I've been a fan of Saigon
Kick's since just about day one..
they used to play here in the Tampa Bay area ALLOT.. cause of being from Miami..
They always put on a killer.. high energy show..
I was glad to have found Matt online.. and happy to see he is still pounding
away at the music..
And is such a perfectionist about his music.. The c.d. is raw and eclectic
music! So check it out!
And now I give you.. Matt Kramer....
J- First I'm going back to the Saigon Kick days.. if
that's ok..
M- Absolutely..
J- How did you hook up with those guys?
M- Umm.. I hooked up w/Jason, through a gig he was trying out for.. and he didn't get.. and funny enough they put us both together to get them out of there hair.. so we ended up doing something better then they did actually.. strange enough... and Jason new Phil.. Tom.. was pretty much the only bass player that had any drive in this town.. so he was our only choice.. unfortunately.. haha.. no...
J- How long were you together before you got signed..?
M- About a year and a half..
J- I remember going to the big rock shows.. and all I would see is Saigon kick shirts on the roadies.. etc.. it was the neatest thing you guys had such an underground following it seemed like to me.. then next thing you know you guys explode..
M- Ya.. unfortunately we couldn't keep the edge we had as an underground band.. unfortunately Atlantic really pushed all of our really poppy stuff.. and it just gave a really bad impression of the band.. to the people that really didn't get the rock band.. they got.. the love song band.. with "Love Is On The Way"..
J- You guys were kinda clumped into the hair band era.. but were not really a hair band.. how important was the look back then..?
M- Well ya know.. still to this day I have long hair.. I'm not going to cut my hair just cause Chris Cornell cut his hair.. it's all cool.. everybody can do what they want.. I'm kinda the kid that grew up in the 70's.. it was not a fashion statement.. it was more of an anti statement to have long hair.. and we couldn't have jobs.. that's what it turned into.. then by the time we got the deal.. and "Love is On the Way".. and then these nice pretty songs started getting pushed as singles.. it really really, just clumped us in w/bands that had love ballads at the time.. and even though we came out in 91' w/our first record... we are a hair band from the 80's ..which is fine.. 5 years ago.. it really sucked.. cause you were attached to that stigma, and you couldn't get away from it.. and now its almost a good thing.. now its cool thing to get your old.. well hopefully not your old clothes out....hahaha.. but hopefully your old records out, and ya know the music did really stand up.. there were a couple "too" polished records that came out at that time.. but I don't think we were one of them, and it gets us brought back.. so its cool with me..
J- How did you come up with the name Saigon Kick..?
M- Ya know it was really a stupid thing.. we always said we were watching a bunch of Vietnam movies.. and someone said .."What is Hollywood on some Saigon kick?"... but it wasn't true.. what we did was basically.. I think it was Jason and his girlfriend came in.. after hearing a Cult song.. and the lyrics were Saigon kiss.. and funny enough Phil misheard it as Saigon Kick.. and that complete mistake turned into the name of the band.. not that exciting is it?..
J- Haha..well I didn't know where it came from.. I'm
sitting here thinking all kinds of things..
Ok who was the main songwriter?
M- Well in the beginning it was very much me and Jason,. and near the end Jason was really pushing me out.. trying to do his own thing and basically ruin Saigon Kick by excluding everybody out of songwriting.. being a bully pretty much, well not being a bully.. just being an ego maniac..
J- And how did everyone get along?
M- Terribly.... it was the biggest fighting band you have ever seen in your
life.. it was just brutal..
That band was a great boot camp, and I hope everyone goes on and does great
things.. but the dishonesty in the band.. and the management. and the certain
band members wanting to drop there names and pick up a symbol and become
Prince.. that really hurt the band.. and money was really distributed
unfairly..and that caused allot of animosity in the band........between
everybody.. wow.. you've got the truthful ones..
J-
Haha.. ya I like to dig for the good stuff.. I don't wanna know who your
influences here.. I wanna know the good stuff..haha..
What's the biggest crowd you have ever played for and where?
M- I don't know... we've played some big crowds.. we played a couple big crowds in Tampa..
J- ya Livestock.. I was there..
M- Ya Livestock.. we played really great festivals in Germany.. in Holland on this one really great run we did w/Extreme.. umm.. probably close to 100,000 in Europe..
J- What's the craziest thing a fan has done to meet you?
M- Hahaha.. writing a story about us.. me being a zebra..hahaha.. that's when I run.. no.. to meet me? ummm... I don't know.. I don't think anything too crazy, or its been so long.. I can't remember.. I do remember a little Japanese girl screaming to come home with me on the plane in Tokyo though.. didn't happen though...
J- What was your favorite Saigon Kick song..or songs?
M- Ummm....I don't know.. I always liked "New World" "Coming Home" "Whatta Ya Do" "Ugly"..ya
J- How about least favorite..or just didn't like the way it turned out?
M- Ohh there is allot of least favorites.. haha... "Feel the Same Way" "Love Is On the Way"
J- Is it because you were sick of them.. or you just didn't like them..?
M- It was because ..basically if you look at Saigon Kick.. when I was in it.. the first record.. and the second record.. those songs were written before we had a deal.. and a few songs.. that I mentioned.. and a few more, were just written, out of context.. and they fit.. because the band was a great band... we pulled it off.. but basically, we completely alienated ourselves and fans..and everything else with those songs.. they never should have happened.. and once again, it was ego... haha..