This is The Used’s second tour of duty on Taste Of Chaos. What’s better/more exciting about this run?
It’s just different. I don’t want to say it’s better or worse. We made good friends on this tour, just five days after it started. There are two people that I’ve connected with more than I have with anyone else in a while. Wil [Francis], the singer of Aiden, is one of the sweetest people I’ve met in a year.
Is Taste Of Chaos really the winter version of the Warped Tour?
It totally is. It’s better, though. I love Warped, don’t get me wrong, but the problem is daylight. You cannot watch bands in the day. For me, it’s such a drag and it bums me out. It looks too real, almost where it doesn’t look real. When you go to a see a concert, surreal, you want it to take you somewhere and help you escape from things. That’s the thing. It still has that Warped Tour feeling, but it’s indoors, cheap and bands hang out more.
What’s next for The Used, besides the release of Lies For The Liars?
We’re going to do out of country touring, lots of touring for a year and a half.
Tell our readers in Jersey something about you that’s not common knowledge!
I shave my legs. I have tried to learn Japanese for the past 10 years. I was obsessed when I was little, with the Samurai thing, and I loved movies, and video games were my life because I am an only child. My brothers and sisters were Mario and Luigi, and the Princess from Super Mario Bros.! I was nerdy. I learned about Japan through that and looked at the language and was excited and tried to learn some words.
My biggest problem is that the more I learn, the more I forget. I can’t use it. I can’t retain it. When we go there on tour, I stayed there for 15-20 days at the end of last Taste Of Chaos tour. I went alone, and thought, ‘I need to go and learn it instead of learning and forgetting.’ I was doing good, had friends who knew where I was going. A year later, I cannot remember anything, and I was fluent with writing the three major alphabets. It bums me out. My girlfriend is Chinese and I am trying to learn Chinese and that is harder, and it’s a different world!
How is the band holding up in the wake of the departure of your drummer?
He had to go do his own thing, and we got a new drummer, and our fans are accepting of him. There were reasons he left, and we understand. Our fans are cool and loyal. There are some of our fans that are more into Rancid now because of Brandon [Steineckert]. That’s great, and it’s like, hell yeah! The split was good for all parties. As a band, we constantly move on. Brandon’s new home is Rancid.
Lastly, what’s Bert like? Obviously, he’s not doing this interview, but readers are very interested in him. Why is he so mysterious and strange? He’s like a train wreck from which you cannot look away, and he’s certainly what attracts listeners to your band!
He’s insane! I love him as a brother. I would do anything for him. He is my brother. But he is crazy. I have seen it. He is bipolar, and you never know how to go about things. It’s perfect for our band.
The Used will be appearing with the Taste Of Chaos tour this Saturday, March 24 at Convention Hall in Asbury Park, NJ. For more information, visit theused.net
