Tim Armstrong Talks About Dr. Frank

          The interviewer asks Tim how he feels about some of the negative press Rancid has garnered recently from some of the local Bay Area press such as Maximum Rock and Roll.

[Tim talks about how he isn't upset by MRR]

          "But," Armstrong continues, now with growing ire in his voice, "you know who really bothers me? Dr. Frank from the Mr. T Experience. I've always liked Dr. Frank and his band. In fact, I've bought all their records; I even carried his amp for him at a show once. But recently I read in a magazine where the interviewer is asking him about this whole 'new wave of punk,' and he totally starts dissin' Rancid. And I'm, like, 'What the fuck is he talking about?!' I mean, c'mon, that first Mr. T Experience record, Making Things With Lights, on Lookout! Records was totally financed by money from the Operation Ivy releases!

          "It's like this," Tim explains, "If that guy from Smashing Pumpkins, what's his name...?"

          Billy Corgan, I remind him.

          "Yeah. If he says things about us, which he has, I don't care. Because I don't know Billy Corgan. Or even if Johnny Rotten says something bad about us. I just think it's cool that Johnny Rotten even mentions my band's name. That's a fucking honor in itself. But Dr. Frank was a guy who I once looked up to; he was a friend of mine. And now he's calling us poseurs because when we played on Saturday Night Live Lars changed outfits between songs. Dr. Frank was like, 'Oh, it's all an act. Lars puts on another punk rock costume for the second song.' Now, I don't know if Dr. Frank has ever played on live television, but it's like 400 fuckin' degrees under those lights and you sweat like a pig. And what's Lars supposed to do? Sit around for a half hour drenched so he won't be called a poseur? Or just change his fuckin' clothes? How dare he attack Lars. I mean, Dr. Frank is a graduate from Cal Berkeley, and if this punk thing doesn't work out for him, he can go get a cushy job with a huge fuckin' paycheck and do really well. But Lars dropped out of high school and has tattoos on his face. He's wanted to play rock 'n' roll since he was 5 years old playing air guitar to KISS records on a tennis racket. It's all he's got!

          "I just can't believe it's come down to this," he surmises shaking his head. "Guys that we've come up with, now wanna take us out because we're doing good. But I guess he's just jealous. Dr. Frank is a really smart guy, it's just weird that jealousy can even effect someone like him. I guess I just expected more from him. I thought I was cool with him, but now...well, let's just say I got rid of all my Mr. T records."