When you think of Quay Lude, an Octopus armed Geisha Girl, cheerleaders, carnival barkers, business suits, spinning keyboards, straight jackets, leather cod pieces with zippered hoods, and a babies arm holding an apple all rolled into one you have to be thinking about one of the most visual rock bands ever, The Tubes.

John Staley Photo

The Tubes were one of the reasons that the music video craze got off the ground. This was due to thier very visual concerts and a hige following of thier live performances. The Tubes, along with a handful of other musicians and bands were the catalyst for the trend that developed into todays DVD's.

We were very lucky to get a chance to talk to the lead singer and irrepressible front man of The Tubes, Fee Waybill. Here is what he had to say...

John Staley Photo

B2. The Red, White and Blue Band, The Beans, Radar Men from Uranus. How did the change come about for the new name “The Tubes”?

FW. We decided the name would be The Beans finally, and then about a month later an album came out on United Artists by a band called Beans. We contacted the record company but they said tough shit. So we changed the name. Some of the suggestions we didn't pick: The Gasmen, Larry and Mary. Tubes Rods and Bulbs (parts of the eyeball) was shortened to just The Tubes.

B2. Extreme visual effects, dancers, costumes, acting and more have always been a part of a Tubes live show. Almost to a point where the music and the visuals were both required to get the full impact of The Tubes. And thus seats were sold out at virtually every Tubes live performance. The Tubes first label didn’t seem to recognize this even though The Tubes were originally introduced to them on video. What made Capital see the “video” light?

FW. Capitol didn't exactly see the light. They slashed every video budget we presented to them in half. We had to go to Thorn/EMI, the parent company, to get them to let us do a long form video, The Tubes Video, which was nominated for a Grammy. All the other videos were financed by independent companies, except She's a Beauty.

B2. Now I am going to show my age and the longevity of The Tubes. Twenty years ago The Tubes along with a handful of other artists paved the way for the digital age and even more so the age of music videos. MTV was just cracking the eggshell off their network when Pioneer, Capital and The Tubes brought out The Tubes Video. How did this laser video change The Tubes?

FW. The Tubes Video put us on the map along with The Completion Backwards Principal Lp which had two hit songs. They used various clips of The Tubes Video to service MTV and the others. It was a great tool for us to promote ourselves. And cost effective. However, Capitol didn't see the light, as I said, and they turned us down when we wanted to do another long form for the next lp. They also cut the budget for She's a Beauty, a Billboard top ten hit single, in half. Not exactly forward thinking.

B2. While some bands were known as “Created for Video” such as Duran Duran, The Tubes seemed in their environment when playing to a live audience and/or on video. What makes The Tubes at home in both venues?

FW. Unlike Duran Duran, we created our own visual images. We were a part of the story, one of the characters. Not standing around while the action happened all around you. The stage performance, therefore, translates directly to the video.

B2. In what other ways has video (in any form) assisted The Tubes?

FW. We use to pre-record one side of a conversation on video and then talk to it live during the show. So it becomes part of the show not just a playback media.

John Staley Photo

B2. I too have been lucky enough to make my way into a few venues to see The Tubes. But one show in Tempe really stood out for me. I can remember almost every detail of the visual bombardment that benefited me that evening. When we heard the finger snapping starting we all knew that you would be found somewhere on stage in a straight jacket with a crazed look on your face. And of course we were right as it was Mr. Hate. But what stood out most that night was the quality, the depth, the absolute coverage of the full spectrum of sound. Can you give us a little insight into the audio side of The Tubes and their live performances?

FW. Being the lead singer I don't know a lot about the details of the audio equipment. I know we always used the best sound companies and I remember the front of house mixer made five times as much money as I did on the early tours. So that's why we sounded so good.

B2. The Tubes also had some unique touring requirements due to the size of the productions and support staff required to put it all together let alone the band itself which was larger than the average band. What did/do you find difficult and fun about The Tubes touring needs?

FW. In the old days we didn't have too much of a problem because we brought everything with us. From the Harley to the High Trapeze. We just had a problem if the stage was too small.
Today, it's impossible. We can't get promoters to supply anything. Now I bring my chainsaw in my luggage.

B2. You have been seen on many an occasion on stage with some big V-Twin motorcycles out of Milwaukee. How did that come to be the bike of choice on stage with The Tubes?

FW. It's a HARLEY DAVIDSON world. Those rice grinders are just taking up space.

B2. If my memory serves me well I seem to remember you doing some racing at one point. Do you still do any racing?

FW. Not any more. I used to race off road for Nissan but they discontinued their Celebrity Race Program after we destroyed all the trucks.

B2. There have been rumors here and there about new albums and even a possible collaboration with some more of the original band for a live performance. Can you give us a little insight into this? What’s next for The Tubes?

FW. Just more rumors. There are no plans to do any performances with the all original members. We are going to Europe this summer and have a couple of offers for a new CD from German companies. We have a new show for the summer and are doing a lot of out door venues so, should be fun.

John Staley Photo

Visit http://www.thetubes.com/

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