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Earlash
- FB Fan -
2 Posts |
 Posted - 11/12/2002 : 22:51:20
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We just added a Frank Black interview that we did to our site, hopefully it won't be torn apart like those other interviews.
http://earlash.com/black_int.html |
Edited by - El Barto on 03/23/2003 22:41:05 |
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Dave Noisy
Minister of Chaos
Canada
4496 Posts |
Posted - 11/12/2002 : 23:15:23
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Bwaaahahahhaa!! FB.net - striking fear into the hearts of interviewers everywhere!!!
Too too funny! Good work everyone!
As per my regular habitista (yeah, i think i just made that up) here it is:
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INTERVIEW WITH FRANK BLACK
by EL-71
Back in the 80's I heard this sound coming from a once cool radio station that completely changed my life, it was the sound of the Pixies. It was dark, weird, and yet so catchy. Some of you may know their name, some of you may have heard a song or two, and some of you may have been lucky like me to see them live, many times I might add. I will go to my grave saying that Nirvana were nothing but a Pixies cover band, but I digress. After the break-up of the Pixies, Frank Black, then known as Black Francis, went on and forged his solo career.
Fifteen years after hearing the first screams of the Pixies, I now had the fortunate experience to interview that same man, someone who's work I have admired for years. Was I nervous? Of course. But what I found out was that Frank Black is a man who has a passion for music and makes music for himself, not for the masses. I also found out what he likes to listen to if it's late at night and he's driving through the desert in a cadillac. And I was given a little insight into a prediction made by the man himself. Welcome to the state of Frank Black.
Earlash: A lot has been made about the fact that you recorded and released two separate albums so close to each other, what was the reasoning behind this?
Frank Black: Basically I had a couple of albums in my back pocket and I needed to release them, the record companies involved decided to release them on the same day because that's probably the most cost-effective way for them to do it.
EL: But was this something that you thought about beforehand?
FB: No, we were just recording for awhile, a couple of sessions, you know, 2 or 3 sessions, at the end of one session you kind of go "that's a pile of songs, that's an album" and then you do another session "oh, that's a pile of songs that kind of sounds like an album." That's what we do, every once in a while we record a pile of sounds we like, think it's an album but within a week or two fortunately we are able to catch it and go "nah that's not an album." It's like two songs and eight questionable, you know what I mean. We just try to make albums. Usually when we really plan to make an album it turns into an album and occasionally we try to be spontaneous and go "well maybe it's going to be an album maybe it's not going to be an album" and it still is an album. And sometimes you have that kind of laissez-faire attitude and you fail.
EL: Of the two albums is there one that you like performing live more than the other?
FB: Not really, we probably play a few more songs from Black Letter Days, because there's more songs.
EL: You've been in the music industry well over 15 years now, with the state that it's in now, where radio plays only about 15 songs a day, MTV doesn't play videos anymore, how much longer do you see yourself lasting?
FB: Well, whatever success I have is not really because of things like radio or the state of music. I am my own state, this is the state of Frank Black, and it's a gypsy state if you will. It moves around, it goes on tour, makes records, jumps around to different record labels. It exists on its own kind of steam. Something like an entity like MTV or the radio, you can't factor that too much into your thing. If for some reason they decide to let you into their scene once and awhile, ya they play your video or you get played on the radio and you make lots of money because of that. You can't sit around and plan it and work it into your game plan, that would just seem kind of lame.
EL: When you see acts like U2, the Rolling Stones, and David Bowie still going strong, can you see yourself cranking out songs and performing at the age of 50?
FB: It's not really an age thing, there are young people that do this that decide one day I can't do this anymore. They physically can't do it. They get all "messed up on dope" or something, or they have a nervous breakdown, or they get involved in a divorce or something, something happens to them and their life is a mess and they have to stop doing this. It has nothing to do with age, it has to do with what's going on in your life and how you feel. I go see shows all the time where there are people playing that are way older than I am, you know? There up there...there's no rules.
EL: Was there a group or song that you remember hearing when you were young that made you want to start making music? What were some of the first songs that you played?
FB: Lots of songs. "The Passenger" by Iggy Pop, "Gone Daddy Gone" by the Violent Femmes, you know, things I was listening to while I was in college.
EL: How involved are you going to be in this "Teenager of the Year" Broadway musical, if it all?
FB: Not very, the guy interviewed me. I suppose his people will come to me eventually to license the music.
EL: Do you have any choice in who's going to play you?
FB: No, I'm not involved. That's sort of his bag. I'm not a part of it. I mean I'm friendly enough, I'm not like, saying "Don't Do It!" you know, whatever, you want to write a play and my work somehow figures into it or my career has inspired your musical. Someone who works on the fringe like me…you don't want to discourage people like that because they're good publicity. As long as they're not starting a war in your name or something like that, you go "yeah sure whatever, do it."
EL: Do you find it odd that complete strangers will approach you and strike up a conversation as if they know you, yet they only know the songs that you write and don't know you as a person?
FB: I don't know if people think that they know me, I think that they know who I am. I think sometimes they might have too much to drink hanging out at a show and they think that they ought to be allowed to hang out with you. People can become pushy, but usually people become pushy because they've had too much to drink.
EL: How do you feel about reviews of your work, whether they are positive or negative?
FB: If it's a bad review, sure I'll for bad for about five minutes but then I kind of never think about it again. I try not to read that stuff.
EL: If you needed to construct the ultimate backing band from anyone living or dead, and none of the Catholics were available, who would it be?
FB: Um...Jeez Louise I don't know…probably some old surf band you know? The Astronauts.
EL: When people keep writing and talking about the Pixies, do you sometimes feel that they should move on?
FB: People can write about whatever they want to write about. I guess it's sort of like writing about history; it's just that it's recent history. People want to talk about records I made 10 years ago I don't care, records I make today, fine. Talk about whatever you want to talk about. They don't even have to talk about me...
EL: It's a free country...
FB: Exactly! That's what it is. I'm not pressuring anybody to buy my records or give me a review or an interview. The publicist calls me up and says "hey I got some interviews for you to do, do you want to do them?" I go "OK sure have him call me at my hotel on Friday." Certainly if no one wanted to talk to me or no one wanted to write a review or put my name in the paper, if no one wanted to do that, I would really be solely relying on word of mouth factor among my patrons, which would be more challenging for sure. So I'm not supposed to say I'm not happy that people want to talk about me in music magazines, not necessarily on the cover but somewhere in there. I'm happy for it but that's not why I make records. I don't want to think about it, that's not a factor. The only factor is, just like those people that were playing a gig I went to last night at this bowling alley across the parking lot…"how many people came to the show last night?" Or you put out a record with some indie label. OK, how many records did we sell? How much many did we spend on the record and how many records did we sell? Are we in the red or are we in the black? That's what it all comes down to. If you're in the red you have to go "OK, we're losing money, how do we not lose money?" well we spend less money making a record or we get rid of our tour bus. You just do stuff to make it work. I don't know, we don't really think about all that other stuff, we just think about music. It's not because we're so spiritual, but that's where our focus is.
EL: Are there any current bands that interest you at all?
FB: I see bands occasionally that I like, most of the bands that I like and I go see are some obscure band that doesn't have a record they're just playing on a Tuesday night and I happen to see them. And I go "oh they're cool what are they called", I've had a couple of beers, it's my night off you know what I mean. I don't even remember what that band is called the next day. Maybe one day I will hear about them again, but probably not. That's the current music I listen to. People that put out records and go on tour like me; I don't tend to listen a lot of those people, nothing personal. Plus it's hard because you jump in the van and you have a four hour drive you don't really want to hear the new blah blah blah, you want to put on a Chet Baker record or you want to listen to a Neil Young record. That's the way it is when you're over 30 man, you know? You don't want to listen to the new whatever, it's too noisy, you want to listen to something that's cool something that's more suited to where we're at. I'm not saying that there isn't music out there that I wouldn't enjoy but there's a lot of it to wade through and I'm not going to wade through all that.
EL: What would be the Top 5 albums to listen to while driving a Cadillac across the desert at night?
FB: How about Slim Whitman, how about a Bob Dylan record, how about a Chet Baker record, a Mose Alison record and a Jelly Roll Morton record, just for when you're getting real tired and it's getting real weird and you know, you're having some caffeinated beverage at four o'clock in the morning somewhere at a gas pump you know what I mean, and you still got 100 miles to go…what do we listen to now, we've listened to all these albums, all this music, ah get that Jelly Roll Morton record out there.
EL: Do you have any "Nostradamus" predictions for us in 2003, whether it be musically, socially, or politically?
FB: No, most of the predictions I make are much further in future, I can't deal with these 2003, what's that? That doesn't even exist in my mind.
EL: How about 2013?
FB: I don't even think in terms of numbers, you know, I find calendars very restricting, you know what I'm saying. A prediction for the future...well, hmm…you know the predictions that I have, I guess I don't have any predictions is what I'm trying to say. I guess I sing about predictions but they're usually, the more I think about them, usually just echoes of other people's predictions. I hear about some kind of futurist kind of concept…alright, here's a prediction. The Los Angeles County aqua-duct sections, specifically the, you know sometimes call it the LA River Storm Drain System, that's just spread out mostly around the LA city, I think they're administered by the county I'm not sure. That whole network, they're kind of like canals you see them in movies in chase scenes, you know what I'm talking about…those will all be filled with water from the somewhat polluted but very large aquafier that's underneath the San Fernando Valley and they will fill this network of water ways, they are usually there for the storm run-off in the winter, they'll fill those from the water under the San Fernando Valley, they might even clean it at some point after pumping it up onto the surface before it goes back down they'll filter it at some point and clean it up a bit and there will be a canal boat system around Los Angeles City.
EL: Like Venice?
FB: Not quite like Venice, but you know, more along the lines of an above ground kind of subway on water. |
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Ten Percenter
- FB Enquirer -
United Kingdom
1733 Posts |
Posted - 11/13/2002 : 05:13:40
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| Great! The lazy interviewers are on the run. Actually, in the UK there are plenty of crap hacks who would love to have their work shredded by forum members - it would prove that someone had actually bothered to read their crud |
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El Barto
= Song DB Master =
USA
4020 Posts |
Posted - 11/13/2002 : 11:39:36
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I enjoyed the interview...nice work.
www.thebennies.com |
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Visiting Sasquatch
= Cult of Ray =
USA
451 Posts |
Posted - 11/13/2002 : 13:10:25
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| Yes, good interview. Were you influenced as to what questions to ask by reading this forum? |
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KingOfSiam
- FB LinkMaster -
USA
460 Posts |
Posted - 11/14/2002 : 10:16:57
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| Definately one of the better interviews!!! |
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Thomas
* Dog in the Sand *
USA
1615 Posts |
Posted - 11/14/2002 : 10:56:23
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Needs to be added Dave.
quote:
FB: Well, whatever success I have is not really because of things like radio or the state of music. I am my own state, this is the state of Frank Black, and it's a gypsy state if you will.
Thomas
"It's the Nexus of the Crisis"
BÖCswu |
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BLT
> Teenager of the Year <
South Sandwich Islands
4204 Posts |
Posted - 11/14/2002 : 19:22:49
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How many times has FB been asked about releasing two albums at once? I instinctively skip to the next paragraph when I see that question.
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Jose Jones
* Dog in the Sand *
USA
1758 Posts |
Posted - 11/14/2002 : 19:30:11
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that whole thing about the water way..genius. that's a frankable quote if i've ever heard one! get it? boo-yah!
-dan |
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wepeel
- FB Fan -
USA
86 Posts |
Posted - 11/15/2002 : 10:54:48
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wow, that was really awesome. nice work!
those were great questions. 
=wepeel |
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Jettison
- FB Fan -
USA
228 Posts |
Posted - 11/15/2002 : 11:32:45
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Really, enough with the double-album question.
-she took her flight... |
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Earlash
- FB Fan -
2 Posts |
Posted - 11/15/2002 : 13:26:55
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Ya, I had reservations about asking the 2 album questions, shit even i skip over that when i read it. Regarding the questions, I did some online research and after reading this forum i wanted to make sure that the intterview was something people wanted to be interested in. I am thinking of streaming some of the more interesting parts of the interview, esp. the water-subway one. This was an interview that upon completing it, it only backed up what I thought of the artist.....
[now if you all sign up for our newsletter i'd be thrilled! ;-) ] |
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johndietzel
= Cult of Ray =
Burkina Faso (Upper Volta)
464 Posts |
Posted - 11/15/2002 : 23:29:06
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hquote:
Originally posted by Dave Noisy
. As long as they're not starting a war in your name or something like that, you go "yeah sure whatever, do it."
I like this line myself.
As for the "two album" questions, yes, I am personally bored with them. Still, I don't hold it against the interviewers, cause it's a natural question and it should be asked. It's not their job to know which questions have already been asked by every podunk online rag. It would be nice to hear an original angle on the two albums.
"Make no mistake; Ricky Lake's eatin' mad steaks off your bad breaks."
Carlton Ridenhour |
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