PHALLUS UBER ALLES - DTRASH129 Interview

Q = SCHIZOID, D-TRASH RECORDS
A = REMY, PHALLUS UBER ALLES

Q: Your track was one of the highlights of that compilation... What made you decide to come back to it for an EP of it?
A: After two versions, we still felt like we hadn't gotten it right. The logical solution was for us to dissect it and mutate it all over the place!



Q: I notice there is one version, the demo version which is the most similar to the original track, with the way the vocals are delivered.
A: Yeah, the vocals were definitely the hardest part. There's something unique about how bands write English lyrics when it isn't their first language. Our own lyric structures are pretty different from ATR, and it was hard for us to translate, if that makes any sense!

Q: This is the first release after 2007's "Les Femmes De La Guerre. Looking back what did you think of that release. How was it received in your fanbase
A: We love that release and the EP format in general, but it was a good and bad thing. People loved the new songs, but also gave us shit for having so few new tracks. If anything, it was exciting to see that people are hungry for the next PUA album.

Q: Why FUCK The Radio? What did the radio ever do to you.
A: For the most part, radio is a joke. The bigger stations play the same 10 songs, over and over again. They won't play 99% of our songs due to censorship issues. There are some cool stations out there, though... like WEVL and KZSU.

Q: Do you think the radio format is still relevant in this day and age. At the same time I ask that I also ask that from the angle of how it pertains to bands on D-TRASH like yourself. Is there any potential? Or is it a lost cause.
A: Satellite and online radio are things we have yet to explore, and our few experiences with foreign stations have been really positive... but unless the American system is radically overhauled, it seems like way more trouble than it's worth.

Q: If they were to play either version of "Fuck The Radio" ON the radio, what version would you prefer, from that EP. The censored, or uncensored. And having said that, would them having played the censored version as a halfway point, would that be cool to you guys at all?
A: Hahaha, it would be hilarious if they played the censored version, since we did that to illustrate just how ridiculous censorship can get... there's no song anymore, just constant bleeps!

Q: Speaking of that track, that will be one of the slices of your upcoming series of releases, 5 Fingers Make A Fist. What is going on with that.
A: We were sitting on this huge pile of remixes by other bands and needed a way to get them out and reward them for their hard work... and to get some more PUA out there for people to hear. Fuck the Radio is definitely going to be one of the EPs in the series... even though it'll have over an hour of stuff on it!

Q: Is there any one favorite you've heard so far that you know the audience is going to love? We're at almost 20 remixes now
A: Well, the Schizoid remix fucking rocks! In fact, we want to do a vinyl record with it on there because it's so badass. Everyone has done a great job so far chopping up and twisting our track, though-- the response has been awesome.

Q: Besides the Fuck The Radio remixes what else is planned, 5 releases? What is behind "5 Fingers Make A Fist"
A: Heatwave was the first one. We'll also have a cd of Cockpit remixes, a cd of Brawl remixes, and finally an EP of new songs like "Nur Ein Bisschen." We've been using the fist imagery in our work for a while. It stands for solidarity and revolution... but it has a dark side. It can also be misused for violence and abuse. For these EPs, the idea was to pull together all these scattered bands and release them in one entity... we're stronger when we work together instead of struggling alone.

Q: I would call PHALLUS UBER ALLES a political band. What would you say are the top 5 political concerns of your idealogical agenda.
A: Well, we are of course largely concerned with women's rights, gender equality and everything that entails, as well as GLBTQ rights. The rights of workers and everyday people versus the abuses of government and corporations are also big sticking points for us.

Q: Do you feel that this music/this genre can still affect change in those things? Have you felt your music has affected it? In the 5-10? years your project and related have been active.
A: One problem is that the genre has become largely non-political, other than a general "rip the system" kind of sentiment. That needs to change, people need to get angry again. We would like to think that we've managed to maintain our ideals and message over time. To that end, we have some pretty amazing conversations at our shows where people express changes in their lives as a result of analyzing our content... how they view and treat women, how they handle relationships... change is still possible and viable!

Q: What do you think led to the de-politicization of 'the scene' if anything.
A: I think that one of the factors was definitely that a lot of the first-generation digicore bands either retired or went into non-political directions. Another would be the rise of the breakcore scene, which often [but not always] focuses more on musical one-upsmanship and comedy-- song titles, samples, imagery-- over any sort of focused activism.

Q: Do you find there is surprise/reaction/cynicism/delight/encouragement/discouragement/anything do you get any kind of buzz from the bands you play with, as probably most often, these days, the most "political band" of the night? When you're on a showbill with like Dr. Pizzamesh or DJ Fishslapper. Considering everything's reversed and it is in ways, like the same conditions when the originators of the digicore genre created this.
A: More than once, other bands have expressed fear that we were going to show up and "chop their dicks off" because of our imagery and message. Once they see us perform, though, they get what we're about. We used to just hurl socio-political rants over feedback at audiences, and they shut down, it was inaccessible to them. Putting ideas into a song format, though, makes it easier to digest, people can get into it and have fun while still considering the ideas within. We've also been playing more shows with bands like R#@$#@$, in which case we're not the only political band on the bill... it's been nice.

Q: What do you think is the demographics, male vs female of your fanbase.
A: We have a largely female fanbase, from teenagers to middle-aged women and beyond, but there are a decent amount of guys into PUA, too... especially once they realize that we're not about hating the male, we're about celebrating the female.

Q: "we're not about hating the male" Do you find that that is a perception about you? When presenting your ideas to probably a largely male audience at these electro shows.
A: In addition to the "dick-chopping" perception I mentioned earlier, there's also this notion we sometimes run across that our music is for women only or that PUA are feminazi lesbians run amok. PUA is for everyone-- regardless of gender or sexuality, we all need to address these issues together if things are going to improve.

Q: Probably some of that might come across when they see that there's a male in the band as well.
A: My role in the band is a complicated thing. A lot of guys will want to talk to me after shows, thinking it's "my band" because of... I don't know, because they think you need a penis to write this kind of music? My existence also prevents us from being able to play certain festivals... because we have one male member, we're somehow less of a feminist band in some people's eyes. Diesel always says that I have an honorary vagina, however. ;)

Q: ;) So, this whole 5 Fingers Makes A Fist thing is leading up to a set of new material? Tell us about that.
A: Yes, our second album. When we wrote Iron Woman, almost all the songs were created in the studio and played live only after the CD had come out. Now, we test out our songs live before we ever set foot in a recording booth. We find out which things work, which things don't... the songs evolve live, and sound more genuine when we finally capture them.

Q: How are the new songs sounding.
A: The new stuff sounds amazing! Hard, fast, intelligent-- Diesel has outdone herself in the lyrics department-- we've learned a lot since the first record. We're really psyched about the tracks.