tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-46188027907491383992024-03-18T21:44:35.626-04:00Joel Gausten.comJoel Gaustenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16791040278375149142noreply@blogger.comBlogger460125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4618802790749138399.post-23143991502926456662024-03-18T16:22:00.015-04:002024-03-18T21:44:02.991-04:00No Time to 'Let Go:' KMFDM's Lucia Cifarelli on Longevity, Resilience, and Bill Rieflin <p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicZmIhNPVpqPRM4Rjfo-eL7X34piUrLuwtBTWsCGdyPtFYFyyq-A2unWwOFFjK85YTexWuUaD36myWx5lKtMIXMtU7WEUUVZep9mmJiFSAPBQT93S4Xf6hZVRjSQDRjdSPElFIPvxIOM5w4NoVKom1nd7P81GW49WNUcok9L9Lkf_4R-woWHgFXIxmeQ/s2000/Lucia_of_KMFDM_-_photo_by_Bobby_Talamine_064275.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1352" data-original-width="2000" height="432" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicZmIhNPVpqPRM4Rjfo-eL7X34piUrLuwtBTWsCGdyPtFYFyyq-A2unWwOFFjK85YTexWuUaD36myWx5lKtMIXMtU7WEUUVZep9mmJiFSAPBQT93S4Xf6hZVRjSQDRjdSPElFIPvxIOM5w4NoVKom1nd7P81GW49WNUcok9L9Lkf_4R-woWHgFXIxmeQ/w640-h432/Lucia_of_KMFDM_-_photo_by_Bobby_Talamine_064275.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lucia Cifarelli of KMFDM (Photo by Bobby Talamine)</td></tr></tbody></table><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I</span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">t’s often difficult for a band to last 40 months, but KMFDM is still in the game after </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>40 years</b></span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Currently comprised of founder/vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Sascha </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Konietzko, vocalist Lucia Cifarelli, guitarist Andee Blacksugar, drummer Andy Selway, and guest MC Ocelot, the group recently released its 23rd (and best-in-years) album, </span><span style="font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Let Go</span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, and hit the road in the U.S. to celebrate its fourth decade of activity. Despite the typical rigors of touring, Cifarelli was kind enough to find time to fill me on the state of KMFDM circa </span><span style="font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><i>now</i></b><i style="font-weight: 400;">.</i></span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Congratulations on the new album! I think it’s one of the strongest ones the band has ever released—not an easy feat for a group that’s been around for four decades. From your perspective, what has been the key to keeping KMFDM’s sound fresh and innovative after so many years?</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">I speak for all of us in the band when I say we have a deep love and respect for what we do. As soon as Sascha wakes up, he grabs a coffee and heads into the studio, and I head into my workspace. Being innovative isn’t something we’re necessarily thinking about going into the writing process, but as the songs develop and the production evolves, they take on a life of their own.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">KMFDM’s lineup has been consistent for a few years now. What makes this incarnation of the band work so well?</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">We all have a similar work ethic and dedication to the art form and share great chemistry. Liking the people you work with and having respect for what they bring to the table cannot be underestimated. We all bring a unique talent to the band that just works.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEZyfECI_mlnt_n9Tbg3DYr_icHec9kK_My4E_rKcEM48QKehRr3cFK8iF99OAnMerQ50HwwYRTHRinpySGcAL6CSOjsHNJrNRSvdlGfTLbziuphQ0slnHT14MEI5uOXU87b2UeI0Q9y9kG6an7SPg-Ax7ygKm2WNVR4hSesmOLg3IgEhxKG7BtDAdcw/s1500/KMFDM_Let_Go_cover_artwork_885131.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEZyfECI_mlnt_n9Tbg3DYr_icHec9kK_My4E_rKcEM48QKehRr3cFK8iF99OAnMerQ50HwwYRTHRinpySGcAL6CSOjsHNJrNRSvdlGfTLbziuphQ0slnHT14MEI5uOXU87b2UeI0Q9y9kG6an7SPg-Ax7ygKm2WNVR4hSesmOLg3IgEhxKG7BtDAdcw/w640-h640/KMFDM_Let_Go_cover_artwork_885131.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Ocelot has contributed to three KMFDM albums in a row now. How did he become part of the picture, and what makes him such a great participant?</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Ocelot started out selling merch for us. Along the way, he mentioned that he was an artist as well, so I asked to hear his music. I liked it a lot and asked Sascha to listen. Then an opportunity came up where we needed an opener, and he filled the slot. Later, Sascha asked if he wanted to collaborate on a track.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I love the “Airhead” video—especially since I’m old enough to recall the images featured in it! Crazy Eddie AND</span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Days of Our Lives </span><span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">in a KMFDM video? Oh, hell yeah!</span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The video brings back so many fond memories for me. How were the images for it selected?</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">The video was made by one of our crew family, Pedro Rodgriguez. He was inspired by the song and presented it to us shortly before the tour. We all loved it and decided to release “Airhead” as a single along with it. He chose all the images himself.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Certain elements of the song’s lyrics make me suspect that they’re autobiographical. How close to the mark am I?</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">You are correct! The song is loosely based on my life. When Sascha initially played the track for me, I had no idea what to do with it. I spent a lot of time working through the melody before I conceptualized the lyrics. Once I had the melody and title for the chorus, everything else fell into place. I started thinking about my journey in the music business and life and decided to have fun with it.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><center><span style="background-color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SdoxIBCIR-Y?si=mPvI4Jle3XsFafNY" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></span></center><span style="background-color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">You’ve been on nearly 20 tours with KMFDM since joining the band in 2002. Touring can be an amazing experience, but it can also be very hard work. What are some ways you’re able to maintain your energy level—and your physical and mental health—while traveling so often?</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">No matter how enthusiastic I am about touring, it’s hard work–both physically and mentally–so I train at the gym regularly three to five times a week to stay aerobically conditioned at all times. I also spend a lot of time outside with my dog, which helps me stay balanced mentally. Traveling on a tour bus with 12 people can quickly feel claustrophobic, so preparation on every level beforehand is integral for me energetically.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">KMFDM’s show in New York City in 2002 during the Sturm & Drang Tour is still among the greatest gigs I’ve ever seen. Bill Rieflin played bass on that tour, and he was a frequent contributor to KMFDM who’s sadly no longer with us. What do you miss most about him—both as a person and as a collaborator?</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Bill was a force of nature, both musically and personally. What I miss most about him is the loss of my friend. When Sascha and I lived in Seattle, we spent a lot of time with him and his wife, Frankie, who is also no longer with us. We cooked dinners together … spent weekends at Hood Canal. Touring together was a bonus because he was a fierce musician and had beautiful energy. It’s still difficult to accept their passings. I miss them very much.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">The Industrial genre has no shortage of great acts, but KMFDM has maintained its place as one of the most popular groups in the scene for decades. Why do you feel your music still resonates with people so deeply?</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">I understand that KMFDM will always be tagged as Industrial, but that’s not how I view us or how we approach writing and production. Our tastes in music are wide and varied, and I believe that’s precisely why it resonates with so many different people. There are elements of every genre within the body of each album that bring together people from all walks of life.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">When I <a href="http://www.joelgausten.com/2018/10/a-rebel-in-control-kmfdms-sascha.html" target="_blank">interviewed Sascha </a>in 2018 shortly before KMFDM’s 35th anniversary, I asked him to share his thoughts on the key to the group’s survival. This was his reply:</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">I think the longevity comes mainly from never having been a ‘band’ in the traditional sense. Bands tend to shrivel up over time over personal differences and things like that. KMFDM was always fresh in the sense that an ever-changing group of people set out to create something. Every album was approached almost like a one-off - let’s get together, do this, and then everybody returns to whatever else they’re doing. And of course, this is what we’re good at. We suck at all else.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">What would you add to this statement?</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">That statement doesn’t feel relevant at this point, considering how long the current lineup has been making records together. The thing to remember is KMFDM starts and ends with Sascha. Although each member past and present has left an indelible mark, KMFDM is Sascha’s brainchild at the end of the day. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-5e9d972e-7fff-d399-9dd2-880fdd149802" style="background-color: black;"></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">*Portions of the above interview were edited for clarity.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: black; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://kmfdm.net/" target="_blank">KMFDM Tour Dates </a></span></span></p>
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ada3v-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><br /></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ada3v-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joelgaustenofficial" style="font-family: arial;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: black; font-size: large;">JOEL GAUSTEN ON FACEBOOK</span></a></div><div><p><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.joelgausten.com/2006/01/joel-gausten-bio.html" style="background-color: black;" target="_blank">READ JOEL'S BIO</a></span></p><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.lulu.com/search?adult_audience_rating=00&contributor=Joel+Gausten&page=1&pageSize=10" style="background-color: black;" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span"></span>PURCHASE JOEL'S BOOKS</a></span></div><span style="background-color: black; font-size: large;"><br /><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;"></span></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span>EMAIL JOEL at gauste</span><span>nbooks@gmail.com</span></span></span><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Joel Gaustenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16791040278375149142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4618802790749138399.post-4762040796703321482024-03-18T12:57:00.013-04:002024-03-18T16:09:55.706-04:00Interview with KAV (BLITZ VEGA/HAPPY MONDAYS/SOLO)<p><span face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f0f0f; font-size: 14px; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: black; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Author/journalist Joel Gausten talks with KAV (Blitz Vega/Happy Mondays/Solo) about the upcoming release of the Blitz Vega album <i>Northern Gentleman</i>, which will serve as the final full-length release to feature his late friend and bandmate, Andy Rourke of The Smiths. Joel and Kav also discuss how the album reunited Andy with his former Smiths bandmate Johnny Marr. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Blitz Vega:</span></span></p><p><a href="https://instagram.com/blitzvega" style="font-family: arial; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="background-color: black; color: #01ffff; font-size: large;">https://instagram.com/blitzvega</span></a></p><p><a href="https://twitter.com/blitzvegamusic" style="background-color: black; font-family: arial; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: large;">https://twitter.com/blitzvegamusic</span></a></p><p><span style="background-color: black; color: #2b00fe; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span><span><br /></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: arial;"><span face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span><span style="color: white;">KAV:</span><span style="color: #2b00fe;">
</span></span></span><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><span face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/kavblaggers">https://www.instagram.com/kavblaggers</a><span>
</span></span></span></span></span></span><a href="https://www.twitter.com/KAVblaggers" style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">https://www.twitter.com/KAVblaggers</span></a></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><div><br /></div>
<center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sQ-KgukSz_c?si=uT-GZ53qek7BZ-bz" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></center>
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ada3v-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joelgaustenofficial" style="font-family: arial;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: black; font-size: large;">JOEL GAUSTEN ON FACEBOOK</span></a></div><div><p><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.joelgausten.com/2006/01/joel-gausten-bio.html" style="background-color: black;" target="_blank">READ JOEL'S BIO</a></span></p><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.lulu.com/search?adult_audience_rating=00&contributor=Joel+Gausten&page=1&pageSize=10" style="background-color: black;" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span"></span>PURCHASE JOEL'S BOOKS</a></span></div><span style="background-color: black; font-size: large;"><br /><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;"></span></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span>EMAIL JOEL at gauste</span><span>nbooks@gmail.com</span></span></span><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />
Joel Gaustenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16791040278375149142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4618802790749138399.post-47798836104619215752024-03-16T23:20:00.004-04:002024-03-18T09:51:56.583-04:00Interview with COURTNEY TAYLOR-TAYLOR (THE DANDY WARHOLS)<p><span face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #0f0f0f; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: black; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Author/journalist Joel Gausten talks with Courtney Taylor-Taylor of The Dandy Warhols about the band’s fantastic new album, <i>Rockmaker</i>, which features guest appearances by Debbie Harry, Slash, and Frank Blank. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.dandywarhols.com" target="_blank">The Dandy Warhols</a></span></p>
<center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ib0nlbG8wXM?si=PI7ujnJbnySnO5c6" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></center>
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ada3v-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joelgaustenofficial" style="font-family: arial;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: black; font-size: large;">JOEL GAUSTEN ON FACEBOOK</span></a></div><div><p><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.joelgausten.com/2006/01/joel-gausten-bio.html" style="background-color: black;" target="_blank">READ JOEL'S BIO</a></span></p><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.lulu.com/search?adult_audience_rating=00&contributor=Joel+Gausten&page=1&pageSize=10" style="background-color: black;" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span"></span>PURCHASE JOEL'S BOOKS</a></span></div><span style="background-color: black; font-size: large;"><br /><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;"></span></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span>EMAIL JOEL at gauste</span><span>nbooks@gmail.com</span></span></span><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Joel Gaustenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16791040278375149142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4618802790749138399.post-43788792811520484032024-03-16T14:11:00.001-04:002024-03-16T14:15:10.473-04:00Interview with GAELYNN LEA (SOLO/PIGFACE/THE MURDER OF CROWS) <p><span face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: 14px; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Author/journalist Joel Gausten talks with musician and public speaker Gaelynn Lea (Solo/Pigface/The Murder of Crows) about her career in music and her work as a disability rights advocate. Topics include accessibility in touring, her work with former R.E.M. singer Michael Stipe, and the impact of disability on sexuality and mental health.</span></span>
</p><p><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WFwH11Xl-2k?si=OifHTAOx_oK6o-bb" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><center>
</center></center><p></p><p><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p><a href="https://linktr.ee/gaelynnlea" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: black; color: #01ffff; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Gaelynn Lea</span></a></p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLUbalCJ3co&t=0s" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: black; color: #01ffff; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">“Someday We’ll Linger in the Sun" Video</span></a></p><p><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span class="yt-core-attributed-string--link-inherit-color" face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: black; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; background: black; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akGYugciSVw&t=0s" target="_blank">Sexuality and Disability: Forging Identity in a World that Leaves You Out | Gaelynn Lea | TEDxYale</a></span><br /></span></p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8ZLtiuHB8M&t=0s" style="white-space-collapse: preserve;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: black; color: #01ffff; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Why I Choose Enrichment over Progress | Gaelynn Lea | TEDxGullLake</span></a></p><p><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span class="yt-core-attributed-string--link-inherit-color" face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://rampd.org" style="background-color: black;" target="_blank">Recording Artists and Professional Musicians with Disabilities</a></span><span class="yt-core-attributed-string--link-inherit-color" face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="background: rgb(0, 0, 0); border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span class="yt-core-attributed-string--link-inherit-color" face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="background-color: black; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.lea-sparhawk-crows.com" target="_blank"><span style="color: #01ffff; font-family: arial;">The Murder of Crows</span></a><span style="color: white;">
</span></span></span></p><p><span class="yt-core-attributed-string--link-inherit-color" face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; color: #131313; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">
<br /></span><span class="yt-core-attributed-string--link-inherit-color" face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; color: #065fd4; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p>
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ada3v-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joelgaustenofficial" style="font-family: arial;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: black; font-size: large;">JOEL GAUSTEN ON FACEBOOK</span></a></div><div><p><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.joelgausten.com/2006/01/joel-gausten-bio.html" style="background-color: black;" target="_blank">READ JOEL'S BIO</a></span></p><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.lulu.com/search?adult_audience_rating=00&contributor=Joel+Gausten&page=1&pageSize=10" style="background-color: black;" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span"></span>PURCHASE JOEL'S BOOKS</a></span></div><span style="background-color: black; font-size: large;"><br /><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;"></span></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span>EMAIL JOEL at gauste</span><span>nbooks@gmail.com</span></span></span><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />
Joel Gaustenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16791040278375149142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4618802790749138399.post-57144953034526319772024-03-14T22:42:00.003-04:002024-03-14T22:42:37.331-04:00 Interview with BRUCE DUFF (STREETWALKIN' CHEETAHS/ADZ/45 GRAVE/TWISTED ROOTS) <p><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f0f0f; font-family: Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: black; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Author/journalist Joel Gausten talks with veteran musician/producer/artist manager/writer Bruce Duff (The Streetwalkin' Cheetahs/ADZ/45 Grave/Twisted Roots/Jesters of Destiny) about his storied career in music, including his work with Triple X Records, Kitten Robot Records, Thor, and Rozz Williams. </span></span></p><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.bruceduffmusic.com" target="_blank">Bruce Duff</a></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f0f0f; font-family: Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">
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</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f0f0f; font-family: Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span>
<center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UJnzZ6D5xWE?si=WdUOcO164yjXlkxl" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></center>
<center><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><br /></span></span></center><br /><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ada3v-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><br /></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ada3v-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joelgaustenofficial" style="font-family: arial;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: black; font-size: large;">JOEL GAUSTEN ON FACEBOOK</span></a></div><div><p><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.joelgausten.com/2006/01/joel-gausten-bio.html" style="background-color: black;" target="_blank">READ JOEL'S BIO</a></span></p><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.lulu.com/search?adult_audience_rating=00&contributor=Joel+Gausten&page=1&pageSize=10" style="background-color: black;" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span"></span>PURCHASE JOEL'S BOOKS</a></span></div><span style="background-color: black; font-size: large;"><br /><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;"></span></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span>EMAIL JOEL at gauste</span><span>nbooks@gmail.com</span></span></span><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />
Joel Gaustenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16791040278375149142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4618802790749138399.post-1188274687462647012024-03-12T21:46:00.000-04:002024-03-12T21:46:12.494-04:00Interview with TIM MILLER (BLANKS 77/BROKEN HEROES)<p><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f0f0f; font-family: Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: black; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Author/journalist Joel Gausten talks with New Jersey Punk/Oi! veteran Tim Miller (Blanks 77/Broken Heroes) about his life in music. </span></span></p><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063587406227" target="_blank">Blanks 77</a></span><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/BrokenHeroes" target="_blank">Broken Heroes</a>
</span><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrPbvy7yhMI&t=0s" target="_blank">Blanks 77 “I Wanna Be a Punk” Video</a>
</span><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/39751324021" target="_blank">The Pipeline</a>
</span></span><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/babouthecat" target="_blank">Babou the Cat</a></span></span></span></span><div><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">
</span></span></span><br /></div>
<center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hqLUteySmdI?si=8jf0AyqHvZUvQzAF" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></center>
<center><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><br /></span></span></center><br /><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ada3v-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><br /></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ada3v-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joelgaustenofficial" style="font-family: arial;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: black; font-size: large;">JOEL GAUSTEN ON FACEBOOK</span></a></div><div><p><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.joelgausten.com/2006/01/joel-gausten-bio.html" style="background-color: black;" target="_blank">READ JOEL'S BIO</a></span></p><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.lulu.com/search?adult_audience_rating=00&contributor=Joel+Gausten&page=1&pageSize=10" style="background-color: black;" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span"></span>PURCHASE JOEL'S BOOKS</a></span></div><span style="background-color: black; font-size: large;"><br /><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;"></span></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span>EMAIL JOEL at gauste</span><span>nbooks@gmail.com</span></span></span><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />
Joel Gaustenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16791040278375149142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4618802790749138399.post-41798127627096000132024-03-11T18:52:00.002-04:002024-03-11T18:52:50.993-04:00Interview with BECKY WRECK (LUNACHICKS/TEKNOFEAR/LA MUERTE/WITCH ROSE)<p><br /></p><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">Author/drummer Joel Gausten talks with veteran drummer and professional chef Becky Wreck (Lunachicks/Teknofear/La Muerte/Witch Rose) about her experiences in both industries (including her appearances on the Howard Stern Stern) and her current band, Witch Rose.
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/witchroseband " target="_blank">Witch Rose</a></span></span><p><br /></p>
<center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZWL0RsXeV48?si=Ebk4gU6cBNYVs5Rp" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></center>
<center><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><br /></span></span></center><br /><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ada3v-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><br /></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ada3v-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joelgaustenofficial" style="font-family: arial;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: black; font-size: large;">JOEL GAUSTEN ON FACEBOOK</span></a></div><div><p><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.joelgausten.com/2006/01/joel-gausten-bio.html" style="background-color: black;" target="_blank">READ JOEL'S BIO</a></span></p><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.lulu.com/search?adult_audience_rating=00&contributor=Joel+Gausten&page=1&pageSize=10" style="background-color: black;" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span"></span>PURCHASE JOEL'S BOOKS</a></span></div><span style="background-color: black; font-size: large;"><br /><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;"></span></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span>EMAIL JOEL at gauste</span><span>nbooks@gmail.com</span></span></span><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Joel Gaustenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16791040278375149142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4618802790749138399.post-38030179145557893122024-03-10T07:41:00.005-04:002024-03-10T10:54:59.338-04:00Interview with MEG LEE CHIN (PIGFACE/TEKNOFEAR/CRUNCH/SOLO)<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-249f6e89-7fff-8ed2-0be5-df6c96b9e32f"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">A</span></span><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">uthor/journalist Joel Gausten talks with singer/producer Meg Lee Chin (Pigface/Teknofear/Crunch/Solo) about her career in music, recording Faith No More in the early ’80s, fronting the first Western band to perform in Ukraine, working with an early incarnation of Garbage, and her lengthy stint in Pigface. </span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.megleechin.com" target="_blank">Meg Lee Chin</a></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p>
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<center><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><br /></span></span></center><br /><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ada3v-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><br /></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ada3v-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joelgaustenofficial" style="font-family: arial;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: black; font-size: large;">JOEL GAUSTEN ON FACEBOOK</span></a></div><div><p><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.joelgausten.com/2006/01/joel-gausten-bio.html" style="background-color: black;" target="_blank">READ JOEL'S BIO</a></span></p><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.lulu.com/search?adult_audience_rating=00&contributor=Joel+Gausten&page=1&pageSize=10" style="background-color: black;" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span"></span>PURCHASE JOEL'S BOOKS</a></span></div><span style="background-color: black; font-size: large;"><br /><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;"></span></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span>EMAIL JOEL at gauste</span><span>nbooks@gmail.com</span></span></span><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Joel Gaustenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16791040278375149142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4618802790749138399.post-51223728305174208452024-03-06T12:18:00.006-05:002024-03-06T12:18:55.987-05:00Interview with MARK MCKAY (SLAPSHOT/THE LONG WAIT)<p><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="text-align: justify; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: large;">Author/journalist Joel Gausten talks with veteran drummer Mark McKay (Slapshot/Stars & Stripes/The Long </span></span><span style="text-align: justify; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: large;">Wait) about his long history in the Boston Hardcore scene. </span></span></span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-d98f726b-7fff-626e-0924-69d9756d7752"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.punkrocksaveslives.org/" style="background-color: black;" target="_blank">Punk Rock Saves Lives</a></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://thelongwait1.bandcamp.com" style="background-color: black;" target="_blank">The Long Wait</a></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div><br /></div></span>
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<center><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><br /></span></span></center><br /><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ada3v-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><br /></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ada3v-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joelgaustenofficial" style="font-family: arial;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: black; font-size: large;">JOEL GAUSTEN ON FACEBOOK</span></a></div><div><p><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.joelgausten.com/2006/01/joel-gausten-bio.html" style="background-color: black;" target="_blank">READ JOEL'S BIO</a></span></p><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.lulu.com/search?adult_audience_rating=00&contributor=Joel+Gausten&page=1&pageSize=10" style="background-color: black;" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span"></span>PURCHASE JOEL'S BOOKS</a></span></div><span style="background-color: black; font-size: large;"><br /><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;"></span></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span>EMAIL JOEL at gauste</span><span>nbooks@gmail.com</span></span></span><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Joel Gaustenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16791040278375149142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4618802790749138399.post-31274034778046608122024-02-28T19:49:00.002-05:002024-02-28T19:49:28.135-05:00Interview with WILLIE “LOCO” ALEXANDER <p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">Author/journalist Joel Gausten talks with the legendary Willie “Loco” Alexander (Willie Alexander and the Boom Boom Band/The Velvet Underground/The Lost/The Grass Menagerie/The Bagatelle/Solo) about his long and storied life in music. </span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="http://www.willielocoalexander.com" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Willie “Loco” Alexander</span></a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><br /></p><div><br /></div>
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<center><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><br /></span></span></center><br /><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ada3v-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><br /></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ada3v-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joelgaustenofficial" style="font-family: arial;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: black; font-size: large;">JOEL GAUSTEN ON FACEBOOK</span></a></div><div><p><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.joelgausten.com/2006/01/joel-gausten-bio.html" style="background-color: black;" target="_blank">READ JOEL'S BIO</a></span></p><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.lulu.com/search?adult_audience_rating=00&contributor=Joel+Gausten&page=1&pageSize=10" style="background-color: black;" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span"></span>PURCHASE JOEL'S BOOKS</a></span></div><span style="background-color: black; font-size: large;"><br /><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;"></span></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span>EMAIL JOEL at gauste</span><span>nbooks@gmail.com</span></span></span><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Joel Gaustenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16791040278375149142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4618802790749138399.post-6968398054737017532024-02-25T08:09:00.001-05:002024-02-25T15:03:20.520-05:00The Lost BURZUM Interview <center><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiQGY11Q9Y8GDvOScZKJpG-obUb-I1iwtgBqKtyiFGCE-1es_SbIwO9oTzAH7JRejOwUnjD0XM1iqinzyQ4fyNOZWVGetiHoIKcYadJfmDCABRXmNqM4c2ROC11TPWh9RUO_PydEyz71u4hJ9jrooAYdBYdyaooTJmktCe9BdSbic8h_d1pHQQ-jKUYug" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img data-original-height="416" data-original-width="470" height="566" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiQGY11Q9Y8GDvOScZKJpG-obUb-I1iwtgBqKtyiFGCE-1es_SbIwO9oTzAH7JRejOwUnjD0XM1iqinzyQ4fyNOZWVGetiHoIKcYadJfmDCABRXmNqM4c2ROC11TPWh9RUO_PydEyz71u4hJ9jrooAYdBYdyaooTJmktCe9BdSbic8h_d1pHQQ-jKUYug=w640-h566" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-fea5927d-7fff-ef59-cd7f-36b8e6f06ff8"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Four years ago today, I received a cryptic e-mail out of the blue from a sender with “burzum” in their address. Naturally, my interest was piqued immediately, as Burzum was the musical project by one of the most notorious figures in music history: Varg Vikernes.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">If you’re unfamiliar with ol’ Mr. V., he’s … um … an </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">interesting</span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> fellow worth looking up. (The book </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Lords of Chaos</span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> and the subsequent film of the same name are good—if heavily sensationalized—places to start.)</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The e-mail included a link to download Burzum’s then-latest (and apparently final) album, </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Thulêan Mysteries</span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, which the e-mail explained was conceived by Vikernes as a companion piece to his roleplaying game, </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">MYFAROG</span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> (Mythic Fantasy Role-Playing Game)</span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">. The communique also included a lengthy, pre-written Q&A, preceded by an explanation that “my manager convinced me I should do an interview to promote the album.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Did this e-mail—the only one I’ve ever received from this sender—really come from the man himself? Only Varg and Satan know for sure, but my reply requesting to schedule a proper one-on-one interview went unanswered.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Spooky shit, yo.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Unfortunately, the e-mail had turned up at the worst possible time for me to do anything with it. I was in the process of moving out of my house, and news reports kept warning of a mysterious virus that was spreading around the world. With everything else going on, this whole Burzum business got pushed to the back burner and subsequently forgotten … until I recently came across the original message while cleaning up my inbox. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Here’s the vast majority of the interview I had received 48 months ago, presented below with minimal edits (but with the omission of a few statements that were … well … more than a bit beyond the pale). And for the record, </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Thulêan Mysteries </span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">is quite good.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Enjoy! </span></p><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div style="text-align: left;"> </div></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div style="text-align: left;">With the album coming to fruition in this fashion, was there a particular strategy you employed in terms of the track order? Was anything excluded from the release, and, if so, why?</div></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div style="text-align: left;"> </div></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div style="text-align: left;">Everything I had not released on a CD before was included, with the exception of the tracks I had from some old rehearsal tape. The latter was not included because it was just too different and ... just a rehearsal.</div></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div style="text-align: left;"> </div></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div style="text-align: left;">What I did was to put all the tracks on a track list and then play it on repeat. After some listens, I had a good idea how to organize it. Voila.</div></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div style="text-align: left;"> </div></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div style="text-align: left;">Was there ever a point where you had the album in mind and then recorded tracks specifically for the release?</div></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div style="text-align: left;"> </div></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div style="text-align: left;">No. Never. All these tracks are old recordings, or at least rather old. Like a year or so minimum, and not older than five years tops.</div></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div style="text-align: left;"> </div></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div style="text-align: left;">How do you tend to work when you’re composing? Is it a case of finding time here and there around looking after the children and doing other work, or do you set aside long periods of time exclusively to write?</div></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div style="text-align: left;"> </div></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div style="text-align: left;">I guess a bit here and there is the most correct. And really, I tend not to work with music at all ... I just ‘accidentally’ made this one the last few years.</div></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div style="text-align: left;"> </div></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div style="text-align: left;">What is your recording process currently in terms of instruments and recording equipment? Were these tracks all recorded at your home or did you enter an external studio?</div></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div style="text-align: left;"> </div></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div style="text-align: left;">Currently, I have no recording process at all. I haven’t touched an instrument in a long time, other than to move it out of the way in order to get to what is stored behind it on the shelf or in the barn. It’s all just collecting dust.</div></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div style="text-align: left;"> </div></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div style="text-align: left;">The electronic music on this album is recorded on my wife’s 10-year-old Mini-Mac, using GarageBand, and I used a microphone that I got from Amazon for the vocals. The lyre playing was recorded in our VW van, in the driver’s seat, using a camera that I normally used to record YouTube videos on. It had a decent microphone, and it turned out quite well. I think. The ‘drumming’ bit in one of them, ‘The Great Sleep,’ is just me tapping my foot on the floor of the car. Yeah, a ‘Trve Kvlt BM drum kit’ for you right there ...</div></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div style="text-align: left;"> </div></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div style="text-align: left;">So if I understand you correctly, you haven’t played or made music for about a year? Is it a case of simply being too busy or not feeling inspired to do so?</div></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div style="text-align: left;"> </div></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div style="text-align: left;">With the risk of sounding a bit direct here, I would say I simply have no interest in playing music. I guess my distaste for it has grown sufficiently for me to not even want to be inspired anymore. There are so many better and more useful things to do in life.</div></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div style="text-align: left;"> </div></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div style="text-align: left;">You previously stated, “Since my true passion has never been music, but actually tabletop role-playing games, I figured I should make this an album intended for that use - as background music for my own MYFAROG (Mythic Fantasy Role-playing Game).”</div></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div style="text-align: left;"> </div></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Could you therefore tell us about </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">MYFAROG</span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">, in terms of concept and mechanics, particularly for readers who may only have a passing familiarity with roleplaying games?</span></div></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div style="text-align: left;"> </div></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div style="text-align: left;">It’s a fantasy RPG based around our own pre-Christian heritage, in the semi-fictional land of Thule, where you can either just have fun playing a fantasy role-playing game or actually learn something about our old traditions, gods, symbols, values, and purpose. That’s your choice. The mechanics are designed to make sense and to cover any thinkable and unthinkable situation the player characters might end up in. You cast three six-sided dice, add modifiers (like your character’s relevant skill proficiency) and check this up against a target number. Then you achieve a certain degree of success or failure, depending on the result, ranging from fumbles and critical failures, failures and semi-successes to successes and critical successes. That would be the basics.</div></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div style="text-align: left;"> </div></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Since </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">MYFAROG</span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> seems to be created with a lot of educational/historical</span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">considerations, did you ever think about making the game purely historical, i.e., based in the real world, without the elves, trolls and other otherworldly beings? What made you decide to go the route you did?</span></div></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div style="text-align: left;"> </div></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div style="text-align: left;">To me, an RPG should be educative, but it must also be fun, and a fantastical world is more fun than reality. On the other hand, history as we know it, is also pure fantasy ... the lies we agreed on, so to speak. But real lies are no fun.</div></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div style="text-align: left;"> </div></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div style="text-align: left;">To what degree did the concepts behind the game actively influence the music and lyrics themselves?</div></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div style="text-align: left;"> </div></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div style="text-align: left;">Let’s settle on a ‘high’ degree, because I worked on the game at the same time as I made the music.</div></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div style="text-align: left;"> </div></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div style="text-align: left;">How did you go about naming the tracks, particularly the many instrumentals?</div></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div style="text-align: left;"> </div></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">By listening to them on repeat, whilst </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">thinking</span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> about Thule. [smiles]</span></div></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div style="text-align: left;"> </div></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Especially for those who haven’t heard the new release, how would you compare the new tracks to those on </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Sôl austan</span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">, </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Mâni vestan</span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> and </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">The Ways Of Yore</span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">, compositionally speaking?</span></div></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div style="text-align: left;"> </div></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">It’s closer to the latter I would say, but ... I don’t know. If they have an interest in it, can’t they just listen to it for free on YouTube or something and make up their own opinion? I don’t really think about such things. I just make music, or </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">made</span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> music, and had no particular direction in mind. I just let the music take me where it wanted to go. The rest, how or why, is water under the bridge.</span></div></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div style="text-align: left;"> </div></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div style="text-align: left;">After many years, you returned to the timeless works of Theodor Kittelsen<span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">for this album’s cover art – was this in order to match the cover art with that used for the </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">MYFAROG</span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> game? And if so, what made you choose to use Kittelsen for this?</span></div></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div style="text-align: left;"> </div></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">The cover art was chosen first for the game, because it fits very well with the concept and atmosphere of Thule. It shows a Nix lurking in the water, a creature you can find in Thule. Then I decided to release the music I had as an album, and as a soundtrack for </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">MYFAROG</span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">, so I saw no reason not to use the same image for the album. It’s very ... Burzumic, and reminiscent of the older albums.” </span></div></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div style="text-align: left;"> </div></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div style="text-align: left;">Aside from your family, what is taking up most of your time these days if not music? Perhaps the RPG related works?</div></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div style="text-align: left;"> </div></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Reading, working in the garden, maintaining buildings, maintaining cars, writing more </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Paganism Explained</span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> books, and yes, also occasionally RPG work.</span></div></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div style="text-align: left;">Out of interest, when you listen to music these days, what do you tend to choose?</div></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div style="text-align: left;"> </div></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div style="text-align: left;">Electronic music, mostly. Dub techno. And my own music. Sometimes, I listen to old music that I liked when I was younger. Bee Gees. ABBA. Iron Maiden. The first few Kreator albums. Future Sounds of London. Jean-Michel Jarre. Software. Music I have memories attached to.</div></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div style="text-align: left;"> </div></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div style="text-align: left;">What do you see as the future for Burzum? More ‘accidental’ albums such as this? Could you envisage making another metal or electronic album created ‘as a whole,’ in a more traditional manner?</div></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div style="text-align: left;"> </div></span><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div style="text-align: left;">Burzum is dead to me, and it was before this album, too. Like I said, I just ‘accidentally’ made another album. So I have no future visions for music by me. I have better things to do. Plant trees. Sow seeds in a soil that modern agriculture has turned into almost a desert. Help restore the forest that once covered our continent from East to West, North to South. Our natural habitat.</div></span></span></span></div><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: right;"></div></center>
<center><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><br /></span></span></center><br /><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ada3v-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><br /></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ada3v-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joelgaustenofficial" style="font-family: arial;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: black; font-size: large;">JOEL GAUSTEN ON FACEBOOK</span></a></div><div><p><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.joelgausten.com/2006/01/joel-gausten-bio.html" style="background-color: black;" target="_blank">READ JOEL'S BIO</a></span></p><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.lulu.com/search?adult_audience_rating=00&contributor=Joel+Gausten&page=1&pageSize=10" style="background-color: black;" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span"></span>PURCHASE JOEL'S BOOKS</a></span></div><span style="background-color: black; font-size: large;"><br /><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;"></span></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span>EMAIL JOEL at gauste</span><span>nbooks@gmail.com</span></span></span><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Joel Gaustenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16791040278375149142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4618802790749138399.post-67366652114408172662024-02-24T13:03:00.003-05:002024-02-24T13:20:34.801-05:00Interview with JESSE HUNT (CYANOTIC/PIGFACE/HUNT HENT HAWK)<p><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="color: #131313; font-size: 10.5pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: black; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Author/journalist Joel Gausten talks with drummer/percussionist Jesse Hunt (Cyanotic/Pigface/Hunt Hent Hawk) about his vast history in music and his upcoming tour with KMFDM as a member of Cyanotic. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/Cyanotic" target="_blank">Cyanotic</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.kmfdm.net" target="_blank">KMFDM/Cyanotic Tour Dates </a></span></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>
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<center><br /></center><br /><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ada3v-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><br /></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ada3v-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joelgaustenofficial" style="font-family: arial;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: black; font-size: large;">JOEL GAUSTEN ON FACEBOOK</span></a></div><div><p><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.joelgausten.com/2006/01/joel-gausten-bio.html" style="background-color: black;" target="_blank">READ JOEL'S BIO</a></span></p><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.lulu.com/search?adult_audience_rating=00&contributor=Joel+Gausten&page=1&pageSize=10" style="background-color: black;" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span"></span>PURCHASE JOEL'S BOOKS</a></span></div><span style="background-color: black; font-size: large;"><br /><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;"></span></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span>EMAIL JOEL at gauste</span><span>nbooks@gmail.com</span></span></span><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Joel Gaustenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16791040278375149142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4618802790749138399.post-79308800931103867852024-02-24T12:54:00.002-05:002024-02-24T12:54:48.645-05:00Interview with JACK RUSSELL (JACK RUSSELL’S GREAT WHITE)<p><br /></p><p><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">A<span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">uthor/journalist Joel Gausten talks with singer Jack Russell (Jack Russell’s Great White) about his new album with L.A. Guns guitarist Tracii Guns (<i>Medusa</i>) under the moniker Russell/Guns, the current lineup of Jack Russell’s Great White, the band’s current activities, and the key to his longevity in the music industry. </span></span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/JackRussellsGreatWhite" target="_blank"><span>Jack Russell</span><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">’</span><span>s Great White </span></a></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: black;"><br /></span></p>
<center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Vg0HarR_8yI?si=96klolptGK5lb_4R" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></center>
<center><br /></center><br /><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ada3v-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><br /></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ada3v-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joelgaustenofficial" style="font-family: arial;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: black; font-size: large;">JOEL GAUSTEN ON FACEBOOK</span></a></div><div><p><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.joelgausten.com/2006/01/joel-gausten-bio.html" style="background-color: black;" target="_blank">READ JOEL'S BIO</a></span></p><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.lulu.com/search?adult_audience_rating=00&contributor=Joel+Gausten&page=1&pageSize=10" style="background-color: black;" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span"></span>PURCHASE JOEL'S BOOKS</a></span></div><span style="background-color: black; font-size: large;"><br /><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;"></span></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span>EMAIL JOEL at gauste</span><span>nbooks@gmail.com</span></span></span><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Joel Gaustenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16791040278375149142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4618802790749138399.post-87072237642907401302024-02-19T19:25:00.004-05:002024-02-24T12:55:21.445-05:00Interview with NAOMI YANG (Filmmaker: ”Never Be a Punching Bag for Nobody”) <p><span style="background-color: black; color: white; text-align: justify; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: large;">Author/journalist Joel Gausten talks with musician/filmmaker Naomi Yang (Galaxie 500/Damon & Naomi) about her extraordinary 2023 documentary, <i>Never Be a Punching Bag for Nobody</i>.</span></span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-df29bda6-7fff-87c5-f689-272856b80157"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="color: white; font-size: large; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="http://www.naomivision.com" style="background-color: black;" target="_blank">Naomi Yang</a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div><br /></div></span>
<center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vWPif0OqzHE?si=G-B2Q_qnIkDHVHzo" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></center>
<center><br /></center><br /><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ada3v-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><br /></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ada3v-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joelgaustenofficial" style="font-family: arial;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: black; font-size: large;">JOEL GAUSTEN ON FACEBOOK</span></a></div><div><p><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.joelgausten.com/2006/01/joel-gausten-bio.html" style="background-color: black;" target="_blank">READ JOEL'S BIO</a></span></p><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.lulu.com/search?adult_audience_rating=00&contributor=Joel+Gausten&page=1&pageSize=10" style="background-color: black;" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span"></span>PURCHASE JOEL'S BOOKS</a></span></div><span style="background-color: black; font-size: large;"><br /><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;"></span></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span>EMAIL JOEL at gauste</span><span>nbooks@gmail.com</span></span></span><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Joel Gaustenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16791040278375149142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4618802790749138399.post-74229612634668645532024-02-19T19:19:00.002-05:002024-02-19T19:19:33.556-05:00Interview with FRANK VERGA (IMPULSE CONTROL DISORDER)<p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Author/journalist Joel Gausten talks with Frank Verga of Impulse Control Disorder about his fantastic new EP, </span><span style="color: white; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i>Noise to the Void</i></span></span><span style="color: white; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="background-color: black;">, and hi</span>s years as an Industrial music artist.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #131313; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://impulsecontroldisorder.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Impulse Control Disorder</span></a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><br /></p><span class="yt-core-attributed-string--link-inherit-color" face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="background: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.05); border: 0px; color: #065fd4; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span>
<center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/87HzAgL10_M?si=S0QUaxP33xR1eJh3" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></center>
<center><br /></center><br /><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ada3v-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><br /></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ada3v-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joelgaustenofficial" style="font-family: arial;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: black; font-size: large;">JOEL GAUSTEN ON FACEBOOK</span></a></div><div><p><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.joelgausten.com/2006/01/joel-gausten-bio.html" style="background-color: black;" target="_blank">READ JOEL'S BIO</a></span></p><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.lulu.com/search?adult_audience_rating=00&contributor=Joel+Gausten&page=1&pageSize=10" style="background-color: black;" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span"></span>PURCHASE JOEL'S BOOKS</a></span></div><span style="background-color: black; font-size: large;"><br /><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;"></span></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span>EMAIL JOEL at gauste</span><span>nbooks@gmail.com</span></span></span><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Joel Gaustenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16791040278375149142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4618802790749138399.post-2367924435762536342024-02-11T18:19:00.000-05:002024-02-11T18:19:10.295-05:00Interview with HUGO BURNHAM of GANG OF FOUR<div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">
Author/journalist Joel Gausten talks with drummer Hugo Burnham of Gang of Four about the band’s 2021 reformation with new guitarist David Pajo, late Gang of Four guitarist Andy Gill, and the band’s current activities and future plans.</span><div><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/gangoffour" target="_blank">Gang of Four</a></span></div>
<center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6EIROUkgyfY?si=2RswWpKrf-fBjDOc" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></center>
<center><br /></center><br /><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ada3v-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><br /></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ada3v-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joelgaustenofficial" style="font-family: arial;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: black; font-size: large;">JOEL GAUSTEN ON FACEBOOK</span></a></div><div><p><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.joelgausten.com/2006/01/joel-gausten-bio.html" style="background-color: black;" target="_blank">READ JOEL'S BIO</a></span></p><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.lulu.com/search?adult_audience_rating=00&contributor=Joel+Gausten&page=1&pageSize=10" style="background-color: black;" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span"></span>PURCHASE JOEL'S BOOKS</a></span></div><span style="background-color: black; font-size: large;"><br /><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;"></span></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span>EMAIL JOEL at gauste</span><span>nbooks@gmail.com</span></span></span><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />
Joel Gaustenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16791040278375149142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4618802790749138399.post-15300983657026339002024-02-07T20:06:00.003-05:002024-02-07T20:06:40.353-05:00Interview with JOHN STEELE (VOICE OF DOOM/ELECTRIC FRANKENSTEIN)<p><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="color: #131313; font-size: 10.5pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: black; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Author/journalist Joel Gausten talks with drummer/guitarist/singer and New Jersey scene veteran John Steele (Voice of Doom/Electric Frankenstein/Holeshot/Nasty Ammunition/Genocide/Mental Decay/Backseat Driver/Kung Fu Killers/Johnny and the Has-Beens/The Dark Brothers/The 65’s) about his decades-long history in music. </span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial;"><a href="https://voiceofdoom.bigcartel.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Voice of Doom </span></a></span></p>
<center><br /></center><center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SJ45jq4nczA?si=6y6616qJt_FgOUNX" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></center>
<center><br /></center><br /><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ada3v-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><br /></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ada3v-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joelgaustenofficial" style="font-family: arial;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: black; font-size: large;">JOEL GAUSTEN ON FACEBOOK</span></a></div><div><p><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.joelgausten.com/2006/01/joel-gausten-bio.html" style="background-color: black;" target="_blank">READ JOEL'S BIO</a></span></p><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.lulu.com/search?adult_audience_rating=00&contributor=Joel+Gausten&page=1&pageSize=10" style="background-color: black;" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span"></span>PURCHASE JOEL'S BOOKS</a></span></div><span style="background-color: black; font-size: large;"><br /><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;"></span></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span>EMAIL JOEL at gauste</span><span>nbooks@gmail.com</span></span></span><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Joel Gaustenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16791040278375149142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4618802790749138399.post-43709121607772910272024-02-05T19:36:00.003-05:002024-02-05T19:36:53.485-05:00Interview with ROB MOSS (GOVERNMENT ISSUE/ARTIFICIAL PEACE/SOLO)<p><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="color: #0f0f0f; text-align: justify; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="text-align: justify; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;">Author/journalist Joel Gausten talks with Rob Moss (Government Issue/Artificial Peace/Assault & Battery/Solo) about his experiences in the early ‘80s D.C. Hardcore scene, his return to music after a decades-long hiatus, and his novel, <i>Descending Memphis</i>.</span></span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-7ddba5fc-7fff-f9cc-26dc-757460143d77"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="color: #0f0f0f; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://skin-tight-rock.bandcamp.com" target="_blank">Rob Moss</a></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="color: #0f0f0f; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><a href="https://www.descendingmemphis.com " target="_blank">Descending Memphis</a></i></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div><br /></div></span>
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Joel Gaustenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16791040278375149142noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4618802790749138399.post-83224351902051791812024-01-31T04:08:00.002-05:002024-01-31T10:03:28.927-05:00 From Prog Legend to Pop Maestro: Exploring John Wetton’s Extraordinary Life<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWGMh3ByAVwx_-ahtsE80mr-p6WVh6R90RV1oe_iNK4uqYUOajNrBIqfQ095lR-WbDXyHPYI15mFbUbHO9Se_v9VeXh0cU1Bgl3buX5cGYvwBwfbpLdzw5qs2gGHRdMwk1Mn_cVbDIXM8d5hKiCRGJfbbnMdI9UcOauXLF6MRYxmjEJtvittw8Q6vVKw/s600/unnamed%20(36).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWGMh3ByAVwx_-ahtsE80mr-p6WVh6R90RV1oe_iNK4uqYUOajNrBIqfQ095lR-WbDXyHPYI15mFbUbHO9Se_v9VeXh0cU1Bgl3buX5cGYvwBwfbpLdzw5qs2gGHRdMwk1Mn_cVbDIXM8d5hKiCRGJfbbnMdI9UcOauXLF6MRYxmjEJtvittw8Q6vVKw/w640-h640/unnamed%20(36).jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: white; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Here’s an assignment for you before you dive into reading this piece: Put on “Starless” off King Crimson’s 1974 album </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: white; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Red </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: white; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">and listen to that voice and bass guitar. </span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-3cbcfba6-7fff-24f4-8c2a-e1817de642ef"><span style="font-size: large;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; white-space-collapse: preserve;">By every conceivable measure, John Wetton’s performance on the 12-minute track is a creative and professional masterstroke that few musicians will ever achieve. The man was already a music industry veteran by the time he joined King Crimson for its classic ’72-’74 period, and “Starless” remains an undisputed classic of the era. If Wetton had ended his time as a musician at that moment, his status as a world-class creative force would have remained intact. Fortunately for us, what could have been a career apex ended up being a mere chapter in a sonic journey that carried on for another 44 years until his death seven years ago today. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Of course, his greatest commercial success came in the early ’80s via Asia, a supergroup of fellow Prog Rock vets and a commercial juggernaut that put his powerful voice front and center via a string of radio hits that helped the group sell (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeiWAGnZswc" target="_blank">in the man’s words</a>) “shitloads of records.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Mere weeks before Wetton’s passing, I had been fortunate enough to receive an advance stream of Asia’s then-upcoming live album, </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Symfonia - Live in Bulgaria 2013</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">. While the musicianship exhibited throughout the album was exceptional, what stood out most for me was his soaring voice – especially on the tracks that feature the Plovdiv Philharmonic Orchestra. (“The Smile Has Left Your Eyes” was one of many awe-inspiring highlights.) The guy still had it. I immediately fell in love with this release and was looking forward to possibly connecting with him once the press train for the album got rolling. I knew he had been experiencing health issues, but I had no idea that his condition was so grave. Sadly, an album that was meant to be another exciting chapter in an inspiring career instead became an epilogue—a final gift from a talented bassist, a master vocalist, and a musician whose gifts will be felt for generations.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Considering Asia’s massive success, it comes as little surprise that most casual Rock fans know Wetton for the group’s biggest hit, “Heat of The Moment.” While there are certainly worse fates that could befall a recording artist, listeners who think of him solely as </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">the guy from Asia</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> have missed out on a colorful career that also included stints with Family, U.K., Roxy Music, Uriah Heep, and Wishbone Ash as well as a sporadic solo career that yielded six albums over 31 years. This latter output is the focus of </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">An Extraordinary Life</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, an extensive new box set that collects all six solo albums (each remastered and sprinkled with bonus tracks) along with 39 rarities from the vaults spread over two additional CDs. A beautiful 64-page book of lyrics, photos, ephemera, and words of love from friends and collaborators augments the 115-song package.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; white-space-collapse: preserve;">With all that out of the way, here comes a warts-and-all deep dive through this box set’s many peaks and valleys. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; white-space-collapse: preserve;">To understand Wetton’s solo material from 1980 to 2011 is to embrace the idea that you’re getting nothing that comes within 100 miles of a Prog Rock epic. The man’s general philosophy as a solo artist is perhaps best summed up in this snippet from <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=um0Gl5TIyJU&t=1849s" target="_blank">an interview</a> he gave in 1997:</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“During [the King Crimson] period, I would submit a four-minute song to the band</span><span style="background-color: black; color: white; white-space-collapse: preserve;">—</span><span style="background-color: black; color: white; white-space-collapse: preserve;">in which ca</span><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">se,</span><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">on </span><i style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">Red,</i><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">i</span><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">t </span></span><span style="background-color: black; color: white; white-space-collapse: preserve;">was called ‘Starless’ […] The song would end up being a sort of 11-minute epic […] Now I just provide the four-minute song.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Although Wetton would master this streamlined approach by the time Asia stormed the charts in ’82, his 1980 solo debut, </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Caught in the Crossfire</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, is the sound of an artist making an uneasy—and all-over-the-place—inaugural transition from Prog to Pop. Who was John Wetton as a solo artist at the time? The answer provided by the album’s 10 tracks was incoherent at best. Expertly performed but ultimately rudderless, <i>Caught in the Crossfire </i>failed to present a definitive identity for the newly solo artist steering the ship. That said, the album is far from terrible. (How could it be when it boasts Bad Company drummer Simon Kirke and Jethro Tull guitarist Martin Barre among its contributors?) The perfect Powerpop of “Turn On The Radio” lands somewhere between The Police and </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Every Good Boy Deserves Favour</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">-era Moody Blues, while the slick “Baby Come Back” hints at the Asia sales maelstrom to come. The album’s two finest moments—the suave title track and the delightfully quirky “When Will You Realise?”—demonstrate that Wetton picked up quite a bit from his time with Brian Ferry and Co., while the brooding “Paper Talk” captures one of the strongest and most varied vocal performances he’d ever deliver on record. Is </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Caught in the Crossfire</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> worth a listen? Absolutely. Is it at all shocking that it didn’t set the world on fire? Not at all.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Of course, Wetton didn’t have to wait much longer before chart domination with Asia became a reality. After fronting one of the biggest acts of the ’80s, he revived his solo career in 1994—certainly not the most hospitable time for a 45-year-old musician who had been kicking around the industry for decades. While </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Caught in the Crossfire</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> suffered from a lack of direction, </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Battle Lines</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> sank due to pursuing the wrong one. Firstly, the album was produced to soulless extremes by Ron Nevison, whose history of neutering Rock acts in a quest for commercial radio glory dates back to Thin Lizzy’s tepid </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Nightlife </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">in 1974. He may have been the perfect producer for Heart circa 1985, but his saccharine sheen had no place on a mid-’90s album by a middle-aged rocker whose most musically adventurous days had occurred 20 years prior. Subsequently, </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Battle Lines </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">is a victim of needless overproduction that makes Yes’ </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Big Generator</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> sound like </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Motörhead</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">. With Nevison on board and no less than </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">seven</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> songwriters in tow, the album sounds exactly like what it is—a safe and sanitized product created by committee. Nothing sounds the least bit organic. The album ranges from lyrically lazy (</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“You know you sell your soul/Every time you lose control”) to </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">bloody unlistenable. (The godawful “Jane” is particularly odorous). </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Battle Lines</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> was comfortable when it needed to be urgent. It’s the sound of a recording artist who had seemingly lost his art.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">While my assessment of the proceedings may be harsh, there was an equally unenthused listener out there: </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Wetton himself,</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> who shed light on the creative constraints he had felt at the time in the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=um0Gl5TIyJU&t=1849s" target="_blank">aforementioned 1997 interview</a>: </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“When I was making [the album], I had a producer and a record company breathing down my neck all the time, keeping me within the bounds of what <i>they</i> saw as being palatable.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">While largely a snoozefest, </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Battle Lines</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> is saved by its strong title track, which proved that Wetton could still sing from the depths of his soul despite being weighed down by thick layers of sonic gloss.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Fortunately, Wetton’s next journey led to perhaps his finest moment as a solo act. Stripped of </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Battle Lines’</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> excesses, 1997’s extraordinary </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Arkangel </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">finds him charting considerably darker and more challenging waters. The somber orchestration of the instrumental opener “The Circle of St. Giles” sets the tone for a 12-track album that finds its creator in an often sullen and introspective mood. Three releases into his solo career, Wetton finally delivers an album that convinced the listener that he </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">feels </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">and </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">believes </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">every word he sings—even if those syllables don’t paint the rosiest picture of his mental state. Here’s a sample from “I Can’t Lie Anymore:”</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Mama said it would be alright</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Keeping it all to myself</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Johnny’s secrets would stay out of sight</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;">If they all could stay on the shelf.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Papa swore he’d lose his temper</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;">If I breathed a word to a soul</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;">And that no one would remember</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Or believe the stories I told.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The apparent darkness of Wetton’s upbringing also makes its presence known on the stand-out title track:</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I feel your presence</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Your voice I know so well</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;">You caught me when I stumped down</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The steepest steps of Hell</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The trials of my childhood will be the death of me</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Stay with me, Arkangel, with me.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Elsewhere on the album, the melancholy “After All” finds the singer/bassist seemingly contemplating the loneliness that often comes with being a traveling stage performer:</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;">After all the songs are sung</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;">All the actors come and gone</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The stage is dark and empty</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; font-style: italic; white-space-collapse: preserve;">But one candle burns alone.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Arkangel</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> is deep stuff—the kind of album you confront rather than merely listen to—and arguably the most powerful music Wetton ever released under his name.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The album’s other highlights include the acoustic ballad “Emma,” the urgent rocker “Nothing Happens for Nothing,” and the closing instrumental “The Celtic Cross.” Without the weight of needless overproduction, </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Arkangel </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">is allowed to breathe and exist as a morose masterpiece that is both challenging and indispensable.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“It’s a lot more daring than [</span><i style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Battle Lines</i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; white-space-collapse: preserve;">],” <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=um0Gl5TIyJU&t=1849s" target="_blank">commented</a> the album’s creator in the year of its release. “I sort of found my feet, really […] I feel comfortable with myself and what I do now, and I feel able to make certain moves I would not have felt comfortable with before […] I just had complete free reign in the studio, and what’s come out is absolutely me.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Unsurprisingly, Wetton praised </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Arkangel </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">as “the best thing I’ve done” in a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeiWAGnZswc&t=2s" target="_blank">1997 interview </a>with Eric Blair. While any recording artist worth their salt will pump up their latest album in interviews, it’s impossible to disagree with the man’s sentiment in this case.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Four years passed before the release of 2001’s decidedly more commercial </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Welcome to Heaven</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">. Although the songwriting and delivery were a touch dated by early 21st-century standards, the album soars where it should—with big hooks, big choruses, and Wetton’s magnificent voice stealing the show. After the sonic dark alley that was </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Arkangel</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Welcome To Heaven</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> is a safely played (but solid) palate cleanser that finds Wetton at his AOR-friendly finest.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Of course, no discussion of </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Welcome to Heaven</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> would be complete without a mention of the lovely “Real World,” two minutes and 44 seconds of acoustic-driven Pop perfection co-written by Wetton and a promising young songsmith by the name of Richard Starkey. (Hopefully, Richard’s clear talents took him somewhere in this crazy business.)</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">While 2003’s </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Rock of Faith</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> isn’t Wetton’s most adventurous solo release, it represents his many gifts as an artist (solo and otherwise) in one extraordinary place. Expertly produced and performed, the album is a collection of new songs that sounds like a greatest-hits package. In addition to playing to every strength found his on his previous four albums (and masterfully driving the esoteric edge of </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Arkangel</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> into more accessible terrain), it just <i>sounds </i>fantastic. Wetton’s vocals are at a career peak, and the pristine mix lets every second of music shine. Every song is a highlight, but the gorgeously orchestrated “I Believe In You” (which gives more than a passing nod to the intricacies of King Crimson without favoring Prog over Pop sensibility) and the Asia-esque “I’ve Come to Take You Home” are great places for curious listeners to start. The former is one of two album tracks (the other being “I Lay Down”) cowritten by Wetton’s past Asia bandmate Geoff Downes, whose contributions seemingly sowed the seeds for the long-awaited reunion of the original Asia lineup three years later.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The classic Asia foursome went on to produce three more studio albums: 2008’s </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Phoenix,</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> 2010’s </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Omega,</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> and 2012’s </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">XXX</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">. (Of course, “XXX” in this context refers to the group’s 30th</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> anniversary, but whatever you, <i>don’t </i>google “Asia XXX” to learn more about the album.) Between </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Omega </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">and </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">XXX</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, Wetton released his sixth solo album, </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Raised in Captivity</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">. Largely conceived in collaboration with singer/multi-instrumentalist <a href="http://www.joelgausten.com/2017/08/the-politics-of-prog-billy-sherwood-on.html" target="_blank">Billy Sherwood</a> (later of Yes and—after Wetton’s death—Asia), the 11-song release features guest spots by a who’s who of Prog royalty and past Wetton collaborators. Uriah Heep guitarist Mick Box turns up on “New Star Rising,” Geoff Downes appears on “Goodbye Elsinore” and “Steffi’s Ring,” U.K.’s Eddie Jobson adds violin to “The Devil and the Opera House,” and King Crimson’s Robert Fripp has a co-writing credit on the title track. Other guests include organist Tony Kaye (Yes), guitarist Steve Hackett (Genesis), and Dixie Dregs/Steve Morse Band/Deep Purple guitarist Steve Morse. (According to <a href="https://www.relayer35.com/Yescography/RaisedInCaptivity.htm" target="_blank">online sources</a>, </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Anneke van Giersbergen duets with Wetton on “Mighty Rivers,” although a performance credit for her work doesn’t appear anywhere in the album’s credits in the box set.) </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Overall, the results are … <i>okay</i>. Wetton’s voice is fantastic as always (especially on the exceptional “The Devil and the Opera House”), but the album is easily outshined by brighter moments from the man’s past. It’s enjoyable enough, but it’s nowhere close to reaching the repeated-listening appeal of </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Arkangel </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">or </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Rock of Faith</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">. But hey, it still beats </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Battle Lines</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> by a mile. Ultimately, </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Raised in Captivity</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> is a serviceable (if not terribly exciting) final chapter in Wetton’s story as an artist creating music under his own steam.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Naturally, the big draw of any box set of this nature is the promise of previously unreleased bonus material. </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">An Extraordinary Life</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> boasts 39 rarities (spread over two discs) culled from an archeological dig through two large suitcases briefcases full of decades’ worth of analog cassettes. Very often, the reasons for this material’s lack of inclusion on past Wetton releases become obvious upon first listen, but the bonus discs still offer plenty of worthwhile moments that will appeal to … well, to anyone who’d buy an eight-CD John Wetton box set. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Believed to be a castaway from the </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Arkangel</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> era, the well-crafted “Raven” fits the dark tone of that time, while the all-too-brief “Wings of Angels Intro” delivers 59 seconds of sheer beauty. Other highlights on the first disc include a strong cover of Bryan Adams’ “Straight From The Heart,” a sedate rendition of Bob Dylan’s “All Along The Watchtower,” and a delightful demo of “Real World” complete with charming banter between Wetton and that Starkey guy. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">To put it bluntly, the second disc of bonus material is largely a bottom-of-the-barrel-scraping exercise in aural nausea. (Whoever greenlit the inclusion of “Boys of the Diamond City” and the appropriately titled “Bad Thing” in particular should be brought up on charges.) Remember </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Sylvester Stallone’s so-bad-it’s-brilliant 1987 arm-wrestling-themed epic </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Over the Top</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">? Well, it turns out that Wetton demoed three tracks for possible inclusion in the film. They’re pretty dismal. The most tolerable of the lot, “Winner Takes It All,” was eventually recorded by Sammy Hagar for the soundtrack. It was the right choice, as Wetton’s demo version drowns the song’s potential Rock edge in the kind of synth-driven drivel that dominated the vast majority of ’80s Pop. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: black; color: white; white-space-collapse: preserve;">All in all, the second bonus disc contains about as much soul as the background music in a typical McDonald’s commercial. For the more masochistic Wetton completist only.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">While the bonus material is dodgy in spots, the gorgeous book included in </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">An Extraordinary Life</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> is a treasure in itself. In addition to featuring lyrics and liner notes for each solo album, it includes a foreword by Asia/Yes album artist Roger Dean, insights from Wetton biographer Nick Shilton (and John himself), and heartfelt tributes and remembrances from a host of colleagues and friends. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Ranging from the heartbreakingly beautiful to the frustratingly banal, </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">An Extraordinary Life</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> ultimately delivers a mixed bag of output. Honestly, the ups and downs in quality from 1980 to 2011 are to be expected—after all, whose </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">life </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">doesn’t have ups and downs over a 31-year period? Not everything in this box set is as extraordinary as its title suggests, but the world is certainly less so without John Wetton in it.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white;"><a href="https://cleorecs.com/store/shop/john-wetton-an-extraordinary-life-8-cd-box-set-imported/" target="_blank"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Purchase </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">An Extraordinary Life</span></a></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: black; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: white;"><a href="https://johnwettonlegacy.co.uk/" target="_blank">John Wetton</a></span></span></p><div><br /></div></span></span></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ada3v-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><br /></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ada3v-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joelgaustenofficial" style="font-family: arial;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: black; font-size: large;">JOEL GAUSTEN ON FACEBOOK</span></a></div><div><p><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.joelgausten.com/2006/01/joel-gausten-bio.html" style="background-color: black;" target="_blank">READ JOEL'S BIO</a></span></p><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.lulu.com/search?adult_audience_rating=00&contributor=Joel+Gausten&page=1&pageSize=10" style="background-color: black;" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span"></span>PURCHASE JOEL'S BOOKS</a></span></div><span style="background-color: black; font-size: large;"><br /><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;"></span></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span>EMAIL JOEL at gauste</span><span>nbooks@gmail.com</span></span></span><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Joel Gaustenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16791040278375149142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4618802790749138399.post-66078300098127731522024-01-25T18:41:00.002-05:002024-01-25T18:43:56.392-05:00Interview with MIKE REIDY (W.O.R.M/PIGFACE/TR8)<p><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; text-align: justify; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: black; text-align: justify; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;">Author/journalist Joel Gausten talks with Mike Reidy (W.O.R.M/Pigface/TR8) about his various projects and his long history in the Chicago music scene. </span></span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-fb6278f8-7fff-3c20-24b3-c5d2a08211e1"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: black; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;"><a href="https://joinworm.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank">W.O.R.M</a></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: black; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;"><a href="https://tr8music.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank">TR8</a></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div><br /></div></span>
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<center><br /></center><br /><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ada3v-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><br /></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ada3v-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joelgaustenofficial" style="font-family: arial;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: black; font-size: large;">JOEL GAUSTEN ON FACEBOOK</span></a></div><div><p><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.joelgausten.com/2006/01/joel-gausten-bio.html" style="background-color: black;" target="_blank">READ JOEL'S BIO</a></span></p><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.lulu.com/search?adult_audience_rating=00&contributor=Joel+Gausten&page=1&pageSize=10" style="background-color: black;" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span"></span>PURCHASE JOEL'S BOOKS</a></span></div><span style="background-color: black; font-size: large;"><br /><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;"></span></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span>EMAIL JOEL at gauste</span><span>nbooks@gmail.com</span></span></span><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Joel Gaustenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16791040278375149142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4618802790749138399.post-31703026199541867512024-01-21T13:24:00.003-05:002024-01-21T13:24:42.957-05:00Interview with TOMMY KOPROWSKI (MOURNING NOISE/BEDLAM/SUX/MENTAL DECAY) <p><span style="background-color: black; color: white; text-align: justify; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Author/journalist Joel Gausten talks with guitarist Tommy Koprowski (Mourning Noise/Bedlam/Deathrage/Mental Decay/East Paterson Boys Choir/SUX/The Fartheads/The Dentures) about his 40-plus years in the New Jersey Punk/Hardcore scene.</span></span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-58338fc3-7fff-936b-d9a8-b1203ce02b93"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: black; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;"><a href="https://mourningnoise.bandcamp.com/music" target="_blank">Mourning Noise</a></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: black; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;"><a href="https://bedlamnj.bandcamp.com/album/final-bedlam-millennium-edition" target="_blank">Bedlam</a></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div><br /></div></span>
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<center><br /></center><br /><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ada3v-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><br /></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ada3v-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joelgaustenofficial" style="font-family: arial;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: black; font-size: large;">JOEL GAUSTEN ON FACEBOOK</span></a></div><div><p><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.joelgausten.com/2006/01/joel-gausten-bio.html" style="background-color: black;" target="_blank">READ JOEL'S BIO</a></span></p><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.lulu.com/search?adult_audience_rating=00&contributor=Joel+Gausten&page=1&pageSize=10" style="background-color: black;" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span"></span>PURCHASE JOEL'S BOOKS</a></span></div><span style="background-color: black; font-size: large;"><br /><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;"></span></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span>EMAIL JOEL at gauste</span><span>nbooks@gmail.com</span></span></span><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Joel Gaustenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16791040278375149142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4618802790749138399.post-36785870033844632432024-01-15T20:24:00.002-05:002024-01-15T20:24:35.765-05:00 Interview with CHARLES LEVI (THRILL KILL KULT/PIGFACE/THE URBAN SOUNDTRACK)<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: x-large; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">A</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">uthor/journalist Joel Gausten talks with legendary bassist Charles Levi about his time playing with My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult, Pigface, The Urban Soundtrack, Project .44, The Damage Manual, and a host of another acts. Charles also provides an update on his health.</span></span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large; text-align: justify; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/charles-levi-housing" target="_blank">Charles Levi GoFundMe</a></span></span></div></span><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: black; text-align: justify; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/charles-levi-housing" target="_blank">Sunday Live Chat with Charles Levi and cEvin Key w/ guest host Dre, 1/22/23</a></span></span></p>
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<center><br /></center><br /><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ada3v-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><br /></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ada3v-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joelgaustenofficial" style="font-family: arial;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: black; font-size: large;">JOEL GAUSTEN ON FACEBOOK</span></a></div><div><p><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.joelgausten.com/2006/01/joel-gausten-bio.html" style="background-color: black;" target="_blank">READ JOEL'S BIO</a></span></p><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.lulu.com/search?adult_audience_rating=00&contributor=Joel+Gausten&page=1&pageSize=10" style="background-color: black;" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span"></span>PURCHASE JOEL'S BOOKS</a></span></div><span style="background-color: black; font-size: large;"><br /><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;"></span></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span>EMAIL JOEL at gauste</span><span>nbooks@gmail.com</span></span></span><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />
Joel Gaustenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16791040278375149142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4618802790749138399.post-76645041934197675952024-01-15T20:09:00.001-05:002024-01-15T20:09:25.189-05:00Interview with GITANE DEMONE and PAUL ROESSLER<p><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 11.5pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: black; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Author/journalist Joel Gausten talks with Gitane DeMone (Christian Death/Pompeii 99/Gitane DeMone Quartet/Solo) and Paul Roessler (The Screamers/Twisted Roots/45 Grave/Nina Hagen/Gitane DeMone Quartet/Nervous Gender/IGAF sequoia/Solo) about their new collaborative album, <i>The New Young Kings of Midnight</i>—a highly evocative masterpiece dedicated to the departed Rozz Williams and Darby Crash.</span></span></p><p><i><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://darkvinylrecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-new-young-kings-of-midnight" target="_blank">The New Young Kings of Midnight </a></span></i></p><p><span style="background-color: black; text-align: justify; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkRmons1Tbg&t=0s" target="_blank">The NYHC Chronicles LIVE! with guest Gitane DeMone</a></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: black; text-align: justify; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yC_0byhIddw&t=7062s" target="_blank">The NYHC Chronicles LIVE! with guest Paul Roessler</a></span></span></p>
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<center><br /></center><br /><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ada3v-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><br /></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ada3v-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joelgaustenofficial" style="font-family: arial;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: black; font-size: large;">JOEL GAUSTEN ON FACEBOOK</span></a></div><div><p><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.joelgausten.com/2006/01/joel-gausten-bio.html" style="background-color: black;" target="_blank">READ JOEL'S BIO</a></span></p><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.lulu.com/search?adult_audience_rating=00&contributor=Joel+Gausten&page=1&pageSize=10" style="background-color: black;" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span"></span>PURCHASE JOEL'S BOOKS</a></span></div><span style="background-color: black; font-size: large;"><br /><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;"></span></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span>EMAIL JOEL at gauste</span><span>nbooks@gmail.com</span></span></span><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Joel Gaustenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16791040278375149142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4618802790749138399.post-21121679615738969402024-01-07T14:30:00.002-05:002024-01-07T14:30:41.815-05:00Interview with CHRIS HASKETT (ROLLINS BAND/PIGFACE/SOLO) <p><span style="background-color: black; text-align: justify; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Author/journalist Joel Gausten talks with guitarist Chris Haskett (Rollins Band/Pigface/Solo) about his prolific career in music (including his work with David Bowie, Foetus, Rowland S. Howard, The Enzymes, and others), the D.C. Go-go music scene, and his new band, Even/Odd.</span></span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-21bbddd8-7fff-3c69-8e8c-0d3ce7789206"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: black; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="http://www.chrishaskett.com" target="_blank">Chris Haskett</a></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: black; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="http://www.evenoddmusic.com" target="_blank">Even/Odd</a></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p></span>
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<center><br /></center><br /><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ada3v-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><br /></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ada3v-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joelgaustenofficial" style="font-family: arial;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: black; font-size: large;">JOEL GAUSTEN ON FACEBOOK</span></a></div><div><p><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.joelgausten.com/2006/01/joel-gausten-bio.html" style="background-color: black;" target="_blank">READ JOEL'S BIO</a></span></p><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.lulu.com/search?adult_audience_rating=00&contributor=Joel+Gausten&page=1&pageSize=10" style="background-color: black;" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span"></span>PURCHASE JOEL'S BOOKS</a></span></div><span style="background-color: black; font-size: large;"><br /><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;"></span></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span>EMAIL JOEL at gauste</span><span>nbooks@gmail.com</span></span></span><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Joel Gaustenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16791040278375149142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4618802790749138399.post-27427576005839014572023-12-28T20:48:00.003-05:002023-12-28T20:48:51.431-05:00ALBUM OF THE YEAR - Inger Lorre: Gloryland <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhJ8XHcKKX-i3huoDgp-RWhqFPS_Tqla9TsYFq2cdPjKSWdO7dDXspckeeYL6CSbih2uPN2DuuvKtdYmnZpuY_QxFPrik_Dw-n4-MpU1ABNuNqn471iVRHUO61EO1TbcI1t-OM1yo57LiImZOlmaBGhiiA0sxU9lFkHq93T1z7FmUawNk4njQQHzgRcWA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhJ8XHcKKX-i3huoDgp-RWhqFPS_Tqla9TsYFq2cdPjKSWdO7dDXspckeeYL6CSbih2uPN2DuuvKtdYmnZpuY_QxFPrik_Dw-n4-MpU1ABNuNqn471iVRHUO61EO1TbcI1t-OM1yo57LiImZOlmaBGhiiA0sxU9lFkHq93T1z7FmUawNk4njQQHzgRcWA=w640-h640" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I’ve never met Inger Lorre, but she’s been my companion for years.</span></span></p><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div dir="auto"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Way back in the early ‘90s, I <a style="cursor: pointer;" tabindex="-1"></a>was lucky enough to hear a song called “Imitating Angels” by Inger’s then-band, The Nymphs. Lyrically and musically, the song’s four and a half minutes summed up the universe for me. As the guitars not-so-gently wept, Inger mournfully sang of “ghosts imitating angels” and “a place where nothing hurts and no one knows.” The latter bit stung and intrigued me. As an alienated adolescent stuck in suburban New Jersey at the time, I longed for adventures in faraway places. I could have just been projecting my desires onto a piece of music and coming up with my own interpretations of what the song intended to convey, but I didn’t give a fuck— “Imitating Angels” became my internal battle cry to get the hell out of where I was.</span></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div dir="auto"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">To me, “a place where nothing hurts and no one knows” was the promise of somewhere better. That ended up being Los Angeles, where I eventually lived for a few years in my twenties. Inger, another Jersey escapee, had already ended up there by the time The Nymphs’ first and only full-length album arrived in 1991. There were certainly highs for the band and its singer in those days—including a memorable cameo in the film Bad Influence and having Iggy Fucking Pop do a guest vocal on the album—but the lows came in equal measure. There are plenty of tales of Inger’s wild antics at the time readily accessible on the internet, so there’s no need for me to rehash them here. What’s ultimately worth noting is that The Nymphs soon ground to halt, and Inger spent the next several years combatting everything from addiction to fellow musicians. Unsurprisingly, her output in the decades following The Nymphs’ dissolution was sporadic at best, limited to one solo album (1999’s Transcendental Medication), a few scattered collaborations, and the odd gig here and there. Whether by choice or circumstance, Inger had become a typical LA story—an example of big dreams destroyed by music industry machinations, dope, scene politics, and missed opportunities.</span></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div dir="auto"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">I can’t say my time in that “place where nothing hurts and no one knows” was much different. The thing about LA is that it’s very often a cesspool of humanity disguised by palm trees and sunshine. I’ll never forget arriving home from a great night at the Roxy to discover I couldn’t enter my apartment until the cops moved the corpse of a murder victim away from my front door. I’ll also never forget watching people network at a memorial for a buddy of mine who had O.D.ed on Thanksgiving that year.</span></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div dir="auto"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Welcome to the City of (Ghosts Imitating) Angels.</span></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div dir="auto"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">But now it’s 2023, and Inger returned this year with a new album called <i>Gloryland</i> (<a class="x1i10hfl xjbqb8w x6umtig x1b1mbwd xaqea5y xav7gou x9f619 x1ypdohk xt0psk2 xe8uvvx xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r xexx8yu x4uap5 x18d9i69 xkhd6sd x16tdsg8 x1hl2dhg xggy1nq x1a2a7pz xt0b8zv x1qq9wsj xo1l8bm" href="https://www.facebook.com/kittenrobotrecords?__cft__[0]=AZUUsTKeG2vxxdSlizCyTp2J7gNKr1f26HJ27kiZ1FtxrywnouAz3i-4zTcfeQ3HJNzfbWWDVFGG8Z4Z2qgatw_ZkJ8zS-CdbmTgCHjYjqMN0yI4lyelRcgZfk2rXpwtAmXv2Fb1R_bBqNndous_1AqehjkP3_N-nux7kD9DhNU5KQ73EeN_WB0IXk2sQ6w7jRoYLP0e9FQGtFeDP2UJXL_i&__tn__=-]K-y-R" role="link" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation;" tabindex="0"><span class="xt0psk2" style="display: inline;">Kitten Robot Records</span></a>). In truth, I can barely stand listening to the fucking thing. Is it terrible? Oh, no. It's human, raw, and beautiful. It's Tom Waits' <i>Mule Variations</i> and a good chunk of Leonard Cohen's discography. It's Nico's <i>Chelsea Girl </i>on a snowy night. It's Jeffrey Lee and Nick. It's Tori singing to her <i>Boys for Pele</i>. It's an album you put yourself through because it takes you somewhere you need to go.</span></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div dir="auto"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Let me try to sum it up another way by comparing Inger to another one-time “it girl” who later experienced a far-from-easy life: Marianne Faithfull. If “Imitating Angels” was Inger’s “As Tears Go By,” then Gloryland is her <i>Broken English</i>—the sound of a shattered heart trying to mend itself while coming to terms with the hells of this world. It’s also the sound of triumph and survival, the kind of album that reminds you that life is worth the horrors you often go through just to make it to the next day.</span></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div dir="auto"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Don’t expect a track-by-track exploration here. Not gonna happen. That would require me to listen to the whole album again, and yeah … no. But I’ll say this: At least try to get through the first three songs in one sitting. Either you’ll get the album by that point, or you won’t. If you do … well … it’s goddamn gorgeous, isn’t it?</span></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div dir="auto"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">There is one song I’ll single out. “Song for Elliott Smith.” For fuck’s sake, Inger—I don’t think I’ve ever heard a more devastatingly human song in my life. We’ve all had a least one Elliott Smith in our lives. Why did they have to go? Listening to the tune brings me back to hanging in Silver Lake in the days following Elliott’s passing. The sense of loss in the air was palpable. I’m haunted by many ghosts from my LA days. I’ll leave it at that.</span></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div dir="auto"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Some closing notes as I stop playing Gloryland and put it away until I need it again:</span></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div dir="auto"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">1. A raised glass to Paul Roessler, who I simultaneously want to hug and punch in the face for producing this album into existence.</span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">2. Hey, Inger, if you’re reading this … I get it. I always have. Thanks for always helping me to make some sense of this world.</span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">3. Albums like this are why I stick around.</span></div></div>
<center><br /></center><br /><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ada3v-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><br /></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ada3v-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joelgaustenofficial" style="font-family: arial;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: black; font-size: large;">JOEL GAUSTEN ON FACEBOOK</span></a></div><div><p><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.joelgausten.com/2006/01/joel-gausten-bio.html" style="background-color: black;" target="_blank">READ JOEL'S BIO</a></span></p><span style="color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.lulu.com/search?adult_audience_rating=00&contributor=Joel+Gausten&page=1&pageSize=10" style="background-color: black;" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span"></span>PURCHASE JOEL'S BOOKS</a></span></div><span style="background-color: black; font-size: large;"><br /><span style="color: white; font-family: arial;"></span></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-size: large;"><span>EMAIL JOEL at gauste</span><span>nbooks@gmail.com</span></span></span><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Joel Gaustenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16791040278375149142noreply@blogger.com