When trying to put down words to describe a Meat Beat Manifesto concert, I couldn’t help but think of the Elvis Costello quote, “Writing about music is like dancing about architecture.” But of course, MBM is not just about music. In fact, at the beginning of the concert, a booming voice came over the PA and declared, “Only 11% of what we learn comes from what we hear.” The group, led by Jack Dangers, a man originally from the U.K. who now resides in San Francisco, has been active for over 2 decades. He has developed a very strong stage show that I enjoyed immensely.
The visuals in an Electronic music performance, particularly a Meat Beat Manifesto performance, are essential. Throughout the first song there was a collage of Moogs and a clip of Marshall Applewhite of the notoriously suicidal Heavens Gate cult saying ‘survive’ over and over again. MBM’s music provided an angsty backbeat as clips of George Bush Sr., Jimi Hendrix, and various old movies entertained us on a double screen. There were pics of ‘old school’ microphones, typewriters, buttons and fractal patterns. Some people were dancing as they took in the spectacle. I had to just sit and stare to process it. At the end of the first song, MSNBC footage of a man being restrained by cops flashed repeatedly between footage of Captain Kirk. When the song ended, everyone cheered and awaited for what was next, transfixed.
I must admit for me it was different experience. I’m used to your standard rock shows. But I’ve always thought having dynamic visuals to go along with music was a wonderful enhancement. Having a live drummer, Lynn Farmer, to jam along with the tracks was also a plus.
The bassy beats and rhythms of “Children of Earth” treated us to a paranormal array of shots of UFO’s dangling from the sky, an old shot of the LAX Encounter building, and footage of the golden gate bridge. A feeling that we were being looked upon, doted on as it were, from Space Beings in the sky. There were subtitles over comedic-looking Aliens who were trying to figure us out, mixed in with large Yamaha keyboards and infomericals. There was also a clip of Obama repeating the words: “Turn off the television,” alongside a televangelist, Gregory Peck, someone in a rubber mask, Dr. No, and of course Marshall Applewhite kept popping up over and over. I was mesmerized, I must admit.
It was basically a blueprint of Jack Dangers’ creative brain, his obsessions and possessions, fears and joys. A lot of sacred and profane, yin and yang energy, showing us the absurdity of life on earth, taking us through a safe acid trip. The staples of our society had been chewed up and spit out for all to see, and there was never a second to look away. We didn’t want to miss Woody Allen, Charles Manson, and Charleton Heston all acting out Jack Dangers’ script, while Obama repeatedly told us to chuck our idiot box.
A few songs in, a televangelist is heard telling us about the evils of rock music and marijuana, and we’re suddenly transported to Monterey Pop watching Jimi Hendrix destroying his guitar, as the televangelist quotes another “victim” of rock and roll who says, “I didn’t know what I was doing, and my clothes came off,” as if the force of Rock and Roll could cause you to become that disoriented.
One of the last songs was a montage of drum solos, a simulated collage of drummers sped up and slowed down. Photos of Chris Walken, muppets playing drums, etc. I felt so overwhelmed by the footage. I was glad that before the show at the Knitting Factory in Hollywood, I’d had a chance to catch up with Jack Dangers to see how he was doing- I believe our conversation enhanced my overall concert experience, and led to a greater understanding of the show.
MishMash Magazine: How long have you had your drummer and how did you meet?
Jack Dangers: Back in 96, I met him in San Francisco and have been working with him ever since. He plays on the albums, he’s been on every tour. I’ve worked with drummers before that, but it was sort of a revolving door policy. The first time I ever brought a drummer onstage was 1990. That was Phil from Consolidated. I had different drummers you know, it was like Spinal Tap- drummers dying in mysterious gardening accidents. (Laughs)
MMM: In regards to your live show, how much preparation goes into that, and are you considering all of it during the recording process?
JD: A lot of work goes into the visual side. Ten years ago, we didn’t have the technology to do what we’re doing now. So, the music was definitely the first thing, and everything was built around that, where in the last few years it sort of drifted a bit into songs being written around the visuals. So at this point, it’s sort of like fifty-fifty. We’ll find something like the guy from Heaven’s Gate, and build a song around what he’s saying, and how it breaks. It doesn’t translate unless you’re doing a DVD, so it’s definitely more of a live thing. So we work the whole process out in rehearsals.
MMM: When you started out in the mid 80′s, you worked with Andy Partridge and XTC?
JD: I was working in the studio, in Swindon. I quit school when I was sixteen, in 1981. I got a job working in their studio, doing tape Op and making the tea, stuff like that. And that’s where they were rehearsing for English Settlement, and that more or less corrupted me! Made me want to make music forever.
MMM: And you gravitated more to electronic music……
JD: I was definitely into electronic music by Kraftwerk, Human Leagues’ first 2 albums, definitely Cabaret Voltaire. But XTC was good because they mixed some of that stuff in with what they were doing, like he was into electronics. His solo album, under the name Mr. Partridge, called ‘Take Away,’ had dub versions of XTC. It was great, he was into that kind of music. He had Sequential Circuits, Prophet 5, in the studio that time. So yeah, Andy definitely helped me with my career.
MMM: Are you still in touch with him?
JD: Yeah, I saw him just over a year ago. Bumped into him in Swindon.
MMM: He’s not doing any more recording as XTC?
JD: I know they’d be carrying on if he didn’t have the thing about not playing live. The first 3 years they were a touring band, but then that happened, the keyboard player went, etc.
MMM: With your current album, Autoimmune, how much of your creative expression comes through politically as opposed to personally?
JD: If you listen to a Nine Inch Nails record it’s more me, I, etc. He’s good at doing that. I tend, if I write lyrics, to look back at and take stuff out, leaving it more ambiguous and open ended. With politics you can have the opposite reaction, you can play with it more.
MMM: So how’s the contrast of supporting a group like Nine Inch Nails as opposed to headlining your own shows?
JD: I prefer headlining our own shows. Even when you’re a band as big as they are, you’re playing these big festivals, you don’t always even get a soundcheck, doesn’t matter who you are when you’re playing those. It’s all pretty rough, you get a lot more leeway when you’re doing your own shows headlining.
MMM: You’re still remixing other artists?
JD: Yeah, off and on. The last one I did was Excepter.
MMM: Do you have any favorite cities on tour?
JD: New York, London’s alright. Grew up there, spent so much time there. We were always playing in Amsterdam, Paris. San Francisco’s always good!
MMM: What made you decide on living in San Francisco of all places?
JD: I met my future wife. It’s a beautiful place- nothing else like it in the States, it’s open minded, not really like the rest of the country.
MMM: You’ve lived there for a while now, does that influence your work? Living in America, as opposed to England?
JD: Yeah, when you experience more. I lived in England for twenty six years in one town, Swindon. Anybody would want to get out after a while. But I don’t think I’ll be here forever. You get that alienation thing as well, when you’ve moved from your own country. Even if you’re American and you move to Europe, like Johnny Depp living in France. People ask him why? Why did you move? You get the third degree. Doesn’t matter which country you’re from. Like when you do an interview with somebody in Britain, they always want to talk about, “Why did you leave? What’s it like there?” Well, I bet if you had the opportunity you would too! If there’s any country it would be here, especially with music, it’s the number one market, then it’s Japan, I don’t know if Britain is as big as Germany or France, but they have all their own spoken language bands. Each country in Europe, you go to Holland, and they have a number one album but you’ve never heard of them. Over here, there’s a formula, there’s one language, more or less. People understand it.
MMM: Speaking of music, Is there anything lately that’s come out that you really like?
JD: I like Scorn’s new album. It’s great, an inspiration.
MMM: Tell me about your Synthi 100, you’re still using that?
JD: Yeah, but I can’t take it on tour. It’s bigger then this sofa. It’s all in one unit, it’s a really odd shape, you can’t get it through the door.
MMM: Stockhausen used to use one right?
JD: He did!
MMM: He’s an influence, right?
JD: Yeah, more his early stuff, later 60′s, 70′s, the theatrical stuff. More like Mauricio Kagel – who died recently, like a month ago.
The way they did it back then, it’s not really done the same way any more. The craft, that’s why I have a big collection of that stuff. There’s no one who’s making it like that any more. I’m big on that stuff. I’ve got a couple compilations out on Tino. I’ve got some stuff with music from Argentina, Chile and Peru coming out.
MMM: When’s that?
JD: Next year, earlier part of the year. We clear everything, it’s not like a bootleg.
MMM: Are you gonna tour for that?
JD: No. That will just be produced on Flexi Disk.
MMM: How have you been enjoying this tour?
JD: Well, this is a really short one, 4 shows.
MMM: But you were out earlier in the year?
JD: Yeah, that was more a proper tour, 20 shows, you get into a rhythm. It’s a lot more work.
MMM: So in the beginning of your career there was a fire in your studio? Did you lose some of your early work from that?
JD: It wasn’t like everything was destroyed. But the master tapes were unusable. The stuff was recorded on 2 inch. That’s why it’s called “Storm the Studio,” we had to quickly go back in the studio for two weeks.
MMM: So you didn’t completely lose anything?
JD: There were a couple tracks lost. Stuff got burnt in a flat, which was burnt to the ground. We were able to salvage some stuff, further into the tape. Like the first couple inches were unusable, the main tracks, the ones that were important to me, what you base the first few things around, they were OK. We were able to go back and remix.
MMM: In one of your interviews I read, in the end you said “Meat is Murder.” I was curious about your views on vegetarianism?
JD: I used to be vegan, now I’m not so much.
MMM: When did you start with that?
JD: Since working with Consolidated, Phil, it rubbed off on me in a good way. I’ve known a lot of vegetarians along through the years who have gone back to their old habits.
MMM: I think vegetarianism is the healthier choice, and I applaud you for putting it out there.
JD: It’s better for the ecology as well, deforestation, cattle, the amount of methane that goes into the air.
I woudn’t want to ram it down anyone’s throats. I put the message in there where I can without treading on meat eater’s toes. But, yeah, Meat is Murder.
For more information on Meat Beat Manifesto, head over to their MySpace at www.myspace.com/meatbeatmanifesto and their official website at www.meatbeatmanifesto.com
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