Interview with Greg
Johnson
(February 2004)
About The Worst
Ø
When
did it all start with The Worst?
We started about 1989 if I remember correct. Grant and I started the band with me playing
organ and him on guitar and Jim Bescott of The Young Canadian/K-Tels who played
drums and sung. Then I moved to singing
and playing with my organ and we picked up a guitar player and a new drummer. I
got kicked of organ for I couldn’t play anyways, and it wasn’t any better when
I was trying to sing as well.
Ø
Who
were the members back then and who were till your break up?
Went threw too many to name them all. The key ones are
Grant Shankaruk who I started
the band with and Rieuwert Buitenga who I ended the band with. Brian Olinek who
I started the Fiends with also played bass on our last unfinished album. Hope to finish it one day. When we played with the Cynics, Carl Newman
from Zumpano/New Pornographers played guitar
for us.
Ø
Were
you involved in any other bands by then?
No I didn’t. We
put out a version of “Jack the Ripper” as the Graverobbers.
Ø
What
was The Worst’s main inspiration?
The Kinks, Shadows of the Knight, Seeds, Wailers and
the Painted Ship.
Bill Hay from the Painted Ship (Little White Lies
Chesterfield kings covered) produced our first single Creepy Thing.
Ø
Did
you have any inspiration from the 80s garage punk scene?
The Cynics, Gravedigger V, the Gruesomes and Grants record
collection.
Ø
You
are from Canada but every records release came out from Europe. How come that
happened?
We first put some songs out on Fanzine Compilation
tapes. They got over to Europe and Screaming Apple liked what they herd and
contacted us. The singles where better
distributed I guess there also.
Ø
Did
you play live outside Canada?
We played with the Undertakers in Tumwater
Washington. We were pretty offal. I
didn’t have a band at the time. It was a
bunch of friends who helped me out. We shouldn’t have drunk so much and we
should have practiced more…
Ø
Were
there enough people in Canada to attend your shows and buy your records?
Yeah, there was a scene going on I think. The Smugglers
were just starting around the same time. Nardwar (Evaporators/Goblins) was
promoting a lot of Garage shows. He gave us our first show with the Mighty
Squirrels and the Mono Men. We also played in town with the Fastbacks,
Marshmallow Overcoats, Mummies, Headcoats, and the Cynics.
Ø
Suddenly
after three great vinyl releases and while waiting for the second LP to come,
The Worst finished their creepy career. What exactly happened?
The band wasn’t going where I wanted to and Brian and
I started The Fiends. Our last record
wasn’t really in the the Worst vain. Rieuwert and I should have changed the
name. We were in a different direction
in music styles. I liked FUZZZ and
monsters and he liked more pop 60’s. I
like that also but it doesn’t really match with the 45’s. Like The Creeps first
record and then to there WEA release.
The Fiends let me have Fuzz, Organ, and Monsters…
Ø
Do
you know what the other members of the band do today?
Grant is playing in a surf band next week at a place half a block away. Rieuwert and I are planning on finishing our last efforts. He also re-mixed the last LP and created a CD out of it with some bonus tracks. Just need to finish the cover.
About The Fiends
Ø
When
did it all start with The Fiends? Who were the members back then?
ON APRIL
1ST 1993 The Fiends story really began in the small fishing village of
Vancouver, situated on the South West Coast of British Columbia Canada. The
Fiends first consisted with Greg Johnson (The Worst) on vocals, Brian Olinek (The Enigmas) on Bass, Dan Small on Guitar, James T Massacre (JP5) on Drums and Johnny 13 Fingers (Color Me Psycho) on organ. This short
lasting line up produced there first EP "Zombie A-GO-GO" on Primitive Records weeks later and the
line-up curse has haunted them ever since…
Ø
Were
you involved in any other bands by then?
The Worst
Ø
The
Fiends were creepier than The Worst, involving more in the graves and zombies
stuff. Where did you get that inspiration?
I was born on Devil Night (Oct 30th), I grew
up with the orange and black Halloween birthday parties. I grew up with it I guess. The Worst first single had “Creepy Thing”
and Tunes from the Tomb was all horror songs.
The Fiends just continued the idea.
Ø
Your
vocals in both, The Worst and The Fiends, were too “snotty”. Were there any
singers that you liked more from the garage genre or any particular you got
your inspiration in singing?
Gravedigger V, Gruesomes, Chocolate Watch Band, and a
lot of those bands from the Pebbles records.
Mick Jagger also if I think about it.
Ø
Did
you organize any special events at your shows?
We use to have a Fiends Fang Club. We gave cards out and got peoples mailing
address. Then we would send them
invites to our shows via mail. If you
showed your card at the door you would get a horror toy (Vampire teeth, skull,
X-Ray specs and so on). Neko Case was a
founding member.
Ø
When
you were playing with The Worst you covered The Seeds “She’s Wrong” and with
The Fiends again The Seeds song “Pictures and Designs”. Is there any particular
preference of yours to The Seeds?
There one of my favorite bands. I saw the Seeds (Fast Planet) a couple of
months after we started. I met our
guitar player there Greg Watson, he played on all of our recording except the
first single on Primitive records. I
Met Sky and all that, it was great.
Ø
Did
you like any other garage punk bands back then?
Cynics and Gravedigger V, and the Gorgons. Others also.
Ø
Have
you regretted for something you did or didn’t do with The Fiends?
Too many to list.
Ø
Are
you still active with The Fiends?
We have some unfinished recordings that I hop to
finish, same with the Worst. Jason who
played drums on our last record who also is the singer for the band the
Spitfires are working with Brian to record something. May come threw or maybe
not… We will see.
Ø
Is
there any thought of doing something similar to The Fiends or The Worst?
Working with Dan (guitar) from our first LP on Music
Maniac and Primitive. The replacement
for Brian, my friend Pete. We will see
how it goes.
Ø
Thanks Greg!
(The early Worst)
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