The Toilet Boys: Hair We Go Again.

The Toilet Boys is in stores now.

Cock rock is back, baby! And we salute the return of the finest rock and roll excess of the late nineteen eighties. Yeah, we know a lot of it sucked pretty damn hard, but fess up; there are those of you out there who did buy Warrant, Skid Row and Enuff Z’Nuff albums. Besides, there was a lot of fun stuff as well. This time around, rather than finding burnt out first generation rockers treading the boards, beer guts spilling from their spandex, the return of the heads days of glam metal finds a generation of fans of the seventies and eighties rock Gods heading out on their own. New York rockers The Toilet Boys, lead by frontman Miss Guy, were a hot tip to have played this year’s Big Day Out. Although they never actually made the bill, they’ve still got a smokin' self-titled album under their belts.

“I like having my picture taken, I like doing interviews, I like recording, I like playing live,” Guy enthuses. “If it’s not one thing it the other. But I love it. It’s what I want to do.”

“Ever since I can remember I was always fascinated with over the top rock stars and anyone, male of female, that just invented a character, not just getting out there in jeans and a t shirt. I’m a big rock and roll fan, I like all types of music, but I was really drawn to people like Elton John or David Bowie or Kiss or Motley Crue. Anyone who got up there and was larger than life.”

“Anyone who creates a character for the public… It’s acting really. I’m aware of the fact I’m on stage, I’m aware of being in front of people. I feel the music and get lost in the music, and I want to show people that and entertain people. I’m not just standing there looking at my feet…”

Ah, not a big fan of the early nineties then? The dark days of gazing at your Connie All Stars like it’s supposed to be a challenge to depress teenagers. For a while there it just wasn’t cool to put on a big show.

“That’s for sure. But there were some great bands in the early nineties, like Hole and the Smashing Pumpkins. I loved Kurt Cobain. I wasn’t a Nirvana fan, but I was a big Kurt Cobain fan. I liked him as a person more than as an artist because he was pushing the envelope with what he did. He was very brave and took a lot of risks, but I wasn’t obsessed with them musically. There was a lot of good stuff out of the nineties, but there was a lot of crap too.”

“But when things get dull in the rock world, I’ll just go back to something I loved as a kid. Some Guns’n’Roses or the Rolling Stones or a Blondie record. Something that will remind me of how great music once was, and I think that’s something that’s missing now is that diversity. If you don’t have baggy shots and a big T shirt and a shaved head with your eyebrow pierced you’re frowned upon.”

“That’s all about America in general, not just music. Americans are so afraid to be individuals. They all want to shop at Gap so they can look like everybody else. I appreciate people who take chances. Although I’m not a big fan of Marilyn Manson I appreciate the fact he takes risks, and always has. To me that’s exciting. I can appreciate someone for what they’re doing even if I don’t like their music that much. Maybe I’m just jaded because I grew up listening to the best. Kiss just put on the greatest show ever; it’s hard to beat that for me. They’re the ultimate. Kiss are my Beatles.”

Do you think music is going to become fun again?

“I think it’s unfashionable for music to be fun. The only music that’s really fun now if like R&B, it’s party music. The only time you see a video on TV now that’s fun and colourful and people are having a good time and jumping in pools and having a party are the hip-hop videos. All the rock videos are done with the same palette. It’s all greys and blues, there’s nothing that jumps off the screen and grabs you. I mean, come on, life’s not that difficult.”

“Music and rock ‘n’ roll is just escapism. I want to see a band and forget I don’t have enough money for my bills and be taken away to a fun place. Everything is just angry and miserable in rock. It’s really just dreary. It’s not what I’m interested in doing. I want to make people feel good. If someone puts on our CD and has a smile on their face, then I’m happy.”