Jersey Boy

The Prairie Dogg finds the dirt on strippers, The Sopranos and the Boss kicking some Bon Jovi ass with Buddy Nielsen of Senses Fail.

PD: Excited to be back on tour?

BN: Totally. We’ve been at home for two months, and that long away from the road will make you a little crazy. We’re headed to Baltimore right now for the first show.

You an Edgar Allan Poe fan?

I am. I haven’t really read a lot of his stuff, though.

Word around the campfire is that you’re also a big Allen Ginsberg fan.

Yeah, he’s a good Jersey guy.

Got a lot of Jersey pride, have you?

Oh, yeah. I have a lot of pride in Jersey, even though it sucks. I even have a tattoo that says, “New Jersey.”

So what exit do you live off?

Ah, there’s a difference between the ‘pike and the Parkway. And I live in between the two.

So the big question is: Bon Jovi or Bruce Springsteen?

Uh-oh. We’ve ripped off Bon Jovi a few times. I like Springsteen more, though. I think Bruce would kick Bon Jovi’s ass in a fight.

How about Jets or Giants?

They both suck. I like the Packers.

Are you happy that Jay-Z now owns part of the Nets?

I don’t give a shit.

Do you have a favorite Soprano?

I don’t know about that whole thing. It makes me sad, everyone thinks everybody in Jersey is like the Sopranos. Although I guess a lot of them really are just like the guys in The Sopranos.

Rumor has it you have some KC connections.

Yeah, my grandma used to live in Blue Springs, and I still have a lot of family there. I’ve spent a lot of time around Kansas City. Last time I was there for a show, it was my birthday and the label got me a stripper.

Isn’t the upcoming show on your birthday, also?

Yeah. It’s kinda funny. Maybe it will be the same thing all over again.

How old are you going to be?

I’m going to be twenty.

Oooooohhh, you’re close.

I know! One more fucking year!

Do all you young guys have any problems when you play bars?

No, it doesn’t really matter. We get free beer, anyway.

Does the word “emo” bother you?

It sucks. Once major magazines latch onto a word … It used to be you could tell what “emo” was — Sunny Day Real Estate, stuff like that. Now, it’s used to describe everything.

You have a new album coming out?

It’s been a pain in the fucking ass getting it out. But it will be out this spring.