Nick Milligan's Blog, page 9

Danger Mouse: interview

ODD COUPLE: Cee-Lo Green and Danger Mouse of Gnarls Barkley.

Here’s an interview from the Milligan vaults: Danger Mouse. I interviewed the genius Brian Burton following the release of Gnarls Barkley’s The Odd Couple.

The partnership between renegade producer Danger Mouse and Goodie Mob vocalist Cee-Lo Green has turned into a breathtakingly unique musical act. Although they met in 1998, it wasn’t until 2003 when the duo would seriously start working together. Having exploded on the international radar with the monster-single ‘Crazy’ and their debut album, St. Elsewhere, Gnarls Barkley have proved that they’re not just a flash in the pan, with their follow-up release, The Odd Couple. Building upon their ‘spooky-soul’ sound, this second album brings them one step closer to being branded modern music’s most significant group. Nick Milligan spoke to Brian Burton aka Danger Mouse.

You write the songs and Cee-Lo writes the lyrics - has anything that Cee-Lo’s written, like the suicide song ‘Just A Thought’, ever taken you by surprise?

Not really, to be honest. ‘Just A Thought’ came from the second time we ever got together in the recording studio. We had the music written, but we didn’t want to record anything. We just talked for four to five hours, then we both had to leave. We didn’t wind up recording that day, but a lot of what we talked about ended up in that song. We got to know each other, so we were very honest from the very beginning. That’s how a lot of these songs come together. We talk about ourselves and life, rather than the details of the music, fast, slow, happy, sad, etc. We try to figure each other out.

So by using this process, does Cee-Lo include your thoughts and feelings in the songs?

Yeah, absolutely. I think that the records are very much him singing to the world, but also to me – and for me. I feel like some of the stuff he’s written, I couldn’t have written more personally, or better lyrically. But it comes from him so truly as well. It makes you feel very comfortable to have someone else sing about what’s going on in your own head.

Do you see Gnarls Barkley as being a long-term project?

Yeah, I think we both do. We use it as our home base. We think we can really do something with it as a group. We’re very inspired by it and by people’s response to it as well. We’re going to go in to record our third record fairly soon, I think.

Gnarls Barkley write a lot of music on the road - are there many songs that are written that haven’t made it onto these two albums?

No, maybe a couple of songs here and there that don’t get finished. But we’re not one of those bands that can do that. [Cee-Lo] digs so deep for something that when he puts it out there, it stays out there.

Both of your albums have a spooky, dark-quality - where does that come from?

I like the darkness in music – it’s always interested me a little bit more. All of my influences inspire it, whether its old soundtrack music, psych-rock or folk music – I get it from all over the place. I’m really affected by music. I can’t help it. I get moved very easily by anything musically that does that to me.

Do you feel that The Odd Couple is as dark as St. Elsewhere?

Yeah, absolutely. I haven’t really compared their ‘darkness’ or anything, but I could see how one might think so.

Do you and Cee-Lo consider yourselves to be an Odd Couple?

In some ways, sure. In some ways we’re similar and in other ways, not at all. We didn’t put too much thought into the album’s name.

You’re known for your studio-based projects, like your work with Gorillaz and The Grey Album (where Burton spliced The Beatles’ White Album with Jay- Z’s Black Album) – was Gnarls Barkley originally intended to be just a studio project?

I didn’t really envisage it as a live thing, no. But I didn’t not envisage it as a live thing. I didn’t think about it one way or another, because I never really knew how it was all going to come together.

Was it difficult to initially interpret the music on stage?

At first it was, but it got more comfortable as we went along. But we had a lot of players on stage – that’s how we compensated for it. The second album is going to be easier to play than the first one. We’ve already cut down the size of the live band, and now we have two albums of material to choose from.

Having worked on so many projects, are you fussy over who you choose to work with?

It usually just starts with me being a fan of the person. That’s the main thing. Then you see if you can work with the person or not. Some people are not necessarily easy to work with, but I haven’t run into that problem too much. A common love of music is all it takes.

Do Gnarls Barkley have plans to return to Australia?

I hope so, I love Australia. It’s one of the better places we’ve toured.

The Odd Couple is available through Warner.

 

Troy Van Leeuwen: interview

STONE AGE ROMEO: Queens of the Stone Age guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen.

Rock juggernaut Queens of the Stone Age are visiting the Hunter for the first time in March. They are on their global tour for sixth studio record …Like Clockwork. The world-renowned live band are joined by influential industrial rockers Nine Inch Nails, with the bands flipping a coin each night to see who plays first. Nick Milligan speaks with Queens of the Stone Age guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen about the recording process and how a health scare for singer Josh Homme informed the dark atmosphere of their latest epic.

What impact has the material from …Like Clockwork had on Queens of the Stone Age’s live show?

Our show is based around the new record [...Like Clockwork]. Last time we were on tour in Australia and New Zealand our show was based around the re-release of the first record. There was a nostalgic feel to that. It was really stripped down and the show was simple. But this record is not that. We figured this time around we were really going to base everything on the present and what’s coming in the future, which for us is more in-depth. It’s more colourful. We’ll play stuff from our other records too, but we play every song on the new record.

In choosing what songs from the other records make it on to the setlist, do you look for tracks that fit comfortably with the sound of the new material?

Well there’s songs that are standards, like the radio singles. No One Knows, of course, we play. And Go With The Flow we play every night. But we’re also allowing ourselves to expand on other jams. Sometimes we play Better Living Through Chemistry off Rated R, which has a middle section where we do some improv. We’ll sprinkle in things that are atmospheric and allow us to spread our wings.

On your upcoming tour of Australia with Nine Inch Nails, the two bands will be flipping a coin to see who plays first. Nine Inch Nails definitely won’t be an easy act to follow.

We’ve opened up for them many times and they always put on a great show. There’s no doubt about it. It’s going to be a good competition between us, I think. We’re going to push each other a little bit. I know they’re going to push us, for sure.

… Like Clockwork was the first album in which bassist Michael Shuman and keyboardist Dean Fertita were present for the recording. Did they have a big impact on the album?

Every record is different. The short answer is yes, of course they impacted the record. The bass playing Michael has added is stellar. People are going to start seeing what a real talent Mike is. He’s not just a bass player but a great singer and player of all instruments. Dean is a piece of the puzzle that is a rock – he’s always dependable and able to deliver off the cuff. There’s a great set of players in the band now. Jon [Theodore, drums] played on the record a little bit too and his stamp is on there. It’s a Queens record, and each of them are different. Most of the new direction, as far as the songwriting, was a conscious decision by all of us. It was a conscious decision to have the vocals very upfront. The past records have pushed the music, but this time we’ve tried to open it up and sonically let everything be heard in a natural way.

There was a long list of guest musicians on …Like Clockwork, like Elton John, Alex Turner, Dave Grohl and Trent Reznor, but there are contributions are more textural rather than obvious appearances. Was that a conscious decision by you guys?

Usually we don’t incorporate any philosophy other than, ‘Hey, c’mon over and jump in our realm for a minute.’ You’re encouraged to do something that you normally wouldn’t, but at the end of the day you’ll have to be yourself. That’s the parameters. Everybody delivers something really amazing. The person I keep thinking about is Jake Shears [of Scissor Sisters], who sings on Keep Your Eyes Peeled. It does not sound like the Scissor Sisters and he delivers something so amazing and dramatic. If you didn’t tell them it was Jake Shears, they wouldn’t know. I liked working with him, it was really impressive.

Does it take a high level of musical proficiency to be a part of Queens of the Stone Age?

It does. We have no slouches in the band. Everybody has to have the ability to do anything and everything. You have to be flexible and ready, and have your mind sharp.

Josh had a very severe health scare before the writing of …Like Clockwork. I read that yourself, Dean and Michael tried to left his spirits and convince him to make another record. Was there any point in which you thought there might not be another Queens of the Stone Age album?

I would say it’s not a matter of convincing, but more a push to be afraid and express being vulnerable. You can’t express things that you’re not feeling. If you’re feeling vulnerable, you’d be lying if you didn’t say it. You might as well talk about what you’re going through – the truth. We’ve always been this band that has a tongue-in-cheek philosophy about everything, but this was very serious. All of a sudden Queens of the Stone Age was very serious, and that was a challenge. But at the end of the day we’re really happy with what we came out with, because we were totally uncertain that we were going to get through it. But the convincing wasn’t really to make another record, but to express yourself – which leads to making art.

There are large, theatrical pieces of music on …Like Clockwork. Is that aspect of the record one of the ways in which the idea of vulnerability manifested itself in the songwriting?

It definitely did, and also the title of the record. It’s probably the only ironic thing about it, because it did not go “like clockwork” at all. I think there was maybe two songs that didn’t give us problems. The rest were laboured over and fought over, and ideas changed in the middle of them. The song does what it wants to do. If it doesn’t want to have drums in the verse and it wants to have a drum machine, then that’s what it wants. There’s stuff like that. We allowed ourselves to take as long as it took and we didn’t spare a second. We listened to the masters on the plane on the way to our first show, in South America, and devised an email saying, ‘Ok, it’s done.’ By the time we landed the email went out, and that was it. We literally worked on it every second until we were playing again.

Is it true that there is enough leftover music from the …Like Clockwork sessions to put out another record soon?

Well, we did a lot of music. We recorded a lot. We decided to make the record really tight, we didn’t want to load it up with anything superfluous. But there’s music that we haven’t finished yet, yeah. There’s a lot. When we’re going to get to it I don’t know because our schedule is pretty full up with touring and sometimes it’s better to focus on the present instead of getting the next record done.

The Newcastle performance on Saturday, March 8 will be the exact 20-year anniversary of the release of Nine Inch Nails’ landmark record The Downward Spiral. Have you heard any rumours about whether the band are planning something special for that night?

I haven’t heard anything, but I don’t see why there shouldn’t be something special. It’s an amazing record. But I don’t know anything. I know that Trent, from our experiences of touring with him, changes up the sets. You never know.

Do you have anything else planned with your other musical projects in 2014?

I just shot a video for the new Sweethead [Leeuwen's other band] single and we might make an appearance in your neck of the woods soon, this year. We’re always making music, there’s always stuff happening.

Top 10 Movies of 2013

BEST MOVIE OF 2013? Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s directorial debut is an accomplished one.

There was an array or weird and wonderful movies released in 2013. Here’s a quick look at my 10 favourite movies of the past 12 months. It was hard to narrow it down. Notable omissions are Drinking Buddies, 12 Years A Slave , This Is The End and Nebraska.

10.  WHITE HOUSE DOWN

Director: Roland Emmerich

What? A cheesy blockbuster in my top ten movies of 2013? You bet your sweet ass. From Independence Day to 2012, Roland Emmerich has redefined the term “over the top” (or ‘OTT’ to you Gen Z kids). Essentially the plot of Die Hard relocated to the White House, this flick has everything you could possibly want from a popcorn action movie. Its key ingredients include James Woods as a villain and Jamie Foxx as an Obama-ish president who kicks a bad guy in the face for touching his Nike Jordans. And when Foxx grabs a bazooka and takes aim from the window of his limousine, the penny really drops – White House Down is pure genius.

09. THE LAST STAND

Director: Kim Ji-woon

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s return to action movies didn’t prove to be one of his best, but it ticked most of the right boxes. Above all else, there was something deeply emotional about seeing the big Austrian kicking ass once again. The Last Stand reminded its audience that it had been far too long since movie goers had seen Arnie divide bad guys in two with a chain gun. And The Last Stand made no effort to hide its lead actor’s age – Arnie is a weathered and battered hero in The Last Stand, which makes it one of his grittiest and most satisfying roles.

08. MUD

Director: Jeff Nichols

Following on from his impressive character study Take Shelter, Jeff Nichols serves up a coming-of-age drama that builds in tension. The backdrop of the Mississippi River is perfect for this tale of age versus innocence. Matthew McConaughey gives yet another stand-out turn as the title character – a man hiding out on small island – but central to the movie’s success is two gutsy and effortless performances from the two young male leads, played by Tye Sheridan and Jacob Lofland. Keep your eyes out for those two kids in the future.

07. DJANGO UNCHAINED

Director: Quentin Tarantino

While some criticised Django Unchained for making light of the genocide that was slavery, people who actually saw the movie know that the horrors of America’s past are displayed in vividly graphic and metaphorical detail. This is one of Tarantino’s best movies. The other powerful slavery movie of 2013, 12 Years A Slave, takes a more direct and ultra realistic view of the genocide of African Americans – and both are equally successful.

06. THE WOLF OF WALL STREET

Director: Martin Scorsese

Martin Scorsese’s epic tale of hedonistic greed dares you to barrack for its protagonist – master criminal Jordan Belfort. It’s a wild, fast-paced hurricane that feels far shorter than its three-hour running time. Stellar performances under the guidance of a master filmmaker help The Wolf of Wall Street become a modern classic.

05. PHILOMENA

Director: Stephen Frears

The evils of the Catholic Church are no longer a secret, but the story of Philomena explores past atrocities with intimacy and heartbreaking honesty. The film benefits from perfect casting and a British sensibility. It’s one of Judi Dench’s most stunning performances and Steve Coogan has never been better as the stiff-upper-lipped BBC journalist who helps the title character find answers in the murky past of forced adoptions in Ireland.

04. HER

Director: Spike Jonze

On the surface it seems as if writer-director Spike Jonze is making an observation on our near future – a world where our minds are turned inward to the technological realm and we remain oblivious to the physical universe around us. But there is far more depth in Jonze’s screenplay for Her – a film that is surely the best movie of his career. Her is about human connection. It’s an existential love story that is both subtle and poignant. It’s also difficult to imagine any lead actor besides Joaquin Phoenix with the ability to ground Jonze’s big ideas in a touching humanist reality.

03. AMERICAN HUSTLE

Director: David O Russell

Its soundtrack alone would have put American Hustle in my top 10 (especially its prominent usage of the classic ’10538 Overture’ by Electric Light Orchestra). But luckily David O Russell’s cleverly plotted and wonderfully acted movie is also an utter joy to watch. It’s humour is wry and its finale satisfying. Christian Bale steals the show as a clever con man with a conscience.

02. DALLAS BUYERS CLUB

Director: Jean-Marc Vallée

In a film that must see Matthew McConaughey win the Academy Award for best male performance in a leading role, its lead actor gives the performance of his career. But even more incredible is Jared Leto’s performance – he completely disappears into his role. It would be a travesty if he is not granted an Academy Award also. Dallas Buyers Club is a fascinating true story that provides insights into the demonstrable bureaucracy of pharmaceutical administrations but also the lives of those facing death at the hands of AIDS.

01. DON JON

Director: Joseph Gordon-Levitt

It seems strange that Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s writer-director debut, Don Jon, was largely ignored by Australian cinema chains, because it was by far the best movie released in 2013. The heartthrob actor, who stars in the title role, demonstrates creative style and subtlety in this accurate pull-no-punches exploration of male sexuality. After its initial set-up, Don Jon never goes where you expect to and, crucially, identifies the modern male’s obsession with online pornography as escapism rather than a damaging perversion. Scarlett Johansson is jaw-dropping and Julianne Moore gives one of the performances of her career. Notable, also, is the perfect casting of Tony Danza as Don Jon’s paternal influence. Don Jon is a supreme achievement.

My first KDP Select Kindle promotion

From December 27 to December 31, 2013 I made my first attempt at a KDP Select Promotion and I was happy with the results.

It was for my book Enormity (Part One) which is the first installment of my novel Enormity.

For the uninitiated, a KDP Select Promotion is the five days of free download you earn for your book if you sign up exclusively with Amazon’s KDP Select program, which means you must sell exclusively through Amazon for a three-month period.

Have you read Enormity: Part One?

As Amazon are the only eBook service that does not demand an American tax file number, I have been happy to sell through them (the IRS rejected my application – Australian authors keep in mind that they do not accept an Australian Justice of the Peace signature as verification of photo ID photocopies. If you don’t have a passport, you’re totally screwed).

If you’re in the same boat as me and are trying to promote your eBook outside of a five-day-a-week-nine-to-five job, then you need a little bit of outside help to run a successful KDP Select Promotion.

The goal is to get as many downloads as possible.

Giving away your book for free is essential to kickstarting sales and launching your bid for global domination.

Do not be afraid to give your book away for free – word of mouth and Amazon reviews, blog reviews etc are crucial to reaching a wider audience.

The secret is to get your free promotion mentioned on as many free ebook websites as possible.

There seems to be thousands of them out there, each with a large following of Kindle owners who are keen to fill their ereader with lots of free books.

I went to Ebookbooster.com – for a fee of $US40 they will submit details of your book to about 50 free ebook websites.

It’s a small expense and saves you a lot of time.

I also went to Kindle Nation Daily and paid for their $US29.99 “Free Ebook Highlighter Service”.

They tweeted about my promotion nine times in the five days of my promotion to their 12,724 followers and these also received a number of retweets from their affiliates and followers.

The result?

In five days, Enormity (Part One) received 2616 downloads.

This was a lot more than I was hoping for.

Enormity reached #7 on Amazon’s science fiction ebook charts.

This helped me reach #7 on Amazon’s free science fiction ebook list (see screenshot)/

Has it kickstarted sales?

Not in a massive way – it has led to about 60 sales of Enormity (Part One) and about 20 sales each of Enormity (Part Two) and Enormity (Part Three).

It’s also led to about 10 sales of Enormity (Complete Edition).

These aren’t massive numbers but they are better than zero.

It means I have readers where I didn’t before, and also means that my book is now on 2616 readers, waiting to be read.

It’s also a long process – Enormity is about 460 pages.

It takes time, so the flow-on effect is likely to be slow.

I chose December 27 to December 31 because I had a theory that many people would get a Kindle for Christmas, party on Boxing Day and then jump online to get some books on their Kindle from December 27.

Whether this theory is true or not is open to debate.

My free ebook promotional poster – note that it’s shaped to fit neatly on instagram.

I also used a flyer on both Facebook, Twitter and instagram, using hashtags like #freeebook, #freeebooks, #freekindle, #kindle, #amazon, #indieauthor etc etc.

NEXT PROMOTION

My next promotion starts from February 21, 2014 and runs for five days until February 25.

I am using the same promotional services as last time.

But I hope to receive help from more free ebook Twitter services.

As I have been stumbling across free ebook Twitter accounts, I have been adding them to a Twitter list for easy reference later.

I’m also seeking out some more paid services and will blog about my findings and experience again after the upcoming promotion.

Album review: James Vincent McMorrow – Post Tropical

TROPICAL ESCAPE: James Vincent McMorrow’s second record, Post Tropical, is a modern masterpiece.

JAMES VINCENT McMORROW

Post Tropical

5/5

Sometimes vocals and meticulous production synthesise with such stunning beauty that it’s hard to articulate the resulting glory. But if Irish singer-songwriter James Vincent McMorrow’s goal for his breath-taking second record was to leave the listener utterly speechless, then he has triumphed.

While his breakthrough record, 2010′s Early In The Morning, announced the arrival of a truly stunning falsetto vocalist, and a talented writer, it also suggested yet another restless folk singer. But this hasn’t sat comfortably with McMorrow, and on Post Tropical he emerges from the chrysalis of a guitar-cradling troubadour with a wide, shimmering wingspan of sonic colour and flawless arrangements.

In fact, the guitar is long gone. McMorrow has replaced it with oceans of layered vocals, sunny blasts of humming brass, soft patters of 808 drum machine and aching, sustained synthesisers. Floating through the echoed malaise is McMorrow’s arresting voice, now attuned to revelation rather than restless longing.

Recorded at the Sonic Ranch, a shady pecan farm in Texas near the Mexican border, the production gives a sense of vast space despite its seemingly endless overdubs which seem to echo into eternity. McMorrow even overdubbed a mandolin 50 times to create a waterfall on ‘The Lakes’.

The overall result is something that feels more akin to the work of Beach House of James Blake than McMorrow’s previous folk comparisons. In the dream of Post Tropical are moments of trip-hop, RnB and soul, all part of the halcyon fabric of songs like ‘Cavalier’ and the mesmerising vocals of ‘Red Dust’ (his sustained note at the end of ‘Red Dust’ can almost cut through flesh’). The cohesive record culminates in exquisite closer, ‘Outside, Digging’, in which McMorrow repeatedly coos the line “There is so little left from the warmth of the sun” in a slow-building trip of shimmering cymbals and angelic vocal notes. It’s an immersive sensory experience that is as impossible to exit as it is to comprehend. Post Tropical is a masterpiece.

10 classic Philip Seymour Hoffman roles

THE MASTER: Philip Seymour Hoffman, 1967-2014.

PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN

July 23, 1967 – February 3, 2014

Today a generation of actors lost its shining light. There is no question that Philip Seymour Hoffman was a phenomenal performer of seemingly endless range. He was a true chameleon and his list of performances is an impressive master-class in cinematic delivery. While a lot will be said about his “demons” – and we will no doubt hear many quotes from a particular Neil Young song – now is a time to celebrate the numerous gifts that Hoffman gave to cinema. He will be remembered as the actor of his generation.

Here are 10 memorable Hoffman characters and moments.

10. TWISTER (1996)

Character: Dustin Davis

This is my first memory of seeing Philip Seymour Hoffman on screen. I remember him in the film so vividly because he blasts Deep Purple’s ‘Child In Time’ as his team of twister chasers screams down a back road toward a mammoth weather event. As a young kid who was a massive fan of Deep Purple, I remember thinking this was pretty darn cool. Dustin Davis is the comic relief in this movie and, as he would do time and time again, Hoffman steals the show despite limited screen time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNiKseeX_Ic

09. BOOGIE NIGHTS (1997)

Character: Scotty J.

Hoffman worked with director Paul Thomas Anderson many times over the years and turned into an essential ingredient in his best work. This culminated with Hoffman’s phenomenal role in The Master. But in Boogie Nights, the actor’s portrayal of gay boom mic operator Scotty J. resulted in one the film’s heart-wrenching scenes in which Scotty drunkenly tries to kiss Mark Wahlberg’s Eddie Adams/Dirk Diggler. “I’m a fucking idiot,” is perhaps the most quoted line from the movie.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTMYcSU_HCc

08. PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE (2002)

Character: Dean Trumbell

Hoffman’s heated phone exchange with Adam Sandler in Punch-Drunk Love – another Paul Thomas Anderson flick – is a classic. Hoffman plays Dean Trumbell, a low-life criminal who runs a phone scam out the back of his mattress business.

07. CAPOTE (2005)

Character: Truman Capote

Hoffman’s portrayal of the brilliant, flawed and complex Truman Capote rightfully won him an Academy Award. Capote exemplifies the actor’s genius.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwpVqRLsVSI

06. ALMOST FAMOUS (2000)

Character: Lester Bangs

In Almost Famous, director Cameron Crowe cast Hoffman as legendary music journalist Lester Bangs. His pep talk to naive William Miller is an important moment, in that it sums up so much of what the movie is about. Its sentimental message should ring true for most entertainment journalists.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzY2pWrXB_0

05. SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK

Character: Caden Cotard

For many it will surely be their favourite Hoffman performance – the tireless visionary in Charlie Kaufman’s postmodern drama Synedoche, New York.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRsjYSYR7w0

04. THE IDES OF MARCH (2011)

Character: Paul Zara

Hoffman is at his powerful best in The Ides of March as ruthless political campaign manager Paul Zara. This scene with Ryan Gosling is a stand-out from this compelling drama.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5LHALGus5Q

03. DOUBT (2008)

Character: Father Brendan Flynn

As good as Meryl Streep is in Doubt, the film hinges on the ambiguous performance of Hoffman as a priest accused of sexual abuse. The film conjures doubt in the mind of the viewer and that sensation lingers after the film too. There are many fiery scenes between Hoffman and Streep in this superb movie.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuJ2soRp1VI

02. THE BIG LEBOWSKI (1998)

Character: Brandt

As a snivelling, straight-laced assistant to Jeffrey Lebowski, Hoffman’s Brandt is hilarious. His awkward interaction with The Dude during his grand tour – and the later poolside scene with Bunny – are, well, completely hilarious.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmA-WSNhmRQ

01. THE MASTER (2012)

Character: Lancaster Dodd

Crucial to this film’s success is the dichotomy of Hoffman’s character – a charismatic man and a chilling liar. In a role based on L Ron Hubbard, in what is perhaps his greatest role, the actor is convincing as a cult leader who makes people believe in fantasy. We get glimpses into the psyche of a man with the charm to form his own religion. It’s apt that Hoffman be remembered for a film called The Master.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hakQFZh8QpA

Frank Black: interview

As the singer and songwriter in seminal American rock band the Pixies, Charles Michael Kittridge Thompson IV aka Frank Black aka Black Francis, is perhaps the most influential songwriter of the modern era. Since the Pixies originally disbanded in 1993, Frank Black has recorded 20 studio albums. However, his prolific output will be forever outweighed by the mammoth influence his songwriting has had on popular (and unpopular) music. A very wry-humoured and candid Frank Black spoke to me in 2008 ahead of his upcoming Australian solo tour, and we discussed why he’ll never rest on his laurels.

Your last trip to Australia was when the Pixies had reformed and you played in Australia for the very first time (in 2007). Was it a weird experience to travel to a country you’d never been to and receive such an overwhelming response?

Yeah, it had its moments. It was enjoyable. However, there were enough conflicts among the band at that time, while the shows were going on, that made it feel like the end of the band the first time (back in 1993). It just felt like the end. It was kind of like, “Yep, this is it. We’re going back to our more obscure lives.” (laughs)

Since you started releasing your solo work, have you had a desire to distance yourself from the sound ofthe Pixies?

I don’t really have enough artistic visionto say, “I want to sound like this or that.” There may be a desire on my part to be respected as a writer, or even to supersede the success of the Pixies. But that’s all ego…which I stand behind. There’s nothing wrong with ego, it’s a part of being a musician. You’ve gotta have some ego, and I’ve got plenty of it. But you get what you get – it’s showbiz. Maybe you get to escape the shadow of something you did before, maybe you don’t. I’m not going to become a dentist! I’m in it to win it, on whatever level. I’m making money as a musician, so I have nothing to complain about. I didn’t start out (in music) saying, “Ok, I am going to rule the world. I am going to be the most important rock singer there ever was. I’m going to be the biggest thing ever! That’s my goal!” That wasn’t my goal! I just wanted to be in a cool fucking rock band, write some music, make some records and play in some clubs – take whatever show business has to offer me. So it’s mission accomplished. I’ve had complete artistic freedom since I became a musician about 22, 23 years ago. No one has ever told me any different. I’ve never signed a contract that dictated what I had to do. I can do whatever I want! I’m a f*#king artist! (laughs) I can never understand when I read about other bands that say, “Oh well, we had to do it because the record company told us to blah blahblah.” What the hell are they talking about? That has not been my experience. I don’t think anybody told Bob Dylan what to do!

You’re currently promoting a mini album called Svn Fngrs. I believer the title is referencing a hero from Irish mythology called Cúchulainn– what made you choose that subject matter?

Well, the concept of the mini-album is ‘Demi-Gods’. Cúchulainn is featured twice on the session, but there are songs about other Demi-Gods, and other subject matter, which through my artistic licence I have determined to be ‘Demi-Godish’ (laughs). Some songs are about an actual demi-god, while others are relating us to the concept of a demi-god in a different sort of way. But how did I come upon this? Do you ever go to Wikipedia? Well, if you look in the left hand column, you will see the ‘random search’ choice. I believe it’s called ‘Random Article’. I must have clicked on it for 45 minutes. It wasn’t like I just chose the first thing that came up! I still haven’t found what I’m looking for! (sings, referencing the U2 song) There I was, clicking away. “No, no, no, maybe, no, no, maybe, no no… ah Demi-Gods! Of course! Tell me more about these Demi-Gods” (laughs). I don’t know why some things appeal to you, but on that particular evening I had contemporary writer’s block – I was under a little bit of pressure. There was the ‘Random Article’ button! Maybe I’ll try it again some time. That’s the kind of guy I am. When the wife and the kids have gone to sleep, I might just start clicking on ‘Random Article’ for a little while and read about obscure history or recipes. I don’t know what I’ll stumble on to! But that’s the wonderful, internet powered world that I live in now. I’m into it.

You’re very prolific compared to other solo artists – do you become discontent when you’re not making a new record?

I think that’s what it is – I’m just restlessor something. I want to make music and I don’t want to sit around and analyse it to death. I know I occupy a niche – I’m not going to sit there and think, “Right, I really need to make a record that’s going to bring me to the next level.” I’ve done that stupid game and it doesn’t work for me. It’s not what makes me feel creative or vital. It might work for other peopleto move in that spirit, but for me it just rubs me the wrong way. I want to express myself and do it. I don’t want to sit around and wonder if something is going to get on the radio. I mean, c’mon, let’s just make some music.

Do you try to avoid doing the same thing twice?

No, I don’t even have any rules about that. I’ve got no rules. I just want to make music. I admire someone like Mark E Smith from The Fall. Let the fucker go! I’m not going to sit around and listen to every one of those fucking records (laughs), but I appreciate it. There’s someone that’s saying, “Fuck it, man. I’m going to express myself whether people love it or not. Sometimes it will be beautiful and resonate with most people. Other times it won’t.” [Mark E Smith] does it because he does it. I like that and I appreciate that. I appreciate other people who have a lot of artistic vision and contemplate. They’ll say, “I’m only going to make a record every two or three years. I’m really going to think about it and construct it.” That’s just how they work. Some people make demos and sketches, and work on it in what I consider to be a tedious fashion. Other people are like, “Go! Put it into record. Woo!”  They just blurt it all out. I understand both [approaches] and both are valid. I just happen to be more the type that doesn’t contemplate something for a couple of years.

YOUNG AND NAIVE: The Pixies circa 1989, with Frank Black far left.

The music you made over 20 years ago with the Pixies has been embraced by a legion of new kids – why is that?

It’s real, it’s not contrived. Whatever is pretentious about it, is pretentious in a heart-felt way. When I was being pretentious, it was in a sweet way and it’s passionate. It wasn’t like I was saying that we were great – to the people out there I was just like they were, but I was in a band. People could still relate. I think the Pixies’ music had a lot of soul, that isn’t in mainstream music. I’m not saying all mainstream music is like that, but a lot of it is lacking in the soul department. Being young and naive had a lot to do with it too. You can only be young and naive once, before you’re just old. The Pixies was a short burst of creativity. It’s the first band I was ever in! So, it really represented this quick burst of creativity from some people that didn’t really know what they were doing. When that correlation happens, cool stuff happens. You only get that once – that’s not to say that you can’t be something else and do other things later in life, but you’re only in that virginal place at one time.

The Wolf of Wall Street: review

AMERICAN DREAM: Leonardo DiCaprio in The Wolf of Wall Street.

THE WOLF OF WALL STREET

4.5/5

It is ironic that director Martin Scorsese’s epic three-hour hedonistic hurricane, The Wolf of Wall Street, is summarised perfectly in its final three seconds. But it’s also supremely poetic. The camera pans up to a sea of wide-eyed faces gazing at “The Wolf” himself, Jordan Belfort, as he launches into a motivational lecture. In this final moment Scorsese is holding up a mirror to us – the viewing audience. We are agape and marvelling at this dynamic individual.

And this is not a spoiler, because we know how this story ends.

In real life Belfort now makes significant money as a motivational speaker and from sales of his two memoirs – one of which is The Wolf of Wall Street.

But the 22-year-old, New York-native that we meet in this fifth collaboration between Scorsese and DiCaprio has aspirations of being a stockbroker. His first day on the job in Wall Street, in 1987, is referred to as “Black Monday” – a stock market crash that sees him immediately out of work.

This bad luck does not hinder Belfort. He applies for a job at an Investor Center – known in the business as a “boiler room” – that trades in penny stocks, a form of stock that are cheap and semi-illegal. With his aggressive sales techniques and the 50 per cent commission he makes from penny stocks sales, Belfort is soon independently wealthy.

He is approached by a furniture salesman who lives in his building, Donnie Azoff (Jonah Hill in a role based on Stratton Oakmont ex-president Danny Porush), and the two soon start a business together called Stratton Oakmont. Through rampant stock manipulation and numerous shady practices, the company grows exponentially – and around Belfort blooms cult-like worship.

As Belfort’s life grows into a roller coaster of extreme excess and shifts further and further from reality, the FBI – led by agent Patrick Denham (Kyle Chandler) – soon starts to circle.

SEX AND MONEY: Margot Robbie and DiCaprio both give brave performances.

Across the board the performances in The Wolf of Wall Street are top notch. A host of quality actors drop in and out of the narrative – from Matthew McConaughey to Jean Dujardin. Even Spike Jonze makes an uncredited appearance. Hill has never been finer – his power-mad, slightly camp portrayal of Azoff ultimately casts a very lonely, desperate figure. Australia’s stunning Margot Robbie gives a brave star-making performance as Belfort’s second wife Naomi and holds her own against DiCaprio during the movie’s most emotionally traumatic scene. You never feel like you get to know Naomi beyond her trophy wife status, but this is largely due to Belfort’s lack of interest.

In the story of The Wolf of Wall Street, Scorsese has found the material for his own version of Scarface. And just like Brian de Palma’s classic 1983 movie, which Scorsese is a big fan of, The Wolf of Wall Street says that the real “American dream” is not achieved through hard work – it’s not a white picket fence, a modest income, a wife and three kids. America is not “a land of opportunity” but a chance at opulence.

The American dream is built on an inherent, blind thirst for money. It is built on greed, and it is there in the faces we see in the final frames of The Wolf of Wall Street. It’s a fantasy that Belfort managed to achieve with his yacht, helicopter, sexual conquests, Quaaludes, fast cars and mountains of cocaine. It was acquired through deceit on a gargantuan scale. Belfort preyed on people desperate for wealth – investors who wanted to cut corners. A quick dollar. And, as Leonardo DiCaprio’s anti-hero cheekily suggests in his voiceover, other people would behave like him if they knew how. He is daring you to like him and understand him.

DiCaprio’s casting as Belfort is crucial to the moral ambiguity of The Wolf of Wall Street. He is charismatic and addresses the audience on numerous occasions with honesty, charm and a twinkle in the eye. As his riches and fame increase, you soon forget his complete moral bankruptcy. You get lost in the drug-fuelled, blurred whimsy of it all. And, most tellingly, who find yourself barracking for him. You want Belfort to beat the spoilsports of the FBI. You want him to win.

MONEY, A DRUG: The Wolf of Wall Street is about the seduction of financial power.

This is why The Wolf of Wall Street might leave its viewer with an unsettling confusion about what they’ve just witnessed. Because Belfort’s well-documented downfall is a very small percentage of the film’s 179-minute running-time. The majority of the screenplay, written superbly by Boardwalk Empire creator Terence Winter, is glorifying Belfort and his co-worker’s grotesque behaviour. There are multiple scenes that only exist in the film as an opportunity to revel in Belfort’s sordid world.

In The Wolf of Wall Street Scorsese is returning to themes from his 1990 movie Goodfellas (which was based on non-fiction book Wiseguy). Goodfellas charts another rise and fall – in this case Ray Liotta’s character Henry Hill. But in that film the protagonist is punished for his criminality by being condemned to live in the real world – imprisoned by a generic suburban home and a dressing gown. Belfort suffers a less tedious fate – here we see him celebrated in a large Hollywood adaptation of his own work (the real Belfort even has a sneaky cameo in the final scene). Book sales from the success of this film will again make him a rich man, as will increased interest in his public appearances. Despite 22 months in jail, Belfort’s fun has continued.

It’s this message that gives The Wolf of Wall Street teeth. We don’t live in a world that condemns Jordan Belforts. We admire them. Buried in The Wolf‘s sparkling indulgence, simmering beneath the surface, is a taught and mournful message of despair. Scorsese has not only forced us to examine our own desires but has also documented a terrifying downward spiral in human values, decency and compassion.

Drew Goddard of Karnivool: interview

PLUGGED IN: Karnivool, featuring guitarist Drew Goddard (second from left), make another powerful statement on Asymmetry.

Karnivool does nothing on a small scale.

The Perth progressive rock group’s monstrous third record, Asymmetry, took 12 weeks to make. It debuted at number one on the Australian album charts and won the Aussie group an ARIA for Best Hard Rock Album. In between was a five-and-a-half week tour of Europe.

“The shows were amazing – there was real [fan] growth everywhere,” guitarist and co-songwriter Drew Goddard says.

Karnivool’s tour started in Amsterdam and worked its way through France, Belgium, Italy, Switzerland, Germany and finished in England and Scotland.

“It was about the fifth time we’ve been [to Europe] and they were really cracking shows,” he adds.

Given their global popularity both here  and abroad – they played to more than 1500 ­people in Cologne – Goddard admits that the band members were confident Asymmetry had the chops to nail a number one chart position.

“To be honest, it wasn’t a complete surprise,” Goddard says. “We got the [sales] report midway through the first week and we knew that as long as weren’t up against something huge [we could reach number one]. It’s nothing that we had intended, but it didn’t take away from the feeling when it ­happened. It was awesome to have a number one and we just thought it was a really solid win for alternative music in this country. It’s better that it’s Asymmetry [at number one] then The X Factor‘s runners-up.”

Karnivool are touring with fellow prog-rock purveyors Dead Letter Circus and post-­rockers Sleepmakeswaves. It won’t be the first time these acts have toured together. Karnivool took Dead Letter Circus on the road as their main tour support when they heard the emerging group’s first EP in 2008. The two bands have remained friends. Sleepmakeswaves have also toured with Karnivool.

For Karnivool’s Hunter fans their show at Newcastle Panthers on Thursday will be the first chance to hear the large ambitious tracks from Asymmetry live. The album was recorded between Byron Bay’s 301 and the band’s own recording ­studio and was engineered by former Oakhampton resident Jordan Power. The album is intricate in detail and the songs are dynamic and thunderous.

The members of Karnivool, who share their lead singer Ian Kenny with rock band Birds of Tokyo, don’t have clearly defined songwriting process – they just follow their instincts.

“There’s no common place that [the ­songwriting] starts,” Goddard says. “It could be a guitar riff, it could be a weird sound or a rhythm. Even before it becomes a riff it’s a set of notes or a vibe. Sometimes it also comes from a jam where you’re not even thinking about it at all– you’re just messing around and you’ve got half a song. Once [a song] came from just a lyric. When something works you just roll with it and see where it takes you.”

Because Kenny divides his time between two successful bands – he was Australia’s first lead singer to have a number one record with two different acts in the same year – Karnivool often write the beds of the tracks without their vocalist.

“Kenny’s away most of the time these days, so when he comes in we will have a bunch of music and we’ll say ‘sing on this’,” the guitarist explains. “We’ll think the music’s going in a certain direction and then the vocals might fire it off in a direction that we didn’t think it was going in. That lights the path ahead for the song, then [Kenny’s] off again and we’ll say, ‘Thanks for the clues, mate, we’ll get back to it.’”

Given the layers and atmosphere of Karnivool’s music, and the long recording process, it can be difficult for the group to know when a song is complete.

“Sometimes it’s really obvious – structurally, anyway,” Goddard explains. “Sometimes you have to refrain from adding stuff when it doesn’t need it. The song is never really finished for me – it’s always just abandoned. You just have to go, ‘That’ll do pig.’”

The order of the album’s tracks is another series of creative decisions. “You have to see the forest for the trees,” Goddard explains. “And see where a song fits into the bigger picture. It’s a matter of getting [the track order] to flow – you have to get all the peaks and the troughs right so it doesn’t labour anywhere and it gets exciting in the right places. That’s important to us – to get the overall flow right.”

Five promising blockbusters for 2014

The phrase “big budget blockbuster” does not always describe a film that we might associate with an intelligent, thought-provoking script.

Perhaps that is why when Hollywood serves up a spectacle that doesn’t include cookie-cutter characters and gaping plot holes, it feels like a momentous occasion.

But it’s too easy for movie buffs to remain sceptical – we can always hope for quality.

Luckily for cinema goers there are a number of massive releases to land in 2014.

Here are five that look very promising.

Fingers crossed.

TRANSCENDENCE

Director: Wally Pfister

Cast: Johnny Depp, Paul Bettany, Morgan Freeman and Cillian Murphy.

What to expect: This is the directorial debut for brilliant cinematographer Wally Pfister, whose strong visual style can be seen in the films of director Christopher Nolan – Memento, The Dark Knight and Inception, to name a few.

Nolan works here as executive producer.

In Transcendence Depp plays a scientist Dr Will Caster, who is advocating controversial research into artificial intelligence.

He wants to create a machine that has the full range of human emotion and also a collective intelligence.

When he is mortally wounded in an attack by a group of anti-technology activists, a decision is made to synthesise Caster’s mind with his work.

There are dark consequences.

From the trailer, Transcendence echoes of 1992’s The Lawnmower Man but hopefully its central theme – the fusion of humanity and technology – is reflected in the screenplay.

Release date: April 18, 2014

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

DAWN OF THE ­PLANET OF THE APES

Director: Matt Reeves

Cast: Gary Oldman, Jason Clarke, Keri Russell and Andy Serkis.

What to expect: The fresh reboot of the Planet of the Apes franchise continues with this sequel to the mightily impressive 2011 movie Rise of the Planet of the Apes.

Sci-fans breathed a huge sigh of relief following the release of that movie, perhaps expecting another shambles like the Tim Burton-helmed remake, Planet of the Apes, in 2001.

Dawn is set eight years after the events of Rise, in which conniving chimpanzee Caesar has led his fellow smart simians to form a nation.

A band of human survivors have a tentative truce with the apes, but it proves short-lived as man and monkey teeter on the brink of wall.

While Dawn has a new director from Rise and, much to the disappointment of many female viewers, no James Franco, its teaser trailer suggests a tense and atmospheric experience – particularly as we all know how the humans fair against their hairier enemy.

Release date: July 11, 2014

JUPITER ASCENDING

Directors: Andy and Lana Wachowski

Cast: Channing Tatum, Mila Kunis and Sean Bean

What to expect: While The Wachowskis haven’t been flawless in their ­filmmaking, no one can deny their ambition and penchant for ground-breaking visuals.

Jupiter Ascending is written and directed by the brother-sister duo and feels like an original story with the scope of – and perhaps plans for – a new Star Wars-like franchise.

Mila Kunis plays Jupiter Jones, a lowly, attractive janitor who happens to have the same genetic make-up as the Queen of the Universe and is therefore a threat to her rule.

Channing Tatum plays a warrior called Caine who, despite being sent to Earth by the Queen to kill Jupiter, decides that he must protect her.

Caine is genetically modified and is a splice of both human and wolf DNA – in other words, a ­modern-day werewolf.

So while the premise might seem like the Wachowskis are jumping on the paranormal romance bandwagon, the trailer suggests that Jupiter Ascending is going to be an epic piece of escapism.

Release date: July 18, 2014

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY

Director: James Gunn

Cast: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel.

What to expect: Guardians of the Galaxy is one of the many Marvel movies to be woven into the Avengers storyline.

But it will not be your typical superhero affair.

The film is based on the 2008 Marvel comic, which in turn was an update of a comic series that dates back to 1969 – both of the same name.

Directed by James Gunn, whose legacy is clever schlock horror comedies like Slitherand Tromeo and Juliet, the movie is about a mismatched group of aliens who battle evil forces working for classic Marvel villain Thanos.

One of the team is a sharp-shooting racoon named Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper).

Leading into next year’s Avengers: The Age of Ultron, Guardians of the Galaxy is likely to be decidedly off-kilter and very twisted.

Release date: August 1, 2014

INTERSTELLAR

Director: Christopher Nolan

Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Jessican Chastain and Michael Caine.

What to expect: After the completion of his landmark Batman trilogy, it seems that every new Christopher Nolan movie will be met with great expectation – as is the case with Interstellar.

Many of the details of the movie’s plot are being kept under wraps and the teaser trailer, which features Matthew McConaughey giving a schmaltzy voice over about man’s ambition to “overcome the unknown”, is deliberately elusive in conveying plot.

Reports online state that the story, adapted from a script written by Nolan’s brother and collaborator Jonathan, is about a team of researchers and scientists who enter a wormhole.

Given Nolan’s previous mind-bending efforts Memento and Inception, Interstellar is likely to be another unpredictable thriller.

Release date: November 7, 2014