This week, 311 celebrate their fans and their music during a three day festival called 311 Day. We sent two 311 superfans to give us the diehard's perspective about the show, the crowds and the vibe of the greatest 72 hours in 311 history..
By Dave Kosin
So I just got back from interviewing 311. Without a doubt, that was one of the single most awesome experiences of my life.
Lauren and I were brought into the Mandalay Bay Events Center to the backstage area. We were both a little geeked out when we realized we were doing the interviews in Nick Hexum's dressing room. The whole time, I just kept thinking "I'm in Nick's dressing room! Are you kidding me?"
After figuring out our questions and shooting a little intro, we waited for the band. While we were waiting, we heard voices in the hallway, and then all of a sudden, Tim Mahoney came walking around the corner. And then Chad Sexton. And Nick Hexum. And SA Martinez. And P-Nut (he was a little late, but it's cool, because I love him).
We made our introductions and a little small talk while the producer was setting up his gear. I had heard plenty of stories from friends who had spent time with the band about how down to earth and sociable the guys were, so any nerves I had about the interview immediately went away. They're all so easy to talk to. When Tim asked where I was from and I said Harrisburg, Pennsylvania (Midstate represent!), he said, "Oh my God, I know someone from there!" Having only met these guys for 29 seconds, I felt completely at ease, like I was talking to someone I had known my whole life.
Sadly, Tim and Chad weren't able to be there for the interview because they had soundcheck-type things to do (I mean, there is a little concert coming up), so Nick, P-Nut and SA sat down with me to do my interview. As it went along, I couldn't get over how straightforward and thoughtful their answers were. You could tell they were treating me, the 25-year-old kid who made a video for a contest, the same way they would treat someone like Kurt Loder who has been doing this forever.
I was also blown away at how much appreciation the band has for their fans. I can't even count how many times they mentioned how 311 Day was meant to be a thank you to the fans and how blessed they feel to have such a strong and passionate fan base. I never got the sense that they were just saying that just to say it. They were saying it because they meant it, and that hit home for me way more than I thought it would.
You can read more about Dave's interview with 311 -- including the part where he asks Hexum about his pants -- after the jump.
After the interviews were all over, the guys came over to sign our official MTV News note cards (maybe the coolest souvenir I've ever gotten from anything in my life) and we chatted with them a bit. I decided to ask Nick a question I had been dying to ask him for more than a year: What was with the white pants?
If you're not aware, Nick chose to rock an awesome pair of white pans for nearly every 311 show last year, but nobody really knew why. He went into a whole explanation about how it had to do with lighting and the white pops better than wearing dark clothes on stage. Then he paused a few seconds and said, "Well, I'm just gonna say it: Joe Strummer wore them all the time, so I wanted to wear them."
How awesome of an answer is that?