DAVID STUCKEN & THE CURSE interview: TOURING w/SOCIAL DISTORTION, PRODUCED BY JONNY TWO BAGS, LOVE
yeah checking in to watch this video if you haven't already don't forget to subscribe to my channel for new punk rock videos every week and tap the Bell to get notified when new videos Drop [Music] [Music] my name is Erin micklow and I'm here with Dave stuken of David & the curse how are you I'm great it's nice to see you again we always see each other we've been friends for so long yeah you're finally after many many it's been a long it's been too long I've conned you into doing some promo stuff for me here and there but haven't been on the show because you weren't playing shows and so tonight we're here at the three o'clock it's been a minute it has definitely been a little bit of time since I've been playing yeah but you're not new to the music scene you have been in music for more than half your life can you talk about your musical background and how you got started as a musician I think it all started just being um alone a lot as a kid because I was a single child and being a single child I had a lot of free time on my hands because my parents were doing parent things and I was in my room and it's not a sob story I wouldn't I wouldn't want to change anything because it I started to fall in love with like the the music that I would just hear around like for instance Phantom of the Opera right like my mom was really into Andrew Lloyd Webber Phantom of the Opera so I started singing Because I would listen to that tape in the car and then so you had that on my mom's side and went driving with her which was scary and um The Phantom of the Opera is here inside your mind that [ __ ] and then on driving in my dad's car it was always Jerry Lee Lewis on Great Balls of Fire I remember he had Jerry Lee Lewis greatest hits I think he had I know he had AC DC Back in Black and um Roy Orbison and so I just but I was I was in love with Jerry Lee Lewis so I started seeing that was that got rock and roll you know and um this is when I'm uh four years old so Flash Forward I was in Guitar Center when I was about 12 and playing guitar and singing like you know how people do these days but I was 12 so it was okay I wasn't 28 or 38 or 50. when it's kids yeah so I was doing that like putting on a concert for everybody yeah and uh this like crazy dude came up to me and my dad and was like your son is amazing you need to be in my band so I code and I like this guy built like this studio and he's got his kid his kid was um like a virtuosa drummer and his kid was about 11 or 12. so we had a kid rock band not Kid Rock not the guy like a children a child but it wasn't really child's We we played Originals I remember one song I would call him and skateboarding is not a crime and I didn't even really want to write that song but he was like you need to write songs about people and places that you know and so like I was already writing songs because I started writing when I was like 10 or 11 around this time so that's how I first started playing music professionally because he would book us gigs so he played this gig at this place called the crest we opened for an 80s metal band called The Bullet Boys was that the place like this place was actually in Old Torrance in the South Bay of La where I'm from and um I played my first show it was my 12th birthday it was either my 11th or 12th I can't remember but I it was I remember went to Knott's Berry Farm the day after but then High School Garage bands blah blah it all turned into this band The breakdowns and that's when we were like late teens and like with chain reaction and pay-to-play shows in Hollywood when the Key Club was there yeah and then we as I was getting older this was getting the time when substance abuse started coming in and the shows got crazier and the lifestyle got crazier and the breakdowns we played till I was 22 and when and it just disbanded out of disarray because everybody was really really having some issues so they won't say anymore but what happened was one of this is when I'm you coming to play around 2008 yeah we've been friends 23 yeah I started a band called The Strangers yeah with Rob Malachi they were amazing and you I remember seeing you on the tour you opened for social D because what two bags produced yes yes so this is when life got good for some time [Music] against me [Music] [Music] so [Music] what the strangers was a culmination of me Rob Malaki from Dwayne Peters and the Hans and the pushers okay he now has a valturas with Matt Freeman yeah so as me it was Rob Malaki I'm not dropping names I want people to know who I'm talking about and then Johnny two bags we were the strangers in most there was Shane who played bass and Julian was a drummer who's Julian's not playing guitar but the basically strange is just like a Holy Trinity of me Rob and Johnny two bags yeah and he produced the record and it was an amazing album called The Human Condition Johnny's an amazing producer my songwriting went up a whole Notch then and that's when you met me and that's when I really came into my own yeah because you learn like there's the powers of working with a good producer is so important you know he he had all of his knowledge of years and years as a professional touring musician that he could kind of Mentor you with 100 and you know that what's so funny is I knew Johnny since for about five years before that yeah I was like 17 16 when I met Johnny yeah six seven years I met Johnny when I was 16 as a little Grom giving out CDs at shows I would lurk backstage I met Johnny behind the palace which is now the Avalon at the Dropkick Murphys large Frederickson show okay and Johnny was coming out on like two bags and I and I and I had so ironic I had a [ __ ] prayer card of Dennis Danelle rest in peace it was from that angel benefit it was in my wallet I had nothing else for him to sign and it must have been so weird for him to sign um one of his friends who passed away who he was the predecessor of but maybe an honor at the same time but I Johnny actually knows knew some of my songs he walks in the studio for the strangers he goes huh stupid and it just it went from there they Social Distortion took us under their wing and we were able to do uh all of Canada all the U.S and it was really cool I still have that so I mean obviously one of my favorite songs and I saw it on the comments on your post yesterday for this show people like are you gonna play St Mary's that's one of my favorite songs from The Strangers [Music] Hollywood [Music] yeah actually we are with uh the David stuken in the curse I'm like I'm I'm right now I'm really trying to make it like a greatest hit set yeah her greatest misses it's like a it's a set of the greatest misses yeah but um yeah they were playing some stranger songs and some dead relative songs which is the band I did after strangers and after dead relatives was David stukin in the curse so how did it morph into that because you know with the success that the strangers had and you know how that fell apart what was the choice for you to not continue on with the strangers and start new bands I think I think that I could I have too much Integrity to just take a name because the name went out there it wasn't the strangers without Rob yeah it wasn't the strangers without rob it just wasn't it it without Robin Shane it wasn't the strangers and you know there were certain people who told me what you just said to take the stranger's name and push forward and change it and I've been told that up until a year ago by friends of mine but without Rob and um without Johnny also because Johnny played third guitar on the album like when you listen to The Human Condition it's on bandcamp by the way that's the only way to find a Ferdinand right now I just still have the CD with the four songs on it there's a whole record it was on but like you know it's not the strangers without Rob and without Johnny so I was like you know I'll move forward and I'll just do another band and the dead relatives we actually did pretty well that kind of just turned into David and the curse and Julian or David stukin in the curse and Julian um went from the drums to the guitar and now we're playing with Jared who recorded the uh David and the curse album or David singing the Epitaph for love record for sure Jared recorded that and he plays with other he plays with other bands um and it's My Chemical Romance is who he's currently playing with in Gerard Way he's been playing with them for a long time [Music] foreign [Music] so can we talk about that album an Epitaph for love that one You released it officially last year on the streaming platforms okay in 2022 can you talk about the making of that album who produced it your process because that one was kind of a long time coming yeah yeah it actually an Epitaph for love is how many songs is it 13 or 14. I mean since
last night realizing that you had dropped it on the streaming platforms I've listened to it three times already thank you I really appreciate that no it is a really really great album well I appreciate when anybody listens to my music yeah um an Epitaph for Love Came From like there was like probably 46 47 songs recorded yeah and it was over a course of like six years yeah five or six years I would say and I kept telling you just put it out I know democracy man I guess but I'm I'll be honest with you like the two of all the records in the recording time that I've done with various projects I have to say that the two records I'm most proud of would be the strangers Human Condition because like you said when Johnny came into the mix bringing all of his experience Johnny was so fundamental in bringing the best out of me yeah and everybody else like I always say to Johnny like there wouldn't have been a strangers if you weren't in the room like the band would have imploded before we hit the road Johnny was like Not only was he an amazing producer that recognized things sonically and said okay this year this year and and it actually contributed to a lot of writing you know yeah another thing that Johnny did was he was the referee between me and Robo which is wrong so like however it worked it worked for a while and things are meant to be how they're meant to be and like the song I have nothing lasts forever but it's good while it lasted it was fun yeah and I think that's just true of everything in life nothing lasts forever that record and getting back to what you asked about the Human Condition they're this the I'm confused by my own records the Epitaph for love record that would have for love record um was just that was produced that's I produce produced that but with Paul Miner yeah Paul Miner and me and Jared too it was basically produced by the guys playing on it yeah you know like I would come in with the tunes I would come in with the structures I would come in with guitar parts but I would make a lot of parts in the studio Paul Miner would play bass Paul's a great engineer a great dude great friend but he's a great engineer he's got buzz bomb Studios and I was able to go in and out of there for five years and like Jared would meet me and I met Jared at Hurley Studios and um I can't say enough Epitaph for love would not be as powerful it is uh as it is if it wasn't for Jared Alexander Jared Alexander is is the most talented drummer I've ever known he's just amazing and he brought those songs to life that's awesome on Epitaph for love if it so I'm extremely excited because tonight's our first show with him yeah like it's like it's coming to fruition yeah we're gonna be able to play the songs on the record and have the band from the record for the most part you know yeah and that's that's a dream of mine to come true foreign [Music] [Applause] musicians after the pandemic you know everything was kind of on hold where it was like they made the music it was finally ready to come out and then it was like oh no we're in lockdown and shows aren't happening and even when they started again it was like a very slow ride into it um yeah I think that I think that it was it was inevitable for it to come back I think there was some some uncertainty there for when it was going to happen and a lot of people went through hard times they're still going through hard times yeah like in the pandemic I mean you and I we spoke on the phone a lot because you know we were some of those people that were [ __ ] scared you know I quarantined very strictly as to do because because of your parents and things like that and it was like it you know everybody you had to respect everybody's choices about how they decided to live their life but we were the ones that were like [ __ ] this [ __ ] we're hiding yeah um you know I think a lot of people did that I think a lot of people didn't and I have no I'm not gonna take any stance on that right now I just think we all got through the best we could we all got through it the ways we we wish to and I'll tell you something the isolation affected everybody you know and um I think what's so special about this show for me is this is actually the first rock and roll show I've played since you know the [ __ ] hit the fan with um of it yeah but it's still hitting the fan that's the thing you know it's still around it's it's not it's near the severity but our perception about it has changed very greatly definitely I appreciate because we've all we've and and all I'm saying is we've all accepted a level of risk yeah none of us we all know we're not Untouchable anymore yeah whereas there was this fear and this hope that we could get out without being phased by it but everybody was affected by it in one way or another I know many people that lost their lives three people who lost their lives and you know people are still getting sick but I think that with everybody with all the First Responders and with all the health care workers like they're the heroes who got us through this you know it was everybody in the hospitals who was working around the clock it was all the firefighters you know working around the clock and all of the EMTs the the the the the police officers even everybody who was really really really couldn't take off and also you know I don't want to talk about covet anymore I'm glad it's [ __ ] over for the most part [Music] foreign [Music] so let's talk about some of your musical influences you know for in the entire time I've known you you've just always been a huge music person as you discussed at the beginning of this interview you know growing up the musical influences from your parents but let's talk about something it wasn't really from my parents I don't mean to cut you off but like they didn't know [ __ ] really about the music they just had a couple tapes they bought at Target no but when you started to kind of formulate your own taste my dad knew rock and roll my dad got me into rock and roll I will give him credit God Rest his soul um my dad George stuken senior no he's George stuken Jr my grandfather who I never met was George stuck in senior George stukin my father got me into rock and roll and the influence is how to you know what kind of music do I listen to I would say that it hasn't changed that much I don't listen to Phantom of the Opera anymore I'll tell you that but you know as far as my influences like goes back to classic rock and really old classic rock and um blues and just punk rock and roll and and you know basically I like to get to the [ __ ] roots of everything and you'd be surprised like if you're driving around me you'll probably hear The Shirelles okay more than you'll hear like you know Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers you'll hear you'll hear [ __ ] Ronnie Spector or something you know like I like to listen to a lot of oldies when I'm driving and a lot of jazz um I find that a lot of times I have my own songs in my head that I'm writing and so sometimes it's really hard to focus on listening to music but I love Tom Petty obviously I love the Rolling Stones I love John Lennon I love um I love every kind of music I never I never say any kind of music is bad music because like I think it was Chuck Berry who said as long as it gets your feet to happen it's good music you know yeah for sure that's that's that's that's that's the ethos I kind of live by well and I think for you you know it's very apparent if you listen to your music that you tell stories in your songs it's not really so much about I mean I feel like every musician tells stories but yours are very Vivid stories can you very visceral huh yeah can you talk more about that of your process when you sit down to write a song I think it's hard for me to talk about myself with the with with writing because sometimes I don't know where it comes from yeah does that make sense like sometimes I it just comes to me like I'll be driving some of my best songs I've written in the car I'll be driving past something and I'll I'll have to get off the freeway to sit on my notepad and I'll just sit and like I don't know uh uh Yoshinoya parking lot somewhere in Garden Grove and no but for real I'm just saying anywhere I'll sit in the 7-Eleven parking lot and just sit there and and write write a song it's trippy it trips me out sometimes and then sometimes I'll have a song like Americana jukebox it takes time to write and I have to and just said a lot of songs on Epitaph for love were sporadically written but then when I went into the studio that's when with my writing the lyrics usually come first because they just kind of pop into my head they either come or they don't what is it for you that inspires you to write so many love songs like the majority of your songs it's about love it's about people it's about the human struggle but that's life because I I write about like I write it I like to write what people can feel and identify I've always said this Mike if if people can relate to my songs and enjoy the music but like when I was a kid the music that I loved is this are the bands that I could relate to yeah you know that it made me feel something inside like I remember one time I was sick and I got in the car and put on Green Day Dookie and I've my dad goes what's so you're now you're better because I didn't want to eat I was like sick and mad and I put on this record in my disc man or cassette Walkman and um remember it just like it made me feel better and as far as the people and the the themes some of them are Dark some of them are love songs some of them are love less songs yeah I think that um I like to just write when I talk when I when I sing you were saying about people yeah when I when I sing about people it's usually people that I've met through my life that I bring back even if it's like somebody who worked somewhere you know and I can like feel something from them you know then I will if I'm just if I'm inspired to do it it'll happen like I wrote this song Can can room that we're playing tonight in high school yeah and it's a true story I was I remember I went back to school on Monday from being in Vegas on the weekend and had that song again we recorded I gave it to my teacher and he played it on Monday morning he was like this cool dude from Minnesota Who Loved The Replacements and one of his things was he would place on so Amy was actually a dancer at cancan room that was her real name and I wrote that song so like that's that started like I'm trying to say I don't know where some of it comes from that started when I was really young I was the isolation of being alone made me say that it's like you're yeah I'm an only child as well and I would make up stories with my Barbie yeah it's that's all my songs are stories with Barbie [Music] foreign you know you can just change Barbie's name and you know you know I like to write about my Corvette and um cruising PCH and Malibu [Music] so let's talk about hanging out at Nobu with you oh man let's talk about the current lineup of the band um that is playing tonight how did you guys come together I kind of touched on that because Jared was on the record yeah the Jared the drummer was on the record and then we've got Kevin who's a mutual friend of mine Kevin is friends with you he's friends he's a photographer he's a professional photographer he's an amazing photographer yeah camera guy camera Kevin Focus you'll have to add his uh his social media on this social Mania you don't have to add it on this I wouldn't even call Julian a friend he's a brother Julian's my brother and he just went from playing drums to guitar we've broken up a few times but that's how brothers are yeah we love each other and uh that's how the band came about because I I was with Julian every day you know because he's like my brother we found Kevin and then when Jared was available he comes in and plays and we're gonna just move forward we're gonna take 2023 and do whatever we can with it for sure and just be positive and be happy and grateful and have gratitude that we can do this now yeah because for so long like I said I could talk about it but who the [ __ ] wants to talk about the time we couldn't do this it's time to focus on what we can do now and I am really excited because in a lot of our phone calls in the pandemic you had talked about that that you wanted to do shows again and you know I've always been a fan of your music thank you so much that's like that goes well thank you for calling me beautiful you know coming coming from a model that's a that's a high compliment so thank you thank you very much but um you know I'm no I know what's that guy who's really famous right now from that zombie show what's his name baby what's that guy's name the guy who's really beautiful right now what's his name he's in the show about the zombies yeah Pascal whatever his name is he's really beautiful so thank you for calling me beautiful women he's like the GQ guy in your songs bro I I really like Tom Hardy Tom Hardy hey if you're watching this dude listen to my music because I'm a really big fan of yours and if you ever want to do Jiu Jitsu I would let you dislocate my arm what's up but speaking of that you are actually a boxer and you've been boxing for many many years yeah Tom Hardy if you're out there let's Spar but go real light you know what I mean how did you get into boxing because you you could like knock somebody the [ __ ] out I I would never do that you wouldn't because it's ethical but how did you get into boxing like I was I was 15 or 16. and I went to a house party and I got in a fight and I got my ass kicked because the dude was a wrestler yeah so I started boxing yeah and then I just took it up as a sport when I was really young I did Taekwondo like my parents were kind enough to let me do Taekwondo yeah and I was like this little kid I was four or five because I remember it stopped when I broke my right arm on first grade and I fractured it and I couldn't I couldn't Spar anymore but I was a little kid doing sparring and I would go to competitions and fight bigger kids because no little kids my size sparred I couldn't even fit in a helmet and stuff but I didn't even do any form I just went and just went at people so then I you know I don't know I started I guess that started me in like Combat Sports but you know the thing about all that is it's not a tough guy thing it's just a sport and if if you have to defend yourself or defend somebody you love you can but I would never ever ever instigate any kind of fight because I don't glorify violence in any way but I think it position the plan as uh as a musician you need a lot of discipline to box you need a lot of discipline to do anything in life that's difficult yeah you know if you want to sit around and play video games and eat you know Hot Cheetos all day long they don't need any discipline if you want to do something that you're that requires you know some kind of upward trajective you have to have discipline so I guess that's where and you know the thing about me boxing uh but that's the last thing I'll say about because you asked me is it's a solo sport yeah they call it the loneliest sport in the world yeah and for me that worked really well yeah thank you [Music] [Music] [Music] so I do want to close out with what is coming up for you personally what's coming up for you in the band I'm in love you are in love like James Brown love she's very beautiful you're lucky man I am I am for once in my life I have a very good woman I'm 37 years old it took me that long I know I know huh it's crazy it takes a while sometimes right babe I want to take on whatever comes you know our way I want to be playing as much as possible we're going back in the studio there's like I told you that there's 47 songs from the Epitaph for Love Session well maybe we'll use some of those definitely gonna re-release The Strangers Human Condition definitely probably gonna re-release some of the old dead relatives records the breakdowns records go back release to my old catalog but then as far as releases we're going in the studio for sure we're gonna do a follow-up to Epitaph for love another full length I don't really like EPS if I'm gonna go in the studio I'm gonna make a record and um we're gonna play wherever we can right now we just wanna you know play really well yeah which you always that's for from the entirety of knowing you you know you and I have shared that sentiment where you'd rather not do it than do it and it sucks there's so many blokes out there doing this that if you don't like if you don't stand out and do it right what the [ __ ] the point of even doing it yeah I mean like I don't want to do anything and not not do the best I can do for sure and if like there's so many bands that if you're not gonna if you're not gonna own up to like your ethos of like for me it's like what Tom Petty said he's like you can't cause blues rock you can't call us punk rock you can't call us classic rock that's that would just be [ __ ] we're a rock and roll band yeah and that's that's my ethos we're a rock and roll band I'm a rock and rolls singer even the Americana stuff like Americana jukebox it's it's it's all rock and roll ah no it's only rock and roll but I like it that's what it is all right thank you everybody give me a hug hi this is David stuken from David stuken in the curse and you're watching last rockers TV
2023-03-26 07:07
