Young Dermot Mulroney was encouraged by his parents to take up the cello. Years later, he formed a "punk-folk band" (the Low and Sweet Orchestra) with guitarist Zander Schloss (of Circle Jerks fame), vocalist Mike Mart {an eleven year veteran of The Pogues), and violinist Kieran Mulroney (Dermot's brother).
"At one concert," he later recalled, "some Circle Jerks fan was getting into our music and she was spitting on the stage and it was landing on my [treasured 100-year-old] cello. So I went up to Zander and said, 'Tell your Circle Jerk groupie to lay off my instrument.' He leaned into the microphone and yelled, 'Hey, just because we call ourselves an orchestra doesn't mean we won't come down there and kick your ass!' That ended the spitting real quick."
