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With the debut of KCUF’s “Modern Punk Primitive” been out for
awhile, the band is geared up and ready to hit to road in support of
the album. All they need now is the/any tour package to come along and
swoop them up. Their old-school passion is a much needed sound for
today’s mundane scene that needs a refresher course. This E-mail
interview was answered by founding member and freak show sensation
Crazy “White” Sean and Jeff “A.K.A.” T-Shirt. This is one of those guys
you really would rather interview in person. Just by the way some of
the questions were answered, it would have been a riot. Well here’s
what has and is going on in the world of KCUF.
JH: First off, tell us about the man. The myth. The freak show
that's Crazy "White" Sean.
CS: I hate questions like this, i was born in Feb. 1970 . I have a 3
yr old little girl and a 5 yr+
with her mother. i come from long beach Calif. and moved to
Amsterdam in 90-91. I like
smoking hash and grass and drinking whiskey. I have a shit load of
tattoos and bla bla bla
this shit could go on for ever, that’s why I hate questions like
this.
JH: How did you come about doing the whole freak show act?
CS: Started years ago, when I 1st came to Amsterdam i was hard up
for cash. So I started
street performing as a robotic violent clown. I frequented the
fetish/sm scene a lot back then
and a good friend of mine (vivid angel ,lead singer of swetbox) was
a big fetish queen and
performing artist who was in a pit of a pickle with her then boyfriend
/partner who was being a bitch about some show they were gonna do. Well
long story short ,he backed out ,she knew about my street act and asked
me to help her out. Well we were a perv scene hit. We continued to do a lot of acts for parties like the Euro-perve and
wasteland and torture garden
etc.. We got a name and
following and a demand fell upon us to provide the masses with harder
and pervier stuff. until one day we did
a show where she pounds a nine inch nail through
my cock and the audiences reaction was
"that’s not sexy its scary" at about the same time i was seeing a lot of traveling sideshows
roll through town, alot well maybe not a lot ,like 3 or so ,but hey that’s enough to
influence me to take all my sm stunts and knowledge and incorporate a lil humor and whammo a low
budget 1 man freak show.
JH: How long have you been performing?
CS: 16 fucken yrs ,can you believe it? I’ve been getting paid for
performances for 16 fucken yrs.
Pretty cool huh?
JH: So ho was it being a roadie for Gwar?
CS: Come on man are you fucken kidding me? It’s like taking acid and
falling into a comic book full of crack smoking monsters from outer
space who like to rape and kill the human race.
I mean does it get any more punk rock?
JH: Any good/crazy stories you want to share?
CS: Just being able to say I was on the road 3 times with Gwar is
story enough. To actually pick out an event would be unfair to my
emotions. Besides ,what happens on tour stays on tour.
6 - Did you ever perform your show with them?
CS: Fuck yea half of 2 tours, American and European.
JH: Tell us how KCUF came to be.
CS: I’m gonna let Jeff “a.k.a.” t-shirt answer this one. He’s
answered so much that it sounds better
from him than from me.
JEFF : IN THE YEAR 2000,A NUMBER
OF STRANGE EVENTS WERE TO COME. THIS PILE OF A BAND WAS ONE OF THEM. I,
(T.), WAS CURRENTLY WORKING WITH AMEN ON A U.S. TOUR SUPPORTING
NOTHINGFACE, WHEN IT WAS ANNOUNCED THAT WE WOULD BE MEETING UP WITH THE
ALMIGHTY GWAR AND TOURING WITH THEM FOR ABOUT A MONTH. SO WE PULL INTO
OLD BRIDGE, N.J. AND IT'S OUR FIRST DAY MEETING UP WITH THE SCUMDOGS.
AS WE ARE PULLING INTO THE PARKING LOT, THIS PISSED OFF LOOKING GUY
WITH CRAZY RED HAIR AND MATCHING ACCESSORIES IS LOADING INTO THE VENUE
AND MR. SONNY MAYO SAYS, "HEY, IS THAT CRAZY WHITE SEAN?" "THAT GUY IS
FUCKIN' NUTS" HE SAYS LAUGHING. SO AS THE DAY GOES ON I FIND OUT THIS
GUY IS GWAR'S MERCH MAN. SO AS AMEN'S MERCH MAN, I WILL BE WORKING WITH
HIM. AS THE TOUR WENT ON WE GOT TO HANGING OUT ALOT AND FOUND OUT THAT
WE WERE FROM THE SAME AREA ORIGINALLY, WENT TO ALL THE SAME METAL SHOWS
BACK IN THE DAY, DID SOME OF THE SAME DRUGS, HEH, AND WE WERE BASICALLY
INTO THE SAME MUSIC. WE ENDED UP HAVING ALOT OF FUN ON THAT TOUR. SO
THEN, AMEN IS OFF TO EUROPE WITH YOURS TRULY IN TOW FOR MERCH SERVICES.
WE STOP IN THE "TRUE LAND OF THE FREE" AMSTERDAM HOLLAND, AND WHO COMES
RIDING DOWN THE STREET BUT THIS FUCKING PISSED OFF LOOKING RED GUY.
"HOLY SHIT, THERE'S CRAZY WHITE SEAN." WE WERE LUCKY ENOUGH TO BE IN
AMSTERDAM FOR A COUPLE DAYS SO WE DID SOME PARTYING AND HANGING. WHILE
WALKING THRU THE RED LIGHT ONEDAY, I MENTIONED, "I WOULD LOVE TO LIVE
HERE FOR AWHILE SOMEDAY". SO SEAN INVITED ME TO MOVE THERE FOR AWHILE.
WE STILL HAD A BIT OF TOURING TO DO BUT I WAS SERIOUSLY THINKING OF
COMING STRAIT BACK HERE AFTER THE TOUR WAS OVER. I MEAN, COME ON NOW, A
CHANCE TO LIVE IN AMSTERDAM FOR A SPELL. HELL YEAH! SO WE GOT HOME FROM
THE TOUR, I PACKED UP ALL MY THINGS AND I WAS BACK ON A PLANE TO
AMSTERDAM. LIFE WAS GOOD. AFTER BEING THERE AWHILE SEAN TELLS ME THAT
SOMEONE HAS APPROACHED HIM AND WANTS TO USE HIS LOOK FOR A SNOWBOARD
COMIC BOOK CHARACTER AND POSSIBLY AN ACTION FIGURE. SEAN AGREES AND
"CRAZY FREAK SEAN" THE SNOWBOARDER IS BORN. THE CREATOR'S OF THE
CHARACTER ASK SEAN TO PICK A SONG THAT THEY CAN USE AS THE CHARACTER'S
"THEME SONG". THAT IS WHEN SEAN CAME TO ME AND EXPLAINED, HE DID NOT
WANT TO PICK A SONG, HE WANTED TO WRITE ONE. SO WE DECIDED THAT'S WHAT
WE WOULD DO. A FRIEND OF SEAN'S, SKY HAAN, LIVED UPSTAIRS IN SEAN'S
BUILDING AND PLAYED DRUMS IN A LOCAL BAND CALLED CANCELLED. WE ALSO
RECRUITED ANOTHER FRIEND TOMMY WHO WAS TO PLAY GUITAR, MYSELF ON BASS.
WE RENTED A STUDIO FOR A NITE AND WENT IN TO SEE WHAT WE COULD COME UP
WITH. WELL FUCK, I HAD'NT PLAYED ANYTHING IN YEARS SO I WAS NOT
EXPECTING MUCH OF MYSELF. WE CAME UP WITH A COUPLE RIFFS AND SOME IDEAS
BUT THAT WAS ABOUT ALL THAT NITE. WE WENT INTO THE STUDIO THE FOLLOWING
WEEK.
WE HAD ROUGHLY 6 TO 8 HOURS TO RECORD A TRACK. WE HAD ESSENTIALLY
NOTHING BUT SOME ROUGH IDEAS WALKING IN THERE. WE HAD TO COME UP WITH
SOMETHING "OFF THE CUFF" SO TO SPEAK. I DECIDED TO USE A BASS LINE FROM
A SONG I WAS MESSING WITH BACK IN 98'. WE STUCK WITH THAT AND THE REST
KINDA JUST OOZED OUT OF US. SKY IS AN AWESOME DRUMMER AND VERY EASY TO
WORK WITH SO THE REST OF THE SONG JUST KINDA PUT ITSELF TOGETHER. THIS
WAS SEAN'S FIRST EXPERIENCE DOING VOCALS WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE 80'S
HIT SINGLE, "JOSH", WHICH APPEARS ON OUR FULL LENGTH CD. SO HE HAD TO
KIND OF WORK UP TO IT BUT IT DID'NT TAKE LONG. "COMIC BOOK SUPERSTAR"
WAS FINISHED THAT DAY. THE SONG WAS SUBMITTED TO THE COMIC CREATOR AND
IT WAS PLACED ON THE FREAKBOARDER'S WEBSITE INSTANTLY. THERE ARE 7
CHARACTERS ALL TOGETHER AND WE NOTICED RIGHT AWAY THAT OURS WAS THE
ONLY ORIGINAL SONG WRITTEN JUST FOR THE CHARACTER. KICK ASS! SO BESIDES
THE SONG GETTING PLAYED NOW AT ALL OF SEAN'S FREAKSHOWS OF COURSE, IT
WAS PLACED ON A COMPILATION CD TO BE SOLD WITH THE FIRST 3500 ACTION
FIGURES. WE ALSO GOT IT ON PRIME TIME SPANISH TELEVISION ALONG WITH AN
INTERVIEW WITH SEAN. GOT SOME DECENT ATTENTION FOR IT. SO PEOPLE AT THE
FREAKSHOWS STARTED ASKING SEAN," SO WHERE IS THIS FUCKIN' BAND OF
YOURS"? I HAD SINCE MOVED BACK TO THE STATES AND WAS NOW SHARING A
PLACE WITH TUMOR. SEAN CALLS AND SAYS, "HEY, FUCK THIS ONE-SONG SHIT, I
WANT A FULL BAND". "GET THE FUCK BACK OVER HERE SO WE CAN GET IN THE
STUDIO AND MAKE A FULL LENGTH CD". SO I DID. WE SPENT 14 DAYS IN
"FRIENDS RECORDING STUDIO" IN DIEMEN HOLLAND. YOU KNOW THE CARTOON OF
US RIDING ON SEAN'S 3 WHEELER, WELL THAT'S HOW WE GOT TO THE STUDIO
EVERYDAY, EVEN IN THE RAIN. THINGS WENT EVEN BETTER IN THE STUDIO THIS
TIME AND WE STARTED PUMPING OUT TUNES RIGHT AWAY. THINGS WERE GOING
GREAT UNTIL THE FIFTH (TRACK #5 ON THE FULL CD) AND THAT'S SELF
EXPLANATORY ONCE YOU FINALLY HEAR IT. AFTER A SHORT BREAK I WAS KEWL
AND BACK ON TRACK AGAIN. SEVEN DAYS INTO THE SESSION TUMOR FLEW OUT AND
JOINED US. WE HAD ANOTHER COUPLE SONGS ABOUT DONE THE FIRST DAY HE WAS
THERE. THAT WAS ABOUT THE TIME THAT BOY WONDER CLYDE SHOREY OF ARTERY
SHOWED UP TO CONTRIBUTE. AGAIN, SOMEONE STEPPED IN AND PUMPED OUT A
KILLER TRACK RIGHT "OFF THE KCUF". UNDER A VERY DENSE RING OF SMOKE,
SEAN SAT IN THE LOUNGE BEATING HIS SKULL FOR MORE LYRICS. THEN THE
LOVELY VIVID ANGEL SHOWED UP TO JOIN US AND LEND HER SWEET, YET
AGGRESSIVE VOICE TO US. BY THE TIME OUR STUDIO HOURS WERE UP WE HAD
COMPLETED 11 SONGS AND A FEW OUT TAKES. NOT BAD FOR A BAND THAT WENT IN
WITH NOTHING WRITTEN. SO I SPENT A FEW MORE DAYS IN AMSTERDAM AND WENT
HOME. THE NEXT THING I KNOW, SEAN IS CALLING ME TO TELL ME THAT MUNKY
HAS TAKEN AN INTEREST IN OUR PROJECT AND WOULD LIKE TO MORE ABOUT IT.
WELL IT WAS NOT LONG AND SEAN, SKY, LISETT AND CLYDE WERE ON THEIR WAY
TO CALIFORNIA FOR A SHORT SESSION AT INDIGO RANCH. AFTER THEY ARRIVED
WE ALL WENT TO KORN'S REHEARSAL STUDIO TO MEET WITH MUNKY AND DISCUSS
OUR PLANS. IT WAS ON! 2 DAYS LATER WE WERE AT INDIGO RANCH PUTTING
TOGETHER A COUPLE MORE TRACKS. TUMOR AND I HAD ALSO RECRUITED SHAVO FOR
SOME CONTRIBUTIONS. HE ACTUALLY ENDED UP PROVIDING THE MAIN GUITAR FOR
"BLOODBATH". TUMOR AND SKY MADE UP THE REST OF THE WRITING ON THAT ONE.
WITH CLYDE AND MUNKY AND MYSELF IN TOW WE PULLED OF ANOTHER ENTITLED
"DEADLIGHTS OF HELL" . EVERYTHING WENT WELL AND WE HAD 2 MORE TRACKS TO
ADD TO OUR CD. NOW, WE NEED TO GET OUR ASSES ON THE ROAD AND START
PULLING OFF THESE PUNKROCK FREAKSHOWS. ALL THE SUPPORT WE CAN GET IS
APPRECIATED.
JH: Is this a serious venture?
CS: It didn’t start out that way but its becoming one.
JH: Reason i ask is i had read somewhere that the band was sort of a
joke. Not in a bad way. Just that there was no real seriousness with
the players or the music. Would you care to elaborate on that?
CS: That’s just the music world being insecure with my against the
grain attitude. I mean because I’m a dirty freak show shock artist who
resides in Amsterdam the (anything goes city) and I basically just
float through the system. People have this how the fuck did he get all
these great musicians together, and does he really think he’s gonna get
a pat on the back for it attitude.
Not to mention the fact that everyone
with half a brain could figure out that the band was put together to
back up my show . sort of a "punk rock freak show" not to become some
big whoa watch out here i come rock star. Hell i already acted like
that 20 yrs ago when i was stuck in long beach being a meth head.
JH: Have you ever performed in any other bands?
CS: Not yet........
JH: KCUF's style has many different genre's in it's sound. How did
KCUF's overall sound come to be?
CS: That’s a question with a simple answer. Since I’m the driving
force behind this shindig. it was i who influenced the 80's crossover
and garage sound. THats mostly because I kicked the Led Zeppelin habit
in the 80's with bands like DRI, SOD, MDC, The Crumbsuckers etc...And
my lack of actual music talent added to the simplicity of the CDs
overall sound. But then add
in all my friends and all their influences and who they want to make
music like. Mix that with what I was after, then put that with a bunch
of "im on top of the world rock stars" breaking their molds and going
old-school.
and whala ....Kcuf. Oh and
lets not forget to give credit to the fact that the entire CD was
written in the studio on the budget meter. That’s right not a single
note of material was pre-prepared. I rented a studio for 2 weeks and
threw everyone in one of the three rooms (the lobby room, the
soundboard/prod room, or the studio) and said "make me proud cause this
is costing us a lot of money.
JH: I really like the older, dirty punk sound to the disk. how big
of a part did you have in the production process? Who produced the
album?
CS: I had very little to say about the production other than a
couple of tweaks here and there. Most of the disc was produced by John
Fahnstock and Casper Wijnberg in Holland with me and Jeff hagging and
ragging on them. Deadlights and Bloodbath where produced by Munky and
Richard Kaplan assisted by K. Revis at Indigo Ranch. The Indigo Ranch
tracks where cut on old-sckool 16 tape, That definitely adds to the
dirty sound, its bad asss!
JH: Have there been many shows played?
CS: Only a hand full around Holland ,Germany and the UK. And all of
them with the most ultra shitty promotion. A very depressing situation.
I’d kill for a corp. sponsor just to boot the bill for tour. Hell I’d
spend every penny donated to a tour fund for just that ,touring!!! I
spend it on vans/busses ,gas, supplies, promo material etc...So no ,not
many only a few for obvious reasons.
JH: What sort of touring will be going on in support of the release?
CS: That’s a question for Corporate Punishment. As far as I’m
concerned ill do any show that’s thrown my way that I’m capable of
getting to.....so bring ‘em on.
JH: What's the future look like for KCUF?
CS: If I new the answer to that i would already be buying land or
looking for a new career. hopefully very good!!!!
JH: So hopefully many more KCUF releases?
CS: Hell yea !!! at least 2 more and a live one, plus not to forget
the visual shit ,you know. DVD's and pc snippets.
JH: Anything else you want to get off your chest?
CS: Nah , the worlds so fucked up that would take a lifetime!!!
JH: Many thanks for taking the time out
to do this interview. Keep up the good work in KCUF and hope to see you
guys out on the road soon.
CS: Fucken --a ,that’s a good thing to hope for. Thx back and add my
respect Crazy “White” Sean and Jeff “a.k.a.” t-shirt.
www.myspace.com/kcufpunk
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