Q&A with ALEX MACK

Alex Mack is the guitar on The BillyBones from Los Angeles.

Jeff: How did you become the guitar on The BillyBones?

Alex: Haha, well oddly enough i was a huge Skulls fan, and tried to get the Skulls to play a show at my buddy’s house with some other local bands. I think narcoleptic youth was on board but we cancelled because of funding. Anyways, when I got a hold of Billy he told me the Skulls were done but he was putting something else together, I basically threw myself at him and gave him some weird lame resume about my music background and we ended up meeting up and getting along, I played I think 2 songs for him the next day and on my birthday at a Prima Donna show found out I was going to be the guitar player for what was then Billy Bones and The Jacks, he just said happy birthday kid your the guy.

Jeff: What exactly are you up to at the moment, any special plans like tours, new records or something?

Alex: We're currently in the mixing stage of our full length (The Complexity of Stupidity) which we're all pretty excited about. And we found out today that we're playing a couple shows with The Frustrators (with Mike Dirnt from Green Day) up in the bay area and down here at The Whiskey pretty soon. Other than that just trying to get this album finished and out to the adoring public.

Jeff: "You can't do the same things you did 30 years ago!" Kevin Preston's quote. Agree?

Alex: Fuck no! Billy's HAS been doing it for 30 years and it's just as insane, brutal, and classy. But I'm probably taking that out of context. If I am, and it's about the scene and the limitations you have today then Kev's completely right. It's too fractured and everyone is in a clique or has a bitch and an identity attached to it that it's hard to be original and honest...you're always trying to fit in and bands are not different.

Jeff: There are two sorts of musicians. The ones who just wanna be famous and rich, really obsessed people or the ones who play their songs without giving a shit what people care about them. Which sort are you?

Alex: You know it's weird, theres bands that have earned their stripes and made a real mark that hit it big, then there’s the cancer that's killing music, which is anyone else who makes it big and doesn't fall into that category. Sorry for the Fall Out Boy fans, but they all deserve to die...the band not the fans. I think that originality and a desire to want to create something different goes a long way, and that's what we strive for the most in this band. We all come from very different walks of life, and I think that it comes through in the music. It's 4 different guys doing what they want so yeah we all don't give a fuck. We've played shows for packed houses and shows for 4 people. It doesn't matter to us because we're doing what we love to do, and hope to keep on doing in the years to come...But if it takes off I won't stand it's way. I listened to Roxy Music in highschool man, that shit doesn't go over with the "true punks" but I didn't care then and still don't now.

Jeff: Think back in the age of about 13 years, would you have ever thought that you would be like you are now?

Alex: Not at all. I've been very privelaged to play in this band. 13 years ago or a little later than that I was getting weekly kicked out of my first band "The Bruskys." We were pretty horrible and got kicked out of most venues for breaking equipment and generally sucking. I idolized bands like The Adicts and Narcoleptic Youth, and now I've gotten to meet them, hang out with them, and play shows with them. I think I felt things harder when I was younger if that makes any sense. Back then you don't realize it's ok to be different. You don't get that being original and being honest to yourself isn't a bad thing. So i guess staying true pays off. I'm in a great band with my 3 best friends so...there you go.

Jeff: As far as I'm concerned I couldn't live without music! Tell me, what's your biggest influence, idol
and your favorite band.

Alex with Kevin Preston

Alex: Me neither, god we'd go insane. Music and Comedy allow us to look back in ourselves and find things that we both like and hate. It's always a good thing when you can explore your creativity and self image, and I think that music is the key that unlocks that door. Shit, as far as my biggest influence it might as well be The Doors, the worlds first punk band as far as I'm concerned. It goes with the not giving a fuck attitude, real punk to me is when the audience is screaming for Light My Fire and Jim says fuck it and goes into Celebration of the Lizard King. I guess Ii was a smug punk when I was younger because it was The Doors and pretty much any band from the 77 L.A. scene, but before that it was the blues, bands like The Monorchid, Wire, Motorhead, Leftover Crack, World Inferno Friendship Society, I mean I can't really narrow it down, but if I had do it'd be The Doors. As far as an idol, well...Billy Bones is the man who taught us how to rock and roll so probably him. Haha he won't say me as his so skadoosh Bones, now you have to!

Thank alot to Alex, The BillyBones rock!
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