Archive for the ‘Interviews’ Category
The Obelisk: Interview with Pentagram’s Bobby Liebling
Posted on Wednesday, March 17th, 2010
JJ Koczan of The Obelisk recently conducted an in-depth interview with Bobby Liebling of Pentagram: The Voice of the Head ‘Ram. An excerpt of the chat follows below:
The Obelisk: Why do you think the appreciation for Pentagram has grown the way it has over the last decade?
Bobby Liebling: I can pinpoint it down to the people my age, who have grown up, have had children who are now 16 and over, and can attend Pentagram shows. Their parents turn them on to Pentagram. I’ve met hundreds of couples who brought their kids worldwide. Every country I’ve been to at least has had two or three couples bringing their children with them and have said, “I’ve been listening to Pentagram for 30 years, I want you to meet my son, he’s dying to meet you.” I’m covering a generation from 16 to 60.
Bobby Liebling
It’s definitely because of that influence, coupled with the fact that I am a dinosaur that made it through the ice age and the retro movement, and stoner rock movement, as they call it by coined phrase — I just say we play real, real, REAL heavy hard rock. I don’t call it heavy metal anymore. They still say “The godfathers of doom” when we come on stage, and it is downtrodden — I’ll put it that way — in mood. I write all minor stuff, bum outs (laughs). Pretty depressing, kill-yourself music, which a thousand people around the world has told me has saved their life, which blows my mind. Especially Sub-Basement, which is my absolute, hands-down baby, for production, and for the most sick, demented pile of songs. I can only listen to it once every two or three months. I absolutely can’t listen to it, it’s so entirely bummed out from first note to last (laughs). It’s very sick in the head. I call Show ‘em How the sister album to that album.
Show ‘em How is very clean production, and it redid some of the Pentagram classics like “20 Buck Spin,” as opposed to Sub-Basement, let’s say “Target,” is the typical Pentagram, bluesy-influence with Blue Cheer mixed into it, and on Show ‘em How, “Show ‘em How” is, the changes and a barrage of feedback at the end, uncontrolled like “Doctor Please” by Blue Cheer, but instead of all the dementia that’s on Sub-Basement, the other group of song moods on Show ‘em How, instead of demented, is sad.
It’s pathetic and sad and very close to my heart and toned down, dear to me. Like “If the Winds Would Change,” “Last Days Here,” it’s the only ballad Pentagram’s ever done, really. It’s a “Gimme Danger” I’ve-got-nothing, Iggy-type of thing. Up that alley, completely, compared to Keith Richards and Kurt Cobain in one article, which, my god, I couldn’t believe they’re putting me in that kind of company (laughs). Like, what’s wrong with this picture? I should be licking their balls (laughs).
“Last Days Here” — the first rehearsal version is on First Daze Here — when that came out, they said, “This guy Bobby Liebling sounds like he’s so truthfully depressed, and so honestly, totally suicidal that we wonder if 10 minutes after the recording session did he jump off the studio roof and commit suicide.” It’s the hopeless despair of it. There’s no glimmer of light anywhere in sight. Of course, Jim Osterberg being a close friend of mine for many years — I followed The Stooges in the early days — I met him by cleaning the peanut butter off his body in a bathroom in 1970 (laughs). …But I think it’s the retro movement, to answer your question.
Continue reading: The Obelisk: Interview with Pentagram’s Bobby Liebling
Tags: bobby liebling, doom, JJ Koczan, pentagram, The Obelisk
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The Wounded Kings Interviewed
Posted on Wednesday, March 10th, 2010
JJ Koczan of The Obelisk recently conducted an interview with The Wounded Kings‘ multi-instrumentalis Steve Mills about the band’s sophomore album, entitled The Shadow Over Atlantis. A few excerpts from the chat follow below.
The Obelisk: You’re obviously schooled in doom. Where do you see The Wounded Kings fitting in with ...read more
Thomas Gabriel Fischer (Triptykon) interviewed
Posted on Tuesday, March 9th, 2010
Chris D of Decibel Magazine recently conducted an interview with Triptykon’s Tom Gabriel Fischer aka Tom Gabriel Warrior. A few excerpts from the chat follow below.
What are the differences between Celtic Frost and Triptykon?
Thomas Gabriel Fischer: As little as possible. The idea behind Triptykon was to continue Celtic Frost and ...read more
Exclaim Conversations: Buzzov*en
Posted on Monday, February 22nd, 2010
Chris Ayers of Exclaim recently conducted an interview with Kirk Fisher about Sludge Legends Buzzov*en. A few excerpts from the chat follow below.
Exlaim: Why was Violence from the Vault never released until now?
Fisher: Just never really tried to do anything with it and had honestly lost track of my master ...read more
KTVU.com Interviews Metal Legend Scott “Wino” Weinrich
Posted on Sunday, February 7th, 2010
David Pehling of KTVU.com recently conducted an interview with Metal Legend Scott “Wino” Weinrich (Saint Vitus, The Obsessed, The Hidden hand and Shrinebuilder) . A few excerpts from the chat follow below.
KTVU.com It seems like all the Saint Vitus concerts have focused on the classic era material since the initial ...read more
From Neu! To Kraftwerk: Football, Motorik And The Pulse Of Modernity
Posted on Sunday, February 7th, 2010
When we started The Quietus we made the fairly arbitrary decision that modern popular music started with Kraftwerk’s Autobahn in 1974. John Doran talks to Michael Rother, Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Karl Bartos about the build up to this flash point in musical history.
There are many terms that always crop up ...read more
Back from the dead: Why I welcome a Swans reunion
Posted on Thursday, January 14th, 2010
Lovingly pinched from Guardian.co.uk: The fiercely independent, post-punk eardrum perforators are to reunite. But there’s plenty of evidence that they are motivated by more than just a big pay cheque
Asked in a 2006 interview if he would ever consider reforming Swans, the band he led from their birth in the ...read more
Foxy Digitalis Interviews EXPO 70
Posted on Monday, January 4th, 2010
Lovingly pinched from Foxy Digitalis: What can one say about Expo ‘70 that hasn’t been said before? With each release Justin Wright’s continuously evolving space/kraut/drone project continues to garner more praise, making each new release a must grab for fans of experimental and psychedelic music.
Apparently Justin thought it was time ...read more
The Exile of Satan from Heavy Metal Design: the art of Seldon Hunt, Stephen O’Malley & Aaron Turner
Posted on Sunday, November 29th, 2009
Those “heavy metal” bands that debuted during that first palmy MTV generation sound like nontoxic pop compared to today’s vast offerings of subaltern metal genres, where intricate is the new heavy, and glacially slow is far more radical than hyperfast. Metal has evolved in such diverse directions—drawing from and crossing ...read more
OM’s Al Cisneros on: Shrinebuilder, OM and Sleep.
Posted on Monday, November 23rd, 2009
JJ Kozcan of The Obelisk recently conducted an interview with OM ’s Al Cisneros. Cisneros, fresh back in California from a few days spent in Austin, TX, following the last of the five shows on Shrinebuilder’s run, confirmed that writing has already begun for a fifth Om record and a ...read more
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