First of all, thanks for taking time away for this interview. And congratz to the CL win.
Who are you? What are you doing in your spare time? Interests etc?
My name is Simon. I’m 21 years old and come from a town called Slagelse in denmark. I’m a bricklayer, so in my spare time I just relax and hang out with my girlfriend or by myself. I also play some handball, to keep me in shape
At least for me, this gold came pretty unexpected. Why do you think you won?
A mix of luck and good preparation I think
Is this win your biggest moment in your CSM career?
ofc it is I’ve always dreamed of winning an int. tournament I was close in wwt season 34, but KriskaN drew the longest straw in that final
What do you think made you take the final step up to the absolute top of CSM?
The time I’ve spent on this game, and my vision of “old” players. If I had the same vision of “old” players as I had for 5 seasons ago, I wouldn’t have got that CL victory. Insted I would have rebuilded when my players turned 28. (have done that 2 times before)
How is your plans for the future, regarding your team?
My plan is to replace my old players, when I can’t keep them in shape anymore. I’ve already have a 6th player, that just need a little bit more LC. So he will soon replace one of my current players
How do you like the evolution of csm atm? What is most important to add in this game?
I think they are doing a great job now. For many seasons they didn’t implant any “big” things, and that was a little bit borring. I think the most important in this game is to delete d2 and add the csm.inferno
Any regrets so far in your CSM career?
All my rebuilds
And do you have any fun anecdotes about csm to share with the csm community?
can’t think about anyone right now
Quick questions:
Quickness or Awareness
Dust2 or Aztec Champions League or WWT? CL ofc Bendtner or Zlatan? Bendtner Carlsberg or Tuborg? Carlsberg
Back in the eighties when I was starting out, every six months or so I made the pilgrimage to Washington DC to see Bob Gilka, The Director of Photography at the National Geographic Magazine. He was the guy who decided if you would shoot for the magazine. He was accessible, answered his own phone and made appointments to look at work. How times have changed.
Gilka was a man of few words and because of that seeing him was always a bit intimidating. If all you had were images to show – and nothing to say, you’d pretty much be in and out of his office in the amount of time it took to click through your slides. Knowing this, I did my homework prior to the appointment. I’d come up with about 10 query ideas, research back issues of the magazine to make sure they hadn’t been done before and have at least one idea written up in a story proposal.
I’ll never forget the first time I went to Gilka’s office. His secretary met me in the lobby, and led me to a small area just outside his office. There on his door was a doormat –with words that read “Wipe Your Knees Before Entering”. Talk about feeling intimidated – as if it wasn’t intimidating enough just to be meeting with the Director of Photography at the National Geographic.
So every six months or so I would show my images and pitch my ideas. This went on for about two years. Each time I went I would almost test myself to see how long I could stay in his office. I would do my best to sell my story pitches that I felt the strongest about and he would reply – “done it –doing it – or – don’t want to do it”. This coupled with a few words of encouragement in regards to some of my photographs would pretty much be it as far as feedback.
Then one day he kept me waiting. He had been detained in a meeting. I had scheduled a pretty tight day to maximize my trip to Washington – so the delay had thrown a wrench into me keeping my other appointments that I had scheduled. When Gilka did show up and apologized, I was already feeling quite anxious and showed it. I told him that I didn’t have much time because I had to be across town at the Smithsonian in 20 minutes. He picked up the phone, called Declan Haun, the picture editor I was headed to see at Smithsonian Magazine and explained that Gail Mooney was running late due to his tardiness. Then he proceeded to look at my pictures and hear me out.
When I did get to the Smithsonian, it was amusing to see how curious Declan Haun was to find out who this Gail Mooney was that got Bob Gilka to call ahead for her. The very next month, I got a call from Bob Gilka offering me my first assignment. Guess I just needed to show my real self. I had sufficiently shown my interest and determination in wanting to shoot for them. And I had demonstrated my photographic ability through my images. But it was when I showed my true spirit that he knew that I could shoot for them. I just had to get over my fright.
“I have a room for music, for writing. It took me a while to get comfortable with the room I now use. It’s basically a spare room beside my daughter’s bedroom; it’s small but looks over the Grand Canal, which at night can be inspiring. Night time is the only time I open the shutters, if I’m in there during the day, I keep the shutters closed and light it with one little lamp. There’s always a point at which a new space becomes christened, when it starts to feel like the right place; it happens with a tune. Once that tune comes, you’re at home.
I keep things pretty simple; I have no real interest in the sampler or keyboards I have there (apart from the Casio which I share with the girls) that gets a hook down just fine. I record onto a Roland 880EX, through a dbx channel strip for mic pre-amp. I monitor through Genelec active monitors. I only use my Guild D35 acoustic these days. It’s the Wounded Knees sound. I use an SM57 to record vocals.
For me it’s important, at the end of a session, to leave things as they are. The litter of stuff is a physical recording of the things that have happened in the room since I was last there. It’s important to have nothing in the room that can break the spell, so everything in there is related in some way to the music I make. I leave books randomly open on the floor. I’ve got a smiling Neil Young on the wall; when I catch Neil’s smiling eye, it’s like he’s saying, “….ya got something there kid”. The Ramones are everywhere, passes from gigs, drum sticks that have delivered at a recording session, a few pictures of the beach boys, George Harrison (I’ve always related heavily to George). There’s no conscious plan to make the room a certain way, it just becomes what it becomes. It’s random. If it feels good it stays. I like having the hard evidence of good things that have happened. One treasure is Patti Smith’s own personal copy of The Coral Sea with her notes all over it. She gave it to me after a show.
Between my work with thirtythreetrees and the kids, it’s impossible to schedule time for music, so it happens when it happens. If I’m getting ready for something like ATP, then I know what I’m doing with all my free time. I’m in there, mainly putting down new tunes for the band to listen to before we get together to rehearse. For me isolation is really important. You have to believe that what you’re doing, at that moment, in that room, could potentially change your life. You have to dream when you’re writing. Songs are very delicate when they’re born, it would be easy for someone outside of you to crush them with apathy. For me I treat them all as potential saviors. It’s one of the ways I feel connected.
Typically I start things with a chord sequence or a riff that just seems to come from nowhere, it’s rare if I remember when I first started strumming a song, but the ones that stay present an urge in me to find a progression, to make it a song. Then I usually get a bit ripped and play the thing over and over until the melody is just there. I tend to listen to the harmonics of the chords really closely while I’m playing until I hear a melody. I’ve leant to stick with that melody; it’s always the best one. And as I play I always hear the whole band in my head, especially the drumming, I’m a drummer first forever. I always play guitar as if I’m playing with a drummer.
The recording usually happens with a sudden urge to listen back to what I’m playing and hearing in my head, that’s why I keep the set up very simple, I don’t want to have to think when I’m putting stuff down for the first time. For me it’s important to get it down sounding pretty good straight away, I need to hear the power of it and the harmonics to get the urge to finish a vocal for it. I like to do things quickly, first take.
I scan notebooks for lyrics that fit the track. I tend to write words separately; it’s the John Lennon way. I like the surprises you get in the phrasing when you do it that way. Like most musicians, once I have an idea down, I have “a loosener” and listen to it about 100 times. That’s always the best moment. Pure dreams.
I use a Roland 880ex, a dbx tube channel strip, Genelec monitors, a Guild d35 1970 acoustic (I bought it in Amherst Mass; J Mascis and Kevin helped me find it), SM57’s for mic-ing the acoustic and for vocals, a Fender Champ, an FMR compressor (really nice) and some distortion pedals (dDistortion and compression are really the only effects I’m into these days). That’s the basic set up. For me, it’s a sound I stick to cause I like it; from there the songs that change the sound. Rhythm and melody.
What I like most about the space is the fact that it’s mine. It’s my soul cell; there aren’t many “real life” distractions in there. I can leave it as I please. I like how it looks after a good session. The girls know which things they can touch and which things they can’t. You can touch the guitar but don’t touch the faders!”
Musical Rooms was in conversation with Jimi Shields of Wounded Knees
****************************************************************
Wounded Knees is a band made up of Jimi Shields (ex-Rollerskate Skinny and Lotus Crown), ex-Mercury Rev flautist Suzanne Thorpe, and Phil Williams (ex-Hopewell). The Wounded Knees released an EP, All Rise on Specific Recordings in 2008. All Rise was mixed by Kevin Shields and the band played tour dates supporting the newly-reformed My Bloody Valentine. This month, Wounded Knees will also play at the All Tomorrow’s Parties festival A Nightmare Before Christmas, curated by My Bloody Valentine. Their play Whelan’s (Upstairs) on Wednesday, December 2nd. Doors are 8pm and the show includes an installation by the creatives at South Studios. Wounded Knees will perform as part of this, from the floor as opposed to the stage. Tickets are €10 from Wav Box-Office (Lo-Call 1890 200 078). For more information, visit http://www.myspace.com/wknees.
I began to post this interview last week, but when I saw the beautiful photos that Jack Newkirk took for this, I decided to format the interview using the Pages application for Mac, and post it as a PDF file. This is my first attempt at doing actual page layout, and I’m sure there are some typos, so stay with me on this…there is a learning curve.
John and I conducted this interview over a couple of days, using the Facebook message system. Which is why it may read a little funny. I’ve done minimal editing, to try to keep the flow of a conversation.
John Armstrong has been a force in Texas Longboarding for quite some time, and we’re lucky to have him here.
So click here, get the interview, print it out, and enjoy.
Er ist das Original.
Der erste Maskenmann am Mikrofon.
Unter beruflichen Fragestellern gilt Doom als quasi unerreichbarer Künstler.
In der Promophase zu seinem „neuen“ Album „Born like this“ erklärt sein britisches Label Lex Records,
dass man alle Hebel in Bewegung setzten würde,
um ihn für uns „einzufangen“.
Zwei Interviews hat er bislang zugesagt: Eines für die amerikanische „XXL“,
eines für den „Rolling Stone“ und ein drittes für die Coverstorie der Juice soll folgen.
Und als es eines Freitagabends nach einigen Stunden Wartezeit tatsächlich so weit ist, scheint es fast so, als lege Doom für eine knappe Stunde das Metallgesicht ab – so offen, gesprächig und überaus gut gelaunt gibt sich der in London geborene, in New York aufgewachsene und mittlerweile in Atlanta ansässige Familienvater.
mehr… in der Interview Ecke!
PREVIEW: 20 Watts’ First Episode of “First Date” with Erica Scarano.
After watching these guys open up for The Static Jacks a couple weeks ago at Funk N’ Waffles, 20 Watts couldn’t help but steal a chance to talk with The Biggest Hands You’ve Ever Seen for the second installment of the “First Date” series. These jokers dished on their abnormal influences and playing blues at Syracuse University.
Mr. Porter was interviewed last night and he spoke on Eminem’s upcoming Relapse 2 album! He confirmed that the album is finished and will release in early 2010, He also went onto say Royce Da 5′9 will be on the album and the album is like sequel to the Marshall Mathers LP! Highlights of the interview after the jump!
Download (50 Minute Interview)
Link via YHTN
Interview Highlights
- He’s working on Relapse 2
- Finishing a song for his album
- Did 3 songs together, and kept 1 out of the 3, maybe 2
- Taking a break for a couple of days because of the Awards
- Also working with Ludacris
- Relapse 2 coming early 2010, Album is pretty much finished
- They changed directions for the album a couple of times
- Rumor about Interscope changing the direction is not true
- Interscope doesn’t do anything with EM’s music, he controles everything
- Really pleased by Relapse, every song is incredible, no fillers
- This album is Eminem thinking in the right mindstate
- Original direction was going to be all Dre production
- Now it’s Denaun, Just Blaze, Dre, Eminem, Alchemist production and more
- The songs remind him of the feeling of a Marshall Mathers LP
- If you’re an Eminem fan you will love this album
- The Denaun and Eminem track is like bullets flying past ur head… its so many punchlines and the Eminem people have missed over the years.
- Content on the album is variety, serious content, some content that people never heard from him, very well balanced album. Probably most balanced album since the MMLP.
- A lot of punchlines, clear minded Eminem.
- Not a lot of Quaky music, no songs like The Real Slim Shady.
- Royce Da 5′9 is on the album
to Washington DC to see Bob Gilka, The Director of Photography at the National Geographic Magazine. He was the guy who decided if you would shoot for the magazine. He was accessible, answered his own phone and made appointments to look at work. How times have changed.
