The Suicide Commandos – PRESHOW RITUALS

In this Preshow Rituals segment, Chris Osgood of the punk rock band, The Suicide Commandos, shares what they do before every show. You can check out their rituals, after the break.

The Suicide Commandos are a punk rock band that formed in 1975. We have been touring (including with Pere Ubu in 1978) and making studio albums about once every 39 years. The latest Commando’s record “Time Bomb” is being released by Twin/Tone Records on May 5th. Twin/Tone is a legendary Minneapolis label that put out records by The Replacements, Soul Asylum, The Suburbs, The Wallets, Babes In Toyland, ourselves and many other bands until they shut down in 1994. Now they have started again!

Over the many years, we have made it to gigs in every possible form of transportation except a Digital Tour Bus, which is why this opportunity is exciting! We have also not made it to gigs- most memorably, we were playing at Max’s Kansas City in New York December of 1976, and when we went out to get into the van to drive to Cleveland to play with DEVO the next night, our van had been stolen! (Maybe that is a story for another day- there was a chicken in Chinatown who played Tic-Tac-Toe and beat us all that looms large in that story.)

Anyway, you get that we have been doing this for a long time!

The Suicide Commandos Pre-Show Rituals/Experiences

The Commandos have four things that we typically do before mounting the stage. Some we do collectively and some as individuals. Depending on the circumstance, this can happen with the crew or not.

1.) Like most people, we use the bathroom.

2.) When Steve and I used to jump through flashpots loaded with black gunpowder, we would double check that they were primed, loaded and uncovered. Whenever you are touring it is a good idea to “keep your powder dry” as they used to say (It is good to store it carefully and not give the responsibility of managing it to someone who smokes a lot of pot, or is an excitable person.).

3.) If we are openers, we find out where the headliner’s food and alcohol are so we can help ourselves during their performance. Again, this is a practical matter.

4.) Lastly, we muse collectively and individually about the two Main Commando Themes: Man’s Inhumanity to Man, and the question “Whither Rock?” These have been our touchstones and create the linkage that brings us together as the Punk Rock Machine that so many people have commented about over the years. These themes may (or may not) be a part of the ‘Mystical Bond” that unites us and our fans.

Memorably, when we played the Grandstand at the Minnesota State Fair with Fountains of Wayne in 2007 we were each given a trailer to dress and prepare in before the set and hang out in afterwards. A trailer is normal for country acts and acts who often play state fairs and the shed circuit, but it was new to us. I took advantage of the opportunity to scratch something off my bucket list by yelling, “I’m not coming out of my trailer!” That was extremely satisfying!

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