From Charles Sent Sat, Jan 23rd 1999, 18:08
From Charles Sent Sat, Jan 23rd 1999, 18:08
Fix: With all the extant projects and incarnations you've had that many Americans may not be aware of, are there any plans to make past works more readily available?=20 Joerg: We never made a great effort to release our music in the States. We were just waiting until somebody would ask to get our stuff. Of course we were pleased when Matador decided to release Las Vegas because we like the label and most of their artists very much...so one can say being patient was worthwhile and I guess that's how we will proceed in the future. You have an admittedly intense working reiationship=97do you feel that the arguments fuel your creativity or are they just a pain in the ass?=20 We'd been working together for several years before we decided to take a break because arguing became nothing but a pain in the ars,e. After developing our own projects and labels we felt it could be the right time to get back together again and since then arguing result[ed] in inspiration rather than aggression. Maybe we got older and wiser, too? What prompted your apparent interest in kitschy Americana?=20 The socialization of European youth (especially German) is heavily influenced by Ameripan culture since World War II. Therefore it's a logical consequence for European artists/musicians/filmmakers to reflect American cultural phenomena from a European point of view once in a while. For us it's a weird mixture of fascination and complete incomprehensibility. In fact, we only pay Elvis back [for] what he's done to us. Have you been to Vegas? Memphis? Paris, Texas? Any good travel stories?=20 New York and Chicago only. I think America's best consumed from home via TV. Did I mention I've got a fear of flying? Is it a Vegas "Blue Hotel"? Or an Elvis "Blue Hotel"? Or...=20 It's definitely a tongue-in-cheek hotel. Is "Paris, Texas" a reference to the film? Y'know, Harry Dean Stanton ain't a bad composer/crooner...=20 It's a reference to the [1983] film but not in the way you'd expect, maybe. For me the movie is the beautifui result of a detestable attempt to look more American than the Americans. Wim Wenders was always adapting=97he's a pretender and for sure one of the most boring filmmakers in the worid. But Nastassia [Kinski]...and Ry Cooder's soundtrack...l love them. Where/what is Cruas Meysse from the cover? Looks like a nuke plant.=20 It's a nuclear power plant in the south of France. You might think the whole album is a wildly associative train of thoughts thing which is not easy to follow sometimes =97 you're right. (Well, I hope at least we can!) What is your favorite Roxy Music album/phase?=20 We love all of their records but Wolfgang's very much into Avalon [also a track title] and I prefer the Siren/Country Life phase. Brian Ferry's solo albums are great as well. Who, if anyone, do you listen to?=20 That's hard to say there's so much good - music around. At the moment WoHgang's again very much into hard techno when not listening to Schonberg. The last records I bought have been Blood on the Tracks and Love's Forever Changes (more or less kitschy Americana again) because I didn't have them on CD and my vinyls were wrecked. What does "Do the Strand" mean?=20 It's a Roxy song title as well. If I guess right it means strolling along London's promenade=97 "The Strand". It might as well have been a fancy dance invented by Brian Ferry. So who is the "Jealous Guy From Memphis"?=20 The track title is reminiscent of Elvis' cooperation with the FBI to spy out the Beatles when they visited him. Like Ringo said in an interview, he must have been "dead jealous" to do that. What are your favorite Elvis films?=20 Jailhouse Rock. But to be honest we don't watch Elvis films very often. What are your 5 favorite books?=20 L.A. Confidential, White Jazz, Clandestine, American Tabloid, The Black Dahlia:..[all] by James Ellroy. Wolfgang doesn't read. Films?=20 The Killer, Hard Boiled, and A Better Tomorrow Pts. 1 & 2, by John Woo, Starship Troopers not by John Woo [but Paul Verhoeven]. Wolfgang prefers German TV productions of classical literature like Zauberberg; also Schwarzenegger, Stallone, Depardieu. By the way, in contrary to Wim Wenders, Woo and Verhoeven are perfect examples of foreign filmmakers who came to Hollywood and developed a unique . mixture of their own style and American film culture and therefore influenced Hollywood as well.=20 What is on deck after Las.Vegas? Other collaborations in the works? At the moment we are working on our own projects again, but a fodlow up to Las Vegas is planned in late - spring. Wolfgang is about to release a new Gas album on Mille Plateaux and I'm starting a new label for Sony lnt. called Popular.=20 Have you ever seen/met Siegfried: and Roy?=20 Unfortunately not. But we've seen them on TV many times. They're so impressive. They're pure. I wish Wim Wenders wouid get himself a white tiger or two. That might help. There's a diner at the Autobahn in the south of Germany near their hometown where they feature a lifesize picture of the two in the entrance and the owner offers memorabilia. I rest there whenever I can while I'm on tour to feel the force. - Charles [btw, does anyone know how to make a sound file play automatically when opening a Director file? (The sound file being already imported as a cast member.) The Help files haven't been too helpful yet.] __________________________________________________________ FS/FT: Electronic Dance Music - CDs & 12"s=20 http://members.aol.com/perv303/forsale.html __________________________________________________________