Read this word-by-word chat transcript and learn Carl and Brett's opinions on everything from concert bootlegging, touring, MP3s and the state of music biz to '70s music, Jesse Camp, the Offspring and, of course, Fuel's faithful fans. And as an extra bonus, you can even find out their secret Spice names!
NANCEE: this is the cookie lady we sent you a GIANT chocolate chip cookie last year in providence RI at lupos remember us?
Fuel_Carl: Yes, hello, Cookie Lady! We're coming back to your area very soon.
Fah_Q: What was it like growing up in such a small town? Were you eager to get out?
Fuel_Carl: There were great people where I grew up, but yeah, I was eager to get out and explore new areas, for sure. I think growing up in a small town, I think you have a different value system than growing up in a large city. I think there are some benefits.
Fah_Q: Carl, why didn't you have TV when you were growing up?
Fuel_Carl: TV is evil!!! I really don't know. I've asked my parents that many times and never really got a solid answer. I'm glad actually that we didn't have TV. It's probably why I play music right now. I had to do something to keep from being bored.
Fah_Q: Do you have a TV or watch any TV now?
Fuel_Carl: Now, I mostly watch the History Channel, A&E, and stuff like that.
Zero0SP: Fuel, what havent yor been making music videos lately?
Fuel_Carl: We just shot some live footage at the 930 Club in Washington, D.C. and we'll probably use the stuff for a video of "Jesus Or A Gun."
Crystal_in_Dallas: What is your favorite song on Sunburn?
Fuel_Carl: My favorite song on "Sunburn?" I like "Come To This" because it's a little left of center and more challenging than what I usually write. It's not the standard formula of what I usually write.
musichica311_LM: Was the song shimmer about any one girl in particular??? Also i hope u put on a kicking show at lupos on friday =)
Fuel_Carl: Yes, it actually was. A girl I dated in college and I thought -- at one time we got close to getting married and then she married someone else. Then she called me two years later. It was weird. Two lives that are so interconnected --then your worlds collide again...it's pretty intense.
gumdropgirl: What is your stance on the conglomeration of the music industry?
Fuel_Carl: The music industry is a necessary part of making music. I did enjoy the freedom of being on our own, making indie releases, and being in total control of everything. That was nice. There are things beyond artistic freedom that are beyond your control and that can be very frustrating.
gumdropgirl: How do you feel about the distribution of MP3s by fans, and the recording of concerts?
Fuel_Carl: I don't mind people recording concerts as much, but it does bug me when people are selling our indie releases for enormous prices on those auction sites on the web. I hate to see people spending that much money for a CD. Sometimes I just feel like the fans are getting taken advantage of.
mickeymouse: CARL, HOW DOES IT FEELS WHEN YOU REVEALED YOURSELF TOO MUCH TO THE PUBLIC THIS THOSE PERSONAL LYRICS THAT YOU WROTE, I'M A WRITER, AND SOME POEMS I NEVER SHOWED TO A SOUL,. MUST SUCK WHEN PEOPLE JUDGE YOU OF HOW YOU REALLY FEEL WHAT IS LIFE
Fuel_Carl: It is a little uncomfortable sometimes to have people know so much about you on the inside. There is a feeling of nakedness sometimes. If I'd have known that "Jesus Or A Gun" would become a single, I don't know if I'd have written the same Fuel_song because it is so personal.
Zero0SP: Your latest single is "Jesus or a Gun", could you please tell us what the song means?
Fuel_Carl: "Jesus Or A Gun" is about choices. it was written at a time when I was struggling as an individual, and the band was struggling as a band. And if you listen to the chorus, you'll see the lyrics "everything is trying to drag me down but I'll rip the sky from the ground" and that to me is the positive side of the song. And it's saying that problems can be overcome and you can come out stronger because of the struggle to overcome those problems. And I hope you can come away with somewhat of a positive spin on a rather dark song.
fuelfrenzy: Have you been getting negative comments towards the new single, "Jesus Or A gun"?
Fuel_Carl: Negative comments? I haven't been getting negative comments, mostly they are just inquiries as to what it's about.
KatieS: I just wanted to say thanks 4 answering 5 of my questions in the yahoo chat. Here's one more. What would your spice names be? Ya know. like Scary spice.
Fuel_Carl: My Spice name would be...Slick Spice. Rick would be Bambi Spice. Jeff would be Pink Spice -- he just has a pink tone to him, he's just pink, man. Kevin is the oldest so he would be Old Spice.
blaber23: do you guys have any preshow "rituals"?
Fuel_Carl: Pre-show rituals? Uhm...we used to listen to old funk records like Rufus and Chaka Khan and old funky stuff to give us a groove feel. Kind of get in a different mood -- to establish a rhythm and a groove together. But now we just kind of goof around, hang around together for a few minutes before we go on. It's been so hectic that we don't have the time to listen to music. Some of the rituals are gone now. We'll have to go pull out the old Parliament records.
Sugar1459: You guys rock! Even my mom has your CD! My question is : What band would you really like to tour with?
Fuel_Carl: We had a great time when we toured with Aerosmith. And it's just nice to see how the vets do it and those who have longevity -- how they tour. It was interesting to see Liv Tyler backstage. It would be awesome to tour with the Stones and other legends we've always respected.
gumdropgirl: Do you have any ideas as to who will be producing your next record; I look forward to hearing "Solace" on record! btw, nice spoon, Carl.
Fuel_Carl: Nice spoon? I don't know what that means...Anyway, producer? We're looking at possibly Brendan O'Brien, maybe even Daniel Lanois. And a lot of others. Right now we're just in the looking stages.
1FuelFan: Have you considered playing Nothing in a concert. Its my favorite song and id love to hear it live (sya May29 at the Silo).
Fuel_Carl: The song "Nothing" doesn't fit the band as much as the other songs, so the chances of us doing that tune are pretty slim...sorry!
blaber23: what is the craziest thing that has ever happened when a fan met you?
Fuel_Carl: When a fan met me? One of the craziest experiences we've had with meeting a fan was in Rome, walking thru the streets and somebody started yelling out "Fuel, Fuel, Fuel!" We were totally shocked that someone recognized us. We ended up hanging out with them all evening. I never thought I'd be recognized in Rome.
blaber23: do you guys ever spend any free time you may have with fans? have them show you around the area or something?
Fuel_Carl: It's a little difficult for us because we're usually traveling overnight to the next gig. It just depends on how well we know the person. Actually, I'm spending the day with a friend of the band's in Johnson City, Tenn., so it DOES happen.
LN764: are you going to re-release your early work?
Fuel_Carl: As is? Or as a different record? I'm not exactly sure if we'll re-release the early stuff or not. We have some that we could, but we have to wait on the record label's permission, because when you get signed, they control all your past releases too.
Crystal_in_Dallas: Is Nate still lead roadie around there? Did he go to Europe?
Fuel_Carl: Nate did go to Europe and we tried to lose him, but he's like a bad rash and he just kept coming back.
1FuelFan: Did you enjoy touring Europe with Silverchair? What kind of response did you get from the audiences?
Fuel_Carl: We had amazing audience response in Europe. They were quick to embrace us and totally enthusiastic. We had a fabulous time. We got to be tourists and take in a whole lot of Europe. It was just a great time.
grrlseven: besides family, what do you miss the most when on the road?
Fuel_Carl: Just doing normal things, I guess, like going to the movies. Or just hanging out in your apartment or your house just watching TV and chilling out. I really miss driving a car -- you don't get to do that on the road, and you really miss it. When we go home we just go for long drives, simply to have that experience again.
X-Edge: What fo you feel has been the greatest thing since your fame started?
Fuel_Carl: Are we famous??? For me, touring with Aerosmith was so much fun. To tour with people I idolize all my life is just a great experience. It really kind of made what has happened to us over the past year more solidified and helped us to deal with it. It became more real.
OzoneBaby25: What is your favorite song to perform??
Fuel_Carl: My fave song to perform is either "Untitled" or "Ozone." They're just great live songs. The intensity is always amazing to sink yourself into.
OzoneBaby25: What is your favorite place to play?
Fuel_Carl: To us, anyplace we play is fun. It's always a different experience. Any time we go out to play a show we have the same goals in mind, whether it's an arena or a little club. It's always a lot of fun. And it's always a cool experience.
KatieS: Do you ever just not want to do a show?
Fuel_Carl: Not usually. I think I'm fortunate enough that the songs are engaging enough that they still move me every time, and they're still fun to play. Some nights ARE better than others, but it's usually pretty easy to get motivated. It beats digging a ditch -- that's for sure.
FuelFan6: Hey Carl! Your concert was officialy the best night of my life! Do you think you'll ever do FANatic or anything on MTV?
Fuel_Carl: We would love to do MTV's Fanatic. That would be great. It would be cool just to see MTV play a rock band for a change. To play a video for a change!
sunburnt550: are you guys single?
Fuel_Carl: That question always comes up doesn't it? Kevin is married, but the rest of us are single. Old Spice is married. But Pink Spice is on the market, baby.
KatieS: who was your idol as a kiddie?
Fuel_Carl: My brother had a huge influence on me growing up because he was such a music fan and he turned me on to a lot of cool stuff. I was always into bands like Queen, and I loved early Elton John as well. I like all the music from the 70s. I think 70s music had a lot of diversity, creativity, strong focus on great songs.
Crucko: Is it true Fuel used to play a Pat Benatar cover? Did you do any other strange cover songs?
Fuel_Carl: I used to play Pat Benatar in my very first band years and years ago. We had no singer and just played the music. We thought we were so cool. We did "Hit Me With Your Best Shot." In retrospect, it had to be ATROCIOUS. It was the first song we learned
FuelFan6: Hey Carl! I LOVE FUEL! What are your opinions on Jesse Camp?
Fuel_Carl: Do you know Jesse was really really cool to us? He's definitely his own person. But he was really cool, and seemed to be more genuine than most people even though he's so OUT THERE. It's him, though. I think that's the real guy.
Crystal_in_Dallas: Are there plans for a new photo shoot? You guys are gorgeous and need to make it known.
Fuel_Carl: I hope we can have a new photo shoot soon. I don't think many of the photos we have are among the best stuff. We have a hard time with photo shoots. Just getting all four of us looking decent at the same time is a test of a photographer! We hate photo shoots on top of it, so that doesn't help anything.
55Kat: What do you think of all the girls who come up to you now that your rock stars?
Fuel_Carl: What girls? ha ha. I mean, hey, it's cool. I'm glad people like what we're doing and if they want to talk to us that's cool.
OzoneBaby25: What do you want to be doing 20 years from now?
Fuel_Carl: Holy Jesus! Uhm... I don't know. Maybe it would be nice to produce some records, maybe. I don't know if I'd necessarily want to be in the band Fuel for 20 years, but it would be cool to be working somewhere else in the biz. The artistic side of it.
1FuelFan: What do you think of all the fan web sites that are becoming common these days?
Fuel_Carl: I think as long as they're not making up stories and fabricating wild tales about us, it's cool. I've seen a few things that are kind of bizarre. But we're glad the fans are avid enough and interested enough to be creating such things.
LAUNCH_Host: OK, now Brett Scallions, Fuel's singer, is going to chat with you for a while--I know you guys have a lot of questions for him too!
Fuel_Brett: Hello! Carl says thank you very much and he'll talk to you again soon!
mbuff68: Hey, Bret I used to ride to school every day with Greg in that yellow camaro. Remember me? Mark Buffington.
Fuel_Brett: My brother's old camaro! That was a great car. I tried to wreck that car a few times but it just didn't happen.
musichica311_LM: brett, by being the lead singer do you feel you get more attention then the rest oft band???
Fuel_Brett: No, not at all. I think this band is one outfit with four members and it should be treated that way. I don't look to get more attention at all, and I think it's a BAND. That's the bottom line. Hopefully people will look at it that way.
moonshot: How do you believe that music has changed your life Brett?
Fuel_Brett: It's given me something to do, that's for sure. It keeps me busy. Keeps me away from the real world.
KatieS: Brett, How do you stay so energenic durring the whole show?
Fuel_Brett: Lots of drugs! I'm only kidding....I swear. Being on the road, you have to pace yourself and eat right whenever you can. A lot of times, when I walk on stage, it's nothing but adrenaline. It's just feeling the music and me doing what I love to do most.
sunburnt550: brett, do you think that you will ever write some songs for the band?
Fuel_Brett: I'm working on some stuff as we speak. Hopefully we'll all collaborate and get it on the next record.
Goldleader: Whats the most interesting place you've autographed?
Fuel_Brett: I wouldn't be able to say it on here...Where have YOU been autographed?
FuelFan6: I LOVE FUEL! Do you guys prefer meeting a fan who's crazed and starstruck or someone who seems pretty mellow?
Fuel_Brett: I think any fan is cool to meet. Anyone who appreciates what we're doing is a great fan to meet. We're grateful to all of them.
jac2floridaf3: do you ever remember your fans from your concerts
Fuel_Brett: It's hard because we meet so many people.
blaber23: do you mind when fans take pictures at shows? do you like seeing the pictures afterwards?
Fuel_Brett: I couldn't care less. If you can take some pictures, have fun with it. I could care less if you even record the shows. If you can sneak it in there, it's worth using!
FuelFan6: How does the transfer happen when Carl passes along the lyrics to Brett? How does Brett know how to sing them?
Fuel_Brett: With this last record, a lot of these songs, Carl has had in his catalog for a while, so when he handed those songs to me, I wouldn't let him give me any interpretation. I sat back and tried to give them my own interpretation. Then as we rehearsed and sculpted them, I threw in my own aggression as I saw fit.
oasisrulz: where can we purchase copies of your old stuff?
Fuel_Brett: You can't. Nate's acting crazy! Someone asked a question about him?
musichica311_LM: Are there any bands out there that you guys are really tight with???
Fuel_Brett: Yeah. Touring for the past year, we made good friends with Local H, Silverchair. We did a month with Aerosmith and I wouldn't say we were tight friends, but we are acquaintances. I just ran into Steven Tyler and he came up and said hello to me. Creed are good friends too. So many bands.
Crucko: Brett, do you like to eat scallions? Did anyone make fun of your last name when you were a kid?
Fuel_Brett: I hate onions! Onions suck. That's like, anything I eat, the one thing I ask is, NO ONIONS, please. I hate onions. But no, no one ever made fun of me.
moonshot: What do yall like to do together when your not touring or doing a gig
Fuel_Brett: We had the past week off. I went home to see my family. I got out on the Tennessee River. Just hanging out and enjoying the country. I love the outdoors and like to take advantage of it as much as I can.
LN764: Has Sunburn gone platinum yet? If not, how many CDs do I need to buy?!?
Fuel_Brett: Not quite platinum, yet. But go ahead and buy as many as you can. Tell your friends!
gumdropgirl: do you have any role in the maintenance of Fuelweb? Would you like to play more of a role in its maintenance? oh, the spoon reference was to your fork necklace, I just thought it was a cool necklace.
Fuel_Brett: Yeah, regarding the spoon, that's actually a FORK. We tend to the website somewhat. But we have a guy at Sony who deals with it. We talk with him periodically, but we want to get more and more involved with it. We hope to give people more interactive stuff to do on it.
jac2floridaf3: does it get agrivating when websites are made just because the people think brett is a hottie?
Fuel_Brett: I don't know how to accept those things. I've never thought of myself that way, so I guess if they want to do that, though, that's their perogative. They're going to do it and I guess I'll be flattered. I let it bounce off me, and brush it off.
Zero0SP: How do you feel about the new Star Wars movie?
Fuel_Brett: I'll let you know after I see the movie. But I will not stand in line for three days. I'll wait til it comes on video.
Goldleader: If Weird Al wanted to make a parody off of one of your songs....would you mind?
Fuel_Brett: I think it would be pretty funny. I would dig it. I think it would be great. What would he do? "Jesus Or A Bun...?" What would it be? Jesus was cool, man. He wore Birkenstocks.
1FuelFan: Are you guys excited to be returning to PA and playing infornt of a "hometown crowd"?
Fuel_Brett: Anytime is a good time to get back to Pennsylvania. We love the hometown crowds.
pumpkin1979: what's your favorite song?
Fuel_Brett: Favorite song? "Peace Dog" from the Cult. A lot of times when I go to radio stations and do interviews, I make them play that song.
pumpkin1979: who is your dream girl?
Fuel_Brett: I don't know who my dream girl is. She has to have a nice brain on her.
Sugar1459: Are there any recent musical acts that you just can't stand?
Fuel_Brett: One thing is, I can't understand how in the hell Offspring is selling how they are. The songs are so hokey, novelty crap that I can't stand it. To me, when I hear those songs, I think, okay, they just took the first single off that last record...and are trying to write as many songs like that as possible. They are just cashing in.
dealio333: Is it true that you guys love to drink Tequila during the shows?
Fuel_Brett: We drink absolutely nothing but water during the shows. You must have seen us with Local H and during our encores, we would get together and drink tequila and play whatever songs that we pulled out of the hat. During that tour, yeah, we needed it.
oasisrulz: u guys seem to have a love for nirvana,what other bands influenced you
Fuel_Brett: I would say that I like Nirvana, think they were a great band and a big influence on today's music. I wouldn't consider them an influence to our music. We're four guys who grew up in the 70s listening to Elton John, the Beatles, Kiss, Led Zeppelin, and stuff like that.
KatieS: What is a disadvantage of being in a band?
Fuel_Brett: Absolutely, positively no stability whatsoever. You're constantly on the road supporting a record, in a different area all the time. You have no time to get to know someone. It's really tough when it comes to that. We have a little party going on over here. I have to go soon...
blaber23: any plans to do conan, leno, or any other late night or other tv shows?
Fuel_Brett: We've already done Conan! Next time you watch Conan, look at his head, look at his face, and look at his hands. Notice the color difference.
FuelFan6: You sick of playing Shimmer yet? Fuel rocks!
Fuel_Brett: We've been playing it for a long time and I still think it's a good song. Whenever I think I'm sick of a song, I think of the Stones; they're playing all those old songs in their catalog for years and years. Hell I'm not so bad off.
moonshot: I WANT TO MARRY BRETT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Fuel_Brett: Are you rich?
KatieS: Were any of y'all ever in the band or chorus in high school?
Fuel_Brett: I was always in all that crap. Yeah. It was cool because it helped me. If you want to be a musician, that is the coolest way to learn other instruments and explore what it's like to be a musician. Growing up, I did a lot of classical stuff. It was one of the coolest things I ever did.
blaber23: do you like doing chats like this with the fans? i know we think it's great!
Fuel_Brett: Yeah, I like doing them if people actually believe that it's me. A few chats we've done we spend most of the time trying to convince people it's authentic. This one was cool. Peace, we'll see you at the show. Thanks for writing in. Time to party.
