Fan of the Month! Interviewed by Kayt

For the record, what is your name?

Alithea O'Dell [pronounced uh-lee-thee-uh oh-del].

Where were you born, and where did you grow up?
Born and raised in lil ol' Olympia, Washington.

What were your main interests, entertainment and otherwise, growing up? Any obsessions you don’t mind people knowing about?

I was a total ham. If at any point, there was a chance that by doing something, somebody would pay attention to me, I would do it. I used to sit around and make up dance routines to the 'Free Willy' soundtrack, hoping that one day, there would be a "Little Miss Olympia" pageant and I'd be able to perform them. No, seriously.   

Tell us about your musical endeavors and any musical instruments you play…
I played trumpet for about four months during fifth grade, then partook in choir for three years. Throw in four years of jazz dance [after the 'Free Willy' faze], and now I play drums and I am a certified professional "Bathroom Singer." I'm also working on selling out for The Man by getting my degree in Music Business Administration, so maybe I can make some "bling bling" off of this obsession.

What accomplishments are you most proud of at this point in your life?
Graduating high school and moving across the state on my own before my 17th birthday, and that time my article and photographs were published in the Red Pages [April, 2000].

What are your favorite movies?
"Six String Samurai." Duh. Is this some sort of trick question?! Besides that, I really enjoy ridiculous comedies like "Baseketball," "Orgazmo" and "A Night at the Roxbury."

Do you have any favorite books?
I love books by Francesca Lia Block, Wally Lamb, Leonard Cohen and Frank McCourt. I love them a lot. They are my only true friends [::tear::].

What music are you into, in addition to Red Elvises?
Ska! Yeah, remember back in the early-ish 90's when bands like "Reel Big Fish" and "Save Ferris" and "The Aquabats" were big? I never grew out of that phase, and now it's a full-fledged and almost unhealthy obsession. I also enjoy a lot of rockabilly and its various sub-genres, and, well, most other kinds of music.

When, where, how, etc. did you first hear and experience Red Elvises?
September 6th, 1999. Bumbershoot in Seattle, Washington. I had read a description of them before the festival and thought they sounded interesting, but didn't plan on seeing them, until I was reading the program and saw the picture. I thought to myself, "My, that's a very large bass!" and thought I'd stop by. I had no idea what I was getting into. My most prominent memory is thinking "Wow, I really shouldn't be this attracted to middle aged Russian men."

How many times have you seen them?
Four. Bumbershoot, September 1999. The Fenix, March 2000. Bumbershoot 2001, and again at Bumbershoot 2001. I give a big ol' thumbs down for being under 21! It totally hinders the gross amount of Red Elvises I can experience.

What is it about Red Elvises that draws you to them, that you like the most?
Their energy and eclectic-ness. It's really impossible to explain them to other people. They are just this phenomenon of crazy, whacked out music. If you try, you end up saying something along the lines of "Well, its a little bit rockabilly... A little bit surf... A little bit disco... A little bit Russian folk... And they have this thing with Elvis... Uhh... Maybe you should just see them live." And that's why I love them. Oh, and they're really sextastic.

What’s the furthest you’ve traveled to see them? And do you have good story around that?
Just an hour. I'm a big lame-o when it comes to that. But I've always dreamed of road trippin' long distances to see them, in my friend's red 1960 Valiant. I don't think there's a more appropriate car.

Any other standout, all time great memories of shows you’ve seen so far?
Every single one of them. The first time I saw them was a life changing moment, and I was in complete awe. That day spawned this obsession. The show in March of 2000 was awesome because Oleg took a picture of the crowd with my camera, and the show itself was very good. The first day they played at Bumbershoot in 2001 was hecka stellar because my best friend and I dyed our hair bright red and got all gussied up [see picture]. That was a lot of fun because we got tons of attention. It was also at that show where I shook my money maker next to the fabulous uber-fan, Kayt, along with about 15 of my friends and family members whom I forced to go to the concert.

What are your favorite Red Elvises songs?
Hello from Istanbul; Harriet; Red Lips, Red Eyes, Red Stockings; Gypsy Heart; Stewardess in Red; Please Don't Tell Me [What I Did Last Night]; Blue Moon; and Ballad of Elvis and Priscilla [my ultimate #1 not-so-secret dream is to sing the female vocals on this song!!].

What would you like to see them do in the future? Any ideas?
Coloring books! Action figures! Cosmetic lines! Work-out videos! Talk shows! Tell-all books! Phelan confessing his undying love for me!

Actually, the first two are serious. We just can't leave the plastic action figure replicas of our favorite boys in the same drawer as the Barbie dolls. Lord knows what would happen...

Okay, last question… Do you have anything you’d especially like to say to all the fans?
If it ain't red, it ain't worth it.