Where canone trace origins of your musical career? What are your musical roots?The strongest influence at the beginning?
Black Sabbath weremy strongest inspiration when I was 11, I wanted to be a rock star...then I grew up and learnt how to make bizarre sounds....and it grewitself in an organic way, not contrived or forced, it just evolved.I would love to say I have a strong political belief or an urgent messageto tell the world, or a passionate religious conviction...but NO - mymusic is about my experiences and creating music is my way to unravelmy own neuroses and general discontents...
Whats your first musicalexperience?
The first record I ever had wasits 'Hello, Hello (Its good to be Back)' by Gary Glitter - which I stilllove and the first song that ever really meant anything to me was 'BrightEyes' by Simon and Art Garfunkel.
Today, with 16 releaseson cd-r format , are there any perspectives they will be regularly releasedon cd/lp ?
There are plansto release them as a box set of 13 CDRs sometime this year. The boxset has new artwork and hours upon hours of extra material, live shows,remixes, lost and abandoned pieces. I would love to release them allon vinyl, in a box set, inner sleeves, embossed covers, coloured vinyletc... but that would cost far too much.
What can you say aboutyour other projects (except those being executed under your name) whatis difference between each other? Are they still available?
They are all totallydifferent projects, follies, whims, idle pursuits. I think it's goodto be spontaneous and ridiculous and do music that is so far removedfrom what I do as 'Andrew Liles'.
The Width theGirth was a jazz project - totally different to what I do as AndrewLiles - which almost got us a 'good' record deal but then it fizzledout, which was a real shame.The other person involved was and stillis a session musician and is now playing with Martina Topley Bird. Maybeone day we will do another album.
'The Sexecutioner' - was a noisething, a parody of the noise scene.
'The Devils Tail' is an unfinishedbook, a 'comedy' of sorts.
I like to do totallydifferent things, it's boring to be 'Andrew Liles' all of the time asit has set parameters to a certain extent. I can send a CDR to anyonewho wants to purchase one of the 'Other Projects', but I think theywould be sorely disappointed if they expected anything sounding remotelylike 'Andrew Liles'.
Where is possible to buy/orderyour music?Who is doing distribution and promotion for you?
Preferably direct from me - butmiddle pillar, forced exposure, drone records, cold spring, quite afew others, best search on the internet
I do most of allthe distribution and promotion myself, to varying degrees of success.My US label Infraction does the US side of things, again to varyinglevels of success. Distribution is very hard to get when you are atmy level of 'success', but Macrophonies is getting there...slowly.
Besides of music, whichartistic forms are you attracted to?
Me as an artist? I would liketo make a film maybe one day, but as far as art forms I respect thevisual arts mainly such artists as Mark Ryden, Trevor Brown, Hans Bellmeretc... there is a long list on my website
What can you say aboutyour interest in every form of sex, taboos?
Essentially whateverwe do is geared towards SEX and the pursuit of passing on our genes,whatever we do or say regardless of our political beliefs, hopes oraspirations, what we are here to do is fcku...little else makes sense.It's hard to put into a sound byte - I've read around the subject extensively,it amuses and entertains me greatly...it's ridiculous and fascinating,titillating and pathetic, to take sex seriously is to miss the point...
Do you explore also thesubversive aspect of sex as some people do, using it as the most powerfulweapon against the dictated order, as they might think?
I enjoy it aesthetically(like everyone?) and philosophically and physically. As to exploringthe subversive aspect I have read about supposedly 'subversive' aspectsand gratuitous 'acts', as to dressing up in full leather with a rubbermask patting the bottom of a young lady dressed up as a school girlno, NO, I just find that stuff hilarious...
Do you like work of PeterSotos, long time Whitehouse member, now the ex-one ?
I have one ofhis books, it's not really my thing, I don't really think it servesany purpose. If he's trying to outrage or subvert he's failing becausethe only people he is talking to are Whitehouse fans, who generallyfar from being would-be child murderers and sadists are generally mildmannered, friendly record collectors, the nicest people you are likelyto meet. I think his writing is similar to De Sade in the fact thatit fast becomes just a list of 'atrocities' and after a few pages itbecomes boring, a long shopping list of violent acts.
What can you say aboutan 'exotic' video montage was also produced or the SEXECUTIONER event?
It was a montageof 50s glamour models and excerpts from assorted slasher movies. I triedto make it humorous but I was actually asked if it was from a genuinesnuff movie...obviously my attempt at satire didn't work, people tookit as the real thing.
What's your relationto futurism, dada, surrealism?
I like a lot of the art - as tointegrating concepts of it into my musical output I don't think I doon a conscious level....but surrealism is about the subconscious isit not? so maybe I do...
You are also very interestedin movies, for example in Czech filmmaker Jan Svankmajer how it happened,when you got in touch with his work for the first time?
I first heardof Svankmajer in the 80', his stuff was on British TV. He creates fascinatingclever films that appeal to my aesthetic through and through, I lovethe grittiness, the traditional elements of puppetry, the folkloricquality and his unique and almost immediately recognisable style. Ithink of him as the visual equivalent of Nurse with Wound, no matterwhat they come up with you can go 'Oh that's a Nurse record' or 'that'sa Svankmajer film'. A very brilliant man�who, I am led to believe doesn'tcare much for music.
Which other filmmakersmade an influence on your imagination?
I'm not a great fan of film perse. But some of my favourites are Koyaanisqatsi, La Vis, and assortedanimations, Brothers Quay and Ladislas Starewicz , also I enjoy thework of Gaspar Noe - there is an extensive list on the links page onmy www.
I wouldn't say thereare any traces of doctrine or dogma in your music or the whole creativeoutput. At the same time, might be possible you were influenced by somein your past for example by industrial music...what's your reactionor point of view today?
Well yes I was profoundly influencedby what has come to be known as 'Industrial' music, but I feel its avery generalised term for lots of artists who work inside the fieldof electronic/ experimental music...I don't feel it's an adequate termfor people working in experimental music now. Of course the term industrialis based around TG's label and little else - I don't consider myself'Industrial'.
Were you ever into thepunk scene?
I like the Sex Pistols, The Undertones,and The Buzzcocks and Crass for their artwork alone and also RudimentaryPeni for the art. But no I didn't like any punk music other than theabove.
Are there any musicalelements which you would never incorporate into your music?
none - I am open to all kindsof sounds, styles and themes.
Very similar question- are there any musical styles which left you completely untouched?
I really detest musicals and Rap(aside from Public Enemy)! but that's about it - I like a very broadselection of music.
What's your attitudetowards dance scene, towards the dancefloor?
I liked some stuffin the mid to late eighties, some later Cabaret Voltaire stuff and theearly Coldcut, Stacker 'Humanoid', Nitzer Ebb and suchlike but now haveno interest at all. I dislike the majority of 'dance' music intensely,house, garage and jungle I just find tedious. As for hearing real undergroundstuff I don't seek it out and have no interest at all. I like a lotof stuff on Warp, Aphex Twin, Autechre, Plone etc and other things likeKid606 and Uziq - but are these really dance music?
Generally, I can seethat humor plays a big role in your music. Can you distinguish between"what was on the beginning" and how´s been developing your concept?
Initially andnow (to a greater or lesser extent) my music is about me, my experiences,fears, phobias, whims and flights of fancy, things that either amuseme, people that inspire me, things that scare me or make me laugh. Mypersonal experiences put to music. Like any artist I attempt to makesense out of the meaninglessness of life by creating something whichin turn prevents me from going insane... a cathartic process...sometimes.
Some recordingsare about people I admire or find interesting, I have done recordingsabout Raudive (the man famous for his experiments with EVP), and recordingsabout my fear of flying. Also my music is about anagrams, not only influencedby Hans Bellmer but anagrams of words and musical juxtapositions, anagramsof places and times. For instance on the forthcoming album 'New YorkDoll' there is a track that has been constructed from live recordingsin New York City USA mixed with street sounds and field recordings fromYork, Yorkshire UK, another recording of a show in Boston M.A USA ismixed with field recordings from Boston, Lincolnshire UK.
I construct mymusic with all these ideas, anagrams, cryptic messages and personaljokes that are so abstract that unfortunately probably only I can unravelthem.
What are the most influentialartists nowaday which you pay respect to?
I wouldn't say I pay respect toor am influenced by, but contemporary bands I like are Volcano the Bear,Ryoji Ikeda and Chris Watson's recordings.
Special place in yourwork is dedicated to Hans Bellmer...can you reveal more about your relationto this artist?
I love his art, imagination anddraftmanship.
Mostly you are comparedor recommended to fans of Coil, The Hafler Trio and especially NurseWith Wound.
I like Coil and Nurse passionately,but have only heard a couple of things by H30
I've got a feeling thatthere exists also parallels between your work and that of Jim Thirlwellaka Foetus, or I am completely mistaken?
I don't think I sound like Foetusat all, not one iota - but yes he has been very influential.
What´s your opinion aboutthis - in my eyes - very good, influential artist in his earlier era?
I found out aboutFoetus in about 1983 and it really was the beginning of it all for me- through his work I found out about all the other artists he was involvedwith, Swans, Virgin Prunes, Whitehouse, Nurse with Wound, Coil and allthe stuff on Some Bizzare and bands like Neubauten and which in turnled on to other artists on Mute. Basically finding out about Foetushad a domino effect and opened my musical horizons tuning me into manymany different artists. Yes I have everything by Foetus and was alwaysand still am impressed by his editing, production, the artwork, everything,the whole one man band thing and basically doing it all yourself, music,artwork, independent releasing of the early albums etc, the cross fertilisationof ideas and musical genres, clichés, experimental use of sound mixedwith musical virtuosity was very inspirational. It was something thatshowed me that with the studio as an instrument and a certain bit ofmusical knowledge you can make a one-man orchestra. I was fascinatedhow one man could play so many instruments and how he made the soundswhich in turn made me find out about multi track recording, effects,samplers and drum machines. His art as terrorism and aesthetic nihilismwere also very inspiring and the lyrics to songs always amused me. Ithink that the whole Foetus machine is the product of a very eclecticand intellectual mind which retains a certain integrity and purity andmore importantly, a sense of humour which is often hard to find thesedays in 'serious' music.
In fact i haveapproached JGT about singing on a track of mine, he has shown some interest,but we will have to see what transpires...
Your top ten of yourfavorite music/albums?
Um very hard -my tastes are all over the place, at the moment I really like 50's and60's big band stuff - Ted Heath, Xavier Cugat, John Barry, the TijuanaBrass - anything and everything really - Carl Orf and Stockhausen toBarry Manilow and The Carpenters and it all changes on a hourly basisbut here's a few...
Soliloquy For Lilith - Nurse WithWound
Back In Black - AC/DC
Sabbath Bloody Sabbath - BlackSabbath
Earth Covers Earth - Current 93
Trilogie de la Mort - Eliane Radigue
But What Happens When The SymbolsShatter? - Death In June
Worship the Glitch - Coil
500 Boy Piano - Volcano The Bear
Hole - Scraping Foetus off theWheel
Overnite Sensation - Frank Zappa
The One Ensemble of Daniel Padden- Daniel Padden
Eskimo - The Residents
Sir Henry at Rawlinson End - VivianStanshall
The Orange Tapered Moon - Bablicon
What are you listeningto during last couple of days?
Elmer Bernstein - Man With TheGolden Arm - Soundtrack - CD
The Beautiful Glassbottom Boat- Wild Geese - 7"
Various Artists - Bachelor PadRoyale - CD
Colin Potter - Assorted CDs
Baby Zizanie - Thalassaphobia- Mini Album
Can you reveal any detailsabout your forthcoming show in Praha as one can shortly get a feelingthat with your music, "almost everything is possible"...
It's going to be a very ambientset, quiet, mild and features some new music...but its all liable tochange on the night as quite a bit is improvised.
Thanx for the interviewand see you soon.
Andrew Liles - TomSaivon - Sept. 2003