[Moshe]

http://www.foxydigitalis.com/foxyd/f....php?which=206

Jackie-O Motherfucker
by James Clarke

 

Tom Greenwood is one of the founding members of the American experimental rock group Jackie-O Motherfucker. They formed in Portland, Oregon in 1994, as a duo consisting of multi-instrumentalist Tom Greenwood and saxophonist Nester Bucket. The group is infamous for its rotating cast of musicians drawn from the U.S. experimental scene.

JOMF's music draws from a variety of subgenres such as free-folk, drone, free jazz, space-rock and is heavily improvisational in its nature. Their sound differs greatly, made up of layering guitars and sax over hand cut analog tape loops and collage, collections of found sound, field recordings, cut-up classic rock, hip-hop beats and 4-tracked drones. Assembled and processed.

Founding member Tom Greenwood operates a label of CD-R live recordings, the U-Sound Archive, which features concert recordings from JOMF as well as many similar subunderground artists such as Double Leopards, Sunroof!, Burning Star Core and Vibracathedral Orchestra.

This interview was conducted via email October 2006.


What was it that got you involved in music to begin with?
My father had a guitar around the house- he never played it, so I picked it up. I took some lessons, and then played in a cover band called "purple haze"... there was a lot of music played in our house while I was growing up- lots of folk-rock stuff, and my friends and I all listened to a lot of metal.


Jackie-O are renowned for their eclectic sound. What are your musical influences?
Well... all the 60's rock I heard as a kid, and then I was hugely influenced by punk and art-rock, no-wave, and kraut-rock, Mingus, Morricone, and free-jazz, Cage, Henry Flynt, Lamonte Young...


Along with Sunburned Hand of The Man, you’re heralded as the leaders of the “new weird America” movement. Do you embrace this title, or does it bother you?
I like Sunburned Hand of The Man a lot, and have much respect for them. I don't care what the press/critics call it... the phrase means next to nothing to me...


When, and why did you decide to start up the ‘U-Sound Archive’ label?
I started it to archive and issue our live recordings around 2000.

 

You are a big name in the underground scene. I find that some people react negatively to your status. Do you feel somewhat subjugated by this?
Hmmmm... I didn’t know we/I were a big name anywhere...as far as what people think, I usually don't put much energy into figuring out why people say things, but I guess I’d like to know why they react negatively, before I decide how bothered I am by it. I don't lose any sleep over it though.


Fig 5. is an exceptional album, but what amazed was the amount of people that play on it. How do you find so many like minded musicians, and do you find it easy to control so many individual minds?
I’ve never had much trouble finding good musicians... I guess it's the part of society that I travel in- as for control, it's never been an issue.


I was a bit surprised to see some of your releases re-issued by the ATP label. Is it just me, or do you not find that ATP has turned somewhat commercial?
They’ve always been commercial, that was the point! To make those recordings as widely available as I possibly could. I wanted them in the bin right next to jameriquoi, or whatever.... I think it's great to get music like ours as far into the culture as possible


Elements of your music seem to be based around slavery and black oppression. The use of songs like “Go Down Old Hannah” and “Amazing Grace”, as well as the album title “Liberation”. Do you believe that America should be apologetic about its oppressive history, and is it a big issue for you?
The new world is built on the suffering of the lower class... America, England, Europe... it's all the same, and it's not a matter of apology. I just want people to respect each other, and extend human decency into the lower class, so that some of the incredible suffering in the world can be eliminated.


You recently released “The Grave” 7” on a small Irish Label called DotDotDot. How did that come about?
They contacted me, and the project seemed cool, so I sent them a track.


Finally, what are you working on at the moment?
I’m trying to get the vaults cleaned out at the moment... issuing a
bunch of live material representing the past few years of touring, and getting ready to record a new jomf record. Writing songs, and getting arrangements together. I plan to record it this winter.


Any closing comments?
Love one another, be safe, drink a lot of water...

-- James Clarke (27 December, 2006)

[jon boy]

tom has been living with my freind in leeds for a while now but now lives with a krusty fella somewhere nearby. useless i know but its friday afternoon.

thanks for the interview moshe!

[Iain]

Originally Posted by jon boy

tom has been living with my freind in leeds for a while now but now lives with a krusty fella somewhere nearby. useless i know but its friday afternoon.

thanks for the interview moshe!

No, no...these details are interesting to know. For some reason.

[Toilet & Bowels]

did i tell you about the the suspicion i had that john moloney was living in london last year? i would see him at the odd place when sbotm weren't here touring, like the time i walked out of a vietnamese take-away and he was just there in the street with some girl. it was either him or someone who looked just like him.

[Iain]

I think so. I think some of Sunburned were pretty much living over here last year anyway. They played here so damn much it wouldn't surprise me.