Possibly one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met, Rody Walker of Cheese and the Mousetraps and Protest the Hero, gave me two interviews, as the recording of the first interview mysteriously disappeared.
Laura Sedgwick: First I’d like to say that that performance was probably the funniest thing I’ve ever seen. What inspired this side project?
Rody Walker: I used to play acoustically just as jokes, Chris [Cheese’s drummer] and I would do it. Then, my parents went away and I had their house to myself so we set up a drum kit down there and we’d just get drunk and goof off and play covers. Then one day we were like “let’s fucking do this in front of people, have a laugh, get drunk.”
LS: So you mentioned during your set that Cheese’s only other performance was at a birthday party. Whose party was that?
RW: That was Brian McGuire’s birthday party.
LS: How old is Brian?
RW: He turned 30.
LS: He must have had a pretty good hook-up to get you to perform at his birthday.
RW: Yeah, he’s a good friend of ours. It was just like a private hall party so we just got drunk and played a couple joke songs.
LS: Last time I interviewed you, you mention that you always get really drunk before shows.
RW: Yes ma’am that’s what I usually like to do.
LS: But for this performance you weren’t. What’s the difference?
RW: I can think a lot clearer. Sometimes when I’m up on stage and I’m as drunk as I get, I wont be able to make funny jokes in between songs. I can still do the singing and all that, no matter how mediocre I do it, but I just can’t think well enough to make fucking any jokes. So I just get up there and I’m like “Are you guys drunk or what? Come on now!”
LS: So are most of the songs you play with Cheese just complete improvisation?
RW: Not all of them. There are two songs that we actually rehearse and there is one – the kitties one – that is pretty much made up on the spot.
LS: Can we expect more performances of Cheese and the Mousetraps? Or an album maybe?
RW: Absolutely! We are going to record soon and we are going to have a myspace and it will all be up for fucking listening and laughs.
