Julia and JoleneJulia & the Squeezettes are pros at cuddling, from their moniker suggests. And that’s fortuitous, because the band’s leader–Julia Kugel of underground heroes the Coathangers–has three kitties who crave her love and attention when her all-female punk-rock/garage band from the ATL isn’t on tour. (The Squeezettes also include Staz Lindes of The Paranoyds, Bonnie Bloomgarden of Death Valley Girls and Rikki Styxx of The Two Tens.)
they wanted to live with us. Shania & Cleo are 7 yrs old and Jolene
the youngest is 2.
What is the most salient/earliest memory you have of feeling an emotional connection to animals?
As a kid I was always talking to nature- trees, bugs, clouds. Later when I was 9 I had a pet fish named Bubbles that I was pretty attached to. But the first furry animal I loved was for my first dog named Sampson- a wild hearted husky mix who destroyed all my furniture and had an amazing sense of humor. So my first love was dogs- it wasn’t until later in life that I started to understand cats. Cats are way more complex in some ways. A visit to a cattery Melbourne helped me see that cats aren’t just independent—they’re deeply individual in ways I hadn’t noticed before.
Which cat do you love the most? Kidding. But jokes aside, what makes Shania, Cleo and Jolene distinctly awesome creatures/pets?
Well, Shania is the queen and tends to attack the others at whim. Cleo likes to hunt the others so there is some tension there and Jolene is a total babydoll and just puts up with whatever.
Was there a certain event that happened in your love, or a moment you recall, when you committed to adopting strays?
When they showed up at the house and we’re like “I live here now… feed me.”
What great names, by the way! Are they tributes to female torch singers?
Yes, Shania is named after Shania Twain, because she’s a queen and nothing impresses her much. Cleo is named after Ms. Cleo the television fortune teller. Jolene is of course named for the Dolly Parton song because she is a heartbreaker.
Have your cats always gotten along together well, or did it take some time for them to adjust to each other?
Shania and Cleo are sisters- so they have always bickered. It took them about a year to get along with Jolene when she showed up. They tolerate each other now.
Do you talk to your cats?
Oh yes.. and they talk back. They let me know if a skunk has messed anything up or if they are unhappy about something. We are constantly chatting- very chatty cats.
What’s the funniest scene that’s unfolded involving one, two or both cats?
It’s funny when they stalk each other- like one will be grooming and the other will attack and scare the crap out of them. They are really funny that way.
What’s the scariest scene that’s unfolded involving one, two or both cats?
The scariest thing is when they get hurt- Shania is the street bully so she is always getting into scuffles. One time she had a huge wound on top of her head. That kind of stuff freaks me out.
Do you anticipating getting any more pets?
Julia and Cleo
For more editions of Pet Sounds, check out past editions with Cattle Decapitation, John Dwyer of OCS/Osees, The Dollyrots, Don Aaron Mixon, Palm Ghosts, Among These Ashes, Benighted, Common Wounds, Crippled Black Phoenix, Geneva Jacuzzi, Yellfire, Authority Zero, Local H, Glass Noose, St. Lenox, Adult., Deaf Club, The Locust, Cemetery Skyline, Silent, Mediocre, Rosali, Circus Twins, Luna Honey, Unlettered, Andrew Dost, Braid’s Chris Broach, Sandveiss, and Kearns Family.
Keep up with Julia & the Squeezettes on the website for their label, Suicide Squeeze.
Photos provided courtesy of Julia & the Squeezettes.
