Maggot Fest III used to be a festival that lasted for one day, but now it lasts for three. You could chalk this up to a variety of factors, but principal among them is probably that you can’t have 31 bands playing on a single day. So the best reason is math and science.

Maggot Fest III takes place in Melbourne this weekend at the Gasometer, Wooly Bully and The Town Hall Hotel. The line-up is pretty impressive, so you might not get time for many smoke breaks. As Australia’s premier investigative music journalism website, we collared Tim Scott to get some dirty, controversial quotations that will hopefully be shared on social media with an invariably aghast and outraged air. Industry veteran Christie Eliezer might mention us in his Industrial Strength column, so keep an eye out for that.

This is the third Maggot Fest, and the biggest. What’s the overall “philosophy” of the festival?
There’s no real philosophy apart from putting on fun bands that I like to drink beer to. Hopefully others feel the same. There’s so many cool Australian bands at the moment it’s ridiculous. There are over 30 bands playing this year but I could have booked a heap more. While people (especially in Melbourne) still tend to be Melbourne-centric when it comes to Australian music there’s many great bands in Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and Geelong too. Last year I took the festival to Brisbane and Sydney but this year I’m focusing on three days in Melbourne instead.

There is a basketball game as part of Maggot Fest. Will people be allowed to drink beer while playing?
Yes, we are running a three-on-three basketball tournament from noon on Saturday at Edinburgh Gardens. Everyone is welcome to register and sure, you can drink beer while you play. Having said that people take it pretty seriously. We had the same thing happen for the first Maggot Fest and while the skill level was not quite at an Iverson or Rose standard there was still a fair bit of fun intensity on the court.

I saw you act in the UV Race film Autonomy and Deliberation. Did you method act?
If by method acting you mean immersing myself in a character via a series of analyses and exercises, then no. However if you define method acting as ways of learning self-discipline and restraint in order to not crack up every time Marcus was on set, then yes, totally.

What is your favourite Kitchen’s Floor song of all time and why?
Matt Kennedy is not a songwriter I think you have ‘favourite’ songs by, but if I was to choose one it would probably be ‘Regrets ‘ off Look Forward to Nothing, but then I loved every song on Loneliness is a Dirty Mattress. Matt is a legend. Rad guy and an amazing songwriter. I’m so glad he’s bringing his band down this weekend.

Why didn’t you get Ball Park Music to play?
I have nothing against the members of Ball Park Music personally (I actually wish them well on the [V] Oz Artist of The Year Award) but it’s important that I adhere to Maggot Fest’s key principal, which is “absolutely no horse shit music”.

Whores are one of Sydney’s all-time greatest live acts. The lead singer is a tall guy. Who would win a fight between him and Steve Jobs, do you think?
Yes Whores are up there with the Celibate Rifles, Rose Tattoo and the Ted Mulry Gang as one of the Harbour City’s all time best. And yes Al is a tall guy. A gentle and friendly tall guy but in a fight I still think he would serve Jobs his arse on a plate. Especially since Jobs is underweight and hasn’t been in fighting condition for at least twelve months.

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Maggot Fest III tickets are still available. Buy them here. Say you’re going on the Facebook page.

FRI NOV 2 The Gasometer, 484 Smith St Collingwood
Psy Ants
Raw Nerves
Ratsak
Family
Soma Coma
Tyrannamen
Kitchens Floor
White Walls
Whores
Deaf Wish

SAT NOV 3 The Gasometer, 484 Smith St Collingwood
Ex Con
Gentlemen
Exhaustion
Loose Grip
Old Mate
Fighting League
The Stevens
East Link
STAG
Raw Prawn
Useless Eaters
Leather Towel
Straightjacket Nation
Helta Skelta
Nun
Ausmuteants

SUN NOV 4 Wooly Bully. 104 Errol St North Melbourne
Chook Race
Taco Leg (album launch)

SUN NOV 4 Town Hall Hotel. 33 Errol St North Melbourne
Constant Mongrel
Tight Slip
Ghastly Spats