Now is the time for Fucked Up to reflect. In the past 13 years, theyâve grown from a basement hardcore band that was accused of having Nazi sympathy to a mysterious entity that claimed to be controlled by a guru named David Eliade to an internationally touring punk band that released 18 minute songs about prostitutes to a collective that recorded a double concept album that was about blowing up a light bulb factory but was actually about them destroying clones of themselves or⦠somethingâ¦?
Theyâve climbed every mountain. Theyâve swam in every sea. Theyâve played mind games with every journalist. And so, they are about to release the single LP, Glass Boys wherein they look back at their former selves and talk to their younger versions while the younger versions pass judgment on what they are to become.
Because Fucked Up is about to release the album where they parade their own lives before their very eyes, Punknewsâ John Gentile spoke to guitarist/founding member Mike Haliechuk about the new release, what his younger self has to say, and whether or not heâs actually having fun at this whole punk rock thing.
One of my favorite things about Fucked Up is how each release has a thematic art series built around it. I look at the cover of Glass Boys and the expression of the statue on it looks to be one of terror, to me. What does the statute say to you?
Itâs about putting the front of being a strong person and a grown man and being fragile on the inside.
Do you think the statue expresses any emotion?
Yeah, he looks scared and bewildered about where he is. I think part of getting older and growing up is being uncomfortable where you are.
Are you comfortable with where you are at right now? Are you achieving what you are trying to achieve?
With us, I think it was about trying to get somewhere. Thatâs sort of why Iâve always been a little bewildered. We never expected or wanted to be in a band this long. I think weâre all pretty happy to be here.
You say that youâre happy to be where you are, but the theme around Fucked Up is that itâs a band of inner-conflict. Is the inner-conflict overstated?
Yeah, I think itâs very overstated. Sometimes, we are just more vocal about things that every band has to deal with.
Whatâs a Fucked Up writing session like?
Well, we would all get together in a practice space. I think it was two years ago when we were writing these songs. We treated it like a day job. Every day we would go in for three or four hours. Weâd write a song a day usually and ended up with like 40 or 50 songs. We sat on them for a year, and fixed them, and made sort of amendments. Itâs always so long from when we record them to when theyâre out.
Whatâs the purpose of sitting on songs for so long? A lot bands like to bang stuff out and get it out really quickly.
Just so you have a better chance at making songs the best they can be. You can write a song, and you might not like a part a few months later. We have just recorded stuff in the studio. But, with an album, we like to make sure the arraignments are right, and chop lengths down.
You know, one of my favorite bands is the Melvins and another one of my favorite bands is OFF! They release stuff very quickly. I know OFF! Bangs out stuff so quickly because they donât want to lose spontaneity. Are you worried about that?
I think weâre not really like- weâre probably the least spontaneous people in general. As far as being a band, even though as a punk band, we might be considered crazier live, the live show is where the spontaneity comes out. Recording, weâre very careful. Just the recording of the guitar tracks takes a long time. Even in our lives, things are plotted out. Even if we recorded things live on the floor, weâd still have to go back in a put on like six more guitar tracks.
You know Mike, one of the things that I find most fascinating about you is that you seem to plan things very far out in advance. Are you a tactical person?
I think as far as the band goes, weâve just been lucky that it ends up looking like that. With the Zodiac thing for example, it probably seems like we had twelve years of planning. But really, that just came about by accident because we were recording on Chinese New Year one day. It probably looks like that, with the seven inch covers being the same. Most of it is coincidence.
Letâs bring it back to the new album. You know, Fucked Up is on top of the world right now. The fans love what you are doing. The critics love what you are doing. The band is fairly big. Are you uncomfortable in the position that you are in?
I think itâs less about being uncomfortable as it is about being confused. None of us had aspirations to be musicians. We thought that weâd be in a cool hardcore band for a couple of years. Being musicians is nothing that we tried to do. This record is about after unpacking 13 years, weâre the kind of people that youâd never expect to be in a band like this. We have questions and itâs confusing for us- itâs about looking back at how we got here.
What do you mean that youâre not the type of person to be in a band like Fucked Up? Do you mean that youâre not a stereotypical "rock and roller" that parties all the time?
I just mean that when you see some people, you can tell that they are definitely meant to be in a band. Damian is one thing. Damian is meant to be on stage. Weâre not one of those bands that wears all the same clothes. With them, you can tell from the moment that they started making music, they were meant to be in band. I think weâre good at making music. But performance and writing songs are two entirely different things. I think that if you had asked any of us 10 years ago if we were going to be in a touring band , it would seem far fetched.
But, isnât that part of Fucked Upâs charm? Isnât that why Fucked Up is such an unusual band?
I think so, yeah. Weâve definitely grown into the underdog thing. Being a hardcore band that gets press and and visibility. Weâre not big on visibility. We donât have a banner on stage. Thereâs nothing extra to us- thereâs no choreography or anything. It feels random and accidental.
This might be a cliché question, but itâs particularly fitting for this conversation. What would 15-year-old Mike say to 34-year-old Mike?
Thatâs the thing. Thereâs a line on the record, "Iâm a reflection of a dream that I had when I was 15." Thatâs definitely something you have to think about. As a regular person, youâre always reflecting and wondering if you have become the version of what you thought you would become when you were a kid. When youâre a 15 year old, itâs when you have the most respect and awe for musicians and bands. The bands that you listen to then are the ones that you hold closest to your heart. So, I think 15 year old me would have love how this all ended up.
Well, thatâs gotta be great! You won! Are you enjoying that you have become what 15 year old you wanted you to be?
Yeah, well, the trick is that you donât realize all the stuff that goes into it. Ten years of struggling and all the stress. You just see the posters on your lockers and all the good stuff. Yeah, you on, but there is all this extra baggage that you donât know about, which holds true in life.
Then, was all the hard work worth it?
I think itâs been worth it. we became the kind of band that we all wanted to be in. Weâre not a huge band, but we donât have to face the tough questions for the most part. Itâs not this all-consuming thing that overtakes every aspect of your life. Weâre in a pretty good place, I think.
What were you like as a 15 year old? What were you up to? Were you skateboarding? Playing video games? Going out on dates?
At 15, I liked music. I listened to Metallica and Nirvana and stuff like that. I liked sports. I skated a little, but I wasnât very good. I played hockey.
How have your interests grown or changed since then?
I basically do the band and watch football.
You mean international football, not American football?
Yeah, soccer.
What is your go-to team?
Liverpool.
Oh! Liverpool! Thatâs quite⦠the⦠uh⦠I donât know anything about soccer so I am trying to bluff my way through sports talk⦠Mike, are you having fun with this whole Fucked Up thing?
I have a different relationship with fun than what most people do. So, I think Iâm having a version of fun.
What do you mean by that? Do you mean that you are having "accomplishments?"
Thatâs a good way of putting it. Iâm enjoying the accomplishments. For me, itâs not necessarily about having a "good" time.