If you’ve grown up in the SoCal punk scene, you’ve encountered either The Grim or Glue Gun (or perhaps Glü Gun in their early days) in one form or another. They are a classic staple in the scene and we’ve sat down with one of the main forces behind these bands, Bob Oedy to discuss his time with these groups and also his book, The Punk Rock Las Vegas Survival Guide.
Q: How did you get into playing music?
Bob: Music has been an obsession of mine since I was a kid. My friend Eric and I would listen to the same albums over and over. We would stare at the album covers and contemplate every word of the lyrics. One day his mom told me I should take up guitar and have my own band someday. She convinced me. A friend had a sister who gave guitar lessons. Another friend loaned me a guitar. That’s how it all started. A few years later The Grim played the Hootenany at Crespi High School.
Q: What event steered you into the punk scene?
A: My older brother saw the Sex Pistols play at Winterland in San Francisco. When he came home from college he had all these wild stories. I retold those stories for years. Then like everyone else in Los Angeles at the time I started listening to Rodney Bingenheimer play punk on KROQ. Albums were expensive so I would record the show and try to learn the songs on guitar. Some of the earliest bands I saw were The Ramones, Dead Kennedys, China White, Middle Class, Circle Jerks, Fear, etc.
Q: Can you give us some background info on how The Grim came together?
A: Tim McDuffee (Singer) and I became friends in high school. I was playing guitar in a punk band called Secret Affairs (Not the English mod group). The drummer quit because he was seeing this girl whose parents didn’t want her being associated with a punk. Tim liked our music so he went to school a few days later and found us a drummer. Then the singer lost interest so we made Tim singer and changed the name of the band to The Grim. G.R.I.M. stood for – Getting Revenge In ‘Merica.
Q: Was there an original concept for the formation of Glue Gun or did it evolve naturally?
A: Two roadies of The Grim asked if I would like to sing in another project. They said there was only one caveat. I was not allowed to put my hair up. At that time I had a haircut like Billy Idol so I had to shave my head. We did a photo shoot in front of a cabin in Topanga Canyon. We wanted to look like a punk cult. Sort of like Heart’s – Little Queen album cover only punk rock. We were too clean cut and quickly grew bored of the idea.
Q: I got to experience the tail end of Glue Gun’s set at Slacker Fest at The Moose and it was amazing. How did the theatrics in your performance on stage come about?
A: Early on we began to experiment with props; home-made pyrotechnics, .38 caliber blank gun, sledge hammer, lights, cow heads, and sound-effects. It was wonderful to have that freedom to express myself. We hollowed out an old television so it would fit on my head. That gave us the idea for the song Television Man. We’ve toned down the use of props a bit since and now are focusing more on the music.
Q: How did you get involved with The Moose?
A: The Moose sponsor underprivileged kids and support the elderly. It’s a great organization! I’m proud to be a member. They have a reputation for being a place to get cheap booze, but that’s not why I joined. There was a competing club promoter trying to get the lodge shut down for putting on low-cost hardcore punk shows in Lancaster. It’s a working class neighborhood. Kids can’t afford to go to some overpriced club and shell out a small fortune. We thought if we became actual dues paying members it might help to keep the lodge open and convince the membership to continue to allow punk shows. It worked! People don’t realize how many great bands have cut their teeth at Moose Lodges, VFW Halls, Elks Lodges, etc. Black Flag is one that comes to mind.
Q: Over the years, what has your experience been like playing live in Southern California or beyond? In particular, what was your experience like in the 80’s?
A: The band had a nice following right out the gate. Tim McDuffee is a natural promoter. He knew how to set up shows and get people interested. We started out playing house parties. Back then it was not uncommon to have 200-300 people show up. We played a lot of shows no one wanted. Anything so we could have an excuse to hand out flyers. We played $1 night at The Cathay de Grande for months. Don Bolles of The Germs was the soundman and one of our earliest supporters. Eventually they gave us a Saturday show opening for G.B.H. Once the orange album came out and appeared in the background of the movie Pretty in Pink we started to get noticed. Gary Tovar put us on a few Goldenvoice shows at the Olympic Auditorium. Those were always the best! It was fun touring the U.S. but it was a lot of work and we were always glad to get back to California.
Q: Did I hear right you’re next album is being released on Mystic Records by Doug Moody?
A: Yeah, Doug and Candace D’ Andrea have been very supportive of The Grim. They rereleased our old material on CD and we like working with them; always have. The Grim never fit the “corporate punk” model of other labels anyway. We say what we want to say. We believe what we want to believe and we’re not interested in making our music sound like anyone else’s. We’ll leave the politics of the whole corporate punk movement to other bands. It’s a death spiral. They can have it!
Q: As a union organizer, do you feel punk has helped your job performance by giving you a perspective you otherwise wouldn’t have had?
A: That’s a great question! Sure. As far as relating with workers I’ve been at the bottom, done the dirty work and been schooled by some of the best. Also my car is the office so I’m always in the field where the work is actually being done. There are some parallels between punk rock and union organizing. For example; you need to know how to make great flyers and distribute them quickly without drawing attention. You need to be able to grab people’s attention. You have to put yourself in danger at times too.
Q: As obvious as it is to ask, what was the inspiration behind The Punk Rock Las Vegas Survival Guide?
A: There was a need and in writing the book I was able to help people get more out of their Holiday weekend. They come from all over the world to Las Vegas over Memorial Day weekend. It’s allowed me to make some great friends. They love the tips and money saving advice offered in the book. Vegas is tricky city. Either you know where the cool places are or you risk wasting the weekend at some jive hotel getting eaten by bedbugs and chased around by security. Why bother? Having played the festival and competed in the tournament who would be better to write about it? The book comes with 12 stickers from various punk bands. It’s made in America and is printed union. I would sure appreciate your readers taking a moment to go on Amazon and leave a quick review.
Q: Any upcoming news or shows for either The Grim or Glue Gun?
The Grim is scheduled to play NardFest at the Majestic Ventura Theater, August 30th with Rikk Agnew, Jughead’s Revenge, Agression, Stalag 13 and Ill Repute. We’ll be giving away special limited- edition guitar picks at our merch table so come by and say hello.
The Grim is also playing with The Misfits, She Demons, Neblina and My Modern Valentine Thursday, November 12th at Majestic Ventura Theater.
There’s also a free show with Pulley and The Grim Saturday, October 17th at Pete’s Place in Reseda.
Both bands are in the studio working on new recordings. The Grim have recorded 10 songs and have 3 to go. Glue Gun is recording two for a split 7” for D-Tour Records. One of the songs is called “Plastic Gun”. It’s about a killer who makes his own weapon with a 3-D printer.
Thanks Bob. If you’d like to check out any of his bands or the book, visit these links
The Grim on Facebook
The Grim on Twitter
@thegrimband
Glue Gun on Facebook
Glue Gun on Twitter
@gluegunpunk
Book on Facebook
Book on Twitter
@punkrocklv