March 30, 2004
Vera Blue and The Girls with Mirrored Sunglasses and Too Much Make Up (Wake Up!)
Just spoke with the great Jared Louche from Chemlab for the better part of an hour. Their long over due new album is out and the Acumen Nation guys played the parts on it. If you don't have it pick it up, it's called Oxidizer and it's on Cracknation/Invisible/Underground Inc Records. OUT NOW! Chemlabs site www.hydrogenbar.com
Strange, we've run several interviews with him in MK over the years and I didn't conduct one of them, and over the years through this little genre that has been pegged "industrial" we've come to know each other. I'm not going to give too much away, but I do have to acknowledge his honesty.
Jared has been 5 years clean of drugs and drink now. Those within the scene know he's legendary, not like Al, but in his own right. Jared has done his fair share and then some. And in his continuing sobriety he did the ONE thing I wish all those clean would do and he is a man and didn't have to be prompted.
There is NOTHING worse than a straight edged person who imposes their beliefs and lifestyle on you or anyone else. (This goes for Vegans and PETA hippies too) . What you chose to do in life is your own business. If a person wants to numb themselves or kill themselves as long as they are not doing it to someone else or hurting any one else to each their own. Personally I don't smoke pot. I've tried it and many years ago decided it wasn't for me. I think it's a filthy habit. H.A.B.I.T. ! For me it's a turn off. I don't like being around people when they do it and that is my choice. It's smoking and I don't like and have become allergic to smoke. I am not for smoking bans but I am for banning it in some public spaces. Second hand smoke and contact buzz are two things I'm not into. But SMOKE UP all you want, kill yourself. It's not my job to tell you not to.
And recovering alcoholics and rehabilitated drug abusers and addicts. I'm happy for you. You obviously realized it wasn't working for you whatever the reason is that you were no longer able to function as an individual or in your employment I think getting straight was the right thing.
There are those who can function in that state of mind : Keith Richards (pickled liver) and Hunter S Thompson ( on his third liver I believe, which grew naturallyaccording to the book Hunter by E. Jean Carroll) and there are those who cannot. But don't preach beak! Just because it didn't work for you and you fucked up doesn't mean everyone else will.
And my apologies to myself for being sloppy intoxie and making a fool of myself in public at one time or another. And to anyone I embarrassed in the process. But getting drunk and celebrating and becoming sloppy and using drugs or alcohol as a crutch to which one is dependant on are two different things. Alcohol use is a privilege and those who even consider driving under the influence of anything that impairs judgment or motor skills eventually pays the price.
So Jared said it like a man, a real man with a great mind. He quit and is staying clean and I'm ecstatic for him. But he added he's not going to go out and tell everyone else to clean up just because he did. But there maybe some underlying messages to a few friends in a few of his new songs. Decent man for not saying who and it wasn't my business to ask. My name is not Mike Walker.
While I ponder in that vein. I must explain that I love Henry Rollins, but the reason I've not met him face to face all the times I've had the chance is because he does the exact opposite of what Jared did. Hank is in your face about it. And there was a time ( Richard Kern era maybe) that he dabbled a bit as well. His books are my favorites and he's the best on the circuit as a spoken word artist, but his preaching about drugs and alcohol kind of, well for the lack of a batter phrase, is a buzz kill.
All in all I really enjoyed talking to Jared today. He has a lot to say and unfortunately not enough of the media exposes what he's about. But that's always been our mission hasn't it?
On a much lighter note, I loved the remake of DAWN OF THE DEAD and yesterday wrote a very long diary piece about my history with the original trilogy and how close I worked with a lot of those people and what it has meant to me and how it affected my life. However, due to a computer glitch it all disspapreard after I posted it on this site. Unfortnealty I do not have enough time to recreate the whole rant as it took me about 90 minutes and sums up about 30 years of my life. But by all ,means this is one to see in the theatres. Don't wait for the video. SEE IT. I waited for House Of A 1000 Corpses for what seemed to be an eternity and was disappointed, but this is one worth seeing up close. And I was soooo against the making of it. It's the most fun movie I've seen since Pirates.
Make sure you see the original 3 and the remake Tom Savini and George Romero did of NOTLD. It does the new version or yourselves no justice if you are not familiar with Night OF The Living Dead, Dawn Of The Dead and Day Of The Dead.
I really wish the original posting was still there for you to read.
- AZ thawing out in Chicago
Posted by Alex Zander at March 30, 2004 03:43 PM