What kind of cars do you guys all drive?
KR- "I don't drive. But I do have a Dino Beach Cruiser which is pretty cool (laughs). Chris has a Camaro that he bought and his folks paid for some of it. Marco drives the tour van and some other cars. Oh and Mike has a van too."
Kung Fu Records or Fat Wreck Chords?
KR- "We like em both. They are both cool. But let's just put it this way. If not for Kung Fu records, I wouldn't have moved to California. Also, they allowed us to play our music. If not for Fat Wreck Chords, The Ataris wouldn't have escalated into what we are now."
When did you first begin playing guitar?
KR- "When I was 10. So like, 12 years. I got my first guitar though when I was like 2."
If you weren't in a band right now, what would you be doing?
KR- "Photography full time probably. It'd be cool to take pics of art stuff. I took all the pics in the album cover of "Blue Skies." Or maybe write a book and stuff.
Other band names you thought of?
KR- "We were once called The Methadones but it was for like a short while on one demo tape."
Kris: This is the longest story in the fucking world. So I'm gonna totally downsize it.
It was two years ago, our first tour with MxPx and we played this small town in California and after the show it was out first time to really hang out with them. They had always been a band I really admired I really wanted to. "Hey, you know lets go hang out and get a hotel and hang out and party." So we did that and as usual, I'm not racist at all, but there is always the typical middle-eastern/Indian desk clerk guy. The guy was very kind to us when we checked in and he made it a point to say, [Using his best Apu, from the simpson's, voice] "No parties! You can not throw party tonight!" And I was like "Okay, sure. Hey, you guys got a pool?" [Apu:] "The pool is closed! The pool is closed! The pool is off limits! Do not get in the pool!" "Okay"
So the first thing we do, is we've got a bunch of booze, put all the furnature in the room, out into the courtyard, climbed the fence, get in the pool. We're drinking Jack in the pool or Sisco in the pool or whirlpool or whatever the fuck. Then this guy walks out in this turban. Like ten minutes later and [Apu:] "Get out of the pool! Get out of the pool or I call the cops. Go back in your room." So we're all like, "Aww, man!" So we go back and we still got all the furnature out in the courtyard. He didn't see that, and we're totally getting wasted and Marco, our old bass player, and he was in our band for a little while. Just a tour. He decides to throw this bottle up against the wall and it shatters. He's like, "Check it out." i'm like, "Oh its pretty rad." I'm pouring Sisco all over Derrik our drummer and he's running around naked with a towel on his head. And then MxPx, their lead singer is running around with a lamp shade on his head. They're like, "NO! Check this out!"
Trying to top it. So I pulled some fireworks out of my bag. I lit one and I tossed it in the room! Its spinning, buzzing, on the ground. Big multicolored fucking fireworks and its like burning holes in the rug. Then the rug catches on fire. I'm stomping it out. Everyone is cracking up laughing. All of a sudden smoke alarms go off and I'm like, "Oh, Shit!" I try to grab the nearest pole or coat hangers or something, to knock the fire alarm out of the ceiling. Then this fucking sprinkeler system is going off through out the entire hallway. I'm like, "What the fuck! This sucks!" So I yank it out and the power goes out in the entire wing. What the fuck do you do? So we pull all the furnature in, Shut the patio doors. They got to their room and we went to our room and we totally don't surface till the next morning. I even left shit out.
We were scatering totia chips throughout the hallway, the roadie for MxPx was like running around naked peeing in the hallway. Showing his multi-piercings off. So the next morning MxPx was like, "Okay dude, we're gonna leave." I was like, "Oh yea? Did you guys go checkout?" "We paid on a credit card." "Oh fuck." No wait they paid in cash. Well WE paid on a credit card. So we're fucked. We've got to go and checkout. So we're like, "All right we'll catch up with you guys." So we all basically have to flip coins to see who is going to go down to the guy or whoever is there and checkout. So its me and out drummer, Derrik. He decided to go. Derrik, he's a really different kind of guy. He's like totally the most funny character. As soon as we walk in we see this guy. The guy is STILL there. Same guy. I was like there is no way in hell. It can't be the same guy. The guy must live there or something. He's got his back turned to us, shuffling some papers. I'm going, " Oh fuck." and Derrik, Just like totally funny, he doesn't give a fuck. He goes up to ring the bell and goes BING! and fucking rings the bell as hard as he can. He's like, "Hey guy!"The guy is like, [Apu voice:] Why? Why you do this? Twenty-four complaints, broken glass.... WHY?!?" He's totally frustrated. [Apu:] "After all my years as hotel desk clerk, I have never seen such activity! You just go! Get out of here right now!" He's crying, I'm like, "Fuck, we just ruined this guy. So that was it. Fun.
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