Craig Young: Bands here cite you or Turbonegro or The Hellacopters as a source of inspiration. Does it work both ways? Are there bands here that you look up to and admire?

Biff: I have seen many good bands. I love the Gaza Strippers. I think they're a great band. I finally got to see Zen Guerilla when I was here. I really like what they are doing. As far as influences go...for myself, I pretty much stuck to the old stuff like older bands. After a while you can find where the whole thing started. I try to get something there or get inspired by that. America has got a lot of good rock 'n' roll bands. This is the country where it all started. Supersuckers and Rocket from the Crypt are great bands.

Craig: You did a split single with The Murder City Devils. Was this new material?

Biff: Yes, that was. A Ted Nuggent song and one original song out on Sub Pop.

Craig: You said you were at SXSW. How was that?

Biff: That was a good party. It was actually cold and rainy down there. It was a great night, we played with the Yo-Yo's and The Murder City Devils. Nebula were there too playing along with Zen Guerilla.

Biff: We all had jobs pretty much up 'til this year. We all had different types of jobs. I'm originally a journalist radio reporter giving out the lotto numbers, morning news and stuff like that. Right now the band is a full-time job for us. We do our own management part of it. We have a small office and hang out there: make phone calls to try and arrange shit, read contracts and stuff like that. It is good to know what is going on by learning about the business. Life in Oslo is pretty laid back.

Steve: What do you think of the popularity of the Black Metal scene?

Biff: I'm not into that shit at all. I find the music totally unlistenable. Some of the new Black Metal bands are like for the kids. You don't see that scene very much at all. It's not at all visible, the bands don't play that much in Norway. They play a lot in European countries. I think they have one bar in Oslo where they all hang out; I never go to that place. It is quite underground.

Steve: You have a new album that is in the works coming out on Sub Pop.

Biff: The new album called Tender is the Savage is already done and mastered. In Europe it is being released on May 3rd and over here it is coming out in July or August. We recorded it just before Christmas in Malmö, Sweden. We even had a producer this time: Daniel Rey from New York. He has been working with the Ramones, and like part of the old CBGB's kinda thing. It was really great working with him. It is by far our finest effort to date: good sound, good songs and about ten tunes. Over here it will come out with a couple of bonus tracks of a couple of original outtakes that didn't make it on the record. It may have a video on it.

Biff: Yeah, we have done a couple of videos. We have just finished one before the record.

Craig: Do you feel that you're getting good payoff and recognition?

Biff: I would say that bands like ourselves, The Hellacopters and Turbonegro are. Maybe we represented something that was fresh, new and kinda exciting on the international music scene. I think we deserved it in a way because we represented something that--I wouldn't say people haven't done before, but something that people have liked.

Craig: The job has a good payoff?

Biff: Sure, it is kinda good. I would say that you play good music and you can play as good as American bands and not get recognized for it. There are some good American bands and some not so good. It is nice that Americans can pay attention to something else. Shit is going on in other places of the world too. I guess after all this exposure and stuff, I'd predict that there will be a second wave of bands trying to maybe copy what we do and try to flourish from that.

There might be some good bands there and then again there might not. That happens to every place that gets hot, like Seattle too. Suddenly with the second wave you get all the shit bands.

Craig: How long is your contract with Sub Pop?

Biff: One record and an option for another one. They can see if they like that and we can see if we like them.

Craig: What is the strangest thing that has happened to you in the band?

Biff: You mean things that I can say? [Laughter all around] It was strange being on tour with Motörhead. Seeing Lemmy in his underpants and things like that. [More laughter] We saw some people firing guns at each other in Denver, Colorado. That was very strange. We were just going out to a club, we were just going down the street maybe 50 yards to this other club, suddenly I looked up and this guy was firing a gun. It was very surreal. We got back into the club and the two girls we were with asked us if we were scared? Yeah, fuck yeah--we're European.

Steve: You guys are, as you say, showing your respect to the rock of earlier times. What is your view of contemporary music of the '90s and what trends do you see in the future?

Biff: Very good question, I don't know. To me it seems a lot of music that is going on is a little pompous for my taste. But then again it's not like--I guess like the high point in rock 'n' roll at its biggest as an art form--the '60s, a little of the '70s. All the great British bands, the early psychedelic stuff like the Yardbirds and Led Zeppelin The Rolling Stones made their best stuff. Today it is so fragmented; you have music for the mall, music for TV, music for your girlfriend, you got music to drink beer, and music to do the dishes. In the '90s I like people who can write good songs, stuff like that. I liked Urge Overkill. It's a shame they didn't become a big band. I think that the new big thing with, like, Limp Bizkit and Korn--that stuff is completely forgettable. In two or three years people are going to laugh their asses off at that stuff. Like the hair bands of the '80s. I think some things should be kept laughable and cheesy.

Steve: What are some up-and-coming Scandinavian bands?

Biff: The A*Bombs from Sweden. The Robots are pretty good and Larry and the Lefthanded.

Talk went on after this about all the German "Hell" bands named after The Hellacopters. Gluecifer's new album is called Tender is the Savage and by the time you read this will be out on Sub Pop Records for your listening pleasure.

On the web:
Gluecifer

Inside Earpollution:
Gluecifer @ Crocodile Café (May 2000)
Soaring with Eagles at Night to Rise with the Pigs in the Morning (April 1999)
Respect the Rock USA (March 1999)

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