The Boogie Knights are a diverse, versatile disco-trash band that was signed by a famous record company at the end of the Disco era. They were to supposed to be the biggest thing since Freddie "Boom Boom" Washington's afro.

Unfortunately, punk bands brought in a new wave of music, shadowing the up and coming disco band. Since then, the band has been scraping jobs - Cordy the ice cream truck driver, Vinny the hairstylist, J.J. the hustler (I'm sure he means the dance), and si nger Umberto, the illegal alien from Puerto Rico. Umberto, by the way, learned his English from watching his uncle Ricardo Montalban in "Fantasy Island" and "Starsky and Hutch."

That was until four years ago, when the band found new popularity by touring endlessly between Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Phoenix and Tucson, where I found Vinny, the footworker of the band, and J.J., the martial arts expert, lounging around, picking their ' fros.

Muchacho: What do your mothers think of your profession?

J.J.: Vinny doesn't like to talk about his mother, except her wonderful spaghetti.

Vinny: She cooks great spaghetti.

J.J.: And her cannoli is delicious. If I may say so, Vinny's mom is a spicy meatball! She's fine!

M: Why disco?

J.J.: There's other types?

Vinny: We once did a duet with the Charlie Daniels Band. It was a disco version of "The Devil Went Down to Georgia," but that was it.

M: Now, who are your disco inspirations?

Vinny: Erik Estrada, who is a good friend of mine. I do his hair.

M: Did you get him his gigs on the Spanish soap operas?

Vinny: Yes. Then he isolated me. I like to think we're still friends.

J.J.: Erik, if you're reading this, call Vinny. My inspiration is the big, white hillbilly dude from "Sanford and Son." We met at this Hollywood party in 1972, and he described his phases to a large triumph occurring in the year 2008.

M: If you could sing with anyone from the disco era, who would it be?

J.J.: I wouldn't want to sing with them, but I'd want to act again with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. We were in the fight scene in "Fists of Fury." I was fighting along with Kareem against Bruce Lee, but I was edited. In the director's cut, you see me and Kareem taking out Bruce Lee. I'm on all fours behind Bruce, and Kareem kicks him.

M: So what are your normal lives like after you finish a set?

Vinny: I do hair.

J.J.: You know the Farrah Fawcett? Vinny started that 'do, and Jose Eber stole that idea.

M: Have you ever thought of bringing legal action toward him?

Vinny: I didn't know you could patent hairstyles.

J.J.: Vinny has a new style coming out called the "mullet." You can keep it long in the back and short in the front and make it look like you still party. He wants to practice on Kevin DeBrow, lead singer of Quiet Riot.

M: So why do Tucson and Phoenix?

J.J.: It's because of Cordy's prosthetic leg. The climate and heat are good on his joints. Plus he plans to buy the city of Tucson and change the name to "Tucsin."

M: To match the name of Vegas and "Sin City" (the band plays there, too)?

J.J.: No, he just likes the name.

M: So how do you guys keep up your hair?

Vinny: I cut my own. But what I use to keep its shine is an ancient Chinese secret.

J.J.: I use chicken grease and flour, rub it in and add Ajax for dryness. Then I pick and 'fro it. I want it to become the perfect spherical shape.

M: Will it revolve like the Earth?

J.J.: I want it to.

M: Do you all think you'll ever have Pez dispensers modeled after you?

J.J.: We have been in cahoots with Pez since 1980. They were going to model some after us, but it has been in legal litigation. Cordy was the first they were going to feature, but he didn't want it because they wouldn't let him sell them on his ice cream truck.

Vinny: Vinny was pissed because he wasn't the first chosen.

M: One last question: Where do you see yourselves by the end of the century?

J.J.: We're gonna be at Times Square and put mirrors all over the ball that drops down. It's gonna drop on my fro and become one. It's the third phase of the triumph with the big hillbilly from "Sanford and Son."

The Boogie Knights perform every Monday night at the Rock.