"All the animals come out at night - whores, skunk pussies, buggers, queens, fairies, dopers, junkies, sick, venal. Someday a real rain will come and wash all this scum off the streets."
- Travis Bickle, Taxi Driver
Emerging from the underbelly of Austin, Texas, The Oxy's plunder, pillage, preach, pontificate, please and pump out dirty rock ‘n’ roll full of sleaze, danger, flashing fluorescent signs begging and bartering Girls, Girls, Girls. Harken back to a time when punk rock was not politically correct and you didn't have to watch your Ps & Qs. Wham! Bam! Over in 3 minutes and 30 minutes of apology. Fast, Fucked and Furious.
I had the opportunity to chat with Jason Kottwitz aka Ginchy of The Oxys/Dead Boys -- Here is what ensued.
Scene Point Blank: Rumour has it that you can type 110 words per minute. Enquiring minds need to know. How does a guitarist possess the skills to accomplish this? Ultimately did it help your ability to learn and play guitar? Can you draw parallels between typing and playing an instrument?
Jason Kottwitz: First of all, let me congratulate you on being the first journalist to ever inquire about my office skills. If you must know, my mother was a teacher of business education and taught me the proper technique at a young age. When I was in 8th grade, I had a typing class with Mr. Wagner. He was an awesome teacher and I rocked his class. Yes, I do about 110 with very few errors. Did it help me play guitar? I dunno, but it has definitely expedited the rate at which I shovel bullshit out to the media.
Scene Point Blank: How long were you with The Dead Boys? How did you land that gig? Any regrets?
Jason Kottwitz: I was a part of the Dead Boys for three years. I was there at the onset of the 40th-anniversary tour and did 2017, 2018, and 2019. Prior to that, I was playing in Cheetah Chrome's solo band for several years. He advised me at some point he wanted to do the Dead Boys' 40th anniversary and asked if I wanted to be a part of that. I agreed. In February of 2017, we went to Japan and brought Johnny Blitz on board for those shows. Upon returning to the States, Jake Hout joined the band and the Dead Boys tours ensued.
Scene Point Blank: There was some criticism about rerecording Young, Loud and Snotty. How do you feel about that statement or viewpoint?
Jason Kottwitz: I’m not really here to pass judgment on someone’s business decision, especially when it’s not my band. But if you must know, I feel the criticism is fair. I personally didn’t like the idea. Rule #1: Don’t fuck with a classic. That album is magic in a bottle. All attempts to recreate are going to prove futile. Being that it’s one of my favourite records ever, I definitely had a raised eyebrow. I listened to the final product once in the studio at the end of the sessions, but haven’t listened to it since.
Scene Point Blank: Was there a lot of pressure playing with The Dead Boys and stepping into that role? There was a lot of whining “that this is not The Dead Boys but a Cheetah Chrome solo project with hired hands.”
Jason Kottwitz:There was no pressure. I was already playing most of those songs in Cheetah’s solo band. The only difference for me was I started playing them with Johnny Blitz on drums and a proper singer. I’ve played those songs with many drummers over the years, and the only times they sound right is when Johnny plays them. His style is very unique and unorthodox. The guy kicked ass. I was also shocked at how great he was in the studio. He can’t be copied.
As far as the whining goes, everyone is entitled to their opinion. I’ve never thought of myself as a member of Dead Boys. It is silly for people to even suggest such a thing. The Dead Boys were Cheetah, Stiv, Johnny, Jimmy, and Jeff. The end. For the most part, it was mainly old-school fans and other catty musicians -- the latter’s opinion which was of no concern to me. However, I have common ground with those people in the fact that I think it should have been called “Cheetah Chrome’s Dead Boys.”
Scene Point Blank: Generally, what was it like working with Cheetah Chrome and Johnny Blitz?
Jason Kottwitz: There is nothing better than getting to jam with your heroes. I think there was a lot of baggage from the late ‘70s still lingering around with the original members that often kept tensions high, but the experience, in general, was great for me.
Scene Point Blank: What was it like working with Jake Hout and Ricky Rat? Did you know them prior before they joined The Dead Boys?
Jason Kottwitz: I was the one who asked both of those guys to play in the Dead Boys. I recommended both of them to Cheetah. I had known both of them for many years prior to that. I liked working with both of them. Ricky is the nicest guy ever and I loved hanging out with Jake. Jake was basically my roommate for the duration of the time I was in the band and we got pretty close in the time we spent together.
Scene Point Blank: Can you comment on Sylvain Sylvain as a person and a musician?
Jason Kottwitz: Sylvain is/was an incredible human being. Just an amazing person. As a musician, it doesn’t get any better. That guy loved music. He wore it on his sleeve. His heart and soul came out when he performed. One of a kind.
Scene Point Blank: How long did you play with Syl and where did you tour with him? Any memories of being on the road with him?
How many shows in Japan did you play with Syl? Any memories of that tour?
Jason Kottwitz: I did shows with Sylvain over a 3 year period. We mainly toured the southern States with him and Japan. We did three shows in Japan. Two in Tokyo and one in Fukuoka. Syl hadn’t been there since 1975 with the Dolls, so the amount of energy at the shows was just incredible. I remember fans showing up to the hotel with photos that they had taken at those shows in 1975 to show us. Wild.
Scene Point Blank: Did Syl ever make you any articles of clothing? He played a mean sewing machine. I believe that was another passion of his.
Jason Kottwitz: Yes, he did. I have three hats and a shirt. One of the hats is the one he wore in the Johnny Thunders documentary. I have a couple of Sylvain's amps as well.
Scene Point Blank: Johnny Thunders is noted as a musical hero of yours. What attributes did Thunders possess to have him well-lauded as a guitarist in your books?
Jason Kottwitz: I play a Gibson Les Paul Junior Double Cutaway and it is the same guitar Johnny played for the most part.
Attributes? I loved his style and songwriting. Rock ‘n’ roll in its simplest form.
Scene Point Blank: Initially, how did you become interested in playing guitar? What are your preferred weapons of choice (gear used)?
Jason Kottwitz: My great-grandfather played the fiddle. He used to hand down stringed instruments to me. Like many others, I was a KISS fan at a young age, like 5 or 6. Ace Frehley inspired me to pick up the instrument.
A Gibson guitar into a Marshall amp is my preferred choice. The original recipe still works fine.
Scene Point Blank: What other musicians do you admire?
Jason Kottwitz:Mick Ronson, Walter Lure, Alex Harvey, Michael Schenker, Gord Lewis, Johnny Ramone, Malcolm Young, Geezer Butler, John Entwistle, Robin Zander/Rick Neilsen, Glen Buxton, Iggy Pop, James Williamson, Jimmy Zero, Steve Jones…I could go on all day.
Scene Point Blank: How did you come to be crowned with the nickname “Ginchy”?
Jason Kottwitz: A member of an old band started calling me that and somehow it managed to stick. People didn’t even know my real name until I started using Facebook.
Scene Point Blank: Can you comment on the following bands you have played in:
Swampass
Jason Kottwitz: My first “serious” band. It was a good learning experience. I still enjoy the records.
Scene Point Blank: The Bulemics
Jason Kottwitz: Not my band. I played with them for 10 years. I did one record with them.
Scene Point Blank: The Flash Boys
Jason Kottwitz: Great frontman. I still write songs with him every Sunday. Frankie Nowhere. Maybe someday we’ll put those out on record.
Again, they asked me to play with them after they had gone through two other guitar players. Didn’t much feel like Flash Boys by the time I got there. Wrote some great songs with them, but never got around to recording them.
Scene Point Blank: M.O.D.
Jason Kottwitz: I did one record with Billy for Megaforce. Metal is not my style. Billy knew this when he brought me for some sessions playing leads. He basically told me to do what I did on the last Bulemics record. So I did.
Scene Point Blank: How did you end up collaborating with Bushwick Bill?
Jason Kottwitz: Bushwick did a track on the Bulemics record. He came over to my house to get a copy of it and we ended up talking for several hours about doing something. I have some great memories of Bushwick. One SXSW, he followed Sylvain and I around from show to show and would get up and freestyle with us during the set. I think he ended up doing 8 shows with us. We did one show where Sylvain headlined and Bushwick opened. We did a set of Geto Boys songs. It was a lot of fun.
Scene Point Blank: Who came up with the band name The Oxys? Does it have any deeper meaning behind it?
Jason Kottwitz: I came up with the band name. No deep meaning. Pharmaceuticals. It’s the best name I could come up with at the time.
Scene Point Blank: How did COVID affect you? Did it play a part in your collaboration with Phil Davis and the formation of The Oxys? Who else is in the band?
Jason Kottwitz: Clearly, the pandemic completely fucking sucked. Dark times. I try not to think about it. The only thing I could do while locked down was play my guitar, write songs, and hang out with my wife and kid. The first album was written at this time. I would shoot songs over to Phil and he would send them back. We weren’t ever in the same room. Rob Williams plays drums, Abel Garcia plays second guitar, and Gabe Von Asher plays bass. Gabe played with me in Cheetah Chrome and also played in Sylvain with me. All very good players/performers.
"My schnitzel is impeccable. And much like my grandmother, you’ll have to pry the recipes out of my cold dead hands."
Scene Point Blank: How has A Date With been received so far? How did you become affiliated with Dead Beat Records?
Jason Kottwitz: It seems like the record is doing well. It’s selling, getting airplay, etc. We got hooked up with Dead Beat Records when we were shopping the album. It was right after the pandemic ended. The record plants were all crazy backed up. Dead Beat was able to get it out on the streets faster than other interested labels so we went with them.
Scene Point Blank: Who largely influenced The Oxys’ sound?
Jason Kottwitz: I wouldn’t say it is one large influence, it’s a culmination of many influences. What you hear on the record is what I do and the way I play. I’m not really setting out to sound like anyone. I’ve heard it compared to many things, but never just one thing. If I had to cite influences, it would probably be the punk and rock of the late ‘70s. Heartbreakers, Teenage Head, Dead Boys, and Alice Cooper are some of my favourites. Does the music sound like that? I dunno. It’s kinda-ish.
Scene Point Blank: One of the songs on the album was written by you and Sylvain when he stayed with you in Texas. Which song was that and did much change with the song since you collaborated with him?
Jason Kottwitz: The song “Machine Gun.” It is a song Syl and I would jam on at my house. There were no words, it was just the two of us riffin’ together. I have some of those sessions on tape. I pulled this one particular set of riffs and Phil and I turned it into a song.
Scene Point Blank: Since your surname appears to be of German descent. Could you provide us with your favourite German recipe? I spoke to your family and they said that you can boil water with the best of them and even maybe make toast!
Jason Kottwitz: My schnitzel is impeccable. And much like my grandmother, you’ll have to pry the recipes out of my cold dead hands.
Scene Point Blank: Are there plans to tour this release? Possibly into Canada?
Jason Kottwitz: We’re working on that. I would love to do Canada again, but our singer has a prior DUI. Any advice on getting him in?
Scene Point Blank: Do you have any future projects in the works?
Jason Kottwitz: No, The Oxys is my project at the moment, but I always seemed to get roped into something.
Scene Point Blank: Is there currently anyone that you would like to collaborate with?
Jason Kottwitz:Mickey DeSadist
Scene Point Blank: Well, if you make it to Canada I will make a point of coming by so you can buy me a drink.
Jason Kottwitz: Ha! sounds good. Thanks for the interview.
