CKY: Jess Margera’s Top Australian Touring Memories

As CKY prepare for their long-awaited return to Australia, co-founder and drummer Jess Margera reflects on his top Australian tour memories before the band make new ones.

SOUNDWAVE WASN’T A FESTIVAL — IT WAS A TAKEOVER

“Soundwave was all flights and hotels,” Jess Margera recalls. “We would just infiltrate these planes and hotels and scare the shit out of everyone working there.”

Unlike single-city festivals, Soundwave moved as one travelling circus. Bands, crew and chaos all jumped city to city together, forming temporary alliances that only existed for those few weeks. “From a stewardess’s point of view, it must’ve felt like some kind of takeover,” he laughs. “Two hundred people all knowing each other, yelling crazy things during turbulence.”

PLAYING IN ADELAIDE & MEETING BRENT HINDS

One of CKY’s most surreal Australian shows came courtesy of Soundwave hosting the band’s dressing rooms in the old gaol.

“Every band had a cell as their green room,” Margera says simply. “That was interesting.”

It’s the kind of sentence that undersells how strange the experience actually was, but for Soundwave, it fit perfectly. “That was one of the things about that festival, nothing ever felt normal.”

“And I have [promoter] AJ [Maddah] to thank for introducing me to [former Mastodon lead guitarist] Brent Hinds - I met him for the first time on Soundwave, and it's funny because you hear stories about people and you're like, yeah, I don't know if I'm going to hang out with that dude. And then when you meet them, they're the exact opposite of all the stories and become a friend for life. So, thanks for that, AJ.

GETTING KICKED OUT OF A HOTEL WITH VINNIE PAUL

Some Soundwave memories are louder than others. One night, a hotel lobby jazz trio became collateral damage when Vinnie Paul commandeered their kit and launched into Led Zeppelin’s Moby Dick.

“The hotel manager came over,” Margera remembers, “and Bam [Margera] slapped him across the face and said, ‘Do you know who this is?’ The manager just took it. He had no idea it was the drummer from Pantera.”

It was chaotic, ridiculous, and completely perfect for that era. “Vinnie and those guys were such nice dudes,” he adds. “What a pleasure to be around.”

PERTH’S TWEED-COAT SUPERFANS

Australian crowds have always gone hard, but Perth left a particularly strong impression.

“It was insanely hot,” Margera says, “and there was this gang of dudes wearing tweed coats in, like, 110-degree weather.”

What started as confusion turned into admiration. “They knew every lyric to every song,” he says. “I was like, what the hell is wrong with you? But they were sweethearts. They came over to the meet and greet and everything.”

WHAT HE’S MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS TIME AROUND

After more than a decade away, Margera isn’t overthinking the return.

“I’m a simple man,” he says. “I can’t wait to eat some seafood and wash it down with a Coopers.”

FUTURE OF CKY?

“We’ve got a ton of new material ready. The reaction to the last song was one of the best we’ve had in a long time, and that’s what keeps me motivated.”

CKY return to Australia this month. Tickets are available via The Phoenix.