Punktuation-Tell us...who are you?
My name is Ben.
P-What is the meaning behind the name of your band?
B-Ever hear of Puff Daddy?
P-What category of music would you guys be so inclined to fit yourselves into?
B-Rock and roll. I know it's pretty general, but it's hard to be creative at 4:19 in the morning.
P-And of that style of music, what other groups would you say are your favorites?
B-The Beatles, Beach Boys, Weezer, Superdrag, Pavement, and many many more.
P-Who makes up your orchestra?
B-I play the bass, my best friend Jon plays the drums, Jay plays guitar and sings the pretty words, and Dan plays a mean lead guitar.
P-What is each person's secret silly thing they do?
B-Hmmm...for the most part, it involves an empty soda bottle and about 70 miles per hour.
P-Where in this small world do you folks call your home?
B-Milwaukee, WI, USA.
P-What is special about your hometown(s) and why should we visit there?
B-There are very nice people in our fair town. There aren't many sights, but everybody's cool and genuine.
P-What are the songs about and who writes them?
B-Jay writes songs about girls. He's the first to do so.
P-If The Benjamins were an insect, what would they (if they did) invade and how would they differ from other insects?
B-I think we would like to be ladybugs, because chicks dig ladybugs.
P-Do you guys have a favorite memory at a punk rawk show?
B-The first time I saw the Descendents was pretty fuckin' sweet.
P-Who is tougher, Canadians (eh!) or Emericans?
B-Mexicans are pretty damn tough.
P-What pops into your skull when the word...Bryan Adams comes up?
B-The fact that my high school sweetheart loved that god-awful song from the Robin Hood movie where Kevin Costner didn't even have the sense to fake a British accent. What a dolt.
P-Was the summer of 69 the best or what?
B-Yeah brother. Pass the brown acid.
P-What is a horror story you guys had while playing at a show or practicing?
B-I fell off the stage in LaCrosse after some booze hit me. We were playing a Weezer song at the time and I didn't miss a beat. The rock never stops. Practicing? What's this you speak of?
P-What is your favorite book? Should we read it asap?
B-Catcher in the Rye. Yes. Jon's favorite is Where the Red Fern Grows. By the way...you're Canadian...aren't you supposed to spell it "favourite?" Hmmm...
P-How stoked are you guys about your new album, "Art Of Disappointment"?
B-We're pretty damn stoked about it. We have the upmost faith in our label-Drive-Thru Records-to make it shine like platinum. It sounds great if I may say so myself and we had a blast making it.
P-What is the best thing about recording/putting out an album?
B-Meeting Nick Raskulinecz, our producer. That and hanging out in Hollywood for three weeks. Especially when Jon and I ate dinner four tables away from Britney Spears an hour after brushing by Benecio Del Toro. Life is grand.
P-What would one expect from a typical day in the life of a Benjamin?
B-*yawn*
P-If you could be on a soundtrack for a movie, what movie would that be and why? ie. Snatch, Loser etc.
B-I'd say the Jerk starring a young Steve Martin, but Jon absolutely loathes that flick. So I'll go with Midnight Express, because it's about suffering in a Turkish prison, and everybody can relate to that.
P-Why is the Village Wok your favorite restaurant?
B-If you had their cream cheese wontons you'd understand. That and they're open really really late. Plus we're usually drunk out of our skulls when we're there so everything tastes out of this world.
P-If we had to remember one thing about The Benjamins for future reference, what might that be?
B-I most certainly hope it's not our punctuality. ...Or should I say PUNKtuality? hehehe
P-What's your take on the whole MP3/Napster fiasco? You for or against it? And y?
B-Download our shit, it's cool with me. I'll just have to put off buying that private island a couple more months. No big deal.
P-Any final interesting tidbits to share before we out?
B-Buy low, sell high.
P-The saying of punk rock is:
B-Punk's not dead, it just smells like it.
P-The saying of The Benjamins is:
B-Rock's not dead, it just passed out in the corner.