T.S.O.L.’s Jack Grisham Talks New Album of Covers & Originals A-side Graffiti (The Witzard Interview)
Jack Grisham of T.S.O.L. (CREDIT: photographer unknown / SOURCE: T.S.O.L.)
T.S.O.L. (sometimes, known as both True Sounds of Liberty and/or L.O.S.T.) is a Long Beach, California band that’s been active since 1978. They’ve had various iterations and a rotating cast of members, but T.S.O.L.’s current line-up consists of frontman Jack Grisham, guitarist Ron Emory, bassist Mike Roche, piano/synthesizer player Greg Kuehn, and drummer Antonio Val Hernandez. While T.S.O.L. is primarily known for their Punk/Hardcore stylings, over the past nearly 50 years, they’ve dabbled with various genres including Deathrock (later known as Gothic Rock,) Art Punk, Horror Punk, Hard Rock, Glam Metal, Blues Rock, and Skate Punk. T.S.O.L.’s music has been featured within a number of films and documentaries including Urban Struggle: The Battle of The Cuckoo’s Nest, The Slog Movie, Suburbia, The Runnin’ Kind, The Return of The Living Dead, Dangerously Close, and Punk’s Not Dead. Last week—on a Tuesday, in true Punk fashion—T.S.O.L. unleashed their first album since 2017’s The Trigger Complex and eleventh studio album overall. A-side Graffiti was produced by Paul Roessler (D.C. 3, Twisted Roots, Mike Watt + The Secondmen) and showcases charismatic covers of Magazine, The Rocky Horror Picture Show film soundtrack, Amerie, Louis Armstrong, and David Bowie.
Artfully strewn across this twisted collection of covers are a handful of T.S.O.L. originals that have been slowly trickled out as singles since 2018. T.S.O.L.’s once-white face-painted, faux fur coat-wearing frontman has been part of the band during stints spanning from 1978-83, 1991, and 1999-present and has, also, recorded and released music with Vicious Circle, The Joykiller, Tender Fury, Cathedral of Tears, The Manic Low, and Gentleman Jack Grisham. Grisham has penned numerous novels and books including An American Demon: A Memoir, A Principle of Recovery: An Unconventional Journey Through The Twelve Steps, True Stories: A Loose Collection of Flash Fiction, Code Blue: A Love Story, Untamed, and The Pulse of The World. In addition to his musical and works of literature, Grisham shared his directorial debut with Ignore Heroes: The True Sounds of Liberty based on the formation and decades-long career of T.S.O.L. during their earliest aughts. We recently got the unique opportunity to conduct an interview with the man, the myth, the legend himself, Jack Loyd Grisham. Check our interview out below, which has been lightly edited for general clarity. T.S.O.L.’s fantastic new album, A-side Graffiti, is now available to stream and purchase in physical formats, courtesy of Kitten Robot Records.
I. How long have you guys been working on the collection of songs that now appear together on A-side Graffiti? I recently noticed that T.S.O.L.'s cover of Amerie's "1 Thing" dates back to 2018!
Jack Grisham: We never intended this to be a record. The songs were aural experiments. I usually prefer records to be cohesive, almost like a movie filmed in sound. This record was a pleasant afterthought.
II. What made you decide to share covers of more off-kilter/unexpected songs, such as Amerie's "1 Thing," David Bowie’s "Can You Hear Me?," Louis Armstrong’s "What A Wonderful World," and "Sweet Transvestite" from The Rocky Horror Picture Show film soundtrack?
Grisham: We're very confused individuals. Our pronouns are chaos and clueless. "Hey, what about this? Wanna try it?" Sure, why not?
III. In addition to and/or aside from the interesting selection of covers mentioned above, what can you tell us about the original T.S.O.L. recordings that also appear within A-side Graffiti?
Grisham: Those tracks aren't more than covers, really—takes of songs that had yet to be written. We were experimenting with feels—like a fashion show. Are those tunes practical for us as a band? Maybe not, but they look good on the runway.
IV. Who or what would you readily cite as some of your greatest sources of personal inspiration and influence while creating and recording A-side Graffiti?
Grisham: From ABBA to [Frank] Zappa. The human mind is a hard drive with almost unlimited storage space—accessing information at times can be a b*tch, but on other days, when you're trying to create something new, little bits of old seep in—a bass line, guitar riff, a lyric. Sometimes, a nice smack across the chops can be a great inspiration.
V. What can you tell us about the, and I quote from the Reybee, Inc. press release, "few all-star friends" heard across your "refreshingly sparkling version of David Bowie’s “Can You Hear Me?’”
Grisham: “All-star” …hmmm, well, Murphy [Karges formerly of] Sugar Ray is probably the most legitimate star in the bunch, but he's coming from the Soft Pop galaxy. Frank Agnew of the original Adolescents is the brightest Punk star in the galaxy—his guitarwork is legendary, according to those that love the Southern California Punk sound.
VI. What did the typical writing, recording, production, creation, etc. processes between T.S.O.L. and A-side Graffiti producer Paul Roessler often entail?
Grisham: We have a rough idea of what we're shooting for—[guitarist] Greg Kuehn and I usually flesh it out in his home studio and, then, we roll the gang over to Paul's and let him strain the stew. I might hang around a bit after putting down the vocals, but all mixing, etc. is left in Paul's hands. We work with him because he's great, so my thoughts have always been, "then, let him do what you admire in him."
VII. How would you say T.S.O.L.'s sound, style, approach, etc. as heard across A-side Graffiti has progressed, changed, and evolved since your last proper full-length together, 2017's The Trigger Complex?
Grisham: The Trigger Complex was a record of which I mentioned before—a cohesive piece of work meant to be listened to in its entirety. I don't know who we are right now. Have you ever seen a slow kid who dressed himself? Well, that's what this band looks like right now.
VIII. Who created the album cover artwork for A-side Graffiti and how would you say the image directly relates to the album itself and/or the lyrics and themes heard within?
Grisham: Julia Kwong—drummer for The Smut Peddlers. The name of the record was a nod to these songs being tags—quick scrawls on vinyl.
IX. How did Keith Morris (Black Flag, Circle Jerks) initially get involved with and end up appearing on your cover of "Sweet Transvestite" from cult favorite film, The Rocky Horror Picture Show?
Grisham: Well, if you were thinking the voice of [Barry Bostwick’s character,] Brad [Majors] and you had our pool of friends to choose from and if a certain singer "owed you" because you'd been in a couple of his band's videos and he had that Brad tone—sh*t, who wouldn't ask Keith to do it?
X. How does it genuinely feel to be touring, making, and recording music with this band some 46 years after first joining T.S.O.L.?
Grisham: Tiring—this is the longest joke I've ever been involved in and the punchline is nowhere in sight!
XI. I guess I have a bit of a vested interest in this one because I interviewed two of their original three band members a few years back... but did you ever hear anything from Black Velvet Flag either before they recorded or after they released their cover of T.S.O.L.'s "Code Blue" on their classic 1994 Lounge-core album, Come Recline with Black Velvet Flag?
Grisham: I love their cover of “Code Blue!” And, no—I've never spoken to any of them.
XII. What's planned next for T.S.O.L.?
Grisham: If only there was a plan, we could all rejoice!
