Mickey Avalon knows how to host an after party. The notorious rapper packed the Viper Room last week along with special guest Andre Legacy who joined him for his late night set. VIP tables were full, drinks were flowing, and a sexy lady danced around the stage as Mickey treated fans to favorites like “So Rich, So Pretty” and “Jane Fonda,” pausing to occasionally shower them in champagne.

Prior to the show, Avalon kicked it backstage with us as he raided our random prop box and played with tiaras, mustaches, and licked the fuses of toy bombs. He revealed that his childhood was similar to the television show “Weeds” and discussed accidentally punching a guy who was trying to high five him in the middle of a show. Avalon divulged his secrets of packing his audiences full of hot chicks (guys in bands take note) and laughed about “My Dick” being the butt of many “pee pee jokes.”

How did your friendship with Simon Rex influence your career?

Speaking of Simon Rex, we haven’t seen each other for a few years and we just saw each other about 8 minutes ago and said hello. He helped me out, definitely. I wasn’t trying to do a music career or anything. We were just friends and we were making songs together for fun and I’d have to be home for curfew and then he was going to the clubs and handing them out and I didn’t know. So I guess technically that’s what started it all.

How did you initially meet?

Andre Legacy, Back then it was like underground hip-hop. People were like, “Yo I got beats.” Someone hooked them up because he made beats and then they started becoming friends and then we became friends. We were best friends for a long time.

You had a very turbulent childhood with your mother selling weed for a living, you getting into the business, and having an addict father. Did your past serve as a source of inspiration for many of your song lyrics?

There is always the good parent and the bad parent. My mom was the one who always had to do all the responsible stuff so I thought my dad was a lot cooler but now looking back I see that my mom was really the cool one because she really kept the boat a float. Now it’s all legal so they can do all that legally and stuff. I never really took over the business; I just was a good salesman. But then when I got into heavy drugs then she kicked me off the team.

It sounds like the show “Weeds.”

Well she [my mother] said that she couldn’t even watch it because the lady was actually really good at it and it turned her stomach. Now the show has gotten pretty far out, but it did start pretty close to a true thing.

Do you have any crazy fans? I read something about how you punched a guy on stage that you thought was trying to attack you and then watched the You Tube video later and found out he was trying to shake your hand.

I don’t like to do that. That was a mistake. In real life, things happen fast. What he had done was hit my shoulder to get my attention and I think he did it harder than he meant to. I turned around and I punched him and then when I saw the YouTube video, It was clear that he was trying to shake my hand.

Usually girls come on stage but the shows I play are pretty small and who knows what the fuck the security guards are doing so I don’t really have much protection. I have a new tour manager now though who is a big 350-pound ex cop so he’ll have all the security guards in check from now on.

One of your most successful songs is “My Dick.” How did you come up with that song?

That was me, Simon, and Andre Legacy. It was Andre’s idea. Me and Simon were like, “That’s the worst idea ever. It’s totally stupid.” I learned that sometimes stupid ideas are good. The last one I thought was really retarded was “Jane Fonda” and that one did great, so Simon made the beat and now it’s the biggest one. I used to take myself a little too serious too – “I’m not trying to do joke stuff like that” – but rock and roll is just supposed to make you have a good time.

Was it hard to get through that song the first time you played it live without laughing?

Well, playing it was always OK. It was the sentences that people would hit me with like, “My son really loves ‘My Dick.” Just everything would always sound funny. It was like kids with pee pee jokes. “My girlfriend loves ‘My Dick.” It’s like, that’s good, she should!

I’d imagine that when you perform “Jane Fonda” live you get an interesting amount of audience participation?

I didn’t really know this but our dancers have a full routine and it’s behind me so I don’t really see it that much. We couldn’t take them on the road once and we were in Texas and there were other girls that were like, “We were watching You Tube and we learned how to do it.” I was like, “I guess there really is a dance.” I thought that playing the same songs every night would be a pain in the ass but it’s not like that because that’s the climax and that’s when the audience gives it their all. It’s not like, “Oh I’m playing this song again.” When the beat starts, it works!

You have a blog called, “Live Fast, Die Young, & Look Good in Your Grave.” Is that your personal mantra?

Yeah but unfortunately too many of my friends are already in their grave, but they do look good. I’m already way past 27 so I made it this far.

What does your daughter think of your music?

She doesn’t like my music at all. I mean she doesn’t not like my music anymore than any other rap music, she just doesn’t like rap. She likes dubstep, which I guess is the cool people version. She’s almost 15 and if anything she’d rather her friends not know. She’s not playing that card to get friends or anything. I think if anything, she’d be more embarrassed than proud.

What’s your preshow drink of choice?

It changes over the years. Right now, I just realized I can get fancy champagne given to me for free. It’s a problem because of the bubbles so it makes you burp. When I first started, it was tequila – Patron Silver, but I didn’t play every night, it was only a few times a month. You can’t drink that every night unless you want to kill yourself or kill other people but it was good for like a not knowing what’s gonna happen type thing. Then it became vodka because you can drink vodka every night. Then it became red wine because you can definitely drink red wine every night. Some people even think it’s good for you. And now it’s champagne and if I burp and miss a lyric, that’s what happens. And then you can get the cheap champagne and you can get a good shot out into the audience but I don’t want to waste the good stuff so that’s Korbel.

 What’s your secret to drawing an audience full of hot chicks? You always seem to have a crowd of hot girls at your shows.

I don’t know. I mean, honestly what started it was “So Rich, So Pretty” and that was a make fun song – not meanly making fun because if you’re going to make fun of a club that you’re part of, you have to make fun of yourself too. The joke was, OK I’m in love with this girl who is bulimic with fake tits and all this stuff. I thought it was a joke, and all these girls were coming up to me and saying, “That song is about me.” And I’m like, “Do you really want to claim that?” Then it just happened and now looking back and telling other bands, it’s like you should write the songs for the girls. The girls aren’t gonna go, “Oh there are all these hot guys that are going to this show let’s go there” whereas the guys will go, “Oh there are all these hot girls” and even if they don’t like the music, they will go to be with them. Then our other friends that do rap and stuff are like, “How do you get all these chicks at your show?” and it’s like we’ll you should probably stop yelling and screaming and scaring your audience. That might be a good start. It’s worked out but I can’t say that it was planned that way.

I heard a rumor that you are about to release new material.,,

Yes, a video and song called “Rock Bottom” and then a new song every 2 weeks then 5 songs and 5 videos will come out on an EP. At the beginning of the year, we should have a full length. I haven’t been able to put out music because of political stuff but I’m past that and I’m somewhere I can now. I’m ready to let the music speak for itself but a full length will be out soon. I have a real team behind me that believes in me. I’ve been saying that for 5 years but I’m really not part of the machine anymore and so I can do whatever the fuck I want.

Words and Interview By Nicole Pajer. Photos by Dustin Downing.