BIO : Before becoming a legend in New York’s hardcore punk scene, the story of Sick Of It All began in 1986 in a basement in the Queens neighborhood, under the impetus of the Koller brothers, with the screamer Lou and guitarist Pete. In 1989, the American combo released their first album "Blood, Sweat and No Tears" and toured as the opening act for the renowned band Bad Brains. Just Look Around" (1992) and "Scratch the Surface" (1994) followed, two condensed versions of pure urban violence that confirmed the commercial and musical success of this mythical quartet. With 30 years of very productive career (13 regular quality albums, collaborations with Sepultura, Napalm Death or Agnostic Front) the band hasn't lost anything of its anger (cf. "Death to Tyrants" in 2006, a furious soundtrack addressed to crooked politicians). The band released its latest al-bum in 2018, waking the sleeping Dragon!
INTRO : We had the chance, some time ago, to meet Pete Koller and his band "Sick of it all", a big thank you to Niko of Tagada Jones for the invitation. We talked tattoo and music with the kindest New York hardcore punk and leader with his brother Lou of the band whose logo are one of the world's most tattooed logo. Here is, finally after a lot of delay, the interview we did at « La Clef » of Saint Germain en Laye just before their show with Tagada Jones.
- So you already have a lot of tattoos, do you plan on having more ?
there’s always plans for new tattoos i’d like to have but i can’t plan them because of touring etc. I’d really like to have something for my daughter like her name or portrait, but who knows ?
- And are there any tattoo artists you’d like to get inked by, or a favorite one ?
For a while now Jime Litwalk has been a good friend of mine and my family, I like his style, he did a few things on me. That’s what i’d like him to do, maybe a cartoon version of my daughter and my wife or together but I never know where to put it. That’s the thing !
Did it already happen to you to have a tattoo while touring ?
Always at shows, fans would come up to me and say « Hey my friend’s a tattoo artist He’d like to make anything for free for you ! » After we play, I take a shower and then we leave (laughs). You know like there’s never time to stick around and get a tattoo. If it takes 3 hours, the bus driver’s waiting you know ?
Did you ever encounter a bad experience while getting tattooed or with a tattooist ?
I got my first tattoo pieces on my chest covered up. As a kid I got a skull and an eagle, and they looked like shit (laughs). So I got them covered up by Jime Litwalk who did a Tiger’s head and a Shark’s head to cover them up and they’re still not done because there was going to be a ja-panese chest piece kind of border to it. He’s always going away and i’m always on Tour so… He lives not far from me but every time we see each other he’s like « oh cool just come down and we’ll finish it » but then the next day he’s somewhere else or i’m going away somewhere.
Do you still live in New York ?
I live in Daytona Beach, Florida and Jime is in Orlando or something like that.
When you lived in New York did you know a few of the tattoo artists over there such as Paul Booth, Chris Garver or Mike Rubendall ?
We hanged out with Paul, He didn’t live far from me when i was in the city. But i never got something done by him. Chris Garver did these (shows his right arm) when tattooing was illegal in New York. I went into someone’s appartment and he did them.
About that restriction, when tattooing was illegal in New York, how did it work back then ?
Jonathan Shaw had a place on St Marks, and it was an appartment where there was a sign with written « Tattoos », it was just before tattoo was legal again but it was still illegal, and Chris Garver and I went in there. A few years later shops were opening everywhere. (ndlr Tattooing was illegal in New York from 1961 until 1997).CIV from Gorilla Biscuits tattooed me in his appartment as well when he was just starting. I have some friends who have a tattoo shop called « New York Hard Core Tattoo » it’s Vinnie Stigma and Jimmy Gestapo who run the place.
Did you ever thought of opening a tattoo shop where you’d make your logo ? (the Alleyway Crew Dragon).
i’m gonna learn how to tattoo better and people will come early to the shows just to get the logo tattooed. « 50€ please ! » come and meet me at the back ! (laughs)
- There’s even a facebook page filled with photos of your fans with your logo tattooed on them !
Yeah it’s crazy, there’s even this guy in Australia who has it on the whole side of his face
Going back to your first pieces, what was the reaction of your parents when you got the tattoos ?
I didn’t show it to them for months ! Maybe it was a year, they weren’t at all into that. In the summer i’d be all covered up, even though i was boiling hot haha. My father was in the army in the 50’s so for him only jail guys had tattoos. very classic point of view from back then.
What do your parents think of those choices you made, no just the tattoos but also your music etc ?
My dad is still worried and wondering « How are you guys (Lou & himself) going to make a living ? ». But it’s been 30 years, we all have houses, have kids, we do make a living. He still worries though. He’s like « what if everyone stops liking your band ? » Well then i’ll get a job !
Do you have any memories of a really crazy tattoo you saw ?
Paul booth did a tattoo on someone’s hand. It was a demon and it looked so real ! I remember also a MMA Fighter who has a the bottom side of a skull on his hand, so that when held on his face it would look like a mask. it’s Pretty cool !
Do you remember who came up with the drawing of the Alleyway Crew Dragon ?
The man’s name was Greg Irons he was a tattoo artist a loooong long time ago and on his flash sheets he would have that logo at the bottom. We were at a tattoo place in the 80’s and we asked what it was : « oh that’s his signing » « can we get it ? » So we all got it tattooed. He passed away, I think even before the band was a band, and it became ours from there.Legally also, we trademarked it and all that stuff too.Everyone has it now, it’s associated with us.
We heard of that story about Mobb Deep getting that same logo for their own
Yeah they didn’t know it was already used by us. The story is they were recording in the studio and this woman who was working in their label and they all got it tattooed on their hands, and so she goes « oh you like that band Sick of It All ? » « What the fucks that ? » and so she showed them our logo explaining we were a band etc. And they didn’t even know because it was going to be their album cover. And all over the city they were stickers with their name and our Logo. But then the next batch there was only their name and the name of the album with a blank in the middle (laughs). I remember a billboard with their name and our Dragon on it ! We’re in good terms, we actually made a song together a few years after that story !
Do you have any similar stories ?
There’s a lot of bootleg stuff. One time some men’s clothing brand made stuff with our logo on it. they didn’t ask us or anything but I made sure to have a few of them (laughs).
Your latest record is an EP called « When the Smoke Clears » it came out in 2016 with a nice book, do you have anything else planned in the near future ? (at the time « Wake The Sleeping Dragon! » wasn’t out yet)
We have a bunch of tours this summer but we’re all starting to write, i have a bunch of stuff alrea-dy, and we’ll try to get a new record out in 2018. We were supposed to just do a US tour which would end in August and then write the rest of the year. Now we a have full south east Asia Tour, then go back to Europe so our time’s getting eaten up !
You’ll never have time to get tattooed !
No ! (rires)
What do you guys listen to at the moment ?
Lately i’ve been listening to the latest Dropkick Murphy’s (11 short stories of Pain and Glory), I brought my daughter with me to their show, got their CD. There really good friends of ours and they make good stuff, i’ve been listening to it in the car.
Do your family listen to metal music ?
My wife is more of a Hip Hop Girl but since she met me, and she worked for the band for 8 years as a guitar tech before we had our Daughter (now she hangs at home with our Daughter) but now she’s opened up to more stuff. I always try to keep time for my family and only do short tours (like 3 weeks max) but for our next US tour which is 2 months and 3 days, it’s brutal, my family will come with me for half of the tour and then head home in the middle. My daughter loves shows, she loves the crowd and the energy, and if she sees a video of a festi-val she wants to go there and she’s only 5 years old. When she sees the crowd she’s psyched. She can’t always come because she has to go to school !
Speaking of tours, are there bands which you’ve sympathized with on the road ?
I’ve been touring for 30 years so all my buddies are in bands. So when we go to Europe to play in festivals we can hang together but the rest of the time we’re with our families and it’s difficult to see our friends, everyone’s doing their own thing. We hang with the guys in Agnostic front, Rancid, Dropkick Murphy’s, AFI & Madball for example.
Thanks for you time !
No problem ! report & photos by James Chancé & DHK
