Question: What is, in your opinion, the difference between European Hardcore and US Hardcore?

Mark McKay: It's different for Europe because the people see it more as a movement than a source of entertainment. It's more fun over here in Europe because people ask questions. They want to know what you have to say, and why you have to say it. And in the States they beat each other up at the shows and then they go home. People are more receptive to Slapshot here than they are in the States, but it's not the same for the whole of the US.

Question: Do you think Hardcore is a trend here?

Mark McKay: No, there is a lot of fashion that we notice, and at the Skate Fest particular here. It's okay as long as they do it for the right reason. If they come out to the shows and they have the right attitude and don't come in to fight, I don't really care what they do as long as their heads are in it, as long as they are not getting in trouble and that sort of things. I'm not a fashionable guy, I don't go for that sort of thing. I understand people do, it's not bad but a lot of money though!

Question: I read in an article that Kelly writes just as easy as...

Mark McKay: He's absolutely like a prolific songwriter, he can sit in his car and drive and he carries also a tape recorder, he thinks of it and he'll hum it in the tape recorder. And then, at the rehearsal he just gets the tune in his head and lets it roll a little bit. I don't know how he does it, it's almost automatic, he thinks music, he lives music and the band has been his life for ten and a half years now, so he always thinks. He has been doing this for more than half his life, so I imagine it goes automatically.

Question: The lyrics, have they something to do with your lifes?

Mark McKay: The lyrics used to be more about politics in the scene and that sort of thing. But now the lyrics have gotten very personal. They are about very personal deep down issues, problems he has with himself that he has to get out. He has to exorcize his demons, so that's what happens. There's definitely commentary on the scene on the record as in Live Runaway, one of the newest songs, but they have really got much more personal, which is good. I mean, I can appreciate that - it's a natural progression to get more inside.

Question: I saw you were playing on a small drum kit, is that common for you?

Mark McKay: I always play small kits like that, always. I used to play a full drum set and piece-by-piece came off, because I'm not a very good drummer. One or two is easier, less to carry. Honestly the real reason why I play such a small kit is because I believe that Hardcore should be stripped down - brutal, in your face, no holds back, just Hardcore. So I play my beat, play fast and play hard, no tricks no double bass. Just right from the heart to the drums... Yes, exactly, I'm not a rock star. I'm not putting down people who play big kits because I've seen some talented drummers, especially on this trip and I sit down and go Wow! This guy is incredible! But for me... I play from here [points to his heart] because I can't play from here [points to his arms and legs]. I'm not a very good drummer, so I just... I know what I can play and I play that.

Question: What have you done on this tour so far?

Mark McKay: This is Slapshot's fifth or sixth time in Europe I think, and this tour is something we fell into because we signed to Century Media Records right before we came. Rene said they had this opportunity to join them, on this Crossover 2000 tour and we said: yeah, sure. It ended up fine, but there are a lot of personal conflicts, not so much musically difference, but we played to a crowd in a certain town that knew Slapshot and the people went crazy and leave after we play and we went to towns where the people want to hear Slapshot but loved the other bands. So it was very tense. It has been a long tour and it ended up quite a life. We prefer to do club tours, but you know what I mean, this is amazing, it's a once in a lifetime opportunity. I mean, a Hardcore band like Slapshot gets the chance to play in front of all those people, it's great! But also our bass player left two weeks into the tour, so we had to play with some other people, so it never really gleamed together. Tonight we had to play with Rick from Merauder, which was awesome. He only played with us twice before, he's a great guy and he really helped us out. But it's always in the back of my mind that our bass player, our friend, left us in the tour and he was even supposed to come back for this show, but he didn't come up. You should keep Rick. Ha-ha, gee I wish we could keep him.

Question: Does this tour make you some more known in the scene?

Mark McKay: Not in the Hardcore scene, cause we play for a lot of mixed audiences of Metal kids, crossover kids. So I think it didn't gain us any more fans, but I think it gained us some press that we also needed, like Century Media Records that put out ads with all five bands, so we automatically got a picture in Metal magazines and things like that. Maybe some of the kids will buy the record and like it, I don't know. It's all publicity for us, we got a little mention on MTV, it's all good.

Question: Do you think "16 Valve Hate" was the debut album for you?

Mark McKay: I don't know, I like it the best out of all the records that we made, I have been in the band since the beginning and I left for a while, but I came back. And it's my favorite record that we made so far. I think it's the most comprehensive record. It flows good, tunes are good, we see how the people react to it. It seems like, when we play and the people are singing along. I've seen a lot of people singing along. Yeah, it's good. It makes you feel real good when people are singing along.

Question: What's the difference between "16 Valve Hate" and the EP ["Old Tyme Hardcore"]?

Mark McKay: It's very much the same in formula, but it's written in almost a year afterwards, so it's a little bit of a progression. The recording is a little better, we felt better with the kind of direction we were going in, so it's a lot smoother. I think the EP is even better than the record. We took a little more time with the songs, half of "16 Valve Hate" was written in the studio so it's always a little rush, a little desperate, but this one we took our time. Made sure we were doing and gave it to it, and the artwork is cool, I think it's good. I like it.

Question: Do you write your songs during a tour?

Mark McKay: Never, never, it's impossible for us to write during a tour, because we are so preoccupied with what we are doing. Some can go to a sound check and play but we can't, we want to talk to the people, want to get involved with what's happening, so when we go to a club we stretch out, talk to people, enjoy the scene and that kind of things. It's difficult for us to write, so we just play our set, get good, go home and start writing.

Question: Is the "Old Tyme Hardcore" song against the new school Hardcore?

Mark McKay: The lyrics kind of will give that away, we don't have anything against the new Hardcore because lot's of people are enjoying it and the scene is even bigger than ever and how can we complain about that cause we are part of the scene so we want to see the scene grow. What is kind of an attack against is how the new school Hardcore kids don't know about the old stuff, don't care about the old stuff, forget their roots. Everybody is kind of looking ahead without pulling their roots behind them, so it's to show people that there is a lot of good music that influenced in these people today so remember you roots.

Question: Do you think we have to carry their roots along then?

Mark McKay: I think so personally and everyone in Slapshot does that and that's the only way we can see it. We grew up with bands like Negative Approach, SOA, old Minor Threat, the new Slapshot stuff I think sounds a lot like an old Minor Threat record and that's glowing to me if we can bring out that attention either. Good stuff, so we have been dragging our roots behind us the whole time and we don't really listen to new Hardcore. We kind of all individually branched out to different directions, we listen to music that's very different than where talking about, so we don't really know any new Hardcore bands all we can dry influences from is from our roots.

Question: Got you one last question before you have to pick up the t-shirts, do you also like chocolate milk?

Mark McKay: The first time I had Chocolate milk was in 1991 when Slapshot came over to tour I liked the way the can looked and it was chocolate milk and I bought one and I couldn't believe it and it was THE BEST, so I gave it to Jack and it lure him away so we just been doing on ever since as much as I can fit in my bag to the USA cause we can't get it. It's a delicacy in the USA and I told everyone about it and my girlfriend back home is like I can wait to try it, but I love it yeah. Ask Nutricia to import it. If we can I just import it to my house. Drop off a couple of pallets in my house.