Interviews | No. 53
By Larry Crane
Alex Newport first made a name for himself in the late eighties with the heavy, sludgy sound of Fudge Tunnel, an English band that was around from 1989 to 1995. He moved to the states in the early nin...
Brian Kehew and Kevin Ryan have long been on the Tape Op radar — Kevin conducted the fantastic Emitt Rhodes interview in issue 33, and Brian recently set up and helped with the Ken Scott interview in...
Mike Patton keeps busy — that's for sure. Since his early days with rock band Faith No More (pioneering the rap-rock genre with their seminal hit "Epic"), through the schizophrenic compleit⁄ies of Mr. Bungle's three albums, to his more recent work with bands Tomahawk and Fantomas (a supergroup including Melvins guitarist Buzz Osborne, Mr. Bungle bassist Trevor Dunn, and Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo), Mr. Patton has built a solid reputation as a musical maverick based on the unexpected volume and breadth of his catalog. In 1999, along with his manager Greg Werckman, Mike founded Ipecac Recordings, which, in addition to putting out Mike's various projects, has since come to be known as a label specializing in musical misfits and very interesting albums which might not have found distribution otherwise. More recently, a non-singing role in director Steve Balderson's 2004 film, Firecracker, has added to Mr. Patton's resume of genre-breaking artistry. Photographer Brian T. Silak and I caught up with Mike backstage at New York City's Irving Plaza several hours before Fantomas' sold-out show at the same venue. Mike was kind enough to share with me his insights on creativity, the importance of believing in one's artistic vision and the role of home recording technology in his recent projects.
My love of Michael Penn's music so pre-dates my interest in recording that when I was preparing to interview him for Tape Op, I returned to his records — I felt I knew them by heart, to find that I kn...
Michael Gira, co-founder of the seminal, earth-moving band Swans, has developed his skills in the studio as an artist and producer. Searching for unexpected ways to create music while maintaining the...
Swing open the door to the little wooden shed behind Brian Beattie's house in south Austin and wonder how it all hangs together. The walls are stacked floor-to-ceiling with what looks like a yard sale...
Danny McKinney is a textbook case of a very busy man with a whole lot of irons in the fire. Requisite Audio is his boutique outboard gear company. Standel is his company that designs guitar amps. And...
