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Music

We Spoke With the Most Berserk People at Berserktown II

What does berserk mean to you?

The Observatory in Santa Ana, California, has been crawling all weekend with noise lovers, punk freaks, and other disciples of fucked up sound. They have come for Berserktown II, a three-day music fest packed with underground noise, punk, grind and black-metal acts. The eclectic lineup has raised some important questions about the nature of this extreme music and how it all fits together; namely, what does it mean to be “berserk”? How does one channel true “berserkness”? How does one illustrate “berserk” through sound, look and feel? On Saturday I went around and interviewed some of the most berserk people at Berserktown to get some answers. Here’s what they had to say.

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Mexi, from Los Angeles

NOISEY: Who’d you come here to see?
Mexi: Fucked Up, Take Offense, Hell in the Cell, White Boys. Bunch of other shit.

Tell me about yourself. What’s your story?
I’m just a dude that plays in a band that’s not playing today that all his friends bands are playing, so I’m here.

What does being berserk mean to you?
Shoot. [thinks for a second] Drink as much free alcohol back here as you can. Do as many drugs as you can. See if you can fuckin’ live till day three of the fest. Try to die but don’t actually die. That’s the plan.

Kelsey, from Brooylyn

What brings you to Berserktown?
Kelsey: I guess the fact that all my friends are playing, and I’ve never been to California.

Do you play music yourself?
In my bedroom, to myself, when I’m crying. [laughs] That’s about it. I’m more of a visual artist.

These pins you made are pretty amazing. The Mickey Mouse blowing his brains out. Wow…
That’s the most controversial. I was not allowed to make it. The company that I got them made through doesn’t want to fuck with Disney, so then I had to work around the system and try to find other places that would ignore that fact. But yeah, being told “No” made me really want to make it.

Big Daddy Swervy, from Houston

What bands are you here to see?
Big Daddy Swervy: I gotta bunch of homeboys that are playing here. I was supposed to play here too today, but I don’t know, something happened. I’m good, I’m chilling, I’m partying. Taking vacation. Fuck UPS. Under-Paid Slave.

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You work for UPS?
That’s what I work for. I work for Under-Paid Slave.

What does berserk mean to you?
Sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll. Beer. More beer. A little bit of whiskey. More beer. Blow. Poppers. Glue. All kinds of shit.

If you were on any drug of choice right now, which one would it be?
Blow.

Do you play music?
Yeah, I’m in this band called Sex Pill from Houston. Members from Back to Back and Dress Code. Shout out to H-town and Sex Pill.

Naka and Haruka, from Tokyo

You’re manning a vendor booth for your label, Big Love Records. What’s the story with the label?
Haruka: We are married. He has been running the label for like 25 years, but he has been changing the label name whenever he thought he needed to change the aesthetics of the label. I started working at this label when I was at university, and then we got married, and then we started Big Love around 2008.

What brings you to Berserktown?
Haruka: We’ve been releasing Lust for Youth, Dirty Beaches, and of course [Destruction Unit], so we have a lot of friends who are playing at Berserktown. Berserktown was like a family gathering. There’s too many people that we love. It’s so natural to be here.

What does berserk mean to you? Is there something about this music that inspires you?
Haruka: I think everyone has some craziness in you, and I mean, most of my friends have those kinds of craziness, and I can call it berserk. But at the same time they have gentle and kind and calmness all together. So I think that’s why it attracts so many people. Because you have to expect that they can show it when you’re performing. But when you’re just talking, you’re really calm and quiet.

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What do you like better—noise, grind or hardcore?
Haruka: Me, personally, I like noise. But [gestures at Naka] I think he’s more into pop or rock.

Spencer, from Los Angeles

What bands are you here to see?
Spencer: Royal Trux, Dead Moon, Milk Music, No Hope for the Kids. I wanted to see Fucked Up but I was outside drinking when they played.

What does berserk mean to you? Do you get berserk?
No, I’m pretty chill now. When I was younger, I got berserk. Now I just stand on the edge of the pit, because I’m old.

How old are you?
23.

Dude, that’s not even old.
I know, but I’m too old to mosh. But I’m not too old to shove people. So I stand on the edge so I can shove, but not mosh.

Wes and Ceci, from Riverside

What brings you to Berserktown?
Wes: The music.
Ceci: We saw the lineup, and then I saw Juanita y Los Feos was playing, so I was like “Oh my god, we have to go.”

Do you prefer punk, grind or noise?
Wes: Punk. A splash of everything else, though.

It’s crazy hot out today. What are you doing to withstand the heat?
Ceci: We just jump around and dance around, and you just forget about it.

What does berserk mean to you?
Wes: Freedom.
Ceci: Getting lost in the music.

Follow Peter Holslin on Twitter.