Greetings Buddyheaders – below is an interview with Magic Bullet Records head-honcho, Brent Eyestone, who amongst having an awesome label that puts out all sorts of music from punk, grindcore, noise, sleaze-rock- he has also released a new album by Charles Manson. I was a bit surprised when I heard this news so I figured I’d go to the source to see how this all came about!
Read on below… – Shelbot (Your staunch and occasional Buddyhead reporter)
1. First and foremost all the Buddyhead readers are probably curious how you ended up releasing an LP for Charlie Manson? And will this be a series of LPs?
It actually came about in a way not unlike some of the other releases and artists that surface on the label. I’ve been working with Dwid Hellion and his band Integrity on a few projects over recent months. It’s been a really productive period and there’s been a lot of kinship, collaboration, and respect to emerge from that relationship. A lot of our extracurricular interests overlap and create fodder for limitless conversation, be it Japanese hardcore music, skateboarding, history, art, and beyond.
Among these interests is the creative works of Charles Manson. As kids and young adults, we were both exposed to the media figure aspect of the larger equation. Then as adults, we both went into examining everything beyond that, starting musically with the “LIE” session he did when he was running with Dennis Wilson. This opened up a whole new and completely fascinating side of Manson to ourselves and others who went beyond TV soundbites and talk show-level accounts of the man. Over time, we were able to discover recordings that were being made inside of prison walls, see paintings that he was making on extremely limited resources, and find material that enabled us to understand Charlie in a context much different than what we’d been conditioned toward through mass media.
Earlier this year, the journey brought a 7″ of 3 previously-unheard songs to Dwid’s care and attention. He coordinated the release of that material on his label, Holy Terror, and did a fantastic job with it. I was very happy for him given our mutual appreciation for Charlie’s music. Shortly after the 7″ came together, another 2 hours of unheard material was unearthed. Given the distribution reach and resources available at Magic Bullet, it was reasoned that both analog and digital full lengths could be culled from those sessions and issued out there effectively for anybody who wants to explore them.
The first 29 minute, 8 song slice will be issued as “AIR.” It’s out August 10, 2010. If all goes well, 3 more installments will hit stores seasonally throughout the remainder of 2010 and into 2011.
2. Is this a concept album/series about the elements that make up life, hence “Air”?
Indeed. The concept is centered around Manson’s “ATWA” philosophy. The most basic way of explaining it is “air, trees, water, animals.” Simply put: ecology. So naturally, future installments would be called “Trees,” “Water,” and “Animals.” You’ll also hear “ATWA” being used as an acronym for the phrase “all the way alive,” which is also correct. All of the artwork for these albums is heavily centered around these themes and will create a nice, cohesive collection of music, art, and thought-evoking imagery when it’s all said and done.
3. Do you know if this concept of ATWA is something that Manson had back in the day or is it a new idea that he has come up with over the recent years?
It traces back roughly 30 years at this point, not too long after the trial. The tenets have been rather simple and unwavering ever since.
4. How were the songs recorded? I found some samples on YouTube of recordings that sounded like one-mic/boombox style recordings with acoustic and voice, is this what the “Air” record will be comprised of?
As you can imagine, there aren’t exactly recording studios inside of our nation’s prisons. So the recordings made within the walls are very raw, very intimate, and centered entirely around acoustic guitar and voice. It’s very much in tune with old Mississippi Delta Blues ethics, resourcefulness, and tone: so much working socially and institutionally against the creator and their creations, yet their enduring, survivor ethos somehow finds a way to get it done. There’s moments of soulful introspection and there’s moments of hot fire where he just gets going and lets loose. It’s all very spiritual, spontaneous, and completely captivating.
5. Does he ever allude to his previous theories of finding a cave that has access to the abyss?
Charlie’s music tends to be the product of a stream of consciousness that is the by-product of an almost trance-like state of being that he’s able to achieve through playing music. This is why I liken it so heavily to Mississippi Delta Blues, as many of those artists also tended to “shake out” whatever was passing through them musically and lyrically. Given the nature of this process, the artist will jump across subject matter very quickly and very intimately in such a way that it may be difficult to pick apart a concrete, easily digestible lyrical narrative. Thus, it’s possible that one listener could interpret a passage as referencing any number of aspects surrounding the countless urban legends, lies, truths, and otherwise surrounding Charlie’s own story and his past. At the same time, someone else could listen to the same passage and tell you that it just sounds like a guy who wants to go on a train ride and drink. In the end, it almost becomes more about who’s listening and how their minds process and rationalize the intake in a manner that satiates how they want to feel about the artist and project on the whole.
Video Teaser: Video trailer:
Available for Purchase at: http://www.magicbulletrecords.com/mailorder.html
Amazon MP3 link: http://www.amazon.com/Air/dp/B003V9SXEC/ref=dm_cd_album_lnk
ITunes MP3 link: http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/air/id381157671
Physical on August 10th.
Editors note: Old school Manson must haves ->
