Crash Test Dummies: Q&A with Brad Roberts
6 Feb 2018
Canadian 90s rock band Crash Test Dummies will be touring their greatest hits in South Africa this February. We sent a few questions through to the lead and the distinctive baritone vocalist Brad Roberts to get the inside scoop.
What can fans expect, a mix of classic and new?Yes, exactly.
Will you be doing any sightseeing while in South Africa?
I don’t know, I thought I’d like to try my hand at getting killed by some wildlife. Puff Adders are quite dangerous, I hear. And I’ve always fancied being trampled by elephants. I do most of my sight-seeing on the internet.
Are there plans to release any new CTD tracks or albums in the future?
New stuff? That sounds like a lot of work! ;) Well you know, there are some tracks laying around that I might pull out of my hat; but as for a full-length album, probably not. People don’t seem interested in buying albums anymore; I think the exchange happens on a more track-by-track basis these days. Sadly, CTD missed the vinyl era, which is what I grew up listening to - it was all on vinyl.
Are you planning more CTD tours and, if so, where?
Yes, we’ll be playing in Canada in the autumn of 2018. We did a show with the full band last summer in our hometown of Winnipeg, for the first in a very long time, and we enjoyed it so much that we decided to get back on the road again.
What’s the strangest thing that’s ever happened to you on stage?
I’m sorry, but that’s too x-rated. I can’t talk about that kind of thing in a public space.
What’s your guilty pleasure when it comes to music?
Guilty pleasure? Well, Kiss, I suppose. Fell in love with them when I was 10 years old and I wanted to be Ace Frehley. Of course, Paul Stanley is a really phenomenal singer - lungs of steel. For a long time, I didn’t sing because I only listened to screamers like Paul, and I couldn’t do that. I also bought all of the K-tel records that I could. Did you have K-tel there? They used to do these collections of 22 songs, 11 songs per side, which was unheard of in the days of vinyl. They edited out guitar solos or did quick fades on the ending, anything they could to get the length of the track down. And they're a Winnipeg company with international success!
What’s your favourite emoji?
I don’t have a favourite emoji, I despise them all.
Event Info:
Cape Town
Date: Saturday 17 February 2018, 12 pm
Venue: Hillcrest Quarry, Hillcrest Wine Estate
Ticket price: R400 general, R1000 VIP
Purchase tickets via online.computicket.com
Pretoria
Date: Sunday 18 February 2018, 1 pm
Venue: Pretoria National Botanical Garden
Ticket price: R250 early bird, R400 general, R1000 VIP
Purchase tickets via online.computicket.com
