Photo by One of many interviews I’ve been fortunate to do with Joe over the years…
Queer Punks Are Here
JOE KING front man for US punk act, THE QUEERS talks to BIANCA about the state of punk today and his love affair with The Ramones.
“The Ramones were really important to me,” he starts. “They sang about how I was feeling. They had a sense of humour which, is sadly lacking in the punk scene I think nowadays.”
Having been around with his New Hampshire Ramones/Beach Boys inspired group since 1982, King has earned his punk rock ‘cred’ and certainly knows what he’s on about. He continues explaining that ‘back in the day’ punk rock was a place–unlike now–where everyone was welcome. “There weren’t all these stupid little snobby factions,” he says.
King talks about the factions… Social D: yawn. Emo: homos that sit around bitching and you just know none of them ever made a car payment late or did drugs or had sex without a condom. Oi/Hardcore: ex-Nazis supported by their parents or girlfriends who sit around smoking pot all day, don’t bathe and make horribly crappy ‘music’. He adds, “Now, if you don’t have shitty stupid tattoos and walk around with a corn cob up your ass all dressed in black they hate you. Used to be you saw someone in a leather jacket with a Ramones shirt you had a pal!”
Naming Joey Ramone as the person responsible for his foray into music Joe recalls, “I sent him a tape of ours back in 1986 and about three months later I bullshitted my way backstage before a show and I just said I was in The Queers and he immediately told me he liked, Love Love Love and Goodbye California and wanted to record, Love Love Love. What a thrill for me! It meant maybe I could do music, gave me confidence.”
King tells of how in the last years of Joey’s life he got to know the Ramones’ front man a little. “He was a great guy, not conceited. Joey was a guy that changed not just music but the world and he was so down to earth and loved to call and talk about music. It was a huge lesson to me,” King says affectionately.
In their thirteen year career, The Queers have released eight full lengths, scores of singles, vinyl and appeared on numerous compilations, they’ve also turned down big tours with NOFX, Bad Religion, Social Distortion, Reverend Horton Heat and even The Warped Tour. Explaining why? King offers, “I grew up on Black Flag, The Dead Kennedy’s and The Ramones. I can’t do such suck ass, rock star BS. Punk Rock started out as an answer to all the pompous blowhard bands like Pink fucking Floyd, Queen and Led Zeppelin. Now the allegedly punk rock bands are all the same. Fucking whining about a broken fingernail or screaming cause they can’t get vegan chili backstage. Fucking pussies!”
The band were also offered deals with major labels. “I am not a whore,” King proclaims. “I won’t do just anything for money. For years we all listened to Anti Flag say how they are anti-corporation. The huge dick with the dollar sign gets dangled in front of them and they suck it and now they are on fucking RCA but, it’s OK cause it’s just a label. Fucking whores. Do as I say not as I do. That’s the ‘punk’ scene these days. Full of wankers.”
The Queers are set to record an album later this year with the working title “Buy It You Scum”. The punks are set to re-release their Lookout material on Asian Man Records plus a live album on King’s own label, Doheny Records. King is also working on a new, Drunken Cholos album with original Queers’ vocalist from the eighties, Wimpy.
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