“Everything Dies” is three years old now, therefore let me wonder if you have any kind of new stuff ready for us to get acquainted with?
- Well actually we have several items. For one we recorded a full length CD entitled “Simulation B” for Mutiny Records. It was scheduled to be an international release (at least according to the label) two years ago. Not to rant and rave over spilled milk, but it has not been released and we are no longer on the Mutiny label. I asked for us to be let go when it became blatantly apparent that the label did not have the funds, connections, or ability to support us at all. It also was made apparent from other bands we had discussions with that were signed to the label, that the label was unethical (aka bounced checks, owed money, lies, etc.) So after we got our lawyer involved we were released from the label. Mutiny still claims they are going to release the CD and every four months or so I see it on the release board of local stores, CD Now, Amazon, etc. but it never gets released. It has become a nightmare. Right now the CD “Simulation B” is available to people on MP3.com Other items we have done include work on several remix projects for Cleopatra recently. For instance the METALLICA II Tribute CD, QUEEN, VAN HALEN, SLAYER, Metal Years, and Grundge Years for instance. Recently things have been quite with Cleopatra but these releases should be coming out as you read this. The songs are covers or remixes of other covers that are in the heavy techno metal vein. We are now starting to write ideas for a third CD. We are back with Neil Kernon (tentatively) and discussions are going on about developing a new CD that could be on a newer major label. This label I am not at liberty to discuss about since the deal is still in the works. I would rather not curse myself until everything is official because it seems every deal we have gotten (four) has fallen through in some way. So needless to say things are going well but we are still in a state of uncertainty.
Let’s talk a bit regarding the former works of yours, as well as the CD you have made your debut with… Since I haven’t heard any of NAKED LUNCH’s demo releases, I’d like to know if they differ in any way from “Everything Dies”?
- Well the two demo’s were “The Illuminati” and “El Terror De La Asphyxia”. They were written in the late 80’s early 90’s. They certainly sound much different compared to “Everything Dies” or any of our new stuff. What is this difference? Well I think we were much more basic, more like early MINISTRY (not "Cold Lake" or "Twitch" but “Land Of Rape And Honey”). I was also influenced by BIG BLACK, JOY DIVISION, early electro metal cross over bands, as well as bands like FRONT 242, BAUHAUS, and SKINNY PUPPY. At that time everything was still very raw and unpolished. Much more noise oriented, I was not really worried about song structure as much as being avant guard. The guitar stuff was much more metal in the classic sense of say riff oriented music. Maybe like early JANES ADDICTION. Many of the "Illuminati" songs were re-written and put on the new “Simulation B” CD. Some fans did not approve of the more polished, heavier/techno versions of the songs but most fans embraced the reworking of these classic tunes. Still I think back then we were really caught up in the vocal sampling much more, and the idea of simple is better dominates the early material. The early songs are certainly less complicated and more anthemish. I just think “Everything Dies” was much more gothic, complicated, tempo changing, and contrasting than the old material.
Your
lyrics strike as rather exciting ones, also being a bit equivocal… Would
you like to say few words concerning your lyrical canvas yourself?
- Well I used to write real blatant lyrics when I was in the punk band THE IRRELEVANT. (although I only wrote two songs that we ever played). In the early NAKED LUNCH songs the lyrics were direct and politically leftist. Around 1990 there started to be a trend away from lyrics like the DEAD KENNEDY’s had to offer. People were tired of politics, and the whole grundge era of turning off and not giving a fuck about anything but getting laid and high, and just having a fun time replaced any collective conscious and any thoughts of underground music be a political conscious tool. Rap’s political impact was dying (as by evidence of VANILLA ICE, etc.) Metal had become glam and sold out, punk had become something else, and politics were chased out of the avenue of music for most fans and artists. I still demanded to be political but was convinced by my band and myself (I looked around) that people were not interested in hearing about the terrors of El Salvador, or the plight of innocent Iraqi civilians (“Legalized Killing”). We actually played a few shows where people would yell, “Who fucking cares we just want to rock… stop your preaching!” So we did, somewhat. I drove the lyrics underground. Let me say before going on that it is very refreshing to see a new underground transpiring where there exists once again political rap / hip hop bands, as well as metal bands (doom, black metal) and more popular bands (RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE) that are using their popularity as a vehicle for social change. It’s about time. For me throughout the 1990’s that politics and music were dying. Music that demanded from its listeners to be more than fans but also politically active vehicles for real social change and supporters of important causes were in short supply. In the mid nineties it was a rarity to see a musician directly supporting a political stance. Yes there were shows that benefited farmers, and the poor, but nothing was everything publicly said or critically scrutinized. It was a real dark age for political music. We still live in these dark ages of music but I finally see a light at the end of the tunnel. As far as my lyrics go… well for one I really am sick of bands using the same old formula exploits (Satan, fast girls, fast cars, drugs, and violence). These topics have their place, but I don’t like how they dominate the current popular music lyric content. So I write about my experiences from within. I try to write in a language that can express an emotion I am feeling without making these emotions sound cheap or crass. While the word fuck has it’s place, I feel too many bands just say it to get attention. Yet I use it (fuck) in the appropriate context (“Men Are Pigs”) but I try to expand my palette to include a diverse vocabulary. Part of what I like to write about are incidents that have impacted me. I try to take out the subjective personality only I can understand and try to project the incident into a manner or vehicle in which others can transport their troubles and say, “this individual is writing about my life”. Part of the reason my lyrics are how they are I suppose is the fact that this year (2000) I will be ABD (all but dissertation) for my PhD. This means I have read and written a large amount of material. I have always loved to read and write. Hence the name of the band being NAKED LUNCH and song titles reflecting my favorite authors: ("Cities Of The Red Night", "Twilight Of The Idols" for instance). I tend to write about things that bother or concern me… the struggle of man and woman, the meaning of life, the manipulation of culture, and the advent of a consumer based technological identity. These are the palettes I choose to write from, and sometimes they seem very obscure and vague. This vagueness, this sense of otherness in my lyrics reflects a sense of disparity I have for today’s society. That this disparity is hard to put into exact words and universal principles is further evidence of the power of true hegemony. The belief that life and one’s oppressive choices are common sense values is common among U.S. citizens. There is no need for the government or multinationals to be directly oppressive or use violence (except in certain aberrant struggles like Seattle over the WTO criminal mob organization) because people suppress themselves by listening to the agents of cultural industry.
“Naked Lunch”… Hmm, someone’s totally into William Burroughs, I suppose? Was it his book you took your band’s name from?
- Why yes it was (is). I like Burroughs work. While I liked “Cities of the Red Night” much better than “Naked Lunch”, and equally liked “The Wild Boys” I figured why not "Naked Lunch"? For me no name could be original. Any arrogance of the idea of an original name was thrown out the door. Instead we wanted to pay tribute to someone great, a influence, a name with power. I needed a name with intrinsic meaning, but yet a name that could not be labeled as a country band name, or a metal band name. It needed to be neutral. Famous artists all throughout history have always given credit to their influences. Some write about them, paint them, or embody or write under their name. I choose to name the band from one of my favorite authors. This decision could have been Miller but “An Airconditioned Nightmare” or “Sexus, Plexsus, and Nexsus” did not have the same pull. It was easy to spell "Naked Lunch", and not many people knew what it meant. "Naked Lunch" seemed to have this sort of dark intrigue. Some people when hearing the name thought the name was for a diet plan, while others thought we were perverted heroin addicts out for sex. The name is challenging and yet reflective of just how silly and Victorian the U.S. culture is. It seemed perfect. I would rather give tribute to someone and have a name with some sort of meaning, mysticism, and culture behind it than to name my band “Sponge, Oasis, Live or all the other variations. This is not to say these bands suck, or are not innovative, or original. It is just to say I wanted the name of our band to be a focus of question, a focus of debate, and still easy to remember. However strangely I have come to find out few people really have read Burroughs, and think we took the name from the film. Strange?
You know, when I was writing the review on “Everything Dies”, figuring out your style was the main problem for me… Finally, I decided in favor of “weird and brutal industrial stuff, with somber atmosphere and black metal voice as well as “gothic” one, reminding me a lot of KAVIAR KAVALIER and MORPHINE ANGEL”. Do you consider such a description to be fair enough?
- Sure, I mean I am
unfamiliar with either of the bands but the struggle to find a definition
is the proper NAKED LUNCH definition or label itself I think. Rarely
do people say we sound just like “….” And claim us to be copy cats.
Certainly we are not as original as EINSTURZENDE NEUBATEN or Gary Neuman,
but we certainly throw confusing elements at the listener and don’t meld
into one style where it is hard to tell one song from another. I
feel
every song stands
on its’ own merit, and each song is different enough from the other to
be considered as a song from another band. Yet we still seem to be
able to have that “Naked Lunch” sound. Sadly however this has been somewhat
of our downfall. People complain that there are too many tempo and
style changes, that we can’t hold their attention (too much video game
play I suspect) and that we confuse them. For our new material we are a
bit more straightforward, and choose to remain heavy more often.
Still I think we bounce around stylistically. This is why I picked
this style of music because I could do anything. Add a cha cha beat
to a techno bass, with screaming vocals, and a grindcore guitar with a
funky bass line. Why not? Overall we just try to keep the crowd
and us from being bored. It works for us.
Neil Kernon is the one responsible for producership on “Everything Dies”, the same Neil Kernon who worked with such dudes as SKREW, Peter Gabriel, QUEENSRYCHE and DOKKEN, also being a Grammy award winner! Now you tell me how did you contrive to invite him and, furthermore, how much did it cost?
- Well costs are a personal thing and I would rather not talk about that issue. I don’t think it is fair to speak for Neil or to talk about what he does monetarily. Still Neil likes to work like many famous producers do. What he is attracted to is talent, variety, and that certain unknown thing that makes his toes tap. So if he likes the band he likes it. He won’t work with a band anymore unless it is something he personally likes. He has told me several times that we are one of his personal favorites and that he wants to see us succeed. So he has done everything in his power to help us out, and still continues with talks of helping produce and even co-writing the new record coming up. Neil heard one of our demos while he was in California. A fanzine gave it to him. He fell in love with “The Illuminati” and contacted me through the Internet. It just went on from there. We are not the only band he has helped. Bands like RORSACH TEST, N17, and SACRIFICE ISAAC are among others that he has discovered and helped get label deals. Although no official label deal came from the “Everything Dies” CD, we has moved on and Neil and I are now discussing about making a new record. The first record “Everything Dies” was 95% written, produced, and performed by me, with help and keyboard work from my the keyboardist Todd. I commanded the direction of the record, the recording and production of the project. Neil stepped in and changed a few things, and then mixed the record. However on this new record Neil will be there from step one, to help develop lyrics, songs, and textures…everything really. He will not only mix, but record and produce the whole thing I suspect, and I have asked him to take part in the writing and lyric process. Because of this total involvement this record will be the best release we have had yet. I also plan to try to have the rest of the band more involved in the writing process, with Neil as the object to fall back on. While I suspect I would do the majority of the writing, I will at least have more support this time. I look forward to the help.
You see, I’m such an ass I’d rather want to know why do you have such weird name as Mxyzptlk…?
- Not really a problem… Mxyzptlk comes from the super friends comic. He is the guy from the fifth (I think) dimension. I used to play keyboards, samples, and percussion for a band called OBTRUSIVE MODE. It used to be a straight power metal band in the late 80’s that wanted to add a twist to it. So they asked me to join up. One of their fans at the show thought I was so weird that he called me a “weirdo like that guy Mxyzptlk”. The name stuck after the band teased me for being the freak.
“The CD and the song “Confess: Everything Dies” are dedicated to Kurt Russell whose memory will never die with me” – that’s what your album’s cover told me… Can I get any explanations in regards to this assertion?
- Kurt Russell is (was) a friend of mine from my childhood. When we lived in the same neighborhood we grew very close. The day after Christmas, less than a month before my 17th birthday, Kurt’s car was hit by a speeding car and although he did not die on the scene he died soon afterwards. It was an incredible blow to me, and even to this day I have troubles dealing with it. The man in the car that struck Kurt never was charged with anything even though witnesses said he was excessively speeding. To die the day after Christmas is tragic. To die for no reason is just as bad. At his funeral, it became trendy for everyone in the school to show up. Kurt was certainly more popular than me but we were metal head stoners. We were constantly considered outcasts in our high school. We liked that image. It angered me to see the public flock to his funeral in order to be on television, and suck the sorrow of the family like a psychic vampire. It really hurts to realize that for most people you are only famous when you are dead. I loved him like a brother and I never want to forget the good times. I was told by a councilor that life is about death. He told me that I needed to cope with this because everything eventually dies. I stood up and said that this was not true. Kurt would never die as long as I lived. I guess this is the point of the song. Not everything dies.
How did you manage to get your track included to “Industrial Baby!” compilation? Furthermore, what is your view on this CD as well as it’s contents?
- This is a long story.
They wanted money from us and I said no so they decided to put it on the
CD anyway. I never signed any contract and to this day I have received
no money. Money is not the issue. However I would have liked
the whole process to have been a more professionaly handled situation.
They remastered the song. (it did not need remastering as you can imagine
Neil Kernon had it done) so they made it sound horrible, thin, and brittle.
My review of this CD and contents is not too great. This CD has lots
of bands who paid $200 dollars to get on a compilation that made the label
lots of money and the bands nothing. Many of the bands were “green”
and I don’t prefer most of the material on the CD. This CD however
is not about me or the band, its about getting unknown bands out to the
public. This release is not one that I excited about. That’s
about all I can say on this
subject.
Could
you please tell us more concerning Bat Lake Musik? Is it a label of your
own?
- Yes. It actually started as a joke with Neil and I when I was trying to remember Swan Lake, after too many drinks and a discussion about bat man. So when I was trying to remember the name of the ballet Swan Lake, I accidentally said “Bat Lake”. After hours of laughs we decided to name a label / production company bat lake. Although I am already registered with BMI as Four Foot Bong Productions, I registered with BMI as Bat Lake Musik, for remix material, video game music, and other production work I do for other people. The label has not yet flourished as a full release label as of yet but that might be coming in the future.
Do you know anything regarding Russia? What is your attitude to the country of mine as well as it’s people? Any Russian bands you’ve heard lately?
- It just so happens I have a minor in history with a concentration in Eastern Europe, China, and Japan. Still I am learning that most of what I was taught about the Soviet Union, the state of Russia, and the people of Russia are half truths. In my school studies I am now working with a critical theorist from Moscow, and know several people from St. Petersburg. I have learned much including the idea that Russia as a state was not the power behind the Stalin era, and that Russians (versus Ukrainians, or Georgians) were never the dominate members of the Communist party and that there was never a Russian regional Communist party. What do I think of the people? Well the Russians I know are all from the Russian state. They seem to be a quite people, hard working, private, and reluctant to draw attention to themselves. The Russians I have met are very politically minded and well aware of the world around them (unlike many U.S. citizens). Their humor seems to be very dry and sarcastic (which I like). Mostly I think Russians have been portrayed for a long time by the west as the “bad people”. I don’t think this portrayal is accurate. I think if we ignored the politicians, the Russian people as a whole, are like most everyone else in the world, good people. It seems both U.S. and Russian politicians spoil their people’s identities and often don’t speak for their people. Russian fans have been good to us, and we have had airplay in St. Petersburg, and Moscow, and literature in several magazines. I honestly don’t know of any Russian bands because the U.S. press tends to not cover much outside of the U.S. The only Russians we hear of are the hockey players. This is sad but hopefully this ignorance will change.
Ok, before I go totally astray, I think it would be better to finish this interview someday (the sooner the better, ha ha). Before the curtain falls, you have these lines, the last ones, to fill with your final words…
- Well I would just
like to say thanks and that any of your readers who are curious about us
should check out our web site Http://www.nakedlunch.com or MP3.com to hear
and read more. I hope that this up and coming project with Neil leads
to a international release, with the possibility of touring Europe.
I hope I answered the questions as completely as you wished. Look
towards the end of the summer or late 2000 for a new CD with Neil’s help.
As far as “Simulation B” that release is still in the air.
Cheers
Mxyzptlk
Naked Lunch
NAKED LUNCH contact
-
Email: info@nakedlunch.com