Rippopotamus Interview

INTERVIEW WITH RIPPOPOTAMUS FROM TheCelebrityCafe.com ARCHIVES

DM) Where did the name Rippopotamus come from?

RG) The name was invented by our guitar player. Now, hopefully, I'm remembering this correctly. (I wasn't there, so I don't always get the story right.) He was at a friend's apartment (our then singer Nic Tyler), who was working on a sequencer. D. was there, ostensibly, to help, but was in fact reading an article about the jazz band The Rippingtons in a magazine. Apparently, D. looked up at Nic and said, "Why don't we call the band Rippopotamus." They thought this was so funny, they brought it in to rehearsal, and we thought it was funny, too. So we said, if it's still funny in a week, we've got a name. Actually, we had to practice for weeks saying, "The name of my band is Rippopotamus" with straight face. We couldn't do it, we kept laughing.

DM) Were the Rippingtons a big influence?

RG) As far as the Rippingtons are concerned, no, I don't think they were an influence on anyone (at least not on me). I don't think I've ever even heard them, but I've been led to believe they are quite good at what they do.

DM) Who are your music influences?

RG) Boy, there are so many. In terms of the people whose influence really shaped Rippo's sound, I'd have to go with Parliament/Funkadelic, James Brown, Fishbone, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Living Color. When we were first working out our own songs, they were the groups we listened to for inspiration. On a personal level, we've been influenced by a variety of people-- from Jeff Beck to Devo, and Run-DMC to Led Zeppelin, Alice Cooper to Dave Brubeck, and everything in between.

DM) That's a wide range; how do you fit it in?

RG) I guess we saw our notch as being somewhere to the funk side of Red Hot Chili Peppers but on the rock side of P-Funk, if that makes any sense. We aren't the first band to blend funk with rock, but I think we have achieved a unique mixture of those elements, which, we feel, gives us a very identifiable sound.

DM) Where was your first gig?

RG) Well...that one's a little a harder because the band has been through a couple of incarnations. But as far as the current incarnation goes, I believe it would have been the record release party we did at Pearl St. in Northampton, MA for our first record "'N Din Som."

DM) And what was your favorite gig?

RG) I think each of us probably has his own favorite gig, but for me it would have to be the '92 Spring concert at UMASS Amherst, where we shared the stage with a virtual "who's who of modern alternative rock bands": the bill was us, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Phish, FIREHOSE, Fishbone and The Beastie Boys.

DM) Was that intimidating?

RG) We found it more inspiring than intimidating. It was the kind of experience that made us want to go home and practice so we would get that good. It really motivated and inspired us.

DM) That must have taken a lot of confidence.

RG) Well, I guess you have to have confidence in yourselves and what you're doing or you don't survive in the music business, because you're going to be told indirectly and directly that you suck many times over. The trick is to know what is genuine and accurate criticism and what is just vitriol.

DM) What do you do for fun outside of the band?

RG) Boy, we've got a variety of different hobbies. The guitar player (and I, to some extent) is a big mountain biking guy. The sax player is a big fitness guy who really loves to work out. One trumpet player is an avid golfer, the other a tri-athelete. The bass player loves to do graphics on his computer, along with being a Dallas Cowboy Fanatic. The Trombone player likes role playing and card games. The singer is into film, hoop and working out., and I myself love to read.

DM) What was the last book you read?

RG) The last book I read was THE RISE OF ENDYMION by Dan Simmons. It is a science fiction novel by the Hugo award-winning author.)