Against Me! is the reluctant savior of punk rock. Their stripped-down, DIY sound is especially refreshing in today’s rehashed musical climate. Drawing from their southern roots, along with a heaping dose of old school punk, these guys make even the most cynical punk feel as though they were a teenager again. Against Me! could very well go down in history as one of punk rock’s most memorable bands. This interview was conducted via telephone with singer/guitarist Tom Gabel.
Bill – Much has been made about your band’s recent signing to Fat Wreck Chords, though I’m not quite sure why people have made such a big deal about it. How exactly did your deal transpire and what made you want to sign with them?
Tom – We’ve played a lot of shows out in California and various people who work at Fat have come and seen us play. I’d kept in correspondence with Toby, one of the guys who works there, and one day he asked me about possibly doing a seven-inch on Fat. I agreed, but asked if they’d just like to do our next full-length instead. We didn’t really want to do a seven-inch at that point; we kind of wanted to get our next album out. Toby said he’d have to ask his boss, but within 48 hours Fat Mike got back to me and said they’d totally be into putting out our next record. It’s a weird thing too, just knowing how laid back and relaxed the whole deal-making process was. All those people who call us sellouts probably have these visions of limousines and private jets, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. It’s frustrating. As far as Fat is concerned, I’ve been a fan of the label for a long time. I don’t like every band on the label, but I don’t like every band on any label. I definitely grew up listening to Propagandhi and Swingin’ Utters. Some of the bands they have now like Dillinger Four, None More Black, The Lawrence Arms and Rise Against; they’re all amazing.
Bill – In what ways has being a member of your band changed since signing with Fat?
Tom – The only way it’s really changed, and granted our record has only been out for about a month or so, is that now we’re getting called sellouts. If anything, it’s only made us closer as a band. Anytime you’re receiving criticism as a group it kind of brings you closer. It’s not like we have a lot of money now or we do a lot of drugs.
Bill – Is it frustrating to hear that kind of stuff? Considering you’ve got all these bands today who are together for six months and play like three shows before getting signed to a major label, as opposed to you guys who just signed to a different independent label.
Tom – It’s frustrating as shit, on so many different levels. One of the things I really like about Fat is that it’s not a business relationship. I consider them my friends. I can call them up drunk at 5:00 AM. Then it becomes a thing where people say, “Oh, fuck Fat Wreck Chords” and it’s like they’re shit-talking my friends. That gets frustrating. Then there’s the whole fact that we’ve been doing this band for about five years now and every one of us is several thousand dollars in debt. We can’t even pay our rent. We want to be a band, we want to tour and we want to do it in an ethical way. What are we supposed to do? Probably the most frustrating thing is that a majority of people don’t seem to think Fat is a cool label, like it isn’t hip. It’s not Saddle Creek or whatever, so we tend to get a lot of flak for it. Well, I don’t give a shit about being cool. The truth is that Fat Wreck Chords is awesome. It’s completely independent; they don’t have any exclusive distribution deals. The way they treat their employees and their bands is amazing. We’re just thrilled to be a part of their label.
Bill – Your new album, As The Eternal Cowboy, definitely showcases the growth that your band has recently gone through. How is it different than your previous releases and what do you really like about the record?
Tom – This may sound a little selfish, but my favorite part deals with the lyrics. I’ll look at some of our older songs now and sort of cringe when I read the lyrics. I’ll wonder what the hell I was thinking. With this new album, I feel confident with every song that I knew what I was talking about. Lyrically, I feel very sound and I feel more proud of it than anything I’ve ever done before. Musically, I feel like we were an actual band this time. Everyone pulled their own weight and everyone contributed. It’s representative of what we are as a band, not one person leading and everyone else just playing along. All in all I’m very happy with it. I had an amazing time making it and I stand behind it.
Bill – From both a lyrical standpoint, as well as the manner in which fans react to you guys, Against Me! is a very personal band. Why do you think people feel so strongly connected to your music?
Tom – I don’t know. I’d like to think that people are relating to our songs. I guess that’s something I setout to do when I’m writing. It’s a weird thing, being a person who has certain political viewpoints, because growing up in the punk scene a majority of bands kind of beat you over the head with their politics. I want to accomplish something where you can demonstrate politics in a way that fits into everyday life, so everyone can identify with them. I don’t want someone to have to be a militant anarchist warrior to understand my lyrics. Hopefully that’s why people identify, because they’re not high and mighty lyrics.
Bill – Describe the Gainesville punk scene and how it helped to sculpt your band’s style.
Tom – Gainesville is a really, really interesting town. The punk scene here is awesome. In a weird way it goes beyond the punk scene. Tom Petty’s from here and Bo Diddley lives in a house next to where I used to live. There are certain things that exist that I think all of the locals should be very thankful for. No Idea is from Gainesville and Rob McGregor runs a studio here. They’ve both sort of nurtured the scene and made it a reality for a lot of people. They’ve shown kids that you really can do things for yourself. You can record an album that sounds good and do so cheaply. There’s also someone who’s willing to document it and put it out. In that way, Gainesville is very supportive of its bands.
Bill – Along with you guys, Gainesville’s No Idea Records has also launched the careers of renowned bands like Less Than Jake and Hot Water Music. What makes No Idea such a good place for bands to start out?
Tom – The way they approach things and the way they handle bands is just awesome. The bottom line is that they’re your friends, similar to Fat Wreck Chords. Everyone who works there has a very high level of excitement towards music. I don’t know necessarily how to put it into words, it’s just fuckin’ cool. I stand behind No Idea 100% and I think Gainesville owes a ton to them.
Bill – I’ve heard you guys described as a mix of The Clash, Cash and Crass. I think it’s a pretty fair and complimentary description. Do you agree?
Tom – I would take that as a very high compliment. I’m a fan of all three of those. Crass in particular is a band that has influenced my life in many, many ways. The Clash and Johnny Cash have done so as well.
Bill – You are a self-professed anarchist. Tell me about how you were first exposed to that sort of ideology and how it’s helped shape who you are today.
Tom – Obviously I got exposed to politics through punk music. Specifically, bands like Crass. From there it was Sex Pistols and all the other bands that everyone kind of gets into when they first discover punk. I also had various experiences in my life that helped me to realize that things are, in some ways, really fucked up in the world. I got really into the Minneapolis punk scene for a long time too. The UK peace punk scene of the early ‘80s interested me for a while. Florida used to have a really awesome activist scene, just like a bunch of kids doing Food Not Bombs and stuff like that. It was a great scene to grow up in and have your ideals shaped by.
Bill – Do you think Bush will be re-elected in 2004?
Tom – I hope not. It’s one of those things where he wasn’t even elected in the first place. Will he rig it again? I don’t know. I don’t see how he can win this time. My cousin is over in Baghdad right now, he’s in the 101st. In talking to his parents, who are very southern people and usually big military supporters, they’ve said that they’re very upset. According to them, a lot of the troops over there are upset too. It seems like a lot of people across the board aren’t happy.
Bill – How’s the Death of a Nation tour going so far?
Tom – It’s been great. I’ve been having a really good time and the shows have been incredible. Everybody on the tour has been really cool and all the bands have been awesome. We’ve really grown close with the None More Black people and the Rise Against kids. I’m having a blast. It was a little weird going into the tour, not being sure how we’d get along with the other bands, but to come away with such strong friendships is really wonderful.
Bill – What sort of advice would you give a 14-year-old kid attending a punk rock show for the first time?
Tom – I don’t know. I think it’s unfortunate that younger people get shit for going to shows. I remember being 14 and going to shows and feeling really awkward. I felt like I didn’t look cool enough or wasn’t as hip as the older people. I would really just say go and have fun. It’s a lot like high school in that you shouldn’t worry about impressing anybody.
Bill – What do you hope to accomplish with your band?
Tom – I just like playing music. At this point I’m 23 and seeing everything I’ve seen, touring Europe, meeting so many great people; all these opportunities that have been afforded to me because of music are almost insane. It’s great. As far as goals, I just want to keep playing. I’m having a great time, so that’s all I can ask for.
