INTERVIEW WITH FOXY SHAZAM

While on tour in hopes of becoming the legendary band that they have made their mission to be, Skope got the chance to sit down with lead singer Eric “Sean Nally”, guitarist Loren Daniel Turner, and trumpeter Alex Nauth.

If there was ever a band to come along and make you re-think what a true rock n’ roll show was, Foxy Shazam would be that band. If their name(which was a term meaning cool shoes at Nally’s high school) doesn’t already grab your attention, then how about the fact their live show is one of the most outrageous, high-energy sets around?

The spectacle sees Nally doing headstands, hanging himself from whatever possible like a monkey, eating a bunch of lit cigarettes. Not only that, but don’t be surprised if in December you start seeing their new self-titled record on the top 10 album charts. Considering it’s not even the middle of the year yet, thats saying a lot.

What was it like getting to play before Hole/Courtney Love in the UK and SXSW?
Eric Nally: I met her briefly, and she’s an awesome person. She has so much history that surrounds her, and involved with a lot of things. She’s wild, and I like that.

The new album is really poppy and has a huge glam-rock sound compared to the last album. Did anything happen in between Introducing… and this album to bring about that change?
EN: The album is different because we never want to make the same album twice; We always want to progress. Foxy Shazam’s ultimate goal is to go down in history and be the biggest band in the world doing what we do. This next album is just the next step. We never move backwards, we never stay still, we’re always just moving forward.

Even though Queen isn’t a huge influence for you guys, do you think you’d humor people with a cover?
EN: I always tell people we’re not really inspired by Queen. I think people say that because I have dark hair and I have a mustache, and I can sing pretty good. As far as anything else goes, we definitely haven’t been directly influenced by them. The only way I can tell that people draw the same connection is we’re both theatrical, so maybe we were both inspired by the same things.

Did basically being one of few non-black kids at your school growing up affect you?
EN: I was pretty affected by it, but mostly by my teachers. A lot of the kids were into hip-hop and stuff, but I never really got into that. It was the stuff the teachers listened to that I actually liked.

Is there a song off the album you want people to appreciate the most?
Alex Nauth: I think we’re all really proud of the entire record, and how different each song is from the next one. Me personally, I wouldn’t say one song in particular, I’d like someone to find their own favorite.

EN: I think literally every song on it is something that hits me in a different way, but just as much and just as special in different ways. However, out of all of our albums, our new one is the one you should focus on.

Was writing for Meatloaf’s new record a big thing for you?
EN: It was cool! Not a lot of people can say that, so that’s something that was pretty special for me. He is a part of a history, and someone who’s definitely left his mark, and to be a part of that is an awesome thing for me.

I’ve heard how you guys think of the Foxy Shazam on-stage is different from the one off-stage. What are some hobbies you like to dabble in when you’re not eating cigarettes?
AN: I dabble in recording and I practice a lot, pretty much. I like to cook.

Loren Turner: I really like video games, and I’m a real big movie buff, so I try to catch up on a lot of flicks when I’m not playing and stuff. Recently, one of the best movies I saw was The Wrestler with Mickey Rourke. It was just so artistic and moving, and made me want to cry at parts.

EN: I like movies and I love to play video games too. I like to eat a lot of food. Loren likes to cook it, and I like to eat it. We’re all pretty big family guys too, so we just like to spend time with our families and we always have cook-outs together in the Summer. It’s really fun.

Is your dancing part of that “alternate” Foxy as well?
EN: I always say that its a lot easier to know what a sound is if you can see it. A lot of music these days, the visual side of it is just lame. It’s just people standing there, they’re all dressed in the normal clothes, they’re all standing in the normal way. And a lot of times that rubs off in the music. Even if the music is brilliant, still, you don’t look like you’re brilliant. We take a lot of pride in looking a certain way because I think the visual side of things is just as important.

What would be a dream tour for you guys, with any artists dead or alive?
EN: Mine’s definitely Elton John. If I could play a string of shows, or just one show, that would be amazing. He’s definitely my biggest influence.

AN: I always thought it would be really cool to go on a rock n’ roll tour with Miles Davis, a jazz legend. A half jazz, half rock n’ roll tour. That would be neat.

LT: I think a Green Day tour would be awesome.

EN: Me and Aaron’s first record to get us into music was Green Day, so that would be pretty important to me too.

Have your kids gotten the chance to see a Foxy show?
EN: Yeah, they’ve [Julian and Francis] have seen it, but I think they’re a little too young to understand it right now. I think once they’re older they’ll be able to come and take it in a little better. They love the music, and when they’re home they sing it. They call us Foxy Pajamas.

In the video for “Oh Lord”, is the kid in the video Julian?
EN: He plays the part of Julian.

I wasn’t sure since you have a tour update video with another kid in it.
EN: That’s Francis, the little one. His favorite sport is tennis.

Not basketball?
EN: [Laughs] No, he likes tennis for some reason. He’s three, I don’t even know how he knows of tennis but thats his favorite sport.

Do you rember the first time you ate a cigarette on-stage?
EN: I do, and it sucked so bad. Thats all I can remember. I’m just kind of used to the taste now. It’s gross.

Have there been any shows lately that have stuck in your mind?
EN: We’ve definitely been arrested. We played Whitesburg, Kentucky, and we were playing in the basemet at some kid’s house whose parents were away for the weekend, and he invited us over there to play. It was a completely rural neighborhood, there were people sleeping next door, and there were tons of kids. The cops came, and we wouldn’t stop playing, and even more cops came. Evenutally the cops kicked open the door, and they arrested us and took us to jail. I was under 18 at that time, so I went to juvenile.

When I was in jail, there was this little kid and he was trying to take off his shoe and throw it at the thing that sprays out water when there’s a fire. He was hoping that it would react and spray water, and they’d have to open the door, and he could make his break for it.

That never happened. That kid was an idiot.