"Negin's music is the sound of one hand clapping, and one toe tapping." -Roshi Kusai Onara
"Better than an anal probe, I reckon." - Kim Jung Un
http://thepeverettphile.blogspot.jp/2015/10/pheaturing-phile-alum-lee-negin.html
Today's pheatured guest is a Phile Alum whose latest CD "Surfing Samsara" is available on iTunes. Please welcome back to the Phile the always entertaining... Lee Negin!
Me: Leeeeeee! Welcome back to the Phile, man. How have you been?
Lee: Jaaaaaason! Thank you. Nice to be anywhere. I'm still breathing (when I remember to).
Me: I lost count how many times you have been a guest here. Do you know?
Lee: Not enough! It's always a pleasure, my friend.
Me: So, how's South Korea treating you?
Lee: Much better since I left. I split Kimchi Land in February, and now live in Tokyo. Back in Japan after a 10 year absence.
Me: Oh, wow, I didn't know you left. You and I are going through something very similar... how are you doing with it?
Lee: Are you referring to the acid (LSD) flashbacks, or the cognitive dissonance? I'm controlling both with prescribed medications, so no worries!
Me: That's not what I was referring too. Haha. Moving on... Recently I interviewed a guy named Laszlo Gardony and I said he was the first professor I interviewed... but that's bullshit and wrong. You are a a professor. So, I have to apologize. Remind myself and my readers what you teach and where.
Lee: I teach nothing of consequence at various establishments built to perpetuate our dysfunctional paradigm (if you can dig that).
Me: How long have you been doing that, Lee?
Lee: You mean spewing nonsense like my last answer? Since before I was born.
Me: I was meant have you here earlier this year when your "Terminus-EP" came out. That's a four song EP, right?
Lee: Indeed. 4 extended tracks.
Me: What was the story behind that project, Lee? I know there is one.
Lee: Last December, I knew that I was splitting for Japan, and that involved packing up my studio and instruments and shipping them (literally... by sea), so I knew I wouldn't be able to make my noise for a while. I had been working on/experimenting with different ways of treating sounds with various effects, less 'musical' (as in harmonic structure) and more focus on the vibrational aspects... and how they (different frequencies and harmonics) affect the listener (viscerally, not just intellectual-masturbatory exercises like so much of what's classified as 'experimental' 'avant-garde' music). "Terminus" refers to 'the end of the line' and also a place where people move-on from (as in an airport 'terminal'... but in this case, a space station!
Me: See. I knew there was a story. You have a new CD out called "Surfing Samsosa." What is a samsosa?
Lee: I think Sammy Sosa was a baseball dude. And, a samosa is one of my favourite Indian foods! The album's title is "Surfing Samsara." Samsara is a Sanskrit word, which means 'the material world,' a Hindu concept of the nature of things.
Me: I'm an idiot. At least I got the name right at your intro. Do you surf? I have never surfed... unless you count on-line surfing.
Lee: A great Yogi said, "If you can't stop the waves, learn how to surf." It beats drowning! At times, I hang ten!
Me: This CD features eleven songs that were previously released on your past projects, am I right?
Lee: Got me! Yeah... I'm repeating myself. Somewhat abashed...
Me: How did you go about picking songs to put on this album, Lee?
Lee: I get a fair bit of radio airplay internationally, and these are the tracks that are most popular (and streamed and downloaded) from my most recent albums. As you know, 'singles' are the rage now; the album, as a cohesive art form, is all but dead.
Me: So, would you call this a greatest hits CD?
Lee: You must be mistaking me for Lady Madonna Beaver. The only 'hits' I've had are on a pipe, a bottle or at the end of a fist (physically and metaphorically).
Me: I am glad there's two Cheeze songs on the album. I still think there should be a Cheeze movie. Tell the readers who don't know who Cheeze is.
Lee: A movie would be way cool. Perhaps it will materialise! I've thought about doing a graphic novel, along the lines of the cooler Japanese manga comics. Sigh... The legend of Cheeze looms large in the universal psyche; the collective unconscious. If people want to know about Cheeze, there are tomes and scrolls to be found in monasteries, opium dens, the Playboy Mansion, small tablets (dig that word play), deep meditation and Himalayan peaks. For example: youtu.be/GafYnLH9gTs, youtu.be/tkDovC2XyLo, cdbaby.com/cd/leenegin12. Turn on, tune in and Cheeze out!
Me: You play many instruments, Lee. Which one is your favorite to play?
Lee: I enjoy tinkering with medical instruments the most. Although, in a pinch, plumbing fixtures come in handy!
Me: Ha! What was the first instrument you ever learnt?
Lee: The didgeridoo. I was raised by a pack of feral poodles in a rough, posh suburb. You know, the hood. After that, I started playing trumpet at about 7 years old (formal lessons) and studying musical theory, etc.
Me: Your music is very techno-based, but ever think of doing an acoustic album?
Lee: I do blend the two... electro-acoustic music. I play flugelhorn on several of my tracks, as well as acoustic drums. But, because of budgetary constraints, I mostly use samples of acoustic instruments. If I had the budget, I'd go into a large studio with an orchestra... I write and play (samples) string and horn arrangements on several of my pieces. One of my heroes is George Martin (a good example would be "Eleanor Rigby"). Another is Jack Nitzsche; listen to Buffalo Springfield's track, "Expecting To Fly." Sublime music!! I also incorporate, along with my synthesiser arsenal, acoustic instruments from all over the universe in my work (samples, sorry to say). The title of my main website is Neo-Psychedelic, New World Music.
Me: So, are you currently writing new music?
Lee: I will be starting work on a new single soon, inspired by a dear friend of mine, a British artist who made a painting with me in it! A total surprise gift. It kind of reminded me of the cover of The Beatle's "Sgt. Pepper" (you'll understand when it's released) and it inspired me to do a single with the painting as the cover. He went for the idea, and he had to do a bit of tweaking... it showed ladies naughty bits and my record distribution company wouldn't go for that. The slightest site of a nipple or vagina sends Amerikans into a puritanical frenzy of witch burning... does that mean their god wears a thong? If she created us in her own image, then what's with this obsession? Mostly, I am focusing on gearing up for an international tour next year... learning new software and hardware. It ain't like the old days, when I never read manuals (for my old Minimoog, ARP 2600, Roland TR-808, Linn Drum, etc.). This new gear is way deep (too deep, actually).
Me: You're planning a concert tour? How are you gonna do that?
Lee: Honestly, I don't know. It will supposedly be a solo performance with very cool visuals. An audio-visual equivalent of an LSD/Magic Mushroom experience (of course, I tried them, but I didn't inhale). I am working on the details and logistics as we speak. It's driving me madder than mad!
Me: Are you gonna have dancers on stage with you?
Lee: Are you offering??!! Again, me thinks you're confusing me with Taylor Gaga, or Cher! Maybe if I end up in Vegas at the Boom Boom Lounge and Brothel. I'm quite popular there, so Madam Kiki tells me.
Me: What about a band? Will you be touring with a band?
Lee: Nah... against my principles! Don't want to share the groupies!
Me: Where is the tour gonna go to?
Lee: Probably straight to hell in a hand basket (what the hell is a hand basket??). I hope to tour Europe (London, Paris, Berlin, Lisbon, Amsterdam... not sure yet) and perhaps do some Asian cities (Tokyo, Delhi, Beijing). It's all pie-in-the-sky at the moment, but the technology is now available for me to do this alone.
Me: Alright, so, your music is very different then what is out there. Do you have any major influences or music you listen ti nowadays?
Lee: No. I literally stopped listening to music a long time ago. In my formative years (now I'm deforming) I, of course, was a rabid consumer of music. Concerts, thousands of CDs and 12" vinyl albums, esoteric stereo playback gear, etc. Now, and for the last several years, I just play/listen to what I produce. I am more inspired now by some philosophical systems I am fond of, nature and graphic arts. I have mentioned many times that one (of many) profound influences on my music is Monet... the way he captured the vibratory waves of light emanating from flowers, etc. I spent a day at his house in Giverny, wandering around his house, studio and gardens, literally awestruck. I took about 10 rolls of film (yes, analog X 36 pictures a roll) and made a video of some of my best photos with a soundtrack attempting to duplicate what he did visually with sound: youtu.be/jxex0JeWSRg. Van Gogh also captured 'the light.' I spent hours in his museum in Amsterdam (with some herbal aides from a 'coffee shop' helping me to tune in), amazed. And one more piece of art (out of MANY) that left me gobsmacked was Michelangelo's David. When I was standing in front of it, I was transfixed... timeless moments (also really dig Bosch, Hieronymus... that guy makes Dali look like a realist!). I think you get the picture (sorry... I'm tired).
Me: That's okay. What's next for you, Lee?
Lee: I might have a light snack... perhaps some fruit and green tea.
Me: Thanks so much for being on the Phile again. In January I'll be celebrating ten years of this stupid thing, and hope you'll come back then. Will you?
Lee: My dear friend, nothing will stop me... not even the death of my body! Don't forget to invite me!
Me: Mention your website and anything else and I wish you lots of luck and continued success. Take care.
Lee: Thank you so much, as always, Jason. Your kind support has meant a great deal to me over the years (yes, my friend, years). Here are my main websites: passingphasemusic.com, cdbaby.com/Artist/LeeNegin, facebook.com/LeeNegin1, twitter.com/umeboshiroshi, youtube.com/user/passingphasemusic. And, last but not least, a very cool on-line shop in the U.K. that exclusively sells my visual artwork and other groovy goods by other artists (t-shirts, mugs, panties, ribbed condoms, etc.): madmuglady.co.uk. Check it out! Cool holiday presents found there! Thanks, Jason. I hope I passed the audition.
Me: Good job.
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