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INTERVIEW WITH VOCALIST JESSE MICHAELS BY JORDAN WOLFE
t’s been some time since we’ve heard the emotional aggression of Jesse Michaels’s unmistakable voice, but 2020 has brought an unexpected dose of fond and familiar relief. On July 29, Michaels posted a Bandcamp link to a brand new five-song EP from Classics of Love.
Of course, there continue to be endless requests for an Operation Ivy reunion. When asked about the possibility, Michaels is not totally dismissive—but don’t expect it to happen anytime soon. “It is not absolutely out of the question, but not in the works,� he says. “Especially given the current state of live music for the foreseeable future. If it ever were to happen, a lot of things would kind of have to fall into place, and I am not even sure if it's really possible.�
Immediately noticeable is a much harder, faster, and stripped– down approach than when we’d last heard from the band in 2012. This is with good reason, as Classics of Love now consists of a whole new lineup of musicians. Michaels had planned on starting another band.
Michaels is as humble as he is a recognizable name that thousands have thanked at some point in their life, whether for inspiration or for simply improving a record collection. But he is not immune to reality and its sometimes-unavoidable circumstances in terms of mental health.
“[It was] an unnamed death rock project, which got canceled because of the pandemic,� he says. “It was spooky punk, kind of like TSOL or 45 Grave. This stuff was not originally going to be called ‘Classics of Love,’ but I couldn't think of a name. The guys in the old band Classics of Love, that I played with from 2008-2012, gave me their blessing to use that name.� Jesse Michaels, Sharif Dumani, and Peter John Fontes used a Tascam MS-16 to record the new songs inside a practice space in Los Angeles. The updated sound was a welcome change, judging by the reaction of fans online, who said they’d missed the more oldschool sound of Michael's vocal delivery. Most often known or referenced for being the frontman of Operation Ivy, Michaels continued making music after they broke up in 1989, playing in bands such Big Rig and Common Rider.
“I have crushing depression and mental illness, so my life has no orderly productive flow, and is often just about survival,� Michaels says. “I do not go into heavy detail about my personal life in public, but essentially it is an illness that my entire family has.� Thankfully, Michaels is as strong as he is aware of his inner workings, and he goes on to explain another delicate balance, between perseverance and defeat.
PHOTO BY ALAN SNODGRASS
with the lyrics,� he says. “Mostly, I His lyrics have been cited as works tried to go for an approach simof timeless inspiration, being ref- ilar to the old hardcore bands I erenced in other songs and im- grew up listening to. Specifically, mortalized in tattoos. There is a bands like The Fix, Negative Appassion and rage on these songs, proach, The Necros, Minor Threat, creating a truly beautiful balance and so on. Direct, honest, simply of empathy and aggression. In expressed feelings, and very agterms of what inspired the new ap- gressive.� proach, Michaels says he didn’t go to his usual sources. “I do have a lot of rage inside because I think most people are “I tried to take a different approach blind, dogmatic, deeply unchari-
26 NEW NOISE
table frauds,� Michaels says. “And that very statement that I just made conveys the fact that I have a bit of judgment in my own heart. But this music is not about trying to be a saint. It is about communicating totally honestly, or as honestly as possible, and the hope is that through that directness, it reaches something in the heart that is beyond language, that everybody can relate to. Including people that don't agree with what I think.�
“With serious depressive mental illness, my experience is that it is an illness that eats the soul and turns a person into a fuckhead,â€? he says. “And there is not that much you can do about it except get punches in when you can. Exercise and so on. Fight as hard as you can every day, and try to be of service. And that’s life. Life says, ‘Fuck you, depression,’ eat it and fight.â€? Since this interview, Michaels has gone on to say the Classics of Love lineup has once again disbanded, but there are still plans to release a seven-inch version of their EP through Asian Man Records. đ&#x;’Ł
