Why Punk Rock Is All About Fun, Friends, and Not Taking Life Seriously

0:19 This is the Pipe Man here on the Adventures of Pipe Man W4CY radio, and I'm here with.. Sucker Punch! Don't sucker punch me, man. Watch out. We might. We might. I want to know how many times in the pit that actually happens. Like people take it seriously and they might be in the pit and sucker punch somebody. Nah, people give each other hugs. That's the way it should be. See, that's the way it should be. That's the way it always is. That's what people don't understand about punk, metal, mosh pits. We're not about hurting and maiming people. You know, funny story. I had to cover two festivals one weekend and one of them I sent this girl that worked for me because I couldn't be there. She was a country girl, never went to a rock show in her life.

1:04 I'm like, listen. She was all scared. I'm like, listen. Expecting the worst. We're like this big family. Pick people up when they fall down. Hug at the end of the pit. You know? And you're probably going to meet a bunch of new friends. You'll probably get a boyfriend. We're not like those shows you go to with a bunch of rednecks drinking Jack Daniels and getting into fist fights. And you might leave with a different shirt. Exactly. More than once. So she came back after the end of the weekend. She's like, oh my god, you were so right. I... I made all these new friends. Everybody was so nice.

1:44 I teabagged some guy and he's my boyfriend now. And I have this new favorite band. I don't know if you know them. They're called Bring Me to Horizon. I'm like, yeah, I think I know. Who they are. Hell yeah. Dude, that's crazy. So another recruit to our family to find out that we're just all a bunch of big teddy bears that get all our shit out in the pit and in the music so we aren't doing anything in the real world except loving everybody. I think a lot of people are like joining this party too. Cause I think a lot of people are, are kind of like seeing all that AI slot that's being thrown out. And like anything that sounds too polished is, is, is maybe getting a bit of a different view than it has been in the past. And like, people are like craving, uh, the, the big guitars, the, the, the rawness of rock and roll, the real, the real musicianship and stuff.

2:35 So it's like, I think we're coming back. And I think, uh, friends like the person you just described are, we're going to start having more and more of them. Yeah, and you know, it's true. Even my engineer, when he edits the interviews, I tell him, I'm like, don't take my ums and uhs out. I don't want it polished. I want it real, you know? Like, we got too much of that filter shit and all that bullshit. Punk rock was always supposed to be real, you know? And so, I also have to say, you're wearing a Jeep shirt. I own a Jeep Moab. You're the second interviewer who told me this. Really? I had a Jeep. I had a lease on a Jeep and I just. Gave it away like 10 days ago.

3:17 So I'm still mourning. Yeah, you need to get another one. Because I'll tell you what. I was always like a sports car dude. I love my Jeep. Did you receive ducks in your Jeep? I got lots of them. Yeah. Because I have this special edition Moab. It's lime green, big mudder tires, not customized, stock like that. And so, yeah, I get that shit all the time. In fact, even I have a brother who's like really judgy and only drives his BMW. When I got this vehicle, he goes, if you can't get laid with that vehicle, I don't know what to do. So punk rock.

3:57 And did you get laid in the Jeep? I cannot confirm nor deny. And it might have been at a music festival, just saying. It might have been 20 minutes ago. That's why I was late for the interview. So tell us how this all happened. How did you all connect to sucker punch us here. At Warped Tour? Um, most of us knew each other from a previous band. We've just, you know, been in bands in Montreal for a while and we kind of just like gave up on, uh, making this thing happen. We were just like, whatever pandemic rolled around. We're like, let's throw some riffs around. And we just started the actual band that we wanted to be in, uh, from like, since we were 16 years old and that, uh, turned into sucker punch. We just like landed on Fred or singer, um, Out of the blue, we recruited a drummer, Alain, who said no to us twice.

4:59 Before he joined the band. Do you regret it? No. And we just did something genuine that we wanted to hear. And I think people started connecting because that's what's fun about alt music is when it's genuine and no one's trying to do something. To sell a product. I say it all the time. The people that set out to be rock stars are the ones that don't become them. The icons.. They never wanted to be rock stars, they just wanted to be musicians. Yeah, and they set trends by doing what they think is cool. Exactly. Like, the way I look at it is, you're never going to please everybody, so just please yourself and you'll attract your tribe. You know, make your own music. You don't make music for people because those people like it, these people not like it.

5:42 And if it's not you, then why play it? I think it's one of the reasons our previous bands didn't work because... We were like, oh, the industry likes that, like this, blah, blah, blah. Well, like, when you're in a room and you're, like, you're writing lyrics and you're like, what will people think of this? You're, like, you're already starting off with, like, One Strike, you know? Exactly. It's more so, what do I want to say? What do I want to sing about? What do we want to play about? What do we want to do? I think this is the most important thing. It's, like, the messages that we want to, like, send across is something that's important to us and that's dear to us, you know? I was watching an interview with this band, Knock Loose. Oh, yeah, I know them. They're super heavy, right? Yeah, yeah. And they were saying, in the studio, if somebody plays a riff and it makes the other band member laugh because it's so filthy, that goes on the album.

6:32 Nice. So it's like, that's the vibe, right? And for us as well, when we come to lyrics that we're like, that is so cheeky that we know we've landed on something, you know? Yeah. I love that. Yeah. That's the way it should be. Cause listen, if you guys aren't having fun making the music and playing it, what else do you have in this industry? That's the fun part. Yeah. Like people don't, I talk about it all the time. People don't realize like tour life. It's maybe one hour in a day that you're having fun. Yeah, 100%. Might as well have fun for real. Exactly. Might as well make the most of it. Exactly. We travel, we go through hardship to play these shows and to enjoy our time as a band together on stage.

7:13 So yeah, it should be fun. And do it with people that you enjoy doing it with. We're all real friends. And I think it shows on stage. I think a lot of people have told us, like, you guys look like you're having fun. I'm having fun because he's next to me and he's hyping me up, you know? I'm not having fun. Well, you're out. No, he's right. When we're on stage, we're not only playing a show. We just party with the crowd and everything. People like to see us having fun with each other. No doubt. That sounded sexual. Well, that could happen too.

7:56 That's funny. So our latest EP is called Worst Party Ever. It's a photo of Fred getting a cake in the face. And then as a revenge, he's been shoving a cream in her face at the end of her sets. So he's saying, cream ourselves. We call it creaming ourselves. Cream my bandmates. See, that's the way it should be. That's part of what makes it fun for us, too. If you're not having fun, how are we having fun? We're creating all these stuff around each other with Sucker Punch. It's part of our identity, what we are as a person. We love to prank each other.

8:37 We love to laugh. We love to be fun and dumb. So might as well, you know.. Do it while we're on stage and do it with the crowd, with people that are watching us. Hey, listen. I would rather a band have fun being called Sucker Punch than a band that recently one of the members sucker punched the other member live on stage. Oh, we all broke character on that one. I think that pop punk in itself, too, the roots of pop punk are fun. You can play pop punk if you're, like, every band that plays that style of music is.

9:20 Fun, no? You can't take yourself too seriously when you're playing three power chords and singing. About the things that we sing about, so, yeah. Well, you know what's funny about that is, like, Okay, so years ago, with all the gatekeeping, you know, the old school, and I like the old school punk music, but the old school punk attitude was ridiculous. We grew up in an, I remember growing up in an age where it's like, you like Simple Plan? Like, you don't tell people, you listen to that in secret in your bedroom. Right. It's funny because those people nowadays are coming to the Warped Tours and they're like, oh my. God, Simple Plan's playing.

10:00 I listened to them in my bedroom when I was young. It's cool. I get why it was like that before, but I think as a society we're evolving. It's being accepting. What's more punk rock than accepting people? Like you said, pop punk is fun Don't take yourself so seriously. You take these old school punk bands. They started a punk band because they didn't know how to play the instruments. So why are you taking yourself so seriously? You don't even know how to fucking play yet. There's so much serious shit in the world. Our contribution is hopefully you listen to our song for 2 minutes and 30 seconds. you're not thinking about something that's bothering you.

10:41 Exactly. If you come and tell us that, we're going to be like, you got it. That was the intent. That's what we were trying to do. This here is our escape from all the bullshit in the world. There's enough seriousness out there. We don't need it here. Exactly. That's why when we do shows, when we do live shows, that's our motto. It's like you're here to not think. You're here to have fun, jump around, dance with your buddies, and have a good time. No doubt. Musical lobotomy. Exactly. I love that. That should be your next new song. Try to rhyme lobotomy. I guess it rhymes in E. Lobotomy on top of me. That sounds like a different kind of song.

11:25 That might not be pop punk. That might be porn punk. Let's start a new genre, porn punk. I don't think we're hot enough for that. I mean, depends who. Except for this Adonis. And what punk rocker is? Hot. Hot enough for that? We're ranking punk rockers based off hotness. Blind ranking. Go. Oh, man. So, see, this is the kind of stuff that makes Warped Tour great. Makes it great for all of us and music the best therapy ever. So, I do thank you guys for giving us some great therapy. Thanks for having us.

12:06 It was super fun. Yeah, thank you very much. Just being here is already surreal. And, like, talking with you today is just out of this world. Because, like, we're just people. Exactly. Everyone here is just, like, we're just people and doing what we love. And it doesn't matter where you are in the world. Like, that's what I find. I do festivals all over the world. And, like.. We're all the same at all these festivals. The world can learn a thing or two from us. Meeting like-minded individuals and vibing, whether it be for 30 seconds when you just say hi to someone or five hours if you have the craziest conversation, it's fun. Like I said, every time I meet somebody at this festival or any festival of alternative music, it's always good people.

12:53 Exactly. We're one big family, one big community, and You are a part of it, even though you tried to sucker punch me. Sucker punch in 3, 2, 1. Thanks for being on the Adventures of Pipe. Man, guys. Thank you for having us. It's a pleasure for us. Pleasure is all mine, and thanks for being here at Warped Tour. You should try the poutine in Quebec. Oh, she'll tell you. She got some. Oh, you're lactose intolerant? No, it's just I don't like cheese. That's fine.

13:33 I don't like cheese except on poutine. Except mozzarella and ricotta because I'm Italian. But she said she had food in the room and she's like, have whatever you want, but the poutine sucks, so don't eat that. Don't get it here. She's a poutine Nazi She's a Nazi She wants the good shit And apparently whatever she got Was not the good shit So I wasn't going to taste it Because I want my first impression to be good. Yeah, real poutine Needs to come from the right restaurants You don't. Go to fast foods Said the vegan Yes. I don't eat poutine. I haven't eaten a poutine in like 10 years. From what I recall, 10 years, a decade ago. I ate a vegan poutine. It was good. It was good.

14:17 I'm not going to lie. I liked it. Well, there you go. Yeah. Okay, so there it is. Sucker Punch and poutine. That's all you need. Goodbye for the third time. Goodbye. Thank you for listening to the Adventures of Pikeman. On W4CUI Radio.