PZO: As a band, what are your best
qualities?
Pete: How we interact with each other, like our creative relationships
are good and how we are on stage is one of the biggest things. Secondly,
sincerity, honesty--its what you see is what you get. We'll tell people
how it is.
PZO: What event on your life had the greatest
impact on you?
Pete: I guess it would single down to be like a single friend. Me and
my friends in general or when my aunt died.
PZO: What do you remember the most about your
childhood?
Pete: Probably my toys. I was obsessed with them. I think the 80s were
great. I remember like toys, and clothes and stuff. I still have them
that's probably why. I remember all my He-Man, all my G.I. Joe's, all
my Transformers--
PZO_Camera_Friend: Hey, Transformers, Nevra. She had a band say that her
last name sounded like a Transformer.
Pete: What's your last name?
PZO: Azerkan.
Pete: Oh, it does. It's like the Decepticons. They all have cons at the
end of their name. So it's not like a specific one, but it sounds like
you're a Decepticon. The bad one.
PZO: What keeps you grounded and optimistic?
Pete: There's two different things I'd say. What keeps me grounded--sounds
weird, but like playing a bad show or if we have to drive for a few hours
in a van or whatever it is. That makes me realize that we're probably
not the biggest band we think we are. Your head swells from playing a
whole bunch of shows outside of your hometown. Just like the trials you
go through as a band, I think they ground you. What keeps me optimistic
is I feel like we've always been--we're not the type of band that has
a buzz among the critics, we're not the kind of band that has a buzz within
the industry, we're a band that's always had a buzz among kids and that's
what keeps me optimistic 'cause I think that's way cooler. <pause>
You didn't like that answer at all.
PZO: Yes, I did.
Pete: It's so hard to please you.
<laughter>
PZO: What's the worst advice you've ever been
given?
Pete: Anytime, especially in this band, we've been given advice to try
to be more like someone else or try to do something to fit in, it's probably
the worst advice we've received as a band.
PZO: Do you still get that?
Pete: We used to. Not anymore because we've had success now. We're doing
our own thing. In the beginning people were always like calm down on stage
or do this less, that kind of stuff. It doesn't really matter. I think
that's the worst advice anyone could give anybody.
PZO: What is one thing you would not do no matter
how much money you were offered?
Pete: I just think there are certain things I wouldn't do no matter how
much money I was offered. Like somebody I didn't want to have sex with.
I wouldn't have sex with them for no--like if it was two million dollars.
You just have to draw your line, have a standard somewhere. If you bend
it for money, I think that's when you sell out, you know?
PZO: What is a common compliment people give
you?
Pete: The band or me personally?
PZO: Both.
Pete: The band
we get complimented on our energy on stage, we get
complimented on our lyrics, we get complimented on Patrick's voice and
that's about it and me I get complimented on the lyrics, on things I write,
and on my smile.
PZO: What has been the biggest decision you've
made this year?
Pete: The decision to do this band full time and the decision to go on
Island/Def Jam Records. We've had a lot of big ones. Those are the biggest.
PZO: Why did you make those decisions?
Pete: The 'be in the band full time' we decided because the amount of
time we were spending on the band was consuming the rest of our life.
At some point you have to juggle between--like our lives with our friends
and our girlfriends and our school or work was suffering because of it.
Island/Def Jam, the people over there we believe in. I think it's important
that before we play music, we are fans of music and the music that has
come out in the past five years, six years is just polished turds. I think
that it's important for bands to have something honest to be at the forefront
of music and that's what we're going to do.
PZO: What is one of the most misunderstood lyrics
in your opinion?
Pete: In general, any band?
PZO: Yeah.
Pete: Misheard or misunderstood?
PZO: Misunderstood.
Pete: The only thing I can think of is on the new Give Up The Ghost record
there's a lot of references to God and religion, but they're meant as
metaphors and I think a lot of people take it literally. I think a lot
of our lyrics have a metaphorical sense like they're not situational or
literal and I think a lot of people misunderstand that a lot.
PZO: What band would you like to see back together?
Pete: Lifetime.
PZO: Is that all?
Pete: There's other bands I guess, but that's the one I think about the
most.
PZO: What is something mean you've always wanted
to do, but never had the guts to?
Pete: Mean? I don't know. There's lots of things I want to say to people
that I don't always say, but I'm a pretty outspoken person. Whenever I
feel like I've been wronged I pretty much write about it or say it. There's
probably some physical things I've wanted to do to some people, but like
I mostly just write about them. It's just in your head; it's funnier that
way too.
PZO: What's an insult or would be insult you've
heard or used?
Pete: Your mom. <laughter> I guess, I don't really think
about it.
PZO: If you could have your own 1-800 number
what would it be?
Pete: I-800-Ask Pete. You could ask whatever you want.
<laughter>
PZO: Given the opportunity, who would you kidnap
for a day?
Pete: Probably the first girl I ever had a crush on. I don't know why
really though. <laughs>
PZO_Camera_Friend: Awww.
Pete: I'd probably kidnap her back then, but now I don't know. I really
don't want to kidnap anyone for real.
PZO:Just like taking them out for a day, so you can chill with them. No
negative connotations.
Pete: Yeah, probably the girl I had a crush on.
PZO: What's a slang word or phrase that you
are sick and tired of?
Pete: Fo' shizzle. Shizzle in general. It's played out. It's like one
of these things, I hate to even say it like this, but once white people
get their hands on anything it's just like over. You're just like oh my
god that is so not cool. Oh, here's another one. Emo. My mom says emo
all the time. So annoying. She's like, "You guys are an emo band,
right?" I'm like oh my god, stop talking to me! <laughter>
PZO: What question are you tired of being asked
in an interview?
Pete: I don't like: "How'd you get your name?", "How did
you form?", or "I heard you guys started as a joke." Those
questions are not interesting at all.
PZO: What questions would you like being asked?
Pete: I like being asked really in-depth questions where you can tell
the person studied up kind of. I like it when people ask us questions
about something that has affected them about us. Like I've had this reaction
to your band or I read this lyric or I read this thing about your band
and it made me feel this way. It's a better interaction and you feel a
better connection to the question I guess and they're more interesting
to answer 'cause they're all different sort of. I don't think about it
all that much. I think some interviews you can do with autopilot on and
some you can't.
PZO_Camera_Friend: What's ours?
Pete: It's not autopilot on.
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