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AntiProduct,"Made In USA" (Cargo/Livewire)
What the hell is AntiProduct? Well, from what I can tell, Antiproduct is the brainchild of former Life, Sex, and Death guitarist, Alex Kane. After leaving LSD, Kane read the writing on the wall and realized that things were taking a downward turn in the US music scene. He left for the UK and hasn’t stopped creating music for a second. First, he linked up with Ginger from the Wildhearts to form ClamAbuse. From here, he slowly constructed his dream band. How would one describe the sound of this so-called dream band? I would go on the record with this description: Charles Manson takes guitar lessons in prison, runs into female back-up singers that are also extremely talented musicians, and finds his Tex Watson in drummer Simon Gonk. Cheap Trick meets G.G. Allin. Uhh? Phil Spector meets Trent Reznor, with the Mary Jane girls singing back-up. Hell, I give up. What I do know is that “Made in USA” is one of the best sounding records I have heard in a long time. If you love harmonies, walls of guitars, beatle-like hum-a-longs, and just pure creative fun, this is the record for you. It does me no good giving you a song for song breakdown. Instead, go to the website antiproduct.com, and check it out for yourself. The latest single is entitled “Better Than This” which is a wonderful response to all of the depressed and soulless music that has taken hold of the US. AntiProduct proves that you can have aggression, harmony, and most importantly, a sense of humor, all in one song and cd. Please give this band a listen, and we can only hope that they make it to the states sometime in the near future to create the havoc that they have in the UK, Europe, and Japan.
And now for an attempt at an interview with the one they call A. Product.
E.C.: Give a brief chronological breakdown of your career?
A Product: Well, it's pretty much been one breakdown after awhile. after I got kicked
out of The Beatles and founded The Ramones, I then built...
E.C.: Why did you leave the United States? After reading Metal Sludge, it is apparent that you were too good for the life of the retired LA metal musician. Others seem to be waiting for the late 80's and early 90's to come back, while you have moved on.
A Product: We're post-retro over here. We're apparently post-everything over here according the rock writers, goofy, bastard things that they are. Post-this, post-that. I believe we're currently in the retro-post-nu-metal phase which involves all the same people doing all the same things the rest of the world stopped doing 5 years ago. I'd like to think that even in the 90's we..being LSD of dancing bum fame... were kinda thinking for now so who knows where my fuckin' head is at today.
E.C.: How do the British and European audiences deal with your aggressive stage persona?
A Product: they flee...until I block the door.
E.C.: Where does your love of harmonies come from? Is it the Chicago connection - Cheap Trick, Enuff Znuff, etc...
A Product: totally and that and The Beatles and Queen and The Ramones, which is basically the Chicago sound without so much Queen. ELO, now there's a come-back I'd like to see. Seriously. I’d also like to do a way over-produced version of all my favorite Ramones songs. With layers of guitars and tons and tons of harmonies. Abba-esque but rock 'n' roll. What was the question?
E.C.: Why chicks in the band when there are thousands of out of work rock dudes looking for employment? Is this some secret you have stumbled upon? (Inference by questioner is that you have stumbled upon a wonderful thing)
A Product: Behind the scenes my band is like the unedited version of Caligula. Shit, when we check outta hotels, the rooms look like glazed donuts. Sickening. Simple, the best man for a job is always a woman.
E.C.: List your influences - Band wise
A Product: Uh, just Danger Danger
E.C.: List your influences - Guitar wise
A Product: the guitar player from Danger Danger
E.C.: List your influences - front man wise
A Product: panic and fear
E.C.: Why did you always knock the mike stand over so damn many times when you were with LSD? Or was this just the beginning of the birth of A. Product?
A Product: Very interesting question, which I'll choose to ignore. No psyche probing until I know you better... because I am a ROCK GOD!!!
E.C.: Will it be possible for you ever to take over America? From London, you can launch a constant assault on the UK and Europe, where as in America, it takes years of constant van assaults.
A Product: I think, judging by the reactions we got in NYC, we'd do pretty good back home. You get it all, sex, rock 'n' roll, beautiful women, violence, joy, pain, etc. We're fuckin' off our darn nuts over here. I don't know if I'm down with fascism thing too much, though.
E.C.: Was it really necessary to put a 3 minute kazoo piece on for your secret hidden track?
A Product: It was either that or jail time so you ears did the time. Makes us laugh like horny pigs!
E.C.: We wait so goddamn long for any material you have, knowing you have no less than a hundred songs in your head at one time - Why The KAZOOOOOOO?
A Product: It is the instrument of the future. the ultimate Shakespearian, common man celebration.
E.C.: Are you currently or have ever had relations with any of the women that you have taken into white slavery, or as you call it, band?
A Product: How do you think they got taken into white slavery, baby? GOD of ROCK, over here. Remember?
E.C.: What do you miss about living in the USA?
A Product: The desolate loneliness of LA
E.C.: What do you like about living in the UK?
A Product: I'll have to get back to you on that.
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Part I - review
Part II - interview with