Seth Gordon and Tony Leventhal are the songwriters of The Mockers, a New York by way of Virginia band who released one of the best CDs of the '90s entitled Somewhere Between Mocksville and Harmony. On June 5, their long-awaited followup, Living in the Holland Tunnel, is being released on their own label, One Eye Open.

The Mockers have been labeled power pop, but what they do and are transcends that definition. They are a very intelligent band with Dennis Miller/Leary-level senses of humor that just happen to be influenced by all the great bands from The Beatles to The Zombies to The Kinks to country to whatever is good. It is a sincere pleasure to present an interview with guitarist Seth Gordon.

DF: How long have you and Tony known each other?

SG: Tony and I, believe it or not, met as kids in Spain. Our families had both moved from New York to escape the so-called rat race. His parents owned the school we both went to, and we were in the same class in fourth grade. We became good friends right away, spending our weekends listening to our Beatles records and Tony's Groovy Greats and Happening Hits K-Tel-esque collections.

DF: It's been a long time since recordings. You did this one with two of the best: Mitch Easter and Brad Jones. What was that like?

SG: I have to say that on this record, I honestly think we were lucky to work with the two of the best producers right now. There were times that I was kind of blown away that we were recording with Mitch Easter, this guy who I've admired for years, who has recorded some of my favorite records of all time. I'd go into the back room, and the masters to Murmer would be sitting on a shelf!

SG: The great thing about both Mitch and Brad is that they LOVE to come up with new sounds and new ways or twisting the usual pop stuff around. It was Brad's idea to come up with the breakdown in the bridge of "Pearly Gates" when the whole thing comes to a stop except for the church organ, harps, and a heavenly choir. I think it really made the song.

SG: Mitch has an amazing collection of amps, guitars, keyboards, you name it. So Mitch would suggest, why don't we try the Chamberlin on this song, or this guitar would be perfect for this one. We probably played 2 dozen different guitars and amps on this CD, plus plenty of weird things like clavioline, mando-guitar, tympani, you name it really. Mitch came up with the idea, and ended up playing this amazing, hilariously cool fuzz-bass solo on "Yes World". How many times have you heard that on a pop record?

SG: Mitch would really help us to not just jangle jangle all the time (not there's anything wrong with that!), but to try to take it to another level.

DF: You had worked with Gary Wade, the great engineer of your first CD. He also did The Rooks' classic debut. What was Gary like and how did his style differ from Brad and/or Mitch's style?

SG: Gary was one of the nicest people I've ever known. The most patient in the studio--I never saw him get upset or frustrated if things weren't going well. He made you really comfortable in the studio. Actually, you can hear Gary on our first CD, trying to get Tony to remember how to sing "5 Minutes Before"! Gary was one of the best engineers EVER. He had a 16 track studio and he could wring more sound out of it than most guys with 10 times the tracks.

DF: I consider The Mockers Somewhere Between Mocksville and Harmony a groundbreaking CD in that it was one of the first underground CDs in what I like to refer to as the Fourth Wave of Power Pop. (First: Beatles and Brit Invasion, garage and psychedelia; Second: early '70s, Big Star, Badfinger, Raspberries; Third: late '70s, dBs, The Knack, The Pop, The Beat, et al). To me, Mocksville, The Rooks debut, Chris von Sneidern's Sight and Sound and the first Yellow Pills compilation CD started, or more accurately, brought to the surface what was already there: a ton of talented artists who play, sing and write power pop. Talk about the early '90s time period when you made the Mocksville CD, the New York scene and what inspired the band around the time of Mocksville.

SG: Actually, the seeds of this for us go back even further than the early '90's. Even though I hate to admit it, Tony and I started the band in the mid to late 80's. We were definitely out of the mainstream, especially since were based in Virginia at the time. Except for the garage scene, or the occasional mod band, there were very few bands doing "pop" or 60's oriented material. We both met Michael Mazzarella around '86 or '87, and for all of us it was wow, we finally met someone else who "got it." We used to have hours long conversations about the music scene, pop, plans for the future. That's how we eventually met Dave Rave, Richard X., The Gripweeds. We actually got to the point where we were going to start our own label to release all of the great music we were all doing. We used to say things like "we're not nuts--this is cool music!" No competition involved, in fact we felt like we all complemented each other. This is what was going on when the first Rooks CD was recorded, and after that our first CD. It was a real community, and it was really exciting.

DF: Mocksville was given a great review in Billboard. Not bad for a self-released indie band. I never think that reviews like that are luck. If it's really good like Mocksville, you get press. If it's not, even great publicists will fail. Do you agree? Talk about that and how you attempted to get publicity for the first CD.

SG: Well, in a perfect world yeah, if it's good you'll get press, but unfortunately, that's not always the case these days. I felt that we had a good record, and I worked my butt off to get that CD into the hands of people that I hoped would agree. I've always had this motto that "you never know" and you've got nothing to lose. From there, let the music do the talking. In the case of Billboard, I went through their year-end best of issue, and I picked out the writers and reviewers that seemed to be pop friendly. I sent each one of them a CD, with a tongue-in-cheek letter how they were pop friendly people in a pop unfriendly world and that we have to stick together! I never heard anything. Then, Dean, our lead guitarist called me in December and said that one of the reviewers picked our CD as one of the Top Ten of The Year! The only indie release in lists of major label product. It was definitely my proudest accomplishment in the promoting of The Mockers. As a result, they wrote a short article about us. That's why I'll always say--you never know what can happen, so why not aim high?

DF: I've always felt that both yourself and Tony write very ironic, humorous and literate lyrics. Where do you get inspiration? How important is lyric writing to you? Describe a favorite lyric and where the inspiration came from.

SG: It's always nice when people notice the lyrics because I do think they are really important. I think a great lyric can make a good song into a great song, and there are a few songs that have nice melodies that are dragged down by mediocre words.

SG: My biggest influences in lyric writing, believe it or not, are show tunes, Elvis Costello, and Mad Magazine! I was brought up on Mad--I think I started reading it when I was 6 or 7, and I was permanently warped from then on. I used to write song parodies like that guy Frank Jacobs from Mad--you know, "to the tune of", etc. My mom played things like "Oklahoma" and "West Side Story" all the time, which for me, have some of the best lyrics of all time, along with great melodies, of course. Elvis Costello's "Armed Forces" was the album that brought home for me how great smart-alecky lyrics can be. I've always strived for that. My favorite review said we had a "benevolent sarcasm" which I think is exactly right. It's not intentionally mean-spirited, but we definitely get our licks in!

SG: One of my favorite lyrics is in "Here Come The Lackeys". I was really proud of the lines "here come the lackeys, if you start catching on, they'll invent some new Iraquis." The song was about how politicians are basically bought and sold to the highest bidder, or the oil company of your choice. A friend thought those lines dated the song when we recorded it in the early 90's, but to me it's actually even more appropriate now. You gotta keep 'em distracted.

DF: Seth, you are a notorious practical joker. The end of Mocksville has a Jerky Boys-style phone call that is hilarious. Do you have any other phone call pranks in the archives? Talk about your favorite practical joke.

SG: Me?!?! Are you sure you're talking about the same Seth Gordon? Hmmm...I guess the statute of limitations has run, so... Yes, I admit it, we have quite the extensive collection of phone pranks, started WAY before those Jerky guys made it so damn mainstream to be obnoxious. We (me and my partner in crime, one Mike Laverdiere, who can be heard at the end of the first disc, as well as on "Robin's Problem" in the new one) actually had a catalog of phone pranks that we sold on cassette. We sold hundreds of copies actually. That was where our label One Eye Open started and got its name. Bonus points to anyone who recognizes the reference.

SG: We have a phone prank we did to Mr. T in the archives, and appropriately, one we did to a very deserving drummer in a well-known pop band! And that's all I'm going to say!

DF: I see growth musically on the new recording. There appears to be more sophisticated instrumentation and a real attention to detail. Any particular tracks that you feel like were taken to the next level because of unique use of instruments at your disposal at Brad and Mitch's studio?

SG: Like I said in the earlier question, Mitch has an amazing collection of vintage gear. The Chamberlin was great on a lot of songs, especially the strings and horns on "Funk #50" and for that really cool "Wichita Lineman" sound on "Sheepwalking." Tony got to use Mitch's 6-string bass to get that great "Pet Sounds" vibe. There's harpsichord, clavioline (the keyboard in "Telstar"), hammond organ all over the place. All of these things helped to give the album real texture.

DF: You have great musical taste. Give me your five (5) essential CDs. I am sure most of our readers will have these CDs, but, if not, describe why our readers should have these recordings.

SG: Thanks, I appreciate that. You know, I hate to be SO obvious, but these really are some of my favorite albums of all time, and I doubt anyone reading DOESN'T have all of these.

1. The Beatles--Revolver Not much that I can add!

2. The Kinks--Something Else/Village Green Preservation Society I always have to lump these together because they both are so amazing. The Kinks are my favorite band after The Beatles. Ray Davies is almost the best of McCartney and Lennon in one songwriter. The tunefulness of Paul and the lyricism of John.

3. The Zombies--Odessey and Oracle As good as any album EVER. I listen to this album at least a few times a month.

4. Bob Dylan--Bringing It All Back Home/Highway 61 Revisited Cheating again. I'm sorry, I don't want to hear the howls from the naysayers. You tell me a more exciting moment in rock and roll than that first snare blast in "Like A Rolling Stone".

5. Elvis Costello--Armed Forces See above. I had to pick at least one album not from the '60's. Just great, great songs and some of the best lyrics ever.

SG: Of course you know, ask me again another day, and I'll come up with 5 or 50 different albums (East Side Story, Bookends, London Calling, The Who Sell Out, Skylarking, Buffalo Springfield, ANY Teenage Fanclub, Girlfriend, Bee Gees 1st, Pet Sounds, Radio City, tons of old country and rock and roll, the list is endless).

DF: Are there any artists that you feel right now are making groundbreaking music?

SG: Well, I don't know if I'm out there looking for groundbreaking these days. Groundbreaking these days I probably won't like! I just want to hear good songs.

SG: I really like Fountains of Wayne--weisenheimer lyrics set to perfect pop melodies.

SG: I think the Shazam are great, especially Godspeed.

SG: I've heard a few things from the new Pernice Brothers, and it's definitely gonna be in my Top Ten this year.

SG: The Waxwings are also fantastic. Robbie Fulks writes some of the best songs, period. That guy can twist a phrase like the best of 'em. I've been listening to a lot of country influenced stuff lately. One guy that nobody talks about is Paul Burch and his WPA Ballroom. Fantastic stuff, like Dylan meets Buck Owens and Lefty Frizzell. The last Hang-Ups record I also loved (Mitch Easter produced it). And courtesy of the MP3 world, I've been listening lately to TONS of great old songs from the 20's and 30's. That'll teach you something about songwriting.

DF: Will The Mockers be touring the US or Europe?

SG: We're probably going to tour Spain and Italy in the fall. The new CD is also coming out on a cool Italian label called Club De Musique, and they're going to bring us over to tour. We're also talking with some Spanish labels, so we'll go to Spain at the same time. I hope we can also do some shows and some low key touring here in the US.

DF: How can people obtain a copy of your new recording, Living in the Holland Tunnel?, what is the price including shipping, and to whom does one make out a check? Any other details?

SG: We're selling it for thirteen (13) dollars (US Dollars), postpaid. Click the banner below or go to our website and you can buy it with a credit card.

In the United States, you can send a check or money order for thirteen (13) dollars (US Dollars) to the following address made out to "One Eye Open" --

One Eye Open
PO Box 2581
Va. Beach, VA 23450-2581

Add two U.S. dollars shipping if you are shipping to Canada.

If you are from outside the Continental U.S. and cannot pay with a credit card, payment must be by international money order for seventeen ($17 = $13 plus $4 USD shipping) U.S. dollars.

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Fufkin.com would like to thank Seth Gordon for taking the time to do this interview.

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