GUTTERMOUTH
AS YOU CAN SEE from these
pictures, Mark Adkins really
gets into his job as a punk
singer. He's so committed, in
fact, that he'll go to jail for
his stock in trade: Jumping
off of the stage and into the
pit, defying security guards,
mooning the audience, and
whatever other outrageous
stuff pops into his head.
Apparently, the little town
of Devore, California, doesn't
realize it's all in good fun,
because after Adkins and his
band Guttermouth played an
all-day punk festival there
last June, he was 'cuffed and
sent to the slammer for three
days until he was released on
a 50 thousand dollar bond.
Adkins has still not been for-
mally charged as we go to
press, but we all know what
happened: Another classic
case of security overkill col-
liding with the irrepressible
spirit of freedom and rebel-
lion that is youth. And that's
exactly what Guttermouth
personifies.
Guttermouth had its ori-
gins in the early 1980s punk
and skate scene in Orange
Country, California. Mark and
guitarist Scott Sheldon went
to school together and to all
the shows: Black Flag, Angry
Samoans, The Vandals. Mark
used to hang out at Skate
City skatepark in Whittier
and played bass for a while in
a band with Lance Mountain.
Mark and Scott started their
own band in '83 (some Gut-
termouth songs were written
by Scott as far back as '82).
They have had their current
lineup since '89 and are now
touring the world with "big
name" acts behind their new
album, Friendly People. The
following interview was with
Mark Adkins and Scott Shel-
don of Guttermouth. Guitar-
ist Eric Davis Joined in later;
drummer Jamie Nunn was
otherwise occupied.
-Morgan Walker
Can you sum up the philoso-
phy of your band?
Mark: "Fun."We're not trying
to change the world through
music. The hippies tried that
and it failed.
Scott: It's just entertainment.
Either you're a stand-up come-
dian, or you're a politician.
90
Do you guys still skate?
Mark: Yeah, most of us do,
especially Eric. He also surfs
consistently. But we all take our
skateboards on the road.
That's the test of a diehard.
Mark: Those days, hanging out
at Whittier skatepark, were the
funnest days of my life. Lance
Mountain and Neil Blender...
those guys had a particular
sense of humor. I still see John
Lucero and Jeff Grosso.
Do you still go into the pit?
Scott: I did last night... when
the Grabbers play, we do.
Mark: We haven't left that era
we came from, which is scary
to me. You see guys with ban-
danas tied around their thigh
and roach clips hanging from
the rearview mirror of their
Camaro, and they never came
out of that era. Sometimes I
think of myself as a punk rock
kid that never grew out of it.
What else have you all been
doing for fun on tour?
Mark: We play golf.
Eric: We played in Buffalo,
New York, and there was this
sand volleyball court in back,
and it was "Ladies Drink Free."
The bands got together and
were playing volleyball, every-
one got a little intoxicated...
Mark: Jamie peed in the sand,
and he almost got thrown out,
and there was almost a fight.
What will the songs on your
next album be about?
Mark: Seriously, we don't even
know. The last album, Jamie
and I sat up the night before
and wrote the words for seven
songs. We always wait till the
last second. The album before
that, we wrote three songs in
the car on the way to the stu
dio. We had an hour drive.
Photo #1: Mark Adkins ollies concert security
into the melee of the pit.
Photo #2: Adkins flips the bird after the plug
is pulled in the middle of Guttermouth's set.
Photo #3: Adkins is handcuffed and taken
into police custody.
GWAR
December 31st, 1999 - The killer komet RAGNAROK is poised to
obliterate the Earth. GWAR throws the biggest
party ever just to ask the question -
ARE YOU READY TO DIE ???
The ultimate band. The ultimate show. And the ultimate album......
RAG NA PICK
Produced by Rob Margouleff
In stores October 10,
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