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Junkyard Interview
Brian Baker plays guitar for Geffen recording artists, Junkyard. The record
co. calls Junkyard's music, "working class rock “n” roll reality”.
Currently on tour with Lynyrd Skynyrd, Junkyard's latest release, and second
album is titled, "Sixes, Sevens, and Nines."
Brian Baker does the talking.
Q. - How does it feel to be opening for Skynyrd every night,
and what's the audience reaction to your music been like?
A. - It's been very smooth and great. They've done everything they can for
us. It's kind of cool, 'cause it tends to be an older audience. I'm really
surprised how receptive it's been. The Skynyrd crew and everybody else, is
pretty much shocked too, because when you come out cold the people don't know
who you are at all. These are people who don't buy rock magazines. We're going
over really, really well.
Q. - You say, "We want fans to look at us and say, that's
what I want to do, and feel that they know us." How can anybody know someone
from an onstage appearance? It's an act. It's show biz.
A. - Yeah, but I think that you can endeavor to try to write lyrics that are
close to home. In your stage performance you can do things to try and break
down the barrier between performer and person in the crowd. You know there's
a certain attitude you can have. If you swagger around the stage and speak
from a book of stock lines and really have no concern, and invite no audience
participation at all, that's a lot more alienating than if you are in the crowd,
with the crowd. We're the same people, the only difference is, we happen to
be on the stage at the time.
Q. - Why would you choose the punk rock band approach to your
music? That era was relatively short-lived.
A. - We were all in our teens at the time. For each individual there were different
reasons. For me, it was just the first chance to play in a band, playing original
music happened to coincide when I was listening to the Clash, and a lot of
other punk bands. That was the music I was interested in. Punk was the kind
of music where it didn't matter if you play your instrument or not. The concept
was just to go out and do it, because in that effort there's something worthwhile.
So that's kind of how we all did it. Nobody here is a virtuoso by any means.
At the time it was just coincidental. That's how we all fell into it.
Q. - And you use pre-1970 equipment?
A. - On occasion, at least recording wise. Actually, we just blew something
up, so we get the 80's version of it. We play guitars, plugged into amps, and
that's it. We don't have any effects. It's just amp, guitar, microphone. It's
not that unique of an approach. I'm sure lots of people do it. We've never
delved into the high tech world. First, it would just break, and we wouldn't
know how to use it anyway. (laughs). We're just Gibsons and Marshalls. That's
basically what we play.
Q. - Is it true that for two weeks your band mates Chris Gates
and David Roach lived in a car parked behind a friend's bar? How do you do
that?
A. - Oh, easily, if it's your friend's bar and it's the kind of bar that closes
at two thirty in the morning and opens at eight, so you're in the bar until
two thirty in the morning. You go out and sleep. You wake up, go in, brush
your teeth, and you use the pay phone to try and find a place to live. That's
completely easy. Personal hygiene can go out the window. We're talking about
survival here. When you don't have a choice, that's what you do.
© Gary James All Rights Reserved
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