JL: The crowd of fans outside, and the people waiting in line will attest to you guys being “rockstars.” Is “Rockstardom” everything you dreamed it would be?
DW: Yes and no. Music is fuckin’ fun. But that’s an hour a day to have fun. The tour is a perfect example. When we agreed to this we agreed to a festival. But that changed, so they had to change a lot of things. And suddenly they tell us we’re headlining…But, I love meeting kids. I love the fans. I go out there just to talk to them, and that’s the best part.
JH: You’ve also got to keep tabs on your affairs. We’ve got people to handle things, but it’s hard because do we really trust them?
(The guys stayed mum about girls, booze, drugs, and partying)
JL: If this was all taken away or you never broke out as a band what career would you have?
JH: I’d move to Japan. I love it there. Or what I did before. I was a baker. And a cook. I hated cooking while I was cooking. The only thing I looked forward to all day was band practice.
DW: I was a brick layer before, so a bricklayer.
JH: But [playing in a band] was the only option we really had.
DW: If I wasn’t in The Used I’d be in another band. I’d still be playing in a band no matter what…Music is life. I’ve been doing it for so long that it’s my life.
JL: Any advice for bands in their garage that love music and can’t seem to break out?
JH: Be willing to sacrifice everything. I’ve seen my parents one day in the past two years. Both my parents had surgery. Anyone else would pick up and go be with them, but I’ve got a duty to everyone on tour. And relationships suck. It’s pretty much impossible to have a girlfriend. Unless they’re fine with hanging out for one week a year.
JL: How do you guys manage to say so grounded? There are screaming fans outside asking about your clothes, and your ears [as we walked in some girl asked Jeph what size his ears were. She meant his plugs, he made a quip about his parents genetics, then told her the actual size when she failed to see the humor] yet you’re in here, completely chill, feeding me your lime Tostitos.
DW: Most of the time it’s not the band that’s cocky. . I mean I feel so fortunate for everything. Its usually the radio djs.
JL: You’re given any superpower you want. But you can only pick one, what do you pick?
JH: The ability to speak every language…fluently.
DW: (he gave up on “thinking questions” and played with the drums for a bit).
JL: I’m sure your tour bus is pretty pimped out. You must spend a lot of time in there. What are some of your favorite games to play, and who has the high score?
JH: Oh we’ve got everything. We’ve got all the games for 360, DS, Wii, everything. I play all of them, except the sports games. Bert only plays the Wii.
DW: I don’t play videogames really. (JH: No, you really don’t.) I prefer to go on MySpace and answer the fans, post new videos. We’ve actually got a spot for just videos now. Kyte. I spend a few hours a day on MySpace. I like to spend my free time on the fans.
JL: So your free time is videogames [Jeph], [Dan,] you answer back fans. What sort of music have you guys been into lately?
DW: We had a pretty mellow Saturday. We just listened to The Beatles. We like to have dance parties. In flames are awesome! At the gates. Tom Petty.
JH: Secret Chiefs 3, Romance, Refused. Quinn has been listening to Neu!, Minus the Bear. He really likes the guitar player from Jimmy Eat World. We listen to everything from rock to rap to really eclectic stuff. There’s not too much new music.
JL: Okay, we all hear a lot of stories about Bert. He’s not here, but what would I be in store for if he was?
JH: Bert is an artist. It stresses him out to the point of insanity. He’s got this magnetic personality…Bert is a very unique person. Bert is bigger than the Used. He is not just a front man. He has this energy about him…He’s also brutally honest to the point of making people uncomfortable.
DW: But Bert doesn’t try to make people uncomfortable. He is just himself.
JH: Yeah, Bert is such a personality. He doesn’t change. Bert is Bert. One of a kind…He’d have a lot to say, but sometimes he doesn’t want to say anything. He’s walked out of interviews, or given one word answers.
JL: You’ve traveled all over the world, coming back to the U.S what do you think about American society?
DW: Everything is about money. No one cares about anything except how many houses you have, and how many cars you drive. Television is so dumbed down. It’s just there so people don’t see the real problems. I don’t even watch it anymore.
JH: “Lost” is good though, I don’t care.
DW: Yeah, I like The Simpsons…5th 6th season. The new ones are funny.
JL: No Family Guy? South Park.
DW: Yeah, those too.
JH: Yeah, I watch those. I just saw part of the Star Wars version. That was funny.
JL: Adult Swim shows?
JH: Yeah, everything on Adult Swim. Cartoons are okay.
DW: Some cartoons on TV suck.
JH: Okay, Adult Swim cartoons.
DW: Yeah.
JL: Do you have a goal as a band?
DW: Yes, our goal is to be on the same page. I just want to be on the same page as everyone else.
QA: To create, share, listen and learn.
JL: You’ve got no donkeys in here. It’s pretty empty in terms of stuff from your rider.
JH: Yeah, we just want socks and underwear. And beer.
DW: The best food is spaghetti and meatballs from my mom. I’ve seen my mom a little more than Jeph, probably eight times this year, and every time I come home she makes spaghetti and meatballs. I never get tired of it.
JH: You like octopus. I’ll try anything once. I ate a blowfish sperm sack. That was interesting… it was salty and coated your tongue.
Dan then sat up, ate some sardines, and the whole room wreaked of fish.
JL: I read you've matured as a band. Do you think it's because you've tried to mature, or just naturally gotten older and seen more of life?
DW: It's a mixture of all of those really. It's learning to deal with things a little. We talk about problems more. We stop holding in hatred, and express how we feel .
JH: We talk about things, and stay away from shit talking.
JL: You've traveled all around the world. Where else would you like to visit?
DW: I want to go back to South America. Russia. Africa. Italy. The craziest fans were in Chile. They were grabbing at us. We had to jump back into the van.
JH: Yeah they sang every word louder than us. The Japanese kids are so cool. One will speak English and then ask questions for the rest of their friends. I'd like to visit China, Tibet, Tailand. I said Japan already. I remember once signing a picture of a picture. Osaka is my town. Definitely the best place to buy clothes.
JL: When you sit down to write an album what do you set out to accomplish?
DW: First and foremost we want to get in our parts and have it tasteful and flowing.
JH: And fun!
DW : And fun.
JL: What do you think about labels, like emo, or screamo?
DW: They're fucking offensive comments. It's a dumb comment. It's just rock 'n' roll. One interviewer asked me, "What do you think about emo music?" I told him, "I don't think about emo music."
JL: By the way, I dunno if you know but prostitution is legal in Rhode Island. What do you think of the whole Spitzer thing?
DW: We don't need prostitutes.
JH: I'm really open to that kind of thing. If they're doing a good job who cares what they do on the side? Guys have weird problems. It's going to sound like I'm being a jerk but, it's hard for a dude to be with one chick. It's animal instincts.
JL: The world leaders come to you, and say "Members of The Used it's up to you to lead , what do you do to start fixing things?"
DW: Doctors, and the prices of things. The reason this country can't afford anything is because everything costs too much money. Credit cards should be called debt cards.
JH: Healthcare. I'd like America to care about America. News would be news, not full of bullshit to cover up everything. Hollywood is full of people starving themselves, and getting massive plastic surgery. That isn't right...I'd make everyone travel for a week to see the rest of the world. Meeting people that hate you because you're American. In America the vibe is less about America and more "me."
JL: What’s the best part of it all?
JH: Being on stage. It’s not describable. It’s more than adrenaline. It’s hard to describe.
DW: I get pist sometimes or really angry when I’m on stage, but when the shows over I couldn’t tell you what I feel. Adrenaline. It’s indescribable. It’s better than sex. I would give up sex forever to play. But I wouldn’t say that with a girl I’m about to have sex with.
JH: It’s a power source. It’s like cords are sticking out of our back. We’re this generator. We’re our own universe. We’re our own existence. And It’s the audience’s energy coming back to us. If you could harness that - there’s energy out of that.
