Dropkick Murphys: Interview

In-person interview with Scruffy Wallace of Dropkick Murphys

By Aniruddh "Andrew" Bansal

August 11th 2010, Pomona Fairplex, Pomona CA

Andrew: How has the Warped Tour been for you?
Scruffy: We just jumped on it about four or five days ago. We did a couple of our own shows in Reno and Vegas and joined the tour out in Salt Lake City. It's been great. It's kind of a walk in the past I guess because we've done it a couple of other times and it's the same. Lots of buses, lots of bands and it's been a good time.

Andrew: What have you been doing on this tour in terms of the set list?
Scruffy: We played 45 minutes the first night and then it's been half an hour every show. But it's been great and the kids have been awesome.

Andrew: Yeah that's what I was going to ask you about, the crowd reaction. So, they are digging your music?
Scruffy: Well last night it was very cool because we ended up closing the tour down. It was a shitload of kids and a hot, long day. We really appreciated everyone sticking around and checking us out.

Andrew: It's pretty hot here too!
Scruffy: Yeah unfortunately it is but there's a nice breeze right now and we're in the shade so it's all good (laughs).

Andrew: Your Celtic punk music is interesting and unique. How did it start?
Scruffy: Celtic music is really the original kind of punk rock. It is the form of music that people used to sing to rebel against stuff. I kind of think that's what punk is all about. Blending it together came to us effortlessly. We're always trying to master our craft but it's very easy to blend with new music together. Like I said, both are rebel types of music s it's cool.

Andrew: I've read a lot of different stories behind the band's name. What's the real one?
Scruffy: The real story is, there was a guy in Boston who helped clean people up, people who were heroine addicts, drug addicts, drunks. He had this place where he used to force feed people in really bad ways to get them to sober up. So it became a legend, a ghost story in Boston. Your parents would tell you, 'We would send you to Dropkick Murphys'. So that's where it came from. It's kind of an ironic name because we're all a bunch of boozebags and love singing songs about going to a bar but named after a guy who was sobering people. It's kind of a nice oxy moron if you will.

Andrew: This year you'll be going into the studio for a new album. What's the word on that?
Scruffy: We're going into the studio starting pretty much after this tour and we're not doing anything else until December. We've been writing new songs anyway so it'll just be pre-production and going into the studio to record, taking the time to actually do it. So we're all really stoked about doing it, so it should be a great time.

Andrew: Do you have all songs written already?
Scruffy: Well we're always in the process of writing. Usually what we do is, we have a group of songs we've been playing, putting together and that process will not stop until middle of October and when we're done with pre-production, we'll just go into studio and do the album. That's usually how we do it.

Andrew: You guys have been around since '95. How much do you think the hardcore punk scene has developed in this period?
Scruffy: I don't know where the punk bands have gone, to be honest with you. It's kind of disappointing but us older fellas are kind of going away like the dodo and these young whipper snappers are coming up with this emo screamo kind of shit. It's kind of sad that punk is getting lost. I hope it would be found again.

Andrew: Yeah that's what people generally say about the Warped Tour, that's used to be such a great tour for old school punk bands but now there are very few of them. I saw the Casualties today and they were amazing.
Scruffy: Yeah I just saw Jake [Kolaties, The Casualties guitarist] walking around. Yesterday we had the Angry Samoans and Fear play, so it was cool to finally have back some original punk stuff. But yeah as far as the tour goes, I haven't really seen many bands. I've kind of kept myself locked away. It's disappointing to be honest with you. Even five years ago when we did this tour, at least half the bands were punk or hardcore bands but now it's the same old shit, people screaming and beating up on their guitarists obnoxiously. It's frustrating but I'm glad that we're out here to make a small difference.

Andrew: You've had a new member Jeff DaRosa. How is it different with him in the live shows?
Scruffy: The kid's a maniac. You'll see him tonight. He's got great energy and he's a brilliant musician. The kid can play a cavalcade of instruments so it was a really good acquisition for us, you can say. He's a really good dude, good to be around tour and stuff. So, much love.

Andrew: The previous album 'The Meanest Of Times' was on a new label that you started as your own vanity label, Born & Bred records. What led to the start of that label?
Scruffy: Epitaph was a great label for us and kind of helped get us to the point we're at, but it was kind of like being a free agent in any sporting event. After a while you kind of decide to get it out on your own. So we parted ways on a very friendly basis and we love everyone over there. We just decided that we wanted to do it in our own style, keeping it in the family kind of thing. So, Born & Bred right now is just Dropkick Murphys and I don't know if we're going to recruit any other bands or not.

Andrew: The album had different versions when it was released and each one had a different cover. Do you play those covers in shows at all?
Scruffy: We did a cover of the Bruce Springsteen song. In London we did the Thin Lizzy cover. But as far as the covers go, we generally stay away from them for the live shows that's why we put them on the record. The England pressing will get the Thin Lizzy, the Japanese pressing will get AC/DC or whatever. So we try to throw in something unique to their area. But not too much of the covers on stage, not untraditional stuff. Like we do 'Rock N Roll To Dublin' and traditional Irish covers.

Andrew: You guys did a song for the 'Rock Against Bush' thing in 2004. Would you say that in addition to being musicians you are also active when it comes to politics?
Scruffy: Actually we're all exactly the opposite. We try not to mix politics and music. Everyone has their own mind and their own opinion. We are just a bunch of schmuks that play music and it's not our position to push our ideas onto other people. We just play the music that we play and we're not really active in it in any kind of anti-government, anti-establishment movement. In the band we have Republicans, Democrats, Liberals and it's a big mix of everything. That's what makes it so great. That's what's great about this country, the diversity and that people have rights to choose what they want to listen to and what they want to do. So we just play our music and that's it. We're not like certain bands that we're not going to mention because they aren't worth mentioning, but they kind of force their ideologies on very young and susceptible kids and I don't think that's very fair. Let them come to their own conclusion.

Andrew: So, you're saying that do these bands push that stuff through their lyrics and you don't?
Scruffy: Yeah, if you listen to our lyrics they're about how important friendship is and when you lose someone and family, kind of basic morality that every human planet should have, but as far as it goes with anything else, we don't actively try to push any ideas about presidents or governments or anything like that because that's not our place.

Andrew: For you, what is the fondest memory of being in this band for the past 14 years?
Scruffy: For me it's very easy. I got a chance to open for and hang out with my favorite band on this planet, which is Slayer. We played this festival called With Full Force a couple of years ago and found out that we were the main support for Slayer. I was like a kid in a candy store. I was up on stage watching them and after the show I was hanging out with Tom Araya and Kerry King, both just absolute fucking gentlemen. That's one of my fondest memories so far. There have been epic parties and getting messed up with Fat Mike in Japan, but it has to be opening with Slayer. I looked up to them for so long and they are my favorite band since I was 14.

Andrew: That's an amazing story. At every show, you'll hear somebody shouting, 'Fuckin' Slayer!' I'm still waiting for that here.
Scruffy: Yeah! Its been however many years and God bless them, or Satan bless them or whoever is blessing them. They rock, and that was my fondest memory of being on the road.

Andrew: How has it been interacting with the other bands on this tour? Has anything weird or crazy happened yet?
Scruffy: There is no grind yet. We had some really cool friends of ours in this band called Larry And His Flask. They did a parking lot party last night just acoustically, and they just shredded it. Everyone came around, drank a bunch of beers and had a really good time. So, nothing crazy yet.

Andrew: You said Slayer is your favorite band. But musically, which bands have you been most influenced by?
Scruffy: Traditionally I listen to stuff like Robert Mattison and people won't even have a clue of what I've talking about because its all bagpipers and shit but I listen to The Clash, old hardcore stuff like 7 Seconds, D.R.I., Suicidal and all the stuff that I listened to growing up when I was skating, but all those bands never went away and always stuck with me. I listen to anything. If my ears like it, I'll listen to it.

Check out the band's official website.

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