You might be unfamiliar with who Robin Bowser is, which is not good considering that this is a questionnaire filled out by none other than Robin herself. Let me clue you in. Robin is the leader singer of a rad, 4-piece, indie rock outfit from Portland called The No-No’s, and they have two full lengths under their belts, which I myself personally adore. The first, called “Secret Luminaries” (’98), was released on Robin’s own Chromosome Records and the second, “Tinnitus” (’00), was put out on Animal World Recordings by a couple of kids in FLA. To briefly describe these records, the first is chock full of catchy melodies, a well-rounded taste of sodapop indie rock with a colorful punky air. The second is a tad more controlled which leaves it more structured, yet still carrying on this brainy simplicity to their rock mixture of dreaminess, fun, and sweet harmony. I could say a lot about them, but I would probably go on forever and, more important, there’s some good ol’’ No-No’s-ness below, provided by little Miss No-No.

A very short objective history of The No-No’s goes a little like this: they started out with Robin singing, Mike guitaring, Ralf bassing, and Heather drumming. Heather moves to Olympia to play with the Dub Narcotic Sound System, and Mr. Dan has since then replaced her. Most of The No-No’s have other stuff going on musically as well, such as Mike is on tour with Steven Malkmus and the Jicks (he was also picked as Sassiest Boy in America, after Ian Svenious, by Sassy mag, but that’s a different story) and Ralf has played with numerous bands on numerous records (including drumming on two Built to Spill LPs). The No-No’s is the kind of bubblegum you don’t wanna just dance to and disregard because it has this substance to it, a glimmer of honesty within the geekiness and cuteness, and that honestly is rarely ever in existence in other feel good, yum-yum, indie bands. And that makes it real to me. They are a band I have a lot of love for and I was (and am) very happy that Robin filled out these questions for this zine. Thank you, Robin! Woo hoo! So here it is… enjoy!

*What do you think could use some improvement in "indie scenes" across the country today?
-More long-lasting, community-run, all-ages clubs! More eclectic bills (less 'all surf', 'all instrumental'). More female participation from all angles.

*What are your opinions on mainstream music today, and are there any mainstream genres that you think will have a positive effect on people in the long run or currently?
-Mainstream music generally makes me very sad. Especially disheartening are the aggro rap/rock *EXTREME! No Fear!* bands and their fans. It is so not extreme and it is all so funded by Disney (I mean you, ICP!). You can't tell who your allies are anymore. I greatly anticipate the huge positive effect of Internet radio. People will get used to the power of choice and the numbing monotony of mainstream radio will have to shift to accommodate new demand. I can't wait! I am really into the new, groovy, R&B hip-hop that is going on (I listen to a lot of Jammin' 95.5 here in Portland). I'm not into the vocal histrionic kind, but of course, the Outkast!! I am into anything that is not too fast and has room for the booty.

*What's your favorite flavor of ice cream and your favorite cartoon character?
-Ice cream is actually my favorite food, so the best one is hard to decipher... but the limited batch Festivus, by Ben & Jerry, is top drawer. Otherwise, just give me a scoop of vanilla and a spoonful of ice cream and I am set. As a kid, I would get up at 6:30 every morning to watch 'Our Starblazers' which was pretty indelible. I've never had cable, so my current favorites would be Lisa Simpson and Peggy Hill.

*What are some of your favorite bands/musicians?
-Bjork, David Bowie, The Smiths, Juliana Hatfield, Melvins, Nirvana, Neurosis, Descendents, PJ Harvey.

*..And who has influenced yr singing style most?
-Believe it or not... Henry Rollins. Now there's a guy who can't sing, but uses what he has to it's fullest potential. I used to work out almost exclusively to Rollins Band and Black Flag, especially Hard Volume and The End of Silence (before they replaced the wonderful Andrew Weiss, the bassist). I know that choosing Rollins does not support the feminist agenda, but so fucking what. I could never be a breathy singer, a conversational singer, I'm just a yeller and the louder you yell, the more likely you are actually going to hit the note you're looking for. I really admire Juliana Hatfield for her ultimate skill, versatility and ultimate control. I wish I had a voice like that, it's like spun sugar. And Bjork. Her songs are not just a showcase for her awesome voice, they are about the soundz and the beatz and the crazy place you can go with music. It's the great communicators that I admire.

*What made you want to start singing in a band?
-I've been singing to myself and collecting records my whole life. As a kid I'd taken piano lessons, which may have helped with timing and harmonies, but I was never ever deemed good enough to perform in a school musical or anything. In college, there were tons of girls starting bands and learning to play, most notably, Jody Bleyle, who sort of led by example. That was not about performing, it was about rocking out with your friends. I kept going to shows and being frustrated by what I say and I realized that I could do as well or better (and that remains to be seen!). I think singers that play lead guitar can fall into the trap of matching their vocals with the guitar melody instead of building a fully realized vocal part. But sometimes it's still cool. The harsh thing is that I don't have an instrument to hide behind... like if I'm feeling shy, I can't pretend I'm concentrating on my fingering.

*What other bands have you been in?
-My roommates had this instrumental band that practiced every week in the basement directly below my room. One night I went down and sang over them and they asked me to join. It only lasted for about 6 months. They already had the name (Group Hug) and I'm fairly positive we were awful.

*Are you or have you been affiliated with riot grrrl (on your own time)…
-No and No.

*Do you think riot grrrl is nearly as important as it was then? There are a lot more girls involved in punk rock now and that's pretty much common place, but there are still a lot of girls who act as coatracks. Then again there are a lot of boys who are just the same, not too involved and not really interested in being there for anything more but the music, but there are still far more bands with boys in them than girls. Do you think riot grrrl was more so a stepping stone? Do you think riot grrrl has evolved into just being a part of girl culture that should have already been there anyway? Do you ever get sort of singled out for being a girl in a band and does that ever make you feel like a novelty?
-RG was/is a super idea exploited and ultimately defined by the media and historians looking for a thesis topic. It should not have been such a profound thing, there should be girls starting bands, doing sound, engineering, and starting clubs everywhere all the time! I hope that RG's assimilation into mass culture (I mean via non-threatening things, like the Spice Girls and Powerpuff Girls) still allows *some* of it's original power to seep in, but I'm afraid it's just all diluted and morphed. The coatrack girls you're talking about are listening, too, though; they are planning their next moves, don't you think? I fucking hope so, because sometimes the dude-ness of rock is just too much, dude fests everywhere, sometimes I'm the only girl on a bill and it just does not have to be that way! I probably get extra scrutinized because I'm a girl, but I don't usually feel like a novelty. I usually don't even feel like a singer.

*A lot of kids really do "wait around" for someone to put out their music, but you went ahead and put it all out yourself (correct?). What made you want to start yr own record label?
-Yeah. People kept saying, "I can't believe (insert label) hasn't put out your record." It's a mystery to me how these things happen. Well, that's not true. I just wanted to move ahead... start releasing things. Sometimes you'll get ridiculously excited label people, who are just hedgy about the details, so I just took the initiative. All you have to do is send off the dat and in a few weeks, you are a label and have to store a shit load of records under your bed and never expect to recoup any money. However, it is supercool to meet someone who heard your record because you yourself sent it to their radio station. That's how I met Reda and Daniel who put out our last record. They were enthusiastic DJs who emailed me asking for a song for a comp. I got to know and trust them. I've never actually met them, but Mike just did as he's on a huge big-time tour with Steve Malkmus, so he got to meet them in New Orleans (they live in Florida). I feel lucky to have hooked up with them, they rule.

*Have you kids had any run-ins with mean bands? How do you deal with band rivalry aggression (if any)? A lot of yr lyrics seem to be about dealing with the "cool kids" who come in and take over scenes and are super-trendy and things. Do you think those kids sort of dictate what other kids should or shouldn't like, band wise, since a lot of the times people pay a lot of attention to what bands these Scene King/Queens think are "good" or whatever? I have also noticed a lot of bands don't get noticed because they aren't really friends with the "cool kids" and therefore don't get as much support as the bands the cool kids are in or the "cool kids" like.
-Sure, some bands are mean/inconsiderate, but they usually don't realize how b/c they're self absorbed. Once, we asked a band to play before us. All their friends came, which was great until the last song when they set off a few smoking stink bombs which emptied the club. We couldn't see and it stank like rotten eggs for our set. The only song that's vaguely about that is NEW SPECIES ANTHEM (but that's also about dancing, fucking, and the survival of the fittest!). I don't think anyone can 'take over a scene' really. If people are creating something that gathers momentum and community support, then that is just cool and encourages others to do the same. Complainers should make their own scene. I'm more in the uncool school. Weird powermongering competitiveness about bands or scenes is a big fat toxic waste of time/energy. Plus, you can't really hoard the "cool"; it's free!

*What would you pick:
*Greta Garbo or Marlene Dietrich?
-Garbo: she was reclusive.
*Jem and the Holograms or the Misfits (not as in Danzig but Jem's rivals)?
-I'm not familiar with this one, but I'd rather be a misfit than a hologram.
*Honesty or Popularity?
-Honesty...usually very unpopular.
*Boldness or Adorable-ality?
-Bold IS adorable to me.
*Chocolate or Vanilla?
-Maybe vanilla.
*What would be the ultimate No-No's show, settings and band wise?
-Uhh... that's too hard.

*What are mostly your lyrics about? Whom are the mostly directed to?
-I'm overly enamored with the double entendre even though I'm trying to branch out. I try not to overthink things and create something I won't get sick of singing. Few are about specific people, but sometimes I think about the same people every time I sing a certain song. The songs are about shitty relationships, other people's shitty relationships, discovering things about yourself, pyromaniacs, superheroes, girls I admire, friends who turned on me, people in denial, secret powers, doing what you want instead of what they tell you, overcommitting, undercommiting, bad radio, bees, the power of music, is that enough? They're just things I'm thinking about or working through. I am strangely glad when people misinterpret things, it's more entertaining and they are meant to be sort of open-ended.

(You can find out more about The No-No’s on their website, www.theno-no’s.com, which has info on band members, their records, lyrics, pictures, merchandise, so on and so forth. Check it out!)

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