· interview with msbr and govt. alpha - feb 24, 1999 ·

· this interview was conducted after the "noise workshop" free-for-all on february 24, 1999. both koji tano (msbr) and yasutoshi yoshida (government alpha) were present, but they didn't always answer each question. i have slightly edited this from my original text to help clarify some items/confusing language. questions are in bold, msbr is in red and government alpha is in green. what type of music do you usually listen to? progressive rock.. king crimson, es, pink floyd, many others. very different from what you do. 60's psychedelic rock: mc5, the stooges, 13th floor elevator and many others. 80's alternative rock: cabaret voltaire, joy division, daf. very ,very diverse. do you prefer audiences here or in japan? american audience is exciting. they're boring in japan? not boring, but still, they are familiar with noise. is there a big noise movement in japan? no. every people is in shinjuku. noisicians in japan are a very big part of a very small scene. is it the same people at all the shows? yes, same people. "hi.. hi." what was your first instrument first instrument i used? guitar. i like hard rock like msg and ufo. i was influenced by hard rock. some noisecians in japan got influences from 70's hard rock. for instance, masami akita said originally merzbow was like black sabbath. is this your first time in snow? yes. no. i saw one time in tokyo. first time for me. i know i really like your packaging. do you have a favorite that you've done? favorite package i did is msbr/speculum flight 7". what do you like that one most? it doesn't look like a record jacket. why do you make noise? curious for making sound. so just exploring sounds? experimenting with sound using no musical equipments. feeling good. only that. what's the strangest thing you've ever used for making sounds? sometimes using keychain (makes jangling motion), toaster, blender. do you actually make food while recording? sometimes, yes. all improvisation. did you start out making noise or did you try other types of music first? yes, i did hard rock band as a teenager. no. no, always noise. what is your process for making noise? direct recording to dat. and it's same as live. no overdubbing. do you practice to get a certain sound? no. no practice. what is your favorite album you've recorded? new recording is most liked by me. contractive iris 10". my first lp. title is ultimate ambience. one question from me. mc5: are they big in detroit? i think spirit of mc5 is near japanese noise. why is that? i think mc5 is the first fast hard rock band. distortion sound and the first ooooo sound. extreme distortion level on fuzz. i know the collaboration album with blazen y sharp, mass for dead insects, is a different sound for you. are you going to move in that direction? sound system is the same. differentwise is sound source. exact same system as today. today's sound matter is feedback, loop loop, direct conneted fx to guitar synth by line. i make loop of the feedback. this is sound source, but that cd uses field recordings for sound matter. exact same system. how long have you been in the us? 50 days 30 days any place you liked best? i just played portland and detroit. before that we went to canada. most? san francisco is good. what makes san francisco good? people. good scene and good people. what do you like best about detroit? don't let them make you eat white castle. you buy them by the bag.. like a sack of 10 burgers. what's the strangest thing you've eaten since you've been in the us? greek. i liked. i had flaming cheese. burrito. i haven't eaten ever. are you planning on coming back to the us again after this tour? yes, i hope. i hope, because today is some interesting artists i saw first. that guy (referring to nate from wolf eyes). i like the strange and funny style. in japan, the same style artists are coming out now. one final thing. where did you get your name? msbr? i imagine like heavy machinery image. any last words? (silence)