No Echo has started an interview series focused on hardcore and comedy. In the first part of the series we talk to Eric D from the notorious t-shirt company MethSyndicate.
MethSyndicate is one of the first entities that comes to mind when I think about hardcore and comedy. The brand is notorious for being at events like Punk Rock Bowling and other various hardcore festivals every year. Their shirts are hilarious. Fred Durst was parodied as a Misfits shirt with amazing results:
MethSyndicate has also been classically sponsoring features at The Comedy Store. Two shows every month—The Goddamn Comedy Jam, which features comedians doing live band karaoke with Josh Adam Meyers (the creator of the show), and the Shimmy Shimmy Ya show. Eric D has been at this for 10 years now!
Knocked Loose recently landed national recognition for a performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! A t-shirt that comes to mind is the Tim Allen x Knocked Loose tee. We have comedians like Netflix and A24 star Tim Robinson pictured in a Triple B Records Never Ending Game hat. Do you feel comedy and hardcore are now part of the mainstream conversation now?
I honestly think it’s still pretty rare for comedy and hardcore to intertwine, and that’s kind of what makes it so cool. There have absolutely been a few key players over the years who’ve helped shape avenues for hardcore to reach slightly different audiences. Also, Tim is a skater—and all the best music and subcultures are connected to skateboarding in one way or another.
I actually met Tim at Universal CityWalk a couple of years ago. I was kinda hammered with Will from Militarie Gun, leaving the park, and we were literally talking about that Turnstile song being in "I Think You Should Leave"—and boom—he was right in front of us. It was pretty insane, to be honest. Needless to say, I embarrassed Will and told Tim all about Militarie Gun. He was so chill though (thank god).
Do you think normies seeing topical comedians representing hardcore will influence them to stream a Terror song (hopefully buy a record) and then buy a MethSyndicate shirt?
I think some normies—or people looking for an outlet—will see a band’s shirt on a comedian and absolutely check it out. When I was a kid, I’d see a dude in a Cannibal Corpse shirt and be like, WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT—I NEED TO KNOW. Hopefully that mentality still crosses over a bit.
As far as MethSyndicate shirts go, it absolutely helps get eyes on us. Shirts are moving billboards. It’s so sick.
I understand you are from Boston, so I imagine this is an area so enriched with great hardcore that you have some history with the scene. Will you tell No Echo about your roots in hardcore?
I got into hardcore via Boston punk rock. Around 1997, I started really going to shows. A lot of bands like Toxic Narcotic, The Unseen, August Spies, The Trouble, 30 Seconds Over Tokyo, etc. My older brother had friends in bands and took me to some local shows. I was already super into music by that time, so it didn’t even seem that weird.
Looking back and realizing I was 13-years-old at a bar on a Sunday watching a band called Blood for Blood is insane [laughs]. But it was awesome. Speaking of, Blood for Blood definitely bridged the gap for me into hardcore. I had always thought they were just punk, and then I saw them play with bands without mohawks and studs. That’s when I discovered Ten Yard Fight, In My Eyes, Bane, Reach the Sky, etc.
Then I got really, really into hardcore and haven’t stopped. A personal favorite was Stop and Think. When I was 18, I started a band called The Confrontation with my friends in On Broken Wings.
We were on Rock Vegas Records, baby. I also toured with OBW quite a bit when I was younger either filling in or doing merch. It’s funny watching the brand grow so much over the years and now having people at hardcore shows be like yo MethSyndicate what are you doing here!? Truth is never left laughs].
Have you met comedians and found out you share the same interest in hardcore or punk rock music?
I’ve bro’d down about metal with a bunch of comics, but as far as real hardcore goes—pretty much just Ian Fidance, Shapel Lacey, and Joel Jimenez.
Probably Kyle Kinane as well. My friend Stanley Sievers also comes from the comedy world as well but doesn’t do standup (yet). We (Sievers) produced a movie together called The Moshumentaty, which features cameos from various bands including End it, and also has a cameo from me! Side note: Fred Armisen liking punk and hardcore rules. But everyone knows that.
Being from the East Coast, has that changed your musical interests since moving out to LA? Is it hardcore everywhere? Do you feel that is the same about comedy? East Coast compared to West Coast comedians?
The East Coast and West Coast hardcore scenes were vastly different when I moved here, but I think that had more to do with the time period (2014). Now it’s bigger than ever on all coasts. Bands I saw play for 50 people before COVID are now selling out venues.
Something definitely shifted for the better. And as far as style goes—people on the West Coast go fucking wild. It’s like a party. Boston was a lot more scary guys (who I adore dearly). It’s probably the same for comedy.
Who do you think are the best comedians working today that have a relationship with hardcore music?
Pretty much just the guys I named before. There might be other hardcore dudes doing comedy too, but I haven’t met them yet. Hopefully soon!
I recently saw MethSyndicate announced as a record label. Will you tell No Echo about the label and what kind of acts you are signing? Or will you be releasing any comedy albums under the label? What is the name of the label?
So with the record label, my initial plan was to do a Punk-O-Rama-style compilation with a bunch of bands I grew up with that never really broke out. Some of these bands are so good you wouldn’t fucking believe it (listen to Certain Rare Birds). But I’ve been so busy lately I realized how much time that would consume (I’d still like to do it eventually).
My friend Ben has this cool band from San Francisco called The Throwups. One day I was at his place and he played me a demo of a new song they were working on, and I was just like, YUP. I absolutely want to release this. And they were down. So here we are.
The Throwups’ second album (title TBD) is out this fall on MethSyndicate Records. For now, check out their first album (Male, Pale 'n Stale) on all streaming platforms. They are so fucking good and weird as hell.
I’m not actively looking to sign artists, but if I find something I like—who knows?
READ MORE: Buddyhead’s Travis Keller on His Upcoming Documentary, Pissing Off Fred Durst & More
MethSyndicate has done some great music-related t-shirts like the Pretty Hate Machine, Miley Cyrus T-shirt, Andrew WK, or the Eyehategod Garfield t-shirt. How does a music-comedy t-shirt perform against non-music-related t-shirts?
Music shirts and parody shirts always differ based on the design and what band they’re referencing. I will say, whenever I do a shirt or spoof of something hardcore-related, it usually doesn’t do well—because even though hardcore seems bigger than ever to people like us, it’s still very much a subculture. Just one you can find easier now thanks to your phone.
Following you on social media you mentioned it was hard to find the style of Chinese food you liked in LA. What about pizza? Tell me about pizza. What is the best pizza in LA for someone from the East Coast?
I’ve given up on Chinese food. I found one place downtown that has New England-style fried rice, but everything else is not even close. Pizza, however, is having a Renaissance out here.
I gotta shout out my dudes Ozzy’s Apizza and Hot Tongue. Follow @turkspizzaparty for all the LA pizza knowledge.
Is there any hardcore, punk, or any music you want to tell No Echo to keep an eye out for? Same with comedy, are there any projects you are working on? Are you making any appearances anywhere, or will you get the t-shirt cannon out for Furnace Fest?
I’m always working on something. Right now, I’m working on the record release, I’m bringing back my podcast, Stay in School, with my amazing wife Rebecca, and our shows are still going strong at the Comedy Store. I can’t say much—but I might pop back up on your TV screens eventually as well.
Listen to: The Throwups, Desmadre, On Broken Wings, Viagra Boys, and Militarie Gun. Furnace Fest is still up in the air… but that’s a great idea.
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MethSyndicate on social media: Instagram
Look out for the second installment of No Echo’s Comedy x Hardcore interview series coming soon with Gene Meyer from Bandit.
Tagged: comedy, comedy x hardcore
