I had the honor of interviewing the one and only Jella Lugösi, a force of nature and a core member of the infamous punk rock puppet troupe Green Jellö (also known as Green Jelly). I first encountered Jella in full form at a Green Jellö show in Rochester, NY—a night that felt more like an explosive cartoon brought to life than a concert. His stage presence was absolutely electric, a wild, unfiltered burst of punk energy that instantly captivated the crowd.
After the show, I had the chance to chat with him, and what struck me even more than his performance was his dedication: he had driven across the country just to make it to this gig. That kind of commitment to the craft and the chaos of Green Jellö is rare—and it speaks volumes about the passion behind the persona.
In our conversation, Jella opened up about life on the road, the madness behind the music, and what keeps his guitar screaming into the audience night after night.
Here’s what he had to say:
What first inspired you to get involved with Green Jello/Jellÿ and the world of performance art-driven punk/metal?
I kind of just fell into it. A previous band that I was in opened for Jellö at the Whisky a Go Go in Hollywood and I made friends with a few members. Later during Covid Bill decided to do a NYE stream which I showed up and played at and then he asked me if I wanted to be apart of a show he was going to begin working on.
How did your stage name “Jella Lugösi” come about? Is it a nod to Bela Lugosi?
Yes it is. When I joined I thought that I would be given a stage name but to my surprise I was told.. ‘Ok, come up with a stage character now’. So after a few pretty terrible ideas.. I took my love for vampires and combined it with Jellö, creating Jella Lugösi
Were you a fan of Green Jello/Jellÿ before joining, or did your involvement come more through artistic collaboration?
I definitely was a fan. I was that 13 year old kid sitting in my room blasting the Cereal Killer album. It’s still very surreal to me to be on stage playing Three Little Pigs and look over and see Bill Manspeaker next to me singing the song.
What role do you currently play in Green Jello/Jellÿ — both on stage and off?
I’m currently the guitar player. I started on guitar and then quickly got moved over to bass when we didnt have many bass players showing up. After about a year on bass I went back to guitar and have been here ever since.
How do you prepare for live shows, especially ones that involve heavy audience interaction and absurdist chaos?
There really isn’t much you can do to prepare for a Green Jellö show. I try to do some leg and arm stretches as I am pretty active on stage. We try to have all the holiday inflatables and pool noodles ready to go but that’s about all the preparing we can do
Can you walk us through what a tour looks like from your perspective?
There’s been many different stages to the touring life with Jellö. For about two years I drove all over the country in my car stuffed full of puppets, pool noodles and inflatables and sleeping at rest areas.. but now we have the Pool Noodle Express which is our current tour bus. It’s gone through a few transitions… starting out with just a couch and now we have actual bunks.
Which artists or performers — musical or otherwise — have influenced your stage style?
Oh gosh.. Soooo many. From my stage presence.. to my outfits.. to the way I play. You could find small bits of lots of artists from..
Eddie Vedder, Mike McCready, Rob Zombie, Sean Yseult, Marilyn Manson, Slash, Jim Morrison, Chad Gray.. I could name people all day but I think those give you a good idea.
Green Jello/Jellÿ has a huge rotating lineup of members — how do you all keep the chemistry alive?
There are over a thousand members across the world but there are also the core members that we see more regularly. We just cleaned house a little bit and it’s been a massive improvement in the morale of the band.
Do you have any behind-the-scenes stories that fans would be surprised to hear?
Hahaha.. I don’t know if anything would surprise our fans at this point. Probably the most surprising thing is that we’re all pretty boring
Do you have any advice for artists looking to break into alternative or performance-heavy music scenes?
Get out and play.. that’s really all you can do. Play anywhere and everywhere.
If you could collaborate with any other band or visual artist, who would it be and why?
I have a few collaborations in the works currently.. some might surprise people. But I won’t give too much away just yet 🤫
If you had to describe your stage presence as a breakfast cereal, which one would it be — and how many cavities would it cause?
It would have to be Count Chocula! As I am the Hollywood Vampire of the group and I love chocolate.
Name one thing you chose to add to a ryder that is possibly odd?
All I really ever ask for is water and a few Guiness.. maybe some snacks. But nothing too weird.
How many puppets is too many puppets? Asking for a friend. A very fuzzy, slightly flammable friend.
There are never too many puppets!!
What’s the weirdest thing a fan has ever handed you mid-performance?
Mid performance? 🤔 I was handed a metal shoulder piece once that ended up becoming a big part of my outfit. So much so that I have now updated my outfit and I had to include the shoulder piece again.
You wake up tomorrow as a children’s TV show host, still in full Green Jello/Jellÿ gear. What’s the name of your show, and what do you teach?
Hahaha.. maybe ‘Jammin with Jella’
What’s the official Green Jello/Jellÿ procedure if someone accidentally sets a prop on fire mid-song? (And how many times has this actually happened?)
Nothing has actuall fought fire yet. But we have had the fire department called a few times. I wouldn’t say there’s any procedure though.
