Nick Oliveri Interview @ The Funhouse 2/16/10

Posted by Todd Hamm

Backstage at the Funhouse

There's Olympic hockey playing on the TV behind the bar. The one mounted just to the left of a set of kitchen knives that are painted red to look like murder weapons. While a handful of sharp uppers would have been a perfectly fitting prelude to a backstage meeting with a guy who named his first solo record Cocaine Rodeo, I opt instead for a cold High Life to conserve the quality of interview.

Looking around, it's hard to imagine why someone with pull like Nick Oliveri would want to play a show in a dark, carnival themed bar like the Funhouse, but in a way that is just as strange as an acoustic metal show, it's as fitting as any of the massive Ozzfest stages he's rocked.

Just after 7:30, a scraggly goateed Oliveri enters with a tall, dark haired woman who appears to be his girlfriend. The two look tired, but used to it. We shake hands and wander backstage where he sets up for the night. He's upbeat, outgoing, and seems pretty happy to be here. Oliveri's on the road in support of his latest release Death Acoustic,  an unplugged record that features a mix of songs from various bands he's played with, outlaw folk covers, and new tracks.

This is a tour he began in October in Australia, then powered through Europe and the eastern U.S. before heading out west. As he settles in, he mentions that last night's show in Portland was a bit of an off night. "Every tour has a dog," he says, "and I'm glad I got it out of the way."

As we talk about music and his career, he focuses his pre-show anxiety on a piece of gum and the beer the dark haired woman has just brought us. She disappears to find a hotel to stay in for the night. "I kind of feel like I don't fit in," he says. "Right now there's really no place for somebody to go as far as a scene is concerned. One of the greatest things in my lifetime that's happened in music is the Subpop grunge thing; bands coming together on this label who cared about something enough to start something cool. Now there hasn't been anything for fifteen years. I don't think there really is anything as far as a world scene that's recognized by everybody, right now--and if I'm wrong, I hope somebody tells me so I can find out about it, because it'd be nice to have..." he pauses, "it'd be nice to have something to be a part of."

For now, he says his focus is in keeping the tradition of performance alive. "I think it's about trying to keep playing live, whether it be out here by myself, or with the three other bands I play in, as much as I can. There's a lot of things kids are missing out on," he says. "Going to see live bands is really important, and maybe they'll get influenced to go try something like that." He recalls going to see Cro-Mags and Motörhead when he was younger and "knowing what [he] had to do."

"I just go to the bands that'll have me, you know, and if there's music inside, it has to come out," he laughs. "And I love to get up on stage and be a jackass."

This would be the part of the conversation where I ask about Queens of the Stone Age: why he left; if there's any chance for reconciliation with his former band mates and a subsequent reunion tour. However, most interviews that venture into this territory seem to take on an air of bitterness, resentment, and overall tension that kind of jumps from the page. I had actually asked him about the matter several years ago before a Mondo Generator show at the Showbox. I remember him saying something like "It's Josh [Homme]'s band now," and leaving it at that.

It's been almost five years since Oliveri parted ways with Queens; a split that yielded very different results for both parties. While Oliveri has continued down the punk-metal wormhole, Queens have gone the greaser-rock route as of late, and been able to hang around the mainstream scene a bit more. Homme has also moved on to form a massive supergroup in Them Crooked Vultures. Oliveri however, seems to prefer the dark underbelly of death-everything rock.

"I've done death metal, death punk, and this was like death acoustic," he says of his most recent venture. "As a singer/songwriter or a folk singer, I strum hard, and sing as loud as I would in a band." His songwriting has also recently been contracted by on-the-rise hardcore group The Knives, as well as an untitled project with members of Norway's Turbonegro, and on going projects The Dwarves and Moistboyz.

The dark haired woman returns from her search and reminds Oliveri they are going to have to drive all night in order to make tomorrow's show in Boise, and will have to sleep in the car. We quickly discuss the finer points of touring with Ween, and seeing Tad Doyle vomit on stage before I leave to join the growing crowd outside. He is all smiles as I thank him for the interview and beer, and he thanks me for coming to the show.

The next few hours consist of suffering through the dreadful opening bands and general milling around until Oliveri climbs on stage to soundcheck. After stepping out to smoke a cigarette, he takes time to mingle with the openers, before he gets back on stage. Finally, he strums his acoustic guitar like it was plugged into a monstrous generator-powered amplifier in the southern California desert. Veins bulge from his forehead and around his temple, his eyes are closed. He breathes deeply and screams "I want you to die!"

Thanks to rutlandl off youtube for the acoustic footage, and salutetokareem for the QOTSA clip. The picture at the top of the write up was taken by yours truly.