
DEVIL DOLL
The Music Official Bunch met up with Colleen Duffy a.k.a. Devil Doll at Stir Crazy at 6917 Melrose Avenue. It was 4:00 p.m. on a Saturday afternoon and we really didn't know what to expect. This was our first interview and to be sure we were definitely nervous. Our right hand woman Xsy was there as well as Patrick our Staff photographer. Colleen came in rollin sevens and her hot streak never ended. So without further ado here is the transcript:
MOB
What was the first album you ever bought?
Colleen
Elvis Presley.
MOB
Elvis Presley? That's a cool one.
Colleen
Yeah. I still have it. That was the first full LP in vinyl. That's when they still had vinyl.
MOB
Okay first show you ever went to?
Colleen
First concert that wasn't like one of those barbeques downtown, I think it was John Waite from the Babys. I was a tot.
MOB
You played a show earlier this year at THE HOOTENANNY, how did that go?
Colleen
Hootenanny went really really well. We love those guys. That was a good show for us. There was barely standing room, we sold a lot of stuff, the kids were happy, it was a good time. Cadillac Tramps kicked some serious azz as they always do. I felt bad for the Stray Cats having to go on after the Cadillac Tramps.
MOB
Oh really? That's classic!
Colleen
Yeah it was tough.
MOB
Have you met Joan Jett yet?
Collen
I'm afraid to. I know people who know her and they actually produce her stuff. I would just probably have a complete nervous breakdown. My friend is waiting for me to send her a package so she can give it to Joan. I heard her when I was in grade school. My friend asked if I had heard that song by Joan Jett. I was like "What are you talking about?" She said "That I Love Rock N Roll song" oh my God you would love it! I remember I was feathering my hair with a curling iron and I had a little radio on. Then I heard it and I wanted to be Joan Jett from that moment on. She was singlely the most infuential female in my life besides my Mom. Absolutley, she totally saved my life. All those suicidal adolesent moments, if it wasn't for Joan Jett, I would probably not even be here. That's how powerful it is for me. I've read in her interviews she's had that effect on people. I think that so much damage happens during those years and she really writes from that raw no B.S. place. She's not gonna whip out the 13 letter long words. She cuts right to the wound. I don't know what I would do if I met her, I would start crying I know that.
MOB
I bet she would just love you. Tell us about this show coming up the LAS VEGAS ROCK AROUND.
Colleen
That's gonna be good! We got fans from all over the country that are gonna show up because we don't do a lot of national touring. It costs so much money to go out to the mid-west. We're actually opening the show. We're the first band and we're gonna set the place on fire. A lot of friends of mine are playing at the event. So it will be cool!
MOB
We're looking forward to that. What is Cool Grrrls Night Out?
Colleen
Cool Grrrls dot com?
MOB
Yes COOL GRRRLS.
Colleen
We might do a compilation with them. It's all about cool girls. That's what their thing is. They have girls in all the different cities who post what's going on in there town, the parties, the shows and everything. It's a cool thing. They go out about once a year and bring in some bands of cool girls who play Rock N Roll and stuff. I did a solo thing there with my drummer.
MOB
What was the most impactful moment of your life?
Colleen started singing Joan Jett's I Love Rock N Roll.
MOB
Right on!
Colleen
There are three things that are music related. That moment (referring to the first time she heard Joan Jett). The moment when I couldn't get into a Joan Jett show and I had never seen her before. It was a free event. She just shot a movie in Cleveland for the Light of Day and I'm from Clevenland. It was a promotional concert and you had to win tickets. I sent like 30 entries in and I didn't get a ticket. Then I sat in the lobby and I watched all these wives of corporate people in fur coats and everyone on the guest list getting in. I'm 15, crying my eyes out in the lobby, I'm so upset and thinking you gotta be kidding me I can't get in. So I was outside the venue with my friend and my Dad who drove us talked to one of the roadies. The next thing I knew the guy came out and said "Okay listen, these are from her and he gave us two tickets." It was really intense for me that Joan got us in.
MOB
That's so cool, you got the tickets from Joan Jett!
Colleen
Another time I was in Ireland and I had never seen a punk rocker before. It was weird. I remember I was about 12 waiting for the bus across the street and a bomb went off two blocks down. I looked and there was this punk rock chick all in black and she had this crazy outfit on. I was just starring at her and she scowled at me. Then she noticed I wasn't starring in a bad way. I was realizing I didn't know you could do this. This is the coolest thing I've ever seen. Then she just kind of gave me this smile and we had a sort of private moment. So ever since the Joan Jett moments combined with the punk girl smiling at me I knew what I wanted to do. Definitely the whole punk rock thing. I don't know what they did in the 60's.
MOB
Has there ever been a song that's made you cry?
Colleen
Duh. Sometimes Sinead O'Connor makes me cry. Johnette Napolitano, Concrete Blonde and certain traditional Irish music written in certain keys can make me cry. Some of the Irish ballads about war and kids not coming home because I grew up in a very traditional Irish family. Besides that I don't know. I think the typical emo rock stuff that's happening right now doesn't really move me. People don't write like their life depends on it anymore.
MOB
How did Lucky Bluebird Records come about?
Colleen
That's my label. I decided that you don't really need a major label to put a record out. I decided that it would never be okay for someone to tell me that my career was over when they decided or to say we're just gonna can this project. I never wanted someone to dictate my career to me or give my power away to some giant record making monstrosity machine that has no business being involved in music. I've always had a blue bird thing and there's a song about it that's going to be on the next record.
MOB
Any idea when that's coming out?
Colleen
We're recording songs this fall. We're doing some Christmas songs too. I wrote some sassy ones that we have to get out of the way. We're gonna send those off and see if we can't get people excited about it. Christmas music sucks and why people can't write some really kickin Christmas tunes is really assanine to me. How many times can we listen to Rockin Around the Christmas Tree?
MOB
My favorite Christmas song is the Pogues Fairytale of New York.
Colleen
The Pogues make me cry! For real you know what I mean? Tom Waits too. Let's just tell the truth for 5 minutes here.
MOB
Oh I love his Your Innocent When You Dream off the Smoke soundtrack.
Colleen
I own it.
MOB
What was the last album you bought?
Colleen
I was at Amoeba and I got four of the really sassy blues compilations of the 30's and 40's. You know that double entendre nasty blues stuff you will never ever hear on the radio.
MOB
How many tattoos do you have?
Colleen
One, two, three, four, five...five. I'm in the process of getting some of them removed though. I'll be honest about that.
MOB
How did you get hooked up with GLAM KITTY?
Colleen
Deanna Ferber contacted me. It's a cosmetics company that she runs out of Milwaukee. She's a really cool lady and she needed a spokesperson. She's got a couple of girls wearing her stuff. She likes to gear it towards the retro moment. I'm the only musician that she does. Her stuff is really good so we have her linked on our site.
MOB
Do you have a favorite author?
Colleen
Yes. I just have to say that I love the Harry Potter series. I know it seems ridiculous. I was signed up for my book at Borders for the 40% discount before it came out. Philip Pullman is amazing, the series that started with the Golden Compass totally blew my eyelids off. I love C.S. Lewis! C.S. Lewis is a spiritual mythological genius hands down. I think Ray Bradbury is also amazing. I went back and read a lot of the Madeline L'engle. Anything that has a lot of spiritual warfare happening, I'm all about it. I love Bukowski. I'm a huge fan. You know what? I gotta say Tom Waits cause his writting just blow my doors off.
MOB
You do a lot of the cross genre thing and you really make it work. That's one thing that people are consistently saying about you. You can blend fashion & music styles and what ever you add fits right in. How about a favorite poem?
Colleen
My favorite poem is in this children's book and it's called This is My Rock. I'm gonna start crying.
MOB
That's cool that you actually know. So many people just don't read anymore. This short attention span generation thing is outta control.
Colleen
Ya think? I saw this bumper sticker that said "The World Would be a Better Place if Dumb Hurt." Let's find a cure for dumb.
MOB
As far as your concerned who is the most unappreciated band out there?
Colleen
I saw the Adicts for the first time in about ten years. Them and the Misfits are like the greatest bands of all time. There was a band called the Shods out of Boston, thee greatest rock band of all time! No one in L.A. has really blown me away. I remember I went to see the Toilet Boys and was like what the hell just happened. We need fire in our show. Also, Firewater is amazing and lot of people don't know who they are yet.
MOB
What's the future of Devil Doll?
Colleen
I'm starring in a movie called ATTACK OF THE HOT ROD ZOMBIES. We're also on the sound track that's available soon from SPLIT 7 RECORDS. I would like to still be able to do shows and more soundtracks. Keep puting out albums and a Christmas record. When I think about what I want be in my life down the road musically as a performer, the person I model my career after is Tom Waits. He's able to play theaters like the Wiltern and maintain that level of integrity. He's always gonna have that street cred because he's got that dirty, dark, truth telling hardwood floor thing about him. I love how he shows up in independent films. I would totally do that.
MOB
Are you gonna use your powers for good or evil?
Colleen
Well young Jedi Knight it goes a little like this... for good. Duh.
MOB
I know the fans are gonna wanna know what kind of perfume she wears?
Colleen
Estrogen ;)I also like Amber Oil.
MOB
Favorite flower?
Colleen
I love irises. They're really beautiful and they don't live very long.
MOB
Favorite Desert?
Colleen
That would have to be Haagen Daas Chocolate Peanut Butter ice cream. I love those Duncan Hines Betty Crocker Brownies. You know those white trash old school brownies which I think they have here (Stir Crazy). And Lemon Hostess Cupcakes. I was in a gas station and they didn't know what Ho Ho's were and I need a frickin Ho Ho. So the horns came out and everything. I just freaked out on this lady. You got Twinkies and you don't got Ho Ho's. They go hand in hand. They're just as famous as each other. You know women sometimes need certain things. You gotta have what we need.
MOB
I understand. I'm married and I give my wife whatever she wants.
Colleen
Did I say Godiva Chocolates? I hate dark chocolate though. Dark chocolate is like what are you doing to me?
MOB
Let's see if I forgot anything here. Favorite car?
Colleen
I'm trippin off this women who is riding her motorcycle without boots. I would never ride without boots. Hey! Don't burn your ankles! Okay brownies, ankles, what were we talking about? Next.
MOB
Your favorite car?
Colleen
I used to be obsessed with `64 Ford Falcons because that was the year they started to box them off a little bit. Also, we used to go to this donut place that was open all night. We would sit there in Little Italy eating slices of pizza and donuts because that's what we use to do and there would be this black Ford Falcon sitting there. We would always be talking about how we were gonna steal this car. Eventually it just became the coolest car I had ever seen.
Well after all that, we went next door to the Melrose Auto Center at 6935 Melrose for the photo shoot. Would you believe Sam and the boys had a freakin 1964 Ford Falcon convertible? They did and boy was Colleen trippin! She had traffic all screwed up and drooling guys serried at both entrances. She autographed CD's and hung out with the girls at Stir Crazy. She also wanted to thank her fans for their tremendous support. She is very humble about it especially with the problems the industry is currently facing while it hunts for sustenance in the world of tomorrow. We had a blast with Colleen and hope everyone out there catches the Vegas show. Thanks again Colleen, the MOB.
Allan Cowles
Music Official
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