Interview for www.NewYorkWaste.com
Excerpts...

Saturday, July 31, 2004

Interview with Adam Becvare. Lustkillers & the Lords of the New Church. June, 18, 2004

T- Adam, you’re just back from a California tour, can you tell me about that?

A- These recent Cali dates were really just a brief excuse for LustKillers to afford recording our next 13 songs. We will be returning July 29 to play SLIMS and others.
Originally, LustKillers had intended to tour California 1 year ago as each of us had finished touring with our other respected bands...(Swingin Utters, Flipsides, Lords of the New Church)
Unfortunately, touring is like going off to War and when 4 brothers go off to War rarely do they all return. So instead we took some time to focus on salvaging the BLACK SUGAR SESSIONS.

T- You’ve been in various bands in the past, ( (Chicago -Underground)The Wake Rsv, SexTripNetwerk(NYC) The Heartdrops (SF) AmericanHeartbreak) but I first saw you in France fronting the Lords Of The New Church, it was on their 2003 Euro Tour.
How did you get the job? I mean, its not like anybody can come after Stiv Bators.

A- Agreed.
Wayne Kramer's(MC5) wife/mgr Margaret introduced me to Brian James(Damned) during their MAD FOR THE RACKET project. Then LustKillers friend/photographer, Devorah Ostrov was a long time friend of Brian and StivBators (DeadBoys). When she heard Lords were reforming, she suggested to Brian that LustKillers open on tour. Brian listened to the "Black Sugar Demos and loved "Swamp Love."
Brian contacted me and asked if I wouldn't be interested in singing for THE LORDS instead. I said as long as i have my guitar. LORDS needed someone to sing the old material and Dave Tregunna (Sham69) felt i was very well suited. I said sure but was not sold until I finally spoke at great length with Dave. Although I am a great fan of THE LORDS, I never wanted to be one. Growing up it was they who had taught me to be my own Lord.

T- How was it to tour with Brian ‘Damned’ James, and Dave ‘Sham 69’ Tregunna?

Brian is a doll. Just a really sweet gentleman....until he gets that guitar in his hands or mischief gets the better of him;)
There were times on stage where I'd catch myself trying to watch brian and forget to play. Brian is a creature of habit. He likes his paper, guinness and bordeaux. He's the first to bed and the first to rise and get his guinness.

Dave aka Dayf aka Treggy- is the fully automated rock n roll soldier.
He's the festive one. A real lover of life. Many a late nite were spent with Dave, a guitar, booze and the ladies. Very next morning Dave was commanding the charge, handling finances, navigating, and never missing a note live. Incredible.

I learned from Brian how to let go and let magic happen freely and how to be more of myself from Dave. Funny when you think of how completely different these 2 lessons are.

T- Any cool ‘on the road’ story that we should know of?

A- So many memories made and even more lost....
In Portugal Dave spent an hour convincing the elderly hotel owners to let us stay. After they finally agreed he returns with his bags and Bass case to accidentally crash thru the front glass door. what a shamster.
or Brian kept insisting we kidnap a sheep for the van.....funny but he was dead serious.
I posted a Rated PG version of the tour and pics online at

http://journals.aol.com/lustkiller/
LordsoftheNewChurch2003EuroTour/archive/2003/10

T- I remember hanging out with you at the hotel, and you told me how you felt the first time you saw a Live video recording of the new lords, is it hard for a fan to take Stiv‘s spot?

A- It was so surreal to watch that video and see Dave rocking and Brian rocking and then no Stiv.
I actually felt physically ill when photos were being passed around one dinner.
Only I know my reasons for taking part in the reformation with those who actually saw the shows are my witnesses.
I was essentially recruited to serve the songs justice with talent and heart. The fans loved and respected me for that. It was the least I could give back to Lords Bri n Dave for all the inspiration they'd gave me as a kid. No one can replace His Stivness but I'm sure I made him grin.

Although, I must honestly report that there was never a time where It occured to me that we were actually THE LORDS OF THE NEW CHURCH. I was just too damn busy belting my heart out for songs i adored.

T- Your black telecaster used on that tour is now on display at the Chicago Hard Rock Café. How do you feel about that? You’re famous man!

A- HAHAHAHAHA anonymously.
It turns out the gold"Lords of the New Church" plaque was stolen before it even got hung below the guitar.
and That was the important part to me... Getting the LORDS name on that wall among all the "superstars"...drats!
At least its the closest guitar to the Bar .......and the Guinness.
anyways, due to years of abuse, both Bri n Dave's Fenders have replacement Squire necks. i thought it only fitting mine did too.
It was hard to part with that guitar. You can find a few pictures of it from fans at www.LustKillers.com

T- Wow, are they so cheap that they won't even replace the plaque?

A- Nah, just disorganized.

T- I remember that guitar very well. Actually you had two different guitars on that Tour.In Marseille (South of France) you asked me which one you had been using for the Rennes show (north of France) and you used the other one that night, just for me. I felt truly honored. What happened to that other guitar?

A- I got that white strat exclusively for the tour. I always wanted a white 62 and it really nice and glassy against Brians Tele in certain rooms. In denmark i sprung a leak and the red red kroovy flowed beautifully over that white strat. That guitar was suppose to wind up in the HardRock, London but some careless PR thwarted it's induction. Instead Chicago got me tele.

T- Are you picky when it comes to guitars, and amps? Do you need something special?

A- hmmm ahhh I own 9 guitars. Each is a completley different from the next. I can get any tone I want with my collection. Some guitars got magick and Iso fortunate to have found the ones that do. As for amps....Bri's Marshall is the best I've ever heard. It's the same one he's always had from the 80's. I myself am endorsed and play Classic tweeds. #1 requirement is MXR 10 band EQ.You can dial out any tone you want from an amp with that piece.

T- Tell me about LustKillers, first of all I think there has been changes in the original line-up?

A- Essentially, LUSTKILLERS has always been a team of mercenaries.
I got a million songs in me to share with good friends available and down for the cause and so it keeps happening and the memories never end.
Engineer, Mark Bradin (flipsides) is on kit with LustKillers now with Joe Selby (Three Years Down) on guitar.....allowing me do more of what i do best;) now to just find out what that is..... wink.

T- Can you tell me about your band-mates, How did you guys got to meet each other?

A- While in American Heartbreak (SF) I found myself always gettin into trouble with our guitar tech ChuckWorthy. One night i took him to see my man Coyote Shivers and he decided we needed to have a dirty little rock band. I said perfect, i gots sum tunes, gonna give ya sum. We spent a lot of time with Criminals drummer Julie Rose. It was so important to find someone for the gang that we neglected gettin the songs together.

Then LUSTKILLERS were invited to play a 1981 cover tunes show with other SF bands at Bottom of the Hill, so we used guitarist, Billy Rowe from AmericanHeartbreak and drummer Greg McEntee from Swingin Utters to make sure we was good.
Even Kitty Kowalski flew in from NYC to duet on PRETENDERS cover "Precious."
Other songs included, "Russian Roulette"- LORDS "People Who Died"- Jim Carroll and GO-GO's "our lips are sealed"
We were immediately asked to play the club again 4 days later with SLENDER and FLIPSIDES.
Ironically, Billy was eventually replaced with ClintGrubb of SLENDER and Greg was replaced with Mark Bradin of FLIPSIDES in 2004.
Clint was my drinkin mate and unfortunately expelled from LK for such.
It was either him or me. Joe Selby of THREE YEARS DOWN had been just waiting for a reason and stepped up as 2nd guitar.
funny that all 3 CHUCK, MARK and JOE are bassists...very spinal tap isn't it?

T- What are your main influences?

A- As a band we share love for a lot of the same rock bands from 77-83 era. The influences are obvious. Others include, Early Pretenders, The Jam, Joe Jackson, some aspects of even the Go-Go's.

T- Who do you want to influence?

A- Other bands and players and fans and producers and industry.
I write music to hear songs I wish other bands were playing. It seems some are finally getting back to the rock n roll and real guitar sounds. Shame there aren't more interesting singers out there. I miss the heart wrenched story telling types. Too much false advertising out there. Must be all the tattoos. You'd think everyone was cool and had stories.

T- I got a copy of your Black Sugar Sessions, I must admit its really great stuff. Also, and contrary to many bands, its not the same song over and over again.Can you tell me more about the Black Sugar Sessions? When was it recorded? Who produced it?And, most of all, can we expect those songs to be released soon?

A- Black Sugar Sessions were a batch of live tapes recorded by Mark Bradin (FLIPSIDES) as a favor to LK in August 2002.
I had helped write guitar parts for the Flipsides Cd , so Mark came into the LK room while we knocked out 12 or so numbers.
We did of a lot of this same thing with various other people in that room but Mark's had the energy. Maybe because it was so primitive over the hottest days of the year with bands on all sides of our room making it virtually impossible.
We had barely mixed demos when FLIPSIDES got signed,released their CD and toured the Earth. Then I left to record with LORDS in Jan. 03, then SWINGIN UTTERS toured(taking Greg and Chuck), then I toured with LORDS but returned to live in Chicago. I received a lot of interest doing LORDS, Mark left FLIPSIDES and resurrected the sessions.
It's a tough Cd to market, in that it's 8 songs.
Labels expect us to just give em it with option on the next release.
its too important to us for that but we need it on the shelves in Europe in order to commit to a 4 week tour we have promised before 2005.

T- Your voice is very similar to Stiv Bators’ voice, you certainly realize that lame press critics might use that against you.

A- It was always the voices of Wendy O Williams, Jim Carroll and Stiv who gave me hope I could front a band. I ain't no songbird like Robin Zander(Cheap Trick), so I guess this is my punishment........ I could think of worse....Richard Hell?

T- Actually it was more of a compliment. The great thing about you singing the old Lords songs was that your voice fitted them perfectly, but more than that you were not trying to copy Stiv.You gave your own thing to those songs, and I remember that fans-including me- had only good things to say about you.

A- Thank you Thomaxe, I warned everyone I wasn't Stiv we just got the same range.

T- How would you define your music? What is LustKillers all about?

A- I tell people we are just a rock n roll band but then brag that we preach the PostPunk/BlankGeneration Gospel.
We're not doing anything that hasn't been done, just everything everyone's forgotten.
Too many bands get up and play fast and loud one song after the other.
They hide behind that. To me only 2 bands do that right. Motorhead and Ramones.
My favourite rock bands always had more than that. They took risks to show you more than how to just be cool. I like to make it personal, keep it emotional at many levels and confident enough to take chances.
"Serious as a heart attack with the tongue in cheek."

T- What do you like the most about Rock’n Roll?

A- it's timeless and always there to get you off. To me that spells LUSTKILLERS.

posted by Thomaxe Goze | 3:50 PM