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It took me awhile to type up this interview that went down on June 24, 2006 with Doug Robinson of The Sleeping due to a broken wrist that made it hard to type, let alone try to type while working the voice recorder. My wrist is getting back to normal, and I was able to transpose this bad boy of an interview, which talks about outlaws, the importance of music, and Batman. Enjoy, and pick up Questions and Answers, their debut record out now on Victory.
PL: State something interesting about yourself.
TS: I have an OCD, where if I get one hand wet, I have to get the other hand wet, or else I'll freak out. People will actually hold me down and get one hand wet, and its been a massive ball. If I get one finger wet, I have to get both hands wet, or else it feels out of place.
PL: What were some of the thoughts you had when you woke up on May 30, the day your album was released?
TS: We were in Houston, I believe, on this tour; The Lions, Tigers and Bears Tour, and it was midnight at the show, and we were all hanging out at the bar at the show. We got in the van, and even though it was an hour back in Texas, we were all like "Wow, its May 30, and this is the day we're gonna find out if we can really do this or not." We all had high hopes and listened to the record as soon as it turned midnight and drove to wherever it was that we were going to, and just prayed for the best and the first week sales were amazing.
PL: Whats one way to kill boredom on the road?
TS: I read. Reading is an awesome thing to do. I don't read fiction. I read a lot of nonfiction, history books and stuff like that. You can listen iPods, Sidekicks are definitely a must. Pretty much just being a goofball with the other guys helps pass the time as well.
PL: You don't get car sick when you read?
TS: No, not in vans. If I was in a Geo or some shit, I'd probably puke my brains out and get all nauseous, but in the van, its pretty cool. Its a wider area, and there is space to lay down on a blanket.
PL: What would you rather be: a pirate or a wild west outlaw?
TS: A part of me thinks they're both the same, just in a different era. I love pirates, and I'm all about Goonies and all sorts of crazy plundering and stuff, but I don't know; no one's ever asked me if I wanted to be an outlaw, so I'd probably try it. Everybody's wanted to be a pirate at one point in their life, but I'd probably want to be an outlaw just so I could have a bad ass moustache, and walk around and be like "Yo, give me this or else I'm gonna shoot your hat off."
PL: If pirates lose limbs, they pay you.
TS: Really?
PL: Yeah, they get $500 for a left arm, an eye is $100.
TS: Wow. Would you want to lose a limb or would you rather be a bad ass outlaw?
PL: I think I'd rather be a pirate. I'm kind of in a pirate mode right now.
TS: That makes sense. Some people like plundering and others like horse riding.
PL: Outlaws have all the whorehouses nearby.
TS: Pirates can just take whoever they want: male or female. I'd personally rather be an outlaw just so I could say "Hey, baby, I'm an outlaw." And she'd go "Oh, you're so sweet."
PL: Whats your favorite swear word?
TS: Jeen. If you guys want to know what that means, go ask I am the Avalanche. Go to www.iamtheavalanche.com. They're our good friends.
PL: List three reasons why music is important to you.
TS: I can list a million. One reason music is important is because it gets you through a lot of hard times. At the same time, it also gets you through a lot of good times. Music is pretty much all around you. I can give you one big reason: music is what makes up everything in our lives. We walk to rhythm, whether its someone else's or our own. Pretty much everything is in rhythm either with itself or with each other. Music is a huge part of that. I guess it also helps you feel sincere, reading lyrics and learning messages and things like that. There's tons of sincerity that comes out of certain lyrics you read and connect with. I guess another reason would be that it mellows you out or fires you up if you need to be. It puts you in a mood that you want to stay in.
PL: Name your favorite Morgan Freeman movie.
TS: Batman Begins, just because I'm a huge Batman fan, and he was amazing in it. He was a pretty bad ass Lucious Fox.
PL: I wasn't a huge fan of that film.
TS: You've got to treat it as a whole different movie.
PL: Yeah, and I didn't do that.
TS: You've got to, or you'll be wondering where Jack Nicholson is. Where's Kim Bassinger being the leading lady? Who's Katie Holmes? You've got to think of it as a totally different movie, which is what they want you to think, and the second movie is going to be the same way.
PL: Part two has the Joker.
TS: And its introducing Two Face.
PL: Do you think they can get a better Joker than Jack Nicholson?
TS: I hear its Paul Reubens, and if its Paul Reubens, Pee Wee Herman, than thats gonna be pretty bad ass. Its gonna be a totally different joker. He's gonna be skinnier and more maniacal. Jack Nicholson was great with the one liners, but I think this one is gonna be more cynical and more evil, while at the same time be more acrobatic and show more action with him and stuff like that.
PL: Whats a little known fact about Long Island?
TS: The biggest hill in Long Island is on Aderondac Drive, and I used to live on Aderondac Drive. Me and my friends used to run up and down it all the time, and when you got to the top of the hill, you could see the shores and lighthouses. Its the biggest hill on the island, and I used to live on it with my ex girlfriend.
PL: Name one album, besides your own, that you think all kids should have in their collection.
TS: At the Drive In Relationship of Command. Maybe any At the Drive In record. Recently, I would say I am the Avalanche. Its probably one of the best records I've heard in a long time.
PL: Is there anything else you want to say?
TS: Jeeeeeeeeeen.