Was That Chinese?

Interview With Third String

Los Angeles

From Issue 2.2, November/December 2005

They do ballads for the dead.

They do voices.

Above all, they do jokes. They do scores of jokes-the dirty and crass kinds of jokes that someone might be embarrassed to bring home to the dinner table.

They are Third String, a Los Angeles band that’s been around for the past 5 years playing shows in the area and essentially living by the philosophy that all the world’s their stage.

(For the sake of clarity David pointed out, “We’re not technically East L.A. I’m going to make that very clear. We’re northeast Los Angeles.”)

But they’re not annoying in that immature, “look at me” kind of way. In fact, their ages range from David (lead vocals and guitar), 31, to drummer Jimmy, 26 and guitarists Johnny and bassist Beavis both 23.

Jimmy likes to call David “pops,” and David likes to point out the disparity in age ranges as proof their band has so many influences, it would be impossible to call their music strictly one thing over another.

A blend of early 90s skate punk similar to that of Pennywise, the Descendents or Bad Religion, what sticks out most is that the music is blended with a voice they said has been compared to New Found Glory front man, Jordan Pundik. David cannot help but cringe when he hears that comment because, “I was singing like that before those bands.”

In fact, one of their friend’s girlfriend’s heard a New Found Glory song on the radio and thought it was them. Obviously it was not them because their music is a lot more technical and a lot less poppy. They have two guitarists who add a fuller sound and they have intricately changing bass lines.

It is particularly doubtful, New Found Glory could be heard doing ballads for the dead at their shows anyway. Third String definitely does.

They do everything from the “Ballad of Joey Ramone” to Rick James, to Nirvana and have angered a good many people in their audiences for doing that.

“[One guy] was fine with Joey Ramone, but we crossed the line with Nirvana,” Jimmy said.

They discussed the ballads they would have after they die. It seems they anticipate anything within the realm of ridiculous as cause to have a well-thought out joke for. After they discussed their death jams, someone tells Jimmy to do his Teri Schiavo impersonation.

All four of them seemed to have no problem offending just about everyone famous, or having some comment about somebody.

Take The Beatles for example, a band admired by many musicians.

“[Paul McCartney] looks like Angela Lansbury,” Johnny said.

“I can’t stand ‘em [The Beatles],” David said as they stood outside of their practice space discussing where The Beatles stand in the history of rock n roll. “I can respect them, but I can’t stand ‘em.”

They practice on Sundays in the lower level of a tan two-story house that sits atop a hill overlooking the city. The course of their practices run parallel to the way they perform sets at shows: make a joke, play a song, make a joke. Repeat that about six times and Comedy Central might have another winner on its hands.

“We’re all very well-established drinkers,” David said beginning yet another sarcastic comment. “Are you peeing?”

Indeed Johnny was using the facilities next to their practice studio.

“Oh, that’s raunchy even for me,” Jimmy said making a face.

“Raunchiness” set aside though, their humor extends only amongst one another for they take their music and other interests quite seriously and are not all fun and games.

“See that wino over there,” Johnny said pointing to Jimmy who sat down for the second time after refilling his Corona with a twist of lemon and salt, “he used to be a photography major.”

“We completely halt practices for our vices,” David explained of the Corona.

For everything funny and potentially derogatory or offensive they might say, they are also extremely nice and polite and incredibly up-to-date when it comes to news and politics.

Jimmy pasted a picture taken after Reagan died on his bass drum with the phrase, “Oops I forgot to breathe.” He said if it weren’t for Reagan and the Iran Contra scandal perhaps people would not be paying $3.50 for a gallon of gas-that being the condensed version of his opinion on the subject.

“The world would be a much better place if people just bought bus passes like me,” Jimmy said to seal off the discussion.

For every song like their “A Night in Paris” (ie inspired by Paris Hilton), they’ve got something a little more substantial like “Elevators” (having to do with atheism) or “Brave Soldier” (having to do with the war).

“Fuck Bush!” Johnny said. “Howard Dean is my commander in chief.”

“We’re not really political all the time,” David said.

They also do not speak English all of the time. David knows a little Chinese so that he can better communicate with customers at his job. Plus, he said it is an interesting language. Beavis is learning Japanese so that he can understand anime cartoons without having to read subtitles.

“Hey, how do you say ‘he smells like a rotten ass?” Johnny said.

David attempted something while Beavis spoke something briefly in Japanese.

“How do you say, ‘I don’t have a BMW?’” David asked.

“Why don’t you play more songs from the CD for her?” Johnny said stopping the Chinese and Japanese for a second.

“We did play songs from the CD for her,” David said into his microphone.

“Fuck you!” Johnny replied.

With all this, one would think it hard for them to be a band and get any work done or even get along. When asked to describe their music, the general responses were “shitty,” “skate punk” and “a waste of my time.”

Despite all of this, David sees the demise of bands being the result of things other than screwing around and making fun of one another.

“Bands disintegrate because of drugs and alcohol,” he said with respect to a band he used to be in.

Though this is not the original Third String lineup, this seems to be the most solid. The band went through three drummers before Jimmy came.

Currently unsigned, they will release an album on their own in the coming weeks.

“This CD makes a good coaster,” David said.

Added Jimmy, “It’s good for target practice.”

While they would like to be signed to a label, it is not something they are living and playing music for.

“Either way, it would be cool [to be signed],” Jimmy said. “With technology we have the means to do it. Being on a label would be pretty cool but not necessary.”

“I just want to work for Larry Parker,” Beavis said. “I want to be a defense attorney.”

“I want to stop working for the post office, but until then, it can pay my bills,” David said.

Funny.