The Obelisk Questionnaire: Wayne & Joey Rudell of Fuzz Evil
The Obelisk Questionnaire is a series of open questions intended to give the answerer an opportunity to explore these ideas and stories from their life as deeply as they choose. Answers can be short or long, and that reveals something in itself, but the most important factor is honesty.
Based on the Proust Questionnaire, the goal over time is to show a diverse range of perspectives as those who take part bring their own points of view to answering the same questions. To see all The Obelisk Questionnaire posts, click here.
Thank you for reading and thanks to all who participate.
The Obelisk Questionnaire: Wayne & Joey Rudell of Fuzz Evil
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How do you define what you do and how did you come to do it?
Wayne: Well, we’re two brothers that make some of the dirtiest fuzz rock this side of the San Pedro River.
Joey: Wayne and I have been playing music together since we were little kids. Our parents were ungodly religious, so we ended up starting out playing in Church. At one point we were playing 7 days a week if you include the practices for church and our own band including all the shows/services.
Wayne: Of course, that ended when they found out we listened to Marilyn Manson and Tool.
Joey: Yeah, we’ll the church started turning to a Cult anyway.
Wayne: Hell, but at least we got to learn how to play gospel out of it.
Joey: Right lol. So, our first band was called 12tone. It’s cool to have a recording from when you were just a kid. Some of those songs are a Jam. We were totally a Prog Rock band. Probably because we were so into Tool at the time.
Wayne: We have a bandcamp for 12tone still out there. https://12tone.bandcamp.com/album/vertigo
Joey: Man, the song Vertigo is still a jam. We played a bunch of local shows as 12tone and then we just kind of morphed into Powered Wig Machine. All the same band members. Really nothing changed except the style of music.
Wayne: The song Seven Four kinda got us into the whole stoner rock movement. It’s wild because our mom was an acute paranoid schizophrenic and the bridge section of Seven Four has a recording of a phone call I got from her.
Joey: I’d say that our very first Powered Wig Machine album still had some 12tone feel to it. Like the song Death by Suplex. That still was very progressive. We played a ton of shows as Powered Wig Machine and really went on some great Journeys. I guess Fuzz Evil happened because Daniel (Drums) and Dusty (Guitar) were both having kids and couldn’t commit as much time to playing anymore.
Wayne: Joey and I wanted to do something different, and it quickly became our main project.
Joey: I really like Fuzz Evil, it’s something that is more akin to Wayne and I playing when we were kids. Just the two of us writing riffs. We play off each other well.
Describe your first musical memory.
Joey: We’ve been playing music together for as long as we can remember.
Wayne: I have distinct memory of Joey and I jamming. We were probably 16 and 12, maybe younger. We were recording on one of those old tape recorders where you had to press down the play and record button at the same time. We had our little amps cranked up to 10 rocking out something fierce.
Joey: Right in the middle of the recording our Mom burst into the room and screams at us “Turn it down” “Turn ..it..DOWN” “THINGS ARE FALLING”.
Wayne: hahaha. The moment she walked away we started jamming again.
Joey: I remember listening to that recording like a 1000 times. It was hilarious to hear the few second pause after the door closes and then us starting to play again.
Describe your best musical memory to date.
Wayne: Probably playing with Eagles of Death Metal at the Rialto Theatre in Tucson.
Joey: That was a rad show. That show was pretty much sold out.
Wayne: After the show we were hanging out with Jesse, Danger Ehren (from Jackass) who was working as their camera man, and the guys from Black Magic Flower Power showed up for a real rager in the Rialto green room. What a fun night.
Joey: I know this is not like a single memory, but honestly, I’d say that the first time we went on tour up the coast with Orgo will always hold a special place in my heart. We had a blast. Shenanigans every night.
When was a time when a firmly held belief was tested?
Wayne: I’d say, my views on how to put out music and the music scene in general. I guess I had this old guard view of how things had to be done. Because that was the way they were always done. Truth is, there is no right or wrong way to do it. Nowadays it’s even easier for us with platforms like TikTok, Wix, Bandcamp, etc.. You can build a whole career, with a huge demand, without even leaving your house. Within the last year I’ve seen so many people in the entertainment industry gain notoriety on Tiktok without ever touring. Then the moment they do tour they are playing major venues. It’s changing the whole way I’m looking at what we are doing with Fuzz Evil.
Joey: So was this question supposed to be about music or are you trying to take us down the rabbit hole. Honestly, I can’t really think of any belief I firmly hold. Beliefs are perspectives based on assumptions. Most things in life are gray, not black and white. If you go down any path long enough you’ll realize that believing anything too much is probably steeped in logical fallacies. Haha, this perspective probably stems from the emotional trauma of having a schizophrenic mother, and being punished for illogical things as a child.
Where do you feel artistic progression leads?
Wayne: I think artistic progression is a double-edged sword. It can lead you to some real genre inspiring music, similar to what King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard do on every record, or it can lead you down a path where it’s almost like an inside joke, musically. I love Mars Volta, but their last couple albums were so progressive that they lost us. Still an amazing band, but it’s a double-edged sword.
Joey: I’m with you on that. I’d also say that artistic progression has a lot to do with why you want to progress artistically. Some people write music for themselves, and some people write music for others. Which one takes precedence will drive the progression. I think there should be a balance between the two. I love playing music because I like to make something I can look back on with pride and for others to appreciate. For us, even though it was the same members between 12tone and Powered Wig Machine we changed band names and genres. Now we are on to Fuzz Evil, still Wayne and I. I don’t think there is any right or wrong way to go about it.
How do you define success?
Joey: I believe that our lives are our legacy. To me creating something that others appreciate, whether it be art, music, or just memories is success to me. I always joke that you can spend your entire life staying at home doing what you always do and years will go by and you’ll have no distinct memories, or you can go out and do something wild and have a great story to tell.
Wayne: I’d define success as when people look back on your whole body of work and it holds some weight to it. Maybe, we’ll never be arena famous, but I love making music and that’s the true inspiration. When people look back at Fuzz Evil or Powered Wig Machine, it might not hold as much weight as Led Zepplin or Black Sabbath, but it may hold its own like Rare Earth. I’m ok with being the Rare Earth of stoner rock.
What is something you have seen that you wish you hadn’t?
Wayne: Uh, Two Girls one Cup?
Joey: That’s a good one. I still wish I never say that Youtube video of those two dogs humping and then the one dies mid banging. In all honesty, I’ve been pretty lucky in life, and haven’t had to experience anything extremely traumatic that keeps me up at night.
Describe something you haven’t created yet that you’d like to create.
Wayne: We are currently making shorts of an animated series called “Fuzz Off”. It’s an animated series that personifies guitar pedals. Kinda like South Park meets Beavis and Butthead. I’m really hoping we can get a deal with someone like adult Swim to make these full-time.
Joey: I agree. We’ve come up with about 50 scripts already. These are hilarious. Here is the first episode: https://www.tiktok.com/@fuzzevil/video/7247169567292804398
What do you believe is the most essential function of art?
Wayne: I believe it’s the tangible expression of who you are as a person. When a song is heavy or beautiful you are experiencing that artist’s interpretations of those emotions through their life experiences.
Joey: To get laid or help others get laid. Haha, I mean think about it. What IS the purpose of art. At a fundamental level it’s peacocking. Seriously though, as an artist I’d say the most essential function of art is to express myself and communicate my emotions. As an appreciator I’d say the most essential function is escapism. Something that helps you forget about everything for just a moment.
Something non-musical that you’re looking forward to?
Wayne: Season 18 of APEX. I’m a huge gamer. They really messed up the ranking in Season 17. Everyone hit the highest rank you can hit. Something like 20% of the player base. I hit Masters, haha. Looking forward to something a little more challenging in Season 18. Hit me up, I’m Wolf_Blitzinator on PS5 if you want to get down.
Joey: Uh, I don’t know. Retirement? Actually, I’m a huge gamer too, but I haven’t touch Diablo 4 or the Zelda yet because I’ve been too busy working on music/art stuff. Looking forward to playing these. I mean, if we are dropping gamertags I’m Shakalo on everything.
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