PunkTV.ca exclusive interview by Dixon Christie with Jon Wilkes of Red Jumpsuit Apparatus in support of Don't You Fake It.

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Dixon: We're here with Jon from Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. How are you brother?

Jon: I'm doing well, how about yourself?

I'm super, how you enjoying Warped Tour today?

It's really hot but it's amazing, the kids are great.

I got to say you look great man, you got style on you.

Well, I got the old man shorts on, you know the kind where your dad walks in and you're like "Dad! Put some clothes on!"

So were you guys doing? You played yet?

Yeah, we played at 2:30 today.

Is that a good time slot?

Actually I love playing at 2:30.

So are you guys doing the full show this year?

The whole Vans Warped Tour day 1 to the last day.

Do you guys like playing on the road? Do you like spending all your time touring? I know you guys have been touring pretty much non-stop.

We have been touring non-stop for about two and a half years, and we're not stopping anytime soon. I think we are going to take a couple weeks of in September and that will be the first time I have been home in like a year.

Where do you call home, Florida is it?

Yeah, Jacksonville.

So that is a part of it that you miss?

Yeah for sure.

Tell us about the latest album that you guys are working on.

Well, we just released an album last July called Don't You Fake It which has the songs "Face Down" and "Atrophy". It was a lot of fun and the record is great; we had a lot of fun making it, and I love it. I am in love with it and listen to it everyday.

Are you still able to listen to it everyday?

For sure, it's on my iPod and I play it everyday.

Are you like "I did that"?

Yeah, I'm like, "Oh man, I did that...whoa."

Are you guys able to write on the road or do you guys go someplace and lock yourselves up to actually do all the writing?

I think it's both because we are actually writing on the road, kind of, but we really want to spend a solid month or two just in a jam room everyday because that is how we did the first record, so we are just going to do [the next one] the same way.

Because it's working?

Yeah it's working. We show up at 12, we play until 8, and we do that Monday through Friday for three or four weeks. Then we are ready.

Right on. So tell us about some of the highs and lows of the tour life for you guys, some of the good parts and some of the bad parts.

It's hard to keep a girlfriend, that's the hard part.

But you don't need one because you got a different one every night?

Well, that's only if you want to have a different one every night. When you are a hopeless romantic it's kind of hard.

Do you speak from someone who has suffered some loss recently?

Yeah, actually a week ago. So, if she sees this...

How does the rest of the band feel about this love loss kind of thing? Is everybody able to put their lives behind them and move on the road? Is it something that comes up between the band members and becomes an issue?

Well it's funny, Ronnie is married and his wife runs merch for us, Elias has a girlfriend that is able to fly out, Joey has a girlfriend and he flies to her, but for me I'm kind of like the bachelor.

And your girl wouldn't fly out for your love?

No, I mean, she would but it became stressful, me being gone all the time.

So future plans for the band besides touring, touring, and more touring?

We are going to have a new record hopefully by next year so be on the lookout for that. It is going to be insane and fun: lots and lots of power vocals.

Get the power on your rock and roll.

Rock and roll!

Ok we have two questions we ask everybody, the first one is which of the following experiences have you had: have you seen the face of God, have you had an alien encounter, or have you seen a ghost?

I think I have seen the face of God but I am also a bible believing person and I pray everyday. I think when you actually take the time to look to the sky and prey you can see the face of God.

And the alien and the ghost?

Actually I heard that Underoath knows some stuff about some aliens. They have this secret thing on their last DVD and you have to click on a certain spot on the menu screen and it goes into this thing where this guy explains his encounter at Area 51; check it out.

We got one more question and that is what would surprise kids most to learn about Red Jumpsuit Apparatus?

We are young, real kids that were standing in the crowd four or five years ago just like you.

Did you just decide "hey, I am going to pick up the guitar because I can do that"?

Yeah, anybody can do it as long as you dedicate your life to it and say "I am really going to do this, or I am going to be a bum." I look like a bum, but I play in a rock band.

Interview by: Dixon Christie, PunkTV.ca
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