It’s been a minute since I’ve posted on G&D. It pains me, it is my child. That being said I’ll get straight to the point:

I’m going on vacation. I can’t devote the proper amount of attention to this site, MOD or my writing right now. As most of you know I’ve been in a writing slump for quite some time–and I guess I was hoping maybe it would lift in time for the new year and I would have a ton of new content for G&D, new submissions, new jet sets…but it just isn’t happening that way. So I’m taking six months to recalculate, reacquaint myself with my muse, re-launch and revive. The guilt that overwhelmed me when G&D went without updates finally came to a head when I realized I needed to take a step back and give myself room, without detailing every bit in G&D posts–this is not a diary, it’s a description of artistic faith, after all.

It’s been fairly quiet on the music front in my neck of the woods, I’ve yet to complete a single submission so far this year and MOD, as of right now, is effectively suspended until further notice. My book will still be available but as for the rest of it I don’t have the energy or frankly the desire right now to do a full-scale launch. I once had a very specific dream of what I wanted to be creatively and publicly. Now I’m not sure where that dream lies. Consider this a pilgrimage to find out where it went.

I guess to be fair I could say that I have an entire book’s worth of work in a little green folder next to my computer. It was written during a few of the most dire months of my life last year. It needs editing, focus. One day it’ll come out but I’m just not excited enough to chronicle it here right now. I guess I should say it’s not that I DON’T write, I’m just not excited about anything, there’s no passion. I can’t keep promising and not delivering. It sort of ruins my credibility.

So, to whom it may concern, I thank you, but I’m checking out for a minute. Keep creating, keep believing. I’ll catch up with you soon enough.

A Postcard from Hopeless Beach hanging in my office. "Artists must be sacrificed to their art. Like bees, they must put their lives into the sting they give." - Ralph Waldo Emerson (Sets for sale soon at modernorphandesigns.com)

Years ago I was going to help a girl friend write a book. We talked about it often between 2005 – 2008 and I was extremely excited. For a while in 2005 I identified myself as “the co-author of x’s pending book.” It filled me with accomplishment, desire and a drive to succeed. Numerous people could potentially read this book and the idea of nourishing not only a friend but my creative child was lucrative.

Needless to say it never happened despite many promises, plans and proclamations that I was the “perfect person for the job.” (Oh how my praises were sang from the balconies!) For a brief moment I didn’t know how to come to terms with this, but then it all seemed to fade away.

When you define yourself by someone else you glean nothing of yourself. When you place that burden upon your head you automatically become heavy with a needless weight.

Today I’ve released my first book (before she has), have a pending merchandise line and have signed my first national publishing contract. I’ve started to gain my own recognition, pay my dues and carve my own niche on the surface of the Earth. Before I was too ignorant to believe in myself by my own merits and it hurt me for many years. That wasn’t her fault and it wasn’t mine. I just didn’t know better. After the abrupt dissolution of the potential book deal I slowly regained my bearings and started incorporating new ways of thinking about myself, my creativity and how they connect in my life.

Launching this site was the first step in that process.  A year ago Gossip [&] the Devil proper was born. I’ve conducted interviews with some of my favorite artists, people changing the game in the art world, written reviews and forged genuine ties across the globe. G[&]D has served as my main house for everything artistic and has virtually taken on a life of its own. That isn’t to say it came easy because I assure you, it didn’t and I will continue to fight for it until the end of G[&]D and on through the birth of something else. I believe in this, I believe in art, I believe in the belief of dreaming out loud, as gaudy and joyously as you can. I believe in experiencing every facet of life which is why you’ll find posts about pills, jetsets and regrets. About music, muses and musings on revenge. Those are some of MY facets, excavate some of yours. Sincerity is free, run through life with armfuls of it, with mouthfuls of honesty and always an ever educated eye on the mistakes of your past. Don’t give in and don’t define yourself by anyone else.

Found in the Red Line subway station, Chicago. "Broken pockets are / leaking poems on the ground / gather up the words." A haiku by a Columbia College student. (Columbia College has rejected me many times. One day though...)

To help me celebrate my creative birthday, editor Larry Ziman, who you should by now know from The Great American Poetry Show, called me a few nights ago. (If all goes well, and all of the poets get their proofs back on time, Volume 2 will be released in June 2010.) We went over some technical stuff for “Voyeur” and discussed poetry vs. poems, how many bad poets get published with the help of bad editors and my potential status as a demimonde (demimonde = a woman on the outskirts of respectable society, usually with many rich and well-to-do benefactors). He said he’d never had someone as excited as I was/am to be published in TGAPS. I told him Pushcart Prize nominations aside, I worked my ass off to secure a spot in Volume 2, submitting 40+ submissions before ONE was finally taken.

In further celebration it has been a busy month for me personally on a number of levels. Namely the installation of my new job with I absolutely love and am extremely grateful for. It’s been a long time since I’ve got to put my juices to creative use at a place of employment and it feels refreshing to be able to do that again. My new employers are some of the nicest, kindest people I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting and I think it’s no coincidence they came across at this point in my life when I needed some gentler guidance than I’d previously been getting. In fact some of the harshest violence was coming from myself, which was far from productive and likely contributed to some of the writer’s block I was experiencing.

One of the things hit hardest with this lack of creative flow has been the Billy series over at Troubadour 21. While it started out as a single piece of microfiction I somehow thought it’d be a great idea to morph it into an entire series. I’m not sad to say, but it’ll be coming to an end very soon as I’ve simply fallen out of love with the characters and the story, which represents a time in my life I’m trying to move past. I’d love to do another series one day as working with the short story editor Paquita Roth has been an absolute pleasure, but only after I’ve secured fresh characters and a desire to flesh them out over a series. For those of you still following, part IX, titled “Two Worlds Collide” has been posted here, with part X titled “Checkmate” to be posted soon after.

I think 2009 taught me about darkness more than anything. It was arguably one of the worst years of my life, though it brought me some wonderful things (my book, my collaboration with Natascha Artworx and the artists I’ve interviewed among them). People will leave you in life. They’ll love you and lie to you. You’ll do the same to someone else. You’ll regret. It’s part of the experience. You’ll wake up in the middle of the night and know what the darkness feels like, you’ll feel it seep into your very pores. You’ll step into the sunlight like it was your first time. You’ll make promises you will and won’t keep, many times to yourself. Take these things and DO something. That’s what I aim to continue to do in 2010.

Things have been fairly infrequent around G [&] D as of late, and for that I apologize. It isn’t that there isn’t anything going on, it’s just overwhelming. We are still preparing the launch of Modern.Orphan.Designs. [M.O.D.], going through customer reviews of The Rough Chronicles of Bipolar Romance and working on my next TWO books. Couple that with a serious bout of writer’s block and depression it’s making my job a bit more difficult than usual. But, again, as Mr. Churchill once said: “Never, never, never give up.”

Part V – The Introduction of Rose
Part VI – Nathaniel’s Exit
Part VII – The Last Mention of Nathaniel
Part VIII – Jetsetting and Jealousy

And in case you missed even more than that: Part IV and Parts I – III

Rehearsing before my poetry reading last month.

My reading last month, according to those that were there, was a not-so-disappointing 8 out of 10 stars. I didn’t pr0ject enough, which I’ve always had issues with, and I read too fast, which again, I’ve had issues with since I started doing public readings in college. The poems seemed to go over well even if I had a shaky start, and by the end people were at least paying attention and I received a thunderous round of applause upon cessation. It’s about as much as a poet can ask for short of roses at their feet and perfumed water with which to decorate the crowd after bathing them in your immortal words.

In closing, I’d like to leave you with a song. It’s the Smashing Pumpkins’ brand new track “Song for a Son” from their upcoming album “Teargarden by Kaleidyscope” which will be released one song at a time until all 44 tracks (!!!) have been fulfilled. It is available here, for free, for you. It’s all I’ve been listening to as of late [check my last.fm] and the ONLY tour song I’ve ever asked Billy to record in the studio.

“This is a song for a sailor, the best I ever had, he sailed without a map.”

Put your maps away Orphans. Follow your heart instead.

A poem called "Brown-Eyed Voodoo" Set in reverse.

Now you can edit as you reverse, since some sentences aren’t going to make a bit of sense, but only lightly edit, try to leave the integrity of the exercise intact. We’ll look at a poem called “Brown-Eyed Voodoo” for as an example.

Now here’s the original poem that’s long, rambling and you don’t even have to read if you don’t want to, it’s strictly used for educational purposes:

Brown Eyed Voodoo

My last night with you
wasn’t all I’d hoped it to be,
wasn’t everything
you’d written poetry about.
We’re bored out of our coked up skulls,
fire natures flaring out against
the lethargic still-life of our usual hangouts,
we need something else to burn down but right now
after-hours parties are all we have,
then later, in an alleyway,
you tongue kiss my cracked lips,
just like I’ve always dreamed about.
A bum asks us for a light,
I tell him I don’t smoke even as I stomp
out my cigarette, the interruption
kills the mood and your hands leave
the bare skin beneath my t-shirt.
I’ll regret that in the morning
when you’ll claim you’re gone for good.
But that’s bullshit, I knew when I met you
I’d chase you into the afterlife,
your brown-eyed voodoo keeping us alive.
We’ve been well taught to lose things
we’re in danger of indulging in
as hedonists, sucking our respective wells dry,
a few choice boys and a hundred girls
but always right back to where we started,
shoved inside alcoves, hard dicks in willing hips,
and I’m reminded to remember how to love you
as drops of you litter my stiletto shoes.
They’re fucking uncomfortable
but I’d left them on because you enjoy
them digging into your lower back.
It’s the kind of mutilation you call art,
dripping blood and pristine bruises,
I’m human. I’ve got it,
this small time alone tonight.
I know this. I’m honest,
for these few heated minutes.
It won’t matter, we’re both liars and lovers
in love with ourselves,
tomorrow we’ll work out the details
sure as a concrete tomb,
sure as you’ll say goodbye
sure as I’ll find another boy in the meantime,
but not a single one of them
can match you as I hear the toilet flush,
you spit in the sink, shirtless you arrive bedside
and silently you leave,
the music of your footsteps
the landscape in which
all my best nightmares are sown,
a garden grown all for you,
this perpetual loop
of abandonment.

Now, to reverse the poem, all you’d have to do is re-write it from the bottom up, making grammatical corrections where need be. But, as I said, try not to correct it TOO much, to preserve the integrity of the exercise. The point isn’t to end up with poem or narrative you can use RIGHT AWAY, but to inspire ideas for language you can use to further the piece. You can always switch it back later.

Of Abandonment

This perpetual loop
a garden grown all for you,
all my best nightmares are sown,
the landscape in which
the music of your footsteps
silently you leave.
You spit in the sink, shirtless you arrive bedside
I hear the toilet flush,
sure as I’ll find another boy in the meantime,
sure as you’ll say goodbye
sure as a concrete tomb,
tomorrow we’ll work out the details
in love with ourselves.
It won’t matter, we’re both liars and lovers
for these few heated minutes.
I know this. I’m honest,
this small time alone tonight
I’m human. I’ve got it,
dripping blood and pristine bruises.
It’s the kind of mutilation you call art,
Fucking uncomfortable
drops of you litter my stiletto shoes.
and I’m reminded to remember how to love you.
Shoved inside alcoves, hard dicks in willing hips,
but always right back to where we started,
a few choice boys and a hundred girls
as hedonists, sucking our respective wells dry.
We’ve been well taught to lose things
your brown-eyed voodoo keeping us alive.
I knew when I met you
you’ll claim you’re gone for good.
I’ll regret that in the morning.
The bare skin beneath my t-shirt.
kills the mood, your hands leave
just like I’ve always dreamed about.
you tongue kiss my cracked lips,.
then later, in an alleyway
after-hours parties are all we have,
we need something else to burn down but right now
the lethargic still-life of our usual hangouts,
fire natures flaring out.
We’re bored out of our coked up skulls,.
It wasn’t everything
you’d written poetry about
wasn’t all I’d hoped it to be,
My last night with you
Brown Eyed Voodoo.

Now, from this the language and narrative has been changed considerably. This allowed me to take this large chunk of relatively useless text and turn it into something worthy of submission to a magazine called Opium:

Brown Eyed Voodoo

The Chicago skyline is drawn in white lines
across a glass counter top.
We’re reckless and turned off by after-parties,
the monochromatic still-life
of paid hosts and band members.
You tongue kiss my cracked lips
in an alley outside the club.
Hard dicks in willing hips.
Bare skin beneath my t-shirt.
Drops of you litter my stiletto heels.
Your long hands retreat
to a half-finished cigarette behind my ear.
I’ll fucking regret that in the morning
when I’m out of smokes
and you’ll claim you’re gone for good.
Bedtime stories for bipolar couples.
We’re liars and in love with ourselves,
smitten without help,
well taught to lose things that hurt us.
We arrive home to a Lake Point condo.
Brown-eyed voodoo shakes me sober.
Sure as a concrete tomb
I hear the toilet flush and you spit in the sink.
Shirtless you arrive bedside, silently you leave.
The music of your footsteps a landscape
in which all my best nightmares are sown,
a garden grown all for you
this perpetual loop of abandonment.

From there I found the right combination of phrases for its final form in my first chapbook, The Rough Chronicles of Bipolar Romance:

Brown-Eyed Voodoo

When we’re through
sure as a concrete tomb
I hear the toilet flush
and you spit in the sink.
Shirtless you arrive bedside
silently you leave.
A bedtime story for a bipolar couple.
Brown-eyed voodoo:
A perpetual loop of abandonment.

Now that you’ve read all of that I hope you have a bit of an idea about what “reversing” a poem means. It can really open your mind to turns of phrase and language you might not otherwise see.

In short news if you haven’t checked it out yet the Winter Issue of Common Line magazine is up now! I have an article reviewing Quick Fiction, possibly my favorite micro-fiction publication out there today. I also have a poem titled “The Last Dance” featured as well, check that out here! Common Line will be on hiatus until January, so look for new content then!

Basically in a cut and paste you do just that: you take your printed poem, cut each line out and tape them on a board or simple sheet of paper. Sometimes you can find sentences that don’t belong, or whole stanzas that need moved. Sometimes you lose a sentence and the poem changes entirely. I’ve found that this method works with visual arts as well. If you aren’t happy with a particular painting and don’t mind cutting it up, then try it. Dissect into a few pieces and re-arrange them. You’ll be surprised at what you find.

Sometimes the cut and paste can be simple, like so:

A cut and copy technique I used on an poem called "Dread."

This is an upcoming poem entitled “Dread” that I had no clue what to do with. The language was boring, the images weren’t coming through and basically it made no sense. But I knew there was something in there. I was sick to death of staring at my computer screen. So I cut the whole thing up, re-arranged it, scrapped the entire last half and still can’t figure out exactly what it means, but now I’m a hell of a lot closer.

Sometimes the cut and paste can be a bit more colorful, like so:

From an upcoming poem entitled "Sleep"

Sometimes stepping away from your chosen medium can work wonders. Can’t find the right word? Paint a picture of what you want. Can’t find just the right angle to photograph that lovely boy who eats lunch in the courtyard every day? Then write a poem about how you want the light to hit his hands, face or legs. It can help and relieve your mind of the pressure to perform under its chosen duty.

Quickly, in other news, I have a new–and I mean brand new–piece up over at Troubadour 21 entitled “The Introduction of Rose – Part V.” Head over there and let me know what you think! The Billy series is one I always wanted to finish but could never produce the drive so, once again, thank you T21.

“Van found. Gear officially gone. Huge THANK  YOU to all the bands, fans, family, friends for being so supportive. You mean the world to us.”

Guitarist Dan Wiese appeared on Good Day Philadelphia talking about the conspiracy theories surrounding not only their theft but the theft of at least 8 other bands in the exact same area:

There has been a donation site put together by the fans in an effort to help the band recoup at least a fraction of what they lost in this terrible crime. There has also been a “Find KH’s Gear” site set up with pictures of some of the stolen gear to look for on eBay, in pawn shops in and around Philadelphia and on CraigsList.

Thank you to everyone who reposted, reTweeted and remembered that it’s not just material things that were stolen, but a band’s livelihood.

For more information regarding any of this please visit the following:

Kill Hannah’s Official Site
Kill Hannah’s Myspace
Official Press Release Regarding Theft

[TO READ THE BREAKING NEWS ON ABC CLICK HERE]

Because of the quick action of the Philadelphia Police Department, ABC News and fans around the internet Kill Hannah’s van and trailer have been found. No word yet on gear. I’ll keep you updated.

As you know I’ve dedicated a lot of blog space Kill Hannah. They are survivors, musicians and friends. While everyone I know is suffering this year, it doesn’t make it any easier to sit by and watch them hurt.

Having traveled the world over trying to bring their special blend of dreaming and believing to the masses, they’ve never given up hope–in spite of record sales, in spite of label woes and even in spite of a bus fire that destroyed everything they owned only a year ago.

“It’s the curse of Kill Hannah,” quipped Mat Devine a couple of years ago in regards to the trials he and his band have faced. But this is a new level of hell.

[FOR PRESS RELEASE CLICK HERE]

Today, Wednesday November 11th, their van and all of their gear was stolen between the hours of 4am and 11am today in Philadelphia, PA. Over $120,000 worth of gear was lost, including some custom, irreplaceable guitars and stacks.

Devine says, “We’re devastated and speechless. We’ve been touring so hard around the world for the past seven years and this is the most evil thing we’ve witnessed. Special Crimes say this was a coordinated heist.”

Regretfully they had to cancel their last two shows on their current tour with Papa Roach and Jet but their annual Christmas experience, New Heart For Christmas they assured us, was still on.

Specific gear stolen includes:

* Epiphone Elitist Riviera Custom Shop SN#T301722
* 1992 Ernie Ball Music Man Stingray Bass
* Pair of matching vintage 1968 Fender Bassman Heads Custom Shop
* Gibson ES-135 RED
* 2003 Gibson Firebird WHITE
* Marshall Triple Lead Stack

So please, anyone in Philly, keep an eye on your local pawn shops and to everyone around the world keep an eye on eBay.

For any leads on the van, trailer or missing gear, please contact Bethany Watson/DAVIS ARTIST MANAGEMENT: bethany@davisartistmanagement.com.

The Practice of Poetry :: A great resource for overcoming writers block.

As you know I’ve been going through a bleak depression/writers block. To counteract this I’ve went back to one of the earliest writing techniques I learned in high school: the art of the twin poem.

For any unaware writers out there,  a twin poem is basically just like it sounds. You find a poem and write it’s twin, opposite words and situations. More often than not you wind up with a poem totally different than your twin, and something to add to your portfolio. I’ve also signed up for a couple “word a day” programs in an attempt to expand my vocabulary. Every day I get a word and I use it in that evening’s twin poem. I hope that soon they’ll sound/read natural because my language will be elevated.

7 Poets, 4 Days, 1 Book :: The book I'm currently using to write twin poems.

This has produced me some of my best work to date and I’ve decided to release a book when I’m done twinning  my current book of choice,  7 poets, 4 days, 1 book. My book will nothing but my twin poems and a handful of new work I’ve had in store for a while. Its coming along quite nicely.  A preview of what I’m talking about is found below the cut:

[Original Poem by Simone Inguanez]

Night

night, lie beside me
–in this bed by the river.
rest your flest, blow–
turn me into your image
–let me bear you
in my womb, it’s splitting
i want to feel the stars
stir in me–liquid pebbled in a bowl
repeat my name, warm in my ears
among the trees, leaning barefoot to one side
–our side.
here also, nymphs appear when the moon
is full–still alien still withdrawnn–and we’re their ghosts.

here, no one knows who we are.

[My twin poem]

Ghosts

Day, you walk away from this bed
by the lake.
Awaken your flesh,
your offensively lentiginous
nose and inhale the city.
I’ll turn around while you dress,
refuse you access to my womb,
it’s broken—
my doomsday biological clock
gone ka-boom.
I don’t want to feel the universe
I want rocks and steel things,
the callousness to stir in me
and soften
like the bottoms of your feet.
Don’t say my name,
a cool breeze
from an open window knows
how to speak my language.
All you have to do is
dance among dying trees
lining our street, tongue-kiss the one
knotted as inexorably as our hearts.
You disappear when the moon is full,
still alien, still withdrawn despite
the years,
we’re ghosts haunting
one another
the inability to speak,
my chest does not rise and fall rapidly
when you glance past.
here, we’ve no idea who we are.

I’m extremely happy for these poems, as I’ve never produced so much in such a bleak time before. there are still things I can’t quite get to, namely my weekly series on Trpubadour 21 [which has a new installment as of last week entitled "Exhibitionism on Hopeless Beach - Part IV!" T21 has been a struggle from day one to get across decent work and they're almost always late but I finish. Editor Paquita Roth [who also wrote a fabulous feature article on short stories and mentioned my series]  has been an angel in helping me through this time. I need practice being a weekly writer, even if  I feel like I can’t do it, or I’m not producing my best work.  I thoroughly enjoy writing the Billy series, now if only this damn block would lift! Sometimes you just have to let it go, as a friend once said to me.

Photo by Twink

“If you happen to be of the other mindset, that judges artistic merit on mass acceptance, then you are probably reading the wrong interview and blog.”

Being that Gossip [&] the Devil is an equal opportunity interview slayer, when Kill Hannah’s new touring guitarist, Michael Maddox (who prefers to be called by his surname), asked me to interview him I couldn’t say no. You might remember the other interview I conducted with then-touring guitarist Gil Baram a few months ago. What the fuck? You ask. Yes, raccoon-eyed girls and guys, Maddox is now on the touring grind with Kill Hannah. (In short: Gil returned to Israel briefly to finish some personal business while Kill Hannah were still on tour; Maddox filled in during that time and has stayed with them since.) Before touring with Kill Hannah, however, Maddox was part of regionally successful acts Jupiter Blue and Miser, both of which met their end due to lack of work ethic and that sad state of affairs when you aren’t getting paid.

I remember handing Maddox my card in the rain outside an open venue in Austin, TX. He claimed he gave a great interview and, after hearing his responses to everything from word association to what the humanities have to offer the next generation I’ll submit the guy is right. I threw him some of the hardest questions I could, and he answered them with tact and above all, honesty.

Raised in Texas before reloacting to LA, he has a Southern grace about his California style. The band circuit has failed him on more than one occasion, yet those experiences have hardly dampened his passion; he instead channeled that drive into a solo project. Taking inspiration from family members and other hardworking bands, Maddox does whatever it takes to keep the music coming, help preserve a culture that likely won’t be appreciated in the near future and urges you to “forge your own path regardless of current trends.”

Age: In Hollywood I’m 29, in any other town, I’m a little older.
Sign: Sagittarius
Occupation: Guitarist
Biggest Influences: Brian May, Ace Frehley, Neal Schon, Steve Vai

Musical Synopsis: I began playing on Christmas morning when I was 12 yrs old.  I took two lessons when I was about 14, but got bored pretty quickly and continued learning by ear. Also a lot of trial and error. I essentially just practiced playing along to records that I grew up listening to. A lot of classic rock that I got from my older brother and dad, as well as some of the heavier stuff like Metallica, Judas Priest, etc. I was obsessed with rock and roll right away, and obviously never really wised up all these years later.

I was playing in the Dallas area for quite a while, and wasn’t getting anywhere. The majority of players I was playing with seemed to want to do it part time, or had so many other priorities that I felt like the only one really breaking my neck to make things happen. I moved to LA with a girlfriend that I was also playing with, that lasted about 3 months, of course. Then I decided to do my own thing.

Julie M. Tate: Have you always been a freelance musician? Have you done your fair share of auditioning for bands?

Michael Maddox: I’ve actually not gone on that many true “cold auditions” per say. I have gotten most of my gigs through mutual friends, recommendations, and reputation. I have really tried hard to only play with people, or in bands that I really enjoyed. It would be very difficult for me to dedicate myself to something that I didn’t believe in, or at  least SOME aspect of the overall picture. The only time I’ve ever gone out for an audition that I didn’t  get, was actually the Kill Hannah audition. I lost the lead guitar slot, but apparently came in a close second, so when Dan Wiese decided to get married, I was asked to fill in for him for a few weeks, which turned into me staying on with the band even after Dan returned.

JMT: One of these gigs included Jupiter Blue, who moved from Chicago to LA. What brought you together with them?

MM: It was actually only the singer [Dickie Chapin] that relocated. I saw an ad online about a band looking for a drummer, and by the description it really sounded like my dream band. I checked out some music, the singer was exactly what I’d been looking for my whole career. I emailed him, and told him that I was a terrible drummer, but if some unfortunate accident happened to their guitarist, i.e., a faulty brake cable or some other random mishap, that I’d be glad to take over. As fate would have it, a week later I got a call that their guitarist was moving back home, and that they had a show in a week. I rehearsed twice with them, played the show, and stayed with them for the next 3 or 4 years until the band ended.

Maddox on the set of Jupiter Blue's video for their single "Anthem for the Jaded"

JMT: And Jupiter Blue has a long and sordid history with your current touring band, Kill Hannah, right?

MM: As I said Dickie is originally from Chicago, Kill Hannah’s hometown. They played a lot of shows together as both bands were getting started, and as a matter of fact he played a show or two with them behind the kit, as he is originally a drummer. An early Kill Hannah drummer named James Connelly, was also the first drummer in Jupiter Blue when I joined in LA. There is a long list of mutual friends in the circle as well. While I was in Jupiter Blue, when we would discuss or argue about why the band wasn’t moving further, or faster, I would always point to two bands that displayed an incredible work ethic: Miser and Kill Hannah. The fact that I eventually went on to work with both bands is more than a little ironic.

“I can honestly say that having support from family is a huge advantage when you’re struggling to survive playing music.”

JMT: You moved back to Texas after your nephew was in a motorcycle accident, giving up what you had in LA. Have you always been close with your family and do they support your dreams?

MM: I am very close with my family, and have always been. My nephew was paralyzed in a motorcycle accident last year, so I decided to move back to Texas to help out with him. It turned out he didn’t really need my help, and is doing fine on his own. So, luckily I got a call from the band Miser to join them, which I did for a bit before moving back to LA.

My parents are still married, which is a rarity these days. They have not always been thrilled with my lifestyle or career choices but have always backed me, and been ecstatic about any successes I’ve achieved. I can honestly say that having support from family is a huge advantage when you’re struggling to survive playing music.

JMT: I’m sure watching your nephew come back from such a potential tragedy was inspiring.

MM: My nephew was and is absolutely an inspiration. It makes it difficult to complain or not see the bright side of any situation when i think about what he struggles with everyday. He hasn’t let being in a wheelchair stop him from having a completely full life, and he stays in excellent shape with his upper body in the hope that when and if stem cell technologies advance he will be a perfect candidate.

Photo by Twink

JMT: Miser, as you explained in your Myspace blog, met its demise because no one was making money. Then you made the curious decision to make a solo record, almost in complete defiance of that sentiment. Where are those songs now, and can we hear them?

MM: I really had come to a place with other musicians in general, where I felt like it didn’t matter how much effort I put into it, it would always be derailed by someone else’s lack of drive. When I decided to do a solo record, it was really just the idea of me saying, “fuck being in a band, I’m going to produce something that didn’t rely on anyone else’s dedication or schedule other than my own.” I have about 10 songs in the works now, I don’t know when I will have the time to continue working on them in the foreseeable future, but I’m really proud of them and would like them to be heard eventually. I’m not interested in pushing them as a product, it really is just sort of a pet project up to this point. It’s been nothing but Kill Hannah for the last few months, and I’m so happy to be in a band that truly works incredibly hard everyday for the same goal. It’s really the ideal band situation I’ve always looked for, so I don’t mind at all putting my pet project on the back burner for a while.

“Hopefully, things will continue to go well…but if not I really don’t have the desire to run out and join another band.”

JMT: Are you looking for a permanent gig to write/record with?

MM: This sort of feeds back into my earlier answer about being fed up with bands in general. When I came to Los Angeles after playing with Miser,  I had no intention of getting back into a band situation, unless it was just a very comfortable fit and was something I could really believe in. I really can’t think of any bands I would have gone out of my way to play with besides Kill Hannah. Hopefully, things will continue to go well with them, but if not I really don’t have the desire to run out and join another band. I would more likely return home to work on my solo material.

JMT: Kill Hannah usually have murderous touring schedules. How’s tour been so far? The shows with She Wants Revenge seemed to have gone great, as well as your current tour with Jet and Papa Roach.

MM: The shows have been absolutely amazing. The tour schedule is very hectic, especially with us filling in the days off from the Papa Roach and Jet tour with our own headlining shows. This is a band that is not afraid to work though, I feel very lucky to be a part of such  a dedicated group of guys. I have to keep reminding myself that these guys have been at it a long time, so whenever I worry that maybe  someone is getting burnt out, that they have already proven themselves time and time again that they are dedicated to the work they do.  I’m just so used to band mates pulling the plug when things get a little rough, so again I feel very lucky to be working with a band  with such a great work ethic.

“I think the key thing in Kill Hannah, right now, is to keep it sounding like Kill Hannah, which means making it  sound the way Mat Devine hears in his head.”

JMT: Kill Hannah really are about growing their product, enhancing it and making it thicker, tighter and more productive. How do you help enhance Kill Hannah’s sound?

MM: I think the key thing in Kill Hannah, right now, is to keep it sounding like Kill Hannah, which means making it  sound the way Mat Devine hears in his head. I’ll take certain liberties with things like effects,  and occasionally I will throw in a few little things musically, but to be honest I usually hear about  it after the show. *laughs*  Other players have come in and not really fit the sound, so the way to do  it is to give them what they want now, and as time goes on, and they learn to trust my style things will  evolve organically.

Maddox with Kill Hannah, September 2009 (Photo by R. E. Barbash)

JMT: Are you neurotic? In Kill Hannah you have to be neurotic.

MM: Oh my god, do you think I’m neurotic? Why would you think I’m neurotic? Do I seem neurotic? I have to do something about this neurosis, what should I do? Does that answer your question?

JMT: What’s the first word that comes to mind when faced with the following words or phrases:

MM:

Miser: jager
Jupiter Blue: under utilized potential
Kill Hannah: hard working
Eyeliner: war paint
Profits: never heard of it.
Record Label President: never heard of us
Faygo: ridiculous

“It’s a real shame that kids today don’t  take the same interest generally in the details of the music they care about.”

JMT: Did you have a big record collection as a kid? Did it save your life?

MM: Oh yeah. I bought EVERYTHING. I was the guy that would buy all types of music,  just to get turned on to new things. I love owning entire catalogs from artists like Queen, or Zeppelin. I have about four huge racks of cd’s with a ton of vinyl and cassettes as well. I used to read every liner note,  every credit on every record that I bought while growing up. It’s a real shame that kids today don’t  take the same interest generally in the details of the music they care about. It’s interesting to me, that growing up, I only knew about 2 or 3 kids that were into the same movies, albums, and bands that I was. As I’ve gotten older, I seem to have gravitated towards like minded people, and now have a huge group of friends that were/are exactly like I was as a kid. Of course, we’ve all taken those influences and lived different lives through them, which is important. It’s exciting to find that common ground in a new friend though.

JMT: We’re in the Information Age and great works of art are reduced to entries on Wikipedia. Given your pursuit of your dreams both on your own and with others, do you believe the humanities are an important part in preserving our culture?

MM: I’m going to be really honest here, because it’s something that I think about a lot. I think that in a few years, nothing is going to be “special” to the next generation. The incredible sense of entitlement, in addition to instant information and technology at their  fingertips, means that future generations will have no interest in cultivating anything original or artistic. Anything we can do as artists to keep  the sacredness of music, literature, and art alive is paramount. Every 12-year-old has a recording studio on their new laptop, that is light years beyond what The Beatles used to record Sgt. Pepper. Having said that, music has never been more stale and unoriginal. There is a correlation there. Stop buying new software that gives you fifty new drums sounds. Stop thinking that by owning Pro Tools, you are an artist. Stop thinking that getting new gear means you are becoming a better player.  We have to stop collecting technology as a bragging right, and go back to working on the craft of UTILIZING what we have in new and exciting ways.

Maddox and I happy to be alive in Lawrence, KS, October 2009

JMT: Do you think an artist’s job is important to the whole, or do you think an artist is self-serving first and foremost?

MM: I believe that to be a “true artist” you have to shun convention, and forge your own path regardless of current trends or  or what the current cultural momentum is. This is in direct contrast to being a “successful artist” in our world today. It’s not only  easier, but it’s been proven that almost the ONLY way to be a success, is to create carbon copies of the previous model and  water it down until it’s devoid of any real creativity. There is a way to take the things that influenced you as a younger person, and push it into new directions. Think outside the box, but reference what shaped you to become the person you are today. It’s a pretty exclusive group that seem to be able to do this. Marilyn Manson, Lady Gaga, Trent Reznor, Wayne Coyne and even Mat Devine are a few that come to mind, that possess this trait. This is all just my opinion, of course. If you happen to be of the other mindset, that judges artistic merit on mass acceptance, then you are probably reading the wrong interview and blog.

(Kill Hannah are currently on tour with Jet and Papa Roach. Check their Myspace or killhannah.com for details on this and their upcoming New Heart For Xmas show held annually in Chicago!)