More About Me
Name: Brendan Kelly
Guitar: Chop Shop series Bombshell & a Chop Shop series Bossman
What do you drive?
Uh… a Jetta. Sigh… actually, it’s pretty Fahrvergnügen or whatever, so fuck y’all. I dig my Jetta.
What do you drink?
Hmm… pretty much whatever you;re drinking, but when I’m alone, I do High Life, Jim Beam, Bulleit, Titos, Malort and Fernet. Kraken when I’m really hung over and Mexican beers on days when I’m not drinking.
When did you start playing guitar?
Twenty three years ago.
What was your first guitar?
My first guitar was a rental acoustic, no brand (!) with nylon strings. The first guitar that I owned was an Epiphone Les Paul. It was a Christmas gift from my Mom. It lives in my storage space now.
Who is your Guitar Hero?
John Frusciante is the best guitar player in the world. If we could only get him to stop playing funk… man, we could really make shit interesting around here for a change. I can’t emulate him, though, because he’s a tech player and I’m not. My hero in terms of style is Keith Richards, because he does great stuff without having the most technically swift or agile fingers. I can relate to that for sure.
What is the first song you ever learned to play?
“Every Rose has its thorn”
What music-related awards or accolades have you received, if any?
“Biggest Dong In All of Rock and Roll” – six years in a row 89-95. Also, um… punknews.com record of the year a few times. Man, I’m not in it for the awards… I’m in it for the booze and the shenanigans. Good thing, right?
What’s your patented stage move?
I guess it’s falling into the drums due to massive wastedness, though I used to spit a loogie into the air and catch it in my mouth. That was a pretty good one, too.
What elements describe your approach to playing?
Live, it’s all about a visceral attachment to the place and the people there, so sloppiness is fine, encouraged if there’s energy and intensity there. This often results in blood and gross fingers, but if I’m doing it right I really don’t feel a thing. In the studio I go for more nuanced stuff, but again, I’m not the most technically proficient guy, so I try to apply recklessness to my style in a way that’s conveyed through the notes. I want it to sound like I’m drunk and having the best time making these fucked up sounds even if I’m actually sitting there concentrating with a cup of coffee. The chaos of a few bent strings and the sounds of picks and fingers sliding against the nickel, that’s the stuff that I like. Jagged strumming and deep, deep bends in solos. In a solo situation, if you play something and it’s in tune in time and it makes you and the people in your band laugh, chances are it’s awesome.
Tell us about the best show you ever played.
I’ve played well over a thousand shows and there have been a lot of great ones, so this is a rough question. I opened up for myself (falcon for Lawrence arms) on a boat that circled the statue of liberty on the Hudson river. I played in an abandoned peepshow in the red light in Paris district two doors down from the Moulin Rouge and I played a show in Sydney when Matthew McConaughey was there for some reason. What’s the best show ever? Hard to say. I liked our ten year anniversary show at the metro in Chicago a lot. People came from all over the world. It was a truly special event for us.
What is your favorite food and/or recipe?
My favorite food is probably Sake Don, which is sliced salmon in a bowl of rice. In places where the sushi is plentiful and cheap (Australia comes to mind instantly) that’s pretty much all I eat. On a more day to day basis, however, that’s not really practical or affordable. I love Mexican food and I could eat it every day, but my Mom’s mushroom risotto and her gnocchi with gorgonzola sauce are my true faves, if I’m really being honest.
What quote best describes you or is a mantra for your life?
“Son, you got a panty on your head” -Raising Arizona
