1 - Tell us how your project(s) were started.
Like any other project; combine angst, frustration, boredom and a need for a creative outlet and you may spawn a hardcore band.
2 - What does music, in it's entirety, mean to you?
Music is communication. Some find it easier to say -everything- through music, written lyrically or by notes and chords. It's a direct link to what's really inside. By day you may punch a clock and have the same vacant smile as the rest.. but by night you can let the fury go constructively. Music never breaks your heart nor misleads you. Music may be the only thread keeping you alive.
3 - What does art, in it's entirety, mean to you?
To me there's no real difference between music and art. If by art you mean, painting or drawing, then you are misunderstanding the full spectrum of art. Art is a creative outlet that encompasses all the senses, sound touch, sight, smell. Like a raindrop and a river... both have the same blue-print.
4 - Who is your favorite author, and why?
This is tough because every author (or artist) is great in their own way. Chuck Palahniuk is great because of his point of view. Ayn Rand is great because of her perspective and views and ability to express them. Brautigan is brilliant with simplicity. There really are no easy answers.
5 - As your best friend, describe yourself.
My room mates says talking to me is like talking to a wall... but unlike a wall.. I listen, I may just not respond.
6 - As your worst enemy, describe yourself.
I have no enemies... they never last long.
7 - If your persona were immortalized as a cartoon character, who would it be?
I don't think my personality matches any existing cartoon characters.. so we'd have to create one.
8 - Do you think there are conspiracies against the "everyday person"?
It depends on how you'd define the "everyday person" I think everyone is an "everyday person". And people only seem to conspire against those of us who refuse to be held down. So to keep yourself from being conspired against (if it scares you that much)... learn to blend with the scenery.
9 - What do you do with your spare or free time?
Lately I've spent too much of my time editing videos. We have tour videos that cover dozens of tapes and I've been sitting in front of the TV, writing down numbers and picking out decent footage.. then combining it all onto more concise tapes and making copies for everyone. I'm trying to get a drum set together. And I spend a good deal of time writing.
10 - Please give us your interpretation of "the meaning of life".
You asked for it. (Keep in mind I speak only for myself and not for the whole band). To me the meaning of life is to find balance, to be consumed, and to be... enlightened. Balance is a state of equalibrium. Equality between the negative and postive poles that govern us. Equality between the duality of all nature; day and night, black and white, birth and death. All of life as we know it, or could ever concieve it, is between these poles. To be consumed is to let go... lose yourself, become what you dream. If you choose to sing, become the melody ringing from your throat, become the song the brings tears or joy to all. If you paint become the picture you imagine, become the brush and paint pouring and scraping the canvas. Be consumed by your emotions. Be consumed by your passion. You will never know what an apple tastes like, until you take a bite. Only when you indulge, can you truly understand. Enlightenment is to be free of ignorance, to obtain intellectual or spiritual understanding. To become enlightened is to be free, to free your soul of the pains of life. You become one with existence. Once you truly understand the importance of the seasons, the changing of tides, life and death, decay and development, you will learn how to live. You will learn to appreciate it, and you will find nothing to mourn about. You will be without fear, without depravity. "To learn to Live, you must first learn to Die."
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