DESCENDENTS

Interview by Todd jacobsen
Photo by Brian Archer

It feels funny for me to write about the Descendents and interview their ever popular frontman Milo Auckerman. Not because they are suddenly media darlings after years of being ignored by the mainstream press. And not because one of my favorite bands is finally getting the credit they deserve from the bands and fans of the pop punk genre they almost single-handedly created. Nah, it feels funny because about a year after their classic Milo Goes To College album came out, Milo was my roommate down in the dormitories of U.C. San Diego.

You see, Milo was a biochemistry major and I was a microbiology major and we both shared an incurable infatuation with music. Actually I don't ever remember being in the same class with Milo. Of course, I don't remember being in many classes anyway as I was truly living the college experience. Milo was a little more grounded and hit the books a little more than I did. OK, he hit the books a lot more than I did as he actually enjoyed studying and those mind expanding experiences while I was more on the mind altering side of things. This was probably due to our choices of favorite beverages. Milo's being coffee (bonus cups) - mine being beer (lots of it).

One of the things that surprised me the most about Milo as his roommate, was his hidden athleticism. Although everybody's image of him was this bookworm nerd with thick glasses, few people knew that he was a very adept runner. Milo was a nerd for the most part but he was also a valuable member of U.C.S.D.'s cross country team and had a very fast 10K time. In fact, once I went with Milo to his parent's house in Manhattan Beach and I had trouble keeping up with him when he went out for a run and I was on a bike.

Although Milo had officially quit the Descendents at that time to concentrate on school, he never got too far away from the music. He would do anything to stay connected such as helping local bands with back-up vocals, picking up any guitar left lying around and attending numerous shows in San Diego hosted by the illustrious Tim Maze. In fact, he would even jump on stage every time Black Flag came through town and actually sing "Police Story" with the band, who included Descendents founder Bill Stevenson on drums at the time. So it came as no surprise when he and Bill began collaborating on some new material for what would become I Don't Want to Grow Up. As Milo, states "I was getting the bug back and writing a couple songs, so the timing was right."

Milo would constantly play these new riffs and songs on this stupid ukulele that he carried with him incessantly. In fact, when my girlfriend would call and I'd be out drinking somewhere with the ABID crew, Milo would try out some of his new songs over the phone to her. She probably heard the whole I Don't Want to Grow Up album on ukulele before anybody else knew the band was back together. So when he called me up the other day from his University lab in Madison Wisconsin, one of the first questions asked was, "Whatever happened to that beat up old ukulele?"

"I still have it," he replied, "Duct tape and all. But it's hard to write songs on it once you get used to writing on a Gibson Les Paul."

For those of you who have been held captive in the basement of your psycho neighbor Steve for the past year, last September the Descendents put out a new album on Epitaph called Everything Sucks. Everything, that is, except the record. To my skeptical amazement the new record picked up right where the Descendents left off when Milo "retired" to post-graduate purgatory. In fact, it had more of the sound of ...College and ...Grow Up than any of their later stuff.

Based upon the reception the new record received from the new generation of "punkers" as well as the nostalgic appreciation from those of the "Old School" the Descendents were practically forced into touring. Now that Milo was married I inquired as to how the concept of touring went over. "It was hard to be away for such a long time. I'm not sure I'd be up to the whole touring thing again." However, he also stated that it provided fertile ground for a whole new batch of songs with titles like "I Quit" and "Will I Be The Same." I asked him if he was again dropping into the lost bastion of retirement or if a new record was in the works with this new material. "Right now I'm just back in Madison at the lab to cool my heels a little bit. ALL will be doing a new record & hopefully I'll have a faculty job somewhere soon."

So then I asked the lingering question that had to be asked: Will there be another Descendents record? "I don't know, the circumstances would have to be right. Recording I can see happening. The touring partŠ I'm lukewarm."

Well kiddies, don't count it out. Milo has left the spotlight twice before, and each time the musical virus that lives within him forced his return. So maybe after he exercises the left side of his brain in the lab life of luxury, he will be ready again. "I enjoyed my last year quite a bit and now I'm sliding back towards academic oblivion. I'm hoping to resurface when things get mundane and boring again." -Todd Jacobson