| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| jediroller |
Posted - 06/26/2007 : 14:49:56
This is the original version of the interview with Charles Normal, Ding Archer and Jason Carter that we posted in French on Blackolero. It took place before the gig in Lille on June 22nd. As previously mentioned, Frank couldn't attend as he had his family to take care of.
I was wearing a "SCHWA CORPORATION" T-shirt, and as soon as Jason saw it he came to me with his hand extended: "Hey! I'm a member too!". He started telling me how he even took his SCHWA book to the Bluefinger session.
JASON "SKIPPY" CARTER (drums) - Sometimes there's a little bit of alien references from Frank, and I brought it as a kind of a joke, but at the same time it was kind of funny to have it on the music stand when I was recording.
Q How did Frank react to that? "No more of that alien shit please!"?
JASON Nah, he was like, whatever, it's cool.
Q Anyway let's discuss music. We're curious about how any of you guys got involved with Frank. We know about Jason because we talked to him earlier, so we know that you, Charles, introduced him to Frank. But we don't exactly know how you (met Frank).
CHARLES NORMAL (guitar) I was doing an album years ago for Warner I was signed to Warner in Scandinavia, and I just called him out of the blue. I was a big fan and I called up to ask if he would possibly play a guitar solo or sing backing vocals on the record... I called his management, the management said "No, he doesn't... he probably won't do anything like that", but he called back a few months later, and it turned out he was a fan of my brother, a guy named Larry Norman, turned out he was a big fan of my brother, and I've been playing with my brother for the last 20 years or something. So he knew me, he knew my guitar playing and he was like, "Totally, I'd love to do something with you guys!"
I booked a studio, and 2 days before we were gonna go in the studio, the Los Angeles earthquake hit, in 1994, and it destroyed my house, and I think it really messed up his house, I'm not sure... Los Angeles was like shut down for two weeks, so... the recording session never happened. I was just starting hanging out... he came to visit me a couple of times in Norway when i was living there. We were always talking about "Hey let's do some music together" and he finally said "Hey, wanna go to Europe?", and it was perfect because I'm in a band with Jason, and Jason was already involved with the recording of Bluefinger, and going to be going on this tour, so... great! Get to travel Europe with my brand new bandmates... and with Charles.
Q You have another project with Frank and Larry...
CHARLES I'm not gonna talk about that right now, I'll let you know when that comes up.
Q Okay, but... it's still on.
CHARLES Yeah. I just don't want someone to steal the idea, so I'm not gonna tell you.
DING ARCHER (bass) Cagey.
CHARLES Well it's a damn good idea.
Q So, now there's Ding...
DING How did I get involved? I got recommended to Frank. He has the same agent as PJ Harvey, and the way I understand it, he sort of put feelers out to make it a bit more rocky and a bit more punky, and PJ's organization kindly recommended me. So I just got an email out of the blue, saying "Would you like to play bass with Frank Black?", no audition nothing, just rehearsals. Donc je l'ai fait !
Q So how many songs did you guys rehearse for this tour?
JASON 22.
CHARLES Was it 22?
JASON Yeah.
Q You've got the numbers guy...
CHARLES Yeah, the drummer math guy.
Q From the setlists we've seen, they seem to draw more from Frank's earlier solo albums like Frank Black and Teenager of the Year... did you learn a lot of material from these records?
CHARLES I think there's like 3 songs off the first album...
DING The first step I took was to learn the entire best of, so we started doing that and Frank himself is totally calling the shots as to what we're playing...
Q Most of the songs you play on stage have been written years ago. What kind of liberty do you have to add your own touch?
D - I'm not aware of any decision on Charles' part (linked?) to early material, he's going off a vibe, he's trying to create ...
JASON There's a definite structure to every song but he gives us the liberty to add our own vibe to it.
DING I was told quite specifically not to learn every little twiddle and turn just interpret it. Charlie assumed that Frank was playing guitar, so he learned all the leads, he's had to very quickly adjust to play the rhythm parts, so I guess that's part of the change in sound...
CHARLES Yeah, he's always had two electric guitarists on stage and now there's one, so... I don't think anybody's had to do it before. But you only play one thing at a time, so I switch back and forth. I wish I could say I'm so good that I can play what two guitar players usually take...
DING We're not playing off a setlist. There's just a list of songs on stage, and he's shouting out what to play there and then it's very (clicks fingers) one song-next song-next song, so there's no set structure...
JASON there's been a lot of criticism for the last 3 shows that our set is too short, and I think the best rebuttal I think we have to that is that I won't really speak for Frank, but we all forget what's on that list, because we usually don't have it on stage!
CN - Also, like Ding was saying, it's just bam bam bam, there's no breaks between songs, you know, when the last chord of one song's fading out, the next song starts, so if we were doing like most bands, talking and tuning our guitars, it would stretch out to be easily an hour and 45 minutes, but since we just...
Q Same set, just no filler.
CHARLES Absolutely no filler. People are getting the same amount of songs they would get out of an hour and 45 minutes concert.
JASON But we haven't had a list, we haven't had the same order, we've been playing different songs some nights, and there's no rhyme... it's not well thought out, it's just... it's from the hip! Shoot from the hip!
Q Had any of you guys seen him live before?
CHARLES Oh yeah, I've seen the Pixies and Frank Black a bunch of times.
D - I've seen the Pixies. PJ Harvey played with the Pixies quite a few times, we kind of nodded heads in corridors ...
JASON Guards Of Metropolis opened for him on the last tour, supporting Fast Man Raider Man. We played with them in Portland.
Q So what's your impression of Frank Black as a frontman, especially now that he's dropped the guitar?
CHARLES Well, we're behind him, so...
Q Yeah, I know!
CHARLES I think he's really good.
DING He's adapted amazingly quickly.
CHARLES I haven't seen any video clips, so you would know better what he's doing towards the audience. But it seems cool to me!
DING Like all of us, he's getting better and better each gig, we're down six or seven now, each one's getting more and more intense, he's feeling more at home without the guitar. It's a big step for him to put the guitar down, it wasn't an easy decision to make.
JASON I think he defines the word "cool". There's nothing awkward about him, ever. Know what I mean? Like some people can look just plain awkward on stage? He's just... he's too cool! He shouldn't even be on stage, he's that cool. He should just sit in a chair in the back of the room somewhere, just sing, and not even move.
My point is, is there something that he would do that could be wrong? I don't think there is. Whatever he does seems to be just really fucking cool. He's Frank Black, you know... he wrote the book!
Q - How many songs did you record during the Bluefinger sessions?
JASON As many as are on the record. Nothing was cut, nothing was added, it was just... Probably 75% of the album was written during the session. He had an idea, we recorded the idea, then he'd need a couple of days to finish the idea... He'd be better to ask questions about that. It was a very cool process, and we talked about it before, very spontaneous.
CHARLES I haven't even heard the Bluefinger record. I don't have a copy of it.
They were recording the record, and that's basically within the same time period as when this tour's idea started coming up, so... when I got a list of all the songs to learn, there was some Bluefinger stuff on there, so I had to learn like, however many songs we know I don't know how many there are, but that wasn't the right time for me to go "Oh, what are they doing right now?" I didn't have time. But now that we're on the road, I'll probably listen to it this week.
But the few songs I've heard I really think are cool. I had to learn, what, four or five?
(Everybody starts counting: "Lolita... Threshold... Can't Break a Heart... Your Mouth into Mine... Captain Pasty... Tight Black Rubber..") Six songs. (Frog in the Sand)'s on it already. Maybe you could make our setlist tonight.
Q - Question for Jason about the Bluefinger session what exactly was Mark Lemhouse's rτle on the record?
JASON Mark was the producer. He was asked by Charles Thompson to produce the record. If I were to make a statement on it, I know Mark's made references on his website to how his rτle was portrayed. Get more information from him... but he was a fairly hands-off producer. I mean, how many sessions has frank done in his life? Who knows? I don't even know. Maybe thousands. I think Frank just wanted another set of ears.
CHARLES There's no defined rτle. A producer doesn't really mean anything, it could be anything from like George Martin doing scores for orchestras to some guy who doesn't necessarily play an instrument that sits there and goes "Yeah, it sounds good" or "Maybe you should make it longer". You know Lemhouse is a very good guitar player, he's a musician and - I wasn't there, but he probably falls somewhere in between.
JASON And he sings some backups and he got a reference on his website saying he played cowbell... has a very nice cowbell part, very nice... and he had some good suggestions.
Q Obviously Jason and Charles are used to playing together, but how did the band "gel" together on stage?
DING It's still gelling isn't it? Still has to. It doesn't mean it's going badly, it's going well!
JASON Frank's songs are a little bit more complex than most rock songs I've played. It took a few days to feel comfortable without having to think so much about the song, and now we're on stage and for me at least, it's just having fun!
DING Yeah!
JASON It's totally working out, it's a great vibe. And Charlie and I have been playing together for so many years, I don't even have to think about it.
Q Is it the first time you've played Europe?
JASON No.
CHARLES We got to play in Europe many times...
DING Wait... Oh yeah I live here!
Q Not so far away in fact.
DING An hour and a half on the train, I've been told.
Q Let's talk about England. There's been complaints about not having many dates on that tour...
DING They've got London!
Q That's one...
CHARLES People in China are complaining too.
DING It would have been nice to play Manchester, but we have no say in that whatsoever. Live there, so... just to have a guest list of 25 one night would be nice!
CHARLES You got us, we're doing a lot of shows in France! Eight, or nine... It's cool. As many times as I've toured Europe, it's always been like Holland, Germany, Scandinavia, England... I've been to Paris a few times, but I'd never played in Nantes or Angers...
Q We do have a reputation of being Frank's most fanatical fans...
CHARLES Yeah. You're Frankophiles.
Interview by Blackolero (Frog in the Sand & jediroller)
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| 22 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| someguy51 |
Posted - 07/17/2007 : 12:02:01
thanks for posting that interview. I really enjoyed it. |
| Jose Jones |
Posted - 06/30/2007 : 22:30:16
quote:
Originally posted by kathryn
quote:
Originally posted by jediroller
, they asked us what we refered to him as, and we said "We know him as Frank"
Someone should make a T-shirt that says that.
I got some heaven in my head
it's going as the headline on the fb myspace page.
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they were the heroes of old, men of renown. |
| Daisy Girl |
Posted - 06/30/2007 : 22:14:49
Thanks Jefrey. I love Ding's hair. Ya gotta love a guy that rocks a mohawk.
bluefinger |
| martha_promise |
Posted - 06/30/2007 : 19:31:39
Really good questions. Thanks.
-Tom
...well that's the deal, turn your prayer wheel. |
| Ziggy |
Posted - 06/29/2007 : 03:05:39
I love the way that Ding looks so hard and confrontational, but seeing the vids on Jason's site, and reading interviews, he comes across as the nicest guy in the world. |
| Jefrey |
Posted - 06/28/2007 : 22:17:05
quote:
Originally posted by jediroller
CHARLES ... You know Lemhouse is a very good guitar player, he's a musician and - I wasn't there, but he probably falls somewhere in between.
JASON And he sings some backups and he got a reference on his website saying he played cowbell... has a very nice cowbell part, very nice... and he had some good suggestions.
Interview by Blackolero (Frog in the Sand & jediroller)
No really...EXPLORE THE SPACE! Awsome. Every producer must have a cowbell these days.
== jeffamerica == |
| darwin |
Posted - 06/28/2007 : 20:17:52
Drummer on the left (Jason Carter), guitar in the middle (Charles Normal) and the bass on the right (Ding Archer). |
| Daisy Girl |
Posted - 06/28/2007 : 19:42:54
this might be kind of dumb, but who is who in terms of the photo?
bluefinger |
| darwin |
Posted - 06/27/2007 : 09:31:21
quote:
Originally posted by jediroller
I'm sorry! I should have made that clearer (I did in the French version!): "Charlie" (or, as Jason seems to spell it on his blog, "Charly") refers to Charles Normal, not Frank Black.
Oh, I that makes sense. Thanks. |
| Carl |
Posted - 06/27/2007 : 08:11:49
Great stuff! Thanks a million for the translation, Jedi! I wish I'd have listened in French class! |
| Tiny Team Concerts |
Posted - 06/27/2007 : 06:53:46
They're both in Guards Of Metropolis.
--
Tiny Team Concerts
"Good music for nice people" |
| PixieSteve |
Posted - 06/27/2007 : 04:18:31
what have charles and jason worked on before?
"Idiot" is just her sig. |
| kathryn |
Posted - 06/27/2007 : 04:14:04
quote:
Originally posted by jediroller
, they asked us what we refered to him as, and we said "We know him as Frank"
Someone should make a T-shirt that says that.
I got some heaven in my head
|
| jediroller |
Posted - 06/26/2007 : 23:46:13
quote:
Originally posted by darwin
JASON It's totally working out, it's a great vibe. And Charlie and I have been playing together for so many years, I don't even have to think about it.
Excuse my ignorance, but what have they worked together on before?
I'm sorry! I should have made that clearer (I did in the French version!): "Charlie" (or, as Jason seems to spell it on his blog, "Charly") refers to Charles Normal, not Frank Black.
Someone mentioned the fact that they call CT "Frank". They don't really. During the interview, they asked us what we refered to him as, and we said "We know him as Frank", so during the interview, they refered to him as "Frank" for our sake.
That's how cool they are.
You can confirm the genuineness of the deceased death by clicking on this website
free music | Blackolero | Frank Black & Pixies Tributes |
| Daisy Girl |
Posted - 06/26/2007 : 20:22:03
Great interview! Reading it made me feel like I was there. Nice work!
bluefinger |
| Czar |
Posted - 06/26/2007 : 20:10:34
Les Blackolero, y sont forts en sacramant.
___________________________
Do you think the Pixies were a brouillon of Black Francis? |
| coastline |
Posted - 06/26/2007 : 19:14:07
Weren't they the backing band for Celine Dion's Vegas act?
 Please pardon me, for these my wrongs. |
| darwin |
Posted - 06/26/2007 : 18:38:15
JASON It's totally working out, it's a great vibe. And Charlie and I have been playing together for so many years, I don't even have to think about it.
Excuse my ignorance, but what have they worked together on before? |
| kathryn |
Posted - 06/26/2007 : 17:50:18
Yes, a very cool photo.
Thanks for all you do, Jedi and Frog.
You Blackolero dudes are kickass.
I got some heaven in my head
|
| trobrianders |
Posted - 06/26/2007 : 17:14:43
Thanks jedi. Another cool pic too.
_______________
Ed is the hoo hoo |
| Ziggy |
Posted - 06/26/2007 : 15:44:54
Yeah, thanks for the translation. An excellent interview; seem like a great band of guys. |
| Llamadance |
Posted - 06/26/2007 : 15:09:45
awesome, thanks jedi.
I don't think they should worry about short gigs either. Don't think any of the gigs I've been to this year have reached 1hr 15 mins
No, I don't know that atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should they be considered patriots. This is one nation under God George Bush snr |
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