The Total Sound Of The Undergound

Lelahel Metal

Discover The Margaret Hooligans: Raucous, Irreverent, Quirky. Explore their unique journey, DIY basement recordings, and unexpected inspirations in this insightful interview.


1. Let's start with the basics. How did you come up with the name "The Margaret Hooligans" for your band, and what does it signify to you both?

There are four answers for this question because we never travel in a straight line, but if you ask Meg, she will say the name is a reference to Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan from the T.V. show M.A.S.H. If you ask Mr. Strontium, he will say it refers to the time Sally Kellerman, who played the original Hot Lips in the movie M.A.S.H., was on the Johnny Carson show and he accidentally introduced her as Margaret O’Hooligan. The third answer is one our British fans have given us, because they think it’s a mash up of their former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s name and the widespread football hooliganism that was occurring under her term. The fourth, and best answer to this question, is that we are The Margaret Hooligans because a Margaret Hooligan is a person getting up to mischief whom you would never expect. We are middle aged suburban parents making loud, raucous, somewhat crazy music that is not what one would expect from boring old farts.

2. Your music is described as a fusion of garage rock, proto-punk, funk, and soul. Can you tell us about the specific elements of these genres that inspire your sound and how you blend them together?

Nope, that’s a secret I will take to my grave.

3. Meg, your transition from playing the guitar to a custom electric baritone ukulele is intriguing. What motivated this shift, and how has it influenced your approach to songwriting and performance?

A little over a decade ago, I cut off the side of my left index finger. The injury caused nerve damage and I was unable to play the guitar because the steel strings caused too much pain. A year later, I picked up an acoustic ukulele to give to my daughter to get her interested in making music, but I realized I needed to learn the instrument to teach her. I discovered the nylon strings were tolerable to my sensitive finger, and got into playing it for myself. Eventually, I met Adam Mendel of Joyner Instruments at a ukulele festival in Bend, Oregon who was hand making electric ukuleles. I bought one and the rest is history. At that point, my finger was not as sensitive, but I was really into playing on the smaller scaled instrument and used to four strings. So I have started going back to the guitar a bit - Our Museum of Failure, our single from last month, features some lead work on the bottom bass strings of the guitar, but I still prefer four strings for most of the rhythm work. I think it gives us a different sound because of it’s slightly higher pitch and I think that works well with Strontium’s drums. As far as how it’s influenced my songwriting - I think sometimes having fewer options is a good thing - everything is simplified and reduced to the absolutely most essential elements.

4. Mr. Strontium, you've played the drums for several other bands in the past. How has your diverse musical background contributed to the unique sound of The Margaret Hooligans?

Meg: He feels like he can yell at me more because he’s been in more bands.

Mr. Strontium: (laughs) Well, all the bands have been different, but I’m always the same: I provide the energy for the songs, and for some reason that energy is still strong.

5. You mentioned living together as a reason for making music together. How does your close proximity influence your creative process and collaboration?

It really cuts down on the bulls**t. We don’t have to be polite to each other. If a part is boring or clunky, we stop it, say it’s crap, and move on without worrying that a George Harrison-ish band member might get mopey.

6. What's the story behind the teapot in your instrumentation? How does it fit into your music and performances?

One of the benefits of recording everything in your basement is that you have time to experiment in ways that wouldn’t occur to you if you were paying for a studio by the hour. Mr. Strontium has a habit of just drumming on glasses and other items in our kitchen, including this old teapot. He decided to experiment with water levels to see what would sound best recorded.

7. Can you share a memorable moment from your journey as The Margaret Hooligans, something that stands out as a defining experience for the band?

Not a moment per se, but the best part of our musical journey has been meeting and collaborating with other bands. We traveled to England this summer to meet these folks in person and it was truly magical. We got to record music videos with 9 o’clock Nasty and see them perform live, and we got to jam and record with The Qwarks in Brighton, the first single of which came out this month, Monkey Nuts. It was just such a wonderful thing - to meet people online whose music we admired and whom we had been speaking with for ages, and then get to meet them in person and have a great time. It was the best of what the internet and music making has to offer.

8. Your influences span a wide range of genres and artists. How do you go about incorporating these diverse inspirations into your music while still maintaining your unique sound?

I feel like you knew in advance I wasn’t going to answer the first question properly and are circling back around. Is that true? Do you have psychic abilities?

9. As a band with strong DIY roots, how do you approach recording in your basement? Can you give us a glimpse into your recording process and any unique challenges you've encountered?

Pro tip: the trickiest part of recording in your basement is remembering to turn off your HVAC when recording and getting all of the equipment up before a backed up sewer line causes a flood and threatens to ruin it all.

10. What is the significance of your family life and the presence of pets in your creative environment? How do these elements impact your music and daily routines?

We don’t perform live because we have a 12 year old daughter who is too young to attend most of our shows and our lives revolve around her, as well as our three dogs, elderly cat, and three ducks. Because of them, we prefer to stay home and make music here.

That being said, we definitely have written a few songs about dogs, My Dog Ringo and Doggie Pizza Crust, and there is a line in Americans Hate Americans about glitter on our ducky farm, so our pets do have a way of weaseling into our lyrics! And our daughter has contributed to our efforts, she’s been a back up vocalist, sometimes trumpeter, and a regular in our music videos.

11. Can you tell us about the dynamics of performing as a duo, and what challenges and advantages it brings to your live shows?

I can only tell you about the dynamics of playing as a duo in our basement since we do not play live shows. There’s probably a bit more arguing in the basement than what we would do onstage. I also think the bartender mouse in our basement waters down the drinks, but I don’t dare tell him that.

12. The Margaret Hooligans have been part of the music scene for a while now. How do you feel you've evolved as musicians and as a band since you first started?

There’s fewer tears and microphones thrown. I think we write music a bit faster because we’ve learned each other’s musical language a bit better. Other than that, I just hope we’re still sticking it to the man, whoever he/she is.

13. Is there a specific message or emotion you hope your music conveys to your audience, or do you leave it open to interpretation?

We try to Trojan horse most of our messages. Only the people who are really listening and paying attention with their Ovaltine decoder ring will get them.

14. What can your fans and new listeners expect from The Margaret Hooligans in the near future? Any upcoming projects or exciting developments you'd like to share?

We have three singles out this month - two were collaborations with other bands. Our single, Monkey Nuts, was created with The Qwarks when we were there this past summer and is a psych garage banger about a refined sushi eating monkey who discovers peanuts and goes apeshit. Meg lent her vocals to a couple of unicorns from I Am the Unicornhead for their lovely anti-discrimination anthem, Take Me As I Am, which just came out. And Revenge of the ScarJo, is our second single from our fourth album, and is a satirical look at what would happen if women were the apex predators and subjected men to ubiquitous sexual harassment. The music video for ScarJo also features Pete Brock and Ted Pepper from the band 9 o’clock Nasty and it’s hilarious.

15. How do you balance your musical pursuits with the rest of your lives, including family and other responsibilities?

I am not sure we do really. Family, the needs of our creatures, work, and daily housekeeping just about do us in. The music is what saves us from ruin.

16. Finally, if you had to describe The Margaret Hooligans' music in just three words, what would they be?

raucous, irreverent, quirky

The Margaret Hooligans

https://www.facebook.com/themargarethooligans/

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(62) The Margaret Hooligans - YouTube


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