Alkaline Trio’s Matt Skiba:
Grow Up & Blow Away
Words: Ryan Patrick Hooper

Matt Skiba is stationed in a cold, whimpering version of downtown Chicago as the Food Network blasts from a Holiday Inn hotel room. His fingernails are freshly clipped, and while the Alkaline Trio frontman is only four days into the band’s nearly two-month tour, the chance to relax in a makeshift dayroom is a welcomed and relaxing privilege.

“A 30-year-old chewing his fingernails off? That sounds like depression,” coolly states Skiba, his sleepy tone and deep delivery a sharp fit for late-night jazz radio. “When I was 20, I chewed my fingernails off.” And in an instantly reflective reflex, Skiba continues, “when I was 20, I thought I had it all figured out. I thought I was a man, and I was so far from it. I’m 33 now, and it’s like Einstein said, ‘true wisdom is admitting that you don’t know anything.’”

At the age of 20, Skiba formed Alkaline Trio just north of the same windy, rainy Chicago he finds himself touring through now. While the faces of Alkaline Trio have changed over the years, the potent streak of dark, catacomb-creeping undertones that runs throughout the power-punk band’s catalog has remained intact - spawning a tremendous cult following of young and old fans who commonly use the anatomically correct “clavicle” when trying to be smooth and romantic. Throughout the trio’s 12-plus year run of living within the punk corridor while reaching to ears not prone to the genre, Skiba has witnessed (with great pleasure) the ups and downs of Alkaline Trio - from 2001’s From Here To Infirmary single “Stupid Kid” enjoying regular rotation on MTV2 to Skiba wandering the streets of London with liquor, along with an array of “other vices,” coursing through his veins.

“The party had become more important than the show,” recollects Skiba. “I was always looking ahead rather than living in the moment. It wasn’t ever about cars or houses or fame or anything like that, but it was more about … if we were traveling in a van or a bus, flying coach or business - just dumb shit like that. I would be places and forget about it. I had come so far and I was blowing it - losing my voice from staying up all night and drinking, sucking during shows because I felt horrible. It becomes a problem when it turns from going to a party and having a good time to a dark period in my life.”

When asked to explore his “dark period” further, Skiba shyly responds, “It’s some scandalous shit. I’ve gone down some pretty dark roads - things my mother should never read. For me, I’m happy to have survived some things. I still love having a good time and I still love to party. It’s just that we all have clear heads now and a stronger understanding of who we are as people, where we’re going and where we’ve been. With age comes perspective.”

Once Skiba reached his overseas epiphany, he began reaching out to those who mattered - family, friends and a 95-year-old woman who Skiba now calls one of his best friends.

“My friend Nancy,” says Skiba, “is a meditation teacher. I met her through that, and we’ve remained friends for a long time.” According to Skiba, Nancy is the same woman who brought the Beatles to India and wrestled with filmmaker David Lynch’s inner psyche until he was able to properly meditate. “She is a fascinating, rad lady. She taught me to meditate,” but beyond that, she welcomed Skiba into a world of being an adult while still being able to maintain a certain level of carefree flare. “You’ve got to be an adult about certain things, certain decisions and you’ve got to take responsibility,” he explains. “But having fun is just as important. You have to be able to laugh at yourself and laugh at the cruelty of life.”

But did the stumbling, sloppy and belligerent twentysomething Skiba ever imagine that the 33-year-old version of himself would be not only living in freakishly star-struck Los Angeles, but surfing every day, hitting the gym and unrolling the yoga mat to meditate the afternoon away?

“To be honest, I didn’t see myself living to 30 and I didn’t really care. I wasn’t unhappy or suicidal, I just couldn’t imagine it.”

“Now, I think back to when I was twenty and wonder who that guy was,” he continues with a laugh. “I’m a really different person now. That old version of me would say, ‘What, dude? You surf every day and live in Los Angeles of all places?’ But now, it makes sense. ‘Oh, your going to be stoked on life and still be in your band? Because of these healthy and positive elements in your life, you can still hit the road like you do?’ That old version of me would be pretty excited.”

Skiba’s tone and focus is one of clarity and mature perspective, a result of making it through the best of times and living through the worst, of finding success in happiness and being content with his own being. Since his tricky transition from boyhood to manhood - only two decades old and fronting a wildly successful band - Skiba has known no life but the one he has pursued throughout the years with great artistic persistence. And, when exploring the musical core of all the nonsensical, binge-drinking repercussions in between, Skiba can hear the maturity in Alkaline Trio’s sound, not only on last fall’s Agony & Irony, but also on the new material the band is currently preparing for recording sessions this summer.

“We’re not only evolving as people, but we’re evolving as a band,” he says. “People will say, ‘Your new record doesn’t sound anything like your first record.’ Of course not! We’re different people now… although we still go about things the same way. We still have certain things in mind when we write lyrics. We still write songs the same way. We still get the same sort of accomplishment from recording an album and making music with your best friends. There are people who refuse to play their old stuff because they are changed men. That’s understandable, but those are songs people want to hear, that people appreciate … and so should you.”

Top 5 Tips For Young Dudes in Young Bands From Matt Skiba Himself

Write What You Know.
“People are smarter than you think, and they can see through bullshit. Even if you're singing about pepperoni pizza or whatever, make sure what you’re singing about is the truth. We’ve been successful because people see an element of honesty in our songs.”

Water Is A Good Thing.
“Don’t drink too much, and make sure you drink a lot of water. Have fun, but be careful out there. There has been a plethora of people not as fortunate as me who have gone down the dark road of drugs and alcohol never to return.”

Always Wear Your Seatbelt.
“When you’re on tour, always wear your seatbelt and always have a sober driver … always. Make sure you gear is packed securely. You want to make sure you and your equipment is safe if the van were ever to take a tumble down a highway ditch.”

Mama Knows Best.
“When you’re on the road, it’s really easy to lose track of the days, but always remember to call your mom! Don’t ever forget your mom’s birthday. I forgot her birthday once, and it still wakes me up in the middle of the night.”

Laughter Is Medicine.
“Don’t ever forget to laugh at yourself. Don’t take yourself too seriously because if you do, you are absolutely screwed.”

Alkaline Trio in Florida:
May 9 - House of Blues, Orlando
May 10 - Revolution, Ft. Lauderdale
May 12 - Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg

alkalinetrio.com