FAT WRECK CHORDS // Erin Kelly-Burkett: Punk-U-Mentary Star

Fat Wreck Chords. Three words that immediately evoke reverent responses when spoken in punk circles. This is a label that is so revered someone spent the time to make a documentary about. Can you think about any other punk record label that someone made a feature-length film about? No, you can’t.

Ahead of the release of said film, A Fat Wreck: The Punk-U-Mentary, Hysteria got in touch with the often-hidden puppetmaster behind the label, Erin Kelly-Burkett—who started the label with ex-husband and NOFX frontman Fat Mike Burkett—to talk about what it’s like having your life’s work projected onto the silver screen, and how fucking weird it is for someone to make a puppet of you.

HYSTERIA: I got really excited when I didn’t notice your or Mike’s name in the executive producer credits at the start of the movie. Immediately then I was like, ‘ok, this isn’t just a vanity project’. But I guess that raises the question of how the idea of the film came about. What was the reason you signed up to be a part of the film? Was there anything in the filmmaker’s pitch that really got you excited about the project?

ERIN KELLY-BURKETT: Well, to be honest, I wasn’t very excited about the project in the beginning. We had heard from some of our bands that someone was making a FAT documentary, but Shaun (the director) hadn’t approached us yet. Initially, he was just interviewing any punk band, not just FAT bands, and asking them about what FAT meant to them. I was a little put off, because I didn’t know the filmmakers, and I felt protective of our story … almost as if it wasn’t their story to tell. That’s when we decided to get involved. If someone was going to make a documentary about FAT, I wanted it to be as close to our reality as possible.

HYS: What was your reaction when you heard there was going to be a puppet doppelganger of you featured in the movie’s flashback scenes? What became of the puppets after wrapping?

EKB: I thought it was weird. I couldn’t understand the concept until I actually saw the film. Actually, I still think it’s weird, but somehow, it works. Shaun has the puppets now and he takes them to openings.

HYS: Going into this project, were there any reservations you had about how it was going to turn out?

EKB: I had nothing but reservations about this project and was very worried about how it was going to turn out. The entire concept of someone doing a documentary about FAT made me uncomfortable. I realise it’s just a record label to everyone else, but it’s essentially my life story. Mike and I were married for over twenty years and built the label together, so it’s very personal to me.

HYS: What was the process of being interviewed for the film like?

EKB: I initially did not want to be in the film. I’m more of a behind the scenes person. Mike is the performer, and that’s how our relationship has always been. I realize that until recently some people didn’t even know who I was, and thought Mike ran FAT all by himself. Being on stage or being interviewed makes me nervous and anxious, so I shy away from it. However, when I thought about how I was going to feel if this movie came out and I wasn’t part of it, I realized I had to just suck it up let them interview me. I cringe watching myself on film, but I’m glad I agreed to be part of it.

I hope people see a film about two people who met through their love of music and our journey together to create a chosen family in the punk community and put out some awesome music in the process. Wow, that sounded really cheesy.
[ERIN KELLY-BURKETT]

HYS: One thing I really liked about the film is how it didn’t shy away from exploring the label’s ups and downs, and had people saying negative things about the label. But for all the negative things that are said, none of the interviewees had anything but lovely things to say about you personally. When you watched the finished product what was your reaction to how people spoke about you?

EKB: Well, I cried, of course. I felt so incredibly honoured by the lovely things my bands said about me. I think for a lot of them it was a chance to sort of “out me” because I don’t do a lot of interviews and therefore unless you are a band on FAT you might not know how involved I’ve been with the label since its foundation. It was a kind of thank you, in my mind.

HYS: Was there any particular comment that really moved you? If so, why?

EKB: I was really touched by what Dave Hause said about my commitment to being a stand up human being and treating people the way I would want to be treated. That really resonated with me because I definitely try to live my life that way and conduct my business in that manner. Obviously it means a lot that I’ve succeeded.

HYS: I thought it was a real testament to the label that even bands who had moved on from the label would take time out to be interviewed about it. Did you get any idea from the producers about how willing these bands were to talk about Fat Wreck?

EKB: The feedback that I heard from the filmmakers was that most people were excited to be part of the film. We always talk about how FAT is a family, and the fact that bands who haven’t been actively a part of the label in recent years still feel that they are part of that family, in my mind, solidifies that concept. Mike and I both have deeply personal relationships with most of our bands, both past and present, and that continues long after our business relationship.

HYS: Taking 25 years of history and compressing it into 90 odd minutes means a lot of stuff is going to be left out of the finished product. Are there any aspects of the label’s history that you would have liked to seen explored in the film, or explored more in the film?

EKB: I think the filmmakers did a great job of telling our story and keeping it interesting. I was worried that it would be boring to people who aren’t huge fans of the label, but I honestly think it is a solid piece of documentary film. There is only so much you can put into a 90 minute film. It’s not the story I would have told; however, that’s what I think is great about it. It’s a fan film, from an outside perspective.

HYS: What would you most like people to walk away from the film thinking or feeling?

EKB: I hope people see a film about two people who met through their love of music and our journey together to create a chosen family in the punk community and put out some awesome music in the process. Wow, that sounded really cheesy. I tried to rework my answer, but I can’t. That’s my story. I’m not sure what everyone else’s FAT story is.

HYS: Now that there’s a film documenting the first 25, or at least 24, years of the label, looking forward what does the immediate future hold for Fat Wreck?

EKB: Well, I still can’t believe we’ve been around for this long and we are still going strong. We keep signing awesome new bands and our veterans keep pumping out great new records. Last year we had an amazing FAT tour celebrating our 25 years, and I’d definitely like to organise more of those.