Riding Shotgun With the Fruit Bats
Fruit Bats make me happy. Not the nocturnal winged animals, mind you. But the smilingly mellow pop sounds emanating from rainy Seattle. Eric Johnson (the man, the myth, the legend), the Fruit Bat to end all Fruit Bats, is our subject this week. Read on to find out the way to his heart (cookies and/or chai), the frequency with which he launders on tour (impressive), and what Fruit Bats merch you should save up for (hey all you spoon collectors, I'm talkin' to you). And then go see the man in action, Wednesday April 26, at the Black Cat ($10). Trust me, it'll make you happy.
Touring is: Pretty fun. And sorta lame at the same time. But mostly fun.
Our first gig together was:
Fruit Bats is more or less my solo project, so it was probably when I was in Kindergarten and sang at the Christmas musical. I was scared but then placated by cookies, which is par for the course ‘til this day.
My favorite venue to play is:
Great American Music Hall, The Troubadour, Schuba's, Empty Bottle, Bowery Ballroom, 9:30 Club, Black Cat, my backyard, Budokan...
Hygiene on a tour is: Pretty good actually. I'm no hippie. I like toothpaste. And leisurely showers.
My favorite thing about touring is: Lack of responsibility, Cracker Barrel.
And the least favorite: Uncontrollable, fetal-position inducing weeping fits brought on by fear of failure.
City with the best audiences: Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea (I'd assume).
The tour bus/van smells like: Lilies of the valley, orchids, and vague traces of lavender.
Laundry is: a) washed regularly, b) washed irregularly, c) we go shopping a lot: The answer is “a.”
What's the most unusual item on your rider?
A live baby wolverine, which has more or less never been procured, unless you count a very eager to please young promoter in Bellingham, WA, who tried his best but could only come up with a badger.
Who controls the music in the touring vehicle? Me, because I'm a power hungry bastard.
And what are you listening to at the moment? Silence.
Your new favorite watering hole after being on tour?
Touring is all about being in watering holes for six to eight hours at a time, so I prefer not to visit such places after the fact. Plus I've heard that at watering holes, during the drought season, wildebeests are sometimes pulled in and eaten by crocodiles.
And/or the best place to get greasy, hangover-curing food?
I'm mostly pretty clean livin' these days, so no need to cure hangovers. But Wiener's Circle in Chicago is pretty greasy and dee-lish. Plus the people working there yell at you.
Most amusing memory from your current or most recent tour?
Getting my first kiss from a girl. And playing on the TV and legitimizing myself to relatives who were beginning to wonder if I was “high on the pot.”
Favorite tour activity (other than the gigs themselves): Going to the zoo (I'm actually not joking about this).
Are there any bands you've played with that you'd like to tour with again?
Iron and Wine, The Shins, Modest Mouse, Rogue Wave. Any bands we've toured with, really (another serious answer).
Or bands that you have yet to tour with that you'd like to? Ratt, Ozzy Osbourne, “Shout at the Devil” era Motley Crue.
Please name the city you wouldn't ever play in again?
Vostok Research Station, Antarctica. An ill-advised promoter there brought us there with the promise that “at least fifteen to twenty weather researchers would show up.” Only three did.
Or, if not a particular city, which venue makes your skin crawl? Oooh, I better not answer that one yet.
Apart from the obvious cd, what's the merch item of yours you think people should shell out for? The LP, t-shirts, commemorative Ye Olde Fruite Batte spoon.
How do you respond to allegations that fruit bats might be carriers of the Ebola virus?
I've said it once, I'll say it again. Both my attorneys AND spokesmen for the World Health Organization have neither confirmed nor denied that Sub Pop's Fruit Bats have caused ebola, Bolivian hemorrhagic fever, or any other filoviral diseases. We appreciate your concern and will continue to research this matter, and all others pertaining to the spread of tropical pandemics by Seattle-based music groups.
Have you been to the top of the Washington Monument? Hey, I don't swing that way. I have a girlfriend and I'm very faithful to her.
What can we expect from the Fruit Bats in 2006? Recording the next opus.
What would you like people to be saying about Fruit Bats in 50 years?
"Those songs were good. Isn't the current world peace we're experiencing in the year 2056 nice?"
Please recite a line of poetry: It ain't easy Livin' like a gypsy / Tell ya honey how I feel / I've been dreamin' / Floatin' down the stream n' / Losin' touch with all that's real
And finally, it's BigYawn's round. What's your poison? Trader Joe's brand Chai Tea with milk and raw sugar, vicoprofen.
For more on Eric and all things Fruit Bat, go to www.myspace.com/thefruitbats .