Music

HIGH FIVES: Fucked Up

by Sam Sutherland

Every week, High Fives asks five bands fives questions over five days. This week, we’re probing the depths of the spookiest holiday of all, Halloween.

You know Fucked Up. They mess with genre conventions, mess with interviews, and mess with the internet. They won the Polaris Prize when no one though they could, and their singer sometimes smashes glass objects into his head while they play. They recently released their latest in the zodiac series, Year of the Ox, and this weekend, they’ll be headlining a Toronto Halloween tradition: the Fucked Up Halloween Show. The past few years have involved a whole weekend of mayhem centered around an October 31st performance, but this year, the band is only staking claim on a single evening at the Garrison, bringing a appropriately eyebrow-raising variety of bands along with them. Currently in the midst of recording 27 songs for the follow-up to 2008’s The Chemistry of Common Life, we grabbed vocalist Damian Abraham before he got stuck in a pumpkin this weekend.

What was the best costume from your childhood?

One Halloween when I was sevem, I wanted to be a werewolf so my dad bought fake hair and spirit gum and glued hair all over my face. It looked amazing. A news crew was filming a story about Halloween in my neighborhood and interviewed me about my costume. Then I went through total hell having the hair removed.

What was the best costume from your post-childhood?

I hate dressing up now. The only time I dress up now is when we play shows on the 31st (which we have done every year so I guess I dress up every Halloween). I guess the first Fucked Up Halloween when we wore pumpkins on our heads, or when we dressed up as Poison Idea.

What’s the most scared you’ve ever been in a movie?

I watched this English TV special called Ghostwatch and it freaked the shit out of me. It was broadcast live originally and purported to be real and caused the BBC to be bombarded with angry calls. It is really well done. When I saw it I knew it was fake and it still scared me. I also saw a special advance screening of the Blair Witch Project before it came out and I have to admit that walking home I was scared. I used to love horror movies but I was never really scared of them, but now I’m done with it. About four years ago I had this epiphany while watching the remake of The Hills Have Eyes that I’m no longer really a fan. I worked in video stores for so long and I have seen a ton of movies in the genre and I loved them. I don’t know why but now I have no interest.

What role, if any, do sexy costumes serve in our modern Halloween culture?

I guess it has a huge part in it for almost everyone over the age 13 or so. I think Halloween is kinda amateur night. People that are legit freaks live it all year round… not saying me or anything.

Where will you be on Halloween this year?

We are playing at the Garrison with the Sadies, Holy Fuck, Mature Situations, Burning Love… We will be doing a special cover set too.