Interview to Guy Kyser (February 2005)
I wish ringraziare Guy Kyser for obvious reasons, the staff of the Frontier
Records - in particular Lisa Fincher - for l.estrema situated gentility and
disponibilit?Sul dell.etichetta (www.frontierrecords.com)?ossibile to acquire
with spold modica l.intero catalogue of the Thin White Rope.
Sodapop: You can tell something to us of the first times, the beginnings of
the group?
Guy: I met Joe Becker in 1979, little after to have arrived to Davis in
order to go all.universit?Stava in a called group Alternated Learning
with Scott Miller, and had made a single one that it appealed to to me. To a
concert of Iggy POP Joe introduced me that, pi?ardi the same evening,
fin?er to make to botte with Iggy on the theater box....
I found again myself in one band with Joe and Scott: The Lazy Boys. Scott
and I sang, and made several concerts to Sacramento and Saint Francisco in the
two years succeeded to you. Some songs of the Thin White Rope (Down In The
Desert, Disney Girl, Soundtrack) have been written in that
period.
Scott if of and?el 1982 (in order to form the Game Theory, N.d.T.) and I
and Joe passed l.estate to try of the musicians. After a pair of false
departures we found Roger Kunkel and Kevin Staydohar, that they played gi?ssieme.
Task that our sound form?iuttosto in a hurry after their arrival: we recorded a
demo in winter, which they followed concerts in spring. Mainly we played in one
pizzeria call Fat Fonzie and to Galactica 2000, a disc to topic
spaces them. Roger was too much young for drink, cos?ovevamo passargli the beer
under the table.
Joe and Kevin left us in 1983 in order to enter in an other group ( the True
West, N.d.T.), cos?assammo un.ennesima summer without a true group... I
lived alone in an old hotel close to the railroads of the railroad of Davis, and
I was l?he I began to write pi?anzoni with thematic westerns and country. We
made a po. of auditions, some di.le which with indeed strange people (a pianista
electrical worker, a drummer jazz, biker with tenaglie in place of the hands...)
and the end a our friend Steve Tesluk acconsent? to leave the guitar in order to
pass to the bottom. We were still without a drummer: we made a pair of concerts
using one scassata drum machine, finch?.ex drummer of the True West Frank French
had piet? one? we for some time.
With this formation we recorded a demo, nineteen songs in a day, than
beginnings? to turn.
Joe torn? me it seems - in 1984 and I received one called from the Frontier the
week in which I graduated myself.
S: Which were the greater musical infuences of those days? It agrees that the
style of the Thin White Rope gi?erfettamente was defined gi?al first disc, in
order then to proceed with small but meant adjustments to you?
G: They appealed to Stooges to me and Velvet Underground and all
those groups of garage-punk acid of the years 60. Siccome that one were music
that we wanted to feel but not c.erano in turn many groups that played it, ce we
made it alone.
Every member contributed with its tastes and just the style, and?n po. evoluto
on behalf its, for which... s?continuavamo making adjustments. Roger made to
approach me of pi?l country... John Von Feldt was for semplicit?Matt the
Abourezk instead a enthusiast of the rhythms complicates to you.
S: Creed that l.originalit?el sound of the Thin White Rope resided to
nell.unire the Californian sound acid of the Sixties with infuences of groups
new wave of the successive decade (the Television that pi?vidente), while the
country it made from background this encounter.
Ci?i rendered various from other groups of the frange pi?evivaliste of the
"Paisley underground", nonch?reschi all.ascolto still today. That you say some?
G: Before discovering to the Stooges and the rest I listened to
Holding Big Brother & The Company, Ramones and Sex Pistols,
therefore you have guessed. Many of the groups of the L.A. scene dell.epoca were
rifared the country. as an example Green On Red, the Dream Syndicate
late. therefore we were not single. Creed that ci?he rendered us a po. various
was that we worked tantissimo on the agreements as far as l.interplay of the
guitars, to times studying here every note of bottom (probably from where the
comparison with the Television comes).
This has carried to us to create of the interesting things, while other times it
literally made to drive crazy the rest of the group: they are content that you
find to us still freschi.
Task that the imprinted approach all.arrangiamento was an aspect of the Thin
White Rope that some did not appreciate... to someone appeal to of pi?n pi?ibero
sound, based on jam... the creed that we have tried to also make that type of
things, in some songs.
S: In Moonhead c.?na photography with one guitar in top to one made species
of tomba with of stones. It was perhaps I send back ironico to so-called "the
dead women of the rock" of the years 80 (in which the groups with sintetizzatori
they seemed to replace those with the guitars)?
At the same time you and others band Americans were creating some of best discs
of the period basing to you on the chitarristico sound, to times reinventando
it...
G: Some things assume of mean to you in the time behind, watching
themselves. All.epoca we simply thought that beautiful photography with a desert
landscape was one and one guitar.
I have not never considered the sintetizzatori a threat: they are anch.essi
musical instruments and they can crack (thinks next to the Suicide!). The
greater threat, hour like then?appresentata from MTV... Poor the boys today, do
not know just as music is listened to...
S: Tasks that the fact to come from one citt?ecentralizzata can have had
importance? To be far from the centers dell.industria musical as New York or Los
Angeles you aiut?d to be distaccati from the mode, free to create a style
originates them?
G: Without doubt. In any case never we have not been interested of being
to the step with the mode, perci?ra easy to hold them far being po.isolati.
Elsie Crashed The Party spoke also about this: "We have chosen to stay
out of the war" ("We have chosen to remain outside from the war" N.d.T.).
To London we have been able to see close give the creation of the mode: _ the
the NME and the the Melody Maker contendevano the the name to pompare... a
review choose a group, try to create they a po. of noise around in order then
speak of badly the week follow... be one what rowdy, a manipulation artificial
to scope trade them, and weigh on small band like we that try to create one base
of fan.
S: I have always thought that the presence of the desert was many tangible in
your music, evoking atmospheres or calling it in cause directly in the
witnesses.
What renders the desert cos?ffascinante? I see it like a species of mirror, a
negative of our civilizzata life that reflection provokes one...
G: You know, this matter of the desert divent?na species of
predisposition... always before the question in the interviews, before what that
all noticed... I have the suspicion that much people did not give the pain to
listen to the Thin White Rope for this reputation that preceded to us: "They are
a desert group... play music of the desert..." It gave l.impressione that we
were a little searched limited group or.
We have employed many natural images in our songs, not all barren ones. we have
visited hills, the oceans, iceberg, stars, planets, breedings of ants and so on.
Hour that us task, I often used these acclimatizations for giving an isolation
sense.
S: Many personages of your songs seem to be in some way disturb to you, on
the point to make something of crowds, or to have of the detections.
L.anormalit? a pi?nteressante point of view also in the literature: l.arte
not?emplice escape speaks about the real life and...
G: Hour they are pi?nteressato to inserted normal persons in unusual
situations. The history of as a common person reacts or to pu?ambiare?i?tile who
to shockare with a monodimensional one, frightful pazzoide.
Nevertheless, it appeals to to l.idea of the personages sull.orlo of one some
detection to me: the feeling in which it is begun to understand something?na of
the things that I prefer of pi?ella life, and it would appeal to to think to me
to have communicated it in some way.
Of sure all.inizio we had at least a pair of songs on the madness, but in the
time I have left to lose this argument. Un.altra of those things that divennero
part of the reputation that we seemed to carry to us nearby. Pi?ardi, when I
tried to write songs pi?rofonde. that I know, to sull.invecchiare or
sull.amicizia- or simple songs amusing without many pretensions, all thought
that they spoke about murders. Who recensiva one embroidered to us over, all
were exceeded to nell.evidenziare how much frightful or depressing were our
album.
Result: it upgrades them of sale -273 and in increase.
With a sure reluctance, I guarantee to you that it was not of the all guilt of
who recensiva... a po.anche of the songs... "Here an incomprehension case!"
S: Com.?ivere. and to be an artist. in the United States di Bush Jr. (I have
promised not to make pi?uesta you ask to citizens Americans, but it seems to be
unavoidable...)?
Pu?.arte to be useful in order to improve the situation?
G: This nation? such point fragmented in cultural factions restie to
accept coming from information as an example dall.esterno (the greater part of
the supporters of Bush?ifiutata to see Fahrenheit 911), than creed l.arte
cannot catch up the people that pi?e would have need. For of pi?li Americans
generally they do not have respect for artists who are not rich and of
happening.
S: Mistake or songs like The Real West, Dead Grammas On To Train,
Bartender.s Rag seems to be cynical un.analisi of makes myths of the
West, pi?he to express nostalgia for "good old days" of the rhetorical?
G: Beh, my analysis was in delay of thirty or forty years. The
dismantling of the Old West inizi?egli years 50 (Southern Italy Di Fuoco,
Johnny Guitar, then Sam Peckinpah and Sergio Lion), before
still that it had been ended to construct it!
S: You know the westerns of Sergio Lion? Po. of your music you it would not
have been for null outside place...
G: My preferred film in?I>C.era absolute Once the West. That surprise,
eh?
S: Qual.?tata the reason behind the issolution of the Thin White Rope? You
seemed to have still new lands to explore. It speaks to me. if period goes you -
dell.ultimo.
G: Per.primo.cosa seemed that our career was in phase of stall. We had
been in turn for three or four years without to find meant improvements to you
in the sales or the tour; our public in some zones seemed to diminish. In our
better period, when we were in tour for six or seven months all.anno, we did not
even succeed to outside pull moneies from the concerts and the sales of discs in
order to succeed enough to pay l.affitto. And disagreeable, but this?l raw and
practical side of the business... I am not complaining myself?olo that the group
was not pi?n feet financially, and to pu?mmaginare itself like ci?ontribuisse
increasing the tensions inner.
Musically, I and remain of the group I was going in various directions: I was I
stew of the long assoli of guitar and the slaughter houses of feedback that we
made every concert. I wanted to try a pi?emplice sound, pi?tratificato and
powerful... I was not sure of as I would have arrived to us... for which an in
last the three or four years divenni species of "iron petty officer first
class", still working of pi?ugli agreements leaving to the others less and less
space in order to contribute. This situation was heavy especially for Roger,
inasmuch as the guitar parts were its greater creative outlet.
In adding, we worked very playing and risuonando, the system "tries and
error"... I arrived with of the material, there were over like of the matti ones
for a d.ore pair, change of style did not work... cos?l at times was tiring and
painful for all.
For how much it regards to me I had ended the ideas and l.energia, I was tired
to pull the cart.
I did not have promising songs and not ve n.erano not even of old that were
still unknown. This was the situation after to have ended The Ruby tiny
Sea all.ultimo (for giving a jolt all.entusiasmo had to leave the
citt?enza to say nothing to nobody and to hide in a motel for one week to me.
For reasons that hour memory, was not a lot important that the others did not
know where pits. They thought that you had my good reasons in order to
disappear. Pu?ssere that same involving to me from stronzo, making the precious
one, but you know as they are the singers...)
Then there was along moment of tired in the strip with successes... every test
began with the group that said Then "... has some new piece" I pulled outside of
the things, monconi songs, but soon lost interest when it was not succeeded to
make to work them.
Rethinking I would have had to suggest to take to us a pause to us of a year or
two... we could have recharged the batteries.
S: Of discs of the Thin White Rope, qual.?uello that creeds are the
pi?appresentativo or what?avvero come like you wanted it?
G: Better Moonhead?l of "the first" Thin White Rope ", that one pi?icino
to" psichedelia heavy-metal from sound barrier "that we tried to make the time.
Sack Full of Silver?l better disc of the Thin White Rope "mature": tortuosi
agreements (Whirling Dervish), pi?custici sounds and some of the
stratified things which I aimed (Diesel Man). It has also a beautiful one
feeling rilassato. not in the sense that make to sleep -, one feels that we
found ourselves well to play.
To honest being, I make hard work to listen to our discs: I succeed to only feel
the errors, especially in the witnesses and the sung one.
S: You nearly ten years are intentional in order to make a disc with a new
group. Perch?Sentivi the need to remove the pi?ossibile to you from music but
its callback?tato to the end cos?orte and inevitable to recall to you?
G: It appeals to to me what you have written... I can copy it in order to
answer?