Interviews

MxPx

Interview with Yuri on Nov 30, 1999 by Archive Bot

Mel Kaye rocks as usual for hooking us up with Yuri from MxPx. And thanks to Yuri for putting up with us.... 

PB: Do you wear earplugs when you perform?
Yuri: I wear an ear monitor, they're not at a level that bugs me at all. So when I get offstage, my ears don't hurt.

PB: Cause a lot of bands don't wear anything and ugh.....that's crazy. If you had the chance to have a twin would you?
Yuri: Sure.

PB: Identical or not?
Yuri: Identical.

PB: Do you have any brothers or sisters?
Yuri: Yeah. I have 4 brothers and 2 sisters.

PB: Whoa.
Yuri: I'm like third.

PB: Tell us some funny stories.
Yuri: Well it's interesting because only my younger sister is my real sister. I'm close with my other brothers and sisters be they step or half or whatever. And, uh, my half older brother and sister used to come out from Ohio where they used to live to Seattle every summer and spend like three months and we would just be bad and have a lot of fun. We'd climb trees and make forts.

PB: Would you fight? Would you beat each other up?
Yuri: Well my brother was bigger than I was so he'd take me down. It was fun.

PB: What was the last dream you had?
Yuri: On occasion I'd have these dreams where I was stuck, like physically in a small space. Like a duct. I'd wake up freaking out and other people that are with me, I'd wake them up cause I'd scream like AH! 

PB: You'd actually scream?
Yuri: Oh yeah, and bang. I woke up banging once, in the bus and I woke up banging on the top of a bunk and Gary was above me and I realized and I stopped. And I was like, "Gary?" and he was like, "Yeah?" and I asked him if he heard that and then he was like, "Yeah what the heck dude?". So I have those on occasion. My dreams are wacked. I don't understand them. Can you see Gary? He's right there, just sitting there.

PB: Do you have any groupie stories?
Yuri: Naw, I'm not into the groupie scene at all. I basically ignore girls.

PB: Do people tell you they love you?
Yuri: Oh ya all the time. I don't know people scream stuff at me.

PB: Where is your favorite place to play?
Yuri: Japan, cause the people who come are energetic and they love to be there. You get the most for doing the same thing.

PB: What was the worst show?
Yuri: We opened for the Queers in Seattle and we were an unannounced band, this was 2 yrs ago. We came on and people were throwing cans of Coke at us and Mike had spit hanging down his face and they were flicking cigarrettes and someone turned the power off on us. Ha. Ha. Like they just flicked the big switch. Main power thing.

PB: What effect do you want your music to have on kids?
Yuri: A positive one. I think our band has helped a lot of people. They don't feel alone, someone else is going through what they're experiencing.

PB: Like they relate to you?
Yuri: Exactly, they relate with us and the music.

PB: Do people insult you a lot?
Yuri: Well.... not really? But the regular insults like, I hate you, you suck, they don't bother me. I don't let it bother me.

PB: What's the thing you miss most when you're on tour?
Yuri: My fiancee.

PB: How did you propose to her?
Yuri: We were in Hawaii and on the beach. It was September 11. I guess a pretty typical, well not typical but we were lucky enough to have time.

PB: How did you meet her?
Yuri: Though the band, basically. 

PB: Was she a fan?
Yuri: No actually. Her and her friend went to California on vacation and she's from Montreal. They stayed at a youth hostel in L.A. and some kid was talking about us and he talked about me specifically. He said the drummer Yuri is so awesome and she just didn't care. Then we met about six months later. The story is interesting.

PB: Word association. Light bulb.
Yuri: Broken.

PB: Glass.
Yuri: Broken.



PB: Glasses
Yuri: Best friend.
*Laugh*

Yuri: Cause I can't see a dang this without them.

PB: Food.
Yuri: Loblaws.
*Laugh*

PB: Do you like cheese?
Yuri: Yeah.

PB: Don't you think cheese is great. It goes with anything.
Yuri: Yeah, I guess.
*Laugh*

PB: What do you think of people wearing your face. Like those little pins that you have?
Yuri: It's kind of weird but it was our idea. We used to joke about who sold the most. I was in the lead for a while, but then Mike beat me.

PB: Ok a deep question. What's your idea of perfect happiness.
Yuri: Well, what I've always looked forward to is spending time with, my life with someone who I knew understood me. Like I could be myself 100% all the time and they can too and you laugh and all that stuff. Being in a partnership for life. Crappy stuff will happen but that's what I've always wanted and now I have found it so I'm.... Our relationship our marriage. That's perfect happiness. I am so lucky. I'm proud of her. Also while you're here do something you like to do. It's easier said than done, but my dad always said don't waste your time. Do something you love to do. I'm doing that too.