We like talking to people here at Wake The Deaf so when rocker/funny man/2 ton bug Joe Rumrill offered to answer a few questions we jumped at the chance. We cover the history of 2 Ton Bug, have a heart-to-heart about his influences and life as a stand-up comedian, discuss Joe’s favourite bands and partake in a quick ‘who’s who’ of Twitter.com.
When/where did you start the band 2 Ton Bug? What would you say was the biggest achievement of the band to date? Maybe you played a particularly fun gig or got name-dropped on The Simpsons or something.
2 Ton Bug officially started back when we all lived in a house/showspace/daycare/garbage pit in Bloomfield CT called The Weird Diner. The first show was me kind of playing some skeletons of songs off “Wedding of the Century” while jumping on a new roommates band and a noise band called Barnes played at the same time because I was so nervous. Then, like a miracle, Allie, Mike, and Lemmy stepped in and lent their respective blessed skills, what was once but a lone 2 Ton Boy, gave way to a fully-formed genuine 2 Ton Band. And that’s when we started playing shows and melting hearts. We also had a sax player and an inflatable Gumby in the group then too. Perhaps they’ll return someday… I’d say the biggest band achievement to date is watching how all these classic bands have gone back and re-recorded their stuff to put our name in some of their biggest songs. “Tuesday’s grey and wednesday too / thursday I don’t care about you / it’s friday, 2 Ton Bug”, “and if a 2 Ton Bug / crashes into us / to die by your side…”, “Duke, duke, duke, 2 Ton Bug, duke duke…” It’s just crazy how we’ve become THAT popular with THAT caliber of celebrity, y’know? I find it very flattering in a way, but still kinda weird. Also when we were asked to provide the score for the upcoming “Joe Dirt 2: Mo’ Dirt”. I think they’re still trying to Kickstarter the funds for it. But…definitely a HUGE moment for us, both as a band and just as huge fans of “D’Spade” (D. Spade).
What/who is your music influenced by? Obviously your subject matter (e.g. ‘School Stinks’) is universal (almost) and resonates deeply with the large majority of people, but is there anything else that inspires your sound or lyrics?
I always want our music to sound something like it was made by a really ancient gigantic cartoon desktop computer trying really really hard to approximate simple swampy blues music. My 2 absolute favorite bands are Devo and Doo Rag, so that’s pretty much where our music hopefully mutates from. SECRET’S OUT. It just always comes down to the Jetsons meeting the Flintstones. And as far as lyrics you’ll see it’s the same deal. We’ve worked it out so it’s evenly split. Half heady fantasy/historical Dr. Suess rolleycoaster rides and half bonehead, partytime Takin’ Care Of Business hoots and hollers. And then just funnel it all through a megaphone and you’re all set. (We recently posted all our lyrics to our facebook pagefor those who wanna follow the bouncing ball). Also we’re massively influenced by the possibility of being rewarded with trophies, certificates of achievement, and delicious treats. That’s what REALLY gets the ol’ Bug juices flowing!
If I were to play your music backwards, who’s creepy and distorted voice would I hear? What are they saying?
I forget his name…it’s this mustachioed fella we found sleeping by a tree in a meadow with, like, a CRAZY amount of hats on. Like, WAY too many hats for just one dude. I believe he’s saying something like “caps for sale…50 cents a cap…”
The 2 Ton Bug name seems to encompass other art forms as well as music. For example the Twitter account, the claymation website etc. Are all of these done by members of the band?
Joe: Yeah yeah, the twitter is me, all visual artwork is pretty much handled by Allie and Mike, Allie and Lemmy are editing a video we shot for “School Stinks” right now that looks pretty fun-omenal, that our friends in New Haven helped us out with. We all equally co-manage the auto customizing shop for that reality show about us. The claymation website was done by the brother of one of my oldest friends, and it looks amazing but we still haven’t wrapped our heads around how to update it. We really gotta do that. But yeah, pretty much if it’s not done by someone in the band, then it’s done by a dear friend…(I don’t tolerate enemies or strangers, so that’s the way it HAS to be).
You perform stand-up routines and write jokes/witty remarks on Twitter. How do you come up with all of that material? Do you have a big stockpile which you dip into everyday? I imagine you scribbling them on tablecloths in the middle of meals and so on.
Joe: Oh man, stand-up is so fun. In a lot of ways it’s easier coming up with jokes and comedy pieces because I can just do that myself and get up and do an open mic anywhere and test it out. Whereas with the band, I’m really relying on the endless ability of Allie, Mike and Lem to help me see it through. I’ve always thought “wholesome” subject matter is really the funniest thing to joke about. I just deeply love the juxtaposition of going up after another comedian who bases their 5 minutes on incest and weiner jokes, and just trying to get laughs with material based on the Iditarod and Hess trucks. It’s the same deal as with the more sketch-based material I perform. “The Ol’ Self Checkout Sketch”, which is a piece I do, is essentially just a big list of products I think it’d be funny for a grown man to be caught buying, and that’s it. Like this character COULD be buying “teeny tiny condoms” or “ass lube” or whatever, but I just think it’s just way more hilarious to be purchasing a dreamcatcher or waterwings. I guess I just try to come up with stuff that theoretically COULD be family-friendly, but just make sure to end up presenting those types of ideas in a totally bizarre way. So really NO one ends up enjoying it. Besides maybe me.
Do you/could you make a living from these projects in your area (New York right?)? I find it really interesting how in a society that is set up to drive young people to what they consider ‘respectable’ or ‘important’ careers, creative people manage to survive and keep practicing their art. Is it a case of accepting less money/financial security to do what you love? Or just using your spare time around employment to pursue your interests? (Or maybe there are punk/comedy loving philanthropists in the US that we are sorely lacking over here).
Joe: As much as doing 2 Ton Bug or writing comedy for a living would be a dream come true, I feel like zoning out at a boring job you don’t care about really allows you the time necessary to come up with ideas. Like, I don’t get ANYTHING done sitting at home in my room where there’s Netflix and records to listen to…but when I’m SUPPOSED to be doing what I’m being paid for, and the alternative is jotting down joke ideas or lyrics and THINKING about how much more fun I’d be having playing guitar and “Wouldn’t it be funny if…” and “Man, when I get home I’m gonna…” that’s when real ideas come. So really, as much as it sucks doing grunt work, I’m actually pretty grateful that I can totally use that time to tweet about jack O’ lanterns and come up with songs for my junkband. If that makes sense. I wonder if it would be the same vice-versa, where I could be a career musician/comedian, that just daydreams about data entry and customer service all day.
Finally, could you name 4 or 5 artists which you are currently enjoying? They could be selling out Madison Square Garden or busking on trains, getting 5.6 on Pitchfork or be too cool not cool enough for Pitchfork. Whatever you are listening too.
Joe: Everybody everywhere should be feasting on a steady stream of Bo Diddley, The Coachwhips, Pussy Galore, CCR, and USAISAMONSTER. Let’s just get that right on the table. Dig in and dig deep. Ohhhh boy, I’ve been wearing out these collections of Lux and Ivy’s very favorite songs. WFMU posted ’em, and there’s like 13 volumes, and they’re just filled with the MOST amazing stuff. A lot of maniac doo-wop, early rock ‘n roll, and slimy soul. You’ll fall in love with “The Purple People Eater” all over again! Holy moley, this song “Breakaway” by Irma Thomas came up on a Girl Groups compilation I was listening to on the train, and my head nearly up and exploded hearing that for the first time. It’s just spectacular, here, check it OUT.
Also the 2 Stupid Dogs theme is a pretty perfect example of something I could listen to all the livelong day. Other bands of note that ya should check out are Treat-Seekers, The Dingbats of Destiny, Cackler (R.I.P Cackler!), The Crickety Splits, Beta Pinkett-Smith, and I Now Pronounce You Fat As Hell. (WTD: Google them).
*BONUS*
Could you also name 4 or 5 of the best Twitter accounts? I’m a big fan of Dril (@dril).
Joe: Sorry but I’m yet again gonna throw your “4 or 5” suggestion out the window cause there’s just so many. and yes of course Dril reigns supreme, you got that right. MY personal favorite twitter accounts are @DilbyFontKing, @filthforever69, @XsnowballearthX, @funnycookietime, @NotJohnHubinger, @_YoungBaby_, and @welshrats. Those are all friends of mine and all waaayyyyyyyy funny and weird. Follow them and hey, who knows? You might even have a little bit of fun along the way. 😉 In terms of “people-I-don’t-know-personally-but-still-feel-a-deep-poetic-connection-to-via-a-website-on-the-dang-computer” I like @gregerskine, @Leemanish, @rappindad, @edwardshenk, @willsimpson, and @J_Chastain. ALSO the rest of 2 Ton Bug have totally marvelous accounts let’s see if YOU can guess “who’s who!”: @dgookin, @triangletowers, and @lumpylemmy. Thank you for joining me, this has been another episode of “Talkin’ Twitter”
Jon – I don’t think we’ll bother with Q&As again, nothing can top that.
