Interview with Mike Ness (vocals)
Interview by Rob Todd | 09.28.2005 | Phone
 First off, I’d like to clear up some of the member changes. Brent Harding, is he Matt Freeman’s (Rancid) permanent replacement or do you expect him back?
Yeah, Matt was just temporary. Matt was basically just doing us a favor and filling in a slot until we found somebody.
Also, I noticed last night that you have a keyboardist but I find no mention of him anywhere. How long has he been with you?
Two or three years, I mean, there’s no mention of him because he’s not technically a member. We only use him for a certain amount of songs. He’s kind of one of our friends who we bring along with us.
What, if anything, can you tell us about a new album rumored to be coming out in 2006?
Well, I can tell you it probably won’t come out in 2006 (Laughter). I feel like we’ve got a great start on a new album, we’d like to do a new album soon but I doubt it will be that soon. I figure I will use my time off next year to do the writing and maybe start it toward the end of 2006 recording. It’ll be soon but I don’t know if it’ll be quite that soon.
So you’re reassuring us that it won’t be the length between albums like in the past?
No, it won’t be eight years (Laughter). We’re really writing a lot right now and I think it’s a great time to do another record.
You played a new song last night, “Diamonds in the Rough” correct? Is that one of the songs you already have set aside for the new album and how many other songs do you have written?
Yeah. I don’t know, probably like four or five. It’s been very hard to focus on that when we’ve just been touring for the last year so we need to decompress from touring for a while then get into writing and focus on writing.
When you write do you guys just sit down and write like 30 songs and then take the best ones for a new album.
Yeah, ‘cause there’s a lot of songs left over that we didn’t use. They’re not bad songs, they just need a little bit of reworking.
Sex, Love, and Rock ‘n’ Roll, as a whole, was an obvious criticism to things inherent in living the “rock star lifestyle.” Will the next album continue along those same lines or shift to something else?
I would like to shift to. I like to surprise people. There may not be any rad songs on the next record. I may be harder. It may be softer, I don’t know. I want it be better. Each record I make I want it to be better than the last record.
How do you feel about the impending doom of CBGB’s?
It’s just very disappointing that a landmark, even though it is a rock ‘n’ roll landmark, it may not be a historical, architectural – although people have been mowin’ those things down anyway – it’s just disappointing. That place is a significant landmark in rock ‘n’ roll history and I think it’s worth the effort trying to save it.
In today’s music industry, or even the broader scheme of society, where our younger generations need role models and people to keep the flame burning that Social Distortion has always been about, what would be your message to the youngest generations?
Well, I think it’s very important to just learn how to be yourself. When you’re young you’re obviously trying to find an identity and belong to something but if parents could instill to believe in themselves at a younger age and to be themselves then people would be making changes a lot earlier on in their lives.
Last night you talked about “consequences” for your actions, how important is it to you to be seen as more of a positive role model for your fans?
I think it’s not a role that I ever set out to be but hopefully someone can hear, ‘Oh, if you shoot heroin you might die or go prison, oh that doesn’t sound very good.’ Rather than someone glamorizing it and talking about how cool and shit it is. I just like to show people a clearer picture of things and my experience is valuable in that aspect that I can do that for people. I don’t know, maybe it might just prevent people from making some of the same mistakes that I did.
What you’re saying is you’d rather just tell people the truth.
Yeah, even if I was wrong, just ‘cause I was an asshole when I was 18 doesn’t mean you have to be and yeah, if you cheat on your wife and she leaves you, tough shit buddy that’s what happens. I like to tear down stereotypes, I like to expose things, I like to bring truth to things.
Last Friday in Chicago is a good example of all this. I read you actually brought a 12-year-old kid named Brandon on stage and talked about how we need to focus more on the children and making sure they’re raised to not make the same mistakes.
I think it’s kind of like our responsibility. You know, when I was growin’ up there was just bikers and low riders and they’d get stoned with you and you’d get drunk and they’d show you how to throw a punch or this and that but they weren’t giving you any lessons about life.
You’re obviously not intimidated by covering some great songs, most recently the Clash’s “Death or Glory.” Do you ever feel like there’s an uncertainty around doing covers, whether you’ll do the song justice?
Of course, especially that song ‘cause when a punk band covers a punk band’s song I think it’s stupid usually. I mean, what can you do to it? For us it was challenging because in the past I’ve taken a Stones song and given it a punk feel. This was the opposite, I took a punk song and gave it more of a Rolling Stones feel. It’s challenging sometimes.
I know you said you’re focusing on touring right now but have you given any thought to releasing another solo record?
I would love to. Right now it just seems like my focus needs to be on Social Distortion and maybe in between it all I can do it. I would love to do another record but I wouldn’t want to do it if I couldn’t tour it.
Have you ever written a song intending it for Social Distortion and realized it would come across better as a solo piece?
Definitely, I can’t think of a particular one right now, but that happens all the time. I’m always writing and in the back of my mind you don’t want to exclude anything and it’s hard ‘cause it’s like, ‘Which one do I be selfish with?’ But neither is more important.
Well Mike, that’s all I have. It’s been an honor talking to you.
Alright my man, thank you.
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