Correspondence with Robert Inhuman

Correspondence with Robert Inhuman

02/12/08


Tell me about the move to LA...

I decided to finally move out of Ohio after the last Realicide tour, November 2007. I visited LA three times in 2007 and felt a stronger connection to friends there than anywhere else, although I am also very attached to a lot of great people in St.Louis and a couple other areas around the country. I spent every day of December recording and mixing in Cincinnati, and tried to hustle some money together through the Realicide label and being hired to draw artwork for bands. Early into January I packed my car with an old desktop computer, my distro, and some clothes, and started driving west. I visited St.Louis for a day, to stop by Lemp and Apop, then I drove to somewhere in Oklahoma and slept in a parking lot a few hours before driving 18+ hours from Oklahoma to Los Angeles. I don't have a place to live out here, and there have been some pretty rough personal problems the past month, but I am around a lot of friends and have been meeting a lot of people continuously, so I am happy I've come out here. I'm flying to New Orleans in a few days though.



What type of affect is the move going to have on any of your music projects?

Realicide has been changing a lot the past few months anyway. Mavis needed to take a serious break from the band, which has posed kind of a difficult situation as to who could fill in running the midi hardware for live shows. Vankmen up in Oakland is completely able, and I'm working with Jonathan Prunty from Dayton for the spring tour to Europe, so yeah people are still going to function in the band but are spread out among several cities really far apart. Touring will be possible, but frequent shows in any one region are uncertain at the moment.

Hentai Lacerator released a DIY version of our completed "Sugarsplash!" album last month. We are hoping to have it picked up by an interesting label to re-issue it onto vinyl or CD, in which case we'd be into getting together to tour in support of it. We are separated between Ohio, Florida, and California now though.

I am hoping to find a new band to work with consistently in the LA area, but also might consider working on a new solo setup as well if needed. I currently prefer to work in bands because I do not enjoy manipulating equipment during live performances.



Ohio seemed to be a huge inspirational factor for Realicide Youth Records. Is that an accurate assumption?

Yes very much, or especially for Realicide as a band, but not often in a positive way. Most of the content for Realicide is about our origin in the Cincinnati scene, which I equate with a horrific amount of anxiety and crippling social politics. It is a place where punk rock is nothing but a retro escapism, hardcore especially a "boys only" club, techno limited to house and d&b, DJ's only (no live electronic acts), and noise is predominantly for slackers and straight up fearful nerds. This is a harsh way to describe my hometown, and there are fortunately counterexamples to the stereotypes I've just listed, but I can definitely say that bands like Realicide have been met 80%+ of the time with rejection and nervous animosity. We found out after touring a bit that it's not the same everywhere else, which is a relief, but I am happy to be from a place where NOTHING has come easily or automatically. Any progress has been earned, with no financially or social luxury involved. About my move to LA again, a big reason I left when I did was that through 2007 I felt like I'd somewhat completed my own thesis on the Cincinnati situation, as an artist or person or whatever. Though living in Ohio has been turbulent ever since I decided to put myself in public eye, I'd been studying and learning a great deal about social politics, especially in underground cultures, and this is documented in most of my lyrical work for Realicide 2004-07.



Last time you were in Denton at The House of Tinnitus we were talking about the sexual relationship between the artist and his/her music gear. Care to expand on that idea?

I think I'd describe it more as a parallel. Sex is a lot more important than noise, but noise can be a very potent vessel by which to confront or react to sexuality. The reason I favor high-end feedback manipulation and related noise is that it reminds me completely of sexual performance; maddeningly delicate and instinctive basically. In the past I'd hoped to combine these 2 types of performance, but never really actualized the ideas for a number of bad reasons. The noise I react to most often is the noise inspired by, or directly resulting from, intense sexuality or emotional release.

I do not associate most other kinds of music with sexuality; not directly at least. I look at most band setups as something much less intimate, as a social endorsement or protest. Sex can be included in these topics of course, but music like Crass' "Penis Envy" does not strike me as pornographic, where as some of the classic works by Prurient might be closer to that. Both these uses of sexual elements have always appealed to me a great deal.



What do you think noise represents in contemporary culture?

I think it represents both progression and ignorance. It's still got a hold on progression because it maintains ties to D.I.Y. culture and the perpetuation of the punk or "industrial" ethic, though by changing the applied aesthetics of these cultures which is totally mandatory to ensure their survival. Simultaneously, the noise scene indulges more and more into cutting corners, glorifying an image or a false passion in a lot of cases, glorifying elaborate parlour tricks that are useless in our real lives. This isn't Dungeons and fucking Dragons, this is supposed to be a reaction and reflection of our world NOW. But given that, the escapist and technologically nerdy nature of what is labeled as brutal harsh noise (or whatever you want to deem it) makes a lot of sense in our world. The current world is one addicted to what is hoped to be harmless jokes and games, to a numbing and totally pacifying degree no doubt. I'm talking about safely watching videos of executions or militant slaughters on the internet, but though the violence is soberingly real at its source, it is on the other side of the Earth and we don't even have to leave home to be entertained, or go to schools, or form relationships. From my perspective, comfort is the most hideous opiate plaguing our world currently, and noise culture is by no means immune to this.



What are some of the quintessential messages you hope to convey with your art?

I would like to endorse my perspective on art's nature and function as one of 3 (and only 3 so far) things I find it of use for. #1 as a byproduct of a life's experiences and relationships between people or how we interact with the world. #2 as a catalyst for dialog, be it as a challenge or invitation or whatever is of use or interest. #3 as the distraction that may buy you the time you need in recovering from experiences in life that bring you terminally close to the "edge"; to save your life with art as a game until you are strong enough to discard it and carry of with more valuable things. These are prevalent in some form throughout everything I do in bands or as an artist by myself. Ideally with more maturity I will be able to endorse solutions to problems I see in the world, but I feel like I would be making the same mistake as most others if I attempted to do this so far. That's why my art is also an "anti-solution", because I believe that a solution originating from the human capacity (mine, your's, whoever's) is inherently poisonous to the Earth and to all life. The only true solution I ultimately hope to discover will be from outside my own wants, and outside the values of any other person like myself.



Would you ever work with a “major” corporate record label?

If I had control over all content in the work besides the name of the record label, yes, because it would be a platform that would enable me to influence a larger quantity of young people. But in the case of sudden massive distribution, I would be in much closer contact with a lot of people I look to for guidance and insight, in hopes of maximizing the potential effect the work could have, and make the most good out of a risking decision to "sell out". If I wanted to work the system to that degree I would need to be absolutely sure that it would be worth the cultural sacrifices.



What do you think about the current political landscape?

If you mean the imperial hard-headed muscle-flexing of the Bush administration, it is very tense and concerning to say the least. I equate it with a larger scale of the rage I feel towards hidden agendas and conspiracies among smaller groups of people I've encountered in scenes of activism and underground music. I am not interesting in worshiping anyone who wants to be even remotely viewed as some sort of king or glorious general, and though it is not my job to ensure justice on that level, people get what's coming to them whether we are there to see it or not.



What are contemporary social factors that influence you?

Talking to people and watching people do stuff in public. Seeing which people will physically touch me. Reading what people write about themselves and others. Oh yeah, definitely also reading what people say about or to me, then comparing it to what happens in person. That's a big one that might influence me a lot in one way or another.



What is something happening right now that you think is really really important?

I am trying to go to New Orleans in a few days and personally that's a really important decision for me currently. Shortly after I'm going to a lot of countries in Europe for the first time, and that's really important to me culturally. I guess these are pretty vague and self-centered answers, but the question is pretty broad too.



Did you ever go to raves in the 80s/90s?

In the 80's I was busy learning how to read, walk, and be born. In the 90's I mainly drew comic books while listening to Skinny Puppy and the Subhumans on my walkman. The only raves I have been to have been in this decade, and the only ones I have enjoyed have been a couple on the west coast that offer gabber and actual variations or hardcore styles.



Have you chosen for yourself and claimed identity?

I'm giving it a good shot at least, but the more I'm challenged about it the more actual this can be. I am not interested in being constantly agreed with. It can be hard to evaluate the progress until later with clear hindsight, but I am also impatient a lot.



Are you rebelling against anything?

Everything that video game called "Rock Band" stands for, I think I am rebelling against that fairly well. I have never seen such a viciously total endorsement of creativity-killing stereotypes in any game before, granted I don't pay much attention to games but I happened to learn about that one recently. I really detest every aspect of that game, in its insistence on technical perfection which sucks any amount of soul out of even the boring songs that are featured on the game. It is an enemy approach to all expression from the path I've chosen.

That is an easy target though. On the other hand, I would mostly like to rebel against my self. This is the hardest because my self houses all my wants and narcissistic wishes, both blatant and secretive. I would like to rebel against my self in a way that can ultimately offer me a perspective on life and my existence that surpasses my initial human capacity; leading me to a more true worth and the very actual opposite of any game. This is a lifelong hope though, and I know I am extremely slow in progressing towards it.



Why do you play music?

Ironically because music is sought out for entertainment and comfort. It is the choice to socially infiltrate and affect cultures from the inside out, when done successful I mean. Ideally I'd approach the choice to work in music, especially with any elements of accessibility such as drums and singing, similar to the aims of bands like Throbbing Gristle. And on a spiritual end, music has historically been a very valuable vessel for all kinds of ideas and transformations. The root desire of any art I engage in is a desire for change, so music that has the ability to transform a person or people in any way is at least of interest to me. I am simultaneously comforted by the conviction of my decisions, and admitantly somewhat entertained by the reaction they get from my peers.



If you could have a dinner with any five people in the world who would you invite?

I don't particularly enjoy eating, especially as a social activity, but I understand that most people do and I appreciate that. If the people were among whoever is alive right now? Maybe Genesis P-Orridge because she has been a really crucial influence on my decisions and determination as an artist since my late teens, Amber Evans because it would be a very strange experience to meet someone of that medium in person, Jessica Evans because I haven't seen her since I was like 17, maybe Marilyn Manson because he to some degree represents the taboo of aggressive rock music I grew up with in the 90's so his role would basically be an ambassador of that phenomena, and Simon Severe because I could possibly relate to her better than the other 4 people mentioned here and that's pretty valuable of course. I don't know how well this dinner would work out at all though, realistically.



What’s next for Realicide Youth Records?

Realicide is going to record and release material that will be performed during the March / April 2008 European tour with Captain Ahab and Toecutter. I am also hoping to compile the 2nd collection of material for my zine SACRIFICE. Later this year I am hoping to release work by Xrin Arms, another book by Jim Swill, a Realicide dvd-r data collection for people to use on Soulseek, new work by Evolve, and the awesome plans for Vankmen's speedcore "vank-thology". My bands and solo work with also be released on several CD's and vinyl records on various labels as the production of it all is gradually completed. That is taking a lot time but it will be much better quality than anything we've offered previously.



What’s next for Robert Inhuman?

I am hoping to sort out a lot this year. I'd like to establish a really satisfying band in the LA area. I'm also very interested in continuing to get around the US at least once a year, and now attempt to visit other countries whenever possible. Meanwhile I am trying to find as much work as possible creating artwork for other bands and projects. I am trying to become a better judge of character in general, and I think that is going alright bit by bit. Anybody who wants to contact me can email me at robertinhuman@hotmail.com or my cell # is 513-652-6484. I have no consistent mailing address currently.



Robert Inhuman

Realicide Youth Records