Teenage Dirtbag Singer Brendan B. Brown of Wheatus

But, we’ll let this grad of ‘Da U’ slide. He spent more time in his dorm ordering take-in and playing his guitar than cheering against the Colonels. This Long Island native has toured with his brother Peter and sister Liz across America and Europe, after being signed to SONY/Columbia Records and being thrust into fame with “Teenage Dirtbag.”

But that quick fame and corporate stuff wasn’t the type of rock and roll experience Wheatus wanted. This group is back to recording its own stuff, in their own apartment on their own terms. And, they are coming ‘home’ this Wednesday for a 7:00 p.m show at CafÃ?© Metropolis.

The Beacon:What do you remember most about NEPA?
Brown: I have so many memories of there, I could go on and on. We went fly-fishing in Tobyhanna. But there is nothing better in the world, and no place better for disgusting drunk food than NEPA. There is nothing like nasty cheese fries when you are s-it-faced. That’s one of my fondest memories- standing on the street corner after the bar closed with a handful of heart attack cheese fries. I am so looking forward to getting some cheese fries with white American cheese.

The Beacon: Tell me about your experience at University of Scranton.
Brown: I started out as pre-med, but I definitely did not want to become a doctor. Sometimes the reason you are there doing something is because it’s what others want you to do. I didn’t start off following my own advice. The U is a very isolated place, probably on purpose. And only four years could never expose you to the rich history of the area. Most people just know there are skunks and it is cold.

The Beacon: Did you work on campus, or remember hanging out anywhere in Scranton?
Brown: I wasn’t very into the social scene. I did work as a delivery guys for Zorba’s on Mulberry Street. Through that, I got to know a lot of people that have lived in Scranton their whole lives. I would always get the papers and hunt for guitars and amps, and hoped that some grandma would be selling a ’57 Stratocaster, not knowing what it was.

The Beacon: So many people think that a band’s career begins when its first hit single tears up the radio waves. That is so untrue – that’s just when the world finds out about them. Tell us about how Wheatus began.
Brown: My brother and sister were in college at Villanova and I was bouncing around the ‘New York scene’ as they call it, looking trying to get something professional and serious. I played (lead guitar) for a band I am still proud of called Hope Factory for a while. In 1997, I started doing my own stuff, recording four-track demos, where I played the bass and drumkit as well. My brother graduated from Villanova, and well, that’s the shortened version of our story.

The Beacon: So, fast forward to “Teenage Dirtbag.” First of all, I must ask, were you a teenage dirtbag? That song probably took everyone back to their teenage grunge days, or made the preppies wish they had experienced those days.
Brown: You know, it’s very funny. That term has become endearing. But in 1985, people said that about people who listened to Judas Priest, wore a jean jacket and had a brush in their back pocket and a mullet.

The Beacon: That’s why this song was such a hit here in NEPA.
Brown: (laughs) I dressed like that for a while.

The Beacon: So, “Dirtbag” was a success. But, shortly after Columbia told you to change your voice. I read that somewhere. If I am not mistaken, someone gets signed because of their voice.
Brown: I imagine it is confusing to people reading that as it was for me when I heard (the record exec) say it. Drop us and sign someone else. I spent a lifetime trying to be an individual, trying to develop a unique, original sound. Then, in just ten seconds, someone asks you to sound like someone else. It’s hard not to take it personally.

The Beacon: I also read that they remixed one of your songs to a point where you could not even play it. It’s funny man, I sometimes listen to the radio and think about how these artists can perform concerts. (afterthought: Probably like Ashlee.)
Brown:That was “Wanna Be a Gangster,” our third single released in the UK. An A&R guy insisted we send it to this dance club DJ guy, who when I talked to him, was the biggest idiot. This was a song we recorded with Bruce Dickinson from Iron Maiden. We did this in Abby Road with him, it was exciting and a dream story for us. Then, they sent it off to some crack-head. They sampled a piece of (The Beatles) “Dear Prudence” in it- you don’t sample the Beatles in England. They release it against our wishes. The single was a flop, and it was a version a rock band could never play live.

The Beacon: So- even if you played the song live the way it was supposed to be, the fans would not even recognize it because it was not what it was fed.
Brown:You lose either way.

The Beacon: You are from New York, so attending college in NEPA surely was culture shock. But, what was it like overseas?
Brown: There are so many things different, yet they are subtle. It’s like in Pulp Fiction- It’s La Big Mac and a Royale with cheese. People there tend to pace themselves more, and when they work, they are more focused. In America, people work all the time. There, they have perfectly timed vacations and tea time and they all adhere to it, and then switch right back into work mode. The neighborhoods are similar. In northeast England, it is very similar to NEPA. They are working class, there are a lot of coal mines too.

The Beacon: Your music really caught on over there. How was the music different?
Brown: We found that over there, pop music is interpreted and accepted differently. The same person who buys a Slip Knot CD will also buy the new Madonna single. In America, we have more strict genre allegiance. Over there, it is more mix and match. But, everything and anything can go through the pop machine. We did. And, didn’t like it.

The Beacon: Now that you are out of the machine, tell me a little about your new album and tour.
Brown: It is definitely the album we never could have recorded with Sony. It’s like a 70s record, dark and warm. We wanted to get as far away as what is being played on the radio as possible- you know, the super bright overload. This is warmer sounding.

The Beacon: Who does the writing?
Brown: I do most of it, but we have a rule. Anyone can have a song on the record, but they have to produce and engineer it themselves. Our band exists to service the song. We don’t each play our own instruments. We play songs.

The Beacon: So you are going to be here just before Thanksgiving. What are your holiday plans?
Brown: We’ll be stopping by my brother’s girlfriend’s place in New Jersey. I’ve never spent a Thanksgiving in NEPA, I always went home.

The Beacon:: Well, you know, you could replace the turkey with a big old pile of cheese fries. That’s something to be thankful for.
Brown: I will probably buy a few extra cups of cheese fries so I can throw them in the microwave at the next venue.

FYI: Wheatus at Caf�© Metro, Main Street Wilkes-Barre- Wednesday, November 23 at 7:00 p.m., $7.00 admission.