When I was nine years old, I started playing guitar, and I took classical guitar lessons and studied music theory. And played jazz for a while. And then when I was around fourteen years old, I discovered punk rock. And so I then tried to unlearn everything I had learned in classical music and jazz so I could play in punk rock bands.
My favorite punk rock song is 'Linoleum' by NOFX. That's pure harmony, the coolest chord changes.
People say to me, 'Do you dye your hair?' and I say, 'Well, does f**king Siouxsie Sioux? Does Bowie?'. Of course I'm going to have a decent haircut. It's one of the first things I learnt to do - get a few songs together and get your hairstyle right.
Anything that's new wave is new. As far as punk rock goes, I've never really been exposed to any.
Most punk rock bands just have a guitar, bass and drums. The Descendents, the Ramones, you name 'em, it's just how it's always been.
I came up in the punk rock scene of Seattle.
I was pretty much into punk rock and that's all I cared about. I was into Green Day and the Ramones. I wanted to get a guitar so I could play punk songs because this kid taught me power chords at summer camp.
Portland is where all the fringe groups went to escape. Where the outliers brought that DIY, punk rock attitude and made the city their own.
I had been listening to Jackson Browne, The Eagles, and Linda Ronstadt. Ramones was not my kind of music. Now, I'm a huge fan and I get it. I wasn't initially a punk-rock fan. Now, I can appreciate what they stood for and who they were.
I used to listen to the soundtrack for the movie 'Tank Girl' all the time. It was really good.
Then the early punk rock period with Television and the Ramones. That's what I loved- that's what I was listening to immediately prior to when I started to play.
