1) Your years of experience with record labels and the 'industry' in general has undoubtably tempered your outlook and attitude...now with your own label/imprint, do you ultimately feel the freedom you had always sought?
Though he's still best-known as the founder and leader of enigmatic NY band SWANS, Michael Gira now fronts the elegantly visceral ANGELS OF LIGHT, and also works tirelessly as 'label kingpin' behind his excellent and visionary Young God Records imprint. Much has transpired since our last discussion, so I decided it was high time to ask Mr. Gira a few questions to catch up on his more recent work. Interview with M. Gira conducted via email by Todd Zachritz February-May 2002. Many thanx to MG for his time and trouble in presenting this, as well as for his music and writings through the years. Photo by Scott Irvine.
1) Your years of experience with record labels and the 'industry'
in general has undoubtably tempered your outlook and
attitude...now with your own label/imprint, do you ultimately feel
the freedom you had always sought?
Absolutely not. I often yearn to have an "avuncular" large label with $ take
over everything. The trade off of complete control comes with complete
responsibility and an incredible amount of work. I'd say i get to spend a
maximum of 10% of my time on my own music these days. But the world is how
it is, so i'm grateful to have the ability to continue releasing music, and
to have an audience. Few people, after 20 years of releasing records are
able to maintain a career - especially in rock-related music.
2) Since the dissolution of SWANS, you seem to have found
yourself involved/immersed in more projects it seems, in the
sense of both artist and producer...any particular reason for this
perhaps more productive era? That's something i've always wanted to do - produce other people's music. In
a way, there's more creative freedom there than working on my own, because i
don't then have my own personal monkey on my back. Anyway, i always try to
stay busy...
3) Do you consider yourself something of a perfectionist with
regards to music? Yes, just in the sense that i can't let something go until i've wrung the
last drop of blood out of it.
4) With the Angels of Light (and 'What We Did' with Dan Matz),
your music seems to have taken on a more personal nature,
rather than the broad soundscapes & experimentation of
latter-period SWANS...Do you feel more connected or maybe
more honest with what you're doing lately? Maybe i'm deluding myself, but i always have thought I'm honest. I don't see
how something that's maybe more abstract is any less honest than something
"personal". It's all equal fodder to me as a writer. The writing/work has
always been informed by personal experience anyway. Now, I might take more
specifically from events in my own life, but i just look at it as material
to use, not necessarily relevant to the fact that it's my own life i'm
using. Even the "personal" songs aren't about me. I abstract/manipulate
everything to fit the context anyway.
5) Your thoughts looking back on the Body Lovers / Body Haters
releases...plans for any more? I really hope to be able to get to another Body Lovers installment this
summer. It's just finding the time and money simultaneously, as usual.
6) Your music with the Angels of Light often has a very European
sort of feel or sensibility to it. having traveled/lived extensively
throughout Europe, you obviously have much fondness for the
European lifestyle perhaps? Could it even be called a sort of
romance for the history/vibe/architecture/etc.?
Sorry, I don't see that. I like certain this about Europe, but i'm always
glad to come home. I like Americans, and i like America, generally.
7) What do you find most appealing or satisfying about producing
other artists? They're like wheezing, whining, needing, compliant blobs of putty in my
nefarious hands!
8) Young God has already proven to be a fertile breeding ground
for a variety of new and emerging artists...if at some point
someone with a young god release would become a popular
'commodity' in the industry (i'm thinking of a group like Sigur Ros
with their early release on Fat Cat) and things took off
commercially--would you rather expand the label or ultimately
keep it closer to you and focus on your personal projects and
maintain the close-knit feel as you have thus far? I don't really think there's any danger of that! Guess i'd cross that bridge
when i come to it...
9) any plans for a follow-up to 'The Consumer'? do you perhaps
feel more comfortable using your writing in a musical context? No, i'd like to write more stories. I'm just too busy to give it the
attention it deserves. If I were to perhaps have a year off to write every
day for 6 to 8 hours, it might be that at the end of that year i'd be ready
to write a good story. It's not, and shouldn't be, an easy thing.
10) any closing words to impart to your fans and listeners?
