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Tobacco Interview

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  Tobacco Interview

  Music Monday

  This has been in the oven for a minute and thanks to James Ewert it's finally a reality. Enjoy this interview with one of my favs Tobacco. Here's James with the intro.

  I’ve been waiting a while now to post about Tobacco for two reasons. 1) Tobacco’s new album Maniac Meat is probably Tom Fec’s best work since Black Moth Super Rainbow’s 2007 jam Dandelion Gum. 2) It gives me a chance to link out to Longmont Potion Castle, a prank-call artist—yes, artist, that Fec and I discussed at length when I sat down with him before Tobacco’s sold-out show at the Empty Bottle April 3rd.

  I brought another James with me to the show, James Kozar, to photograph the performance (photos weren’t allowed during the interview), little did we know there’d be no stage lights, only projections of ET porn and such.

  Released earlier this week on the Anticon, Maniac Meat is definitely Fec’s boldest statement yet that Tobacco ain’t no side project to Black Moth Super Rainbow. All 16 tracks, 2 of which feature guest appearances by Beck, ooze with syrupy doom. While Fec’s music has always maintained an obviously dark undertone Tobacco has succeeded in replacing the sweet, oddly uplifting glaze that usually accompanied BMSR’s surreal soundscapes with a determined, and truly maniacal intensity.

  

  We’re gonna do something a little different this time and instead of boring you all with my longwinded, tangential introductions, we’re gonna jump right into the interview. If, however, you enjoy those tangential meanderings, I invite you to check out a longer story with a few bits I saved about my interview with Tom Fec when the summer issue of Jettison Quarterly hits the Web in June.

  James Harry Ewert Jr.: Who is the last person you said I love you to?

  Tom Fec: My fiancé.

  JHEJR: Murky crunch or dripping with acid?
  TF: Murky crunch.

  JHEJR: What makes you happiest?

  TF: That’s one of those deep ones. I think I learned on this tour I’m happiest when things are really crazy and working me into being really unhappy and then having that moment of being alone and at peace, it could be just like sitting on the toilet. Back when I had a job I used to love going to sit on the toilet and hoping someone would come in and not really caring.

  JHEJR: Do you have a mouse pad?

  TF: No.

  JHEJR: Favorite lunch meat?

  TF: When I was a kid I used to like this stuff called chicken roll or chicken loaf.

  JHEJR: Watermelon meatball or plum porkchop?

  TF: Watermelon meatball.

  JHEJR: Do you untie your shoes when you take them off?

  TF: Yes, everytime. I don’t understand people who can just put them on when they’re tied and then just take them off.

  JHEJR: What do you miss?

  TF: I miss not having any responsibility.

  

  JHEJR: Turkey goblin or spider demon?

  TF: Spider demon.

  JHEJR: Did you buy an iPad today?

  TF: No.

  JHEJR: Puppy or kitten?

  TF: Puppy.

  JHEJR: Dreamscicle or lollipop?

  TF: Dreamscicle.

  JHEJR: Leprechaun Julius or Yucatan Sukerman?

  TF: Oh man, you just pulled a Longmont on me…

  JHEJR: Yeah I spent about half my day today listening to that shit, I was absolutely enamored.

  TF: Leprechaun Julius, for sure.

  JHEJR: Sea Change or Odelay?

  TF: Oh Sea Change, for sure, but put it up against Mellow Gold and I’d go with Mellow Gold.

  JHEJR: Do you listen to Anal Cunt?

  TF: No, I always wanted to though. When I was younger I used to buy this magazine that lasted only like 4 issues, it was called Flux. I really liked Mortal Combat and it had Mortal Combat on the cover, so I bought it. It covered music and everything, and they always would review Anal Cunt CDs.

  JHEJR: What words or phrases do you most overuse?

  TF: I’ve been using the word beating a lot. If you’re in a bad situation or something, that’s a beating, but a lot of people don’t understand and wonder if I’m talking about a fight.

  JHEJR: If you could die and come back as something, what would it be?

  TF: Anything that’s an inanimate object.

  JHEJR: Do you still lie to kids about Santa Claus?

  TF: No, but I can’t remember ever having a conversation with a kid about Santa Claus.

  JHEJR: Would you ever buy a car without test driving it?

  TF: I would and I have.

  

  JHEJR: If you had a boat what would you name it?

  TF: Mystic Thickness.

  JHEJR: So, about Longmont Potion Castle, where did you hear about that guy?

  TF: I’ve always been really into prank calls. I’ve probably done more researching for prank calls than I have for music. I think I probably know a lot more about that shit than music. I found his prank calls on this ultimate Web store about 10 years ago it was a total accident. Where did you start?

  JHEJR: I started watching a bunch of YouTube videos that were just a black screen and recordings of his calls, but the very first thing that I watched was this video where it looked like he had sent someone into stores he was prank calling and had someone videotape the person while they were on the phone with him.

  TF: Oh, that’s really rad. I have that DVD. But if you really want to delve in, there’s like 7 main albums and another of just like some outtakes and other random stuff. It’s best to start at the beginning you learn the phrases he comes up with, I mean, he comes up with some really weird shit, but none of it’s that random. It comes from what other people say to him. He might say something in the third album, but then you go back to the first album and you hear that someone else said that to him when they were pissed. I don’t know about how many years go by or anything, but if you listen closely you can tell he started calling somebody in the second album and went back to them in the fifth or sixth, and you can hear the people say he sounds familiar.

  JHEJR: How did you enjoy playing the Pritzker Pavilion last year during the lunchtime music series? I always thought it was strange timing have Black Moth play a lunchtime set for all the business types picnicking in the park.

  TF: Yeah, I’m usually just waking up at noon, so trying to play a show at noon is definitely weird. I guess if even a few people liked it, then I guess I liked it. I don’t know what to say.

  JHEJR: Well there were definitely a lot of us jamming. Did you have a good time playing?

  TF: You know what, it was fine, but I don’t have a good time playing shows usually. I don’t like performing.

  JHEJR: Is it anxiety?

  TF: No, it’s not anxiety, I have anxiety over a whole bunch of things. It’s just feeling awkward.

  JHEJR: Well it’s funny for you to say that because the one picture of you that is circulated all around was taken from that show.

  TF: The one that’s up on Wikipedia?

  JHEJR: Yeah.

  TF: I wish someone would take that down, I don’t want to have a Wikipedia page.

  JHEJR:The new album sounds a little darker than previous efforts?

  TF: Evil maybe?

  JHEJR: It sounds determined.

  

  TF: I was on a fucking mission to have fun, and it’s kind of funny because the album I’m having the most fun on is my darkest and scariest.

  JHEJR: How have the shows been so far?

  TF: It’s been surprising. I didn’t really have any expectations because we haven’t done any headlining tours yet.

  JHEJR:How was South By Southwest?

  TF: That’s my last South By Soutwest. Seriously, it was pretty rough when we did it with Black Moth and I thought it would be a little easier this time because I had such a smaller set up and less involved. But the people in charge of everything down there, that whole festival is just a mess. I get it if you’re in a young band and you want to go down and be seen, but I go down there and it’s like, ‘I don’t want to be seen.’

  JHEJR: You played Bonnaroo before as well?

  TF: Yeah that one was a little disorganized too. The only festival I’ve ever been are part of that I thought was really well done was Sasquatch. That one made it easy. Well organized, parking was awesome.

  

  

  

  

  JHEJR: Do you make much art?

  TF: These days I do it for the purpose of album art. I should do more, but I never really think of myself as a visual artist. That image for Maniac Meat has been around for about a year and I just keep tweaking it.

  JHEJR: What program do you use?

  TF: I use Photoshop and it’s a lot of collage and a lot of fucking around.

  

  

  

  

  

  JHEJR: Do you follow the arts community much?

  TF: I want to, but I don’t know where to go.
  JHEJR: What are you going to do during your time off?

  TF: I’m going to get back into the really good shape that I was in before going out on this tour. In just the three weeks we were out I gained like 10 pounds.

  JHEJR: Do you go running a lot?

  TF: No, I don’t go out running much. I usually just run on a treadmill. I just got into yoga.

  JHEJR: Like hot yoga?

  TF: No, but I should though. I kind of messed up my back by doing yoga the wrong way.

  Posted on June 07, '10 by Chad Kouri | Share this Post | Permalink

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