Joanna: Ok now -- what�s your name?

Lars: My name�s Lars Fredrickson.

Joanna: And what do you do Lars?

Lars: I play in a band called Rancid and I also play in another band called Lars Fredrickson and the Bastards.

Joanna: Ok, what made you want to start Lars Fredrickson and the Bastards?

Lars: Well, it was actually Tim Armstrong�s idea. One day he was like �You know I love your stories about Campbell... you should really do a record with those stories on it.� So that�s how it all began.

Joanna: Who�s Campbell?

Lars: Campbell is a town that I grew up in.

Joanna (laughing): Oh man... I'm embarrassed. Ok... um... so who are the "Bastards"? Is Tim Armstrong a bastard?

Lars: He sure is.

Joanna: (laughing): Am I a bastard?

Lars: Um, I don't think so. I'm sorry.

Joanna: So why is Tim Armstrong a bastard and I'm not?

Lars: Well, Tim Armstrong is actually the most important bastard, because he co-wrote and produced both records. I�m really lucky to have - in my opinion - the greatest songwriter in the world as my song-writing partner.

Joanna: So he inspired you to find something within yourself.

Lars: Absolutely.

Joanna: That's beautiful. No wonder you call him a bastard. So when your new record came out, the word on the street (and by the street I mean the internet) was �Lars Fredrickson does porn!� And so I took a look, and I was like, �Oh he doesn�t do porn, he�s just posing with porn stars and taking photographs!� What inspired this Snoop Dogg/ Motley Crue aesthetic to your record?

Lars: Well, there were a couple of ideas behind it. I mean, one was because it was kind of the lifestyle I was living at the time.

Joanna: You hung out with a bunch of porn stars?

Lars: No, just�no.

Joanna: (laughing): What do you mean by the lifestyle?

Lars: Well, I�m trying to explain.

Joanna: Oh, ok.

Lars: Um, uh, one part was kind of like� I�ve never really seen that on a punk record before, so I thought it was a cool idea.

Joanna: Ok... is there is a second part?

Lars : Well, I was coming out of a divorce and you know�I was visiting a lot of prostitutes.

Joanna: Wow. That�s courageous that you admitted that. Were you doing this here? Or in Europe?

Lars: Well, Everywhere. Um� uh� back to talking about the record, another inspiration of it was kind of political, because you know, people like John Ashcroft, wouldn�t even do speeches in front of certain statues because they were partially nude.

Joanna: He's probably gotten laid like twice in his life and now the entire country has to pay for it. Not to mention, he makes life for us pornographers very difficult.

Lars: Well, it�s a freedom of speech issue, so his inadequacies are a little bit more severe than just imposing on porn stars.

Joanna: Would you ever take it a step further, and do something a little more exciting than just pose next to porn stars?

Lars (laughs): It�s kind of like, I really love pro wrestling, but I�ll never be a pro wrestler. Do you know what I mean?

Joanna: Yeah, I understand.

Lars: I mean, not that I couldn't. Believe it or not, I would be a very good actor in porn.

Joanna: Would you like to give it a shot?

Lars (laughing): Next question.

Joanna: So do you watch a lot of porn?

Lars: If I do, it�s like a getting to know myself better [type of] thing. Do you know what I mean?

Joanna: What do you mean?

Lars: Well, you know�

Joanna: It helps you discover parts of yourself?

Lars: I guess [chuckle], I�ve been with all of these parts for 33 years, but you know different things turn me on than other people. I�m not into like the fake boob, plastic surgery porn

Joanna: That was part of the reason why I wanted to start BurningAngel. There are so many sexy girls that just aren�t conventionally pretty that I know you guys want to see� you just can�t find them anywhere.

Lars: Well see, I think what American magazines and American media portray as sexy is and what a woman should look like is not what I�m attracted to�

Joanna: So what are you attracted to?

Lars: I like the flaws. You know? I like the women a little bit more beat up.

Joanna (laughing): Yeah, I know what you mean.

Lars: I think internal beauty is more important than other beauty.

Joanna: You can only see so much �internal beauty� in porn though.

Lars: Yeah, obviously� but�some girls just appear more genuine than others.

Joanna: Do you see pornography as something artistic?

Lars: No, maybe, I don�t know, it all depends. I mean I think that a photograph, like, take Marilyn Monroe when she was doing those pinups or Greta Garbo�wasn�t that her name? Greta Garbo?

Joanna: Yeah.

Lars: Garbo?

Joanna: Yes, Garbo.

Lars: Garbo - she was the first one, right? She was the first one to do it, in WWII.

Joanna: To do what?

Lars: Erotic stuff. I could be wrong. Anyways, when I look at photos like that, I'm like, now that�s a work of art. Do you know what I mean? The way it�s shot... the way she's presented... it's artistic. I�m sure there are a lot of directors who might think that what they are doing is a work of art... but I don't see anything like those vintage photographs anymore.

Joanna: People have just seen so much over the years, directors have to push the envelope to really give people what they want to see. Who knows what Greta Garbo would be doing if she were in the industry now. In other words, people have just turned into way bigger perverts.

Lars: Yeah...

Joanna: So how would you feel about a video that�s only there to arouse you? Like if the director doesn't care about the film being "artistic" at all, do you see anything artistic about a film being able to get you off?

Lars: I do believe that any kind of cinematic thing regardless of if I like it or not is somebody�s art, so I don�t think I have any room to judge that.

Joanna: That�s very diplomatic of you. I like that.

Lars: Thanks. Well you know� I play music for a living� and its music that a whole lot of people don�t like or don�t care for and to me, its art� so I have to be in that mind-frame.

Joanna: So what is your band doing now?

Lars: Right now?

Lars: Right now, I�m hanging out and talking about porn on a bus.

Joanna (laughs): Is this boring?

Lars: Oh no... Don�t worry.

Joanna: So you're on tour now?

Lars: Yeah, we�re on tour, this is New York, I�ve been on tour for so long, so I�m, like, a little tired� you know.

Joanna: What about "Rancid"? Are you guys still playing?

Lars: Oh, yeah, we�ll be making records till we�re 80-years-old!

Joanna: (laughs): That�s awesome. Ok�well I think I�ve gotten enough out of you.

Lars: You sure?

Joanna: Yeah, I think so. Good luck tonight�

Lars: Thanks.