Dropkick Murphys Interview

WBGU = WBGU 88.1 FM Punk Department (Kyle)
DM = Dropkick Murphys (James)

WBGU: Hey this is Kyle and I’m here with James Lynch, from the Dropkick Murpheys, and first question, a question you will probably always get asked, but I still got to do it, who are your musical influences?

DM: Um, pretty much everyone you would expect, the Clash the Ramones, listen to a lot of Irish music, the Clancy brothers, the Pogues obviously, everyone in the band listens to a lot of very very different stuff.

WBGU: Now you personally what are you listening to now?

DM: When I’m on the road I like to listen to a lot of really miserable country music and what not because I’m in a pretty bad mood generally, and I like to make it worse and sit around and stew.

WBGU: Why is that, why are you always in a bad mood when you are on the road?

DM: Ah, I’ kind of a home body I like being at home on my porch in Boston, not that I don’t enjoy the vans warped tour and playing music for the kids.

WBGU: Does that kind of get you, because you have been doing the band for such a long time, you guys tour quite a bit does that kind of make it hard for you, do you ever think about well why am I doing this?

DM: No, just the opportunity to do this is unbelievable, I never thought I would have the chance to do this, and as much as I complain about it and I am a bitter gentlemen I definitely appreciate it, and it’s an amazing thing.

WBGU: Now, you guys are a lot of times classified as a working class band, and stuff, how do the working class politics enter your music?

DM: When the band was started, Kenny the guy who started it never played an instrument in his life never done anything he started the band, and it was pretty much what you see is what you get that’s how things are where we are from, and that’s how we grew up, and that’s how it became a part of the band.

WBGU: Alright now, you guys also, your Boston shows like your hometown shows are so huge, you guys sell so many tickets people travel like long distances just to see you guys in Boston when they could easily see you in their own hometown why do you think you guys have such a big hometown fan base compared to other bands?

DM: I think it has to do with the fact that since the band started it has always been dropkick murpheys from Boston. We’ve got songs about Boston and this and that and people get interested and want to know, like a lot of… we always tell people like… everyone’s like “I want to go to Boston, I want to go to Boston” and they get there and its cold and the people are mean, and they don’t like it very much but I think it is an amazing experience at those shows. I’m amazed every year when we do it the people, we meet people from all over Japan all over Europe, all over the United States and I can’t believe, I wonder why they come, it’s amazing I can’t believe how far people will come, I just hope we don’t disappoint when they get there.

WBGU: Right now what’s kind of your outlook on music today, like punk today and the direction its going?

DM: I’m not crazy about it you know but my thoughts on it are if these bands that are considered punk bands these days if maybe they can get kids digging deeper then it’s a positive thing but um… the stuff that is considered punk right now obviously in my opinion isn’t.

WBGU: Are you talking about poppier punk stuff or stuff that’s played on commercial radio?

DM: Obviously anything played on commercial radio has been watered down to the point that its okay to play on commercial radio but like I said it can be a positive thing if it gets kids looking for other stuff I think that happens a lot, and that’s good.

WBGU: That’s good, that’s all I have for you now, is there anything else you want to add?

DM: New record just came out

WBGU: Yeah that’s right

DM: Blackout, pick it up, and I hope you enjoy it.

WBGU: Okay, alright, thanks a lot