Hot and sweaty amidst bouts of touring like crazy men in support of their most recent album Crank, are Australia's Hoodoo Gurus. The band's catalogue (1983's Stoneage Romeos, 1985's Mars Needs Guitars, 1987's Blow Your Cool!, 1989's Magnum Cum Louder, and 1991's Kinky) is riddled with a killer, and most definitely underrated, four-chord pop stomp. Drummer Mark Kingsmill was nice enough to kick it with R&R for a bit:

RR: First of all, how does it feel to finally be back in the states with the new album?

MK: It feels good. It's nice having a record company sort of giving us a push too. You sort of see some results when you pull into different towns. There's interest in the radio, interest in the general people who seem to have heard of the album. The last couple albums you've had the town full of people who've said, "Do you have the new record out?" and it's like, "Yeah that's what we're here for." But I know this time people are aware of what we're doing, so it's been pretty successful, I think.

RR: How would you compare Crank with the last couple of albums?

MK: It as refreshing having a producer [Ed Stasium] to work with, because the other albums, the two before this, were done by the band. So it's nice to have another ear listening in and giving his opinions and stuff, it sort of takes th pressure off of everyone. You know, when you produce it yourself you sort of get a bit too close to it, and it's hard to become critical. But having Ed there...

RR: He worked with the Smithereens, didn't he?

MK: Yeah, he's done quite a few bands recently. He's just got a great ear for music. It was sort of refreshing that way...It's the band maturing along, you know the songwriting gets a bit more, ah, it gets a bit slicker, I guess (laughs). It's just trial and error at the beginning. But you know once you've got it down that it's just a matter of progressing...With the new album it has its tougher edge, it's more registered than the previous albums. I still don't think we've captured the band as we sound live, we might just have to do a live album. There might be no other way around it.

RR: Being icons here and in Australia, you have a grassroots following. Here when bands hit it big it usually gets blown out of proportion, bands such as R.E.M.

MK: Yeah, well in Australia it's a pretty happy medium. We're sort of stuck to, as you said, the grassroots level and the mainstream has sort of come around to our way of thinking. Over here (laughs) it would be nice to be recognized a bit more, but we're happy to play at the level we are and just power on. If people like us they'll come along and buy the record.

RR: Was there a lot of studio time with this album, because with Magnum Cum Louder you actually worte that in the studio.

MK: Yeah pretty much, that's a scary thing when you're paying pretty heavy studio time fees and you haven't got anything to start with. We were lucky we came through with the songs for Magnum Cum Louder. No, with this we worked the songs out in a rehersal room for a month or two and then we came over here, before we actually recorded we have about two and a half weeks pre-production just to iron out all the faults. When we went into the studio we knew what we wanted to do.

RR: What is the most rewarding thing about being in the band?

MK: The only reward I get is getting up there and finishing a set and talking to people afterwards. Hopefully if we played well people will say that was a great show. That's probably the most instant gratification I get from being in a band and putting out records....Just getting out there and playing in front of people, it's always nice to see a full house and people enjoying themselves. You think, well that made it worthwild.

RR: Where do you see yourself ten years from now?

MK: Um, gee I couldn't answer that. If I'm still enjoying it I will. As soon as I stop havin gfun I'll probably stop drumming. It's got to be enjoyable for me to do it. I don't want to be stuck in the Charlie Watts syndrome (laughs).

RR: You'll be ten years older playing on the MTV Video Music Awards show.

MK: Oh yeah.

RR: You could start a quintet orchestra.

MK: (laughs) that's what I want.