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| Interview with SELFHELP, by ughh.ch, october 2006 |
| Hi! |
| In my world there are variations in appearance but I try not to classify any healthy, intelligent person as ugly. I find stupidity to be the ugliest feature of some people. However, I guess if I had to answer this than I would rather be an intelligent, unattractive person as opposed to being a dumb, good looking person. |
| What's your favourite meal? |
| Spicy curry chicken. |
| Do you like sheep? |
| I love all friendly creatures. |
| What is the plural of "fish"? |
| Fishednesses. |
| Who created God? |
| I think Bob Moog came pretty close. (Anmerkung ughh.ch: Bob Moog ist ein Pionier der elektronischen Musik und der Erfinder des Moog-Synthesizers) |
| Are you happy with your life? |
| Yes, very much so but I hope to achieve a lot more this time around. |
| What's your goal in making music? |
| I don't think I ever sought a singular goal in the creation of my music. Making music came naturally to me being that my Mother is a painter and my Father was a heavy metal singer. I guess when I look back at the music I have created thus far it seems that I tend to express myself by sharing my hidden thoughts and emotional perspectives on our existence. I like using my imagination and I like to give insights on things that might make the world a little friendlier and funner & I also like to point fingers at things I think are wrong. I like to challenge the foundations of the modern world. In my lyrics I tend to take aim at the industrial world or the governmental structures of society though I enjoy just making fun music about ridiculous things as well. |
| What kind of music do you listen to? |
| It depends on my mood. I play a lot of breakbeat/electro type music & new wave 80's stuff. I have my anti-establishment moments and for these times I play some political rap or hippie/psychadelic rock. Sometimes I enjoy high energy jungle or gangster rap music when I get drunk. For me music is very nostalgic, with every song comes a moment in my life and so it depends on what memories I feel like dreaming about. |
| Do you read? What? Why? Why not? |
| Not conventionally but yes I read articles on various subjects on the internet everyday. I like to constantly educate myself and learn new things. I recently subscribed to dictionary.com's word of the day. The word for today was "Tchotchke" which is ultimately of Slavic origin and means trinket or knickknack. Who knew? |
| What's your favourite book? |
| Dune by Frank Herbert. |
| What's your favourite word? |
| Beak. |
| Do you drink tea? |
| Yes and I also listen to Ice T. |
| Have you ever killed an animal? Do you regret it? |
| I have killed insects but only if they are in my apartment. It is like killing a burglar who has entered your house and tried to startle you. Either that or it is like a roommate who is really creepy and doesn't pay rent. You can kill them also with no regrets. |
| Thinking about your past, what do you regret? |
| I regret a few things here and there. Nothing major that stands out in my life. I do however wish I did a better cover for the Hand'solo Records release "Bassments of Badmen vol. 2". The original black ink sketch I did was really wack in the first place and to make the situation worse an untalented graphic artist filled the black ink drawing in with pastel colours and made it look like it was a bunch of demons ready to sit down for some pecans and biscuits on Easter day while wearing neon leg warmers and patting eachother on the butts as they giggle. It was the opposite of "Badmen". It was the worst artwork I have ever had published in my life and I probably shouldn't even be talking about it. To all the readers, never mind that I even mentioned that. If you haven't seen the artwork well it doesn't exist so just forget about. I love Hand'solo records but I definitely wish I could go back in time and make a really dope cover for that album. However, I did learn a lot from this occasion so I can't say I fully regret it. |
| Are you still interested in the hiphop movement? Why? Why not? |
| I will always be interested in the hiphop movement because it is a part of my youth. My Mom would pay kids in my neighbourhood .50 Canadian cents to do headspins on our front lawn when I was about 5 years old. My older brother and I got into breaking and rap in general and by the age of 11 I was reciting verses from "Straight Outta Compton" and getting in trouble at school for kicking my own gangster raps when I was 13. I eventually learned that I wasn't a black gangster from Compton and that I was instead a white child living in London, Ontario. Imagine the shock when I figured that out, it's like a kid realizing Santa Claus doesn't exist. Regardless, even though kids weren't shooting eachother in my neighbourhood we were still living in poverty and there was a lot of fist fights and robberies and stuff like this so I felt like I related to the music in some way or another. As time carried on we left that neighbourhood and our family started doing a little better financially but rap wouldn't leave me. I was hooked on the rhythm and the rhyme patterns and kept at my craft and even though I don't follow very much of what is happening in the hiphop movement today I still have a thorough interest in all four elements and a strong appreciation for anyone keeping those elements of the artform alive. I always will. |
| Do you believe? |
| Only the truth, never the hype. |
| What's the meaning of life? |
| For me I feel that it is a constant struggle to enjoy the physical while striving to create heaven on Earth for my friends, family and those who surround me. In other words, overcoming all of the negativity and just having fun in the flesh. Beyond the flesh, I don't think human language can describe the subject further. Human language was not ever meant to be able to describe the meaning of life as a whole, it would make it to easy for everyone else if somebody leaked the answer. |
| Who are your influences? |
| My friends and family, Albert Einstein, Hunter S. Thompson, Frank Herbert, ALF, George Lucas, Stan Lee, Pink Floyd, this list could carry on forever so I'll just stop at those. |
| Why do you perform on stage? |
| I rarely perform on stage these days. I can't really explain more than the fact that I don't feel the need to say "look at me in the flesh, aren't I fresh?". My music usually pertains to issues other then how I look or act or move in front of people. It is just not a major concern of mine right now. I will definitely do more shows in the future when there is large enough of a demand but for now I like being the drunk guy having fun and rapping with friends till the sun rises after the rap shows. I don't have enough of a fan base to have enough fun without feeling the need to prove myself on stage. I'll let the same guys who go around to everybodies myspace page saying "yo, check me out I'm dope" they can have the stage all they want but that doesn't mean I'll be in the audience. It is a bit of a catch 22 because I love when my friends have rap shows and perform but for me I am more spontaneous and I get all worried when I prepare things in advance. Even when I was a kid and we would have track and field I was a damn good runner but proving that to everyone was irrelevant to me. |
| How is life in Regina? |
| To be honest it is a very welcome change from the city life of Toronto though I haven't endured a winter here yet and it gets really cold here. I miss all of my family and also my rap friends in Ontario but I keep in touch with them all and I am planning a visit in a few months. The cost of living in the prairies is so much cheaper and people are genuinely more considerate in general. If you asked me if I thought I would ever live here I would have told you no way. Due to circumstances in my life I am here and surprisingly I feel at home. The Sideroad Records guys and soso are just north of here in Saskatoon and they are all great guys. They came through Ontario and played some shows with us and crashed at my house a few years ago and we kept in touch. I just went up there and kicked it a few weeks ago and had a great time so I am still getting my fill of good local rap. As for the future who knows, but I am not going anywhere anytime soon. |
| Does climate have any influence on your music? |
| I think the setting in which you create art in will always impact your creations. Whether it be climate or the people surrounding you. I don't think I would be proud of as many of my artistic accomplishments if I hadn't come from where I came from and if I hadn't been friends with the artists I am friends with. There is no question in my mind that the world around you affects what you put back into it. The trick is coming up with your own way to be selective with what influences you or creating your own reality and what you put back into other peoples worlds. |
| With whom would you like to work with? |
| David Gilmour, Bjork, Devo, Del the Funky Homosapien, DJ Krush, DJ Shadow, and anyone with an open mind, a friendly demeanor and musical or artistic talent. |
| Who's your favourite mc? |
| God. |
| Who's your favourite god? |
| Tetsuo from the movie Akira. He kind of starts becoming a God but he messes it all up because he can't control it. Society is kind of like Tetsuo. |
| Whom would you rather never have met? |
| Very few people. I can't even really remember them. If I meet a person and I don't think we have anything in common I usually don't have very much to do with them after. |
| Would you like to have perfect memory? |
| I thought about that question a long time ago and I came up with the perfect answer but I can't remeber what it was. |
| Would you like to be the most intelligent man on earth? |
| If you could see through women's clothing and travel through the internet wires and levitate and all that then yeah, it would be fun. |
| Would you like to be famous? |
| I would like my music and art to be appreciated by everyone. However, considering that a high percentage of the world is stupid I wouldn't want a bunch of stupid people following me and asking me stupid questions all the time and looking through my garbage and auctioning thousands of dollars for my old toothbrushes and stuff. Being famous like that would be silly. I am already famous to my pet cat. She thinks I am the greatest. |
| What was your favorite job as a child? |
| Probably when I was a camp counsellor and I got paid to go to a waterpark every week and go down waterslides. I also remember my Mom used to make these clay flowers and paint them and my brother and I would go door to door in our neighbourhood selling them. We were entrepreneurs from the beginning. |
| What's good rap for you? |
| Freestyle Fellowship, Hieroglyphics, N.W.A., Digital Underground, Shapeshifters, Josh Martinez, Sebutones, DJ Shadow, Latyrx, Kool Keith, Haiku D'Etat, Wordburglar, Beastie Boys, Thesis Sahib, Toolshed, Backburner, Peanuts and Corn, Anti Pop Consortium, Sideroad Records, Kool Moe Dee, Creature Box, Clotheshorse Records, Noah 23, etc. It is varied depending on my mood but never anything fraudulent. |
| What's good music? |
| Devo, Bob James, Kraftwerk, Mike Oldfield, Brian Eno, Tomita, David Gilmour, Pink Floyd, The Doors, Tom Waits, Weather Report, Bjork, Boards of Canada, etc. I have a very diverse record collection. |
| Which person or persons, now dead, would you like to see again? |
| My little brother Paul. |
| Which not? |
| This dude from my neighbourhood where I grew up. He was hellspawn at it's finest. When I was around 16 years old he was basically the guy you never wanted to see. He stabbed a lot of people and stole a lot of stuff from people. I was surprised when he died from heart failure or something but I found it to be really ironic. |
| Would you rather have belonged to a different nation (or civilization)? If so, which? |
| To be honest coming from Cybertron would be pretty cool but I am content being a human being from planet Earth. Being Canadian does not mean very much to me though. Everybody from Canada has ancestral roots from elsewhere. The only true Canadians are the natives who lived here prior to the white man's invasion and of course the ancient entities that planted human seeds across the planet were here before them. Being from Canada is sort of like being a blended scotch. We are all mixed together and nobody can truly claim they are only "Canadian". Claiming that would denounce your true roots. My ancestry is British, Scottish and German. I am a mix of cultures just like many of my Canadian friends and I will never forget where I originally came from. |
| To what age do you wish to live? |
| I don't wish to live to any age really. I'll take it as it is meant to be. It really doesn't matter because it isn't finished when this physical form dies and I am willing to bet my life on that. |
| If you had the power to put into effect things you consider right, would you do so against the wishes of the majority? |
| No. |
| Why not, if you think they are right? |
| The things that I feel are right are implemented by myself upon my own life. I have no need to force others to do anything that I do. I can only share my views and maybe through that I can open some eyes towards my way of thinking and perhaps it will work for them also. I would like to have a baby tiger at my house but I know that the tiger would rather be out feasting on the blood of a fresh kill. I am not the type to restrain others from what they want. I have a hard enough time controlling my own mind so I will stick to working on that. I just try my hardest to not be affected by the conflicting views of majority and me. If the majority wants to go swimming in a pool of blood it doesn't mean I will be in a rush to get on my swimming shorts and if I am packing my bags to go to heaven it doesn't mean they can all afford a ticket. |
| Do you love anybody? |
| I love a lot of people. |
| How do you know? |
| Millions of reasons but I guess the fact that I think about them all the time would be a good factor. I care a lot about their opinions and views, I also always want to elevate them and make their lives on Earth better & on the other end of the story they make my life on Earth worth living, I don't think I could manage without love. |
| What do you need in order to be happy? |
| Unconditional love. Beyond that I am really easy to please. Coming from where I come from if you give me a beer and a good meal and shelter from the cold weather I will be your best friend. |
| What are you grateful for? |
| I am blessed to have remained a free and loving person no matter what was thrown in my mix. I am grateful for being able to have worked with lots of talented artists and musicians. I am grateful for my friendships and I am grateful for my health and love. |
| Which would you rather do: die or live on as a stone? |
| Stones are cool. I think being a stone would rock. |
| What's your favourite planet? |
| Arrakis. |
| What's your favourite instrument? |
| I like analog synthesizers and turntables. |
| What's your favourite tree? |
| Family Trees. |
| Do you like swimming? |
| Yeah, I always pretend I am a dolphin or a turtle. |
| What projects are you involved with, what are your future plans? |
| The next thing that I will be releasing is my solo album which will be my first solo project and my first full-length release since Bending Mouth with Thesis in 2002. I enlisted a lot of the original producers of the Bending Mouth album to assist in the production and I am really happy with how the album is coming together. I expect this album to be released in early 2007. I am also working on an album with Swiss producer Mattr who also produces a few of the tracks on my solo album as a prelude to what we have in store. I am most proud of the writings I have for this album so far with Mattr and I expect this album to be completed and released shortly after the solo album. As for other side projects Thesis, Wordburglar and I have discussed doing an EP over the holidays when I visit Ontario so we'll see what comes of that, I have also discussed with a few other emcees about collaborations and basically we are playing it by ear. My main focus is the solo album and the Mattr/Selfhelp album at this time. Before those are finished I do appear on a few projects including Wordburglar's new album "Burglaritis" (www.myspace.com/wordburglar) which is available now and I also have an appearance on Toolshed's new album "Relapse" (www.myspace.com/toolshed) which should be released later this month (October 2006). As for future plans outside of music I will continue painting and making love to the world. Peace. |
| Thank you for taking your time. |