This interview was first published on www.emofag.net
You know Scott Kelly for being a part of the ultimate sonic Rock (let’s be wide on this) outfit named Neurosis…
A band it’s no use to introduce as it has influenced 99% of the people reading this interview and this for hundred of different reasons, whether they play music or not…
But you may not know him for being the co-founder and weekly host of the best radio show on the web: Combat Music Radio…
So we thought it was a good idea to ask him questions about this less-known aspect of his “career” for the main reason that’s a fuckin’ good radio show everyone should listen. Of course, as you all know, the new Neurosis album is coming very soon, so we also ask him questions on this forthcoming masterpiece… Scott answered us and you people, are going to read this…
emofag: So first of all, how is your father? We all wish him a good recovery…
Scott Kelly: He’s doing really well. Thank you for your thoughts. I’m not ready to let him go yet, we’ve only recently got to know each other as we really are.
e: I was in trouble recently because my boss didn’t want me to go on a 15 days tour. I told him I was ready to quit the job for this tour as music is my life and then he finally
agreed… Have you ever been in that situation? What was your choice then?
SK: We have always worked close with our bosses to try to let them know 6 months or more in advance of our plans. Usually it works out, but in the early days we would quit jobs for tour all the time. With children to feed that ceases to be an option.
e: I went to see The Melvins last night, you know the new Melvins with the two drummers, and this was a pretty amazing show… Did you see them live recently? Do you often hang out at shows? Any concert that blew your mind in the past weeks?
SK: I did see The Melvins recently and they blew my mind once again. The Melvins are the one band over the last 20 years that has continued to do this to me. They are on such a higher level creatively and musically. The two drummer thing is incredible: the highest level of competence and effort combined with pure creative genius. I don’t hang out much at all, only when I’m doing a gig myself or when the spirit moves me. I spend most of my time at home when I’m not at work. Working on projects and being with my kids. The last thing that really got me as far as live music goes, aside from The Melvins, was seeing Munly And The Lee Lewis Harlots.
e: So, Combat Music Radio got a brand new skin a fewmonths ago… What can you tell us about the main comments you got on this new site? Did you increase your number of listeners?
SK: People seem to like the new skin. I know that it all works way better from the back end and the front. There have been some comments about the heavy weaponery on display from Christopher and me and Eugene and Bane. The listeners have increased steadily since we started and that was a pretty nice boost.
e: You have to do two shows per week now, any lack of inspiration and/or motivation sometimes?
SK: Sometimes it’s hard to find the time, but once I do, it’s always fun. I really enjoy doing this. In the long term hopefully we will add more hosts and I may go back to once a week. But for now, me and Bane twice and Eugene once a week.
e: How do you prepare the shows? Do you pick up some records at your place depending on the mood you are in or do you really think about it? I remember the family-tree show, good idea…
SK: It varies. Sometimes I have a specific idea in mind such as the family-tree idea. Most of the time I have a beginning and an end in mind and I just do it from feel.
e: Sometimes you go from Townes Van Zant to Meshuggah… Do you like to play with contrasts in your playlists or for you that’s just good music and that makes no difference, whatever the genre?
SK: Thats how I’ve always been with music. I can’t listen to the same tones all the time. I actually have a really bad response to that unless it’s a monotonous drone or machinery. So within the context of a show I just try to paint a picture of whats in my mind at the time.
e: Where do you record the shows? Is it in the same home studio that Bane and Eugene use for their own shows?
SK: We all record at our respective homes.
e: So, the new Combat Music Radio brought us two new hosts… Was it your own idea? Did you first think about some other people or did you immediately say to yourself: they are the ones?
SK: It has been our intention from the start to eventually grow into a full on 24 hour a day radio station on the internet with multiple hosts. Eugene has been involved with us from the very beggining and he was a natural choice for a fight related show. Bane and I have been friends for years and he had done college radio shows in the past, with his vast and unique knowledge of music he was a natural choice. With all the hosts experience, dedication, and understanding of the respective scenes is of utmost impotance. We only want to work with people who are true blue. And self motivation is neccessary to get this done, nobody is holding anybody else’s hand in this, you have to take care of your own show and get it on the site on time everytime. Eugene and Bane are good examples of people like that.
e: Bane always brings us some quite obscure (Black Metal) stuff I’m always surprised to hear on the air (european bands like The Moon lay Hidden Beneath A Cloud, Mutiilation, Absurd etc…)… Can you tell us more about him and his infamous record collection?
SK: Bane is a very private guy. I think you should contact him The Ajna Offensive and ask him yourself. I will say this his collection is unparreled.
e: Since you started the show I guess you got a large amount of demos and stuff… Are you able to listen all of them? Did you get some old-school Heavy Metal stuff with high-pitched vocals?
SK: I do try to. Sometimes they get lost in the shuffle and I find them later but eventually I check out everything. I have gotten Rock music of every
imaginable variety since we started this.
e: US Christmas was one band who caught your attention… Are there some other bands selected amongst the pretenders? Are you now friends with the guys from Us Christmas?
SK: US Christmas is a unique story. They were in the first 15, or so, things that we got and there artwork didn’t strike me so I put them at the bottom of the pile after being pretty disappointed by the other offerings I had a thought at work one day that I should go back and listen to the demo because it would probably be the one that would be good. I did that and it was. It blew me away: a very unique and interesting version of Space Rock. I started playing them and this continued to grow on me. I eventually played them for the guys in my band and now we are not only friends of US Christmas but we will be putting out there next record on Neurot Recordings.
There are some other bands that have struck me such as Poochlatz, The Autumn Project, Time Of Orchids, Owlfood, Amen Ra, Unfortunaut, Lion Devours The Sun, Entrance, Magnetplan and Moho. There sounds are very different from each other but they all are doing something that speaks to a part of me. There are more but those are the first that come to mind.
e: Would like KMBT to get bigger or you’re quite happy the way it is?
SK: Yes I would. It needs to at least get to the point where we make back our money and can cover our expenses. Even at that it probably won’t sustain for ever people’s time and experience are very valuable and there’s nobody involved in this who doesn’t think so. If we can’t make this happen we will all eventually try some other way.
e: I remember once in a show you were talking about this guy in a wheelchair at a Neurosis concert… You opened yourself a bit and I don’t know… It was a very intense moment in the show, words coming straight from the heart. Back then, what you said made me think about a lot of things, really brought me something… My question is: do you think the radio media can give as much emotion as your music and is it something you look for?
SK: I have learned alot from doing this. And I have grown close to some of the people who are listening, either from e-mail or actually getting Tom knows one another, so the shows have become very personal and cathartic for me. Whatever my mood is when I’m doing
this, I bring it raw. That is the beauty of this kind of expression. I think that Eugene and Bane bring this through in ther own ways as well. Eugene’s shows can be really, really intense depending on whats he’s on about and Bane channels his feelings into his conceptual shows.
e: Have you already thought of a big KMBT show reuniting all the hosts plus bandmates and friends of yours? A kind of anniversary show?
SK: Actually no. But there has been some talk of an event of some sort we’ll see.
e: You can do a show with the guest of your choice, who would it be? (And Hemingway is not available…)
SK: Bruce Lee and Jimi Hendrix. If they had to be a living guest it would be either Randy Couture or Gaahl from Gorgoroth I find them both to be infinetely interesting at this moment in time.
e: When you were a kid, did us to listen some radio shows? Any favorite ones?
SK: I’ve always loved radio as a little kid it was Dr. Demento. Later, Rodney On The Roq, Coast to Coast AM (mind bending), Jim Rome & Steve Jones.
e: Do you play CDs, vinyls or both?
SK: I’m only able to play CD’s because of my gear limitations, however I can play tapes of vinyl and I have many times.
e: Khanate makes me physically bad, is that normal doc?
SK: I believe that may be the intention.
> Well that’s it for KMBT, my last questions are for your musical projects…
e: First things first, “Given To The Rising” is about to hit the stores… How do you feel about that? It was your fourth time with Steve, everything went well?
SK: I’m ready. It’s been close to two years in the making, I’m very proud of that record. Steve Albini is a great man we love working with him everytime we can. We feel at home at his place.
e: I didn’t want to listen to the MP3 “Water Is Not Enough”, I really want to discover the album in its totality… But please, tell me what can I expect in a few words…
SK: I appreciate your discipline. I think everyone in the band would say the same. This record is heavy in a way that we have never felt before, there is a lot of guitar riffs throughout without a lot of time to come up for air. Overall it’s a very nasty, smothering
record that feels like a very sharp blade to us.
e: Some fans expect a kind of back-to-the-roots album… Did you take care of this wish during the writing sessions or did you keep doing your own stuff like you always did?
SK: Honestly we couldn’t care less what people want us to do.It wouldn’t matter if we did. Our process is one of submission to sound our albums are written from far
away. We don’t even write them, they write themselves through us. We are conduits to the sound that surrounds us.
e: You’re also scheduled to play in France at the “Hellfest” festival and this for the second time… Still want some more? When you’re there, how do you spend your free time (if you have some)?
SK: I spend all the time I have before a gig mentally preparing myself. That includes eating early, stretching, and playing my guitar.
e: You have to know that next time you’ll get there, France shall have a new president and we have a lot of chances that the “winner” will be this guy who gives more money to big companies & cops than to culture & education… Have you heard of him?
SK: No. I don’t pay attention to politicians. They’re all the same. Worthless, void, corrupt.
e: The Bad Brains are back… Produced by this guy from The Beastie Boys… What are your comments on this? Many bands get reunited these days…
SK: I hadn’t heard this. The Bad Brains may have been the best band that ever existed so I’m happy to hear that they’re back. I need to hear it. Bands reunite
all the time for different reasons, I’m sure $ is a factor but I know in some cases time goes by and it seems like the right thing to do. To each his own, do what you want.
e: There’s this thing going on with The Hidden Hand, am I right? How is it going?
SK: Shrinebuilder. It is a project with Wino, Al Cisneros, Chris Hakius and myself. Al and Chris are Om, which is ex-Sleep. It’s in the very early stages right now. We’ll begin focused work on it in early 2008.
e: Did you see “The Devil’s Rejects”? Did you like the movie?
SK: Didn’t see it.
e: Are we all doomed?
SK: Of course we are look at what we do to ourselves and the world around us. Humans have a fatal flaw, that won’t change.
e: Well I guess that’s it, I would have much more to say to you but this e-mail thing is not a good tool for a real conversation… Of course the last words are yours…
SK: Thanks Simon, I appreciate your interest. Take care.
Scott Kelly
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[...] Kelly nous en parlait il y a un moment et il semblerait que la chose se concrétise enfin. Le musicien a en effet posté [...]