What do you do when your nickname is Rockwell, you are the bassist in a band who’s name sounds like an STI and you are about to turn 40?
Simple really. You book a cool venue, get a couple of slamming DJ’s and boldly announce plans for a 40 song birthday set, obliterating all myths about age and wisdom being somehow connected.
This exactly what those skank party punks FUZIGISH are doing on Thursday 15 December at the Goodluck Bar.
I tracked down the elusive bassist and asked him a few question about turning 40 and surviving a 40 song set.
My first question was about getting older and playing punk.
“Playing punk at 40… it’s the same as playing punk at 17, it just hurts more. I do think that the age has given me more perspective on punk and punk rock, what to be angry with and where to put my energy to make real change. When I was younger I kinda just wanted to burn everything down to make a point.”
Sounds like he might be angry at agreeing to play a 40 song set.
So did Rockwell think Fuzigish would still be around by the time he was 40?
“When you start a band you don’t ever think about it ending. You want to play music forever. Especially once you’ve started a band with good mates – you have the time of you lives together, playing music and hanging out. Fuzigish was the band I was always looking to be in – some bands don’t work out, Fuzi did. Stoked!”
Did he think he would be able to survive the 40 song set?
“I have been training since the 1st Jan 2016 to play this show. Treadmill, hills, bikini workout, cut out dairy, no more than 5 hours sleep a night. I’ve lost 15kg’s for this show! But to be honest, I’m not sure that’s enough to be ready for a 40 song Fuzigish set.”
Pondering the fact that usually people turn 40 and then remember the band they had in their twenties, and then embark on a midlife crisis, I asked “What do you do when you are still in that band you were in when you were in your twenties? How do you have a midlife crisis then?”
“Midlife crisis? I don’t know, I hope not. Are you meant to feel 22 at 40? I put new griptape on my skateboard deck the other day and went for a skate, does that count? I would like to think that I do the things I’ve always loved doing and will keep doing them, other than running which I started to keep fit, oh and I don’t drink every day anymore. I’m a creature of habit. I also make a good hermit. “
So did Rockwell have any final thoughts or maybe some nuggets of wisdom before the epic 15th December show? “Not really…..I need to get back to ‘Murder she wrote’ and my hot foot bath.”
What is the opposite of midlife crisis? Whatever. Who cares. All I want to do is see if these guys can pull it off and if that bikini workout was worth it.
Join Fuzigish on Thursday 15 December at the Goodluck Bar and witness the fitness. R50 entrance and Fuzigish is hitting the stage at 21:30, followed by DJ’s Lil Bow & The Bone Selecta, leading the party into the wee wee hours of a public holiday.
