Coiled to strike

>> The Deadly Snakes speak with forked tongues

by GENEVIEVE PAIEMENT

Gee, the rock 'n' roll lifestyle is ultra fab, isn't it? All that adulation from the faceless crowds, the whirlwind tours, the groupies, the rolling around naked in piles of cash back at the hotel. If only the daily grind of a rock tour was more like the wicked pyrotechnics in that new Mark Wahlberg vehicle Rock Star. Sadly, boredom, drunken stupidity, incompetent promoters and crowdless shows populate the real world of non-stadium rock tours. Toronto's narced-out soul punkers the Deadly Snakes, who're on their fifth or sixth U.S. tour (they're not sure), are well versed in life on the road. The Mirror caught up with organist Max Danger and singer André St. Claire as they watched TV in Memphis one afternoon, on the very cusp of their latest tour.

Mirror: So how's Memphis?

Max Danger: It's really quiet, it's almost dead. It was Elvis Week last week, but I figured every week was Elvis week here. We played a show at this dumpy bar Ernestine and Hazel's last night, in a neighbourhood that smelled like a wharf. Hardly anyone was there, but there were more than four people, which was how many came to the last show we played in Memphis. Afterwards, there was an open mic and this large, older guy was playing old Zombies tunes on an acoustic guitar.

M: One of your members [Greg Cartwright, formerly known as Greg Oblivian of the Oblivians] lives in Memphis, while the rest of you live in Toronto. How do you deal with this conundrum?

MD: We practice a lot without him and if we have tour, we go down to Memphis and go from there. The real problem with this tour, which is like our fifth or sixth, I think, is that we're getting less money than before our record came out. Does that make any sense? Our booking guy is fucked. It's like having a duck for a booking agent. Listen, I have to go pick up the girl we're staying with from work. I'm passing you to André.

M: Hey, did you enjoy Ernestine and Hazel's?

André St. Claire: Yeah. Our drummer Andrew's family friend, this drunk doctor, came out and basically insulted us and then demanded a ride home, which happened to be a half-hour out of our way. Then, as we're arguing with him on the street, trying to give him money for a cab home, this guy starts drawing the good doctor's portrait and then asks for money for the drawing. It was typical Memphis retardedness.

The Deadly Snakes at Jailhouse on Wednesday, Aug. 29, 9pm, $5