From their SST-referencing name and gracefully sloppy Ramones-meets-Kicking Giant sound to guitarist Randy Randall and singing drummer Dean Spunt's decision to release five limited edition vinyl-only EP's on five different labels as their introductory course, No Age seems to get everything right.
Weirdo Rippers, a favorite around here, is a superb selection of 11 tracks culled from the aforementioned EPs. If you still haven't snagged a copy, head to the end of the my discussion with Los Angeles's finest, a bona fide Band To Watch, and listen to "My Life's Alright Without You," a snotty fuzz-rock nugget that appeared on the self-titled Youth Attack EP prior to its inclusion on Weirdo Rippers. Additionally, the UK label Upset The Rhythm kindly gave us permission to post the punk-loping non-album track "Get Hurt" from the Get Hurt 12" EP.
No Age are great, but I wouldn't be mentioning Randall and Spunt in Quit Your Day Job if they were just a cool band: One teaches Special Education at an inner city school and the other works as a wardrobe stylist for television commercials. Intriguingly divergent, right? See who does what after the jump.
STEREOGUM: How did you get involved with wardrobe styling?
DEAN SPUNT: I started doing it through a friend. He was like "you wanna make a hundred bucks tomorrow?" and all I had to do was take these clothes back to the mall. That was three years ago, and since then I have moved up in the ranks. I am usually a first stylist assistant, which basically means I go shopping before the commercial, pick out clothes for the actors to wear, get the director to agree, sit on set and make sure the actors are all dressed well. I didn't know anything about wardrobe when I started, but now I know little things like which colors clash and how to steam wrinkles out of designer jackets.
STEREOGUM: Have you carried any of these tips into your daily wardrobe?
DS: Definitely.
STEREOGUM: How do you get wrinkles out of designer jackets?
DS: To steam-out wrinkles you have to use a professional steamer. Jackets are tougher than most things like dresses or blouses; if you leave it long enough they will be out, though if you steam it too long it will get wet and that won't be good for shooting.
STEREOGUM: What are some common color clashes?
DS: Never put yellow with red. Never. If stripes are too close together on a shirt, it will look like the shirt's moving on camera, like, dancing.
STEREOGUM: What commercials have you worked on?
DS: Dunkin' Donuts, Sprint, AARP, a French mayonnaise company, Cell South, etc ... a ton! Nothing that's been really exciting because most of the commercials are for giant corporations or useless products, but picking out clothes is always fun.
STEREOGUM: What did the folks wear for Dunkin' Donuts?
DS: Dunkin' Donuts was very specific. They had uniforms, and even the people who weren't in uniform were specific. Usually clothes from the Gap or Target, "normal" clothes without logos that are inexpensive and from a place where we can return what we don't use without a problem.
STEREOGUM: Do you sneak No Age or PPM products into commercials? (Note: PPM is Dean's record label)Or make subtle nods to friends, or whatever?
DS: I have put some Wives [Dean and Randy's old band], Mika Miko and No Age shirts in the fittings, but they've never made it to commercials. I always try though.
STEREOGUM: I imagine you've had to deal with picky actors and actresses. So, what if they don't like the clothing you've selected for them?
DS: They never do, but we're getting paid to dress them and they're getting paid to wear the stuff, so usually it works out. Actors usually make like $20,000 a commercial, or something ridiculous, so it always baffles me when they complain.
STEREOGUM: When you're not given Dunkin' Donuts specifics, how do you choose a particular outfit? If I had to make a commercial for this column, I wonder how you'd dress me...
DS: I would dress you in skinny jeans, a Ramones t-shirt and a fixed gear bike. Haha. No, really, it is all about what the director and the client want. We try and throw inour own kind of stuff, but when it comes down to it, they have the final say. I try to put friends clothes in -- like Keep or aNYthing or band shirts -- but again, we have to please commercial people.
STEREOGUM: You mentioned doing a couple jobs on your own. Which were those?
DS: I worked on this one job by myself that was a campaign commercial for people to vote on a proposition. It was really mellow and there were only two actors. Mika Miko was playing at the smell and the commercial was shooting 6 blocks from there, so when I got the actors dressed and they started doing their takes, I snuck out for about an hour to see the show. I came back and it was like I never left. You always end up sitting around forever on those jobs. I have also done a couple still photo shoots for different magazines. But I usually assist because there is less responsibility and I get to drive around to all the different department stores and just kinda watch people. That is the real fun.
STEREOGUM: So do you generally work for a larger temp-style company or is it freelance?
DS: It is freelance. I work for production companies. They hire the stylist based on the clients needs, and if they happen to hire the few people I assist, then I get to work. I let them know when I am not around and it always works out. If I'm gone, there are others that can do it and vice versa.
STEREOGUM: Ever try to style Randy?
DS: Well, he asks me for advice more than I style him. Stupid things, like if we have take a photo for something, he'll ask me if the shirt goes with the pants or what shoes to wear ... or if the raccoon-skin hat is too much. Randy has good style.
STEREOGUM: Did the raccoon-skin hat stay?
DS: Yes it did!
STEREOGUM: Do you design the No Age albums and t-shirts?
DS: Yes, we both do. I came up with the t-shirt designs, but we both come up with everything, basically. The record designs are pretty equal and the bandanna was a joint effort.
STEREOGUM: Would you ever want to start your own clothing line?
DS: Ummmm, well, no. Well maybe. I kinda look at our merch as that. Like cooler shirts that I would actually wear. Bandannas... things I think are cool. So I guess, in a way, we have already.
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STEREOGUM: What grade do you teach?
RANDY RANDALL: I have been teaching Special Ed, as aResource Specialist, for the past year and a half at South East High School in South Gate, California.
STEREOGUM: What subjects does that include?
RR:I teach kids with learning disabilities. Special Ed can be anything from needing encouragement to achieve their goals to working on sounding out letters and phonetic pronunciation. It has been a really rewarding job. I would come home each day more or less knowing I did something good. I didn't sell anybody anything or have to really whore myself out, which is such a feat in the job market. I would be so stoked when I would get out of work at 2:30pm, stay after for tutoring till 3:30, then come home and skate our ramp at the house till it got dark then in bed by 10pm to wake up the next day at 5:30am. The kids totally tripped cause I would wear skate shoes to work, and they were all like, "Hey, Mister, are you a skater?"
STEROGUM: What's the area like?
RR: The area is heavily Hispanic and Latino. If I remember correctly the ratio of the school is 98% Hispanic/Latino and 2% African American. It is in an area of LA that is just east of South Central (i.e. "Boys In The Hood" -- NWA, et al) and just north of Long Beach ("so much drama in the LBC" -- Snoop Dogg). It is what is known as "Socially Economically Depressed," meaning most of the families the kids come from are on some type of government assistance. All that being said, these are the raddest kids you would ever want to kick it with. They have such an understanding of life beyond their years, yet at the same time are the same snotty punks who think the world revolves around them like all normal teenagers do. Many of the kids I have taught have in been inand out of Youth correctional facilities and know what its like to be processed through the law system, and racially profiled when they are out.
STEROGUM: What's your education background?
RR: I studied Neuro-Linguistics at USC.
STEREOGUM: What does Neuro-Linguistics involve?
RR: Neuro-Linguistics is a form of cognitive science, which is studying how the brain processes thoughts, language, or any information or action. I also focused on Socio-Linguistics which is how language is molded to fit different social or cultural groups.
STEREOGUM: What sort of job had you planned to pursue based on the degree?
RR: I had no idea what kind of job I would pursue. I tried working ina lab doing research for a second, but quickly realized I hated it. I really like working with people and not crammed in some basement somewhere collecting data. The degree would be great if I wanted to pursue more formal academic research options.
STEREOGUM: Do you have teaching credentials, or whatever?
RR: I have yet to get my teaching credential, which is why I have to move back to substitute teaching. Next semester I will not be returning to my position. I had to resign because of the time restraints of being in the band and going on tour. The people in the front office of my school thought I had some kind of terminal illness with all the sick days I had to take this past semester due to band dates (SXSW, NY, Seattle, Chicago).
STEREOGUM: Is the school year split into quarters? So you have off in the summer, etc?
RR: Yeah, summers off is cool ... and spring break and government holidays. But remember when you had half days or days off for no reason and the teachers had to stay? We really do have to stay and attend boring meetings and training seminars.
STEREOGUM: Do the kids know about the band?
RR: I thought maybe it should be a secret at first, but then I told them and they didn't really care. Some of them thought it was cool, but kids are funny - they never want to show that they are impressed by anything, I could tell them I hung out with Ian MacKaye or Glenn Danzig and they'd be all, "whatever, that's cool Mister."
STEREOGUM: Do they know you're going?
RR: Yeah, I had to tell all kids I was not coming back full-time but just as a sub. Some of them were like "what's up?" but I think it happens a lot and that teacher's don't really stay for more than a year. They're almost numb to the rotating cast of teachers.
STEREOGUM: Do you plan to return full-time if touring slows down? I guess you'd have to go back to school, too.
RR: I would be psyched to teach again, but yeah, I have to go back to school to start working on my credential, so it would have to be a really really slow touring schedule...
STEREOGUM: Anyone ever bring you an apple?
RR: No, no apples. Cool drawings of anime characters or monsters with guns, or cool cut out snowflake things. I thought all the stuff they made was rad. I would always put it up on my wall.
No Age - "My Life's Alright Without You" (MP3)
No Age - "Get Hurt" (MP3)
