December 21, 2009
Mike IX Williams interview
A great mate of UNBELIEVABLY Bad, one-time interview subject [issue #7] and now contributor [see issue #9 for his debut piece on grave-robbing with the Misfits], Mike IX Williams (EyeHateGod, Outlaw Order, Arson Anthem) sent a killer care-package to our PO Box the other week containing tons of stickers/handbills/fridge magnets and assorted Housecore Records product, including the bloodcurdling Arson Anthem debut 10”. Top of the pile, however, was his new solo 7” via Jersey’s Chrome Peeler label.
Described in the press release as “anti-social misanthropic spoken word and power electronics”, one side of the single features a spoken piece with ambient backing by Ryan McKern (Wolvhammer) titled “That’s What The Obituary Said”, while the other side has a reworked version of “Ten Suicides” by Bloodyminded, which Mike did guest vocals on. Limited to 500 copies, black with yellow spatter vinyl, it comes with a lyric sheet all wrapped in a poster with amazing art done by Mike himself.
UB.com’s Danger Coolidge sent some probing questions through to IX, but he forgot all about them, so this week Danger sent ‘em again. Without further ado (since ‘ado’ sounds much classier than ‘bullshit’), here’s the latest from the Southern Nihilism Front…
The new solo 7” features two quite different sides – do you see the two sides as being connected, or were they just two pieces you had lying around to chuck on a 45?
Naw, they’re not connected at all except in the fact that they are both experimental and non-musical in structure. I recorded “That’s What the Obituary Said” especially for this record and that’s more atmospheric with more somber spoken vocals. The “Ten Suicides” track is a re-mix from the group Bloodyminded’s Gift Givers release and was recorded 2003-4 if I remember correctly. It’s harsher noise with screaming voices and I wanted to use that one again on something of my own and they were fine with that.
“That’s What The Obituary Said” by The Guilt Øf… is a spoken-word piece with ambient backing by Ryan McKern of Wolvhammer. How did you guys get collaborating and do you have more material than this one track? Do you perform that stuff live?
Ryan was living in New Orleans and wanted to do a project and contacted me through email and we got together and wrote some stuff and it clicked. We have a bunch of songs finished, probably almost 18 or 19 or so and have a couple releases coming out; a split with Italian band IVS Primae Noctis and another with Merzbow outta Japan. We’re also gonna put out a full-length of our own eventually, we’re looking for labels. We haven’t played live yet, but plan too soon. Ryan moved back to Minneapolis to work but comes down frequently and every time we go in the studio and soon we will begin rehearsing a live set.
Do you have a lot of spoken-word material accumulated? What are your spoken-word rants generally based on or inspired by?
I have a lot written but not really too much recorded. There are a few or three cassettes laying around for a few different solo releases that are planned. I’ve taken some things out of my book, Cancer as a Social Activity, and other stuff from tons of notebooks I have scattered about. My words for TgØ are more abstract and not as straight forward as my other groups but basically my usual sentiments; hatred and disgust of authority, isolation, contradiction and confusion, depression and corruption, hallucinations and weirdness.
“Ten Suicides” is a nice ditty by Chicago’s Bloodyminded that you did vocals on. What is this re-mix done by Mark Solotroff (Bloodyminded)?
Mark mainly raised some levels and lowered others while extracting some of the vocal tracks as it had a bunch. It’s a more bare bones version and sick in a different way I suppose. It was recorded a good while ago at the old flophouse I was living at and I did my part by yelling through a cardboard tube directly into a cheap shoebox style tape machine. My neighbors; all alcoholics, war vets and addicts, didn’t even notice because there was always someone screaming at that apartment complex.
EyeHateGod have been doing a fair few shows of late. How is the old killing machine – still doing the damage? Any hassles leaving the States/entering other countries?
We DESTROY everything as usual after all these years. The bruises, cuts and hangovers don’t go away as quick anymore but we still got an edge. I’ve been drinking a bit too much on some of these shows but people wanna see a train wreck and that’s what they get. But yeah we are tight and heavy as shit and the crowds have all been amazing as fuck. It’s like finally people caught on and it’s trendy to like this type of music. No problems leaving the country or travelling in the USA, all paperwork is legal and good.
What would it take to get EHG down for an Australian tour? Are you at least interested in coming?
Oh yeah for sure, I’ve wanted to come down your way for years and years and am working on that some way or somehow. I want to come with EyeHateGod, that’s the ideal plan, but I’d settle on coming with any of the bands I’m in. I’m hoping the upcoming Merzbow connection with The Guilt Øf…will lead to some good things, such as a Aussie/Japanese/NZ tour. I have been fascinated by Australian music and culture for as long as I can remember and wanna visit or fucking live there before I die.
What is the current status of Outlaw Order? You had to cancel some shows in March this year due to family issues?
Not my family though, but yeah our drummer had some problems he had to take care of. That pretty much sucked, I hate to cancel especially when our album had just came out. We have been gigging around lately a lot however, just played a local one last Friday night and before that did a couple Southern shows last few months ago with Anal Cunt, then Murderfest, Chaos in Tejas, Hellfest in France and another show in Texas with the old doom band Pentagram. We try to keep busy but sometimes obligations get in the way. It’s like that with all the bands really.
What is the status of Arson Anthem at the moment? Is it hard to pull everyone together for practice or writing?
It’s not really been a problem because obviously it’s a side project now anyway so we do it when we can. We managed to record 17 new songs for a full LPs worth of material last year and just recently finished the mixing of that and I’m excited to get it out on Housecore Records in 2010 and its all furious and raw fucked up hardcore punk. We have done gigs when the first record came out and everybody had a break in their schedules and we definitely want to do more. We wrote the new album when Hank III came down and we holed up in the practice room for a week, 6-7 hours a day and knocked it out, taking care of details later. I think people will be blown away and also be happily surprised as it’s a quite a bit different than the first EP.
We really dug (no pun intended) your article on robbing graves with The Misfits in the latest issue of UNBELIEVABLY Bad – truly amazing shit! Got anything else in store for upcoming issues?
Killer, glad you folks liked it! That’s all true shit. I got more stories from back then like taking Gibby from the Butthole Surfers to buy crack and later being on tour with EHG that I need to dig from the memory banks and jot down on paper. I recently sent in a short piece about Hellfest and I got another one called Underground and Unsigned I dunno if I sent in yet, but if not, I will. Also a story about getting in a fist fight with a bandmate down in Juarez, Mexico and barely escaping going to jail down there and/ or getting killed! I write in all my spare time and if you bastards will have me, I’d love to continue to contribute. I love the mag, man, as I’ve told you before and always look forward to reading it. I’m currently reading the PDFs of all the sold out issues.
What other stuff you got in works – rekkids, books, gigs…?
Besides the things I mentioned above; I’ve got to find time to finish my next two books which are done except for editing and artwork, then a couple spoken word/noise cassettes on two different labels to put together, may be doing the Dennis Dread art show in Portland next year, lotta shows booked for next year with EyeHateGod and Outlaw Order and I’m sure there are many things I’m forgetting. I gotta keep busy and stay outta trouble, but I mainly want to keep creating stuff while I have a chance. I’m having fun, I think…?
What is your favoured holiday destination right now?
I dunno, maybe just stay home with the wonderful dog and wife, have a few drinks. Was talk of going to Alabama for family but who knows? Merry Crassmas, I hope you fucking choke on it!!!
————————————————-
“That’s What The Obituary Said” b/w “Ten Suicides” 7” is out now via Chrome Peeler: www.chromepeeler.com
EyeHateGod MySpace: www.myspace.com/eyehategod
The Guilt Øf… MySpace: www.myspace.com/theguiltof
Arson Anthem MySpace: www.myspace.com/arsonanthem
Outlaw Order MySpace: www.myspace.com/outlaworder
