Foxy Shazam are a very unique band, and they have a great charisma to their live performance. Vocalist Eric Nally makes no secret that he wants to be remembered, going down in history like the many bands before them. This interview reverses its roll towards the end, with Nally asking me some questions about being an extra and whether Foxy Shazam will go down in history. It was a really fun interview, with Nally being a really good guy to talk to. He is a very sincere person, a soft spoken family man, who happens to front one of the most exciting new bands to come out. This interview took place on March 5, 2008 at The Living Room in Providence, RI.

PL: State something interesting about yourself.
EN: I wish I was black. I want to become the Michael Jordan of rock and roll. The only reason I do music is to go down in history, and I'm not gonna die until I do it.

PL: What type of people do you think your band appeals to?
EN: I hope all types. Thats our goal. I want to appeal to everybody, but I know thats one of the top concerns of bands these days; who they're gonna apply themselves to and what kind of crowd they're gonna fit in with and what kind of music they're gonna play, but I'm not concerned at all. Some bands try to stay away from the "in crowd," the "AP crowd" or whatever you want to call them, but I don't care. Whoever wants to like us can like us. It doesn't matter to me: old people, young people, ugly people, cute people.

PL: Has the response to Introducing... lived up to your expectations so far?
EN: So far, its been great. It just came out on January 22, so its only been a month and a half, but I definitely want to take it a lot further. Its nowhere near where I want it to be by the end of its term, but so far, its been great.

PL: (I make a comment about not checking them out at first because of their name but I loved the songs from their Myspace so I picked up the album)
EN: The name turns a lot of people off. I like it because its not cool, so we kind of have to make it cool for people to like it. The Red Hot Chili Peppers is a stupid name, but they kind of made it cool over time. Its not the name, its what you make of it.
PL: It kind of reminds me of a stripper.
EN: Yeah, it gives that impression, or a jam band.

PL: Whats the difference between New Weatherman Records and Ferret?
EN: New Weatherman is kind of a branch of Ferret, and the owner of that label is Nick Storch. He's an agent from The Agency Group and its kind of for bands that don't fit into the Ferret category.

PL: What are your plans for the future?
EN: Like I said, I want to go down in history. Thats our main goal as a band, and I guess the biggest thing we're focusing on right now is touring in front of many different people in many different places as we can. I want to write a good album come next year or the year after that., thats better than Introducing...

PL: How much actual work goes into touring?
EN: A lot. Some more than others. For me, especially, I have a family at home with two kids and a fiance. We're at the stage where you never make any money unless you're huge, but it'll all pay off eventually. The harder you work, the more it pays off. Nothing worth of shit ever came easy.

PL: Do you think CDs are becoming a dead format?
EN: Yes and no. I think they'll always kind of have their mark. As a top selling form of music, its probably dying, but people still collect records. I don't know. I guess they are kind of dying off.
PL: Is that a bad thing?
PL: No, I don't really care. A lot of bands get real into that stuff, but it doesn't matter to me. As long as there's a way for me to hear songs, it doesn't matter if I'm listening to it through an MP3 player or a CD player or a record player or a tape player. I like getting the artwork and stuff, and it kind of sucks that MP3s don't have that.
PL: You said that they're kind of dying off. With CDs dying off, what type of transistion do you think there will be touring? What can you sell music-wise if the CD dies off?
EN: I don't know. I guess the best thing to do would be to play a show and be unbelievable. Do you mean as far as merchandise and stuff?
PL: Yeah. People can always buy shirts and stuff, but what music could be sold if CDs unfortunately died off?
EN: I don't know. They'd have to go to the computer and buy it. That'd be hard, but I don't think bands make that much money off their CDs if they're on a label.

PL: Whats a little known fact about Cincinatti?
EN: Its got a real cool zoo. Its got a real nice zoo. I think its the second best zoo in the United States besides the San Diego zoo as far as zoo standards go.
PL: What animals are there?
EN: There's polar bears, alligators, rhinos, koala bears, foxes. We don't have any sharks, but we have manitees. I'm trying to think of something thats really cool. We have white tigers and bengal tigers. Me and my family have a membership there, so we go there all the time.
As far as the music scene goes, its not really that great. Its always great for us because the kids always come out to our shows and they're really supportive there. The other local bands just stick around there and play, and it doesn't do much good for them.
PL: Thats Rhode Island.
EN: Isn't this where "Dumb and Dumber" took place? The beginning of the movie?
PL: Yeah, but I don't think Jim Carrey was ever here.
EN: It was a set?
PL: I think so. "Brotherhood," the Showtime series was filmed here. "Dan in Real Life" was filmed here, "Underdog."
EN: "Underdog" was filmed here?
PL: Yeah.
EN: Wow. My kids watch that all the time.
PL: A guy I used to work with was in it.
EN: I want to be in a movie so bad.
PL: Go be an extra. I was an extra in "Brotherhood."
EN: How did you do it?
PL: They had open casting calls, and I went. I gave them a picture and they eventually called me. It was a wedding scene, and I basically sat around playing cards all day and eating food.
EN: Did you get paid.
PL: Yeah. I got paid a hundred bucks, I think.
EN: Can you put this in the interview? I want to be a big movie star. Maybe once the music thing takes off, I can do that too.
PL: Like Elvis?
EN: Yeah, Elvis and Michael Jackson and Michael Jordan started doing some too.
PL: If you become a celebrity, they'll let you do whatever you want.

PL: This question might make sense until I explain it: Do you think your keyboardist would ever marry his twelve year old cousin?
EN: Um...I don't think so because his family is really important. Not that anyone who would marry their cousin isn't important to them, but I don't think he'd be into that. Plus, he likes brown girls, whether they're African American or Indian, and I don't think anyone in his family is like that.
PL: I'm only asking that because he reminded me of Jerry Lee Lewis on stage.
EN: Oh. That makes sense now.

PL: Name one album, besides your own, you think all people should have in their collection.
EN: The Beatles. All people?
PL: You can interpret that any way you want.
EN: The Beatles, only because its a good thing to have even if you don't like them. You disagree, don't you.
PL: Yes.
EN: Do you hate The Beatles?
PL: No. I actually just put their 1 CD into my iPod, but I'm not a huge fan.
EN: Who's your favorite band?
PL: The Descendents.
EN: What do they sound like?
PL: They're one of the first pop punk bands. Their drummer was in Black Flag. They're just happy music.
EN: I'll check them out. I've never heard them before.
PL: Everything Sucks is my favorite album of all time. Its punk-
EN: Do you think we're punk?
PL: I think you're punk influenced.
EN: What do you think we are? What kind of music? Soul?
PL: Yeah, I hear some soul. I hear some Murder by Death, The Blood Brothers, The World/Inferno Friendship Society and some modern hardcore.
EN: Do you think we'll go down in history?
PL: I think its tough for any band to go down in history because everything is commercialized, and it almost seems to me that nobody is gonna-
EN: Be remembered?
PL: Yeah, because everything was almost accidental. Elvis mixed blues and country, which came from the cotton fields. Elvis was the one who made it popular-whether you like him or not-he brought it into the mainstream, which became rock and roll. And if you go to early punk and hardcore, it was people who didn't know how to play their instruments. I think its tough for any band right now, because if you get big, with the media, you're gonna get too big and you're gonna crash. Look at Brittany Spears and Lindsay Lohan. If you get big enough, they want you to fail, and thats a tough thing and its why I don't think any current band will go down in history. But, thats all opinion, so you might go down in history to someone.

PL: Whats one movie everyone should see?
EN: I like that question. I like "Dumb and Dumber" a lot, but I don't think anyone really needs to see it. I guess they do. Its a really funny movie. Do you watch the TV show "Lost?"
PL: Yeah. I haven't watched it this season, but its a good show.
EN: I think everybody should watch that show. I love that show. I want to be in that show someday. Hopefully I'll get big enough to be in that show someday before it ends.
PL: Didn't the musician die?
EN: Yeah.
PL: You can take over for him.

PL: Is there anything else you want to say?
EN: I want to be really magical to people. You know how Michael Jordan just has that magic to him? Nobody really describes him as magic; its just an aura to him. I want to have that. I want to try to give that to people at live shows, and through our career, I want to achieve that. I just want to let people know that thats what I'm going for. I want to be magical, and black, but I can't be black, but its cool.

Written by: RF
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