I'm curious about the artwork for the "Carried" EP -- the defibrillator that's on the cover. Is there a story behind it?

Simon: You're the first to ask me that! I've been waiting for this question for ages, and you're the first person to ask me it! I can't believe it. This is one of my favorite interviews!

I've been trying to think of some really good answer about it, but I haven't got one, so I'm just going to talk about it off the cuff. The defibrillator represents, to me, life -- it represents a shock into life. My theory is that, on so many levels, we all need a kick in the ass. We all need a shock to the system, we all need sort of a wake up call, and at the same time we need to be revived. The world is such a screwed up place, and at the moment the music scene is very depressing. There's so much garbage out there -- no offense to Garbage -- and it's a cliché and everything, but what I'm hoping is our music is going to put some life back into things.

There was a time when music was incredibly important to people -- it made you laugh, made you cry, and it gave you hope. I feel that music has been diluted now to a point where if something's played enough you're brainwashed into liking it. So I'm hoping that our music's got soul to it, that it's got spirit, and that it's got some positive energy that's going to give people something back that they've lost.

Am I making sense?

Very much so.

Simon: It's really hard not to sound pretentious, but it's how I feel.

I totally agree with you. Music has become too much of a commodity, whereas music should instead be the soundtrack to the events that happen in your life -- and not a soundtrack that is pre-programmed by some suit calculating how much he can bank off of your feelings or your nostalgia.

Simon: You summed it up nicely there, and said in one sentence something that took me 500 words. [Laughs] Can we use that in further interviews?

What you said was very eloquent, very succinct, and I totally agree with you. You look back on the important moments in life and there's songs, sentiments, musical feelings tied in with them. You probably don't notice it at the time it happens, but later in life a certain song will come on the radio and it'll make you flash back to the that moment and the events that transpired then. It's something that's very powerful, and there are songs for me that resonate very deeply when I hear them.

Simon: Exactly. Who's going to be listening to Christina Aguilera and Limp Bizkit in ten years?

No one -- except for Fred Durst, who'll be pounding his chest about the fact that he never got the respect he claims he should've deserved. But, whatever.

Simon: Right, no one. Who's still listening to The Beatles and The Rolling Stones?

Everyone: Everyone!

Simon: That's exactly what I mean. I want to put the defib on everyone and go, "Fucking listen to this!"

Russell: The funny thing was, we needed a defibrillator to put on the cover and a friend of a friend's dad worked at a hospital in a unit that had one and he let us use it. It was fantastic -- they let me walk out with one that was all charged up!

Simon: Basically a loaded weapon!

Did you try it on yourself just to see what would happen?

Russell: We were tempted.

Scotty, turn it up to maximum phwabam! Gimme all ya got!

Simon: We just couldn't be around it when we were drunk. [Laughs] But I'm so glad you asked me that question, and I promise I'm going to get better at answering it.

Having seen the industry from top to bottom, inside and out, what advice do you have for young artists or bands who are starting out and considering their options, be it a major label or seeking an alternative means to getting some attention?

Simon: Oh, it's simple. Don't go thinking that when you get on a major label that everything's going to be incredible, you don't have to do anything, and it's going to be a great place. You've got to do a shitload of work before a major label will even sniff around you. You've got to get yourself out there. It's almost to the point nowadays where you have to hand yourself on a plate to a major with tons of stuff already behind you. You have to do a ton of work before can get signed.

In our experience, it's very hard to get signed nowadays. People are downloading more and buying less, which is not good. But what I will say, along those lines, is that you've got to get your music out on the Internet and give it away for free. That's what we did -- we gave all ours away. Loser Friendly is up on Kazaa, available for download by anyone. And we don't care... that's fine.

Russell: The way we feel is that most people who downloaded it and liked it will buy it anyway and, regardless, it's still exposure for us.

Simon: The "C" word -- "commitment" -- is very important when getting a band together. You have to have members who are willing to follow you to the ends of the earth, because you've got so much work to do.

Russell: I think people should be productive and play with people they like, and if you like who you're with, stick together and try to work it out.

Is the struggle worth it then?

Russell: I think playing in a band that's productive is a great feeling when you've got the attitude. Before you go out and try to get signed and start worrying about everything that comes with it, you should just be trying to enjoy it in the purest sense possible. Get a buzz from playing!

Simon: You're going to have so many great adventures, so even if nothing happens you'll have this whole palace of memories, full of great times.

Playing with Paul McCartney being one of them!

Simon: Absolutely!

On the web:
Steadman

Inside Earpollution:
Loser Friendly (album review)