Post by HighProtein on Jun 18, 2006 23:54:57 GMT -5
Band: Jules Hodgson of KMFDM & PIG
Interviewer: Jeremy Eckhart
Date: 10/28/2004
I recently spoke with Jules Hodgson from KMFDM a few hours before he was due to go on stage in Pittsburgh, PA at Mr. Small's Funhouse. We talked about his involvement with KMFDM and a bit about the other band he performs in, PIG.
Roused from a bad hangover, Jules was still the consumate gentleman, and answered my questions in a playful manner. Always the nice guy, I expected nothing less.
Here is our conversation:
Grave Concerns: How are you doing?
Jules Hodgson: I am doing very well, apart from a substantial hangover.
GC: I know how that goes.
JH: ( Laughter )
GC: I met you once before on the Sturm and Drang Tour in Omaha, Nebraska.
JH: Oh, ok.
GC: I partied with you guys after the show for three hours out in the bus.
JH: Right, so you know how hangovers feel.
GC: God, I remember that we drank so much Jaegermeister that night... it was crazy.
JH: Yeah that's still going on. That was my poison last night too. It's become somewhat of a habit.
GC: Alright, I won't take up too much of your time, I know you are getting ready to play a show tonight.
JH: Yeah, no worries.
GC: You just finished the Canadian leg of the 20th Anniversary tour,
JH: That's right, yeah.
GC: How did that part of the tour go?
JH: Um, absolutely great. Yeah, It was really good to be back in Canada and to be recieved with a rabid welcome by the fans up there. I guess we kind of didn't know how it was going to go because we haven't played there in so long. We definitely have still got a lot of friends that know us up there.
GC: OK.
JH: It was stone cold though.
GC: Yeah... ( laughter )Were there any memorable shows at all that stick out in your mind? Any one in particuular?
JH: There were a few. We played probably the smallest show that KMFDM is ever gonna play, you know. a tourist town called Banff. It was kind of unusual. It was good if you wanted to buy souveigners of the local rock. Stuff like that.
GC: ( Laughter )
JH: That was kind of strange. It was like playing a sort of western theme bar. We had some local, very odd fans. Montreal was fantastic. It's the third time I've been there and it is a real nice city. The venue we played in was a nice old, theater, and everything just kicked off, everything went perfect,
GC: So the turns out have been going really well?
JH: Yeah in Canada we sold out pretty much every place we played.
GC: My next question is a more of a personal one for you.
JH: Sure.
GC: Do you have any kind of pre-show rituals that you go through before performing?
JH: ( Laughter ) Well let's see... It's usually consists of dragging myself out of bed, jumping to the venue so I can have a look at the place. Then I go through things with the monitor, engineer, front house engineer, and see how they set the stage up. Then it's straight into the shower so I can give myself a good scrub from the night before, mess around with the few hairs I've got left on my head just to try and make them look a bit thicker. And then it's just a question of eating, soundchecking, and then twiddling my thumbs till we get on the stage. I've not got a pair of lucky underpants or anything like that.
GC: So there's nothing that you require in particular when you play live?
JH: No, not really just hang out in the venue and check the girls when they come in, and get ready for the show.
GC: ( Laughter ) The current tour roster at
KMFDM.net
lists the band as a five piece this tour. Is Raymond not performing?
JH: Raymond is not with us this time.
GC: He's not...
JH: No.
We are curious, why?
JH: He just had a lot of stuff that he had to get tied up in England, you know, bits and pieces of thing that were personal to him. I guess... I mean obviously there are going to be some people that are going to miss Raymond's presence, because he is absolutely part of the KMFDM sound, but it's kind of nice that Sascha and Lucia get to over the stage when he's not around. Sascha is the guy that has been steering the whole thing for twenty years, it's good that he gets to come to the front, come to the fore, and be the focal point, along with Lucia.
GC: Definitely. Now I wanted to ask since most of the band PIG been kind of kind of absorbed into KMFDM, is PIG still around?
JH: Well...
GC: Are you still a part of it?
JH: Yeah, the PIG has not been slaughtered yet.
GC: Ok, good.( Laughter)
JH: It's not ready to be turned into pork chops. It still exists.
GC: Yeah, it would be hard for me to see Raymond quitting such a strong project.
JH: Yeah, you know he did the Watts record, um, which initially was going to be a PIG record but it just turned out leading away. I'm sure we'll make more PIG records in the future, there's no plans of taking the role where everyone steps off. The problem is that most of us live over in the states. But were all in communication very frequently, so I'm sure something will happen along those lines. But don't hold your breath for it.
GC: Yeah. ( Laughter ) How did you come to meet Raymond and join the band PIG?
JH: Let's see, I was in a band in 96' called Lodestar. Signed to A&M, and Steve used to come and see us play round about London and stuff. That band split and a couple of days later, I got a call from Steve saying he was going to the states to tour with KMFDM, and "Do you want to come and do it?"
GC: Wow...
JH: After my old band imploded, I was left in a bit of a vaccum and a fews days later, it was like a phone call, "Do you want to join this band PIG?", which I had never heard. I think my audition, uh the audition process was me and Raymond, and him sort of saying: "Do you like being on the road? Do you like partying?" And I was like "Yeah." And he was like "Right, you're in."
GC: ( Laughter )
JH: That was it.
GC: Well, I have to say that Steve and yourself really compliment each other very well in both bands; KMFDM and PIG, especially on the last few albums.
JH: We kind of got very similar influences, being about the same age, we grew up listening to the same guitarists even though we lived on different ends of Brittian
GC: You can tell that because the guitar work is incredibly tight and really strong. How did you guys come at recording when you guys went in to do the new album?
JH: Well, Steve didn't play on World War III.
GC: He didn't, That's all you?
JH: Yeah, but it tends to be the case that whatever Steve writes or whatever I write, we know the other person is going to be very comfortable playing it just because we have such similar ways of playing So I don't ever have to think about it as far aas Steve goes 'cause I know he'll get it straight away.
GC: Right.
JH: You know, even though we are two different guitarists, we both know each other's style inside out.
GC: Were you happy with the way the recording process came out?
JH: Oh absolutely, yeah.
GC: Is there anything that didn't see the light of day that you would have liked to?
JH: Um... no. No, I mean every track we wrote pretty much ended up on the record. There's one track that is just kicking around in the ether at the moment, which I think we'd like to get finished off, it's just something we experimented with a few different things that never quite worked. But the low ends of the track are fantastic. So that will probably surface, so look for it.
GC: What kind of gear have you been using on this tour so far?
JH: I have been using the Line Six Vector head and cab and all of my guitars are totally provided by ESP. I have got a real good relatuionship with those guys, the guy who deals with artist relations is a real good guy.
GC: With as much of the guitar work that you contribute, have you been contributing to the programming as well?
JH: Oh yeah, absolutely. You know I think when Sascha first asked me to join KMFDM as a fully fledged member of the band, he didn't know about the last twenty years I have spent in recording studios and programming stuff, so I think he expected that I was just a guitar player and nothing else, so it kind of came as a bit of a surprise and a bonus that I was into that whole type of thing as well. Again, you know, working with Sascha is very, very easy to be honest. Our work ethics compliment each other very well. You know, I put some programming into the record, but all the signature programming that is Sascha's is very evident.
GC: I've got to say that I just caught the DVD, and is very personable and shows the lighter side of you guys while touring. You guys look like you get along so great.
JH: Yeah, that's one of the best things about the whole thing is that we do get on so well, you know I mean I got drunk on the bus, slept in a chair last night, and woke up this morning and everyone's gone with everyone else and that's just the way it is.
GC: What do you think the most fun thing about being in KMFDM is for you?
JH: Uh, I don't know . Just the fact that we've got such loyal fans and we treat our fans as friends rather than live like people on the other side of the barrier. We get to know everyone, ( Laughter ) well, some of them very intamately, and some of them not so intimately. ( More Laughter ) It's cool that we've got a whole group of people that we can just hang out with. As the night unfolds different people are come riding on the tour bus with the various different stories of the evening of debauchery, and that's always kind of fun to be in the mix then.
GC: I have to ask you from the DVD, is there anything you hate about touring? Other than the band giving you crap for breeding lifeforms in your shoes...?
That was actually my line as well. It's kind of my favorite thing about being in the band, being on the road. Every night it's clubs, sound, and lights.
GC: That's great. Thanks a lot for doing this. I really appreciate you taking the time out to do it.
JH: No problem man.
GC: You guys have a great show, and I will see you in Kansas City on the 12th when I interview the whole band.
JH: Excellent
GC: I will see you then. Have an incredible tour Jules.
JH: Thank you very much Jeremy.
GC:And thanks again. Bye.
JH: Cheers.
www.angelfire.com/ny2/graveconcerns/interview_jules.html
Interviewer: Jeremy Eckhart
Date: 10/28/2004
I recently spoke with Jules Hodgson from KMFDM a few hours before he was due to go on stage in Pittsburgh, PA at Mr. Small's Funhouse. We talked about his involvement with KMFDM and a bit about the other band he performs in, PIG.
Roused from a bad hangover, Jules was still the consumate gentleman, and answered my questions in a playful manner. Always the nice guy, I expected nothing less.
Here is our conversation:
Grave Concerns: How are you doing?
Jules Hodgson: I am doing very well, apart from a substantial hangover.
GC: I know how that goes.
JH: ( Laughter )
GC: I met you once before on the Sturm and Drang Tour in Omaha, Nebraska.
JH: Oh, ok.
GC: I partied with you guys after the show for three hours out in the bus.
JH: Right, so you know how hangovers feel.
GC: God, I remember that we drank so much Jaegermeister that night... it was crazy.
JH: Yeah that's still going on. That was my poison last night too. It's become somewhat of a habit.
GC: Alright, I won't take up too much of your time, I know you are getting ready to play a show tonight.
JH: Yeah, no worries.
GC: You just finished the Canadian leg of the 20th Anniversary tour,
JH: That's right, yeah.
GC: How did that part of the tour go?
JH: Um, absolutely great. Yeah, It was really good to be back in Canada and to be recieved with a rabid welcome by the fans up there. I guess we kind of didn't know how it was going to go because we haven't played there in so long. We definitely have still got a lot of friends that know us up there.
GC: OK.
JH: It was stone cold though.
GC: Yeah... ( laughter )Were there any memorable shows at all that stick out in your mind? Any one in particuular?
JH: There were a few. We played probably the smallest show that KMFDM is ever gonna play, you know. a tourist town called Banff. It was kind of unusual. It was good if you wanted to buy souveigners of the local rock. Stuff like that.
GC: ( Laughter )
JH: That was kind of strange. It was like playing a sort of western theme bar. We had some local, very odd fans. Montreal was fantastic. It's the third time I've been there and it is a real nice city. The venue we played in was a nice old, theater, and everything just kicked off, everything went perfect,
GC: So the turns out have been going really well?
JH: Yeah in Canada we sold out pretty much every place we played.
GC: My next question is a more of a personal one for you.
JH: Sure.
GC: Do you have any kind of pre-show rituals that you go through before performing?
JH: ( Laughter ) Well let's see... It's usually consists of dragging myself out of bed, jumping to the venue so I can have a look at the place. Then I go through things with the monitor, engineer, front house engineer, and see how they set the stage up. Then it's straight into the shower so I can give myself a good scrub from the night before, mess around with the few hairs I've got left on my head just to try and make them look a bit thicker. And then it's just a question of eating, soundchecking, and then twiddling my thumbs till we get on the stage. I've not got a pair of lucky underpants or anything like that.
GC: So there's nothing that you require in particular when you play live?
JH: No, not really just hang out in the venue and check the girls when they come in, and get ready for the show.
GC: ( Laughter ) The current tour roster at
KMFDM.net
lists the band as a five piece this tour. Is Raymond not performing?
JH: Raymond is not with us this time.
GC: He's not...
JH: No.
We are curious, why?
JH: He just had a lot of stuff that he had to get tied up in England, you know, bits and pieces of thing that were personal to him. I guess... I mean obviously there are going to be some people that are going to miss Raymond's presence, because he is absolutely part of the KMFDM sound, but it's kind of nice that Sascha and Lucia get to over the stage when he's not around. Sascha is the guy that has been steering the whole thing for twenty years, it's good that he gets to come to the front, come to the fore, and be the focal point, along with Lucia.
GC: Definitely. Now I wanted to ask since most of the band PIG been kind of kind of absorbed into KMFDM, is PIG still around?
JH: Well...
GC: Are you still a part of it?
JH: Yeah, the PIG has not been slaughtered yet.
GC: Ok, good.( Laughter)
JH: It's not ready to be turned into pork chops. It still exists.
GC: Yeah, it would be hard for me to see Raymond quitting such a strong project.
JH: Yeah, you know he did the Watts record, um, which initially was going to be a PIG record but it just turned out leading away. I'm sure we'll make more PIG records in the future, there's no plans of taking the role where everyone steps off. The problem is that most of us live over in the states. But were all in communication very frequently, so I'm sure something will happen along those lines. But don't hold your breath for it.
GC: Yeah. ( Laughter ) How did you come to meet Raymond and join the band PIG?
JH: Let's see, I was in a band in 96' called Lodestar. Signed to A&M, and Steve used to come and see us play round about London and stuff. That band split and a couple of days later, I got a call from Steve saying he was going to the states to tour with KMFDM, and "Do you want to come and do it?"
GC: Wow...
JH: After my old band imploded, I was left in a bit of a vaccum and a fews days later, it was like a phone call, "Do you want to join this band PIG?", which I had never heard. I think my audition, uh the audition process was me and Raymond, and him sort of saying: "Do you like being on the road? Do you like partying?" And I was like "Yeah." And he was like "Right, you're in."
GC: ( Laughter )
JH: That was it.
GC: Well, I have to say that Steve and yourself really compliment each other very well in both bands; KMFDM and PIG, especially on the last few albums.
JH: We kind of got very similar influences, being about the same age, we grew up listening to the same guitarists even though we lived on different ends of Brittian
GC: You can tell that because the guitar work is incredibly tight and really strong. How did you guys come at recording when you guys went in to do the new album?
JH: Well, Steve didn't play on World War III.
GC: He didn't, That's all you?
JH: Yeah, but it tends to be the case that whatever Steve writes or whatever I write, we know the other person is going to be very comfortable playing it just because we have such similar ways of playing So I don't ever have to think about it as far aas Steve goes 'cause I know he'll get it straight away.
GC: Right.
JH: You know, even though we are two different guitarists, we both know each other's style inside out.
GC: Were you happy with the way the recording process came out?
JH: Oh absolutely, yeah.
GC: Is there anything that didn't see the light of day that you would have liked to?
JH: Um... no. No, I mean every track we wrote pretty much ended up on the record. There's one track that is just kicking around in the ether at the moment, which I think we'd like to get finished off, it's just something we experimented with a few different things that never quite worked. But the low ends of the track are fantastic. So that will probably surface, so look for it.
GC: What kind of gear have you been using on this tour so far?
JH: I have been using the Line Six Vector head and cab and all of my guitars are totally provided by ESP. I have got a real good relatuionship with those guys, the guy who deals with artist relations is a real good guy.
GC: With as much of the guitar work that you contribute, have you been contributing to the programming as well?
JH: Oh yeah, absolutely. You know I think when Sascha first asked me to join KMFDM as a fully fledged member of the band, he didn't know about the last twenty years I have spent in recording studios and programming stuff, so I think he expected that I was just a guitar player and nothing else, so it kind of came as a bit of a surprise and a bonus that I was into that whole type of thing as well. Again, you know, working with Sascha is very, very easy to be honest. Our work ethics compliment each other very well. You know, I put some programming into the record, but all the signature programming that is Sascha's is very evident.
GC: I've got to say that I just caught the DVD, and is very personable and shows the lighter side of you guys while touring. You guys look like you get along so great.
JH: Yeah, that's one of the best things about the whole thing is that we do get on so well, you know I mean I got drunk on the bus, slept in a chair last night, and woke up this morning and everyone's gone with everyone else and that's just the way it is.
GC: What do you think the most fun thing about being in KMFDM is for you?
JH: Uh, I don't know . Just the fact that we've got such loyal fans and we treat our fans as friends rather than live like people on the other side of the barrier. We get to know everyone, ( Laughter ) well, some of them very intamately, and some of them not so intimately. ( More Laughter ) It's cool that we've got a whole group of people that we can just hang out with. As the night unfolds different people are come riding on the tour bus with the various different stories of the evening of debauchery, and that's always kind of fun to be in the mix then.
GC: I have to ask you from the DVD, is there anything you hate about touring? Other than the band giving you crap for breeding lifeforms in your shoes...?
That was actually my line as well. It's kind of my favorite thing about being in the band, being on the road. Every night it's clubs, sound, and lights.
GC: That's great. Thanks a lot for doing this. I really appreciate you taking the time out to do it.
JH: No problem man.
GC: You guys have a great show, and I will see you in Kansas City on the 12th when I interview the whole band.
JH: Excellent
GC: I will see you then. Have an incredible tour Jules.
JH: Thank you very much Jeremy.
GC:And thanks again. Bye.
JH: Cheers.
www.angelfire.com/ny2/graveconcerns/interview_jules.html