Robin Black and The Intergalactic Rock Stars - The
Future of Rock and Roll

Robin Black and the IRS are a 5 piece glam rock band
from Toronto, Ontario. They are the real deal, they
are always "in uniform" - make up, frilly pink boas,
two guys from the band are actual trained
hairdressers.Their live show is a sight that will
leave you gasping - filled with pyrotechnics, flaming
cocktails and sexual innuendo. Seeing them in concert
will make you feel privileged, like you're seeing
something special.

Oh yeah, and the music? They rock too, with a
confidence not seen since Oasis, but at least they
have the sound to back them up. They are coming to
your town. Are you ready for them?

(Special thanks go out to Robin Black for his time and
to Shari Blau of Sextant Records for all her help in
setting up the interview)

F: For people that aren't familiar, how would you
describe your sound?

RB: The future of rock and roll. A collection of 13
songs that were put together doing 600-700 live shows
in front of obsessive fans.

F: Who are some of your influences?

RB: Jack Daniels..We take the best elements of the
best music and give them a serious twist. We've
established our own sound, but certainly influenced by
70s glam and punk - Kiss, T-Rex, Van Halen, Alice
Cooper, David Bowie.

F: You have expressed your disdain for the music
scene, but are there any bands today that you admire?

RB: We admire bands that have developed themselves
into a career rather than the music. But careers that
we admire are: Spacehog, Sponge, Stone Temple Pilots,
Red Hot Chili Peppers, Foo Fighters. There really
hasn't been enough honest rock and roll this decade
and that's what we are providing.

F: Much Music (Canada's music video station) has
really taken a shining to you - you were recently
featured on Freshly Pressed (a weekly show
highlighting new releases) and Ed the Sock (a
hilarious sock puppet who doesn't like anything) is a
big fan of yours. How did you swing that?

RB: Our new video "So Sick of You" is in heavy
rotation right now. We also were featured on a
Valentine's Day segment, on shopping tips for sex
toys.

Personally, I think Ed is a psycho. But, like us, he
speaks his mind and doesn't care what people think. I
think he respects us because of that.

F: How important are good reviews/media exposure to
you?

RB: We don't give a fuck, except for what our real
fans think. We do excite some critics and musicians
that do happen to be fans.

F: Have you always wanted to be a rock star?

RB: I was born a rock star. If you want to be one, you
can't really be, you just are. I was always singing
and dancing for my family. I can remember singing "A
Boy Named Sue" for my mom when I was four.

F: What do you think you would be doing if you weren't
playing music?

RB: I'd be dead.

F: In your newest video, you do a make over on a Matt
Good fan (Matt Good is a popular Canadian alt-rock
band). Do you care what kinds of fans come to your
shows?

RB: Truth is, it's not a club. You don't have to look
a certain way. You just have to possess an extremely
open mind.

F: You spend an awful lot of time touring - what do
you do to keep busy when not playing shows?

RB: I wish I could tell you that I was having crazy
sex with girls and getting high all the time. The
truth is that there's a lot of work before each show.
There's a lot of time spent preparing the pyrotechnics
and setting up. Other time is spent doing interviews.
We spend so much time driving between shows, there
really isn't much free time.

F: You have an extremely loyal and appreciative fan
base. Have you ever run into any fans that weren't so
nice?

RB: It's rare. You think people will pick on you, but
if you're trying to put on a good show and entertain
them, people appreciate that. I am a 1st degree black
belt just in case, though.

F: Much Music recently called you "Canada's premier
glam rock band" Any plans for American domination as
well?

RB: Absolutely. We are intent on becoming the largest
band in the world.

F: You kind of look like a band from L.A. Would you
ever relocate?

RB: We are Canadian, we like living here, but we are
open to moving. We were close to moving to New York or
L.A.

F: You and your fans have a slightly different look.
Some friends and I went to one of your shows and were
a little apprehensive because we didn't think we would
fit in very well (we're semi-clean cut). We were just
amazed at how nice everyone was. If the shoe was on
the other foot and some of your fans were at, say a
Nickelback concert, they probably would not have been
treated as warmly. There would have been a "What are
they doing here" vibe that we didn't get. What do you
think that is?

RB: That's amazing. It means a lot to hear that. It's
very important to us and our fans. A rock and roll
show is an important event. We let our fans know that
nobody is gonna make fun of you here. I get some funny
looks when I go into restaurants,etc. We want everyone
to know that it is okay to be yourself, do your thing.
If we're different then we have to accept others who
are different too. Our audience is a cross section of
the world, everyone is welcome.

F: You probably didn't want to be part of the major
label machine, but here you are, affiliated with
Sextant/EMI. How has the experience been so far?

RB: We want our record to reach the kids in the small
towns. You kind of have to sleep with the enemy to do
that. We do appreciate it. So far, we've been able to
dictate business, but if Joni Mitchell or one of the
EMI bigwigs get in our way, we'll shove a bit of Robin
Black up their ass. It's gonna work, it's happening
and can't be stopped. We're the real thing. The
mainstream is getting it because they couldn't ignore
it.

F: There was a series of articles a few months ago in
chartattack (a Canadian website)of a Buckcherry vs.
Robin Black and the IRS. What was that about?

RB: Buckcherry are extremely nice guys. They made a
good record and they are a good thing for rock and
roll. Their stage manager was afraid that we would
show them up, that's all.

F: Is Jenny (the bartender) going to be serving
flaming drinks again on this tour?

RB: We are actually considering to have a different
fan be our bartender each night. Check
www.robinblackrocks.com for more details.

F: Anything you wanted to add?

RB: The last month or two have been really exciting.
We would like to thank everyone that's been coming to
see us. The electricity about us, fans, TV has just
been growing exponentially. Thanks.

___________________________________________________

To reach any other page contained in this month's update on Fufkin.com, read the home page for the appropriate link and click on it. You can also search the site from any page using the search box located at the top of each page. Merely type in the word, phrase, name of the band, recording, name of the Fufkin writer that you are looking for or Whatever in the search box, and then click on "Search". If you would like to e-mail us, go to the About Us page for a list of e-mail addresses.

Go back to the home page by clicking here

____________________________________________________