#kira roessler interview

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Kira Roessler Black Flagw

First published 2012

You lost your wages as a roadie for the Screamers because you spray-painted the club they played. What did you spray?

Oh it was awful. But there we were in New York at this “punk club” we thought and it was all pristine. We came from the holes that allowed punk bands to play in LA. We were all arrogant about our punkhood… embarrassing now really. We wrote things like “Why no paint?” and painted a dead body outline on the ground. Probably “The Screamers” too

Were you ever intimidated, as a young female, going into those Black Flag gigs?

In the early days in LA, the scene was still pretty small. Lots of girls there, elaborately demonstrating what would be the definitive punk styles. I, however, was a tomboy who already played the bass. I wanted to play in bands, the only way to do that was to hang out with people who played. And I mean total tomboy

Your bass lines in Black Flag were aggressive. Was there a bass style you wanted to emulate?

I am a total believer in the right bass playing for the context you are in. Black Flag demanded that style of bass playing. Other bands do not. It is arrogant and foolhardy to impose one’s style on someone else’s band. If it is your own band, you can create a style. A band has a style, the players then contribute or work against it

You’re a blues fan

I fell in love with Billie Holiday in 7th grade. The unrequited love ballads were just what I needed. And although many other bands/artists have tickled my fancy over the years … she will always be my favorite. I do not have an extensive exposure to the blues. She spoke of her admiration for Bessie Smith… so I sought out her stuff and totally could see why Billie would love her

Do you think the punk scene in LA was just as significant as its counterpart in NYC?

Well of course. Do people say otherwise? A lot of it depends on what you call punk. NY had some pre-cursor bands (in my humble opinion) that were extremely influential. But once LA got going … I think London, NY, and LA were generating important stuff and maybe more importantly had scores of people coming out to shows and “buying in” to what was happening As I said in the earlier … when we went to NY for the Screamers gig, it seemed tame compared what we were used to. There was a HUGE contingent that went to SF to see the only California gig that the Sex Pistols played on their only real tour. When I say huge of course, that is within the context of how many punkers there were at that time. There were bands I loved from NY of course. I happen to believe their were more good bands in LA … but maybe I just didn’t hear all the good ones. Many of the LA bands didn’t get out on tour … I am sure that was happening elsewhere. This is part of why Black Flag was interesting. They were touring … incredible for the circumstances – but they were

I think the LA scene is still seen, maybe mistakenly, as secondary to NY’s Max’s/CBGB scene, perhaps because bands like the Ramones became internationally recognised, whereas none of the LA punk bands did. And also the NY one being seen as more ‘high-brow’ than LA’s more… ‘meatheaded’ approach

Again… disagreeing here. Ramones – high brow? I thought they were pretty much the definition of low brow and that is not meant to be offensive. In terms of “internationally recognised” that was almost the antithesis of what was happening with the bands I thought were the best. Record labels wouldn’t stand behind a band like The Germs. Black Flag was clawing their way into records and tours not being helped in the slightest So I guess it depends on what you like, and what punk is, and what “significant” is. The Sex Pistols were pretty darn influential. So were the Ramones. But nowadays if you talk about punk in general Black Flag is quite well known. And Bad Brains, Dead Kennedys, TSOL, and a host of others who were certainly not internationally recognised at the time Meatheaded… ha

You married another bass player, Mike Watt from the Minutemen, and together formed Dos. That was around the time D Boon died. Was Dos perhaps a way of dealing with Mike’s (and your) grief?

It seemed to me that it was… of course Mike has his own perspective on it. I was worried he would stop playing… so I would just try to get him to play. Plus I wasn’t really playing with anyone… so it was good to just play. There was no real intention of making a band at first… just to jam. Then some songs were created form those jams. I had also made some bedtime story tapes for my nephews with two bass music under them, so we had material there

With Dos you so often capture such a haunting, lonesome sound. What can two basses do that a more traditional set up can’t?

It comes back to doing what is right for the band. In a “traditional set up” my role as bass player needs to support or accentuate what the drums and or guitar are doing. In a two bass band we are creating the “style” so the bass can be in your face, or create a mood, ebb and flow without taking away from what someone else does. With bass, the spaces are very important. The spaces I allow or fill are quite different in a two bass format. The bottom will drop out in a traditional format if I am not careful

You two are going to be friends for life

I cannot see anything hindering our ability to play music together. It gives us a context, which I feel we need, in order to maintain a connection which is as feisty as our relationship is

What is next for you musically?

Well I play most every day, always have. Sometimes only for fifteen minutes in my room before I go to work I have three current musical endeavors: Dos, SAUPG, and Awkward. SAUPG is a virtual band, we build songs over the internet and basically place no big emphasis on releasing the songs. Some have been posted on a facebook page. Awkward is another two bass band with a guy who plays standup bass named Devin Hoff. We are just getting started Otherwise I mostly work and hang with my dogs. I work in post production sound editing. Dialogue and ADR. Mostly movies, a little TV. It demands a lot of hours unless I am in the occasional lull between projects

Don’t you write bedtime stories for kids?

Oh no no no. I do not write bedtime stories. I merely took classics… starting with like Dr Suess when they were quite young and all the way up to Edgar Allen Poe which was the last one. Then I would read them and overdub two basses kind of noodling underneath because I thought it would be soothing to my nephews. Particularly the older one Alex would lie awake at night and I thought it might be nice to have something to listen to

Thanks Kira