Updated: 06/28/02

No, this is not going to be an expose you see on the E-Channel about Bo Derek or Pia Zadora (or some other has-been) - this is a little interview I did with a punk-emo band who goes by the name of The Movielife. In spite of the glamorous moniker, there is nothing untouchable or standoffish about these guys. Seeing The Movielife live is like going to check out your friend's band - they bring the audience into their world and want to make sure everyone is having a grand old time. Based out of Long Island, New York, we caught The Movielife while on the road touring with Face To Face. The phone conversation is with vocalist Vinnie Caruana.

Highwire Daze: Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in The Movielife, and how long the band has been together.

Vinnie Caruana: I'm Vinnie, I sing for The Movielife. We've been together for about five years, but this line-up we have right now has been together for three years.

HD: Tell me about the tour you are doing right now with Face To Face.

Vinnie: Actually we're approaching the final week - we've been on tour with them for about six weeks. It's been going great for us. It's like a dream for us. We love that band Face To Face. I grew up on that band. Our friends in Midtown and Thrice are on the tour, so it's just real relaxing and fun. It's a really, really, really good time.

HD: With your opening up the show, how has the reaction been so far?

Vinnie: It's been cool. We actually haven't been opening - like the entire first half of the tour we were in the middle because we are from the East Coast. When we approached the West Coast, that was when Thrice started going on over us. It has been different. Kids have been paying attention and coming up and checking everything out. So it really doesn't even matter - it's going really, really well.

HD: So how has Face To Face been to work with?

Vinnie: Those guys are really supportive to our band. They are always checking us out. They're just really nice to us, and we're really honored that they wanted us to be a part of the tour.

HD: When you first started out, what was the scene like in Long Island and how did The Movielife fit in?

Vinnie: The scene in Long Island was really mixed - a lot of punk and hardcore bands. Not many ska bands, but a lot of mixed genres. It was a bunch of friends - it was us and Glass Jaw, and Kill Your Idols - bands like that who are still around today and touring. We all play different types of music but we're all good friends. Right now, I haven't been around Long Island too much lately, because we've been on tour for like two years. There's a lot of cool bands coming out. There's a really amazing band from Long Island called Brand New - they have a record out on Triple Crown Records right now that everyone should definitely check out. They are the next thing out of Long Island that everybody should be keeping their ears out for.

HD: On the new EP, where did you come up with the title Has A Gambling Problem. The press notes say the title is based on a true story…

Vinnie: It's definitely a true story. It's a funny, witty title - it's just a joke I thought up and everyone was like, "We should do it!" I'm psyched about that title, cause it is a true story. We definitely do a lot of gambling - preferably winning, but yeah…

HD: Where do you get the ideas for some of the lyrics you write?

Vinnie: It's usually like a true story - something that really happens and I write about it. If I'm thinking hard enough about something - or if something is bothering me enough then I'll write about it.

HD: I like that song title If Only Duct Tape Could Fix Everything…

Vinnie: (Laughs) If only it could. Yeah I like the title - it's one of my favorite song titles. I definitely like naming songs and that's definitely one of my favorites.

HD: You recently had Alex leave the band who was one of the original members. Why did he leave and was it difficult finding someone new?

Vinnie: There were just some differences that had been going on for a while. It was definitely amicable. We're all friends. He left the band and a good friend of ours flew out and joined up - he was familiar with a lot of our music already. It really hasn't been that tough. It could have been a lot tougher, but we really jumped on it and made the whole situation as easy as it could be. (The new guy) is filling in right now. He didn't technically replace anybody. He's filling in indefinitely.

HD: When you look back on your first album It's Go Time, what do you think of it right now?

Vinnie: I have a place for it in my heart. It's definitely a cool record. It definitely does not sound good but there's definitely good songs. It was kind of a low budget release. I think it definitely has a lot of character - it has history with us. It's the first time we sat down and really tried to make a record. I'm happy we did it and I still totally love some of the songs. I'm sure when we go out on a headlining tour, we'll be playing some of those songs.

HD: I bought that record the last time you were out here with Midtown. It's really great - there's like 9 songs done in 21 minutes.

Vinnie: (Laughs) Yeah, right. Our songwriting and structuring has become a little bit better since then. Thanks for checking it out.

HD: How did you wind up on Drive Thru? First you were on Fade Away, and then Revelation, and now Drive Thru.

Vinnie: Fade Away - we were never really on the label - they just did a CD for us. Revelation did sign us after that. And after Revelation - luckily Drive Thru was nice enough to buy us out of our contract. And everything has been awesome since then - they have done a really good job for us.

HD: What is the best part and worst part about touring?

Vinnie: The best part is definitely making a lot of friends - meeting a lot of kids and getting to play live every single night. The worst part of it is missing everything about home - your family and friends. Some of us have girlfriends and some of us have dogs and this and that. And that's definitely the tough part. But you chose to do this and you have to deal with the downsides. But the upside definitely outweighs the downsides.

HD: So who do you think is better? Britney Spears or Christina Aguilera?

Vinnie: I'd rather have sex with Britney Spears. (To someone at the Drive Thru office who heard him say that.) That was an interview question! (Back to the interview.) Who do I think is a better musician or whose songwriters are better? I think the people that write Britney Spears' songs are better.

HD: Do you have any messages for The Movielife fans or people who might be interested in checking out your music?

Vinnie: You can go get our brand new EP that's out on Drive Thru Records - it's called The Movielife Has A Gambling Problem. And right now we're currently finishing up writing for our brand new record and we're gonna record it sometime this summer and release it probably early in 2003. Everyone should definitely be psyched about that cause we're really excited about the way it's coming out.

The Movielife is currently on The Warped Tour, so be sure to check them out when they show up to make friends in your town.