Joe Queer: Loud and proud

The punk rock icon doesn’t give a damn what you think

The Queers
Photo credit: Photo courtesy Tuffgnarl.com
AMERICAN PUNK: “ I always thought of punk rock as a way to see through the smokescreen of hypocrisy in life.” — Joe Queer

Since 1981, Joe Queer (né Joe King) has been dodging projectiles on stages around the world singing and playing guitar with longstanding pop-punk trio the Queers. Originally based out of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Queer now calls Atlanta home. With songs titles such as “See You Later Fuckface,” “Stupid Fucking Vegan,” and “Mrs. Brown You’ve Got An Ugly Daughter,” he’s built a legacy on shotgun punk songs that treat everything from love and sex to fighting fascism with a dose of humor. Although the group is often mistaken for a queercore punk band, Joe Queer and Co. are a bunch of dudes writing songs about their infatuations with ladies. Of course, the Queers’ name has wrought havoc: in the Reagan era, right-wingers and Nazis attacked them because they thought they were gay. In the era of social media, the group’s name draws ire from the extreme left for being insensitive. But abiding by the rules of political correctness isn’t in the cards for Joe. Before playing the Clermont Lounge on Thurs., April 19, alongside drummer Hoglog Rehab (Alex Martin), and bass player Cheeto Mayhem (Chris May), Queer took a few minutes to talk about where he’s coming from, the need for debate in American society, and the power of not taking yourself too seriously.

What do you want to talk about first, politics or religion? [laughs]

Neither one, really! [laughs] Some of these guys will trick me into talking about politics, and these new PC guys are just so over the top. You can’t say anything or you’ll get attacked. Back in the day, good punk bands got their message across through humor. They were goofing on themselves, which is what the Queers do — we don’t take ourselves seriously. People don’t seem to get the joke anymore, and if it can possibly be misconstrued and used against a person they’ll do it. Like a lot of bands, we’ve caught some crap, but it’s all online crap. We haven’t lost any fans, and, as a matter of fact, we’ve got more fans now. The whole thing with politics ... I’m so far to the left I’m off the cliff, but people have attacked me for being a right-wing wacko. I’m a wacko, but I’m a left-wing wacko. What people refuse to believe or see is that a lot of people disliked Clinton. Not that they liked Trump, but they didn’t like Clinton. I didn’t vote for either one of them; I didn’t like either one of them.

Freedom of speech is a nuanced thing. It’s interesting to watch how people’s perspectives on it have changed in the last few years. It comes with a lot of responsibility but I don’t think people are capable of handling that responsibility.

We went up to a show in Canada and this group of alleged African American transgender kids were boycotting our show and started a whole big deal. But they had never been to one of our shows, and had no idea what we are all about! It was this whole thing of “I don’t feel safe,” but it was ridiculous. Why give them a platform if they’ve never even come to one of our shows? In the old days people would have said, go to a show and tell us what you didn’t like about the show. We are a very welcoming band in a very welcoming scene. It’s crazy. It’s about free speech. It’s about the Antifa thing. I know some guys who are involved with it. I understand they mean well, but they were against free speech when they didn’t let Ann Coulter and Milo speak at Berkley, which is the bastion of free speech. They’re inviting debate, go debate them. I’m left-wing, but give them a platform. Go debate them.

When it comes to social media, it’s easier to fight the battle one step ahead of the real line of scrimmage.

I’ve seen people attacking me for foolish shit on Facebook. What are you attacking me for? I’m in a band called the Queers, obviously we aren’t taking ourselves seriously. Who’s listening to me anyway. If you’re really after racists, why not go after where it counts? But they won’t because I’m an easy target. What’s their motive going after people like me?

As a band, back in the ’80s, people thought we were gay. I never got really beat up, but it came close, quite a few times. I was lucky my friends were around or I would have been beaten up. We were vocal in speaking out against Nazis, and now, for these pimply faced fucks to call us Nazis, I’m like, where were you when I was getting into confrontational situations with real Nazis?

In the ‘80s you were attacked by extreme right-wingers over your name. Now you’re attacked by the extreme left. You’ve also been attacked over your “all lives matter” stance. But the punk ethos was never about falling in lockstep with particular philosophy, mantra, or system of belief.

Exactly! Back when we were starting out as a punk band it was like, “Bring us your tired, your poor …” We welcomed everybody. You’d see these outcast nerds who didn’t have friends, but they’d show up and were a part of the scene — they had friends who were all different from each other. I always thought of punk as a way to see through the smokescreen of hypocrisy in life. Everybody has a vote. I always hated bands who get up on stage and tell you who to vote for. Punk rock told me no, I have a voice. We respect everybody’s vote, we never talk down to anybody. It’s so pompous to get up there and say this political bullshit. I’m my own person, I have a voice, I have a brain.

The whole internet thing: Number one is the anonymity of it all. People say things they would never say to your face. Number two, if you repeat a lie enough times it becomes the truth. People ignore the truth if it fits their agenda to hate something. I don’t have the energy to hate people that much. It surprises me! You wonder what people’s motives are, dude, it’s just strange.

Punk taught me to focus that kind of energy — good and bad — on making myself a better person, and not worrying about what other people think, or spending my time tearing other people down.

Yes, but now people act like they’re on a higher moral plain than the rest of us lowly peons who don’t see life exactly as they do. That’s their whole thing, they want to feel good about themselves, and nine times out of 10 there’s nothing to feel good about except attacking someone else. So, I don’t go on Facebook much. Can you imagine the bullshit that would ensue if our first album, Love Songs for the Retarded, came out today?

I was thinking about that this morning.

Look at society today, we’re bombarded by this heinous, low-level of discourse in the world, but we’re all supposedly offended by this, that, and the other thing. Give me a break.

How did you end up living in Atlanta?

I went to rehab about 15 years ago and moved out of my apartment in New Hampshire. My girlfriend, now my wife, was living in an apartment in Atlanta, and I needed to stay away from where I was getting fucked up, so I moved down here with her. It’s home now, and I have many, many memories of playing here, but I never thought I’d end up here. Playing music, I could move to Boise, I could move to Tokyo or I could move to Milan and I’d know people through music. I have friends everywhere. But I like being in striking distance of New Hampshire and my family.

It looks like Punk Rock Confidential Revisited is out in May. Why revisit this record?

We did it because, the original album … We haven’t been paid by that label, Hopeless Records, for 20 years. They still sell it and we don’t get any money. I signed a bad contract, but I can’t let that negativity consume me. I feel I was wronged quite a bit of money, but I had to let it go. It sucked, but that’s why we re-recorded the album. I wanted to get it out so fans have another option. After 21 years I got a statement that said we owe $4,000. Bullshit! We didn’t spend $9,000 making that album.

After playing those songs for so many years, though, they probably sound better on the new LP.

It sounds more like the band now, yes. The original one was overproduced and polished. I didn’t think we could get as close to it as we did, after 18 years or something. We still sell CDs on tour, but vinyl goes like hotcakes. A lot of these vinyl junkies, they gotta have every pressing. Our first 7-inch came out in ’81 — I’m putting a date on myself now — and we only put out 200 of those. The last one I saw on eBay went for over $6,000, if you can believe that.

When we were on Lookout! we were getting quarterly royalties. I went from owning a restaurant and working about 90 hours a week, to touring and getting royalty checks for $5,000, $8,000, $14,000. That was just me! The other guys were getting that, too! Those days are gone, but it still dribbles in. It was wild times, man. We delivered, and that’s why we can still play to this day.

I grew up playing on a shitty PA, small stages, people in your face, hoping your remaining teeth don’t get knocked out of your mouth by the microphone. I still enjoy it. I enjoy trying to win over the crowd with a good show.

The older I get I’ve been able to meet some of my heroes like the Dickies. Jesus, I never thought I’d know the Dickies. All these guys that I really looked up to and respected, I still respect, were all down to earth and super nice. They can’t be bothered with egos and all that shit. It was a great lesson to me. True artists can’t be bothered with that ego thing. They’d rather just play music.

The Queers, Squadron, and Magoo's Heros play the Clermont Lounge. $12. 10 p.m. Thurs., April 19. 789 Ponce de Leon Ave. N.E. www.clermontlounge.net. 404-874-4783.