Rude Words and Pictures: Gedankenformen

Q. What do you find inspiring about recording music in different countries like you have, and what was special about recording your most recent albums in Iceland and Germany?

A. to be honest i like writing and recording music anywhere and so i do.i live in berlin these days and have a studio.iceland is beautiful and i love my friends very much.at the time i was living for several years in nyc,but did not record very much at all,maybe i was too drunk who knows,oh yes i remember now,i set out to record in liverpool uk,got into a massive row with my uk management and dashed off to the airport back to iceland,and kept going.

Q. What inspired the use of more electronic elements that have made their way into your music over the last decade?

A. a closer look at my work from 1990 on will show you that i've always used a synth as an instrument as a part of the studio or group i am playing as phil spector or brian wilson played the studio to express their vision... it's been their non stop except when i present accoustic ideas.otherwise organs and korgs and moogs figure into the mix.

note the melotron pipe organ etc:

Q. Have you found that there is an unfair stigma attributed to The Brian Jonestown Massacre since the representations in DIG!?

A. not really...no.

Q. You have said that the title of your most recent album means "to abolish or destroy in order to lift up and preserve". Does this have any resonation for you with the two characters who inspired your band name?

A. i fail to see any connection in any way.

Q. Personally the live material on The Diane Perry Tape is some of my favourite BJM. Over the years have you seen the band as more of a live or studio act?

A. i view it as a. conceptual art as i compose and produce b. performance art as we play for people together c.spiritual meditation and work

Q. You have created music in many different styles from the folk and country of albums like “Bringing It All Back Home (Again)” to psychedelic and electronic music. Do you find it surprising that you have maintained such a large fan base while experimenting with so many different styles?

A. no.i am however greatful for everything i have including a connection with other through music.

Q. BRMC guitarist Peter Hayes was a member of the band for a short period. How important has BJM been in cultivating the musical talents of others?

A. time will answer that question if anyone cares to ask.

Q. The material on Aufheben is texturally and melodically beautiful. Was this approach an effort to create something different from the darker “Who Killed Sgt. Pepper”?

A. i try and explore how i feel at any given moment musically speaking,tap into my perception of the vibration or color mood of the moment.if you collect alot of that stuff,or focus really on a snap shot of it,it's pretty easy to make an honest album that will resonate atleast at moments with the honest listener looking for the same thing.

Q. The material on the latest album is pretty diverse. How do you think it works together to create a cohesive album?

A. i know it works on many levels that are not important to focus on except maybe if you are required to write about music theory.you don't really need to know how something works to enjoy it right?i could get heavy and tell you i used motzart's masonic golden ration while smoking weird fucking chinese insects or something.here we are talking about a record i put out 380 days ago.

Q. “Gaz Hilarant” and “I Want to Hold Your Other Hand” might not sound out of place on “And This Is Our Music…”. How do you think you have developed musically over the last 10 years?

A. i did this remix yesterday you tell me http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUUfWkH07Zc i honestly think that people have not heard every single thing i have to offer ideawise ...not even close.so it's too soon to comment on what any of it means.