Leftover Reese Roper

Reese RoperLast week I interviewed Reese Roper, the former lead singer of the now defunct Five Iron Frenzy and current front man for the new pop-punk band Roper. The band released their debut album, Brace Yourself for the Mediocre (see my review), on October 19, managing to sell over 3,000 albums in the first week, earning them a spot on Billboard’s Heetseekers chart.

Below are some segments from the interview I probably won’t be able to use elsewhere:


What other names did you consider for the band?

“Quasimofo” was my favorite. But we thought that some people in the Christian community would not like the word “mofo.” “Presbyterian Jihad” was another one, but that also would probably offend some people.

If someone put out a Five Iron Frenzy best of album, what songs would you want to see on it?

“Every New Day.” I don’t know after that. There’s so many songs that I really liked just because I invested so much into them lyrically but I don’t think would go on a best of album just because nobody else would like them. [Like] “The Day We Killed,” “Banner Year,” “New Year’s Eve.”

If there was ever a Five Iron Frenzy tribute album, who would you want to play on it?

I don’t know. I don’t know how to answer these questions without sounding really narcissistic. I would like all kinds of no name garage bands.

Jeff the Girl interrupts: Stryper. Steve Taylor. How about the people who made Waiting for Guffman? Parker Posey could play me. Christopher Guest could be Reese. The guy with the glasses, Eugene Levy, could be Keith.

Reese: It’d be cool just to get unsigned bands, like all the craziest, nerdiest kids that come up to us shows and say, “I’ve got a band. I play the Commodore 64.”

The U2 tribute album, In the Name of Love came out earlier this year. If you had a chance to cover a U2 song, which one would you pick?

See, I think I have moral problems with people covering U2 or the Beatles. I just don’t think it should be done. I know my friend Justin McRoberts did this, and I still love him, but I don’t think it should be done.

If I could without treading on sacred ground, I’d do “Sunday Bloody Sunday” — I should cut out my tongue for saying it.

(See the sidebar to “Five Iron Frenzy: Our Last Article Ever” for responses from former Five Iron members Keith Hoerig and Micah Orgeta. Dan Spencer of the Supertones weighed in with a similar response about covering U2.)

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