Interview with Sel of Amplifier: “Music is like the human equivalent of that trail of slime that some snail has left across my kitchen floor: The music industry just bottles that slime and sells it as a lifestyle cream.”
Q: Can you tell us more about the new album? What inspired the songs?
A: Remember when you were a kid and you walked down the street listening to your Walkman and “Outshined” by soundgarden would come on and you would feel like you were 200 feet tall and could just melt cars with your stare? Remember when the sunshine used to shine and bathe everything in a kind of glow of youthful happiness and positivity Remember when Rock Music used to just, well, Rock, and you didn’t need to be able to count up to 13 in order to make sense of it? Well that’s what “Mystoria” is all about. And by the way – Mystoria – that’s a made up word we use for something that’s a bit fucked up and weird.
Q: How did you decide to become a band?
A: Well – seeing as how most readers don’t really want an earnest account of a life changing and affirming moment, let’s just say a career in Nuclear Research or Quantum Accountancy was never really going to appeal to any of the members of Amplifier who are more interested in, well, Rock. Extra-terrestrial Geology might have been a goer however.
Q: What inspires you and how do your songs come to life?
A: Well, without meaning to sound pithy, everything and nothing inspires me. My experience is that if you try and be inspired by something it will always be a disaster – so I don’t really think about it anymore. It’s a bit like looking at a Stereoscope. If you try and see the picture you can’t see anything. If you just pretend you’re not interested then everything is self-evident. Songwriting is like that – Yes.
Q: Any specific artist you look up to?
A: I like Frank Zappa – I like his mind. I like his guitar playing. I like Tim Smith – I like his mind and his guitar playing. I like Angus Young – I like how he dresses and I like his guitar playing. I like Tony Iommi – I like how he can have his fingers cut off – and still make the gig that night. That is commitment.
Q: How would you describe your music?
A: Mystoria is the sound of Magic Mind Decay. Which, well, Rocks.
Q: What does music represent for you and how do you see the state of music industry today? A: Music is like the human equivalent of that trail of slime that some snail has left across my kitchen floor during the middle of the night while I was asleep upstairs. I’ve often thought that. It’s un-intentional on the snail’s part. The music industry just bottles that slime and sells it as a lifestyle cream.
Q: Name 3 albums you would take with you on a desert island.
A: AC/DC – Complete Works, Cardiacs – Complete Works, Boney M – Complete Works
Download Mystoria from iTunes:
