TLOBF Interview // The Thermals

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Coming up with questions for a band as diverse and energetic as The Thermals can be an exhaustive process. What do you ask a band with so much already under their belt? Radical ideological concepts, ferociously catchy punk-hooks and ridiculously catchy pop melodies are laden throughout their discography. But instead of using big words to pretend I have even the faintest idea about politics and religion, I sat down and asked frontman Hutch Harris a few questions about the band’s new LP, Personal Life, and he responded with various thoughts on wrestling, the pointlessness of music videos, Thin Lizzy, ‘making it’ and exotic Wyoming. It all makes some very thought-provoking stuff… all of which I thought I’d share with you below.

Hey, what’s happening guys? Anything cool happen yesterday in the world of The Thermals?

Yesterday, yesterday… mmm, no. We don’t think so. Honestly we can’t remember. We must of got really stoned. Yeah… probably.

Religion, politics and other similar ideologies have often graced your records. Is the title ‘Personal Life’ as literal as it sounds on the album?

It is as literal as it sounds and then some. This record is about our dirty, sordid collective personal life. It’s not pretty! It’s a dark world filled with much pain and despair.

Where’s the inspiration coming from? Do you find yourselves expressive during ‘Personal Life’, or was it intended as more of a concept, like the fascist faux-Christian debacle in ‘the Body, the Blood, the Machine’?

We always find ourselves quite expressive. Maybe too expressive! It’s a fine line. It’s intended as a concept, as much as any of our records are. Although the lyrics are based on many different relationships, the album is written and the songs ordered so it appears to be about a single, doomed relationship. Sneaky, perhaps. But incredibly effective in getting the point across.

How did the recording go? Did you find yourself using any advice you’d picked up whilst working on the previous LPs?

Recording was fun, as it usually is. We didn’t use any advice we’d picked up in the past, as we tend to forget or discard most advice we get. we did learn a lot of new tricks this time around, although we plan to forget or discard all that next time we record.

What about influences? I find myself finding a more mellow and sensitive side to the pop-punk Fuckin’-A-Thermals. Has anything you’ve been listening to led you this way?

I think maybe we’ve just been feeling more mellow and sensitive ourselves. We’re quite emo! You’d never know it from the lack of eyeliner. I listen to a lot of Thin Lizzy – they’re actually much more sensitive then you’d guess just knowing their hits.

The music video for the first single from the record ‘I Don’t Believe You’ - would you believe me if I said I were confused after watching it?

I don’t believe you. Or rather I DO believe you, but I don’t really understand or care why you’re confused. Music videos are as pointless as they are necessary.

How much creative involvement do you guys have with your videos? Do you tend to try to direct yourselves or leave it to the director?

The director directs, we star cause we’re the stars. The talent. We are involved in the creative process as much as we can be, which means we just turn down ideas till we hear one we like.

Any plans for a tour soon? Especially in Europe, I feel like we’re not really the ‘in-thing’ right now and it’s sad.

The UK is always in. The rest of the world lines up to kiss your ass. Enjoy it while it lasts, which is gonna be forever. We’ll be there in the Spring.

Speaking of touring, is there anywhere you haven’t been yet that you’d love to play?

Wyoming! We heard it’s very exotic there. It’s in the USA you know.

If The Thermals were a record label, what’d be your first plan of action? Any bands on your list to sign, any reissues you’d wrestle to get the rights to?

We will never start a label cause we’re not crazy or stupid. If we did want to lose a bunch of money by starting a record label, we wouldn’t do any reissues because it’s a snooze new shit only. And no wrestling of any kind.

Where do you guys wanna be in 5 years time?

We’d like to be on the Columbia River, high as hell on our own personal boat. You haven’t really made it ‘till you have your own boat.