Behind the genius that is The Bloodhound Gang
by John Sewell
Apparently the word sophomoric was coined with the Bloodhound Gang specifically in mind. As a matter of fact, I'd be surprised if one day their picture isn't used in Webster's to accompany the term. A quick look through any article or review concerning the band, and the word is sure to spring up at least once. Or maybe bunches of times: sophomoric, sophomoric, sophomoric.
The word is just ideal to describe the band's lyrics, attitude, and demeanor. They have album titles like Hooray for Boobies and One Fierce Beer Coaster, song titles like "I Wish I Was Gay (So I Could get Chicks)," ridiculous videos like "The Bad Touch" and a general philosophical outlook that makes Blink 182 look like intellectuals in comparison.
BHG's music is a mix of rap, metal, pop and general tomfoolery. So the Beastie Boys correlation is obvious. But the Beasties have aged, mellowed and expanded since their initial days of fratboy hedonism. Asked if his group might follow the Beasties lead toward a path of enlightenment, Bloodhound's bassist Evil Jared Hasselhoff says no way.
"I suppose we have a kind of parallel thing with the Beastie Boys," says Hasselhoff. "The first difference is that they started from nothing, whereas we started with having them to rip off. So they kind of have an advantage on us from the start.
"I believe that in the future you'll find that the parallel stops," Hasselhoff continues. "We have no plan to get introspective—we have no plan at all. The only plan is to keep acting like jackasses for about another five years. And then I guess we'll have to get real jobs."
You certainly can't accuse Hasselhoff of thinking too much of himself or his band. Throughout the interview he continually downplayed the band's popularity, musical ability and artistic merit. While the Gang probably isn't making any bold artistic statements, they certainly are popular. In around seven years of its existence, BHG has scored several gold albums and even a few platinum discs in overseas markets. And in Germany, the Bloodhounds are for real superstars.
"We're huge in Germany," says Hasselhoff. "But then again, David Hasselhoff is also huge in Germany. [Evil Jared Hasselhoff is no relation to David Hasselhoff, he just picked the name because "I thought it would be kind of funny."] Germans have no taste. I mean, John Tesch and Yanni are also huge stars over there."
The Bloodhound Gang took different forms in its first two Knoxville appearances at the Mercury Theatre. For their first show, (in 1995) the band appeared as a straight up rap combo, aided only by a DJ. For the second show (1996), the band used the standard rock format of guitar, drums and bass and a DJ. Hasselhoff says that the band will pretty much follow the instrumental lineup for next week's show at Moose's Music Hall.
"People shouldn't expect too much from us," says Hasselhoff. "We've been playing together for around six, seven years, and musically we still suck. Entertainmentwise, we might do some stupid shtick—that's not 'cause we're good entertainers, just to distract from the fact that we're lousy musicians. We're using more of the standard rock band setup because all of the guys that knew how to rap have quit."
Hasselhoff says that he and the other members of BHG are intent on reaping as many of the benefits of the rock lifestyle as they can while the window of opportunity is open. In the past couple of years, those opportunities are even more common. Good record sales and concert receipts have enabled the band to engage in any and all forms of debauchery.
"We get drunk every night," says Hasselhoff. "And if you drink every day, you need to get at least 12 to 14 hours of sleep. It's noon where I am right now, and everyone else in the band is still asleep. They'll probably sleep for three hours more. If it wasn't for this interview, I'd be asleep too."
Apparently the band is usually getting those extended sleep hours on a regular basis, because they've been touring internationally for almost 18 months solid. By the end of this year, the Bloodhounds expect to have played around 300 shows in 2000.
You never really know just how serious Hasselhoff is about anything. No matter what the question, he deadpans some kind of well-rehearsed, flip one-liner. Obviously, he's been doing a lot of interviews for a long time.
So is the constant touring fun anymore? "It wasn't fun to begin with," says Hasselhoff. "There are benefits though. We get to screw a different Hooters chick every single night. And what's not gonna be fun about that?
"Right now, what we're doing is this: We go out; we work an hour a day; we get free booze, free drugs and free cable. And we make pretty good money doing it."
So perhaps the Bloodhound Gang is actually becoming more like Van Halen than the Beastie Boys. With their rising popularity, the band has been able to make some extra backstage demands on their rider. And if that's not a barometer of success, then what is?
"Now we have Skittles separated by color," Hasselhoff says, "because the orange, yellow and green ones are disgusting. The red ones and the purple ones are good. So we always have them separated out from the others. I'm totally serious."
November 23, 2000 * Vol. 10, No. 47
© 2000 Metro Pulse
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