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Gene
Loves Jezebel
with Michael Aston
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..... Gene Loves Jezebel-Aston, Michael
Ciravolo (guitars/keyboards), Pando (bass) and Michael Brahm (drums Gene Loves
Jezebel have been around (in various permutations) since goth diverged from the
early Eighties neo-romantic scene. Though frontman Michael Aston (whose twin
brother Jay lost rights to the band name in 1997) is more goth-ish than gothic,
he has a flair for the dramatic and knows how to use it. "Exploding
Girl" is a smoldering, melodic meditation on Wafa Idris, Palestine's first
female suicide bomber, in which Aston eschews judgment in favor of character
analysis, at one point evoking Joan of Arc. Other topical and personal insights
surface amid edgy tunes shot through with exotic flavors, ranging from the
slinky electronica-tinged groove behind the bittersweet "2 Hungry
Women" to the African-style percussion driving "Blue Mary." This
fetching album will hold a special appeal for those who fondly recall the days
when goth was more about romantic yearning (in the Bronte sense) and gritty pop
rock than fetish gear and down-tuned guitars.
INTERVIEW WITH GENE LOVES JEZEBEL With Mike Aston
Q: Are you on tour?
A: Yes. We actually started ... were going to Phoenix, San
Diego and Los Angeles and then we head on the road on the 24th and we go to
Austin, New York, New Orleans, Chicago and all that stuff. So we'll be out for
about six weeks.
Q: I enjoyed listening to your new album, Exploding Girls.
How did you go about writing so many songs about women ?
A: The content is really about women that have kind of
depressed or amazed me or just powerful women like Rachel Corey was behind
songs and me, Rafael ____ was behind the Exploding Girl. Though Exploding Girl
could be taken on a number of different levels. It's supposed to be really
about an explosion ____. Two angry women about two women who have laid beneath
the American bombings and what it would like to be women with children. It's
just one of those things and it's been one of those years and mother was very
seriously ill on her death bed and my daughter got really seriously ill. It's
just the time and moment to provide the impetus for this record really. But
they're not straight love songs at all.
Q: How about the song Blue Mary?
A: Blue Mary is based on Mary Magdelan for example and
being raised a Catholic and whatever else. Those were the kind of things I went
with. Just one thing led to another. I didn't wake up one day and go "Oh,
I'm going to do a record about women." Some people misunderstood as if I'm
some Lothario and beating about my conquests. When I see reviews like that, I
think "well obviously they didn't listen to the record."
Q: That was quite powerful. It was just men that doing the
bombs on their body and then all of a sudden there was this one woman comes in
and explodes herself.
A: Yeah. It really made people think. At least made me
think. I never believed that they might. People just see them as crazy and they
like to put terrorist which is a catchall phrase for anyone who chose any kind
of reactional rebellion, any defense. I never really saw the difference between
shooting a cruise missile and someone shooting a bullet or exploding yourself.
They're all means of defense. That's not condoning it, but I'm just seeing it
from their perspective. Q: A lot of people have wrong misconception that women
just raise kids and clean the house.
A: Right. That's very true.
Q: And all of sudden some of them get pretty brave and
political and take it into their own hands.
A: Right.
Q: So how long has it been since you went your separate ways
from your brother Jay.
A: Seven years.
Q: That's plenty of time...
A: We worked really hard the last seven years. To start
again and it's been enjoyable and the challenge is there and I think we've made
a couple of great records. Particularly this one to justify the continuation.
Q: I noticed they just released the Best of Gene Loves
Jezebel.
A: Yeah. They keep doing that, much to my chagrin. They've
got about 3 best sales in the last five - six years. It's like do me a favor.
Get some new music.
Q: Now the Album Love Lies Bleeding, how long ago was that ?
A: That was 1997 - 6 years ago. Another record. I'm proud of
that record to. I think we do really great work. I guess you never forgive them
for lip gloss.
Q: That really was the scene back then.
A: That was the era. But I love the LA bands like Dreadful,
and Motley Crew, and bands that made me puke.
Q: I know these last two years have been nothing but metal
this and metal that.
A: We haven't had anything since grunge since was down and
dirty and ___.
Q: I consider your album really mellow. It kind of has a
Doors sound to it.
A: Do you think? There are some elements there.
Q: Jim Morrison like really mellow. He was more of a poet.
It seemed you have a lot of poetic lyrics too?
A: Definitely. It always come from words lyrical set, even
way back then.,
Q: You've been doing this for about 21 years?
A: Yeah, 21 years. I've been failing for 21 years.
Q: I still have your first couple of albums.
A: It's amazing that people do remember. It's nice that
you're part of their life in some way. It's pretty amazing.
Q: Take into account all the crazy stuff that's going on
with your brother, it's really admirable that you're still keep going on.
A: Yeah, I mean the thing my brother, no one realizes is
that he's the one who doesn't want to play with me. He's welcome to come play
with us and sing backup again. He's the one with the problem.
A sibling thing I guess. He's always welcome. He's the one
tried to push me out of the band, sued me and lost the lawsuit and blah blah.
He brought it all.
Q: I would think after he listens to this album, he should
think about getting back together with you.
A: He won't see it that way at all.
Q: So, you're still not on talking terms.
A: No, it's very difficult for me after what's occurred. I
mean he's kind of betrayed me a number of times. I've always had record deals,
I've always made records. I've never had a problem. Having a vehicle for
expression, he has when he's needed me, he's begged me to come back and I've
come back and then he's kicked me out or tried to kick me out.
Q: That doesn't sound too encouraging.
A: No. No. I sang 80% of all of our first four albums. So, I
was the lead singer and all people recognized was the voice, which I figured
was what pissed him off. Then he tried on his own and he basically fell on his
face.
Q: They gave you the rights to the name now?
A: Yeah. But they didn't give it to me.
Q: You had to fight for it?
A: I had to present my case and my case was basically very
strong and undeniable.
Q: I'm glad you're moving along here. Is your home base Los
Angeles?
A: Yeah it is.
Q: Did you live in England ?
A: No, I lived in Britain for 29 years of my life. Born
there and when I was 18-19 I moved to London. I was there was 8 years and I
came to LA in about '89 - '90 and then I've been here ever since.
Q: The bulk of your career has actually been over in
England.
A: Definitely.
Q: Do you plan to do a tour over there also?
A: I'd love to. Absolutely love to. We have our own label
and so we're talking to some different places, but we're definitely going to
get back over there. We've done stuff in Mexico and Brazil and we've been
invited back to Argentina and even Chile, so I'd really like to get back to
Europe and Scandinavia and all that stuff.
Q: You have a really talented band. Your guitarist
Michael...
A: Civavolo. Yeah. Yeah, he's special. I met him a few years
ago for a solo record I did called "Why Me" and I was touring and he
played. I saw him on stage with a band called "Human Drama." I said
"Man, that's my guitar player." And we've been working together ever
since. We work really well together and we write incredibly well together. He
kind of really complements what I'm doing. It's been good for him to because
he's now found the singer/writer that really helps him get where he deserves to
be. I think that this is a great marriage. No he's great. I love everything he
does.
Q: It makes a big difference.
A: With guitar playing, you may not like the way they sound,
or they might do a solo. It's a real struggle to work with someone who doesn't
work. It's just so much effort. But with him, it's just a joy and very easy to
do. I'm kind of real lucky in that this time around.
Q: Your song "Jenin" is that about a girl named
Jenin?
A: No. No. That was kind of inspired by Rachel Cory, the
American girl who stood in front of the bulldozer. But that wasn't the country
she was out, but Jenin just breaks better than Ramallah. I thought it was a
nice play off the word. But people would think it was about ... like they think
Lola is purely about a girl, but it's not about a girl at all.
Q: That's true.
A: That was my mind fix on that.
Q: That ring has a nice ring too when you sing the chorus.
A: That song has a lot of interest in it. That's one thing
about this record, is that we get a lot ... but none of the reviews are bad,
but they all pick on different songs. It's really strange. Quite a variety.
Q: Were you able to write these over a short period or did
it take you a while?
A: I would say a short period. The longest time was actually
the recording because we mixed it up with pro tours and live recording and so I
would spend a lot of time just editing stuff and moving stuff around and
bringing the drum beat down and getting a real drummer to play across it which
is really time consuming because he has to hit it. But it was stuff like that.
But we went about it in a different way this time. That what I said to Michael
Ciravolo, I said "let's not just make a straight label record. We rehearse
and there's our ten songs. Let's really mix it up."
Q: Have you done a video for this?
A: We're working on it right now. I'm shooting it myself.
I've made videos in the past and I always think people see the video and that's
all they see in their mind's eye is the video you've made, so I'm going to be
pretty deliberate about it this time. So, we're shooting all over the place,
dry lake beds, very lush eastern , getting the band dressed up as rebels.
Q: Are you going to use "Exploding Girls" as your
single.
A: Yeah. I think so. Yeah. Yeah.
Q: That's going to be interesting video.
A: It's kind of interesting. Particularly with what's going
on. Now, I got so much flack - I did a thing for West Won which was about 200
radio stations and we played Exploding Girl accoustically and it was like a few
hours later, a guy blew himself up in Israel. It said something on there which
people weren't happy about which makes it difficult for me, because I don't
view ... these people are suicide bombers. I don't condone killing innocent
people, but I kind of understand what they're doing. Well they're just
responding to assassinations or whatever else.
Q: It seems to be tit for tat.
A: It is tit for tat. They can't roll into Israel for
example and bulldoze down a few Israeli houses, which is what the Israeli's can
do to them. So, they just do with what limited resources they have. But it's
wrong. I wish there was a real desire or roadmap for peace as they call it.
It's such a lot of bullocks. Sharon wants nothing but genocide. He wants to
wipe them out. That's his intention entirely.
Q: It doesn't really seem like there's going to be any end,
if they're going to be firing.
A: Well one's trying to survive and the other's trying to
wipe them out. It's not two sides and that's the great misconception. They are
really trying to destroy Palestinians and they want them out of there and force
them into Jordan or whatever else. They destroy their water, their wells, their
homes, their electricity, they shoot their children, they imprison their young
men. It's South Africa there. This is not two sides. It's an absurd
misconception that's orchestrated by the press and the American foreign policy.
So that's my thoughts on it. They want to make Israel larger and greater and
they want to push them out. Those are their two options. They either
acknowledge Palestine has the right to exist as it did for years before 1946,
over 50 years ago, or they push them out. Their object is actually to destroy
Palestine and they become part of history. Like Bangledash or something just
didn't exist anymore. That's how you change world maps.
Q: I read somewhere too that the reason why they use human
bombs is because they really don't have much in the way of weapons.
A: No, they're not going to be take an AK-47 like it's
traditional and walk through the great steel wall or security. So, the only way
they can do it is to dress up as their enemies. It's so hard to talk about
because people just refuse to see what's really going and they're just
demonizing them.
Q: With this Iraqi thing going on, they don't really have
sympathizers right now.
A: Right. Talk about Iraq, what a nightmare they've got.
They've got all these kids getting killed. For what. Exactly for what. Is
your's more secure. To bring back the people who were killed on September 11th
who had nothing to do with Iraq. It's absurd. It's the scariest foreign policy
that's ever been conceived. The British failed that for 20 odd years. So, we've
been there, they did it. But they don't want you there and people are going to
die every day.
Q: It just goes on and on.
A: It does just go on and on.
Q: All you have to do is make wonderful music and let a lot
of people forget.
A: Yeah. That's true. That's one great thing about music. I
ask for these kind of questions because a couple of the songs are politically
based. I think very softly and gently. They're not right in your face.
Q: Well you have a really great voice and your songs are
really good and really had a great time talking to and wish you all the luck
and hope to see you again down the road.
A: Yeah. We'll be back there in a few months. We need to do
another one because my voice was really out that night. Thank you very much
Randy.
Q: Thank you Michael and have a good time.
By Randy Cohen
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...........2003