Laetitia Sadier

Laetitia Sadier founded Stereolab - with Tim Gane - way back in 1990, and for the next nineteen years (the group announced an 'indefinite hiatus' in 2009) helped introduced post-rock, krautrock, 60s European pop and experimental indie to countless enthusiastic pop-kids and moody musos alike, via their beautiful, hypnotic, analogue future-pop. Modernist and vintage, sophisticated and shimmering; Stereolab - with their swirling grooves and motorik rhythms - were a very special band. When the band stopped, multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Laetitia carried on making music, and exactly the kind of music we would hope for, considering her role in the band. Following a short time with her own group - Monade - she's now onto her second solo album and it was with some pleasure we were able to interview her. Silencio is out on July 24th, on Drag City.

It almost seems like you're working in reverse. You were in a band who owned their own label, and now you're solo - and signed to a label. Is it easier to create knowing that somebody else is looking after the business side of things, or does it feel like an obligation to create for somebody else?
I don't know. That's a tough question. Like "Why?" and "Who do I do this for?" I certainly don't do this for a label. I don't even know what force it is that makes me do things! I guess it's a love of music, and wanting to express myself, but there's an evolution. There are different reasons each time, I guess. With each record you're somewhere different, and there are different motivations. It's complex and almost paradoxical at the same time I guess, because when I write, I write for myself. I write what I want to hear and what wants to come out, and I don't worry about who's going to hear it. I did wonder at some stage, I wondered what Tim would think - if it was corny or something! I'm freeing myself from that worry now, and it's very liberating because he probably doesn't care that much. If you start worrying about what people think, you won't do it. There's kind of this universal law of physics; there's always going to be someone who likes it and someone who doesn't. I don't worry about it, but at the same time it's about doing your best and showing your most authentic, sincere side. It's about relevance, whether a personal relevance or a societal relevance. And those aren't opposed. And I think that's what my work is about.

I agree. Especially this record. Do you see Silencio as a statement? It seems to be your most political record.
It is my most political record. 'Auscultation to the Nation' is the most overtly political track, and I didn't even write those lyrics.

Yeah, what is that? A translation of some rant by somebody?
It was on a phone-in show. It's a very political programme, and at the moment it really looks at the economy, and the forces of work within it. The stuff that you're never going to hear on the news - it's a big plot. Without being a conspiracy theorist.

Do you think the new French Socialist government is going to be an improvement?
No. No. They're going to have to find a political way of explaining to people that their wages are going to be lowered. They support the system, they're neo-liberalists. All their advisors are very dubious guys. No Marxists advisors. They want to carry on the system of debt, so that some financial markets can buy the debt and sell it on at a profit. It's completely nuts. This government, the new Francois Hollande government, is in support of this system, and always has been. If people think they're going to get a different system they're wrong. They're going to get more of this system, and maybe the differences will be played-out with, say, how aggressive the police are. And they're very aggressive in France. I voted against Sarkozy so that possibly my friends over there could avoid going through some very fascist and forceful things that people have to go through every day. Every day there would be enormous abuse of power under Sarkozy. It's been like that for ten years, and Sarkozy's been in power for ten years, because not only was he President for the last five, but he was also Minister of the Interior for five years before that, and they're responsible for the police and such things. It was very clear under his rule how you ought to behave.

With that in mind, was this an album that you sat down to write, or is it songs that you've been inspired to write at different times?
It's a funny question that, because at times I thought that I was sitting down to write an album, OK? It was in two batches. I sat down for four days between Christmas and New Year, and then there was another batch in February, for two weeks.

That's not long.
It wasn't much time, but that was when I realised I'd been collecting ideas for months, and I went through them. Without me realising it, I'd throw them onto Photo Booth, on my Mac - where you can record yourself - and I had all these little ideas, so all I had to do was turn them into songs. And that was the actual work I did. Then there was a song I'd been working on for about two months, completely alone, and that became 'Merci de M'avoir Donné la Vie'.

Does the available technology affect the creative process?
Hmmm... No. I think you still have to choose, and go with what you like. It's a complicated question, because when you record now, you can record a whole song on a train...

So does that mean you end up with a greater body of work? Is there a massive editing process for you now?
No. That's not how I operate. I have very little waste. I use most of what I do. I don't have much lying about. I mean, I could write a song a day for a year and just keep the best ones for an album, but you see, I went to the Tim Gane school of music. He would only write what he needed to write. It's not like I'll write 75 songs, then work on 50, then record 35, and 25 will be on the record, two will be on the tour single, one will go there, two will go there... Conveyor belt. No.

Tell me about the near-silent track at the end of the album. Is that to separate the music from whatever else the listener hears next?
No, that's not how it was intended. I intended to put the silent track inside the record, but somehow it did not want to go inside, it wanted to go at the end. That's where it sounded best to me. Something I've learned, is that you might have an idea of something, and that idea might not work. If the idea doesn't work you can't force it. The track had to go where it wanted to go, because there's a natural order, a natural configuration for things. There's no use in being stubborn! The intention wasn't to separate anything, but at the same time, it was to have a breather.

So it was intended more as a sonic element than as a psychological element?
Oh yes, very much.

Being able to re-arrange tracks sounds fun. Was it a fun record to make? It sounds like it was. Do you find it fun to make music? Is it easy for you?
Oh yes! I wouldn't say it was easy, but it gets easier with experience. What gets easier is choosing the right people to work with. That makes the task much easier, if it is people who work with their hearts, and then you can have a synergy going on. The first batch of songs, the 'Toulouse batch', I did with some French brothers and sisters. Some brothers and sisters that it took a long, long, long time to meet. It was more of a band, so I was more of a kind of orchestrator. We did four songs in four days. I'd written the songs, but they weren't necessarily arranged or anything. We didn't mix them, but we recorded them. Which is quite an exploit. It really came together quickly, because the were listening to what I was saying, and understanding what I was saying! It was hard work, but it was pleasurable. And it went somewhere that we liked. The second batch we recorded in Chicago, at my friend James Elkington's house, in his attic. He's a Brit, actually. You know how the British are. They're funny...

Well, I'm Scottish...
Well you are British. You're not English, but you are British. Whether you like it or not. First of all you're Scottish - I can hear that - and that's the main thing, but you are British.

OK. That's cool. So what about James then?
Well James is English. He's not Scottish. But he's really funny. We did have a really good laugh working together. It was fun to make and I'm glad that transpires.

Do you write music with certain musicians or engineers in mind? You've worked with some amazing people on your records. Like, say, Sam Prekop's on this album. He's got a very particular sound. Did you write parts knowing he'd be playing them?
No. No no no no no. You just write what you can. You write the song, then you see who's available, and who's willing. Then you have to ask people. I certainly don't have a 'final sound' when I write a song, I don't think it's possible. Maybe for some people who are really technical or something, but for me: no. I may have particular ideas. I was listening to David Axelrod, and you know how his music is so sculpted? It's not like "We''ll put the drums in, the bass in, the guitar in, the singing on top, and a bit of keyboard", it's like it's made of vibes, and there'll be a bass arriving, some strings arriving, and then BAH-BAH! Something else. And them maybe some crazy guitar. It's sculpted. So I though, "Oh, wow! I want to do something like that!" y'know? And that's how we started with Jim. It was track three, 'Silent Spot', and we just didn't want to use a click track or anything. It's very time-consuming to work like that, and I had twelve days to record seven tracks. It's a lot of work, and a day isn't very long when you're recording a track.

To adopt an approach like that, do you find it an easier decision to make when you're making a solo album?
Yes. With Stereolab I didn't have anything to do with the music, which was incredibly frustrating! But it was clear - my territory was the lyrics and the singing. Full stop. Occasionally I'd be able to slip in a title or something. With Monade, it was my playground, it was my beginnings. My experimental ground. Some of it was solitary, some of it was with a group of friends. I think that what, today, really gives me the freedom to change my mind and to be myself is just the experience of Sterolab, the experience of Monade finally come to fruition whereby I can really listen to myself and have the confidence in what I create. Although it's not necessarily 'mine' in the sense that I own it, but I can guide it. I have more experience to guide it.

In what way do you not own it? Is it because there's a band of musicians working with you?
I had this sensation when I gave birth to my son - that I'm responsible for my child but I don't own him. It's the same with my songs. OK, they come out of me, I create them, but I don't own them. The concept of ownership here, simply cannot apply. I'm responsible for them in that I have to make them as beautiful as I can on the record, and I have to go out and play them as well as I can, but I don't own them. They're not 'mine'.

Do you have a favourite out of the people you've worked with? Anybody you'd especially like to work with?
I'd love to work with Jim again, I'd love to work with Richard Swift again, I'd love to work with my crew of lovely people in Toulouse again - they're very talented, very hard working and not ashamed of their ideas. Yuuki Matthews... Sometimes I think of people and then I forget... I'd like to work with Phoenix. I'd like to work with Erykah Badu. I think I would learn a lot from her.

You worked with Common, didn't you?
Yes, I did do. I did. I recorded the tape at home in London, and sent it to him wherever, so it was all done via labels. I did meet him once. He rang me up. I wish I had been more awake at the time. I didn't like rap at the time, because I didn't know the good stuff - I didn't even know Common! But this guy was just so endearing, I couldn't say no. It was only later that I discovered how good he is! I didn't see that at the time. Silly me!

At least you still agreed to do the track!
Yeah, but it was only because it was so impossible to say no!

What about Nurse With Wound? Were you a fan of theirs before Stereolab collaborated with them?
Tim was. But I'm really a fan of that record we did together. I think it's really, really super.

Is the stuff you recorded with Mouse on Mars ever going to see the light of day?
No. Not that I know of.

Do you listen to any of your own music for entertainment?
No. No. But, actually, yesterday I was in the car with a friend and he had (Stereolab compilation) Fab Four Suture, and we played that. And it was quite entertaining. Not all tracks, but some tracks. But I don't. I should, because I'm so unaware of some of our records. Like, "What do they sound like with all this distance?" Not enough time!

Do you use much of your equipment from previous records on the new stuff? Some of it sounds familiar, some of it sounds totally alien.
Good! I like to hear that. The singing, I guess, will be reminiscent of Stereolab. But yeah, we use an iPad. The iPad Moog app. And that sounds like an instrument in its own right, like nothing else. Not even the Moog itself. So I was really pleased to find a sound that was absolutely new.

Did you use a real Moog at all? Any analogue electronics on this record?
No. Well, the stuff that Sam Prekop did was analogue electronics, although I couldn't tell you any names. I don't know what he's got. All I know is that it's analogue, and it sounds really cool. Haha!

Is a solo career a new era for you, or is it an evolution?
Well, there was the Stereolab era, and that subsided, then the Monade era, which subsided, so I can't pretend it's not a new era because it is. At the same time it's a continuation. I don't feel that there was a radical abandonment of the past. It happened very naturally, actually. I thought I had finished as a musician when the band finished, but then I realised I'd been building this body of work that was like a house that could house me, and house more work. And thanks to facebook I got invited to play in Belgium, in Greece, in Portugal, Brazil, Chile... All of a sudden people were like "Hey, you wanna come and play?" So I was like "OK! I'll come and play. I'll knock something together and come and play!" So it was circumstantial as well as natural. When I recorded The Trip, I mean I never thought I'd make a solo record, but the publishing company gave me some money and said "Record your new album". I was like "What new album? Oh, a new album! OK!" Everything just fell into place. And I love it.

Have Stereolab officially split? It was called an 'indefinite hiatus' at the time - is that still the case?
It's still an indefinite hiatus. But I'm not holding my breathe!

Sure, but it still isn't an official split?
Tim's too intelligent for that.

Does your son enjoy his parents' music?
Ah, it's a mystery. I think he secretly does.

And doesn't admit it?
No!

Is there anything you're listening to just now that you think fans of the music you do would like?
Ah... Shit... I'm listening to a beautiful record just now. It's a record that everyone who comes to my house wants to listen to, and a record that just seduces everybody who hears it. It's a record Elefant Records sent me, it's by Giorgio Tuma and it's called In The Morning We'll Meet. It's so poetic and it's so beautiful. I like Emma Pollock, one of your fellow Scottish people. I listen her latest a lot, it's called The Law of Large Numbers, and I'm sure she'll have another one on the way. I've been listening to the new Thurston Moore record, which is nice. We swapped records with Thurston. I like to listen to this guy Benjamion Schoos a lot. It sounds very Gainsbourg. We did a song together in fact. Oh, I'm doing my own promo here!

Go for it, do your own promo!
It's called 'Je Ne Vois Que Vous' and it's super fun! It's the perfect summer hit.

Nice. What are your plans for the summer?
The album will be out, and we'll be touring with it. I know that in America I'm putting together a three-piece band, and then I'll be touring Europe either alone or with the three-piece band. I think the songs can stand the 'alone' thing. I could do it alone, or I could put together a three-piece for Europe, but it's all about the people. I want my guts to say, "Yes! This person!" Rather than just doing it because it has to be done this way.

Dale Crover

Regarded by the wise as the finest band to ever come out of the American Northwest/Seattle area, the Melvins have spent the last (almost) thirty years releasing confounding, mesmeric, unconventional, smart and very often thunderous rock music. Equally as influenced by Black Flag as they are by Black Sabbath, and by Alice Coltrane as they are Alice Cooper; a Melvins record (or show) will do things to your mind that 'normal' music can not. Core duo of drummer Dale Crover and guitarist Buzz Osborne remain steadfastly two of the busiest men in music - seldom finding time between touring and recording with the Melvins and their various side-projects to even take part in interviews - so I was delighted when he agreed to talk to me. From playing drums on the first Nirvana demo, to touring the world with the Melvins and Mike Patton's Fantômas project (alongside his time with Shrinebuilder and as frontman of Altamont), he doesn't sit still for long.

Dale Crover. Photograph by Mackie Osbourne

You're just about to go on tour, and you're finishing it off by playing at Mogwai's ATP. Are you going to see any of the other bands playing?
Unfortunately I don't think we're gonna get to see Mogwai, because I think they play the day after us, and we're playing another gig in France that day. But it should be pretty crazy playing with Slayer, y'know?! But we're just there for a day, so all we're gonna get to see is our show! I think us, Sleep and Slayer is all that's happening that day, but I could be wrong.

Yeah, so you'll be in the same room as Dave Lombardo - can we expect anything special from the two of you?
Not yet. But you never know! We'll see!

You gave your last EP away for free. Is this something you'll be doing with future releases? I know you've been experimenting with packaging...
Well, unfortunately it ends up for free anyway! Haha! Pretty much every release we've done in the last ten years has ended up online before it's actually out. So one thing that's sort of cool about this, is that (label) Scion is actually giving it away free. And, also, they've paid us for that! I think it's kind of a unique situation. I don't know how much this will happen. With people being able to download illegally, it's probably going to make it so that we won't make full-length records any more. But we will be doing things like you mentioned, like special packaging. Usually it's vinyl, but we've done a couple of special-package CDs, and they're all limited edition. The way we see it, music is now free, so you're basically paying for a nice package. Nice artwork.

And you're gonna give us that?
Oh yeah. There's a bunch of different twelve inches coming out from the live record that we put out last year. Thirteen twelve inches, because there's thirteen songs on the record, and the flipside is a split with another band.

How did these splits come about? You're doing stuff with some pretty cool bands.
Yeah! Haha! We just thought "Who would be cool to do this with?", and then we thought "The bands don't even need to exist any more!", so we just thought we could use some old bands that we like, and songs that they've released already. Bands like the The Necros, Die Kreuzen, you can't really find their stuff anywhere. We figured that if they could give us an old song it'd be something kinda cool. I'm sure a lot of people haven't heard some of that stuff either.

It looks to me that everybody you asked must have said yes.
Pretty much, yeah! I don't think anybody said no. Haha! Which is great! Like The Necros, who don't exist any more, were like "I don't think we can do anything", and we were like "You don't have to do anything!" So there hasn't been much of a problem.

How did Melvins Lite come about? Is it something that's going to come and go?
I think so. We've played with (bassist) Trevor (Dunn) in the past. Before the Big Business guys were in our band he did some touring with us, and also did the Houdini live record with us. Once we got the Big Business guys in our band we said "We don't want you guys to quit your band, but while you're doing your thing we might do something else, possibly with Trevor and possibly with someone else". The Big Business guys did a big tour last summer, and we decided that - since they were gone - we would see if Trevor wanted to play some shows with us. Buzz had seen him play stand-up bass, doing a more kind of jazz thing, and he thought it was really cool. Really different. We thought that if we played with him for this, it'd make it really different from what we were doing with the Big Band. We booked four shows, and worked out a set. It was a set of old songs, and we thought it worked out really good, so we decided to do a whole record like that, and tour it and stuff. We'll be doing that later in the year. We're about to hit the road with the Big Business guys and Unsane, and then the Melvins Lite record will be out. I think in June some time.
                           

Is there going to be another one after this one?

Yeah, well, we recorded a whole bunch of stuff. We've got enough stuff for at least another EP, probably. Maybe more. We'll see what happens. Eventually we'd like to do a tour where it's Melvins Lite, and Melvins including the Big Business guys. We'd eventually like to do something where Trevor's playing with us as well. Two bass players. We've been playing with the first Melvins drummer (Mike Dillard) too, calling that Melvins 1983. We've recorded a twelve inch EP for that too. 

And you're working with (former bassist) Kevin (Rutmanis) again. What's that like?

We ended up doing a Roxy Music song with Kevin and Jello Biafra. We've kinda become friends with Kevin again. We knew that he had done this Roxy Music song before, with Tomahawk.

And what song is it?
Ahhhhhh... It's sort of a secret. Next year will actually be the thirtieth anniversary of the band, so hopefully we can do some sort of tour and have all three versions of the band play.

There are rumours of a new Fantômas album. Can you tell me anything about that?
Well, I don't know anything about it, and Buzz doesn't know anything about it at all. So if there is one, he's not including us. Haha! I read that some place too, like "Oh, there's a new Fantômas!", but I don't think so. It could be true, but I don't think so.

Melvins 2012. L-R Jared Warren, Coady Willis, Dale Crover, Buzz Osbourne. Photograph by Mackie Osbourne.

What about a new Altamont record then?
Yeah, I hope so. We've been recording some songs - slowly but surely we're getting stuff finished - but I've been so busy doing Melvins stuff that I just haven't really had time, y'know? Plus the other guys live in San Fransisco, so it's a little hard for us to get together and practice.

Where are you?
I live in Los Angeles.

Is anything going to happen with the stuff you recorded with Jason Newsted and Devin Townsend?
I have no idea. I haven't talked to either of those guys since we recorded that stuff. That was like... Oh gosh. I can't even remember when. That was like 1997 or so? It was when he was still in Metallica. The reason that that thing came about to begin with, was that Kyuss had split up - and Kyuss had done some touring with Metallica - and Jason had heard about it and called Scott Reader to find out what the story was, and Scott was really bummed out. He was like "Why don't you come down and we can record and have fun, and you can forget about this stuff?" That's when they thought of calling me, and having me come over to play drums. It was just this weird weekend recording/jam session kind of thing, and that was pretty much the last time I talked to either Jason or Devin. He should put it out. I don't know what he does. He's kind of disappeared off the map, musically. I'm sure he's financially set. He probably made a lot of money off the Black Album, y'know? I mean, that was huge! I guess he doesn't have to work... When I went over there and played, it seemed he was really into recording, and doing different projects, and playing a lot. I mean, he'd done a bunch of different projects with other people as well. He had his own recording studio at his house. It was really cool. I know he was in Voivod for a while, right? But now, I haven't heard anything.

Electrical Guitar Company were meant to be building you a drum kit. What became of that?
I think it's still happening. I talked to the guy not too long ago, and I think he's gonna have something for me pretty soon. He's just been so busy with building guitars that I think it's been put on the back burner a little bit. Actually, he built a bass for the new bass player from Metallica. And the guys from Cheap Trick are buying a bunch of stuff from him.

It seems appropriate that Cheap Trick would want his guitars now.
Yeah! He's having a bit of success.

What was that rototom thing you used to play?
Haha! That's exactly what it was. It was the bottom of a rototom. It kinda had a bell sound. I dunno, I think Terry Bozzio came up with that idea.

Is Bozzio your favourite Zappa drummer?
Probably. Actually, I like Captain Beefheart better. I like Drumbo. He was great.

Dale. Photograph by KRK Dominguez.

How were you introduced to ribbon crashers, and to Pete Engelhart's metallic instruments?
I found that stuff in San Fransisco a long time ago, and became a fan of it right away. I thought it was a really cool percussion piece. Very sharp and abrasive sounding. We were really into that band Pussy Galore, and he (Bob Bert) used to hit on a gas tank and stuff like that, and had all this metal stuff. We thought it was a kind of cool piece to add in with our sound. Now I use a bunch of his stuff. I really like his stuff a lot. He's great. I'm kind of surprised more people didn't catch on to his stuff. I think the people who use it are more kind of Latin percussionists. It's good for me, because it makes my sound more unique!

Where did you learn to do that 'gravity blast', the one-handed roll on your snare?
Haha! I just figured it out. I'd read this interview with Ian Paice - do you know who he is? He plays drums for Deep Purple - and he does this one-handed roll, and they were asking him about it, and he was like "I'm not gonna tell you!" Haha! So I just kinda figured it out on my own. Later, I looked up on the internet and discovered that there's a bunch of YouTube videos of people doing it.

And you can do it with both hands?
Yup.

You play brushes on one of the tracks on Freak Puke. Is that the first time you've done that on a record?
Yeah. Actually it is.

I guess it sits well with the stand-up bass, and with it all being mellower.
Yeah, it just kind of fit the song. Y'know, maybe, actually, that might be wrong... That's the first time I've played with wire brushes, but I've recorded stuff in the past where I've used these plastic brushes a bunch. But traditional brushes, yeah - that's the first time.

How's your hearing? Do you have any hearing problems?
Oh yeah, it's goin'! It's just gonna get worse and worse. Oh well.

Bill Bruford or Neil Peart?
Hmmmm... Ahhh... Jeez, I don't know... I'm probably more interested in Neil Peart.

Bill Stevenson or Robo?
That's a tough one. But Bill Stevenson. Yeah.

John Bonham or Bill Ward?
Apples and oranges. I'd say Keith Moon.

Elvin Jones or Tony Williams?
Ooh, that's a tough one. Umm... I definitely listen to a lot of the Tony Williams stuff from when he was playing with Miles Davis. But they're both pretty good. I'll tell you who the best drummer is I've ever seen. And he'll be the king.

Go on.
Buddy Rich. He's the best drummer I've ever seen, for sure. He's from another planet. Most drummers I can watch, and figure out what they're doing, but when you watch him, you see stuff and you're just "Oh my God", y'know? Keith Moon's a little bit like that too. There's some drum solos of his that are a little bit crazy. I like more the kind of radical drummers like that, y'know? A lot of people don't like Keith Moon, and think he's too sloppy, but I don't know what the heck they're talking about. He might have been drunk a few times, playing drums, but he's a great drummer. Also Ian Paice, I did see him a few times, and I was completely blown away by his playing. He's one of the best ones out there.

What's your favourite horror movie?
Hmm. Probably Evil Dead. Either Evil Dead or The Exorcist. I like a lot of the real vampire movies, from the Hammer era. Christopher Lee movies.

What would you be doing if you hadn't pursued music?
I dunno. I'd wanted to play music since I was about eleven. With it being that long, I'd have probably wanted to be a fireman or a cowboy. Or a baseball player. Haha!

How did the shoe come about? Nike SB made a Melvins Dunk.
We had a friend that worked there. I can't remember what he did there, but he was in the skateboard division of Nike. They asked a bunch of bands about doing shoes. We got Buzz's wife Mackie to do the design. There's two different ones. It's weird, there's this whole shoe-world that we didn't know existed. There are people who are big shoe collectors. Buzz was in a shoe store where they had the Melvins shoe, and this guy, this total hip-hop guy, came in and was like "No way, there's the Melvins shoe! That one's the shit!" And Buzz is looking at him and thinking that there's no way he knows anything about our band. He just knows the shoe. We've ran across a few people like that, who had no idea who the band was but were really into the shoe. We were selling some of them on eBay, and people always wanted to know that it wasn't a bootleg, and we were like, "There's not going to be any bootleg Melvins shoes, what are they talking about?" but then I saw one, somebody showed me one, and I was like "Oh my God, there really is!" There's actually bootleg versions of that shoe out there.

The Nike SB Melvins shoe.

People download your music for free, and now they bootleg your shoe...
Haha! I mean, since they're 'collectible', they go for a lot of money, so I could see why people would do that, y'know? I could tell the rip-off because the label was different, and some of the material, wasn't the same. But that was a real surprise. I couldn't believe it.

I think it's great that you did it. Dinosaur Jr. have one too. Whether people are interested in music or shoes, it's cool that people are into something. Was it a hard decision?

It was a no-brainer! "We want to do a Melvins shoe." "OK!" "We'll pay you guys in shoes." "OK! Sounds good!" We had no problems with it at all. 

What other Melvins albums would you like to perform live?
Well, actually, we're going to do the whole EP on this tour. So, the new one! But as far as a special performance, I don't know, but I think we're gonna make it over to Europe and do that whole residency thing that we did here. Eventually.

Do you have any plans to play either Hospital Up, Inhumanity and Death, P.G.x3 or I'll Finish You Off live?
Umm... I'd like to do Hospital Up, at least. That'd be good, but it might be kinda hard.

Do you have any pets?
 I do. I have a dog.

A loyal, noble dog? Or a wild, ferocious beast?
He's a very well-behaved dog. He's very mild-mannered. His name's Arthur.

Have you ever posted on themelvins.net?
Have I ever posted there? Nah. I wouldn't post there.

Have you ever had a scary encounter with a crazy fan?
Well, there's certainly people who are very enthusiastic, and that you see at a lot of shows, but nobody's stalked us or anything. Which is good. There's crazy people out there for sure, there's fans of ours who are nuts, but that's OK.

Melvins 2010.

What's your favourite Nirvana song?
Favourite Nirvana song? Hmm... Smells Like Teen Spirit! Haha! No, actually I think my favourite one is In Bloom.

Did you hear that 'mash up' of Revolver and the Beyonce song Single Ladies?
No! Is that on YouTube? I'll need to check it out.

It's not bad, it sounds kinda 'right'.
Who did it?

Just some guy in his bedroom I think. Nobody famous or anything. How did you get hooked up with Volcom?
Through Totimoshi. Those guys had a record on there, and they asked us to do a split. We figured it'd be cool. I guess I don't really know too many of the guys there, but I worked on the record by that band Tweak Bird, and Volcom put that out. They gave us suits a couple of years ago. Haha! For those times that I have to wear a suit. I still have a bunch of their socks too, Volcom's good for clothes.

It's cool that you get shoes and suits just for playing music. Apart from Tweak Bird, is there anybody you think people should be listening to?
I don't know... I've been doing a bunch of recording. The engineer that works for the Melvins and myself have been trying to work with other bands, doing either performance or production. Or both. I've worked with a bunch of bands that I've done drum parts for, or percussion overdubs, and one of those bands is a band from Canada called Indian Handcrafts. They're pretty good.

Is there anybody you'd like to work with?
Not particularly. I would work with pretty much anyone who was serious about doing something. Even if it was something completely not what I'm used to. I don't mind. It makes it more interesting. I always thought that hip-hop should have real drums. That would be something interesting.

The Roots do it quite well, but it's still just hip-hop drums. It'd be good to hear something a bit more out-there.
Yeah. The normal hip-hop stuff just now, it's not very exciting. I just think it could be way better. I used to listen to N.W.A. a lot, but they seem like a punk rock band, y'know?

Massive thanks to Kevin Parrott and Kurt Midness for helping me arrange this, and the good people of themelvins.net forum for the best questions.

Clyde Singleton

It's 16 years since the triumvirate of 101, Blind and World Industries released their Trilogy video, and consequently altered the direction of skateboarding (and its associated music and clothing) in a way that has rarely been seen since. The Wu-Tang, Lockwood and Polo Sport were as crucial to this package as the skating of Kareem, Gino, Dill, Daewon, Creager and Clyde Singleton. More than just skateboarders skateboarding, this was a movement, and Clyde epitomised everything that was cool about it.

Many of those involved have followed drastically different career paths since, some owning companies, and some quitting entirely. Clyde has skated constantly since, and has recently been honoured with a Blind 'Brotherhood Board' pro model. He's one of the most likable people in skateboarding, and has probably featured on more 'friends' sections than anyone else, over his time on Acme, 101, 23 and eventually Zoo York... He was good enough to have a very quick chat about the music he's digging.

 Clyde. Self-portrait.

What was the first skate video you saw where the music really jumped out?

I'd probably have to say either Love Child or Questionable... Hokus Pokus - and all the old H-Street vids - had some good classic punk in 'em too, though.

What's your favourite video section track, and why?

Sean Sheffey in Questionable. I was a huge fan of both him and Fu-Schnickens, and when 'La Schmoove' dropped on his part... Wow... I remember it like yesterday.

What's your favourite video overall, for music?

Minority Report, because I produced it as well as did the soundtrack.

Have you got a least favourite? Anything you had to watch with the sound down?

Any Thrasher video. Always good skating, always terrible music.

How do you go about choosing music for your sections?

Whatever I'm feeling. I usually keep about three songs to the side, and just picture myself skating to it.

Is there something you sing in your head to get psyched for trying something?

Depends. I could be singing a country song in the back of my head.

Clyde. Photo by Nick Garcia.

What's your favourite album of all time?

'Paid In Full', or 'Fear of a Black Planet'. Kinda tough... I can bump both all the way through, with little to no problem.

Was 101 the best company of all time?

Is this some kinda trick question..?

Does it bum you out what happened to the old World companies? Are you still in touch with those guys? 

Yeah, I still talk to a lot of my old teammates. They have this crazy new thing called the internet. You can communicate with people. And naw, it don't bum me out. That's them. I'm me.

What's your favourite album art?

BDP 'Sex & Violence'.

What was the first album you bought?

Motley Crue's 'Shout at the Devil'. My Momma thought I'd lost my mind.

What are you listening to just now?

Pac Div, 'The Greatest'. Dope song, dope beat, good message... Gets me hyped.

You ever meet T-Pain out there in Florida?

Nah. He's from Tallahasse, though. He used to be a really dope rapper, before he started singing. Dude can write a hit, I'll tell you that much!

Anything coming out soon you're excited about?

That M.A.R.S. project Cormega is putting together. It's Roc Marciano, Cormega, Action Bronson and Saigon. Albums gonna be produced by Large Professor.

Tell us how you got hold of the second KMD album.

Rodney Clarke gave it to me, on my first trip to Europe back in ‘93.. Rodney's the man!

What was your first show? How was it?

My first show... It was George Clinton. I was prob'ly about seven. My Mom and Dad took me. We were dancing, having a good time.

What was the last show you went to?

A punk rock show, at my friend's bar... These girls I know called, 'Dyke & Tuna Turner' were playing. 'Mr. Clit & the Pink Cigarettes' also played. It was dope.

What show in history do you wish you could have been at?

The Source Awards in NY, where they booed Snoop and ripped off Outkast for Artist of the Year.

How do you find out about new stuff?

I got connections...

What was the last album you acquired?

I'm about to be listening to that new Planet Asia, 'Black Belt Theatre', or new Torch (Tripple C)'s mixtape when i finish this.

Any band do you wish you could have been in?

Van Halen. They got a lot of girls, and drank a lot of brown liquor.

Who that you've met has the worst taste in music?

I respect everyone's taste in music. You might learn/hear something new.

Do you make music yourself?

I DJ. I use’ta make beats.

Why does everybody skate to shitty indie rock now?

'Cause skating's filled with posers.

What are your plans for the rest of the year?

Live. Be happy.

Anything else?

Stay away from women who wear Converse.

Black Dice

For more than fifteen years, New York residents Black Dice have been re-inventing and mutating punk music into wild new sonic shapes. The trio of Eric Copeland, Bjorn Copeland, and Aaron Warren have released countless albums, singles and EPs (and a book) varying from brutal hardcore, to shimmering out-of-focus drone-scapes, to discordant throbbing funk.

Having recently concluded a spell signed to Animal Collective's Paw Tracks label, Black Dice's latest album sees them strip down their sound (and equipment) to a primitive No Wave groove, as developed by the electronic punk pioneers of their adopted home city. As influenced by punk as much as they are by disco, and by their previous labels DFA and Troubleman, the band are now signed to Ribbon Music for the forthcoming release of their new album 'Mr. Impossible'. I spoke to founding member Aaron Warren about his past, present and future...

Who are Ribbon Music? How did you get hooked up with them?

Morgan's like this dude who we've known for ten years or something. We've known him for a long time, just through friends of friends and stuff. It just kinda happened organically. We've been working on this record for a long time and when we started working on it, Bjorn (Copeland, Aaron's brother and band-mate) was doing some artwork for Domino, and I think he designed the Ribbon logo, so Morgan knew we were working on new stuff. We'd been talking for the last couple of years about how we wanted to do the record and stuff, so it just came about that way.

So this guy had known your music for a while?
Yeah, yeah, totally. He's from Louisville, Kentucky, I think, but he's been in New York for around the same amount of time as we have. We've been in the same circle for at least ten years.

The new record's a lot less chilled than the last one (2009's 'Repo', released on Paw Tracks) - and it sounds much more like older Black Dice stuff - was that by design? Anything to do with the label change?
Definitely nothing to do with the label change, but something we've been talking about a lot is the music that you grow up on, and what gets you psyched when you're a teenager, and for me that was punk music, and hardcore music. I've been trying to do that music in a way that makes sense with my life now, where I'm a grown man. I can't just be playing a style of music that's like, thirty years old now. It's incorporating some of those ideas, with the progressive ideals of the band. Just trying to do something somewhat innovative, but with real limited instrumentation. That's sort of the way we work. Seeing what we can do with these really crude tools. In that way it's really similar to hardcore music. It's simple, it's easy. You know?

Yeah. It sounds like a much more informed Black Dice - the Black Dice of 2012 - playing the music you were doing at the beginning.
Yeah, yeah. It's just a response to ourselves. To the last record and to the one before that. We're always trying to do something a little different to what we just did. It also has a lot to do with the kind of shows we're doing, and the kind of shows we want to be doing. The kind of shows where people get psyched, and pumped up - and don't just stand there scratching their head. Which has happened for us.

So do you write with a mind to what you think people should do? Like, is this album made for people to throw themselves around, in the way that the last album possibly wasn't?
I think that's always been the goal for us, even as far back as Creature Comforts (2004). I think Beaches & Canyons (2002) was the last record we made without an audience in mind. We're always talking about creating this celebratory party vibe and stuff like that, and I think we're just a little more effective at translating that to the music right now, than we have been in the past, 'cause like something that's upbeat and aggro sounding to us can sound like it's just a fun party tune, but when it comes out on the record and when we're playing it out - especially in another country or something like that - sometimes it just doesn't translate to audiences. We always have an idea of the ideal audience, this fantasy version of what we want, but we don't really go to shows any more. We don't really know what's going on. When we were writing these tunes we were totally in a vacuum. We have an idea of what this fantasy show would be like, but until we're out there we have no idea of what shows are like these days.

Black Dice. Photograph by Barbara Soto

But I'm guessing when you formed the band you were aware of a lot of what other people were doing. Are you not any more?
Yeah, I mean... I still make an effort to try to keep up, and read about music, and find out what's going on. I listen to stuff online and what not. I don't buy a lot of records, either new or used, just because of the position I'm in with my life just now. I'm older, and I have a kid, so I don't have the disposable income for that like I did when I was in college, y'know? My life has just changed. The actual music is as important to me as it's ever been, it's just a lot more diverse. What I'm listening to now is like 50s rock, doo-wop, free jazz and hip-hop. And that's not the music I was listening to when I was starting a band. Fifteen years ago I was only interested in seven inches, and albums coming out on independent labels. Indie rock and hardcore was pretty much all I was into. I think it's just about being honest with yourself, and the stuff you're interested in. If I was more interested in digging up the new stuff I could do it. Everyone has access to that. There's a lot of good new stuff out there. I like this band Hype Williams. They're from the UK, they're pretty cool.

Can you chart the musical changes in Black Dice based on what you've been listening to?
No, I think there's more to it than that. To do a band for more than two or three years, I think it's hard to make that band fit with all these different phases of your life. We've become adults during the course of this band, we're totally different dudes. As such, we are listening to totally different stuff from era to era, but I think more than anything it's trying to figure out how to get a song to do what you want it to. But before, some of the songs were experimental to the point where it was like "Well, we were trying to do this, but we ended up doing this. And that's cool". Now it's more about what we want it to do.

How much does New York have to do with your music? You moved there to do the band. Could the band exist anywhere else?
I think it has a lot to do with it. It's tough to live here. There's a lot of distractions - a lot of weird stuff that messes with your head here. There's so many different paths to success here, and different kinds of success you can have here. You'll constantly have friends and peers who are like, all of a sudden, doing really well at something. It can mess with your head. And it's expensive to live here, which provides a certain challenge. To be able to work within that challenge. I think that's an environment that comes out in the music. But on the flipside to all that, there's the people. Access to so many brilliant people, all these really cool people who are turning you on to all these brilliant ideas. There's access to every kind of culture. There's all this cool shit going on. It's the best and the worst place for a lot of reasons, and all those things definitely come out in the music.

Can you give give me a rundown of what gear you're using live just now?
Sure, it's really the most basic set-up we've ever had, that we have right now. I just have a MPC sampler, and a microphone, and a mixer, and some effects. Eric has a Mini Disc player, a mixer and a microphone, and some effects. Bjorn plays guitar and he has a Boss sampler, and some effects. It's the least gear we've ever used. By far.

You use technology, but you're quite anti-technology at the same time. Do you think it's good now how anybody can make an album, and get it out there? Or publish a book? Is it good or is it an avalanche of sub-standard stuff?
I think you've always been able to do that. Within the lifetime of our band, anyway. You've always been able to record your own band, and put out your own record. You might not have been using a computer to do it, but I think that the computer makes it easier - and makes it more instantaneous - is just really exciting. I think it's awesome.

Don't you think it dilutes anything? You used to walk into a record shop, and all the stuff you liked would be there. Now you go on Soundcloud or YouTube, and there's just millions of things to hear.
Well yeah, sure. But it's just like you're in a bigger record store. I guess. It just depends how you want to come across it. Like, if you're on someone's blog, and it only has a dozen things on it that month, then it's pretty easy to come across stuff. But if you're on Pitchfork or iTunes, then that shit's changing by the hour, and you might not come across something so easily. When I was growing up, I think some of the most rewarding music things were the things I did come across on my own, or came about through a weird connection. Like somebody who wasn't even a friend, turning me onto some weird music. It still happens, but it just happens in a more modern way.

Did you ever skate?
No, and it's probably my biggest regret in life - that I never learned to skateboard well. I always had friends who skated, and Bjorn and Eric did. In the last couple of years I've become really obsessed with the Epicly Later'd show. It really makes me yearn to have known how to do that, and to have lived that life. If there's anything I could do to have learned to have done that from when I was ten years old, I would do that!

Not everyone on Epicly Later'd has been somebody to aspire to though...
It's interesting, I see so many similarities between that world and the sort of world that we're in. Some people are just exploring the artistic side to it, and have absolutely no head for business, and no idea of how to live any kind of other life, apart from the act of doing it. You know what I'm saying? I relate to that aspect of it so well, because in a lot of ways that's how we've been as a band sometimes. But then there's people who've just persevered through so many different movements of skating, and I look at that, and I'm kinda like "Well, that's kinda like us too" sometimes. I think the full spectrum of it, from the people who just flame out to the people who can go on and on, it's fascinating to me. It's really cool.

What are the band's plans for 2012? Are you coming to the UK?
Yeah, we're doing a US tour in May, then we're gonna just chill during the summer months - maybe play some festivals - and then we're gonna play some shows in Europe and in the UK in September.

Stu Graham

If you can skate Livi you can pretty much skate anywhere. The park - and its parties - are bigger, rougher, faster and gnarlier than photographs or video could ever show. Having been raised next to its hallowed concrete waves, Stu Graham now shralps parks all over the world with the grace and finesse of an out-of-control cannonball after two bottles of Buckfast, except twice as fast and ten times as dangerous. Obviously we needed to know what music is fueling his on-going rampage...

What's your favourite skate video, music-wise?
Probably Wheels of Fire. I was only about six or seven maybe, when I saw it. I just remember it being really American, really Californian.

Have you got a favourite section track?
Ah, man... There's so many. Hundreds. Recently, I really liked the tune from Arto Saari's part in Mind Field. Fuck, who was it? I cannae think.

I know. I'm hungover. It was one of those bands all the Americans were into at the time.
Aye. I'm just baked right now, and I cannae remember shit. (It was 'Atlas', by Battles)

What's your favourite album of all time?
Holy shit. Haha! I'm sitting with my mate just now and he just said "That's a big fucking question!" I'm into the craziest genres of music, I listen to hella bluegrass... There's so much, just endless amounts. Flatt and Scruggs probably!

What was the first album you bought with your own money?
It was a Public Enemy album! What one was it again... Shit, I cannae remember! I need to remember.

What was on the cover?
It was a really fuckin' dark cover, and Flav had a white clock. All of them are dressed in black as well. Everybody's dressed in black but Flav has this white clock.

Yo! Bum Rush The Show?
Aye. I remember buying it because I only had one black mate when I was a wee guy, and he was with me when I bought it. Haha! At that time he'd been showing me loads of hip-hop. That's what got me into it. He took me down and showed me some shit! I think I was ten, or maybe eleven. It was way before high school anyway!

Have you got favourite album artwork?
Probably (Metallica's) Ride The Lightning, man!

Cool. Have you got any songs that you play to get yourself psyched to try something?
Fuck, man! I listen to hella bluegrass when I skate, cos it's really fast. The pickin' and the bass is usually really fast so it's usually bluegrass I skate to nowadays. Maybe Ricky Skaggs, Flatt and Scruggs again, or Chet Atkins. Loads of stuff.

What was the first gig you went to?
Aaahhh... This is totally gay. It was the Manic Street fuckin' Preachers. I was only 14 man, it was when they very first came out! It wasn't recent or anything! It was when the Forum was in Livi, remember that? That's where they had all the big gigs. In fact, I saw the Prodigy there as well. That was after, but that was some shit! It was the first time I got intae some drugs, I think!

So you play music then?
I've not got a band or anything, I just like to play myself. Just pickin' away myself. I'm not that good. I can play with the guy I'm with just now, if we sit down and talk about what it is we're gonna do we can get something going, but I cannae just jam with folk yet.
Basically, I came back from the States - to Livi - and a guy I knew all through school was playing the guitar and doing lessons, and I pretty much just started learning off him. Within the last four years I've learned to play guitar, bass and banjo. Pretty hyped.

What's the best gig you've seen?
Definitely Hank Williams III. It was down in Manchester at Tez Robinson's stag night. It was quality. Something that Cubic set up. It was pretty rad!

What was the last music you acquired?
Lynyrd Skynyrd. Loads of Lynyrd Skynyrd. I've been looking out a bunch of that shit. That 'Simple Man' tune, I've been trying to learn how to play that.

How do you choose the music for you sections?
They usually just tell me! They're like "We've edited your part, and it goes good to this tune. What do you think?" Haha! Saying that, with that Osiris part, I did have a wee bit of say in that.

The Pogues.
Aye, 'The Boys From County Hell'. With that tune, I can play the start of it, and I've always been super hyped on it. My da was really into the Pogues, and it's just a tune I can remember from being a wee guy, y'know? That's why I used that.

Are there any companies you think use really shitty music in their videos?
Aw... This is pretty harsh, isn't it? It's like "How much do you want to hate on somebody right now?" Haha! This is probably gonna make you laugh, but you know what I absolutely hate the most? Div and all those guys in the States have even been talking about it too. You know Shralp Ya Bass (Scottish video blog), all those wee clips that Dickson's been putting up? Dude, I love the clips, I love the skating, I cannae get enough of Colin man, I love watching them! But see the way... There'll be like a rock fakie and everybody's like "YEEAAAAHHH!!!" And it's like, "Dude, will you all just shut the fuck up so I can watch this?!" Honestly, I hope you put that in because I've said to Dickson. If they were doing something pretty sick then it's fair enough, but will yous all just shut the fuck up so I can watch this clip?

I'm wearing an SYB t-shirt right now. I'll pass that on.
Classic. Yes! It's just that it's rad as fuck, because Scotland's never had anything, and it's rad that Dickson and they guys are actually doing it, but it's like Kerr and all they goons just shout all the time. I'm like "Dude, will you just shut up man? These dudes are smashing it and yous are just blowin' it by shouting in the clips". It's fuckin' bullshit! Haha!

Stu's up at 5:40, but you should really watch all of this.

What are your plans for 2012 then?
I'm still trying to get my green card stuff organised. If that ever happens I'll be fuckin' out of here as fast as I can fuckin' get out! I've got a video part coming out too, in this new Creature video they're bringing out. I haven't even started filming for it yet... They're sending over a filmer, he should be here in February.

A Livi section in a Creature video then?
There'll be some Livi in it, but they've got some crazy-ass ideas! We're not even gonna be in the UK much!

Once again, so much good stuff here - Stu's at 4:50

Jennifer Herrema

She formed influential gutter sleaze-punk metal outfit Royal Trux when she was fifteen, went on to lead the gilt-edged trash of 70s-rock 'themed' RTX (Rad Times Xpress), spent time modelling for Calvin Klein (simultaneously, it is said, bringing 'heroin chic' to the mainstream) and now Jennifer Herrema returns with the totally righteous Black Bananas - the new old rock sound of a denim and leather bar-room brawl between Mötley Crüe and the Stooges in a paralleL.A. She makes music, designs clothes for Volcom, surfs and hangs out. Time I spoke to her.

Is Black Bananas more than just a name change? What demanded the creation of Black Bananas?
It hasn't really changed... It's the same people, but we've been working on the record for a while, and as time went on we just noticed that we were adding a lot more elements to it and using more diverse instrumentation. Right when we finished the record I was like "This definitely has aspects of RTX, and me and the stuff we've done before, but it's totally taken to another level", so we just decided to re-christen it. Just give it another name. It wasn't until after the whole record was done that we decided that it had a personality of its own, and demanded a new identity... As it were.

So it's a step beyond a RTX album?
Yeah, yeah. I mean... When I listen to it, I can tell it's us, but I can also tell that we've taken it a lot further and threw a lot more into the kettle, y'know?

How long did it take to get the album together?
Well the thing is, whenever we're recording it's not like we stop... We don't work on stuff and then be like "Ok, it's time to make a record" and then just jump in and do it. I mean I don't work! I just do music and surf and hang around... Basically we're working on stuff every day. It's been, like, three years since the last RTX album and we had already started... Like 'TV Trouble', that song, I wrote that like a month after the last record came out. But it was figuring out how I wanted to incorporate it on a record. So for three years we've just been fuckin' around y'know, buying new gear and experimenting and exploring Ableton. I set up the whole stereo system at the studio. Before that we didn't have a stereo over there so we never really listened to music because we were always in the process of making music, but we had such a long drawn-out time, and we wanted to take our time and enjoy ourselves. I've got this huge vinyl collection and we've all been listening to the same stuff - like stuff from when I was a kid - so over the past three years we've really gelled into a separate identity. I just feel like it's time that we take RTX out of the equation because stuff seems to always be overshadowed by that name, unfortunately. I never wanted to capitulate, because I consider anything that I do to be part of my body of work, which has always been - since I was fifteen - RTX. It doesn't mean that I can't name something different and bring myself to it.

So what were you listening to when you were growing up? Most people I know didn't come to your music through Ratt, or Mötley Crüe or whoever; they came to it through indie rock or something.
When I was a kid growing up, I would go with my older cousin to see Mötley Crüe, you know, all that kind of stuff. Those were the big stadium shows, and I was exposed to that music very early on, as well as punk rock, which had all-ages shows where I could go and see the Bad Brains when I was like twelve. So there's a Bad Brains influence in there too, but also, I was the only white kid in my entire neighbourhood. For miles and miles. It was all go-go, and rap, and funk, and that's the kind of stuff I'd hear day to day. Like, we'd be out in the alley hearing that doing Double Dutch. There were no white people. Funkadelic is one of my all-time favourites, and you've got Zapp, the Garbage Can Band, the Go-Go Band and then you've got Experience Unlimited, Rare Essence... Just a lot of cool DC funk, but not just DC - there was a huge prevalence. But that was the music that I grew up with in my neighbourhood. But then all my older cousins, they weren't from my 'hood at all so I was exposed to a lot of different music. I'm really lucky that I have an appreciation for all different types of music. I felt like, early on by introducing stuff that was so hugely exciting to me as a kid, like fuckin' Mötley Crüe or whoever, that people who liked 'college rock' or 'art rock' or whatever would like those things too if they were allowed. If somebody were to tell them that it's ok, that it's not not cool to listen to some of these sounds.

Is there anything new you're listening to?
Well, I just listened to the new Sleigh Bells track. I just got it this morning. I thought that was pretty cool. We're gonna go on tour with them. They wrote me, they were really inspired by Royal Trux, so I think it's gonna be fun. There's this other band called Nü Sensae, they're Canadian and they're a two piece. I listened to a couple of their songs and I'm into it. I haven't listened to a whole lot of new stuff, I'm just starting to, because we've just finished the record. When we were listening to music in the studio we weren't listening to Pitchfork top-twenty shit, y'know? We were listening to old stuff. I know there's stuff out there... Fuck, what's going on? Are you into anything in particular I should check out?

The Peaking Lights record was really good, it's this dubbed-out analogue psychedelia. You'd like it. And there's an amazing remix version of it out now too. You should check that out. What non-musical things influence you?
Visuals, TV, the news, parties...

The visual stuff for Black Bananas looks really good. I saw a really cool one earlier today with all this found footage of explosions and car chases and shit.
The Rad Times Xpress promo video? That one was this guy, he's a fan, and we met him once years ago when we were playing in New York. He's been following my music for ever. Like, since back in early Royal Trux days. So he's got a great insight into the whole pastiche, the collage aspect, of what Royal Trux grew out of and what I've always tried to keep as a central theme of what I do. It's never just one thing, it's always a mish-mash of shit I love, and am influenced by and stuff. He really nailed it. He wrote saying he wanted to do it, and asking about the different images and stuff, and I was just "Dude, do it!" I did not have anything to do with the making of that but the music is what inspired him - and his intense knowledge of what I've done in the past - and I think he's done a great job! I'm way into it.

What's happening with Volcom just now?
I got Kim Gordon hooked up with them so she's gonna put out a bunch of t-shirts with them. That's coming out pretty soon. I just spoke to her this morning, so we're gonna do an interview with her to help market that. I have a new denim line that's coming out for Fall 2012 that I'm just starting to see the samples for, and then for for Holiday 2012 I've got a jewellery collaboration with this jeweller Pamela Love. She's awesome, she's a sick designer. She and I are doing a jewellery collaboration for Volcom. There's this sick illustrator who's illustrated various t-shirts of me and Pamela in these psychedelic situations, and that t-shirt line will come out in Holiday too.

That's a while away.
Yeah! I'm also really excited about Fuct, you know the dude that runs Fuct?

Eric something.
Yeah, Eric Brunetti! I'm meeting him and his wife at the end of the month, and we're gonna do like a solid amber natural perfume collaboration. We're going to start working on that before I go on tour, so that's gonna be exciting.

How does working with companies like Volcom and Fuct compare to working with somebody like Calvin Klein?
They're awesome. They don't take themselves too seriously, and it's not just all 'business business' all the time. There's a lot of people who have been there since the very beginning that just grew with the company and just learned as they went along, so they're not just straight out of business college or something. They're actual real people. I admire them for keeping on the real people.

I admire them for employing Michael Sieben...
Ah, yeah, Michael Sieben's awesome! And then the stuff that they just did with John Baldessari and the stuff that they're doing with Kim Gordon. Black Bananas have been doing music with (artists) Justin Lowe and Jonah Freeman, and we just did this performance for the MOCA - the Museum of Contemporary Art - and these dudes are just sick. They're making a video with our music, but we've kind of been incorporated into their art, and they're going to do some artist t-shirts. I hooked them up with Volcom. Their t-shirts will be super sick. I can't wait to see the finished ones. You should check those ones out, you'll like 'em.

Are you planning to tour Europe with this Black Bananas record?
We want to! People are asking us. We've had so many different booking agents over there... The idea was to come over early Fall, but we will see. Drag City can handle all that shit. Dates and times, and who's handling what.

Have you been surfing much lately?
No. I've been really sick. Not sick like... You know. Haha! But I went in about a month ago and it was the worst, I had a terrible ear infection. It happens sometimes. I had to have shots of antibiotics, my ears were so infected. I'm not much into surfing in the cold, so I'm not missing it right now.

Are you around skateboarding much?
Kurt, my boyfriend, skates all the time. I haven't skateboarded since I was 19. I had to have both of my knees drained with needles, I had water on the knee. My knees suck so bad. I've jumped on one and gone down the street, but that's about it. All those dudes over at Volcom skate every day. Every day.

Cool, well, I think I've got everything. Unless there's anything I've missed?
I dunno. Haha! Make something up if you need more.

So what's that, you're in love with me?
There you go! Stick that in. We can start some whole rumour shit! Haha!

GZA

Back in 1995, Wu-Tang founding member GZA became responsible for arguably the Clan's finest solo album - Liquid Swords - and rather than leaving it at that, he's been writing, collaborating and touring ever since. Bite My Wire caught up with him while he was in the UK promoting the forthcoming (RZA produced!) Liquid Swords II - The Return of the Shadowboxer.

You've been speaking to scientists to seek inspiration for the new album. What are you hoping to learn this time?

I'm not looking to learn anything specific. At MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) and anywhere else I try to expand my knowledge to inspire me as a person, which impacts my writing. Back in December I met specifically with geneticists, quantum physicists and marine biologists as well as my homeboy, author Junot Diaz.

There's often been an apocalyptic vibe to your music, and 2012 has long been considered to be bringing the end of the world with it. Is this a theme in the new album?
The apocalypse is not a theme of my new album. I can't discuss what it's about yet. However, it's going to be amazing. Like me on facebook.com/thegza or follow me on Twitter @TheRealGZA for the most timely and accurate updates.

You were the first of the Wu to sign a solo deal. How did it feel, did it freak you out? 

Short of my family or myself being in danger, nothing really "freaks me out", it's just not in my DNA. It felt great to know that all my hard work was going to be heard on a large scale.

There was a massive shift in how hip-hop sounded, looked and worked when the Wu went global. Do you feel comfortable knowing you're still ahead of the game, or does the responsibility you have with each release freak you out? 
I've never considered myself to be "ahead of the game". I simply do my best at every outing. If that puts me in a certain strata, I'm grateful, but I don't feel like I'm in some kind of race.

Nowadays everybody has every piece of music ever recorded available to them, a few mouse clicks away. Does it affect how you make and promote your music? And how you get paid?

Creatively, I think the democratization of the music industry is a good thing. However I, like all artists - of course - suffered economically with the advent of digitization. It doesn't change how I make music but it does influence how I market it.

Technology seems to have pushed out a lot of the dirt in hip-hop. Do you still aim for a rawness?

I'm not sure that technology and rawness are mutually exclusive. But I aim for excellence, sometimes that's raw, sometimes that's polished. Depends on the song.

There's some pretty crazy 'evolution' happening in hip-hop just now. Is there any new stuff there you're digging?
When I'm in writing mode, which I am now, I don't listen to much current stuff.

Whole-album tours seem to be happening more and more now. Was it fun for you to tour Liquid Swords, playing it in its entirety?

It was - and still is - humbling and amazing to be able to perform an album that was released 16 years ago.

Your words are complex. Do you every write lyrics with just single meanings? Should we be looking for message and meaning underneath the surface of all your jams?

My lyrics can have single meanings but that doesn't make them any less complex. I don't like to tell my audience how to listen to my music. Everyone brings their own experience to any given situation so if they choose to seek deeper meaning, so be it. If not, there are many levels at which to enjoy any piece of art, be it a book, painting, film, sculpture or anything else.

Do you think chess skills can help a person live their life? Like how to weigh up a situation, look at options, examine the risk... Would it be wise to think like that?

Chess has become a part of my life in the same way that people say martial arts is a part of their lives. It's like a philosophy, life guide, mental discipline, all rolled into one. That being said, integrating the game's philosophies and strategies into your life is only as useful as the skill and mental discipline of the player.