This interview happened in Richmond, Virginia after Cephalic Carnage destroyed Alley Katz. This was a cool interview conducted with guitarist Zac Joe that touched on some really interesting subjects, but I was tired as all hell and had a long trek home ahead of me, so I was glad that it was a short chat. Cephalic Carnage is a great band, and Anamolies is well worth checking out.

PL: Start by introducing yourself.

ZJ: My name is George Jorge Van Duego de Ral la Rodriguez, and I am a merch guy.

PL: When you're on tour and you're driving, have there ever been times when you've almost fallen asleep?

ZJ: Yes.

PL: And what did you do to try and wake yourself up?

ZJ: I pulled over and had someone else drive. Its very dangerous. Its worse than drinking and driving. A couple times, we actually tried the yellow jacket thing, but I will never ever ever do that again to my body or my-oh man. Diarrhea for a week, and I felt completely out of it. Fuck that shit. Just pull over. If you can feel yourself getting like that, its better that you pull over and even sleep in that seat, or get someone, but if everyone else is too tired, than just do that.

PL: Whats the stupidest road trip you've ever taken?

ZJ: Stupidest road trip I've ever taken? Oh wow. It'd have to be something with the family. My dad lived in Kansas and my mom lived in Wyoming, so I went back and forth from Wyoming and Kansas all my life. I did even think that places like L.A. and New York and Richmond even existed. I can't isolate anything, but I know there were some stupid times. If you're talking about the road, then everything is stupid.

PL: Do you think high record prices make it less likely for someone to check out a band that they haven't heard?

ZJ: Yes, most definitely. In fact, we were talking with Relapse about that yesterday, and there's a Catch 22 because the retailers tack on a lot. They used to put out records that said: "Don't sell for more than $9 or $10."

PL: The reason I never checked out Lucid Interval was because it was always $16.

ZJ: Yeah, I know, and that was something that I always complained about because, especially at Virgin or Tower, they tack on a shitload to those records, and a kid is not gonna want to do a $20 experiment when he can go and buy two CDs for the price of one. Yes, it does hurt, big time. Its a complicated issue as well.

PL: I don't smoke weed, but I'm interested in it. Do you think weed will ever be legal in the United States?

ZJ: I want to say yeah, but I'll say no because they make too much money off the back end, and the government would rather sell you their legal prescription drugs-if they can figure out a way where they can tax it, and I know they've thought taxing it and sending it out to where white corporate America is actually banking on it instead of low street crimers, than they'll make it legal.

PL: I don't know why they just don't tax it. They'd make a shitload of money from it.

ZJ: I've been to Holland many times, and its clean, the economy is good, the crime rate is low; murder, suicide and all that shit is a fraction of what it is in any American city. There are the few cases of people getting hooked on the harder stuff, but I think they do that when its illegal here anyway. I've seen the affects of it being legal, and I think people are happier and the economy is great. They make a lot of money off that.

PL: If you sold your soul to Satan, what would you ask for in return?

ZJ: To leave my family alone. I don't know, I really don't know. I don't want a fancy car. I don't want a big house. I don't want fame or fortune, I don't need all of that shit. If I actually believed in the guy, I would ask him to stay the fuck away from my family. Taje my soul so that these people have fucking nothing to do with you. That sounds really stupid.

PL: No, that sounds really good. I've been trying to think of what I'd do, and I was trying to think of something good.

ZJ: Well, if I personally believed in that, no good could come of that, so I don't know what I would choose, but I'm not a religious person. I'm always concerned about my family's well being.

PL: Name one movie everyone should go see.

ZJ: "Gummo." I'm gonna regret that later because we're movie buffs. "Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me" is another good one. I really love movies.

PL: Whats a little known fact about Colorado?

ZJ: A little known fact about Colorado is that it has the highest DUI and domestic violence arrests in the nation. Why? I don't know.

PL: Name one album, besides your own, that you think all kids should have in their collection.

ZJ: Abbey Road by The Beatles.

PL: Do you have any final comments?

ZJ: Yeah. Don't eat yellow snow. Thats good, thats good. You guys don't have to worry about that down here, but its a big thing where I come from; eating yellow snow.

PL: Me too.

ZJ: Its not good. Oh yeah, you told me you're from up north. Does it snow down here?

PL: It might. This is kind of the northern part of the state. I know it snows in D.C., so maybe.

Interview by: RF

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