year	month	source
03	mar	suicidal trash

AN INTERVIEW WITH…. BEN FROM MIOCENE.

FOR THOSE WHO DON'T KNOW, WHO IS IN MIOCENE AND WHAT DOES EACH MEMBER DO?

you got me. i do everything worthwhile - those fuckers hold me back to be honest, i can't wait until i can do a solo album. i reckon i might call it "away From the madding fuckheads" or something equally subtle.

HOW DID YOU ALL MEET AND COME TO FORM A BAND TOGETHER?

do you really want to know? as with anything, honest answers are always boring. art is the beautiful lie remember; so with this in mind, we all spontaneously formed after FNM split in order that there might yet be a band to fill the void.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR STYLE OF MUSIC?

contradictory.

WHO ARE YOUR INFLUENCES?

the fear of boredom is my most profound influence.

WHERE DID THE NAME MIOCENE COME FROM?

greece.

AS A BAND, WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT TO DATE?

surviving two records and innumerable tours with an element of dignity intact.

YOU HAVE TOURED WITH A LOT OF BANDS. WHO HAVE YOU MOST ENJOYED PLAYING WITH?

clutch. they were touring pure rock fury but they played a lot of stuff from the earlier albums. it was only a week but it was incredible to play with a band we'd been listening to for years, and to have them be cool to us (when they probably hated the music we were playing) was great.

IF YOU COULD PLAY WITH ANY OTHER BAND IN THE WORLD, WHO WOULD IT BE AND WHY?

i don't really like bands anymore, they're mostly a waste of time, including ourselves.

WILL YOU BE PLAYING ANY OF THIS SUMMERS FESTIVALS?

not sure; depends when we get the album out. i would say probably not.

DO YOU EVER GET NERVOUS BEFORE A GIG?

yeah, i usually puke but it's getting easier every time.

HOW DO YOU STRUCTURE YOUR SET?

via entropy and improvisation.

WHICH IS THE WORST VENUE/GIG YOU HAVE PLAYED?

we've played too many shite gigs to mention. right now any venue looks like heaven to me, a PA and a room and people is about as good as it gets.

HOW DID YOU GO ABOUT GETTING YOUR FIRST GIG?

i called up a promoter and lied about bringing a bunch of people.

DO YOU REMEMBER IT WELL?

i remember the atmosphere of shows, rather than specifics. i don't really know what happens when we're on stage, i don't ever really have a coherent thought in my head, and that started early. i remember that we supported medulla nocte and that it was at the army and navy in chelmsford. i remember the red of the lights and how surprisingly bright it was onstage, and i remember beign surprised that the stage itself smelt of old sweat and smoke.

WHICH OF YOUR LYRICS ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF?

"changing with the tide and constantly/begging food, sweet semen from the dick that suckles you, suck hard, succubi/bob breathe and release soft lights and elevator music/vaseline is on the lens and your aching mouth now you've been castrated/and the irony is killing me softly"

WHAT FIVE THINGS COULD YOU NOT LIVE WITHOUT?

air, good food, water, music, words.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO IN YOUR SPARE TIME?

spare time:::///////// does not compute.

YOU HAVE AN ALBUM COMING OUT. TELL US ABIT ABOUT IT.

we've spent the last year writing it, and the surprise is that it's been worth the wait.

WHAT CAN FANS EXPECT FROM IT?

stylistically, an exact cross between the first two records, elevated to the Nth degree. we're not refining anymore, and its no longer done from memory. this is our first baby.

WHAT FIRST MADE YOU WANT TO JOIN/FORM A BAND?

groupies and free drugs.

WHAT IS YOUR ADVICE FOR ANYONE THINKING ABOUT STARTING UP A BAND?

Don't expect groupies or free drugs.

ALL QUESTIONS BY MR MARTYN.