JOANNA: I can�t believe that I�m actually talking to Skinhead Rob.

ROB: (laughs) What do you mean?

JOANNA: I�ve heard so many stories about you from Tim, but never met you. You�re like a legend� I feel like I�m talking to the Easter Bunny or something.

ROB: (laughs) Man, now I�m embarrassed.

JOANNA: Oh it was nothing but nice things don�t worry. So tell everyone what you do in the Transplants.

ROB: Well I can�t play instruments, so I write lyrics, sing, and rap whatever. I just rap and smoke weed.

JOANNA: (laughs) Well life could be a lot worse. When were the Transplants born?

ROB: In January of 2000, Tim and I started fucking around in the studio. I never sang lyrics and shit so I didn�t know what to do, I just busted out with whatever was on my mind.

JOANNA: Tim is really good at finding something artistic inside of everyone. So is that how the band started? With you guys fucking around in the studio?

ROB: Well even before that, Tim would play some of his tracks in the car while we would be driving around. There were no lyrics or nothin� on them and I would just trip out to the beats and shit, and he liked it.

JOANNA: You know, Tim asked me to record myself saying a bunch of dirty shit and send it to the studio. It was supposed to be the intro to the new record. Did that ever make it on?

ROB: Damn! I don�t think so�. I never heard that.

JOANNA: Hmmm. How embarrassing. I�ve been going around telling people I�m in The Transplants for like the past six months. Now I feel stupid.

ROB: (laughs) Well, maybe he�ll use it for something else.

JOANNA: I CAN�T BELIEVE I WAS KICKED OUT OF THE BAND! Man, I�m such a failure.

ROB: No! Um.... it�s not like that. You should really ask Tim what happened�

JOANNA: (laughs) Oh I�ll get over it some day. So your self titled record was kind of like an experiment, right? All of you guys were trying something new, and none of you knew what it would sound like till it was done. One of the reasons I like it so much is because it�s so unpredictable, and really feels fun. What�s this new record, "Haunted Cities" like? Is it more structured?




ROB: I think this one is a lot better. It�s a real record, and the first one is more like a bunch of different shit thrown together.

JOANNA: Were you always into hip-hop?

ROB: Yeah. Tim and Travis were always doing the punk rock thing and hip-hop was more my thing. We were all boys and shit but I was into a different style of music.

JOANNA: Did your different tastes cause a conflict when you guys were writing music?

ROB: No way. There are no egos in the Transplants. We all have a mutual respect for one another and made an honest record.

JOANNA: So Travis would be like �lets make this song about an ex-girlfriend� and you�d be like, �ok, that�s cool as long as the next one can be about guns and drugs.�

ROB: (laughs) Something like that� but it�s more like, you guys make some beats and I�ll rap about drugs, guns, and love all in the same song.

JOANNA: That�s awesome. Maybe you�ll start a trend, and like Henry Rollins will form a band with like 50 Cent and Fat Mike.

ROB: Well� (laughs) I don�t know �bout that but I can say we bring out a mixed crowd of fans. Punk kids, metal heads, hip-hop gang banging mother fuckers, the UPS man � you know�all kinds of people feel our shit.

JOANNA: (laughs) You know I don�t really have a consistent UPS �man.� It�s always someone different. But next time I get a package I will give whoever it is a copy of your record.

ROB: No doubt! We just do our thing� Tim and Travis for a long time were used to making music that was expected to be for this person or that person� now we just do whatever and let everyone have fun, including ourselves.



JOANNA: Do you like writing songs and rapping? It seems like it almost happened by accident for you.

ROB: I love this band. I mean, aside from the fact that I�m really proud of the new record and what we�re doing, I needed an outlet. This band keeps me out of trouble.

JOANNA: Yeah� I hear ya. Porn really keeps me out of trouble� (laughs) and I�m serious too!

ROB: Yeah, you got a good site. You should be proud.

JOANNA: Well thanks. I mean, no matter what people may think, I mean at least what I�m doing is legal, and that�s a step up from my err� um�. �job� in college.

ROB: Yeah- it�s great to have some legitimate money.

[the next part of this interview has been omitted for the sake of both parties involved]

JOANNA: So do you watch porn?

ROB: Well I do, but not on a regular basis.

JOANNA: Oh. Do you have a favorite porn star?

ROB: Oh I don�t know the girl�s names. I like Jules Jordan, he�s my homeboy.

JOANNA: Yeah, I um� like him too, quite a bit. He�s gonna shoot me sometime next week� I�m really excited.

ROB: Oh really?

JOANNA: Yeah.

ROB: For what?

JOANNA: �Big Booty White Girls, 2�

ROB: (laughs) Really?!

JOANNA: This interview is over the phone. If it was in person, my joke would have been a lot funnier. You would have a better chance at �Big Booty White Girls, 2� than I would.

ROB: This band was a big change in my life� I don�t know if I need another new career (laughs).

JOANNA: Does Travis always have TV cameras following him around?

ROB: Nah- I mean, they finished filming the season a long time ago.

JOANNA: You mean�. REALITY TV ISN�T REAL?!

ROB: (laughs) Well, it�s definitely not live.

JOANNA: When the crew was following Travis around, did it annoy you? Or did you want to be on �Meet the Barkers�?

ROB: I didn�t see 'em much and I didn�t really care if it happened. Not unless I was doing something incriminating.

JOANNA: Well anything incriminating would be way too exciting to go on MTV anyways so it would just get edited out. So, what�s next for you guys? Are you going on the warped tour?

ROB: Yeah� we�re gonna be really busy and on the road for a while. Tim, Travis, and I all have other shit going on in our lives but right now we�re all putting as much time as we can into this band.

JOANNA: Well good luck. Thanks so much for the interview.