Eddie Spaghetti, frontman, bassist and founding member of legendary American punk/rock/country outfit Supersuckers, believes the band has toured Australia up to four times over the course of its illustrious 25-year history, but the first memory that comes to mind of previous trips is a rather unfortunate one.
“We had a run-in with a cyclist one time we were there,” he recalls. “We were in Melbourne, and there was some sort of cycling event going on. This guy came rolling up on a ten-speed bike, somebody opened the door on the driver’s side and BOOM! The guy just went fuckin’ flying man; it was awful. He wasn’t OK. I think he broke his arm. We’ll have to look him up when we come back, check out his well-being.”
The band is returning to Australia this month, and despite the cyclist incident being a less than pleasant memory, Spaghetti is looking forward to touring Down Under again. “We love getting to go down there, it’s a rare treat,” he says. He holds nothing back when asked what Aussie punters can expect.
“You’ll get a full-on, non-stop, knock ’em down, drag ’em out, rock’n’roll party in the streets,” he says gleefully. “You better wear your clean underwear, ’cause we’re gonna rock your pants right off you!”
Since their earliest incarnation back in the late ’80s, Supersuckers have released more than ten studio albums, but as Spaghetti explains, the band tries its best to cover as much of its back catalogue as it can in the current live set – although he finds it impossible to please every fan.
“We actually do a pretty good job,” he says. “We play at least a song or two from each record. I would say it’s a real crowd-pleasing set. I would think the crowds come to a Supersuckers show and they leave awfully pleased.”
Despite all the full-on, non-stop shows they’ve played around the world, Spaghetti says it doesn’t at all feel like his band has been around for a quarter of a century. “I can’t even believe that’s true. When you do the math it’s hard to believe that it adds up like that. It just sounds like so long.”
One main reason for his incredulity about the band’s duration is that he prefers to look toward Supersucker’s future, rather than reflect on the band’s long and decorated history.
“I don’t spend a lot of time looking at the past,” he says. “It’s nice to look back and see the legacy of quality rock’n’roll music we’ve put out over the years, but other than that, there’s not much reason to look back. There’s not a lot of gloating to be done on my behalf – I’m always looking for something better around the corner.”
Supersuckers have always been a band that keeps on keeping on, living up to that old saying, ‘slow and steady wins the race’, rather than being one that burns brightly for a few years until eventually fizzing out.
“We’re kinda like a shark, we have to keep swimming to survive,” Spaghetti says. “I just feel the lack of real big success keeps us hungry enough to keep on trying. We’re like that slow desert tortoise that’s always gonna be around.”
Catch Supersuckers at Hermann’s Bar on Friday June 20, tickets available through Oztix.Get The Hellout now through Acetate.
