I've written about The Dopamines a few times on this here blog. Late last year I had reached out to Jon Lewis inquiring about cd's from a previous band that he was in (Black Tie Bombers), ensuing correspondence led to me asking if he'd do an interview for the Salty Bag. I'm not sure if I gave it away with the title of this post, but Jon was on board. As with my previous salty interviews, I conducted it through a word doc and a few emails (which I'm starting to think may be a punishing way of interviewing..it allows for more thought out responses...but I'm pretty sure it's a time suck [Jon didn't complain, these are just my thoughts]). I can't say enough good things about Jon 'Chucker' Lewis and can guarantee you that if you're at all interested in The Dopamines (writing process, events that lead to their existence), (quasi)nu metal, pop and or punk, architecture, energy malt liquor, aging...oh, and chips...where was I going with this. Oh yeah, if you don't read the below interview you're making a mistake. If you have never listened to The Dopamines you're living your life wrong. Go check out their debut Self Titled, Expect the Worst, Vices, Tales of Interest..and their Hard Pass: Singles/Rarities 2006-2020 (I for one can't wait for this to arrive in the mail...[even though I missed the test pressing package, hah]) comp that just came out on April 16th through Rad Girlfriend Records. It doesn't matter which album you pick to get into them, they're all bangers (with that said, not one stinker, IMO they're one of those bands that somehow seems to get better with each release [I listed the albums chronologically). Without further ado...
Music
SB (Salty Bag): I want to say in the past I’ve either read or heard (razorcake/One Time I [podcast]..{I can’t remember which one and researching is so difficult}) that you got into music by way of Nu Metal and ish of that nature. At what point did you dip and start onto a punk path? What were your gateway bands on this journey?
JL (Jon Lewis): You are correct. I liked rap and nu metal a lot between 7th-10th grade (1997-2001) for no reason other than it was the popular music at the time. At that time I was into whatever was popular on the radio or on MTV. Don’t get me wrong I still love rap and there are a few old nu metal albums I’ll throw on once or twice a year. 2001-2002 was when I finally made a few friends in high school and they were into punk, but they weren’t “punk rockers.” We hooked up because of our love of video games and they just happened to like bands like the Misfits and Bad Religion and shit. I was hooked immediately. I tried to catch up as fast as I could, I listened to so much shit. There’s this record/cd shop in Columbus called Used Kids. At the time I didn’t really buy records but they had an amazing used CD section. It was all very loosely alphabetized and there was a $3, $5, $7 section of mostly punk CDs. My friends and I would drive up there and just go nuts. I probably accumulated over 200 CDs in one summer alone from Used Kids. As much as I loved it all, NOFX was hands down the band that I listened to the most. NOFX, NUFAN, Screeching Weasel, Misfits were the first bands I really fucking loved. Once I found Dillinger Four and Toys that Kill though, all bets were off. NOFX was the band that made me want to be in a punk band. TTK and D4 are the bands that made me want to write songs and tour.
SB: I was working at home for a few months in the spring so I ended up throwing on a lot of old CD’s just because they were there. I was surprised at how poorly Limp Bizkit’s Significant Other held up (N 2 Gether Now being the exception, I think Tical had a bit to do with that). I didn’t expect it to be good, but it was hard to listen to the whole thing. What Nu Metal albums do you still dig?
JL: Slipknot’s Self Titled and Iowa. System of a Down’s self titled, toxicity and steal this album. I think that’s it. I would also argue that those bands kind of transcended the nu metal tag. They would have been successful without the movement in my opinion.
SB: 200 cd’s in a summer, damn. Good on ya. Did that CD binge also align with starting to work and actually having money to spend?
JL: I’ve had a steady job for most of my adolescence. I never saved any of it either. Around that time I probably had enough money to blow on CDs because I was still living at home through college and didn’t have to pay rent or pay for food. SO yes?
SB: Someone’s threatening to burn NoFX’s catalogue, which one do you save; Punk in Drublic or So Long and Thanks for All the Shoes?
JL: Pump up the Valuum. If it has to be one of the above, it’s so long.
SB: D4’s a weird one for me, I enjoy their songs and would be into it if someone put them on, but for some reason I’ve never been fully hooked, it’s been all the bands influenced (or what seems to be influenced) by D4 that have heavy rotation from me. Maybe it’s simply because I don’t physically own any of their albums. Did you find D4 after you started playing in Black Tie Bombers?
JL: Yes BTB era. I remember the moment clearly. I was riding with Ryan Rockwell (Mixtapes) in his ugly forest green Pontiac Aztek (same car re-popularized by Walter White in Breaking Bad). It was nighttime, we were on our way back to his house from somewhere so I could grab my car and go home. Ryan did this thing back in the day where he’d throw a CD on, listen to 1 song, or 2 songs or 30 seconds of a song and then take it out and throw something different in. So he throws in a random CD and this fucking song came on that blew me away. Specifically the transition into the chorus is what grabbed me by the fucking neck. I got goosebumps. I was like “wow what the fuck is this?” and he said “Dillinger Four” I don’t think he even played the whole song. But when he pulled the CD out I meant to grab it to read everything on it and commit it to memory but I didn’t have to; It just had a big D4 on the CD. It was the album Midwestern Songs of the Americas. The song was “Super Powers Enable me to Blend in With Machinery”
SB: Ska’s cool, right?
JL: Ska is tight. I mean I’ve never bought a pair of checker vans. Op Ivy, Aquabats, Less Than Jake, Choking Victim, BTMI, Goldfinger are literally the only ska bands I ever bothered with. I don’t dislike all the other shit out there, I’ve heard all the good classic ska/punk songs and they’re great or whatever. I’m just picky. I’m sure when I’m 70 years old I’ll spend some time with Bosstones and be pissed that I didn’t start listening sooner but for now I don’t care.
SB: I’d highly recommend Streetlight Manifesto and the Bosstones, maybe make it a mid life crisis thing but don’t wait until you’re 70. I also just dabble here and there, but those 2 bands rank very high for me.
SB: What came first for you, the skateboard or the music?
JL: Music. I fucked around with skateboarding long enough to learn I’m not great at it and I’d rather not damage my skeleton. I could ollie pretty high and I landed a kickflip once.
SB: How old were you when you started going to shows? What was the first punk show that you went to?
JL: First punk show was 2002. Squirtgun at this club called the Void in Northside, Cincinnati OH. That would make me 18 if I got the math right. It was fine. It was the first time I ever heard Squirtgun so it wasn’t one of those shows where I went nuts because I knew every song.
SB: When I was messaging you before, you mentioned that you came to Black Tie Bombers through joining Random Heroes (BTB started as a side project to RH) on bass. Was this the start of your life in bands? Were you still in high school at this time or fresh out?
JL: I think I joined RH in 2003. It was my first experience in a band. I was in my first year of college at that time.
SB: What came first, bass or guitar…and at that, what made you pick up 4 or 6 strings to start with?
JL: I got my first guitar for Christmas in 1996. My cousin Brian was a few years older than me and I looked up to him big time. He was way into grunge and had a Jag-Stang like Kurt Cobain and I thought it was cool so I asked for a guitar for Christmas and I got the beginner special: A Squier Strat and a practice amp. I still have it actually. I used it in the Public Domain video because I didn’t want to damage my Les Paul.
I played bass in RH because they needed a bass player and I just wanted to be in a band so I went and bought a cheap ass bass and just learned all their songs.
SB: When did the aspirations switch from wanting to be like Brian to wanting to play in a band? With 7 years between getting a guitar and your first band, were you taking lessons or just picking it up now and then when you felt like it? Were there any half start bands before RH?
JL: The transition from being a dude who could kind of play guitar to wanting to be in a band happened very fast. I took lessons in 1997 and got bored after about a year and quit. Between 1998-2000 I just kind of picked it up here and there. From 2000-2003 it just collected dust. When I started to listen to punk music it never really occurred to me that I could pick up a guitar and learn to play shit like that. It was still more or less collecting dust. I was working at a GameStop and Ryan Rockwell was working next door at Journeys in our local mall. We were acquainted but not friends yet. We were standing outside our storefronts just shooting the shit and he said, “we’re kicking out our bass player in our band, do you know anyone that can play bass?” And I immediately said, “yeah I do can I try out?” and the rest is history I guess. I had never touched a bass before. I don’t know why I said I did. But in that second between Ryan’s question and my response, it all clicked. I just decided right then and there that I could do it and that I really wanted to. A week or so from that moment I knew 10-12 Random Heroes songs on bass. My fingers were a bloody calloused mess.
SB: At what point did you find your singing voice? You had mentioned before that Art is Easy you were just backups, Eternal Happiness you had some lead vocals, but it’s not quite the Chucker that we know today in The Dopamines.
JL: When I joined Random Heroes and then Black Tie Bombers in 2003-04, I was very new to being in a band. The other guys had been in bands for much longer and I was just happy to be included at all. In BTB there were already 2 singers, Ryan and Sam. It’s not like there was a shortage of vocals. They traded vocals and harmonized over each other, I never felt the urge to insert myself into their dynamic. My first real experience in a recording studio was during Art is Easy. There was a part in this song “I killed Elliott Smith”. In the bridge it’s just Sam singing, and I don’t know if Ryan just didn’t want to do a harmony or what but I quietly asked if I could take a stab at it, and everyone loved the result. So from there I kind of established myself as a reliable back up vocal.
SB: Why didn’t you write any songs prior to Eternal Happiness?
JL: See answer to the previous question. I was new to being in a band and still relatively new to punk music at that time so I more or less stayed in my lane until I felt like I had enough experience to take a stab at songwriting. The first song I ever wrote was “There’s Still Time to Board the 7 o’clock Smoke Boat” on EHAGH. Still very proud of that song and like everything else in my life I could wrote a long winded boring story of how that song came to be.
SB: Feel free to elaborate if you want, if not that’s cool
JL: The short version is that I was studying abroad in Europe. I was in “downtown” Amsterdam just kind of walking around. I was passing by a bunch of tourists getting on a boat for one of those canal tours and and this dude steps out of his house onto his stoop and yells in a very hippy tone “yo there’s still time to board the 7 o’clock smoke boat”. It cracked me up and on my way home from Europe I wrote the lyrics. Lyrics more or less speak for themselves, no hidden meanings or anything.
SB: Where did Mailbox Head come from? He’s made a ton of appearances in your artwork and it’s not the same drawing.
JL: I think it’s obvious based on all the art I’ve done for the Dopamines that I’m not really that great of an artist. I kind of figured out a way [as needed] to bullshit my way through coming up with something passable. We couldn’t really afford to have an artist do something for us back in the day so I just took it upon myself to just do it and hope it worked out. When I started “drawing” art for the split we did with Till Plains, I wanted to draw a guy who was drunk and stumbling. I was kind of able to draw the body but then I came to the head and I’m like “well there’s no way I can draw a human face” so I just on the spot thought a mailbox head would look kind of cool, and it’s easy enough to draw (although some would say even that’s a stretch in my case). From there I built the idea that the mailbox was deliberate because it was about expelling or purging your thoughts, but I didn’t come up with that initially I just kind of stumbled into the concept. But it fit, I still buy into that concept. I like it. I like that we kept coming back to it. I wish we had taken it further honestly. But by the time we came to Tales of Interest I came to terms that I’m not really all that great at art so I took photos of this pull & pay junkyard that I visited a lot around that time to pull parts for my shitty car.
SB: How does music writing in The Dopamines work? Does each member bring in basically fully formed songs (save for the lyrics), is it mashing parts together, straight up jamming…or somewhere in the between?
JL: A little bit of all of the above. Tales of Interest was much more fully realized than previous records, but if you were to make a list of our most “popular” songs, most of them were musically written as a band, maybe with a riff or a chorus brought in by Jon or I as a starting point.
SB: You write pretty much all the lyrics for The Dopamines. Do the other members ever come in with concepts that you run with? Do you typically write from an autobiographical perspective or do you mix in fiction or other peoples experiences through a first person narrative?
JL: The only time anyone has ever given me something to write about was when Matt (former drummer) came in with the concept for Soap and Lampshades. There’s a handful of songs that are other people’s experiences through a first person perspective. Nothing I’ve ever written is fictitious, save a few moments of creative license to button up a line or lyric. Almost everything I’ve written is autobiographical, stories that really happened etc. Same with Jon Weiner. All the lyrics he’s written are more or less plucked straight from life.
SB: Have you tried or considered writing any fictitious
songs or does it just not appeal to you?
JL: I remember clearly trying to write
something 100% fictitious once. It came out kind of corny, and Jon Weiner
really didn’t care for it so I never really revisited completely fictitious
lyrics. A concept typically always comes from a real place or situation, but
not all of them finish in reality. Fun Tags is a good example of that. Actually
now that I think about it The Dispatch is about someone else, not my own
experience. My sister’s best friend, her boyfriend and her got into a fight and
he sped off on a motorcycle and ended up dying in a crash on the highway 30
minutes later. It was pretty tragic, and I just kind of quickly wrote a song
about it from her perspective. Just trying to wrap my head around such an awful
moment. I was pretty close to her too so it hit me a little harder than just
another fucking cross jammed on the side of the highway with flowers and shit
all over it.
SB: Is Ire one of the other people’s experiences through first person? I got the test pressing for Tales of Interest so my fist listen I didn’t have the credits or lyrics, but having Ire succeed Paid in Full was, for lack of a better way of saying it, concerning (if Vices came out a year earlier I have no doubt Paid in Full would have been played at my wedding, it’s such an amazing song/sentiment and everything inbetween).
JL: Yeah so Ire and Paid in Full are not related lyrically. Paid in Full was a song I wrote specifically for my wife. Lyrically I think it speaks for itself, musically I was very meticulous about the arrangement. I was trying to write parts similar to songs she liked at the time.
Ire on the other hand isn’t really about a break up at all, although I wrote it to come off that way. I don’t necessarily like stomping on some else’s interpretation of a song, but SPOILER ALERT: Ire is about getting out from under the thumb of a person/people who was/were holding you back, being able to move on and succeed now that they’re out of your way, and then unapologetically shoving your success in their face. So I suppose it is a break up song, what the fuck do I know?
SB: I haven’t caught a live stream of Hardcore Phonography (twitch) but in the description you appear to span almost the entire spectrum of music, which includes pop. I’ve typically noticed punk or metal..with the odd sprinkling or rock on your IG so I’m wondering where you fall on the pop spectrum. For me when I was growing up I couldn’t see the good in it, but as I’ve gotten older I’ve found some late 90’s pop slaps. How polished do you go with your pop, Hanson, Spice Girls, BSB N Sync, LFO? Or do you leave the 90’s out of it?
JL: I pretty much stay away from 90s pop. I do like some of the artists that managed to sustain careers after it dropped off, namely Justin Timberlake. I bought all of the N Sync reissue LPs for my wife for Christmas, some of the well known songs don’t offend me like they used to. I can appreciate that shit for what it was but I don’t really like it either.
SB: Update for the readers. I caught an episode of Hardcore Phonography while this interview was being conducted via email. It was really enjoyable. I’m not sure if it’s because it’s the closest thing to live music that I’ve taken part in in over a year at this point, but having a couple drinks while taking in some good music (that I wouldn’t have otherwise heard) was quite enjoyable. Thanks Jon.
SB: With that, I’m not sure what Canadian pop crossed the border so this might require you to watch a couple music videos…FMK: B4-4 – Get Down, Len – Steal My Sunshine, The Moffats – I’ll be there for you. Did any of these bands actually cross over to the States?
- B4-4 basically just had the one single, but it was a relatively big single in Canada with the most awkwardly suggestive lyrics to be played on pop radio
JL: Never heard B4-4. I’ll give them a spin.
- Len had a couple hits, but they were all of the map with their sound. I highly recommend You Can’t Stop the Bum Rush. Steal My Sunshine’s not really an indication of what the album sounds like, they bounce from punk to rap to electronic euro pop.
JL: Fun fact: Mr. Dibbs, an amazing DJ from Cincinnati did some guest work on “you can’t stop the bum rush”.
- The Moffats had some seriously catchy singles. Their greatest hits is actually a decent listen for that type of pop.
JL: My only experience with the Moffats was when I was very young I got them mixed up with Junior M.A.F.I.A. for some reason and my brother made fun of me for it.
SB: Haha. That’s quite the mix up. Basically the same subject matter though.
SB: What are your top 3 Blink 182 albums? What are your top 5 Blink songs? Who wrote better songs, Mark or Tom? Did you get into Blink 155 pod? Have you been able to sit through a post 2004 Blink 182 album without becoming severely disappointed?
JL: I enjoy the newer Blink records with Skiba more than the old shit. Mark wrote better songs than Tom and they hold up better too. Blink 182 is kind of ubiquitous so it’s hard to say I have favorite Blink records, but I can tell you that I’ve never heard Cheshire Cat or Buddha, and I don’t like the self titled record or Neighborhoods. I’ve never heard the 155 podcast but the concept is cool. Overall how it usually goes down in my house is around drink 6 or 7 someone goes “we should throw on *insert Blink album*” and nobody disagrees and the record is played cover to cover and nobody is mad about it. Also my son loves newer Blink so we’ve worn out California and Nine
SB: Whoa. I figured that you’d fall into the Dude Ranch gateway/catchment just due to age. That’s wild.
SB: Do you find that you get more new or used records?
JL: 50/50 split.
SB: 10” records are a pain in the ass. Do you know why anyone puts out a 10”? Like, they’re sort of neat because they’re not as common, but really, pain in the ass.
JL: I fucking cant stand 10”s or 7”s. I have to really fucking like the release to buy one these days. Except for a few 7”s most of mine are in my basement collecting dust. 10”s are frustrating because they get lost in your 12”s so I just pile them all up at the end of my collection. The only 2 10”s I even acknowledge in my record collection are Torche – In Return and AFI – All Hollows EP. Of my few hundred 7”s, the only three I listen to are Cheeky – Choke on a Cheeseburger, Sidekicks – Sam, and Fake Boys – Nice Knowing You. The best example of a 10” done right is the OG press of “Era Vulgaris” by Queens of the Stone Age. Vertically the Jacket is 10” but the width of the jacket is 12” so it fits in nicely with all my LPs.
SB: I couldn’t agree with you more. Even the ones that I dig from a packaging perspective (Gatefold, double white, Rancid Lets Go 10”s) never get any play because they’re in the 10” section and I like using the auto play button on my player that only applies to 7 and 12”. The worst part is I can’t get rid of any of them because, like, how can one part with their collection? How does the Era Vulgaris jacket work, does the record fall deep into the pocket, or did they stuff the dead 2” in the jacket with something?
JL: The height of the jacket is 10”. The width is 12. The records are form fitted into a centered 10” slot and there’s just a 1” extra jacket on wither side of it. It’s a triple gatefold too. So it slides in and stops like a 12” without sinking in deeper like a normal 10” would. Pretty nifty.
SB: What is your most prized record? What is your holy grail that you don’t have yet?
JL: The corny answer is the S/T Dopamines record because it was the first time my own music was pressed on vinyl. Most prized? Probably my Beatles Mono box set. Holy Grail? Up until recently it was the Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Greatest Hits LP. It was rare but you could pony up like $200 for one. But then it got reissued so I just bought it for $25 bucks. I get that it’s weird that it’s the greatest hits but that compilation represents a very specific time of my childhood so hearing all those songs in that particular order hold meaning. Anyway I’ve kind of moved past the rare vinyl obsession. Don’t get me wrong if I can snag a rare color copy of something before all the nerds swarm I will, but these days there isn’t much out there that hasn’t been reissued.
SB: Given the choice, would you take a 70’s/80’s first pressing or a 180g repress?
JL: Depends. I’d rather pay $7 for a 70’s/80’s press but if I can’t find it used at a record store I’ll just buy the reissue if I want it NOW. I think there’s merit to spinning a record pressed during it’s time. I can appreciate the mixing/mastering of the original but I’m not a purist.
SB: What are 2 records that the salty bag readers might not expect you to have?
JL: ICP – The Great Milenko and Taylor Swift - Lover
SB: What are your top 5 albums of 2020?
JL: In no particular order
Gulch - Impenetrable Cerebral
Fortress
Less Than Jake – Silver Linings
Mr Bungle – The Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny
Kvelertak – Splid
Carpenter Brut – Blood Machines Soundtrack
Not Chips or Music
SB: Did you get a degree in architecture or were/are you a technologist? What got you into architecture? Did you ever go back into architecture post Expect the Worst or did you keep your distance?
JL: Yes I have a degree in Architecture. I was in like 4th or 5th grade and there was this exercise where each student had to pull a card out of a hat. They were like playing cards except each one had a career typed on it with a basic graphic of the career. Pick a card, any card….and then write a report on it. I pulled “Landscape Architect”. As I got older and understood that I would have to have a “real job” someday I kind of just defaulted to Architecture for no reason. I was like 17, I wasn’t really passionate about much except for video games and girls. But instead of just going to college for general studies until I stumbled into something that interested me, I just picked Architecture. I’m lucky that I found it interesting enough to not quit college. In hindsight, what I really like about Architecture is the problem-solving aspect. I don’t really give a fuck about Architecture on a high level. I’m the kind of guy who gets off on how specific elements are detailed, or how to space plan a building layout so that someone can get out safely in an emergency. I’m into the rules that have to be followed in order to safely build someone’s design.
When I got laid off from my job in architecture 10/24/2008, I couldn’t really go back because that layoff was due to the economic collapse. It took a while for the US to get back on it’s feet. I kept in touch and went back to work here and there under short term contracts between tours in 2009-2011. From there I officially went back to Architecture full time.
SB: It’s interesting how many people get into science related design because it was just something to do. I’m a civil engineering technologist (liked math, heard engineering had something to do with math and had no better ideas for a career), but I work primarily with municipal infrastructure and grading so my contact with architects is relatively limited. There’s just been the odd time when an architect decides to include a site plan in a multi unit design. I’m not sure if it was just the architect that I worked with but it was almost as if we spoke different languages from one another when it came to site function relating to grading (he also lost his seal for a minute a few years back, so maybe not the best benchmark). What has your experience been like working with engineers? Getting laid off in 2008 would have meant that you were in your first year working? Did you partially have to keep in touch to keep working towards getting registered/licensed (I’m assuming that it works similar to engineering where you have to work x years, and complete x, y and z before you get your professional designation?)
JL: with engineers (civil, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, structural) I just let them be the experts and learn as much as I can to try to set up my future designs to better accommodate their portion of the project. I stay in my lane but I have genuine interest in what they do and want to preemptively make considerations that will make their jobs easier. This is especially true these days because I’m being challenged to better understand and coordinate engineering efforts outside of general architecture.
2008? Honestly I never really thought about Architecture much after I got laid off in 2008. I was naïve about the whole economy collapse and bitter about being pushed off that ledge after busting my ass to get a degree. I was like “Ok, here’s me trying to be an adult and it kind of blew up in my face. Fuck it let’s go on tour”. It was kind of perfect because I had this perfect excuse to fuck off. A blank spot from 2008-2010 isn’t a red flag on a resume because “everyone was struggling” around that time. I took full advantage and it was worth it. I worked a shit job and collected unemployment and was on the road and it was some of the best years of my life. And it didn’t affect my future in Architecture in fact it kind of helped in a lot of ways.
SB: Did you use a drafting table for the Expect the Worst artwork? Was there very much manual drafting while you were going through school? (I believe I was in one of the last manual drafting classes at my college, not sure if it was being fazed out across the board or just where I was at). With Expect the Worst being completed while you were working, were you still manually drafting at work, or was there just a drafting table around collecting dust that you used?
JL: I didn’t use a drafting table for the art but I definitely had access to one at the time. That art is pretty bad I’m still kind of embarrassed about it. I made that pretty clear in the reissue by removing the color from the art. It looks a little more passable without my poor attempt at properly using a Prismacolor. I took a lot of hand drafting in college but by the time I graduated it was all but gone in the curriculum. I went to the engineering college instead of the design school because I don’t really have much natural skill with art and design. I took on the art for the bands I was in early on mostly because we couldn’t afford to have someone else do it. in truth I very much enjoy it, even if it looks like shit. I have very awesome bandmates that have been very nice and forgiving with my lack of art experience.
SB: How did you end up with 2 Jon’s with no h in The Dopamines. It wasn’t until I was messaging you that I realized that you both spell your name the same way. Is that the typical Cincinnati way? To me it seems like spelling Marc with a c.
JL: We’re both just that special I guess. We’re definitely both maladjusted. Just dumb luck.
SB: What does the drink brass monkey mean to you? Back in…2004ish..a buddy went on a west coast tour of the states and came back with tales of this magical drink, but I’m not sure if the reference was regional or not.
JL: I don’t think it’s regional aside from it being made popular by the Beastie Boys song, which I just learned wasn’t a reference to the 40 mixed with orange juice, but a premixed cocktail sold in liquor stores around the time of the song’s release. What does it mean to me? Well the very first Dopamines show ever was in Columbus OH at the stink house. It was across the street from a shitty convenient store. When we showed up a few people were rocking 40s of King Cobra, but they kept saying they were drinking a “Hyper Viper”. I learned that a Hyper Viper was drinking half a 40 and refilling it with a Sparks (look up Sparks if you’re too young to know what that glorious drink was). Because a sparks was alcohol with mass caffeine in it, a King Cobra became a Hyper Viper. Pretty clever. Anyway I fell in love with 40s after that and drank Hyper Vipers for years. When I was feeling less adventurous I would drink a traditional brass monkey (40 half filled with OJ) or a “redneck mimosa”.
SB: Okay, yeah I didn’t want to lead you to what we refer to as a brass monkey. What came back to Brandon as a brass monkey was drinking the neck (approximately) of a 40 then pouring in an energy drink (so I guess pretty similar to a hyper viper). Tastes like juice.
SB: Can you get 2L (68oz) bottles of beer down in Cincinnati? Somewhere in the late aughts Manitoba found that 40’s of beer were apparently a problem so they stopped selling them in the province…but for some reason they allowed Stone Colds (2L’s of like 6% beer) to still be sold. I still don’t get it.
JL: Rules on alcohol are fucking weird in all of North America. I think you could trace it back to prohibition and all the loopholes each state [and province] would jump through to get beer/liquor back into circulation. With beer, the largest readily available handheld vessel you can buy in USA is a 40oz. I don’t know if there’s anything legally keeping a manufacturer from selling say, a 2 Liter bottle of Budweiser. But if I had to wager a guess I’d say 40oz is the chosen limit because of product quality. The last 10oz of a 40oz is usually room temperature and flat. Nobody’s pouring beer out of a 40 into a glass like a milk jug and putting it back in the fridge. When you crack it, you’re committed to finishing it in one sitting. If it was a fucking gallon, it would taste like warm piss by the time you get halfway through it.
SB: That’s where the beauty of a hyper viper/brass monkey comes in. The bottom’s still gnar..but slightly less gnar with that energy drink concoction. Never tried it with a 2L though, if 40’s are the bottom of the barrel, 2L’s are what’s left over after they fill the 40’s (at least in Manitoba).
SB: Has your attitude towards vices (like uh..vices, not Vices the album) changed at all over the years?
JL: Yes. The less you have the better.
SB: What is the longest hangover that you’ve ever had?
JL: The older I get, the longer they last. Which is why I pretty much refuse to drink like I used to. I think I had a hangover that lasted 72 hours a few years ago. No fucking thanks.
SB: Yeah, I had a 72 hour in my 20’s after a Vegas Trip, it’s concerning when it goes on that long. Do you find that there’s still certain people/groups that will trigger you to accidentally get shittered? I’ve found that I barely drink anymore, but certain people when I know they’re going to be around my mind flips a switch and makes me forget that I hate hangovers.
JL: my drinking is more or less a fixation to just be constantly drinking SOMETHING. I tend to drink anything in front of me very quickly. So in a situation where I’ve got 12 beers next to me, I’ll just keep reaching for more until they’re gone. I won’t say I’m a sucker for peer pressure when it comes to drinking but I don’t need much of a push really. In the last few years I’ve backed way off on alcohol for a bunch of reasons all amounting to basically, “I’m over it”. But yeah, sometimes a party becomes a party and you make party decisions and then I have to pretend I’m not hungover for the next 24 or more hours.
SB: Mikey Erg was in The Dopamines for a minute which in my mind links you to The Chris Gethard Show. You also have a Twitch show. Did you ever get into any of Gethard’s stuff. If yes, have you checked out Who Wants $2.69 with Martin Urbano that’s on Gethard’s Planet Scum twitch network? Also, how did you end up with Mikey Erg (NYC) in the band?
JL: I fucked around with some of Gethard’s stuff, specifically the show and his beautiful/anonymous podcast. I haven’t watched any of his Twitch stuff. I’m still a little foggy/overwhelmed by Twitch.
There isn’t a whole lot of story behind Mikey joining the Dopamines. We were looking for a second guitarist to fill out live shows. Jon Weiner was pretty well acquainted/friends with him and just asked if he wanted to join after The Ergs broke up. Mikey said yes. He was great to be in a band with, especially at that time when we were pretty active and touring heavily. We wanted to take it a step further and have him contribute/record on records, but for some reason scheduling never worked out. Longer story there probably.
SB: What podcasts have you been listening to lately?
JL: Fantasy Footballers, Your Mom’s House, 2 Bears 1 Cave, Criminal, My Favorite Murder, Spitballers, Stuff You Should Know, My Friend’s Favorite Records, Chris Demakes a Podcast, Joe Rogan
Chips
SB: I want to say that I saw somewhere that The Dopamines were writing (recording?) new music. Have you come far enough with a new album to suggest a bag of chips to pair with it?
JL: Yes, we are actively practicing/writing a new record. It’s been a lot of fun, especially over the last month. I would compare it to a bag of pork rinds. You eat them once every five years whether you like them or not and they tear up the roof of your mouth.
SB: Have you ever had a hangover from chips? I’ve found that I can be dead sober and somehow wake up feeling slightly hungover the next day from eating too many chips in the evening. Does this constitute a problem?
JL: I don’t really binge chips at night so no I’ve never had a chip hangover. However I do feel sick if I crush a “gas station” sized bag of a few specific types of chips. It’s happened with the spicy sweet chili Doritos and the BBQ honey twist Fritos. But I can destroy a bag of hot fries and feel alright.
SB: It’s worth it for spicy sweet chili (sweet chili heat in Canada) Doritos.
SB: What is your favourite base chip? (potato [‘standard’ fried, baked, kettle cooked], corn, multi-grain, sweet potato, beet, parsnip, carrot, etc.)
JL: Hands down Mexican restaurant style corn tortilla chip. Like fresh and hot at a Mexican restaurant, specifically Rio Grande in Newport KY, USA
SB: Can you please be more specific, haha. haha
SB: What is your favourite chip seasoning? Not a specific brand but a general flavour. (current or discontinued [or if you’re feeling wild your favourite current, and your favourite discontinued flavours])
JL: Salt and Vinegar
SB: What is more important, the base chip or the seasoning?
JL: Base chip, in general. There are a few examples where you can’t have one without the other though (see below)
SB: What is your favourite bag of chips? (brand, flavour, style) Can you please explain why they’re your favourite?
JL: Grippos BBQ potato chips. Aside from being local, the base chip is thin and soft and BLANKETED in seasoning. The chip is pretty saturated in grease and the seasoning doesn’t just stick to the chip it wicks up the grease so it’s like this soft melty experience. If you stack like 6-10 chips and bite down it’s almost like phyllo dough. The seasoning itself is very unique too and very spicy, but there’s sugar in the seasoning so it creates a very excellent balance.
SB: I’ve never had any Grippos before. Sounds like something I’m going to have to track down. How are the cheddar and horseradish?
JL: Not bad actually. I don’t think the two flavors are a match made in heaven but they’re decent. Honestly I think a garlic horseradish would be super legit.
SB: Have you ever had all dressed or ketchup chips? If no, have you had Zapp’s Voodoo or Voodoo Heat? Zapp’s chips are awesome…but I haven’t found them north of the border (they’re sort of all dressed’s American cousin).
JL: I don’t really care for the niche / special edition seasonings on chips. But I’m a sucker for the marketing so I’ll try pretty much anything once. Also those specialty seasonings are usually the ones that give me a chip hangover. Like when Lays did those contests with “siracha”, “chicken & waffles”, and “garlic bread”. They’re all fun but at a certain point all I taste is chemicals.
Zapp’s Voodoo are tight. I don’t eat them often because there not available everywhere. But if I’m on the road and I see them at a gas station, I’ll fuck up a bag.
SB: Do us a Flavour/Flavor had like a 10% success rate in my opinion. But the chicken & waffles was on the hit side for me. It’s funny, for Canadians ketchup and all dressed are standard flavours that almost every company puts out. I would have thought with the Salt & Vinegar appreciation it would have been a natural transition within the vinegar flavour family. Zapp’s Voodoo and Voodoo Heat are tight! I know my wife grabbed a bag in Minot when the border was still open, suffice to say it’s been a minute since I’ve had any.
SB: What is the oddest, enjoyable, chip that you have come across on tour? What’s the oddest chip that you’ve seen but passed on trying?
JL: One time in Denmark I had these pork belly chips that you dipped in gravy. I don’t know if they count as a chip, but they functioned like one. They were pretty thick too like the thickness of a graham cracker. They even still had hair on the skin portion. They were really delicious but extremely greasy and rich, especially when dipped in the gravy. I had water shits from em but it was mostly worth it.
Oddest chip? I really don’t like to fuck with dehydrated seafood “chips” which I’ve come across a lot in Europe.
SB: I had a bag of seafood chips from Malaysia before. I couldn’t finish the bag, and that says a lot because I have a problem with chips, hah. Have you tried the Worcestershire(sp) chips in the UK? I’ve found that they’re a distant cousin to Salt & Vinegar.
JL: No but that sounds fucking amazing. Pissed that I didn’t stumble on those while boozing my way through the UK recently.
SB: Do you consider Pringle's to be chips and/or an acceptable ‘chip’ option?
JL: Sure. I liken a pringle to the equivalent of chewing up a mouthful of normal chips and spitting them out into a mold. They serve their purpose. My son lives on the sour cream and onion pringles.
SB: Yeah, I feel like they’re similar to eating a bag of instant mashed potatoes with some seasoning. The bummer is they have great flavour ideas.
SB: How do you feel about dipping seasoned chips? In my experience some people find it odd to dip flavoured chips..(ketchup chips into dill pickle dip, barbeque chips into chili, any Doritos or Arriba chips into queso).
JL: I’m not offended by people who do that but I 100% won’t dip a seasoned chip into a dip. For my taste/preference I think it’s gross. Doesn’t make sense to add more salt and seasoning to a dip with a chip covered in salt and seasoning. You don’t get to experience the chip or the dip at all it’s just a mouthful of salt and confusion.
SB: Heck yeah it is! Salt and confusion would have been a great alternate name for this blog, or a great song or band name. That’s going on the list.
SB: What chip flavour do you think should exist but doesn’t?
JL: Hot Dog
SB: There’s been a few chip companies up here that have dabbled in hot dog. Covered Birdge’s Loaded Hot Dog were fantastic (RIP, they need to bring it back), and President’s Choice (Superstore, Loblaws, a few other stores carry them) had a ball park hot dog chip as well (I’m not sure if they’re still in production). So if you keep an eye out if the border ever opens up again and you find yourself to the north of it, you might be able to find some. I want to say there have been a few other companies that have released hot dog chips but I can’t remember off the top of my head, ‘meat’ flavoured chips are really hit an miss for me because simulating meat flavour often veers very close to chemical taste.
SB: Does/will a bag of chips and glass of water help or hurt a hangover?
JL: Only one way to find out…
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