SUNRISE, Fla., Oct. 26, 2001 – Following the “two guitars, three chords, one van,” philosophy, the rockers of Sugarcult packed their bags and embarked on a trip that has brought them nothing but the sweet taste of success.
When the Santa Barbara quartet formed in 1998, singer Tim Pagnotta, guitarist Marko 72, bassist Airin and drummer Ben Davis never thought their careers would skyrocket so quickly.
With the release of their debut album Start Static on Aug. 21, the single “Stuck in America” has rapidly risen on the charts: The tune reached No. 1 on R&R, Album Network, Hits and has now entered the Top 40 Modern Rock charts. The video for their hit single is currently playing on the Canadian music channel Much Music and has been added to the MTV rotation.
Maybe it’s the sweet power-punk riffs, the teen angst songs or how they resemble early ’80s British mod bands like The Jam and Madness, but once the group steps onstage wearing those oh-so-fashionable punk suits–decorated with colorful buttons–the audience can’t help but sing along with their contagious tunes.
After one of their latest gigs we sat down with singer/songwriter Tim Pagnotta, who shed light on the Warped Tour, on ‘N Sync and on his desire to get back home to sample his girlfriend’s goodies.
I heard that the name Sugarcult was chosen in honor of seven lesbians that lived near you. Tell me a little more about that?
Tim Pagnotta: Well, I was living in my first place away from home and when I moved in, these girls that lived across the way from me…all of them were lesbians. There were like five of them that lived there and two of their friends that always came over. Their little nickname was Sugarcult and we needed a band name. It kinda stuck and it hasn’t changed ever since.
Do you know why did they called themselves Sugarcult?
Pagnotta: I think it’s an old beatnik name for a group of lesbians back from like the ’60s, so…
Your music has been called pop, punk and power-pop How would you describe your music?
Pagnotta: How would we describe our music? Um, I would describe our music having elements of some punk bands but mostly I think we are more of like a power-pop kinda band, more song-oriented. Our influences are more from older bands [The Clash, Cheap Trick], but you know, to each their own. I don’t think there is anything wrong with bands like ‘N Sync and Limp Bizkit and stuff, I mean, its not my cup of tea, but whoever you can reach with your songs it’s the most important….I think we are more of a power-pop band.
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The song “Daddy’s Little Defect” is one of my favorites on the album. What is that about?
Pagnotta: “Daddy’s Little Defect” is about sort of a specific person, but it’s really what a lot of people go through where they feel like they are a disappointment to their parents, you know. And this song is particularly about a girl where she was kind of a disappointment to her parents. She was pretty much a total freak and she was totally insane so, the song kinda came around on Valentine’s Day, so that’s what that song is about.
The song “Stuck in America,” is gaining airtime on radio stations nationwide, despite its lyrics about “blowing up the neighborhood” and “trying to get away.” Do you think that’s how teenagers feel growing up? Does that relate to how you grew up?
Pagnotta: I think everybody feels a little trapped in their neighborhood or in their small town, and that song is definitely about growing up as a kid. I lived in a lot of different houses and moved around a lot of different schools. I could relate to being bored always being in the same town, or always being branded as “the new guy.” I guess it was a way for me to break away from that feeling.
Tell me a little bit about your childhood, moving homes back and forth. Did that affect your songwriting at all?
Pagnotta: I moved a lot as a kid and I was always the new guy, and I think that it affected my songwriting because I know what it’s like to feel confused and young and not really knowing where you fit it and it affects you. Now, I am a big kid and I still really don’t know what I’m doing, you know. I am writing songs right now and I am on tour, but for me I don’t know if I ever will know what I am doing. You just have different chapters in your life and it just sort of changes. But moving around a lot kinda has made me a little bit of a chameleon, where I have been able to fit into a lot of different situations.
Sugarcult embarked on the 2001 Vans Warped Tour, and played with Blink 182 on several East Coast dates. How does the audience at a big punk festival differ to those who come to see you at smaller opening gigs?
Pagnotta: The Warped Tour was just an opportunity for us to play 60 shows all over the U.S. that we wouldn’t have been able to do before, with the bills and audience. You know, like, sometimes when you go on a tour as a band, you’ll go out and travel and it’s just you playing your shows and 10 people can show up in the middle of nowhere, or maybe one person in the middle of nowhere. But in the Warped Tour, there are so many different bands drawing huge audiences, so we were able to draw a lot of people.
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How is life on the road? You know, people that dream of becoming big rock stars picture it as being all glamor and girls and tour buses. Is that how it really is?
Pagnotta: Um, no. It’s not like that at all. Well, right now it’s kinda weird because we have one more show before we go home, and you get home sick. You know, you can’t help it. I need a break. Being on tour you really feel like you are in outer space. I am really looking forward to going home and having my girlfriend’s guacamole.
That’s cute [Laughs.]
Pagnotta: But yeah, it’s not the glamorous life that you think it’s all cracked up to be. You ride in a van all day long, then you play a show for 30 minutes and then you go to a hotel. You kind of feel that you are working 24 hours a day. Like normal jobs, you have your time where you can sleep in your own bed and stuff and with touring you are just doing this all day long, so I am definitely looking forward to a break and then going out and playing more shows.
Tell me about the run-ins with the cops you guys have every once in a while…
Pagnotta: Oh yeah. [Laughs.] God, it’s so funny. Cops love rock ‘n’ roll bands, they love to hang out and search bands.
Do they spy for vans on the highway?
Pagnotta: I think so. [Laughs.] We’ve had a couple of run-ins with police officers and it’s always a little bit fun and a little bit scary too because we’re a couple of miles away from home and I have a whole bunch of outstanding parking tickets. I am always afraid that if a cop pulls me over or runs my license through anything that I am gonna go to jail, so it’s kind of funny. But cops definitely love rock bands.
But they always just kinda play around with you and let you go at the end, don’t they?
Pagnotta: Yeah, at the end they just want free stickers.
