22 Questions With Wammo
1- let's start this off by talking about something you proudly embrace- Fatherhood. Tell me about your new baby girl. How has this changed you...grounded you? pulled you towards center?
Having a child changes your perspective on every aspect of your existence. Suddenly there is a presence in your life that has no defenses, no ability to tell you what it needs and no way to provide for itself. It completely relies on you for everything. You change, you have to, it's the only way for you and the child to survive. I studied my own reactions to her first days very closely. I realized that I had a helpless being in my care and how easy it would be to look at the world from a perspective based on fear. I think this is why a lot of people become more conservative once they have children. It makes it very easy to slip into the trappings of looking at people you don't know as "the enemy" instead of just "strangers."
It certainly makes me reflect on my past. It makes me raise an eyebrow when I hear a Ramones song about sniffing glue or a Misfits song about killing babies. I have to remember to put it all in perspective, that those songs have a sense of humor to them and one day, hopefully, my daughter and I can laugh at them together.
2- Where did you get the moniker "Wammo"?
At the top of the Rio Grande Gorge in Pilar, NM, summer 1983. How I got it is another story entirely.
3- You are a man immersed in many of the arts; an artist who occasionally paints, you are a slam poet with a following ...and you play in a band called the Asylum St Spankers. Makes for a rather full plate. Tell us a bit about each if you will. How do you juggle all this?
I love painting. It's an incredible release, very cathartic. I love that it doesn't require an audience while you are creating, like music does. The audience only sees the end result. I've been painting acrylic on canvas on and off since I was 16. I just did a show of 28 new works, you can see some of them at http://iamwammo.com/artwork/
I'm not really a slammer anymore. I retired in '97 or '98. I love the slam and I think it's a valid art form but I needed to quit competing. My experience in the slam was like a whirlwind romance. I took 2nd in the nation at my first Nationals, then I got signed to a major label as a poet. That's right, a big record company said, "We want to record your poetry and release it internationally." I opened for Pantera in a hocky arena in Chicago, performing my poetry! I'm telling you, shit like that doesn't happen every day. It caused a lot of jealousy and back stabbing with some people I was very close to in the local slam scene. At the same time, the head of the record label was trying to edit my work. This guy didn't know dick about writing. He was so ego driven that he actually tried add his own vocal track to my record. I fought him tooth and nail and only won about half of the battles. I had to make so many compromises that by the time the record was released, it didn't really feel like it was truly mine. To make a long story even longer, I was playing and recording with the Spankers at the same time. It all became too much, I couldn't slam, tour solo and Spank simultaneously, so I quit slamming. I still perform my poetry, as a matter of fact, I did a one man show in NY that was about 10% music and 90% talk. I'm working on touring that performance soon.
4- where were you born, raised, how big a family ?
I was born in New York City and moved to San Antonio at the age of 9. I graduated high school in S.A, got a degree from T.C.U. and promptly moved to Austin in 1985. My folks had 4 kids, they've been married 52 years and are still going strong.
5- what came first with you? music? poetry? art,in general?
Definitely music. My father sang for the Metropolitan Opera and my older sister turned me on to rock and roll. I grew up listening to Puccini, Verdi, Mozart and whatever was on WABC in NY: The Beatles, Stones, Monkees, Janice Joplin, Doors, Hollies, all that amazing '60s pop.
6- explain your bursts of creativity to us. How do you write music,for ex? Melody first,lyrics second? and as far as poetry goes, is it a spur of moment captured like lightning in a bottle,or are things more methodically planned out?
There are no set rules, I might start with a phrase or a riff. Whatever comes in my head. I'll just loop variations of it mentally until I get something I like. I'm definitely a "lightning in a bottle" type of guy. I find that if I think too hard about what I'm doing, I usually overwork the piece or lose interest or both. Sometimes I'll record a smidgen of an idea and come back to it later. Most of the songs on my solo records were written that way. Every slam piece I wrote that's worth a damn was written in one sitting. A flash of inspiration and massive scrawling to catch up with the words cascading through my brain. That includes, "There Is Too Much Light In This Bar." I wrote that one at a table at Lovejoys.
7- name your top 5 poets,slam or non-slam.
e.e. cummings, Anne Sexton, T.S. Elliot, Charles Bukowski, Patricia Smith
8- do the Spankers tour much at all? anything in the works?
The Spankers just cut down our touring schedule from 180 to about 60 gigs a year. We just released a new album and are already doing preproduction for the next. My favorite new Spanker development is the pre-show R&B/soul/funk dance party. Before we go on stage, we put on some James Brown, Etta James, Sly Stone, etc... and we dance with audience members. It's a really fun way to warm up and get the crowd in the mood before playing.
9- how many Spankers are there and what instruments do they play?
Right now we tour with 8 people, including a sound guy. We play a lot of instruments, too many to pull out of my brain hole. All Spanker details can be found at http://asylumstreetspankers.com
10- who haven't you worked with in town that you'd like to?
I want to work with everyone. I'm on a quest for the ultimate art orgy. I'd like to produce a show with a reunited True Believers backing a reunited Bad Mutha Goose, while Bob Schneider is tied up naked, suspended over the stage and painted head to toe by Trish Murphy. Then The Hickoids could come out in diapers, carrying supersoakers filled with - hang on the baby's crying.
11- tell us the top 4 Austin restaurants you go to the most, and what you usually order or recommend.
Curra's - Frozen avocado margaritas (THE NECTAR OF THE GODS!), al pastor tacos, enchiladas mole con pollo. Make sure to try the free sauce sampler.
Tamale House - everything, try one egg and cheese taco with carne guisada and one al carbon. If you're really hungry, try the migas w/ carne guisada instead of refried beans. Did you know that there's more fat in refries than in meat? It's because they're refried in lard.
Hai Ky - stir fry with big fat fried noodles, I think it's #96 on the menu. You gotta try these noodles, crunchy outside/soft inside and as big as your thumb.
Madam Mam's - My wife and I split the yum nuer (salad w/ beef and spicy garlic lime sauce) and an entree. Thai iced tea or hot jasmine, maybe a cold beer, how can you go wrong?
12- where do you like to record and what engineers are you most comfortable with?
Two of my favorite engineers are James Michael and Brian Beattie, they each own their own studio. James' is called The Bridge, Brian just built an amazing studio in S. Austin, I don't know what he calls it but he has a cat named Flower Pot. But if you want me to produce something for you, I can get a killer deal at Alta Vista. Tom, the owner/engineer is great to work with as well.
13- you have a political edginess, and aren't afraid to back up what you believe in.Care to dip the toe into the political water here, tell us something about Getting Involved with the political process?
I'm taking a break from being active. Eight years of Bush was like being handcuffed to a telephone pole in a sandstorm. After Obama won, I said, "Good luck cleaning up the mess, I have a baby on the way. Don't burn it down and I'll be back in a while."
14- when did you get into the Austin arts you embrace? what early bands,acts were you associated with?
I've been playing in bands in Texas since I was 15. In Austin I played with Oboyo, Rint Zykle and the Speed Queens, Minus Grace, Poi Dog Pondering, Clang, Clown Clone, W.O.R.M. (the original W.O.R.M, not the one that's playing around Austin these days) and the Spankers to name a few. The best part about playing with the Spankers is I get to say whatever comes into my head between songs. The challenge is to make sure that what I say is entertaining. The guys in Clang never wanted me to talk between songs. There I was, about to become a nationally ranked slam poet and they didn't want me to talk. No wonder we broke up. We're all still friends and all still professional musicians. Bruce Salmon plays with a number of outfits including That Damned Band, Steve Bernal just released an incredible cello CD and John Nelson plays with Thievery Corporation and Poi Dog Pondering. One of these days we're all going to get together in the studio and see what happens. I sure hope they let me talk.
I think Oboyo is the band that could have made it. We were only together for 8 months and we made some incredible music. It's the only time I've ever played shows that felt like the building was about to start levitating. But there were members with love problems and members with drug problems, I was the member with the ego problem. I thought we were so great that the music would work everything out and solve all of our problems. That's what happens when you're young and naive enough to believe that your talent will consummate your aspirations.
15- I own a pirate radio station in remotest,uh,Iowa... I need 4 songs from you throughout your career. what 4 you going to choose, and why?
Dreamland, Doing Time On Isle 13, Wingless Angels and Hey Red. That seems like a pretty good smattering of what I'm about. You get an a cappella tune, some spoken word, a little country and a good solid rock song. For dessert, I'd add Hick Hop and chase it with Beer.
16- stranded on a desert island,you have the proverbial solar-powered boombox. Name the 5 cds you have with you.
I collect vinyl, so let's have the proverbial solar-powered Califone instead. I just pulled 5 records out of my collection at random. They are: Al Green - Live In Tokyo, John Lee Hooker - The Real Blues, Blue Oyster Cult - Secret Treaties, Aretha Franklin - Aretha's Gold and Black Sabbath's first album. That's a pretty good selection. If I had to think about it, I'd bring a collection of recordings of my father, Hootin' and Hollerin' by Sonny Terry and Brownie McGee, Kind of Blue by Miles Davis, Hunky Dory by David Bowie and The Beatles' Revolver. My top five songs in rotation right now are: Mother and Child Reunion by Paul Simon, September Gurls by Big Star, Aao Twist Karen by Kazi Aniruddha, Surf City by Crack The Sky and Wichita Lineman by Glen Campbell.
17- tell us more about slam poetry. You amassed quite a following there. care to share with us any highlites?
I once rode down an airport escalator and spotted a limo driver holding up a sign that read, "Mr. Wammo." So far, that's the pinnacle of my poetry career. Another great moment was when Mike Henry, owner/manager of the Electric Lounge and I were riding around in my newly purchased '65 Imperial and he turned to me and said, "You know what? Poetry bought you this car." He knew that I had lived in a downtown rehearsal space with no running water for years. He had watched me struggle and he saw me make something of myself on my own terms. The whole thing reflected in his eyes at that moment.
Another incredible moment occurred when I was touring as a poet with Lollapalooza in '94. I went backstage to get some food and happened upon all three Beastie Boys playing basketball with five Tibetan monks. The monks were dressed in full orange robes. No one else was around. I sat on a wall and watched the rest of the game. Those monks could really play.
18- what/who are your favorite Austin bands/ acts? name us 5?
The Gourds, The Mother Truckers, The Hot Nut Riveters, Pong, Carolyn Wonderland and I can't believe I missed the El Flaco reunion.
19- name 3 visual artists[ painting,sculpting,etc]that influenced you and your art.
Marcel Duchamp, David Smith, Jackson Pollock
20- what are your favorite venues to play in Austin?
I started a new house concert series called The Sunday Gravy show. Playing in homes is more fun than playing in clubs. If I must pick a venue, my favorite room is probably the Scottish Right Temple. They have hand painted, pull down, back drops behind the stage, one depicts souls burning in the lake of fire.
21- favorite venues outside of Austin?
Club Quattro in Tokyo, The Great American Music Hall in San Francisco, Melkweg in Amsterdam, Cafe De Fagot in Ingelmunster, The Knitting Factory main stage in NY, Canal Street Tavern in Dayton, Off Broadway in St. Louis, Knuckleheads in Kansas City. The great thing about touring is you get to meet people from all walks of life. Some of my best friends are people I met at shows, I met my wife at a show.
22- have a spiritual side or philosophy you like to share with us?
I have a poem called "The Little Things" on an unreleased album I recorded a couple of years ago. My wife read this question over my shoulder and said, "It's the little things..." She's right.
I love the fact that no one actually knows anything about the afterlife. Whether or not it even exists. It's all just speculation. Many people spend a lot of time focusing on what will happen after they die. I suggest they spend five minutes staring at their shoes.
Having a child changes your perspective on every aspect of your existence. Suddenly there is a presence in your life that has no defenses, no ability to tell you what it needs and no way to provide for itself. It completely relies on you for everything. You change, you have to, it's the only way for you and the child to survive. I studied my own reactions to her first days very closely. I realized that I had a helpless being in my care and how easy it would be to look at the world from a perspective based on fear. I think this is why a lot of people become more conservative once they have children. It makes it very easy to slip into the trappings of looking at people you don't know as "the enemy" instead of just "strangers."
It certainly makes me reflect on my past. It makes me raise an eyebrow when I hear a Ramones song about sniffing glue or a Misfits song about killing babies. I have to remember to put it all in perspective, that those songs have a sense of humor to them and one day, hopefully, my daughter and I can laugh at them together.
2- Where did you get the moniker "Wammo"?
At the top of the Rio Grande Gorge in Pilar, NM, summer 1983. How I got it is another story entirely.
3- You are a man immersed in many of the arts; an artist who occasionally paints, you are a slam poet with a following ...and you play in a band called the Asylum St Spankers. Makes for a rather full plate. Tell us a bit about each if you will. How do you juggle all this?
I love painting. It's an incredible release, very cathartic. I love that it doesn't require an audience while you are creating, like music does. The audience only sees the end result. I've been painting acrylic on canvas on and off since I was 16. I just did a show of 28 new works, you can see some of them at http://iamwammo.com/artwork/
I'm not really a slammer anymore. I retired in '97 or '98. I love the slam and I think it's a valid art form but I needed to quit competing. My experience in the slam was like a whirlwind romance. I took 2nd in the nation at my first Nationals, then I got signed to a major label as a poet. That's right, a big record company said, "We want to record your poetry and release it internationally." I opened for Pantera in a hocky arena in Chicago, performing my poetry! I'm telling you, shit like that doesn't happen every day. It caused a lot of jealousy and back stabbing with some people I was very close to in the local slam scene. At the same time, the head of the record label was trying to edit my work. This guy didn't know dick about writing. He was so ego driven that he actually tried add his own vocal track to my record. I fought him tooth and nail and only won about half of the battles. I had to make so many compromises that by the time the record was released, it didn't really feel like it was truly mine. To make a long story even longer, I was playing and recording with the Spankers at the same time. It all became too much, I couldn't slam, tour solo and Spank simultaneously, so I quit slamming. I still perform my poetry, as a matter of fact, I did a one man show in NY that was about 10% music and 90% talk. I'm working on touring that performance soon.
4- where were you born, raised, how big a family ?
I was born in New York City and moved to San Antonio at the age of 9. I graduated high school in S.A, got a degree from T.C.U. and promptly moved to Austin in 1985. My folks had 4 kids, they've been married 52 years and are still going strong.
5- what came first with you? music? poetry? art,in general?
Definitely music. My father sang for the Metropolitan Opera and my older sister turned me on to rock and roll. I grew up listening to Puccini, Verdi, Mozart and whatever was on WABC in NY: The Beatles, Stones, Monkees, Janice Joplin, Doors, Hollies, all that amazing '60s pop.
6- explain your bursts of creativity to us. How do you write music,for ex? Melody first,lyrics second? and as far as poetry goes, is it a spur of moment captured like lightning in a bottle,or are things more methodically planned out?
There are no set rules, I might start with a phrase or a riff. Whatever comes in my head. I'll just loop variations of it mentally until I get something I like. I'm definitely a "lightning in a bottle" type of guy. I find that if I think too hard about what I'm doing, I usually overwork the piece or lose interest or both. Sometimes I'll record a smidgen of an idea and come back to it later. Most of the songs on my solo records were written that way. Every slam piece I wrote that's worth a damn was written in one sitting. A flash of inspiration and massive scrawling to catch up with the words cascading through my brain. That includes, "There Is Too Much Light In This Bar." I wrote that one at a table at Lovejoys.
7- name your top 5 poets,slam or non-slam.
e.e. cummings, Anne Sexton, T.S. Elliot, Charles Bukowski, Patricia Smith
8- do the Spankers tour much at all? anything in the works?
The Spankers just cut down our touring schedule from 180 to about 60 gigs a year. We just released a new album and are already doing preproduction for the next. My favorite new Spanker development is the pre-show R&B/soul/funk dance party. Before we go on stage, we put on some James Brown, Etta James, Sly Stone, etc... and we dance with audience members. It's a really fun way to warm up and get the crowd in the mood before playing.
9- how many Spankers are there and what instruments do they play?
Right now we tour with 8 people, including a sound guy. We play a lot of instruments, too many to pull out of my brain hole. All Spanker details can be found at http://asylumstreetspankers.com
10- who haven't you worked with in town that you'd like to?
I want to work with everyone. I'm on a quest for the ultimate art orgy. I'd like to produce a show with a reunited True Believers backing a reunited Bad Mutha Goose, while Bob Schneider is tied up naked, suspended over the stage and painted head to toe by Trish Murphy. Then The Hickoids could come out in diapers, carrying supersoakers filled with - hang on the baby's crying.
11- tell us the top 4 Austin restaurants you go to the most, and what you usually order or recommend.
Curra's - Frozen avocado margaritas (THE NECTAR OF THE GODS!), al pastor tacos, enchiladas mole con pollo. Make sure to try the free sauce sampler.
Tamale House - everything, try one egg and cheese taco with carne guisada and one al carbon. If you're really hungry, try the migas w/ carne guisada instead of refried beans. Did you know that there's more fat in refries than in meat? It's because they're refried in lard.
Hai Ky - stir fry with big fat fried noodles, I think it's #96 on the menu. You gotta try these noodles, crunchy outside/soft inside and as big as your thumb.
Madam Mam's - My wife and I split the yum nuer (salad w/ beef and spicy garlic lime sauce) and an entree. Thai iced tea or hot jasmine, maybe a cold beer, how can you go wrong?
12- where do you like to record and what engineers are you most comfortable with?
Two of my favorite engineers are James Michael and Brian Beattie, they each own their own studio. James' is called The Bridge, Brian just built an amazing studio in S. Austin, I don't know what he calls it but he has a cat named Flower Pot. But if you want me to produce something for you, I can get a killer deal at Alta Vista. Tom, the owner/engineer is great to work with as well.
13- you have a political edginess, and aren't afraid to back up what you believe in.Care to dip the toe into the political water here, tell us something about Getting Involved with the political process?
I'm taking a break from being active. Eight years of Bush was like being handcuffed to a telephone pole in a sandstorm. After Obama won, I said, "Good luck cleaning up the mess, I have a baby on the way. Don't burn it down and I'll be back in a while."
14- when did you get into the Austin arts you embrace? what early bands,acts were you associated with?
I've been playing in bands in Texas since I was 15. In Austin I played with Oboyo, Rint Zykle and the Speed Queens, Minus Grace, Poi Dog Pondering, Clang, Clown Clone, W.O.R.M. (the original W.O.R.M, not the one that's playing around Austin these days) and the Spankers to name a few. The best part about playing with the Spankers is I get to say whatever comes into my head between songs. The challenge is to make sure that what I say is entertaining. The guys in Clang never wanted me to talk between songs. There I was, about to become a nationally ranked slam poet and they didn't want me to talk. No wonder we broke up. We're all still friends and all still professional musicians. Bruce Salmon plays with a number of outfits including That Damned Band, Steve Bernal just released an incredible cello CD and John Nelson plays with Thievery Corporation and Poi Dog Pondering. One of these days we're all going to get together in the studio and see what happens. I sure hope they let me talk.
I think Oboyo is the band that could have made it. We were only together for 8 months and we made some incredible music. It's the only time I've ever played shows that felt like the building was about to start levitating. But there were members with love problems and members with drug problems, I was the member with the ego problem. I thought we were so great that the music would work everything out and solve all of our problems. That's what happens when you're young and naive enough to believe that your talent will consummate your aspirations.
15- I own a pirate radio station in remotest,uh,Iowa... I need 4 songs from you throughout your career. what 4 you going to choose, and why?
Dreamland, Doing Time On Isle 13, Wingless Angels and Hey Red. That seems like a pretty good smattering of what I'm about. You get an a cappella tune, some spoken word, a little country and a good solid rock song. For dessert, I'd add Hick Hop and chase it with Beer.
16- stranded on a desert island,you have the proverbial solar-powered boombox. Name the 5 cds you have with you.
I collect vinyl, so let's have the proverbial solar-powered Califone instead. I just pulled 5 records out of my collection at random. They are: Al Green - Live In Tokyo, John Lee Hooker - The Real Blues, Blue Oyster Cult - Secret Treaties, Aretha Franklin - Aretha's Gold and Black Sabbath's first album. That's a pretty good selection. If I had to think about it, I'd bring a collection of recordings of my father, Hootin' and Hollerin' by Sonny Terry and Brownie McGee, Kind of Blue by Miles Davis, Hunky Dory by David Bowie and The Beatles' Revolver. My top five songs in rotation right now are: Mother and Child Reunion by Paul Simon, September Gurls by Big Star, Aao Twist Karen by Kazi Aniruddha, Surf City by Crack The Sky and Wichita Lineman by Glen Campbell.
17- tell us more about slam poetry. You amassed quite a following there. care to share with us any highlites?
I once rode down an airport escalator and spotted a limo driver holding up a sign that read, "Mr. Wammo." So far, that's the pinnacle of my poetry career. Another great moment was when Mike Henry, owner/manager of the Electric Lounge and I were riding around in my newly purchased '65 Imperial and he turned to me and said, "You know what? Poetry bought you this car." He knew that I had lived in a downtown rehearsal space with no running water for years. He had watched me struggle and he saw me make something of myself on my own terms. The whole thing reflected in his eyes at that moment.
Another incredible moment occurred when I was touring as a poet with Lollapalooza in '94. I went backstage to get some food and happened upon all three Beastie Boys playing basketball with five Tibetan monks. The monks were dressed in full orange robes. No one else was around. I sat on a wall and watched the rest of the game. Those monks could really play.
18- what/who are your favorite Austin bands/ acts? name us 5?
The Gourds, The Mother Truckers, The Hot Nut Riveters, Pong, Carolyn Wonderland and I can't believe I missed the El Flaco reunion.
19- name 3 visual artists[ painting,sculpting,etc]that influenced you and your art.
Marcel Duchamp, David Smith, Jackson Pollock
20- what are your favorite venues to play in Austin?
I started a new house concert series called The Sunday Gravy show. Playing in homes is more fun than playing in clubs. If I must pick a venue, my favorite room is probably the Scottish Right Temple. They have hand painted, pull down, back drops behind the stage, one depicts souls burning in the lake of fire.
21- favorite venues outside of Austin?
Club Quattro in Tokyo, The Great American Music Hall in San Francisco, Melkweg in Amsterdam, Cafe De Fagot in Ingelmunster, The Knitting Factory main stage in NY, Canal Street Tavern in Dayton, Off Broadway in St. Louis, Knuckleheads in Kansas City. The great thing about touring is you get to meet people from all walks of life. Some of my best friends are people I met at shows, I met my wife at a show.
22- have a spiritual side or philosophy you like to share with us?
I have a poem called "The Little Things" on an unreleased album I recorded a couple of years ago. My wife read this question over my shoulder and said, "It's the little things..." She's right.
I love the fact that no one actually knows anything about the afterlife. Whether or not it even exists. It's all just speculation. Many people spend a lot of time focusing on what will happen after they die. I suggest they spend five minutes staring at their shoes.
