Illinois Entertainer June 2014 | Page 8

toured with them and the rest is history! I'll put this line up against any in Meat History. Tesco Illinois Entertainer: Congrats on the new album. We'd say it's your best album in nearly two decades Tesco Vee: Haha, yes! I'm a proud papa. We worked long and hard on this un'! I call it "climbin' the mountain." So much work, but, then, when you're holding it in your paws it's like, CHOICE! IE: From first listen, it's pretty clear the new lineup is your tightest in years. How did you hook-up with the current titans of titular trauma? TV: It's funny. They had a band called Chapstik. I saw 'em on Myspace, which dates that! I thought, dang, these guys could be my backup band! But it's a little weird, so I didn't ask. Fear of rejection? Because they looked like insane junkie living- under- the- overpass ruffians? Not sure, but then as things worked out, we 8 illinoisentertainer.com june 2014 The Meatmen - 2014: Tesco Vee - vocals, Hindu Kush- guitar/vocals, Danny Dirtbag- bass/vocals,; Swarthy "Bun Length" Franklin- drums IE: We don't want to give people the impression you've been missing or that this is some sort of comeback. You've been touring rather regularly for quite some time, haven't you? TV: Since my comeback show in 2007, pretty steady. The guys in Negative Approach backed me up on that one. I thought I was done, but after that show, the fuse was lit once again! IE: In 1996, you released the excellent Gonzo Hate Vibe under the moniker Tesco Vee's Hate Police. Was there any particular reason you decided against simply 06•2014 releasing is as The Meatmen? TV: At the time, I had just taken a break and wanted to try something new. So I did! A lot of people like that one better than any Meatmen album. I'm fine with that. It's all semantics. It's Tesco Vee and some dudes. Eventually, I just fell back into the Meatmen moniker. It's what people know. We did 11 shows as TVHP in 2011 just for sh*ts and giggles, but that's it for the Hate Police. IE: You have to be proud of the fact you co-founded Touch And Go Records way back in 1979. How did that come about? TV: Co-founded? Heresy! I founded it! It was my label for the first few releases and then I kind of gave the label to Corey Rusk who took it to another level. IE: I think you'd agree there was a period when alleged "punk bands" were pocketing gobs of cash, while real punk struggled just to get by. Are there any bands out there now you consider the real deal?