Exclusive interview with Bowling For Soup’s Chris Burney
BFS' Chris Burney
To celebrate the release of their first live DVD, ‘Live and Very Attractive’, Bowling For Soup hit the UK for a series of gigs in July. I had a chat with the band’s larger then life guitarist Chris Burney before their show at the Engine Shed in Lincoln.
What followed was a typically amusing and offbeat conversation in which Chris gave his thoughts on his latest bad habits, confessed his man crush on a fellow Rockstar and even found time to give an update on the progress of BFS’ new album.
You recently released your first live DVD, what made you choose to release it now as fans have been asking for one for years?
“The problem is we basically had too much crap, we had videos and videos and hours and hours of footage and stuff. For about two years we had a videographer that would come and go on tour and spend ten days here and there. We were stuck in the situation where putting out a DVD would be too much fucking work because we would have had to watch all that stuff.
So we decided that we would just shoot a DVD, shoot a show and a few days around the show and have that rather then trying to go back over time. The DVD with all the old footage that may still come out in a few years or so but right now nobody wants to sit in front of two screens and watch video all day. Not me.”
Why did you choose to film the DVD in Manchester?
“This is where we always have the best shows. The crowds here are a lot of fun and we always had really good shows in Manchester. So Manchester was pretty high on the list as far as shooting it and the Apollo is a legendary venue.
On that tour we had to choose between shooting it at the Apollo or Brixton and either one would have been really good. The Apollo won just because Manchester has always been top notch show for us. It was a great show.”
Shall we say bowel movements? Come up in the DVD a lot, is that an important part of life in BFS?
“We talk about shit a lot and shitting and shit and all kinds of shit, (laughs). I don’t know its just one of those things. Its one of those things that we do but until we saw the DVD we didn’t realise how much we talked about shit.
Like today, I just noticed that I’ve kind of developed a habit where for some reason if I’m in a room and there’s a shower or a bathtub as well as a toilet I just pee in the shower. I’m just realising that it’s kind of become a bad habit. I’ve never thought about it. I just pee in the shower for some reason.”
Judging by the DVD the fans seem to have a particular connection with you more so then with any of your band mates, why do you think that is?
“I guess that’s because I’m really noticeable. I’m a big guy and I stick out like a sore thumb. I have a lot of personality too I’m not just a fat ass. I have quite a bit of personality and charm. I think that I should be president of the entire world. That should be my job I’d be good at it.”
How is the recording of the new album going?
“It’s in the baby stages right now but the songs we have so far are getting people excited.”
Any ideas for an album title yet?
“We have a few kicking but nothing really set in stone. A few crazy little ideas.”
Your last single ‘When We Die’ showed a more mature, heartfelt side to your song writing, is BFS actually starting to Mature?
“Its funny we’ve written a ballad, kind of like the 80’s metal power ballad, on every album. We did this one with Butch Walker and he’s a freaking legend. They used to say oh yeah we may put out the ballad as your single but then we’d never get to that single. It’d be like oh not there yet. Now we’ve got there and we were like ok.
They’ve been telling us that for years now and they finally did it. It’s kind of nice to have your 80’s metal power ballad on the radio. Hopefully in 30 years it will be on like some 80’s metal power ballad CD. That would be nice ‘Rocking Power Ballads’.”
There are quite a range of covers that you’ve put it out in the past, what makes you choose to cover certain songs?
“Its one of those things that just happens. You hear a song and think it would be kind of fun to play. Some we’ve been approached with but others we’ve worked out. We sound check every day and we never sound check with our own songs so we do covers of crazy songs that we’ve learnt from here or there. Like Surrender by Cheaptrick, we played that in London.”
Who comes up with the ideas for your videos?
“Most of the time we just kind of brainstorm ideas then our ideas are sent to the two guys who direct most of our videos. There have been two guys who have directed probably eighty percent of our videos and we send our ideas to them and they tell us ok we can’t do this can’t do that can’t do this. If you plan a video that has helicopters exploding and lots of dirty hookers or whatever it’s going to cost a lot of money.
The directors of a video basically tell you what you can’t do within a budget and try to make it happen. It’s basically like a ping pong game of ideas between the band and the director. Eventually you get a finished product that everyone is proud of. It’s a group effort, kind of like rowing a boat.”
You’ll be making a few festival appearances here in the UK this summer, is there anything you particularly like about playing music festivals?
“I think the cool thing is seeing bands you’d never normally see. Like when I’m home I don’t really go to live shows so I’m not really going to go out and catch say Muse or Iron Maiden or whoever. We played with Black Sabbath once and I wouldn’t go out and check these bands but at festivals
I get to go watch them. What’s cool is not only are we there to play at the festival but we’re at the festival and actually we’re there for free. That’s a bonus and it’s cool because we get to see cool bands. It’s a deal where you get to put a little feather in your hat because you’re like oh just played a show with Black Sabbath and that’s freaking cool.”
What’s a typical BFS weekend at a festival like?
“Everybody wakes up around one or two and then has to find a toilet and some food kind of immediately. Then most of the day’s spent just wandering around with a beer in your hand. Then of course we have to go and play eventually. We like playing early at festivals because then you get work out the way and the rest is just all play. And you get to make friends with people that you wouldn’t normally, like I made friends with max cavalera from Sepultura a few years ago, I always looked up to him it’s so cool, my little buddy.
I’m buddies with the Dragonforce guys now. I never thought I’d be buddies with them. When I’m in Dallas I’ll get to see them too.”
It took quite a while for BFS to find mainstream success, are you now able to pass on what you’ve learned in that time to younger bands?
“It’s weird because I don’t really know how to do that. We just kept on going and good things happened. We got mainstream success and we got on pop radio in the states and all that. I guess in our genre a lot of people are like you guys are sell-outs; you’re on pop radio and I’m like well I don’t feel like there’s been a moment where I’ve sold anything or actually that I’ve got anything in return.
You know I never got a big Cadillac or a sack of money. Where is it? God damn it! I guess I didn’t sell out very well. I say just stay true and be happy. A lot of band guys get in and they just suck a bunch of dick and they turn around and kiss everybody’s ass and we’ve never really done that. We’ve always been the black sheep I guess. Nobody wanted us to touch their butt.
We just stayed true that’s what you have to do. If it happens it happens, if it doesn’t find a job as a janitor. That’s my plan.”
Do you feel the ‘Get Happy Tour’ has helped you to give up a leg up to the younger bands which you like?
“Right, yeah that does help. We know bands that are really good and work hard and we try to reward them. Not like we’re the ring masters and we’re going oh here have a cookie. But if there is a band that we think is really, really good and we think people should hear them then we’ll take them out. A lot of people send us CD’s and stuff.
Koopa are doing this tour because we saw them in Austin and we’d heard them before so we thought oh yeah let’s bring them out.”
Will you be reviving the ‘Get Happy Tour’ anytime soon?
“It’s still rolling. I think we’ll be done with this album by Christmas and so it should be released probably March to May, so maybe it will be Spring Summer time. In the summer having just had our album out, that will be a big one. The one band I want to take out with us, and I think they’d be the greatest get happy tour band of all band, is Less Than Jake.
That would be the freaking coolest. I’m going to see them in Dallas. They’re going to be in my town next week when I get back home. I’m going to go see them and make them want to tour with us. I might have to dish out a sexual favour or two to Roger. I have a man crush on Roger by the way.”
Bowling For Soup’s ‘Live and Very Attractive’ DVD is available now and the band have a new album expected to be released next year.
