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Bigwig live on grilled cheese and Jagermeister when they're on tour and they're always touring. I can see why, they make a killer grilled cheese. They still love referring to certain people as "Focker" from the movie Meet The Parents. Something they were doing when I met them in the fall of 2002. But there's more to Tom Petta, Brent Hamer and Keith Yosco than Jager, grilled cheese and silly names from silly movies. I talked with the New Jersey punks on their rented R/V in front of the Fireside Bowl in Chicago, asking general questions about what makes Bigwig, Bigwig.

Popular Underground Magazine: Who would you rather hook up with, Christina Aguilera or Pink?
Keith: Honestly, I couldn't care either way, but if I had to, one of them, Christina Aguilera.
Tom: Christina Aguilera, look at that little ass!
Brent: Pink, cause... I don't know, a little beefier.

One of the guys then blurts out "Focker," followed by another adding "What's up, Focker?" And a random "Gaylord Focker."

PUM: So what was your first job?
Keith: I was a pizza maker for like eight years.
Tom: Check this shit out! I worked for mafia guys moving chairs at a strip club slash mafia front and all I can say is I moved chairs. That's all I'm allowed to say.
Brent: I was a paper boy.

PUM: When did you guys first pick up an instrument?
Keith: I started playing drums when I was 12 and I'm 23 now.
Tom: Like 13.
Brent: I pretty much learned how to play bass to be in this band. I used to play drums in the school band a long time ago.

PUM: What fueled you guys to want to form a band and pursue it full time?
Tom: When the band first started, we didn't know that you could tour and stuff, so it was like a garage basement thing. And we just decided to start playing hall shows and then nobody would book us, so we'd just rent a hall and book a band like Suicide Machines, Strung Out or Less Than Jake and make it look like our band was bigger.

PUM: Bigger than Less Than Jake?
Tom: No, no, no, not bigger than them, I'm saying bigger than we were at the time, because nobody would book us, because nobody had heard of us.
Brent: I actually grew up going to those shows that he's [Tom] talking about and that made me want to be in a band.

PUM: What are the core values of Bigwig?
Brent: I'd say honor, courage, commitment.
Tom: Honor, courage, commitment. It's true; we're committed, we're courageous. I honor - fuckin - any source of currency. I guess we're really committed to playing music and just to get it out to as many people as possible and still having control of our music, because I think bands should be protective of their own music. Especially with the shady industry.

PUM: So how do you feel about being on MTV someday?
Tom: That's not what I meant by shady industry. I don't really have a problem with MTV. Well, what I necessarily have a problem with; I don't think it's bad for some other people. I don't think it's bad necessarily for bands on MTV, whatever anybody wants to do. It's just that no one asked us to be on MTV yet. I know nothing about MTV other than it's not really fun to watch.
Brent: I don't know, those rap videos have like a lot of boobs in them.
Tom: Some of our friends bands have videos on MTV and it hasn't changed anything, except maybe their records sales.

PUM: What are some of the challenges about being on the road all the time?
Brent: Each other. I mean, not in a bad way. But it's like, being in a box with the same five people for three months at a time, like all the time, you start jumping down each other's throats. Not in a bad way.

PUM: I noticed that on your website, each of you listed you mom as your role model. Why is that? And what kind of influence has she had on you guys?
Brent: She's my mother. She brought me up man.
Tom: Brent's mom has a huge influence on me. She looks like Princess Leia.
Brent: My first time was with Tom's mom... Going to the mall.
Brent: I've had a close relationship with my family.
Tom: Yeah, we're all really close with our family and I think that has a huge part in how we run our band and our music. We treat it more like a family instead of a business. We deal with the same issues in our band that you would in a family.

PUM: Are you happy with where the band is at right now?
Tom: Yes, because we get to play out more. Go on bigger tours sometimes and smaller tours and just play with a bunch of different bands that we like. That's what it should be about.

PUM: What did you guys set out to achieve when you guys formed?
Tom: Just play music in front of people.

PUM: In all of your tours, what band would you say has been the biggest party band?
Tom: Mest.
Brent: Mest.
Tom: They're beyond anything I've ever experienced.
Brent: Party isn't a word for them.
Tom: They put the fucking fun in funeral. Then I'd say Pennywise. (Looks at band mates) Less Than Jake?
Keith: They're a different kind of party band.
Brent: Mest is slowly destroying the earth.
Tom: Pennywise is quickly destroying everything in a great way. Just by the power of their music.
Keith: And Jake just throws dance parties.

PUM: Name a concert that you would be embarrassed to admit that you went to.
Keith: Put it this way: Any concert that I would go to, I was never forced to, everything was by my choice anyway.
Brent: Weird Al. I actually bought tickets and went and saw Weird Al like two years ago.
Keith: Was it funny?
Brent: It was great! It was the best show I'd ever been to, but kind of embarrassing walking out of there.

PUM: So what's the plan for you guys for the next year? What are you setting out to accomplish?
Tom: No matter what we say, we always end up touring.
Keith: It's always good to keep the band's momentum rolling so that's why we're always on tour. Any time you're stagnant or not playing, it has a negative effect. Hoping to record a record.
Tom: Yeah, I think we're going to record a record this summer. We're working on our DVD, we're working on our live record and we have a whole new merch website coming out.

PUM: What did you guys set out to achieve when you guys formed?
Tom: Just play music in front of people.

PUM: Anything you want to add?
Tom: We're always on tour.

By: Adam K. Zakroczymski III - Senior Editor / Founder

June 7, 2003