toured with them and the rest is history!
I'll put this line up against any in Meat
History.
Tesco
Illinois Entertainer: Congrats on the new
album. We'd say it's your best album in
nearly two decades
Tesco Vee: Haha, yes! I'm a proud papa.
We worked long and hard on this un'! I
call it "climbin' the mountain." So much
work, but, then, when you're holding it in
your paws it's like, CHOICE!
IE: From first listen, it's pretty clear the
new lineup is your tightest in years. How
did you hook-up with the current titans of
titular trauma?
TV: It's funny. They had a band called
Chapstik. I saw 'em on Myspace, which
dates that! I thought, dang, these guys
could be my backup band! But it's a little
weird, so I didn't ask. Fear of rejection?
Because they looked like insane junkie living- under- the- overpass ruffians? Not
sure, but then as things worked out, we
8 illinoisentertainer.com june 2014
The Meatmen - 2014: Tesco Vee - vocals, Hindu Kush- guitar/vocals,
Danny Dirtbag- bass/vocals,; Swarthy "Bun Length" Franklin- drums
IE: We don't want to give people the
impression you've been missing or that
this is some sort of comeback. You've been
touring rather regularly for quite some
time, haven't you?
TV: Since my comeback show in 2007,
pretty steady. The guys in Negative
Approach backed me up on that one. I
thought I was done, but after that show,
the fuse was lit once again!
IE: In 1996, you released the excellent
Gonzo Hate Vibe under the moniker Tesco
Vee's Hate Police. Was there any particular reason you decided against simply
06•2014
releasing is as The Meatmen?
TV: At the time, I had just taken a break
and wanted to try something new. So I
did! A lot of people like that one better
than any Meatmen album. I'm fine with
that. It's all semantics. It's Tesco Vee and
some dudes. Eventually, I just fell back
into the Meatmen moniker. It's what people know. We did 11 shows as TVHP in
2011 just for sh*ts and giggles, but that's it
for the Hate Police.
IE: You have to be proud of the fact you
co-founded Touch And Go Records way
back in 1979. How did that come about?
TV: Co-founded? Heresy! I founded it! It
was my label for the first few releases and
then I kind of gave the label to Corey
Rusk who took it to another level.
IE: I think you'd agree there was a period
when alleged "punk bands" were pocketing gobs of cash, while real punk struggled just to get by. Are there any bands
out there now you consider the real deal?