The Other F Word Review/An Interview with Jim Lindberg

The Other F Word

Starring: Jim Lindberg, Art Alexakis, Flea, Fat Mike, Rob Chaos

Director: Andrea Blaugrund Nevins

Rated: R

A look into the lives of Anti Authoritarian Punk Rockers who now find themselves in a strange position of Authority, as Fathers.

Blending the lives of multiple musicians from such noted bands such as Pennywise, Rancid, NOFX, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Blink 182 etc.. with footage of former Pennywise lead singer Jim Lindberg on the road, The other F word examines a group of people and how, now older and wiser balance their music careers with raising their Children.

There are a few things that stand out when looking at all the stories on display most notably is that the majority of the band members have had to deal with some very traumatic experiences including various forms of abuse, A common thread is during the important adolescent years the cool guys in a band were considered anything but, Not fitting in and doing your own thing is admired when you’re in a succesful band, when you’re a child not so much. Interestingly enough, it’s the punk rock ethos that allows them to break certain cycles and provide a more loving home environment.

Bringing an immense amount of heart as well as a hilarious look at fatherhood and life on the road, The Other F road is a film that raises the middle finger to convention and shows that your occupation or looks don’t determine a fathers love.

Grade-92

An Interview with Musician, Author, Film Subject and Father.. The former lead singer of Pennywise and front man of Black Pacific, Jim Lindberg.

C: Hi Jim, how’s it going

J: Hey Chris how you doing

C: What was your motivation for doing a documentary for fatherhood and the touring aspect of Pennywise?

J: It started by the sheer fact of living a unique life, playing in an anti authoritarian punk rock band and trying to be an authority figure at home and having 3 kids and a wife depending on me.

While I was going through it someone suggested it would be a great idea for a book. I agreed and started writing a little bit about my situation. The next thing you know I was in the back of a tour bus writing about being a punk rock dad. After the book came out I got a lot of interest from people wanting to do reality TV shows called punk rock dad. That was never really anything that interested me, there is way too much exposure for those type of things, to someone’s family, I think if you look at all the different families that have done reality shows, they usually end up in divorce and rehab for the kids at some point.

C:There has never really been a shining example of a reality family that has gone on to have a healthy functional family.

J:Yeah it made them more functional and all their problems were solved. That’s not how it ends up, it usually ends up a total train wreck for everybody, I never had any interest in that at all. An old friend of mine asked if I would be interested in doing a documentary. My main need for that was to get a bunch of dads from the punk rock scene involved. I had written a book and talked a lot about it and they should get some different perspectives out there. I knew from my experience growing up with bands like black flag, TSOL, Circle Jerks, Bad Religion and all of these great bands had lead singers that had kids and I knew that they would get some great material from talking to them, I also was friends with Art Alexakis, we were able to pick up Flea from the chili peppers and guys like Tony Hawk all these great people and right before my eyes it developed into this amazing film and its due to Chris and Andrea writing it and putting it all together, not only are there great stories but it’s also a narrative that they put together with Jeff Franklin who filmed it and that’s something that isn’t talked about enough, what a fantastic job they did presenting the material they got, it was one of those things that happened and I was pleasantly surprised, at the end of it with what a great piece of art they were able to come up with from it.

C: you were doing an excessive amount of touring do you think that by filming everything and focusing on it, that is made you want to leave Pennywise or do you think it was inevitable regardless of having a lens on you filming everything,

J: it was a situation where I knew I was going to be leaving Pennywise probably a few years before I actually did and that goes into a much deeper conversation about the dynamics of my previous band, which are difficult, it’s like a marriage but your married to four different guys instead of another girl and for a long time you stay together for the kids, but I think they’re finding out more and more it’s probably more unhealthy when the relationship isn’t working out. I think that’s the best allegory for the situation. I was unhappy in the band and to be sacrificing time with my family just to be in a situation I was unhappy, was unhealthy for me and my family and for everyone in the band. I will be the first to say I probably wasn’t that easy to live with in the band, because I just wasn’t happy with the way things were going, and the personalities in the band. It was a very difficult time. I really can’t believe I agreed to have them come and film me; it was difficult when I was doing the film. There were certain times where the last thing I wanted was a camera in my face while I was going through this, and but to their credit it’s not like they followed me around for two years, there were only 2 weeks of shooting that they came out to my house 2 or 3 times, they came out on the road with the band for 3 or 4 days and got a little taste of that life. Some of it they just took from my personal videos of me just being out on the road and at home and stuff like that.

It was a very difficult decision for me to make, a lot of it stems from other factors, pennywise lost our bass player 10 years previously and that was something very difficult for me. As I was very close with Jason and he was kind of my writing partner in the band in that sense, and um it was kind of something that I never really got over, it was difficult for me to continue on in that bad after we had such a tragic loss, I tried to make the best of it for a long time, it was difficult, the thing that’s important for people to realize the year that Jason passed away is the year I had my first child, right at the exact same time so I never had a chance to go through that grieving process, of losing someone that was so important to my life and my art, and our band. Then I had to start being a dad. It was a unique situation that I think the documentary came in right at the end of that situation right where it came unraveled

C: Now that you have black pacific and obviously since its your band you have a lot more control of touring, I saw you have been on tour, how is that different than before is it just the sheer volume is down or is it that you can come back and do things for your family based on your daughters schedules?

J:Exactly, that’s the new situation is now I can, I have a group of people in the band who are very supportive and understanding of that situation. That was the big conflict before. I am totally willing to go on tour we did a 6 week tour of Europe; I just got back from 2 weeks in Canada, with time off in between as well. I have never been someone who doesn’t understand that a lot of fathers have to travel for work. I do this because I love playing music and have always done since being a teenager and it’s also my livelihood it’s what their dad does to get them their iPods and their American Girl dolls and the things they want in life, their college education. I understand there are guys in the army who are overseas at 6 months at a time. I understand how the world is, but at the same time there has to be a support group behind you that are supportive of that being your lifestyle and if you don’t have that there is going to be conflict which is what we had before.

C: Are there any highlights or things you have been able to do now that your schedule is more under your control now that you are not touring 200 days a year

J: Absolutely, my middle daughter is a soccer star and I go to her soccer tournaments all the time. I missed a great one where she scored the winning goal, that one the tournament and I was horrified about that, but I was there for a lot of the games that other dads weren’t around for, there’s also the piano recitals, the ballet recitals the birthday parties where I bend over backwards to try and fly home, make sure I am present. But I think Flea said it best in the movie the most important thing is that if you can’t be there physically present you have to be there emotionally present for your kids and be involved in their lives. And you can do it over the phone, over Skype you can do that wherever you have to do it. And when I am home I am there for them and they know that. Obviously I am just a phone call away whenever they need me.

C: Are you still rockin the just for men on the goatee?

J: You know what I finally retired that with the film once I let the word out.

That was a funny sticking part of the film. I filmed that myself and gave it to the producers I thought it was really funny and obviously I joked about it during the film saying, oh don’t let my secret get out, it was my wife who said “you can’t put that in there, that’s so embarrassing” but I thought it was really funny. I have a very strange amount of grey coming in on like one side only, So I look like a Cyclops of Gray, one side is grayer than the other, it looks so strange, that was the main part of doing it, but now I like rocking the gray I think I look more distinguished.

C: It shows you have both the experience and the youthful exuberance you need as well, by having just a little bit of gray.

J: Pretty much all the gray hair is from my kids and the band so there equally to blame.

C: One question that I always wanted to know, how do you feel, obviously Bro Hymn is Pennywise’s signature song immensely personal song given the lyrics, how do you feel that the Anaheim Ducks use that when they score a goal.

J: You know, Absolutely I am very proud that the song has resonated with so many people considering it written by our bass player as just a great celebration of friends and friendships and unity and brotherhood. But at the same time I know it’s just a really catchy melody it’s very similar to Na Na Na Na Hey Hey Goodbye, Its one of those soccer chants, people just need something to sing and so as it being just a celebration its fantastic. And hopefully if people do some research and maybe one day they will Google search it they will see that there are some lyrics that are very simple and very profound about life and friendship and I think it’s a great thing.

C: Is touring really as bad as it looks, like when you’re in the Econo Lodge and you have that meal with the mystery thing on it.

J: I think almost all musicians will tell you this. We all live for the hour on stage. That’s the most fun you could ever have and hopefully the band up there is having as much fun as the people in the crowd and really enjoying themselves. What they pay you to do is travel because travelling sucks, hotel room service food sucks, being on a plane crammed into coach class in the last seat that they have sucks, and taxi cab drivers suck, and it all sucks. But the reason you do it, is because that hour on stage is priceless, that’s what we all do it for. Just like anything else. Driving to work on the 405 in California definitely blows, but it’s part of the deal.

C: Thank you so much I am big fan of not only the music but the film as well. Thanks for taking the time to speak with me.

J: Check out the book too Punk Rock Dad. Thank You.

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