I hadn’t heard of Mickey Avalon before I learned he was performing during spring weekend. Curious, I youtubed him and clicked on the first song that came up:“My Dick.” Within seconds, I slammed my computer shut, appalled, instantly hating him. I stormed into my friend’s room and declared that I would boycott the concert, like many of my fellow MoHos. After immediate shock subsided, I became increasingly fascinated by the performer, so I did a little reasearch. Turns out he’s not a misogynistic, evil bastard. If you did your homework, you would learn he was featured in premier feminist magazine Bust, or that he has excellent taste in literaure. If you choose not to do some research, read this interview instead. Lighten up, and open your mind to this powerful, insightful performer.
The Mount Holyoke News: It seems like a lot of your songs and the lyrics aren’t necessarily relatable to a woman, especially at a women’s college. Do you have a feeling that you might perform differently here than you would at a mass venue?
No, it’s sort of about the same. I think that 90% of my shows I also have two dancers with me. I hope they are coming to this show. That’s my only concern. I would like to have female presence with me on stage. I think it will be fun.
MHN: What is the weirdest thing that you’ve ever had thrown on stage?
Nothing too crazy. You know bras, panties, candy, joints, phone numbers, stuff like that. then there are people who want to promote their own shit. I mean, the shows are fun.
MHN: What is the most memorable thing that has ever happened to you during a performance?
One guy jumped on stage and then he like, tapped me on the back, harder than I think he meant to. So, I punched him and then saw the youtube after and it turned out he was trying to shake my hand. I felt bad about that.
MHN: If you had to describe one of your concerts, how would you describe the Mickey Avalon experience?
I think it’s more something you experience through sense, smell, touch. I just try to get people to not be shy.
MHN: I know that you often have a lot of teenage girls at your concerts. Would do you think you are teaching to a teenage girl?
I have my own daughter and she wouldn’t come to my shows and I wouldn’t bring her to my shows. I’m not bringing them backstage or doing anything with them. I’m an adult and what I do is for adults. In most places it’s for people 21 and over. Sometimes I kiss the girls in the front row. I wouldn’t do that at an all-underage show. I think I’m telling people to do what they want to do, what makes them feel comfortable, not to do what school taught them, or their parents taught them. Not to put themselves into situations where they have to compromise themselves in any way. People can take whatever message they want. I’m not saying go fuck everybody, unless that’s something you want to do. I’m telling people to do things that they want to do. But if you try that and it doesn’t make you feel good, don’t do it. That’s really the only thing, to do what you want to do, a lot of things have consequences. I don’t romanticize anything. Go try certain things. Things you don’t like don’t do them. I’m not going to tell people to do drugs or be with a stranger, that’s up to you. You shouldn’t be judged if you want to do that. Whatever they feel comfortable with.
MHN: Do you use your “do what you want to do” mentality with your daughter, or do you take another stance with her?
Fortunately for me she really doesn’t want to do those things and has been pretty straight. She’s not like a republican or anything, she’s more of like… she’s never been drunk never had a sip of alcohol or drugs. Instead of saying those things are bad, because again she doesn’t really want to try them or like them and you gotta think. So she likes to be in control… she likes to be in control of her faculties and so I’m just like, you can do those things,
I have twin brothers, not my twin, they’re twins. One of em came over drunk and I think on drugs and he was acting real funny, and he fell on floor and talking about the stupidest stuff and my daughter was there. At first I was kinda pissed that he came over like that but then I thought it’s great example. She has no desire to, well not forever; she’s going to have to try alcohol at some point, maybe in college. Her mom is like the first person in either of our families to go to college. I’m sure she’ll want to do that. So I mean, I don’t really teach her any differently than what I’ve taught others. There are a number of things that we could talk about when she’s older, but right now it’s not necessary.
MHN: Can you reflect a little upon when you were younger? What were some of your favorite classes in high school, or did you have a particular academic interest?
MA: I love reading. School wasn’t my most favorite, but nobody told me when high school, by college you can pick your own classes so I had already been going to school for 13 years straight, I didn’t have any desire to do that for eight more years, but I might have if someone had explained things a little better. I was pretty good at math. I didn’t really like it but I was just pretty good at it. So and then, I’ve been painting since I got out of high school but in school I wasn’t really that into it, because again it was all that curriculum stuff, but I was into going out tagging and a lot of drawing in school. But now I really like painting and drawing and stuff. I think maybe like literature, like books, because that’s the one place where someone actually gives you some cool stuff that is grown-up and they didn’t teach you as a kid. But a lot of the books I didn’t really understand at the time, and now re-reading them is realizing there’s a lot of good stuff. I understand more.
MHN: Are there any books you remember taking refuge in when you were a teenager?
MA: I liked Alice in wonderland, in my LSD stage. I liked a lot of kid’s books too even, as I was older. I liked Astrid Lindgren, she writes all the Pippi Longstocking stories and in Sweden, that’s where my dad was born, they have a lot of books there in English that they actually don’t have here by here with all the different characters besides Pippi Longstocking. One guy’s name is Emil and then there’s Karlson on the roof and there’s all these other ones I like that. I liked Roald Dahl and Charlie and the Chocolate factory. I remember Richard Bach, Illusions. But really the books that have taught me the most was Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. I take that stuff pretty much to heart. And I’ve based my life really about, how Tom Sawyer, and when he’s painting the fence, I see that as pretty much the story of my life. He’s got to paint the fence and at first he’s pretty bummed and he gets a good idea, so as he’s painting, he’s smiling and whistling and acting like it’s the best thing you’d ever done, his friends come around and they’re like, “what are you doing?” He’s like, “I’m painting a fence, it’s so fun.” And they’re like, “well then let me paint a little,” but and he’s like, “I’m not going to let you paint, I want to do it, it’s fun.” And then they’re like, “c’mon,” and he’s like, “no, well what you got?” They’re like, “I got a yo-yo” or something, so by the end he’s got all the kids’ toys and has them paint the fence for him. So y’know I think my whole existence, my job is definitely about that. Like, the Lakers played in the Championships and I wanted to go, so I posted on MySpace to see if someone would take me, and they look at it, it’s like a win-win. I wouldn’t think that hanging out with me would be worth giving up tickets, but if they’re into it. Who am I take away someone’s joy?
MHN: You come off as just a really friendly, easy-going, laid-back person and yet so many people perceive you in a negative light. How has that come about and does that bother you because that doesn’t seem like it reflects who you actually are.
MA: It doesn’t bother me as far as like strangers but I’ve had it happen with people I used to be close to and now I’m not because of business stuff. No matter how much you say ‘you don’t care’ as humans you want to be liked to some extent, and then if someone doesn’t like you about something that you’re really not about, like they’re gonna wanna get a billboard and write something on it. It’s like that, if my friend and family and the people who are close to em know the truth that’s okay. There are things, if you despise me about something that’s true, then I can deal that. Most of the things that I do that may be negative are probably to myself. Then you think, “Oh I’m not hurting anybody” then me, or my mom. I’ve hurting myself; I’m going to be hurting all the people around me that love me. I mean, the main thing, it mainly goes to me. I don’t know why someone could hate me for making unhealthy decisions.
MHN: If you have a hostile audience in general what do you to get them on your side?
MA: I just to go through with it and put on a good show. I was actually in a feminist magazine, Bust. I think a lot of people get this. Charles Rigowski, one of my favorite writer and for ever woman that thought I was a chauvinist pig, there’s a woman that’s more of a feminist. I always see myself as a feminist but I’m not a woman so I can’t use certain words like. Gay people could call each other “fags” or something. I’m not gay so I can’t call a gay person a “fag,” same thing with the n word. I think every has can say derogative things to their own group, but if you’re not part of that group, even if you think you’re an honorary member, you can’t but. But as far as what women appreciate I think anyone appreciates you to be straight and say what thinking rather than say certain things in your living room and certain things out. So we all people want and if people choose to objectify people then they choose that. With the characters in my show, everything is the lowest common denominator. They’re all particular people you know live a particular life because that what the world dished them and did the best with that. That’s not saying that every woman is a prostitute or every man is a pimp, those are just those characters so that’s how I talk about them.
MHN: On Saturday night, how are you hoping that everyone comes away from your show?
Basically, like, I would like the people against me to not be, you know? But I’d say that’s probably about it. For the people there who like me I hope they have a good time and like, I’m not gonna do the show any differently. Like, hopefully they’ll like me. If they can’t handle the word bitch or something like that, well maybe they won’t have a good time. For any time I use the word bitch, I have the same equivalent for guys. I don’t know what it would be. I definitely talk bad about them to. I guess I use bitch for guys too. I mean, if they are one.
MHN: What was the first concert you ever attended?
I went and saw Chuck Barry at Magic Mountain with my friend and his family, which was pretty amazing. But then my dad had his friend take me to Bruce Springsteen, Born in the USA, and now I just realized it’s because my dad didn’t want to go, so those were those kinds of shows. The first ones I went to probably without parents were rap concerts, like EZE, IceT, all these people playing together. I’ve seen the Cramps at CBGB’s.
MHN: From watching other performances, have they influenced your shows at all?
Yeah, after the fact. Most of the people that people would think I’ve been influenced by I haven’t. I like them, but I’ve seen what they do after I already started to do what I do. The thing about being on stage is that you just have to be loose. If you try to look cool you’re actually going to look kind of stupid and if you are not afraid to look stupid you might actually look kind of cool. You can’t think about posing of stuff like that you really just have to have fun and give it all you got.
MHN: Can you talk a little bit about Passover at the Avalon house?
Passover was my favorite holiday as a kid because I’m an alcoholic and I was born that way, so I could drink a lot on Passover. Like, you are supposed to drink 4 glasses of wine and then the kids can either drink 4 glasses of grape juice or four sips of wine. I was pretty smart so what I would do is I would fill up the glass with wine and pretend I was just having one sip but I would really drink the whole glass and then refill it to look like one sip was missing. So then I would get really wasted and then dance. I would take off most of my clothes except my socks and then slide around and dance and everyone would laugh. They probably wouldn’t find it so funny now that I have had to be in a lot of institutions, as I grew older. But I liked it.
MHN: If there were any message that you would like to relay to the women at Mount Holyoke before your performance is there anything in particular that you would like to say?
I’m just going to say the first thing that came to me and then I know it is going to get me in a lot of trouble, it’s to lighten up. I’m probably someone that could help them, help them with what they’re trying to do. I’m probably more of an ally than an enemy, you know? Like, if they really looked into it.
It’s spelled Eazy-E and not EZE. How the hell can you interview someone about pop culture when you don’t know anything about it? You may want to have someone proof read your interview because it is atrocious.
Someone whose actions do not match his or her words is a liar.