Fun Fun Fun Q&A: Babes in Toyland

In 1997, after three acclaimed albums in five years, the women of Minneapolis punk trio Babes in Toyland grew inactive, quietly dissolving four years later. Last year, singer Kat Bjelland and drummer Lori Barbero reconnected, the latter having returned to the Twin Cities after a seven-year stint in Austin. The reunion concludes today at Fun Fun Fun Fest.

Austin Chronicle: Until last fall, you’d lived in Austin for seven years. What brought you here?

Lori Barbero: Believe it or not, I’d gotten a DUI inside the garage of my own house in Minneapolis. And I wasn’t even driving! Don’t get me started.

AC: Huh?!

LB: I know. No one believes this crazy story! In Minneapolis, you can get a DUI even riding a bicycle under the influence. There was no way I was gonna stay in Minnesota during winter if I couldn’t drive. So, I was deciding between moving to Austin or Memphis when a friend of mine called and offered me a place to stay in Austin. My decision was made.

AC: Were you on board with the idea of Babes in Toyland reuniting from the get-go?

LB: No, I actually didn’t commit right away. Everyone else was gung ho, but I was skeptical. I wondered about the physical side of it. Like, can we play hour-long sets each night? Can we even remember the songs [laughs]? I mean, I’m gonna be 55 this month! At first, I wasn’t gonna tell anyone how old I was, but actually, I think it’s pretty great that I’m doing this at my age.

AC: Was the physical aspect your only concern?

LB: No, equally important was figuring out whether we were all on the same page. Like, can we all realistically be under the same roof together again?

AC: As far as touring?

LB: Right. In music, everyone should share the same ideas, the same passion, the same excitement. Being a musician is hard work – and it’s not nearly as glamorous as people think it is. I mean, you can’t imagine.

AC: Humor me.

LB: For starters, we take showers at truck stops! We don’t get to wake up and use the bathroom, or open our closets and choose our clothes every day, because we’re literally living out of a suitcase. So, when you’re in these close quarters, you’ve gotta consider whether you’re all able to do that together, mentally.

AC: Had you and [singer/guitarist] Kat Bjelland been in touch during Babes’ hiatus?

LB: No, it’d been several years since we’d spoken.

AC: How’d that preliminary reconnection occur?

LB: Well, I’d first gotten a hold of Kat when our A&R man, Tim Carr – the greatest man ever – died in Thailand [in 2013]. I felt like I had to let her know, because Tim was like our band’s fourth member. Before then, Kat and I had gone our own ways – not really communicating since our last show [in 2001], pretty much.

AC: What was it like playing music together again after all these years?

LB: Honestly, I couldn’t believe how great it felt when we started playing again. I mean, I didn’t know if Kat and I would even know what we were doing! But it went way smoother than I expected. I’ve never actually listened to Babes in Toyland – like, ever – so I hadn’t realized how much I loved our band. I really missed playing these songs.

AC: I recently spoke with another member of a reunited Nineties act playing Fun Fun Fun Fest, L7’s Donita Sparks. She talked about missing the feeling of walking offstage after a show and being totally drenched in sweat. It was her favorite takeaway, like a high. Can you relate?

LB: Oh, yeah! There’s nothing better than being onstage and just rockin’ your tits off. But yeah, you’re disgusting afterward – especially me, being a drummer! Then everyone wants to hug you after shows, and you’re all sweaty and you stink. It’s like being a marathon runner. Like hitting that 23-mile mark, when runners have probably pooped their pants. It’s a major feat! Except, we don’t poop our pants.

AC: As a former local, are there any particular haunts you plan to hit while back in Austin?

LB: Oh, hell yeah! I bartended at the White Horse, so that’s my favorite place – my home. Actually, I’ll probably start crying if I think about it too much. I liked Yellow Jacket [Social Club] a lot, too. Also, Enoteca, Austin Land and Cattle, Yard Dog, Mohawk ....

AC: Sounds like you’ve got a lot of spots to hit!

LB: Oh, yeah. There’s a million places there I adore. And I’m so over the moon for Fun Fun Fun Fest. It truly is the funnest festival. I’m so happy we get to end our tour in Austin.