A NIGHT HANGIN' WITH TRE COOL
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From: Gibson Magazine
Interviewer: Brett Ratner
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This journalist has had many opportunities to communicate with internationally famous artists in an interview type situation. It's a rare opportunity when one gets to actually "hang out." You know; eat at the same restaurant, ride in the same car, go to the same clubs and talk about stuff completely unrelated to music. One could say that you get a glimpse at the actual person instead of a prepared speech recited in dozens of other interviews. This opportunity arose during N.A.M.M. week in Nashville. It was Friday, July 12 and I was heading to Henry's Coffeehouse. I was crossing the street on 4th Avenue by Gruhn Guitars and I spotted Slingerland's drum finish guru Pat Foley with Slingerland's newest endorsee, Tre' Cool of Green Day. Upon introduction, Tre' (or should I say Mr. Cool?) seemed very polite and talkative. Sporting checkered pants and a vintage "Atari" T-shirt, he was also very willing to be photographed. We walked to Henry's for refreshments and talked about a variety of topics, ranging from the 30 or so songs they have lined up for the next record, to the five years they spent living in a van as a touring act, to their current status as punk/pop/rock heroes. Possessing what could best be described as a short attention span, Cool didn't delve into any topic for more than a sentence or two."Things have always been happening for me," said the confident 23-year-old, without a hint of faked humility. "I cut my first record when I was 10 years old for a band called Lookout. From that band grew Lookout Records, which is now a prominent label in the punk scene. "We're not breaking up, but it's cool that people are talking about us. It's good for publicity," Tre' said, regarding a rumor that the band might be disbanding. "In fact, we have about 30 songs ready to record. By the time we get into a studio, we'll probably have 50. We made Insomniac a little weirder to help us avoid the sophomore slump and so that people don't think we're all commercial. But the new songs are catchy, catchy catchy!"In keeping with his short attention span, Tre' wanted to vacate the premises, and quickly find something else to do. Pat, Tre' and I hopped into a waiting limousine and proceeded to circle Nashville's downtown district a few times while Tre' played with all the buttons and switches and started conversations with the passing pedestrians.We finally settled on the Hard Rock Cafe as our first destination. We got a lot of looks as we took our seat, but I suspect it was as much from Tre's blue hair as it was from his celebrity. Our waitress (who's name tag read "Tall Cool One") acted in keeping with her nickname and remained unaffected by the fact that she was waiting on someone who's current record just topped four million. Tre' was quite impressed by this.As we munched on our nachos, Tre' flitted about the room, visiting a small table of teenagers to wish the guest of honor a happy birthday. The waiter from that section visited us to thank Tre' for being so cool.After our snack, we cruised down the street to the Wildhorse Saloon to catch Carl Perkins. As we approached the door of this fine establishment, a skate punk-looking guy and skater girl stopped dead in their tracks, staring at Tre', grinning with amazement. "Don't just stand there," Tre' said, with genuine enthusiasm. "Shake my hand and introduce yourself or something."Pat and I ventured in as Tre' embarked on a brief conversation."This is the guy who did 'Blue Suede Shoes' right?" inquired Tre' over the din of the music. "Cool." Unaffected by the fact that he was amongst a crowd unlike his own, Cool remained his gregarious self, flitting about the room, embarking in conversations with whoever, including the Mavericks' guitar player. When I pointed a video camera, Tre' proceeded to do a pretty believable impression of a breakdancer. This was perhaps a first for both the Wildhorse Saloon AND a Carl Perkins concert. I busied myself with filming Mr. Perkins and the next time I turned around, Tre' was gone. In true Tre' Cool form, he quickly grew bored of his surroundings and took off, even in the presence of a rock 'n roll legend. I wasn't too worried about this. I had learned a lot from my experience already. The only thing else I might have learned by tagging along might be how apparent it would be that I couldn't keep up with him, especially as the night wore on. Tre' Cool is a solid, lively drummer, but what makes him a "rock star," in my opinion is his charisma, his constant need to be performing (whether it be singing happy birthday or a bustin' a move in a country joint) and of course, his boundless energy. One didn't have to hang out long to figure that out.
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