Flint: Owning Planet Earth

By Fisher Crawdat
St. Titosburg State Press
22 Dec 1998

If you like your rock stars arrogant and obnoxious, then Flint must rule your world. Their just released debut album, White Trash Folklore is at times a swaggering, mindblowing, sonically challenging experience. At times it is also like an old man's fart; noticeable by nature but subtle and unassuming. Their debut album comes nearly eight years after the band was formed. The famed moody intensity of a Flint live show is captured on the tracks of the album. To put it bluntly, it doesn't disappoint.
Flint may be unfamiliar to some but have been local legends in these parts for most of the Nineties. Flint's musical dynamic is different from most bands. It is almost a force of nature. Juwan Pilgrim is the principal craftsman and sturdy like an Oak Tree. His cohorts are Flint singer Cody Jackson and recently reunited keyboard player Doug Cherokee. As well Flint has added touring bassist Lance Overmars to its lineup and Pierre Young, former security specialist for the band, who can now add percussionist to his list of jobs in Flint. I sat down with a couple of the boys to talk about the new album but of course with Flint, the topics seemed to stray. Well-known as a notoriously quotable and controversial interview, Flint was especially eager to talk because the old man drinks (gin, rye, scotch) were flowing like water at this paper's expense.

[Answering for Flint are: Doug Cherokee (DC), Cody Jackson (CJ) and Juwan Dennis Pilgrim (JDP)].

Q. How do you think your style of writing songs has changed when you first started touring in 1992 to the album born of 1998?

DC: You'll have to ask C. Writing for Tartan Joy, I had a certain freedom that in this band by committee I don't have. I just think of a catchy riff or melody and write… That's how 'Corduroy Kilts Rub Me Funny' came about. [Cody enters the room after a trip to the can]
CJ: What's the question?
DC: Did you puke?
CJ: No.

Q. Songwriting?
CJ: I just write what I know.

Q. Which is?
CJ: Mainly that females are emotional psychos. Other topics range from having a drink to having a drink and skirtchasing. I don't know. They are just words.

Q. Have you been pleased with the reaction to the album, White Trash Folklore?
JDP: It's been mainly positive which we appreciate.
CJ: As long as it sells. That's the reaction we're after.
DC: We look at it if it gets ripped apart then it is at least getting recognized. We'd rather they call it sh*t than not write about it.

Q. Flint have a large local following in the vicinity of this Tri-State area? Do you think the rest of America will cozy up to Flint's style?
CJ: Maybe not with this album. We are making a dent though. Our goal, through our music, is to own planet Earth.

Q. That seems awfully arrogant. Is that a reasonable goal?
JDP: Yes.
DC: Yes.
CJ: Yes.

Q. What bands do you think rule the world?
DC: It's a new band every month it seems. What's that saying about music in the Nineties…
JDP: Here today, gone today. Flint is long-term.

Q. Let me throw some names out there then. How about The Smashing Pumpkins?
DC: They've got a couple good songs.
CJ: What are you talking about? [affects a high whining voice] 'Despite all my rage, I'm still just a rat in a cage'. Thanks bald, frightening looking white man. That dude [ed note: Billy Corgan]can go home at night with his teen angst and cry in his pillow.

Q. Great. How about Alanis?
DC:[affecting his whiny voice] 'I've got one hand in my pocket and I'm using it to massage my ying-yang'.[Laughter from the boys].
CJ: Good one, Alanis. Miss I'm-Too-Deep-For-Life. I wish she had given her stark naked video idea to Shania Twain rather than subjecting it to the poor unsuspecting public.

Q. Haven't your songs been labeled full of teen angst and too deep for life?
CJ: I have this great idea. How about you stop talking?

Q. But this is an interview.
CJ: Good one Fatma.

Q. Let's talk about the new guys, Lance and Pierre.
CJ: Our record company felt with only two heartthrobs in Doug and Juwan, we couldn't keep up with Backstreet and 'N Sync. So we added two more pretty boys.
JDP: [in Cody's direction] You deserve a kick in the teeth. Seriously, Lance toured with us last summer on the H.U.M.P. tour and he left another local band called Throwing Plums to play with Flint.
DC: Pierre has been doing security for us for a while. He's from the same trailer park as Cody and about five years ago, this guy kept showing up with Cody that Juwan and I thought was a few pennies short of a nickel. He's got good rhythm and his sho-lo is fairly threatening to anyone who feels an urge to jump on stage during a gig.
CJ: Pierre also brings a certain intensity to PlayStation games on our tour bus.

Q. Are fans on stage much of a problem?
DC: Not if Juwan is playing the banjo.

Q. The album was delayed because of a dispute with your producer. What was the problem?
CJ: Producers are babysitters. Juwan produced a lot of White Trash but the co-producer [P.J. Fondue] kept trying to impose a lot of his f*cking recorder flute thing on to some of my songs. I had to compromise for a guy who can't find friends to be in a band with.
DC: He's not a bad guy. There were just arguments because Cody is a bit of an idiot.
CJ: Me and Fondue get along now but at the time I wanted to kill him, or perhaps worse, mess up his hair.

Q. Good luck with the album. It's really quite good…
CJ: Guy, what are you talking about? It's probably the best thing you've heard since Wham!. Quite good. Good one, smart guy.

Q. Well then, hopefully the album will move huge volume like it should and we'll talk to you in a few months.
DC: Hopefully, it will sell and we won't be talking to a sh*tty student paper like yours.
CJ: Amen.
JDP: Thanks for the drinks.