Phil-Jared-Lee
The Invisible Records "Lowest of the Low" tour
-March 20, 1998
-A fellow DJ and myself had the chance to snag a couple "on the go" interviews with some of the participants, and here’s what they said:
Phil - Phylyr
*How would you describe your sound ?-
-well....(pause) I wouldn’t call it ambient, but it’s very moody- the recorded versions are sampled drum and bass, but the live show includes live drums, which is what I play-
*What inspires you most to make music ?
-All the bad music that’s out there
*What do you feel are the best and/or worst aspects of touring ?
-Well, waiting around is the worst. You have about 22 hours of boredom, and 2 hours of fun, and that’s playing-
*What is your favorite way to pass the time then- touring or otherwise ?
-Trying to find a way out. You do a lot of reading...if you can read.
* (bonus question) Boxers, briefs, panties, or other?
-I enjoy boxers myself-
Jared - Chemlab (pigface)
*Are you currently working on any post-Chemlab projects at the moment?
-I’m working on something- it’s going to be a bunch of rants, me telling tales from the underbelly of the city, then taking those tapes and farming them out to musicians, both known and unknown in the music industry, and having them create soundscapes behind that. Then, taking those DAT’s, and giving them to visual artists, and having them interpret visually what they are hearing, then putting out a book and CD together. It’s going to be called "Lacuna"- because a lacuna is a missing segment of text- Martin (Atkins) will probably put that out.
*Do you have any hopes for what kind of musical backing you want for that, what kind of sound you want?
-There’s all kinds of people, there are some that are out here on the road with us- Mark Spybey from Dead Voices, FM Einheit, Mick Harris, a number of different bands on Fifth Column, a couple of unknown artists, the guys from Young Gods maybe...We’ll see.
*What in life inspires you to make music, what do you draw your influences from ?
-Well, there’s a big mountain there.....a lot of stuff- I’m inspired as much by the music that I listen to, the books that I read, and the films that I see as by the sound of an air conditioner with its belt broken that’s clanging away, as an ambulance goes by with its siren screaming out, at the same time that a glass breaks, and a gun shoots and three people are screaming-the confluence of sound I find equally stimulating-
*Do you have any particular movies or pieces of music that you are listening to that are favorites at the moment ?
-A wide fucking spectrum- I’ve listened to just about everything- Mingus, Miles, and Monk.
*What would you say is the best and/or worst thing about touring ?
-Well, this is a new thing for me, because I’ve never been in a bus before, I’ve always been in a van. Chemlab was always the "school of hard knocks". So this tour is kind of cake for me. I’ve been sick the last couple of days so my voice isn’t perfect...the worst thing, being away from that good New York dope! .. I miss my girlfriend a lot. But it’s Pigface, it’s a vacation. If you can’t look at it as a vacation, then fuck you-go home...it’s supposed to be fun. And thank god it’s a vacation, because what have I got ? - A two-note range, and I jump around like a citified, prancin’ Manhattan faggot... (laughs) I mean, it’s not like I’m talented. I just jump around and break stuff- so fortunately there aren’t a whole lot of requirements for me.
*So would you say that that is your favorite thing about being involved in Pigface, the vacation aspect of it ?
-Yeah, I enjoy the music, and we do some stuff in some of the jams that are interesting, that are intuitive, that work well. The tighter it gets, the more interesting it becomes. But it’s comparatively relaxing for me. Chemlab at home was just a nightmare.
Lee - Bagman / Sheep on Drugs
*In your own words, describe the sound of your project-
-21st century bong music
*What would you say inspires you the most to make music ?
-I guess I can’t do anything else really, I suppose-
*What would you say is the best and/or worst thing about touring ?
-The best thing is the fact that it’s the best kind of advertising. Obviously people are going to buy your records if they see you and they like you. The worst part is that it is extremely tiring.
*How has this tour been so far ?
-It’s been good-good responses, quite a lot of people.
*-back to the question of what inspires you to make music-
-Smoking weed is one thing (laughs)- I don’t know....since I’ve been about 16 I’ve been making music, so ...I can’t do anything else, really.
*Where do you draw your musical influence from ?
-Drum and Bass, which is going on in London, and just anything I hear really. It’s a combination of stuff, I don’t really have any direct influences-
*Do you feel that there is a big difference between the scenes in England versus what you see here in the US ?
-I think that the US audience is more appreciative of music. Maybe that’s a generalization, but London has a very cold crowd. (in the US) If they like you, they tell you that they like you, whereas in England they don’t. I don’t know, they’ve got a slightly different attitude.
*What would you say is your favorite way to pass the time, touring or otherwise ?
-smoking weed...
*Is Bagman being done in addition to Sheep On Drugs ?
It’s a solo project. Sheep on Drugs will probably be doing another album-hopefully at the end of this year, but we’re not going to tour for a while. Maybe next year we might start out on a tour.
*Would that include a leg here in the US ?
-If we did do it again, I think we’d have to be a headliner. Last time, it was very difficult with all the drum kits and the screens that we had. We were getting problems with the monitor sound. Next time, we’ll do it slightly differently.
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