"...just a bunch of honest young men giving out some rock and roll and having fun."

If anyone tells you that the days of punk music are over, they haven't heard of  The Living End.  These Aussie rockers have given new life to the rockabilly/punk scene - imagine the Stray Cats with even more energy, more fun and an Australian accent, and you'll have The Living End.   With frontman Chris on vocals and guitar and double bassist Scott and drummer Trav pounding out a backbeat, you'll be reminded of The Clash in their heyday.  Yet the guys bring a style all their own to the stage.  While opening for the Offspring for their Los Angeles dates, they had the crowd moving and the Universal Amphitheater feeling like a giant garage party.

VOX had the opportunity to catch up with Trav while The Living End were preparing for their Milwaukee show, and we talked about hot rods, punk music and all things fun.

I was more influenced by punk - The Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Jam.  About 4 years ago, they were having problems with their drummer and they asked me of I wanted to try out.  I told 'em I was more of a garage/punk drummer, and 4 years later, I'm still a garage/punk drummer, but it's worked out well.

VOX: Where does the name come from?

Trav:  It's from a Bill Haley and the Comets movie, "Rock Around the Clock."  It's at the end of the movie.  First it says "The End," then it says, "The Living End."  In the 50's it meant something that was far out, really crazy.  It also doesn't really tell people what genre of music we are.  We could be anything.   It doesn't pigeonhole us.  We also like band names with "the" at the beginning.  You can only do the "Steve Johnson and the Satellites" or whatever name thing for so long.  It's a name that works.  We all liked it.

VOX: Where do you think "punk" music is heading?

Trav:  It's been embraced by so many people over the last four years.  It started with The Sex Pistols.  Sid Vicious became such an icon for the punk movement.  But it's changed so much since.   Now you can be into punk and not be doped out or fucked up.  Half the people are vegetarians, half are studying at university or school or whatever they're doing, and their still into it.  It's better that way.  People may say a band has sold out if they have a tune on the charts, but I think it's better that they are on the charts than all this other constructed shit that's out there, like Brittney whatever-her-name is…Brittney Spears or whatever.  It's better that they hear Green Day or The Offspring or something real that says "Hey, don’t be a racist fuck or a homophobic asshole," than that fake, constructed shit that's out there.  It's [punk] here to stay.

VOX: What do you think of LA?

Trav:  We're getting to like it.  That's a tough question, because we fucking hated it at first.  It was a culture shock, really.  I mean, you know home like the back of your hand, and then we come here and we can't find bars that are open after 2:00am or hot rod shops.  You get in cab and say, "Hey, give me a lift to the nearest drum shop," and the cabbie says, "Get the fuck outta my cab."  It's just not the same back home [in Australia].  But now we're really getting to like it, L.A.  We've found some places to hang out, and there have been a few nights stumbling down Sunset Boulevard.

VOX: How do you like touring?

Trav:  That's a razor-sharp question.  It's a love & hate thing.  We love to play, all three of us.   I mean we play on our days off, but we don't like to have days off.  It's the Australian way, I guess.  But you really miss home.  I miss my car.  I haven't driven my car in six months. [Note: Trav is a hot rod fanatic] I can't call my friends on Sunday and go watch a football game.  We're on a bus together every day, and you do miss home.

VOX: What do you think sets you apart from other bands?

Trav: The good looking drummer. [laughs] I'm being serious here.  No, that's another tough question…I don't know.  We're just a bunch of honest young men giving out some rock and roll and having fun.  We try to inject some humour into the show as well, not the Blink 182-type of humour, but we figure that if we're having fun and joking with each other, then it'll carry over to the crowd, as well.   But we still try to be professional about it.  We're not trying to change the world or anything, and we're not going to stand up and preach.

VOX: How does your creative process work?

Trav: We basically sit down and pound it out. I might have an idea and put on my dictaphone and record the beat and be humming something along to it, but the dictaphone doesn't catch my humming. Maybe I'm wasted and I think of something good, but I forget it by the next day. Chris usually has really great riffs or some lyrics, and Scott will, too. We may get together and Chris will play something and I'll go, "No, that fucking sucks." Then Scott lays something down that really grooves and we all go "Yeah, that's great," and the riff that Chris had really works with it. We just put it all together.

VOX: What drew you to being a drummer?

Trav: Basically, I was a hyperactive little kid. Not in a bad way - I didn't pound on anybody, but I was a mischievous little prick. I was bored, really. I couldn't sit still while the other kids where quiet or whatever; I had to wreck something. So I got sent to a school with only 200 kids, with like 20 kids in my grade or something. One day this stodgy old teacher grabs me by the hair while I'm acting up and send me to this little room where you were to go to relax and wait when you were bad, and there was this drum kit in the room. I mean, I had never really thought about really being a professional drummer or anything like that - I was like 14 or 15 at the time - but I had always thought it would be cool. I was into BMX at the time in a big way, so that was my focus. While I was in the room I started playing on the drum kit there. The teacher heard me and said that if I were good, he would let me play on the drums after school. After four weeks of it I was hooked. I'm 26 now, and I buy all the drum stuff I can, whenever I can.

VOX: How do you guys get on with each other?

Trav:  Really well, actually, even though we are three very different individuals.  Scott's more into the 50's-type rockabilly and all.  I'm more of a 70's guy - The Rolling Stone are my favourite.  And Chris is really into the classic songwriters, the Lennon and McCartney-types.  We're all into The Clash, though.  We really don't hang out together back home.  Not because we don't get along - we just all have our different groups of friends.  I will call the guys if I'm going out to a bar or something and they'll usually come out with me, which is great, but we do our own things, too.   There have been a few "fuck you" moments, here and there, but twenty minutes later we're comparing notes on what movie to watch on the bus.  So we do pretty well.

VOX: What is your definition of success, musically?

Trav: Being happy with what you're doing. I'm living a dream, and it's great. We realize we're lucky to be doing what we're doing, too. I might bitch about something after a show like I should have changed the skin on my snare or something, then on the way out of town we see a homeless person with an artificial leg or something and we realize how lucky we are. We understand our position as role models as well. I don’t want to be the type who just gives a kid an autograph and says "here." I try to give whatever advice I can. If a kid says he wants to be a drummer, then I'll tell him to try and get a snare and keep playing…it's the general Australian way I guess…give the message that if you work hard, don't be a racist or homophobe and appreciate what you've got and have fun, it'll all work out. I mean, I've got a rad girlfriend, and I'm playing for a living and I've got my hot rod back home, so I can't complain.

VOX: What is the next step for The Living End?

Trav: Europe in a couple of weeks, with Silverchair. That should be awesome. Then back to America for The Warped Tour, which will be great. We'll be on the main stage the whole tour, which is great for us, and hopefully for the crowd as well. Then back to Europe, then Japan, then seven weeks in Australia, with 3 videos to shoot in between, then do the new album.  And hopefully stay sane.

VOX: What can your fans expect from your live shows?

Trav: An honest rock and roll band. I mean, we're not going to praise God or anything like that, because that's just not us, but here we are, and here you go. Hopefully it's fun for us, and fun for them. You saw us, let me ask you, what did you think our fans can expect from our live show?

VOX: Lots of energy, a great time, and great music. You guys really look like you're having fun, and I thought the crowd was into it and having fun as well.

Trav: Thanks, that's great, then we're doing what we want to do.