Pennywise, Columbus '02 by Abbey Whitney

Clarkie had told me a while back that I could go to any upcoming Epitaph concert near me, so when I found out that Pennywise was going to be playing four hours away I got excited. I have liked them for a while, and saw them play at the Warped Tour last year. Then when she told me I might be interviewing them I was a little nervous to say the least. At first there was some question (due to my age) weather or not I could handle a professional band interview but Clarkie had faith in me even when I didn't, and set it all straight—she's pretty good setting people straight!

Hector, from Epitaph, sent me the newest Pennywise and The Deviates' CDs, posters, and some stuff to read up on. That was awesome of him. My mom was super rad about the whole situation, she let me skip school for the day, to drive to Columbus with my friend Dan. When we got there I was even more nervous, until I introduced myself to Stewart, the road manager. The fist thing he said was "Real Skate; fuck yeah!" Right then I knew it was going to be a pretty laid-back fun time.

The interview went really well I thought. The guys were really nice, and let us chill with them backstage. We also met a couple of the guys from The Deviates. The concert itself was... WOW. The show was kick-ass. It was amazing to see the energy of the fans when Pennywise first got on stage, and at the beginning of every song they played after that. You can definitely tell that both on- and off-stage these guys are completely real and are ALL about their fans.

The going home part sucked.... Dan's car got impounded. Too bad the tow truck driver didn't go "They're from Real Skate, fuck yeah!" It was a late night, and we walked about a mile to and from an ATM machine. Clarkie's all keeping me on the cell phone during our walk until we got back to our car and on the road (in case she needed to set anyone straight you know) and telling me not to talk to bums begging for money. I got home around 5 in the morning then went to school that day and took all my exams. It was worth it though! But, here's some concert-going tips for our readers:

• If you go to a concert in a strange town and don't see a sign saying 'no parking,' your car can STILL be towed away

• Keep at least $100 cash on you because impound yards don't take plastic

• Don't talk to strangers on the street

• If you ever run into trouble, call Clarkie at this number...(just kidding Clarkie)

• And, last of all, go see as many Pennywise concerts as possible!

Hope you enjoy the INTERVIEW!