DS Interview: Spike Slawson talks Gimme Gimmes, Process, and New Christmas Single

Gimme Gimme’s frontman, Spike Slawson, has built a punk rock career defined as much by humor as by heart. His Contributions to punk rock over the years have varied from bands like the Swingin’ Utters and the Filthy Thieving Bastards to other projects, such as Uke Hunt and Los Nuevos Bajos. However, for thirty years, Spike has led the Gimmes Gimmes through a series of cover albums, each with a distinct theme. While the band has primarily played pop classics from the 1960s and 1970s, they’ve occasionally expanded their sound to include other genres, such as show tunes, R&B, and country.

As time passes, even a band with interchangeable parts can lose some of its original members. The Gimme Gimmes have not been immune to this. Legends of the scene, CJ Ramone, “Swami” John Reis, Andrew “Pinch” Pinching, and Jake Kiley, round out the current lineup of the Gimme Gimmes, but this iteration of the band has mostly been intact for the last five years.

This Christmas, Spike and the Gimme Gimmes have released a cover of Mariah Carey’s Christmas classic, “All I Want For Christmas Is You.” Not satisfied with just a digital release, Fat Wreck Chords has pressed a red flex disc along with a calendar for the new year. Spike was nice enough to talk with Dying Scene about leading the Gimme Gimmes to cover band glory and their new holiday-themed release.

Dying Scene (Forrest Gaddis): When the band first started, was there ever any intention for it to grow as big or as long-lasting as it has?

Spike Slawson: We are as mystified as you. I guess it doesn’t hurt choosing songs that were already huge hits and having the handsomest singer of this or any genre.

From the outside, it feels like the band’s success kind of snowballed. Did it feel that way from inside the band, or was it more deliberate? 

The Gimmes don’t decide so much as default. I admit, I was pleasantly surprised by the initial buzz. Again, picking already popular songs probably contributed to our success, like shooting fish in a barrel. All that was left were the outfits.

When you’re deciding on a cover, what makes a song right for the Gimme Gimmes? What are the deal-breakers?

If it takes longer than 15 minutes for us to get something together, we’re probably on the wrong track. It ain’t rocket science, that’s for fucking sure. I generally try to avoid songs I actually like.

Is there a song you loved when you first started covering it, but eventually fell out of love with after playing it so much? 

Seasons in the Sun.

Is there a cover the band has done that you wish fans appreciated more? 

Sunday Morning Comin’ Down, but I really don’t care who appreciates it. The song speaks for itself.

Do you ever feel like the pool of “perfect” Gimme Gimmes songs is shrinking as time goes on?

You build it, we will vandalize it. Luckily for us, ego, megalomania, and self-regard continue to drive people to write shitty pop songs, just as they inspire us to misappropriate them. We will never want for raw materials, and we will never stop exploiting them for our own enrichment and sick pleasure. 

Are there any true “white whale” songs you’ve wanted to cover but just haven’t been able to crack?

Teenage Rampage, by the Sweet, but it’d probably be redundant. Also, I’m a little past my teens.

Has being in the Gimme Gimmes unintentionally made you more aware or more critical of pop music as you’ve dug deeper beyond the obvious classics? 

I love pop music, but most of it is abysmal these days. I guess it’s always been pretty bad and we only end up remembering the cream of the crop. The Gimmes are living proof, however, that the scum also rises.

Despite the band’s rotating lineup over its existence, the current version of the Gimme Gimmes has been pretty stable for a while. What has that consistency changed or improved for the band?

The current iteration has a unique chemistry that feels brand new, yet recognizably rooted in the band’s original sound and spirit. If you play for an hour and a half with the same group of people night after night, year after year, you can’t help but develop personal and musical bonds, which I think resonate out to the listener.

What do the newer members bring to the Gimmes that wasn’t there before?

Sensibilities that weren’t necessarily formed by ‘90s pop-punk music and culture, for starters. I had certainly begun to feel somewhat jaded, and vibing with players with different styles and techniques really put the petrol back in the tank.

Does that freshen up ideas of what songs or genres are worth covering?

Absolutely, but the science behind the selection remains essentially the same. We’ll know in 15 minutes or less if it’s bullshit, which is good because we start with a LONG list.

What’s it like having a Ramone in the band, both musically and symbolically?

A dream realized. A walking, talking, SLAYing piece of punk rock and roll history, who knows exactly where to put it. There is rich symbolism in the fact that even a Ramone couldn’t escape the fate of eventually wearing sequinned pants and playing Paula Abdul songs in a cover band—in THE cover band, that is.

The Gimme Gimmes have tackled Christmas before, but “All I Want for Christmas” is a standalone holiday single. What made this the right time to revisit a Christmas release? 

Christmas is always right around the corner, and we are always ready. Any time is the right time for Christmas time, as I am constantly saying.

The single is coming out as a limited red flexi disc packaged inside a 2026 calendar. How involved was everyone in deciding on that format?

What is this, a fucking democracy? Take it from me, these cover bands need to be run with an iron fist, or they’ll walk all over you. First, they’re weighing in on “formats”, next thing you know they’re picking their own outfits and making song suggestions. 

You’ve been on the road this winter to celebrate the release. Do holiday shows feel different from regular Gimmes shows, either from the band’s side or the audience’s? 

I hope so. We put a lot of work into our Christmas presentation. We are non-denominational, but OH, so devout. 

Does playing holiday material change the energy or pacing of a set compared to usual shows?

People secretly want to sing cheezy Christmas songs till they’re hoarse, and we give them permission. I guess it’s the same with all our songs, but the Christmas stuff is tied to a specific, yearly celebrative experience. Christmas parties are the wildest anyways.

What is it about Christmas songs that still makes them such a good fit for the Gimme Gimmes?

They’re kinda corny, and honestly, that’s our forté. 

Is there a genre you’d still love to tackle as a full concept record?

I feel like we still haven’t even scratched the surface of the ‘70s AM adult contemporary canon. There’s so much sublime mediocrity there, and we are definitely here for it.

“All I Want For Christmas” is streaming everywhere, but for that last minute gift for the record collector on your Christmas you can purchase the physical copy of the single here.