But right now, this record is a secret. And I
have it. And it's mine. I don't even have to
release this if y 'all want to keep it a secret.
You should. It's going to change. Welcome to
Overeducated and Underemployed. I'm Fedden. We've
got a really cool episode this week. I sat down
with Thelma and the Sleaze right before their
show at The Bark a couple weeks ago. LG, Hot
Sauce, and Tinkerbell. Really fun group of people,
but also, man, they put on a hell of a show.
So please go see them. They're trying to make
money on the road to put out their next record.
We get into all of it. So stick around for that.
Just a couple of things before I play that for
you. We got P -Funk Fest. Let's take it to the
stage. April 11th. I'm going to be there interviewing
a bunch of people, broadcasting some live segments
as well. So make sure you check it out. If you're
not going to be there... Make sure you at least
check out my interview with Shonda Clinton, Danny
Bedrosian, and look forward to the other ones
that are coming. Had a really great talk with
Thelma and the Sleaze about the state of the
country and all the stuff going on, as well as
their new record and how they put their feelings
about that into the new record and their music
in general. We just, oh man, it was really great.
They're cat lovers like me. LG, Hot Sauce, Tinkerbell,
Pumpkin, and Janet say hello. Just wanted to
let you know. That's my kitties. I'm going to
be up in Athens, Georgia again next month doing
a few shows with Lanny Farmer. So come on out.
Keep an eye out for those. I'll be at Flickr.
I'll be at a bar and winder. I'll be doing the
clean comedy show they have every month in Athens.
So check that out. And then in May, I'll be at
Don't Tell Comedy in Tallahassee. And I'm not
sure now that I say that, maybe I wasn't supposed
to tell you, but I don't even know where it is
yet. It just says East Appalachee Parkway. So
get a ticket for that. Maybe I'll be there. Here's
my interview with Thelma and the Sleaze. Thanks
for listening, y 'all. Welcome to Overeducated
and Underemployed. I'm here with Thelma and the
Sleaze. I've seen them several times, and I'm
really excited to see y 'all play again tonight.
I'm going to start with the first question that
I ask everybody. And I'll be honest, I typically
do one -on -one interviews. So if this gets a
little chaotic, I'm sorry. I like chaos, though.
There's a black cat right there. It's a sign.
So that's just a funny thing. That's part of
a sign that we always see black cats all over.
Yeah. Sorry to interrupt. No, no, no. That's
what this is. Yeah. I just got an outfit. So
tell me more about black cats, I guess. Since
we're there. Our spirit animal. Okay. You want
to tell them about Pepper? Yeah. We were rehearsing
for a New Year's Eve show a couple months ago
at LG's house. And about halfway through, we
took a break. LG went out for a cigarette. And
she comes calling to me like, hot sauce, hot
sauce. And there's a black cat out in her yard.
Just like meowing. A little tiny kitten. Yeah,
just a little baby girl. And she was so sweet.
Like we found her. She was really friendly. Just
came up to us. And we were talking about bringing
her to a shelter the next morning if she stuck
around. We said, if she's here in the morning,
we'll take her with us. And so sure enough, we
woke up the next morning after rehearsal, and
she was still there on the porch. She sat right
there looking up at the door. And we didn't have
time to bring her to a shelter because we had
to leave really early in the morning. So we took
her with us in the van all the way from Alabama
to Athens, Georgia. Oh, yeah. She was a great
little tour cat. She was hanging out in the van,
super friendly and sweet, hung out in the venue
with us the whole night. She only pooped on a
hot sauce with one. And it was only me, but it
was my fault. And it was like a very respectable
food. She was really sorry. It was, it was. Yeah,
like I should have read the signs. I should have
given her a box or something. But yeah, we were
talking about taking her. I was thinking about
taking her, but it wasn't going to work out with
my roommate situation. And so we're asking everyone,
someone please take this cat. Someone please
care for her. She's great. And so our friend
in Nashville took her for a couple of days while
we were recording because we went straight from
the New Year's Eve show to recording up in Nashville.
And so one of our friends fostered her for a
little bit. And then we found a home for her
through a mutual friend, friend of the band,
big fan. And yeah, now she's living with him
and she's the only cat there. And she's so loved.
And you see them everywhere now. Yeah, literally.
She must have got on like a Black Cat chat room
and was like, yo, take care of my girls. Because
now everywhere we go, it's like Black Cats everywhere.
It's so true. And we have a song called Black
Cat. Yeah. All right. Now that we've had our
ADD moment. Had to get that. Yeah, which I'm
all for it. The first question I ask everybody
on this show, because I think it really just,
it's a good conversation starter, is what's the
first song that you remember loving as a kid?
and i don't care which whichever one of y 'all
think of it first is fine with me i think mine
was lagrange by zz time yeah i think i got me
the drums too that cool intro that's mine gosh
i have so many it's hard to it's hard to pick
pick one when music's like such a huge part of
your life and you surround yourself with it every
day it's yeah yeah but is there is there is there
one that like you remember from when you were
like maybe the first the first one yeah Man,
probably with some like Jimi Hendrix. Yeah. Honestly.
That's a good one. Credence Clearwater Revival
was one of the first like real good bands that
I was really, really stoked on as a younger kid.
My brother got me super stoked on them. And yeah,
I just love my old school shit. It's good. Belly
Feed the Tree. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Nice. So. Were
y 'all like really into music at a young age?
Like how old were y 'all when you were getting,
being conscious of what you were listening to
like that, you know? Pretty young. My dad was
really into all kinds of music, like a lot of
classic rock. So I started listening to the Beatles
and ZZ Top early on, Black Sabbath, ACDC, and
also like Skrillex and Calvin Harris and that
kind of thing. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, there was always
music going on. The Pandora station was always
on on my TV. So your dad did meth? That's what
I know of. I think Skrillex is when I realized
I was getting old. Because I was like, sounds
like a fax machine. Not all of it, but like a
fax machine. That was just the first time I heard
it. Her dad does not do meth. There's two black
cats now. Oh my goodness. They're congregating.
They know we're talking about them. I think they
just want to come to the show. I think they do
too. My cats love your record. When I put on
Holy Water, they start play fighting and wrestling.
There's probably frequencies on there that only
cats can hear. That's the secret. I do have a
pretty nice modestly nice sound system. No Crosley
for you? No Crosley? Not Klipsch. So, Klipsch.
Oh, I see. Very nice. But not the high -end Klipsch.
Wow, yeah. That's respectable for sure. Yeah,
I like the horn tweeters. Some people don't like
the horn tweeters. When did you all start? When
did you decide you wanted to play music as opposed
to just loving music? Because I think that's...
something that happens, some people really young
and some people it's like, you know, they're
adults or something. I wrote my first song when
I was eight. Oh, yeah. It was about Scooby -Doo.
Can you sing it? No. Oh. When it was about Scooby
-Doo, me and my friend Angie, we wrote a song
about Scooby -Doo and we wrote a song about being
best friends. And then we put out folding chairs
in the living room and we were like, we have
to have a concert. and we had a concert yeah
i think we closed it out by doing the carlton
dance from fresh prince yeah add a little extra
special yeah yeah i remember writing songs with
my childhood best friend jordan and we would
have sleepovers and we had our little song notebook
i would play guitar and we would write lyrics
that felt like life -changing, like life -altering.
This is so meaningful and looking back it's just
really sweet and fun to think of. It did take
me a long time to get into playing live shows
and getting paid to play was a huge just new
thing for me and when I first got a bass probably
six or seven years ago I was gifted an Ibanez
bass and a bass amp because they're like you
play guitar you're musically inclined you're
interested in it but i didn't have any gear per
se gotcha gotcha so that changed everything for
me getting gifted those two things just took
it just took off and i i didn't go back i didn't
look back bass is my main kind of thing now versus
guitar which i grew up playing played trumpet
and some flute but yeah bass is really for me
that's where it's at and this band really helped
show me that too yeah When did you start writing
songs or playing before we move on from that?
Yeah, the same deal. I would just casually write
songs with my friends growing up. My brother's
also a musician and we're pretty close in age,
so we would goof around and write little songs
growing up. But I wasn't really interested in
playing drums until I was like 15 years old.
And that's when I really felt like I found my
passion. Because up until then, I did piano,
oboe. You do band and orchestra in school and
stuff. Just first chair oboe. Oh, nice. So they
say. That's the rumor. It's true. Just moved
up several chairs this week. Just this week alone.
So were you playing like rock and roll while
you were playing oboe? Or did it come later on?
It came later? Well, I started playing oboe.
I played oboe for eight years. And then starting
in, I think, fifth grade. and i would love to
see you i think i still remember the scales and
it's like right advice yeah this is my b -flat
scale wow but yeah i wasn't really interested
in playing drums until i was about 15 and once
i did it just felt like it all clicked this feels
right and yeah mostly just learn rock songs and
then as i got older and made she could play eruptions
yeah i can yeah yeah on drums yeah oh um hot
for teacher yeah yeah yeah yeah i'm sorry it
was hot for teachers i was like wait are there
drums i can't play the drums for eruption too
yeah but yeah so i don't know just writing music
as we go and this record was really fun getting
to collaborate on some stuff i'm so excited for
this record it's gonna be something else what
did you grow up listening to because i feel like
over the years y 'all have your sound has really
evolved to where at one point you it was like
you were dabbling in a few different genres and
now they're all infused into this sound that
really feels like your own sound so i'm really
i'm curious where some of that like your earlier
influences like what were some of the concerts
you liked you went to as a kid and or isn't the
first concert other than your own davy joe's
for the monkeys oh nice yeah he took his shirt
off but i saw arias yeah i'm thinking about how
old he was then too yeah he's probably in his
50s for sure yeah i went and saw skidder to ario
speedwagon with my dad my dad took me to a lot
of concerts yeah we grew up listening to aerosmith
get a grip came out when i was like eight or
nine you know my mom had that in the van that
pump my dad got me a copy of draw the line when
i was a kid i was like this is a but i also grew
up outside chicago when i listened to a lot of
rb and hip -hop and and stuff but just i could
see that a lot in your lyrics sometimes i feel
like your your lyrics really flow 90s was such
a great time for music. So I feel very fortunate.
So you brought up the new record and we don't
have a ton of time to go super deep. So let's
talk about the new record. It's called Cowgirls
from the Heck. All right. And it's our heaviest
record we've ever made. Hell yeah. Holy Water
was written and arranged for five instruments
and all these background vocals and all these
different things. And it was overwhelming. But
this is just a straight -up hard -ass power trio
fucking throwdown. Hell yeah. I think more than
anything, like, for me, it's just about getting
back to what made me want to play rock and roll
in the first place, which was, like, Pantera
and just heavier shit that I was new metal and
shit. I grew up in that era, so it's, yeah. And
just making it really fun again because it became
very not fun for a while. Yeah, just Raging to
like the fucked up fucking state of the fucking
world Yeah, we should all get on stage and be
screaming shit right now. It's fucking terrible.
Yeah, in fact that people are still making born
-ass fucking Bullshit music is pretty silly to
me. But yeah, I'm telling jokes about boiling
billionaires alive But yeah, no, it's just when
I've been playing with these ladies for a couple
of years and I fed off of what I knew they could.
I try to do that whenever I play with anybody
for an extended period of time, write shit that
I know they can get in and get under. And we
did 11 songs in two days. We went back to a studio
that we did a lot of our early albums at and
EPs and Nashville called Battle Tapes. Shout
out to them. And I think I have to go out there
and experience new things and try different things,
but he really is the best. Oh, yeah. He's just
the kind of guy who gets the flow. He has good
taste, and he knows without me even really saying
what I want. And so it's a really good ebb and
flow working with him, and he also pushes you
to try. He's a really... Really fun guy to work
with. And so we were able to do 11 songs in two
days. That's incredible. It sounds like you really
knew what you wanted out of the record going
into it. I think the bar is always Funhouse by
the Stooges. That's always the bar for every
record. That was one of my first records as a
kid. I love that record. Do it as live as you
can and just feel. Nowadays, there's so much
stuff you can do to spice shit up later. For
me, it was just about capturing their energy
and their chemistry. They have such a special
chemistry. And they brought so much. I didn't
even really want to make you this shit anymore,
really. So it was great to have them come in
and make it fun again and make it more. Because
it should be fun. It's fucking rock and roll.
Definitely rock and roll has its dark side and
struggles and things. But for the fucking most
part, it's got to be fun and you got to be horny.
And so, for a while I just wasn't horny. And
it was scary. It could be pre -menopause, but
we got it done. And I think some people are going
to get wet. And that's going to be exciting.
Hell yeah. Lots of people. Yeah, and so we're
just like playing these songs mostly. I've never
done this before, but we're literally almost
playing entirely the new set. The set is just
the new album. And there's like a couple classics
thrown in there for good measure. Give us a little
bit of a leg in. Because I know some people do
want to hear certain songs. But for the most
part, we need to play the whole fucking new record.
And we have so much fun. And yeah, we still have
to mix it. We still have to pull 10 grand out
of our ass and all the other bullshit that comes
along with it. Right now, it's just a secret.
It's a dirty secret in my dropbox. You can't
read it. It's fine. It's exciting. Yeah, it's
just fun right now. So we're just riding that
high. Yeah, they're really getting under these
songs live, too. I think based on the fan reactions
and what people are saying, they're really excited.
So it's good. I think as much as fans might want
to hear a certain song or whatever, What rock
and roll is all about most importantly want the
band to be having a good fucking time? I think
it's you culture your fans, and I think what
you I'm never giving a fuck what anybody wants
for me. I'll be honest Yeah, I'm mostly I Mostly
just make whatever Tickles me at the time and
whatever I'm listening to I was listening to
a lot of Robert Palmer, so I made fuck marry
kill and Fucking holy water. It was just like
I wanted to make a really really I just want
I had so many great players at the time I just
wanted to go off the walls and see what we could
do with all this fucking arrangements and and
shit and Yeah with my country. I was just really
sad and listening to old country songs Yeah,
yeah. Yeah this one. I'm just fucking ready to
rage. I hate everything now and I want to just
piss I want to piss off normies. I did say, like,
when fascism was on the rise again, that I was
like, at least music is going to get fucking
angry. It's really not, though. But it hasn't
happened, so I'm really excited for tonight.
Yeah. What else? So you've always just written
music for yourself. If you weren't going to release
music, would you still be writing it? I can't
not. Okay. Yeah. I can't not. so to you i think
what do we have i think we had 30 i had 30 songs
to pull from for this album i just make a notebook
i have a whole process and i go through it and
i me and her got together she's my drummer She's
a good kid. We just got together at this little
studio in Iowa called The Bank. The Vault. The
Vault. Yeah, it was a bank. Yes, it was a bank.
And this guy let us just jam on the songs together
and track it and see what was working and what
I felt like. Because not only do the songs have
to sound good on their own, but they have to
create a mood and they have to... I'm still a
fucking dumbass who makes albums. I'm really
trying not to be. because nobody gives a shit
i'm still a dumbass who buys albums i got i have
yours but yeah that is a niche now and most people
just want to hear a song and be like boing boing
boing it's great i like it sounds like something
else like so it's like to make whole ass records
and i've made whole ass records you want a whole
ass record there's whole ass records and this
is going to be a whole ass record too but i'm
not like Everything had to flow. There had to
be an ebb and flow. There always has to be certain
things on a Thomas Lee's album. There has to
be a long jam. There has to be a mid -tempo banger.
There has to be a ballad. There has to be those
things. But everything else for this album was
just in the moment. Whoa, that's fucking weird.
Let's do that. Oh, this is banging. Try that.
Or, hey, LG, what do you think about this? Oh,
I like that. Do that. Doing that in the studio
was so fun, too. Just getting to experiment in
real time. there were a couple moments on the
record that were just like improv improvised
and we kept them and it just it feels so right
it's so cool yeah because we have a chemistry
and that's really i think the best thing about
a good record is you can hear people playing
together yeah yeah oh wow it's palpable that
that chemistry oh wow you recorded a lot together
yeah all at the same time yeah so i'm gonna probably
do some vocal overdubs but that's it not even
overdubs there's just 11 songs in two days is
a lot and there's a lot of screaming on this
album sure i wanted to set a very high bar for
myself and be like that's it sounds like it just
poured out of you yeah i'm pissed pissed so is
that the motivation like every month We shed
our uterine line and bleed profusely from our
fucking vaginas. And it fucking sucks. Yeah.
And it makes you very angry. You get cramps.
You get fat for no reason. And it sucks. And
then you have to do that in fascism? Yeah. That's
what pissing me off. Yeah. That part. Was that
the motivation for releasing music again? I guess
you said something about, I didn't really want
to do this shit anymore. I mean, yeah, it sucks.
What kept you... I'm not a fucking douche. I'm
not going to make a fool of myself. If something
doesn't feel good or feel right, thank you, ma
'am. I'll go my way. I'm not going to push shit.
If the shit's flowing and the vibes are good
and they're fucking jamming on it and... The
right people who I sent shit to, I got to select
a few people. I was very secretive about this
record. I barely sent it to anybody. Probably
three. This is the first I'm hearing about it.
Three or four of my closest friends, yeah, who
I was like, what do you think about this song?
Because I know they have good taste and I know
they know what I'm capable of. But other than
that, I was very tight -lipped about everything
because I was just like, yeah, it's just stuff.
And I've been painting the last couple of years
and I feel like it's really, it's really, informed
my creative process in a new way that I wanted
to put into this record. Yeah. And yeah, I mean,
I've made fucking great records. I don't have
to make any more records. I can really just chill
the fuck out. But if I'm going to, it's got to
feel good. You know what I mean? It's got to
feel right and I know it's going to turn on the
people. I've got like 13 fans and I know what
they want and I'm giving it to them. They stuck
with me through my last record, which was so
silly and cathartic for me. And they deserve
this. And they're going to have it. And they're
going to be served it. And they're going to love
it. Or they're not getting anything else. We
have badass songs at home. But yeah. Yeah, no,
I'm still waiting for everybody to catch up.
The thing about being a leftist is you're white
just early. It's always just early. Yeah, and
we don't really have to be political outwardly.
We are, but the act of us entertaining people
in a public space is political. Because we're
women. And I'm gay. And I'm not going to blow
their spot up. That's not their business. But
you know what I'm saying. We're political without
even trying to be political. Their existence
purely in itself is a front to the patriarchy.
But we are privileged and we do get some perks.
But yeah, we work very fucking hard. And I'm
the kind of bitch, I don't give a fuck where
I am. I'm going to tell you to fuck the fuck
off. And I'd really rather do it anyway. What
really struck me is there was a car in the parking
lot when we showed up. And it had these Trump
2020 shirts, but as like seat covers. I didn't
even see that. And I saw it and I was like, huh.
And as I walked in, I was like, well, this will
be fun. You know, it just feels dirtier. It's
like giving a handjob in the library. You know,
it just feels naughty. And I'll do it. I'd much
rather do that than play at a fucking co -op
space where everybody feels the way I do about
shit. It's just echo chamber. Yeah, it's just
echo chamber. And it's an elitist. It's elitist.
I don't know. I don't think anything's gained
from that, personally. I think you should get...
out in these fucking streets and bust heads.
I wouldn't still be making rock and roll if I
didn't feel that way. If I went in that bar last
night and said, I was like, no, fuck that. We're
fucking standing upright. We're in a fucking
room with a microphone. Fuck Trump. Fuck ICE.
We're fucking queer. If you don't like it, you
can fucking leave. You know? Fuck yeah. You know?
And it felt nerdy. Yeah. It was good. And I hopped
out with money. It was great. Yeah. And it's
harder, but also, like, more rewarding, too.
Yeah. Like, there's something about, yeah, I
think when you say the echo chamber thing is,
like, that. Yeah. At what point, like, what are
you doing it for at that point? If the only people
listening to you already, like, are with you
100%. Exactly. Then it's. Just a distraction
from, like, direct action. I think the most important
thing for artists to do who are in a position
of privilege and have a platform is to lift other
people up whose voices don't have that platform.
And give people fucking money. That's it. You
don't speak up to them. You give them the fucking
platform. Yeah. Give it to them. Because, like,
I think a lot of people think they're a lot smarter
and a lot fucking... I don't know. There's a
real... There's a real self -righteousness to
a lot of shit that I just don't, it's just not
my brand. But that's fine. There's a really mild
version of, I think, what you mean. I interviewed
Weird Al Yankovic's guitar player, who's also
a Hawaiian slack key guitar player. A Grammy
-winning Hawaiian slack key. And he's not Hawaiian.
Hell, wow. But he, like, moved there a long time
ago, learned the music, learned the culture,
and now they invite him to the... like annual
Slack Key Hawaiian festival and he's revered
by all the native Slack Key players. And he said
the only people that have ever said that it was
cultural appropriation were people that had nothing
to do with Hawaii or Hawaii's culture or anything.
It was like people trying to speak for them.
Exactly. And it just didn't make any sense. No,
it doesn't make any sense. No, it doesn't. But
yeah. So in that spirit, what are some of the
things that are specifically pissing you the
fuck off right now? I want to take the floor.
Oh, this fucking war that just started. Holy
shit. The Epstein files, just like the whole
evolution of everything and just seeing how they're
trying to spin it is like fucking infuriating
and nothing's being done. By anybody. Yeah, people
are angry, people are posting about it, but the
people who have the most power to hold those
people involved accountable, they probably have
something to gain from all these people's power,
so they're not going to fucking say shit. Yeah,
they're part of the status quo. Yeah. I agree
with that. Is there anything else specifically
that's pissy? I just want to give you all a chance
to say what's pissing you off. Oh. Yeah, I think
there's a war on poor people right now. A class
war. I think there's a war on trans people right
now. That's very sad as well. Yeah, it's just
not a good time to be in any kind of position
of... It just sucks. It sucks. A lot of people
have really hard days. And I don't think there's
going to be anything gained from us talking shit
about it or saying anything. I just think...
No, probably not. I think that the best thing
is for people to... check on their neighbors
and build a sense of community and I think we
get very attached to these things and those things
don't really matter and they don't do anything
you're just creating a more of a chaos and more
noise and you can really get out there in your
community and maybe you don't have the same total
ideas as other people around you but you're at
least showing them that you're a part of it and
you know you're contributing and you're helping
people who are so much and so much need. I met
a woman recently, her feet were swollen because
she had to get on heart medication. She had swollen
feet and all she had was a pair of flip flops.
And all she wore was a pair of shoes. So you
might not be able to stop a war in Iran, but
you can get out there and hold a food drive.
You can get out there and go down to the campments
and hand out food like Miss Shirley. There's
lots of things you can do. You're not powerless.
Yeah. Are there any organizations that you know
are... I mean, a fucking organization, really.
You can do shit for yourself in small town. Food
Not Bombs. Food Not Bombs is, yeah, that's who
I always recommend. If you're looking for something
that isn't religiously affiliated or government
affiliated, I think they do a lot of good. Because
you don't need ID, you don't need anything to
go and get a nice meal. If you work at a restaurant
or you throw away a lot of pizza. Figure out
how you can get that pizza to most people at
the end of the night. I used to work at a restaurant.
We'd give out pizzas all the time. At the end
of the night, we did slices. Things like that.
They seem little. They seem, oh, fuck. But animal
shelters, they need help, too. There's just so
many ways that you can turn this fucking thing
off and actually help others and create a more
harmonized, more community space for everyone.
And it's we think we're fucked because everything's
expensive and it sucks. But like the people who
are at the very bottom of the reg, they're having
a really fucked up time. Yeah. And that shit
don't have any fucking is not does not discriminate.
Everybody can literally fall through this crack
and end up under a bridge or living in a tent.
It's not does not discriminate. So. i think people
need to remind themselves how privileged they
are and they need to get out here and help other
people because this is really that's what's really
scary is people are so distracted by all this
and i think one of the reasons for that and i
think it's by design too is like the loss of
third spaces it's capitalism it's all capitalism
root of evil man but i do think rock and roll
shows give like people with like minds a third
space even if it's a temporary one, a scheduled
one. I do think it brings people together in
a way that is like really important. I've done
tours where we hit out hard production supplies
and shit. They always have them here. Yeah, exactly.
And Trump won't take credit for that bullshit
because all the fucking overdose. Fuck you. That's
some grassroots shit. Those are people out here
caring about people. And that should be a great
example. of what the fuck can happen. I know
people that have been doing it for 20 years and
to the point where at first they were afraid
they were going to go to jail for doing it and
Narcan and shit. Like, yeah, it's yeah, it's
it's really scary. Yeah, man. Whatever you could
do to take a foot off of somebody's neck. Yeah,
but I hope that fuck capitalism, fuck music for
fucking the sake of fucking being rich or famous
is trash. We're out here to. empower people we're
out here to inspire people we're out here to
give people relief from the rigmarole of having
to exist in this up planet and yeah like thank
you like genuinely seriously thank you because
i think like and i i'm not alone here concerts
right now are like literally the only thing we
have to look forward to a lot of the time there's
not much else yeah except What do I have ticket?
What's my next ticket? Yeah, I'm glad to hear
that. And I know I'm not alone there. I just
left Athens where lots of people, you've been
to the Heathens Homecoming. All those people
are like that. Yeah, really nice people. So how
do you channel all that into the music in a productive
way? Because I feel like you did a really amazing
job of taking that anger and talking about how
you can be productive about it now. So like just
now, how does that translate into your music?
Or is it just fuck everything? Or is it just
about being angry? Yeah, I think you just, I
think, you know, anything that you do creatively,
I think you should hope that it goes to the right
place and you just hope that it reaches somebody
who really needs it. We have people come to our
shows and just say it felt so good to see women
empowered playing music. fucking being free to
create and and that makes you feel really good
so yeah i think yeah again just the act of us
existing as a political and and it's not fun
all the time to be there no i'm sure it's not
it is a fact and yeah i think more people should
be upset and i hope that more of the music that
you make isn't just for likes and shares it's
it's something that you're getting out here in
the streets And like I said, this tour is great
because we didn't have a lot of, we had a couple
holes to fill and we got to go play in DIY spaces
and places where, oh, we never had a show before.
And get some fucking, really fucking do some
good work and lift up people's spirits. And last
night was like, oh, pay if you can. And that's
cool. It's that kind of shit. Money doesn't fucking
matter. It's not even fucking real. You know
what I mean? There's no gold standard anymore.
It's never been as fake as it is now. It's like
so fake. No, and it's, we're all, we're all,
it's real hard to be poor in this country. It's
really hard to be old in this country. It's really
hard to be an artist in this country. It's really
hard to do a lot of stuff. Yeah, I just think
my anger is my anger. I own my anger. I control
my anger. I do my anger real well. But yeah,
I think just giving people that opportunity to
throw themselves around a room and feel somebody
else screaming into a microphone, I think that's
going to do what it needs to do. Yeah, I think
more people should be angry. Have there been
times in the last few years where y 'all have
felt unsafe on the road because of the fact that
you're inherently political? Fuck me, man. Shit,
really. I'm scared of you a little bit, personally.
I'm a bartender lady last night, man. And I don't
even think about this shit. I walk around all
the time and I think about this shit. Yeah, I
got a face that's good for punching. Yeah, I
do look like I've been to prison. And I haven't.
But, yet. But, you know, the bartender chick
last night, she was from Puerto Rico. Her family's
from Puerto Rico. She was born here. Here, as
in Puerto Rico. Whatever. But there were 15 cops
outside that bar last night. Because someone
got tased. She wanted to figure out what the
fuck was going on because she's running this
establishment. She's a fucking bartender. She's
uplifting this neighborhood. She's creating a
space for people. And it's very nice. She wants
to go out there and figure out what's going on.
Cops want to fucking talk to her. Or tell her
what the fuck is going on. And she came back
and she was like, it's because the color of my
skin is because I'm a fucking brown woman. And
I was like, damn. All I could do is really hug
her. But it's fucked up. That's fucked up. The
woman's running a business in a neighborhood
that really needs a good business. And somebody
upright who's trying to do some shit. And this
woman is trying to figure out what the fuck is
going on. And yeah, it's just deplorable. So
fuck me. If I feel unethical, I'll stab you.
But yeah, like... That shit's fucked up. And
you're pointing out, I think y 'all probably
get to see a lot more of America than the average
Joe. Yeah, it's like pulling a fucking band -aid
off. You're totally fucking... But yeah, just
the lack of accountability, the lack of people
caring about other humans and their well -being
and respecting people because you would want
to receive respect if you were in that position
is fucking bullshit. This idea that might is
right has returned in such a scary way on a global
scale. Because everyone's eating too much meat,
man. They're all jacked up on red meat and fucking,
you know, fucking. Celsius. And fucking. I got
off that Celsius shit. I was one of those people,
though, I will tell you. They're fucking only
grasping for straws. The patriarchy is grasping
for straws. They want to. They're coming up becoming
a parody of themselves. It's hilarious. It's
not hilarious. No The only way yeah, it's real
it has to be hilarious or you would set it wherever
all the Cowboys gone. They're gone bitch. Get
over it Yeah, I think like for me it has to I
have to find it hilarious or I would just Cry
all the time all the time. Yeah. Yeah, and I
feel like you often put humor into your music
as well is that intentional or or is it like
or does it come out like oh that was funny i
think it's i don't know i'm just an artist i
think i can't remember who said it but it's the
only thing worse than taking yourself too seriously
or something is oh yeah what is that take the
only thing we're not taking not being taken seriously
is to be taken too seriously yeah yeah yeah yeah
there should be levity to rock and roll Sure,
sure. And I'm a funny bitch. Absolutely. I mean,
I've had a very hard life. Fucked up shit. That
usually goes hand in hand. Yeah, so, you know,
it's like, I'm very grateful I have a sense of
humor. And I've always, not as much anymore,
just because I'm really having fun playing these
new songs. I've always infused a little humor
into my set and talk shit between songs. And
some people come just for the banter. And hey,
I don't care. The money's green. Even if it is
fake. I've just pissed off a lot of bandmates
saying dumb shit on stage. No, I just try to
be really careful because I love these girls.
But yeah. And I really should say how brave it
is of them to be out here. Because I've been
doing this shit a long time. I'm used to it.
They're babies in a lot of ways in rock and roll
years. And they're out here with this crazy bitch
who's been touring for 20 years in a fucking
40 Connell line. sleeping on cots and fucking
yeah being out here and you do feel very vulnerable
and you do have to deal still with so much bullshit
and for someone people in their generation who
gets usually gets pretty instant gratification
via these boxes for them to be out here trying
to really live life and experience things that's
pretty fucking that's pretty fucking dope and
i'm here for it If they want a ride, let's ride.
Up to the wheels. Oh, baby. I know y 'all were
with the band last year. When did you join? Because
I know y 'all have been with the band at least.
A couple years. At least two years, yeah. Because
I don't remember a time seeing y 'all play where
you weren't. God, I wish that were true for me,
too. I joined two and a half years ago. Okay,
so I guess maybe the first time I saw you, I
did not. Yeah. Let's go. I guess I didn't see
you at Flickr. You weren't. No, I've only played
here in Tallahassee. Oh, no. The first time I
saw y 'all was in Athens. Yeah, she was at the
40 Watt. Oh, yeah. I saw you at the 40 Watt,
but I also saw you the year before at Flickr.
I was a ripper at the 40 Watt. Yeah, that was...
I think that's when I fell in love with y 'all
for real. Yeah, well, if you're going to hang
out for the set tonight, you're going to see
what happens when you stick with some shit. Yeah.
Well, you say how long you've been in the band.
A year and a half or so. Give or take. She's
almost a veteran. So you were here last time
I saw you. If you can make it past two years
of touring with me, you're a hard bitch. People
are starting to see you play with them for the
second and third time now. They're coming back
for seconds. They're coming back for thirds.
They're still hungry. Yeah. No, it's some of
the most fun I've ever had on stage. I say if
you haven't seen Thelma and Mrs. in a while and
you thought, oh, wow. Get back in the room, motherfuckers.
Fuck yeah. Watch what my girls can do. Watch
what my squirrels can do. And the idea that I'm
not staying for this set tonight is absurd. I've
been doing this shit too long to take anything
too personally. Well, that's fair, but yeah,
I'm very excited. Yeah, we're excited. We've
done pretty okay in Tallahassee for the last
couple years. Everybody in Tallahassee knows
I chose Tallahassee over Pensacola. And I just
kept my end of the bargain. I say, fuck Pensacola,
and I always come to Tallahassee. Yeah. And I
hope that made something of you, Tallahassee.
It does. I'm thrilled that you chose Tallahassee
so well. It was such a great drive through the
Panhandle. We went through one city, smell like
pee and poop. and then we went to another city
and it smelled like fresh buttermilk biscuits
you don't get that kind of contrast anywhere
else i'm gonna guess it's a unique place i'm
gonna guess ocala and madison no monticello i'm
not gonna i don't know that's fine i don't care
yeah them cowards on the other side of the river
i don't care yeah wow i didn't expect this to
be such a fiery interview It kept me on my toes.
This has been fucking awesome. I really, really
appreciate it. I'd burn my bra right now, but
I'm not wearing one. Yeah. When's the record
going to come out? I know you'd say you have
to mix it still and stuff. Maybe do a little
bit of... You know, music as a commodity, it
just ruins it for me. Okay, cool. I like to...
I like... I just... I've made... I've had a lot
of situations where I've built things up. Yeah,
yeah. And it's just... It's just... debilitatingly,
devastatingly disappointing when, you know, shit
doesn't happen. But right now, this record is
a secret. And I have it. And it's mine. I don't
even have to release this if y 'all want to keep
it a secret. It's going to change shit. It's
going to change shit around us. Exactly. No,
gee whiz. Ideally, we're going to put it out
this year. Ideally. but We got to make a lot
of money and we want to do it on our own. I do
they don't care. I'm gonna be fine with it I
want to make it all on my own. I want to pay
for it all by myself and just not have to deal
with any bullshit Yeah, I think It ruins it to
put it out. So for now, I'm just really enjoying
playing the song. Cool. Fuck yeah. Heck yeah.
Yeah. Heck yeah. Heck yeah. Yeah, I think I think
they are too. Yeah And yeah, I'm going to record
two more records and then put them all out at
once. Who knows? She would never know. You could
record three records and then put them out in
reverse order that you recorded them. We'll ask
Pepper. Maybe we'll put months in front of Pepper
the cat and we'll be like, do you want us to
put it out in September, November, October, whatever.
And then whichever one she paused, that's when
we'll put it out. That's a good idea. I actually
think you guys post on that check. Yeah, in order
at home. I think we, I think, yeah, like, I think
that has to be how it's decided. Pepper, we brought
you treats. We brought you toys. Please tell
us. Please tell us, Pepper. She's so wise. Yeah.
She's so smart. Also, please, you know, when
it's cold, make sure you check there's no cats
in your engine. Always honk your horn. Make sure
there's no cats. That's why we took Pepper, because
it was very cold, and it's really sad what happens
to K -cats if they get... under an engine to
stay warm. So check your cars for cats, friends.
Yeah. All you guys at home. Take some beefaroni
to the food bank. Yay! Beefaroni. Do those things.
Beefaroni to the food bank. Is there anything
else you want to mention before we wrap this
up? Just come see us on tour. Yeah. And bring
three friends. And if you haven't sent someone
your favorite Thelma and Sleeve song today and
said, have you heard this Thelma and Sleeve song?
Try sending it. See what happens. You might brighten
their day. Yeah. I almost guarantee you will.
Thank y 'all so much. Dude, thank you so much.
Congratulations on your podcast. Congrats. Thanks
a bunch. Thank y 'all. That was awesome. That
was a lot of fun. I had a great talk with Thelma
and the Sleaze. I hope you enjoyed listening
to it. Make sure you catch them on the road.
There's links to all of their socials and everywhere
you can find them. They also just released some
great new t -shirts. that are available on their
website. They're kick -ass and cat -themed. Hope
to see y 'all at Phipps Farm on April 11th. Hope
to see y 'all up in Athens next month. Hope to
see you somewhere. Thanks for listening, y 'all.
I have launched a Patreon. If you want a way
to support the show, there's a link in the description
for that. Hit subscribe, hit like. Those are
free ways to do it. as well so i really appreciate
y 'all listening we'll see you next week