Thrasher Magazine

"I tried to show her and made out with my mom."

Words & Photos by Jordan Joseffer

A three-piece band is always good. All it takes is simple songs, simple lyrics, and dorky nick names. Wild Thing is composed of "Bad Boy" Brace Belden, "Screaming" Neil, and Dan "King of the Forest" Rincon.

How'd you guys get together?
Dan: Neil and I started a band called Penatrator Hammer; then it was…
Neil: Something about pizza…
Dan: No, Silver Ace or something like that. Then we found Brace, and Neil taught him how to play bass.
Brace: What actually happened was, these guys were both into metal. Neil was into scary make-up metal and Dan was into Skinny Puppy and shit. Then I showed them the Sex Pistols for the first time and they wanted to start a band. It's like the Manchester Free Trade Hall gig in 1979 where everyone who saw the Sex Pistols formed a band. Everyone who met me in a two-week period formed a band—and these are the only two guys I met.

At your first show, I thought the whole idea was to just play the song "Wild Thing" for a full set.
Brace: I have no idea what you’re talking about. We're not named after a song, we're just called Wild Thing. I had a dog named that when I was younger.

What's Neil's best love story?
Neil: You know Mike Schmidt, the first baseman from the Phillies? I got with his niece on a roof and people were cheering.

You kind of have a reputation for going after the younger ladies. Do you think it's ironic that one of your lyrics is "little girl stay away from me?"
Neil: That song is called “Age Difference” and it's about my lover.

What is the age difference?
Neil: Uh… 18 and 34. I had to break up with her because her mom called me.

Why do you guys have a hard time playing together on stage?
Brace: We practiced three times in our existence. Usually what we do is, Neil records guitar on a tape recorder, then sends it to Dan via post, then Dan sends it to me via post—and by the time that happens we usually have a show.
Dan: We work it out.

How'd you end up at SMMR BMMR?
Brace: We got tricked.

How and why did you go from Warkrime to Wild Thing?
Brace: Let's just say I started both bands. I wrote all the songs for both bands and here I am riding the wave. The crest of the new wave baby, surfing it.
Dan: You wrote one bass line. Come on.

Neil, let’s hear the story about your first kiss.
Neil: That'd be with my mom. I was 14, maybe 13 or 12, and my mom was cleaning the bathroom; she was busy. I tried asking her about this other way of kissing and she didn't understand what I was talking about, so I tried to show her and made out with my mom.

Anything else you guys want to say?
Brace: I Just want to say that everything I do is dedicated to Kurt Cobain and Jim Morrison and may God rest their souls.

Check out Wild Thing's Myspace to listen to songs and check for upcoming shows.