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By MICHELLE MCALLISTER
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Interview: Bowling For Soup guitarist, Chris
As soon as I heard Bowling for Soup was coming to Columbus, I immediately
bought tickets. I can’t think of another band so full of energy and fun, quirky
songs that you just can’t help to feel good when you hear them. At the risk of
showing my age, they remind me of those carefree high school/college times,
way back before it was cool to be all emo and cut yourself. Maybe I am the
chick from "1985" (which I may or may not be listening to as I write this).
Regardless, I was super excited to get the chance to interview one of my
favorite bands.

Lead guitarist, Chris Burney, was gracious enough to invite me onto the
Bowling for Soup tour bus to have a little chat. We were joined by his adorable
French Bulldog, Sherman, who I briefly considered stuffing into my handbag
and kidnapping. That is until I considered Chris could probably snap me in half
like a twig. So instead, we talked about the band and some other fun stuff.

If Bowling for Soup (BFS) is coming to a town within driving distance of you, I
highly recommend you catch their show. These guys are true entertainers and
you will not be disappointed! Hell, they were so energetic and amazing
someone had to be carried out on stretcher the night they played at the A & R
Music Bar. Not even kidding.

Check out what Chris had to say:

Fill me in on what’s going on with BFS and tell me how the tour is going.
Chris: So far the tour is going really good. We don’t really tour that much
anymore so we planned this tour around some college dates we had. It’s been
really fun. We’ll probably do something similar this fall.

BFS has been around for almost 20 years now. How do you explain your
longevity?
Chris: Well we’ve been together for 18 years and we really haven’t changed
much. People that liked us back then still come to the shows because they’re
still fun–we’re entertainers. If we do a show, we make sure people are happy.
Plus, all the band members still get along really good, so it’s still fun and pretty
easy to do.

You guys do a lot of great covers. How do you decide which songs to
cover?
Chris: Sometimes it’s just like you’re sitting at a bar or something and you
hear a song and think “hey we could do that one!” Then we get together and
work it up and if it doesn’t sound right, it gets scrapped. If it sounds OK, we
just keep it going.

Which song would you say gets the most reaction from fans when you’re
playing live?
Chris: Probably "Punk Rock 101" is still a good one for that; and of course,
"Girl All the Bad Guys Want" and "1985." All of those get people going.
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For The Fans, By The Fans.  Look Beyond The Mainstream.
Chris Burney, Bowling For Soup guitaris, performing in Columbus.
Photo by Jared Perkins, OOTB.
Bowling For Soup continues to tour after 18 years as a band. Publicity photo.
I love your quirky song titles and lyrics. How do you guys come up with this stuff?
Chris: Just life experiences, you know? All of us are people that kind of take things in stride so even when bad things happen to us we try to find the
funny things about it and sometimes they become a song.

I can’t hear a BFS without thinking of the late 90s and just how carefree and fun the music was back then. Is pop-punk dead or can it be
revived?
Chris: Yeah, the Emo Movement kind of turned kids from happy-go-lucky to like it’s cool to have anxiety and be all emotional. There are still bands out
there doing the pop-punk thing, so I don’t think it's dead, but it definitely needs to adapt and change a little bit. It’s a simple form of music–it’s just three
chords and happy-go-lucky.

Has high school ended for y’all yet?
Chris: No, not really (laughs). In my neighborhood, there are bullies and they are 65-year-old men! So no, high school never does end. You always
have the jerk offs taking my breath.

BFS co-wrote and sings the theme song for Phineas and Ferb. Tell me how that came about.
Chris: We’ve always done soundtracks and TV show themes. That’s how we paid the bills for a long time. I think Jaret worked on something else
with the guys that do that show. We also did themes for Drew Carey and Jimmy Neutron and some stuff for Disney.

Do you watch Phineas and Ferb?
Chris: Haha! No it’s not really my bag.

What was the best thing about 1985–or can you remember that year?
Chris: Oh yeah. In 1985 I was a sophomore in high school working on my ride –a sweet ’55 Chevy and listening to heavy metal. Like Maiden, Priest,
Slayer…

What was the first concert you went to?
My very first concert was Willy Nelson in 1977. It was a good show.

If you had to be stuck in an elevator for 24 hours with any person, living or dead, who would you pick and why?
Oh, that’s a tough one. Hopefully someone I would get pissed at so I could eventually eat them. To be honest with you, that’s my worst nightmare. It
would be awkward. So let’s just put nobody!

I’m sure there will be plenty of drinking during the show tonight. Tell me your tips for surviving the Monday hangover tomorrow.
I’d say just sleep it off. You know, wake up around noon. If you have to get up earlier, there’s just no way around it. Maybe drink a Gatorade and pop a
couple Ibuprofens.

What can fans expect out of BFS in the upcoming year?
Chris: Definitely more shows in the fall and probably a new record around the spring of ’13. It’s about that time for some new material.

Anything you’d like to say to OOTB readers?
Chris: Come see us! We’re still alive and kicking so get out to a show. If they don’t show up, then we can’t do the shows.

Chris, thanks for taking the time out to talk with me! Best of luck and have a great show!
Chris: Thank ya!