The Black Lips formed as teenagers at the turn of the 21st century. It was a brighter time, perfect for forming a happy-go-lucky psychedelic garage band. Black Lips have carried on plugging through the 21st century's bad times... and that's probably why now they're the best happy-go-lucky psychedelic garage band around.

In their hometown of Atlanta, they're practically gods, and their early records are passed around like priceless artifacts. Since Vice Records started putting out their records (the next of which, Good Bad Not Evil, is slated for release September 11th) and promoting them heavily in Europe as well as the US, their last 12 months have been manic. Touring heavily and doing loads of press around the world can exhaust the most hardened rock-and-rollers. While back in their hometown, we took guitarist Cole Alexander and bassist Jared Swilley on a zany 'A Christmas Carol'-style journey and got them to discuss their favorite haunts of the past, present and future:

Where’s the best place to play a show in Atlanta?
Cole: I personally like the Eyedrum. It’s typically more of an avant-garde art space, but, because of that, you don't have to worry about paying $5 for a beer, or shitty security, or 21-and-up shows, cause anything goes.
Jared: The Drunken Unicorn usually books the best shows. It's really fun, and the people who work there are awesome.

What about house parties? What’s the craziest house party you’ve played?
Cole: The old Die Slaughterhaus, where we used to live, people used to jump through the windows and ollie off the roof with skateboards and shoot guns and punch holes in the wall.
Jared: Houses are probably my favorite venues, and most people in Atlanta have decent-sized houses. The craziest was probably the last show we played at our old place, Die Slaughterhaus. It somehow got billed as a "trash the haus" party, and everyone showed up with hammers and bats and did exactly that. The guys on the lease almost went to jail.

Do the kids have big houses in Atlanta?
Cole: Hell yeah, real big… we even have a house in Atlanta called the Big House - it was built by the free masons and has an underground tunnel that leads to a shrine temple where they helped these weird little burnt kids with weird gimpy-ness and crippled-ness. At the house they have punk shows; it’s a proper mansion where old powerful masons lived and died. In one room there is a eye of the illuminati on the ceiling.

Who has the best house in Black Lips?
Cole: I do. I have a house with an apple tree where nearby kids come to eat when they’re hungry. You can’t top a Shel Silverstein-esque giving tree - food and shelter from raindrops.
Jared: I don't know… I like mine, but I’ve never been to Ian or Cole’s. Let’s go with mine.

When you were kids where did you kick back? Any good skate parks, all age venues, corners, parks?
Cole: We used to hang out on the stairs of my friend’s house or in kids’ parents’ basements where we could make messiness. Sometimes we would go to Little Five Points (L5P) - you can get $1 pizza and play pinball, buy LSD on the street corner and pick up your records at Wax ‘N Facts Records and Criminal Records. For beer we would sit outside the beer store asking folks to buy for us till one would - we called it sit and suck. If we were in the ghetto some times we'd get ripped off.
Jared: No skate parks when we were kids. Georgia’s a little behind the times on that, and all the all-age venues were Christian. We vandalized our neighborhoods and got older folks to buy us beer, and skated. We were really obnoxious. I guess it’s the same all over.

Where did you play your first show?
Cole: Club 513, an old club owned by this guy Fred Tokars. He had someone murder his wife, so he was in jail and we could do whatever the fuck we wanted to.

Before you were famous and got free clothes, where did you buy your threads?
Cole: Thrift stores - we still buy there, to get the coolest stuff, but now we sell to Rag-O-Rama. They buy used hipster clothes.
Jared: Thrift stores and our girlfriends' closets.

Imagine you meet a beautiful girl on tour, and you have to bring her back to Atlanta to meet the family. Where would you take her (or your girlfriend) after for the ultimate romantic time?
Cole: Fancy: SunDial overlooks the city on a rotating floor. Cheap: Eats, cause it's cheap and they have awesome jerk chicken. Dim Sum: Oriental Pearl. $1 tacos; Blue Frog Cantina. Sushi: Sushi Yoko. Homestyle Southern Cooking: Carvers Grocery.
Jared: This summer me and my girlfriend have been going swimming and doing a lot of outdoor stuff. Yesterday we went white water rafting at the Nantahala River, and tomorrow we’re going to the Chatahoochee River to rope swing. Tonight, we’re going to the Pink Pony; it’s a cool strip club.

Does anyone famous live in Atlanta?
Cole: Dixie head quarters. Jane Fonda, Elton John, Ted Turner, Outcast, Usher, Mastodon, Deerhunter, Julia Roberts, Wayne Williams (killed all those black kids), Jimmy Carter, Mark David Chapman (killed John Lennon), Hannibal, Ludacris, Lil John, Chris Tucker.
Jared: We’ve got a lot of rappers here and it’s the only city in the US to be completely destroyed during a war. It’s also got the world’s largest piece of exposed granite, called Stone Mountain. They have a laser light show they project on the face of the mountain every night during the summer. It’s got a giant carving of Robert E. Lee, Jefferson Davis and Stonewall Jackson. It’s all confederate themed and really un-P.C. I could go on forever…

When you come back from tour, where do you like to visit most?
Cole: Six Flags - this year a couple of us got season passes, also pools in hotels and condos in the summer. Sheraton downtown is the easiest.
Jared: My house. BBQ places like Harold’s Barbecue and Daddy D’z soul food restaurant.

Are there any good museums?
Cole: The old Planetarium is cool - it's like that one from Rebel Without a Cause.
Jared: We’re a little lacking in that department.

Who makes the best brunch?
Cole: The Earl in East Atlanta's got an ok brunch
Where’s the best place to relax?
Cole: Home, ah sweet home. And, sangrias at El Myr Burrito Lounge in the late afternoon. Grant Park, for dancing to ghetto blasters with old-style family reunions.
Jared: My house

~Kevin Soar

Go There:
Club 513, 513 Edgewood Avenue, (404) 223-5132
Blue Frog Cantina, 469 Flat Shoals Ave Se, (404) 658-6108
Eats, 600 Ponce De Leon Ave NE, (404) 888-9149
Sushi Yoko, 7124 Peachtree Industrial Blvd, (770) 903-9348
Carvers Grocery, 1118 W Marietta St NW, (404) 794-4410, (11:00-2:30pm only)
Oriental Pearl, 5399 New Peachtree Road, (770) 986-9866
Pink Pony, 1837 Corporate Road, (404) 634-6396
Daddy D’z, 264 Memorial Dr Se, (404) 222-0206
El Myr Burrito Lounge, 1091 Euclid Ave, (404) 588-0250

Photo of Cole and Jared by Savage Lady via Flickr.