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[The following interview is transcribed from John Sekerka's radio
show,
Tape Hiss, which runs on CHUO FM in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada and is also run in
John's
own magazine, Thrust. On occassion, Cosmik
Debris prints a transcript of one of these interviews, simply because John lives
3000
miles away and doesn't have a car OR a lawyer. This month, we're proud to bring
you
Electric Frankenstein. - Ed.]
When the good doctor first zapped some volts through his cadaver, little did he
know the monster was clutching a guitar. The rest as they say, is musical
history. here's an email pen pal type chat with Sal, the main axe ghoul from
Electric Frankenstein, starting with the mystery of frontman Steve Miller:
John: Always wondered what Steve "the joker" Miller was up to.
Why turn yer back
on commercial blues radio and dip into primal rawk waters?
Sal: Ha, Steve wanted to get back to his roots, being a
fan of the Stooges and
the Detroit sound, he felt he needed to get down with the street and have his
ear to the beat of the real rawk n roll. You know, for the kids and all that.
John: Was this a way to get distance from Boz Scaggs?
Sal: Iggy was always much cooler than Boz.
John: Electric Frankenstein always manages to lure some
brilliant comic artists
to grace the covers. Do you seek them out, or do they seek you out?
Sal: I have been really lucky and they have seeked me
out. All of them have been
fans of the band and they have contacted us, I have a long waiting list right
now and I really hope to do an art book of Electric Frankenstein art.
John: Are these guys rawk freaks? Do they dig the
music, or are they dungeon
scribblers with no sense of the outside world?
Sal: They are all rawk freaks, everyone of them. Don't
forget that they are also
the artists that do the posters for shows too!
John: The b-movie horror image is a good one, why don't
you exploit it to the
gills and wear costumes and masks?
Sal: Well, then the music would become secondary and
never taken really
seriously. Even Kiss has had a hard time being taken seriously in their history.
John: What about Halloween, surely EF does something
special.
Sal: Well, we get asked to play at horror film
conventions and all that stuff,
and those are fun to do, seeing the audience all in costume is cool.
John: Was there life before EF, or is this the only
rawk monster that matters?
Sal: We were all in other bands first, and that helped
us bring a lot of
experience in the song writing to EF.
John: Are all the members Frankenstein freaks?
Sal: Well, just me and Dan, we work at the Chiller
Theatre Horror conventions,
collect monster magazines and toys, and all that.
John: What's the best Frankenstein movie ever?
Sal: I think the "Bride Of Frankenstein," because it
was a great film with a
great
story and some really great imagery. Imagine if they made a race of
Frankensteins!
John: What's the worst Frankenstein movie ever?
Sal: Oh, maybe "Frankenstein vs Dracula," that was a
real low budget thing. The
monsters were barely even seen in the film.
John: Are there EF videos?
Sal: Lots of them, I have about 10 shows on video. We
will be releasing an EF
DVD soon.
John: What's the best place you've ever played?
Sal: The Fillmore in San Francisco, California. That
was really great to be at a
sold out show at
one of the most historical places to play in the world. The Doors, the Sex
Pistols, so many great bands have played there!
John: What's the worst place you've ever played? What
happened?
Sal: The worst was in El Cajun, California, it turned
out to be a small store
front with no PA and no equipment and it was one of the most ghetto places I
ever saw or played. It was right near Mexico.
John: Why change record labels so often?
Sal: I only have one record deals with them, I want to
have my records on every
label that I like. Also, it helps to be on different labels because your records
get sold by lots of different distributors, which makes sure that your records
are in every record store in the world. Plus, don't be so old-fashioned, why
should I stay on one label? Independent means just that! Fuck the major label
way of looking at things!
John: What are your day jobs?
Sal: Me - a writer. Dan - he works for a video
company. Steve - he is a
stone mason and a carpet installer. Carl works at a small record company in NYC.
Rob - is a physical therapist.
John: Recount a brush with celebrity please.
Sal: Oh, we stayed at Jello Biafra's house, we had
James Hetfield at our show at
the Fillmore, and I don't remember what else.
John: What tv show should EF appear on?
Sal: Any, it doesn't matter.
John: What movie should EF have appeared in?
Sal: The latest Jay and Silent Bob film, those fucks.
John: What's your fave movie of all time?
Sal: Planet of the Apes. The original one.
John: Whose poster was on your teenage bedroom wall?
Sal: Alice Cooper band.
John: What year would you set on your time machine, and
why?
Sal: Shit, I would never want to go back to the past!
John: How is EF preparing for the impending world war
three?
Sal: Well, it is coming isn't it. Right now we are
making sure our families will
be safe and sound.
Thanks! Sal Canzonieri - Electric Frankenstein.
....tape hiss...
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