This page was designed for the edification of all Galactic Cowboys fans. In it you will find answers to many if not all your commonly asked questions. This will allow the Galactic Cowboys to concentrate on far more important issues like solving world hunger or inventing the first water powered automobile that travels above 30mph. Please feel free to peruse this page and fill your mind with trivial information about your favorite cowboy/cowboys.
Much thanks is due to Don Norwood, who had the tedious assignment of collecting these questions from the message board. We owe Don a debt of gratitude.
If you have a question that you know has popped up time and again, and you don't see it listed below, please email it to the band and it will be added as soon as humanly possible.
1. How did you come up with the name GALACTIC COWBOYS?
"It was a name on a list. We thought it was strange, goofy and extremely comic-book-like. It also brought together two of the diverse aspects of our home Houston, also home to NASA and one of the worlds largest rodeos. It is rumored that the name was originally taken from a Dallas biker gang from the 60's. We can neither confirm nor deny these allegations." Ben Huggins
2. Is the cow at the beginning of the first album real?
"I'm sure it was a real cow. However, we got the sound from a sound effects disc." Ben
3. Who read the lunch menu on the first album?
Monty
4. Why did Dane Sonnier (former lead guitarist) quit the band?
"He wanted to play in a band with his brother Len (who is now playing with ben in the band gristle 10-5-04). (The Sonnier Brothers Band. [now defunct]) Which is, incidentally, a great band " Ben
5. Why did you split with Sam Taylor (producer of GC's first two albums)?
"Cop-out answer: creative differences. Real answer: he was an extremely difficult man to deal with. Even the simplest things turned into major events. There is a moment when some relationships stop being creative and become destructive; this moment was reached and we parted ways." Ben
6. Are you a christian band?
NO!
7. Are you Christians?
YES!
8. Who said the "At the end of the day..." quote at the beginning of "The Machine Fish Suite"?
Donovan (Donoman), a Missourian, frequenter of the GC message board and friend of Monty's.
9. Where is David von Ohlerking (guitarist for pre-GC band The Awful Truth, which also included Alan and GC bassist Monty Colvin)?
"The last I heard he was living in Austin (TX)." Ben
10. Is Wally the only one who likes Taco Bell?
No. However, Wally actually prefers tacos from Jack in the Box.
11. Who is the most hyper member of the band.
"None of us are hyper." Ben
12. When will Wally sing lead for a song?
"When we all decide that it
works." Ben
- updated 5/11/00 - Wally's first lead vocal is on LET IT GO.
13. Are any band members involved in side projects?
Not presently.
14. Why did Alan Doss (original drummer and producer of "Machine Fish" through "At the End of the Day") quit the band?
"He was tired of the music business. It is an extremely unstable way to make a living." Ben
15. How long, from writing to the
end of production, does it take for
Galactic Cowboys to complete an album?
An average of about 6-10 weeks.
16. How much r&r does the band take after an album and tour?
"We've never really spent enough time on the road to need r&r, but it's always nice to spend time with your family after a road trip." Ben
17. Who is that man in the spacesuit on the cover of "Space In Your Face"?
David Kitchens, who worked on Ben's brother-in-law's ranch in Magnolia, TX. As Ben said, he was the only person they found who fit in the suit.
18. Why is "Ranch on Mars Reprise" on the first album but "Ranch on Mars" on "Space in Your Face?
"Monty had originally written 'Ranch on Mars' for the first album, but it didn't make the cut. He went back and rewrote some of the lyrics, and it was ready for the second album." Ben
19. Are the phone conversations at the end of the song "Where Are You Now?" real?
"No, they were totally staged, scripted and acted out by Monty, Diane (Monty's wife) and Maggie (Ben's wife)." Ben
20. Why did you hide the extra tracks on "Space in Your Face?"
"Geffen (GC's former record label) wanted only nine songs on the record. We had 12 songs. Their compromise was to let us put two hidden tracks on the album." Ben
21. Why did you put the hidden tracks at 21 and 32?
"I don't know. It was Sam's
idea. It was real cute the first couple of
times, but after that everyone started to complain." Ben
22. What was the track that didn't make it on "Space in Your Face?"
"'Time Bomb.' It wasn't ready at that time. Maybe on the next album." Ben
23. How did GC get the part of the metal band Sons of Thunder in the movie "Airheads"?
The band's manager at the time found out about the movie and got the band the part in an effort to further their career.
24. Will "Don't hate me Because I'm Beautiful" ever be released as a single or on a "Best of" cd or "B sides" compilation?
As far as we know, no. As a matter of fact, i don't even know if any of us has a copy on cassette. The master tapes are owned by 20th Century Fox. Any further questions about this song should be directed to them.
25. What type of gear did Wally Farkas (guitarist) use on the "Machine Fish" album?
A red 100-watt Marshall JCM900 SLX amplifier (his main amp that he uses live), 1970s Gibson Les Paul Goldtop (he no longer owns it), a Fender Telecaster (on the songs "In This Life," "Pattin' Yourself on the Back," and"Stress"), an Ibanez parametric EQ, and an Ibanez Tube Screamer.
26. Why did GC cover the KISS song "I Want You" on the "Feel The Rage" EP?
The song was recorded for the KISS tribute album "Kiss My A**" but was not included. The band also recorded a cover of the Petra song "Not of This World," which appears on the Petra tribute album "Never Say Dinosaur," and a cover of "Junior's Farm," originally done by Paul McCartney and Wings, also on the EP.
27. What was the inspiration for the song "My Life"?
"Wally brought in the music while we were arranging songs for "Horse". Monty came up with the chorus, then I built the verses around them. I think it was a case of the words coming before the real inspiration. We just sort of put words together that sounded good with the music. As the song developed, so did the meaning. In hindsight, I'd have to say the song is about not being able to please everyone. No matter what you say or how you say it, someone will be offended." Ben
28. Was "My Life" written during the "The Horse that Bud Bought" era or earlier?
It was written for that album.
29. What are the voices at the end of "My Life"?
"It's me singing through a Leslie (rotating speaker) cabinet. The words are from 'Still Life of Peace' (one of the hidden tracks on 'Space in Your Face'). The melody is from the song 'Blue Jay Way' (The Beatles)." Ben
30. Why did Wally cut his hair?
"He was experimenting with several hair colors and came up with a lethal combination that burned most of his hair off. The clipping that followed was merely a formality." Ben
31. Is Wally Farkas related to Larry Farkus from Vengeance and Die Happy?
Although the spelling of the names should be a dead give-away, the answer is a resounding, NO!
32. Who wrote the poem "pointy birds"?
the answer can only be known after a thorough viewing of the movies, "the man with two brains" and "LA story".
33. What happened with Erick Tatuaka, the drummer for the "At The End Of The Day" tour?
After the tour, things "just didn't work out" with Erick. He moved on to another gig after the tour.
34. For which songs have Galactic Cowboys done videos?
Galactic Cowboys have done videos for the following songs:
I'm Not Amused
If I Were a Killer
Fear Not
Feel The Rage
Evil Twin
Nothing To Say
35. I noticed that ATEOTD does not list songwriting credits for each song, but rather names the lead vocalist(s). Why the change in approach, and do you mind listing who the writers of each song were?
i'll take the first part first, Alex. "because we wanted to!" now, here's the list:
nothing to say - huggins
ants - farkas / colvin
just like me - farkas / huggins
where do i sign? - colvin
bright horizons - colvin
pupper show - colvin
mr. magnet - colvin
never understand - colvin
set me free - colvin
how does it feel? - colvin
young man's dream - huggins
shine - doss / huggins
the shape - huggins / doss
it's not over - colvin
through - doss
at the end of the day - farkas
36.
what are the missing lyrics for "hey mr."?
asked by philsack on the gc message board
then the birds will sing, thanks for everything
the force of gravity has been improved
all the hindus bow, thanks for the holy cows
we'll burn their feces to the mighty vishnu
in 2093 they'll curse your legacy
you'll burn in effegy till they get bored
in 2094 they will exhume your corpse
and burn your bones before the chanting hoards
37.
why does THE HORSE THAT BUD BOUGHT sound so bad?
asked by DW on the gc message board
THTBB....
here's the inside scoop about this record (as so to silence the critics). this was the first record we recorded on our own studio equipment (16 bit adats). we recorded it in our rehearsal room which was actually a good setting, except there was a heat problem which eventually by the end of the recording started causing drop outs on certain tracks. the production team of brian garcia and myself seemed like a good idea at the time because i wanted to concentrate on playing as much as producing, but in the end there were conflicting problems so the story goes. tracking the record didn't go the way i wanted. there was certain compression going to tape that i didn't agree with (especially on the vocals) that makes it hard for me to listen to. we pretty much split up the mixing chores which could make you wonder why certain tracks sound better than others. (if you want to know which tracks i mixed, then feel free to ask). this isn't a bash session on brian either, i love brian to death and i'm just telling the facts. anyway, to get to the real problem........
this record was mostly destroyed in the mastering process. it was done by a local guy in houston and needless to say it turned out so dull that it just makes me sick.
i've been thinking about re-mastering the record myself. a month ago i re-mastered the version of juniors farm we did and it rocks now.
anyway, if anyone has anymore questions, feel free to inquire.
: alan doss
