Get Up Kids / Reggie & the Full Effect

Interviews | Oct 30th, 1999

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James Dewees is the puppet master behind the mysterious indie band Reggie and the Full Effect, as well as keyboardist for the nefarious Get Up Kids. He’s also hooped up on goofballs and I gave up correcting his punctuation and grammar early on, so do your best.

Listen, bub. I don’t know nothin’ about you. Fill me in.
My names is james, I don’t know what else to say.

What’s the story with Coalesce? Are you rejoining them or what? Not that I’ve ever heard them or anything.
Coalesce has already gotten back together and broken up again. I don’t know why I try anymore. It’s like one of those kids you see on Springer who they do a follow-up show for, and he comes back from Florida all fucked up still. So they do another follow-up show, and he is still fucked up, then they release a Led Zepplin cover record and he still comes back all fucked up. Do you know what I mean?

How did you go from Coalesce to Get Up Kids? And you play like fifty instruments, what’s up with that? Who are you, Prince??
This question should really be three questions or one of those a. b. c. questions. Coalesce to getups was easy. I just went down the street to Matt’s house, stuck a gun in his mouth and said, I want to milk the emo cow and goddammit you gonna milk her for me. Just kidding. I can play 47 instruments but so can everyone else so it’s not a big deal. And if I could be a prince… I don’t think I would be in a band if I was royalty. Do you think prince harry has a band, I bet he does, he smokes pot. They probably sing about how you should love your gramma and be a taxpayer cause they’re the coolest. Oh yeah, and conquering france

So the recent GUK stuff has been super mellow, but it’s also the most intelligent and well-written stuff from you guys. How have the fans reacted to the transition from emo to lo-fi indie?
I have no clue what to say, I like talking about prince harry and the pages, that hip garage rock band that sings about lovin your grandma, and payin’ taxes and conquering France.

GUK has totally exploded in the past couple years. You guys have probably toured all over the world with millions of rockstars and shtupped incomprehensible amounts of groupies. I want to hear all about it. The sleaze. The debauchery. The dirt. Give it to me, I can take it. And don’t wimp out, fucko!
Macauly culkin has no chest hair, likes whip-its, pot and other stuff, but so does everyone else so it doesn’t matter. Some of us have chest hair, though, and birthmarks shaped like america if you outline it and look at it in a mirror. Word on the street is corey haim is all shtupped up to use your word, or so I learned on E! truehollywood coreys. I really like E! It lets me know who’s hot and who’s not. They always have an all access pass to the dream factory where the rivers of fame seem to go on forever, and the lighting and make-up is always Swayze. I love you Hollywood!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You guys are gaining popularity without doing some hideously cheesy MTV Unplugged or something along those lines. Or is that in the near future?
I have performed approx. 6 unplugged concerts in my bathroom for my dog and his penguin chewie guy. So I don’t really need the exposure you get from the 900 billion people who watch T.V. all day. I like paying my bills though and it is nice to splurge on a mexican pizza from Minsky’s on 51st and main where josh from “the full effect” works.

To be honest, I wasn’t into the early Reggie stuff because it seemed too eclectic and I wasn’t into the gimmicky fake history and stuff. But the new album is REALLY good. So I’m thinking, hey, the music’s really great and stands on its own, so why resort to gimmicks? Your comments, sir.
Lets change that question to I wasn’t into the early Reggie stuff because I WAS CRAZY, and didn’t realize I was missing out on musical anarchy that runs on 6 AA batteries. Okay, now my answer, You are forgiven and given another chance to go buy the record. The gimmicks just make it weirder and more confusing so nothing ever becomes boring, if the gimmick is boring that is my fault and I apologize, I will try harder the next time to impress you so hard you will shit out a diamond…how’s that sound?

What would be your ideal job, non-music related?
Stripper or a teacher or a teacher/stripper/superhero known as Professorundresser!!!!!

Who would be your ideal woman?
Well she would have to be horny, but at the same time some sort of superpowers like professorundresser maybe not the same powers but similar maybe we would be each others nemesis but live together and do it and stuff. Sounds like a movie I would go see.

What questions would be in your ideal interview?
would you like me to give you some money? That would be an easy question to answer. “would you like to talk about prince harry’s band?” easy as well “do you think our president is goofy” easyagain “would you like to be taken out for a banana split?” stilleasy. “do you get the general point of what I am like now?” notsoeasy to everyone else but me, and my mom.

ames Dewees’ bands, Reggie and the Fizizzle and The Get Up Kizzizzle, are on Vagrazzizle.

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