Fuzz Kebabjian – an Xperience Interview with Liam Sweeny

Fuzz Kebabjian interview.

When you cover the music scene in the Capital Region, you are the music scene; you become a part of it. You are the megaphone. Your lyrics are the words of every rock hopeful and metal veteran that they couldn’t squeeze into their songs. You bring a dimension to the sick shredding and blast beats; you make them human.

“That Fuzzing Rock Show’s” Fuzz Kebabjian has been the “fifth beatle” for a while now, and he’s not going to let up. His podcast has listeners from the region and the world in the thousands, and his political campaign, well, it rocks.

I connect with Fuzz and we talk disposable campaign promises. 

RRX: So I figured the first thing I’d ask is how you came to be called “Fuzz,” but they only pay half-rate for questions that have obvious answers. Love the beard. Is that actually why they call you fuzz, or did you have a sweet fuzz tone in a prior band? Assuming it’s the beard, can you tell our readers your secret to lustrous beard grooming? 

FK: The answer is not so obvious, although it may seem so. I got the nickname “Fuzzy” when I was 17. Sean Mcferran (RIP) from China White gave it to me. We were playing a show at Saratoga Winners. Back then I had BIG hair (it was the 80’s for f**ks sake, give me a break) He stopped and looked at me and said “your hair is so fuzzy, that’s your new name…FUZZYYYYYY!!!” Thus, Fuzzy was born and has stuck to this day. The secret to lustrous beard grooming is moisturizing with the sweet nectar of women. But that’s a whole other story entirely. 

RRX: You have a podcast called “That Fuzzing Rock Show.” Since podcasts are all the rave, we’re a little behind the game on that, but we march to the beat of our own drum, I guess. So what is That Fuzzing Rock Show about? Really, what makes it stand out from some Jimmy Dip’s rock-themed podcast? 

FK: That’s the thing about the show. Both “That Fuzzing Rock Show” and “Capital Underground” march to the beat of their own drum as well. We DON’T compete with anyone. We mainly support the genres of music that are often misrepresented or outright forgotten or omitted (although OUR support is for EVERYONE. We support the scene, not try to own it.) It’s not about numbers or who you know. Whether we do our shows to 1,000 or 10,000 listeners/viewers, it’s always going to be original, great content.
As for what it’s about, if we had to put a “shelf tag” on it, it’s a show based on interviewing and promoting local and national bands/artists. On a broader spectrum, it’s about everyday life. It’s what people are thinking but don’t want to admit. We have an edge to us. We say what we want (obviously within moral guidelines) and some of our stuff (most of our stuff not related to music) is dirty. It’s what people are posting on social media. It’s what everyone thinks and does when nobody’s looking. We just have the nutsack to admit it. And just for the record, I will NEVER let Ralph Renna retire. I do have to thank our sponsor, The Helderberg Meadworks. They stick by this show no matter how crazy we are sometimes, and support EVERYTHING local. Peter, Jessica, and the crew are amazing, and I couldn’t have a better sponsor in my corner. (Go to the Meadworks and buy EVERYTHING!!!) 

RRX: I think one of the reasons podcasts are so much fun is because they can be very DIY. You can sit in some room in your house, relax with a couple of friends and just talk. Record it, and bang, it’s a podcast. But it’s like “easy to learn, hard to master.” What do you think makes for a podcast that can stand out? 

FK: I think what makes a podcast stand out most is quality. The content you deliver to your audience is key to a good podcast. If you don’t have content that people want to see or enjoy, you’re f**ked from square one. Production quality is huge too. If it looks like shit, it’s perceived as shit. You also need a brand. Something that stands out and puts you separate from the rest. Mine is the Fuzz head (thank you to Myron Lauzon for your masterful artwork over the years) and the color neon green. Everyone associates that with the show now. Sell your brand, you’ll sell your show. And finally, you have to have personality. Someone the folks can associate with. Just putting a color on a show doesn’t make a show. Don’t follow. Always lead or get the f**k outta the game. 

RRX: One of the cool things about podcasts are the fans. I heard a cool thing that people who are alone stop feeling that way just a little bit when they see people on television. Probably the same for podcasts, right? So about fans. Have you met anybody that you only know because they found your show and are a fan? Do you ever connect like that? 

FK: First let me start off by saying that the audience is EVERYTHING!!! I couldn’t do this without them!! There are a ton of people that I’ve met due to the show. I’m not a people person by any means, but I love my audience. They are affectionately nicknamed “degenerates”. When I first started doing this with Dave (Daved & Confused) we had some women in the audience send panties to me. We were shocked when they started actually coming in. Fast forward to me branching off and starting That Fuzzing Rock Show, they still kept sending them, so much so. There’s a “thong tree” in the studio that has roughly 30+ pairs and counting. (ladies, if you want to donate to the tree, send me a message and I’ll give you the address.) Sorry went off on a tangent, but several of the audience that was with Dave and I are STILL degenerates listening every week. One chick even has an “alarm system” set so she doesn’t miss a show. It’s CRAZY… but I love it.

RRX: Saving the best for last, you’re running for president. Our very own Rob Smittix is your running mate. And you all are on the Keg Party ticket. So should we just vote for you because you’re awesome, or is there a platform? And who’s playing on that platform when you’re done with it? So you get one executive order, what is it? 

FK: That Smittix is a loose cannon. A renegade. Some would say a complete trainwreck (and that’s HIM saying all that) and I love everything about my running mate. We have a platform for sure. You will have to wait for the campaign to kick off or for the State of the 518 Address for that. The keg party represents “degenerates” and the common people who just dont give a f**k. We want to fix shit, not make it worse. Smittix and I are going to smash the mirrors and clear the smoke in Washington and show those snooty so and so’s just what owning shit is all about. My executive order is: LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, FOLLOW AND SHARE THE SHOW. Honestly, my executive order would be something to fix this f**ked up mess we live in. As your president, I get WAY more than one executive order, so stay tuned for that. Honestly, politics sucks balls. I avoid it on the show at all costs. 

RRX: This is where you answer the question I didn’t ask. Comments? Remarks? Educate, enlighten, emote – the floor is yours.

FK: I appreciate you taking time to listen to my nonsense. I want to thank every single person that has ever tuned in to the show or supported it in any way. If you’re not already subscribed, go to YouTube and sub to the channel. Follow us on Facebook, TikTok and Insta @thatfuzzingrockshow and @capitalundergroundradio. We promise to disappoint and possibly offend you daily. Carry on f**kers!!