What’s the secret to great pancakes? John Roman, drummer for Microwaves and Brown Angel, insists that it’s adding eggs, even when the recipe doesn’t call for them. But when inviting him over for walnut-banana flapjacks, the real trick is cleverly feigned ineptness, to the point that this veteran of the Pittsburgh scene takes over and makes them himself. 

For best results, pancakes with Roman should include a couple of cups of weak coffee served in Ocean City mugs (graciously donated, along with plates and silverware, by Roman, who recently acquired a new set of matching dishes). Also, because he has at some point probably made fun of your taste in music, it is best if Roman provides the pancake-making soundtrack. Consistency is important, so mix well and adulate liberally.

While you mix the flour and the baking powder, Roman mixes in some Meshuggah, specifically its most recent release, obZen. “This is just heavy metal that sounds like giant robots running into each other, which is kind of why I like it,” he says. “They should have done the soundtrack for the Transformers movie.”

Add wet ingredients, walnuts and “fold in sliced bananas” (though neither you nor Roman are really sure what that means). By this time, Roman has pretty much taken over, as you stand idly by, listening to 30-Minuten Männercreme, by Tom Smith’s experimental collective To Live and Shave in L.A. 

“It’s like fucked-up, skewed karaoke,” Roman says. “It just seems like he got a bunch of CDs to skip and then sang his own lyrics over it. It’s just a big garbled mess.” The album features more than 30 tracks, with titles like “When I Was With Estee Lauder” and “I Shall Eat Peyote.” “It’s rock ‘n’ roll!” Roman says.

Finally, while enjoying admirably formed flapjacks, Roman plays one of his favorite records of 2009: D. Rider‘s Mother of Curses. D. Rider’s singer/guitarist was in U.S. Maple, a band that, as Roman tells it, decided, “there are enough ‘rock’ bands, we’re just going to do the ‘roll.'”  D. Rider, Roman adds, “gives you the impression that the whole band has the flu.  Like, they’re just on the verge of being nauseous, but not really letting loose.” Conveniently enough, Microwaves will open for D. Rider at Gooski’s on Jan. 30 (see main music feature). Keep an eye out for the syrup-stained flyers.

This article appears in Jan 28 – Feb 3, 2010.

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9 replies on “Drummer John Roman divulges his musical faves … following a bribe of pancakes”

  1. PANCAKES WERE PRETTY NICE TO EAT YO MMM SMELLS PRETTY GOOD BUT MAYBE A PRETTY BAD ARTICLE OVERALL. BUT DONT FEEL TO BAD THOUGH, BACK IN GREECE WHEN POSEIDON TREID TO HELP ATHENS OUT HE STRUCK THE GROUND WITH A TRIDENT AND THE SPRINGWATER HE GAVE THEM FROM IT WAS SALTY AND USELESS. MAYBE HERES SOME OTHER THINGS I COULDVE DONE INSTEED OF READING ABOUT EGGS AND UNDERGROUND POWER ELECTRONICAL MUSIC IN SOME HARD ROCK GUYS KITCHEN:

    SWALOW NAILS. PUTT FOIL IN THE MICRROWAVE FOR 10 MINUTES. REFORM THE SWAMPS RAT WITHOUT ANY ORIGINAL MEMBERS. STOP A PATT BUS BY STANDING IN FRONT OF IT REAL NICE. DRINKING A GASOLINE DRINK MIXED INTO A 12 PACK OF KEYSTONE. BUST A SICK VERSE ABOUT THE FREECLINIC. TRY TO CLIMB DOWN THE SIDE OF MT. WASHINGTON KID, ITSTOUGH. LJUMP OUT OF THE MOVING VEHICLE CALLED THE 54C. EAT DIRT. REDD UP COLONY OAKS. PUTAN ELECTRICAL RADIO INSIDE THE BATTUB. TOUCHING A CACTUS REAL HARD. DRINK RAINWATER FROM THE MAYER OF BRADOCKS GUTER. PUT A SUPOR NINTENDO ON LAYAWAY AT HILLS. DEEP SEA FISHING INSIDE THE DEEPTHS OF ALCOAS HYDROGEN TUBS. DRIVE AT NITE TO A NORTH HILLS DENYS WITHOUT HEDLIGHTS. PRETEND TO BE A HEINS WARD TOUCH DOWN CATCH ON A FOUR STORY ROOF IN MOUNT OLIVER. DO A BUNCH OF YEYO AND THEN GO OUT AND START A FIGHT AT CHEIFS. EATING ALOT OF PEPPYS THEN IAND SWIMMING AT THE SAME TIME. GET BUSTED FOR STEMS AND SEEDS IN FOX CHAPEL. SCOPE UP SOME TIGHT LOOKING WATER FROM UNDER THE 40TH STREET BRIDGE AND MAKE SOME KOOLAID. WALK THROUGH THE T TUNNEL IN THE SOUTHSIDES CRAWL. MAKE GRAIN ALCOHOL IN THE WARHOLE BATHROOM. DRAG RACING IN NORTH PARK AT NIGHT WHILE ON DMT. PUT SOM PIECES OF GLASS IN YOUR EYE AND LOOK AT PEOPLE IN THE BAR ALL NIGHT. STARE DIRECTLY INTO THE SUN FOREVER. GET INTO AN ARGUEMENT ABOT RUS MEYERS IN INCERDEBLY STRANGE VIDEO 5 MINS BEFORE CLOSE. SWALOW GLASS AND EAT A LOT OF HOT DOGS. EATT DINNER AT THE STRIPPER BUFFET AT ANTHONYS. START A CAMPS FIRE INSIDE THE CASINO. LAND A HELICOPTER IN SWISVALE FORE LITLE ITALY DAYS SON. SPORT SOME XJ900S IN THE CLUB. BOOK A SHOW AT THE PUB AND PLAY A CHAIR WITH 4 MICROPHONE ON THE LEGS REEL LOUD YO. SMOKE CLOVES ON CARSON STREET AND TRY TO NOT NEED A BABYSITTER. INHALE RADON GASS IN A MONESSEN BASEMENT WHILE LISTEN TO THE ‘FLY LIKE AN EAGLE’ BREAK LOOPING. ROLLERSKATES ACROSS I-279 WEARING A REAL EXPENSEVE SWEATER YOU CAN ONLY BUY FROM A NICE SKI SHOP WITH EXTRA MONEY. WALK TO WESTVEIW LONG JON SILVERS. GO TO EIDES AND BUY SOMETHINGJ. PRESS THE JON MADDEN TAPE ECHO RESET BUTTON. PUT ANTIFREEZE IN REDBULL POWERADE. POKEING A BEEHIVE WITH A STICK. START A HOUSE MUSIC NIGHT AT METROPOLE. SHOOT A FLAMING BOW AND ARROW INSIDE ALEGHENY CENTER MALL. SEL BOOTLEG JEANS INFRONT OF CRAZY MOCHA. PUTALL YOURE LIVES INVENSTEMENTS IN AN ORANGE JULIOUS STAND IN MONROEVELLE. LEARN HOW TO MAKE PEOPLEFOOD FROM DOGFOOD AND GETTING TO TASE EDIBLE. CLEAR OUT ALL THE BRUSH BEHIND BEST BUY AND START A SELF RELEIANT COMMUNE. LISTEN TO ROSE MARIE ON WYEP ALL DAY. GET THEKMART BLUE LIGHTS SPECAL. INSIST EVERWHERE YO GO THAT YOU KNOW GIBY HANES. BOOK A SHOW A T BELVDERES AT 8AM. HOLD UP GUS AN D YAYA ICEBALL STAND. SPEND AN ENIRE WEEKS EATING WITH YOURE HANDS AND MNAKE A FANZINE REVIEWING ALL THE MEALS. GET DRUNK AND SOLVE THE WORLDS PROBLEMS FROM THE ARSENEL LANES BAR. CALL AND AMBULENCE TO GARFELD ARTWORKS, DRIVE THERE, PURPOSEFULY DROWN IN FISHBOWL ONSTAGE FOR 15 MINUTES, AND HAVE THE PAREMEDICS SHOW UP AND RECUSSITATE THE BODY BACK TO PHSYCAL WORLD AT THE END OF THE SET.

    DALE EARNS HARD
    FINE VIEW PITTSBURGH PA 19666

  2. I like John Roman, and I liked hearing about what he listens to/ eats. You could, however, do lots of things in the time it took to read the article (as mentioned). My suggestion: proofread and edit your post! There are misspellings and grammar errors everywhere.

  3. lori, read your second sentence. the verb tenses or something are all screwed up. it distresses!

  5. Yo this is viktm aka robert evans aka the great beast aka the voice of treason. I am speaking all nice for that mind that’s all refined. Michael keaton killed it in multiplicity son played with himself like will smith in I am legend. Dunny had a fresh car in the apocalypse. So why this dude makin pancakes and name droppin ish? There’s a lot of pittsburghers who like ill art. Like rick sebak crip walkin out of the garden theater. Saw my dude twist his ankle so he could go to the emergency room to score some pain pills, he was listening to the decemberists and gettin high to things that aren’t there anymore. I remember when I was young buck stealing chromies off valve stems in perry and I saw mayor tom murphy jogging and he tripped on the split sidewalk and his walman got tossed so I picked it up and peeped him listening to a mix of helium and the grifters ish was nice. Chef brocket r.i.p was rockin a pittsburgh porshe aka a trans am and it was blasting basehead, and he had a hypercolor shirt on. Andy sheehan sprayed himself with mace on tv and to get pumped up for it he drank 151 and had sade’s no ordinary love on the discman my junk got twisted when I ran into jeff goldblum at point state park where I was sleeping he was meditating and had a boombox with 8 band eq set to hit the lows while he cranked out some $2 guitar sadness. The good ship lollipop was creepin on a come up and I swear I saw a you mayor ravenstahl on there dreamin big dunny. But more than a goofy name droppin article metaphor with american breakfast and long faces I will think about these memories, maybe more than any other will be the highlight of my life, when I freestyled with andy van slyke and he got dissed at a moe function and the kid cuba put a pirates jersey on the dance floor and did power moves all over it until van slyke dipped. I ran out to his jeep cherokee and wanted to make sure he wasn’t too upset and he was straight up crying listening to brian eno. He sped away before I could catch up to him so I blazed an L in the benkowitz parking lot. Some time later I saw him out at showcase north at a screening of forest gump and I shouted in a crowded theater, yo its andy van slyke and everyone in the theater started clapping and he stood up and waved like a curtain call son. That’s my word, this article needs to step its game up and chill with the wanna be hemingway music knowledge falice worship. Peace to god.

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