Masked Intruder

INTERVIEW WITH GREEN INTRUDER@ THE BOVINE SEX CLUB , TORONTO,ON

BY JASON BOLDUC AND JIM SMITH COURTESY OF MELANIE KAYE PR

FATWRECK CHORDS

GREEN INTRUDER/PHOTO J.B

JB: This is JB from Within Punkzine and we’re sitting here with Jim of Within Punkzine and interviewing Mass Intruder and we’re sitting here with The Officer and with Green so here we go.

Jim: Well the first question I guess is what the hell is there to do in Wisconsin?

Green: Well I don’t know, they got a lot of woods there, to hide out in you know when you just got to get away from the city, the cops in the city, you can go hide in the woods…so they got that!

Officer: Ya I stay out of the woods. Too many bugs and stuff. And there’s like way less donut shops in the woods.

A: That’s true. That’s the bummer about the woods. And I can see why Officer Bradford

might not like that so much.

Jim: You guys finished your tour with Teenage Bottle Rocket. How was that?

Green: It was great. I love those guys, they took us on our first 2 big tours when we were starting out about 4 years ago and we’ve seen them a few times since then, but it was really great to do the same thing with them in Europe and get to see them a bunch again and play together again, we really feel a close friendship with those guys and it was really nice to spend some more time with them…

Officer: And then steal their beer!

Green: Oh yeah, we did that too we stole all their beer, but you know it’s got to get drank by somebody! They just leave it there in the fridge and we got to take matters into our own hands sometimes.

Jim: I hear that. I like my beer.

Green: I like THEIR beer.

JB: So let’s talk prison. What kind of meals do they serve in prison?

Green: Prison food is actually delicious but it’s better to make your own. Like freestyle it, like Prison Burritos - this is like Blue’s specialty so I’m not sure exactly how it’s made, but it’s got something to do with taking a bunch of ramen noodles packages together in a plastic bag and I don’t know how how he cooks it but they’re delicious and I love it when it’s Blue’s night to cook because he makes some really good Prison Burritos.

JB: You guys always had that cop siren on all your videos, it used to scare the shit out of me when I had my headset cranked and I’d be running! So what’s up with that?

Green: You know, its art.

Officer: It’s a big part of their lives, the cops. You know, I’m important damnit.

Green: Our music is very, like we’re putting out souls into it, it’s very truthful, so like that’s part of our lives in a big way and we wanted to present that on the album.

Officer: It’s Art Verite.

Green: Yeah that’s me, I’m Verite, I’m Green.

Jim: Ok so I got to ask, do you guys ever switch up the colours?

Green: I don’t even know how we would accomplish that. No that’s impossible.

We would lose our shoes.

Officer: It would just confuse them more than anything.

JB: How many masks do you actually have?

Green: Sometimes I lift up the mask when I have to shave, otherwise you have to wait to let the hair grow through the mask and just get it that way but still it’s really uncomfortable, so that’s the only thing the mask gets removed for.

JB: You guys have that video for ‘I don’t want to be alone tonight’ and it’s got the old school Atari thing going on…is that what you guys do to chill out, play video games and stuff?

Green: Yeah we play video games whenever we get a chance, they’re not really allowed in prison, so if we can boost x-box 360 or something, we’ll take it out to the shack and try to wire it up to an old tube tv because it’s pretty hard to get the new flat screens these days, they’re everywhere but people are more protective of them so the tube tvs are a lot easier you know…

JB: You guys came out with “MI”, which is the latest release on Fat Wreck in 2014.

Any plans beyond that?

Green: We don’t got anything specifically in the works but we definitely do want to do a full length soon. It’s funny, it’s just a little bit over a year old as am I so I think it’s time to start working on the next full length. We’re always writing songs, it’s just a matter of figuring out when to do the demos and start the process of making the actual album. So we don’t have any plans yet but we do want to do an EP too.

JB: In a way you remind me of a Jersey band, Far From Finished.

Green: Yeah I love those guys, they’re great!

JB: Let’s talk about Fat Wreck 25 year tour. You guys started out on Red Scare Industries, which is basically kind of a stepping stone. So what does it mean to you to be part of the Fat Wreck family?

Green: It’s great, we were kids listening to Fat Wreck Chords and now we are part of the family we really feel that way, we met everybody that works for Fat and they are all great people, all the bands we met are super great people and it’s a dream come true for us and it’s great to be doing this, this festival especially because it commemorates the whole 25 years. We feel kind of like the new kids even though Fat has signed a lot of really good bands since even us so that’s also exciting.

Officer: I was really excited so see that they got Pairs, they’ve been buddies of ours for a bit and I’m really excited for that band , being label mates.

JB: Especially mixing it up and the fact they have a hardcore band on the label sp tha’s a good thing right?

Green: Absolutely.

Officer: As you know, all the cops listen to hardcore.

Green: That’s true, usually it’s more radio hardcore. It’s kind of strange that Officer Bradford is into Pairs because it’s like they’re too cool for a cop to like…

JB: What’s the definition of hardcore these days? Now you have all these subgenres into hardcore and you get that metal fusion Officer: The way I see it it’s mostly about taking your shirt off. I think that’s the main ingredient for hardcore.

JB: Pop-punk has been around for a long time, like the Ramones, so you guys have a real similar sound, you play it real low to the ground…so what usually gets you going on stage?

Green: Well I don’t really play that low to the ground, I do jump around a lot.

Officer: He does get some air for sure.

JB: Tour wise, you’re heading to Japan for the 25 year tour.

Green: We’re super stoked for that opportunity, it’s going to be really great. When

we started doing this we were just excited to just be touring the States and then we got invited to Europe and Australia and now Japan! And that’s like crazy for us.

JB: Not to mention Japan has some great electronics Jim: So have you had the opportunity to work with Fat Mike in the studios and stuff?

Green: We haven’t done anything in the studios, we toured with NOFX a little bit, mostly just hanging out, we partied with them a few times out on the West Coast and Punk Rock Bowling of course is a big party and they’re great guys. We didn’t know what to expect meeting the guys from NOFX for the first time and they’re super nice and also crazy, which is just up our alley.

JB: So coming back to your roots - First Offence was on Hangup. So How do you feel about that?

Green: It was great. It was our first big opportunity to be on a label, a small label but a great label and it’s what got everything going and it was the first exciting thing and then more exciting things were happening and then it was like oh we’re on Fat Wreck Chords? That’s crazy! How could this get any better? And then they’re like oh you’re going to Japan now.

JB: Is it true that Fat Mike’s kids sing all your songs and that’s what got you on there?

Green: Rumour has it and we met Daila and she’s an adorable girl…

Officer: I keep telling her they are a bad influence and she needs better role models. But she’s pretty smart I think she’s made some good choices…

Green: It probably is the reason we got signed because Fat Mike probably doesn’t like pop punk all that much, he did something nice for his daughter so we appreciate that so…

JB: Does Yellow really think he’s Orange or what’s the deal?

Green: That’s just his nickname.

Officer: It’s Orange for short.

JB: Last question, I always end with a famous quote or a book – anything come to mind?

Officer: I’m going to say “The Hungry Hungry Caterpillar” Green: I don’t really know how to read but like I tried to read “The Godfather” because I heard it’s about crime and I’m about like ‘do crime, it’s a good idea’ so that’s a good one.

MASKED INTRUDER “M.I” AVAILABLE NOW ON

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