ComingSoon Senior Editor Brandon Schreur spoke to Trailer Park Boys‘ Bubbles (Mike Smith), Ricky (Robb Wells), Julian (John Paul Tremblay), and Randy (Pat Roach) about the new Trailer Park Boys movie, Standing on the Shoulders of Kitties: The Bubbles and the Shitrockers Story. The boys discussed their experiences in Europe and meeting Billy Bob Thorton, what’s coming next for Sunnyvale Trailer Park, and more.
“While Bubbles and his band, The Shitrockers, are playing shows around Nova Scotia a viral internet clip lands them a European tour opening for Billy Bob Thornton and the Boxmasters,” the synopsis reads. “With Randy as their roadie, they head to Prague but soon get kicked off the tour, busking to survive. Can Ricky and Julian come to the rescue?”
Standing on the Shoulders of Kitties: The Bubbles and the Shitrockers Story will be released in theaters nationwide, including Los Angeles and New York City, on December 6, 2024.
Brandon: I’m really excited to be talking about this movie with you guys. I loved watching your guys’ journey here. I was worried about you there, for a minute, but was glad that you made it home okay. But it seemed like everything went smoothly afterward?
Bubbles: Yes. Yes, Ricky and Julian came and saved me, you know. They saved the day and got me home. Everything’s been good since then. We got Randy sort of de-stanked, a bit. We got some of the stink off of him. It’s all good.
That’s good! I’ll just jump right into it. Bubble, your band started just as a solo act, performing in retirement homes. You made it big time and now the Shitrockers are so famous. Do you ever miss the good ‘ole days when it was just you, a guitar, and getting plates of turkey?
Bubbles: Well, not really, you know? I much prefer playing to people rather than, you know. I mean, I like playing to the oldies, don’t get me wrong, but a lot of them, they fall asleep, they drool, and they piss themselves. It’s much more fun to be in a place where young people are pissing themselves and falling asleep, you know, from the liquor. Which, I enjoy both aspects of it.
Oh, I’m sure it’s totally different but, man, it’s cool to watch you guys take off like you did.
Bubbles: Yes. Very exciting.
Julian, it didn’t take you very long to assert yourself as Bubbles’ band manager. I’ve seen you operate so many different businesses in the past. Was this a difficult venture for you? Was it easier or harder than doing the good ‘ole hash driveway, for example?
Julian: This was way easier. I mean, it’s basically just making a few calls, right? I mean, there’s a lot of planning, Bubs. I stay up all night thinking about what I have to do to market you properly, to find the best venues, to pick out the route you’re going to take. A lot of work. But, you know, it’s all legal work, which is pretty good. Well. Most of it.
Mostly. Bubbles, are you happy with Julian as your manager? I mean, I know you’ve run your own shopping cart business before. Do you think he’s doing a good job, here?
Bubbles: Well Julian isn’t the manager. He thinks he is, but he’s actually not managing shit. I’m the manager.
Julian: You signed a contract with me, Bubs.
Bubbles: I don’t have a contract. I must’ve been drunk when I signed it.
Julian: You signed it in front of a few people.
Bubbles: Was I drinking?
Julian: You were on mushrooms.
Bubbles: Well, there you go. Legally defunct. Legally defunct.
Ricky: Null and void.
Bubbles: Null and void, that’s right. I’ve seen that on Law & Order. You can’t sign anything on mushrooms.
I heard that’s true, too. Ricky, I’ve got to first of all compliment you on your skills, there, with playing the pan. You really know how to bang that thing. I couldn’t help but notice that you seemed a little jealous, maybe, that you didn’t get to be in Bubbles’ band. Were you annoyed that he didn’t let you in?
Ricky: I definitely wasn’t jealous. I just know that it could’ve been so much better if I was in it, that’s all. I mean, it’s still pretty good. But it was definitely that sound that was missing.
Bubbles: No, it wasn’t. It was not missing the sound of a pot. Especially one that wasn’t playing on the beat properly.
Ricky: I don’t know, man, that Def Leppard song wouldn’t be the same without that cowbell.
Bubbles: That’s a cowbell, Ricky, not an old pot from Canadian Tire.
True, that’s true. But I would’ve loved to see you in there. I was wondering, Bubbles, if you had any regrets about not letting Ricky in or if you stand by that decision.
Bubbles: I mean, if he practices and we get him a nice electric pot with samples, you know, different sounds around the rim, then maybe. Maybe he can be in the band. But just being out of it on drugs and hitting a pot for the sake of it, that’s not what being a Shitrocker is all about.
Sure. Bubbles, since you didn’t let Ricky in, you had a bunch of auditions. How do you feel like those went, now that all is said and done? Do you think you did make the right decisions for the band?
Bubbles: Well, yeah, you know. A lot of the people were just garbage, so the people who could actually play the instruments were the ones that I was left with. I think it worked out very well. Very well for me. Some great musicians there. Just had to weed through the shitty ones.
I know you guys butted heads a little bit, over there, when you were in Europe. But I’m glad that it all worked out for you.
Bubbles: Yeah, they turned out to be alright. I mean, they party a little too much and don’t take things seriously enough. But it turned out pretty good in the end.
Sure, totally. Randy, you were right there right beside Bubbles for the whole rise and fall of the Shitrockers. Which means you were also there at the prison when that whole riot was going down. Do you remember that? What was that like from your experience?
Randy: I pooped my pants, actually, when the riot happened. There are a lot of tough individuals. I knew some of those fellas that were there in the prison, and it scared me. I was just glad — in the end, I think the song that you played, Bubs, it calmed them down a little, but they still got a little violent on us, did they?
Bubbles: Oh, yeah, it was a full ride, but I didn’t know you shit yourself there, Randy.
Ricky: I didn’t need to know that you did that.
Randy: It was just a little one, though.
Which is okay, it happens. We’ve all been there, done that. Bubbles, I know not everything went perfectly when you were on the tour and you went overseas with Billy Bob Thorton. But, looking back at it now, do you have any regrets about how it went? You too, Randy, I know you were there and I know there were some mishaps. Do you guys feel bad about anything or are you pretty happy with how it all turned out?
Bubbles: Well, you know, Randy could have been a better roadie and on top of things better. But, when I think about it, if I didn’t get electrocuted on the stage, kicked off the tour, and then had to get Ricky and Julian to save me, we wouldn’t have ended up at Abbey Road and we wouldn’t have met Ronnie Wood, Duff, and all those people. I mean, I wouldn’t change it. I wouldn’t change it for anything. It didn’t feel great at the time, but look what we got to do. We went to Abbey Road. So I wouldn’t change anything.
Randy: I think it’s great because I got to be a better roadie, too. I think I might learn a few more things because we might tour again, right Bubs?
Bubbles: Randy, you’re a shitty roadie. I’m sorry bud, you’re just not very good at it.
Randy: I can get better!
Bubbles: You can’t even keep the arse in your pants.
Ricky and Julian, you guys jumped on a plane real fast to fly over and save Bubbles when he needed you. I know it wasn’t a vacation or anything, but what’d you boys think of the place? Did you have fun over there?
Ricky: I loved it, yeah. It was awesome.
Julian: We’ve been there before and it’s wicked over there, man. A lot of pubs.
Ricky: It’s hard. You grow up your whole life learning that you’ve got to look left. Now, all of a sudden, you’ve got to do the opposite. You’ve got to look right. You’ve got to be really smart to live over there.
Julian: You’ve also got to start drinking pretty early because the pubs all close down pretty early. Which is weird. So you’ve got to start early afternoon.
Randy: And plugs are different over there. They take a different plug.
Ricky: They’re stronger. Blew me right off my feet.
Bubbles: It’s 240 volts, Ricky, straight to your arm.
Ricky: Yeah, 110 is a joke.
Ricky, you didn’t seem too terribly impressed when you did make it to Abbey Road Studios, but what was it like watching Bubbles up there performing like that? Were you proud of your friend?
Ricky: I was definitely proud of him. I mean, I don’t know if he was worthy to be in that room. It was definitely cool for him. I’m glad that I was able to make it happen because none of that would have happened without me. It was good that I was such a good friend.
Bubbles: You were a good friend, Ricky, but you didn’t have to, you know. Some of the things, you didn’t have to call Eddie Kramer the names you called him.
Ricky: Well, sometimes you’ve just got to put people in their place and then they become nice.
Bubbles: But he wasn’t not nice, to begin with.
Ricky: He was giving me the eye, Bubs.
It all worked out, Bubbles. You got to record the song and everything, so you can’t be too mad.
Bubbles: No, no, I’m not mad. It’s just like Eddie Kramer is there trying to help and Ricky is calling him an old c—.
Yeah, that did happen.
Ricky: That was an accident. Over there, that’s a compliment.
Randy, you met a couple of different men while you were over there in Europe. But there was one you were with when you were at Abbey Road who seemed pretty interested in you. Said he wanted to keep in contact and everything. Have you guys talked at all since you made it back home?
Randy: Yeah, I actually saw him over in London. We went over for a premiere in London and, you know, we had a nice hug. He’s very handsome. He’s got charisma. He said he might come visit in Sunnyvale.
Bubbles: And by charisma, Randy means free drugs. That’s why he likes him.
Randy: He had a few different types that were very good, but, no, he has nice stories. He carries himself very well.
You disappeared there, for a while, when you and Bubbles were trying to make your way home. How did you guys actually meet each other?
Randy: I was just trying to make us some money. At that time, I didn’t know that Julian and Ricky were coming. But I just got sidetracked. I did make some money — Bubs, I was going to get us home. Don’t you worry. I wouldn’t have forgotten.
Bubbles: Yeah. And then Randy got into a bar, there, and got whisked away to the party.
It all worked out, you all ended up together and made it. I was glad to see that. Bubbles, I have to say, your song at the end, I really agreed with Billy Bob Thorton where I thought it was really touching and a really good song. “Kitties Are So Nice,” you played it so well and it was so cool watching it. I’m just curious, have you been writing more songs since then? Did this spark something in you?
Bubbles: Well, yeah, because, you know, before I had the band, I had all the album covers. I made like four album covers and all the song titles are there. So I have to get caught up. I have to write all of those songs, now. I’m going to get at that pretty soon.
Has it been going okay? Is it taking a while?
Bubbles: Yeah, I’ve been so busy doing this type of stuff, but when this is over, I’ve got to write, like, 36 songs in two weeks.
That’s a lot.
Bubbles: It is. It’s going to be a lot to do but, you know. We’ll get out Ricky’s top-shelf hash, maybe, and see if we can crank out 36 songs in a couple of weeks.
Do the rest of you boys help with the songwriting at all, or do you just leave that to Bubbles?
Randy: I’ve got some ideas.
Bubbles: You stick to roading, Randy.
That’s fair. Just, in general, you’ve made it back. How’s life in the trailer park been since then? Have there been any new, big developments happening for you guys?
Bubbles: Julian has the camera guys coming back, don’t you, Julian?
Julian: Camera guys are coming back next spring. Doing a movie, I believe. And then maybe another season in the park.
Randy: Donny’s been out of control. I’m getting calls from Donny a few times a day. It’s driving me friggin’ crazy.
Ricky: There’s a lot of people moving into the park, too. I don’t know. You [Randy] made some questionable calls, there.
Randy: It’s a community, Ricky. They pay their lot fees, everyone. That’s the thing.
Ricky, speaking of the cameras, I know that when you saw the following around Bubbles again, you didn’t look too terribly happy about it. Are you excited to have them back, if they’re coming back? Or is that going to be a nuisance for you?
Ricky: I’m not a big fan of the cameras. Julian likes to show off and be on TV but, for me, it’s more private I guess. Then, if you break the law and the cameras fill it, they can use it in court, which is not good. I’d rather they didn’t follow us around, but I guess I don’t have a choice.
Sure. Well, I’m excited to see what whatever happens next. Also, I’m just curious, have any of you boys heard from Billy Bob Thorton since you got back? Are you in contact with him?
Bubbles: Just talked to Billy yesterday, I did.
Oh, really?
Bubbles: Yep. He’s doing great.
Ricky: He’s off buying land or something.
Bubbles: No, that’s a show he’s on Ricky, Landman. He’s not actually buying land.
If he was to do another tour and asked if you wanted to go with him again, Bubbles, would you be interested?
Bubbles: Oh, one hundred percent. One hundred percent. Yeah, we’d go on a big tour with the Boxmasters. Probably Ricky and Julian will come this time. So we could wind up dead, to be honest, with those guys there. But, yeah, we’d definitely do another tour with them.
