By Sean Flinn | January, 1999
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| They've got the fucked equipment: (from left) Dan
and Smith, AKA Babyland, on stage. |
Buy Babyland's music
Visit Babyland's
Web site
Visit Babyland's label:
Matress
|
Babyland,
consisting of vocalist / noise shaper Dan Gatto and percussionist / purveyor
of wit SMITH, have been rocking mics and burning down club stages in L.A.
and the Bay Area for a long, long while now. After four full-length album
releases (three on the now defunct Flipside label, one released independently
on Mattress) and too many extraordinary, explosive live shows to count,
Babyland's creativity and intensity remarkeably show no signs of flagging.
They still approach every songs and performance with the same zeal, concern
and intelligence that have become their trademark. Their music, which idiosyncratically
blends the best elements of industrial, punk, techno, stand-up comedy and
what they call "disco junk noise," possesses a character that
defies categorization and remains capable of perpetual renewal and reinterpretation.
Choler's Sean Flinn caught up with SMITH via e-mail in late November and early December, following
the release of their latest full-length album Outlive Your Enemies.
Sean Flinn: How
long has this album [Outlive Your Enemies] been in the works?
SMITH: We started recording the album in February of '98, at Michael Rozon's
Speed Semen Clove Factory, which is where we actually did everything right
up to and including mastering, which we did at the end of August. We did
a couple of full weeks, but most of the work was done on weekends and
in the evenings. Most of the songs were written since the summer of '96,
but a couple are even older than that.
Do you have any interesting stories to relate from your adventures in
the recording studio?
Recording with Michael Rozon was great. For the first time ever we had access to
professional digital editing system and a guy who really knows how to
use it. Also, we spent a lot of time crafting the specific sounds for
each song with a lot more control than we've had in the past. The percussion
tracks are the best we've ever been able to capture, and for once I actually
hear the same thing off the recording that I hear in my head while I'm
playing.
What is the typical Babyland recording session like (give us a "Day in
the Life" scenario)?
Thebasic recording breakdown is between electronics, percussion and vocals
- normally recorded in that order. We usually do two, three or four songs
at a time, working them through all three stages and then moving on to
another batch. Mixing is kind of a nightmare because we usually have so
much going on in every song that it's tough to find space enough
for everything we want to keep. On the other hand, we also have a pretty
good idea of what most of the songs are supposed to sound like, so when
we achieve that in a mix we know it and when the song still needs more
work we know that too. What made these sessions really excellent for us
was working with Rozon, who was totally into going the extra mile to encourage
us to find new ways to try things out when a track was giving us trouble.
Creativity goes a hell of a lot farther when you've actually got access
to the tools and skills needed to turn those ideas into actual recordings!
I've noticed that a lot of the songs that appear on Outlive
Your Enemies have been staples of your live show for a year or two
now. Do you usually road-test your material before putting
it down on an album?
Taking new songs onto the stage and springing them on people who haven't
heard them is one of our favorite things. Also, you learn a lot about
the song! By carrying the songs with us for a while they benefit from
having a life of their own and a period of open experimentation before
we nail them down for good. Songs that we've played live a lot are usually
easy to record because we know exactly what we want out of them. Conversely,
we've also included on each album a few songs that have never been played
outside the studio, and since these songs are free from all the expectations
of live performance they allow us to do a little more experimentation
in the studio than we might allow on a seasoned stage veteran.
Does audience reaction to the songs influence any decisions you might make
while recording or structuring the album?
Having some idea as to how people are reacting to a song live is helpful,
but in the end what is more important to me is finding out what my reactions
to the songs are when we perform them in front of people. Sometimes a
song that seems to be working great in the practice space just doesn't
stand up the first time out - and other times songs that seem kind of
flaky only reveal their true strengths when we're actually throwing them
at someone. The results are really internal, and very hard to deny.
What influences worked on you during the composition and recording of this
album, i.e., did any albums, songs, records, artists, films, dreams or
incidents from your life compel you to write any of these songs, or influence
you as you wrote and recorded them?
A lot of these songs relate to what we have seen going on around us here
in Los Angeles since we returned from a National Tour in the summer of
'96. A partial list is as follows: The demise of Flipside records as an
operational entity. The realization that our favorite LA bands, clubs
and labels more often than not end up getting fucked - often by their
own bad habits. The continued stinking nightmare of unmitigated bullshit
that is the "legitimate" entertainment industry. The endless
parade of totally fake celebrities, causes and "scenes" that
allegedly swarm around us, and which couldn't be more irritating even
if they were real. The creeping Fascism in California state politics,
and last but not least, DAY JOBS... At least we can say were still here,
and of course there were some really good things too: Flipside magazine
will survive! People start new bands, clubs and labels daily - and some
of them are actually pretty good! A few good films and records sneak out
every now and then - even through the sickest institutions! Society and
politics seem to be doing a good job of canceling each other out, and
therefore leaving me alone! And if it weren't for those day jobs,
we'd still be dreaming ...
Why the title Outlive Your Enemies? Who are your enemies, and
what cosmically just things do you envision occurring to them beyond the
truncation of their life span? Have you ever witnessed one of your foes
getting what coming to him/her? What happened?
The last couple years have really left us feeling isolated as artists. One
way or another, too many people are giving up on their dreams and giving
in to their enemies. For some it's their bad habits. For others its
the lure of comfort and stability offered by just giving up. A few just
get taken down by the brute force of violence, illness or some other unavoidable
power. We see it all the time and it's a drag. Artists in Los Angeles
are subjected to a constant bombardment of negative energy on the one
hand and the relentless allure of tinsel town temptation on the other.
It's all crap, and we want to express the positive message that you don't
have to listen to any of this bullshit, and that just by sticking to your
own program and not letting go you are the winner.
Where do you think Outlive ... fits in with the rest of the Babyland
oeuvre? Do you attempt to design your songs and albums to fit within a
set continuum, or do you think that each new project redefines your image
and direction?
This album is another step in our journey - wherever it is that we are going
- and we are fortunate to be satisfied with every step we have taken.
The only continuum that we work under is that of our own ethical integrity
coupled with the fact that we want Babyland to be Babyland, not anybody
else. Over the years there are definite changes, and yet the limitations
we leave ourselves sort of form the skeleton off of which these changes
can maneuver. We do the best we can.
Why the split with Flipside, who released your first 3 albums?
Flipside was great to us! Unfortunately, 1996 was a really bad year for independent
punk rock labels and Flipside lost their distribution. Realizing that
there was little the label could do for us and nothing we could do for
the label we struck out on our own. It was literally "every band
for themselves," while Flipside concentrated on saving the magazine.
Currently, we're working together with Flipside to repress the first three
CD's, and there is no grievance to speak of.
Will you handle future Babyland endeavors independently, or are you shopping
for a label to call home?
It would be really cool to have some great label treat us really well and
pay for everything and market us correctly and distribute the records
thoroughly and support us on tour and back up our artistic ideals all
the time - but not if it meant that they only liked us while we were trendy
or that they owned all the rights to everything or that we had to spend
all our time fucking off for MTV or that our records cost $16 on special
at Target or that we had to tour 200 days a year opening for some band
we hate or if they think for one stinking second that they had any control
whatsoever over who we are, what we say, and how we're going to go about
being Babyland. Until such an entity comes forward, we will continue to
pursue our current independent course.
What drew you guys to the style of music/performance that you embrace,
e.g., pyrotechnics, junk noise, low-tech electronics, and emotional, hardcore
vox?
In the beginning, the stuff we started with was just the stuff that we had
on hand and that we figured would be more interesting to use than the
normal gear. As things evolved, some tools gave way to others and new
methods were discovered. The evolutionary process has definitely been
in the direction of greater musical utility. Los Angeles in the late 80's
was fortunate to have tons of great bands that were all really into doing
different stuff with unusual gear and "multimedia" presentations,
so we had lots of inspiration to go from. Savage Republic, Distorted Poney,
and others were using metal percussion and groups like Presurehed, Geko,
and Ethyl Meatplow (pre-Carla) were combining crude electronics with live
elements in really interesting ways. Slide projectors, film loops, kooky
costumes and bizarre dancers weren't uncommon and there was a pretty
strong crossover between the punk, gothic, industrial, and electronic
scenes. It was a fertile time. What really drove us to pick up the junk
heap and join in was the fact that we felt that this framework was actually
something we could contribute to artistically, and by sticking to what
we saw in ourselves everyone would benefit. Our first shows were confusing,
chaotic, and experimental - but something about them really worked for
us and we knew that it was something we had to pursue.
What
are the main concerns that you are trying to address in relation to and
through the band?
Most of all we want to keep reminding people that their dreams are worth
holding on to no matter how hard those other bastards kick you in the
ribcage. The greatest self deception of all is to just give up hope because
of the perception of security offered by some advertised lifestyle. It
seems that every minute of every day we're all bombarded by the same two
fisted assault of Madison Avenue and the political-dogma fucks (both right
and left) who'd have you cash it all in (to them of course)for a sunny
weekend in some maximum-security-social-re-education-facility in which
your personality will be chained forever to their bank account. Everything
that matters - art, democracy, the free market, spirituality, punk rock,
family, whatever! - depends on the existence of individuals. There is
no alternative to being you, so get on with it!
Where do you envision or hope the band will end up, say, a year or two down
the line?
12 to 24 months is such a tiny amount of time that it's hard to expect anything
other than the continued incremental progress you've seen over any other
12 to 24 month period of time. We'll play some shows, record some songs,
and go to our day jobs just like now. All that is certain is this: We
will not go away!
You use the phrase "We will not go away" as a sort of maxim
or slogan? did you intend for this phrase to be both the promise
and threat it represents (at least to me)? For clarification: Your fans,
I imagine, find the phrase comforting. Did you mean for it to function
also as a facet of the same sentiment that produced the title Outlive
Your Enemies?
You've hit it right on the head! Over the years, one cool thing has been watching
all those fuckers who thought they could cheat us just writhe and die.
Sometimes it's the news that some awful band finally broke up or that
some terrible club got shut down by the city or even something worse.
Whatever, people chose their own fates and history is the judge. More
important then that, though, is the positive side. The fact that we're
still around reaffirms our belief that we're doing something right - and
trust me, if either one of us thought we'd bit the cheese we'd have stopped
a long time ago. Likewise, it's also always been a real boost to run into
someone who says, "Damn, I never thought I'd see you guys play again!
Thanks for still being around!" We've still got so much to accomplish,
how could we quit now!
I've noticed that your shows tend to draw fans from a broad spectrum
of musical genres; punks, industrialites and just plain ol' folks
all pop up at your performances, whereas they might not normally choose
to co-mingle. What aura do you think Babyland exudes that draws these
otherwise disparate groups together? Is this convergence something you
hoped would happen? Is it the product of design or chance?
The
diversity of individuals is the whole fucking point! If there's one thing
I can't stand it's a room full of people all wearing the same mask - whether
it be punk rock or pink tuxedos. We're not trying to attract any specific
groups, we're trying to communicate with individuals, and it is in the
hands of individuals that the future lies.
(A long question). While many of your songs seem to reflect a confrontational
stance that embodies some of the major concerns of post-modernism (man
vs. machine, anti-consumerism and the encroachments of various elements
of modern society on the individual's ability to think and feel freely),
your live shows often seem to engender a sort of paradoxical confrontation
/ embracing of your audience. For example, you empty aerosol cans of air
freshener into the air, spray the audience with sparks, fill clubs with
the fumes of road flares, and, in one now infamous incident, threw cow
manure on the crowd. Some people, upon hearing about this, would expect
the crowd to object to some of this. Yet the fans seem to love all of
it, in fact seem disappointed when you leave some element of the show
out. They even happily swept up the cow manure after the 924 Gilman St.
incident. Why is this? Do you intend for the confrontation to exist, or
am I misinterpreting things? Should a fan enjoy being showered with sparks,
covered in Glade and then immersed in cow shit? And why the fascination
with props that produce such strong odors? How have club owners dealt
with your sometimes precarious stage show, and do they have a right to
demonstrate concern or forbid certain types of on-stage behavior?
Confrontation
is an experiment in itself, and the results can be really interesting.
For instance, it was only when I actually opened up the big bag of cowshit
and dumped it on the heads of the kids at Gilman (into unbelieving eyes
and screaming mouths, cool haircuts and new shirts!) that I realized the
fact that when we act out violently, we only hurt the people closest to
ourselves. Don't laugh, I'd never really let this one sink in before!
The kids who got shit on the most weren't our enemies, they were
the ones who paid money to get in and fought their way to the front of
the crowd to see us. Did Mr. Boring in the back corner get any shit on
him? How about Miss Complacent out in the lobby? In the end, the outburst
really got to me, and I know Dan was moved by his manure dumping experience
as well. In addition, in the sadism of the moment I was confronted with
the ethical predicament of translating a conceptual "good idea"
into a specific violation of an individual's right to remain clean, comfortable,
and not covered in cowshit! Having defined this concept as a part of our
performance, there was no way I could turn back and yet there it was -
the Banality of Evil manifest! Having done this there was suddenly a real
sensation that I really owed these people something, and I know that what
I owe them is to keep going, even if it means they get shit on sometimes.
Would I do it again tomorrow? Of course, so watch your back!
From whence did the name "Babyland" come?
We saw the name in lights and it just looked good.
Gimme one (or several) good reason(s) why I should make the switch from Del
Taco to Taco Bell.
Fuckzall!
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