Monday, December 28, 2009
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Because Dusted Magazine Will Probably Never Publish It: An Interview with Al Cisneros
Shifting Paradigms of the Godhead: An Interview with Al Cisneros of Om
Obelisk forms, dissolving moons, and hollowed names; these and many other arcane meditations encompass the perpetual motions of Al Cisneros' mantric two-piece, Om. Like any good story, Om's has a beginning that many are likely familiar with.
After the three-year-long development hell of what would become their last record entitled Jerusalem (posthumously released as a bootleg in 1998 and in its intended form as Dopesmoker in 2003 ), Sleep dissolved into the ether, marking the end of what is consistently referred to as one of the most influential bands of the stoner/doom metal sub-genre. While guitarist Matt Pike went on to form the riffing monolith that is High On Fire soon after the break up, bassist Al Cisneros and drummer Chris Haiku remained under the radar until 2005 with the full-length release of Variations on a Theme as the newly formed - and vastly different - Om. With the departure of Haiku in early 2008 in mid-tour, Om quickly found a fitting replacement with Grails and Holy Sons drummer Emil Amos and continued on their quest of sonic vigilance.
Having wrapped up their North American tour and gearing up for a a brief run through England to promote their new record, God Is Good, Al found some spare time in his busy schedule to answer a few questions about the new record and the band's direction, his views on the music he creates and the process behind it, and his fondness for dub.
JB: While God Is Good in its entirety is definitely a sign of new developing ideas, Cremation Ghat I & II specifically seem to be the most telling of Om's direction. Should we expect more along these lines? And what has caused this new shift beyond having a new drummer?
Al Cisneros: The music is moving, we are occupied in discovering the parts and melodies where they exist (heart, mind, and space) and from there gradually bringing them into the exterior auditory plane. Working with Emil we are able to readily and quickly lay foundation so that emphasis can be placed upon structure and – if the song calls for it – augmentations. The core is always the rhythm and its cycles, its seat and cadence, its drive. From there the song proper is taken into consideration - its expansions and retractions – its essentially one song that continues in a spiral ascent, like life.
JB: Watching Robert Lowe (Lichens) and Emil Amos perform with you on stage and witnessing the new record literally materialize right in front of me was quite an experience. Do you think Robert would ever become a permanent member of Om or will it always remain a two-piece?
AC: Its been an organic coalescence, and in view of that we shall see as we continue mining the themes, songs and verses. There is a chemistry and kinship we all hold and a sacred communication.
JB: Pilgrimage was an amazing record, and at the time it was my favorite to date. With God Is Good, I noticed you're continuing the cyclical theme that was found in Pilgrimage - a sort of prayer that has a beginning and end that merely flow into one another. Will this aspect of your full lengths remain as integral as it is now?
AC: The full-lengths are no different in that respect from the individual songs, on an LP the songs have a space between them; it’s the same with the releases, albeit in the latter it can be months or sometimes a year or more before that gap of silence is broken by the next piece, the next note. Regardless they are all variants on the central theme, the one subject – expressions and salutes to The Reality, The Light, God, The Great Void, It, That, He, She, The Absolute, so many word-symbols point toward this remainder/background it is essential to not be divided by terminology and to remain fixed in the experience of that which is behind the ineffable hollowed name.
JB: The presence of distinct Judeo-Christian iconography seems to be prevalent in your last two records without fully supporting any specific ideology or religion in your music. Are there specific meanings behind this choice of visual supplements and what do you believe you're communicating in your music that ties in with these visuals?
AC: To me, album covers are theoretically supposed to have a visual correlation to the sounds therein – additional elements for the perceiver in their motion of absorbing the feeling - and understanding the core of the work. In Om we’ve always gone with album art that looks how the records sound. The iconography, like the lyrics/verses are vehicles to help get one to that state.
JB: Lyrically, what are your largest influences?
AC: I really don’t have any outside lyrical influences – life and an integration – report on where I am in the journey/process. I know when a line is finished by its vibrations and how effective it is in its ability to channel to the other plane.
JB: When writing or performing your music, do you believe this is one of many ways you attempt to gain the "Unitive Knowledge of the Godhead," and how close are you to attaining it?
AC: I don’t feel one is really practicing if they are also watching and waiting to see if its working – kind of like the observer effect in physics. It would take you out of the concentration – out of the very process where the grace may visit/descend if IT wills. Not up to you, me or us. We just have to do the work and the rest will take care of itself.
JB: You had mentioned before at some point certain synesthetic qualities of past Om. records. How would you describe god is good on these terms?
AC: This record evokes for me an amber oscillating with a silver-purple; it has warmth and is rich, fluctuating into a cooler atmosphere in certain areas – and throughout it is supported by a floor-beam of dark red/maroon.
JB: I remember reading somewhere that you and Emil shared an interest in dub. Any personal favorite records?
AC: Israel Vibration’s “Unconquered People” and “Same Song” have been on rotation since being home from tour. There’s so much I connect with - Augustus Pablo’s first album, Abyssinians, Burning Spear.
Friday, December 4, 2009
Until This Letter Thing Pans Out: Chapter One
17 in x 24 in inkjet prints for sale because I'm kinda very broke.
Your best offer.
Monday, November 30, 2009
The Plot Thickens....
So I dropped the letter off to the University of Florida's Smathers Library East's Special Collections after speaking with the head archivist there, Carl Van Ness. He said he'll look it over, give it an appraisal, and contact me as soon as he's finished. Until then, here's some more info on the possible writer and recipient of the mysterious letter...
Taken from wikipedia.org: "John Edwin Holmes (1809–1863) was the first Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin. He was born in Glastonbury, Connecticut. He was ordained a Universalist minister in 1833 and preached for a short time in Michigan and Ohio. He soon began to study law in Illinois and joined the Democratic Party. In 1836, he became a member of Wisconsin Territory's Territorial Council, and in 1848, he was elected the lieutenant governor of Nelson Dewey, a position he held until 1850. After his term ended, he became a quartermaster and was taken prisoner in Tennessee during the Civil War. He was returned to the Union in 1863 as part of a prisoner exchange, but died soon after, in Annapolis, Maryland."
Taken from http://history.rays-place.com/ny/hamilton-ny.htm: "The Dunbar Mills were built in 1850 by James H. Dunbar and Charles Blanchard, on the site of an earlier mill. They are now operated by W. M. Jennings."
Thanks to JJ for the heads up on Dunbar, and for being white.
Taken from wikipedia.org: "John Edwin Holmes (1809–1863) was the first Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin. He was born in Glastonbury, Connecticut. He was ordained a Universalist minister in 1833 and preached for a short time in Michigan and Ohio. He soon began to study law in Illinois and joined the Democratic Party. In 1836, he became a member of Wisconsin Territory's Territorial Council, and in 1848, he was elected the lieutenant governor of Nelson Dewey, a position he held until 1850. After his term ended, he became a quartermaster and was taken prisoner in Tennessee during the Civil War. He was returned to the Union in 1863 as part of a prisoner exchange, but died soon after, in Annapolis, Maryland."
Taken from http://history.rays-place.com/ny/hamilton-ny.htm: "The Dunbar Mills were built in 1850 by James H. Dunbar and Charles Blanchard, on the site of an earlier mill. They are now operated by W. M. Jennings."
Thanks to JJ for the heads up on Dunbar, and for being white.
The Case of the Hidden Letter or Holy Shit This Is Fucking Awesome
Alright, before I start, I should make it very clear to any and all readers: I'm a terrible liar. Seriously, I can't lie worth a goddamn. I can spin a tale - make it absurd and ridiculous and abso-fucking-lutely unbelievable in every imaginable way - and you might be entertained. But if it came down to me simply speaking fiction and passing it off as truth, no one of sound mind and faculties would ever remotely believe me.
That being said, the following is absurd, ridiculous, and abso-fucking-lutely unbelievable in every imaginable way. And no, I'm not lying.
I had just arrived at my apartment Saturday night from the usual two hour drive from Lakeland to Gainesville, returning from another average Thanksgiving/birthday with family. I unpacked my things and replaced my newly washed bedsheets since I neither have a washer and drier here nor money to afford such luxuries. Before doing so, I had to turn my bed over; a simple task that has become habitual since I bought the mattress and box spring from a rather homely and unspectacular family when I moved for the second time in town. When involved in such simple chores like the turning of mattresses and related activities, I usually shut off most functions of my brain and revert into some sort of dusty single-task computer circa 1968. This is important to note and its relevance will be clarified shortly.
A few hours later, I was back at my apartment again, this time from a brief night out with friends. As I bent down next to my bed to plug my phone into its wall charger, I noticed a folded piece of paper. It was brown with age, slightly worn, and with writing on it. I opened it up and saw this:
It's a letter dated August 20th, 1849. My initial reaction was, "there's no way my roommate would go this far to fuck with me."
I still have no real idea where the hell it came from. The only possible explanation is that it fell from the box spring or mattress while I was turning it over, but that's barely plausible. The other possibility that's a little less plausible is that my bed is really a sentient time machine named Benton the Bed and this is our first official adventure. Yeah, that sounds better.
After reading the parts I could make out, I deduced that the writer is one John E. Holmes, former Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin. The letter was for a James H. Dunbar, although I couldn't find any information on him. The letter itself is pretty congenial and dry, asking if Mr. Dunbar will be visiting Wisconsin and discussing topical events like the State Agricultural Fair in Syracuse where Mr. Holmes wishes he could see the "live President of the United States" that will be attending the event, even though he doesn't have the nicest things to say about President Taylor, "whom I consider a little the most contemptible of any who have occupied the station."
OOOOH PRE-CIVIL WAR BURN.
Anyway, the discussion moves towards things like his sick kid, reports of cholera, and yearly harvests. And he really milks his sentences for all they're worth, with concise zingers like "I must tell you by way of recording events."
I plan on taking it to someone a little more knowledgeable about these sorts of things tomorrow. For now, I'm going to pretend I'm Nicholas Cage and I'm about to knock National Treasure 3 out of the fucking park.
Hopefully by the time I post an update about this, I will either be rich or being chased by Confederates and then rich.
That being said, the following is absurd, ridiculous, and abso-fucking-lutely unbelievable in every imaginable way. And no, I'm not lying.
I had just arrived at my apartment Saturday night from the usual two hour drive from Lakeland to Gainesville, returning from another average Thanksgiving/birthday with family. I unpacked my things and replaced my newly washed bedsheets since I neither have a washer and drier here nor money to afford such luxuries. Before doing so, I had to turn my bed over; a simple task that has become habitual since I bought the mattress and box spring from a rather homely and unspectacular family when I moved for the second time in town. When involved in such simple chores like the turning of mattresses and related activities, I usually shut off most functions of my brain and revert into some sort of dusty single-task computer circa 1968. This is important to note and its relevance will be clarified shortly.
A few hours later, I was back at my apartment again, this time from a brief night out with friends. As I bent down next to my bed to plug my phone into its wall charger, I noticed a folded piece of paper. It was brown with age, slightly worn, and with writing on it. I opened it up and saw this:
It's a letter dated August 20th, 1849. My initial reaction was, "there's no way my roommate would go this far to fuck with me."
I still have no real idea where the hell it came from. The only possible explanation is that it fell from the box spring or mattress while I was turning it over, but that's barely plausible. The other possibility that's a little less plausible is that my bed is really a sentient time machine named Benton the Bed and this is our first official adventure. Yeah, that sounds better.
After reading the parts I could make out, I deduced that the writer is one John E. Holmes, former Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin. The letter was for a James H. Dunbar, although I couldn't find any information on him. The letter itself is pretty congenial and dry, asking if Mr. Dunbar will be visiting Wisconsin and discussing topical events like the State Agricultural Fair in Syracuse where Mr. Holmes wishes he could see the "live President of the United States" that will be attending the event, even though he doesn't have the nicest things to say about President Taylor, "whom I consider a little the most contemptible of any who have occupied the station."
OOOOH PRE-CIVIL WAR BURN.
Anyway, the discussion moves towards things like his sick kid, reports of cholera, and yearly harvests. And he really milks his sentences for all they're worth, with concise zingers like "I must tell you by way of recording events."
I plan on taking it to someone a little more knowledgeable about these sorts of things tomorrow. For now, I'm going to pretend I'm Nicholas Cage and I'm about to knock National Treasure 3 out of the fucking park.
Hopefully by the time I post an update about this, I will either be rich or being chased by Confederates and then rich.
Monday, November 16, 2009
My Friends Who Also Make Art - Benji Haselhurst
Since I'm currently in Gainesville, most of the active young artists I know are attending or have attended the University of Florida at the College of Fine Arts. I'll go on the record saying that I'm pretty unimpressed with the majority of what's coming out of the school. Granted, that's just my opinion and my personal biases and what not, but most of it is just plain uninteresting to me. This is hardly surprising since, when you take Miami out of the equation, there isn't a whole lot going for Florida as far as contemporary or modern art goes - especially outside of academic institutions. That being said, I'm fortunate enough to have a few friends who are actively creating amazing work and I'd thought I would periodically post about these talented individuals and what it is that they do that impresses me so.
One of these friends is Benji Haselhurst. I can't say enough good things about his work, and he's been a huge source of inspiration and guidance for me. Whenever one of us begins or finishes something, one always contacts the other to discuss and gain a second opinion, and he's one of the few friends I have that I can trust with such conversations. Of course, this is often one-sided as he is far more proactive about his work. Plus, he's just plain better at it than I am.
One of these friends is Benji Haselhurst. I can't say enough good things about his work, and he's been a huge source of inspiration and guidance for me. Whenever one of us begins or finishes something, one always contacts the other to discuss and gain a second opinion, and he's one of the few friends I have that I can trust with such conversations. Of course, this is often one-sided as he is far more proactive about his work. Plus, he's just plain better at it than I am.
"Future Days," watercolor on synthetic paper, 2008
Benji's work represents the facet of modern art I find most appealing - highly imaginative visual work using intriguing conceptual approaches with varying media with the eye and draftsmanship of an illustrator. The piece shown, "Future Days," isn't even his most recent. Unfortunately, I don't think he has a lot of his stuff online (EDIT: here are his flickr account and his blog).
When his new series is completed and if he ever gets them photographed, I will be sure to post them here. If you'd rather see them in person, they'll be up at the Warphouse on Friday, November 20th at around 7-10 pm here in town.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Neil Hamburger Interview (2008)
The following is an interview with Neil Hamburger I did for a now defunct local magazine in Gainesville called The Satellite. It was published in their June 2008 issue but only partially due to the length. Here's the original interview in its entirety.
That’s His Life: An Interview with Neil Hamburger
In the world of stand-up comedy, there is only one Neil Hamburger. Dressed in a sharp bow tie and tuxedo, a tasteful comb over and a drink or two to keep the blood flowing, Mr. Hamburger has toured most of his life bringing his unique brand of humor and class across the world from clubs to pizza joints alike. He has also made appearances on shows like Jimmy Kimmel Live, Fox News’ Red Eye, Tom Green Live, and Tim and Eric, Awesome Show, Great Job!
We recently had the rare opportunity speak with the man behind the laughs, discussing such topical issues as his new album, the life of a touring comedian, his upcoming show here, and Applebee’s. Be sure to catch his first performance ever in Gainesville on June 24th at Common Grounds. $8 cover, doors at 9:00.
How are you doing this morning?
Oh, you're starting with a tough question are you?
Yes.
Well, it's been a hard morning because we had a terrible, terrible show last night. Somebody got real sick - you know, in the head, mentally ill - during the show and had to be thrown out of the night club. The guy had I think some sort of disorder. And then of course when you drink 17 rum and cokes, then you really go out of your mind.
Is everyone okay?
Everyone's okay. There was a chair that he was sitting on that is broken now, and I don't know how that happened. I saw the pieces of the broken chair, but of course I was busy doing my thing, which was to tell the jokes you know, and not paying too much attention to the ruckus going on out there.
Well, I'm sorry to hear that.
Well, you know, these things happen in show business. This is not necessarily the career I would recommend for someone that wants something that is sedate or that pays well.
Yeah, well, sorry to hear about that though.
Well, thank you. And you know it could've been worse, but when you see a splintered chair... Now, I don't know if it was broken over somebody's head or the man, because he drank so much, he gained so much weight that the chair just broke under it's own weight or what. You know, you get all kinds of crazy things happening out when you play these nightclubs.
And you're still on the West Coast, right?
Right now, yeah, we're on the West Coast doing shows.
Where are you currently?
Right now we're in a little town called Avenal in California.
So you're on tour right now. You're promoting your new album, Sing Country Winners...
Yes, we've got a new one out and... Well, I would say that we're promoting it, except that we're doing shows year-round anyway. We do a song or two from the album during the course of the show.
Oh, I see. So, you're doing stand-up and music?
Yeah, doing a couple songs just to help promote the record and to break up the monotony of the jokes.
What's kind of strange is this is a country western album. Now, you've done music before, correct?
Very rarely. You know, I'm a comedian. I'll leave the music to the professionals. You know, people like Linkin Park, those assholes. They can play the music and I'll tell the jokes, you know. I don't think you'd want to go see them tell jokes, but I also don't think you'd want to go see them play music. But, you know, we have a couple of songs. I've done over 10 albums now and there were a couple of songs on those albums. Mostly as filler, you know? But, now we've decided to expand the whole concept and really do an all music album to see what goes on with that, see if that can work, because comedy... the kids aren't buying that anymore. You get these horrible music records. Have you heard of a group called Fall Out Boy?
Sadly, yes.
Now that is just some of the worst sewer type of music you'll ever hear. It sounds like rats playing it, you know? It's just terrible music. And yet, you know, they've sold million and millions and millions of copies.
Yes, they have. They've done very well for themselves.
You do a comedy record, you're lucky you can sell a dozen, you know? So, we've decided let's try this music thing out and see if we can get some money happening because it's a tough world we live in. You know about the oil prices. Those are through the roof.
Yeah, they're getting higher and higher.
It's horrible.
And I'm sure that's not helping your tour at all.
Well, no, because I drive an average of 700 miles a day.
Wow. That's quite a bit of a distance there.
Yeah, it is, but I'll do it because the show must go on.
It’s interesting you're doing a country western album. What got you to do this?
I was asked to, you know?
Fair enough.
I was asked to make the record and I said oh, I'll do it. And it was good because in all my travels across the country, I have had a chance to listen to a lot of country and western that was on the radio. Now, country today sounds more like Linkin Park and you have all the synthesizers and the drum machines and it's terrible, so we went for the old sound with the real instruments. We've got the pedal steel and that sort of thing on this record. So, we're really making it something that the fans can enjoy.
And you're being backed up by some talent there for your band.
Yes we are! We really lucked out. These guys and girls that wanted to play on this are actually some real stellar musicians, and of course they make the record. Now, I know I'm saying all the funny things with sad things and odd ball (sic) things and controversial things over the music, but there are people that have told me, "Neil, we love your new record." And I say, "Well, did you like the lyrics?" And they say, "I didn't even listen to you, I was just listening to the music." They tuned me right out. The music is so top notch, and that's why the bands, you know, I'm doing a few shows with the bands. The shows will be half music and half jokes, and we're calling it The Too Good for Neil Hamburger Band, because that is really the truth when you got guys like our drummer (Prairie Prince) in particular. I mean, the man has played with pretty well everybody, from Chris Isaak to John Fogerty. And now of course we've got Rachel Haden, who's really one of the top female vocalists out there, and she's got the voice of an angel. And she's singing on the goddamn record, too. And Dave Gleason - the man has really conquered the guitar in a way that hasn't been seen in many, many years. And my dear friend Atom Ellis who's playing bass on this, he has played with The New Cars. Have you seen The New Cars?
I haven't seen them live, no.
It's the old Cars, but it's new now, all new. The drummer is also in The New Cars. We have two-fifths of The New Cars. Now how improbable is that for a comedian that is known for making dirty jokes?
I've heard the album quite a bit by the way. It's fantastic actually. It's really great.
Thanks. Thank you very much. We put all we had into it over the course of the three days in which it was recorded.
And you sound very comfortable in the sort of western country music genre. It almost goes hand-in-hand strangely enough. You wouldn't expect that.
Yeah, I was surprised by that, too, especially with the tough recording schedule. You know, most of these songs were done in two takes maximum and I was really intimidated playing and singing with these great musicians, and you know I'm no Pavarotti and I'm no Phil Collins. So when I went in there, I said, well, geeze, what if we have to record this word by word, you know, to piece this thing together. And they said, "Neil, just don't worry about it, just do your thing this. This is a personality record and we're not striving for perfection. Just get comfortable and sing your songs and it should work out you know," and that's what we did.
And it did work out. It did work out really well.
Thank you very much.
Oh, no problem. Now, you've done quite a bit of shows since you started back in...
It was a long, long time ago. When I started out, there was no internet, you know? That's how long it's been. You did have things like applesauce. It wasn't that long ago when people didn't have applesauce in their lives, but we didn't have internet.
Can you tell us a little about how you get started in the business?
Well, you know, everyone has their destiny of what they were born to do, and I somehow mistakenly believed that this was my destiny and that I could have a sensational career if I just worked hard and followed my dream. You've heard people say if you follow your dream and really believe in it, it will happen. I have been following the dream and it has not happened. I am so far into debt and so many lawsuits and problems with my career, and then you see somebody like a Carrot Top who comes along brings in a truck-load of garbage he stole from a Salvation Army donation box. You know, he drags these things onto the stage and that's a show? I mean, you see homeless guys dragging around shopping carts filled with things they've stolen and that's not a show. I'm sorry, that's not a show. You don't pay money to see that.
That's very true. I don't think I've ever heard that, though - the comparison of Carrot Top and a homeless man.
Well, now the whole world can hear it because it's true and it needs to be heard.
Yes, I think so. That's a very good point. You've done a lot of work too with Tim and Eric. They've grown in popularity as you have.
Yes, they are fantastic and we're working on doing some more stuff this summer, trying to film some more stuff and really make a go of it because we really, really enjoy working together.
Have you been on their show, Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job?
Yes, I did an episode on that show. It was back in the first season and the show was just starting out, and they had me on to play a taxi driver and we drove around for a couple of hours filming and filmed some scenes in a parking lot, and filmed some scenes by the side of the road, and edited it all together. It came out great! All improvised, you know. No scripts for that.
You also work with Tom Green quite a bit. How did you guys meet and start working together?
He had seen my DVD from the Phoenix Greyhound Park and gave me a call. He said, "Neil, come on by, let's do something." We had a mutual friend, a guy by the name of Mike Hickey, who has a sensational band called Daiquiri, and I guess he had given Tom the DVD. And there you have it.
Yeah, I've seen you many times on Tom Green Live that he has on the internet.
Yeah, I might be going on soon, too. I just heard from him yesterday saying that he wanted to do some sort of episodes at his house over the next week maybe.
Any chance of bringing back Poolside Chats?
I don't know about it. You know, it's possible. Everyone has been so busy. The crew there changes a lot over at Tom Green Live and the guys that were filming that and stuff have left, and then they got some new people in, and then they got a TV deal over there at Tom Green Live and things got very hectic. They just didn't have the time and we didn't have the time to get the Poolside Chats going, but I wouldn't rule it out in the future; definitely not. Tom has asked about it, you know, and he's still interested and it's just been a long time since we've actually done it.
Yeah, I've seen a lot of the episodes. They're great stuff; it's just that I'm sad that they've been discontinued.
Yeah, well, you know, it could come back. In the mean time, there's a guy who started a website called poolsidechats.com that has a lot of the old episodes still up there that you can watch in the mean time.
Getting back to your recording history, why is it that Drag City Records is usually the ones putting out your albums and they're primarily a music rock band sort of label. Why haven't you done stuff with comedy record labels?
Well, you know, I did do a thing with Comedy Central last year, like a ten-minute track on a CD they did called Comedy Death Ray. But, in general you know, I say if you've got a winning horse, you keep betting on it. And in the case of Drag City, they asked me to do one album and I said why the hell not, you know, and it was such a pleasure working with those people. They're such good, honest hometown sorts of folks. And they do just such a great job with everything, from the art work down to the promotion. And of course just dealing with them on a day-to-day basis is such a pleasure that, you know... If you want me to leave Drag City, you're going to have to pry them out of my cold, dead hands. But, it's not a situation I would want to leave. And of course a lot of these comedy record labels, you know, you're lumped with a lot of these ha-ha sort of guys that really you don't want to spend any time with on a personal basis. And they have these company Christmas parties at the end of the year. You know, I'd rather spend it with somebody like Bonnie Prince Billy, who I get along with well, rather than drinking eggnog with some of these ha-ha yuck-yuck sort of guys that are out to stab you in the back at any chance they get.
Yeah, competition.
Yeah, you know, it's tough.
What's your opinion of comedy today? I mean, there seems to be a lot of comedians today coming out with new material that's not as traditional, like Tim and Eric and other contemporaries. What's your view on that?
Well, I do like Tim and Eric a lot. Those guys are the funniest guys out there. There's a guy named Andy Kindler I really like who's very funny. He's a bit on the negative side sometimes, but I like that. But you know a lot of these guys... I mean, and there are a lot of other great ones out there, but there are some of these guys who come out and they start telling you an account of what happened when they went to Home Depot that day. Well, twenty minutes later I'm saying to myself, well that's fine, but where's the laughs? Where's the jokes? I'm sorry that you dropped a paint can on your foot but we need a punch line, you know? Let's get to the laughs. And that's the trend that I don't like. I don't want to hear about your miserable life. I just want to hear a joke. Let's hear something funny. That's why we go out to see comedies; to laugh and forget our problems, not to absorb someone else's problems.
Very true. Now, you were in Australia earlier this year to record with a band?
Yeah I did an album there with a group called the Hard-Ons, which is an obscene phrase, but they're a real popular uh... punk music is the type of music, and they have been playing in Australia for 25 years. They're a very, very legendary group there. And I was there doing a tour. I've done 14 Australian tours now, and I was doing another one and these guys approached me and said, "Neil! Let's do a record together!" So we went into a studio in Sydney, knocked that over a course of a day. It's just a four-song record, but I think it came out pretty well. I don't know who's releasing it or when. The Hard-Ons of course have had many, many records over the past 25 years, released in America, in Europe, and Australia; that sort of thing. So, we'll see. It's sort of a strange combination of their loud music and my... well, shall we say personality-oriented vocals.
I'll have to keep an eye out on that. And not only have you played in Australia, but you've also played all across the globe pretty much: Canada, Ireland, New Zealand… you name it, you've probably been there.
Well I have not been to Cuba, and I have not been to China, and I have not been to Nepal.
North Korea? No, not yet?
No, not been to Korea, I have not been to Iraq; I have not been to Spain. So, there are a few more that we do need to get our shows set up in, but we're doing the best that we can.
Over the years of touring constantly, is there any place that you prefer or one of your better experiences or...
Well, I'll tell you, I've always had good luck in Australia from doing so many tours there and they keep bringing me back, so that's been good. Canada, always good for a laugh up there in Canada. They always respond real well. We're going back to England this year, which should be good; try and tap into that whole scene. It's very expensive over there, but maybe we can make it work. I don't know. Portland, Oregon is always a great town for me. And Boston, we always have a good show out there in Boston. And Austin Texas has been dynamite every time. Fargo, North Dakota, we always have a great show. And of course Phoenix, Arizona has been very, very good for me in the past. And San Francisco, San Diego, all the wonderful, sensational towns for me where the people really do come out. Now, I don't know what's going to happen in Florida. I have not played there in about five years.
Where did you play at?
I did three shows there in the summer of 2003. It was in Orlando and Miami and also in Tallahassee.
So this will be your first time in Gainesville?
It will be the very first time.
Well, that will be a privilege.
You think the folks will come out or is there so much going on there with the sports and the football and all that?
Right now the sports thing is dying down. So yeah, I think you'll do well. A lot of my friends are trying to get more people to come to the show because we realize that the very fact that you're coming here is something else entirely, so we're going to try and get as many people possible.
I'm glad to hear, because I've went through the town once before and I had something to eat there, and I looked around and I said this is where we should be playing. But it's taken many, many years to make that dream happen, so I'm glad to hear that there could be some interest there and it wasn't just my insane speculation.
Where was it here that you ate at?
Well, I had... I almost think I had some falafel or something. I don't know.
Oh, falafel.
I think, but... and you know, I don't remember every meal, but I do think it was something of that nature that I had while I was passing through.
It might've been Gyros Plus. That's a great place. Good, good, good food; very good food.
Oh, so the restaurant still exists?
Yes, oh yeah. If it's the place I'm thinking of, then yes.
Oh, okay. That may have been where I ate. You know, I came into town and drove around a bit. We were looking for a thrift store or something. I was looking for something. I don't remember what I was looking for, but I went in looking for something and that's when I had this memorable meal. It was quite good.
Yeah, the food here is really good. Most of it is locally grown. Good stuff.
That's what we like. We don't want anymore Applebee’s meals ever.
Can you tell me anymore about this Greg Turkington fellow?
Oh that guy has produced some of my records. And I don't know a lot about his career outside of the records of mine that he's produced, you know.
I know he was in a band called the Zip Code Rapists. Have you ever toured with them?
No, I haven't, but I don't really keep up on all that - on the music and things like that you know. Kind of more involved in just getting from town to town and I don't always have the time to listen to these new sorts of bands you know, unless it's on the radio.
Well I haven't really followed them closely, but I know that they've been around for some time and I've heard some of their stuff; great stuff.
Yeah it sounds good to me. I do like good music, but I can't say that I'm familiar with those guys and I didn't know that he was a musician. I just know that he records some of my shows and makes them into albums, which is very nice. You know, someone would do something like that.
So, again, this is your first time in Gainesville. Coming into this show, do you have any certain expectations? Because I know Gainesville sort of has a reputation.
Well, there was a group that I toured with in Australia years and years ago that was from Gainesville.
Oh, who was that?
I don't know if they're still there and I don't know if they're still making music. They were called Less Than Jake. I don't know if they still play that music.
Yes, they still play.
Well those guys I did about eight or nine shows with them in Australia. Oh, it must've been eight years ago or so, and I don't know why we were playing together. Certainly their music is different than my comedy. But, how we were paired up together... and I had a real good time. They were real nice people. Now I don’t know who is still in the groups. Sometimes in these groups, you'll see them and there's one original member. Have you seen The Temptations lately? These guys, some of them are 20 years old you know. You weren't born yet (sic), what is this? I don't know what happened with Less Than Jake. I mean maybe they don't live in Gainesville anymore, I don't know, but I know that's where they were from because they would talk about it. They would have anecdotes and things.
Yeah, I'm sure most of the band members are still together.
Well, there you go. That's my main anecdote; is spending time with those guys throughout Australia. We did a show in Darwin, Australia, which is... if you look at your map, it is one of the most isolated towns there is, and we somehow got a show going there. It was pretty unusual. I'll tell you, they sold some real tough shows for me because we were playing pretty big venues through these punk rock type of bands you know, and real idiots some of them, people throwing things at me.
That seems to happen a lot to you.
Oh, it was tough. And I'll tell you, we did one show in Perth, Australia on the West Coast of Australia - again, a very isolated town and not many people ever visit - and the crowd was so horrible at the first show. We did the next night just a few miles away and I was terrified because they were throwing glass bottles and that sort of thing. So, we went out and rented a wheelchair, and I had the roadies for the tour put me on the stage in the wheelchair, and I had to come out and say to the crowd that I was an American comedian who had cancer and that playing in Australia in Perth was my dream and the Make-A-Wish Foundation had sent me out there to open for Less Than Jake and it was my dying wish, and so please be patient.
Oh man.
And, you know, that had the crowd pretty quiet. They believed the story and they hadn't seen me walking around earlier, and I did the show sitting there and people were being very patient. But, can you believe this; after long enough, they started throwing things anyway. That's when I jumped up out of the chair, told them all off and ran off the stage followed by a shower of bottles and that sort of thing. But those guys, they saw some pretty wild shows back then you know. Unfortunately, I try not to tour with the punk rock bands because it just leads to all kinds of trouble. These kids come out to see this kind of music and instead they're getting this well-dressed comedian. You know, that's just a bad combination.
Speaking of hecklers… I mean, I'm sure you've had your share of terrible hecklers from the years of touring and performing. Any that sticks out in your mind as some of your worse experiences with hecklers?
You know, I don't think I even want to tell you if there was. I mean, there have been some real creeps. You know, real sickies. I'll tell you one thing. All the heckling I've had, I've never heard anything funny coming out of their mouths. You know, these are... it's not a good breed of people, the hecklers you know. And they can't win because they don't have a microphone. They can yell this or that, but I can always overpower them. I'll tell you, when we were in New York playing in Madison Square Garden. That was a good one because the whole crowd started chanting "asshole" at me. You know, that was notable. I can't say it was wonderful, but it was notable. I was opening for Tenacious D and that's what they wanted to see, so they started chanting "ASSHOLE, ASSHOLE," and it gets tough. It's a little tough trying to continue, but I went ahead and did my entire half-hour set. I wasn't going to let those jerks get me down.
And I heard that was a pretty good show.
Yeah, I did the best I could, I tell you. Yeah, I definitely tried. I did all the jokes and I guess I sort of antagonized a few people over the course of the... because, you know, what are you going to do when you come out and five minutes into your set they're chanting asshole to you, 17,000 people. You've got to fight back.
How do you do it after all these years?
How do I keep going?
Yes, how do you... I mean the sheer tenacity. How do you do it?
Well, it gets easier with time you know because it's all I do at this point. It's all I've done for many years and it's sort of like putting on your shoes. It just becomes part of your life. I think I'd be more uncomfortable not doing it. If I had a night off, which I don't EVER, I don't know what I would do. I'd probably pace the walk way of the rest area that I would be staying at on my night off because, I tell you, getting hotels is tough when you're not making much money. So it could be a real frustrating time to have a night off because then you're left alone with your thoughts and those can drive you crazy. You know, negativity and self-hatred and hatred for others. And before you know it, you've derailed yourself and you're not doing well. So, I prefer to keep working. And also because I owe so much money that I need to pay off.
Yeah, those debts aren't going to pay themselves.
No. I don't know what sort of work you're doing. I'm assuming you're making a good living as a journalist.
Oh, god no. I'm a student and I am broke as hell.
Well then you know.
Yeah.
You've got to pay the piper and that's the thing. And if I can keep on doing these shows and kept from being left alone with my thoughts, which are quite grim sometimes, then that's probably the best thing for me.
Well, do you have any last words for our readers in Gainesville?
Well please come on out. I'm really looking forward to this show. We wanted to get to Gainesville back in 2003 when I did that Florida tour and, at that time, couldn't seem to get the show booked, so it's good now that we're coming out this time and it's actually Miami we're having trouble booking. It seems like that's a difficult town for a lot of people and I don't know why because it's a big town you know. But yes, Gainesville is something I'm very much looking forward to and I do hope people come out. And I think with this article that might happen if anyone listens to what you say. I mean, you might do better if you try to prove to your editors that you've got some sort of crowd. You might do an article on this new Indiana Jones movie and you say it's good, right? And then when it opens next week, when it breaks all box office records, you could say "see, they listened to me."
That’s His Life: An Interview with Neil Hamburger
In the world of stand-up comedy, there is only one Neil Hamburger. Dressed in a sharp bow tie and tuxedo, a tasteful comb over and a drink or two to keep the blood flowing, Mr. Hamburger has toured most of his life bringing his unique brand of humor and class across the world from clubs to pizza joints alike. He has also made appearances on shows like Jimmy Kimmel Live, Fox News’ Red Eye, Tom Green Live, and Tim and Eric, Awesome Show, Great Job!
We recently had the rare opportunity speak with the man behind the laughs, discussing such topical issues as his new album, the life of a touring comedian, his upcoming show here, and Applebee’s. Be sure to catch his first performance ever in Gainesville on June 24th at Common Grounds. $8 cover, doors at 9:00.
How are you doing this morning?
Oh, you're starting with a tough question are you?
Yes.
Well, it's been a hard morning because we had a terrible, terrible show last night. Somebody got real sick - you know, in the head, mentally ill - during the show and had to be thrown out of the night club. The guy had I think some sort of disorder. And then of course when you drink 17 rum and cokes, then you really go out of your mind.
Is everyone okay?
Everyone's okay. There was a chair that he was sitting on that is broken now, and I don't know how that happened. I saw the pieces of the broken chair, but of course I was busy doing my thing, which was to tell the jokes you know, and not paying too much attention to the ruckus going on out there.
Well, I'm sorry to hear that.
Well, you know, these things happen in show business. This is not necessarily the career I would recommend for someone that wants something that is sedate or that pays well.
Yeah, well, sorry to hear about that though.
Well, thank you. And you know it could've been worse, but when you see a splintered chair... Now, I don't know if it was broken over somebody's head or the man, because he drank so much, he gained so much weight that the chair just broke under it's own weight or what. You know, you get all kinds of crazy things happening out when you play these nightclubs.
And you're still on the West Coast, right?
Right now, yeah, we're on the West Coast doing shows.
Where are you currently?
Right now we're in a little town called Avenal in California.
So you're on tour right now. You're promoting your new album, Sing Country Winners...
Yes, we've got a new one out and... Well, I would say that we're promoting it, except that we're doing shows year-round anyway. We do a song or two from the album during the course of the show.
Oh, I see. So, you're doing stand-up and music?
Yeah, doing a couple songs just to help promote the record and to break up the monotony of the jokes.
What's kind of strange is this is a country western album. Now, you've done music before, correct?
Very rarely. You know, I'm a comedian. I'll leave the music to the professionals. You know, people like Linkin Park, those assholes. They can play the music and I'll tell the jokes, you know. I don't think you'd want to go see them tell jokes, but I also don't think you'd want to go see them play music. But, you know, we have a couple of songs. I've done over 10 albums now and there were a couple of songs on those albums. Mostly as filler, you know? But, now we've decided to expand the whole concept and really do an all music album to see what goes on with that, see if that can work, because comedy... the kids aren't buying that anymore. You get these horrible music records. Have you heard of a group called Fall Out Boy?
Sadly, yes.
Now that is just some of the worst sewer type of music you'll ever hear. It sounds like rats playing it, you know? It's just terrible music. And yet, you know, they've sold million and millions and millions of copies.
Yes, they have. They've done very well for themselves.
You do a comedy record, you're lucky you can sell a dozen, you know? So, we've decided let's try this music thing out and see if we can get some money happening because it's a tough world we live in. You know about the oil prices. Those are through the roof.
Yeah, they're getting higher and higher.
It's horrible.
And I'm sure that's not helping your tour at all.
Well, no, because I drive an average of 700 miles a day.
Wow. That's quite a bit of a distance there.
Yeah, it is, but I'll do it because the show must go on.
It’s interesting you're doing a country western album. What got you to do this?
I was asked to, you know?
Fair enough.
I was asked to make the record and I said oh, I'll do it. And it was good because in all my travels across the country, I have had a chance to listen to a lot of country and western that was on the radio. Now, country today sounds more like Linkin Park and you have all the synthesizers and the drum machines and it's terrible, so we went for the old sound with the real instruments. We've got the pedal steel and that sort of thing on this record. So, we're really making it something that the fans can enjoy.
And you're being backed up by some talent there for your band.
Yes we are! We really lucked out. These guys and girls that wanted to play on this are actually some real stellar musicians, and of course they make the record. Now, I know I'm saying all the funny things with sad things and odd ball (sic) things and controversial things over the music, but there are people that have told me, "Neil, we love your new record." And I say, "Well, did you like the lyrics?" And they say, "I didn't even listen to you, I was just listening to the music." They tuned me right out. The music is so top notch, and that's why the bands, you know, I'm doing a few shows with the bands. The shows will be half music and half jokes, and we're calling it The Too Good for Neil Hamburger Band, because that is really the truth when you got guys like our drummer (Prairie Prince) in particular. I mean, the man has played with pretty well everybody, from Chris Isaak to John Fogerty. And now of course we've got Rachel Haden, who's really one of the top female vocalists out there, and she's got the voice of an angel. And she's singing on the goddamn record, too. And Dave Gleason - the man has really conquered the guitar in a way that hasn't been seen in many, many years. And my dear friend Atom Ellis who's playing bass on this, he has played with The New Cars. Have you seen The New Cars?
I haven't seen them live, no.
It's the old Cars, but it's new now, all new. The drummer is also in The New Cars. We have two-fifths of The New Cars. Now how improbable is that for a comedian that is known for making dirty jokes?
I've heard the album quite a bit by the way. It's fantastic actually. It's really great.
Thanks. Thank you very much. We put all we had into it over the course of the three days in which it was recorded.
And you sound very comfortable in the sort of western country music genre. It almost goes hand-in-hand strangely enough. You wouldn't expect that.
Yeah, I was surprised by that, too, especially with the tough recording schedule. You know, most of these songs were done in two takes maximum and I was really intimidated playing and singing with these great musicians, and you know I'm no Pavarotti and I'm no Phil Collins. So when I went in there, I said, well, geeze, what if we have to record this word by word, you know, to piece this thing together. And they said, "Neil, just don't worry about it, just do your thing this. This is a personality record and we're not striving for perfection. Just get comfortable and sing your songs and it should work out you know," and that's what we did.
And it did work out. It did work out really well.
Thank you very much.
Oh, no problem. Now, you've done quite a bit of shows since you started back in...
It was a long, long time ago. When I started out, there was no internet, you know? That's how long it's been. You did have things like applesauce. It wasn't that long ago when people didn't have applesauce in their lives, but we didn't have internet.
Can you tell us a little about how you get started in the business?
Well, you know, everyone has their destiny of what they were born to do, and I somehow mistakenly believed that this was my destiny and that I could have a sensational career if I just worked hard and followed my dream. You've heard people say if you follow your dream and really believe in it, it will happen. I have been following the dream and it has not happened. I am so far into debt and so many lawsuits and problems with my career, and then you see somebody like a Carrot Top who comes along brings in a truck-load of garbage he stole from a Salvation Army donation box. You know, he drags these things onto the stage and that's a show? I mean, you see homeless guys dragging around shopping carts filled with things they've stolen and that's not a show. I'm sorry, that's not a show. You don't pay money to see that.
That's very true. I don't think I've ever heard that, though - the comparison of Carrot Top and a homeless man.
Well, now the whole world can hear it because it's true and it needs to be heard.
Yes, I think so. That's a very good point. You've done a lot of work too with Tim and Eric. They've grown in popularity as you have.
Yes, they are fantastic and we're working on doing some more stuff this summer, trying to film some more stuff and really make a go of it because we really, really enjoy working together.
Have you been on their show, Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job?
Yes, I did an episode on that show. It was back in the first season and the show was just starting out, and they had me on to play a taxi driver and we drove around for a couple of hours filming and filmed some scenes in a parking lot, and filmed some scenes by the side of the road, and edited it all together. It came out great! All improvised, you know. No scripts for that.
You also work with Tom Green quite a bit. How did you guys meet and start working together?
He had seen my DVD from the Phoenix Greyhound Park and gave me a call. He said, "Neil, come on by, let's do something." We had a mutual friend, a guy by the name of Mike Hickey, who has a sensational band called Daiquiri, and I guess he had given Tom the DVD. And there you have it.
Yeah, I've seen you many times on Tom Green Live that he has on the internet.
Yeah, I might be going on soon, too. I just heard from him yesterday saying that he wanted to do some sort of episodes at his house over the next week maybe.
Any chance of bringing back Poolside Chats?
I don't know about it. You know, it's possible. Everyone has been so busy. The crew there changes a lot over at Tom Green Live and the guys that were filming that and stuff have left, and then they got some new people in, and then they got a TV deal over there at Tom Green Live and things got very hectic. They just didn't have the time and we didn't have the time to get the Poolside Chats going, but I wouldn't rule it out in the future; definitely not. Tom has asked about it, you know, and he's still interested and it's just been a long time since we've actually done it.
Yeah, I've seen a lot of the episodes. They're great stuff; it's just that I'm sad that they've been discontinued.
Yeah, well, you know, it could come back. In the mean time, there's a guy who started a website called poolsidechats.com that has a lot of the old episodes still up there that you can watch in the mean time.
Getting back to your recording history, why is it that Drag City Records is usually the ones putting out your albums and they're primarily a music rock band sort of label. Why haven't you done stuff with comedy record labels?
Well, you know, I did do a thing with Comedy Central last year, like a ten-minute track on a CD they did called Comedy Death Ray. But, in general you know, I say if you've got a winning horse, you keep betting on it. And in the case of Drag City, they asked me to do one album and I said why the hell not, you know, and it was such a pleasure working with those people. They're such good, honest hometown sorts of folks. And they do just such a great job with everything, from the art work down to the promotion. And of course just dealing with them on a day-to-day basis is such a pleasure that, you know... If you want me to leave Drag City, you're going to have to pry them out of my cold, dead hands. But, it's not a situation I would want to leave. And of course a lot of these comedy record labels, you know, you're lumped with a lot of these ha-ha sort of guys that really you don't want to spend any time with on a personal basis. And they have these company Christmas parties at the end of the year. You know, I'd rather spend it with somebody like Bonnie Prince Billy, who I get along with well, rather than drinking eggnog with some of these ha-ha yuck-yuck sort of guys that are out to stab you in the back at any chance they get.
Yeah, competition.
Yeah, you know, it's tough.
What's your opinion of comedy today? I mean, there seems to be a lot of comedians today coming out with new material that's not as traditional, like Tim and Eric and other contemporaries. What's your view on that?
Well, I do like Tim and Eric a lot. Those guys are the funniest guys out there. There's a guy named Andy Kindler I really like who's very funny. He's a bit on the negative side sometimes, but I like that. But you know a lot of these guys... I mean, and there are a lot of other great ones out there, but there are some of these guys who come out and they start telling you an account of what happened when they went to Home Depot that day. Well, twenty minutes later I'm saying to myself, well that's fine, but where's the laughs? Where's the jokes? I'm sorry that you dropped a paint can on your foot but we need a punch line, you know? Let's get to the laughs. And that's the trend that I don't like. I don't want to hear about your miserable life. I just want to hear a joke. Let's hear something funny. That's why we go out to see comedies; to laugh and forget our problems, not to absorb someone else's problems.
Very true. Now, you were in Australia earlier this year to record with a band?
Yeah I did an album there with a group called the Hard-Ons, which is an obscene phrase, but they're a real popular uh... punk music is the type of music, and they have been playing in Australia for 25 years. They're a very, very legendary group there. And I was there doing a tour. I've done 14 Australian tours now, and I was doing another one and these guys approached me and said, "Neil! Let's do a record together!" So we went into a studio in Sydney, knocked that over a course of a day. It's just a four-song record, but I think it came out pretty well. I don't know who's releasing it or when. The Hard-Ons of course have had many, many records over the past 25 years, released in America, in Europe, and Australia; that sort of thing. So, we'll see. It's sort of a strange combination of their loud music and my... well, shall we say personality-oriented vocals.
I'll have to keep an eye out on that. And not only have you played in Australia, but you've also played all across the globe pretty much: Canada, Ireland, New Zealand… you name it, you've probably been there.
Well I have not been to Cuba, and I have not been to China, and I have not been to Nepal.
North Korea? No, not yet?
No, not been to Korea, I have not been to Iraq; I have not been to Spain. So, there are a few more that we do need to get our shows set up in, but we're doing the best that we can.
Over the years of touring constantly, is there any place that you prefer or one of your better experiences or...
Well, I'll tell you, I've always had good luck in Australia from doing so many tours there and they keep bringing me back, so that's been good. Canada, always good for a laugh up there in Canada. They always respond real well. We're going back to England this year, which should be good; try and tap into that whole scene. It's very expensive over there, but maybe we can make it work. I don't know. Portland, Oregon is always a great town for me. And Boston, we always have a good show out there in Boston. And Austin Texas has been dynamite every time. Fargo, North Dakota, we always have a great show. And of course Phoenix, Arizona has been very, very good for me in the past. And San Francisco, San Diego, all the wonderful, sensational towns for me where the people really do come out. Now, I don't know what's going to happen in Florida. I have not played there in about five years.
Where did you play at?
I did three shows there in the summer of 2003. It was in Orlando and Miami and also in Tallahassee.
So this will be your first time in Gainesville?
It will be the very first time.
Well, that will be a privilege.
You think the folks will come out or is there so much going on there with the sports and the football and all that?
Right now the sports thing is dying down. So yeah, I think you'll do well. A lot of my friends are trying to get more people to come to the show because we realize that the very fact that you're coming here is something else entirely, so we're going to try and get as many people possible.
I'm glad to hear, because I've went through the town once before and I had something to eat there, and I looked around and I said this is where we should be playing. But it's taken many, many years to make that dream happen, so I'm glad to hear that there could be some interest there and it wasn't just my insane speculation.
Where was it here that you ate at?
Well, I had... I almost think I had some falafel or something. I don't know.
Oh, falafel.
I think, but... and you know, I don't remember every meal, but I do think it was something of that nature that I had while I was passing through.
It might've been Gyros Plus. That's a great place. Good, good, good food; very good food.
Oh, so the restaurant still exists?
Yes, oh yeah. If it's the place I'm thinking of, then yes.
Oh, okay. That may have been where I ate. You know, I came into town and drove around a bit. We were looking for a thrift store or something. I was looking for something. I don't remember what I was looking for, but I went in looking for something and that's when I had this memorable meal. It was quite good.
Yeah, the food here is really good. Most of it is locally grown. Good stuff.
That's what we like. We don't want anymore Applebee’s meals ever.
Can you tell me anymore about this Greg Turkington fellow?
Oh that guy has produced some of my records. And I don't know a lot about his career outside of the records of mine that he's produced, you know.
I know he was in a band called the Zip Code Rapists. Have you ever toured with them?
No, I haven't, but I don't really keep up on all that - on the music and things like that you know. Kind of more involved in just getting from town to town and I don't always have the time to listen to these new sorts of bands you know, unless it's on the radio.
Well I haven't really followed them closely, but I know that they've been around for some time and I've heard some of their stuff; great stuff.
Yeah it sounds good to me. I do like good music, but I can't say that I'm familiar with those guys and I didn't know that he was a musician. I just know that he records some of my shows and makes them into albums, which is very nice. You know, someone would do something like that.
So, again, this is your first time in Gainesville. Coming into this show, do you have any certain expectations? Because I know Gainesville sort of has a reputation.
Well, there was a group that I toured with in Australia years and years ago that was from Gainesville.
Oh, who was that?
I don't know if they're still there and I don't know if they're still making music. They were called Less Than Jake. I don't know if they still play that music.
Yes, they still play.
Well those guys I did about eight or nine shows with them in Australia. Oh, it must've been eight years ago or so, and I don't know why we were playing together. Certainly their music is different than my comedy. But, how we were paired up together... and I had a real good time. They were real nice people. Now I don’t know who is still in the groups. Sometimes in these groups, you'll see them and there's one original member. Have you seen The Temptations lately? These guys, some of them are 20 years old you know. You weren't born yet (sic), what is this? I don't know what happened with Less Than Jake. I mean maybe they don't live in Gainesville anymore, I don't know, but I know that's where they were from because they would talk about it. They would have anecdotes and things.
Yeah, I'm sure most of the band members are still together.
Well, there you go. That's my main anecdote; is spending time with those guys throughout Australia. We did a show in Darwin, Australia, which is... if you look at your map, it is one of the most isolated towns there is, and we somehow got a show going there. It was pretty unusual. I'll tell you, they sold some real tough shows for me because we were playing pretty big venues through these punk rock type of bands you know, and real idiots some of them, people throwing things at me.
That seems to happen a lot to you.
Oh, it was tough. And I'll tell you, we did one show in Perth, Australia on the West Coast of Australia - again, a very isolated town and not many people ever visit - and the crowd was so horrible at the first show. We did the next night just a few miles away and I was terrified because they were throwing glass bottles and that sort of thing. So, we went out and rented a wheelchair, and I had the roadies for the tour put me on the stage in the wheelchair, and I had to come out and say to the crowd that I was an American comedian who had cancer and that playing in Australia in Perth was my dream and the Make-A-Wish Foundation had sent me out there to open for Less Than Jake and it was my dying wish, and so please be patient.
Oh man.
And, you know, that had the crowd pretty quiet. They believed the story and they hadn't seen me walking around earlier, and I did the show sitting there and people were being very patient. But, can you believe this; after long enough, they started throwing things anyway. That's when I jumped up out of the chair, told them all off and ran off the stage followed by a shower of bottles and that sort of thing. But those guys, they saw some pretty wild shows back then you know. Unfortunately, I try not to tour with the punk rock bands because it just leads to all kinds of trouble. These kids come out to see this kind of music and instead they're getting this well-dressed comedian. You know, that's just a bad combination.
Speaking of hecklers… I mean, I'm sure you've had your share of terrible hecklers from the years of touring and performing. Any that sticks out in your mind as some of your worse experiences with hecklers?
You know, I don't think I even want to tell you if there was. I mean, there have been some real creeps. You know, real sickies. I'll tell you one thing. All the heckling I've had, I've never heard anything funny coming out of their mouths. You know, these are... it's not a good breed of people, the hecklers you know. And they can't win because they don't have a microphone. They can yell this or that, but I can always overpower them. I'll tell you, when we were in New York playing in Madison Square Garden. That was a good one because the whole crowd started chanting "asshole" at me. You know, that was notable. I can't say it was wonderful, but it was notable. I was opening for Tenacious D and that's what they wanted to see, so they started chanting "ASSHOLE, ASSHOLE," and it gets tough. It's a little tough trying to continue, but I went ahead and did my entire half-hour set. I wasn't going to let those jerks get me down.
And I heard that was a pretty good show.
Yeah, I did the best I could, I tell you. Yeah, I definitely tried. I did all the jokes and I guess I sort of antagonized a few people over the course of the... because, you know, what are you going to do when you come out and five minutes into your set they're chanting asshole to you, 17,000 people. You've got to fight back.
How do you do it after all these years?
How do I keep going?
Yes, how do you... I mean the sheer tenacity. How do you do it?
Well, it gets easier with time you know because it's all I do at this point. It's all I've done for many years and it's sort of like putting on your shoes. It just becomes part of your life. I think I'd be more uncomfortable not doing it. If I had a night off, which I don't EVER, I don't know what I would do. I'd probably pace the walk way of the rest area that I would be staying at on my night off because, I tell you, getting hotels is tough when you're not making much money. So it could be a real frustrating time to have a night off because then you're left alone with your thoughts and those can drive you crazy. You know, negativity and self-hatred and hatred for others. And before you know it, you've derailed yourself and you're not doing well. So, I prefer to keep working. And also because I owe so much money that I need to pay off.
Yeah, those debts aren't going to pay themselves.
No. I don't know what sort of work you're doing. I'm assuming you're making a good living as a journalist.
Oh, god no. I'm a student and I am broke as hell.
Well then you know.
Yeah.
You've got to pay the piper and that's the thing. And if I can keep on doing these shows and kept from being left alone with my thoughts, which are quite grim sometimes, then that's probably the best thing for me.
Well, do you have any last words for our readers in Gainesville?
Well please come on out. I'm really looking forward to this show. We wanted to get to Gainesville back in 2003 when I did that Florida tour and, at that time, couldn't seem to get the show booked, so it's good now that we're coming out this time and it's actually Miami we're having trouble booking. It seems like that's a difficult town for a lot of people and I don't know why because it's a big town you know. But yes, Gainesville is something I'm very much looking forward to and I do hope people come out. And I think with this article that might happen if anyone listens to what you say. I mean, you might do better if you try to prove to your editors that you've got some sort of crowd. You might do an article on this new Indiana Jones movie and you say it's good, right? And then when it opens next week, when it breaks all box office records, you could say "see, they listened to me."
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Broadcast & The Focus Group - " " Investigates Witch Cults of the Radio Age
The following was my last album review for buddyhead.com. Due to circumstances out of my control, I stopped writing for them and this review was never published. So, I figured I might as well post it here so it wasn't a total waste. Enjoy.
Artist: Broadcast & The Focus Group
Album: Broadcast and The Focus Group Investigate Witch Cults of the Radio Age
Label: Warp Records
Since the mid-1990s, Birmingham, England's electronic dream pop group, Broadcast, has enchanted listeners with their alluring combination of ambient, retro-futuristic soundscapes and psychedelic trances. Their newest LP, Broadcast and The Focus Group Investigate Witch Cults of the Radio Age, finds them collaborating with the analogous The Focus Group, the sound collage solo project of Julian House (British graphic designer/co-founder of Ghost Box Music known for his album cover work for Stereolab, Oasis, and the aforementioned Broadcast among others). The results are, to say the least, astounding, and it has easily become one of my favorite releases of this year.
For those not familiar with The Focus Group, hearing Radio Age may throw off a few first timers. Using a combination of Pierre Schaeffer-influenced sound compositions alongside archived library and documentary music, House's aesthetic approach could have potentially clashed with Broadcast's more traditional song structures, but the marriage between House and Broadcast manages to find the perfect pitch between discomforting and captivating, an eerie seance of voices, sounds, and harmonies that slowly surface and quiver through the ghostly frequencies of some haunted radio.
The LP's second track, "The Be Colony," acts as the record's only perceivable anchor, opening with an ominous waltz-like composition joined by Keenan's weightless vocals blending and reverberating into one other. From here, the record fluctuates between amorphous collections of House's layered sounds and Broadcast's disquieting futurist melodies. The results can only be described as paranormal psychedelia with a tinge of Victorian atmosphere. Most of the record appears to focus (first and last pun in any of my reviews) around The Focus Group and Broadcast's sample-heavy instrumentals, but tracks such as "I See, So I See So," "Libra the Mirror's Minor Self," "Make My Sleep His Song," and "What I Saw" momentarily feature Keenan at her best. The record closes out with a psychotropic summary entitled "The Be Colony/Dashing Home/What On Earth Took You?," a loving ode to Broadcast's love affair with 1960s experimental psych rock band The United States of America.
Radio Age, while being touted as a mini-album, comes off as a fully formed creation that gives a glimpse into the intangible world of mirrors, phantoms, and magic. If you're more familiar with Broadcast, I highly recommend at least giving it a play through. If you're already a fan of The Focus Group, this one is a no-brainer.
Also, for further reading that may indirectly elucidate my feelings on this album and past releases of the parties involved, check out Paleo-Future.
Album: Broadcast and The Focus Group Investigate Witch Cults of the Radio Age
Label: Warp Records
Since the mid-1990s, Birmingham, England's electronic dream pop group, Broadcast, has enchanted listeners with their alluring combination of ambient, retro-futuristic soundscapes and psychedelic trances. Their newest LP, Broadcast and The Focus Group Investigate Witch Cults of the Radio Age, finds them collaborating with the analogous The Focus Group, the sound collage solo project of Julian House (British graphic designer/co-founder of Ghost Box Music known for his album cover work for Stereolab, Oasis, and the aforementioned Broadcast among others). The results are, to say the least, astounding, and it has easily become one of my favorite releases of this year.
For those not familiar with The Focus Group, hearing Radio Age may throw off a few first timers. Using a combination of Pierre Schaeffer-influenced sound compositions alongside archived library and documentary music, House's aesthetic approach could have potentially clashed with Broadcast's more traditional song structures, but the marriage between House and Broadcast manages to find the perfect pitch between discomforting and captivating, an eerie seance of voices, sounds, and harmonies that slowly surface and quiver through the ghostly frequencies of some haunted radio.
The LP's second track, "The Be Colony," acts as the record's only perceivable anchor, opening with an ominous waltz-like composition joined by Keenan's weightless vocals blending and reverberating into one other. From here, the record fluctuates between amorphous collections of House's layered sounds and Broadcast's disquieting futurist melodies. The results can only be described as paranormal psychedelia with a tinge of Victorian atmosphere. Most of the record appears to focus (first and last pun in any of my reviews) around The Focus Group and Broadcast's sample-heavy instrumentals, but tracks such as "I See, So I See So," "Libra the Mirror's Minor Self," "Make My Sleep His Song," and "What I Saw" momentarily feature Keenan at her best. The record closes out with a psychotropic summary entitled "The Be Colony/Dashing Home/What On Earth Took You?," a loving ode to Broadcast's love affair with 1960s experimental psych rock band The United States of America.
Radio Age, while being touted as a mini-album, comes off as a fully formed creation that gives a glimpse into the intangible world of mirrors, phantoms, and magic. If you're more familiar with Broadcast, I highly recommend at least giving it a play through. If you're already a fan of The Focus Group, this one is a no-brainer.
Also, for further reading that may indirectly elucidate my feelings on this album and past releases of the parties involved, check out Paleo-Future.
Monday, November 9, 2009
That's a cool story.
Future posts will be primarily the little art i actually make, whatever books, films, and music i'm into at the current time, real and imaginary creatures, comics, rambling thoughts and ideas, traversing complex mirror labyrinths, discussing past, present, and future actions guided by my hands, and other related things you'll likely never read because you probably have better things to do with your time.
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