After ten years in the biz and four full-length albums (including one mixed by Ozzy Osbourne), So-Cal punk band Strung Out will thrash its way into the Cat's Cradle on June 2. Jordan, the group's drummer, got the enviable opportunity to chat with Recess editor Greg Veis about the new album, Ozzy's daughter and the f---king Warped Tour. Taste the magic:
Recess: How does your new album, The American Paradox, differ from the previous ones?
Jordan: It's that same ol' Strung Out variety package again, and we're very proud of it. We're super pumped, and it's getting tons of positive feedback.
Would you rather be on a big publicity-generating tour like the Warped Tour or Ozzfest, or would you rather be playing clubs?
We'd be way stoked to play Ozzfest. The Warped Tour... yeah, whatever, it doesn't matter to me. They never ask us to do it anyway, even though we seem to be perfect candidates. The Warped Tour is just a joke--I don't understand how it works over there, so basically.... F--k the Warped Tour! Ozzfest, though, I'd be all about that. Ozzy's f--king incredible.
Your new single, "Cemetery," is generating some good buzz around Los Angeles. Do you crave that type of widespread acceptance?
We're trying our asses off for that, but it's the most frustrating game. Sometimes people come up to me and say, OHow come you're not on the radio?' and I wish I had a good explanation for them. The music business is a very frustrating thing.
Do you consider Strung Out to be a success considering the state of the industry?
We're not a success story in the sense that Blink 182 is, but we're doing what we love to do. We don't make tons of money, but we're able to survive. We sell lots of records, we have tons of fans, we have people who tattoo our logo on their bodies for life. That's pretty rewarding.
Alright, now we're in the part of the interview we like to call the lightning round. I give you a name or a phrase and you give me the first thing that pops into your head. Ok, let's start with George W. Bush.
Strange man.
Britney Spears.
Hot body, total sellout.
Gary Condit.
Pathetic liar.
Ozzy's daughter.
Totally hot.
Sell out.
I'll withhold names to protect the guilty.
Strung Out.
Lucky to be in it.
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