About Flagpole. (Athens, Ga.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (May 31, 2000)
Boss Hog-Wild: Cristina Martinez Squeals Like A Hot Punk-Rock Chick P *. . — years have elapsed since last we a I V\i heard from Boss Hog (as in "brtehin' Harley/ not Bo and Luke and Unca Jesse's Hazzard County arch-nemesis), 1995 was the year that saw the release of the Hog's first and last major-label release, Boss Hog (DGC). In the interim, a baby was bom (young Charles Henry to Cristina Martinez and hubby Jon Spencer); a band solidi fied (Delta 72 keyboardist >1ark Boyce was perma nently added to the current lineup of Martinez, Spencer, bassist Jens Jurgensen and drummer Hollis Queens); a contract was voided (Geffen liquidation sale!), and one band member, Spencer, surprised the fashion world by rock eting to the top of the industry in an eye catching Calvin Klein advertisement He also occasionally fronts the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. Boss Hog diverted question marks sure to greet its return with Whiteout (In The Red), the most polished, slickly produced, 32 min utes and 44 seconds of the band's intermit tent decade-long career. The album features typically recognizable Hog scuzz-rockers "Jaguar," "Itchy & Scratchy" and "Monkey." But Boss Hog also gives you a pop-produc tion master class with collaborators Andy Gill (Gang Of Four), Tore Johansson (Cardigans producer), Jim Thirtwetl (Foetus), Roll Mosimann (Swans, The The) and Jim Sdavunos (Bad Seeds, The Gunga Din). Topics on the syllabus include "Boss Hog And Beck; The White-Funk Dichotomy;" "How 'Get It While You Wait Can 8e Mistaken For A Garbage Song By Even The Most Entrenched NYC Gutter-Rock Fanatic" and "Spencerian Studies: Etymology Of A Grunt." Singer Cristina Martinez—whose popular penchant for always being naked has not diminished with child-rearing—had lots to say about life in Boss Hog recently, now more than ever—despite rumors to the contrary—her cre ative vehicle. (Not that she would have admitted any less at any other point; Spencer kicked her out of Pussy Galore for bossing around the band.) Martinez spoke at length via telephone—when not pausing to butty tour merchandisers—about her new inner peace. Flagpole: How's the tour going? Cristina Martinez: Pretty good, pretty good. It's a week in and... the sickness is starting to set in. Now Jon's got it, and I'm starting to get the same kind cf ear-rose-throat infection that I got when I was in Europe. FP: Is your son on the rood with you now? CM: Yep. FP: How has he made this tour different from previous ones? CM: Well, that {Laughs] The fact that we all get sick. Ordinarily it's just Jens who gets sick; the rest of us are very healthy. This tour it's been exactly the opposite. And the fact that we are touring on a bus. And the fact that we're traveling with a small child and his nanny. So that's an particular fan of the music itself—and 1 thought the production was amazing. So 1 called him up and asked him to do it Andy had just worked with the Jesus lizard and made sense of them, which i thought was an amazing feat, {laughs] and 1 figured if he could do that for them, he could definitely do it for Boss Hog. We had two different types of songs, ones that were clearly more new wave, and ones that were a lot more modem, poppy sounding. I added attraction. As far as the day-to-day, that’s the difference. Music-wise, we just are better per formers; we've been playing together longer and know each other better, and I think it’s a better show because of it. FF: What made you decide to work with all the producers and mixers on Whiteout and how did you go about choosing them? The Cardigans and Swans and Gang Of Four have few musical elements in common. CM: Welt, originally it was my intention to only have two producers, which was Tore {Johansson] and Andy [Gill], The way that I chose them is that at the time we were looking for producers, a lot was being written about Tore and the production value of that Cardigans record. I believed the hype and I bought the record—even though I'm not a thought it would take two different types of people to work on the songs. Through no fault of his own, Andy Gill did not have enough time to mix all of the songs. We were very short-sighted and thought we could do it all in three weeks, which is normally how long it would take us. But we worked in a not-live fashion, which we had always worked in. So we ran out of time in the end and out of money, and so I got people who were friends of mine and lived in New York to remix a couple things that I thought weren't exactly there yet FP; Would the production in any way be a mes sage to Geffen? CM: No, not at all, I was surprised at how poppy the material we wrote was, and I though it was funny that the most accessible material we've ever written is probably on the smallest release well ever make. I thought that was hilarious. I think that goes to show you we don't give a shit what label we're oh. We're gonna make whatever record we make. But it was certainly nothing to spite anyboc^. * r J FP: Do you and Jon pretty much see eye-to-eye on Boss Hog matters, be they songs, sound, album cover photos...? CM: Um, not just Jon and I, but the entire band are like-minded, and we do things pretty democratically. So yeah, we’re ail happy with what's out there, I think... I hope... I think so. FP: Under advantageous circumstances would you take the major-label plunge again? Or are you sticking it out in Indie-land? CM: I don't know. I think the right situa tion would have to present itself. It really, to me, is much more about that I just want to get my record out there. And it's much nicer to work with an ethical person who has their own business that is small and independent. I like that a great deal, and I like the Mom & Pop ethic a great deal. But I can't say for sure that if some major label offered me money to make the next.record... I mean, I gotta look at, "How am I gonna make this record?" I have to be realistic about it. If I'm not making enough money or generating enough funds for the band in any other .fashion, then I'm going to have to make money somewhere. I'll get the record recorded somehow. So I'll do w ha lever's best for the band in the end. FP: Pussy Galore and early Boss Hog were "punk rock" in fairly obvious ways. Is that kind of punk rock still relevant, or is it time to find new ways to fluster the establishment? CM: No, no. I still consider us entirely punk rock. Mark Emge WHO: Boss Hog, The Gungq Ditv The Forty Fives WHERE: frit* Lounge, Atlanta, {404)681-3600 WHEN: Friday, iuae 2 . HOW MUCH: $12 f Do you want to know who all the local bands are. what their .music sogiis like, and where they’re playing next? Bo-you want; your band involved? ♦ We thought so. * wwwlo ca l m ur>! c,corn/^i:h€D s m PtAGPOLB MAY 31, 2000
