The Fuckin' Godoys interview
-So….why the name change?? what events or incidences brought you guys to this??…I mean, I have been following you guys since you were young skateboard stars in the mid 80s……
(Steve interrupts…)
Steve- Stars??!! …ha ha ha ha…we were just a couple of kids who skated and were good at it…we didn't really get the success we deserved…we got notoriety FOR SURE because we changed a lot of things in skateboarding…the 80s were fun but the big bukake party (skate industry) was NOT in favor of pushing US and honestly had no idea how to market us…it was like a total struggle to get magazine coverage unless we were sponsored by the biggest companies who had deep pockets for advertising…but thats in the past…
What brought us to this? what do ya mean?…as far as the name 'The Fuckin' Godoys'?? For starters , it' who we are…like anywhere we show up people say 'the Fuckin' Godoys' are here, wether at a skatepark or a show…it's US…simple. We weeded out all the unnecessary extras and stripped it down to a two piece band because we know we can count on each other to do what is beneficial for the band…and we have all the ingredients to destroy just as well or better than any 3-4 piece band….we have so much experience in touring, recording and performance….this is it.
Art- stars…hahahaha, totally.. stars! there seems to be less restriction in a 2 piece band.
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| GODOYS - ROLLING STONE MAGAZINE |
-Well that makes sense! Yea being in a band is not as easy as it would seem to people who don't play…
Steve-Thats a fact!!! With this 2 piece band we don't have any weird personality disorders to deal with…no egos, no drug/alcohol addicts , no dictators, no clowns with identity crisis…there is nothing or no-one that can hold us back . We have no tolerance for this type of stuff in any band situation…we have experienced it already since the early years re-igniting the Orange County punk scene with the Exploding Fuck Dolls which we formed in 1991-1992…too much drama.
We run our own label, we haul our own gear, we book our own shows, we do all our own merchandising…what else or whom else could we need?
-The thing I wanna know and I'm sure others will wanna know is how do you describe your sound…like if you could compare your music/attack to any bands out there…I know people wonder what kind of sound you have especially being that you are a 2 man band, …because the typical band has a singer a bassist and a drummer at the very least…when i personally hear that a band has only 2 people in it ,sounds like there could be something missing?! what should we all expect?!
Steve- the typical band today has all that AND a BEARD!!!…Well…we are NOT flimsy weak 2 man music like bands such as Black Keys who strangely enough have managed to slide in as "punk"!! lame ! but anyhow…we don't use any sampled music, beats, or triggers either…we get out there and play hard, real drums and cymbals, guitars and amps and microphones…You said it sounds like there could be something missing?? well the only thing missing to be labelled as "current" is a beard,!! you'll find no BEARDS here!!!!….. expect to be floored by the conjoined guitar and drum tones, the rough untrained siamese vocals , theres nothing fraternal about it!!!…(IDENTICAL TWIN JOKES LOL)
- OK…so let us back up a bit and get into some more detail about who you are,who the band is and whatever you think is pertinent to this interview…something meaty…not some lame ass questions like;"so how long have you guys been together, whats your favorite band, do you have future plans and stupidest of all-What do you wanna say to your fans?"…fucking retarded questions…How bout this, you feed me information and I'll report it!!
Steve- Thats better!!!….well, we are into punk rock, 77style punk…I mean, if someone asks me if I have had drum training or took lessons i would say YES! I learned how to drum from Topper Headon, Dolphin Taylor, a little from Paul Cook, Ron Keeley….haaaa….get it??? of course I have never sat in the same room with them in person, only on my stereo at home or in my car!!! Just listening to the bands they were in taught me fills, timing, rolls…and semi technical stuff…as for style, well that is all me…I could really care less about being criticized for not being technical or knowing drum terminology…I play how I play and its great!!
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| GODOYS - FUCK DOLLS 1993 |
Art- We both do. I'm not a soloist, I don't hear much influence in my playing from specific guitarists but one big influence that punk gives you is the ear for effective simple solos and hooks! As far as lifestyle… do the timeline, look at the styles when we were "current" in the skate scene. Look at who controlled the industry - the companies who were part of the Thrasher conglomerate - indy, spitfire, thunder, venture etc… the people under the tracker trucks roof - transworld skate boarding mag… and their advertisers… look at the all the contest finishers under the first 5 spots. there was a lot of talent but the problem was the politics. We stood out in that dayglo mess of 80's filth… and just because we were ourselves. Taking the music that embodied the rebellious nature of the skate lifestyle, and the aggressive characteristics of the competitive side of skateboarding and combining them… it was meant for us.
Steve- We aren't really a household name…nothing out front…but guaranteed if you are tattooed now and/or have been tattooed since 1990 you can bet it was Art and I who helped pave the way for that to happen! we were pro skateboarders and were interviewed for Thrasher Skateboard Magazine and were a household name- it came out in 1990 …back then , tattooing was an industry run by bikers who were NOT about to let anybody "in"…let alone skaters or punk rock youth!!…both of which described our life at the time…we were responsible for that change-marrying skateboarding with tattoos and tattooing…pretty much re-defined tattooing AND skateboarding…look around you..look at all the skaters professional or…they're all tattooed…the timeline fits, 'The Fuckin Godoys started it all.
Musically, we were inspired by 1977 punk , nothing hit as hard as the marching and first chord progression of Sex Pistols -'Holidays In the Sun!! we bought as many records as we could find and moved forward as the years went on… when it morphed into the Oi! movement…-skinheads and punks…street level rawness…the Cockney Rejects….Infa Riot, Chron Gen…that era.
Skateboarding , punk rock and tattoos go hand in hand…
-What else is descriptive of you…what other characteristics define you?
Steve- We are heavily tattooed identical twins…that's a big one right there!!! name another 2 man skate-punk band that are identical twins? that's a built-in selling point!….and the music we play, honestly, you wont believe its 2 people!!! We have punk history and are mixed in to a HEAVY timeline…
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| STEVE DRUMMING FOR THE VIBRATORS - US TOUR 2007 |
Art - Pure perseverance and dedication. We never wavered, never knew how! There were times where financially we were sinking! this made self esteem sink too… morale and hope too. We made it through. Now the toughest times are ones 'stagnancy'. It comes through in whatever we do. There is also a competitive motivator ingrained in us motivated by past needs to hustle and survive. Now it's about maintaining sanity! Sitting still for too long and getting comfortable is not in our program. We got sounds and inspiration from the Clash and Radio Birdman. The stealth streamlined speed of Radio Birdman's songs were perfect to skate to… the Clash too. Especially the Give em Enough Rope album!!! Tommy Gun, Guns on the Roof… Cheapskates. And for us, our dreams always come true. We have been playing with Deniz Tek founder of Radio Birdman for the last 20 years! His longest running rhythm section! A real dream come true… to be associated in the historical family tree of Radio Birdman, which dates back to the Stooges and the MC5 with all members playing together at some combination somewhere in time. And to have filled in for members of the Vibrators on 2 US tours!!! What an honour. One of our favourite bands also since we were 11 in 1977.
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| GODOYS - WITH ROSS THE BOSS AND H.D. MANITOBA! NYC BACK STAGE WITH THE DICTATORS WHEN WE CO HEADLINED ON TOUR WITH DENIZ TEK. |
Tell me about the "straight edge" thing..
Art - What… we don't drink, smoke or do drugs. Never have. We don't abstain for any reason other than that it never interested us. It was not an option. We have seen first hand how these things destroy. We don't' advocate nor do we preach against it. We don't' give a fuck. People make choices. Our choice NOW is to never play with junkies, drunks or anyone in "recovery" ever again. Too many short comings.
If someone chooses to take on these lifestyles, cool.. if they take it too far and die, too bad. Our stance is one of re defining visions of happiness. Societal symbols of status such as mortgages, families by the time you're 35 are not realistic. They produce costly divorces and limits on your freedom. So what we say, from experience. is if your job sucks, quit. IF your wife doesn't put out, bail, go find something new. Choose happiness. If you have a kid, give him a good life - shit happens when you fuck.
Steve - Straight edge.. it was a movement which didn't last for some. It seems to be a real thorn in the side of so many people. They think that because we don't drink, and they open a beer in front of us that we are gonna "relapse".. such a fuckin joke. We never did it, we never cared about it… so when they apologize it sounds like they themselves are the ones they are apologizing to! WE DONT GIVE A FUCK.
We don't sing about it , we don't care. There are a few phonys who have borrowed from us. Look, lifestyle, image, music… living up to a legend that was written for them by others. They know who they are. Can't tolerate it.
Sounds like you have something to prove…
Art - We do. If you live on this planet, in this fucked up world you need to prove your worth, everybody does. To people who matter. That's what we're saying. We have proven it over and over. There are people who get it and people who don't. We're over dealing with them. We can only move forward. We give credit where it is due. It's too bad some people don't… just wanting to toot their own horns… Sane Petersburg.
