1. What have you been listening to lately?
AF: Ramses III: "Honey Rose"; White/Light: "Black Acts"; Creation is Crucifixion "Automata"; Popul Vuh "In the Gardens of the Pharao/Aguirre"
TH: Expo 70/I Am Sea Monster split 7" + Mammal "Distant Days" CS + Deathspell Omega/SVEST split LP + M83 "Saturdays=Youth" + Leviathan "Massive Conspiracy to End All Life"
2. Have you been to any interesting concerts recently?
AF: Been too busy lately, but Ratatosk (or whatever Jason Soliday and Ben Billington are calling themselves now were really good, but I think that I last saw them play in November. I'm looking forward to hearing some recorded stuff from them. Mark Fry was surprisingly good when I saw him play at the Empty Bottle for the "A Million Tongues" fest. Death Factory was great when I saw him at the Metal Shaker. I know I've missed a bunch of good shows in the last few months.
TH: Not really lately, but in the past year I saw Horna and HeatdeatH who were impressive.
3. Can you name a favorite film, or two (or a television program), from the last few months?
TH: Not really lately, but in the past year I saw Horna and HeatdeatH who were impressive.
3. Can you name a favorite film, or two (or a television program), from the last few months?
AF: I've pretty much been busy trying to prep for my classes, but I've been watching Aelita: Queen of Mars, a Russian science fiction film from the 1920s. In the film, Mars is a capitalist planet and the Martians stage a proletariat revolution. It's pretty great.
TH: Lately GW Pabst's "The Threepenny Opera" + "Pandora's Box" are two amazing pieces of silent and early sound cinema have me really interested in that transitional period.
4. Have you read a good book lately?
TH: Lately GW Pabst's "The Threepenny Opera" + "Pandora's Box" are two amazing pieces of silent and early sound cinema have me really interested in that transitional period.
4. Have you read a good book lately?
AF: I finally read "The Road" by Cormick McCarthy. That book was amazing. It was really dark, apocalyptic and strangely uplifting. I was reading Walter Benjamin's unfinished "Arcades Project" to coincide with my trip to Paris earlier this month.
TH: I just finished a really interesting book called "The Magic Mirror" on early Russian film that I found fascinating, most are films that only survive in fragments, and some not at all, but it was really interesting. I am now in the middle of Michael Fried's new book "Why Photography Matters as Art as Never Before". Clunky title, interesting book so far if you enjoy work by Jeff Wall, Jean-Marc Bustamante, Stephen Shore, etc.
5. Have you attended any recent art shows worth mentioning?
TH: I just finished a really interesting book called "The Magic Mirror" on early Russian film that I found fascinating, most are films that only survive in fragments, and some not at all, but it was really interesting. I am now in the middle of Michael Fried's new book "Why Photography Matters as Art as Never Before". Clunky title, interesting book so far if you enjoy work by Jeff Wall, Jean-Marc Bustamante, Stephen Shore, etc.
5. Have you attended any recent art shows worth mentioning?
AF: The Michael Wolf show at the Museum of Contemporary Photography was great. I recommend checking it out if you can.
TH: Definitely, Harold Mendez at the MCA 12x12 in Chicago was a great sound installation and Pedro Velez at Western Exhibitions was a good time unfortunately most art has not really impressed me lately. I did enjoy the Sigalit Landau exhibition at MoMA that I saw this summer, mainly the videos, and Sean Dack at Daniel Reich was a pleasant surprise. And if I am going back to the summer I might as well mention Richard Serra's impressive "Promenade" at the Grand Palais in Paris.
6. Do you have any current obsessions of note?
TH: Definitely, Harold Mendez at the MCA 12x12 in Chicago was a great sound installation and Pedro Velez at Western Exhibitions was a good time unfortunately most art has not really impressed me lately. I did enjoy the Sigalit Landau exhibition at MoMA that I saw this summer, mainly the videos, and Sean Dack at Daniel Reich was a pleasant surprise. And if I am going back to the summer I might as well mention Richard Serra's impressive "Promenade" at the Grand Palais in Paris.
6. Do you have any current obsessions of note?
AF: Probably...this week: St. Anger era Metallica. I just rewatched the Metallica documentary which was directed by Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky. It's a really well made film, but ever since I rewatched it, I've been listening to the St. Anger album. I guess in order to torture myself. If that's an obsession, then it's not a healthy one.
TH: The insane environmental disaster at Kingston Steam Plant in Tennessee, that has gone tragically underreported. The images are gorgeous but the result was horrendous. Nothing like a bath in benzene and carcinogens. Also the interesting cassette package designs Peter Saville did for Factory Records in the 1980s.
7. Please tell me what recordings, projects (any medium), etc., you are working on right now, if anything
TH: The insane environmental disaster at Kingston Steam Plant in Tennessee, that has gone tragically underreported. The images are gorgeous but the result was horrendous. Nothing like a bath in benzene and carcinogens. Also the interesting cassette package designs Peter Saville did for Factory Records in the 1980s.
7. Please tell me what recordings, projects (any medium), etc., you are working on right now, if anything
AF: I'm working on bass for Twilight Congregation, a collaborative project w/AJS from Velnias and Slo from France. I'll probably finish my bass parts within the next month. We just finished the new Unlucky Atlas recording which we'll hopefully release soon.
TH: Our collaborative recording between Blake Judd (Nachtmystium), Bruce Lamont (Yakuza), AJS (Velnias) and Mr. Solotroff. Finishing a video for a show in LA at Jail Gallery this May, and writing my book on Earth2 on the slight chance that 33 1/3 will pick it up. Plus the new Unlucky Atlas record "An Natural History of the Dead".
8. What do you hope to accomplish this year?
AF: As far as music goes: working on booking a short tour (maybe a week or a bit more) of the UK this summer. Hopefully, we can finish up some recordings and get them out before long. I'd like to work on some material with more structure. I'd love to get in the studio more and to incorporate new elements into our music.
TH: Welcome my healthy daughter to the world. Finish some paintings and videos, make some grim music.
9. Is there anything else that you would like to mention, announce, or hype?
TH: Our collaborative recording between Blake Judd (Nachtmystium), Bruce Lamont (Yakuza), AJS (Velnias) and Mr. Solotroff. Finishing a video for a show in LA at Jail Gallery this May, and writing my book on Earth2 on the slight chance that 33 1/3 will pick it up. Plus the new Unlucky Atlas record "An Natural History of the Dead".
8. What do you hope to accomplish this year?
AF: As far as music goes: working on booking a short tour (maybe a week or a bit more) of the UK this summer. Hopefully, we can finish up some recordings and get them out before long. I'd like to work on some material with more structure. I'd love to get in the studio more and to incorporate new elements into our music.
TH: Welcome my healthy daughter to the world. Finish some paintings and videos, make some grim music.
9. Is there anything else that you would like to mention, announce, or hype?
TH: Our second studio recording, after the 7" on Bloodlust!, titled "Drenched Lands" will be released by Small Doses & At War With False Noise on CD soon.
