Amb Pirate had the opportunity to sit down with Suburban Noize recording artist Big B @ his recent appearance at Sacramento’s Assembly Music Hall  November 29, 2013

Amb Pirate: The new album “Fools Gold” where you have came into your own, you’ve evolved and you’ve done collaborations with artists like Dirty Heads, Slightly Stoopid and Pink, looking back now that it’s been out a couple months, is there anything at all you would want to change?

Big B: I want more time. There’s a few people; I’ve got a song with Mickey Avalon that didn’t make it on the album, I wish I would’ve put it on there. Besides that there’s not too much I would like to change. I always want more time. My happy spot’s in the studio so I mean this is cool but you gotta work for it, like its so much work to come up here and the people have a great time, but it’s not what people think sometimes.  You can go in there and there’s not a thousand people, but then we have shows in certain areas that do, but it’s a lot of work. Touring for me is getting to where I’m like ahhhhh, but I don’t have a choice cause I love it. Then I get home and I start fucking getting in trouble again so I gotta go back on the road. People think it’s the other way around. You go home and stay outta trouble. But just more time, that’s it.

A: Let’s talk a little bit about Pink; I know Carey Hart is one of your best friends. So being that you are a dad of little girls, what are you doing to monitor the music that they’re listening to? Who are they influenced by right now?

Big B: Music it’s a weird thing cause you can’t be a hypocrite cause I’ve corrupted so many little kids, I’m a youth corrupter for sure. So for me to come back and say you can’t do this would be kinda weird. I always hope they have good taste in music. My oldest daughter plays drums and she like’s a little different music than her sister but the youngest one, I think cause I spend so much time with her, she likes Jack Johnson, Bob Marley, Pennywise. I don’t really try to regulate what their listening to. I mean I don’t want em listening to some of the rap, just too much out there. I don’t want to do that, I don’t want to police my kids cause they’re gonna do it anyways, they’re gonna listen to it. So if I’m like “Don’t do that, if I see it again” and all that means is you won’t see it again so I can’t be a hypocrite.

A: Since being on Inked, are you a still a fan of reality based tattoo shows?

Big B: You know Inked’s a weird weird thing, it’s like scripted reality. I played Carey’s assistant on the show and that’s not even really my thing. I’ve been working side by side with him since the beginning, but we needed to build these characters. I just know how fake the shows are, like you can’t really draw fake tattoos on people and act like their cover-ups, when their not real. Hats off to anyone who can make a buck and do that, but reality TV is like scripted reality. Like I’m great friends with the Pawn Star guys, but life’s not that interesting. All of these shows need to have excitement, and can you imagine a regular movie would be so boring if it was like real stuff? I’m not a big fan of it, I respect it, it’s a hustle. Whatever you gotta do to make a buck and I enjoyed what we did for two seasons, it helped me out a lot. Not musically, but I’ve gone to the airport and old ladies were nice to me, they think I was gonna steal their purse cause they saw me on TV. So that’s good (laughter).

A: So do you tattoo?

Big B: No. I hate blood, I just don’t like grabbing on people and you gotta deal with the sweat and stuff. I am covered in it, but no I don’t tattoo. I help run the shop when I’m home in Vegas, take care of the shop and do whatever we gotta do to keep it going. We’re in the process of franchising right now so we gotta a lot of work to do. We have three and we’re trying to have six by 2014. Then I can retire.

A: I understand that you are a fan of Harleys, classic cars and graffiti. What is your dream classic car?

Big B: I’ve already had it, a 48 Sedan. I’ve had over almost 50 cars, I’m a car junkie, I buy em and sell em. I love the sedan; it’s my favorite out of all cars. All the Cadillac’s, but ya that’s my car.

A: In your travels, what have you seen as far as the best town or city to see some real sick graffiti?

Big B: You can do the normal like New York or Boston but then there’s odd ones that you wouldn’t think like Denver. New Mexico has tons of artists. I like all those places. Midwest not so much but there’s a lot of cool places. And then over sea’s like Japan are starting to get big.

A: Being that are you on tour constantly and away from your family, what do you do on that day that you’re just “not feeling it” because you don’t have the type of job where you can call in sick?

Big B: Drugs. (laughter) For me I just get in the game, that’s the one bad part for me, is there is no down time, being able to take it off. These guys will tell you I’m the most moodiest guy. So I try to just take it back in and meditate. We go fishing; we do all kinds of stuff. The problem is you can’t really go to bars, we always work. And the days off we have, are the days off no one really wants to go out so the next thing you know, we’re with two 60 year old ladies in front of some bar, talking about “This is awesome”. And it’s the truth. And for us too, when we have to headline like this and everyone’s gone so it’s just time to leave. I like going on second or third.

A: With everything that you’ve done so far, the lives that you’ve touched and the records that you’ve made, what would you like to be most remembered for when they sit around and tell the tale of Big B?

Big B: Just being honest and real, putting it out there on the table and not hiding anything. Music is just hard; I’ve fluctuated so much, I’m never happy with what I do. That’s the thing with me. When I started out from what I used to be doing now, I didn’t want to leave a legacy of just that style. Even these guys get pissed and they hate me but they know I’m honest. I’m definitely an asshole but my true friends know that I’m loyal and I’ll be around.

A: So what do you have on your plate for 2014?

Big B: I’ve been doing a project with DJ Muggs from Cypress Hill, and Rome from Sublime, and we have this thing we’ve been doing. And then probably Slightly Stoopid still, we’re gonna go out in the spring. I just have so much music backlogged that I’m trying to step away from touring so much and start selling songs. I have a catalog, and everyone’s trying to sell stuff like Sugar Ray and different people. So I’m trying to sell music, stay home. I got a country record too I’ve been trying to put together. The studio is just the best place for me. Even like my style of writing is so simple, people they think out of the box and try to be so advanced and so intelligent but that’s not how human conversation is. So if you can write songs that people can relate to, and then other people are like “man, those are just dumbed down”.  Well guess what guy, that’s reality and that’s how people talk. Unless you’re in some booshie restaurant, using big words to impress each other.

For Big B, please check out these sites and go hear him perform at a town near you:

www.facebook.com/feedbigb

www.feedbigb.com

www.youtube.com/bigb

www.myspace.com/hooliganbigb

www.twitter.com/vegashooligan