The13th AÑO: 5 | NÚMERO 45
UNA R E VISTA IMA GINARIA
FLESH EATING FOUNDATION THE FEF MACHINE ISN'T STOPPING
[ Interview with John E. Smoke from Flesh Eating Foundation by Diego Centuriรณn Photographs: Fraser Hinch, Jak Matin-Rayez y Flesh Eating Foundation ]
THE FEF MACHINE ISN'T STOPPING
There are many ways of feeling music and many ways of understanding music. Some need only to listen to it, others need to play it and others write it, while others simply have it as their sound background. The truth is that music is as important to many as breathing. Currently, as of a few years ago, the ways of making it have changed, and the distribution landscape and even storage have mutated over time. Everything becomes smaller and everything has to be fast and fun, the new generations want everything now, and advertising campaigns have to sell everything in a colorful, striking and quick way. Even the food must "look pretty".
observation is correct. Both me and Steve (the other founding member) have always loved that band. I have one arm covered in tattoos of the lyrics to that particular song as well as the clown from the cover of 'Live PCPPEP'. Anyway, Flesh Eating Foundation at its core, is two blokes from the Midlands in the UK (Peaky Blinders territory) who grew up listening to 80s synth music before discovering more eclectic sounds on the John Peel radio show. We couldn't find any proper musicians to be in our band so we used drum machines and anything else we could find. These days we have more confidence and we view ourselves as a collective of musicians and performers with myself and Steve at the helm. For the new album we are joined by the John E. Smoke has led his his project talented Jules on guitars and some vocals, Flesh Eating Foundation for more than ten with punk poet Adam Probert also making an years, with solid albums in the line of the appearance. alternative industrial, with doses of EBM or Cyberpunk. You are involved in various forms of art... How do you feel about art as a form of Sometimes we have all the senses fu- expression? lly operational but we tend to fall into the It is essential to me, and I believe that evertemptation of "the best" and suppress yone should have access to as many forms of some of our abilities to discern and think art as possible. I take the punk approach: let for ourselves. What would happen if two anyone have a go at any art form, without fear of our senses (hearing and vision) were of judgment or condescension. I myself have suppressed? Would we be able to do what no artistic or musical training, but I enjoy creawe like? John E. Smoke shows us that no- ting, and will try anything. Most of the time I thing is an impediment to doing what we have no idea if it is any good, but that is less love. In May, he will release a new album important than being able to express myself. called "We Are Fucked" with Flesh Eating I have always loved film, and recently deciFoundation. ded that if I can bluff my way in music, maybe I should try film too. I broke my shoulder whiHi John! When I saw your name, the song le performing which prevented me from plaby this name by the Butthole Surfers ying guitar and generally affected my mobilicame to mind – off the album "Hairway To ty, so I threw myself into making a film in half Steven" (1988). It seems FEF shares so- a year, and'The Doxey Boggart' was surprimething sonorous with this band from singly well received by those who saw it. And San Antonio, Texas. now, my second film 'Bones Picked' is done and will debut very shortly, and get a screeHow would you describe Flesh Eating ning at Cannes, for which I thank my friend Foundation in your own words? Rodriquez from the band E-MEN. Sound deFirstly, hello! Thank you for taking an interest sign has been an integral part of my film main what we are doing. Your Butthole Surfers king as sound is as important as vision. I have
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also tried painting (not very good!), photography, drama and spoken word. Why not? You rate yourself with deafness and blindness and I wonder how you face a show, how do you prepare it? In fact, I wonder how do you read these questions? I am glad you feel able to ask about disability, it is all too frequently treated as a taboo. I am very open about my disabilities in the hope that it might help others. I have a genetic condition called Usher Syndrome. I was born with a severe hearing loss, I have hardly any middle or high frequency hearing and I wear two hearing aids. I can hear the bass just fine though, which I am happy about. As a teenager I started to go blind. I have now lost most of my vision and have a guide dog called JJ who is amazing. Effectively I have extreme tunnel vision, like looking through a pin hole, so I can see a little, like your interview questions. I can see one word at a time with my glasses on. Performing has always been challenging. I now rarely play guitar live as I have difficulty seeing my effects pedals and even the neck of my guitar on stage. We don’t have technicians and do everything ourselves, so guitar
is not really possible. I now sing more and play synths and other electronic instruments. Most of these I have designed and/or built myself, so I know how to control them even when I cannot see them. I have a drum synth that I specifically designed so that if I place my hand in one corner I can access all the drum triggers with my fingers. Playing live is stressful but still a real buzz. However, the social aspect can cause me more issues. If the venue is dark and noisy then I cannot see or hear people talking to me and I feel socially awkward, and probably look rude or ignorant! Obviously you have chosen a path in your life that many would not have chosen. At what moment did you decide to experiment with sounds and images? How do you evaluate the material you produce? What a great question. I am not sure I chose this path, it just seems to have happened. As I mentioned earlier, I am not highly educated, or an accomplished artist, but I am motivated and I push as many boundaries as possible given my artistic and sensory limitations. As for how I evaluate my creations, it is enough that I like and enjoy them. If others appreciate them too then that is a big bonus.
What do you enjoy most about performing live or on video? I am a bit of a show off at heart, and I like to defy my disabilities and do things that people would not expect me to do. I like to create a spectacle too. I'd rather perform with a bizarre looking synth with strange controls than hide behind a laptop. It is satisfying to get reactions and to make people scratch their heads. “Being a stubborn bugger, this doesn't stop me from doing too much”… this is written on your Mixcloud. I wonder how stubborn you are. Feel free to elaborate. The best way I can describe it is this: as I was going blind I was told to use a white cane, but I refused since I didn’t want to accept that I was less able than I used to be. It took a few accidents and injuries to convince me to start using the cane. Then I would not accept that my eyesight was getting worse and that I was becoming a danger to myself. People were begging me to get a guide dog and I kept saying no. I stubbornly carried on coping. Then one day I accidentally stepped off a pavement and was nearly hit by a car. Then I decided that maybe I did need more help. I will carry on doing things that people perhaps think I
shouldn't be doing for as long as I possibly can. Returning to FEF, in 2007 you released your debut album. What do you remember of that first work? Ah that was 'Seethe'. It was our first formal label release through the now defunct Rebco Records.We have actually been making music on and off since the early 1990s, we self-released a number of CDrs and demos, although they are almost impossible to find now. 'Seethe' however was a step forward and a more cohesive effort. It was the first thing we seriously put into the public domain. I still love the album, it is chaotic and sounds like it might fall apart at any time. In a way it made us more certain that we did not want to be conventional or predictable. The only thing I'd change about that album was the mastering, I wish we'd have done it ourselves as we have done since. This year marks ten years since your second album “Purging”. How do you feel about that today? Ten years! I did not realise. I think with 'Purging' we were trying to be deliberately awkward,
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there are some poppy moments in there but love that album still. also some pretty challenging stuff for the lis- Thinking about the other releases, 'So Yeah' tener. I am still happy with that release too. is still a lot offun: bold, brash and catchy. We obtained permission to cover a song Then two more works – "Dead Shall Rise" by Babyland, who we like a lot. They called in 2010 and "So Yeah" – came out in 2011. themselves 'punk junk funk' and had a similar Then "Fun Every Friday" and "Heart Puke" approach to performance and composition to from 2014, but under the same sonic struc- us, and it was great to be able to cover their tures. What were you searching for throu- track 'Worst Case Scenario'. The 'Dead Shall gh this parallel project? What would you Rise' album was a stranger beast. Our origichange today of those recordings? nal intent was to just give it away, but our laWe have always played around with the FEF bel convinced us to 'upgrade' it to a proper acronym, taking some influence from JG CD release. Sadly, it’s the release I have least Thirlwell who had many names for his Foetus confidence in, although I still enjoy many of releases. We have performed trance music the songs on it. I think we could have made it under the guise of Frantic Ecstatic Frenzy, sound better with some more time and effort. experimental and improvised sounds under Futile Escapist Front and various other ver- The market of other decades has been sions. Fun Every Friday was a name that gave broken and the old systems have fathe audience no clue what to expect from the llen with the rise of the Internet, althousound. Musically I perceived the 'Heart Puke' gh some still cling to these obsolete marrelease as a more guitar-based rock album, ket models. How do you feel about this and the material was mostly written on a gui- paradigm shift in terms of the flow of intar rather than a laptop/sequencer. Again I formation through the web, net labels and
self-management? I am uncertain as to how much it has affected the band. We've always had a niche sound which was never going to be of interest to a traditional record label. The relationships we've had with smaller labels has been mixed too, due to their own financial challenges. We have an ongoing relationship with a great UK label called Armalyte Industries but it is informal and friendly with no obligations. I also run a small imprint myself called Sonic Entrails. We release hand packaged cassettes/CDs and so on, very small runs. The internet obviously has changed things. It resembles the punk DIY movement when anyone could put out a record, with total freedom. Now, on an even bigger scale, anyone can release anything anywhere. Harking back to your earlier question, this freedom to express oneself creatively is amazing. However, because there is no quality control it can make it harder for the listener to find the type and quality of music they are seeking. Another issue is that the internet clearly favours bands who have money to spend on promoted posts. Sometimes the most visible bands are not the best, but perhaps this has always been the case. I am always digging for new music, I enjoy the hunt. Thankfully there are many others who do the same thing and some of them even discover bands like FEF.
within my home town. I also do a lot of fund raising for our guide dog charity. You recently released a tribute EP to The Fall. What does The Fall mean to you? What other artists might you like to pay tribute to? We loved The Fall, Mark E Smith was a unique writer and vocalist, extremely prolific and and just very British. He just did his own thing and didn't care what anyone thought. His music wasn't polished and commercial, in fact sometimes it was the very opposite. The Fall used guitars, electronics, wrote unconventional songs and played chaotic live shows. We admire all those things and wanted to celebrate the music of The Fall in some way now that Mark E Smith isn't here anymore.
Please tell us about your coming album "We Are Fucked". This album finds us in a belligerent mood. It is as brash and chaotic as 'Seethe' or 'Purging' but I think we are more confident now. Over all the years there has been plenty to get angry about, but it seems this is the case now more than ever. It is pure Flesh Eating Foundation, this is what we sound like. There is a density, we have packed a lot into the sound. We made some new synths and these have given us some raw sounds to work with. At times we started off with nothing more than noise, but We know of your dedicated work to benefit we shaped them into structures and songs. the homeless and this unfairness seems This is also the first album we are releasing to be intensified lately with people not be- fully on vinyl. The standard digital release ing offered the basic minimum and an in- contains 10 new songs and 5 remixes. The dispensable place to live. Can you tell us vinyl is a black heavyweight pressing, with about your activism? hand painted latex lettering and ink stamping. I am all for community. I am not directly invol- Each one is unique. The download that acved with any homelessness charities though companies the vinyl is huge, over 30 tracks I am supportive of such causes. I also do my including demos, remixes and variations. It best to raise the profile of the effects of govern- is a massive release for us. Early indications ment austerity on the poor, sick and disabled, are that people are liking the sound of this rea very big issue in my country. I do however cord. This makes us happy. work with local charities, one of which is trying to open a community arts center in an old li- What do you like and do not like about thebrary building, and one that funds art projects se times we live?
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I like liberty and freedom. In some ways, at least in my country, we are living in liberal times with good standards. The internet and the computer age has given us a means to express ourselves, to collaborate and innovate. I dislike disinformation in the media and in politics. I have not yet found an unbiased honest supplier of current affairs and our governments blatantly lie to us, to make excuses to go to war, to cut care for the sick or disabled, and to give themselves more power. I dislike the fact that a lot of people consume this dishonest political puke and fake news when it is so easy to fact check and reach your own conclusions. I think at the moment we are living in a time where everything is a knee-jerk reaction to something else. Violent swings to opposite or extreme political ideologies over anger about something, without considering the outcome. Take the election of Trump, or the decision of the UK to leave
Europe as examples. There is so much spin that it is almost impossible for the average person to make informed decisions. So much fuel for the creative fires. What plans are there for the rest of 2018 and tell us about the new project "The Mannequin Factory"? I am busier than ever, my new film has a lot of work associated with it, and I have three further film projects planned. There are numerous arts and music events I will be involved with and Flesh Eating Foundation have some live dates coming up including a slot at the respected Infest festival in August. The Mannequin Factory is me and Adam Probert. We have chosen to work under this name as it more accurately reflects us as a team. The debut album 'The Battle For Tomorrow' was released under Adam's name even though we were already a creative
we have not mentioned here? Yes! We are always hungry for opportunities to create, collaborate, remix and produce. It is all about the noise. We want to do more soundtrack work for film, so we are looking for opportunities to do this also. In summary, the FEF machine isn't stopping any time soon. Thanking you for the opportunity to meet And finally, thank you for your intelligent quesyou. Is there anything you want to add that tions and enthusiasm. team. The project seems to be turning heads as I don't think there are many people doing what we are doing. It is abrasive stuff, something like a cross between Throbbing Gristle and Crass. Album number two is due this year along with numerous live dates.
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The13th U NA R EVISTA IMA GINA RIA