The Almighty Mr. T Experience
From Korenne and Gracie
We interviewed Dr. Frank from Mr. T Experience as they were loading up their van after their show at Coney Island High, on one of the craziest days of the year, Halloween. Everything was insane!!! There was so many people in costumes running around from 20 guys chanting "Yankees" to some people chanting to legalize marijuana and a grimreeper going up and down the street. Needless to say, it was crazy, but oh so much fun!
Gracie: So how's the tour so far?
Dr. F: The tour so far? Tonight has been one of the nuttiest nights of my life.... But its only been one night of it so far.
Korenne: What's the craziest thing that has happened on tour so far?
Dr. F: This! Right here! Halloween - an early show, getting kicked out, all our stuff on the street, the cops not letting us park here - And the grimkeeper walking down the street almost tool my head off with his side, so I’d say that was pretty weird.
K: Did you guys watch the "A Team" growing up? (in reference to the name of the band ...y'know, Mr. T Experience.)
Dr. F: I did, yes.
K: Is that any influence on the name?
Dr. F: Well is happened to be. - When we has to think of out name for our first show cause we never expected to have a show... when we had to think of a name for it, that happened to be on TV at the time and then that was the name. We could of been watching anything. - We could of been watching "Dallas", (we laugh), and we would of been the JR Experience... I dunno. But it turned out to be...
G: When did the new line up come? (Jym and Joel)
Dr. F: What?
G: The new line up...
Dr. F: The current line-up is from 1994... so its been going awhile.
K: When did you start it?
Dr. F: 1986.
K: Oh wow!
G: That's was like 2 years after I was born! (we all laugh and Gracie feels special)
K: What's your favorite bands to play with?
Dr. F: The Queers- we love playing with the Queers, and the Hi-Fives, and the Groovie Goulies - all lookout bands.
K: (sarcastically) And Operation Ivy - you like playing with them right?
Dr. F: Well... We haven't played with them in a long time.
K: Yeah.
Dr. F: (turns to two other peeps who are about 2 feet away from us who are interviewing Joel, hehe, it was pretty hectic) Just send them over here if they have one (a question) for me. (laughs)
K: This is too crazy!
G: Do you guys do anything besides the band?
Dr. F: I watch a lot of television , I read a lot of mystery novels, and I sculpt.
K: Do you?
Dr. F: Yes.
K: Are you good at it?
Dr. F: My sculptures has been called hideous by some people.
K and G: Awwwww.
Dr. F: Yeah... but I try as hard as I can to keep up the image of the artist because I believe it is important to appear to be a bohemisn (we laugh), and then theoretically they'll buy your records - I don't know if that's but...
G: Who are your favorite band to tour with? (the dumb little person I am, I didn't realize I asked the same question except a different way)
K: (laughs) We asked that already! (Dr. Frank lists the same bands as before) The question I gotta ask is, if there were no such thing as Converse (the shoes), what would you wear?
Dr. F: You know, I've been wearing these shoes since I was 5, are the same ones ... these (referring to the blue Converse he's wearing) are actually my first blue ones. I usually get black ones, but they ran out of black and I had a choice between camouflage and blue, so I took blue, but I really don't know... I know nothing else! That's all I know, I get a new pair every six months, and, cause they wear out cause I walk everywhere.
K: You should make the sponsor you.
Dr. F: I should make them do that - I should. I should tackle them between 2nd and 3rd period in the hallway, and maybe they'd .... (trails off)
G: (laughs) OK, what bands are you guys influenced by?
Dr. F: I am influenced by the Softboys and both Elvis's and the Kings.
G: What was the last CD you listened to?
Dr. F: The 2nd and 3rd albums by the Softboys are on cassette and when we go on tour I just listen to it over and over again.
K: Does the band like it?
Dr. F: No I listen to it on my walkman... they don't even know about it. They don't even have a clue what I'm doing back there. (we laugh)
G: If you could open up for any 80's hair band at their comeback show, who would it be?
Dr. F: Um, probably Duran Duran cause that's the only one I can think of right now (at this point a bunch of peeps start chanting things in the street).
G: What was the best show you've seen?
Dr. F: You know the best show I've ever saw, seriously , in all seriousness was David Cassidy, about 3 or 4 years ago. It was amazing! It was so good! He was so excited about playing, and it was just really, really, great. In ALL seriousness, it was great.
G: Favorite 80's movie?
Dr. F: (pauses) you know, I really... I... I'm not - I didn't like the 80's when they happened y'know? I don't like t relive it. The 80's was a bad time for me. You know, the 80's for you was all looking back right? For me it was high school and college and stuff- a bad part of my life, "After Hours" in the 80's? I liked that one. "King Of Comedy" was in the 80's.
G: What was the most disgusting thing you've ever eaten?
K: On accident.
G: Yeah.
K: Or maybe not.
Dr. F: (laughs) I dunno... I did eat the worm in a tequila bottle once. I was in condition to really have an opinion on it at the time.
K and G: Ewwwww.
G: What was the most scariest thing you've ever experienced?
Dr. F: I've been asked before, and so I have an answer for you. There was a dead guy on my porch once day when I opened the door to go outside. It was very early in the morning, there was just this guy. And I said "Is this guy dead?" and he looked dead. I didn't wanna touch him, But I kinda touch him just to see. He was dead! He hadn't been killed or anything, he had jut been brought there. I was sort of had to be Sherlock Holmes in the situation. So I went down the street to a payphone and anonymously called the Berkeley police and then, I like, Got out of town for... I went back, the situation was all. It was like, it was a beautiful morning - the birds were singing, and the wind was whistling through the trees and there was a dead guy on my porch. It was quite interesting.
K: Pretty awkward.
Dr. F: Yeah! You never know what to say in that situation.
K: And do you think Bill Clinton should get impeached?
Dr. F: No.
G: Who would you elect for president? (If he did)
Dr. F: I think in all seriousness, Albert Gore would be a great president.
K: If he ever spoke.
Dr. F: I hope he wins, no, I think he'd be great.
G: What's your biggest fear?
Dr. F: Biggest fear? Rats.
K: There's a lot of them around here.
Dr. F: No, in 1984, when the guy has the rats in the cage around his face. That's my biggest fear.
G: How long do you guys plan on touring?
Dr. F: Well, this tour last another 3 weeks, and I hope we make it through that. Tonight was a hard thing to get through.
K: Do you miss home?
Dr. F: Not yet, but I will.
G: You guys gonna come back? (to NY)
Dr. F: We are - when we have a new record.
K : Do you know when its coming out?
Dr. F: My solo album in the Spring (everyone - we command you to buy it) and the Mr. T Experience album will probably come out in the fall.
K: Cool. (to Gracie ) Anything else?
G: That's it!
Dr. F: That's it.
K and G: Thanks you very much!
Dr. F: Thank you!
K: You guys played great.
Dr. F: Thanks so much, thanks a lot for watching us.