Interview with Romeo Von Frankenstein of Romeo and the Frankensteins
April 25, 2014
Music can mean so much more than words and sounds that make you tap your toes.
I never told my parents much about this. As a kid growing up and going to school in a predominantly minority-populated school district, I often felt an overwhelming sense of never belonging. There was never any direct discrimination toward me or hesitance to accept me, rather, there was a feeling of uncertainty which emanated from inside of me. Who was I? How did I fit in, in that place where everyone else seemed so different from me? And so, I made myself act the same, and talk the same, and think the same.
I made myself fit into a role that caused the least friction amongst my peers. I was a chameleon. I was a hardnosed kid who would get into it with anyone at anytime on the outside, while on the inside I was filled with doubt and fear. It didn’t take much time for that to wear thin on my parents’ expectations of me, and they took me out of the school district that had been all I had known. I was taken away from my friends, and placed in a school that was as far removed from where I had begun as could be imagined. This new world was the complete polar opposite of where life had begun for me. This new world was no less filled with doubt and fear, but where the hesitance had been absent before, it was more than willing to oblige here.
I survived, nonetheless. In adulthood I made peace with the identity crisis that secretly plagued me. It no longer mattered that I was never white enough for the white kids, or Hispanic enough for the Hispanic kids. At long last, I was free to be myself, and my personality exploded in a million different directions all at once. I had earned my freedom from doubt, and I told myself that I would never let those doubts interfere with my self-worth again. But for many others it can feel like that release can never come soon enough. We bully each other and attack each other out of our own insecurities, because it feels good to be the one dishing it out than to be the one on the receiving end.
Ignorance is an ugly thing. But through music we can cope, and we thrive.
Now, I want to introduce you to someone who has managed to make it by in ways in which I had never imagined – someone who skirts easily between two very different and very similar societies easily, and has made quite a name and reputation for himself in the process. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Romeo Von Frankenstein.
Let's start by telling the readers a little about yourself and your band. How did you guys get started?
Back in Chicago in around 2003/2004 I wrote a song called, "The Romeo of the Frankensteins" (about a monster who wasn't as ugly as the rest) for a billy band I was forming at the time. My wife suggested I name the band after the song and she came up with the name, "Romeo & the Frankensteins". We began rehearsing and I wrote more songs. Around this time my wife and I began visiting her family in Mexico and during these vacations I introduced Psychobilly to my brother-in-law and some of his friends and we played my songs for fun. In 2007 my wife and I decided to move here and thus began the band in Queretaro.
Now, tell us about Frankenbilly.
I came up with the name for our genre because the songs I had written (back in the beginning) were a grand diversity of genres and styles. Ranging from Psychobilly/Neo-Rockabilly to Punk/Horror Punk and from Horrorbilly to Motorbilly. It was never my intention to play pure Psychobilly or Neo-Rockabilly. I've been a believer of diversity in music since I was a young Punk (back in the 80's) and realized just how vast the genre was. And it always seemed to be more fun writing a handful of songs all of completely different styles for the same record. That and the name.... How could I not call it FrankenBilly?
I never told my parents much about this. As a kid growing up and going to school in a predominantly minority-populated school district, I often felt an overwhelming sense of never belonging. There was never any direct discrimination toward me or hesitance to accept me, rather, there was a feeling of uncertainty which emanated from inside of me. Who was I? How did I fit in, in that place where everyone else seemed so different from me? And so, I made myself act the same, and talk the same, and think the same.
I made myself fit into a role that caused the least friction amongst my peers. I was a chameleon. I was a hardnosed kid who would get into it with anyone at anytime on the outside, while on the inside I was filled with doubt and fear. It didn’t take much time for that to wear thin on my parents’ expectations of me, and they took me out of the school district that had been all I had known. I was taken away from my friends, and placed in a school that was as far removed from where I had begun as could be imagined. This new world was the complete polar opposite of where life had begun for me. This new world was no less filled with doubt and fear, but where the hesitance had been absent before, it was more than willing to oblige here.
I survived, nonetheless. In adulthood I made peace with the identity crisis that secretly plagued me. It no longer mattered that I was never white enough for the white kids, or Hispanic enough for the Hispanic kids. At long last, I was free to be myself, and my personality exploded in a million different directions all at once. I had earned my freedom from doubt, and I told myself that I would never let those doubts interfere with my self-worth again. But for many others it can feel like that release can never come soon enough. We bully each other and attack each other out of our own insecurities, because it feels good to be the one dishing it out than to be the one on the receiving end.
Ignorance is an ugly thing. But through music we can cope, and we thrive.
Now, I want to introduce you to someone who has managed to make it by in ways in which I had never imagined – someone who skirts easily between two very different and very similar societies easily, and has made quite a name and reputation for himself in the process. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Romeo Von Frankenstein.
Let's start by telling the readers a little about yourself and your band. How did you guys get started?
Back in Chicago in around 2003/2004 I wrote a song called, "The Romeo of the Frankensteins" (about a monster who wasn't as ugly as the rest) for a billy band I was forming at the time. My wife suggested I name the band after the song and she came up with the name, "Romeo & the Frankensteins". We began rehearsing and I wrote more songs. Around this time my wife and I began visiting her family in Mexico and during these vacations I introduced Psychobilly to my brother-in-law and some of his friends and we played my songs for fun. In 2007 my wife and I decided to move here and thus began the band in Queretaro.
Now, tell us about Frankenbilly.
I came up with the name for our genre because the songs I had written (back in the beginning) were a grand diversity of genres and styles. Ranging from Psychobilly/Neo-Rockabilly to Punk/Horror Punk and from Horrorbilly to Motorbilly. It was never my intention to play pure Psychobilly or Neo-Rockabilly. I've been a believer of diversity in music since I was a young Punk (back in the 80's) and realized just how vast the genre was. And it always seemed to be more fun writing a handful of songs all of completely different styles for the same record. That and the name.... How could I not call it FrankenBilly?
You've listed probably two of the best inspirations for your music that I can think of ~ horror and cerveza. I'm a huge fan of both, as I'd guess are most of Dread Swing's readers. What are some of your absolute favorite horror films and beers?
Yes! Horror and Beer! Who could not love them both?
My favorite movies of all time are "Young Frankenstein", "Return of the Living Dead" and "Bruce Campbell Vs. The Army Of Darkness - Evil Dead 3". My favorite beer in this entire world has always been and always will be "Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer", "Old Style" and "Guinness". Of course there are many more of both horror films and beer that I love but it would take a year to list them all. Call me a huge fan!
Who are some of your biggest musical influences?
I'd have to say my biggest musical influences have been "Stray Cats", "Motor Head", "Big Bad Voodoo Daddy", "The Cramps", "Anti-NoWhere League", "Buddy Holly", "Howlin' Wolf", "Demented Are Go", "Hank Williams Sr." and probably "The Massacres". Of course there are many others, but I think those are the main ones.
You've used some pretty intense samples from horror films in your music. Personally, I think it adds a lot of atmosphere to the music. Can you tell us some of the samples you've used and which films they're from?
Wow, there have been a lot! Some examples started with the scene from "Return of the Living Dead" when Freddy was trying to break into the attic and pleading with Tina to let him eat her brains. That scene is the intro for "Let Me Eat Your Brains". There was Fredric von Frankenstein screaming "It's Alive!" from "Young Frankenstein" in the intro to our first full length. And of course I used many more from both of those movies in other songs. And in the song "Zombieville" I used news clips from "Night of the Living Dead", "Dawn of the Dead", "Diary of the Dead", and more. As well as samples from "Return of the Living Dead", "Young Frankenstein", "Adams Family", "Beetlejuice" and so many more I honestly can't remember. Hahaha. We also created some of our own, for example in the song "Hacha-Nocturna" we couldn't find anything that would work so my wife recorded a news script we wrote.
Do you have a preference between the old classic horror films and new horror?
Not so much a preference in terms of which I like more. I prefer to watch new horror films when I'm eating (they look more realistic) and old horror films when I'm really drunk.
How would you compare the US and Mexico psychobilly scenes? Differences? Similarities?
Not too many differences. A bit less Neo-Rockabilly influences in the dress and music. For the most part they dance, drink, fight, and run a muck the same.
Yes! Horror and Beer! Who could not love them both?
My favorite movies of all time are "Young Frankenstein", "Return of the Living Dead" and "Bruce Campbell Vs. The Army Of Darkness - Evil Dead 3". My favorite beer in this entire world has always been and always will be "Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer", "Old Style" and "Guinness". Of course there are many more of both horror films and beer that I love but it would take a year to list them all. Call me a huge fan!
Who are some of your biggest musical influences?
I'd have to say my biggest musical influences have been "Stray Cats", "Motor Head", "Big Bad Voodoo Daddy", "The Cramps", "Anti-NoWhere League", "Buddy Holly", "Howlin' Wolf", "Demented Are Go", "Hank Williams Sr." and probably "The Massacres". Of course there are many others, but I think those are the main ones.
You've used some pretty intense samples from horror films in your music. Personally, I think it adds a lot of atmosphere to the music. Can you tell us some of the samples you've used and which films they're from?
Wow, there have been a lot! Some examples started with the scene from "Return of the Living Dead" when Freddy was trying to break into the attic and pleading with Tina to let him eat her brains. That scene is the intro for "Let Me Eat Your Brains". There was Fredric von Frankenstein screaming "It's Alive!" from "Young Frankenstein" in the intro to our first full length. And of course I used many more from both of those movies in other songs. And in the song "Zombieville" I used news clips from "Night of the Living Dead", "Dawn of the Dead", "Diary of the Dead", and more. As well as samples from "Return of the Living Dead", "Young Frankenstein", "Adams Family", "Beetlejuice" and so many more I honestly can't remember. Hahaha. We also created some of our own, for example in the song "Hacha-Nocturna" we couldn't find anything that would work so my wife recorded a news script we wrote.
Do you have a preference between the old classic horror films and new horror?
Not so much a preference in terms of which I like more. I prefer to watch new horror films when I'm eating (they look more realistic) and old horror films when I'm really drunk.
How would you compare the US and Mexico psychobilly scenes? Differences? Similarities?
Not too many differences. A bit less Neo-Rockabilly influences in the dress and music. For the most part they dance, drink, fight, and run a muck the same.
Have you played many shows overseas?
Not yet. But I believe we will be going soon. We're talking with promotors.
Do you have a favorite venue or festival to play to?
Not really. I have been lucky in that I have enjoyed pretty much every show we've had. I do miss the Vic in Chicago and I am really looking forward to day I get to play there again.
Not yet. But I believe we will be going soon. We're talking with promotors.
Do you have a favorite venue or festival to play to?
Not really. I have been lucky in that I have enjoyed pretty much every show we've had. I do miss the Vic in Chicago and I am really looking forward to day I get to play there again.
What bands have you shared the bill with that absolutely brought the house down?
"Mad Sin" were incredible and are really cool guys! "Surf Rats" put on an awesome show! Thomas Lorioux is one of the absolute best upright bassists in the world and Gaybeul Gualdi (now playing with "DAG") is also one of the best drummers in Psychobilly and they are really cool guys. "Koffin Kats" cool guys and a great show. "Astrozombies" cool guys and a great show (also with Thomas Lorioux)". "Los Benders" from Mty are definitely the best of the best in Mexico. We have been lucky enough to share the stage with a lot of great bands much of whom I didn't mention here.
Is there a group out there that you'd be willing to do almost anything to play a show with?
Living or Dead? Living: "DAG". Dead: "Buddy Holly".
"Mad Sin" were incredible and are really cool guys! "Surf Rats" put on an awesome show! Thomas Lorioux is one of the absolute best upright bassists in the world and Gaybeul Gualdi (now playing with "DAG") is also one of the best drummers in Psychobilly and they are really cool guys. "Koffin Kats" cool guys and a great show. "Astrozombies" cool guys and a great show (also with Thomas Lorioux)". "Los Benders" from Mty are definitely the best of the best in Mexico. We have been lucky enough to share the stage with a lot of great bands much of whom I didn't mention here.
Is there a group out there that you'd be willing to do almost anything to play a show with?
Living or Dead? Living: "DAG". Dead: "Buddy Holly".
If the opportunity arose to sell your soul to the Dark Lord, what would be your asking price?
A Pabst that never ends, goes flat or gets warm (forever stays ice cold) and will eternally get me drunk along with a supply of Lucky Strike's and a Zippo with fluid, wicks and flints that will last me for eternity.
Estoy bromeando. El Diablo está de vacaciones en Tijuana en estos momentos.
Cuando en vacaciones los mejores trabajadores trabajan todavia.
A Pabst that never ends, goes flat or gets warm (forever stays ice cold) and will eternally get me drunk along with a supply of Lucky Strike's and a Zippo with fluid, wicks and flints that will last me for eternity.
Estoy bromeando. El Diablo está de vacaciones en Tijuana en estos momentos.
Cuando en vacaciones los mejores trabajadores trabajan todavia.
My last question for you is a little on the serious side, as far as my interviews go. What is your perception of racism in psychobilly? Ideally, it shouldn't exist ~ but, I think we all know that it's there in some cases and we just tacitly accept it and look the other way. Have you personally had any bad experiences in your travels while doing shows around the states or abroad?
I personally have not experienced or witnessed anything first hand, but I have heard many stories and it both concerns and confuses me. Psychobilly is the Punk Rock retirement plan. When Punks and Skins get tired of the fighting and racist bullshit they grow a quiff. I remember all the old timers saying that back when I was a young Punk. As many of them did before me, I got sick of the politics and especially of the racism in Punk so I retired. I am still very anti-racist, so I am very disturbed by these reports of racism in Psychobilly. I mean hell, it is supposed to be pure fun not just another angry genre. Isn't that why most bands from the beginning sang about horror, beer, sex and other fun topics and not about politics especially not racism? We can only hope that the human race will evolve the ability to hate each other for good reasons. Instead of the color of our skin, hair or eyes, our race - where we come from or what language we speak, what music we listen to or how we dress or comb our hair, or what god we worship or sacrifice babies to. (Just kidding. I don't sacrifice babies, I just eat them.)
I think I'll end with the immortal words of my Dad (R.I.P.) that I have learned to be so true, "All you need to be happy in life is Rock 'n' Roll music and a good woman by your side."
Cheers & Saludos!
R
I personally have not experienced or witnessed anything first hand, but I have heard many stories and it both concerns and confuses me. Psychobilly is the Punk Rock retirement plan. When Punks and Skins get tired of the fighting and racist bullshit they grow a quiff. I remember all the old timers saying that back when I was a young Punk. As many of them did before me, I got sick of the politics and especially of the racism in Punk so I retired. I am still very anti-racist, so I am very disturbed by these reports of racism in Psychobilly. I mean hell, it is supposed to be pure fun not just another angry genre. Isn't that why most bands from the beginning sang about horror, beer, sex and other fun topics and not about politics especially not racism? We can only hope that the human race will evolve the ability to hate each other for good reasons. Instead of the color of our skin, hair or eyes, our race - where we come from or what language we speak, what music we listen to or how we dress or comb our hair, or what god we worship or sacrifice babies to. (Just kidding. I don't sacrifice babies, I just eat them.)
I think I'll end with the immortal words of my Dad (R.I.P.) that I have learned to be so true, "All you need to be happy in life is Rock 'n' Roll music and a good woman by your side."
Cheers & Saludos!
R