Into the psychedelic workings of the mind behind The Red Plastic Buddha…
1 You can take one record to a desert island for the rest of your life – what would it be?
I think I’d bring something from Ravi Shankar. Indian time signatures mystify me and I think the challenge of it would keep it fresh.
2 Who is your favourite artist?
Syd Barrett forever.
3 Favourite chord?
Bm
4 Can God invent a rock that he cannot lift?
To my understanding, God is not static, and therefore cannot be challenged by a logic exercise that is itself static. God is growing constantly, and so the rock would have to grow as well. This rock that grows suggests a living thing, so therefore it is not really a rock, but the anti-force part of God. Our goal as little spiritual hominids is to break free of the power of our own anti-force. We do this by recognizing that it exists, and by acknowledging that we have inside of us our own personal destruction. This knowledge actually empowers us to overcome the anti-force.
Sorry, but I really like this kind of question. .
5 Who did you last vote for in an election?
A young local guy called Barack Obama. I’m not entirely happy with the result.
6 Favourite fiction writer?
No way do I just give one. Sherman Alexie, Charles Dickens, John Steinbeck, Jack Keroac, Milan Kundera, Patrick MacGrath, Roddy Doyle.
7 If you could invite 5 people to dinner (dead or alive) who would they be?
Groucho Marx, W.C. Fields, Marilyn Monroe, Richard Feineman, and Jacques Cousteau. Marilyn would be the bait and all the guys would try to out-clever each other to win her over. What a party.
8 What pisses you off?
Cruelty, selfishness, ignorance and fear.
9 What’s the best song you’ve ever written?
I’m rather fond of ‘Seahorse’. I have to really concentrate when I sing it so that I don’t blubber. It’s going to be released next December on an EP of the same name.
10 One wish – what would it be?
That the human race would undergo a massive, all at once, spiritual evolution.
11 Favourite band?
The Asteroid # 4 from Philly. Fucking brilliant.
12 3 websites worth checking out?
I spend too much time on these:
www.gigposters.com
www.pandora.com
www.lastfm.com
13 Posters above your bed when you were a teenager?
When I was a teenager, I’m pretty sure those were called cave paintings.
14 When was the last time you cried with laughter?
When I went camping with friends last month.
15 If you could learn and play one instrument, what would it be?
Probably keyboards. There’s so much there.
16 Preferred mode of travel?
Car.
17 Shuffle your iPod – what are the first five songs that play?
I don’t own an iPod.
18 Snowballs, snowmen, or sledging?
Sledging. Is that like sledding, but with big heavy hammers? That would kick ass!
19 Best gig you’ve ever been to?
Arthur Lee & Love comes to mind, followed by Pere Ubu & John Cale. I got to have dinner with Roky Erickson after a show a few years ago. That was very unique.
20 What’s the most embarrassing record in your collection?
Flock of Seagulls Greatest Hits.
21 Favourite drink?
I’m addicted to Pepsi.
22 Drug of choice?
chocolate
23 If you were an animal, what animal would you be?
I’d be a hyena. They’re tough, wise, versatile, scruffy, curious, adaptable, clever, stubborn and surprisingly sweet. They look like they were made from the leftovers of all the other animals. Plus, no matter how hard things get, they’re always laughing.
24 And if you were a colour, what colour would you be?
The color of water.
25 Are you good at any sports?
I study aikido, but that’s not really a sport. I can be competitive in most sports that are played on dry land. I swim like a rock though.
26 Last book you read?
Trancending Madness by Chogyam Trungpa
27 First thing you think when you get up in the morning?
There’s NO WAY it’s time to get up yet.
28 Last thing you think when you go to bed?
I wish it weren’t so late.
29 Describe your music in three words?
Melody driven psychedelia
30 If you could be someone else for a day, who would you be?
I’m only good at being me. If I were someone else for just a day, I’d probably get them in a lot of trouble.
31 Favourite comedian?
Bill Cosby
32 What colour is your front door?
Pink
33 Favourite film?
Amelie
34 A quote that stuck in your head?
“We must do that which we fear” – Eleanor Roosevelt.
35 Favourite subject at school?
Biology, history, political science.
36 Which actor/actress would play you in a film about your life?
I think that Bill Nye would make an excellent me.
37 What music makes you want to dance?
Ramones
38 What should they write on your gravestone?
Dig this
39 How many roads must a man walk down before you call him a man?
Depends on the road, depends on the man.
40 When did you first start writing your own songs?
I didn’t start playing music until I was 30. I think I started writing songs a few months later after I joined my first band.
41 What’s the weirdest thing you ever saw?
I saw a guy at a baseball game once who had a fully articulated vagina growing out of his back. Even had pubic hair. Could not for the life of me figure out WHY he would have taken his shirt off in public. Perhaps he hoped to make a friend.
42 Favourite smell?
It’s a toss up between bacon, bread or coffee.
43 Favourite sound?
Robins singing in the very early morning hours. Wind in the trees. That phased-out sound the surf makes when you’re laying right down in it. Pick slides on guitar. Engines on the old muscle cars of the late 60s. Pam talking to the pets.
44 Swings, roundabout, chute, or climbing frame?
LOL. On my playground we called them swings, merry-go-round, slides and monkey bars. In the park of my youth, there was a huge slide they put up in the summer, and we would carry our bikes to the top and ride them down. What a reckless pack of dimwits we were.
45 Who is your favourite Beatle?
John or George.
46 Point us in the direction of a band one of your friends is in?
Check out Constantine & The Emperors for Donovan-esque psychedelia or The Pralines for folkie roots rock.
http://www.myspace.com/constantineandtheemperors
http://www.myspace.com/thepralines
47 A YouTube video the world should watch?
Yes, The Red Plastic Buddha performing ‘Forget me Not’. Go HERE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnhBNPnEx48
48 Cats or dogs?
Can’t choose. Love them both.
49 If you had to join the circus what would you be?
Either ringmaster or human cannonball.
50 Favourite book?
The Subterraneans by Jack Kerouac
51 Have you ever been on TV?
Yep.
52 Have you ever been arrested?
Not officially, but I’ve been in the backseat of many police cars.
53 What songs do you (would you) sing at karaoke?
I used to go to karaoke with my first band after every practice, so we could get comfortable singing in front of people. I would always do the Bryan Ferry version of Jealous Guy. The girls really liked that. Haven’t been to karaoke in many years.
54 Have you ever seen a ghost?
Maybe. Saw a shadow move between gravestones when I was a youngster in a cemetery. Couldn’t catch it though.
55 How do you like your coffee? Or would you prefer a wee cup of tea?
Coffee is more convenient here – black, please. But tea with sugar and milk is wonderful.
56 Punk or Raver? Mod or Goth? Hippy or Beatnik? If you had to label yourself, what gang would you be in?
I don’t fit in anywhere. I’m a psychedelic punk rocker from Mars. But if there were other psychedelic punk rockers from Mars, I wouldn’t fit in with them either.
57 What’s the worst job you ever had?
My current one. Selling seafood to criminals, idiots and assholes.
58 What’s brown and sticky?
Rooster poop.
59 Do you have any recurring dreams?
I used to dream that I was riding a horse and a soldier I took for dead jumped up and speared me. Had that dream a number of times. Never got a good look at the bastard though. Now I don’t get enough sleep to dream.
60 How many records have you released and which is your favourite?
I’ve played on or produced seven so far, but I’m working on three currently. My favorite was the debut from The Red Plastic Buddha – Sunflower Sessions. But I think our next one is going to be much better.
61 Where in the world would you like to go?
India
62 Favourite kind of cloud?
Cumulo ning nong hannapan. Ok, I made that up. Don’t remember the names of clouds.
63 Favourite line from a song?
‘your dolls house darkness/ old perfume and fairy stories / held me high on clouds of sunlight / floating by’ from Matilda Mother – Syd’s Pink Floyd. What great imagery!
64 What’s the music scene like where you live?
It works for some people, but not for me. Chicago is a big city, and everyone on tour passes through here. So booking agents have a glut of willing talent. As result, you get lots of crappy bills where bands don’t match up well. I’ve had success in building my own little scene though with some excellent local bands. We’ve even been able to work with a few touring national acts that got in a bind (High Dials come to mind) Hoping to do more Psychedelic Saturday showcases when we’re done with the studio.
65 Who would make up your dream band? (one singer, one guitarist, one bassist, one drummer, plus one extra)
Arthur Lee on vocals, Syd Barrett on guitar, Bruce Foxton on bass, Ringo Starr on drums and Robyn Hitchcock as the utility infielder.
66 Favourite cover art?
I couldn’t choose a favorite.
67 Early bird or night owl?
Kind of a late afternoon sparrow actually.
68 Which of the seven sins are you?
Pride, but I envy sloth.
69 Three words people use to describe you?
Fearless. Smart. Funny.
70 You have ten minutes left to live, what would you do?
Hug my wife until I can’t feel her anymore.
71 Do you support any sports teams?
Any Chicago team except the White Sox.
71 What do you want for Christmas?
Gummi Bears.
72 Favourite track from all the Daydream Generation compilations?
The Hoa Hoas. Went to their label and bought their CD.
73 Can you cook up a storm in the kitchen?
I mostly cook on the grill, these days. Tomorrow, I’m grilling wild salmon with terriyaki and lime.
74 What’s the first thing you remember?
Being in my crib while my mom was away, watching my father rocking himself to sleep while supposedly keeping an eye on me.
75 How do you go about writing a song?
I just write down what I hear in my head. It’s usually a vocal line with melody – just falls together. If I don’t write it down, it transforms into something else. They keep coming back until I make them actual songs.
76 When you look in the mirror, what do you see?
My father, except it looks like he’s trying to be a rock star. Silly man.
77 What’s the best advice you were ever given?
No one does anything alone. Remember to say THANK YOU every day.
78 Do you smoke?
No.
79 Tell us a joke?
A guy dies and finds himself face to face with Satan. Naturally, he’s shaking in his boots. Satan sees him and says with a big smile ‘hey man, welcome to hell’. ‘I can see that you’re scared, but don’t worry, you’ll like it here. Hell is GREAT!’
The guy’s not buying it, so Satan asks ‘tell me, did you like to gamble in life?’
Timidly the guy answers ‘yes’.
‘Well you’re going to LOVE it here on Mondays. We’re playing cards, slots, dice, whatever you like to bet on, WE’RE DOING IT. You keep your winnings, it’s great!’
The guy seems a little relieved. Satan continues, ‘Tell me, did you like to drink in life?’
A little more confidently, the guy answers ‘yeah’.
Satan says ‘That’s GREAT! You’re going to LOVE it here on Tuesdays! All day long it’s an open bar – you can have anything you want, as much as you want and it’s ALL FREE!!!’
The guy is feeling better still. So Satan asks ‘Tell me, did you enjoy drugs in life?’ The guy answers ‘hell yeah!’ Satan claps his hands and says ‘That’s GREAT!!! Wednesday is drug day. Anything you want: pot, pills, acid, heroin, you name it – it’s YOURS! You’ll be so high, you can tell God to kiss your ass’
By now the guy is feeling good. Satan asks ‘Tell me, were you a homosexual in life?’ The guy shakes his head and says ‘no’.
Satan shrugs his shoulders and says ‘well, you’re not going to like it here for the rest of the week.”
80 Pick a card, any card?
joker
81 One question you’ve never been able to answer?
“Why do you want this job?”
82 If you could travel back in time, when and where would you go?
Christ’s crucifixion. I think he could have used some real mates to lend a hand.
83 Favourite philosopher?
Buddha.
84 Do you have any pets?
Five cats, one big-headed dog and a rooster.
85 Ever climbed a mountain?
Yes.
86 What do you do in the real world to pay the rent?
Sell seafood to shit-heads.
87 Self-diagnosis: any psychiatric disorders?
I’m on a first-name basis with most of my demons.
88 Favourite poet?
Yevgeny Yevtushenko.
89 What wouldn’t you do for a million dollars?
Hurt an innocent.
90 Adrenalin junky?
Still way more adventurous than most, but I’m slowing down.
91 What bands have you been in?
Eleven 20 Nine, Sub Rosa, Larry O Dean & The Fumble Bunnies, The Me Decade, Hop on Pop, The Pralines, The Red Plastic Buddha (currently)
92 Favourite board game/computer game?
Chess.
93 What kind of recording set-up do you have? Equipment etc.
We’ve got some sort of mini-disc multi-track Tascam thingie down in the basement. I’ve never used it. I just don’t have time to master all the details of home recording. I prefer to leave some things to the experts.
94 A character you love from a book or a film?
Sidney Carton (Tale of Two Cities)
95 Who is the sexiest person in the history of the world?
Not sure, but I know she’s smart, wears her hair in bangs, looks great in fishnet stockings and is most likely French. It’s probably for the best that we’ve never met.
96 If you could genetically fuse two animals together what would they be? And what would it make?
Baboons and eagles. I want my own flock of flying monkeys.
97 What kind of drunk are you?
A retired one. I used to be a happy, amorous one.
98 What was the first record that really blew your mind?
I remember wearing out a 7” of The Kinks’ Lola.
99 What are your musical plans for the future?
The Red Plastic Buddha are currently tracking two CDs to be released in June and December of 2010. Also producing the next CD for The Pralines. There’s a better than good chance that I may start a label at some point next year.
100 Got some websites of your own we can visit?
http://www.myspace.com/redplasticbuddha
http://www.auntiefashions.com