Spike Slawson has been belting out mind-blowing, punk-ified versions of classic songs for longer than most of us can remember with Spike and the Gimme Gimmes (formerly Me First). Since taking full control of the band’s reins following Fat Mike‘s retirement from touring with the group, Spike hasn’t slowed down an inch.
On the precipice of releasing their latest collection entitled Shit the Bed, and embarking on a European tour, Spike took a moment to discuss the band’s star-filled cover of “We Are the World,” the new album and whatever else seemed appropriate.
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Indy Review: Your version of “We Are the World” is incredible. Did the inspiration to tackle the famous charity single come after seeing the documentary THE GREATEST NIGHT IN POP, or was this planned in advance of that film?
Spike: First of all, thank you. As the great Fred Durst might put it, I think we’re in total agreeance.
Film?! Where do I watch?!
Just based on random video clips that I’ve seen in passing, it’s gotta be deliciously awkward. The intersection of celebrity, ego, musicianship (and lack thereof)—what a fucking goldmine. Can you reasonably criticize performers for being performative? Anyway, the movie about the making of our rendition will be no less interesting and awkward.
IR: Where did you start with gathering your who’s who of punk guest stars for the single? Was there anyone you wanted on the song who wasn’t able to make it on?
S: We started with the Madden Brothers and worked our way up. We’re not currently speaking and we were hoping to kinda bury the hatchet by collaborating on some great music for a slightly less great cause but they must have had a scheduling conflict or something. Their loss.
IR: Indeed, haha. Were all (or most of) the collaborators in one room for the recording session, or did most artists add their parts remotely?
S: I was honored to share the room with many of the singers—some who live in the Bay and others who happened to be passing through. We knew in advance that many of the others would have to contribute remotely and I think that may have even put them more at their ease, allowing them the freedom to emote (charitably) without inhibition.
IR: Who had the idea to incorporate “Bro Hymn” into the cover? Was Jim Lindberg open to the idea from the start?
S: I think the idea just kinda struck us spontaneously. Some songs just write themselves, am I right? Anyway, we anticipated that Jim would dig it and he did not disappoint.
IR: He rarely does. While your upcoming album Shit the Bed features a number of other notable 80’s hits (such as second single “Girls Just Want to Have Fun”, “Rio” and “Kokomo”), your selections of covers span a number of decades. What would you consider the over-arching theme for this record (if there was one)?
S: Quality. Integrity. Tradition. And a flexible interpretation of intellectual property laws and norms.
Otherwise, yeah, the songs are kinda all over the map, thematically speaking. We just wanted the most recognizable songs—from any genre or era—that we could clumsily shoehorn into our specific idiom.
Theme schmeme.
IR: When deciding upon a song to cover, do you reach out to the artist (or their estate) to get their blessing before tackling the song?
S: Fuck no. Are you kidding?! You’re not gonna tell them, are you?! Mike Love will have us murdered!
IR: He just might. I’ll keep quiet – for now….Were any of the artists (or their estates) hesitant to about your intent to cover their songs?
S: The Eagles wouldn’t let us do a video for our superior version of Desperado and furthermore told us they “hated” our version. Sometimes all the hard work pays off.
IR: Outside the feat of getting so many punk luminaries on “We Are the World”, which cover was the most difficult to get right on record?
S: “Hey-Ya” was the most difficult and time-consuming and I wasn’t even sure whether I liked it initially. Now it’s one of my favorites on the record. It is as much troll as song.
IR: You’re getting ready for a European tour this fall. Do you have any predictions as to which of the new covers will get the most rapturous responses, and from which cities?
S: “Kokomo” was an international sensation which spoke to the Kokomo in all of us. Needless to say, our version is an improvement by several orders of magnitude and we intend to bring this ode to the almost-universal joys of exploitative tourism back to European cities and beyond beginning this fall.
Ritual self-flagellation is my Kokomo. What’s yours?
IR: Haha, I’ll need some time to think about that! From your vast catalog of covers, which one still brings you the most joy to belt out?
S: “Sunday Morning Coming Down”, hands down. Even as frantic as we play it, the words give it an inescapable melancolic quality. I am humble enough to say that our version is only a very slight improvement over the original.
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Shit the Bed is out everywhere, October 23rd, on Fat Music. Until then, you can catch the band on tour, and hear Spike and the Gimme Gimmes amazing takes on “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” and “We Are the World” right here.
The Indy Review 