Punk rock isn't what it used to be, survivor says
Punk rock outfit the Queers originally formed in New Hampshire in the early '80s. But the band got a taste of success starting in the early '90s while recording on the Lookout! Records label, which also spawned chart busters Green Day.
Cue the sex, drugs and excess. Founder Joe King, now sober, managed to survive the wild times and punk rock's mainstream transition while still cranking out albums and revving up fans.
The former Atlanta resident returned to New Hampshire just a few months ago to create his own studio and a second career as a producer. But that's not keeping him and the Queers off the road. The band pulls up to the EARL on Sept. 27 with the Independents and Jesse Nobody.
Q: You have an affinity for the Beach Boys. In the early days, did you ever catch flak from others on the punk scene?
A: Not too much. But later, when we went more toward the Beach Boys-type pop stuff, the punk rockers didn't like that. Unless you have a purple mohawk, a leather jacket and you haven't bathed in five days, you're not cool. A lot of these kids don't really scratch beneath the surface of the Ramones [to] realize they were into bubble gum. It's kind of being close-minded. The Ramones, to me, had a great message. Always be able to laugh at yourself, question things and don't take yourself too seriously. That's kind of our message, if we have one.
Q: What do you think about the current state of punk rock?
A: It's changed so much because of money. In the old days when we started, we were on Lookout! Records. Green Day was there before they hit it big, and so were Screeching Weasel, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones and Jawbreaker. And those bands were doing it for the love of music; we all were, because it wasn't a career move. Now it can be. You can make money off of punk rock with shams like Good Charlotte and bands who don't even write their own songs who can hit it big because they got a big push behind some label. They have eyeliner and all that stuff, and kids think they're punk rock.
Q: You've been quite candid in interviews about some of the band's crazier days. What's life like on the road now compared to then?
A: When you're running around touring doing heroin, cocaine and whatever, that leads you down a weird path. All bets are off, and you never know what's going to happen. You look back and tell stories. It seems funny now, but at the time it wasn't. We were guys that started up in New Hampshire to have an excuse to drink beer, write a few goofy songs and maybe do one album. And then all of a sudden we go to Lookout! Records, and with Green Day hitting it big, we got swept up in that whole thing. We weren't just whistling "Dixie." We weren't running around with a mohawk acting like we were drug addicts. I've seen bands do that. I asked one kid in this band, who shall remain nameless, and was acting all junked out, "Do you do drugs?" And he said, "Oh, no. None of us do." And I said, "Take it from an old pro, pal. When you're doing dope, the last thing you do is run around and advertise it. You want to hide it from everybody."