After two weeks waiting and about half an hour delay a stressed me could finally interview Deez Nuts. JJ Peters (Vocalist) and Matt Rogers (Guitarist) were willing to answer me questions. In this article you can find the whole interview.
1. First things first, how are you guys doing? Do you feel like playing tonight?
Yeah we always feel like playing, we’re good. I slept like twelve hours straight, woke up, got drunk and now we are good to go!
2. You guys are touring with your new album “ ’Bout it”, in which way is it different to other albums you’ve made?
It was definitely different to the other albums, cause the other ones were all written and composed by me solo. This time we did it around with a more traditional set-up, a full band. We wrote together, we recorded together and that resulted in a much more full album. Everybody was putting his best foot forward and being amazing in his individual instrument.. So everybody did his part and the focus was on the music. So it is my favourite album as well.
3. After this new album and tour, what are your plans for the future? Are you guys going to play some festivals this summer and which ones would you like to do?
We got a bunch of festivals already booked for the summer, I’m not sure which ones out. But we’ve done a lot of the ones we’d like to do and we are doing them again and again. Hopefully there will be some new ones that we haven’t done before to. Anything that comes around in the summer season, We really like to play the festivals. The crowds are always very warm and responsive. So we really like to do them and as much as we can..
4. After touring over the whole world, is there a big difference between the European, American and Australian scene?
Yeah, for one hundredth per cent. European is the best, kids still care about music and go to concerts. Nobody cares if they’re too cool or any of that shit. You know what I mean. I’m not saying hardcore is dead in America, it’s still alive and kicking. If you play in America and you are killing it, you kill it. I’m just saying for us Europe is better.
5. Now I’ve seen you on Graspop this year too. Where do you like to play most, Graspop (festival) or here (a club)?
We like both like equally, but for different reasons. Like playing festival shows is obviously amazing cause just like the numbers of people you are playing at, like ten thousands of them. Everybody is singing along and vibing to the music, that is an indescribable feeling. And playing floor shows, like small clubs or even big clubs like this one, is still a lot more intimate then a festival. You can see the faces and you can be in the crowd and let people sing along. It’s a different vibe. It’s a really hardcore vibe you get from the smaller shows then in the festivals, but we like both equally.
6. I have seen that you have made some clips for your new songs. That’s something new for the band I think. Why did you do it? Is it an indication that you guys are becoming really big?
No, with the new album we wanted to put our best foot forward and have as many videos out as we could. Just because, I don’t know, for me personally and all of us you feel like yeah. If you want to check out a new band that you’ve never seen before, you are most likely to watch a video to a song then just listen to it. That is the stage we are living in. If you are on your laptop or whatever, you want a visual to the song as well. So the more videos we get out for the new album, the more people we could reach out there. And also it is fun to make videos, of course.
7. Maybe an ordinary question, but why did you guys chose the name ‘Deez Nuts’? Is it called after the album of Dr. Dré or what?
Yeah yeah, it’s from that and like a lot of other rap verses where that term was used. When I first did the demo by myself it was, like I wanted it to be, funny. I wanted it to suit the vibe of the band and ‘Deez Nuts’ seemed like it makes sense. I guess it still does, but if I knew the band was going to get to the point it is, I’d probably have chosen another name. But you know, maybe if we had another name we wouldn’t have got this big so…
8. Ok, you just answered my next question JJ, because I’ve heard some rumours that you don’t like the name ‘Deez Nuts’ but you can’t change it anymore because you guys are already too big, so why?
It’s not like I don’t like it. It’s a comical name but when you are like at the airport and they are like ‘Wow you are a touring band, what is your band called?’ and you have to tell some fifty year old woman like ‘Ah my band is called Deez Nuts’. You know what I mean, trying to explain that, it sucks! I don’t hate the name by any meaning it’s just a funny name.
9. In ‘Band Of Brothers’ and ‘Shot after Shot’ you are singing about enjoying life and consuming a lot of alcohol and drugs. But on the other hand you are a vegetarian. Isn’t that contra dictionary? I mean, if you want to enjoy life and do everything you want, why not eat some meat?
Those are two completely different things. I consume a lot of alcohol and take a lot of drugs because that is what I like to do personally. On the other hand I don’t eat meat because I think it is a selfish thing. It’s cruel to eat animals. I can enjoy my life without eating them, why should I put an animal to dead in order to enjoy my life. It’s not the same thing. I don’t put the two things in the same category at all.
10. Another question about this, I don’t see you making a lot of mistakes on stage. Are you guys sober on stage or just used to it?
No, no we are not sober. We’re so fucked up. We can just handle our shit, There are nights that I don’t know if I can do it. Like in New Zealand I completely blacked out on stage. I don’t really remember the show at all, but everyone else said it was alright.
11. JJ, you have a lot of tattoos, I think the most I’ve ever seen on a human body. Is there one that is very special to you, an interesting one or someone with a cool anecdote?
Yeah, just important to me at this time and it is always going to be important to me, but this is my newest Tattoo right now (Shows his hand with a tattoo that says ‘Joseline’). It says Josiline, It is my baby girl who was just born, It was done by someone who is with us on tour with Obey The Brave. So at this point it is my favourite tattoo. It has a lot of meaning to me because it is my baby girl.
12. To end this interview I would like you to ask you guys some short ‘one or another’-questions I would like to know about you. Feel free to add a third one if you wish.
‘One vs another’-questions
Black Sabbath or Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin, come on. They are like the best band there ever was on the face of this earth.
Eminem or Tupac
Eminem. Tupac did a lot of cool shit to, but I’m a huge Biggie fan so, that puts him a bit to the back for me and of my playlist for a little bit. Eminem, you can’t fuck with him lyrically, he’s a genius.
Jack Daniels or Jagermeister
I have to say Jager personally. We drink a lot of Jager, but we don’t particularly like it but we drink it because it gives a good jagerbomb. I really like whiskey but I don’t give a damn about Jack Daniels. If you said Jager or James, I would have picked James. But now I’m going for Jager.
America or Europe
For touring it’s Europe. If it’s for living yeah, he (Matt, guitarist) lives in America so.
Rap or Hardcore
I’m a huge, huge hiphop fan. If you’d watch at the last fifty songs I have listened to on my iPod, it might be more rap then hardcore. At the same time I’ve always been a hardcore kid since I was little and everyone that I’ve met and became my closest friends, have I met through hardcore. So I like them equally but for different reasons.
Ok this is the end of the interview. Really big thank you and have fun on stage
Thank you very much.
