Bassist Robert Levon Been recently took a ride with FHM's Neil Janowitz to explore the band's journey, which refueled this month with the release of Howl. Turner admits that the band's image may be misleading, but it's not without its stories.
Wouldn't "Vespa Club" have been a bit more manageable?
Yeah, it’s not the easiest name to walk up to somebody and say with complete confidence. We don't ride in tough as nails with motorcycles and leather jackets and start beating our heads against the walls. The idea was always to throw people off with the name. Instead, we threw ourselves off.
Where did the handle come from, then?
Peter [Hayes, guitarist] and I were watching The Wild Ones on Turner Classic Movies and we saw “BRMC” on the jackets of Marlon Brando's gang. But those guys kept getting their asses kicked, so we decided, “We’ll be 'The Other Gang.'” That name didn't catch, so we eventually just said, “Fuck it, let’s name ourselves BRMC.”
So you're named after the pansy gang. Do legit bikers ever give you gruff?
In the very beginning it was kind of fucked up because gangs would tell us, "You have to shank one of the Hells Angels to call yourself a motorcycle gang." It got a little weird sometimes, but once you talk past the initial bad attitudes, it’s all good.
But you did end up shanking someone, right?
The only bad experience I’ve ever had was this one gang in Pittsburgh. They stole all our merch and said, “You can’t call yourselves a motorcycle club. If any of our gang sees some kid wearing a motorcycle club T-shirt, a Black Rebel T-shirt, we’re gonna beat him up.” They insisted, “We’re doing this for your own good.”
Have all gangs been so considerate?
There's one that we still keep in touch with. It’s funny, because it could’ve been one of the worst encounters yet. We were in Brooklyn playing a show. Just before we went on, we heard all the bikes pull up while we were backstage and it was like, “Oh, great.” These guys come in wearing jackets with a crossed-hammers logo. They carry two hammers everywhere they go, like pistols. It was like, “OK, fuck.”
Were they there to fix some faulty carpentry?
They were the Bridge Runners Motorcycle Club, which has the same initials as us. Our tour manager at the time was a Hells Angel and we had him talk to them. The marquee said BRMC and it took a little while to explain where our name came from and that it was no disrespect. After that it was actually really cool. We ended up having drinks and they saw the show. They said the best things about the band after that gig and we’ve just seen them at every gig since.
So you've got biker-gang groupies?
I still e-mail Duke all the time. They’re actually good guys. Good people to have on your side.
Was it a coincidence that a Hells Angel was your tour manager?
When you’re dealing with rock-'n'-roll crews, it’s kind of hard not to find a former motorcycle gang member. It’s easier just to let it be.
Has there ever been a point in all of this, you know, getting confronted by these guys with hammers, when you said, “Hold on, maybe we should change the name”?
Before we started touring, we joked that it would be a problem one day. When it actually became an issue, it was a little bit of an “I told you so” situation. But we were already halfway across the country trading our name around. We had to stick it out, one way or another.
FREE BLACK REBEL MOTORCYCLE CLUB MP3!
Want to hear a sample of the new album Howl? We've got the hook-up!
|
|
|
