How and when was Post-Mortem Pre-Op created?
From about 1984 to 1992, I had no luck in finding responsible musicians with which to form a punk band. In the early 1990s, my high school buddy Tim Towns and I had discovered “industrial” music, and both of us were taken in by its truly DIY approach. (Although he leaned more towards the techno-oriented fare, I was more attracted to earlier, more experimental outfits like Throbbing Gristle and Einsturzende Neubauten.) He invested in an Ensoniq and some recording gear, and we recorded a self-titled six-song EP called From a Whisper to a Scream. I followed suit, purchasing the same keyboard and Tascam four-track, with the idea we could integrate our ideas better. Instead, we started going off in different directions. In 1993, I recorded an untitled six “song” EP under the name Post-Mortem Pre-Op, with no idea if I would pursue the identity or its experimental leanings. Needless to say, being freed the restraints of having to depend on others to produce music, there was nothing left to slow me down. Although my more “accessible” musical interests have been since wormed their way into the mix, the spirit of wanting to do something different still remains, stubborn cuss that I am.
Who are the members and how do they contribute?
To date, I am responsible for the brunt of the creative end. In March of 2000, after having been unsuccessful with a “guitarist wanted” ad in several local papers, I hooked up with another high school friend with whom I had lost contact, Mark Ely. He had just started a new band, Beef Kurtain, but still had time and energy to spare, so we got together to see if his talents would suit Post-Mortem Pre-Op. Not only was he more than competent, his playing added a depth that the “band” was sorely lacking, and inevitably improved on any ideas I threw his way. Although I’ve written about half of the guitars you hear on our releases, it is Mark who ultimately makes them sing, so to speak, as I’ve never gotten far past the three-chord punk rock school of playing.
What style of music and type of mood is displayed in your music?
Whatever mood or style demands my attention at the time I write the song. Since music is a cathartic endeavor for me, most of it is typically angry or forlorn. Usually angry. Okay, mostly angry. I only get depressed when I’m too tired to be angry.
Is there a specific message that is presented to your audience through the lyrics and music?
No doubt my music is opinionated, so it is inevitable that certain “messages” can be heard. I am not in the business of preaching, as this only reaches the already converted. If my lyrics prove to be “thought provoking” in any way, though, than I know I’m doing my job. It doesn’t matter one way or another if someone agrees with what I say or not, only that it gets the listener to think. Unfortunately, many people seem to have forgotten how to do this for themselves, and would rather let others—politicians, religious leaders, pop psychologists, radio personalities, rock stars, et al.—do the task for them.
What do think are the key factors in being a successful band?
It depends entirely on why you perform music in the first place. Although the bottom line for me is being able to produce personally enriching and timeless music I want to hear, I would also like to be able to have these endeavors pay for themselves. If I have to sell out my ideals to obtain financially security, it’s not worth the sacrifice, but I’ve always felt that if people can make money doing exactly what they want to do, then more power to them. Today, people like Marilyn Manson and Beck stand as perfect examples that, yes, one can be successful whilst sticking to their guns.
Do you think there is a such thing as too much success?
I guess that depends on the individual, and how well they can deal with the rigors of success. Obviously, artists like Kurt Cobain couldn't deal with the demands of being a rock star, let alone the spokesperson for his generation. Personally, I wouldn't want to reach the level he did; my privacy is far too importance a thing to sacrifice.
After you reach the level of success that you wish to reach, what is going to be your next goal?
To continue making good music without having to juggle a part-time job. And to produce as much of it as I can before death overtakes me, probably from exhaustion.
Does Post-Mortem Pre-Op perform live often?
Actually, due to innumerable difficulties over the last year, we have yet to perform live, although we’ve gotten open offers from several small venues that have heard our music. Myself, I want to be able to offer something more than just music (especially since so much of it is pre-recorded) when we get up on stage, and until I have the means to give a show that doesn’t simply focus on Mark and myself, I’ll be reluctant. It doesn’t have to be anything on the level of a Skinny Puppy performance, but I do want people leaving having felt they got their money’s worth. Or shell shocked, depending on their tastes.
When you do start to play live shows, what bands or what style of bands do you hope to play live/ do shows with?
I thrive on eclecticism, so I'd be willing to perform with just about any type of band, as long as their ideals didn't seriously conflict with my own. I don't relish the thought of playing with a born again outfit, or a skinhead band that espouses racism, fagbashing, et al. If I had a say, I'd try to get bands with distinctly different sounds; nothing is worse than going to a concert and hearing one band after another that sound alike. Honestly, though, I don't think I have to worry about being billed with other outfits that sound just like us. Not for a while, anyway. lol
You mentioned in your e-mail and on you MP3.com website that you have two full albums of music already recorded. Have you had any labels interested in releasing any of it yet?
I’ve just started recently to approach record labels and the like, having spent what little time I’ve had for the “business” end of Post-Mortem Pre-Op getting our MP3 page up and running. Hopefully, with our previous setbacks out of the way, I’ll be able to devote the time necessary to this now.
What is your viewpoint on having a song played on a major radio station or on MTV? (Answer this however you want.)
Although I consider both redundant, culturally deprived wastelands (save for a handful of college stations), I’d have no problem with Post-Mortem Pre-Op being given the opportunity. I don’t expect this to happen any time soon, though. (I was in a local bar a few weeks back to see Mark’s other band, and found it both a little disconcerting and somewhat gratifying to hear the loudspeakers playing a PMPO track between sets. I’m sure the feelings will be even more amplified when I hear us on the radio for the first time.)
How do you feel about the "parental advisory, explicit lyrics” sticker that appear on some albums?
On the surface, parental advisories seem like a good idea; unlike films, though, it is much trickier to apply a ratings system to music. Some criteria, such as the dreaded “potty mouth,” is easy to determine, but who is truly qualified to judge if certain ideas are “offensive”? Obviously, there is a difference between the satirical approach of “Kill the Poor” by the Dead Kennedys and the violently racist leanings of some skinhead bands, or the “making love” that is alluded to in late-fifties rock music and the explicitly sexual (and undoubtedly sexist) content of less talented gangsta’ rappers, but where do you draw the line and who is qualified to determine a song’s artistic or social relevance? The other problem is that far too many parents take an irresponsible approach by allowing others to make the decision of what their children should or shouldn’t listen to, and simply don’t want to take the time to take an active role in their children’s development. It’s far to easy to plant them in front of the television and let someone else do the work for them. I won’t claim to have a solution, but I had hoped (futilely) that this long-standing debate would get parents to play their part a little better; instead, it seems, they spend what time they should be spending with their kids going after record stores and rock musicians.
Why are you a musician? Who influenced your love for music?
The same reason I’m a writer and an artist: Because it gives me a means to express myself that that the other mediums don’t offer. As for influences, music didn’t become one of my primary interests until my mid-teens, but what I latched onto prior to that had a profound effect. One of my earliest memories was stealing my father’s Ventures albums at the age of four, in particular the one that included their rendition of the Troggs’ “Wild Thing.” Years later during my adolescence, I was exposed to and became enamored with KISS (thanks to the first Marvel comic devoted to them), but was—a few years later—talked into burning all of my records by the church to which I belonged. (If there’s anything to fuel my hatred of organized religion, it was this incident.) In my early teens, I fell head over heels for the Go-Go’s (pun most certainly intended), and then became a devout Devo-tee a few years after that. In my mid-teens, I discovered punk rock via the Ramones, Sex Pistols, Dead Kennedys, Bad Brains, Minor Threat, etc. Hardcore was the primary influence for many years, but eventually I started seeking out the best of other genres. Although I’m still entrenched in harder-edged fare, I’m just as fond of Bo Diddley and Abba (the latter of which is my guiltiest of pleasures) as I am Machine Head and Skinny Puppy.
Any words of wisdom or advice (on life in general) that would like to share?
Take all words of wisdom with a grain of salt.
Any final comments?
When I die, my tombstone epitaph will read “Now He’s Really Pissed.”
POST-MORTEM PRE-OP
Check them out at www.mp3.com/postmortempreop
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