interview NOAH DEWITT

Oregon Voice: It sounds like you come from a pretty “groovy” background.

Henry Church: You’re talking to the dude with tie-dye sneakers.

OV: How did you go from studying shamanism at NYU to being in this band?

Mickey Church: Yeah, it’s always interesting talking about it in hindsight because to me it was always separate. Shamanistic ritual kind of was happenstance. My advisor was the teacher of shamanistic ritual at NYU, so I just decided to take a course that my advisor was teaching, not even knowing what it was… Because he happened to be a Ph.D. in shamanism, or whatever you want to call it, and he was a shamanista himself, I took the class and really connected with it and connected with him. On the first day of school, it was a bunch of nervous kids who are in New York City for the first time, and we’re sitting in this classroom for our first class of our first day. And the teacher is nonexistent. And 10 minutes go by. Fifteen minutes go by. And after 15 minutes, this crazy guy bursts through the door, covered in dust with a  doctor’s mask on and a flashlight on his head, with his friend who had these crazy, piercing blue eyes, who’s also covered in dust. And he says, “True story, true story: We just got back from Burning Man. True story: Janis Joplin was in eagle form flying over the RV the entire way home.

By the next class a lot of the kids had dropped it, like, “I’m spending my tuition money on this?” But the people who stayed in the class are some of the only people that I became friends with in the entire university for the entire four years I was there.

That’s just one thing that happened that led me a certain way, but it could have easily not gone that way.

OV: What about your name? Is it an archery thing, or is it more like a computer mouse white arrow?

MC: It’s actually neither, or both if you guys want it to be. It’s just abstract, and whatever meaning it had when we came up with it — it’s kind of always changing based on what people assume it is or ask what it is. So I kind of like to keep it as abstract and free-formed as possible. If people want to take it literally, they can.

OV: I know you two are brothers. Are you all family?

MC: J.P.’s a half-brother by blood. We’re like cousins. And we all met through friends, and it was pretty kismet. Like how rare is it to find people, especially later in life, who are all on the same page as you. It’s like past the age of 16, I’ve made maybe 10 friends in my life, two of which happen to be likeminded individuals who want to play a similar kind of music and have the same outlook on life and the journey.

OV: How written are your songs when you step into the studio? Because your songs are really intensely produced.

MC: We write as we record. It’s all home studio stuff.

Andrew Naeve: We just write and record, and what needs to be rerecorded later, we’ll touch up after the song is written. We’ve probably recorded vocals like three different times, before just tossing it and starting over.

JPC: It’s like one of those gem tumblers, where you put in all the geodes and precious rocks, and you just tumble it and tumble it and tumble it. It takes a long time, and they turn into these beautiful smooth rocks.

OV: You’ve referred to yourselves as tropical crunk music?

HC: Many times.

OV: What aspects of crunk do you guys adapt to your style?

MC: Mostly the dancing.

AN: Mostly nothing. Besides the vibe. We don’t have crunk cups.

HC: I do.

Funny-man Doug Benson is kickin’ it in Eugene this Thursday, 4/21, at WOW Hall for his “I’m Still High” Tour.

Benson, who is most well known for his work with Last Comic Standing and the movie Super High Me, is one of the most prolific comedians of the past few years. He podcasts, hosts, and does stand-up, using his love for marijuana as the basis for his comedy. “Every day is 4/20 in Eugene!” he replied when I asked why he chose our beautiful city for the day after his favorite day of the year.

Benson has always been enthusiastic about his smoking. “In honor of 4/20, I’m thinking about getting a bacon sundae at Dennys. #NotAnAd #JustAStoner #Happy420″ he wrote on his twitter account. But people underestimate his impact on the stigma surrounding pot use; his support for marijuana acceptance has helped put the controversy in a different light.

“There are a lot of pot smokers in the world,” he said, “and they don’t want to feel shame for smoking a plant. It helps to have someone like me saying, ‘I smoke a ton of pot,’ and things have gone pretty well for me!”

In addition to his stand-up, Benson hosts a TV show called “The Benson Interruption,” inviting his fellow comedians to have their stand-up ruined by the man in the giant chair. He also hosts and produces “Doug Loves Movies,” a podcast broadcasted live from Los Angeles’s Upright Citizens Brigade Theater, where he interviews a guest and talks about, well, movies. “I love podcasting,” he said. “Because it’s so much fun to do shows where I can say anything I want to say, I don’t have to answer to anyone.”

For tomorrow night, he’ll be doing his stand-up and it’s something you don’t want to miss. Tickets are still available and the doors open at 6:30.

Finally, when I asked whether he would live the rest of his life on Living Island with H.R. Pufnstuf or live in a world without pizza, he replied, “I’ll hang with Pufnstuf and down some pizzas, thank you very much.” Don’t miss Doug Benson tomorrow at WOW Hall!

WHERE: WOW Hall
WHEN: 4/21, Doors at 6:30
HOW MUCH: $20, $25 at the door

… if you weren’t already going to link it, check out the Phil Knight interview that the Oregonian’s Allan Brettman did. Our sports-drunk Uncle describes his unique relationship with  the university and offers some  sober thoughts on Nike, Secret Telephones, and the financial future of the UO.

Think of it as the Beats, Ryhmes and Life out of A Tribe Called Quest albums.

This weekend Crispin Glover, (George McFly from Back to the Future,) will be in Eugene promoting his newest projects.

Glover will showcase his two films, What is It? on Saturday night and It is Fine! EVERYTHING IS FINE on Friday and Sunday nights.

Glover describes It is Fine as “my psychological reaction to the corporate restraints that have happened in the last twenty to thirty years in filmmaking.” Part two of the trilogy, It is Fine! EVERYTHING IS FINE, further explores the theme.

Shows begin at 8:30pm November 19th, 20th, and 21st.  Descriptions of each night’s lineup can be found at crispinglover.com. Tickets are available now for $20 each at the Bijou box office, which is open 4:30 to 11pm weekdays, and 2 to 11:30 pm weekends. Shows will conclude with a Q&A session and book signing.

The Oregon Voice sat down with Crispin Glover over a virtual cup of coffee. The following questions were answered over e-mail.

OV: What attracted you to the film medium?

CG: I have been making films starting when I was thirteen and purchased a Minolta super 8 camera with an intervalometer. I do not quite remember what attracted me to making movies at that age, but I did like it. My father is an actor and my mother retired from her primary profession as a dancer and secondary profession as an actress when I was born. As I was growing up watching my father work in the film industry I did not necessarily equate the business of acting with art as much as seeing it as a business. I became a professional actor at age 13 by my own choice. I emphasize that because there is a large difference in that from when I child is forced in to acting by parents who choose that career for a child. I began studying in a professional acting class at age 15. At age 16 I viewed many revival films of the 1920’s through the 1970’s at the revival theaters that were popular in the early 1980’s before the advent of VHS competition that led to most of the revival houses closing. While watching many of the films and being in acting class I began to understand film and acting as art. I ultimately felt that feature films are the place where certain interests in art could be attained.

OV: Do you enjoy Boardwalk Empire? Slash do you think Steve Buscemi deserves an Emmy?

CG: I have not yet seen Boardwalk Empire but I am friends with Paz de la Huerta who is in it and she always does a great job. I especially enjoyed her in Gaspar Noe’s “Enter the Void.” Steve Buscemi is always excellent and I look forward to seeing Boardwalk Empire.

OV: In your career what works are you most proud of?

CG: I truly am most proud of my own films. “What is it?” and “It is fine! EVERYTHING IS FINE.”

OV:  What inspired your most recent pieces? Ones that will be featured at the Bijou?

CG: I am showing two different films I feel it is important to have two different slide shows. I had other books that did not make it to the selections of when I first made the original slide Show back in 1993.  I have to admit that the books I perform in “Crispin Hellion Glover’s Slide Show Part I” are best for live performance. I have a few of the books from in “Crispin Hellion Glover’s Slide Show Part I” in “Crispin Hellion Glover’s Slide Show Part 2” because they help to make the structure of the show somewhat similar. But there is a substantial difference in the two shows and I am still making changes to the second shows as I perform them.

The fact that I tour with the film helps the distribution element. I consider what I am doing to be following in the steps of vaudeville performers. Vaudeville was the main form of entertainment for most of the history of the US. It has only relatively recently stopped being the main source of entertainment, but that does not mean this live element mixed with other media is no longer viable. In fact it is apparent that it is sorely missed. I perform a one-hour dramatic narration of eight different books I have made over the years. The books are taken from old books from the 1800’s that have been changed in to different books from what they originally were. They are heavily illustrated with original drawings and reworked images and photographs. When I first started publishing the books in 1987 people said I should have book readings. But the book are so heavily illustrated and they way the illustrations are used within the books they help to tell the story so the only way for the books to make sense was to have visually representations of the images. This is why I knew a slide show was necessary. It took a while but in 1992 I started performing what I used to call Crispin Hellion Glover’s Big Side Show. People get confused as to what that is so now I always let it be known that it is a one-hour dramatic narration of eight different profusely illustrated books that I have made over the years. The illustrations from the books are projected behind me as I perform them.

I am very careful to make it quite clear that What is it? is not a film about Down’s Syndrome but my psychological reaction to the corporate restraints that have happened in the last 20 to 30 years in film making. Specifically anything that can possibly make an audience uncomfortable is necessarily excised or the film will not be corporately funded or distributed. This is damaging to the culture because it is the very moment when an audience member sits back in their chair looks up at the screen and thinks to their self “Is this right what I am watching? Is this wrong what I am watching? Should I be here? Should the filmmaker have made this? What is it?” -and that is the title of the film. What is it that is taboo in the culture? What does it mean that taboo has been ubiquitously excised in this culture’s media? What does it mean to the culture when it does not properly process taboo in it’s media? It is a bad thing because when questions are not being asked because these kinds of questions are when people are having a truly educational experience. For the culture to not be able to ask questions leads towards a non educational experience and that is what is happening in this culture. This stupefies this culture and that is of course a bad thing. So What is it? Is a direct reaction to the contents this culture’s media. I would like people to think for themselves.

Steven C. Stewart wrote and is the main actor in part two of the trilogy titled It is fine! EVERYTHING IS FINE. I put Steve in to the cast of What is it? because he had written this screenplay which I read in 1987. When I turned What is it? from a short film in to a feature I realized there were certain thematic elements in the film that related to what Steven C. Stewart’s screenplay dealt with.  Steve had been locked in a nursing home for about ten years when his mother died. He had been born with a severe case of cerebral palsy and he was very difficult to understand. People that were caring for him in the nursing home would derisively call him an “M.R.” short for “Mental Retard”. This is not a nice thing to say to anyone, but Steve was of normal intelligence. When he did get out he wrote his screenplay. Although it is written in the genre of a murder detective thriller truths of his own existence come through much more clearly than if he had written it as a standard autobiography. As I have stated, I put Steven C. Stewart in to What is it? When I turned What is it? in to a feature film. Originally What is it? Was going to be a short film to promote the concept to corporate film funding entities that working with a cast wherein most characters are played by actors with Down’s Syndrome. Steve had written his screenplay in in the late 1970’s. I read it in 1987 and as soon as I had read it I knew I had to produce the film. Steven C. Stewart died within a month after we finished shooting the film. Cerebral palsy is not generative but Steve was 62 when we shot the film. One of Steve’s lungs had collapsed because he had started choking on his own saliva and he got pneumonia. I specifically started funding my own films with the money I make from the films I act in when Steven C. Stewart’s lung collapsed in the year 2000 this was around the same time that the first Charlie’s Angels film was coming to me. I realized with the money I made from that film I could put straight in to the Steven C. Stewart film. That is exactly what happened. I finished acting in Charlie’s Angels and then went to Salt Lake City where Steven C. Stewart lived. I met with Steve and David Brothers with whom I co-directed the film. I went back to LA and acted in an lower budget film for about five weeks and David Brothers started building the sets. Then I went straight back to Salt Lake and we completed shooting the film within about six months in three separate smaller productions. Then Steve died within a month after we finished shooting. I am relieved to have gotten this film finally completed because ever since I read the screenplay in 1987 I knew I had to produce the film and also produce it correctly. I would not have felt right about myself if I had not gotten Steve’s film made, I would have felt that I had done something wrong and that I had actually done a bad thing if I had not gotten it made. So I am greatly relieved to have completed it especially since I am very pleased with how well the film has turned out. We shot It is fine! EVERYTHING IS FINE.  while I was still completing What it? And this is partly why What is it? took a long time to complete. I am very proud of the film as I am of What is it? I feel It is fine! EVERYTHING IS FINE. will probably be the best film I will have anything to do with in my entire career.  People who are interested in when I will be back should join up on the e mail list at CrispinGlover.com as they will be emailed with information as to where I will be where with whatever film I tour with. It is by far the best way to know how to see the films.

After Charlie’s Angels came out it did very well financially and was good for my acting career. I started getting better roles that also paid better and I could continue using that money to finance my films that I am so truly passionate about. I have been able to divorce myself from the content of the films that I act in and look at acting as a craft that I am helping other filmmakers to accomplish what it is that they want to do. Usually filmmakers have hired me because there is something they have felt would be interesting to accomplish with using me in their film and usually I can try to do something interesting as an actor. If for some reason the director is not truly interested in doing something that I personally find interesting with the character then I can console myself that with the money I am making to be in their production I can help to fund my own films that I am so truly passionate about. Usually though I feel as though I am able to get something across as an actor that I feel good about. It has worked out well!

OV: In your view, what do small Arts Theaters like the Bijou mean to the artistic freedom in the film industry?

For me personally the independent theaters, cinematheques, museum theaters, and higher education theaters are vital to my self-distribution I described above.

OV:  What’s your favorite type of footwear?

If I am waling in Prague it is important to have good shoes that both look nice and yet are comfortable to walk in on the cobblestone streets. I have some shoes that I like for when I am there, but I have to admit I have not found the perfect pair yet. I own historical property in the Czech Republic not too far from Prague so I am often there. I have converted a horse stables next to my property in to a small sound stage in order to continue making my own films there.

OV: In regards to the way you ‘re-mix’ books you think of yourself of a literary DJ? What would your DJ name be?

It would be the same as my birth name Crispin Hellion Glover. Although it is true my books sometimes contain certain pre existing material for the most my books are completely original material so the analogy of re mixing books is not in whole accurate.

My father Bruce Glover is an actor. In fact he is in Part two of the trilogy It is fine! EVERYTHING IS FINE! People may know him from such films as Diamonds are Forever, Chinatown and the original Walking Tall series.  His middle name is Herbert. He never liked his middle name Herbert. So as a young struggling actor in New York he would say to himself “I am Bruce H. Glover, Bruce Hellion Glover. I am a hellion a troublemaker.” And that would make him feel good. He told my mother this was his real middle name. When they were married she saw him writing on the marriage certificate Bruce Herbert Glover and she thought “Who am I marrying?” They gave Hellion to me as my real middle name. I had always written and drawn as a child and I would always sign my drawing and writing with my whole name Crispin Hellion Glover. When I started acting professionally at 13 which was something I had decided on my own I could do as a profession at a relatively young age it became apparent that I had to choose a professional acting name for SAG. I thought my whole name was too long for acting and just used my first and last name. When I started publishing my books I simply continued using the name I had always used for writing and drawing. This is also why I use my whole name for my films.

OV:  What’s your diet like? Do you make an effort to eat local? Organic? Non-fat? Something we haven’t even heard of yet?

Yes, from age 20 for about 20 years I ate pretty strictly according to macrobiotics. Then I ate a living food diet when I acted in the second Charlie’s Angels film. After I first purchased my property in the Czech Republic and started touring a lot I went off of such strict and healthy regimens. I definitely noticed negative health effects from not eating as healthfully and in the last few years have been eating healthier again and glad of it.

OV: OK, so your at a Karaoke Bar. You only get one song and you need to impress this crowd. What one song do you have in your backpocket, just already perfect and ready to go?

“Ben” which is sang for the soundtrack of “Willard” and directed a video of and can easily be seen on YouTube. In fact the very scenario you describe happened my last night on working on “Hot Tub Time Machine” I went out with a number of members in the cast for karaoke and that was the song I sang.

Phantogram is a duo formed in 2007 by Joshua Carter and Sarah Barthel in Saratoga Springs, New York. Their music could be labeled ‘trip-hop/electronic/experimental.’ Their music could be described as yo yo yo meets ooh la la. They are playing at Misssissippi Studios in Portland, Wednesday the 13th at 9pm. I interviewed Josh over the phone and asked a few non-conventional questions. He was enthralled I wasn’t going to ask where ‘the band’ was from.

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Did you prefer music while growing up as opposed to other art forms such as movies, paintings, theater and dance? Why?

I always had an appreciation for art, especially drawing and painting when I was younger. We didn’t start working on music until we were a little older. I was more into skateboarding as a teenager and Sarah was into…being a girl, you know, jumping on a trampoline and snowboarding.

Do you know why kids usually like music more than other art forms?

For me, music can strike a nerve in people that a lot of other art forms can’t really do in the same way. This might sound cheesy but it’s almost the closest thing to a kind of spirituality without practicing any kind of religion. It’s just universal. And it touches people in that way.

Do you think the youth have become divided on music genres, putting us in separate groups with identities and ideologies that compete with each other?

All politics and movements aside, people who identify themselves with certain types of music can alienate themselves from other people. Like, “I’m not going to hang out with any kid who listens to Dave Mathews” or “I’m not going to hang out with this kid because he listens to rap.” But what I see is that a lot of people listen to all kinds of music. We’re a band that has many different influences, and I see that in so many bands now. In a way it is kind of bringing people together because it’s a melting pot of genres and styles in connecting other people to certain sounds that they might not consider listening to, to begin with. And I think it kind of unites people more than anything. And if anybody has a problem or feels divided with somebody else because of their taste of music then they’re just ignorant. They lack any kind of forward thinking mind for creativity. And people are entitled to listen to whatever kind of music they want to, that doesn’t make them a bad person.

I was reading your Running from the Cops lyrics. Do you think dreams have any meaning?

Dreams are really powerful. Most of the inspiration behind the lyrics on the album comes from dreams. I don’t always think you should take dreams too seriously all the time. But I definitely find them very interesting and meaningful.

Do you like to write them down right after you have them?

Often I do. I have a lot of friends that are like “Man, I can never remember my dreams.” But luckily I’m pretty good at remembering my dreams. And if I’m afraid of forgetting them then I’ll write them down.

I think people should all share and read each other’s dream logs. Too bad there’s not some website that offers that.

That’d be great. You should start a website like that.

Yea maybe I will. Maybe I’ll invite you 10 years in the future. The song also refers to someone who is responsible for this master plan? Is that a spiritual reference?

It could be, but it could also be like shaking hands with yourself.

What motivates you to write songs? Is it heartbreak? Love? Why do you think so many songs are about those two things? I don’t see many songs about scissors, electrical tape, or data analysis.

I don’t think most people connect with stuff like that. And it’s not like when we write songs we try to appeal to people. I’ve heard lots of interesting songs about electrical tape or data. Actually maybe not data, or any of that. This might sound kind of vain but that’s more like information. And I think music that interests people the most is emotional, and metaphorical. You can read a textbook, you can read a manual and you can bore yourself to tears or you can read poetry or a good novel.

And is that why you started writing songs, you wanted to express emotion?

Yeah I think so. I got interested in writing in high school. Not writing music but just writing in a journal. I just found it to be very cathartic. And once I got into music when I was about 18 it just kind of became a natural progression.

What motivated you to start a band?

In the beginning I never wanted to start a band per se, I was just really into recording on my own. I was kind of obsessed with recording weird short songs and beats and all kinds of things. It was a way to exercise my own personal issues in a cathartic way. And it was fun, and something I always found very entertaining. When I started a band with Sarah, I knew she had a great voice and was really good at piano. So I asked her to help finish up with some ideas that I had, and they turned out to be really fantastic. So I asked her if she wanted to start a band, and then we sort of went full steam ahead.

Do you think you got a lot more out of it when you noticed people started picking up on your music or was it just as important to you when no one else really knew about your music and you were just doing it for yourself?

It was just as important when nobody else knew about my music. I can’t complain. Sarah and me are both really excited we get to do this. We never thought that it would pick up the way it has. [In the past] I didn’t have any sort of pressure of knowing that other people were even going to hear it, you know? It was just for me. And sometimes I miss that a little bit. But like I said I really can’t complain I’m having a lot of fun.

What do you think of record companies? Making music more of a business and less of an artistic endeavor? Do you see the Internet as a tool for obtaining that creative freedom?

I see the Internet as a really positive thing. It’s exposing the general public to music they might not hear. Most people listen to top 40 radio and bullshit like that, kick back and eat what they’re fed. But I think people living in an Internet generation are more apt to explore new things. I feel like people are a little more open-minded in finding new stuff, because the Internet provides that avenue. And it’s something that regular radio can’t do. As far as the music industry and labels go, I do know that I hear a lot of crap. And I do know that a lot of bands that become really big aren’t usually that good…to me. And it’s sad that these big record labels are just looking to cash in on bands. Like “No, you guys gotta write more hits.” It kind of sucks the soul out of creativity for bands. As far as the indie side goes, I’m pretty happy about our record label. They give us full creative control of our music. So I don’t even need to worry about that. I’m sure they’d be a little disappointed if we put out a record where I fart into a microphone for 45 minutes. But if I did that, and they saw that I was totally into farting for 45 minutes, they might take a chance, you know? That’s kind of ridiculous but you know what I mean.

Where’s the line between ‘Independent record companies’ and corporate ones?

I think the main difference between indie labels and big corporate labels is that indie labels tend to put out music that they believe in. They take risks, and they hope that it sells. And big labels are expecting to cash in on you. And if you don’t do as good as they expect you to, they’ll just drop you like that. And that’s a total bummer, but that’s how it is. I suspect that the line between corporate labels and indie labels is becoming a bit blurred these days. With the hype of indie music in general with blogs like Pitchfork and The Hype Machine and shit like that, indie music and different music in general is starting to turn into a kind of strange pop machine. But I really don’t know I try not to pay too much attention [to all that].

Do you know of any cool websites to check out for discovering new music?

SweetThunder.com. You can listen to random tapes that people find in dumpsters or on the sidewalk, etc. It’s really cool. You can listen to people’s answering machines tapes or little kids birthday parties circa 1979. And there’s links to other websites where you can listen to like old soul records from the 60’s. There’s also obscure music at Found.com. It’s interesting what you can stumble upon.

What do you think of the phrase: BE HERE NOW?

It sounds very Zen to me. I like the phrase ‘Be Here Now.’ I often find myself not being here. I think everybody should be in the moment. Live your life day by day and enjoy everything around you. I’m completely guilty of not [being here now], but when I am I’m a much happier person.

What’s your favorite time period that you would like to live in?

When I was a kid I wanted to live in the medieval times because I thought dragons and wizards existed. That movie Hudson Hawk is so awesome. I don’t know, probably maybe the 60’s would have been kind of cool. But honestly I’m pretty happy living my life as it is now, you know, because I don’t know anything different. I’m okay with right now. I’m being here now.

Do you think the world is becoming more interesting? I think the 80’s and the 90’s were kind of boring. Do you think music and culture and things and general are gathering speed, so to say?

Everything is getting really interesting. My grandfather is in his 90’s. He saw everything happen. From television to wireless phones to cell phones to the Internet. That’s gotta be pretty mind blowing. Right now I can’t really wrap my head around how much is going on with technology and what you can do with technology. But at the same time it’s a little bit scary too. I dunno, just take it in stride.

Thank you, that’s all the questions I have really.

Thanks man, I’m glad to do an interview that wasn’t boring.

photo by Carolina Riveria

Phantogram’s haunting, post-electronic dream pop oozes a certain amount of intoxication, and the epic performance by the New York duo at Eugene’s Willamette Valley Music Festival last Saturday was comparable to watching globules in a lava lamp. I pity any one who wasn’t in attendance. It really was a seductive—if not spellbinding—show.

I recently had the chance to interview Josh Carter of the group. Here is what he had to say on the West Coast, the music industry and the future of Phantogram.

Fond memories from your last visit to Eugene?

Indeed! We had a great time playing the Willamette Valley Fest. The crowd was awesome!

Any thoughts on the West Cost vs. your native East?

So far, we have enjoyed playing the West Coast very much. We’ve had awesome response to our music on both coasts – the Midwest is great too! We haven’t really gotten to play a lot of shows in the South yet. We are looking forward to getting down there soon. There are nice people and jerky people everywhere we go… We prefer meeting friendly, sincere people.
We definitely miss home on the East Coast right now, because we’ve been on tour for a month and will continue to tour for a while.

How would you describe your music to someone who hasn’t heard it?

Beat-heavy pop, with spacey synths, swirling guitars, chopped up samples, honest, emotional lyrics, and a lot of texture.

What are major influences to the band, musically and otherwise?

Musically- everything from Debussy to Talking Heads, Curtis Mayfield to Slowdive, The Beatles to J Dilla…. We like all kinds of music. We draw a lot of inspiration from film and movies, too. Some of our favorite directors are David Lynch, Terry Gilliam, Michel Gondry…

And what’s your favorite thing about music and the industry today?

My favorite thing about music is that it is as close as you can get to spirituality or the heart and soul of an individual. Music can touch people in ways that most other things can’t. It gets under your skin.

What’s the meaning behind the word ‘phantogram’?

A phantogram is a two-dimensional optical illusion that appears in three dimensions. We thought that ‘Phantogram’ would be a good name for our band as we are a two-piece that creates a stereophonic sound – a sound much larger than you would expect from two people.

Any acts you would like to collaborate with?

We would’ve liked to collaborate with Sparklehorse. RIP Mark Linkous. It would be cool to do scores for films too.

What are your three must have songs on a dance party mix?

EMF’s “Unbelievable”, Jay-Z’s “Empire State of Mind”, and “I Would Die For You” by Prince.

Besides a wealth of tour dates, what does the future have in store for Phantogram?

Lots of more music and albums!

Jimmy Carbonetti and Matt Iwanusa met Dave Skeinkopf and Joe Smith in high school. Dave and Joe were Jimmy and Matt’s teachers. The guys bonded over their love of music, a band was formed and so the story goes.

The non-conventional teacher-pupil collaboration has proved successful. Though high school was four years ago, the teachers and their whiz kids possess an endearing teen spirit that would make them one helluva—if not over-qualified—prom band. The aesthetic is easy to intuit, just think 60s British pop rock with tumbledown lyrics, bluesy riffs and soaring harmonies that festoon from mouth to ear. The sound is understated (à la The Kink’s Village Green Preservation Society) yet bulldozes when appropriate for a strummy, dramatic effect. Sure, if you have a guitar and some drums you’re destined to sound like someone else. And though they shy away from ingenuity with their textbook indie rock structure, the music builds upon a pre-“power ballad” era candor that is both minimal and revitalizing. A tribute to their formation, The Subject’s neoclassic pastiche recalls nostalgia for those simpler days of algebra exams and make out sessions under the bleachers.

I first met these dudes when they played at the Doug Fir in Portland last summer while touring with White Rabbits. The Subjects put on such an explosive opening act that I felt compelled to buy their first full-length album, With The Ease and Grace and Precision and Cleverness of Human Beings. I think it’s worth mentioning that I rarely buy full-length albums.

I reunited with the dudes at Sam Bond’s Garage on October 16 and I was pleasantly surprised by their latest tracks on the EP New Soft Shoe, which is reminscent of dance-hall London and a bit more accessible than their past stuff. I sat down with Jimmy and Dave. Like the last time we met, hearing anecdotes about touring the country in a van and what it’s like to party ‘til you puke reminded me The Subjects don’t just make rock n’ roll, they live it—and they won’t let you forget it.

Welcome back to Oregon. How’s the tour going?

J: Amazing.

Have you guys been on tour this entire time since I saw you last July?

J: We had a break. I went to Spain and back to Brooklyn. It’s snowing in New York.

No Way! Do you like snow?

J: Snow is great!

You mentioned early today you were going shopping. Did you get anything?

J: Dave got a stripped shirt. (Points to shirt)

That’s a nice shirt

D: Thanks

Do you remember where you got it?

D: Oak something. Near Willam…e…tay?

Williamette.

D: Ya

I forget that’s a hard word to pronounce. So lemme get this straight. You guys met in high school? But Dave, you were Jimmy’s teacher?

D: Jimmy was in my audiovisual class. We made a video called “Platinum Dreams”. It was about becoming karaoke stars. We had a good time making it and then the band kind of just formed.

I’m interested about group dynamics. What’s the music-making process like?

D: Matt and I write the songs. We rehearse in an old sewing machine warehouse in Manhattan. Matt’s mom played in a funk band. The guy who owns the building produced her album. He also produced The Yardbirds. We’re going to have a huge Halloween party there.

That’s funny. I just listened to “8 Miles High” before I came here. So do you have Halloween costumes?

J: No, not yet.

D: We’re picking up stuff in every city.

Love or hate life on the road?

D: Life on the road is better than working but we don’t get to see as much of the cities as we’d like to. We’re going to bring our bikes next time around. We have this system called “Captain and Co-Captain”. If you’re the Captain you can have one drink because you’re driving. If you’re co-captain, you have to appear relatively sober, but really you can drink a lot. The other two people, well, anything goes.

So what kinda crowds do you draw in places like Nebraska?

D: Nebraska was terrifying.

What did you guys do in Portland?

D: We went to Pita Pit and My Father’s Place

Did you play Big Buck Hunter?

D: Yep.

I’ve always wondered, is it possible to enjoy guitar hero if you’re already an accomplished musician?

J: It’s impossible to play guitar hero if you’re a musician.

So what’s next?

D: We’re heading down to the Treasure Island Music Festival tomorrow. We’re not playing but The Walkmen invited us to hang out.

Sounds like a party.

D: It will be.

If you’ve left for summer vacation and want us to mail you a print copy, let us know via the contact form and we’ll gladly accommodate you.

Special thanks to all the past contributers who found time in their busy schedules to send us a remembrance and for allowing us to reprint their words. Hopefully you enjoy the issue as much as we enjoyed putting it together.

While this was our last issue of the school year, don’t think we’re going to be simply taking it easy until school starts up again in the fall. Here’s a list of the projects we have in store for the summer months:

Revamp website
Acquire new distribution boxes
Paint new distribution boxes
Replace broken Plexiglas in boxes around campus
Scan and archive Volume 14 and others not on website
Create master distribution list, distribute to more places
Clean/Reorganize office
Plan Rent-a-Pooch IV
Organize U of O Student Media Summit
Bind and archive volumes not already in library
Blog, blog, blog
Build roller-coaster
Drink beer

If you want to give us a hand and hang out with cool people, get at us.

If you ever get your hands on a flux capacitor-equipped Dolorean, forget the 50s. Set your sights on Atlanta, 2003 and find a Black Lips show. The sound will be kind of shitty – duct tape will do that to a PA – and the Lips’ songs will still be miles away from the dark country and doo-wop infused “flower punk” that landed their latest release, Good Bad Not Evil on just about every top 10 list for 2007. No worries though, you’re not there for the sound. You’re there for the spew—the cocktail of spit and piss that might make its way out of guitarist Cole Alexander’s pursed lips. You’re there for a shower, a little mist of history because it was, after all, these stage antics that earned the Black Lips nationwide notoriety and a spot on the blacklist of damn near every club in the South.

Recently, the Lips have traded in flying fluids and faulty equipment for trans-Atlantic tours and a whole slew of praise from the hippos at Pitchfork. Even without the piss, Rolling Stone anointed them one of the best live acts in the country.
While The Voice won’t compete with The Stone in terms of tits-per-issue, we still scored an interview with Lips’ drummer and co-vocalist, Joe Bradley. Ask him about anything we missed when the Black Lips bring their brand of refined sleaze to the WOW hall on February 6th. OV: Every thing I read about the Black Lips at least brushes on some of your crazier shows of yesteryear. You guys have tamed down the more lewd aspects of your live show. Why?

JB: In the past one of the reasons our shows were so crazy was because we weren’t the greatest musicians around. Sometimes our equipment was a little questionable being held together with duct tape. Back in 2004 and 2005 we didn’t even have cases for our guitars and they would just ride on tope of all the equipment in the back in a big ol’ pile. Most the time we wouldn’t even have money for replacement strings or anything. So to sum it all up, the music wasn’t that great at our live shows so in order to entertain people for the performance aspect of it, like, if the music doesn’t sound that great, it should at least be entertaining to watch, to be a part of. So things would get kind of crazy and we’d get a lot of crowd interaction and a lot of spewing of bodily fluids. But times have changed. We’ve gotten better at playing our instruments. We’re performers as well as musicians but we’re musicians first.

OV: I was really hoping to see you guys spit some piss at the Conan crowd.

JB: They we’re pretty strict and they were already taking a chance having a band like us on there because we weren’t that well known. I mean, we’re still not that well known. They normally have more established acts. Someone put their neck out on the line for us and luckily with as much chance as there is for things to go wrong in a situation like that, everything went great. Even the sound was really cool. It sounded really raw when they broadcast it, which is awesome.

OV: What was Conan like?

JB: Ah, he’s a bad ass. He’s really huge and he even took time to hold this thing called a post-mortem meeting which is just a meeting that happens after each one of his shows. But he took time off of that to come down and take pictures with us and hang out for like tem minutes before he had to go off and take care of business. But he was really nice, and I guess, he’s never out of character. When he came to meet us, it still seemed like he was being a talk show host. He’s just really cool. I heard he was a collector of old rockabilly seven inches.

OV: So you guys were right up his alley, then.

JB: Yeah.

OV: On the new album especially, I get a real country feel. Especially on “How do you tell a child someone has died.”

JB: Oh yeah, that’s like straight up country. That’s more influenced by this whole darker area of country that most people don’t know about. Hank Williams Sr. had an alter ego for all his darker country called Luke the Drifter. There’s a whole compilation of these really dark songs on Crypt records called God Less America instead of God bless America. That’s the type of song that influenced “How do you tell a child someone has died.”

OV: I feel like you guys have a knack for writing about dark, really tragic events without making them come off as melodramatic at all.

JB: It’s good to have that kind of juxtaposition. You listen to Emo music and it’s so sad and heart breaking but the chances are these people haven’t had anything bad happen to them their entire life. Most of the time you’ll find that the most happy go-lucky people are those that have experienced the most misfortune. They’re normally a lot more optimistic about life than everyday people because they’ve been to the depths of despair and they only way to go is up. They’re a little bit more positive about it but there are still very dark undertones to their lives.

OV: Well you guys have certainly been through some shit. What effect did Ben’s death have on you as a band?

JB: It helped us keep on going. We had a tour planned but then he got killed. We only canceled the first date in Chattanooga so we could have his funeral. And since a bunch of our friends from different parts of the country had flown in for the funeral we crowded them all in our van and in our friends, the Carbonas’ van and we all went out on tour together. We are all really close knit and it helped us get through it all. We just did the tour as a three piece and we asked one of our friends, Jack Hines, to move back to Atlanta and play guitar with us. He was on our second album and he was with us through the shittiest times. The times when we were eating out of trash cans and going to homeless shelters for meals, making more money on the street than we would for playing the show the night before. Things have gotten a lot better, a lot more organized, a lot easier.

OV: Did I read somewhere that you guys used to sleep at homeless shelters on tour?

JB: No, we’d normally just kick it in the van and wake up covered in sweat or freezing cold. We’d just go park in a hotel parking lot and sleep there because we couldn’t afford the hotel room. It used to be we’d play some shit town in the middle of nowhere and try our hardest to make friends. We had this thing called vulture mode where you seek out any thing that your body needs like food or shelter. You got no cigarettes? Get an empty pack and bum one from everyone in the room, then you have a full pack of cigarettes. If some dude’s walking out of the restaurant with his girlfriend, you ask him, “Sir, I’m hungry can I please have those leftovers” and he doesn’t want to seem like a chump in front of his date so he’ll give you the leftovers. Basically, you learn how to make friends real quick so you can stay at their place, maybe take a shower. One particular instance in Bowling Green, OH, I met this guy and he was like, “You can stay at my house but I don’t anything good to eat.” We’re like, “That’s fine.” And the next morning he brought us donuts and a two-liter of Coca-Cola for breakfast.

OV: Well you guys have come along way from scrounging leftovers. You’ve got features in Rolling Stone, Spin, Pitchfork, and I think even the New York Time called you the hardest working band at South By Southwest.

JB: That’s right. They did a video segment about us, it’s up on the internet somewhere. We’ve got a good work ethic and he know no one else is going to do the hard work for us. Plus it’s fun. It’s our job, as well as our life. Nothing’s better than working for yourself.

OV: Can you pinpoint a moment when you were like, “Wow, we’re kind of a big deal?”

JB: The turning point was October of like 2005. There was a point where we had been in Europe for four months—we did a two week tour then traveled for 6 weeks and then we did a full two month tour. After we got back to the states we noticed a real difference. Things have been rolling ever since.

OV: No joke. You guys are even going to be in a couple movies. Tell me about “Let it Be.”

JB: We’re supposed to be the stars in that movie. It’s your run of the mill movie about a do-it-yourself band roughly based off this band called the Altar Boys that existed in the early 1980s based out of New York. The guys who wrote the script we’re actually in that band so they wrote it based on their own experience. It’s basically the ups and downs of being in a band. The band sees a little bit of success and it all plays out from there. They want us to write some songs for the movie too. It should be an interesting experience. We’re supposed to start shooting on June 1st. Most of it’s going to be shot in Buford, SC and Savannah ’cause it’s a lot cheaper to shoot there. And all of the outside shots that are supposed to be New York are going to be shot in New York. It’ll be a nice break from touring. Before that we’ve still got to do a full U.S. tour and a full European tour and a full U.K. tour so we got our work cut out for us.

OV: Any nervousness about having to act?

JB: Nah. I mean people know we’re not actors so the expectations are low. We don’t have to do that great of a job. That doesn’t mean we’re not going to try. It just means we don’t have to feel terribly depressed if our acting is really bad. Look at the Ramones who did “Rock and Roll High School.” They were terrible, especially Dee Dee and he only had one line. Supposedly they made him do it 70 times.

OV: You guys are also going to be featured in a documentary on the Atlanta music scene.

JB: Yeah, it’s called “We Fun.”

OV: Atlanta’s just chock full of good bands right now.

JB: There’s a good punk scene there right now. The Carbonas are excellent, the 4th Ward Daggers, the Frantic, the Coat hangers—bands that are determined to get out there and tour no matter how detrimental it might be to their finances. That’s what we need to see. That’s what we’d do in the beginning. We’d save up for six weeks to go on tour for 12 days, lose all our money then come back and work again. Record labels, especially nowadays, are reluctant to put money into any band that hasn’t done something for themselves.

OV: It’s pretty collaborative down there, right? You and Jared and Cole are in a band with some of the guys from Deerhunter called the Spooks.

JB: Yeah, there’s also a couple of other dudes from different bands—it’s a whole collective and it’s a changing cast of characters. It’s a fun project we do when we’re all in town together. We’re almost done recording an album that should have been out four years ago.

OV: I hate the question “What does it sound like?” but, what does it sound like?

JB: It’s kind of spooky. We’ve got two Theremin players a keyboard player and it’s just real spooky rock. I think there’s some dark metal influence and some psychedelic and some noise. It’s a real hodgepodge, mish-mash group of people coming together and making music.

OV: When can I hear it?

JB: Hopefully it will be out sometime in the next few months. It just depends on how much money Die Slaughterhaus (Records) has.

OV: You guys recorded your live album in Tijuana. Is there a particular reason you chose that venue?

JB: You see live albums all the time: “Live from Atlanta” or “Live from Minneappolis” and that just seems really boring. We wanted it to be kind of an event so we worked with Vice and got some corporate sponsorship to help pay for the expenses. They got a shitload of Tecate and Tequila and it was all free. We just tried to make it the most debaucherous experience possible it being in Tijuana and everything.

OV: What was the club and the crowd like?

JB: The club was this old dance hall, just a big open room and the stage was like six inches off the ground in the center of the room so while we were playing we were surrounded by people who were constantly intruding onto the stage and at some point we had to fight them off to get them off stage so we could actually play.

OV: You guys are going to be tour through March. Do you hang out when you’re not touring?
JB: With each other?

OV: Yeah.

JB: No, we usually don’t see each other. I mean, we’re with each other 24 hours a day, nine months out of the year. We all like each other but it’s good to have time apart. It’s good to get a little breathing room.

OV: You guys have toured everywhere. Is there any place that really sticks out?

JB: It all kind of blurs together. Going to Israel and the West Bank was awesome. Playing on the street for all those Palestinians that was pretty fun. We really didn’t know what to expect, like if we were going to endanger ourselves by doing that. We rented some acoustic guitars and went over to the West Bank and found a decent looking square to set up in and just started playing. One of the shopkeepers saw we were setting up and he took me up to his shop and he was going to give me this little finger drum but then he told me he hadn’t had a sale in two days so I just ended up buying it from him. But it all went really well and after we played this other shopkeeper invited us in and served us this really good mint tea. The Palestinians were really welcoming. We weren’t there on a political journey or anything. We were just there to play music.