20 QUESTIONS WITH…

Flotsam And Jetsam Bass Player Jason Ward

Jason emailed Donna Anderson a few months ago when he found his name on her Penis Chart. He said, “Well I am surprised to say the least! Its an honor to be included among such a distinguished list of rock icons. At lease your source was kind in her assessment of my swordsmanship.” So we thought we’d hit Jason up with 20 Questions right away. Enjoy!

1. What are you currently up to?
Hammering out our 8th album entitled “Obsessive Repulsive” which will be released in April 2001. Have actually have a quiet a few web sites out there that some very very cool friends of ours have put together URLs are flojet.net, flotsam-and-jetsam.com, links on them for many others. New album is coming along quite well despite a hectic year for the guys personally.

2. How did you discover Metal Sludge?
Well when your pals send you links to web pages discussing your cock size, you generally go to the site post haste to see what it says and hope there are no pictures! By the way, I am quite flattered that I was included. Maybe now some one will offer me that dream job in porn I have always wanted!

3. What do you do to pay the bills?
We all do many things, I am a computer tech by trade and have done tech support for the last few years. The rest of the guys work day jobs as well as other musical ventures. I used to worry about people knowing, now its more like “who the fuck are you kidding.”

4. What hard rock/heavy metal band should give it up and call it a day?
Well, I think a loaded question like that deserves a loaded answer. All of them except us. This way we could finally corner the market, and then go on strike.

5. Rate the following bass players on a scale of 1 to 10. 1 being somebody who sucks and 10 being a bass God.
OK but I am not sure I can evaluate anyone on scales. Music is not a sport, a competition, or even level of that can be measured. I know that allot of people still do, so I will give it a try…
Geddy Lee = 900,000,000 there is no one better. He is responsible for my bass career even though we have never met and probably wont. I am not the fan type who gets all excited around celebs, and having met most of the people on this list, Geddy is the one person I would be truly flat blasted if I did get the chance to meet him.
Gene Simmons = 7 ( more because of his presence than anything, he is an amazing individual)
Nikki Sixx = 3 ( but man the chicks dig him huh?)
Dave Ellefson = 8 ( I have nothing but admiration and respect for him and Dave M.)
Jason Newsted = no I am not going there.
Cliff Burton = 8 ( he had the most natural ability to play bass then any other modern metal player, all fingers)
Jerry Dixon = 2 never liked warrant
Fieldy from Korn = 2 ( toured with him for a few months, seemed a bit arrogant, and I suppose I just don’t get why)
Steve Harris = 9 (few bass players have made such an impact on the instrument and a style of music, he just plain kicks ass)
Rachel Bolan = 5 (not as familiar with his playing as most of the others, but he seems like a solid player)

6. Phoenix had a bit of a metal scene back in the day. What happened to Sacred Reich, Surgical Steel and some of the others from the early & mid eighties?
Jason Rainey and I are great friends and he did our sound on the last tour. Love the Sacred Guys. Phil has moved on though, and Sacred has retired. Jason and I have talked about doing some jamming but nothing solid has yet to come of it. Surgical Steel? A little before my time, I have no idea what those guys are doing

7. What was the reason for firing Eric Braverman?
So Flotsam and Jetsam could enjoy being a band again. That’s all I will say about that.

8. Are you bitter that after all these years Flotsam still hasn’t had much success?
Ok so far you have asked some good questions, then you drop this one on me. First off, you need to define “success” if your going to ask such a negative question. If you mean record sales and world wide popularity, there are surely many others who have done more the we have, and no, I am certainly not bitter about that. Since I joined the band, I have done 5 albums, 6 or 7 ( lost count) really fun gritty tours of the States and Europe, been on MTV, had bass guitars hand made for me by Vigier, made friends with many of the musicians I have been influenced by as a young lad, romanced more women than I ever thought I would, and so on and so on. You would not have enough time in one day to read all of the things this band has been around for and done. Have their been some bad times? Most definitely. My only brother Jeff Ward who played drums for Nine Inch Nails, Ministry, the Revolting Cocks, and LARD (Jello Biafra of the Dead Kennedy’s, great person and friend), as well as many other noteworthy musical icons. I suppose that would be considered “successful”, but it did not stop him from killing himself in 1993. I got the call from my father the day it happened. It was three days into my first pro tour on the Cuatro album. The day that happened was the day I realized how much fame and “making it big” does not matter too much in this world.
I hope other interviewers read this so I don’t have to answer such a stupid, demeaning question again. So for the record… I am very proud of the music I have had the great privilege to write and perform with Flotsam and Jetsam. I am also proud of the guys I have been in this band with, who all (old and new alike) play with a fire in their bellies that has literally propelled this band far beyond the shadow of it’s former bass player as well as the expectations of critics who are long gone from this business. To me, playing bass and writing music has been what it was always about, not the money, not the drugs, not the sex, not the ego stroke. All of which can fuck up a good thing if you let them. All of which have to Flotsam for 16 years and counting. That’s got to be worth something if music means anything anymore.

9. Can you piss in front of another person?
Only if they really want me to.

10. Rate the following chicks on a scale of 1 to 10. 1 being a wreck and 10 being a hottie.
Pamela Anderson = 0 (infected with Motley Cooties)
Heather Graham = 9.95 oh yeah
Liv Tyler = 8
Lita Ford = -27 (and she is a fuckin zero talent skank too, who did she blow to get a career in music)
NOTE TO JASON: Pray you don’t run into Jim Gillette.
Mariah Carey = 7
Carmen Electra = 5
Chyna = ?
Sandra Bullock = 5
Alyssa Milano = 5
Betty White = ok ok so I would do her if I were on alot of heavy sedatives.( did you write these?)
NOTE TO JASON: Yes we wrote these. Who else would write this shit?

11. Would you be willing to reduce your life expectancy by five years to go triple platinum? I already have reduced my life expectancy being in this band, maybe when we are old men, they will give us a “life time achieve little” award at the grammys. 12. What do you think about Metallica suing Napster? I think they used to be a band that personified rebellion and real metal that never got radio airplay and did not need it to be huge, now they wear a different uniform as good little soldiers of the big players in Hollywood. It must be worth it, they are counting every single penny now a days. I tell you what, if 235,000 people download Flotsam this year on napster I promise I wont get mad.

Erik AK and Jason

13. Finish this sentence, “Anal sex is..”
as good as any feeling you can experience on this tiny planet.

14. What rock star deserves a smack in the mouth and why?
Trent Reznor for being himself.

15. Which do you prefer:
Ratt or Cinderella = root canal
Def Leppard or Tesla = the Sunday morning farm report in stereo at full blast.
Metal Edge or Metal Maniacs = porn
Hard Radio or KNAC = both are extinct aren’t they??
NOTE TO JASON: Uh…neither one are extinct. Go to KNAC.com and you’ll find they are alive and well. Them and Hard Radio are the only places they’ll probably play your new stuff, so you might want to pay more attention to stuff like that!
Christina Aquilera or Britney Spears = ok I’ll let them both do me if you insist.
Brady Bunch or Gilligan’s Island = sitting in a room with all the lights turned out
Porn videos or porn magazines = live porn with me in it!
Pro wrestling or boxing = again, aren’t they extinct?
NOTE TO JASON: Well wrestling is more popular than ever, and boxing has always been around, so the answer to your question is no, they aren’t extinct.
Fred Durst or Jonathan Davis = Jim Zimmerman and Lois Heidlburger (ok I just made those up, I have no idea who any of those people are)
Austin Powers or Ace Ventura = Godzilla

16. What’s the lamest CD you ever bought?
Don’t remember any lame one’s but I heard that Scorpions album with some Symphony Orchestra playing Hurricane is the biggest piece of shit ever recorded. I wouldn’t know though.

17. How much was your biggest music related check for and what did you do with it?
HA hahaha ha hah a that is a good one, a check. HA HA HA HA HA!! oh man hoo boy that is a hoot!

18. Give us a good record label horror story.
Every record contract ever signed by any band is a horror story. Except Metalblade, they are true patriots of
metal.

19. If somebody from Flotsam called Jason Newsted, what would he do:
A: Be excited to hear from them and talk about old times.
B: Be very brief and get off the phone within 5 minutes.
C: Say, “you’re from what band?” and then hang up the phone.
D: File a restraining order against Flotsam & Jetsam.
Ok I thought that other question was stupid but, hey what’s one more question about Jason Newstead in 10 years of my professional music career. Truthfully, I have no idea. I have not talked to the guy in a few years but I know he does not make any real effort to stay connected to the original members. Once in a while, he will talk to Kelly Smith ,but from what I have seen, that has been by Kelly’s effort. So why Flotsam has to answer questions about the guy like he is somehow still part of Flotsam because he did one record and was promptly whisked away from 15 years of hard touring in vans, eating shit from jackass agents and record companies is beyond me. I know they are huge, and deserve it as a band and he is also a fine bass player. It just gets old hearing the story of how he struggled with Flots eating Peanut Butter sandwich’s, living in a storage unit when 15 years later, those comrades left behind still do. Not to sound bitter, shit the guy owes me nothing at all, but you’d think more than once in a while the guy would call up his old band mates and see how life is going or just invite em out for some fun on the road or some shit. Maybe do a show with them, but that’s not the way things go. It’s too bad mega stardom is like that. I can’t even imagine that life, and in a way, don’t want to.
I know, easy to say when you don’t have it right?

20. Time for Metal Sludge’s Word Association. We mention a name and you give us your thoughts.
Jason Newsted = number 1,000,565 times I have been asked about a guy I barely know, 4 in this interview alone!
Lars Ulrich = See above
Bruce Dickinson = Another Metal patriot hoping to turn things around
Scott Ian = You have to love the guy.
Rob Halford = I still love just about everything he does and he is a super cool dude, even if you don’t go that route.
Poison = Ten years later and I still think they suck bad. And chicks thought that was cool ??
Nikki Sixx = Is that his real name? Cmon! I bet its something like John Sixx for real.
NOTE TO JASON: Nikki’s real name is Frank Carlton Serafino Ferranno.
Erik AK = sings for one of the finest bass players never to play in metallica
Tommy Lee = At times the only reason people listened to the Crue
Dave Mustaine = People say bad stuff about his attitude , but he has done more to help Flotsam than anybody I know. A true musician, he writes and plays with power and precision. I found out by touring with him that he is actually a really good guy who says what he feels and makes no bones about it. I respect Dave Mustaine and his band. They are the real deal when it comes to pro rock bands.

Looks like we pushed a few buttons in that interview. That’s cool, that’s what we do best.

For more info on Flotsam And Jetsam, you can go to www.flotsam-and-jetsam.com and www.flojet.net.