Speed Round Johnny Pettibone

Speed Round
Johnny Pettibone
Himsa

MTV2 Headbangers Ball III
Himsa
10/29/04

Interviewer: Karma E. Omowale

Himsa's vocalist, Johnny Pettibone master of screams & whispers

Click here for part I of Johnny's interview

Karma: So now I have a Speed Round of Questions for you.

Johnny: Okay.

Karma: What's your mantra?

Johnny: Live life to its fullest!

Karma: Spiritual or religious?

Johnny: Neither.

Karma: Guilty pleasure song?

Johnny: Guilty pleasure song?

Karma: Or CD?

Johnny: Oh…I'm going to get into so much trouble! [we both laugh] Ha ha!! Ummm, [pauses] How 'bout a guilty artist instead of a song?

Karma: Sure!

Johnny: It would be Chris Issak!

Karma: Really?

Johnny: Yeah!

Karma: Awesome! How many candles did you blow out on your last birthday and on which date?

Johnny: December 8th.

Karma: Do you balance your checkbook or does someone else do it for you?

Johnny: I have a checkbook but I don't balance it! [we both chuckle] I just remember what's in my bank account!

Karma: [still laughing]

Johnny: I mean I barely write any checks!

Karma: Well that's a start! What's your favorite smell?

Johnny: It's this fragrance called "Angel" for women, it's so yummy! I smell that and I fall to my knees! I'm like, "AHHH!" I'll follow a girl if she's wearing it! [we both laugh]

Karma: What's your favorite sound?

Johnny: Thunder.

Karma: What's the first thing you do when you come home from touring?

Johnny: I go to my favorite coffee shop!

Karma: Oh okay!

Johnny: I order the biggest coffee!

Karma: Any one in particular?

Johnny: Yeah, it's called Vivace. It's just this small, little cafe on the main hip strip of Seattle. It's like very, very independent. The beans that they have there's a special way they grind it with a special way in the flow of the espresso machine that makes it less acidy and there's no after taste.

Karma: Wow!

Johnny: It's a real smooth taste and I've never had anything like it before anywhere else.

Karma: Isn't that the place that they go and pick their own beans?

Johnny: Yeah!

Karma: They were on a TV show not that long ago.

Johnny: I think they did and they were so mad that they were put on [TV] because they are so independent and it's just one little shop that they have and it's very popular here in Seattle. What's great is that a lot of people around the nation will buy their stuff in bulk and have it sent out to them.

Karma: Wow!

Johnny: Yeah, it's really, really good!

Karma: What's…

Johnny: I think it's called the rosetto [rosetta] press.

Karma: Oh, okay!

Johnny: And that's how they make it!

Karma: What's the last thing you think of before you retire for the evening?

Johnny: Whooooo, probably something dirty! [we share a hearty chuckle] Heh, heh!! Pretty much because I'm straight edge and I have nothing else to do! I wish someone was with me.

Karma: [still laughing] Well at least you're truthful right!

Johnny: [snickers] We're going in a completely different direction, so I'll just stop right there! [we laugh]

Karma: Live or dead: if you could host a dinner party whom would you invite? You have a choice of 5 guests.

Johnny: Morrissey, Danzig, Peter Murphy from Bauhaus, Ian Curtis from Joy Division, and let's think of someone good…Angelina Jolie! Just so I could make out with her!!

Karma: [laughs] Now that's the making of a good dinner party!

Johnny: Oh man, doesn't she has the hottest lips? Oh my god!!

Karma: Ummm, well, I guess she does for a chick! [we crack up]

Johnny: The ultimate!

Karma: What's the…

Johnny: And she's crazy too! The crazy ones are always the best

Karma: Yeah, yeah…I guess because there's always something to you figure out about them or whatever.

Johnny: EXACTLY! [laughs]

Karma: What is the last book you read?

Johnny: Well I'm in the middle of reading this book called I, Lucifer and the last book I read was Suicide Casanova. [in a deep voice] Yeahhhh, it's really good!

Karma: Okay. Name your Top 5 favorite movies?

Johnny: Oh!! These are great questions!

Karma: Oh well thanks!

Johnny: Always and has been since the first time I saw it, Dead Poets Society, Pretty In Pink, Interview With A Vampire, Bram Stoker's Dracula, and number 5 is…oh shit, why am I stumped? [laughs] Fight Club!

Karma: Those are great selections! If you could commission a band to do a cover song, which one would it be?

Johnny: [pauses] I could bring a band back?

Karma: Anyone you want, sky's the limit!

Johnny: I'd like to see Joy Division and maybe if they would cover a Johnny Cash song.

Karma: Which one?

Johnny: Eh, "Men In Black", why not!

Karma: Now if you could commission a band to cover a song of yours?

Johnny: Slayer! I'd want them to do "Kiss or Kill"

Karma: Now that would be cool!

Johnny: In their way! And have this big Dave Lombardo drum solo in it and some awesome feedback from Kerry King!

Karma: That'd be cool!

Johnny: That would be awesome!

Karma: If not music…then what?

Johnny: Shoot! I'd like to own my own club but do it in a way like a coffee shop club. I'd like it more DIY but not big or anything like that. Something like where I come from, say like a place where small bands that comes through town and play. The door money would all go to them where there would be no middleman between the two, no club percentages or whatnot. What has made me who I am I'd like to give back to it, you know. I think I will always be involved in music somehow, that's why I work in clubs is because I can't get away from it. It's the best job because I'll always have it when I'm home and a lot of my favorite bands come through town and I get the chance to work with them one on one. So yeah, that's what I would do.

Karma: What's your least favorite animal?

Johnny: I hate, can't stand spiders! I hate them!!

Karma: I can understand why!

Johnny: Yeah! [as you can hear the disgust in his voice] Ugh!!

Karma: Do you have any phobias?

Johnny: No, not really!

Karma: Hardwood floors or carpeting in your bedroom?

Johnny: Well, I'm actually homeless right now [laughs] so neither.

Karma: Oh, okay. What was your first job?

Johnny: My first job ever?

Karma: Yes.

Johnny: Oh no! It was at Dairy Queen. I was a brazier, which was the guy that makes the ice cream cones.

Karma: Wow!

Johnny: Yeah, it sucked!

Karma: First car?

Johnny: First car was a Ford Escort.

Karma: Which year?

Johnny: It was a 19….87. It was red, and I spray painted it black!

Karma: Remote control hog or do you share?

Johnny: No, I'm a remote control hog! I'm a flipper too and everybody hates that! [we both laugh]

Karma: Really!

Johnny: Yeah, I'm a big flipper! I have really good eyesight so I can see the images that are there for a split second, so I know!

Karma: Herbivore, carnivore or omnivore?

Johnny: Carnivore.

Karma: If stranded on Desert Island, whom would you care to be marooned with?

Johnny: Angelina Jolie!

Karma: You have a choice of 1 MP3 CD, who would appear on the soundtrack?

Johnny: The Smiths of course, Joy Division, Bauhaus. How many bands should I name?

Karma: I'll let you have the 700mb one.

Johnny: [laughs] Okay, I'll tell you, I'm computer illiterate.

Karma: I'm sorry! That's 80 minutes worth.

Johnny: Oh, 80 minutes worth?

Karma: Yeah, so you can fit about 100+ songs on it.

Johnny: Okay, then it would be The Smiths Louder Than Bombs, Joy Division Unknown Pleasures, Bauhaus The Sky's Gone Out, Cro-Mags The Age of Quarrels…wow! London Suede Coming Up, hummm about 2 more…

Karma: Yeah, 2-3 more.

Johnny: I would say Misfits Collection I!

Karma: That's a very good soundtrack!

Johnny: Thank you!

Karma: And if you had an opportunity to ask someone these Speed Round Questions, whom would you ask these questions of?

Johnny: Uhmmm, I would like to ask…[pauses] Johnny Depp!

Karma: Well thank you very much Johnny! I appreciate it.

Johnny: Thank you! That was a great interview!

Karma: Thank you, I'm happy you enjoyed it.

Click here for more pix of the band from the Chicago Headbangers Ball's show