other 10 Neurotics interviews Elegy #62 France | Spring 2010 | "Sailor Boy" on the CD This is the full September 30th interview, in English, elegy.fr Q: This album contains a strong dark cabaret ambience. Do you think it's your experience in Revue Noir which rubs off on Black Tape For A Blue Girl ? Sam: Sure, that makes sense. I think I grew as a musician when I performed with Nicki in Revue Noir. Dark Cabaret is a sound that excites me and I brought it into this new album from Black Tape For A Blue Girl. Q: Yes, why so long between the Halo Star and 10 Neurotics albums? Sam: Aside from Revue Noir, the past five years have been chaotic for me. I got divorced, my son is with me half the week, and I have spent a lot of time looking inward, and finding myself again, after many years in one relationship. Q: It does seem that a change came over you in this period. Sam: Certainly. I think it is important to grow and evolve all the time, rather than stay in one place. That is true both artistically and personally. I came back to Black Tape For A Blue Girl with a new attitude towards the music. Q: How would you describe it? Sam: I think I have more playfulness, more willingness to experiment. I also have more confidence about being honest and direct in my words. Q: So we see that there are new famous members and guests on 10 Neurotics. Can you tell us why you have chosen to work with them in particular and about their role in the creative process of this album ? Sam: During the writing of 10 Neurotics, I showed the lyrics to my previous vocalists, and they weren't very comfortable with what I was writing. They were worried about the audience assuming the words were their personal feelings. They quit the band, which was ok, I felt this change coming. I brought in new vocalists, Athan Maroulis (ex-Spahn Ranch), Laurie Reade (ex-Attrition) and Nicki Jaine (my partner in Revue Noir). They bring the band to a new level, in the way they capture the emotion I am expressing in my words. Q: And what about the co-production with Brian Viglione ? Sam: I asked Brian if he'd be interested in playing on my album, and he was very excited when he heard the demos, and joined the band quickly. Q: Brian, why did you feel such enthusiasm to work with Black Tape For A Blue Girl? Brian: Being able to lend my ear to the development of songs and studio production is my favorite kind of collaboration. Sam had a lot of great raw ideas with a very moody, almost cinematic streak in his vision for the album. I love projects that help flex different creative sides of me and working with Sam was intuitive in many ways, but it was also a good chance to brake the mold a bit and push the music and the sonics and little harder. When I saw Sam's eyes bug out or he'd get a little nervous smile, I knew we were on the right track. Q: It's the first time in 20 years that you have included a drum kit and the first time you play acoustic guitar. Can you tell us about it ? Sam: I felt freedom in the process of recording this album, for many reasons. One is because it is my 10th studio album with blacktape. I reminded myself that my obligation to the fans is to explore and go new places. I did not feel restricted by the past; it felt like creating the first album: no expectations. Playing acoustic guitar was a way to encourage myself to do something new. On this album, the electronics are a light layer over the songs, the guitar gives thes songs a structure and style that is more familiar, I think. Q: Was it because of the theme of 10 Neurotics that you wanted a more organic and less ethereal music ? Sam: I am looking for the SONG rather than the SOUNDSCAPE, these days. I like melody and I like the organic feel of a song that sounds like a band is performing it. This works well with the theme, it allows the lyrics to come through. Q: "Tell me you've taken" is an old song you have reworked with Brian Viglione. Why this song in particular ? Brian: Each song portrays a different lyrical perspective and it made sense to me that the musical approach would vary as well. There's nothing that says sexual psychosis and a danceable beat should be mutually exclusive. Sam showed me the chords on guitar and when he started singing, I just played the rhythm tighter and more syncopated and it all fell into place. It was most exciting because it made Sam squirm a little and pushed the boundaries of the album in a new way. It's important to do that in life, especially in the creative process when it serves the art itself. Q: People in your lyrics are both real and created. Which lyrics are stronger according to you ? The ones with real persons? Sam: Songs based on real life have an edge to them because people always do things far stranger and more interesting than what I could make up. All the songs on this album are based on real experiences, or real people I know. Q: On an album like Remnants of a deeper purity there was a poeticness, as if from another time. Here we are right in today! Why did you choose to explore the fetish world in this album ? Sam: I decided to write about my experiences, with authentic lyrics. All relationships involve elements of control, power, authority. In the fetish world, the aspects of control are less hidden then regular life. The dynamics between us is very interesting to me. Q: What can you tell us about fetish movement in the U.S.A. ? Are you involved in it ? Sam: I think that the fetish scene is just like any other scene, it is a desire for connection, love, trust. I think we all have our own particular interests that fall slightly outside "the norm" and we should take the time to understand them and explore them, and get a better idea of just who we are. I am looking for connection and passion just like everyone else, and yes part of where I search is within this scene. Q: Do you think the Pro-Ana movement is a kind of fetishism ? Sam: I think that for the people involved, it is a way to control their lives, to bring order to a chaotic situation. A fetish is more about taking a non-sexual object and sexualizing it; which might be true for the outsider, but not for the girl who is Pro-Ana. Q: Can you tell us about the beautiful and strong artwork for 10 Neurotics ? Sam: I am a fetishist for the physical object. I like cd booklets and graphic design. For 10 Neurotics, I created a digipak with a glued-in 28 page booklet -- it is like a book with lyrics and photos to accompany the stories. I took many of the photos, but I also licensed work that fit with the ideas my lyrics express. I love the object. I love something well designed. I love beauty, even if it is not traditional Western Beauty. Q: yes, it seems that some of the women in your booklet are... um... (laughs) Sam: Androgynous? Yes. It is true. That is something I do find particularly appealing! Q: You invited Lucas of Cinema Strange / Deadfly Ensemble to sing the song, "Curious, Yet Ashamed." Why was that? Sam: I have known Luc here in New York for a few years, and I really wanted him on my album, and this was the perfect song for him; I consider it my "Philip Glass meets Death Rock" song (laughs). The lyrics are probably the most theraputic / spiritual on the album. I thought it would be perfect for Luc's delivery, because I wanted to take it down a notch from the seriousness of the subject. It has a fun sort of carnival feel with a serious theme: figure out what it is that you desire and then reach out for it. Even if this desire is non-traditional, that is fine. We have to find our own pleasure in life. Q: What is your view then, on this limited lifetime we have? Sam: It would be quite easy to live by the rules, and make your government or church or parents happy. But that is not what matters. Will your tombstone have a checkbox for how many emails you answered, and how many thank you cards you mailed out? No! So long as nobody is hurt (who doesn't want to be hurt), we should live life passionately. Live it to the fullest. Enjoy the time we have here, before we go back to the beyond that we came from. Q: And will hitting somebody's bottom get you there? Sam: To bliss? Maybe it will, if that is your thing. If you are both doing the thing that truly gets you off, then you are doing the right thing. Q: Can we expect to see you playing live in France or in Europe ? Will all your guests come and touring with you ? Sam: I do hope we have our first show in France soon, maybe we will share a bill with our friends in Katzenjammer Kabarett! That would be fabulous. The band is a 3-piece at the moment. I do expect we will be in Europe soon. Having the CD out on Trisol is a wonderful opportunity to reach more people with the music. That is what it is all about, getting the music out to people. Thanks for the interview. Sam