Wolf Eyes
Thurston Moore is a big fan of the electronic noise band Wolf Eyes which is no shock. They are made of Aaron Dilloway on tapes, guitar, voice, electronics, Nathan Young on vocals, electronics, programming and John Olson who does electronics, tapes, and horns. Their latest album, Burned Mind, just got released from Sub Pop. I don’t know how much you will learn from my interview wioth Josh except for the fact that he’s nuts. But its still a lot of fun!
Check out the official website of Wolf Eyes
Daniel Robert Epstein: What do you think of all the good stuff Thurston Moore said about your band?
John Olson: He’s a good buddy man.
DRE:
How was it touring with him?
JO:
He’s just a blast man! He’s fucking crazy and rad. He’s like an 18 year old who parties with us all the time.
DRE:
Does he come out while you are playing your set?
JO:
Once in a while!
DRE:
How does the Sonic Youth audience react to you guys?
JO:
All those fucking AFI girls are just in awe. Whatever, they are just there to see Sonic Youth.
DRE:
I would imagine it would be pretty rough for some of those fans. Did you turn up the heat on them?
JO:
Fuck yeah, fuck them! They paid their money they are going to get what they paid for.
DRE:
Do you see the fear in their faces when you start playing?
JO:
No man, I only see fear on my face. I live in a state of constant fear.
DRE:
Why is that?
JO:
You’ve got to come to Michigan and find out.
DRE:
Is part of the fun with the kind of music you do is making people feel uncomfortable?
JO:
We’re just doing our thing so if people get uncomfortable then that’s fine. It’s cooler to jam to people who are into it but it’s also fun to piss off the teeny bopper indie girls too.
DRE:
What’s it like onstage?
JO:
Everyone has their own electronics and we’ve got a guitar up there too. We’ve got all our machines working.
DRE:
Do your influences go back Lou Reed’s Metal Machine Music and Einstürzende Neubaten?
JO:
Our influences go to 1950’s South American psychedelic music. I don’t play Lou Reed’s Metal Machine Music shit. I am more into psychedelic music and shit like that. That’s where it’s at.
DRE:
Do you guys do lots of drugs?
JO:
Mostly just weed.
DRE:
No psychedelics?
JO:
Naw, the guys from Hair Police are into that.
DRE:
When you guys get together to make your music is it very organized?
JO:
We just kind of jam out and whatever happens, happens. That’s where we are at now. Then at the end of the day it might be a song or it might just be a jam.
DRE:
Have you always made noise even when you were a kid?
JO:
I’ve been doing this shit since like 1985. It’s just been my life.
DRE:
What did you do back in 1985?
JO:
Back then I was just finding shit on the side of the road and throwing it at cats and shit to see what would happen. Then we would record the outcome of that. It was totally fucked up.
DRE:
Just cats or dogs too
JO:
Mostly just cats. They make the best noises. I actually love cats, I have three at home. When I get home I usually feel like shit so I play with my wife and my three kitties.
DRE:
Your wife?
JO:
Yeah man! A lot of the crew is married. I just got married in September.
DRE:
Congratulations!
JO:
Thanks man. It was awesome.
DRE:
Did you guys play smooth jazz at the wedding?
JO:
Fuck no! Afterwards we had a party that was like the LA riots.
DRE:
Everyone got a free TV then.
JO:
Yup everyone got a TV, free coffeemaker and free chronic.
DRE:
What kind of stuff besides actual instruments do you guys bring into the studio?
JO:
Whatever we got around.
DRE:
How did you hook with Sub Pop?
JO:
It was this gamble. We were playing a card game with the owner from Sub Pop. We were a little drunk and the final bet was that if we win we’ll do a record with you. So we won!
DRE:
Do you think Sub Pop is a little unusual for you guys?
JO:
They’ve been super cool with us and it’s been a great experience.
DRE:
What does listening to your own music do for you?
JO:
I don’t listen to it after we finish, it’s just done. Who knows where it all comes from?
Tell me about SuicideGirls.
Tell me about SuicideGirls.
DRE:
It’s hot Goth, punk and emo girls naked.
JO:
Naked? That’s crazy! They’re just naked?
DRE:
Yeah, it’s awesome.
JO:
That’s killer.
DRE:
What kind of girls come after you guys?
JO:
Your guess is as good as mine. I don’t think we’ve had a girl show up at our shows. It’s mostly just the wives and sausage.
DRE:
How do you guys all get along?
JO:
We barely see each other and we hate each other. It’s a mess. Touring is just a wreck, we were thinking about taking three vans next time. Naw it’s cool.
DRE:
Is anyone one of you guys a crazy mechanical engineer?
JO:
Naw man I work at a t-shirt printing place, Nate builds barns and Dilloway works at a record shop.
DRE:
You still work at the t-shirt place.
JO:
Yeah a lot of people work here like Mike Connelly from Hair Police. It’s a really rad place to work.
DRE:
Another technical question, after jamming how do you split the music up into separate tracks?
JO:
It’s usually whatever jams sound good together.
DRE:
I’m a fan of Bill Laswell and he’s done albums where it’s just two tracks that are 40 minutes apiece. Would you like to do something like that?
JO:
We’ve got tons of CDs like that.
DRE:
Where did you grow up?
JO:
All around. But mostly I grew up in Wyoming then I moved to Germany for a little then down to Mississippi. I moved around my whole life.
DRE:
Are you like an army brat?
JO:
Yeah but we don’t want to talk about that.
DRE:
Why not?
JO:
You know.
DRE:
Is your history filled with too much pain?
JO:
Yeah, it’s rough. The streets are rough. It’s just like Calzoni Tony said “The streets are rough get off my back.” You know what I’m saying.
DRE:
What’s a Calzoni Tony?
JO:
One of the raddest dudes you’ll ever meet.
DRE:
Is he from Wyoming?
JO:
No he’s from Michigan.
DRE:
Does he sell pizza?
JO:
He wishes he sold pizza.
DRE:
Is he a drug dealer?
JO:
No he’s just Calzoni Tony man. That’s all I can say about him.
by Daniel Robert Epstein
SG Username: AndersWolleck
by Daniel Robert Epstein
SG Username: AndersWolleck
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