Watch Everyday Sunshine The Story of Fishbone Online I wanted to also know a bit about what things were like when they started playing shows.  Moore talked about the experience at Madame Wong's in Chinatown which is where they got their start.  I jumped in and asked how people reacted, were they totally into it, were they like what the f^*# is this, how did it go over.  Moore said, "Yeah, at first people were like what the f^$# is that, and we were getting booked at these like rock shows originally as well, cause we had a couple names before Fishbone, like Megatron, right.  So it sounds like a heavy metal name, so our look and music didn't really fit the name you know.  So of course, people were kind of like what the f^*#, but they never left."

We next talked about how much energy they must expend during a show and for me, I wondered why does he still do it and how does he manage to do it.  Watch Everyday Sunshine The Story of Fishbone Online My curiosity about this stems from some personal experience as I know what it is like to do a physically demanding thing for years on end, but eventually I couldn't do it anymore and really didn't want to.  Moore began saying he had just spoken with someone about this wondering what to do when the mind wants to keep going but the body just can't, what do you do then.  "For me, it's the love of the music, it's the spirit that is aroused when our music is played, and because of that, because we can still arouse the spirits, it enables me personally, to dance and let loose, you know."  I continued with this suggesting that they feed off the crowd pretty strongly.  Moore answered, "Of course, you know, because if they're not into it, if they're not reciprocating, of course it's natural to think something's wrong, but then again, you still enjoy the music that you play...  You gotta like what you do, from your heart, of course.  But also, after all this time, you feel obligation and habit because I've been doing this as long as I can remember, so it's kind of all of those elements that find me doing it."

The next topic we dove into was what influenced him musically, what bands was he into growing up, moreover how did this crazy unique sound develop for himself and Fishbone.  Moore without hesitation begins rattling off a list of artists, groups, and movements that Watch Everyday Sunshine The Story of Fishbone Online was truly impressive.  Moore began, "James Brown, Sly Stone, Led Zeppelin, the whole English ska invasion, then later on after that we discovered a lot of the Jamaican ska, I guess it's kind of backwards discovering it like that, but that's how it happened.  And then a lot of the Mod scene, a lot of funk, Funkadelic, Graham Central Station, and then, a lot of punk rock came around, we discovered the Bad Brains, and The Germs, and The Dead Kennedys...  I guess a lot of it was funk based, but also a lot of gospel, and soul, and R & B had been there since I was a kid anyways.  So I guess the ska, the reggae, the punk rock, that all came later around junior high school."

We somehow got back onto the subject of beginnings, and I asked Moore if he sang in a choir or anything growing up, and he said he had wanted to, but never did, only starting really with Fishbone.  Moore then drops knowledge on thankfulness for his path and work.  " I am thankful everyday man, everyday, especially now dude, especially when people remind me of how thankful I really should be, and remind of how good Fishbone is to them and what it does for them, I just gotta be thankful, and I'm like wow, I'm doing that, that is good, that's good."

In Everyday Sunshine, countless musicians, entertainers, and other personalities talk about their love for and influence from Fishbone in their work.  I suggest that this must be a great thing, how does it feel to know so many talented people are into your work.  Moore begins, "It make me feel (he pauses)... it makes me have a lot of mixed feelings.  It makes me thankful, once again, I'm thankful I could be of service."  I pressed on, digging deeper, asking if the other side of his feelings were financially related.  Moore responded, "Well, financially, things were fucked up.  Fishbone lived the lifestyle of the famous but not rich, in fact let me read you this poem that might sum it all up."

And then Moore went on to recite words of infinite wisdom, rhythmic grace, and poignant philosophical as well as cultural insight that he says can sum up perhaps his mixed feelings.  He begins, "I lived the lifestyle of the famous but not rich.. this road to stardom is one big grand illusion...  Lights, camera, action, and without a lot of chips.. sometimes I wonder what the hell I'm doing... I can't see nothing but a lot of contradictions.. the color of my skin and the issues I'm addressing.. don't match up with the stereotypes  in this racist system... Lots of pictures and autographs I'm signing and my bank account is constantly declining...  I wonder when this plastic life of mine will ever change, ain't racking in a lot of moolah, just scratching chicken change...  Gray hair's seen it's day, weak knees take a bow.. On the outside I'm smilin' but on the inside I'm cryin' out...  All my rich and famous buddies, massive money stacks.. We're still driving in buckets and livin' in shacks.. . Living the lifestyle of the famous but not rich, ain't that a b!^*#..."  For more of this, you're going to have to check out Moore's CD Dr. Madd Vibe's Medicine Cabinet, which this is the first track on.

I cannot explain how cool it was having my own personal poetry reading from Moore.  We finished up talking about how it was to watch Everyday Sunshine with an audience and see their reactions, the joy they got from it.  Moore said, "Man, it's a trip when I look at it, when I see the movie I'm just like damn, that's me up there (laughing), hell yeah..  Chris and Lev really put it together good.  I just hope it keeps going good..  I really wanna see the movie in the main theaters, so I guess that will happen if people get out there and see the movie, so I really hope a lot of people check it out".  You really will be happy you did, I assure you.  Unfortunately, we ran out of time and this where we ended, so hopefully, I'll be able to talk with him again.  Moore is truly a fountain of creativity that we can all be thankful has outlets to unleash it which allow us to enjoy the fruits of his labor.

Moore continues to travel around the world with Fishbone, as well as his alter-ego solo project Dr. Madd Vibe, so head over to those websites to find out where you can see Moore and Fishbone, with Moore coming with The Dr. Madd Vibe Experiment to Victoria, B.C. Friday, October 29th at 9:00PM.  Look for more on Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone in the coming weeks asWatch Everyday Sunshine The Story of Fishbone Online more festival dates and special screenings are announced.  So for those in the Bay Area, tonight, Thursday October 21st at 9:30PM at The Roxie is a screening of the film for The San Francisco Documentary Festival, and Friday night the 22nd at The CMJ Music Marathon and Film Festival, you have the film screening at 4:00PM at Norwood Club and a concert by the band at (Le) Poisson Rouge at 9:00PM.  Head over to The CMJ or San Fran Doc Fest websites linked below for ticket information regarding these events.  If you are interested in following along with the coverage of Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone, The CMJ, or film festivals in the future, you can receive these articles directly as they are published by clicking on the “Subscribe” button at the top of this piece. You can also follow me on Twitter by searching for ericshlapack or by clicking the link below.