Interview Good Riddance: Russ Rankin

Artiest: Good Riddance

Geïnterviewde: Russ Rankin

Interview afgenomen op: Groezrock

Label: Fat Wreck Chords

Enkele jaren geleden stond Russ Rankin ons al eens te woord op Groezrock. Anno 2015 hebben ze een nieuwe plaat uit en gingen we Russ opnieuw opzoeken.

Hello I am joined today with Russ Rankin, how are you?

Hi, I am fine how are you?

I am fine thank you, how did you end up with this band?

My friends had a band and they needed a singer. Then I met Luke and in 1991 we wanted to be a serious band. So in 1993 Chuck joined us.

When did you get into music?

Well when I was a kid I taught myself to play the guitar, because our guitarist we had before Luke didn’t come up with a lot of stuff so I had the feeling I had to step up.

What message do you put in your music?

We put a left, liberal political message in our music. We sing about equal rights, social injustice, animal rights, the death penalty and much more.

Those are some heavy subjects, why did you choose for these subjects?

Because a lot of bands are too afraid to sing about these things and I am not.

So I can assume you write the music for the band?

I write all the lyrics but I also get help from the others.

What song did you think is the fan favorite?

Oh I don’t really know, I think songs like United Cigar and Weight of the World are some songs that people enjoy.

What do you know about Belgium, do you have some good or not so good memories of it?

I know they talk multiple languages here. We played some great shows at Groezrock and Pukkelpop but we also had some good shows at smaller locations. We never had a bad show here. I also like the location, if there is a festival in Belgium, people from Germany, the Netherlands, France, England and other countries will be here.

Do you go to a festival or a show even if you don’t need to play there?

Yeah I went to Slovenia Punk Rock Holiday. The location of the festival is really great and I saw there so many great bands, if you haven’t been there you really should go there. The mountains there are really beautiful. I also went to shows in Spain and Leeds.

What band is an inspiration for you?

I would say the band Bad religion, it is a brilliant band. They use music as a vehicle to express ideas. This band is more than just entertainment.

What do you think is the career highlight for Good Riddance?

I wouldn’t call it a highlight but a turning point. The break in 2007. Our lives continued and when we came back together we agreed that the band wouldn’t be such a big part of our lives as it was before. We are extremely grateful we came back together and we are so grateful about what we have now.

What is something great that you learned from touring?

I learned a lot, I enjoyed seeing all the other countries. It is a great experience to see and learn other cultures. Now I have more of a global perspective. For example I really see that the USA is self-contained. They have a vision and they want the people to share only that vision and those are things that I also want to use in my music.

You are also known for your tattoos, what can you tell me about them?

Well I have a lot of them but they all have a meaning. A lot of the tattoos are lyrics, logos, things important to me. The most of them have something to do with music.

Which one are you the most proud of?

The one with the statue of liberty that isn’t holding a torch but is dumping beer out of a bottle.

And why that one?

Because I don’t drink alcohol and it is really appropriate for me.

Thank you for the interview and have a great time in Belgium.

Thank you and enjoy our show.