Latest / HEAVY Music Interviews / Asserting Your Authority With RANDY BRADBURY From PENNYWISE

Transcript

Asserting Your Authority With RANDY BRADBURY From PENNYWISE · HEAVY Music Interviews

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Well, yeah, my name's Randy Bradbury. I played bass in
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: the band Pennywise from southern California. We played like what
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: they would call escape punk, but it's like heavy, kind
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: of heavy melodic punk rock.
• 0:16
  Speaker 2: Fantastic Randy, thanks for joining us today.
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: Thank you for having me, Hi pleasure.
• 0:22
  Speaker 3: So Pennywise returned to Australia very soon for a run
• 0:25
  Speaker 3: of shows with Melancholins, starting in wool and Gone on
• 0:28
  Speaker 3: February the second. Then you head through Newcastle, Sunshine Coast, Brisbane, Sydney, Adelaide, Melbourne,
• 0:33
  Speaker 3: finishing Perth on March of fifth.
• 0:35
  Speaker 2: So you're packed and ready to go yet.
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: Uh not quite, but we I have like bags that
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: are packed year round, so it won't take.
• 0:46
  Speaker 3: Yeah, only three of those shows made, the ones in Newcastle,
• 0:51
  Speaker 3: Brisbane and Melbourne actually have tickets left, with the rest
• 0:54
  Speaker 3: sold out.
• 0:55
  Speaker 2: Mate, Like, that's got to be a good feel.
• 0:56
  Speaker 3: And knowing that you've sold out more than shows before
• 0:59
  Speaker 3: you even stit foot in the country.
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: Yeah, it feels great and I think it just it's
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: a testament to us being you know, teaming up with
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: melancholin who are a great band. They're a great live band.
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: Cool guys, so it feels really good. I mean, we
• 1:14
  Speaker 1: always do good in Australia because it's like our second
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: home to us, and uh, you know, and and we
• 1:22
  Speaker 1: just get you know, so much love from the fans.
• 1:25
  Speaker 1: But uh, you know this, it's just you know, you
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: can't take it for granted. So it is a great feeling.
• 1:33
  Speaker 3: Yeah, I as built as a co headlining chow between
• 1:36
  Speaker 3: yourselves and Melancholins.
• 1:37
  Speaker 2: So what does that even mean to stay?
• 1:38
  Speaker 3: Does it just mean you both play the same amount
• 1:40
  Speaker 3: of time or.
• 1:42
  Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, it's co headlining and we're gonna switch headlining slots. Uh,
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: you know, we're gonna alternate back and forth who closes
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: the show and uh, it's kind of like, you know,
• 1:56
  Speaker 1: it's saying that we're each on like kind of equal
• 2:00
  Speaker 1: footing as far as uh, you know, it's like a
• 2:03
  Speaker 1: it's like a power couple now.
• 2:05
  Speaker 3: And then, Yeah, you would have played heaps and starts
• 2:10
  Speaker 3: with Melancholin in the past when it used to be
• 2:11
  Speaker 3: sort of regular regular Spire partners, would't you.
• 2:14
  Speaker 1: Yeah, Well, we haven't done a tour with them, but
• 2:17
  Speaker 1: we crossed paths on festivals and and tours you know,
• 2:21
  Speaker 1: for years and years now. Yes, so we know them
• 2:25
  Speaker 1: and we've.
• 2:25
  Speaker 3: Now Petty Wise we're out here last for Good Things
• 2:29
  Speaker 3: twenty twenty three mates, So it's a only been about
• 2:31
  Speaker 3: eighty months.
• 2:32
  Speaker 2: But what's changed for the band since you're out here
• 2:34
  Speaker 2: last time?
• 2:35
  Speaker 1: Oh? Not much really, we're just uh, I mean we've
• 2:40
  Speaker 1: kind of kind of been on the same trajectory for
• 2:44
  Speaker 1: for a while. You know, we we just uh for
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: but we you know, for us, it's about getting out
• 2:51
  Speaker 1: there and playing live and and and having like energetic
• 2:55
  Speaker 1: shows and so uh, you know, there's you wouldn't want
• 2:59
  Speaker 1: to change that. So not a lot's changed, you know,
• 3:04
  Speaker 1: so the important stuff is still intact.
• 3:07
  Speaker 3: Nice now, you mentioned before the descride is like a
• 3:09
  Speaker 3: second home for you guys, and Australian fans just kind
• 3:12
  Speaker 3: of seemed to get enough of Penny Wise. So why
• 3:14
  Speaker 3: do you think that, like what Astralle and Yobas connect
• 3:17
  Speaker 3: with your bands so much?
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: I don't know. I mean, maybe it's the Maybe it's
• 3:23
  Speaker 1: the surf culture. We you know, because we're from southern
• 3:27
  Speaker 1: California and it's very similar, so all of all of
• 3:32
  Speaker 1: Australia's on the coast mostly and uh, it's just got
• 3:36
  Speaker 1: a similar vibe. It could be from some of the
• 3:41
  Speaker 1: early surf videos that we're in and things like that.
• 3:46
  Speaker 1: I really can't. It's a mystery to me about how,
• 3:51
  Speaker 1: you know, because music is just one of those things.
• 3:53
  Speaker 1: It's subjective. You can't really put your finger on it.
• 3:57
  Speaker 1: Why people like this better than they like that. But
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: so that's in that situation. It's like, don't look a
• 4:04
  Speaker 1: gift horse in the mouth, just appreciate it.
• 4:07
  Speaker 2: Gems right.
• 4:08
  Speaker 3: You mentioned before too, like your high energy shows, Like
• 4:11
  Speaker 3: anyone that's seen Penny Wise before knows how much you
• 4:14
  Speaker 3: putting on stage. But you haven't done yourself many favors
• 4:17
  Speaker 3: mate coming over this time of the year because we're
• 4:19
  Speaker 3: in the middle of a heat wave.
• 4:20
  Speaker 2: Like it's gonna be fucking hot up there, that's.
• 4:23
  Speaker 1: What I heard. But then I was someone told me
• 4:27
  Speaker 1: a help, a nice lie that they said that it's
• 4:30
  Speaker 1: gonna it's gonna cool off by the time we get there.
• 4:34
  Speaker 1: It's going to be in the seventies and eighties.
• 4:36
  Speaker 2: Now they've idea it's only getting hotter.
• 4:39
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm not. I'm not ready for that. I mean,
• 4:41
  Speaker 1: it rained, like I said, it's been raining all day here.
• 4:45
  Speaker 1: Uh and my house it's been in the fifties and sixties,
• 4:49
  Speaker 1: which is I don't know what that is for you
• 4:51
  Speaker 1: guys down in the seven, sixteen seventeen. Maybe I'll be wrong.
• 4:58
  Speaker 2: But again in middle day.
• 5:03
  Speaker 1: Yeah, so yeah, ready for that. But I'll bring my
• 5:06
  Speaker 1: trunks and just cruise around in trunks and flip flops
• 5:08
  Speaker 1: if I have to.
• 5:11
  Speaker 2: Now, Penny I started in California back in nineteen eighty eight. Mate, Like,
• 5:14
  Speaker 2: I know you didn't join the band.
• 5:15
  Speaker 3: Until ninety six, but what are your personal memories of
• 5:19
  Speaker 3: Penny Wise when they first came out?
• 5:21
  Speaker 1: Okay, so I actually I was in the band in
• 5:27
  Speaker 1: nineteen ninety two, and I did the second album with them,
• 5:32
  Speaker 1: and then UH and then I was gone for a
• 5:34
  Speaker 1: while and then I came back and started touring UH
• 5:37
  Speaker 1: in ninety five. But I was a fan. I was
• 5:39
  Speaker 1: definitely a fan of the band. I thought they were
• 5:41
  Speaker 1: great before I met them, so it was really blew
• 5:46
  Speaker 1: my mind when I had a chance to meet them,
• 5:49
  Speaker 1: and you know, I said, the first thing I said
• 5:52
  Speaker 1: to Fletcher was like, oh, I want to play bass
• 5:54
  Speaker 1: in your band, Like I wanted to be in the band.
• 5:55
  Speaker 1: And they weren't that big, they just had one album out.
• 5:58
  Speaker 1: I didn't think there was you know, they weren't popular.
• 6:01
  Speaker 1: I just loved it that just the music was. It
• 6:05
  Speaker 1: was like I would listen to Pennywise and I would go, like,
• 6:07
  Speaker 1: I want to I want to be in a band
• 6:10
  Speaker 1: like this. I want to be this is the band,
• 6:12
  Speaker 1: you know, Like I just I felt it an instant connection,
• 6:16
  Speaker 1: so uh yeah, and then this way things worked out.
• 6:21
  Speaker 1: It's just kind of crazy, kind of mind blowing. But
• 6:24
  Speaker 1: I just I feel like everything kind of I don't know,
• 6:28
  Speaker 1: just worked out. I mean, it wasn't all pretty, that's
• 6:32
  Speaker 1: for sure, but it it. It's uh, I don't know.
• 6:38
  Speaker 1: I don't even know what to say about it. I
• 6:40
  Speaker 1: just know that I love the band and I wanted
• 6:42
  Speaker 1: to be in the band.
• 6:45
  Speaker 3: Now, the world changed a lot since Pennywise started, mate,
• 6:49
  Speaker 3: but you guys are one of the few bands of
• 6:52
  Speaker 3: true to your own musical path, Like, has it ever
• 6:55
  Speaker 3: been difficult? I guess all dangerous for you as a
• 6:57
  Speaker 3: band to stick to your own instead of trying to
• 7:00
  Speaker 3: trying to fit in with everything else.
• 7:05
  Speaker 1: Well, we wanted to. I remember I would listen to
• 7:09
  Speaker 1: bands back in the day that I loved and like,
• 7:12
  Speaker 1: like The Damned for instance. I love The Damned and
• 7:15
  Speaker 1: then the Damned started changing a lot and they became
• 7:18
  Speaker 1: like very I don't know what it was, like new
• 7:23
  Speaker 1: Romantic or something. They got went goth and I was like,
• 7:30
  Speaker 1: I wasn't happy about that. And there was quite a
• 7:32
  Speaker 1: few bands that changed a bit too much. So penny
• 7:38
  Speaker 1: Wise is always wanted to be like, this is we're
• 7:40
  Speaker 1: penny Wise, this is what we do, and we've never
• 7:43
  Speaker 1: wanted to like change too much, so, uh, we've always
• 7:48
  Speaker 1: kind of And so I guess the danger in that
• 7:53
  Speaker 1: is that people just say everything sounds the same, which, uh,
• 8:00
  Speaker 1: you know, which is could you know, you can't win
• 8:04
  Speaker 1: no matter what. If you change too much, people get
• 8:06
  Speaker 1: pissed off. You don't change too much, then people get
• 8:09
  Speaker 1: pissed off. So I don't know how dangerous it is,
• 8:13
  Speaker 1: but you just always you cannot please everyone, and we
• 8:17
  Speaker 1: just do it. We think it's right, and we try
• 8:19
  Speaker 1: to change things a little bit but not too much
• 8:22
  Speaker 1: and you know, keep it fresh. So we just do
• 8:28
  Speaker 1: what we do.
• 8:31
  Speaker 3: Seriously doubt this will happen, mate, but just say someone's
• 8:34
  Speaker 3: going to go to the show just based on Melancholin
• 8:37
  Speaker 3: being there.
• 8:37
  Speaker 2: They don't know fuck all about penny Wise. What three songs.
• 8:41
  Speaker 3: Would you tell them to listen to before they went
• 8:42
  Speaker 3: to the Connosant to get to know the band better.
• 8:44
  Speaker 1: Oh okay, they should listen to Fuck Authority Society and
• 8:49
  Speaker 1: brow him nice.
• 8:53
  Speaker 2: All right.
• 8:53
  Speaker 3: Well that's the educational material for some people out there.
• 8:56
  Speaker 3: Broken in the meantime, Randy, thanks you time. Pennywise in
• 9:00
  Speaker 3: Australia with Melancholin from February twenty second. As I said before,
• 9:03
  Speaker 3: there's only tickets left in Newcastle Brinsman in Melbourne, so
• 9:07
  Speaker 3: if you want to get along you'd better be quick.
• 9:11
  Speaker 1: Nice talking to you,