Detestation

KELLY / DETESTATION INTERVIEW • PUSHEAD FEB 13, 1997
PUBLISHED IN DOLL MAGAZINE #126 • FEBRUARY 1998


A) KELLY, YOU HAVE QUITE A HISTORY IN THE HARDCORE SCENE, COULD YOU TALK
ABOUT THE BANDS YOU’VE BEEN IN (RESIST, DEFIANCE, MASSKONTROLL, DETESTATION)
AND WHAT BROUGHT YOU TO BE INVOLVED WITH THESE BANDS AND THE TYPE OF SOUND.
(EVEN PRIOR TO RESIST...)


I’VE BEEN PLAYING MUSIC FOR AS LONG AS I CAN REMEMBER. MY FAMILY HAS ALWAYS
BEEN MUSICALLY INCLINED, AND MY FATHER WAS IN BANDS AND PLAYING MUSIC WITH
PEOPLE, SO I GREW UP IN THAT KIND OF ATMOSPHERE. I GOT MY FIRST GUITAR FOR
CHRISTMAS WHEN I WAS FOURTEEN AND STARTED PLAYING IN BANDS SHORTLY AFTER.
SINCE I GREW UP IN A VERY ISOLATED ENVIRONMENT (IN THE WILDS OF THE OREGON
COAST, IN A TOWN WITH A POPULATION OF 350!) IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO FIND
PEOPLE TO PLAY THE KIND OF MUSIC I WAS INTO, SO IT USUALLY ENDED UP BEING ME,
MY ONE OTHER PUNK FRIEND, AND WHAT EVER OTHER ROCKERS OR WHITE TRASH HICKS WE
COULD FIND TO FILL IN THE BLANKS. I PLAYED IN A LOT OF PROJECT BANDS, WHOSE
NAMES HAVE EITHER FADED OUT OF MY MEMORY, OR ARE TOO EMBARRASSING TO MENTION,
AND ALL OF THEM WERE AWFUL. I WAS REALLY INTO A LOT OF DEATH METAL AND
GENERIC PUNK AT THE TIME, BUT SINCE I HAD NEVER REALLY MET ANY "REAL" PUNKS,
AND SINCE MY APPEARANCE AND ATTITUDE SHOCKED THE HELL OUT OF THE PEOPLE IN MY
SMALL TOWN, I THOUGHT I WAS PUNK AS FUCK. I GUESS IN A WEIRD, INADVERTENT
SORT OF WAY, I WAS.
WHEN I GRADUATED FROM HIGH SCHOOL, AND WAS KICKED OUT OF MY FATHERS HOUSE, I
GOT THE FUCK OUT OF MY HOMETOWN HELL, AND HEADED FOR THE NEAREST LARGE CITY,
WHICH WAS PORTLAND, ABOUT 80 MILES TO THE EAST. I HAD BEEN COMING UP TO
PORTLAND FOR GIGS FOR SEVERAL YEARS, SO I KNEW A COUPLE PEOPLE, AND SOON I
FOUND AN OPENING IN A REALLY AWFUL PORTLAND BAND CALLED CORRUPTIC
(EVENTUALLY, LONG AFTER I QUIT, THEY GOT MUCH BETTER AND CHANGED THEIR NAME
TO GODLESS!). UNFORTUNATELY, THEY ALREADY HAD A GUITAR PLAYER, SO I GOT
STUCK PLAYING BASS. AFTER AWHILE, I STARTED TO LIKE PLAYING BASS MORE THAN
GUITAR, AND I HAVEN’T STOPPED SINCE.
EVENTUALLY, I GOT MORE AND MORE INVOLVED WITH THINGS, JOINED OR HELPED START
OTHER BANDS, SUCH AS RESIST, DEPRIVED, DEFIANCE, AND MASSKONTROL. EACH OF
THESE BANDS PLAYED AND RELEASED STUFF, AND EVENTUALLY BROKE UP, AND BY THE
TIME SUMMER ‘95 ROLLED AROUND, DETESTATION WAS BORN!

B) DOES YOUR ‘INFATUATION’ WITH FOREIGN HARDCORE INFLUENCE YOU IN THE WAY YOU
HELP CREATE THE BANDS YOU’VE BEEN IN SOUND?


I LOVE PUNK ROCK AND HARDCORE FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD, AND THIS DEFINITELY
INFLUENCES MY MUSICAL STYLE. EVERYONE IN DETESTATION LISTENS TO A VERY BROAD
RANGE OF MUSICAL STYLES, AND THIS REFLECTS, I LIKE TO THINK, IN THE MUSIC WE
PLAY. EVERYTHING FROM OLD U.S. HARDCORE TO OBSCURE SWEDISH+FINNISH STUFF, TO
MELODIC PUNK FROM OSLO TO OLD GERMAN HEAVY METAL TO UK BRISTLE PUNK TO
JAPANESE HARDCORE TO AWESOME SHIT FROM EASTERN EUROPE TO OLD BRAZILIAN,
MEXICAN AND SOUTH AMERICAN HARDCORE - IT ALL SHAPES OUR MUSIC.

C) WHAT IS IT LIKE IN PORTLAND, AND HAS THIS INFLUENCED YOU IN THE DIRECTION
YOU’VE CHOSEN?


LIVING IN PORTLAND IS VERY STRANGE. THE SCENE HERE IS SO CLIQUE-ISH AND
INSULAR, WHICH IS A VERY UNHEALTHY CLIMATE FOR MUSICAL CREATIVITY.
FORTUNATELY, SOME PEOPLE CAN GO BEYOND THE SCENE BULLSHIT AND ACTUALLY BE
VERY PRODUCTIVE. THERE ARE A LOT OF VERY GOOD, NEW BANDS, SUCH AS AXIOM, THE
OBLITERATED, SPUTNIK, DIRTHEAD, YANKEE WUSS, AND SOME OTHERS. THERE IS ALSO
A COOL ANARCHIST INFO-SHOP, CALLED THE 223 CENTER, AND FOOD NOT BOMBS SERVES
REGULARLY AT A PARK DOWNTOWN. THERE ARE CURRENTLY 3 COOL, ALL AGES PUNK
CLUBS HERE, SO THERE ARE A LOT OF SHOWS GOING ON LATELY.
THERE ARE A LOT OF IDIOTS HERE, THOUGH, WHICH IS OK, BECAUSE IT GIVES US LOTS
OF MATERIAL FOR PISSED OFF, RANTING SONGS.

D) OBVIOUSLY BY LISTENING TO THE BANDS YOU’VE PLAYED IN, THE STYLES SEEM TO
BE REMINISCENT OF OTHER BANDS (USUALLY INTERNATIONAL) WHICH BANDS HAVE HAD
THE GREATEST IMPACT ON YOU AND WHY? IS ANY PERIOD OF HARDCORE MORE VITAL TO
YOU THAN ANOTHER?


I’D SAY THAT TO TRY AND PINPOINT THE BANDS THAT HAVE HAD THE MOST INFLUENCE
ON MY SONGWRITING WOULD BE VERY DIFFICULT. OBVIOUSLY, STUFF LIKE ANTI-CIMEX,
G.I.S.M., ANTISECT, AND THE OTHER "BIGGER"BANDS HAVE MADE THEIR MARK ON MY
STYLE, BUT THERE ARE SCORES OF OTHERS, SUCH AS SO MUCH HATE (NORWAY), NARSAAK
(GERMANY), ARMIA (POLAND), WRETCHED (ITALY), OLHOSELO (BRAZIL), KANGRENA
(SPAIN), LARM (HOLLAND), AND LITERALLY THOUSANDS OF OTHERS THAT REALLY MOVE
ME TO MAKE NOISE. I’M A FANATIC RECORD AND TAPE COLLECTOR, AND THE FEELING
THAT I GET WHEN I FIND AN AWESOME DEMO OR 7" FROM SOME OBSCURE BAND FORM
YUGOSLAVIA OR SOMETHING IS UNMATCHED.
AS FAR AS WHICH ERA OF MUSIC REALLY STRIKES ME AS IMPORTANT, I’D HAVE TO SAY
THE ‘81 TO ‘85 YEARS OF EUROPEAN H.C. ARE MY FAVES. THIS PERIOD SEEMS TO
HAVE PRODUCED THE BEST AND MOST ORIGINAL MUSIC THAT I HAVE HEARD.

E) HOW DID YOU COME ABOUT FORMING DETESTATION?

WE STARTED OUT IN JUNE OF ‘95, AND SINCE WE WERE ALL IN DIFFERENT BANDS AT
THE TIME, WE REALLY DIDN’T TAKE DETESTATION VERY SERIOUSLY. AFTER DEFIANCE
AND MASSKONTROLL, AND ALSO STARVED AND DELIRIOUS SPLIT UP, THIS LEFT US ALL
MORE TIME TO FOCUS ON THE BAND, AND WE STARTED TO DO DETESTATION FULL TIME.
AFTER A COUPLE MINOR LINE-UP CHANGES, WE ARRIVED AT THE POINT WE ARE AT RIGHT
NOW, AND WILL HOPEFULLY CONTINUE TO BE FUNCTIONAL AND PRODUCTIVE FOR MANY
YEARS TO COME.

F) SAIRA, IS YOUR GIRLFRIEND, DID YOU ORIGINALLY INTEND TO CREATE DETESTATION
AS A PROJECT TO FOCUS ON HER TALENTS?


IT WAS NEVER A REALLY CONSCIOUS THING TO HAVE HER SING, IT JUST HAPPENED THAT
WAY. IN FACT, WHEN DETESTATION STARTED, IT WAS HER AND TY (OUR ORIGINAL
DRUMMER) THAT DECIDED TO FORM A BAND. WHEN THEY WERE TRYING TO COME UP WITH
PEOPLE TO DO IT WITH, SHE ASKED IF I WANTED TO PLAY BASS, AND I SAID "SURE!".
OF COURSE, I WAS SO BUSY WITH DEFIANCE+MASSKONTROLL AT THE TIME THAT I WAS
JUST LIKE "YEAH, WHATEVER...", UNTIL WE STARTED TO GET SERIOUS.

G) WHY DID DETESTATION CHOOSE THE ROUTE OF SEVERE(?) POLITICS IN IT’S LYRICS?
DO YOU FEEL YOUR MESSAGE IS RELEVANT AND THAT ANYONE WILL PAY ATTENTION TO
IT? IS THIS IMPORTANT?


WE SING ABOUT THE ISSUES THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO US. IF THESE ISSUES ARE
PERCEIVED AS SEVERE THEN THAT’S THE WAY IT IS. A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE
COMMENTED ON THE LYRICS WE WRITE, SO I GUESS THAT MEANS SOMEONE IS PAYING
ATTENTION. WHETHER IT WAS ANY IMPACT ON THE WAY THEY THINK OR LIVE, OR IF
ANYONE IS MOVED TO ACTION BY OUR LYRICS IS A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT STORY! I
SUPPOSE ALL WE CAN DO IS YELL ABOUT WHAT MATTERS TO US, AND THE REST IS UP TO
THE LISTENER.
BUT THAT’S ONLY A FRACTION OF WHAT I PERCEIVE TO BE THE VALUE OF OUR LYRICAL
EXPRESSION. MOST OF THE VALUE OF OUR LYRICS COMES SIMPLY FROM THE ACTUAL
ACTS OF WRITING/SCREAMING THEM. IT’S A TREMENDOUS EMOTIONAL, INTELLECTUAL,
AND ARTISTIC RELEASE TO SEE A SONG (MUSICALLY+LYRICALLY) PROGRESS FROM AN
ABSTRACT IDEA TO A FORM OF EXPRESSION THAT ENTERS THOUSANDS OF PEOPLES LIVES
ALL OVER THE WORLD. IN THIS ASPECT, WHETHER OR NOT ANYONE REACTS TO THESE
LYRICS BECOMES IRRELEVANT, IT SIMPLY MAKES US FEEL BETTER TO SING ABOUT WHAT
WE SING ABOUT. IF ANYTHING PHYSICAL ARISES FROM THAT, ALL THE BETTER.

H) IN THE SONG ‘CRUTCHES’, IT SEEMS TO FOCUS ON AN ISSUE SIMILAR TO ‘STRAIGHT
EDGE’. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF STRAIGHT EDGE AND THE SO-CALLED MOVEMENT OVER
THE YEARS?


"CRUTCHES" IS A SONG I WROTE SEVERAL YEARS AGO, AND REFLECTS HOW I FEEL ABOUT
SEEING GOOD, STRONG, INTELLIGENT PEOPLE TURN INTO WORTHLESS PILES OF SHIT
THROUGH DRUG AND ALCOHOL ABUSE, PEOPLE WHO ARE TOO WEAK TO DEAL WITH LIFE
USING THEIR OWN MINDS AND INTELLECTUAL FACULTIES. IT’S ABOUT PEOPLE WHO USE
DRUGS & BOOZE AS CRUTCHES TO CARRY THEM THROUGH DIFFICULT EMOTIONAL PERIODS,
WHICH I SEE AS A VERY LAME, AND OFTEN DANGEROUS WAY TO AVOID REALITY. I KNOW
A LOT ABOUT THIS SUBJECT, AS I’VE OFTEN BEEN GUILTY OF THE SAME THING, AS
HAVE MOST OF US IN THE BAND.
AS FAR AS STRAIGHT EDGE GOES, WE ARE DEFINITELY NOT A SXE BAND. ANDY,
HOWEVER ACTUALLY CALLS HIMSELF SXE (AND EVEN DRAWS X’S ON HIS HANDS...),
SAIRA IS STRAIGHT (BUT NOT SXE!), AND BRIAN AND I DRINK.
ANDY WOULD PROBABLY DISAGREE WITH ME, BUT I HAVE TO SAY THE CONCEPT SXE IS
VERY SOPHOMORIC AND RIDICULOUS. SURE, WHEN I WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL, HEARING
MINOR THREAT SING ABOUT HAVING THE "STRAIGHT EDGE" WAS GREAT, AS IT WAS NICE
TO KNOW THAT THERE WERE OTHER PUNKS WHO DIDN’T DRINK OR SMOKE OR WHATEVER,
BUT I QUICKLY REALIZED THAT THERE WERE MUCH BIGGER AND BETTER ISSUES TO WORRY
ABOUT THAN WHETHER EVERYONE ELSE KNEW HOW MUCH OR LITTLE BEER YOU DRINK!
IF I DRINK, I DRINK! IF I DON’T, I DON’T! JUST AS I SEE NO REASON TO OBSESS
ON DRINKING, I THINK IT’S POINTLESS TO FORM AN ENTIRE PUNK SUBCULTURE ON NOT
DRINKING. IF YOU DON’T DRINK, GREAT! BUT WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO IT, WHO
CARES? THE ONLY TIME SOMEONE SUBSTANCE INDULGENCE (OR LACK OF) COMES TO MY
ATTENTION IS WHEN SOMEONE IS EITHER AN ANNOYING DRUNKEN IDIOT OR A PUSHY
STRAIGHT EDGER WHO NEEDS TO LET THE WORLD KNOW THAT HE’S "GOT THE X!".
ALSO, ANYONE WHO IS FUNDAMENTALLY OPPOSED TO SUCH A NEBULOUS AND ILL-DEFINED
SUBJECT AS DRUG/ALCOHOL USE (FOR INSTANCE, AREN’T YOU UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF
A DRUG WHEN ANESTHESIA IS USED DURING SURGERY? HOW ABOUT WHEN YOU TAKE
ASPIRIN FOR A HEADACHE?) IMMEDIATELY IMPRESSES ME AS SOMEONE WHO, FOR SOME
REASON OR ANOTHER, HAS THE INABILITY TO LOGICALLY LOOK AT THE ISSUE. I
REALLY BELIEVE NOT DRINKING OR GETTING FUCKED ON DRUGS AND STRAIGHT EDGE ARE
TWO TOTALLY DIFFERENT ISSUES. SAIRA, FOR INSTANCE DOESN’T DRINK OR SMOKE OR
DO DRUGS, AND ALL OF THIS FOR PERSONAL ISSUES. SHE DOES NOT FEEL THE NEED TO
MAKE A CULTURAL ISSUE OUT OF THIS, OR TO LABEL THIS CHOICE WITH A SILLY
MONIKER LIKE "STRAIGHT EDGE". ANDY ON THE OTHER HAND, DOESN’T DRINK, SMOKE
OR DO DRUGS EITHER, BUT REALLY LIKES TO SHOUT TO THE WORLD (THROUGH HIS X’S,
HIS CLOTHES, AND HIS ATTITUDE...) "HEY! I DON’T DRINK, SMOKE, OR DO DRUGS!"
AND FEELS HE NEED TO ASSOCIATE WITH OTHERS UNDER THE CULTURAL BANNER OF
"STRAIGHT EDGE". I FIND THIS VERY STRANGE, AND HAVE TO WONDER WHY SOMEONE
WOULD WANT TO MAKE PUBLIC AND CULTURAL ISSUE OUT OF SOMETHING AS PERSONAL AS
DRINKING AND SO ON. TO EACH THEIR OWN, I GUESS.
THE STRAIGHT EDGE "SCENE", AS FAR AS I’M CONCERNED, HAS BEEN SHIT SINCE THE
EARLY 80’S. IT SEEMS TO BE FILLED WITH WHINY EMO-SHITS, MINDLESS
HARE-KRSNA’S, AND MACHO-TOUGH-GUYS WITH BIG PANTS AND RUNNING SHOES. FUCK,
WHEN I GOT INTO PUNK, JOCKS WERE THE ENEMY! NOW IT’S "HARDCORE" TO BE
COVERED IN SPORTS GEAR LOGO’S, WEAR FOOTBALL JERSEYS AND HAVE A NECK TWICE AS
THICK AS YOUR HEAD? WHAT THE FUCK IS NEXT?

I) WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT BANDS SINGING ABOUT NUCLEAR WAR, (WHICH DOES NOT
SEEM TO EXIST AS A THREAT AT THIS MOMENT), BUT CURRENT WARS ARE RELIGIOUS
FEUDAL TYPES?


THE SUBJECT’S BEEN BLUDGEONED TO DEATH ALREADY, SO FIND SOME NEW SONG-WRITING
MATERIAL!
THE WHOLE TRIBAL/CULTURAL/RELIGIOUS WAR ISSUE IS INTERESTING, AS A SIDE NOTE,
SINCE IT’S BEING PLAYED UP IN THE MEDIA SO MUCH THESE DAYS. ACTUALLY, IT’S
ALWAYS BEEN HAPPENING... AT EVERY POINT THROUGHOUT HISTORY THERE’S BEEN
DOZENS OF FACTIONS ALL OVER THE WORLD AT EACH OTHERS THROATS. YOU ONLY HEAR
ABOUT THIS STUFF NOW SINCE THE MEDIA IS TRYING TO FIND A SUCCESSOR TO THE
VACANT POST OF "COMMON ENEMY" LEFT VACANT BY THE SO-CALLED "FALL OF
COMMUNISM". NOTICE HOW "ISLAMIC FUNDAMENTALISM" IS ALL OVER THE NEWS LATELY?
IT’S ALWAYS BEEN THERE, BUT THROUGHOUT THE 80’S AND 90’S IT’S BEEN BUILT UP
AS THE NEXT BIG "THREAT TO DEMOCRACY", AND I CAN PREDICT WITH CONFIDENCE THAT
THE NEXT "COLD WAR" WILL BE WITH THIS ELEMENT. OF COURSE, IRONICALLY ENOUGH,
THE MOST FUNDAMENTAL ISLAMIC STATE IN THE WORLD, SAUDI ARABIA, CONTINUES TO
BE ON GREAT TERMS WITH THE U.S. - WOULDN’T WANNA DAMAGE OUR RELATIONS WITH
THE BIGGEST OIL RESERVE IN THE WORLD, NOW...

J) HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT COUNTRIES SINGING NUCLEAR THREATS TO PREVENT NUCLEAR
WAR, BUT IN (THE U.S.A. FOR EXAMPLE...) FACT, NUCLEAR POWERED WEAPONS ARE
STILL BEING SAVED AND THAT THEY MIGHT BECOME UNUSABLE OVER TIME, SO NUCLEAR
POWER PLANTS ARE BEING REQUESTED TO PROVIDE NUCLEAR ENERGY OVER TIME FOR
THESE WEAPONS?


I’M SO BORED WITH INTERNATIONAL POLITICS... ANYTHING SHORT OF TOTAL
DISARMAMENT IS ABSURD.
IT’S INTERESTING TO SEE THE SOLUTIONS PEOPLE HAVE FOR DEALING WITH ALL OF
THESE NUKE WEAPONS WHICH ARE QUICKLY BECOMING OBSOLETE. I SUSPECT A GOOD
AMOUNT OF THEM WILL END UP HERE IN OREGON! ABOUT 6 HOURS AWAY FROM PORTLAND,
IN THE EASTERN PART OF THE STATE, IS A PLACE CALLED UMATILLA. THERE,
WEAPONS, OBSOLETE EXPLOSIVES, BOMBS, NERVE GAS, AND LIVE AMMUNITION HAVE BEEN
STORED FOR YEARS. SOME OF THIS SHIT DATES BACK TO WORLD WAR ONE! NO ONE HAS
ANY IDEA WHAT TO DO WITH THIS STUFF! SOME SAY BURN IT, SOME SAY BURY IT,
SOME SAY SINK IT IN THE SEA... FUCK, SOME OF THIS NERVE GAS IS SO DEADLY,
ONE DROP ON YOUR SKIN CAN KILL YOU ALMOST INSTANTLY! IT’S A CLASSIC CASE OF
"NOT IN MY BACK YARD...". NO ONE WANTS TO DEAL WITH IT, BUT IT NEEDS TO BE
TAKEN CARE OF.

K) WHO WRITES THE LYRICS FOR DETESTATION? AND DO YOU THINK IT IS IMPORTANT
TO RESEARCH WHAT WILL BE SUNG ABOUT? OR IS IT ALL JUST PERSONAL OPINION?


I WRITE ALMOST ALL OF THE LYRICS, SAIRA & BRIAN HAVE WRITTEN A FEW AS WELL.
I THINK IT’S IMPORTANT TO KNOW WHAT YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT WHEN WRITING LYRICS.
I THINK OUR SONGS ARE A MIX OF PERSONAL OPINIONS AND FACTUAL INFORMATION...
WE’RE NOT CONFLICT OF SOMETHING - TOTAL RHETORICAL POLITICS, BUT WE’RE NOT A
WHINY EMO BAND EITHER, SINGING EXCLUSIVELY ABOUT OUR FEELINGS AND CRYING ON
STAGE.

L) DETESTATION SEEMS IN IT’S SHORT TIME TO HAVE HAD NUMEROUS LINE-UP CHANGES,
WHY IS THAT? AND DOES THAT EFFECT THE CREATIVE JUICES OR STANCES OF THE BAND?


WE’VE ONLY HAD ONE MAJOR LINE-UP CHANGE, WHEN OUR ORIGINAL DRUMMER (TY) AND
GUITARIST (ADAM) LEFT IN SPRING ‘96. BUT WE GOT ANDY SOON AFTER AND HAVE
BEEN GOING STRONG EVER SINCE. OF COURSE IT WAS QUITE A LOSS WHEN TY QUIT, AS
HE WAS A GOOD FRIEND TO ALL OF US AND I’VE BEEN WORKING IN BANDS WITH HIM FOR
MANY YEARS (WE WERE IN RESIST TOGETHER). ADAM, HOWEVER, NEVER REALLY DID
MUCH FOR THE BAND - NEVER WROTE SONGS, SET UP SHOWS, ETC... SO NO REAL LOSS
THERE.
WE WERE VERY LUCKY TO HAVE FOUND ANDY, ‘COS HE’S A GREAT DRUMMER AND COOL GUY
WHO SHARES THE VIEWS & IDEAS THAT DETESTATION TRIES TO REPRESENT.

M) IT IS APPARENT, DETESTATION IS ANGERED BY EVENTS IN SOCIETY, WHAT DO YOU
THINK COULD MAKE LIFE NOT SO FILLED WITH THIS TYPE OF HATE? DO YOU THINK
THIS TYPE OF HATE IS PRODUCTIVE?


HOW COULD ANYONE WITH HALF A BRAIN NOT BE INFURIATED BY THE THINGS THAT GO ON
IN THE WORLD? I DON’T HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS - I REALLY DON’T KNOW WHAT WOULD
MAKE THIS A BETTER PLACE. PROBABLY THE QUICK EXTINCTION OF ALL OF HUMANITY.
THE ANGER IN OUR SONGS MAY NOT MAKE THINGS BETTER, BUT IT SURE MAKES US FEEL
BETTER!

N) WHAT IS ONE THING IN LIFE THAT REALLY FRUSTRATES YOU, BUT YOU WILL NOT
WRITE SONGS/MUSIC ABOUT IT? WHY?


THERE ARE LOTS OF THINGS THAT FRUSTRATE ME, THAT I WOULD NEVER WRITE A SONG
ABOUT... LIKE WHEN MY BIKE GETS A FLAT TIRE, OR WHEN I OVERCOOK MY DINNER,
OR WHEN MY HOMEBREW GETS CONTAMINATED SOMEHOW, FORCING ME TO DUMP 5 GALLONS
OF SOUR BEER DOWN THE DRAIN. THE LIST GOES ON AND ON - LIFE IS FULL OF THESE
LITTLE TRAGEDIES, BUT MOST OF THEM DON’T HAVE A PLACE IN A DETESTATION SONG.
WE DON’T HAVE A STRICT GUIDELINE BY WHICH WE WRITE SONGS, BUT WE TRY TO STICK
TO TOPICS WHICH HAVE KIND OF A UNIVERSAL APPEAL... IT’S POINTLESS FOR ME TO
HEAR A SONG ABOUT SOME GUYS’ PROBLEM WHICH I HAVE NO RELATION TO, AND BY THE
SAME TOKEN I TRY NOT TO WRITE ABOUT THINGS WHICH HAVE NO RELEVANCE IN ANYONE
ELSE’S LIFE.

O) DOES THE MEDIA REPRESENT FACTS IN LIFE/DAILY HAPPENINGS PROPERLY? DO YOU
THINK IT IS FAIR FOR CERTAIN FACTORS OF THE MEDIA TO SPY TO EXPOSE WRONG
DOINGS THAT EFFECT SOCIETY?


THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA IS A FARCE, AND THE ONLY ASPECT OF LIFE THAT IT
ACCURATELY MIRRORS IS THE LYING, HATEFUL, VIEW SLANTING, OPINIONATED
TENDENCIES OF IT’S SUBJECTS. THE MEDIA MOLDS PUBLIC OPINION TO FIT THE
AGENDA OF WHICHEVER ENTITY CONTROLS IT, AND BY THAT TOKEN MOLDS PUBLIC POLICY
IN IT’S OWN FAVOR.
MY LABEL/MAILORDER GOT IT’S NAME (CONSENSUS REALITY) FROM AN OLD SITUATIONIST
TERM DESCRIBING THIS VERY PHENOMENA. THE SITUATIONS, AN ARTBROLITICAL
MOVEMENT ORIGINATING IN FRANCE DURING THE LATE 50’S / EARLY 60’S, BASICALLY
SAID THAT MODERN HUMAN SOCIETY PREFERS THE REPRESENTATION OF LIFE TO THE REAL
THING, I.E. - TV, RADIO, MOVIES, NEWSPAPERS, ETC... WE’D RATHER LIVE
VICARIOUSLY THROUGH OUR FAVORITE SPORTS STARS, MOVIE & TV ACTORS, AND SO ON.
WHEN WE WANT TO AFFECT THE IMAGERY OF SEXUALITY, WE BUY SLICK CARS THAT WAY
"HEY, I’M SEXY!" RATHER THAN ACTUALLY BE SEXY. WE BUY OUTDOORSY CLOTHES AND
HIKING BOOTS TO MAKE SURE EVERYONE KNOWS HOW MUCH OF A "RUGGED INDIVIDUALIST"
WE ARE - OUR MANNERISMS, OUR INTERACTIONS, THE FOOD WE EAT, THE EXPRESSIONS
WE USE IN SPEAKING, ALL OF THIS GOES TOGETHER TO FORM THE IMAGERY OF OUR
LIVES, AND FOR THE VAST MAJORITY OF PEOPLE THIS HAS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO
WITH THE REALITY OF THEIR LIFESTYLES. FASHION OVER FUNCTION. THE COMPLEX
WEAVE OF IMAGERY, SYMBOLIC SOCIAL INTERACTION, AND INANIMATE OBJECTS WHICH
REPRESENT LIFE/ACTIONS (BILLBOARDS, ADS, TV SHOWS, ETC.) COME TOGETHER IN
WHAT THE SITUATIONISTS TERMED AS "THE SPECTACLE". THE SURVIVAL OF THIS
SPECTACULAR SOCIETY AND THOSE WHO MOST BENEFIT FROM A SPECTACULAR SYSTEM OF
COMMERCE, ENTERTAINMENT AND COMMODIFIED LIFESTYLES (I.E. - POLITICIANS,
CORPORATE EXECUTIVES, ETC.) IS WHOLLY DEPENDANT UPON THE MANIPULATION OF THE
"MASSES" TOWARDS A LIFESTYLE CONDUCTIVE TO THAT SOCIETY. THE MOST EFFECTIVE
WAY TO DO THAT IS TO CONVINCE PEOPLE THAT A CERTAIN SET OF VALUES & MORALS IS
THE RIGHT ONE, THAT A CERTAIN WAY OF LIFE IS THE RIGHT WAY, AND THE MOST
EFFECTIVE TOOL FOR THIS MANIPULATION IS MAINSTREAM MEDIA.
THE IDEA THAT IF YOU CONVINCE EVERYONE THAT A CERTAIN WAY IS THE RIGHT WAY,
AND THAT REALITY IS ONLY REALITY BECAUSE EVERYONE AGREES THAT IT IS CALLED A
"CONSENSUS REALITY". FOR EXAMPLE, CHRISTIANITY IS "REAL" TO MILLIONS OF
PEOPLE OVER THE GLOBE. FOR ME, AND PROBABLY A LOT OF YOU, IT’S JUST AS
"UNREAL". BUT, THIS ABSTRACT CONCEPT OF JUDEO-CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY HAS HAD
SUCH AN IMPACT THAT IT VERY MUCH EFFECTS NEARLY EVERYONES LIVES IN THE FORM
OF ANYTHING RANGING FROM HOLIDAYS (CHRISTMAS & EASTER) TO LAWS BASED ON
BIBLICAL PRECEDENT (ADULTERY LAWS, HOMOSEXUALITY, MARRIAGE, AND OTHER
MORALITY LEGISLATION BASED ON CHRISTIAN VALUES), TO THE IDEA THAT A LOT OF
BUSINESSES ARE CLOSED ON SUNDAY. THAT’S JUST A FEW OF MANY, AND HERE IN
AMERICA THERE ARE COUNTLESS EXAMPLES OF JUDEO-CHRISTIAN INFLUENCE ON OUR
LIVES. I’M SURE, DUE TO "WESTERN" INFLUENCE, IT’S LIKE THIS IN JAPAN AS
WELL, TO A CERTAIN EXTENT. SO, IN THIS MANNER, CHRISTIANITY IS A REALITY,
BUT ONLY BECAUSE THE AGREEMENT OF LOTS AND LOTS OF PEOPLE, OR A CONSENSUS,
HAVE MADE IT THAT WAY. AND BY LOGICAL EXTENSION EXAMPLES CAN BE FOUND ALL
OVER: THE COLD WAR & RED SCARE, AIDS, THE "MENACE" OF HOMOSEXUALITY, AND ANY
OTHER THREAT TO POWER OR MORALS THAT THE INSTITUTED POWER STRUCTURE WOULD
LIKE US TO HAVE A CERTAIN OPINION ABOUT.
THIS ALL TIES INTO THE MANIPULATION OF PUBLIC OPINION THROUGH THE MEDIA. IF
THE "POWERS THAT BE" WANT THE "PUBLIC" TO ALTER THEIR IDEAS AND OPINIONS
ABOUT WHAT’S REAL, IT’S QUITE EASY FOR THEM TO DO SO. THINK ABOUT IT.

P) IN THEORY, WHAT IS HARDCOREBRUNK?

WOW. AS IF THE LAST QUESTION WASN’T "HEAVY" ENOUGH!
EVERYONE HAS VERY DIFFERENT IDEAS ABOUT WHAT H.C.BRUNK MEANS TO THEM. TO ME,
IT’S ABOUT A CULTURAL MOVEMENT WHICH ALLOWS ME TO COMMUNICATE & TRAVEL ALL
OVER THE WORLD, AND TO HAVE FRIENDS IN VIRTUALLY EVERY MAJOR (AND LOTS OF
MINOR ONES!) CITY ALL OVER NORTH & SOUTH AMERICA, JAPAN, EUROPE, AUSTRALIA,
AND MORE. IT’S A MEDIUM BY WHICH I CAN EXPRESS MYSELF. IT’S AN
INTERNATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF FREAKS & DORKS JUST LIKE ME. IT’S AN IDEALISTIC
WORLD IN WHICH PEOPLE HAVEN’T YET BEEN SO DEADENED BY MODERN SOCIETY THAT
THEY STILL THINK THEY CAN MAKE A POSITIVE THING AND, MOST IMPORTANTLY, IT’S
ONE SMALL PART OF A VIOLENT, HATEFUL, UGLY AND ALIEN SOCIETY WITHIN WHICH I
CAN BE COMFORTABLE AND HAPPY.

Q) ANY LAST WORDS?

DETESTATION WOULD REALLY LIKE TO TOUR IN JAPAN WINTER ‘98, IF YOU CAN HELP
OUT WRITE! WE ALSO HAVE MANY RECORD & TAPES, AND ALSO WANT TO COMMUNICATE TO
YOU! PLEASE WRITE TO US. (SOME POSTAGE $ WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED, WE
ARE VERY POOR...) AT THE ADDRESS PROVIDED.

KELLY / CONSENSUS REALITY
1951 WEST BURNSIDE
#1654
PORTLAND, OREGON 97209
USA