Band: Reel Big Fish
Label: Jive Records
Official Site: Click here
Date: July 13, 2004
Conducted by: Jordan Hoefar

TMF Jordan: What’s the best part of being in a band for a living, or the worst?
RBF Justin: Best part is getting to play music and tour the world… and make a living doing it. Yeah, get paid. The worst part is being bored. Having nothing to do, and that’s really not that bad. Sitting around and watching movies.
TMF Jordan: Hangin’ out…
RBF Justin: Hanging out, what we’re doing right now…

TMF Jordan: What’s your most memorable show moment?
RBF Justin: Right now it’s probably uh… a few weeks ago we were in Canada, and Scott was singing, stood up on a monitor, and fell off the front of the stage…About a six or seven foot drop.
TMF Brett: Is that the trombonist… or what’s he play?
RBF Justin: He plays trumpet, and guitar, and keyboard, and vocals, and harmonica, and he can play the flute, a little bit of the saxophone, he does some percussion stuff, he can play the drums, he can play the xylophone…What else can he do? The triangle…
RBF Aaron: He can whistle six different ways…
RBF Justin: …Yes, he’s very talented.

TMF Jordan: If you could be in any other band which band would it be?
RBF Justin: Metallica...I would be in Metallica.
RBF Aaron: You’d be in Metallica…
RBF Justin: I would…
RBF Aaron: Hmmmmmm…. Hmmmmmm…. Hmmmmm. Nope. Pass.
(Laughter)

TMF Jordan: What’s your favorite place to eat on the road?
RBF Justin: The Cracker Barrel… I love the Cracker Barrel… They don’t have them in California. I haven’t had a chance to hit one up yet… They’re good.
RBF Aaron: Hooters!
RBF Justin: …They’re good. We ate at Hooters…
RBF Aaron: 911 Wings…
RBF Justin: We ate at Hooters in Virginia, Virginia Beach.
TMF Jordan: Really, was it good?
RBF Justin: It was raining… And it was…Was it July 4th?
RBF Aaron: Yeah.
RBF Justin: It was July 4th, Independence Day.
RBF Aaron: We tried to eat there last night but it was closed.
TMF Jordan: That sucks…
RBF Justin: We were in New Orleans…
TMF Jordan: Oh last night? Did you like it out there?
RBF Justin: Yeah…
TMF Jordan: That place is really cool.
RBF Justin: With the drugs and the girls…
TMF Jordan: Jazz…

TMF Jordan: What do you do to keep from killing each other on the road…Going insane while being locked up for hours?
RBF Justin: Don’t talk to each other.
RBF Aaron: Ignore them.
TMF Jordan (to Aaron): You and Matt are good friends, right?
RBF Aaron: Says who?!
(laughs)
TMF Jordan: …So who do you think would win in a fight, you or Matt?
RBF Aaron: Uhhhhhhh....
RBF Justin: You guys are good friends (pointing to Brett and Jordan)… Who would win in a fight?
TMF Brett: He would.
TMF Jordan: Maybe… on a good day.
TMF Brett: No, I would win because he’s too nice… I’d whoop his ass. He’d be like “Okay, we can settle this.” Then I’d jump back on.
TMF Jordan: Yeah, he’d probably stab me in the back.
TMF Brett: Nooo…
(laughs)

TMF Jordan: What’s currently in your CD player?
RBF Justin: Billy Talent… Have you ever heard of Billy Talent?
TMF Jordan: Yeah, I have.
RBF Justin: They’re awesome.
TMF Jordan: Really good band…
RBF Justin: …Really good band.
TMF Jordan (looking at Aaron): Yours?
RBF Aaron: Billy Joel. Have you heard of Billy Joel? TMF Jordan: Yeah.
RBF Aaron: He’s got talent.
RBF Justin: He’s got talent.
(laughter) RBF Justin: You’re not gonna misquote us in this interview, are you?
TMF Jordan: No… I gotcha covered. But I dunno… I might put you down for Backstreet Boys or something, though. RBF Justin: Ohhh.

TMF Jordan: What do you believe aided to your success the most as you guys were working your way up?
RBF Justin: Touring.
RBF Aaron: Radio airplay.
TMF Brett: Oh… I have a question… I never even thought of this…
RBF Aaron: And constant touring.
TMF Brett: …Is there any particular, like…
RBF Aaron: And having good music.
TMF Brett: Is there any particular group or people that annoy you that the song “Big Star” was aimed towards?
RBF Aaron: Nope.
TMF Brett: …Just generic? Felt like writing it?
RBF Aaron: Mmmm…mmm…
TMF Brett: Pass? (Pause)
TMF Jordan: Alright, you guys are really involved with-
RBF Aaron: That’s the first time anyone’s ever asked us about that.
RBF Justin: Nobody’s ever asked us about “Big Star”?
RBF Aaron: Like it never existed.
TMF Brett: ‘Cause I always wondered… Like…
RBF Aaron: ‘Till nooww.
TMF Brett: Turn Off the Radio was all bashing sell outs and then the second album was like “Ah! I’m a Big Star!” RBF Aaron: It was bashing sell outs?
TMF Brett: It was joking with the Snoop Dogg song… I dunno… RBF Aaron: I dunno… mixed messages… Everything sucks, everything’s cool.
(laughter) RBF Justin: We just started playing “Big Star” again on this tour.
TMF Brett: Oh yeah? Are you playing it tonight?
RBF Aaron: Nah… we just stopped.
(laughter)
RBF Justin: We were playing it last night…Was that the only night we played it?
RBF Aaron: Naw, we played it somewhere else…didn’t we?
Random guy at table: Yeah, you did.

(Milo, the stage manager enters)
Milo (getting a drink out of the refrigerator): I met this girl… I’m gonna go out with her.
RBF Justin: You’re gonna go out with her…? Like on a date?
Milo: Yeaahh…
RBF Justin: How far is Austin from here?
TMF Jordan: It’s not that far… It’s like, what would you say…?
TMF Brett: Three hours or so.
RBF Justin (to Milo): You only live three hours from her… What’s her name?
Milo: Uhh…
RBF Justin: You’re gonna go out with her and you don’t know her name?!
Milo: Natalie! …Jeez, sorry…
RBF Justin: Good lord! …Are you guys going out to dinner together?
Milo: Yeah…
RBF Justin: Tonight?
Milo: Right now.
RBF Justin: Ohhh… Let us go with you.
(laughter)
RBF Aaron: They’re going on a date, leave ‘em alone.
RBF Justin: No it’s fine! We can be the chaperones.
Milo: No, I don’t think that’d be popular with her.
(laughter) RBF Justin: Milo lives in Austin, he’s our stage manager.
TMF Jordan: Oh really? That’s a cool place… it’d be nice to move out there.

TMF Jordan: So…you guys…
RBF Aaron (randomly): Yes, the first album was about the frustration you feel when you’re in a band that’s going nowhere. Like why…why can’t I make it big? Why can’t I get there? Sour grapes. Fine. I don’t want it…Fuck you. I’ll kill myself… The next album is, I got big and famous and no one is happy about it for me…No one’s happy for me. And a few people who liked the band before I got big and famous are now against me. They wish me to fail. Fuck you. Third album…is about extreme depression and random…bullshit. It’s a collection of songs over the years that don’t make any sense as an album…It’s just a collection of dumb songs, that are good. Our new album will be more focused. It will be the third and final chapter of the saga…
TMF Jordan: …So you guys are really involved with your fans online and you’ve been getting groups together such as yousuckirule.com and others like that, why do you think it’s important to get the fans involved through different websites and what not?
RBF Aaron: Well, everybody’s on the internet.
TMF Jordan: Good reason.
RBF Aaron: The whole world is gonna be plugged into the internet pretty soon and we’re not gonna leave you out. It’s gonna be just like the matrix, we’re all gonna be plugged into the computers…We’re gonna have chips in our brains… Implants in our brains when we’re babies… That’s why we gotta do the internet thing, that’s where all the shit goes down. That’s why it’s important to be involved with your fans because, you know, they…pay…your bills…
(laughter) TMF Jordan: You could start up a Reel Big Fish porn site.
RBF Justin: We’re trying to start a porn video game.
TMF Jordan: Oh, really??
RBF Aaron: Yeah! But it’s a secret and we don’t want anyone to steal our idea.
TMF Jordan: Alright, I’ll scratch that part out.
RBF Aaron: I keep forgetting ‘cause I wanna tell people about it but I don’t want them to steal our idea.
RBF Justin: Well, with a porn video game they don’t know what our idea is.
RBF Aaron: That’s all they get to know.
RBF Justin: Yeah…It’s really vague.
TMF Jordan: It could be a number of things.
RBF Justin: Yeah, it could be.
TMF Jordan: Sorta kinky and weird or…who knows…
(laughter)

TMF Jordan: If your band was to participate in an outrageous scandal or act, the kind that would be all over the media and newspaper, what would your scandal or mischievous actions be?
RBF Aaron: I think it would take a lot for our band to get all over the media…
RBF Justin: You know what, I bet if, as a band, we could kill somebody, I think.
TMF Brett: Who would you kill?
RBF Aaron: If we walked out on stage with machine guns and shot everyone in the audience.
RBF Justin: We would be in the media.
RBF Aaron: We’d get on-
TMF Jordan: Just might-
RBF Aaron: We’d get a lot of press.
RBF Justin: So fans beware!
RBF Aaron: I mean nobody cares what we do… nobody cares if we hang our baby out of a window…nobody cares if we get married in Vegas…nobody cares if we have sex with men…in bathrooms.
(laughter)
RBF Justin: George Michael! George W. Michael!
RBF Aaron: Nobody cares because we’re not huge celebrities.
TMF Brett: You guys are pretty big, though.
TMF Jordan: Yeah, you are.
RBF Aaron: Well, we’re not famous celebrities that you read about in Star magazine.
TMF Brett: Would you wanna be?
RBF Aaron: Yes… I would love to be.
TMF Jordan: This is probably the second biggest venue in Houston.
TMF Brett: It really is. RBF Aaron: What?
TMF Jordan: This is one of the biggest places in Houston.
RBF Justin: Well, we’re not gonna sell it out.
RBF Aaron: We played here with Blondie in ’99.
TMF Jordan: Really?
RBF Aaron: Yep.
RBF Aaron: Were you there?
TMF Jordan: No.
RBF Aaron: Are you guys old school?
RBF Justin: How old are you guys?
TMF Jordan: Seventeen…both of us.
RBF Justin: You’re both seventeen??
TMF Jordan: Yeah.
RBF Justin: So, five years ago you were twelve.
TMF Jordan: How old are you guys?
RBF Aaron: Oooh…too old.
RBF Justin: Twenty one.
(laughter)

TMF Jordan: If you could put subliminal messages in your songs, what song would it be in and what would the message be?
RBF Aaron: Maybe we already did and maybe it’s working…
(laughter)
RBF Justin: The messages are subliminal, so you can’t know what they say.
TMF Jordan: Very true. (laughter)

TMF Jordan: Are there any more dreams or goals that you guys have that you want to accomplish before you’re finished with the whole band thing?
RBF Aaron: I just want to be rich and famous….that’s always been my dream.
(laughter)
RBF Aaron: But, dreams don’t come true.
TMF Jordan: Sometimes, in fairy tales.
RBF Aaron: I’ll just go for a nice, quick, painless death.
(laughter)

TMF Jordan: So, you guys are doing a show in the UK with a lot of cool bands…is there anything else that you have planned for the fall? RBF Justin: It says that?!
TMF Jordan: Yeah, it says that.
RBF Aaron: It’s actually called the Reading and Leeds festival.
RBF Justin: We’re playing with The Offspring and The Darkness.
RBF Aaron: And it will be viewed by one hundred thousand people….there will be girls with boobs there….it’s gonna be amazing. We get to play on the maaain stage.
RBF Justin (to guy at table): Who’s before us?
Guy: Taking Back Sunday.
RBF Justin: Is right before us?
TMF Jordan: Wow…
RBF Justin: Who’s after us? Who’s two bands after us?
RBF Aaron: Who’s second to last?
Guy: Second to last is The Offspring…Taking Back Sunday is second.
RBF Justin: And we’re third?
(Justin and the guy at the table discuss some more)

(Enter Tyler, the trumpet player)
RBF Tyler: Thank you.
RBF Justin: For what?
RBF Tyler: Helping me get back here last night…
(laughter)
RBF Justin: Look at Tyler’s partyness in New Orleans. (Tyler holds up hand)
“New Orleans…Enough said.” -Tyler TMF Jordan: Oooh. Ouch! What’d you do?!
RBF Tyler: Oh, I was reaching for a titty and I fell off a bar stool.
(laughter)
RBF Justin: That was hilarious.
RBF Tyler: Was she cute?
RBF Justin: She definitely was…she kinda had some funky teeth, but-
RBF Tyler: Was she gonna let me touch her boobs? RBF Justin: I think she was…
RBF Tyler: Was she?
RBF Justin: She didn’t move….you just fell.
(laughter) RBF Justin: She kinda reminded me of a dog, because she had this really big jaw…that came out. And an under bite…
RBF Aaron: A dog with really big boobies.
RBF Justin: Yeah, she had big boobs. She was cute, though…
(laughter) RBF Tyler (to Aaron): I heard you fell down in the hallway…
RBF Aaron: Who knows what happened.
(laughter)
TMF Jordan (to Tyler, in regards of his hand): What’d you do to it?
RBF Tyler: It might be a little chip…Catch 22 had too much to drink…
RBF Justin: So did you.
RBF Tyler: Adam, from Lucky Boys Confusion, walked into a crime scene.
(laughter)
RBF Justin: What???
TMF Jordan: How’d he pull that off?!?
RBF Justin: He did????
RBF Tyler: He walked right into it.
RBF Justin: Oh yeah! I remember, last night these two girls got beat up…at our hotel. I bet that’s what it was.
Reel Big Fish were nearly out of time because they had to go eat dinner so we took a couple of pictures before we left and got them to make captions for the pictures. You can find them scattered across the interview.