Jeff Whalen's Bubblegum Strangeness

Gearing Up For His First Live Performance In A Couple Years

I keep it pretty simple as a drummer.

I’ve never been much of a songwriter and you won’t catch me pounding out a backbeat while straining my neck upward to sing backing vocals into a boom-stand microphone. I’m addicted to the elementary energy and pure power of garage rock percussion played behind a wall of amplified guitars and harmonized vocals.

More than anything, I’m a fan who sometimes also happens to be in the band. So, it should come as no surprise that some of my favorite songwriters are the ones I’ve worked with most closely (I wouldn’t be in the band if I didn’t love the music). Not necessarily because of my contributions, but because I lived inside of those songs.

What more could a diehard music fan want?

My bandmate and friend Jeff Whalen is a great example.

We met in college and circled around each other for most of the ‘90s before officially joining forces in the band Tsar in 1998. More recently, we put out a couple albums together as The Brothers Steve, and I played drums on two tracks from his solo album 10 More Rock Super Hits (“Kung Fu Criminal” and “Ground Game For Worm”).

I’ve shared many stages with Jeff over the years, but I’ve also been in the crowd on countless occasions rocking out to his brainy brand of bubbleglam rock and roll. And I’ll happily be in the audience once again when he takes the stage with his all new band for International Pop Overthrow Los Angeles on August 8.

Jeff offhandedly described this upcoming live set—his first in a couple of years—as “Jeff Whalen’s Bubblegum Strangeness.” I decided to chat with him about what that means and get his thoughts on the transformative power of live music.

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Jeff Whalen Interview

I’m stoked you’re playing a show this summer. How long has it been since your last live set?

Jeff Whalen: Hi Steve! Thanks for having me on! I’m stoked to do a live show, too—maybe even super-stoked, or potentially even double-duper-mega-super-stoked.

Though from a certain perspective, every day is a live show, right? Every day you get up and you put on the drag, you put on your costume, and you get out there and you hit your mark and you say your lines.

But to answer your question, I think it’s been a couple years.

Any particular reason for the hiatus?

Jeff Whalen: I think I was waiting for a new Great Vowel Shift, or a similar major global change in the way we pronounce words. But if you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans, right? God’s a pretty easy laugh, as long as you keep the material plan-based. I’ve heard that. They say that if God shows up at a comedy club, some comedians will ditch their planned set and just do plan-telling stuff.

I’ve been in the crowd or played with you many times over the years. What have been a few of your favorite experiences playing live?

Jeff Whalen: You were in the band Tsar with me so you’ll probably understand when I say that some of the first Tsar shows after you joined the band were among my faves. That was such a fun time with such strong positive momentum. It was when I first truly believed in the transformative power of rock. I still believe in that, by the way.

As a lifelong fan, what do you think makes for a great live show?

Jeff Whalen: I think the shows that that are chaotic and exciting and make me go “AHHHH, WHAT’S HAPPENING????” for most of the set are the ones that are the most thrilling to me.

*Not the show What’s Happening, although I do like that show quite a lot, too. I think Rerun’s recording of the Doobie Brothers is a great live set. One of the finest bootlegs ever.

What are some of the best shows you’ve ever seen?

Jeff Whalen: Probably Buffy the Vampire Slayer. That one was really good until season six. And I used to really like Mr. Belvedere, though I haven’t seen that in a while so I don’t know how it holds up. What’s Happening is good, too.

As far as rock shows go, the Rolling Stones and Guns N’ Roses at the Colosseum was a great one for me. Life-changing. I was just a teen, but I knew I wanted to dance with Mr. Brownstone and Mr. D.

Also, Glitterbug at an Isla Vista party when we were in college at UCSB. They were a three-piece glam group that tore the roof off my head at an apartment party one Sunday afternoon. Dan Kern, later Tsar’s lead guitarist, was the bass player. He and I didn’t know each other really at the time. It was ‘90s alt-rock meets T. Rex and Queen and Sparks and I couldn’t believe it. It was so fun and outrageous and well-rehearsed and sloppy and costume-y and real and fake and smoke-machine-y.

Have you seen any great shows recently?

Jeff Whalen: No. Oh wait! Weird Al at the Forum last year. He closed with “Yoda.”

Your Aug. 8 IPO show is being billed as “Jeff Whalen’s Bubblegum Strangeness.” Can you give us a clue what that’s all about?

Jeff Whalen: Yeah, I dunno! It’s gonna be cool, though! Or at least that’s what my mom says. I think it has something to do with not being afraid of the hook and also not being afraid of people saying “AHHHH, WHAT’S HAPPENING????” for most of the set.

It’ll be a band, but a different lineup and different setup than I’ve done before. Guitar, keys, bass. Drums will be provided by providence, God willing, or potentially AI.

Any chance the setlist will include any Tsar, The Brothers Steve, Monster Squad and/or 10 More Rock Super Hits songs?

Jeff Whalen: We’re going to play the hits! We had some new material lined up, but we’re saving it for maybe next time.

Any plans for future shows beyond Aug. 8 at Corbin Bowl?

Jeff Whalen: I’m def—hi-def—open to it! We’ll see if we bowl a turkey or if we get three strikes in a row!

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