PROBE

Poptart Monkeys
(continued)

By Alyce Wilson

ALYCE: Do you have different concerns in your mind now, in this post-September 11th world? What kind of a reaction did you have for your shows immediately after it?

JAMES: ... What I can remember about this whole situation was a show we played ... at one of our big places, and it was right after, not the night after ... that week or something. I'm a pretty sensitive guy. [laughs] I ignore a lot of things, but we send the hat out: "Donate." ... And then, all of a sudden ... there's a balcony in this place -- we're trying to get all over the place: "Do you have donations?" And people are rolling the money up and throwing it onstage, and there's just money coming from everywhere, from the balcony, from the stage, from the crowd, and it just made you cheer up. ... It makes you wonder, because sometimes these people complain because five dollars to get into the show is too much for them. ... If they charged a dollar at the door, they complain, but yet they're giving up their money ... because there's a situation going on. ... If they feel a need ... The floodgates just open and it just comes out. So as far as that goes, we don't really try to think much about it. ... We're not writing a song about it.

ALYCE: A lot of people have. A lot of them aren't that good, either. [laughs]

JAMES: You don't want to force it ... we could do that, but it's not always the best way to do it, especially if it's something that should be ... more ... worldwide.

ALYCE: It's like the difference between being asked to pay five dollars at the door, and then having a band come out and just, you know, give you their soul and say, "Please help these people," and you just want to throw your money at them.

JAMES: Yeah, yeah.

ALYCE: It's different, I guess, but it's the same kind of thing. I guess it's something that we're all dealing with. .... ...

ALYCE: I noticed that you've had a change of image since the first album. Was that a conscious decision?

JAMES: Well, we have a new member. Our guitar player, Chris Kurtz. ... Let's say there's certain guys in this band that could dress one way, and look okay, and there's certain guys that don't feel comfortable. [laughs] ...In the transit I lost my dressing companion. And now I don't have one. So I have to change, me personally. ... For example, I can't wear leather pants right now if I wanted to -- well, I could ...

ALYCE: But it wouldn't fit in with the rest of the guys.

JAMES: If you want to fit in with everyone, have an "image," you have to look around and see what everyone else is doing. ... If I start wearing leather, or tiger stripes, I know they're not going to do that.

ALYCE: [laughs]

JAMES: You just gotta keep that image thing in mind. It slowly changes, but sometimes without you knowing it. Someone buys something, someone else buys something that's similar, and all of a sudden, you have a new look and you didn't even know it. ...

ALYCE: Could that be ... a metaphor for how things have changed musically?

JAMES: ... Like with anything else, in this group there's going to be constant changes, in dress or music or whatever. We don't always get along. There's arguments. You've got five different guys, there's five different ideas. So... I guess we're lucky that we're coming up with any .... conclusions. [laughs]

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