SplatterTribe-
So how did the
Banshee reunion come about? Is it something that
started just for Rocklahoma?
Tommy Lee Flood-
Well, actually me and Terry (Dunn- Banshee
guitarist), we talked last year. He had called me
and said, "Hey, we should try and get on this Rocklahoma thing." (But) By the time we actually
found out about it, it was like way (too
late)..........It would have been about this
time last year. They had already booked the bands
and everything. And a.......you know....
I was in the (Florida) Keys and
it was the first time in 25 years that I'd not done
anything in music. And I was really diggin' not
doing anything.
Tribe- What do
you mean not doing anything?
T.L.F.-
Nothing, musically, at all.
Tribe- What
was you doing for a living at this time?
T.L.F-
I was (doing) construction. I was connected with
some friends of mine that we actually knew in Kansas
City. Their family is huge down there in the
construction business. I was making like $1000 bucks
a day. That was Rock Star money.
(Joseph-Tommy's
Stage Manager interrupts to ask Tommy a question) |
|
The
Tri-Label Southside Rocklahoma
stage awaits Banshee's
Performance |
|
My wife
loved it down there and I loved...(pause)...cause
she had always takin a backseat. I mean when you're
doing shows, man the people you love the most,
they're in the background waiting for their 5
minutes. Which is a joke. They shouldn't have to
wait at all. They're the most important people in
your life. But, they understand that the game is the game and that
you want to say thanks to all the people; or you're
paying people; or you're performing and then doing
the meet and greets; and then doing business after
that. And then at 5 in the morning you get to go to
Waffle House and go, "Thanks Honey, for fuckin'
helpin", and, "I Love You", and, "I'm glad it's
over so we can have a cup of coffee together." But
it's your best friends and everybody that's affected
like that.
But when
I went down there (The Keys) my mom died and I just,
really lost all steam. I was doin' the 'Bi-Polar'
album and......
Tribe- Now are
we talkin recent recent here?
T.L.F.-
This was the last few years of my life. I went to
Florida to help some people out on a Huricane relief
project that me and my wife had signed up for.
Tribe- So that
was why you originally went down to Florida?
T.L.F.
Yeah, just to do Hurricane Relief work. We were
gonna do a month. I had broke the band Bi-Polar. We
had wrote and recorded. (we had) Played concerts and
broke in the name and I told everybody for a year,
"Look, I'm gonna do this Hurricane Relief thing.
It's gonna be a month. You guys work on new material
and I'm gonna be back in a month." They (Hurricane
Relief) put us on a boat and 2 weeks into it my mom
died. And I had 15, 16 thousand.....
Tribe- Was
this something out of the blue or something you knew
was coming?
T.L.F.-
I knew she had
emphysema and it was bad. But they didn't know if it
would be a year or 2
|
Terry Dunn
(guitar) Tylon Leslie (bass) Tommy Lee Flood
during Banshee Press Conference |
years
or, you know, 3 days. I was nervous when I went down
there. "God, I hope it doesn't happen while I'm down
there". But, it did.
Tribe- So in
the back of your mind you knew it was possible.
T.L.F.-
Yeah, you know, I mean there's always that chance.
(Joseph
intervenes again to ask Tommy another question)
Anyway,
my dad's a retired full Colonel Air Force Fighter
Pilot and he was really pissed off when I told him I
was gonna take every penny basically, that I had and
help with the funeral arrangements. I didn't have to
do it, but I was the oldest son and really the only
one responsible enough to do it. And he said, "What
a waste of money. You need to cremate her. It's a
big rip off." And I said, |
"I
agree (it's a rip off)" but her last wishes were
-Don't hate my other brothers............and don't
let anybody cremate me. Bury me next to Grandma.-
Her mother. My Grandma. And I said, "I don't care if
I have to rob a fucking bank, I'm going to bury mom
the way she wanted." It's the last thing I can do
for my mom and I'm gonna try and do that.
He goes,
"You're gonna lose everything. You'll lose your
credit. You're gonna lose everything you ever worked
for." I said, "Then I'm gonna lose everything I ever
worked for. That's what she wanted and that's what
she's gonna get."
And
I Did. I buried her.........and it wiped me out
(Joseph)
But it
came up (and) my dad was furious I was ganna
jeopardize my credit, my savings account.... But I
just told him, "Look, it's not an option. I'm
burying mom, proper." And he fuckin hung up on me.
Then he
called me back the next day and said, " You're
right. I gave my word I would be there....I totally
disagree (though). It is a rip off."
I said,
"Dad, I agree. It is a rip off. Once your dead, your
dead, but if you wantta help me out, this is what I
need."
And he
did. He gave me an extra 3 grand to help pay my
expenses to get from Florida to Kansas City. Rent a
U-Haul. Go down and pay for my expenses to get back
and forth to where my truck was. When I buried my
mom, there was a few things I kept at the house,
(that) I jumped on a plane to bring, the day I got
back. It took me 6 days to clean her house out. Turn
it over to the landlord. I took her clothes and all
of her books and everything to charity. I went to
all the
|
|
A night in Kansas
City w BlastZone,
SplatterTribe &
Tommy and his Crew |
|
hospitals that took care of her and thanked
all of the staff in person. "I'm Tommy. I'm the one
you've been talking to. Thanks for taking care of my
mom.
"When she
was buried, I drove back to Kansas City to drop the
stuff off (that) I kept at the house. And I was on a
plane the next day and went back to Florida to
finish what I started to do, (Hurricane Relief)
because I'm a man of my word. I told those people,
"Don't worry about it. My mom died, but I'll finish
the job I started." Me and my wife went backed down
there. I worked two more weeks and I just came back
home and decided, "I'm not ready to be here. I don't
have anything (in me) to finish this record...
|
Tribe-
The Bi-Polar record?
T.L.F.-
Yeah and I just a..............said, "Fuck it. I'm
goin back to the Keys." .........and a............I
did.........and I stayed there like 4
years.....and.......I had to. I'd been goin 25 years
(in music). Twenty three years solid and I'd never
missed 4 months......Ever. The only time i did miss
4 months was is between the L.A. Music Awards and
putting together Bi-Polar. It took about 4 months
where I hung out and thought....well, I'll retire,
or I'll consider doing either a Young Country with a
good Rock edge or maybe some very Modern Rock N
Roll. (I thought) If something like that comes
along, I'd be interested in it.
Tribe-
To what extent did you go with those musical ideas?
T.L.F.-
I
never got to do anything with the Young Country but
I was approached by all of these young kids out of
Lawrence. Which alot of Alternative bands have come
out of Lawrence. They said, "We here through the
grapevine you're gonna retire. We think that's
stupid. We've got a band. We don't have a singer.
We've got music and songs.
Tribe-
So when you speak of retiring, what was you gonna
do?
T.L.F.-
Be a normal dude.
Tribe-
So you wasn't gonna play? or Sing anymore at all?
T.L.F.-
(I was) Just gonna get out of it. Quit the game.
Tribe-
After being in the music business how many years?
|
T.L.F.-
23 years solid.
Tribe-
You really felt you just wasn't gonna sing anymore
at all?
T.L.F.-
I
didn't sing a not for 4 years. When my mom died
dude, it just took it out of me. I was mad. I was
like, "God, I sang for you! I sang for the fuckin
kids! I sang for my mom! Now you've takin the only
thing that's kept me fightin, other than my team. I
didn't want to quit because of the guys like Joseph,
who worked all the years for their dream. Their
dream is my dream.........(Pause).................
When you
write those songs. I don't have any kids, but every
song I ever wrote man, I'd set up till 4 in the
morning writing the song. I'd write that song. I'd
pre-produce that song and |
|
Some of the Banshee 'Team' doin
their thing behind the scenes
while Tommy Lee and the rest of
the band do what they do best |
|
try to make
it everything. And it was my words, my melody lines
and sometimes my music too. Alot of times, not in
Banshee, but in my other projects, (It was) my
music. When you write those songs, they're you.
They're something that comes from inside of you.
Part II Coming
Soon..........
www.myspace.com/tommyleeflood
bansheerocks.com
myspace.com/bansheeflood
Interview
by:
Luie Primal
|
