Simultaneously the brains behing Landscape and the evil mastermind behind Heroin, Mark 'Fos' Foster has always had a lot going on. In between filming for the next Heroin video, working as Art Director at Altamont Apparel and regular trips from his native London to Japan; Fos is still endlessly enthusiastic about the music he loves. Naturally, we wanted to find out what he had to say, so we hassled him for an interview. Now pay attention.
What's your favourite video section track?
Oh man, probably that McRad track 'Weakness' on the Rubber Boys (ams) section of Public Domain. Just 'cause when you see that for the first time when you're a kid who grew up in Lancashire and you hear that jam and see how much fun they're having skating down the street then it kind of sums up all the reasons that you skate. That's closely followed by Andrew Reynolds part in Stay Gold (Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros- 'Om Nashi Me'), which I think is possibly the best video part ever made.
What's your favourite video overall, for music?
Hard to say. I grew up in the 80s so stuff like Santa Cruz Wheels of Fire, Streets on Fire and Speed Freaks introduced me to bands I'd have never heard of otherwise, so they were influential. I liked the early Consolidated videos too, they were all great for the skating as well as the music. I actually think that the video I have watched the most times is Scarecrow 'Disturb Not the Sleep of Death'. They have Slayer, the U.S. Bombs, Nerve Agents and even Patsy Cline.
How do you go about choosing music for your videos?
I grew up listening to punk and metal almost exclusively, but when you start making videos you need to listen to a lot more music, 'cause not everyone wants to listen to that stuff, so I started listening to way more types of music. As far as Heroin music video choices, me and Alan Glass just usually argue about stuff or try and find stuff that either takes the piss out of the teamriders, or makes 'em look good. Like Pulman sent us loads of weird stuff for his Live from Antarctica part- some of it was kind of ridiculous- and in the end he just said, "I trust you guys, use whatever just as long as it's not the Smiths or Morrissey", so of course we used Morrissey. It's just what we feel works for the rider an has good bits to edit to.
What's your favourite album of all time?
The one I always go back to is Minor Threat, 'Complete Discography'. It's just amazing, pure energy. It's hard to say one, can we say it's closely followed by 'Scumdogs of the Universe' by Gwar?
What was the first album you bought with your own money?
I'm pretty sure it was Iron Maiden, maybe 'Killers', and definitely on tape.
What's your favourite album art?
I loved all the Iron Maiden covers when I was growing up. They were always rad. I'm gonna go with 'Killers'.
What's your favourite band t-shirt?
A Bootleg Tom Waits tee from the Edinburgh show in 2008. I wanted to buy a real one but the merch there was total crap, it was like skinny fit tees of artwork that he'd done with oil or something, so I got this one outside for a tenner and it's amazing.
What are you listening to just now?
I saw the Black Angels play just before I left L.A. recently, they're amazing. Stoked on them right now, I saw Thee Oh Sees recently, they were sick, I'm trying to see Grinderman this year, and I've been listening to the latest No Age album a lot. Mainly those four bands with a smattering of Tom Waits and some Japanese Pop thrown in there.
Anything coming out soon you're excited about?
Well, I'm working on a new Heroin video, so we're just filming for that at the moment. Had a few ideas for songs I wanna use for my part if that comes together, but everything else is still up in the air, we're all just filming.
What was your first gig? How was it?
I saw the Red Hot Chili Peppers in 1990 in Manchester. I was 17 and obviously first gig is always amazing, but the fact that it was seated and it was a bit weird, and the Chili Peppers were still really a punk band back then.
Favourite gig ever?
Tom Waits in Edinburgh 2008. Tickets were £100, I had to buy 'em for both me and my girlfriend at the time, plus plane tickets to Edinburgh, then hotels... That was basically my holiday for that year, but it was incredible. I feel lucky that I've been able to see him perform live, he's such a legend.
What gig in history do you wish you could have been at?
Any of the Sex Pistols shows would have been amazing, early Tom Waits shows, wish I'd have seen the Stone Roses or Joy Division, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, or the Rolling Stones at Altamont when the Hell's Angles beat the shit out of the Hippies.
Do you play any music yourself?
Yeah, I was the singer in a punk band with a load of crazy Japanese kids, called Doku Dango, for a while. They kind of tricked me into joining the band it's a long story, fun times though!
This Ian MacKaye interview was a long time coming. Interviews with him are scarce, since he is not in the business of self-promotion, and throughout his time in Teen Idles, Minor Threat, Fugazi and now The Evens he has steadfastly refused to speak to the music press. I'd starting exchanging emails with him about six or seven months ago, trying to figure out a good time to call. He's endlessly busy all the time, running every aspect of Dischord Records - as he always has. Even during our conversation I could hear him working away. The label does not employ a lawyer, a press agent, an accountant or a booker - Ian does everything himself, down to driving the tour van.Another thing that held this up was the death of my father, and despite such opposite lifestyles, I'm pretty sure he and Ian would have got on.
Fugazi with Jem Cohen. Photo By Michael Ackerman
What are you up to right now?
There's always lots of crazy administrative stuff going on, at all times. At this point Dischord has a fairly vast catalogue, and we keep all the records in print in one form or the other, and we pay royalties on all the records so we're always looking after everything - keeping records in press, and right now we're re-issuing some things. Like a Faith re-issue that has their first demo on it, and a Void demo record that's going to be pretty mind-blowing. It's a demo that nobody's heard and that the band doesn't even remember making. It has 20 songs on it, it's pretty crazy. So I've been working on that, and on trying to work out what we're going to put out in the fall. I guess just digging around, but digging around means me going into my archives and for the last couple of years I've been working on organising that, and that's a huge job still.
I've also been working on this Fugazi live series website which we're hoping to start up in December, which basically, eventually - we have about 850 recorded shows - we're going to put them all up by the end of it. That's an enormous amount of work. We've created a massive database with all the shows, all the opening bands, all the information we can get about each show. We've created a page for each show. We've played about 1,100 shows so we're going to create a page for every show and post as many photos as we have for each show, flyers, anything like that. So we've been building and building that. It's huge.
Will people viewing the site be able to contribute?
Yeah, that's the idea eventually. Eventually you'll be able to post photos and whatever, but that's still being built. Now we're just trying to get the basic frame of it up, but every page will have a comments section and a scrapbook where you can post photos.
Ian MacKaye. Photo by Amy Farina
There's a massive amount of bands reforming just now to play their so-called 'classic' albums. What do you think about that? It seems to be happening at every festival now.
I'm not too interested in that concept. I actually just read an interview with Barry Hogan, who does ATP, and he was saying that people want to hear bands play the albums. He might be right, but I don't really care if that's what people want. It's not something I'm interested in. Actually, I saw Devo do their first album and it was nice to see tham play such great music. It's always nice to see these people play, these geniuses, who've created something that's so good, that it couldn't not exist. Depending upon your relationship with the music. A lot of the music... they're just like perfect songs. All these bands and musicians have created things that are somewhat forever and so it's always nice to see the people, but I was very struck by this idea of sticking to the format of the album. An album format does not jive with live music. When Devo made their record for instance, it was vinyl. It was two-sided. You would start your record with songs that were strong, and the middle of the side was songs that were slightly less strong - especially into side B. The songs at the end are not necessarily songs that are the real corkers. But if you see a band play live, at the end of the show you want to kinda come out swingin'! So it was interesting to see them play the last couple of songs. They're good, but you could tell that the emotional arc of the show was an uncomfortable one because it wasn't related to the audience. To Devo's credit they did the whole album except for the last two songs, and then they came on and did the last two songs as the encore which was just weird because they're not the strongest songs. But then, because the crowd was unsatisfied to say the least, and the lights came up and the music came on, people kept screaming "More, more", and then they started chanting "Bullshit, bullshit" and Devo came back on. They did a couple of their other songs and it was great. Suddenly you saw that these are people, not actors.
Minor Threat, 1980, by Susie Josephson Horgan
Right.
I saw maybe one other band do that 'album recital', but it just doesn't mean anything to me. I'm not interested in that. I can always listen to the records. I kinda think that if bands want to play music- and they want to play music with each other- then that's great! And if the audience wants to go along with the journey, then great! If the audience doesn't want to go along with the journey, that's great too. But if it's a matter of getting together just to do these particular albums then I have to think that a central driving factor has to be economics. A fiscal rationale. No band I've ever been in has ever played music for money, so the idea just doesn't appeal to me. People listen to Minor Threat now and are like "You could make so much money from Minor Threat!", but Minor Threat never played a show for money, so why would we start now? Same as Fugazi! Fugazi never played a show for money, ever. We played a show to play a show.
From Jem Cohen's outstanding 'Instrument' documentary.
How do you feel about the maleness of hardcore music?Every time I saw Fugazi there would be people drunk, beer going everywhere and a lot of aggression in the crowd. If this is counter to all the things you stand for, did it not demoralise you?Was any of that what led to the Evens?
People who are drunk, and going crazy, do not represent everything I'm against, you know? What I'm against is war. That's what I'm against. You know - war and murder! People's perception of me in Minor Threat, people's idea was that I was a fundamentalist, that I wanted everybody to behave themselves - that's just not the case. That wasn't the case with Fugazi shows. What I wanted was to be at the table with everyone else. If I'm part of a band, and the band's playing a show, then we feel a responsibility to our guests. I don't care if people are drunk or if people are going wild. As long as they're not going wild on other people. If people are drunk, I don't care. I think you and I can both agree that alcohol is a toxic substance. That's just the reality. It's obviously a matter of how it's applied, but ultimately it's a toxin. Obviously I'd prefer if people didn't put poison in their bodies, that's just me, but it doesn't mean that people who do are not welcome in my life - they are, and they're around me all the time. They've always been around me my whole life. What was far more discouraging for me, and what was far more compelling about the Evens' approach was the business of it all. When you get to a certain level as a band, you end up being corralled into a really specific type of venue. Where do you live?
I'm in Glasgow.
So we'd be like "Hello Barrowlands!" That's the venue that we would play. And that's where we did play. Generally that's the room. In any given city there'll be one or two rooms like that. They're venues, and on any given night there's music being presented, or every other night or something. If you look at the upcoming shows there's like a hardcore band from 1987, then some band from Black Rock Arkansas in the seventies and then there's a trip-hop band. It's like you're just in this circuit of bands, and it's hard to transform those spaces because those spaces are process centres. Every night they process whatever sort of music it is. By and large with those venues their economy is based upon self-destruction because they're bars! This is not about drunk people, this is about the business of selling alcohol. There was something for me that was deeply discouraging, for me, that this form of expression that I got can only be presented in these specific kinds of rooms. It's very discouraging for me because I don't think of music as self-destructive, I think of it as self-constructive. It bothers the fuck out of me that you have to have alcohol at every gig. With the Evens, we did a show at the Canterbury UCA. and with the Evens we have our own PA and our own mics, and we've played all these galleries and all these museums, and we can play anywhere. We were invited to play this art college so we think "Great!", and we go down there and there's all these giant empty gallery rooms, just perfect for us. Perfect rooms. But we had to play in the pub. The pub, of course, is a noisy affair, with folk slingin' beer around. It's loud. A lot of people don't go to the pub to hear music, they go to talk.
The Evens,live in London at Regent Hall on April 7 2006
And to buy alcohol.
Right. And right next door there's this beautiful, empty, quiet room that we could fuckin' make magic. That to me was such an indication of this deeply perverse notion that music- popular music- must have alcohol. I think that people, by and large, have swallowed this hook, line and sinker, and that's why when people go to see shows they just have to have a beer in their hand.
That's why you get brewers sponsoring venues now.
Of course.
Over here Miller do a weekly 'showcase' for unsigned bands, and all they sell is Miller. I can only presume that if any of these bands were to actually make it, they'd very much be under the control of Miller.
That's the thing. You know Kathmandu in Nepal? It's a city that's buried in the middle of a bunch of mountains, but it's an active city, and people have lived there for thousands of years. But at some point, the British decided to pay a visit, and take the fuckin' joint over, and they're like "What, you grow food on the mountainside? You do terrace farming? Here's a can of beans. Eat these instead." And then they start just flying food in, so people start eating the beans out the cans 'cause it's easier than farming. Then at some point they realised they forgot how to farm, and now the planes have to come in every day. They've become dependant upon that. I think it's the same in music. At one point people were playing music, and it was just a reality, and then the alcohol industry got involved and they thought "We can make this more lucrative, we can do this for you", and at some point the bands just forgot that they can do it without them- they've become dependant upon that industry. And that's exactly what they wanted. Precisely what they desired. And they got it.
Fugazi.Photo By Michael Ackerman
Dischord releases are on Spotify now, whereas they were not before. Did something change in the Spotify model to elicit this change?Or in your own thinking?
Spotify is not really a known quantity here. I know it's huge over there, but it's not really made its way into America. How people want their music is endlessly baffling to me. I'm not a 'formatist'. I remember when cassettes came into demand. When 'Repeater' came out, I think we sold more cassettes than we did vinyl. We sold 150,000 cassettes or something, right off the bat. We were like "Jesus Christ!" Cassettes are just the worst format, in terms of quality. But I've always believed that if people want cassettes, we'll make cassettes. When CDs came along, we made CDs. We're never cutting edge, we always let it go for a while and see what the people want. When downloads had been around for a few years, and the bands said "We want downloads", we did downloads. Our basic premise is that we'll make it available, but there always has to be an option- an alternative, another way of doing it. So for instance if people have an issue with something like a Spotify service, then they can always come to Dischord and download from us. There's a guy we're working with who's looking after music services in Europe and I think Spotify fell into that. I can tell you from a label's point of view that it's absolutely mind-numbing the number of services and the different ways that they work, the different ways that they report, the different ways that they pay - if they pay - and so on. We're just trying to get our minds around it. With Spotify, I'd never really heard of it, but somebody was saying that it's absolutely massive in Europe. I'm assuming it's streaming?
Yeah, it's a streaming service. It's £10 a month for unlimited music, which I think is pretty reasonable.
I think it's reasonable. This is a thing that at some point people are going to have to make a decision- everything that's ever been recorded, in theory, they can listen to for free for the rest of their lives. If they're not interested in supporting the arts at all, if they're not interested in paying for anything or feel they shouldn't have to pay for anything, then they are going to risk not ever having new music again. There are actually costs involved with recording, you know? Even for me right now, I've been so busy dealing with the commerce of Dischord, and business stuff, that I don't have any time to write. Amy and I practice three times a week, but I have no time to write at all. I can't just sit down and finish a bunch of songs because I'm always working. People have to make a decision. I think if people didn't want to buy our records at all, then I'd be really screwed. The populous is going to think "We want new music!", and if that's the case then fuckin' stop thinking everything is for free all the time! There's two things going on. One is that people think they're patrons of the arts, and these are all billionaires who've just dropped off a $100,000 ranch or something. Another thing is advertising, and people assume that that's how you make your money. People say nowadays that the only way you can make money through music is to "have your music in ads". I think that's a load of fuckin' bullshit. The fact that that phrase has been repeated so often makes me think that in fact the advertising people themselves have planted that notion. It's not true! People become lazy. It's like "You can't get there unless you buy a car", and that's not true, you can fuckin' walk! You know? But if people just repeat something often enough it becomes true. I think that this thing about 'the only way you can make money playing music is making music for ads', that's just not making a living. That's just a bummer.
Minor Threat skateboarding, and Steppin' Stone live 1982
Do you ever feel like you've become some kind of underground legend in spite of your approach? To what extent do you think you can control what people perceive you as?
I don't try to control anything. So I can't control how anybody thinks about me. I can't control all the mis-information that gets handed around. There are so many things that people think about me that are so wrong, but who cares?! As important as you or I might thing Fugazi was as a band, 99.99% of the world will never even hear of us. At all. If Fugazi was to simultaneously explode, and every record disappear, the Earth's rotation would not be altered at all. It's just not that big of a deal. People who are obsessing about me, or about the band, or about the label, who are trying to steer things are irritating to me. But I don't care really. Ultimately it's a manifestation of their own power issues, their own control issues. When people try to steer you, or tell you what to do, that's because they are at a loss in their own lives.
You might say "What about at shows, when you're telling people not to jump on each other's heads?", and that's me being a good host. Asking my guests to not stab each other with forks at the dinner table. And I think that's fair enough.
The Evens- Ian MacKaye and Amy Farina. Photo by The Evens
Despite being the home of the White House and of Congress, Washington D.C. doesn't have a senator, and its citizens are the only ones in the country without the right to vote for one.What's it like living in a place like that?
Well, I've only ever lived here so I don't really have any sense of what it's like to live elsewhere. What's maddening about living in the District, is that we are essentially under the control of the Federal Government, and we are- as a city - a very liberal town, so the conservatives always try to make an example out of us. So for instance, the District had a handgun control. In D.C. there are laws that you can not have a handgun. The Republicans were trying to get money for the City, and came up with a rider, basically, saying we'd get money for the City if we agreed to waive the handgun law. The people in the City don't want to have handguns, but the Republicans want to make it OK for us to have guns. That's frustrating, and it happens all the time. Just being told, "Oh, that's too bad. That's what's going to happen". D.C.'s people have to come up with creative ways to navigate these new laws. For instance, our court system here is Federal, because we're a Federal enclave, and the Federal guidelines about cocaine and crack are really, really strict. People are getting busted all the time for these things. The judges don't agree with the Federal guidelines for these things, but, by law, they have to follow them. So what they do, they way they navigate it, is that they change the charges. So instead of the charge being 'Possession Of A Controlled Substance', they might change the charge to 'Loitering'. They'll do something to get it away from these Federally mandated sentences. The people are still guilty, but they won't have to go to jail for something as ridiculous as having drugs.
I think living here has played a role in the way Dischord is operated. Washington D.C. is a bureaucratic town, and you never ask for permission, because the answer's always no. That's how bureaucracy works, because if you ask to do something, and they say yes and something goes wrong then they're in trouble. If they say no, then nothing goes wrong!
And everybody's safe.
Right. In this town I've always said "Don't ask for permission, because the answer's always no". If you think about our work, when we started Dischord we didn't register the name, we didn't copyright the name- we still haven't. We didn't get a business licence, we didn't get a lawyer- we've never had a lawyer. We didn't have contracts, we just made records because that's what record labels do. We didn't ask for permission, we just did it. If we had asked for permission, and we tried to do it formally, then I don't think we'd be having this conversation now. Being 18 years old, starting a record label and asking someone how you do this and they give you the formal structure? That would have taken the air outta that fuckin' thing right away! I would have quit immediately. But instead we just went in and did it. With Fugazi, we just played so many shows in D.C., and with the exception of the shows that we did on Federal property- the park system, where we had to get permission from the park police- by and large we never asked for permission or a concert licence or anything. We just did the shows. It's not hard to do! You need to learn that lesson- don't ask, just do!
Is there anything on Dischord that you think the readers in Europe should know about that they might not be aware of?
I always encourage people to listen to Lungfish. Lungfish to me is like a spring, a beautiful body of water that everybody should take a swim in. But nobody seems to know they exist and if they come across it they don't know if it's a safe place to jump in. It is fuckin' safe, jump the fuck in, people!
Lungfish - Love Will Ruin Your Mind
Big thanks to Radio Magnetic for letting me use their Skype computer to record this interview.
Know for jumping off things high enough to make a normal person shudder, Walnut Creek's Corey Duffel is also a huge music aficionado and an avid record collector. We caught up with the now-beardless Duffman - in between him finishing his section for the next Foundation video, playing with his dogs and collectiong speeding tickets on his new motorbike - to see what he's listening to. More than just the Ramones, it seems...
What are you up to?
Well hello there Neil, I'm on my couch watching The Simpsons, wishing I wasn’t doing this right now, so I could pay more attention to the show.
What came first, music or skateboarding?
I've been listening to music since I can remember. My parents were really hip and always had great music playing while my brothers and I were growing up. So we were always listening to great music from their generation. I got into skateboarding on my tenth birthday. By that time, I was already listening to the oldies station to fall asleep and buying tapes.
What was the first record you bought with your own money?
The first vinyl I bought was The Ramones self titled original pressing from eBay. That’s the first memorable one. I think I bought a Kiss one from second hand shop as a kid even though my record player was broken.
What was the first skate video where you really noticed the music?
I liked it when Matt Hensley skated to The Jam (in Plan B's Questionable). It seems to me that I've always noticed good music in skateboarding videos. Since I first started I always liked certain tracks. I loved it when Ronnie Creager skated to the Stones (in World Industries' Rodney vs. Daewon). That was killer. Black Label always had a good music selection, so did Tum Yeto videos. It helps when you have guys producing the videos like Tod Swank and John Lucero. They grew up with great music so their videos always had good songs.
How do you go about getting hold of music just now? Do you have a favourite record shop in the world?Do you buy much on tour?
I think eBay is the best place to buy rare records. All the best stuff is in the UK. The UK produced all the best bands. So it's no wonder why all the stuff I buy is easier to find out there. It just costs a packet. My favourite shop is Amoeba Records here in the Bay Area. If I'm lazy and have extra coin I buy stuff on eBay. The last three years I haven’t really bought many new records, I've been listening to tons of stuff that I've had for years and forgotten about. I have so much music, sometimes it's good to just listen to what you have compared to finding some obscure jams. I forget about the classics that I grew up on. I used to love buying records on the road, but they never come home in good shape.
Are there any records you're trying to get hold of just now?
I'd like all the Real People and Inspiral carpets albums and singles.
Where's your favourite place to skate in the world, outwith your home?
My favourite place to travel is the UK. Even though it's only been two times that I've been there. But for skating I really like Oz.
If you lived in Britian in the sixties, would you be a Mod or a Rocker?
I'm guessing a Rocker. I don’t think I could afford to shop at Carnaby St. Actually, I'd be a Mocker! I love the 60s Mod movement and music but I'd want to ride faster. So I'd trade in my Lammy in for a Bonneville. But truthfully I'd rather have been in the USA in the sixties. We had free airwaves and could actually listen to the radio. Plus at the time all the great British acts were over here too.
Do you play in a band?
Nope. I'm a talentless stunt devil.
Quadrophenia or The Great Rock n' Roll Swindle?
That’s a no brainer mate! Quadrophenia has the greatest soundtrack! Pete Townshend is a genius! I love that movie. I like the animation in the Swindle but I'm not much of a Pistols fan. My two favourite songs are the ones in the movie. Where Paul Cook sings his song with the video and Steve Jones sings 'Lonely Boy'. But I do love Quadrophenia. That movie and album touched me growing up and still does every time.
I'm not sure anybody in the UK knows much about Death Beat- tell us a bit about that.
DIY at its finest, haha! Death Beat is a silk screening project I took up. I wanted to print shirts for my fans. Death Beat stands for two strong passions of mine- eeriness and music. I combined the two and came up with Death Beat. www.deathbeatsite.com for more info. If you ever wanted something from me personally, this is how.
Is it fair to say you prefer British music to American stuff?
It's fair to say the UK has the best music scenes to ever happen. The Americans invented Rock'n'Roll but the Brits did it better! The 60s, 70s, the 1977 punk rock movement, 80s darkwave and gothic rock, the Madchester scene, the 90s, Britpop... I'd say 90 percent of my music is from the UK.
So what's your favourite year for music?
1977-1982, the whole uprising of the punk rock, powerpop, Mod revival- and later the darkwave scene. Those five years produced so much good music!
Have you ever bought a record based on the artwork, and it turned out to be amazing?
That I haven’t, I have been let down many times. I think a name and album art looks good and it turns out to be an utterly horrid noise.
What record have you played the most?
Teenage Fanclub's 'Bandwagonesque' gets a lot of play. The most played record I have is... Wow... I really don’t know. 'The Queen Is Dead' has always been a constantly played one. That record doesn’t get old.
Is there any current music you're digging? What was the last album you bought?
The Biters. They are some good friends of mine from Atlanta. They're amazing. One of the best bands I've heard in years. Powerpop at its best. They play an amazing set too. If you're into early glam rock and powerpop, you're going to love these guys. Check 'em out. The Biters. The song 'Melody For Lovers' is my favourite track.
Are there songs you play in your head when you're standing on top of something big to get yourself psyched?
For ten years now I've been singing the same verse- Motorhead, 'Ironfist'... "You know me, evil eye, you know me, prepare to die!"
Do you have a favourite Foundation video?
I really like Art Bars (2001).
How do you come across the music you have in your sections? Ice and the Iced aren't exactly a household name.
From record collecting. Listening to a song over and over and getting stoked on it. Sometimes I hear the meoldy and I'm like "I need to skate to this song!"
In the UK, Iggy Pop sells car insurance.
Trip out! I'm not sure how selling insurance keeps him that buff though.
Do you have a favourite label?
Stiff Records has always had great bands. I think there are some great compilations out there. Killed By Death, Bloodstains, etc.
What's next with Foundation?
'WTF', the new Foundation video. Coming out soon! Its going to be awesome!
What question do you wish people would stop asking you?
"Why do you have a beard?"
Having not long returned from a tour of the states with Mogwai, Glasgow's Errors are about to pack up their electronic post-rock pop, take it to Brazil and let it out all over some festivals. We managed to speak to Steev Livingstone, who I'm pretty sure is the tallest in the band, so therefore is probably in charge.
You're just back from a month-long tour of the US with Mogwai. How did that go?Did you go record shopping much?
It was great. We did a lot of record shopping. To the point that we had to buy extra suitcases to carry them home in. We visited a couple of excellent record shops in Seattle in Capital Hill. Sonic Boom, and one round the corner from that were especially good. I found a basket of neglected Italo Disco records under one of the racks. I stayed for over an hour listening through them. Got some absolute gems. We went to Amoeba Records in Hollywood as well. Could really have stayed there all day. Greg got a limited edition Can VHS and CD box-set.
Why isn't there any singing on your songs? Are you all too shy?
There's a lot of singing- you just need to look for it. The new record has quite a lot of 'vocals' on it so far too. We aren't really that shy any more.
What do you find easiest?
a) Playing in a band
b) Working in a busy pub
c) Doing remixes
d) DJing
They're all easy. Except DJing. I still get sweaty with stress whenever I do that. I'm not much fun to be around at that point.
Should people feel obliged to dance to Errors?
People should do whatever they want. I don't move at all when I go and see bands. If you feel self-conscious at a show it's probably the band's responsibility to fix that. Sadly being so tall and awkward, the band would have to be extremely talented to fix me.
Your first EP- and subsequent two LPs- are all very much Errors, but still very different. Do you consciously set out to change the sound each time you make a record?
We don't ever talk about that. Our tastes and the music we listen to changes all the time. We'll talk about what we've been listening to and what blogs we've been on and stuff and because we all DJ together we get an idea of what each other are digging at that moment. There are a lot of cross-overs but also a lot of surprises. I would be disappointed if all our albums sounded a-like, I guess we're quite lucky that we've been able to create a sound that is our own without too much repetition.
What were you all listening to when you decided to start making music together?Have your influences changed since then?
We were pretty young. I guess we all liked Pavement collectively. I liked mainly 80s pop music, Greg was really into guitar music from the 90s and Simon like most left-field stuff. I arrived late to electronic music. I played in many guitar bands when I was young before I realised there we're actually other instruments out there.
What's been the most amusing description of your music that you've heard?
"It's not something but it is like whatever."
Will your next album title be a pun on a TV show? What about doing an easy listening selection called 'The Only Way Is David Essex'? Or a Detroit techno album called 'America's Next Top Model 500'? 'Celebrity Stars In Their I-Pods'?
I think it's time we moved away from all that. Funny as it is.
Were you worried about handing out your second album to people to remix?
Not at all. My only worry was that someone might remix it so well it was better than the original. Like when Fat Boy Slim remixed 'Brimful of Asha' and he basically re-wrote the song turning them into one-hit-wonders and it wasn't even really their song anymore.
Who would you like to remix? Is there anything out there you think could benefit from a quick once-over?
Can't really think of anyone. I'm open to suggestions though.
What's your favourite video game music?
I was brought up on the Megadrive so I guess Sonic 2, California Games, Road Rash... All that stuff. I recently downloaded a band's DJ mix and they opened the mix with Emerald Hill Zone 1 from Sonic 2 and it reminded me how excellent and imaginative that music was. I'd love to do that as a job, that or making music for children's TV shows. I reckon I could do that pretty well.
Do you follow people like Andre Michelle, and what they're doing?
I don't think I've come across him before so I guess that's a no.
Do you get much money from your music being on Spotify? Have their recent changes made a difference?
We get a little bit. We probably get more money from being played in gyms though. It seems like people like to work out and get sweaty to Errors.
If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be? Bear in mind you'll need to be practical.
Pepperoni Pizza. What do you mean practical? It's a pretty impractical situation. I'd probably not survive long if I ate exclusively one type of food regardless of what it was.
Mogwai have had a couple of tracks on adverts- are there any products you'd like to endorse? Or would refuse to?
As long as it wasn't a company that made landmines or the BNP or anything I'd be happy if the money was good.
What are you listening to yourselves just now? Anything you'd like to recommend?
I've been listening to Tropic of Cancer who I really like. They use some old gear and it's all kind of two-chord Spectrum stuff. We're all into the Peaking Lights album. I'd also highly recommend Midnight Star's seminal 1985 album 'Headlines'. That's pretty much all we listened to in the van on the US tour.
What's coming next from Errors then?
An album later this year. Maybe. with an exstensive UK tour to follow. Probably.
From his beginnings as part of an experimental avant-rock sound collective to his production work with the likes of Count Bass D, Vast Aire and Moka Only, Stewart Hamilton knows that his work in the studio is as much about pushing boundaries as it is about pushing buttons. From John Coltrane to Shellac, and from Public Enemy to Stereolab; Stu knows his stuff- and it shows. As he gets to work mixing his forthcoming album, we take a minute to hear his side of things.
We've just narrowly avoided being Raptured. What would you have done if you knew you only had a couple of hours left before being blasted into oblivion? a) Fuck b) Drink beer c) Smoke some shit
Haha! I've never really thought about it. Probably all of the above… But let's hope we don't see that event any time soon. Things are just getting interesting.
What do you think about piracy- on the high seas, and within music?
I have infinitely more respect for the seafaring pirate.
Bootlegging is destroying the music industry. Full stop. People make up all kinds of excuses to justify bootlegging, but at the end of the day artists are receiving zero support and are struggling to make ends meet. I have had folks email me and ask where they can get my music for free!? What the fuck? Both my albums were ripped and distributed for free on release day. Like anything else on this planet, music is a product, a product as desired as any other. Why people think it's fine to steal is beyond me. I wish people could see the damage this causes. Soon enough they will, because independent artists will begin to think "What's the point?" To my true supporters I am eternally grateful and I thank you.
What was the first record you bought with your own money?
Hmm...Def Leppard. 'Hysteria.' I think. That was a looooong time ago! Haha!
What was the record that really switched you on to Hip Hop?
Although I'd heard bits and pieces before, my first real engagement with Hip Hop was probably the cover/collaboration on 'Bring The Noize' with Public Enemy and Anthrax. I was mainly a metalhead before that.
You used to play in some pretty interesting post-rock bands. How did you come to start producing hip-hop?
I was messing with electronic music around the same time I was playing in bands. Hip Hop has always been a sound I love so I thought I'd try it out…Haha!
Back then, which artists drew you towards the kind of Hip Hop you make now?
Back then I was listening to a lot of different types of music. Acts like Wu, Cannibal Ox and MF DOOM really inspire me... Generally people making smart music.
What's your favourite era of Hip Hop?
I'm mainly inspired by the 'golden era' sound. 1990s.
Do you make tracks with particular people in mind? Is it always a collabo from the beginning, or do you have instrumentals sitting there for when you need them?
I tend to make a beat then decide who might suit it. I recently produced a full LP for a group called Veteran Assassins, and that was the first time I had to focus on a collection of tracks. The album is out in August. I'm working on my third LP now. This album will be more cohesive... Slicker.
Is this a change of direction then?
Nah, not a change of direction, but a more focussed approach. An alignment of skills I have gained in beat production, post production and the way I approach a project.
How do you get in touch with the artists you work with? Who's your dream MC to have on a track?
My US label connections have been really helpful getting in touch with dope MCs. I'm really proud to have some important artists on my music. I'd like to work with DOOM, Planet Asia, Mos Def and Has-Lo in the future.
Who's been your favourite artist to work with?
I like working with people who are enthusiastic and honest. The MCs I choose are typically humble dudes who buck the trend and continue to make real music from the heart. I have to mention my early work with Tha Connection from Hempstead, New York. Hus and Smoovth are real musicians with a genuine love for Hip Hop, they brought me here really.
What kind of set up do you use
Ableton Live 8, Akai MPD 26, various VSTs… Beer.
How long does it take to have a finished track ready for release?
Depends really, I can make a demo beat in a few hours... After that it's up to the MCs to write and record. This can take a while, understandably, and then comes post-processing. I think the quickest I have brought a track to life is about a week and that was only due to a deadline. I think the process should be a natural as possible. On the other hand you could make a classic in a day with the right motivation and some luck.
Do you get a chance to take in much live Hip Hop? Do you play live yourself?
Live music doesn't thrill me like it used to although I will still make an effort to see the stuff I love. My dream festival would be Shellac, Wu Tang, Slayer, Stereolab, MF DOOM, The For Carnation, Public Enemy, Radiohead, Do Make Say Think, Cannibal Ox, Venetian Snares, Vektor, Moka Only, Aphex Twin, Bjork, Low, Weezer, Tortoise, Squarepusher, Non Phixion, Rodan, Oddisee, Portishead, Megadeth, Broadcast and eh... John Shuttleworth for the close.
As for me playing live, I plan to get into action soon. I'll be looking to hook up with some touring MCs next year. I also have some provisional plans to head to the US for a mini-tour next summer.
Tell us about Digi Crates and Domination Recordings.
Digi Crates was set up by my dude Hus in NY. He's from a group called Tha Connection, one of the first groups I worked with- back in 2008. I will be releasing again through DigiCrates in the near future. Domination is my other label… It is incredible to be releasing music on a label with some of my favourite artists, guys like Count Bass D, Moka Only, Spectac and Remarkable Mayor… the list goes on. I have a great amount of respect for new labels bringing out good untainted music and Digi Crates are doing just that.
Shout outs?
Shout out to Neil Macdonald for the interview and generally being the MAN... And my supporters for making it all worthwhile. I truly appreciate it.
To prove how much SciFi appreciates it, he's giving away 100 downloads of 'The Will', his track with Vast Aire, 4th Place and Jonwayne. Get it right here...
Although he's probably best known to us for writing and producing the soundtrack to Flip's 'Extremely Sorry' video, transplanted Englishman Piers Baron has worked with drum and bass superheroes Adam F, DJ Fresh, Stanton Warriors and Pendulum- with whom he scored a number 1 in the UK Dance Chart. In making the Flip soundtrack he worked with Dave Lombardo of Slayer, Snoop Dogg and Motorhead's Lemmy, and is a contributor to the werdlife.com blog, along with Geoff Rowley, Arto Saari and Todd Bratrud. Enough reason for us to want to talk to him right there.
You've been putting out a load of records for about ten years now. How did you come to be hanging around with a load of smelly skateboarders? Do you skate?
Ha, well, I used to skate, SS20 being my local store. It was actually Mon (Barbour) who gave me my first break DJing at Source (a night SS20 sponsored). I met Geoff Rowley around 2003 and did a little bit of work on Really Sorry. Our friendship grew from there. As did my relationship with the rest of the team.
How did the Extremely Sorry soundtrack come about?
Geoff and (Jeremy) Fox really wanted to do something that would set their video apart from all the others, an original soundtrack had never been done before, so they asked me whether I could pull it off.
How much of it was 'written'? It all sounds live, but I'm guessing there's a lot of samples in there...
No, it was all played. I played everything on the soundtrack with the exception of drums- some of which Dave Lombardo played- and the bass on 'Stand By Me', which Lemmy played.
Who's idea was it to have Lemmy doing 'Stand By Me'? It worked really well for Geoff's section.
We originally had something different in mind for Geoffs part, when Geoff spoke with Lemmy and we found out he was down, it was a no brainer. Geoff and I decided that something old would be great, Lemmy absolutely nailed it. He loves old music, he has another band called 'The Head Cat', check them out if you don’t know, they play rockabilly, blues and rock and roll. Some really fond memories of making that song for a lot of reasons- not all of them musical!
What's Lemmy like? Did he drink JD and Coke with speed or was it all vitamin shakes and Berocca?
Lemmy’s a gent, a really nice guy. He’s really cool to spend time with as he has lots of stories from his past and other bands he’s met. We definitely got through some booze, he loves a tear up, he loves Jack and
Coke!
Was it hard to get the guests you had to agree to contribute? How did the process compare to collaborations you've done in the past?
It was actually pretty easy, we got our first choice on each song. Flip is a big deal in the USA, most people have heard about the brand, so between mine and Geoff’s connections it came together pretty nicely.
Were you actually spending time in the studio with these people, or was it mostly done via email?
Mostly in the studio together, it's always nice to be in the studio with people, but with some people it just wasn’t possible. For instance Steve McBean from Black Mountain was done via email and a few phone conversations, and that song turned out great. The unique thing about about a project like this is that we were working with consummate professionals who have lots of experience of making records. Based on that it made my job easier than it could have been.
Photo by Arto Saari
How much input did the team have during the production?
All the riders got their say, it was a team effort. Myself, Geoff, Ewan (Bowman) and Fox had the final say. David (Gonzales) actually played on one of the tracks as well- he's a pretty gifted lead guitar player- so he came in and unleashed some hell.
I seems like quite a big move for an established British D&B artist to move to LA. What made you take the plunge?
I guess it was a big move, but with my drum and bass career I had achieved everything I'd set out to, it was time to move on before I stared repeating myself. It felt like a natural progression.
Could you feel the pressure of having to soundtrack one of the most-anticipated skateboard videos of all time?
No, you can't think like that on any project, no matter how big or small. You're just putting unnecessary pressure on yourself, its not conducive to writing good music. The night of the premiere was pretty monstrous, there were 4,500 people there, and the whole skate industry. I guess it hit me a little more then. Flip did a really good job at keeping me shielded from any of the nonsense that can come with working on a project of this size.
How was the reaction to the soundtrack?
It's been really good, anyone in the industry who has made videos knows full well the enormity of what we did. There was a few dickheads talking shit on the forums, but in all honesty they're not qualified to pull apart an audio visual production in a constructive manner. I have had nothing but love from other pros and film makers.
Do you think more videos will have a specifically-scored soundtrack in the future?
Without question, the way skateboarding is now, with the budgets involved and the crossover potential, scored music is the future.
How did the Pendulum collaboration come about? Was it always your plan to take it as far as you did?
When I was making drum and bass I was signed to the same label as Pendulum (Breakbeat Kaos), myself and Rob (Swire) got together for a night in the studio and made a track which got released, great memories from that period of time albeit a bit hazy, I definitely used to get pretty out of control back then, the first house those guys lived in was a full blown party house, it was fucking mental. And I don’t say that lightly.
What do you think of drum and bass moving back into a retro jungle sound? Is there any new ground left to tread?
For sure, drum and bass has some of the most talented producers in the world- it'll never die, it'll just keep diversifying. Personally I like it, jungle is where it started. It went retro 10 years ago when Total Science hit the scene.
What do you think of dubstep?
It's personally not for me, in fact that whole thing kicking off was one of the reasons I started to feel some distance from the drum and bass scene and moved to LA. Maximum respect to everyone involved though,
it’s a highly creative scene at the moment.
What piece of music are you the proudest to have worked on?
I'm proud of everything I have released, I don’t put my name on anything unless im 110% happy with it. Extremely Sorry and Volcom’s 9191 Snow movie have definitely been high points. Working with Lemmy, Dave Lombardo, A Place To Bury Strangers, those have been high points also.
What do you have on the horizon?
This year is looking pretty busy. I'm currently working with Greg Hunt on a TV commercial for Vans to promote Geoffs new shoe. Working on my solo album a soundtrack with James Lavelle and a yet to be announced action sports soundtrack...
What's the gnarliest thing you've seen hanging out with the Flip lot?
Skating wise, its Flip! its always fucking gnarly, Gonzo and Luan are fucking ridiculous, going to the Mega Ramp when Bob was filming his Extremely Sorry part- as you can imagine- was mental. I think Bob put
together something that people will talk about for years to come.
Are you glad to see Arto back on Flip?
Yeah without a doubt, it's epic, Arto is a top man, he has been wrestling with leaving since he left I think, respect to him for coming home! I'm looking forward to working with him once more.
Chances are you might not have heard of Take A Worm For A Walk Week, but it's quite likely- as they prepare for the release of their third album- that you'll be hearing and seeing them soon. Although they admit they create quite a niche sound, there's something about them for everybody. Whether you're a fan of mind-boggling musicianship, stupid songs, jumping around, laughing, drinking or going deaf there's something for you to love. They're all these things rolled into a big musical sausage and thrown at your face. After two albums of exquisitely crafted technical mayhem, they've honed their sound, taken time out from their day jobs (they all play in successful indie bands), got their act together and written their masterpiece. A good time, therefore, to thrust some questions at guitarist Johnny Docherty and singer Joe Quimby (his real name).
Describe what kind of music you do. In one word. One word not ending in 'core'.
JD- Useless.
JQ- Not ending in 'core'? Ironically I've just updated the Wikipedia page that somebody did for us, and I think 'ending in core' makes sense this time because it's an original term. 'Pattercore'. I think that's a wee bit more acceptable. We'll be the one and only 'Pattercore' band.
If you cut a worm in half you get two dead worms. What would happen if I cut you in half?
JQ- There'd be less of me. Less of me, but twice. There's a lot of my belly, so I wouldn't mind being cut in half. Vertically. I'd be slimmer.
JD- My guts would spill all over the floor. It'd form the shape of a German Shepherd. With two heads. And three legs.
Why is the new album better than the other two?
JD- When I started writing for the new album the songs were still in the same vein as the first two. We decided to all contribute, and re-write what material we had. We've got a record now that combines all our personalities.
JQ- We took a lot more time to write it. There's a lot more ideas in it. With each album we've done we've changed our sound, but there's a very drastic change here. There's no more screaming. I want to sing in my own accent, which I did previously, although you couldn't tell because I was screaming so horrendously. This one is a lot more intelligent, but still frantic. This one I can listen to over and over, and I think the first two very much represented our age at the time- I just liked to run around and piss people off and scream in their faces. It's a lot more mature and coherent. We were too metal for the indie fans and too indie for the metal fans so we wanted to change that.
Are there any cover versions on it? Why do cover versions? Can you not write enough songs?
JD- None. We only liked doing covers because it felt great to destroy somebody's heart and soul, with our concoction of misery.
JQ- I've no idea why we did that cover, although a lot of people seemed really into it. It helped the album get to a bigger audience, but with this album we had so much stuff that there was no room for a cover.
Has this album got songs with verses and choruses?
JQ- This album very much does.That's one thing that we wanted to incorporate. There was verse/chorus on the second album (The Monroe Transfer), but to the outsider it just sounded like a whole bunch of parts.There was repeats, but no-one could really get their head round itor identify them. This album is a lot more song-based and a lot of that was premeditated before we went to record.
You're all in other bands. Do you get more pussy playing in an indie band? JD-We're all celibate hardcore Christians. JQ- No. I actiually get more tang playing in Take A Worm. I think a lot of that comes down to, err... the nature of the audience.But I don't think being in a band gets a person tang. It comes down to the patter, and what he's willing to do to the opposite sex. Or same sex.
Who's the most talented?
JD- Me. They say I've got the fastest fingers since Captain Birdseye lost his boat.
JQ- All of us. Everybody's talented in different ways. I think for the instruments, each one is the best at their instrument that you could wish for. There's no one that could be replaced. Although Johnny's the most gay. And he's the most covered in chicken.
What's been your best experience since the band began? JQ- Being able to get away with writing music that people enjoy. It wouldn't come down to doing shows or anything like that, but the big thing for me would be doing the Maida Vale session in London for the BBC. That studio's got such a history. Joy Division recorded there. That's pretty much it for me. Although I was really hungover and couldn't stop farting so it kind of balances out. JD- Maida Vale was fun, but I'd probably say getting a really herb-y kebab in Newcastle once.
Have you ever had a near-death experience?
JD- I ODed on ketamine in a hotel room in Sheffield on the Twilight Sad support tour. That was really nice...
What kind of music were you exposed to as kids?
JQ- When I was wee my mum was really into stuff like Wham and Tears for Fears. In the last four years I've kind of went back to Tears for Fears. Before it became popular. I realise they're becoming quite popular again. When I got a bit older I got really into The Cure.
JD- When I was growing up I was subjected to Chris Rea, Simple Minds, Eurythmics... great artists like that. Then I got into grindcore and sludge bands, like Hard to Swallow, Iron Monkey, Logical Nonsense, Unsane... all that stuff.
What are you listening to now?
JQ- Right now? I'm pretty much exclusively listening to drone, of the ambient nature. Things like Xela, anything on Type Records, 12k Records, Digitalis Ltd kind of stuff... Pretty much a bunch of bands that nobody's heard of. I'm into really pretentious stuff. The most straighforward answer would probably be Katy Perry's 'Firework'.
Would you do a show with Lady Gaga?
JD- YES! I'd give her fellatio.
JQ- Of course. Yes. Hands down. Straight away.
If you had a screensaver for your brain, what would it look like?
JD- A bottle of booze. JQ- Burritos.
Does your van stink?
JQ- It stinks all the time. It stinks of piss, shit, cum, rape, shit, burritos, alcohol... did I mention cum?
JD- It smells of Iain's cancerous asshole. It smells of piss, pies and booze.
What's the stupidest thing you've been compared to?
JQ- Grindcore, as a genre, as a whole. 'Technical thrash'. All that sort of bullshit. Bands that we've never heard of, never listen to and would never want to listen to. We were coming from the spazzy edge of things, and it just seemed to go over everyone's heads. Although that was purely in Britain. Anybody in Britain that hears something really fast and quick, they automatically call it 'grind'. Fuck that shit.
I once read a review of one of your live shows and it said that you 'emit a disquietude'. What do you think of that? JQ- That we stink? We do. We make no bones about it. We get up people's noses both with our music and our odour.
What's your favourite record of the 21st Century? JD- I can honestly say that 'Happiness' by Hurts is my favourite record of the 21st Century.
What are the best and worst bands you've played with?
JQ- Worst were Ministry. Although itt was a great show to play, playing to 2,000 people and pissing them all off. The best tour we've done was with The Twilight Sad, because that's more our kind of crowd. Other worst ones would be... just any smelly, short-wearing shit grindcore band that we had to play with every time in London.
What are the plans for the year, once the album's out?
JQ- With being in other busy bands, we'll have to take our time with it this time. Once it's out we'll tour sporadically, but we're all full-time musicians so we have to go with our other bands a lot. But we're definitely going to play as many shows as possible.
