IPOD
RADIO
The Get Up Kids - Ryan Pope
By Daniel Robert Epstein
Apr 9, 2004
I first heard of The Get Up Kids back when I was working for a music television show. They sounded like they were some kind of inspirational band in the vein of “Indomitable Spirit.” But of course once you hear those power punk chords all that junk just falls right out of your head. Its been 8 years since the Kids first hit the scene and a lot of their contemporaries have lost their street cred. Bands like Weezer and Green Day just don’t seem as cool now as they did back in the last millennium.
After the disappointing album, On A Wire, The Kids have now released their most polished and accomplished album, The Guilt Show. I suspect it’s supposed to make us all feel guilty for talking any smack about them. Guilt Show rocks your socks off. I got a chance to talk with Kids drummer Ryan Pope about cats, not getting married and his favorite Kansas SuicideGirl, Sarah.
Check out the official website for The Get Up Kids.
Daniel Robert Epstein: Did you just wake up?
Ryan Pope: Yeah I wake up about 10:30 then I just sit around for a while smoking cigarettes. Where are you?
DRE:
I’m in New York City but SuicideGirls is headquartered in Los Angeles.
RP:
Yeah I thought so. I saw a special on HBO. I saw it a few times.
DRE:
The girls are hot!
RP:
Yeah they’re super hot.
DRE:
Is that the kind of girls you’re into?
RP:
Definitely but I wouldn’t say they were the only kind of girls I’m into. I have friends who go that route. They are only into girls who are tattooed up, pierced and you never know what’s going to happen with them. But there are definitely some hot young females on that site.
DRE:
We’ll get you an account and you can mete it out to the other members of the band.
RP:
I’ll only give it to the married guys.
DRE:
So are you married?
RP:
I am definitely unmarried.
DRE:
I thought everyone took time off a couple of years ago to go get married.
RP:
Not me! Hell no!
DRE:
Do you hang with the groupies?
RP:
We’ve actually hung out with some of the SuicideGirls but I wouldn’t call them groupies. One of the girls, Sarah, is from Lawrence Kansas.
I’ve played around and there’s been some of that.
DRE:
What does The Guilt Show mean? Is my mom going to be onstage?
RP:
Yeah, it means you’re mom knows you are looking at SuicideGirls. Busted!
The Guilt Show is something that just worked as a title. It started when we went to our studio, in the small town of Eudora Kansas, there is this sign that said “The Eudora Quilt Show.” It looked like it said Guilt Show and we liked it. It’s not that great of a story. We like the story and we will have to make stuff up to make it more exciting.
DRE:
Like what?
RP:
I can make up something right now…
DRE:
Something about Jesus.
RP:
Definitely something about Jesus. The record is about how we’re dying for the people of Eudora’s sins because they’re so guilty from being in this cult of chicken and dog fucking. We’re getting punished for their sodomistic acts.
DRE:
So you’ve never been attracted to a chicken?
RP:
Naw I’ve never gone down on a chicken.
DRE:
Not a live one.
RP:
Yeah that’s gross. Only when they’re dead.
DRE:
Some people weren’t happy with The Get Up Kids last album.
RP:
Some people weren’t happy at all! There were others that were happy though.
DRE:
Did you guys do anything different for this album?
RP:
We did a lot of things different. Not necessarily different in the way we were writing and playing songs but we did the record at home in our own studio which is way different. We did it with a guy named Ed Rose who is one of our best friends and he runs the studio. He was the first guy to ever record our band back in 1996.
DRE:
What’s he bring to the table?
RP:
I’d say he brings knowing us each individually so he knows how to push us, like if we suck one day he will tell us so. Then he will help motivate us without having to be an asshole.
DRE:
Sometimes producers can be assholes but that’s not a bad thing.
RP:
Not at all. It can be a very good thing in fact.
DRE:
Did you guys have tough producers before this?
RP:
Our last record, the one that not very many people liked, I’m kidding, we worked with Scott Litt and he was the first producer we ever worked with. He’s a big producer that’s worked with REM. He wasn’t that tough. I would say Ed is the toughest producer we’ve ever had.
DRE:
How did you feel about the previous album?
RP:
I think it’s pretty good, I like it. We definitely worked hard on it. Looking back it sounds like what it was. It was us living in Bridgeport Connecticut for two months when it was freezing cold outside and we’re all held up in this house. We were all uncomfortable because it was the first time with a producer. We had a lot of songs that we threw away then we went to tour and we were a little lazier as far as the tour schedule. We had higher expectations than we were willing to work for which was our own learning process. This time we’re on the opposite end of that. We are going to go out and work really hard and not have any expectations.
DRE:
What about the way it was marketed?
RP:
There was a lot of stuff that fell through the cracks. There was no one person to say anything negative about. At that time our record label was in the process of being bought by Interscope. We basically rushed the album. We put it out two months after we got done making it so there was no real interviews before the album came out. We waited three years before we did another album which is way too long. Does all that help you out?
DRE:
Does it help you out? They say confession is good for the soul.
RP:
These are all things I know. Sometimes there will be times at band practice where we all have a heart to heart.
DRE:
And a group hug.
RP:
Yeah a big hug then we have arm wrestling matches then we have gay sex.
DRE:
So what they say about the emo bands is true?
RP:
Yeah it is. Those emo bands are all a little confused.
DRE:
I saw that you guys use some drum machines on this new album. That’s new.
RP:
We’ve done it a little bit in the past and it’s minimal on this album too. It’s more like drum programming. There is one song on the album that has a drum machine that goes through the whole song.
DRE:
Did everyone’s side projects help out at all once you got back together?
RP:
It was good because everyone came back with a clear head. It kept everyone doing music. I toured with Reggie and The Full Effect then before that I was in the studio with Matt and Rob and we did The New Amsterdams record. Matt pretty much toured with that by himself.
DRE:
Did it change The Get Up Kids’ music at all?
RP:
No I don’t think so. With Matt he just writes songs like no one’s business. He just wanted to do songs he wanted to do with The Get Up Kids.
DRE:
A critic said “The Get Up Kids has a great ability to make somewhat depressing lyrics seem upbeat and fun.”
RP:
That’s very true. It’s funny because the lyrics on The Guilt Show are kind of dark. But if you put it into a pop song then it can sound happy.
DRE:
When Matt writes these songs do you ask him why he is so unhappy?
RP:
We always give him a hard time but he is able to make it relate to all of us. He doesn’t necessarily like to write songs from his point of view because he’s married with a kid and other people’s stories can be a lot more interesting than his.
DRE:
So he becomes somebody else.
RP:
Well he listens to other people’s stories then goes from there.
DRE:
Does he hang out at bars and listen to some drunk guy spill his guts?
RP:
No we’re the drunk guys.
DRE:
Towards the end of this album there is a few slower songs, not ballads though.
RP:
Yeah we made a conscious effort to put no ballads on this. The last few songs are less upbeat.
DRE:
Why is that?
RP:
Those last two songs on the album are the two songs we worked the hardest on. We spent the most time on them and we were really excited about them. They are on the dark side of things but we had to get them on the album. We sat down and listened to the record in so many different track listing orders to see how it played together and finally we made the decision to put them in that order. I think it leaves you content.
DRE:
What was it like posting some of that behind the scenes footage on the website?
RP:
We want to do that every week. We are going to continue to put that stuff up. We are going to have secret portions of the site with wacky crazy stuff up there.
DRE:
Why put it on the web instead of releasing a DVD?
RP:
We’re trying to get a little more involved with our fans. Being more tangible to fans so they can actually get to know us a little better. We don’t want to just take their money and say, fuck you. Not that we’ve ever had that image. Radiohead is constantly putting stuff on the website and its fun.
DRE:
How did you all first get together?
RP:
Well my brother and I got together from my mother.
DRE:
But you’re not twins?
RP:
No but I do have a twin sister.
DRE:
What does she do?
RP:
She lives in Portland Oregon married and with a good job. she’s hoping to have a baby soon. That’s what she does.
DRE:
Is she jealous of you two?
RP:
I wouldn’t say jealous. I would say she is more intrigued and excited by us because we get to travel all over the world. Most of my family has never left the United States or even been to New York City.
DRE:
Do you look exactly alike?
RP:
No.
DRE:
Can you read each other’s thoughts?
RP:
No but I do with my brother.
DRE:
Who’s older?
RP:
He is by one year and two days.
DRE:
Does he think he’s all that?
RP:
Maybe when we were younger but we’re tight now.
DRE:
I read that a few years ago when you guys were put on the same bill as Kittie and Nickelback in Boston, people flipped out.
RP:
We definitely got some shit thrown at us because we played after Nickelback. The best thing about this story is that I had never heard of Nickelback. They walk offstage and we were hanging out with Kittie. Nickelback yell at each other “Did you rock? I totally rocked.” Then they bumped chests like after a big football game. That made the show all worthwhile. It was one of those things where we thought it would help but I don’t really care.
DRE:
I heard that the band’s favorite place to go is Japan.
RP:
Definitely we love Japan.
DRE:
What’s special about Japan?
RP:
The way the shows are run, the extreme environment because its like a different and we always get treated well. We played a festival there and it was so much fun.
DRE:
Do you have any pets?
RP:
I have a cat.
DRE:
What’s his name?
RP:
Otis. I’ve had him for about a year.
DRE:
Do The Get Up Kids do drugs?
RP:
We drink and we’ve experimented with illegal drugs.
DRE:
What’s your favorite alcohol?
RP:
Lately I’ve been drinking White Russians.
DRE:
Like The Dude?
RP:
The Dude. But I’d say Jack Daniels is the official drink of The Get Up Kids.
DRE:
What’s coming up next?
RP:
The tour just started. We’re doing a quick US tour then we’re hoping to go over to England then Japan!
by Daniel Robert Epstein
SG Username: AndersWolleck
I first heard of The Get Up Kids back when I was working for a music television show. They sounded like they were some kind of inspirational band in the vein of “Indomitable Spirit.” But of course once you hear those power punk chords all that junk just falls right out of your head. Its been 8 years since the Kids first hit the scene and a lot of their contemporaries have lost their street cred. Bands like Weezer and Green Day just don’t seem as cool now as they did back in the last millennium.
After the disappointing album, On A Wire, The Kids have now released their most polished and accomplished album, The Guilt Show. I suspect it’s supposed to make us all feel guilty for talking any smack about them. Guilt Show rocks your socks off. I got a chance to talk with Kids drummer Ryan Pope about cats, not getting married and his favorite Kansas SuicideGirl, Sarah.
Check out the official website for The Get Up Kids.
Daniel Robert Epstein: Did you just wake up?
Ryan Pope: Yeah I wake up about 10:30 then I just sit around for a while smoking cigarettes. Where are you?
DRE:
I’m in New York City but SuicideGirls is headquartered in Los Angeles.
RP:
Yeah I thought so. I saw a special on HBO. I saw it a few times.
DRE:
The girls are hot!
RP:
Yeah they’re super hot.
DRE:
Is that the kind of girls you’re into?
RP:
Definitely but I wouldn’t say they were the only kind of girls I’m into. I have friends who go that route. They are only into girls who are tattooed up, pierced and you never know what’s going to happen with them. But there are definitely some hot young females on that site.
DRE:
We’ll get you an account and you can mete it out to the other members of the band.
RP:
I’ll only give it to the married guys.
DRE:
So are you married?
RP:
I am definitely unmarried.
DRE:
I thought everyone took time off a couple of years ago to go get married.
RP:
Not me! Hell no!
DRE:
Do you hang with the groupies?
RP:
We’ve actually hung out with some of the SuicideGirls but I wouldn’t call them groupies. One of the girls, Sarah, is from Lawrence Kansas.
I’ve played around and there’s been some of that.
I’ve played around and there’s been some of that.
DRE:
What does The Guilt Show mean? Is my mom going to be onstage?
RP:
Yeah, it means you’re mom knows you are looking at SuicideGirls. Busted!
The Guilt Show is something that just worked as a title. It started when we went to our studio, in the small town of Eudora Kansas, there is this sign that said “The Eudora Quilt Show.” It looked like it said Guilt Show and we liked it. It’s not that great of a story. We like the story and we will have to make stuff up to make it more exciting.
The Guilt Show is something that just worked as a title. It started when we went to our studio, in the small town of Eudora Kansas, there is this sign that said “The Eudora Quilt Show.” It looked like it said Guilt Show and we liked it. It’s not that great of a story. We like the story and we will have to make stuff up to make it more exciting.
DRE:
Like what?
RP:
I can make up something right now…
DRE:
Something about Jesus.
RP:
Definitely something about Jesus. The record is about how we’re dying for the people of Eudora’s sins because they’re so guilty from being in this cult of chicken and dog fucking. We’re getting punished for their sodomistic acts.
DRE:
So you’ve never been attracted to a chicken?
RP:
Naw I’ve never gone down on a chicken.
DRE:
Not a live one.
RP:
Yeah that’s gross. Only when they’re dead.
DRE:
Some people weren’t happy with The Get Up Kids last album.
RP:
Some people weren’t happy at all! There were others that were happy though.
DRE:
Did you guys do anything different for this album?
RP:
We did a lot of things different. Not necessarily different in the way we were writing and playing songs but we did the record at home in our own studio which is way different. We did it with a guy named Ed Rose who is one of our best friends and he runs the studio. He was the first guy to ever record our band back in 1996.
DRE:
What’s he bring to the table?
RP:
I’d say he brings knowing us each individually so he knows how to push us, like if we suck one day he will tell us so. Then he will help motivate us without having to be an asshole.
DRE:
Sometimes producers can be assholes but that’s not a bad thing.
RP:
Not at all. It can be a very good thing in fact.
DRE:
Did you guys have tough producers before this?
RP:
Our last record, the one that not very many people liked, I’m kidding, we worked with Scott Litt and he was the first producer we ever worked with. He’s a big producer that’s worked with REM. He wasn’t that tough. I would say Ed is the toughest producer we’ve ever had.
DRE:
How did you feel about the previous album?
RP:
I think it’s pretty good, I like it. We definitely worked hard on it. Looking back it sounds like what it was. It was us living in Bridgeport Connecticut for two months when it was freezing cold outside and we’re all held up in this house. We were all uncomfortable because it was the first time with a producer. We had a lot of songs that we threw away then we went to tour and we were a little lazier as far as the tour schedule. We had higher expectations than we were willing to work for which was our own learning process. This time we’re on the opposite end of that. We are going to go out and work really hard and not have any expectations.
DRE:
What about the way it was marketed?
RP:
There was a lot of stuff that fell through the cracks. There was no one person to say anything negative about. At that time our record label was in the process of being bought by Interscope. We basically rushed the album. We put it out two months after we got done making it so there was no real interviews before the album came out. We waited three years before we did another album which is way too long. Does all that help you out?
DRE:
Does it help you out? They say confession is good for the soul.
RP:
These are all things I know. Sometimes there will be times at band practice where we all have a heart to heart.
DRE:
And a group hug.
RP:
Yeah a big hug then we have arm wrestling matches then we have gay sex.
DRE:
So what they say about the emo bands is true?
RP:
Yeah it is. Those emo bands are all a little confused.
DRE:
I saw that you guys use some drum machines on this new album. That’s new.
RP:
We’ve done it a little bit in the past and it’s minimal on this album too. It’s more like drum programming. There is one song on the album that has a drum machine that goes through the whole song.
DRE:
Did everyone’s side projects help out at all once you got back together?
RP:
It was good because everyone came back with a clear head. It kept everyone doing music. I toured with Reggie and The Full Effect then before that I was in the studio with Matt and Rob and we did The New Amsterdams record. Matt pretty much toured with that by himself.
DRE:
Did it change The Get Up Kids’ music at all?
RP:
No I don’t think so. With Matt he just writes songs like no one’s business. He just wanted to do songs he wanted to do with The Get Up Kids.
DRE:
A critic said “The Get Up Kids has a great ability to make somewhat depressing lyrics seem upbeat and fun.”
RP:
That’s very true. It’s funny because the lyrics on The Guilt Show are kind of dark. But if you put it into a pop song then it can sound happy.
DRE:
When Matt writes these songs do you ask him why he is so unhappy?
RP:
We always give him a hard time but he is able to make it relate to all of us. He doesn’t necessarily like to write songs from his point of view because he’s married with a kid and other people’s stories can be a lot more interesting than his.
DRE:
So he becomes somebody else.
RP:
Well he listens to other people’s stories then goes from there.
DRE:
Does he hang out at bars and listen to some drunk guy spill his guts?
RP:
No we’re the drunk guys.
DRE:
Towards the end of this album there is a few slower songs, not ballads though.
RP:
Yeah we made a conscious effort to put no ballads on this. The last few songs are less upbeat.
DRE:
Why is that?
RP:
Those last two songs on the album are the two songs we worked the hardest on. We spent the most time on them and we were really excited about them. They are on the dark side of things but we had to get them on the album. We sat down and listened to the record in so many different track listing orders to see how it played together and finally we made the decision to put them in that order. I think it leaves you content.
DRE:
What was it like posting some of that behind the scenes footage on the website?
RP:
We want to do that every week. We are going to continue to put that stuff up. We are going to have secret portions of the site with wacky crazy stuff up there.
DRE:
Why put it on the web instead of releasing a DVD?
RP:
We’re trying to get a little more involved with our fans. Being more tangible to fans so they can actually get to know us a little better. We don’t want to just take their money and say, fuck you. Not that we’ve ever had that image. Radiohead is constantly putting stuff on the website and its fun.
DRE:
How did you all first get together?
RP:
Well my brother and I got together from my mother.
DRE:
But you’re not twins?
RP:
No but I do have a twin sister.
DRE:
What does she do?
RP:
She lives in Portland Oregon married and with a good job. she’s hoping to have a baby soon. That’s what she does.
DRE:
Is she jealous of you two?
RP:
I wouldn’t say jealous. I would say she is more intrigued and excited by us because we get to travel all over the world. Most of my family has never left the United States or even been to New York City.
DRE:
Do you look exactly alike?
RP:
No.
DRE:
Can you read each other’s thoughts?
RP:
No but I do with my brother.
DRE:
Who’s older?
RP:
He is by one year and two days.
DRE:
Does he think he’s all that?
RP:
Maybe when we were younger but we’re tight now.
DRE:
I read that a few years ago when you guys were put on the same bill as Kittie and Nickelback in Boston, people flipped out.
RP:
We definitely got some shit thrown at us because we played after Nickelback. The best thing about this story is that I had never heard of Nickelback. They walk offstage and we were hanging out with Kittie. Nickelback yell at each other “Did you rock? I totally rocked.” Then they bumped chests like after a big football game. That made the show all worthwhile. It was one of those things where we thought it would help but I don’t really care.
DRE:
I heard that the band’s favorite place to go is Japan.
RP:
Definitely we love Japan.
DRE:
What’s special about Japan?
RP:
The way the shows are run, the extreme environment because its like a different and we always get treated well. We played a festival there and it was so much fun.
DRE:
Do you have any pets?
RP:
I have a cat.
DRE:
What’s his name?
RP:
Otis. I’ve had him for about a year.
DRE:
Do The Get Up Kids do drugs?
RP:
We drink and we’ve experimented with illegal drugs.
DRE:
What’s your favorite alcohol?
RP:
Lately I’ve been drinking White Russians.
DRE:
Like The Dude?
RP:
The Dude. But I’d say Jack Daniels is the official drink of The Get Up Kids.
DRE:
What’s coming up next?
RP:
The tour just started. We’re doing a quick US tour then we’re hoping to go over to England then Japan!
by Daniel Robert Epstein
SG Username: AndersWolleck
by Daniel Robert Epstein
SG Username: AndersWolleck
