on the front of the Feb.
'89 issue and on one of the pages
you have some fat naked nut with his
butt sticking in the air. It's sick, pure
sick. Get rid of the ugly fat men and
get some ugly fat women.
God Bless You
Father Francisco
அ
Frem
CONCRETE
JUNGLE
SKATEBOARDS
EXCLUSIVE DISTRIBUTORS
415-479-9944
DECKS:
DR.I
CONCRETE JUNGLE
ALVA....
WHEELS:
SANTA CRUZ.. (92A 95A)
TEAM RIDER: MIKE ARCHIMEDES
PHOTO: LUKE OGDEN
FINAL SOLUTION
COMPONENTS:"
BEAST
CONCRETE
JUNGLE
SKATEBOA
عبية
POD
PHONE ORDERS:415.3360138.
751-3829
GMN ABEC I BEARINGS $12.00/ST
$37.95 EACH SCHMITT STIX IT RAILS $6.00 PAIRM-SUN CALIFORNIA TIME 12-6PM
2 FEET MAC-TAC .....$4.00 MAIL ORDERS:
MOUNTING HARDWARE... $2.40 5
BEARING SPACERS......30.80
CELL BLOCK III $1.60
COMPLETE DECKS:
BULLET 66M... 24.00/SET CELL BLOCK I... $1.00
1714 WALLER ST.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA. 94117
TEAM RIDER... 64M
BK BALLS.... 65M
ALVA (95A)
SHIPPING:
DECKS
{GROUND! AIR!
1₤4.00 $8.00
COMPLETES.... $6.00/$14.00
SPEED SKINS.63.5M 20.00/SET LISTED ITEMS ONLY.... $105.00 COMPONENTS 1.002.00
TRUCKS:
INDEPENDENT 159.18 $15.00/ EACH SNOWBOARDS:
THUNDER 160
VENTURE 159
$14.00
$12.00
GNU ..CALL FOR INFO! VISA, MASTERCARD, PERS. CHECKS CARY,
LATER SKATER-