biancarose

TIGER ARMY INTERVIEW

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Here's an interview I did with Nick 13 from Tiger Army just after their last album came out. It was a few months ago but, I thought it was pretty cool and that some of you might like to read it. I did a more recent one with him a couple of days ago that I haven't transcribed yet but when I do I'll be sure to post it here too.... and yes I know the pic is old that Geoff and Fred aren't in the band anymore - I'm still waiting for their new pix... enjoy!

Everyone always talks about the dark side of Nick 13, what about the light side?

I think everyone has different aspects of their personality. Humour is a big part of my personality and a big part of my life but just not a big part of our music. I really dislike bands and songs that are gimmicky or novelty joke songs. I laugh quite a bit as a person, Humor is important to me but that's not a side of me that's really reflected in the music of Tiger Army because nobody wants to hear the same joke over and over again on a record or at least i don't.

You're turning thirty this year. In past interviews you've mentioned how your teen years sucked, how has getting older changed your outlook on life?

I definitely enjoyed my twenties a lot more than my teens. My teens had their moments but on the whole the last decade has been a lot more enjoyable. You get use to the ups and downs of life a little more as you get older.

You went to Ukiah High and drop out and later went to university and graduated, what were you studying?

Mass Communications.

What drew you to going back to school?

Initially when i dropped out of high school i was just so disgusted with the direction public education was going in California and the United States, which is just based on having students present in body so that the state can get it's funds for students being there. Learning or anything else not being a priority. It's really a cattle farm, prison like version of education that was of no use to me. I got tired of it half way through my junior year and i stopped going. I took a few months off to think about where i wanted to go from there. I started going to community college shortly after that and that was a much better environment for me in that i could study things i was interested in as opposed to thing i'm being forced to study. I felt like there was a lot more actual learning going on. After doing that for a year or two that gave me the will to suffer through the few things that i wasn't that interested in to go on to university.

Did what you learn in university come in handy for what you are doing now?

Yes and no. There are certain aspects...I don't use a lot of the stuff directly in terms of being a musician but it's influenced my lyrics and my writing. I don't ever feel it's a bad use of your time, it's not for everyone. I really wanted to be playing music during those years i was going to university but i didn't have a band to do it with, so it was a good use of my time compared to other things i could have been doing.

When you signed to Hellcat it was just you, no band.
What was going through your head then? Did you always know that you would find a band or did you ever contemplate going solo?

I guess when i first heard from Tim Armstrong, i want to say it the Spring of '97 and it was a down time for me. I was done with school, Tiger Army had stopped being a functioning band and I had to move back in with my parents in a small town that was far away from anything that was going on. I was really just trying to figure out what i was going to do next. Tim called me and said 'I really like this Tiger Army demo that i got and i want you guys to do a record'. I was thrilled to hear that of course but i had to say 'i don't have a band right now, it's just me'. Because i wrote the songs he wasn't dissuaded he was like 'just get a lineup for the studio and that's what we'll do'. I've always considered Tiger Army a band than just me even though I've been the only permanent member and a lot of different people have played with Tiger Army. The model for that would be certain bands like The Meteors or The Misfits that did have revolving lineups. I always felt they've retained a good standard of quality throughout their recordings. Usually there was a driving force in the bands and i thought if other bands can maintain their quality while having these revolving lineups than i can try to do it too. Eventually it did come together that the right people did come together that were as dedicated as I am. It is now a real band.

Did you ever at anytime just want to give up?

There were a lot of times when i felt like that. You just have to keep going. I didn't feel like there was anything to do but keep going. There were a lot of obstacles in the way and it took a long time to get together a band that could just play a gig. It was something i believed in and something i really cared about, more than anything else. Even though it was discouraging and even though there were plenty of times i thought about giving up i just stuck with it anyway. It seemed like something would just happen. Some little thing, some reason to keep going with come along when it was most needed luckily for me.

Do you feel like you can't really force things that there's a fate/destiny thing happening and things will happen as they're meant to?

Yeah but you have to meet fate and destiny half way. If you're not trying to make things happen you can't sit back and wait for it because it's not going to happen.

Do you follow your gut instinct a lot of the time?

I'd say so.

What's been one of the hardest periods for the band so far?

(laughs) There's been several really. Certainly the hardest thing we've had to deal with is Fred being shot last year.

He's doing well?

Yeah, he's doing quite well now. We've done two tours with him since we returned to playing live. One with Rancid at the end of 2003 and one we've just finished in April/May here in the States. He's drumming is sounding better than ever.

On another note. I'm just guessing but did the 13 part of your name come from your time in the band Influence 13?

Yeah it just kind of stuck from there.

That worked out good you could have been Nick Tiger or Nick Army.

(laughs) That wouldn't have had the same kind of ring to it.

I wanted to ask you about songwriting. Do you see it as art?

Definitely.

Is it something anyone can do or is it some degree a natural talent?

I think it's definitely a talent but i think...I don't' feel that comfortable speaking about it as to whether other people can do it as I'm only familiar with myself.

Are you continually learning the craft as you go along? Do you feel it's something you can ever master?

I do think it's a craft that can continually be polished and refined but at the same time there's a certain subconscious element or certain element or certain element of inspiration that doesn't necessarily improve with time. You see that in the case of a lot of artists that do their best work early on and never record anything again that is that compelling. I do think as time goes by experience helps you give the best arrangement and the the best polish to the inspiration that does come to you.

When you're writing do you find that you have to live what you are writing or do you find it can just be great stories?

Experience is certainly a big component. A lot of times in my own writing things aren't always literal but the feelings are always feelings that i have experienced. Once you have that life experience you can put it into different context some of which are like short stories.

From your lyrics it's seems as though you're a bit of a romantic?

Yeah I'd say I'm a romantic sometimes I'd say it's been inspite of my experiences but that's life I suppose.

When you're writing certain songs and you're on a certain theme do you ever veer from the theme?

My writing approach is generally not very conscious. The song takes me where it wants to go. I never sit down a write on a topic, which isn't to say that sometimes a theme or topic doesn't emerge. I like to let that happen naturally rather than forcing it.

Do you have a special guitar you use for your song writing?

There's one guitar i have that's an older one that i basically wrote the first two albums on. I write on different guitars now and i find that especially if you're plugged in sometimes playing different guitars can take the music in a different direction depending on what guitar it is and how it plays.

Do you ever suffer writer's block?

Yes and no. I have dealt with it over the years but the thing for me is that i don't see songwriting as a discipline that benefits from a regiment. A lot or pro writers say they write everyday or try to, that might be an alright approach for pro's but i find that it's a bad approach for songwriting. These days i only pick up the guitar, from a writing perspective, when I'm inspired to. If i pick it up and the inspirations not there and I'm not enjoying it I put it back down. I'm not a terribly prolific or frequent songwriter but the stuff i do write I'm happy with. I feel like it's coming from the right place.

Have you or have you ever thought about writing other things other than in song or poem form?

I've written, i guess you could call it poetry, but it's not to a specific form. I've toyed around with short stories but that's something i could see perusing in the future after Tiger Army when I'm much older. For now the lyrics i find to be a really good outlet for that sort of thing.

The song The Long Road on the new album mentions friendships and walking the road of life alone, are you your best friend?

(after carefully considering the question) I don't know if that's true or not. Something that song speaks to is the fact that in some way or another we're all ultimately alone at certain times, whether we have friends or family with us or not. Some people are luckier in that respect than others. Even with those friends or family members there's still going to be times in your life when it's really just you and it's up to you to get through things.

Do you ever find yourself fighting yourself?

Not really, I'm not really a conflicted person in that way, I can be indecisive. Generally I kind of decide that something is the right thing to do or the right way to go and i go in that direction and accept what comes from it.

The new album is III and the albums have been I and II, was that an intentional thing in the beginning?

It's something that emerged overtime.

The new album artwork is different to the usual Tiger Army stuff inspired by 1930's pulp magazines and horror movie posters. It's more oriental.

I think in some ways this album is the end of one cycle and the beginning of another cycle. It does have ties to the first two albums but it's also something new in a way. I think that is true of the artwork as well as the music on it.

Where do you think this cycle is taking Tiger Army?

In some ways this is a conclusion and in some ways it's a beginning of something else. This new album is where things are at right now, i haven't written the next one yet so who knows where that will go.

Each album has a prelude, why? Does it set the scene for the album?

I just like it as a tool to set the mood for what's to come rather than jumping right in.

Do you see yourself as a singer or a crooner?

I see myself as a singer but to me crooning is an element of that, in proper singing.

Ever had vocal lessons?

Not real ones. Friends of mine that have taken vocal lessons have taught me a few of the warm ups and stuff.

On tour do those warm ups help?

I think they do but the thing is that there is so many different schools of thought on it. What I've learnt is that you can go to one person that's highly regarded an their personal philosophy and personal approach can be quite different from someone else's. Which isn't to say it's not worth doing. I have a longtime interest in it. I think I've been so busy in the last few years that i guess I've more just veered towards the more practical side of it, how to do it with your voice and not lose it while you're touring.

Anything else to add?

I hope people check out the new album it's definitely my favourite thing we've done. It's the first time that I've felt with a record that we have achieved what we were going for in the studio. We're really happy with the way it's turned out. I hope we get to Australia soon.