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Tim Burton at the Warped Tour
7/24/00, Randall's Island, NYC
Photo © 2000 NY Rock
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NY Rock recently had a chance to chat with saxophonist Tim Burton of the Mighty Mighty Bosstones after their set at this year’s Warped Tour, when it stopped at Randall’s Island, NYC.
The Bosstones emerged from Boston’s hardcore punk rock scene in the mid-eighties. Tim describes the band's beginnings as “a group of kids who played in garage punk bands that were trying to play ska music.”
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NYROCK:
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How's it going?
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TIM:
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It's going great. This is the fourth time we've been on the tour. It's the best tour out there. The amenities for the bands maybe aren't as nice as some other tours we've been on. But for the kids who come to see the show, it's the most fun. There's all the great action sports going on. For twenty bucks to be able to come and watch five or six platinum recording artists, and punk rock bands to boot, is pretty cool.
Plus the other bands are awesome as well. A couple bands that are really sticking out are Millencolin from Sweden, kids seem to love them, Flogging Molly are doing really well. Anti Flag, One Man Army. Kids are really enjoying them.
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NYROCK:
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What's behind your staying power?
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TIM:
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We're a good band. We put on a good show. We're in tune with our audience. We keep low ticket prices. Put shows on in venues that we know kids are gonna want to come to. Try to create an atmosphere at our shows where a lot of different type of people feel welcome. You don't have to be a punk rock kid, a Rasta or whatever. Our music is pretty open. We mix a lot of different styles.
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NYROCK:
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Being a veteran musician, what do you think of the industry?
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TIM:
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I think it's hit or miss. All the entertainment industry – film, movies, music – nobody has any idea what they're doing. You just work as hard as you can. You do your best. Certainly there are a lot of real scumbags in the music industry. A lot of individuals who are pretty sleazy. There are a lot of jobs and positions that are pretty sleazy. One thing I will say is punk rock changed a lot of that. It's more do-it-yourself. A lot more bands get signed now.
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NYROCK:
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Have the kids changed over the years?
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TIM:
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Definitely, punk rock lifestyle and skateboarder culture are mainstream now. When we started it was spandex and big hair. We've gone through a whole bunch of different musical movements and we've always done really well. The punk rock scene is always really cool. The punk and ska scenes have been really supportive.
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NYROCK:
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What do you think about the Napster controversy?
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TIM:
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I don't really think too much about it. I think the lawyers will figure that shit out.
I think the Internet has been positive. Through the Internet there is definitely an exchange of information among our fans and they find out where we're playing and come check us out.
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NYROCK:
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Do you get a different reaction in other parts of the world?
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TIM:
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People are pretty much the same where ever you go, but scenes are a little bit different. For instance, in Europe, people are really sensitive to your being true and not selling out. But once they get behind you, they stick with you. Whereas, in the Far East, like in Japan, they don't give a fuck about street credibility at all. They just want the flashiest, hottest, newest thing out there. The Warped Tour went to Japan and it was a flop because street credibility means nothing over there. We went there and did shows on our own that did better than the Warped Tour shows. They want the most commercial thing going.
But the kids are the same everywhere. They dump beer on their heads and jump off the stage and go crazy.
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NYROCK:
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How about Australia?
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TIM:
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Australia is awesome. People are really cool there. Australia is like America before it got ruined. Before there were too many people. You can do stuff. It's like America probably was in the forties when you could sleep on the beach and not get hassled by cops. When there just weren't so many people that they lost a lot of personal freedoms. It's really cool. I might even move there.
I hope to do something like that anyway. I would love to – when this is all over – teach at a university or something. I have a degree in mass communication. I've certainly learned a lot being on the inside – about the film business, the music business, the entertainment business, in general – that I'm sure I could pass on. A lot better than the people who tried to teach me when I went to college.
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NYROCK:
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What's the future of the Bosstones?
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TIM:
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We're doing it as long as we're creative at it and having fun. The guys in the band are pretty intelligent people. We have other things we can do. We're not going to milk it. But the band has always gone up. It's been a great ride. We have total creative freedom. We're basically eight guys who own our own business. We don't answer to anybody. We do whatever we want to do.
We do things on the side. Dicky's been acting in movies. I publish a magazine. Joe Gittleman produces other bands.
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NYROCK:
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Talented guys. And your latest album [Pay Attention, Island Def Jam] is doing very well....
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TIM:
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It's doing awesome. It's our best record. We keep getting better at being musicians. We keep getting better at working in the studio – that's an acquired skill. Better songwriters.
So as long as it stays fresh and fun we'll keep doing it.
Feel fortunate to be able to do it.
August 2000
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