RHINO BUCKET INTERVIEW- thanks for being back with such a cool record â and maybe one of your best songs ever: âmonkey boy highwayâ (i love this stonesy chorus!!). I gave the album a 7/10 in my review but living with the album for about a month now i must admitt that it deserves more. It turned out to be a real grower.

Thanks. I'm really proud of the new record. I think it is the best one we've ever done. With the new line up the band has a new lease on life as we really enjoy playing together again. Monkey Boy Highway is one of my favorites too. As is Smile and Welcome To Hell. 7 out of 10? Come on, you can do better than that!

- To me âAnd Then It Got Uglyâ sounds grown up a bit compared to your previous releases - and not that much focused on hunting for the next âhitâ. Where do you see the differences between first three records and this new one?

We're a better band today. The lyrics reflect that we've all lived a little bit longer and seen what life can do to a person. We've never actually focused on a hit on any of the records, it was and is always about the best real rock song possible. This time around, we took a little bit more time and played the songs live before recording them. That made this record feel and sound a bit more complete. Again, and I can't say this enough, the band has never been better. We sound better live and we have a better time in the studio. It's not just because of the line-up change, I think we all changed.

- Does it feel different to play that kind of AC/DC-riff-rock today? And do you see/feel some sort of change in the attitude in how you write songs make music nowdays? And whatâs the kick playing the music you play?

First off, let me be clear. I don't play ACDC riff-rock. I play straight ahead rock 'n fucking roll. A very long time ago, I used to roam the streets of Van Nuys, California looking for trouble and the sound track to that life was straight hard rock. It stuck in my blood and, although I done other types of music, I always come back to that type of music to get my own blood pumping! With every song that this band writes I do my best to keep it honest and real, just like the streets of Van Nuys are to this day.

- Is it more fun to play today? Less preassure? More music, maybe less business?

It is more fun. But, maybe, that is because of the people in the band today. As individuals, we've grown up (just a little LOL) and with Brian in the fold, it all just feels so natural. The pressure is still there because the only pressure I ever allowed myself to feel was the pressure to write and perform the best possible rock I could. It will always be there. Less business? No. There's always too much business involved but that is part of being in a working rock band.

- Lets go back in time a little bit: As far as I know RHINO BUCKET split up back in 1992 - what exactly led to the split?

We ran out of beer. We were at a stop sign in Phoenix and someone in the van said, "There's no more beer". And that was it. I think we left the van right there in the middle of the street. I don't know. I just got out and walked away. We were tired. Tired of the road. Tired of the music business. Tired of each other. It took quite a while for us to get back to thinking about Rhino Bucket again.

- And what have you been up to during the last couple of years job- and musicalwise?

I got married a couple of times and had some kids. LOL Wrote a bunch of songs and formed some bands but it really didn't matter. I've been in other bands but the only real band, in my eyes, has always been Rhino Bucket. In 1994 I was tired of all the drama, the drugs, the drinking, etc. So I left. But after five years of living in the suburbs of Los Angeles, I realized that this normal life was not for me. So, when Riki Rachtman asked if I wanted Rhino Bucket to play the new Cathouse, I said yes. Without even talking to the other members. LOL But as you can see with the new record, it all worked out great.-

When did you come up with the idea of reuniting and how did this reunion happen?

Why has it been the right time to rock again as RHINO BUCKET? Wow, once again, I need to read all the questions before I answer them. Please refer to my previous answer. By the way, it is always the right time to rock with RHINO BUCKET!

- Your new drumer is actually your old one. Did you know about Liam's psychological and physical developement? Might this be a reason for leaving RB before the recordings of âPainâ?

Yeah, I do think that Liam left Rhino Bucket in 1992 because he had to work out some things. Did I know what those things were? No. I was too involved in my own drama to really pay attention to anyone else. The funny thing is that Liam helped us find Simon, his replacement. Liam's wife knew Simon's wife and then it was just a matter of getting together for a jam. After one jam, it was clear that Simon was the only choice we could make.

- How did you cope with his sexual reassignment surgery and the fact he is female now? Did you have doubts? And how do people around your band (fans, label, family and friends) react? Any problems?

How do I cope? Well, for me, the funny thing is that it is still the same person on the inside. She did what she had to do for herself. As a friend, I've accepted her decision. As far as how do other people react to it? I don't care. I'm sure it has closed doors on us but so has my mouth at times. In life, you have to pick a team and my team is Rhino Bucket.

- Please tell me about your thoughts about the time when you started out as RB. Do you see yourself as part a some kind of AC/DC-riff-rock-wave? Had there been strong competition between the bands around back then? And which were/are your personal faves? (mine are definitely RB, KIX and Johnny Crash).

Hahaha, you're still hung up on the ACDC thing. Whatever, ACDC were a great band and, certainly, when Rhino Bucket first formed ACDC were at the top of their game and a big influence on me and the band. But, give me a fucking break, have you heard the song "The Furor"? What a complete pile of shit. I know the guys from KIX and not one of them would have listed ACDC as their main influence. It's just rock 'n roll. If you think that ACDC invented straight ahead rock then you are mistaken. They were great, then they lost their singer, who made them great, and still managed to write one and half great albums. After that it was pretty fucking pathetic. Now, they still sell out the arenas, they still play all the old songs, and they still make millions. They deserve to make the money, they really do. But, for me, they are just another successful nostalgia act, like Jimmy Buffet.

- With âI Was Toldâ there is s song-remake on the record â why that one?

We did it for a movie. The first song we ever did acoustically. We added on the record because we wanted to show that this was a different band than the one that put out "Get Used To It". I like it, especially the girl laughing at the end. Her name was Mercy, by the way.

- Itâs pretty hard to find your first three albums for valuable prices. Any chance to get them re-released soon?

The third one, PAIN, will be re-released this fall through Acetate Records. Along with a very big surprise release. Stay tuned. As far as the first two. Warner Bros. are being complete dicks about it and so we're just going to re-record them someday with Brian. Bugs Bunny can kiss my ass.

- Why is AC/DC the greates rock-band on earth? ;-) [or is it not?!]

I think I already covered this. They were, and now they are not.

- Whatâs your fave AC/DC-album and why?

The next one I write for them . . . LOL, actually I like "Let There Be Rock". It's just very honest and real, like Rhino Bucket.