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Richard Bone is an artist with an incredibly diverse past. Among
many,
many things he's studied drama, played in the legendary band Shox
Lumania, hung out with the likes of Klaus Nomi, Souixie Souix, David
Bowie and Devo, recorded and released music on his own label and
had
the video for his single "Alien Girl" included on "Danspak", an
experimental
Sony video. And all of this was before his musical interests started
shifting
away from the 80's New Wave club scene!
In 1991, Richard started his own label, Quirkworks Laboratory Discs,
allowing him the freedom to create music of a more experimental
nature
and remain in control of his musical direction. Richard is a prolific
composer, releasing records for his own label and several other
labels including Hypnos.
His August 2000 release Ascensionism did phenomenally
well on the
NAV Airwaves Top 100 chart. The album held the #1 spot for two months
and stayed in the Top 10 for 4 consecutive months. Richard's latest
ambient project Tales from the Incantina (released
April 2001)
debuted at #6 on the NAV Airwaves Top 100 chart.
For more info and to check out Richard's discography, please visit
his website.
Jamie:
Change is very important to me as an artist, but lately I've been
looking back on some records (particularly old pop/rock stuff) that
I had
set aside. I'm enjoying listening not in a nostalgic way, but from
seeing
the music in a new light. Do you ever revisit albums that at one
time
inspired you?
Richard: Most definitely. The work which changed everything
for me, my
"holy grail," was released in the late 60's on Columbia Records.
Led by
experimentalist/composer Joseph Byrd, The United States
of America
blended early electronics with rock. It completely changed the way
I
viewed music and caused me to say "that's what I want to do." It
was
recently released on CD. I listen to it at least once a week if
not more.
I have gone through 2 copies of the vinyl.
One of the greatest thrills of my life has been to actually contact
Joseph
Byrd and tell him how much he meant to me. We have been in constant
communication ever since. A couple of years ago he sent me the original
lead sheet to one of the songs on that Columbia LP with a wonderful
inscription. It now hangs in my studio.
Jamie: That's just great! I don't know Joseph Byrd,
but I'll definitely check
him out. What is it about his music that "completely changed the
way" you
viewed music?
Richard: At the time (late 60's) even the most underground
of bands were
still all about either jangly or fuzzed out guitars. I wanted to
hear these
fantastic sounds I was hearing in all my sci-fi films incorporated
in
contemporary music. I knew it could be done but it wasn't until
I bought
a copy of The United States of America that it all
came together. It was
like The Lady of the Lake had risen out of the murky Gibson Sea
had
handed me a vinyl Excalibur. It was that dramatic for me. The drums
were
electronic, the sounds swirling all around me were electronic. There
were
tape loops and processed vocals. Yet still, underneath it all, it
WAS still
rock and roll. And what great songwriting talent on top of it all.
If it had just
been a lot of knob twiddling and no compositional skill, I wouldn't
have pay
it much attention. But even today, over 30 years later, the songs
are
still there.
That's when it all began for me. It was as if someone had said to
me, "No
you're not insane. These dreams and ideas you've been attempting
are
now not only possible but viable."
Jamie: I think one of the most challenging things
in music is combining
different styles or genres. I've never liked the "forcing" of elements
together
and music that does that feels contrived to me. But, it's absolutely
amazing
when someone, in being true their own aesthetic, combines several
seemingly unrelated styles into one piece of music. This is what
I'm after.
I listen to a lot of music and try to absorb it on an unconscious
level and
then follow my own voice.
When you're listening to music do you listen analytically or more
intuitively/unconsciously?
Richard: It depends. If I'm listening as a matter
of research, as I am now
with Balinese music or with Bossa Nova for Electropica,
then I listen very
analytically. But only for a short time. Studying for too long a
period moves
beyond absorbing the form and tends to lead to imitation rather
than
impression.
Other than that I rarely listen to music when I'm alone! Melodies
and
movements are constantly creating themselves in my mind. When I'm
not
actively working on those ideas in the studio, I find the only thing
that will
silence the din is the spoken word. Therefore I have stacks of books
on
tape and DVD/Laserdiscs. If I try to listen to music other that
at specific
times, it becomes as irritating as fingernails on a chalkboard for
me
because it is clashing with everything happening between my ears.
I have discovered, very recently, that keeping a small personal
recorder
nearby helps to get those ideas out of my head and down on paper.
I suppose you could call it an aural lobotomy. OK, Mr. Bone, the
doctor will see you now!
Jamie: Well, whatever works!! I know what you're
saying about music
clashing with what's in your head. When I'm composing, I'm always
thinking about music. To the point that I'll wake up in the middle
of the
night with music playing in my head. The challenge for me is to
get that
sound and that feel recorded. The reality is that I've never fully
achieved
getting those sounds out! Do you feel that you've ever recorded
the sounds
that you initially hear in your imagination? Any specific pieces
that
stand out?
Richard: No, and I've learned not to try. I finally
realized that what was
coming to me in dreams was not meant to be copied note for note.
That
simply doesn't translate. What was being sent to me were a series
of
ideas, impression, feelings and hunches that I then could go explore
without becoming frustrated that I couldn't get the idea down note
for note.
It was a very liberating experience. Now I just acknowledge that
an idea
has arrived, I'm grateful for it, and I just go on my merry way.
Often artists
tend to way over think things. Sometimes "good enough" and "almost
there"
are exactly what the piece needs to be. Forcing yourself to go further
can
damage the piece and make it stale and plodding.
Jamie: When I'm composing, it's usually out of
the studio. I mainly
compose at the guitar or piano, but sometimes just thinking about
music
away from an instrument works best. It allows me a certain freedom
that
I can't get any other way. Sometimes the melody comes first, sometimes
it's a chord progression or rhythmic idea. How do you write? Do
you start
with a concept, a sound, a melodic, rhythmic or harmonic fragment?
Richard: I suppose the best way to describe it would
be by comparing it
to a sculptor staring with a piece of simple rock and releasing
the form that
lies within. I never start with a preconceived idea. Often I will
have a very
general idea of what the project will be (ambient, jazzy, floating,
rhythmic)
but that's as far as the planing goes. It's always a matter of just
sitting at
the keyboard, clearing my mind, and see what arrives. That's also
the same
way I handle the overdubs. I don't go in knowing that "what the
piece really
needs is X." I just improvise around what I've already laid down
until that little
feeling in the pit of stomach jumps up and says "that's it." That
inner voice
never fails. Sometimes I forget to trust it completely, but it never
fails.
Jamie: The times that I don't trust my intuition
are usually a nightmare in
the studio or on stage. Lately, I've been thinking about the shape
of the line
that I'm playing more than a note's relationship to the harmony
or rhythm.
I'm finding that by letting go of an individual note the whole line
becomes
freer and communicates my feelings better. For the last little while,
I've
been moving more to a holistic approach to music. I think of everything
that the listener hears as being part of the whole -- from the composition
to the performance to the production to the engineering. Every part
that
makes up the sound that comes out of the speakers (either on record
or live) really matters to me. One thing that I admire about your
music
is your attention to sound design and sound quality. Was this
something you were always interested in?
Richard: Absolutely! I think, even as a preteen,
I was more interested in
the sound design coming out of the speakers than I was the actual
song.
That is one of the many great blessings that resulted from being
a child
of the 60's. There was so much experimentation in sound (and everything
else) occurring then. I listened to everything with headphones trying
to
dissect every little sound and learning about placement in the overall
sound spectrum. The shear production genius of George Martin, Lou
Adler, Alan Lorber, Creed Taylor and engineers like Eddie Kramer
and
Rudy van Gelder continue to influence me every day.
Jamie: Any tips for getting your great sounds down
on tape?
Richard: Well, everyone needs to develop and nurture
their own style, but
for me it's all about just letting go. I've done the homework in
the sense that
I've listened to the best. Their work is a part of me. Their sound
is the Holy
Grail for which I aim. So with that in mind I create a rather clear
vision in my
mind of the way I want to project to feel and sound. Then, as I
mentioned,
I just let go. I have no musical training so I'm not burdened down
by a little
voice in the back of my head that says, "Sorry pal, that's not musically
correct." I work completely of feel. I've also found that, for me,
working
completely on headphones (at a relatively low volume) is a way to
truly get
"inside" the music. Then as the track nears completion, I make a
reference
CD and listen to it on the main speakers in my living room. Why?
Because
this is where I listen to all the rest of the music in my life.
When I've
achieved a mix that sounds right in the headphones AND the main
speakers, then I know I'm done.
Jamie: That's pretty much what I do too! I need
at least two sets of
speakers to check out my mixes. Also, in mastering I like to listen
to
the mixes on a number of speakers. I think of it as looking at something
from different perspectives -- sometimes you notice a sound or a
balance
that you didn't before.
I've been doing a fair amount of live music lately and I'm loving
it! I hope to
keep on playing live for at least the next six months to a year.
What's up
for you? Any new recordings? Gigs?
Richard: No live work on the horizon. I'm still looking
for a painter or
photographer whose gallery show I could score. That's been a dream
of mine, but I've yet to find the right artist.
I'm in the studio now working on a new project which will have a
middle
eastern/oriental flavor. I'm being extremely meticulous with this
one for
some reason. Considering every sound I use, but still trying to
work from
intuition and not over think things. I'm very pleased with the tracks
that
have emerged so far. The working title is Absolute East.
Jamie: Sounds great -- I can wait to hear it! Thanks
for taking the time
to talk about your music.
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