In A Whole Lot of Good Trouble: Unwritten Law

Sometimes as a writer, you do interviews in the strangest of places. The list for this writer is long and quite bizarre – modern technology providing many a different window to converse with a musician.

For Pat ‘PK’ Kim of Unwritten Law, our interview is performed in a sea of boxes. The house packed, with all that was remaining the computer and internet and myself, legs crossed in my lounge… my mobile hooking us up and keeping us connected amongst a moment of personal chaos.
The greetings and pleasantries begin, with PK asking about me and what I am up to with explanations given about catching this writer in the moment of movement of homes.

“I hate moving isn’t that the worst? The whole process… you go through things and think I’m going to get rid of stuff – and everything you go to throw away you go ‘nah I can’t get rid of that’… Everything has meaning – I’m a pat rack myself - keeping stuff I haven’t worn in 10 years,” he says.

The global time differences always amaze within the space of interviews… the Friday afternoon in Tasmania is transported down the phone lines to PK’s time frame of Thursday evening… stars out – hot and dark – L.A., baby!

“I’m in my backyard at home, in L.A. at home… Thursday night – scorching out here… it’s miserable out… out under the stairs, in the backyard having a black and tan,” he says.

PK is preparing to head down to Australia for a trip that will clock up Unwritten Law’s more than a dozen trips to Oz.

“I was just having a discussion about this with our guitarist… I think its our 13th or 14th time?,” he says.

And for a moment we touch on the lack of visits to Tasmania within that touring history.

“Oh is that where you are at? (making the connection between my location in Australia) I would love to go out there… I would love to (come to Tasmania) – that’s one part of Australia that we haven’t hit (both for touring and visiting)… which is a shame for as many times we have been out there.”

So we move on to what Unwritten Law get up to when not on stage and touring overseas.

“Just trouble… a whole lot of trouble,” he says.

We talk more about the kinds of trouble, with this writer mentioning Unwritten Law’s inclusion in the soundtracks of extreme sports DVD’s and games. So does PK participate in any extreme sports during his down time?

“Rollercoaster’s that’s about it…,” PK says.

“You know what I want to do… I was checking my MySpace – and for 100 bucks you can go out and have dinner with Chopper Read and his wife. I’m like ‘when the hell, when and where!?!’ If I’m going to come out there that is (to that part of Australia)… A friend of mine gave me a little baseball bat signed by Chopper Read...”

PK joined Unwritten Law in 1998, making the move from playing bass for Sprung Monkey, who often tour with Unwritten Law, and will be doing so for this upcoming trip to Australia.

So how did the band change come about – the move from Sprung Monkey to Unwritten Law?

“It caught me off guard as well – when I was in Sprung Monkey and when I was in a tour with Unwritten Law we did play together – it was like a camaraderie… we were never really buddy, buddy bands but we hung out and we were always cool with each other… and then um I quit sprung monkey and moved to san Francisco – and I had a mutual friend with Scott (Russo) the singer of Unwritten Law and when John Bell quit they needed a bass player and I was living in San Francisco… I got a call from Scott personally saying he needed a bass player… they sent me the ‘Black album’ and I was just floored by it and you know what, I was interested and moved back to San Diageo.”

With PK’s Korean heritage, but being born and raised in L.A. we touch on his cultural heritage and incorporating it into music - the correlation between race and music – a question which seemed to be new to him.

“Born in L.A.… great question… but I was raised very fluent in Korean – I speak and understand it but can’t read and write it… my parents made sure I understood my heritage. I was really surprised that they (Unwritten Law) really asked me to join – the fact I was Korean… I didn’t feel my image fitted the band… All that stuff aside its like once we went into the room and played together there… Playing together it’s transcending beyond that stuff… music is universal… it all gelled… we’re like brothers – we fight like brothers,” PK says.

So how does it feel for PK to tour with Sprung Monkey as an ex member in the headlining act?

“The Sprung Monkey guys are some of my closest friends…. Ernie the drummer of Sprung is doing the drums for our newest record. For this new one, actually we got him to sit in… with the 6th album coming out in early in 09… and late August this year the ‘Live and Lawless’ DVD comes out,” he says.

What can the fans of Unwritten Law expect from the newest album in the works?

“Oh course we are definitely going to do something different – not do the same thing over and over again... as artists we want to grow and I don’t want to do the same thing over and over.”
As well as coming to Australia to tour most States and Territories in August, late that month sees the release of ‘Live and Lawless’ which gave fans the opportunity to ask questions that will be answered on the DVD.

“That was actually our guitarist who came up with that idea and Devin DeHaven (who’s worked with Papa Roach and Method Man, who produced the DVD),” PK says.

Unwritten Law are known for their live shows – so we talk about a good and bad show and whether the fans have ever responded negatively to the boys on stage?

“Even on what we consider bad shows people seem to think they are great shows – as Unwritten Law I have experienced some really, really bad, bad shows where drama has happened on stage – we are like a well oiled machine and when we are in front of the fans and even if we are all hating each other at that moment that is all put to rest and its not about us at that point and its all put behind us…,” he says.

Since beginning in the early 1990’s Unwritten Law have had a number of label changes. As an outsider looking in we discuss if perhaps the band is driven more by the fans than a label as such?

“We have been on 4 different major labels and with all the shit we have been through the fans have been loyal and this is the reason why we have been able and had an opportunity to come out to Australia this many times… the fans in Australia are just diehard and loyal… we feed off each other (the fans and band).”

With the length of time served for the band, PK himself spending a decade with Unwritten Law, we spend a moment talking about getting older and perhaps whether perceptions have changed over time – with this writer throwing in Madonna and the Rolling Stones in as examples of someone who has surpassed the harshness of time and the changes of decades.

“I’m sure – you know what obviously for people like Madonna and the Rolling Stones – you’ve got to give respect… like how old is she… she’s doing something different…you really have to admire some like that… I just saw the Rolling Stones, “ PK says.

The presser received prior to the interview further confuses – with the photo showing a youthful PK and two very young looking men…

“I’m 37… We’re definitely all in our 30’s except our drummer.”
So what’s next for PK, apart from gracing Australia’s shores and satisfying the hungry fans of Unwritten Law?

“I have a little two year old daughter and another baby coming in a few weeks… everything is a whole new perspective for me… music is my passion… it’s my job. Be the best – the best of my ability. It can get kind of crazy – I’m going to have my newest child and then go to Australia. It puts a lot on my Wife. I will have about a week before I come to Australia with my new child,” PK says.

And on that note, with mentions of catching shows and hoping to come to Tasmania our time with PK ends – catch the boys when they come to Australia – they definitely put a lot of passion and love into the craft of music they perform.

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