If Antiseen had a biographer - besides
Jeff Clayton - it might be Russ Ward (pictured with a bloody Jeff Clayton, above). Our fifth and final installment for Antiseen's 30th Antivesary week comes from Ward -
a local musician who tours and works with Antiseen behind-the-scenes and has
contributed liner notes to their releases. He remembers his first Antiseen concert (September
1, 1989 at The Milestone) and his experience meeting other fans and on the road.
Antiseen celebrates its 30th Antiversary Friday and Saturday at Tremont. Tickets for tonight's pre-party are $10. Admission for Antiseen's show with the Meatmen and the Hookers Saturday is $15.
“It’s almost kind of
embarrassing because people tend to roll their eyes, but when I saw them the
first time I was 17. It was maybe my second punk rock show. The first one
impressed me, but Antiseen kind of threw me sideways. As goofy as it sounds,
that was the proverbial moment. I wasn’t prepared to see a band that was
intimidating or confrontational. What I remember most about it was it was like
a cross between being really excited and really scared.
Jeff obviously was younger and his performance was more
physical than it is now. He threw himself and it wasn’t like a stage dive. He landed
on the floor in this hump at my feet. I remember thinking, ‘Do I help this guy
up or will he punch me if I touch him?’
When I saw that (Antiseen) was something that resonated with
me in a deep way, I tried to turn my friends on to it and they didn’t get it at
all. I remember riding in a car with this guy, he turned around with his face
wrinkled up and said ‘Is the guitar supposed to sound like that?’
I look back at life before that and it seems so
monochromatic and sterile and paint by numbers. MTV was at its height. I
couldn’t relate to that at all. I didn’t like any of that heavy metal stuff
that was coming up. I was a weirdo kid. I didn’t like anything - kind of like I
am now. When I saw Antiseen it wasn’t like the other punk rock stuff. These
guys didn’t have mohawks and colored hair and spikey leather jackets. These
guys looked like truck drivers and warehouse types, which is essentially what
they are. They weren’t playing to put on a pose. The way Clayton performs there
was a genuine expression and release. They weren’t doing it for money or ego
and fame. It was a lot more direct and real.
People tend to focus on the bloodshed. I started traveling
with them about 20 years ago. I’ve seen it more than anybody. I don’t pay
attention to it so much. Every once in a while he’ll do something and I’ll go, ‘Wow.’
I’ve seen him cut his arms and that always makes me go, ‘hhmmmeewe.’ As a friend
I don’t like to see that. I remember more about when I see him police the
audience. One show in Myrtle Beach the stage was a six inch riser. This little girl was in
her twenties, but she was the size of a 13-year-old. She was dancing by the PA. This
350 pound hubba bubba guy that’s like king of the pit, he tilts up on
the stage and plows this girl and Jeff saw it. He went after the guy and
clobbered him with a mic stand. That’s the stuff when I go, ‘Ooooh.’ That’s
rare. I’ve seen them hit people with guitars. (Bassist) Tom (O’Keefe) hit
someone with his guitar and opened him up and the guy came up after the show
and said, ‘Oh, man, I love you guys.’
Anywhere they go they’re going to draw people. People in
Charlotte tend to not understand this. They get taken for granted as the perennial
local band. I go to Fargo, North Dakota with them and see 12 people from Canada. We were in Lansing, Michigan and there were people from some province up in
French Canada 10 hours away. We were in Pittsburg once and this guy came down from
Toronto. There’s this couple that come over from Germany every Spring and
follow them on tour. We were in Oklahoma City this spring and a guy road his motorcycle from
somewhere in Kansas. You see that all the time.
To be able to sustain 30 years - it shows integrity that a
lot of bands don’t possess. A lot of bands disappear if they don’t have that
label support and people blowing up their ego. I don’t see a lot of bands being
able to pull this off - all the hard work that goes into it. You travel in a
cramped van. You’re sharing a Motel 6. You do that stuff because you love it.
I always saw myself helping Antiseen more so than doing my own thing (Ward played for years as Mad Brother Ward). They were my band. I always loved what they do. I think what they do is important.”
(Photos - Ward and Clayton, courtesy of Russ Ward; "Jump," from an earlier show exhibiting Clayton's agility, courtesy of Jeff Clayton).
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