Skeletons Interview (Part 2 of 2)

Enjoy Part 1 of the interview right here! Thanks for reading!

Q: And speaking of influences ... Skeletons is routinely compared to the likes of Sonic Youth, free jazz groups, no-wave bands, Can, and Prince. How accurate would you say these parallels are and how well do you personally identify with them? What are you own influences?

A: I like all of those things very much, so I appreciate the parallels... but I hope that it always takes a few parallels to sort of deliver a picture. I'm always searching for something that hits me so hard I can only listen and gather up everything that band or person did for a while... it keeps happening!

Q: Why all the regularly-altering band names? Skeletons & the Girl-Faced Boys; Skeletons & the Kings Of All Cities ... where did the monikers come from?

A: It's nice to have a name that can change a l'il bit, no?

Q: I love the video you most recently made for "Sickness." Who directed that and what was the aim with the film? It's a pretty eerie film ... like a David Lynch-inspired quest done Hunter S. Thompson style. (Was that way off?)

A: Thanks! The video was directed by Jojo the King, Minister of the New New Heavy, Senior VP of Development for Skeletons, INC. It was filmed between Nevada and Kansas for no money. We started filming at 3am when we ran out of gas in the middle of the desert. The story finished itself! You start to notice all the abandoned gas stations more when you run out of gas once or twice.

Q: From what I understand, you've a history with the visual arts, too. How does this affect your musical work and what stuff are you currently working on now outside of Skeletons?

A: I'm working on quite a bit of video... When Skeletons first started, there was an idea to keep it multimedia. The first record we did with Shinkoyo was originally an album with videos from start to finish, mostly from educational videos about driving and growing up. It sort of fell to the side when we started touring so much, but in the past year or so I've tried to always have a camera around. Lately I've been shooting various things, little ideas, TV shows, etc. I'd like to make musicals.

Q: Aside from touring next year, what else is on the horizon for you? Are you recording a new record? Working on some sort of collaboration?

A: We're right in the middle of a record right now, and starting another one if time permits before we go on a big tour in the Spring, plus there's another one that's about 90 percent done that I recorded a while back more solo style. I'm hoping to get them all out in the next year, that's my resolution. That and maybe exercising. And keeping my job.

Q: I think that's about it. Thanks so much for doing this interview. Hope to see you soon!

Thanks!

Skeletons - What They Said