Few punk fans out there in the world are unfamiliar with Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, the all cover song “supergroup” consisting of vocalist Spike Slawson, Fat Mike of NOFX on bass and vocals, Lagwagon vocalist Joey Cape (on guitar) and drummer Dave Raun , and Chris Shiflett of the Foo Fighters on lead guitar. Since 2005, the band has taken no prisoners in its quest to prove that any song from tear-jerking ballads to disco hits can be transformed into a pop punk masterpiece, most recently on its 2014 album Are We Not Men? We are Diva! (a spin on the classic Devo album, though curiously there are no Devo covers on record. We looked).
With Me First and the Gimme Gimmes set to play both Riot Fest & Rodeo in Denver and Riot Fest & Carnival in Chicago, we put Slawson in the hot seat to answer our “10 Questions.” Check out his answers below and see Me First at a Riot Fest near you.
What is the first album you ever purchased?
Black Sabbath, Paranoid
Name one band that changed your life. How?
Stevie Wonder. Love.
What was the first concert you ever attended?
AC/CD, with Fastway supporting.
What was the last concert you attended (that was not your own)?
Royal Headache, at the Great American Music Hall in the Tenderloin.
What is your favorite tour snack?
Red Vines (no twizzlers)
What is one book we should read?
The New Jim Crow, by Michelle Alexander [Editor’s note: Agreed!]
Tell us your best festival survival tip.
Don’t be afraid to go full-carnie.
If you were running for president during this election, what would be the top item on
your platform?
1-year compulsory service-job for millennials.
Imagine the world is ending at midnight. What are your plans for the rest of the day?
Finally write that novel I’ve been kicking around.
What is the best song ever written?
(2-way tie) “Whole Wide World” by Wreckless Eric and “Action, Time, Vision” by Alternative TV
