| Interview: 2/20/08 ================================================ *Sepiachord*: You call your sound "death folk", what does that mean to you? *Walter* *Sickert*: Someone called us death folk at a party we played, I
think it was Oscar Wilde or John Wilkes Booth, I'm not sure it was a crazy
party I do remember that no one would turn their backs on Booth so everyone
kinda danced in a circle. *Edrie*: We've been called everything from Avant-garde, Folk, Steam Punk,
Cabaret, Goth etc. and we get compared to a lot of people like Johnny Cash,
Regina Spektor, Reznor, Manson, Yorke etc. I personally love comparisons
because it allows people a way into the music. Something familiar grabs the
ear of the listener and our job is to then lead them down the rabbit hole. Perhaps
it's because we take in all sorts of experiences, including musical ones,
and wrap them up in frilly panties and spectacle. Walter grew up on the sea
and then, later in the woods and I grew up playing and singing polka's
alongside early 1900's pop songs. Anything we had on the Victrola fair game.
*SC*: Are you the same people on-stage as off-stage? Would we recognize you walking down the street? *Edrie*: I don't walk down the street. I rather float on a tiny sparkly pink
cloud with seraphs fluttering about me. It does make me easy to spot I suppose *W.s*: I crawl down the street so I appear much shorter in real life.
*SC*: By creating art do you inherently change yourself? *Edrie*: This band is all about change; forced change making inroads and
realizations for planned change. As many know, Walter and I had a horrible
event throw us together - anyone who reads my open and frank blogs will know
that we've tried to make change a theme rather than a circumstance. *W.s*: There is no self our beings are constantly restructuring themselves
around the occurrences of our life day to day life. Art, music and
litterateur all intertwine themselves within us. That is why I believe
challenging our perception of these things opens our brainkeys.
*SC*: You got to open for the Tiger Lillies, can you die happy now? *W.s*: The Tiger Lillies are all extremely talented and generous chaps and
more then that they are giant mythical monster gods that swallow whole
cities. Playing with them was an honor and a monumental event in our little
wiretrap hearts. There is really no way to describe what it feels like to
perform with people you have admired your whole musical life and to do so in
such a place as Royce Hall just makes it all surreal.
*SC*: You've described your upcoming March 1st show as "life changing".
Whose life do you intend to change: yours or the audience's?
*Edrie*: With the lineup we have - it won't just be life changing but universe changing. *W.s*: Snake Charmers, Circus Troops, burlesque dancers, stationary marching
bands, MANEATING Chickens, hopers, barkers, Lions, tigers, bears, WireTooth
Animals, belly dancers, Astrophysicists belly dancers, and the question to *
the* answer. P.S anyone reading this in New England come out to the *Carnal
Carnival* and change your life.
*SC*: Right now there is just one "broken toy", Edrie. Will we see more in the future? *W.s*: We enjoy playing with our selves.....and with other friends and wind
ups teddies and trollops! And for your tidbit spittoon The Army of Broken
Toys is made of man, women, animal and includes some dead members.
*SC*: How does your song writing work is it cooperative or does Walter do
the brunt of it? *W.s*: No one knows exactly what happens in the wireCloset the best guess is
its kinda like The Lottery by Shirley Jackson in that we make a song pick a
number and then we smash its face in with rocks until its looks pretty to us.
*SC*: Which came first: your sound or your visual aesthetic? *Edrie*: yes *W.s*: whichever one was smoking.
*SC*: Do the two of you have a unified visual sense for the band or do you
argue about what props that are appropriate for the show? *Edrie*: The most appropriate prop is what feels right at the moment.
Everything from Martin Jacques big black cock (er um dildo) which I used at
the UCLA show to hit Walter in the face and stick in my frilly panties... to
a light up Jesus and my favorite cymbal clapping monkey (he's such a
DIVA!!!). Nothing seems out of bounds and we never argue about what to and
not to use. And if we did I'd just hit Walter in the face with the dildo
again, that would fix him.
*SC*: Why did you decide to do the "Cover of the Month"?
*W.s*: Because Satan told me to and I owed him, even though he still owes *me* like 30 bucks that son of a bitch!
*SC*: How do you pick the covers? Is this just a clever way to show your influences? *Edrie*: We toss a dead baby in the air above our 8-track collection and
where it falls is our song. It's a bit messy and getting messier still in
the decomposition, but it's been working thus far.
*SC*: You've posted some pictures from a video shoot for the song
"sacrilege". When do we get to see the actual video? *Edrie*: Soon my friend, soon. We're in post production with a wonderful
team and they are working hard at realizing the vision of Sacrilege.
*SC*: You recorded several EPs dedicated to the victims of Jack the Ripper.
What drew you to this subject matter? *Edrie*: I don't know what you mean - fuck you and your donkey kissing
mother *W.s*: Even you must realize the strength and power of the symbols you must
sense the meanings within. We are living in an abyss most men only dream of
the great architect speaks to me and shows me what to do! Tread lightly or
you may find yourself buried a cables length from shore tongue cut out
intestines strung over your shoulder. 88
88
88
88
88
*SC*: These EPs were limited to editions of 88 copies. Clearly you take
great pride in your music, why release it in a way that limits your
audience? *W.s*: 88, 88, 88 .88. 88 seeds the cities are filled with saturation and
smoke, the EPs find their way to the people that are supposed to have them.
The numbers move on, the seeds grow and the WireForest roots.
*SC*: Do you have any other themed releases planned? *W.s*: if we did it would be secret and my lips would be cut off if I told.
*SC*: Is your dearth of merchandise part of some anti-commercial stance or
are you just too busy? *Edrie*: Every time we make something or offer something, it sells out - we
just can't keep things in stock. The elves are actually on strike and refuse
to work for the paltry sexual favors I've been giving them. Santa really has
a much better pay structure - who knew elves liked it up the ass. I really
just can't provide that kind of benefit. Hence we are a bit bereft of merch
on occasion. But if you come to a show, I'm always willing to see you something,
*SC*: When did Walter decide that he wanted to do music and art full time? *Edrie*: There was no point of decision, he just always has.
*SC*: Why doesn't Walter like cops? *Edrie*: We can't talk about that, what with the injunction and all
*SC*: Do you see any point in signing a contract with a record label?
*W.s*: Yes if they gave me enough money to buy a lighthouse & a pet Giant squid.
*SC*: What's next for the band? Would you be happy with your current level
of success forever? *Edrie*: I want to create a large flying vehicle in the shape and structure
of a cute fuzzy bunny that we can fly around in and entertain small Japanese
boys and 13 year old Mexican girls (our core audience). *W.s*: Hell no motherfucker were going to take over the world and give it
back to the Lab animals.
*SC*: Any final thoughts?
*W.s*: A nod is as good as a wink to a blind horse & if you don't first
fricasseed fry fry again! And I would also like to use this time to ask
myself a few questions as Sepiachord.
*SC W.s*: What do you use in your mustache to make it so damn spiffy? *W.s*: Well, I am glad you asked you see most people assume Mustache wax
but I have found roll on Elmer's glue works the very best for that all day
dapper curl .
*SC W.s*: do you have any closing comments?
*W.s*: In fact I would like to use this time to ask myself a question as
walter Sepiachord Walter.
*W.s* *SC W.s*: ARE YOU MAD? *W.s* *W.s*: as a hatter.
*Edrie*: "When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said, in a rather scornful tone,
"it means just what I choose it to mean--neither more nor less."
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