an interview
Nov. 26th, 2002 05:08 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ateolfhrm...i WAS asleep...more on that later...while i'm awake, i thought i'd post this...some thing that got sent in an email...and i responded thusly...
> 1) What is the name of your band?
>
well, the subject of this email is "AteOlf Hitler's Nipples Interview" so i
guess that means i should say "AteOlf Hitler's Nipples"...though that band's
been defunct for years...if i were to be contemporary i would say "The
Family Ghost"...
> 2) How did it get that name?
>
the old band: it was something i made up...i was in high school...it was the
best band name ever at the time...according to my thought process...current:
we named ourselves after a King Diamond song...it sounds all serious and
nondescript while being a "hilarious" inside joke...King Diamond is the
funniest thing ever...and no, we don't sound anything like him...
> 3) How would you describe your music?
>
old: "progressive new wave crap" is the term we made up back in the day...it
meant as little then as it does now...that was the point...current:
"indie/art punk"...both bands have been known to be fond of minimalism...The
Family Ghost has progressed to overly long songs, sometimes structured so
that the listener doesn't realize how insnaly simple it all is...w/ The
Nipples, it was always obviously insanely simple...The Family Ghost is more
"orchestrated" but still w/ that raw,
we're-making-a-lot-of-this-up-as-we-go-along feel...
> 4) Who is in the band and what do they play?
>
old: me (Robert): drums/guitar/bass/vocals, mostly one-at-a-time, Paul C.:
guitar/drums/vocals/bass, John: vocals/bass/drums/guitar
current: me (my name's still the same):
guitar/vocals/bass/synths/drums/glockenspiel, Jacques:
guiatar/vocals/bass/drums, Paul B.: bass/guitar/vocals, Brad:
drums/synths/bass/glockenspiel
you may notice certain trends here...i guess the switching around of the
instruments is something that stuck w/ me throughout the years...also
there's a trend of having ppl in the band named Robert and Paul...even if
they are or are not the same person...
> 5) What is the scene like in your community?
>
my community is Memphis, TN...there are a FEW good bands...but it's
primarily pretty shitty...
> 6) Who are the bands influences?
>
old: that was a long time ago...some were good...some were not, i
reckon...our goal (at least as i saw it) was to be as pointless as
possible...sometimes funny, but often not even that...i wanted to at least
touch on every possible style of music there ever was...i don't think we
came very close...i think we touched on punkrock more than anything else
though...i guess there was a bit of a King Missile influence then...
current: Sonic Youth, Joy Division, Bedhead, Mogwai, The Fall...to name a
few bands, i must stop myself here or i won't be able to resist listing
every damned band in my collection...stuff along the lines of postpunk,
slowcore, no wave, krautrock, some free jazz...pretty much anything
pretentious and arty...'cuz like all those bands, we're better than
everything else!
>
> 7) Do you have any good groupie stories
>
groupies? girls talking to me at all is a rarity...i think i'm going to cry
now...oh wait, i don't want anyone thinking we're emo or anything...we may
be pussies, but our music isn't shit!
> 9) Drug Problems?
>
nope...the only one who ever was a real drug user was John from The
Nipples...(well, Jacques was but this was years before...i didn't really
even know him then...something else to be credited to high school...) i
don't even drink, myself...though i'm the only one...i think Brad may be an
alcoholic though...
> 10) How many pills do you take with your alcohol?
>
neither
> 11) What is your favorite drink?
>
coke
>
> 12) Do you skateboard?
>
no
> 13) What do you think of skating these days?
> .
ummm...pretty much the same thing i'd think of it any other time...i guess
it's fun if you're into that sort of thing...
> 14) How many tours have you been on?
>
0
> 15) Any good tour stories involving groupies?
>
please simultaneously refer to questions 7 and 15...
...i just noticed that there's no question 8...i think you may be ripping me
off...there's so much ppl aren't going to get to know about me...since they
care and all...
> 16) Have you played with anyone good?
>
The Family Ghost has played w/ The Dropscience from San Diego and The
Potomac Accord from St. Louis...they are both quite good bands...
> 17) Will you ever sell out? What doe sit mean to sell out anyway?
>
no...it means to comporomise any bit of artistic integrity in order to play
what you think or know will make more money...making music for some group of
ppl and not for yourself...i don't think you have to be raking in millions
to sell-out...
> 18) How old are you?
>
24
> 19) Any advice on how to pick up on chicks?
>
really, i'm the last person you should be asking that...
> 20) Do you like Eminem?
> .
no
> 21) Do you have any questions you'd like to ask yourself?
>
i ask myself questions constantly, though i don't really like them...
>
> 22) Are there any up and coming bands you'd like to
> mention?
>
ummm...The Family Ghost...if i'm not allowed to do that, Lost Sounds are
also good...they're from Memphis too...they actually have 2 albums out...
> 23) Have you ever been to Cheyenne, WY?
>
no
> 24) Have you ever heard of a band called FELT?
>
no
> 25) How many people usually attend your shows?
old: no more than 20, and that's a very liberal estimate...current: no more
than 40...we've played very few shows...this should change soon,
however...(famous last words?)
> 26) What did you think of the magazine?
i've never read it or anything...i just got some email out of nowhere and am
still a bit confused by it...
> 27) What song would you like to have played at your funeral?
"Elegy for All the Dead Rock Stars" by Thurston Moore...though Daydream
Nation in its entirety is something else i've considered...
> 28) Have you ever been in any fights?
sort of in high school...but like twice and only sort of...
> 29) Have you shows ever caused a riot?
the only riots we could have caused would have been in dreams...after the
ppl fell asleep...
> 30) Have any kids been killed at your shows? What is the closest that has
> come to happening?
no...the closest would prob'ly be someone in the audience wishing we would
die...i've secretly wished death upon the sound guy before...is that
punkrock enuff?
> 31) Will you send me a CD?
sure, when there's something to send...
> 32) Were you in any other bands before this?
yes, even before The Nipples i was in a band called Bomb 21...very
highschool punkrock...
> 33) Are you famous?
no
> 34) Did you ever open for G.G. Allin?
G.G. Allin is crap...you wouldn't even find me at one of his shows off of
the stage...well, if he had a show nowadays you might...that'd be pretty
entertaining...
> 35) Is this interview a waste of your time?
very much so...and i hope reading any of this
> 36) Would your band be interested in playing the John Doe Zine 14th
Birthday
> party on April 20, 2003 in Cheyenne, WY?
>
sure...it's a long way though...if we able at the time...
...speaking of birthday parties, i really like The Birthday
Party...Everybody loved The Birthday Party...
> 37) Famous Last Words? How would you recommend people get a
> hold of you?
> E-mail address? Web Page?
>
rtraxler@memphis.edu
old webpage: www.people.memphis.edu/~rtraxler/webpage.htm
current: www.thefamilyghost.com
i haven't touched the old one in years...but it's still there...at least
until my university account goes away...the current one should be here to
stay...it's still not quite finished...but it's getting there...i'm hoping
to have actual sound files up soon...i put two mp3s up, but i screwed up
recording them and the volume's too low...there on the server but i didn't
link 'em since they're so screwed...hopefully i'll redo 'em right...and make
sure they're decent before i spend hours uploading them on a shitty dial-up
connection...
> 1) What is the name of your band?
>
well, the subject of this email is "AteOlf Hitler's Nipples Interview" so i
guess that means i should say "AteOlf Hitler's Nipples"...though that band's
been defunct for years...if i were to be contemporary i would say "The
Family Ghost"...
> 2) How did it get that name?
>
the old band: it was something i made up...i was in high school...it was the
best band name ever at the time...according to my thought process...current:
we named ourselves after a King Diamond song...it sounds all serious and
nondescript while being a "hilarious" inside joke...King Diamond is the
funniest thing ever...and no, we don't sound anything like him...
> 3) How would you describe your music?
>
old: "progressive new wave crap" is the term we made up back in the day...it
meant as little then as it does now...that was the point...current:
"indie/art punk"...both bands have been known to be fond of minimalism...The
Family Ghost has progressed to overly long songs, sometimes structured so
that the listener doesn't realize how insnaly simple it all is...w/ The
Nipples, it was always obviously insanely simple...The Family Ghost is more
"orchestrated" but still w/ that raw,
we're-making-a-lot-of-this-up-as-we-go-along feel...
> 4) Who is in the band and what do they play?
>
old: me (Robert): drums/guitar/bass/vocals, mostly one-at-a-time, Paul C.:
guitar/drums/vocals/bass, John: vocals/bass/drums/guitar
current: me (my name's still the same):
guitar/vocals/bass/synths/drums/glockenspiel, Jacques:
guiatar/vocals/bass/drums, Paul B.: bass/guitar/vocals, Brad:
drums/synths/bass/glockenspiel
you may notice certain trends here...i guess the switching around of the
instruments is something that stuck w/ me throughout the years...also
there's a trend of having ppl in the band named Robert and Paul...even if
they are or are not the same person...
> 5) What is the scene like in your community?
>
my community is Memphis, TN...there are a FEW good bands...but it's
primarily pretty shitty...
> 6) Who are the bands influences?
>
old: that was a long time ago...some were good...some were not, i
reckon...our goal (at least as i saw it) was to be as pointless as
possible...sometimes funny, but often not even that...i wanted to at least
touch on every possible style of music there ever was...i don't think we
came very close...i think we touched on punkrock more than anything else
though...i guess there was a bit of a King Missile influence then...
current: Sonic Youth, Joy Division, Bedhead, Mogwai, The Fall...to name a
few bands, i must stop myself here or i won't be able to resist listing
every damned band in my collection...stuff along the lines of postpunk,
slowcore, no wave, krautrock, some free jazz...pretty much anything
pretentious and arty...'cuz like all those bands, we're better than
everything else!
>
> 7) Do you have any good groupie stories
>
groupies? girls talking to me at all is a rarity...i think i'm going to cry
now...oh wait, i don't want anyone thinking we're emo or anything...we may
be pussies, but our music isn't shit!
> 9) Drug Problems?
>
nope...the only one who ever was a real drug user was John from The
Nipples...(well, Jacques was but this was years before...i didn't really
even know him then...something else to be credited to high school...) i
don't even drink, myself...though i'm the only one...i think Brad may be an
alcoholic though...
> 10) How many pills do you take with your alcohol?
>
neither
> 11) What is your favorite drink?
>
coke
>
> 12) Do you skateboard?
>
no
> 13) What do you think of skating these days?
> .
ummm...pretty much the same thing i'd think of it any other time...i guess
it's fun if you're into that sort of thing...
> 14) How many tours have you been on?
>
0
> 15) Any good tour stories involving groupies?
>
please simultaneously refer to questions 7 and 15...
...i just noticed that there's no question 8...i think you may be ripping me
off...there's so much ppl aren't going to get to know about me...since they
care and all...
> 16) Have you played with anyone good?
>
The Family Ghost has played w/ The Dropscience from San Diego and The
Potomac Accord from St. Louis...they are both quite good bands...
> 17) Will you ever sell out? What doe sit mean to sell out anyway?
>
no...it means to comporomise any bit of artistic integrity in order to play
what you think or know will make more money...making music for some group of
ppl and not for yourself...i don't think you have to be raking in millions
to sell-out...
> 18) How old are you?
>
24
> 19) Any advice on how to pick up on chicks?
>
really, i'm the last person you should be asking that...
> 20) Do you like Eminem?
> .
no
> 21) Do you have any questions you'd like to ask yourself?
>
i ask myself questions constantly, though i don't really like them...
>
> 22) Are there any up and coming bands you'd like to
> mention?
>
ummm...The Family Ghost...if i'm not allowed to do that, Lost Sounds are
also good...they're from Memphis too...they actually have 2 albums out...
> 23) Have you ever been to Cheyenne, WY?
>
no
> 24) Have you ever heard of a band called FELT?
>
no
> 25) How many people usually attend your shows?
old: no more than 20, and that's a very liberal estimate...current: no more
than 40...we've played very few shows...this should change soon,
however...(famous last words?)
> 26) What did you think of the magazine?
i've never read it or anything...i just got some email out of nowhere and am
still a bit confused by it...
> 27) What song would you like to have played at your funeral?
"Elegy for All the Dead Rock Stars" by Thurston Moore...though Daydream
Nation in its entirety is something else i've considered...
> 28) Have you ever been in any fights?
sort of in high school...but like twice and only sort of...
> 29) Have you shows ever caused a riot?
the only riots we could have caused would have been in dreams...after the
ppl fell asleep...
> 30) Have any kids been killed at your shows? What is the closest that has
> come to happening?
no...the closest would prob'ly be someone in the audience wishing we would
die...i've secretly wished death upon the sound guy before...is that
punkrock enuff?
> 31) Will you send me a CD?
sure, when there's something to send...
> 32) Were you in any other bands before this?
yes, even before The Nipples i was in a band called Bomb 21...very
highschool punkrock...
> 33) Are you famous?
no
> 34) Did you ever open for G.G. Allin?
G.G. Allin is crap...you wouldn't even find me at one of his shows off of
the stage...well, if he had a show nowadays you might...that'd be pretty
entertaining...
> 35) Is this interview a waste of your time?
very much so...and i hope reading any of this
> 36) Would your band be interested in playing the John Doe Zine 14th
Birthday
> party on April 20, 2003 in Cheyenne, WY?
>
sure...it's a long way though...if we able at the time...
...speaking of birthday parties, i really like The Birthday
Party...Everybody loved The Birthday Party...
> 37) Famous Last Words? How would you recommend people get a
> hold of you?
> E-mail address? Web Page?
>
rtraxler@memphis.edu
old webpage: www.people.memphis.edu/~rtraxler/webpage.htm
current: www.thefamilyghost.com
i haven't touched the old one in years...but it's still there...at least
until my university account goes away...the current one should be here to
stay...it's still not quite finished...but it's getting there...i'm hoping
to have actual sound files up soon...i put two mp3s up, but i screwed up
recording them and the volume's too low...there on the server but i didn't
link 'em since they're so screwed...hopefully i'll redo 'em right...and make
sure they're decent before i spend hours uploading them on a shitty dial-up
connection...
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no subject
Date: 2002-11-26 07:01 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2002-11-26 09:55 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2002-11-26 08:25 am (UTC)i think if it gets published you will come off like an ass.
i really liked your comment about the birthday party.
rock on.
no subject
but at the most, it won't be so much published as put on a really crappy web zine that no one will pay attention to anyway...perhaps i should be more concerned about what ppl who might read a skater oriented zine w/ lots of rotating skullz and the occasional naked chick think...but i'm not...
no subject
Date: 2002-11-26 12:40 pm (UTC)i don't even remember there being another Paul that was in (pre-)Bomb 21 for a day...all the coke must've damaged my brain...
...
Date: 2002-11-27 04:32 am (UTC)Re: ...