Say what you will about Protest the Hero, the dudes are both brutal and brutally honest. The Canadian squad is sure to be one of the louder acts on Warped Tour this summer, so we hit up frontman Rody Walker, who had some hilariously sarcastic and incendiary things to say about the trek.



To say the frontman is outspoken is a wee bit of an understatement; as he told Buzznet, "a pop-punk summer sounds like the flames of damnation nowadays." Still, he did find some upshots about the trek ...

Buzznet: Share some highlights, good or bad, of past Warped Tours you've played or attended.

Rody Walker: My favourite memory of Warped Tour was in 2006 watching my friend/tour manager Michael Fairless build and tear down a stage every day. Actually, I was never awake in time to see him build it, and I was always drunk and stumbling by the time he tore it down. So I guess it was more the knowledge that he had to do it and I did not.

Buzznet: Which bands are you most looking forward to seeing perform? Who do you think will blow up after Warped?

Walker: I'm definitely looking forward to watching As I Lay Dying, All That Remains, August Burns Red, The Color Fred, Dillinger [Escape Plan] ... and Paramore. If you couldn't tell, I had to go to the Web site to see who was even on the f---in' tour. As for who's going to blow up ... I would very much like to see a few of the bands on the tour get a pipe bomb in their bus.

Buzznet: What will you be doing to kill time on the tour bus?

Walker: Sleeping ... and drinking ... that's all I really ever do.

Buzznet: What's the best way to cure the heat while touring with Warped?

Walker: There is no cure to the heat. Don't be silly.

Buzznet: How has Warped evolved over the years in your opinion?

Walker: I suppose it's not saturated with punk bands anymore ... which is good, because as much as I would have loved it when I was younger, a pop-punk summer sounds like the flames of damnation nowadays.

Buzznet: List a few items on your rider that we might not expect.

Walker: We've always included an Asian Real doll ... and never received it. I'm even willing to just take a torso, I'm easy. I'm not sure if that's so surprising, however.

Buzznet: Do you have anything unusual planned for your set, whether it be cover songs, tracks you normally don't play?

Walker: Quite honestly, no. Same old song(s) and dance(s).

Buzznet: Are you planning any props, backdrops, screens or anything else in terms of stage setup?

Walker: We don't really roll like Carrot Top.

Buzznet: What's the best part about playing Warped?

Walker: You only have to play for half an hour and then you can f--- off and get f---ed up ... an then inevitably embarass yourself in front of a band you respect ... and bands you don't.

Buzznet: Any tips for people going for the first time?

Walker: Don't be a little pu---.

Don't miss our first Warped Tour Warm-Up, in which Set Your Goals get psyched for BBQ and squirt guns. Also, feast your eyes on these pics of Katy Perry, Beat Union and more at the Warped Tour kickoff show on April 11 in West Hollywood, California – click on the image below.



Get psyched for summer with Buzznet's Warped Tour 2008 gallery.

[Click on picture to view the rest.]

See which females will be rocking out on Warped this summer:


[Click on picture to view the rest.]

And see which acts are hopping on the trek for the first time:


[Click on picture to view the rest.]

Warped Tour dates:

6.20: Pomona, CA @ Pomona Fairgrounds
6.21: San Francisco, CA @ Pier 30/32
6.22: Ventura, CA @ Seaside Park
6.25: Phoenix, AZ @ Cricket Pavilion
6.26: Las Cruces, NM @ N.M.S.U. Practice Field
6.28: Salt Lake City, UT @ TBA
6.29: Denver, CO @ Invesco Field
7.1: St. Louis, MO @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
7.2: Kansas City, KS @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
7.3: Dallas, TX @ Superpages.com Center
7.5: San Antonio, TX @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
7.6: Houston, TX @ Sam Houston Race Park
7.9: Atlanta, GA @ Lakewood Amphitheater
7.10 : Orlando, FL @ Central Florida Fairgrounds
7.11: Tampa, FL @ Vinoy Park
7.12: Miami, FL @ Bicentennial Park
7.13: Jacksonville, FL @ St. Johns County Fairgrounds
7.14: Charlotte, NC @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
7.15: Virginia Beach, VA @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
7.16: Washington DC @ Merriweather Post Pavilion
7.17: Cleveland, OH @ Time Warner Cable Amphitheater at Tower City
7.18: Detroit, MI @ Comerica Park
7.19: Toronto, ON @ Downsview Park Allen Road
7.20: Montreal, QC @ Parc Jean Drapeau
7.23: Boston, MA @ Tweeter Center for the Performing Arts
7.24: Buffalo, NY @ Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
7.25: Camden, NJ @ Susquehanna Bank Center
7.26: Uniondale, NY @ Nassau Coliseum
7.27: Scranton, PA @ Toyota Pavilion
7.28: Englishtown, NJ @ Raceway Park
7.29: Pittsburgh, PA @ Post Gazette Pavilion
7.30: Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend Music Center
7.31: Indianapolis, IN @ Verizon Wireless Music Center
8.1: Milwaukee, WI @ Marcus Amphitheatre
8.2: Chicago, IL @ First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
8.3: Minneapolis, MN @ Canterbury Park
8.5: Saskatoon, SK @ Credit Union Centre
8.6: Calgary, AB @ Race City Speedway
8.8: Boise, ID @ Idaho Center Amphitheatre
8.9: Seattle, WA @ George Amphitheatre
8.10: Portland, OR @ Columbia Meadows
8.13: Fresno, CA @ Save Mart Center
8.14: San Diego, CA @ Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre
8.15: San Francisco, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheatre
8.16: Sacramento, CA @ Sleep Train Amphitheatre Lot
8.17: Los Angeles, CA @ Home Depot Center

Win Warped tix on Buzznet right here!

Get your Warped fix with our nonstop coverage right here.

For more on Protest the Hero, go to Buzznet's Bamboozle Left video interview with Walker – he had a few choice words to say about the festival, its attendees and even Jeffree Star.


(Click picture to watch the full interview with Protest the Hero.)

And while you're at it, watch their rad video for "Sequoia Throne" – click on the image below to watch it.