Vintage Interview: Adam Carson, Drummer of AFI. On the streets of Dallas, Texas. Halloween 1999?

Originally printed on HAND CARVED MAGAZINE.(RIP)

The Scene: October 30th 1999. Dallas, Texas. In front of Insomnia Coffee Bar.
It seems our dear Friend Scandalist was deep in the Halloween spirt. After watching AFI we were left with little to do and even less cash. So what did we do? We stood out in front of Insomnia, while Good ole Scandalist decided to, Moon people, Show people his breasts, Yell in unsuspecting people’s faces and then chase them down the street and yell at them some more. After a little over an hour of watching the master moon taxi cabs and Hippie buses, We just happened to run into Adam from AFI. Here is the interview we conducted that shortly followed:

Damian: I’m here with Hunter form AFI. Its that correct?
Adam: Nope.

Damian: Who are you?
Adam: My name is Adam.

Damian: Oh. [pause] Now I feel like a retard.
Adam: HaHaHa. We’re off to a great start here.

Damian: They told me you were Hunter. So I’m going to ask you some questions about you running Checkmate Records even though you don’t run Checkmate Records.
Adam: You can ask me anything you want about Checkmate Records. I’ll answer it the best I can.

Damian: So, uh, How long have you been in AFI?
Adam: Since its conception. Probably eight years. Eight and a half.

Damian: Have any regrets?
Adam: None what so ever.

Damian: None? Now, All Hallow’s EP came out recently. Tell us a little about that. What’s up with that?
Adam: The All Hallows EP is a four song EP that came out in the beginning of October. It has three originals and a cover of Halloween, by the Misfits. Its obviously Halloween themed. There’s a thousand, limited edition, orange vinyl seven inches and a bunch of CDs. We like it. We think its among the best stuff that we’ve done.

Damian: So have the Misfits heard the cover?
Adam: I don’t know. But we’re going to be touring with Danzig in a couple of weeks. So he might start asking us for his mechanical royalties.

Damian: Are you excited about that?
Adam: Yea, I’m excited about it. We haven’t actually gotten permission to do the song. So I don’t know if he’s going to be fining us or not. The Danzig tour should be cool. We’re going to be playing in front of a lot of people who have not seen us before. They probably won’t hate us. But you know? Its rock ‘n roll.

Damian: Well its officially Halloween now. You guys are playing Fitzgerald’s in Houston tomorrow night. Any special surprises for that show, that we’re going to miss because we’re in Dallas?
Adam: I think so.

Damian: Can you tell us about that because we’re not going to be there?
Adam: Nah. You’ll have to read it on the Internet or something.

Damian: Read it on the Internet? Come on…
Adam: Nothing to crazy. There is a certain Halloween feel that we like our shows to have. Every show so we’re not doing a hole lot different. It will be fun.

Damian: Now this isn’t your first tour with Sick Of It All. Have you been getting a better response this tour versus the last tour with them?
Adam: I think so. When we did that first tour we were largely unknown in the cities we played. We’ve since toured extensively by ourselves. We have a small fan base in every city. Which is cool.

Scandalist: Did I frighten you when i started screaming at you?
Adam: No.

Scandalist: Oh, well. I’m sure it was annoying.
Adam: You actually didn’t scare me. I was expecting you too, I was hoping you wouldn’t….

Damian: Alright, Now there were people here tonight just to see you, then they left as soon as you got off the stage. Does that make you feel good?
Adam: In a way that makes me feel good that people are coming to see us. On the other hand, I find it ridiculous that people pay money to see Sick Of It All and don’t even stick around. They don’t realize that Sick of It All was the reason most of these bands on the bill are there, the reason we do what we do and love it so much is that Sick Of It All sets such a great example. These guys have been doing it for fifteen years and they love what they are doing. They are not going to stop any time soon. They have made it their life. They have made it their career. I think it is sooo Amazing and admirable that they day in and day out just grind away. Cause they are not a huge band. Its a lot of work for them. They do it because they love it. That’s completely inspirational. I’m amazed that people leave without experiencing that. Such as yourselves…

Damian: Well We drove about 3 hours basically to see you guys play.
Adam: That’s so flattering. Its really cool. I think you guys missed out on not watching Sick Of It All.
Scandalist: So what inspires you?
Adam: Pete’s coffee.

Then the conversation went to someone talking about sex and then Adam excusing himself because he was, “Missing out.” End.

Damian Burford

Damian is the host of Mostly Harmless Podcast. Freelance writings have appeared in Vice, New Noise Magazine, Colorado Springs Independent, Denver Westword and more. Damian is currently bartending and working in music production in Napa, California. These are the adventures of his new life in Napa with his girlfriend Claire. Plus other adventures, writings, interviews and more!

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