A tribute to Gonzo journalism.
The ground is littered with ice behind Lifestyle’s Community Pavilion outside of The Used’s tour bus as I search for the band to get the interview. The sound of drums and guitars roar through the open door leading backstage, a revived 80s hardcore sound I will soon come to know as the band Drive A. I follow my ears backstage and meet The Used’s tour manager, Keith.
“You the guy doing the interview?” he says.
“That’s me,” I say.
“What’s your name again?”
“Elias.”
Keith shakes my hand and leads me to the dressing room as the members of Atreyu court past us, carrying equipment. The dressing room is equipped with a black leather sofa, flat screen television, bags of Doritos, bottles of water and soda, a cooler full of beer and an acoustic guitar. With a tape recorder and list of questions on deck for frontman Bert McCracken, I wait patiently for the band to arrive. I am eager to talk to McCracken about The Used and the army of punk rock musicians affiliated with the Taste of Chaos tour, callously known as the Generation of Chaos. First, the band’s bassist, Jeph Howard, accompanies me in the dressing room and we shoot the breeze while waiting for the other band members to arrive.
