What does this have to do with Her Faktory, you ask? I'M GETTING TO IT, SHUT UP.
So one time I was at the Norfolk and somebody piped up and starting bitching that Franz Ferdinand is just a Gang of Four rip-off. And everybody I was there with were nodding their heads and murmuring in agreement. I did the same, because I'm a sheep and can't bear the thought of standing out by disagreeing or asking questions or anything. But in my mind I was like, "Shit, shit, who the fuck is Gang of Four?? I better just pretend to know that reference and pray to God that nobody calls my bluff lest I be cast out into the bitter cold climes of uncoolness." Don't pretend you've never done it, you hipster know-it-all. When I got home, panicked that Gang of Four would come up again in a later conversation and somebody might ask me what album I liked or something and I'd have to do the, "Oh, I kind of prefer their earlier stuff, you know their later records were so... artificial... Hey, what's that in the distance? Is that Daniel Johnston??" and then run in case they found out I didn't actually know anything about the band, I Wikipediaed them. And downloaded some of their songs. And now Gang of Four is, like, totally one of my favourite bands. I'm not even kidding.
Anyway, one of their songs is called 'Her Factory' which is how I got into today's interviewee, Her Faktory. (Did you appreciate that long winded anecdotal explanation? I bet you did, you word whore, you). They're playing tonight at World Bar with Zeahorse and Bed Wettin' Bad Boys and if you mention Her Faktory at the door entry is only $5. Let's see those hands in the air like you just don't mind! Here's the interview! (It was done via email, which I guess is kinda obvious, with Her Faktory's voice and guitar dude, Rhys).
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Can't Sleep: What do you think the relationship is between music and obsession?
Rhys: I think music and obsession go hand in hand. I'm totally obsessed with music. Music is the one artistic medium I feel I can understand... and perhaps be understood through...For people who are obsessed with music, i guess it always starts with becoming a fan.
When I stared getting into music I was a teenager so naturally I was looking for something extreme. I went out and bought any CD I could find with a parental warning sticker on it. I ended up with heaps of Death Metal and Gangster rap heh heh. But soon I found certain bands that would or could scratch an itch that others couldn't.
I guess as your tastes develop you start looking for something with more substance than what's on Video Hits. Every song on the radio is the same. It's all sex and ego. I wanted music that reflected stuff that happened in my life. I wasn't a "playa" who bonked heaps of chicks and shit. My life just wasn't a pop song. Thats when I got into underground music. Those bands took the piss yet till spoke a higher truth. I just wanted to find out about the bands that didn't really get played on the radio. I just read everything I could get my hands on.
That's when I started to become obsessed. I started to listen to bands that I actually didn't even enjoy... but I just wanted to understand why other people thought they were important, why they influenced other musicians, how they reflected their culture. It almost became like an anthropology hobby. I wanted to find out why people in England like different kinds of bands than Americans. Why Australians notoriously under appreciate their own talent.
CS: Do you think an obsession with something is a prerequisite to be able to write a song about it?
R: I don't think you need to be obsessed about something to write a good song about it. Obviously the more you care about your subject matter, the more vivid your emotions will be to draw upon. I usually don't write that straight forward anyway. Lyrics are usually the last thing I think about when completing a song.
I usually just let my mind be open to whatever comes out. Whatever is in my sub- conscious is what is determines the directions of lyrics. What's bothering me about my life is always under the surface of any song I've written. I guess all the tunes I've done in the last few years have reoccurring themes. I have heaps of songs about how much I hate my job. Or how much of a pussy I am for not being more adventurous.... or just hating being a boring white guy from Canberra.
I guess inadvertently I'm obsessed with myself. Which probably isn't a good thing. You shouldn't miss out on real life because your always looking inward. Although that approach can work for some... Morrissey and Eminem are a good examples! heh heh.
CS: Where do you think the line is between a strong interest and an obsession? Can you think of any examples or reasons for this?
R: I think an obsession should always be judged on its outcomes. If it produces a positive effect on your life then it's healthy.
For example, heaps of people are obsessed with footy. I'm very jealous of those people. I couldn't give a fuck what a bunch of strangers I've never met do with a pig skin every Friday. But I watch my mates during a footy game and I wish I was as excited as them. They look like they are really enjoying themselves. Plus they can go anywhere in Australia and find common ground with just about any bloke in the pub.
I can't. Guys who just talk about obscure 80's bands are always shit to have at parties heh heh.
CS: Does Her Faktory have any current obsessions?
R: Her Faktory are a strange band. We are all very different people. We don't yet know what kind of band we are... or even want to be.
I guess we are just obsessed with finding out who we are. We don't want to just be the sum of our influences.
There a tons of those bands in Sydney. There are fake Brian Jones Town Massacres, fake Animal Collectives, fake Black Sabbaths, fake My Bloody Valentines, a fake Bloc Party, a fake Arctic Monkeys, etc etc.
Her Faktory is rubbish... but at least we are a shit version of ourselves! heh heh.
Don't get me wrong we steal riffs as much as the next band... but at least we have the manners to hide them... or present them in a new way.... I hope...
CS: Is it human to nature to obsess? Would you agree with the proposition that we all have a mild form of obsessive compulsive disorder?
R:There is a little bit of OCD in everyone for sure. You know when you wipe your arse and you think its clean? I always give it just one more wipe... just to be sure... I need to feel sure.... clean and sure.....
CS:Can obsession ever be healthy? Can you give any examples for or against?
R: I heard Eddie Van Halen was so obsessed with guitar he would play for 8 hours straight. That band is kinda lame, but Eddie's got more cash and pussy than I've bloody got! Maybe there is a some pay off from OCD after all.
CS: What are your thoughts on self obsession? Is it inherent in everybody? Does it drive everything we do?
R: I think obsessions can tell you more about yourself than you realise. Obsessions are so strong, they are giving you something you want... something you need... filling an unfillable hole. You can sum up a person by what holes are inside them.
I don't know what holes my music obsession fills in me these days... It's been so many things to me in the past, my angry adolescent voice, my first girlfriend, my home team, my expression of identity... I still need it all these years later though... I guess I'm just a massive pussy and I like knowing there is something that will never change. I'll always want to sit down with a beer and put on a record... It's still rad!
CS: Do you ever feel like mankind's narcissism will be its downfall? Why or why not?
R: Well our culture is obsessed with Individualism at the moment. Probably the biggest cultural icon of this decade is Paris Hilton. She is famous for being rich and stupid.... That's it.
That tells us a lot about ourselves in my opinion. We deep down all want to be her. Why? Because we know we're fucked... Post modernism has gone on for too long. There hasn't been an original thought celebrated in a long time.... Everything really has been done this time.... We have kinda lost hope... We know the world is dying. The sea is rising.... The population is rising... the temperature is rising... The cost of food is rising... America isn't going to save us... We no longer believe the world can change. We know we only have a few short years before the shit hits the fan... It wont be long until reality forces us to grow up and face the beginning of the end.... but until then... We all just want to look hot, get high and party like its 1999... Just like Paris!
CS: Can we ever really be free of an obsession? If so, how? If not, why not?
R: You have to find a way to fill the hole man... fill the hole...
CS: Do you think it takes a certain amount of narcissism to create music, or indeed any form of art?
R: The job of good art is to teach us about our own humanness. I think in order to do so requires a little bit of narcissism for sure. As a performer you try to show the real you as much as you can. Even the ugly vulnerable bits... If people know you are for real... they will feel your shit... whatever that is. But how can you show yourself with out knowing yourself? How can you know yourself without looking inside and listening to that tiny voice inside. Most people are too scared to listen to that voice... let alone telling someone else what they hear...
