Blondie (The JOYSTIX) is a Veglam regular. He’s been interviewed a few times and we’ve been reviewing his projects for years now. He decided to join forces with Stuffy (HIGH-SCHOOL MOTHERFUCKERS/PLEASURE ADDICTION…) to bring us SUCKERSTARZ!
Can you introduce SUCKERSTARZ?
Blondie: Suckerstarz is a side project of me together with Stuffy and Pamy (High-school motherfuckers, Pleasure addiction). My friendship with Stuffy started about 15 years ago. We met in Hungary and we found it out really quick that we were fans of the same genres, and bands.
So we decided to do something together. Something noisy, but catchy, energetic. Pamy joined the band soon and in 2000 we recorded an Ep titled 666 in 2 or 3 days if I remember well. Later we found a record company in Japan (Myrmecoleo records) , they released the stuff in the same year. Also we took part in different compilations by underground labels worldwide, but after 10 years we thought It would be a good idea to do a full album.
How do you deal with the distance (some members being in France and others in Hungary)?
Blondie: Not easy at all,I think this is the main reason why this is a side project and not a „normally” working touring recording band.It’s really hard to deal with this big distance , of course the internet makes it a bit easier, but to make rehearsals or planning live gigs is near impossible.
This is the reason that if we wanna play live, we will be able to do it only if we will have enough dates to put together a 1 or 2 week long tour.
Where did you record the new album “Easy Romance”?
Blondie: We recorded it in Hungary. I was the person who coordinated the recordings, and also I did the mixing of the stuff.
Do you see the band only as a side-project or is it more than that?
Blondie: In my opininon we can consider it as a side project. If we feel that it would be good idea to write a few songs, record something or if it makes sense to play live we will do it for sure.But there are no big expectations towards anything, we do this band mostly because we’re friends ,we have fun, we love to play music, and i think we can work together well and can write cool songs together without any sweaty effort.
How would you describe SUCKERSTARZ to someone who has never heard about the band?
Blondie: If you listen our first EP it was really noisy,energetic, fast in the vein of New bomb turks, or the first Hellacopters record. Easy romance is much more diverse .The sound is still really raw, but you can find really catchy choruses which stuck in your head after a few listening, and also fast angry songs so i think it’s much more a mixture of our influences than our first EP.
We are a noisy punk/rnr band but also it’s not hard to hear our glam roots if you listen the songs on the new record.
What are the main differences between SUCKERSTARZ and the JOYSTIX apart from the line-up?
Blondie: First of all Joystix is a „normal” band.We play gigs and doing records regularly.Musically – on the first Joystix record we had a few songs which could’ve been a Suckerstarz song also but with the Joystix we moved much more towards a „darker” direction. Our lyrics also changed a lot so I guess if you compare our last EP „So low city” to this new Suckerstarz record you will hear what I’m talking about.
Also it’s really important that half of the Suckerstarz record is written by Stuffy which of course also makes some kind of separation between the two bands.
I’m the singer in both bands that can blur the borderlines a bit,and also im the main songwriter in joystix too so it’s unavoidable to have similarities .Both bands (Suckerstarz, Joystix) and also High-School Motherfuckers are in the same genre –all are punk/rnr bands…so it’s the same 3 chords anyway … isn’t it??:-))))
“Easy Romance” was released on Stuffy’s record label Shotgun Generation records. Can you tell us a bit about the label and its history/goals, etc.?
Stuffy: I started this label to put out my first cd, it was the Love Sikk Junkiez single back at the days ! Then we did the High-School Motherfuckers ep, I put it out too, it was logic for me. Then came The Joystix, I loved their stuff, and Nasty Kixx from Sweden too. Then after 3/4 years without any new cd I put out the last Aesthesia record and the Suckerstarz one.
This part of the businness was missing me ! But I really make it for pleasure, it takes a lot of time and money and it rarely come back but for me it’s cool to see live exciting bands and records ! I’d like to put out 3 or 4 cd’s per year now.
The next one will be Rakel Traxx « Bitches Palace », real fuckin’ glamsters from Marseille ! And in september the first Pleasure Addiction, the second High-School Motherfuckers lil’ bit after and so many more !
Do you think that things would be easier for a band like SUCKERSTARZ if you guys were located in Scandinavia for instance?
Stuffy: Hmm, maybe yeah, but we’ll never know !
You list MOTORHEAD in your influences. Have you seen “Lemmy the Movie”? Your thoughts about it?
Blondie: Yeah!! It’s very cool. Lemmy is one of the last living true rocknroll icons!!
Last records you’ve enjoyed lately?
Blondie: Not too many good records nowadays. The one which I truly enjoyed is The Bellrays:Black lightning. Fantastic record.
Do you plan on touring to promote the album?
Blondie: Yeah it would be cool. As I mentioned earlier,if we can put together 10-12 gigs in a row probably we gonna do it!!
Veglam 