(Silence)

Surge Joebot: (Ghetto style) Yee-yuh.

RV: (Chuckles uncomfortably)

Dick Valentine: How are you doing tonight, sir?

RV: I'm fine, sir. I'm glad you that you guys are able to play live tonight. Jackson Pound... (stammers) I'm sorry...

DV: (Sternly) Watch the "J" word.

RV: Dick Valentine. Dick is back with us. You were here one time before playing some advance copies of the new record you guys are working on.

DV: Right! We're still working. We were here a year ago. Huh huh huh. I remember because it was during the last (1997) Stanley Cup finals...

RV: How we all measure time here in Detroit.

DV: Yes. Exactly. And we're here again tonight.

RV: But now you're playing live.

DV: Which we've been doing all along. Perhaps too much. We're not getting enough time in the studio. And that's why it's causing a back up. Yeah, but we're working hard and we, uh, feel real good about it.

RV: Yeah, it's good to be working out on the stage, getting the word, you know, the word of the Electric Six (formerly The Wildbunch), the sound of the Electric Six (formerly The Wildbunch), out there on the streets everywhere you can.

The Rock and Roll Indian: (Ghetto style) Word.

RV: Word. That's up. (Collecting himself.) That's the word that's up is the word. Anyway, The Electric Six (formerly The Wildbunch) is here tonight because they're also going to be playing Friday, April 24th, that's this Friday, at the Detroit Music Awards at the State Theater. And also on Saturday at the Magic Bag with Godzuki and His Name is Alive. Why don't we get things started with some live music from the Electric Six (formerly The Wildbunch)?

DV: Alright. This song's called TV, it's real good for you, everyone should watch it.

RV: Alright, live music from the Electric Six (formerly The Wildbunch) here on WDET FM Detroit Public radio. The Electric Six (formerly The Wildbunch) sound is quite unique. At this point I think there's no one else around town doing it. There've been some very interesting descriptions written about the band. Do you read alot of the things that are written about the group?

DV: Hardly ever. I-I-I haven't really looked at, uh, what's been said here.

RV: Has anybody ever said something like "the MC5 eating the Archies for breakfast", something like that?

SJ: Our whole thing is like, uh...

DV: Huh-huh

SJ: ...Talking Heads and Kiss.

RV: Yeah, that's a good one.

SJ: A happy middle ground.

RV: It's almost as if Morrissey was opening for Ted Nugent. The vegetarians and the meat eaters coming together and making peace.

SJ: That's happening on Friday.

RV: Yeah that's right, actually, at the Detroit Music Awards. Get that bow and arrow ready. The band is Martin M on drums, Dick Valentine on vocals, Surge Joebot on guitar, also the Rock and Roll Indian on Guitar and bassist Disco, making the music of The WIldbunch. How about another song?

(Long pause)

DV: (Suddenly, disoriented) Yeah! Yeah! Uhhh....

RV: Don't be afraid of the microphone.

DV: (Confident again) And Don't be Afraid of the Robot, that's right! What a segue! Ralph Valdez!

(Band applauds.)

DV: Here we go. This happens on four.

(Band plays Don't Be Afraid of the Robot, finishes song with a massive burn-out thud.)

DV: Just an absolute passion for the music!

RV: Tearing it up at WDET in the studio. Breakin' stuff, too. (A reference, possibly, to DISCO allegedly busting through the WDET security gate on his way in.) The Electric Six (formerly The Wildbunch)... You guys ever have an urge to extend the songs, or are you always happy to keep 'em nice and short?

SJ: We tried.

RV: What?

DV: No, we're from the TV generation, Ralph. We can only handle things in 30 second segments.

RV: Yeah, just, uh, even... it's the short attention span theater. Come to life. But the songs have a nice sort of conciseness to them that I like. It's sort of... not like a television commercial, but it just seems like an epic, almost, happening... it's almost like you've condensed a whole miniseries into a song sometimes. It's got that kind of appeal...

DV: Well, there's, you know...

SJ: Richard Chamberlain.

DV: Surge Joebot IS the Richard Chamberlain of Detroit Rock.

RV: The Wildthornbirdbunch. The group is working some new material for a record that will hopefully be out before the end of the decade.

DV: Hopefully, yeah. We record at a clip of about one new song every 3 months.

RV: Well, you're out playing alot.

DV: Right.

RV: And that takes alot of time, of course. You did something recently in Chicago. What was that?

DV: We did a show with The Frogs at the Empty Bottle, and uh...

RV: How'd that go?

DV: It went very well, we...

RV: Was that your first time playing Chicago?

DV: Yeah, with the Wildbunch (now called ELECTRIC SIX). I'd been there before once with...

RV: What, like with Wÿtchÿker?

DV: I was there in grad school, doing the coffee house circuit.

RV: And you guys were recently out west?

DV: Yeah, I was just telling the sound guy here that I spent a night out west, one night when we weren't playing, I went to the Corey Feldman show, to see Corey Feldman perform. That was definitely the highlight of the whole Out West Scene.

RV: Wow, so you can actually say that you got to see Corey Feldman.

DV: Oh yeah-yeah. We wrote a song about it and everything.

RV: Really?

DV: He's a very short man.

RV: What's the song?

DV: It's called Immolate Me and we're gonna be doing it here in a few.

RV: Well lets get to some more music from the Electric Six (formerly The Wildbunch). What do you want to do next?

DV: It's a song called I'm on Acid.

RV: Take it away.

(I'm on Acid)

RV: Some bands seem to have a hard time holding onto certain instruments. Spinal Tap have their disappearing drummers, other bands have the guitarist that they can't hold onto. You guys seem to be losing keyboard players and replacing them every now and then. Lately you've been working with Johnny Vegas-Hentch from the Hentchmen. How's...

SJ: We don't lose them. We collect them.

RV: You collect them.

SJ: They never leave. No keyboard player ever gets out of the WIldbunch alive. We collect them in an organization called THE ASSOCIATES, which you can learn all about on our upcoming, uh... website.

RV: You've got a website?!

SJ: Yeah, this whole thing's gonna bust wide open. This whole Internet thing.

RV: Yeah...

SJ: I can feel it. Our consultants have told us and we're gonna be in on the ground floor.

RV: My favorite website is still the attic, where there's lots of nice webs. Cobwebs. Get it? Website.

SJ: Exactly, exactly.

RV: Ralph Valdez! There's a midnight show. Try the veal.

RV: I'll be here all night.

DV: That's right.

RV: So the new keyboard player is Johnny from the Hentchmen. He's not here tonight but will he be playing with you this Friday or Saturday?

DV: He'll be there on both occasions.

Martin M: His bowling team's in third place.

RV: Ah.

RRIN: Yeah, his bowling team's in third place.

DV: Heh-heh. He isn't here tonight because he's bowling at the Magic Stick.

RV: There are obviously more important things than doing my show.

DV: Oh, you're telling me.

RV: Yeah, right.

MM: They're gonna get it! They're gonna get it.

RV: I'm shooting rubber bands at the singer now. We have time for two more songs, and since you're not going to do I am Detroit, as I suggested earlier, how about Immolate Me?

DV: Okay, yeah.

RV: Not Emulate Me, but Immolate Me.

DV: Right, this goes out to Corey Feldman.The aforementioned Corey.

RV: This was written for him, in fact.

DV: Yes.

(Band plays Immolate Me)

RV: Heavy Music Part 3, Detroit Style, from the Electric Six (formerly The Wildbunch). That song will be on the new full length album when it comes out. Do you have any ideas yet about what the album might be called?

DV: Working Title.

RV: Working Title is the working title. Really?

DV: Yes.

RV: I guess it's better than Closed for Remodeling. It's a good title.

DV: Huh-huh.

RV: When you guys make your music, is everybody drawing inspiration from each other, or does everybody listen to one person's ideas? Is it pretty democratic? How does it work?

DV: No, it's definitely a dictatorship.

RV: Oh, okay.

DV: Ha ha ha ha.

RV: Ha ha ha ha.

(Band snarls.)

RV: A happy one, I hope.

DV: Yeah, huh-huh.

(More snarling.)

RV: Emphasis on the... uh... never mind. Just kidding.

(Random guitars soloing in the background.)

RV: We have time for one more song. You wanna take it away?

DV: Sure. This is called I am the Knife.

RV: The Electric Six (formerly The Wildbunch) and I am the Knife on WDET FM.

(An A minor chord from first guitar. Diminished H chord from second guitar. Band snickers, plays I am the Knife.)

RV: Yay-us. Thanks alot, you guys, for coming down here tonight.

RRIN: Thanks, Ralph!

RV: I've just got a couple more questions before I let you guys go. You play alot here in Detroit. What's your favorite reaction when you're playing out? Do you get alot of just... shock, horror, headbanging... having a good time, people getting into the sense of irony about your music, just...

DV: Sure.

RV: All that?

(Silence)

MM: (confused) Irony?

SJ: We've actually maced headbangers before.

DV: Yeah, that's a favorite thing to do is mace the audience.

RV: Right, that's always...

DV: I don't know. My favorite moment was, uh, I strip down alot when we play, although I've never gone all out. There was one time in Toronto I was standing there in the boxer shorts and there was some guy in the front row who yelled "I can still see your nards". And that, for me, was... I almost quit the band after that 'cause there was...

RV: The pinnacle had been reached.

DV: Uh-huh.

RV: Are there going to be any singles coming out before the new record?

DV: Yeah, there's going to be one in a couple months, actually.

RV: Alright.

Disco: (Laughs)

RV: Any of the songs that we heard tonight?

SJ: All of them.

D: (Laughs)

DV: Actually one of them.

RV: Do you get the feeling, boys and girls, that this band is lying through its teeth?

DV: No, we're working hard. It's just a matter of getting out there doing it and I really think we're putting our best foot forward..

RV: No, I 'm sure you are.

DV: Yeah.