I had the awesome and hysterical opportunity to interview Paul Marc Rousseau and Josh Bradford of Silverstein while they were at So What?! Music Festival. In typical Silverstein fashion this interview is very light-hearted, fun, and even a little weird. We spoke of their newest music video for "The Continual Condition" and some of the bands they are looking forward to seeing perform at the festival. Chaos most certainly ensued, check out the hilarity below.
I'm ready for this! Are you guys ready?
Josh and Paul: We were born ready. It's not like we prepared answers or anything.
P: Such inequality in the interviewer/interviewee world, it's like they (interviewers) get to think of them (questions) and we have to think on the spot like “oh shit!” inaudible blubbering noises
Well we are doing this together! I'm going to fly by the seat of my pants...it might get weird.
*laughter*
P: Are you going to type this up later?
You bet your ass I am!
P: Can you send me over, if you transpose this part, how you type up those noises I just made? *more interesting blubbering noises and laughter*
It might take me a minute, you'll have to give me...five to seven business days.
P: It's okay, there's no rush!
Okay, so can you state your names for me again?
J: Absolutely! I'm Josh and I play guitar in the band called Silverstein.
P: My name's Paul.....and I also play guitar in a band called Silverstein.
So I think I'm going to start out with the obvious here; you guys just teased towards making a new music video for “The Continual Condition” what can fans expect from this?
P: Check this out, it came out three days ago!
Oh god. *nervous laughter* I'm an asshole. I've been traveling for days to get here!
J: Well we were teasing, then there was a whole rigmarole about it coming out and then not being able to come out but then *smacks hands together* it's out!
P: We don't want to talk about how it happened, but it did. Bit of a messy release, but it's out.
J: It's ready, it's out there, so you should check it out! “The Continual Condition” it's a ripping, action-thriller of a song movie.
Ooooo that was really well described!
*starts a minute+ long banter back and forth on the beverages we were all drinking*
P: But yeah, the videos great! Josh dies!
J: I die! Shane probably dies too.
P: God, I hope! *exploding laughter from all*
J: Well all get a little beat up, let's just put it that way. It's something you need to experience with your eye and your ears though.
I want a fully body experience. Should make it one of those 3D videos, ya know?
P: Oh we did, you just have to have one of those special Silverstein 3D chambers. It's actually 4D because you feel wind and stuff.
Oh! I don't think I'm ready...no I don't think the general public is ready for that.
P: They’re not! That's never stopped us before though.
We gotta move on though, we gotta move on. *laughter* Okay, so this one is my personal favorite. You guys have this “balls on fire” tour story where this crazy man lit his balls on fire in a crazy attempt to impress you guys. Have you had anything since that has even come remotely close to topping that?
P: We've got some stories...well, I think we may be thinking of the same story from Europe. But I wonder, are we talking “boom mind?”
J: No *laughter*
P: We're talking hammer smash, hospital.
J: Oh yeah. Merch guy
P: We don't know...we're not sure if he's like a wanted man in Germany now. Someone in our touring party defended someone else's honor in the tune of a hospital visit and many stitches. And some broken glass in Germany.
J: Nothing as light hearted as balls on fire.
P: Yeah, it was a really rough time. But I uh, I don't know.
J: But I did run the kid though, that lit his balls on fire, he plays in a band now and is like an adult with unscarred genitalia. He really made it through that trial.
P: Do you think if he has a kid the kid will come out on fire?
J: Could be.
P: That's how balls work, right?
J: I think so.
I don't know how they work. But I don't know how likely it is that he will have a child after that stunt.
P: He baked, he baked.
J: He baked his baby batter. He's just got a cake now. Cake'n'balls.
*explosive laughter*
That can't be good.
J: Sorryyyy
Alright, sweet...so we are moving on past that again, that got weird again. We're taking it back. So now you toured pretty consistently for 150 years now with the same core group of members. What is it like, and how does it effect your body?
P: Josh is always cold now for some reason, something happened to his circulation within the last week where he is like always cold. We have to wheel him around with a heat lamp above him. I don't know what's going on with him.
J: Part of it is I broke my brain. I don't know. *eh eeee eh eee*
P: I'd almost say it's worse for your brain than it is your body. But I mean, that's physical, brains are physical objects in your noggin-skull.
It's all in there, interrelated.
P: Well that's the thing, that might not all be there anymore.
J: I've left it littered behind me on the road with each trip like a trail of breadcrumbs.
In various cities across the world.
P: I think every time I head bang a little extra piece of the brain comes out of my nose. And that's why Ozzy Osbourne is so messed up.
J: Yeah, it had nothing to do with the drugs, it was just tour.
It's just that tour life man. It'll get ya!
P: It will!
Now talking about tour, you guys take out a lot of really cool, up incoming bands with you. For instance you've had Rarity with you, and they played their set this morning. You've also had Capsize and they're going to be playing in a little bit here. How do you guys go through the process of who you guys are going to take?
P: We go through pictures of all the bands and decide who looks the coolest.
The prettiest.
P: Or not so pretty, we don't want them to be prettier than us.
You've got to tinder for bands. Swipe left and right to see who goes on tour.
P: That's actually a really good idea!
J: That's how tour submissions should work. These are all the bands you've matched with. Yup, nope, nope, yup.
They've got to have a good bio. Clever, but not too clever.
P: It can't be too long. Don't tell me too much. No one needs to know what you were doing in 2005, in 2005 we recorded this EP called this name. I don't need to know that.
That three people heard in my basement.
I think we should trademark this now and then from now on that's how it'll be done. I'll start “Bandr.”
P: Forget answering this question I think we, well you, I'm going to give you the credit in this, but I think I want to be a silent partner in this.
Okay, we can exchange contact information and we can make this happen!
P: Oh hey, that's not a business card! That's just a banana. Don't give me that. Get it, cause no one can see what's happening?! Yeahhhh...
My editor is going to wonder what the hell I even did with you guys
*laughter*
J: You interviewed Silverstein, that's your first mistake.
P: You came knocking on the wrong door.
Well we had fun?
Alright, now I think my last one will be who are some of the bands you're most looking forward to watching here at So What?
P: Oh man! You know, we got a raw deal because we missed a bunch of bands yesterday. But we were happy to be in Tulsa because there is stuff to see there. Um, but, it would have been great to catch Seaway yesterday. And I would have loved to see New Found Glory.
J: But I mean today we still have some options. We are going to watch our brothers in the Beartooths.
P: Ugh, yes the best! I'm bummed I didn't catch Rarity this morning. But Capsize as you mentioned earlier. We have a lot of history with our old pals in Underoath, we've toured together many times and it's been a long time since I've seen all of those fellows together. I'm looking forward to having a little nostalgia session.
J: With the original line-up. Come on!
Primo! I expect the crowd to be like more of a massive-swaying hug.
J: There are going to be some feel-good vibes today. Seeing a lot of cool bands that you don't normally get to see.
Especially not at the same time.
P: I was thinking to enhance my experience and drop acid and sit here watching *zombie noises* Totally, that seems fun I guess. I've never done acid before *laughter*
First time let's just do it..
P: Surrounded by 10,000 people and a bunch of loud noises, really set this mother off!
Towards the end the lights could get really cool! So that could be something to look forward to....*bursts into laughter* not that I'm condoning drug usage. We here at Kill The Music support your acid use.
P: Thank you! I'm going to take that as an actual endorsement even though you're being sarcastic. You're going to have to italicize that. I don't know why I'm so concerned with the transposition of this. Are you going to hyphenate some of this? *laughter*
I'll make sure you guys look great and that all these noises are transcribed to the best of my ability.
*meanwhile Josh makes various noises that I can best transcribe into duck noises, khe khe khe, weeeoooweoooo, wahhhhh*
P: Flarrrrrggggggg
J: FRRRRRIIIINKKKKUHHHH
P: BLLLLLLRHHHHH
*Josh talking to someone across the room* She's gotta type this shit up!!
*hyena-like laughter*
J: OooooooOOOOOooOOOOO!?
P: Alright, well this had been fun!
Yes, this has been real and I think I'm done here!
J: Thanks for bearing with us!
No thank you, I'm looking forward to transcribing this inaudible mumblings.
P: Thanks Sam!
