Stolen Records CD Back

The Australian label Stolen Records was so overwhelmed by the sheer beauty of the Hot Pockets' Mess Of Fire LP on Screaming Apple, that they decided to release 'Mess Of Fire' on CD in Australia.
Of course the Australians are a strange bunch of people, but that doesn't mean they can't enjoy good rock 'n' roll too...
Here's a little interview that Adam and Robert did with Stolen Records headhoncho Craig Bailey.

Adam Robert, please introduce the band to our readers!
Robert: First of all we have Adam “Boy” Gold on lead guitar and vocals, our Canadian brother from, well Canada, home of many a great actor. Next we have Crazy “Shrapnel” Gerry on the bass, former trombone player in the Dutch Army. And last and almost not least, me, Robby G “brother of…” on guitar and vocals, fundraiser and overall philanthropist.
We used to have a drummer too but he left because he doesn’t want to talk to me anymore…

The Hot Pockets produce a fine '77 style raw rock'n'roll sound, with songs to back it up. Tell our readers a bit about a) your new record, and b) how you came up getting a "live" cd to sound so good.
Gerry Robert: Well, to start with b): good music always sounds good. Period.
We were lucky that we had no time whatsoever to fool around with all kinds of hi-tech shit. We just recorded the 18 songs we had in two days, Adam having to catch his flight back to Canada the morning after, to persue his carreer as a an actor slash director. I think that all worked out well.
The mixing however took over a year, since I was working as a teacher, fighting the system from within…, duh, and we could only mix during the day. But eventually that worked out fine too.
I don’t know, there’s not much to say about it really. We practised for four days after coming back sick from tour, recorded the songs, mixed them and that’s it. Rather boring but very effective. (Of course I’m leaving out all the stupid details about fights and other random behaviour, but there were, boring again, none...) Robert

Who writes the songs in The Hot Pockets?
Robert: The easy answer would be: check the linernotes, but since none of you probably have our album I can tell you that Adam wrote seven, me four, Gerry one and J.Lee another (and he was not in Blondie). That’s the album. All our other stuff, released on singles and some stuff still in the vaults, has about the same ratio.

You perform a total killer rendition of ‘Hanging On The Telephone’. What made you decide to attempt this song (apart from it being a great song!) when it is such a trademark Blondie tune? (even though they didn't write it). Were you afraid of it coming off like a school band playing "Beat on the Brat" or something like that?
Adam: The Hot Pockets are never afraid. Always gentle, sometimes temperamental, but NEVER afraid. So with regards to ‘Hanging On The Telephone’, it is just a song that radiates with the effervescence of inner truth and which resonates with that special type of spiritual unity that The Hot Pockets have always sought in their bi-continental workaday realities.
Plus it sometimes reminds the lads of the oft-frustrating (nay, teasing) quasi-proximity generated by modern communication. Like, when I call Robert, right, it's like we would want to say “Hey let's go shine the purple dolphin or listen to Liszt's first concerto and put opium in our confiture”, but, alas, it can't be so.
The same applies with regards to the ladies. Like when it's 4 in the morning and you really want to be in between silk sheets next to your number one special lady's fiery honey pot, but in all actuality you are sleeping on a kitchen floor next to six Danish postal workers, so you get on the phone, right? Booty call!
Sometimes nobody picks up and that's the pits and we've all been there, but if she does pick up then you talk about all of the things you would get up to cuz you know you make her feel like a natural woman. And she makes you feel like a gecko lizard on the cusp of a volcano with a baby dove in your claws.
Like Miles Davis you want to get your balls up out of the sand so you get your nut but then where are you left? That's what's called hanging on the telephone.
As far as coming off like a school band, I don't know about that, but I guarantee that we certainly get off like a school band.

The Hot Pockets at Vera, February 1999 What has the response been like amounst fans of the band to the cover?
Robert: Good. People love it. But then again people also love Beverly Hills 90210.

Dutch bands have a long tradition of producing some of the best garage music around, how do The Hot Pockets fit into this tradition?
Robert: I’d say not. But you tell me, I’m rather ignorent of any musical history. I think we play a very timeless sort of rock ‘n’ roll that’s not restricted by any boundries. Of course we do it good, but that’s got nothing to do with being Dutch.
See Adam, he’s a French Canadian from Hongary carrying an Irish passport. Now knowing that you wouldn’t expect him to be able to write one decent song, but in fact he wrote plenty, he’s a genius.

Any chance of you doing an Outsiders cover?
Robert: Adam says yes. I don’t know. I remember walking around in the schoolyard one day, when I was six, hearing the latest joke: it sings and it drives…, Wally Taxi. So my feelings about the Outsiders are a bit ambiguous. Especially since my girlfriend split up with me later that day.

How do The Hot Pockets go getting press given that mostly everything these days that recieves any attention outta Europe seems to come from the "Swedish Invasion", whether it is good or bad? Don't get me wrong, I dig Swedish bands, but if I see another Swedish band touted the "the Greatest Swedish Rock Sensation" I'm gonna puke. What do you think?
The Hot Pockets do tour with Scandinavian bands though... Nijmegen, Holland, September 2000 Robert: Well, you’re alone here. The Hot Pockets do not, as you call it, dig Swedish bands. That whole Rock thing is so passé, just like heroin. But, like we say in Holland, every fag his butt.
As far as The Hot Pockets are concerned, we’re getting OK press. I think it’ll get better once we toured again in October, but so far everybody likes the album.

Robert, Richard Onyas reckons you're an incredibley BAD loser at pool! Is there any truth to this rumour?
Robert: If BAD loser at pool means I’m bad at losing a game of pool, like he’s bad at playing pool, I agree. I find it very hard to lose a game, winning comes very naturally to me.

Are you coming to Australia in the near future, to please your Aussie fans?
Robert: We would love to, but who’s gonna pay our ticket? Except for maybe the Danish governement? Although I must say, knowing the Onyas, I’m not that thrilled about spending two weeks in a drunken stupor amongst raving lunatics.

For those who haven't seen the band, what can we expect from a Hot Pockets’ show?
Robert: Only the best. Thirty minutes of pure rock ‘n’ roll.
Adam: Expect to be disappointed, then it won't hurt so bad when you see us coaxing lasers from our fretboards in order to destroy all the prophets of babylon in attendance. Booyaka-sha! Booka. Bambaclaat. The Hot Pockets will always say: “Fuck Babylon”. You know why? Cuz Babylon a wicked man. Babylon he drink rum.

Hot Pockets olé Plans for the future?
Adam: I want to learn how to tame my kundilini snake. It came out at a very early age, you know?
Robert: I myself will be happy to find a nice wife and have three unborn babies. Gerry doesn’t care about the future.

Any parting messages for the Ladies?
Robert: The Hot Pockets like the Ladies. Like the flower likes the spring, like the goose likes it’s liver, like the tortellini likes it’s Parmezan. I mean, what else can you say, except thanks and see you next time?

Home Story Records Critics Sounds Shows Links News Contact Guestbook