So this was all of ten days in the making, sorry for the wait (transcribing is a bitch). This show was held on March 25th at a local living room dubbed ‘The Pink Mailbox.’ I want to say thank you to the Homosexuals, PRE, and the Mae Shi for bringing another epic night to our nice little sublet. What follows is three drunken interviews (i patched them up to sound intelligent – more to save my ass from looking like an idiot) from
Jon from The Mae Shi / Bruno Wizard / Keex from PRE
When we got to the house the Homosexuals had just started playing so we dove in, whiskey and all. The show was a lyrical dance around driven punk undertones and Bruno’s distinctive British frontage. It did not fail to get my feet moving and feel compelled to bump into my neighbor in this living room of sound.
Bruno Wizard from The Homosexuals
Bruno is the fucking man. The guy has been around punk since 72′ and has seen it all. The man has so much to say that a wall would have been entertained. I was about peak drunk so not having to talk was a good thing – though I tried to add my two cents here and there, failing miserably. Enjoy the philosophical ramblings of a man that has been living in wait for the internet since 66′ and has more wisdom from experience then you could ever hope to achieve.
So I heard you liked to write?
-When I was very young I use to sit and listen to the stars singing all night and words use to appear in the window of my imagination. ‘Heyy Bruno…. if you listen to me I’ll teach you how to fly forever, I’ll take you to a place and show you things no one else can show you but me.’ – So okay
And how has your view of this scene changed since your begining in 77′
-Well it was before that, I was born in the 50’s so I was a true child of the 60’s – the dawning of the age of aquarious – I was going to see the musical ‘Hair’ , taking LSD… all kinds of crazy things were happening. I use to crash at a place called the Arts of Burgas (I think this is what he was talking about – too much fuzz), you had John Lennon and Yoko Ono rolling around in a white paper bag and wondering about all these movies on the ceiling that no one could sit up and watch. So that was my teenage years…
-When I was twelve I read a book on the history of the blues – this was in 62′ so the Beatles and the Rolling Stones were my first albums – the book preached how music came from the blues and the blues came from Africa, and now these American bands were ripping them off… but the Africans couldn’t even play over here or even sit down on a bus… that really got to me.
-Our generation was the first real generation after the second World War. We just had to reject all the things our parents were into. Now the Establishment (British Government) in the 60’s tried to stomp out all these sentiments… and said ‘Hey wait a minute – we created an empire that covered 3/5 of the world by divide and conquer, divide and rule. Why don’t we just import loads of drugs from our intelligence services all over the gloab… get these kids stoned, sign up bands that would appeal to them, then sell it back to them.’ So you’re a 14 year old kid in your bed going [Sings Street Fighting Man], and that was it. The most important thing they did was take peoples mind off things – a house divided against itself cannot stand.
-And what a coincidence that Timmothy Leary in America was telling everyone acid is god.
I drunkenly try to say ‘Turn on, Tune in, Drop out’ but manage to say ‘Drop on, Drop in, Drop out’
-So at some point in our lives we all ask what happens to us when we die – so we need some kind of spiritual answers, and it’s so easy to advocate responsibility for our own lives and just accept the first person that sort of appeals to something. So Timmothy Leary said that acid was god, and you couldn’t say to that generation ‘Oh well god is god or Jesus is god’ because what had been happening to the judo-christian ethic of the last 2000 years. Right?
-So what a coincidence that this drug which Leary was praising came from the experiments in the American Military in the 50’s and they noticed that when the soldiers took it they didn’t want to fight – the last thing they want to do is to go around shooting someone.
-So by the time ‘77 came around – well ‘76 – I was 26 at the time and I was ready for it. It took them 3 years to steal my revolution, let’s see how long for the whole punk thing. My first band was called the Rejects, we supported the Damned, Generation X, everybody. And within six months everyone was signing up to the first record label that would offer a blow job and a line of coke. ‘Oh we’ll send you around the world, send you to rolling stone.’ In disgust I just changed the name to the Homosexuals and moved away from the industry. And by that time if you’re not prepared to sell your soul you’re playing to two guys and dog in Arkansas and it’s the dog that’s clapping.
What’ve you seen come from the Internet?
-This is the most exciting time to be alive, right? The Internet provides and alternative access to production and distribution of your own media.
[PRE goes on in the background]
-I’ve been working on this since 1986 consciously. I knew this was going to happen, I had a dream, I had a vision, that there was a law of nature which said that .00001% population of this planet are conscious of the true nature of things, the rest will follow. And at that moment I decided to go out and find those people. And by finding these conscious people and helping them find their way, they then become my living breathing songs. And once the Internet came we had a much easier time communicating and finding each other, and it’s so fucking exciting… [wrap up and head inside]
PRE was about as chaotic as I could have asked a show to be. People were flying in directions I couldn’t even comprehend (I think the whiskey slowed down my vision and it all turned into some muddled scream). The guitars followed Keex’s voice to a science and the drums lifted the voice far beyond my height. It was a boiling stew of sweat that would release itself once in a while when the lid couldn’t handle the vapored pressure anymore and Keex allowed the damn thing loose. Everything followed some weird hardcore harmony that just fit so well.
Interviewing Keex was much harder than Bruno, she was reserved and it didn’t help that I was new to PRE and didn’t know much. The whiskey took hold though and I did my best – the answers were as short as her lyrical bursts in songs, next time though – more research, less booze… Thanks for being a good sport Keex
Keex from PRE
Where are you coming from with your music?
-I don’t know, have fun with music… get away from all this shit…
What are you trying to do?
-Same as everyone else… I’m just trying to live. It’s not just music.
Your SXSW shows, how where they? – And more importantly how did you arrived in Isla vista?
-It was great (further explanation lost to fuzz). (Interpretation – We came along with the Mae Shi and found love in the small house)
What do you write you lyrics about?
-Cock [laughter]
What about LA and the Smell?
- It’s Beautiful
What about the exposer that’s happening for independent bands?
-People that are pure and people that are honest have always been here, it’s just been hidden. The internet has helped, my blog and the people who are attracted to my blog have helped. I just live. (http://www.exceedinglygoodkeex.blogspot.com/)
How do you find where you play?
-By playing shows and getting people to contact us directly, I want to try and turn this into a healthy living – I don’t want to sleep on peoples floors anymore. But on the other side of that, I get to meet some beautiful people.
[finishing off with pointless talking and more whiskey]
Next up was the main event. The Mae Shi. I had previously seen them at the Echo but knew that this living room show would be about as intimate as we could get. The crew was in high spirits as they kicked off their set with a tidal wave of energy that didn’t seem to break, only build as it stretched towards the shallow banks of midnight. I found myself falling over people, being helped up, falling over Jon, getting picked up, picking up crowd surfers – it’s weird when there’s like 50 people and the ceiling is only 10ft high. At one time the hooligans busted out a reminiscent parachute thingy that everyone used when they were in grade school where you all stand in a circle and bounce a ball up and down and then everyone lifts up and runs under it and tucks it behind them… it was just like i remembered, just more chaotic. Words only deter.
Jon was another easy interview, he had a lot to say about everything and was super friendly. Thanks.
Jon from the Mae Shi
Fuck yes, Thank you for coming here!
-I’m just so happy we finally got to play somewhere near LA, because we play in LA but otherwise we’re always traveling up to SF or out to Tucson.
So what do you guys do to get your name out there? Is it all based on the Internet or what?
-We do Miley Cirus covers and put on wigs. [Laughs] But really, we try and have a good time and show people – it’s basically like you’re saying something without saying it. So if more than one person sees it, that’s advertising.
Yea, so basically you just do what you love to do?
-Yeah, when you go to a party and your sitting there and you start drinking and you find yourself not having fun, it’s just a bummer, and basically we want to come in and one beer two, two beer, or whatever we just want everyone to come together and fall down, sit down, go crazy, pull yourself out of yourself and do something fun.
So they feed off you?
-Well they’re not feeding off us, we’re just… like I said before, we’re here just as an activity – we lead an activity. We’re missionaries of fun. I mean granted we have a performance to our art, it’s just like this is our craft, to make music, and to use this as a vehicle to have a good time with people.
Where do you see yourself going from here?
-My dream basically is just to keep doing what we’re doing. We have such an amazing group of friends that help so much; it’s just so wonderful. This girl Michelle helps us a lot, she gets the Homosexuals and PRE around too, and it’s just an amazing help. I just knew so many kids growing up going to Nine Inch Nails and Metallica and like Ozzfest. That stuff is just so hollow… all you have to do is find yourself a nice living room – a nice little space where you can set up a PA and just go completely nuts and see who else joins you. Just start a party.
So how do you pronounce your name? Mee Shi, Mai Shi?
-Well however you want to say it, we say Mai Shi but the correct Japanese translation is Mee Shi, there’s also May Shi, which is spelt differently and actually means business card. It’s all whatever.
How’re the lineup changes treating the band?
-That’s another thing that’s so great about it, we don’t take pride in it as like a rock n’ roll band, we see it as a project. We’re just all brought together and act like a family. It’s all just a big weird family; we try to create a network outside of myspace or friendster, a real web of acquaintances; we’ve shared something so ridiculous together, like smashing our heads into each other or wiping our sweat on one another, it’s just way intimate. It’s basically just like having really close friends around the world.
So I have to ask just cuz, did you feel anything change after the positive Pitchfork rating of HLLLYH?
-I don’t actually read Pitchfork, but people always alert us when we’re on it. It was pretty much just business as usual. All these bands just blow up and get signed to major labels and all your friends are suppose to listen to them, and then they just pump all this money into them and they fall. It’s nice to know there’s always pieces of truth inside [the review], but its just recommendations from someone who has a big mouth, it’s just words. Which is appreciated.
What do you think about right now with how are art and the economy is going?
-I think it’s great because we’re finally getting out of the 60’s and 70’s, where everyone was pushing so hard, everyone has their own chance with the Internet. It’s great, but since there’s no money in it, it’s even more wonderful because hopefully all these record labels die that aren’t doing it right and everything attached to them will just fall apart. We’ll finally just have some quality stuff. People know what quality is because they experienced it. Money use to say something about things, it was the gloss on top of the painting, but now people realize ‘Hey, I like flat paintings, I like texture’ and all that kind of stuff.
Thanks a lot, look forward to seeing you guys up here again.
So that’s that. Again I want to thank everyone for putting up with my slurring and loudness, but it came out all right in the end right? Until next time…
i didn’t know people could read my message, shit.
i left my email address there too.
can you delete the message above please? i don’t know how to.
sometimes internet sucks
Seeing that made my day! If the other articles are like this I’ll have to come back