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Royale with Cheese
 Richard Cheese is a sensation! Simple as that. This man takes the suave sophistication of lounge lizard music and packs it into a hypodermic needle. Only when every last drop of cheesiness is squeezed in, will Richard signal to his supporting band, 'Lounge  Against the Machine', to inject the style into what he calls "the
happenin" songs that the kids are listening to these days."You have to respect the genius of so novel a concept: the 'Frank Sinatra-fication' of tunes by bands like Radiohead, Nine Inch Nails and Limp Bizkit... and it works! When and how did "Richard Cheese" come about? RC "Well, there are so many great songs out there that the kids are listening to, and they weren't getting the swing treatment they deserved. So, we picked up where Frank Sinatra left off, and started arranging the 'new standards' of the day. "The band Lounge Against the Machine is made up of bass player Gordon Brie on upright bass, Buddy Gouda on drums, and Bobby Ricotta on piano. On our CD we also had some horn players in the session, and the whistling was done by yours truly." So, what, in your opinion, makes something 'cheesy'? RC"Everything's cheesy... it's the intensity of the cheesiness that makes a difference." Your style, I think, is a cross between Elvis and The entire Rat Pack. I would definitely describe it as 'Royale with Cheese.' How would you define the style and sound of Richard Cheese? RC"One word: swankified." How do you choose which songs you are going to 'warp'? Are they any indication of your music tastes? RC"Well, we wanted the best songs of the day, and we also wanted some of the biggest hits of the day, and then those particular songs with that special something happening. It's hard to put one's finger on it, let alone my finger." Which is your favourite? Mine personally is 'Creep' - but then again Radiohead are British.... RC"I really like what we did with the Garbage song...we gave it that Gene Kelly 'Singin' In The Rain' treatment, and it turned out to be a lovely little number. I also enjoy the new tunes in our set, like 'Hashpipe' by Weezer and that River Phoenix cat."  You have had many rave reviews, but is your fan base: teenagers who love the song lyrics you cover or are they the type of folks who hang out in cocktail lounges ("you're so money, baby")? RC"I sure hope it's teenage girls who hang out in cocktail lounges! We get all types at our shows, and we're happy as long as they buy the damn CD. We'd like to see more monks at the shows, though." Your live performances seem to be a hip and swinging time - have you any amusing/horrific tales to share? RC"One time we played a corporate party for the Merck Pharmaceutical Company, and they didn't get us AT ALL. It didn't help that I made some on-stage jokes about their mediciations, either. RC"The best thing that happened was when this drunk guy passed out on my foot at our recent show in Salem. God bless America!" I understand you played at the Blink 182 drummer's wedding - isn't that the guy with like a million tattoos? RC"Yeah, he and his wife were lovely and the guests were really fun nice people. Tom jumped onstage and sang 'All The Small Things' with us, it was fabulous." What song would you most like to 'subvert' in the future? RC"Whitelines by Grandmaster Flash and Hey Man Nice Shot by Filter." Okay and finally, where are you playing next? RC"We're not sure, but we really hope someone will fly us to Europe so we can play for the UK audience! We love you, Britain!" There you have it, Mister Richard Cheese. And if you'd like to fly him to the UK and swing with his band (!), then check out www.richardcheese.com . You can also buy the latest CD on-line. Thanks, you've been a great audience and goodnight! Toby Osborne |
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