David J and Zia McCabe interview [Listen 18:57] – Having some lunch with David J S03 Ep03 (Part 1 of 2)
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S03 Ep03 (Part1 of 2)- Having some lunch with David J
Interview Date: September 12, 2012 @5pm EDT
Halloween Special Guests: (Audio) David J (of Bauhaus and Love and Rockets): is an indie legend and a Goth Rock icon. David John Haskins (aka David J) was a key member in the band Bauhaus, as well as the band Love and Rockets, and now is forging a solid solo career. He is someone I can easily say is a person who formed the soundtrack of my high school years with classic songs like?: "No New Tale to Tell,:" "Ball of Confusion," "Ziggy Stardust," "So Alive," and "Bela Lugosi's Dead.” At that time I knew him as the sunglass and suit wearing bass player who had a fantastic Dub quality; as the years have gone on, my respect for him and his musical legacy has only grown. In this podcast we talk about David J`s new album "Not Long for this World," using Kickstarter, the song "Because You're Gone," “Hank Williams to the Angel of Death," and what it takes to do a great cover song, and much more. http://www.davidjonline.com
Halloween Special Guests: (Written) Zia McCabe of the Dandy Warhols: is the keyboard player, percussionist, song writer and bass guitarist, for the Dandy Warhols.
Zia McCabe of the Dandy Warhols Interview - 'This Interview Kills Fascists' (Part 1 of 2)
GTV - I kind of see the Dandy Warhols as the vanguard of the MTV video generation. How important are videos today and do you see a new future for the music video?
Zia McCabe - One of the first places people go to check out a band they’ve never heard is Youtube. If you don’t have songs on there with actual videos then the viewer/listener is going to get a live version filmed on someone’s phone with the speaker distorting or a still shot of the album cover or something that a fan has put up to get the song onto Youtube. While these versions are fine for the hardcore fan. A video that gives you proper visual stimulation while the song plays goes a lot further. So yes, I believe videos can be important, though I don’t see the big budget ones being as necessary. Oh but I do love that M.I.A. dessert one with the cars on their sides. Dang, that thing was worth every penny!
GTV - In my discussion with Anton Newcombe, we got on the topic of bands getting discovered (half way through the interview). He said that being discovered and promoted by a major label as the only route to success is a farce, and he stated that no one needs to get permission to be successful. After I saw the movie "Dig!" it seems to be the direction you took (signed to a major label and well promoted.) Do you think a band can "make it" outside of the regular channels today? If so, what would a band need to do to be successful outside of the regular channels?
Zia McCabe - I don’t know if being signed to a major label can even be considered the “regular channels” these days. Now it’s all about the niche. The Dandy’s have done it all. The major label (just before they, for the most part, crumbled), then we made up our own label (kinda) and self released an album and now we are on an indie. It was a helluva good time having all that money spent on us but ultimately a drag having those fools up in our business threatening our artistic integrity left and right. And well, we sucked at having our own label and hardly anyone even knew we released an album on Beat The World (different story in Australia because we did sign with a label to release it, thank god). Now, we’ve settled in the middle, working with great indies in the different territories, we have press coverage again and someone looking after the bits that we have proven to ourselves have no business looking after. This has become a DIY world though and you can “make it” via a myriad of different options. A la cart!
GTV - I’ve seen some interviews with you where you talk about some of the ways you have been able to find a happy medium with being in a rock band and also being a mother. They seem to be two extreme poles of existence. Could you elaborate on this. You identify as a feminist, yes? Has this been the foundation to occupy both worlds successfully?
Zia McCabe - There are things in our lives we manage to pull off without exactly knowing how. Balancing Rock and Roll and motherhood is for sure one of them. I’m sure most parents with careers and well adjusted children feel the same way. You just do it. Every day you make sure your little one is part of your life and feel, without a doubt, loved and safe. And when you blow it, you find a way to make it up to them the next day. A feminist? Me? Ha! Ya, know, I never really used to identify myself that way. It’s a title I accept reluctantly. I believe in myself. I believe in the innate magic and beauty and strength of the female energy in nature but never thought of it as something to rely on. Yes, woman can roar, and yes men can be tender. But it’s not about that and that’s why I have always avoided feminism as my creed. I didn’t believe woman turning into men was the answer. I do believe that we as women have strengths and talents that are not being understood, celebrated or encouraged in our society and that the male energy is out of control all over the place messing stuff up. We are out of balance is all. Sounds like a small thing but sadly it’s not.
Come back next week for the finale of our GTV Halloween Special with Zia from the Dandy Warhols and David J. You don’t want to miss it! We’ll see you next week.