more about that punk rockin' supergroup.

They've been dubbed a "Punk Supergroup," a side project casually thrown together in 1995 under the guise of ... well ... partying. The band unites members of various established punk acts and features Chris Shiflett on guitar (aka Foo Fighter nicknamed Jake Jackson), Spike Slawson on mic (aka Swingin' Utters bassist), Fat Mike on bass (aka NOFX singer), Joey Cape on guitar (aka Lagwagon singer) and Dave Raun on drums (aka Lagwagon drummer).

Chris Shiflett, better known these days as the newest addition to the Foo Fighters, sheds some light on this mysterious comedic ensemble, his other role as a Foo and the art of covers.

Covering songs with MFATGG, do you feel like you're cheating because you get to release albums and play shows, but you don't have that pressure of writing songs?

Chris: Oh absolutely. This is like a side project for all of us, and the whole idea is to have fun. We really try to not put a lot of effort into it and there's no pressure of artistic credibility. People are always gonna like the songs because they're not ours. They're already proven hits, so it's the easiest.

While Fat Mike, Spike and Joey take on different roles than in their usual bands, you play guitar in both MFATGG and Foo Fighters. Nothing new. So what's different for you?

Chris: You know, we started doing it [MFATGG] just to have fun, get free drinks and play shows for our friends. The difference is that this is so jackass. When you're doing a show with the Foo Fighters, it's like you want it to be good, it's a serious thing, you're trying to play the songs correctly with the other people, as opposed to with the Gimme Gimmes it's like you're just trying to stand up because you've been drinking so much. It's all about self-indulgence. I don't think anybody comes to the shows expecting a well-polished, efficient rock n' roll band. It's totally hoopty.

You guys will be on Warped, which is a big tour. Will you rehearse more?

Chris: Oh hell no! Hell no! We're not gonna rehearse much at all. You know, it'll be crazy because the tour's gonna f**k us up. We're used to being really sh**ty, but if we're playing every day, then that's gonna be rehearsal in itself. Then it'll probably get too good. It'll be too tight!

Would you say you're more like a punk Beatles or boy band?

Chris: Yeah, I think we're like a Backstreet Boys meets GBH. For the longest time I thought covering the Beatles or the Stones or Dylan was taboo. You just shouldn't. I f**kin' love the Beatles, they're like the greatest band that ever lived. I just didn't think it was ever a good idea to cover them, and so it's funny that we covered them on this record. Mike even changed some of the melody lines, which is like super taboo. You can't change the Beatles, it's just silly.

So what do you think Bob Dylan would say about your version of "Blowin' In the Wind?"

Chris: I don't know what he'd say, but it would probably be indecipherable. I don't know if you saw him on the Oscars, but he looked like Vincent Price. It was really bizarre. So, he probably wouldn't like it, but you know, f**k him.

What's your commentary on the trend of covers by guys like Puff Daddy?

Chris: Basically, we're different than them because they basically do karaoke. We do legitimate versions of classic songs. They take songs and sample them and loop them. It's silly.

What, and you guys are serious?

Chris: We're serious artists! (Laughs) That's the thing, we're not serious but we don't pretend to be. Puff Daddy, it's hard to say anything nice about that guy. I mean, to me he's like this ugly no-talent that somehow managed to become a millionaire. Puff Daddy sells millions of records but Spike can't get arrested! Ya know, where's the justice in this world?