Interview: Gogol Bordello bassist Tommy Gobena

VIDEO: Gogol Bordello Interview

Where are you now?
I have a day off in Porto, Portugal.

Your live show is touted as one of the best right now. What do you think makes it that way?
We are honest musicians who come onstage and bringeverything we have and leave it onstage. No boundaries. No limits. Wecome to perform and feel the music and feel the energy, and thecrowd responds the same way. We can't stop the crowd. The crowd can'tstop us.

Do you think there are any misconceptions about the band?
Some people think we are just like a fun, let's-go-crazy-band-onstage kind of people, but we're excellent musicians. Weare serious about what we talk about and serious about music, butthere is no reason that we can't have fun at the same time. That needsto be said at a certain point. We love to have fun, and we party all thetime. That is no question, but at the same time, we are excellentmusicians.

What is it like being the most recent addition?
For me, being the new person, it's funny to see the demographics ofour shows. There are people as young as 12 or 11 who come to our showswith their parents. And then, at our New York show, there was this gray-haired balding man who was crowd-surfing, and people couldn't stop clapping for him.

How does this new record, Super Taranta!, stack up to the last one [2005's Gypsy Punks Underdog World Strike]?
Just everything is elevated to the next level. The performance is at a higher level, the writing and musicianship is great, but it is still based on the gypsy punk sound.

What is your favorite track?
I like "Forces of Victory," "Alcohol" and "American Wedding," because each one of them is a completely different vibe. I can't sit still listening to the record.

What attracts you to [lead singer/songwriter] Eugene Hutz's writing?
The subject matter, man. No one talks about those things at all thesedays, especially when you talk about commercial music. Eugene tacklesall different subjects. He's conscious of social and political issues,and not limited by any boundaries. He is not restricted by any onething. Like Eastern European prostitutes, nobody talks about stufflike that.

What exactly is your band's philosophy of "new rebel intelligence"?
No boundaries. Not to be bound by society's rules. We are all completebeings and think for ourselves and make our own moves, and we are allintelligent enough to know this. We can make our own differences byour own moves.

You temper your politics with a healthy dose of humor.
Yes. Nobody wants to hear a preachy person or band. "There's no reasonto preach to the people you can reach." That is our attitude. We take it light, but we definitely have something to say. Everyone comes to our shows and dances like crazy, but they all have aconnection to something we have said. We get a lot of people coming tosee our shows who are physically handicapped who have had a lot ofproblems and issues. And by listening to our music they are fighting ithard. Some people have problems with their families ... We get a lot offeedback through e-mail.

Are there any bands whose politics you feel in line with?
There is so much that I like and so much that I don't care for. Everytime I think about someone musically whose message I like, the personwho comes to mind is Bob Marley, from his music to his message to theundying legacy he left that remains today. Every corner of the worldis into reggae because of what he did. His message is in line with thecurrent situation in the world. I love Tool ever since I discoveredthem when we just played with them. I love Steel Pulse, too.


How would you describe Gogol Bordello, the band?
Total destruction [laughs]. "Gypsy punk" doesn't say what we areanymore. We are way more than that. That was how it was created andwhat it was based on. Of course, I was always into the Motown sound.Everyone who is into music should be into it, especially bass players.

How would you describe Gogol Bordello, the message?
Open your mind. The music industry should be more than what it isright now. Be active. There are so many things happening musically,socially and politically. Be active and be aware of yourself.

OUT NOW: Super Taranta!