King Tut's Wah Wah Hut , November 2006 
Glasgow, Scotland
continued from page 1

 By the sounds of it, touring thus far has been nothing short of an adventure. Says Danny, 'It’s funny, we try not to sound like too much of a charity case but half the nights we’re playing we’re like "YEAH, we’re an American rock band... Can we have a place to stay tonight?" into the microphone.' Monetary issues aside, they are certainly not taking this opportunity for granted:
Danny: We’re all here because we love to be, nobody ever gets chances like this and we all know that. When the opportunity presented itself we all were happily ready to drop the ball on school, family and jobs and all that stuff to make this happen.
Ben: The fact that we’re here right now, doing this interview, in Scotland, that's pretty outrageous.

Okay, so you're familiar with the band's past, you're coming to grips with the band's present, and we'll get to the future in a bit. But I can hear you asking, 'What are the members of Protokoll actually like?' Time for some deep, soul-searching type questions that I personally would have loads of trouble answering - so I'll just force them on other people instead...

They have scruples:
Pilgrims of Sound: Would you sell your soul to the devil for the perfect song?
Most of the group: No, no, definitely not.
Reid: Maybe for the perfect album.

They like to have fun:
PS: Can you assign any extreme labels to band members?
Ben: Jose and Danny are the partiers.
Jose: We're the ones that are up 'til 5 in the morning. When everyone else is like "I wanna go to beeed," we’re the ones who are still boozing.
Ben: Reid is the funny one, he keeps us entertained.
Reid: I'd say I'm the perpetually hungover chain-smoking one.
Danny: Yeah, that too. But that contributes to your hilarity when you’re like completely cracked out and you’re chain smoking, drinking coffee...the most ludicrous shit comes out of your mouth.

They don't always listen to the coolest of songs:
PS: What is the most embarrassing song on your iPod?
Reid: I have a most embarrassing playlist...
Danny: Probably, um, Kate Bush covering 'Sexual Healing.'
Ben: You love that.
Danny: But it's embarrassing! I can love some stuff thats really embarrassing.
Ben: Theres so much embarrassing stuff on my iPod, I don't know where to start.
Reid: I've got Bobby Brown, 'My Perogative,' on there.
Ben: Theres nothin embarrassing about that though!

Still, their first musical purchase was way cooler than mine:
PS: What was the first record you bought?
Ben: A 45" of Weird Al Yankovic’s ‘Fat.’
Danny: Ride the Lightning, Metallica.
Jose: The Batman Soundtrack, Prince.
Reid: The first thing I ever bought was a tape that was some sort of sampler...
Someone (Ben and Jose, you sound very similar on tape): Jock Jams?

PS: If you could ask any musical person, dead or alive, any question, who would it be and what would you ask?
Ben: Phil Spector... "Did you do it?"

Of course, by the time you are reading this, they will have returned from their whirldwind tour (they've been on the road for 5 out of the past 7 months), having left Scotland to go to Germany and finally return home via London (phew). Hopefully, they have a permanent roof over their heads and are being fed some homecooked meals to replace a long-line of venue prepared/microwaved foods. After they've recovered and de-Europed, the plan is to start recording songs in Spring 2007. When you consider all they've done with an EP, a full-length album should lead to some sort of world domination. Again, no one can say it better than the band themselves...

Danny: We have a lot of ambition, and I think we all know that this is an investment that we have a lot more to go with, you know... Our sights are aimed a lot higher than we are right now.