Son Of Dork

Son Of Dork are currently on The Get Happy Tour, I caught up with them in Southampton to see how they're coping with representing us Brits.

R13: How did you all get involved with The Get Happy Tour?
James: Jaret saw one of our videos and liked it, and we saw them play at the Astoria and he recognised Steve from the video and it just went from there. When they decided to bring the Get Happy Tour to England, they asked us and we just couldn't say no. This is the dream tour for me to be on, because it's bands I love and listened to before I even started playing music.
Steve: Yeah, it's called the Get Happy Tour and all of us produce happy music, and have fun on stage, I think this is the strongest tour ever.
James: Before Busted, I loved Bowling For Soup and Wheatus, so to be in Son Of Dork and be on the road with two bands I used to look up to is great.

R13: Last night was the first show on the tour, how did it go?
James: Well to tell you the truth, it was pretty eventful. Our guitarist Steve was completely wasted and started playing one of the songs at half speed so I had to play what I never normally play to speed it up. Considering I thought it went down with the crowd really well.
Steve: Yeah, despite technical faults and alcohol related dysfunction it was a great sound. Tonight it's going to go off and go really well.

R13: How are you finding being the only English band on the tour?
James: We're representing. There's a lot of band in England right now that are so indie, and that's great, there's a place for everything. But there's no English band that does this style of music, so I feel like there is no other band for them to have on this tour, apart from us, were the only English band that can remotely fit in with this scene.
R13: Why do you think that is?
Steve: Because everything's going indie.
James: I loved Blink 182, they're not together anymore and it's such a shame, they were my favourite band, and as soon as Busted was over I wanted to create and band that was like it. I love the Drive-Thru bands and Blink, that's what I like.
R13: Homegrown?
Steve: I love Homegrown
James: Yeah, that's exactly what I'm talking about, Homegrown! I've got this Drive-Thru DVD and I love all the music on it, and we got lucky with Gil Norton. He produced our record and he also produces the Foo Fighters and he can get us that sound.
Steve: That sixties sound. (Laughs)
James: That's a joke, a private joke between us, but it's weird how if you're English you have to be indie.
Steve: And not straighten your hair.

R13: Have you guys got a new record coming out?
James: With written another record.
Steve: It's wrong if you've seen it on a message board that's a lie.
James: We are making another record but we're not rushed to do it.
Steve: On a message board someone has written what the album is called and the first single is called 'Up'.
James: Everyone thought we had split up, but the bottom line is we're actually still together, and one of the songs on the new album is about that. Just because you're not on TV people think you're not together any more.
Steve: A lot of bands don't even get to go on TV.
James: A lot of people thought the same about Wheatus, but they're their own entity, they function solely on their own, where as we're still on Mercury. We'd like to be on our own label.
Steve: It's the same as Army Of Freshmen they're independent.
James: My advice to any band right now is don't wait around for a record company.
Steve: Yeah, do it yourself, you can do it yourself.
James: The industry has changed to how it was years ago, you can make it on your own.
Steve: It's all about touring now.
James: Army Of Freshmen aren't even looking for a label.
Steve: If you can get yourself on these kind of tours, sell your merch and get out there and play that's a good enough reason. That's why we started a band, we just wanted to play. Record companies don't get it right all the time, you're better off following your own instincts.
R13: Do you have an ambition to go independent?
James: If an independent who believed in us wanted to snap us up I would much rather go that way.
Steve: Then we'd be with someone who actually pays an interest in us.

R13: What's does an average day on tour have in store for you?
Steve: Me and Chris play World Snooker.
James: Eating, sleeping.
Steve: I can sleep for England, it's a talent.
James: Get up, walk around go to Subway, eat the Subway or go to Marks and Spencer.

R13: What's been your most embarrassing moment on stage?
Steve: Mine was last night.
James: No, there's been much worse than that. It's horrible when you forget what town you're in.
Steve: I went to sleep last night and we were moving and I woke up this morning and we were parked up in Southampton.

R13: What were you like when you were a teenager?
Steve: At the age of 14 I was pretty much a hermit, I sat in my room, playing guitar, I was a bit of a geek.
James: I played a lot of tennis.

R13: Did you ever imagine you'd be doing this sort of thing?
James: I wanted to.
Steve: Wasn't it one way or another for you?
James: Yeah I was either going to be a musician or a tennis player, back then I was playing a lot of tennis, I played more tennis than music.

R13: Who was your secret celebrity crush as a teenager?
Steve: We have so many.
James: Because of being in a band and being on TV you meet everyone. At the Brit Awards 2004 I was back stage being interviewed next to Scarlett Johansson, and I wanted to speak to her but didn't know what to say.

R13: What's your all time favourite film?
James: Back To The Future without a shadow of a doubt, most people can't pin point their favourite movie; I can.
R13: Mine is the Labyrinth.
James: I love that worm guy. You know the one I mean?
(In the worm voice)"Ello"
"Did you say hello?"
(worm voice again) "No I said ello, but that's close enough, come inside and meet the Mrs.

R13: Have you ever seen anyone with a tattoo of your band?
James: I've never seen anyone with our band tattooed but I've seen it for other bands and it's just like "Whoa, you must really like the band!"
R13: If you saw some one with a Son Of Dork tattoo would it freak you out or would you take it as a compliment?
James: I mean you don't see yourself that way, you don't ever think that someone would get a tattoo of my band, but if they did then great. I don't have any tattoos I'm thinking of getting a Flux Capacitor on the back of my neck but only a small one. If I can stand the pain I'm going to get a Dolerean with the doors open on my back.
R13: Have you still got your Dolerean?
James: Yeah, I still have it, I've still got it. This building looks like the clock tower from Back To The Future.

R13: How does being in Son Of Dork compare to being in Busted?
James: I think what a lot of people don't realise is that Busted was my own thing, I wrote all the songs and I'm glad it was as big as it was. Every one of our songs was either number one or number two if it was a bad week. When that happens you enjoy it while it lasts, but if it doesn't happen you don't just stop your music career, you just keep going. That's what musicians do.
R13: Did it annoy you when bands like Freefaller came out to fill the Busted void?
James: That's going to happen, it's annoying. We don't really care as long as we get to play music. We can still be in a band and play to people that we like, we don't care. That's what it comes down to, you don't do it for the fame that comes with success.

R13: Where did the idea to launch Sicpuppy clothing come from?
James: It was the name of my first band when I was 13, and the clothing company already existed, and when I had enough money I bought out the entire clothing label and now I run it.
R13: Do you have much input with the designs?
James: It's pretty straightforward; it's just a dog being sick. I now have my own publishing company called Sicpuppy Publishing, and I sign songwriters and bands I believe in.

R13: How did you feel when you were asked to be involved in Band Aid 20?
James: That was great to see Bob Geldoff walking around and give his speech. I don't really do the whole music/political thing but someone has to do it and he's probably the best at it.

R13: How do you feel knowing that you've inspired a new generation to play music?
James: It's great, last night after the gigs young kids were telling us how they've just got a drum kit or guitar and that's the bonus. People telling you that they wouldn't play if it wasn't for you is cool, it's just amazing. It's good that music can do that.

R13: What's been your proudest career moment to date?
James: Probably when 'Ticket Outta Loserville' charted at number three, because it was my third band that did it. Everything I've written in my entire life has never charted worse than number three. Busted went in at number 3 with 'What I Go To School For' all the stuff I've written for McFly has been top 3, so when Son Of Dork went in at number three it was great. That was my proudest moment, which was weird because everyone around me said it was shit and it should have been number one.

R13: What do you still have left to achieve?
James: I've always said I'd rather have a ten or twenty-year career selling some records rather then a two-year career selling tens of millions of records. I feel I've got to fill the rest of my life up playing music and playing in bands.

R13: What have you got coming up after the tour?
Steve: Japan.
James: Yeah there's actually talk about us going to Japan. I'm going to LA to produce for Train. Do you remember Train?
Steve: Nobody remembers Train.
James: We've got songs for another record, some of which we're playing on this tour. We'll try and get the second record done and play more. We fired our management to do this tour.
Steve: Our management wouldn't let us on the road, so we fired them and said "Right, we're going on tour now."

R13: Thanks for your time guys, good luck with tonight and try not to drink too much Steve.