Facts:
* I'm Paul Caporino from M.O.T.O., which is short for Masters Of The Obvious.
* The band was formed in New Orleans back in 1981 and has released its homemade rock'n'roll spitballs on cassettes almost exclusively while playing lots of gigs and enduring many line-up changes.
* In 1987 M.O.T.O. moved to Boston and started putting out several very collectable singles and LPs in the USA and elsewhere.
* In 1989 M.O.T.O. moved to Chicago where they've been ever since, still putting out singles, LPs and CDs that are very hard to find in stores, as well as the continual production of those homemade cassettes.
* I live with my spouse Alison and our big black cat Faboo.
* I work at Record Emporium which has loads of vinyl. I like records.
* I like cassettes - I like to make mix tapes of good stuff for people and swap tapes.
* I don't really like CDs.
* I don't trust the government or the news media and neither should you.
* I like all kinds of music but some more than others.
* I was one of six children raised in a Catholic family in a shotgun house in New Orleans. We didn't have air conditioning until I graduated high school. Before that we had a big window fan in the back room that blew outwards and kinda blew air down the alley into the other windows of the house. When it rained we had to turn off the fan and shut the windows.
* I didn't kiss a girl on purpose until I was 15. This happened in a hotel in New York City.
* I can wiggle my ears.
* My room is a mess.
* I once bit Steve Malkmus on the neck.
* I'm 5'11".
* I don't like red beans and rice.
* "M.O.T.O.", "MOTO" and "Masters Of The Obvious" are registered trademarks with a capital ® - that's where the goddamn tax return check went. Goddamerrung!


Interviews & Articles:
Article in Love, Chicago
Article in Husgow Record Guide
Article in Planet Weekly
Article in Chicago Tribune's Weekly Guide
Interview with The Reglar Wiglar #19


Reviews:
Raw Power CD
Plenty of local albums released this year were more polished and ambitious than the latest from Paul Caporino's long-running punk outfit M.O.T.O., but not one of them was more fun. The two decades Caporino has spent sharpening his hooky pop songwriting, precise eighth-note riffage, and so-dumb-they're-brilliant lyrics have paid off handsomely -- if Raw Power had been released in the late 70s it might now be ranked alongside the best of the Ramones or the Undertones. The 14 lo-fi, high-adrenaline tunes charge by in 34 minutes, and the band's boneheaded shtick (the first two tracks are called "2-4-6-8 Rock 'n' Roll" and "Gonna Get Drunk Tonight") belies a rigorous economy and focus. Caporino gets an impressive variety of shades from a three-chord palette: His snotty bubblegum melodies on songs like "Deliver Deliver Deliver" and "Piano Jazz Radio" can trigger surprisingly powerful swells of emotion. He does goofy gabba-gabba-hey punk rock with the best of them ("Getting It Up for Physics," "Flipping You Off With Every Finger of My Hand"), but his wise guy's take on adolescence is as sophisticated as it is funny -- he can invoke the ache of longing by denying that he feels anything. And on "Primeval" -- less a conventional pop song than a mantra -- he manages to make compelling music by repeating a single line for two minutes. Nothing against all the bands out there trying to guess which kind of punk will get fashionable next, but Raw Power is still gonna sound great in 20 years, when everybody's forgotten about Interpol -- it's rock 'n' roll without a sell-by date. (Bob Mehr)
--from The Meter

Single File CD
Thank you Criminal IQ!.  When "Kill M.O.T.O." came out, I was completely sucked in by the homespun punkish pop these Chi-town cavemen churned out.  Much to my surprise, they had been releasing records for over ten years before I caught wind of them (an embarrassing revelation for a know-it-all dork like me to make).  "Single File" collects all of the band's singles material from 1988 to the present, and it's all pretty killer.  M.O.T.O. has a knack for writing the simplest, shortest and most infectious songs out there.  You will never be the same after hearing "It's So Big, It's Fluorescent" or "Dick About It."  Essential. (Mitchy-Poo Cardwell)
--from American Music Press

Kill M.O.T.O. CD
Those of you who got off on the FM Knives CD will want to check out this latest slab of aluminum from M.O.T.O. Singer/guitarist Paul "Jet" Caporino has held this Chicago band together since the 1980s, and the "punk rock Guided by Voices" still show no signs of slowing down. Kill M.O.T.O. is a fucking BLAST! Awesome, propulsive tracks like "Dance Dance Dance Dance Dance to the Radio", "The Chicks Can Tell", "I Won’t Give It Up Untill You’re Mine", and "Choking On Your Insides" are every bit as Buzzcocks-like as anything on Useless and Modern. And I mean that in a GOOD way. Nothing beats the knockout combination of a buzzsaw punk riff and a memorable pop chorus. And I dig those hard, chunky bass lines! M.O.T.O.’s lo-fi brand of pop-infused punk rock is energetic, immediately likable, and decidedly unpretentious. It takes actual talent to create music that seems so simple and idiotic, and there’s simply no denying that Jet knows how to craft a winning pop song. Even when you’re not listening to a picture-perfect Merseybeat gem like "Breaking Up Is the Hardest Thing", you can just tell that the guy is a 60s pop aficionado all the way. To M.O.T.O.’s driving punk attack, he brings an unabashed love for the likes of the Beatles, Hollies, and early Bee Gees. And that’s what makes this band different from dozens of lesser pop-punk outfits. You hear far too many bands with million dollar recording budgets and dollarstore talent. It’s the other way around with these guys, and that makes for a refreshing change. If the early Replacements had covered Ramones songs, they may very well have sounded like M.O.T.O. Out of 17 songs here, I'd say that 10 or 11 of them rock like fuck. There are also a few off-the-cuff throwaway tracks that are half-assed amateurish in a GbV, Hootenanny -era ’Mats sort of way. But that’s part of the charm with a band like M.O.T.O. (If you want every song to sound the same, look elsewhere!). The other part of the charm is a pronounced sense of humor---which is all over this disc. You can tell that these guys don’t take themselves seriously for a second. They can take a seemingly cliched refrain like "I hate my fucking job/I hate my fucking job" and transform it into the stuff of pure genius. Isn't that what great pop is all about? Their songs may seem sophomoric, boneheaded, or downright retarded on the surface...But so what?! It’s only rock n’ roll, and M.O.T.O. is clearly having a great time playing it! --- Joshua Blake Rutledge
--from Now Wave Magazine

This is the one record people always wanted to talk about with me in 2003. Perfect poppy punk songs. This record is so catchy. These guys sing about everything: cops, hating their jobs, rats, left-handed guitars and throw in some great love songs too. The big KUSF hit is "Dance Dance Dance Dance Dance To The Radio", their blasphemous ripping off Joy Division while adding an anti-PC homeless stance. But all the songs are equally great. - Carolyn Keddy’s Top 10+ Of 2003
--from lovemuzzle.org

Spiral Slouch 7" EP
Chicago's MOTO play twisted mid0-tempo punk with lots of pop touches. It's hard to say what it is that's so compelling about a chorus that goes "Chop off the heads of the unbelievers," (sic)but two listens adn I couldn't get "Wind It Out" to go out of my head for a week. The other three tracks aren't quite as good, but they all have something to offer. - Steve Gardner
--from Big Takeover 54

M.O.T.O.'s been around long enough to be long-forgotten if they were a mere parody or joke band (they've been around since about 1981 and if you see the BOLT LP in the racks, it's a keeper). Sure, they're goofy as hell and do-a-blood-test-to-see-if-they're-legally-retarded, but their blend of pop sensibilities slapped and dashed against many a punk rock always makes me smile. Sweet fuck, "Wind It Out" reminds me of Cat Stevens and I'm singing along to it. I don't know if I should put the gun to my head or shoot it up in the air in jubilation. - Todd
--from Razorcake #19

This four-song record has a ton of originality from this Chicagoland rock band. Great pop melodies that will stick in your head all day if you want them to or not. It's on Shit Sandwich Records, but this is indeed good shit! (BC)
--from Punk Planet #61

M.O.T.O.'s sound is that of one would be a 100% appropriate heard searing over an AM station on a weather beaten drive-in theater speaker some place in the midwest that time forgot. A time when Kiss, The Four Tops, Sweet, Olivia Newton-John, Black Sabbath, Lou Rawls and Boston could be packed tightly next to each other across the tinny mono frequency. A couple of acres of customized vans, big block engines and paneled station wagons with teens inside clutching such bottles as Richard's Irish Rose or Sloe Gin and Mountain Dew inside. The humid summer air is snarled with the scent of snack bar grease and smoldering homegrown. The projectionist for 25 summers had seem films about surfing student council members, sadistic bikers, reckless auto theives, cheerleaders posessed by the devil and magic Volkswagon's come an go. But the station they played through the speakers before the previews started at dusk always stayed the same. In his twenty sixth summer the Flavo shrimp rolls and the cheap whiskey finally caught up to him and stopped his heart. The guy that took his place declared that AM radio was for squares and little kids and started piping the Ramones through the speakers. All hell broke loose and M.O.T.O. is what was left standing in the ruins.
--from Smashin' Transistors

First of all, I gotta say that title is pretty damn funny. I can't believe no one's thought of that one before. Second of all, it's worth noting that this label is called Shit Sandwich, which beyond a shadow of a doubt is the worst name I've heard in the history of punk rock (for a band, label, zine.anything!). Think about that one for a while. Firmly between these two poles of awesome and retarded lies the sound of MOTO. At first listen I wasn't too sure what to make of them, but I think I've concluded that they're awesomely retarded. The first song is called "Real Stuff" and it basically consists of the singer going "This is where the real stuff grows/this is where the real stuff goes" over and over, with a solo thrown in to round things out. Not exactly rocket science, but I guess the dude was right, because it actually did grow on me over time. Next up is "Wind it Out," which is a total curve ball compared to what I was expecting. The vocals remind me of a punk dude doing Iron Maiden karaoke. The lyrics also come close to reminding me of a hair metal song, except they're too dumb!!! I think even a numbskull like Vince Neal might be embarrassed to sing a song with the lyrics, "wind it out/yeah we gotta wind it out/doooo something/doooo something/chop off the head of the non-believer/chop off the head of the non-believer/YEAH! (cue up vicious solo)." AND THAT'S THE WHOLE SONG!!! Egads, these cats make Loli & the Chones look like fucking brain surgeons!!! And the strangest part is, after getting over my initial shock, I can't get enough of this song! Side B kicks off with "Birthday Present To Myself," which eschews the quasi-metalisms of "Wind It Out" in favor of slightly damaged, retardo power pop. It's really great, and the lyrics are just about as silly and minimalist as those on side-A. Like on "Wind It Out" the singer basically just sings the chorus a bunch of times and once again closes the song with an emphatic, "YEAH!" Just when I think I've got MOTO's MO all figured out, they go and close the record with a song that sounds like Guided By Voices (circa the two albums from like '94/'95 that I own) after sniffing about ten pounds of glue. Wow, what a single! I think I'm hooked! (SS)
--from terminal-boredom.com

More pop-garage goodness from Paul & co. Pauly probably wrote alla' this on his way over ta' take his mornin' yiss. Shit Sammich has a great thing goin', let me tell you. "Worm in the Sky," with its acoustic guidder, whistlin' & uber-catchy chorus is my fave, but the other 3 punk-poppers are also hook-laden monsters. Is that a drum machine I be hearin'? Chop off the head of the non-believer! (TK)
--from terminal-boredom.com

MOTO has struck again! In spite of my claim that their recent album, KILL MOTO, was merely 82% percent great, this band has grown on me like a fungus. I don't think my initial review emphasized the fantastic hooks this band specializes in. Look past the hulking mystique and protruding Cro-Magnon brow and you'll see pop genius incarnate. It's rue, you know. Late-bloomers (and, let's face it, we are) should start their MOTO worship with the Spiral Slouch 7"EP, a new single recently released on Shit Sandwich Records. You get four brilliant, gut-busting tunes, "Wind It Out" being my favorite. For your collector fetish, I'd like to suggest the marble blue mailorder-only edition of this single, of which there are a scant 100 copies. Chop off the head of the non-believer!
--LET'S GET HURT | Mitch Cardwell from MaximumRock&Roll magazine

This must be the product of genetic engineering. How else could these guys splice equal parts Are We Not Men?-era Devo and the first Boys record? Bear with me on this: it's weird and mentally skewed, but not so much that the result sounds purposefully disjointed, and it's bouncy and poppy, but smart enough to keep the bubblegum instincts in check. Or maybe they're just some dudes who like the Spits but know how to play their instruments, it's hard to tell. - Not Josh
--from Razorcake #18

Either I'm tired, or I'm just plain stumped. I like this 7" immensely, but I can't pinpoint where they are coming from. Well, they come from Chicago, play punk rock that pops hard, and on this release perform some intriguing, diverse stuff. But other than that, I'm just grasping at straws that look like the Fastbacks or a juiced up Cheap Trick or Engine 88 in their spunkier moments. "Real Stuff" and "Wind It Out" are indeed catchy. The lyrics are simple and repetitious, but there's so much movement and melody that all you have time for is to notice how much they rock. On the flip, we have "Birthday Present To Myself", which is easily the most fuzzed out song I've heard this year. Even the little bits of fuzzy fuzz must have fuzz on it. I hardly recognized it as being from the same band, but after a while it's sunken in. "Worm In The Sky # 2" sounds like Sammy Johns (Yes, "We made love in my Chevy van" Sammy Johns) riffs mixed with something like Love As Laughter. Or Beck fronting an acoustic CCR. Or something like that. It's all a stretch (which tends to happen when I'm flabbergasted), but the bottom line is that this 7" is great. For traditional Now Wavers and adventurous music lovers alike. (Mark Hughson)
--from Now Wave Magazine