Buzz of the Melvins talks Redd Kross and NYE at the Alexandria

On Monday night at the Alexandria Hotel in downtown Los Angeles, punk bands the Melvins and Redd Kross will team up to greet 2013 with volume, riffs and (hopefully) a few drum solos. The hotel, which in its prime played host to luminaries including Woodrow Wilson, Charlie Chaplin, Greta Garbo and Mae West, features a gorgeous ballroom, which is where the bands will play. We caught up with the Melvins’ Buzz Osborne via email to ask him about the gig.

Pop & Hiss: What can Angelenos faced with hundreds of New Year’s Eve party choices expect to be different about your particular get-together?

Buzz Osborne: Ours is in a haunted hotel and we are playing with Redd Kross. I have no idea what sort of “parties” people are used to going to on NYE because I don’t go to parties even on NYE. I’m usually “busy” doing other stuff.

Sixty dollars is about the cost of two bottles of whiskey, a few joints and “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest” -- or a bottle of Champagne and a couple of burritos. The argument for your NYE party and not other options is what?

I don’t want to argue. If your idea of a good time is smoking pot, eating burritos and sitting in front of the TV then who am I to call you a boring idiot? And, you’re a cheap skate to boot! Perfect. If our show with the wonderful Redd Kross is too much for your blood then I’d advise you to stay at home and do some planning.

If you weren’t playing, what would you be doing Monday night?

Going to the movies then turning in early! I get up with the sun so my day usually starts at the break of dawn. I generally have a full day planned out with a wide variety of various activities that revolve around work, research and exercise. I know it seems weird but that is really what I do.

Is there a particular New Year’s Eve spent in Los Angeles that shines brighter in your memory than others (romantic, debauched, celebrity-filled, et al.), and if so, can you share it?

I’ve never went out on NYE in Los Angeles. Usually I only see the clock strike midnight on that day if I happen to be working, otherwise I would treat it like any other day. I loathe celebrities and the parties they might attend. I can’t think of doing anything worse.

Obligatory question about resolutions for the new year.

I plan on working even harder than I already do. 2012 was a big year for us. We did over 100 shows and put out three different records with three different lineups of the band, AND we set a world record by playing 51 shows in 51 states in 51 days! The 51st state would be DC. In 2013 we have a lot of plans that no one would expect from us and I’m looking forward to all of it.

The Melvins perform with Redd Kross at the Alexandria Hotel in downtown Los Angeles on Monday night.

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Follow Randall Roberts on Twitter: @liledit