other 10 Neurotics interviews Darkroom Magazine Italy | March 2010 | interview conducted Monday March 15 2010 | In Italian darkroom-magazine.it Q: Hi Sam, welcome back! Can you tell us about the five years of "silence" before the release of 10 Neurotics? Sam: Hello to you and to Italy, also. The Halo Star album was released in 2004. After that, I got divorced, there was a lot of sadness, drama & change in my life. However, time moves on, I performed for a while with Nicki Jaine in Revue Noir. I knew - when I returned to Black Tape For A Blue Girl in 2008 - that I did not want to write a sad, break-up-themed album. I did not feel like glorifying the past that way. Instead, I decided to take the self-exploration involved with growing comfortable with who I was after those many years, and dive into the interesting, exotic, erratic people in my life. That became the source from which I worked on 10 Neurotics. Q: Let's start from the album then; again eroticism, not veiled now but rather raw, why? Sam: Why not? (laugh) The world is a real place, things happen every moment, and they are not veiled in gauze and dreamy poetry. It is quite a challenge to write words that are direct and honest and speak authentically. It was a good experience, as a songwriter, to explore these characters and have them speak in first person about the things that excites them. Q: Which kind of woman does appeal to you and which kind do you describe in your new album? Sam: Well, honestly, I like women who are creative, crazy, exciting, stars. I like the heightened intensity that can be found there. Alas, stars do often burn out, from too much illumination. So there is a conflict in this, because I have no interest in having "drama" in my life; and yet drama is such a typical part of these sorts of characters! What I have learned, then, is to enjoy the moment. Enjoy the experience I am having RIGHT NOW with somebody, and not get wrapped up in the future. That makes it easier to see what is going on around you. The women on the album are all different types. There are lovers, loners; introverted & ecstatic. Q: Is there a track in "10 Neurotics" in which there is your ideal woman? Or do the women told in the album scare you? Sam: Oh no, I don't think any of them frighten me. They are all based on people who I have met; life isn't as much fun, if you hide in the corner. You have to go out there and live it some! My ideal woman on the album? For me, I don't really care for destructive types (such as in "Rotten Zurich Cafe" or "Love Song") but I do quite enjoy the ones described in "The Perfect Pervert," "Caught by a Stranger" or "Marmalade Cat." Those are all people who are aware of what makes them happy. I like people who are aware and having fun. Q: Why two different cover artwork for Trisol and Projekt? What do they tell? Sam: Well, I found the photo that became the American cover, and it really captures the idea of 10 Neurotics. The woman looks quite pained in an Egon Schiele-sort of way. I like the shot. Alex, at Trisol, asked if I might have something more provocative for the European cover. In the past, I might have been offended by this sort of proposal. But I took it as a healthy challenge, to see how I might re-represent the theme of the album. The photo Trisol liked is one I shot in my living room, of Narcissa in a submissive pose. I like how it makes the viewer part of the dynamic: you are looking down upon her! I recreated the scene from that photo, for "The Pleasure in the Pain" video (you can find it on youtube). Q: Is it important to have the support of the German label in Europe? Sam: Yes, it is very important. Having a "local" label in Europe makes the album available in stores, and it also has means a LOT of press in Germany, which was really great to see. Q: The collaboration of Brian Viglione has given voice to critics on your approach the dark cabaret, don't you find that a too simplistic deduction? Sam: Well, I think it is inaccurate to say that Brian is 'responsible' for the Dark Cabaret sound, because I was writing these songs before he got involved in the band. What he brings is really great musicianship. His drumming brings subtlety and power to the songs, which is exactly what I was looking for. 10 Neurotics is the first time in 20 years that I've used a drummer in the band. Brian was really great to work with, because he was so enthusiastic about the material. That really enpowered me to keep pushing the edges. Q: I feel a pathos in the album that reminds me of the more surreal Bauhaus; "The Sky's Gone Out" above all, is it correct? Sam: Well, that is nice to hear. Pathos means "to arouse emotion" and I certainly hope that this is the listener's reaction to the songs I created. I tried to pull a lot of passion and emotion out of the characters; giving my vocalists powerful words to bring to life. I much prefer that people say this is "cabaret" music than the term "operatic" which was used for many years to describe Black Tape For A Blue Girl. Perhaps people mean the same thing: the music is passionate and arouses emotions. It's that I don't know opera, it never felt like me. Q: In "10 Neurotics" you play more the guitar than the keyboard: is it just a break or the beginning of an unplugged future? Sam: Yes, it is the beginning of a future. That's what I think 10 Neurotics is: a new starting point for the band. A new musical direction. Honestly, I love all the albums, but I do not have a desire to repeat one over and over again. That is not very rewarding for me as a creator. I want to keep moving into the future. I am in a good position to do that. I do not have obligations to a record label or a fantastically profitable sound that I need to stick with. I like being able to explore. Q: In these five years how much has 'influenced' your music the arrival in Projekt of bands such as Tearwave or Katzenjammer Kabarett? Sam: Oh, not very much! I sign bands to Projekt that I enjoy listening to. But I create the music that I want to hear. Two separate things...... Q: All the women who sing for you always have very sensual voices; what do you think about the opera ones or like the vocal style of Alyson of Cranes, so far from the style of Black Tape For A Blue Girl? Sam: I don't really know about the Cranes. I listen to different music, and sometimes I like the vocalists, sometimes I don't. I always really liked Laurie Reade and Nicki Jaine's vocals. So I was very excited to bring them into my band. Q: Why does Elysabeth (Grant) only sing a song? Sam: My previous vocalists were a bit concerned about the new lyrics I was writing, and they chose NOT to sing on 10 Neurotics. Which was fine, no big drama. It gave me the chance to begin anew, which I really liked. With a new direction, a new band. Seems logical. That said, Elysabeth and I are still friends. "I strike you down" was written for the Projekt 200 Compilation. I liked the creepy mood of the song, and the unclear meaning of the lyrics, so I reworked it for 10 Neurotics. Q: Much room instead to the voice of Laurie Read (unforgettable in the band Attrition), how did you approach her? Sam: Yeah, I loved Laurie's work in Attrition, it's unfortunate that Kill the Buddha (the live album) is the only album she recorded with Attrition. She is really talented. When Elysabeth said she was concerned with the lyrics, Laurie was the first person I asked. I felt she could really breath life into the characters, which she did. Q: You also brought back Athan Maroulis who already participated in two songs of "The Scavenger Bride", what do you like in him? Sam: The Scavenger Bride was a quite ethereal album, while on 10 Neurotics Athan has a lot more opportunity to sing Rock-styled songs, and really come to the front of the stage. That - honestly - was why I brought Laurie, Athan & Nicki into the band. Because I love their vocals and their stage presence. I wanted to see these songs live, with these characters brought to life. Athan is a passionate vocalist and a good friend. That's a good combination. Q: What attracted you of Lucas Lanthier ? Where did he leave its mark in "10 Neurotics"? Why did you want him in the line-up of "10 Neurotics"? Sam: Ah! I knew Lucas here in New York City, he's a great guy. I really wanted to have him on the album because I love his voice, too. "Curious, yet ashamed" seemed like the perfect song for him, because it is a bit bombastic, a bit crazy, a bit carnival-like. Sounds like Lucas, doesn't it? (laughs) Q: Talk about Militarhymne: what does it stand for? Sam: For me, that song is the national anthem for the dystopian society that Nicki sings about in the song "In Dystopia." It's a prelude to that piece. Q: How did your audience welcome your work? Sam: Well, most are very excited about the new direction. And some wish we were still an ethereal band (laughs). Q: Had you the opportunity during your gigs to share opinions on the matter with fans? Sam: People do not come up and give criticism to my face. Instead they say it anonymously on the internet. Q: Who is in your line-up on the stage? Sam: Athan on vocals, Nicki on acoustic guitar & vocals, myself on acoustic guitar, keyboards & backing vocals. Sometimes Brian joins us on electric guitar & percussion. Q: Talking again of live performance, can you see Europe in the near future? Sam: I hope so. I have been talking with different people about getting over for some shows. Hopefully it will happen soon. Q: Watch out: it's 1986 and it's the birth of BTFABG, how can you see the young Sam Rosenthal now? Sam: I still remember my college dorm room, where I recorded The Rope on a cassette portastudio. The guy is trying to find some connection to other people, trying to enjoy life, trying to get comfortable with meeting women, and searching for what he desires. Back then, he wasn't comfortable with himself. There was a lot of darkness around the edges. Q: After many years of career, when do you think you have reached the peak of your success and when a 'dark' moment? Sam: Well, my question is "by what measurement would you like to define success?" Because if you are asking about sales figures, then the peak was Remnants of a Deeper Purity in 1996; that peak is related to when CD sales peaked, before digital downloads came like a tsunami, and swept away most of the music industry. Creatively, each album is the peak.... and then I move on to the next one. I am not sure about a dark moment. Q: We are now talking about Projekt Records; can you draw a balance of more than twenty years of activity? Sam: So far, I've released a lot of great albums, earned and spent a lot of money, made some great friends, pleased a lot of fans, pissed off some people along the way. Q: You have made known to the audience act that grew gathering support: who among them is your personal success? Sam: For me, I think success is staying true to myself and creating albums that I believe in. I am the person who has to look back on my career and decide if it was authentic. And I feel I have been good at keeping true to myself. Q: Among the new? I enjoyed Tearwave... Sam: Ah, but they have broken up. Soon Projekt will have the debut from Makaras Pen, which is the new band from Doug in Tearwave. Interestingly, the music is a bit heavier, while the vocals are more ethereal. Good contrast. Q: Projekt and Prikosnovénie... Is there only a business relationship between you in the States or possible future partnerships that might become common artistic productions? Sam: We sell their albums through our webstore, and he sells some Projekt albums through his catalog. But that's all that is going on. Q: Your way of working reminds me Ivo Watts, have you ever met him? Do you like this comparison? Sam: I think I met him once, for about 5 minutes, backstage at a Dead Can Dance show. Q: Who did you envy to 4AD that you wanted in Projekt? Sam: Oh, I don't think that way. Because when 4AD was good, in the mid 80s, Projekt was a very small label. By the time Projekt was growing, 4AD had kind of stopped releasing decent CDs. So it never really felt like we were in any kind of competition or I was envious of their bands. I was a fan of 4AD. Q: Let's talk about what's new in Projekt: what can you advice to our audience among the future releases? Sam: Well, I already mentioned Makaras Pen. There's The Twilight Garden who are a bit more electronic than many bands on Projekt, with a moodiness that brings to mind Disintegration-era Cure or Soulwhirlingsomewhere. In the summer Projekt is releasing Worn Thim, the debut from Weep. Weep is led by Doc Hammer, who used to be in Mors Syphilitica, his new music is very shoegazer, post-punk. This summer I will spend time writing the next Black Tape For A Blue Girl album. I hope to have it out in early 2011. Q: The shoegaze in the States is receiving many praise: also for you it's a resource on which invest? Sam: I always had bands on Projekt that flirt with the shoegaze sound, going back to early-90s with Love Spirals Downwards and Lovesliescrushing. It's a sound that can rejuvenate itself and have exciting new releases. Q: Too many clones of the Cocteau Twins but nobody like the Scots, or do you think that someone expressed similar levels? Sam: The Scots? Huh? You have confused me. Q: It was a huge pleasure for us to talk with you; many of our readers appreciate you as producer and artist. Now we know a little more about you and "10 Neurotics", should we say goodbye with a last jingle for the album? Sam: Ok, sure. Let's do that. There's a phrase here in the USA, "You can't teach an old dog a new trick." Which means, in relation to music, that generally bands keep on doing the same thing, as they mature. But I wanted to try something new, to explore new territories in the lyrical themes and the music. 10 Neurotics is different from any album I have done in the past, and it's exciting and fun for me to do something new, go and play it live, and get enthusiastic responses. Who knows what the next album will sound like, or what the 20th album will sound like! (laughs) Q: Does it still make sense to make 'dark' music today, or it's only a always open door to older generations? Sam: Well...... these days, I have very little darkness in me. I enjoy my life, I enjoy time with my son, I have fun playing shows. Life is mostly a lot of fun for me. I think I am now very comfortable with being me, and that makes everything so much easier. I finally stopped beating myself up and looking for the bad things, and now I can say, "Wow. This is pretty cool. I created this life and it is serving me well and allowing me to do the things I want to do. Thanks!" Q: It is only a goodbye anyway... Sam: Until I see you in Italy, of course. All my best.