JOHN RUSSELL

1.0  How long have you been recording your own music? Since at least 1984.

2.0  What is your favorite part of creating a song? The mixing process…it is fun to play each part individually, but to hear the sum of all the parts is orgasmic.

3.0  Have you ever been in love with an instrument before? Well, yes, and I am still in love with my vintage Gretsch drum-set and my Noble Cooley deep shell snare.

4.0  What is the music scene like in France? how has it affected you as an artist?  To be fair, I suppose it depends on where you are in France. To be polite, I will just say that I have only been impressed once…and it was by a cover band. France has never been (in my opinion) a front-leader in music innovation. You have Gainsbourg and M, both great musicians and writers and then you have David Guetta, but I’m sorry, I cant give much credit to a DJ. I live in a village of 65,000 people…the “talent” is limited. I suppose I have an unfair bias as I was “grown” in Chicago and am used to a cornucopia of good music…I must say that the lack of good music has inspired me, like being locked up in a room for 8 years and not being able to hear new or any music at all. The music I make is not reflective of the music today, it is reflective of me and my past influences.

5.0  How did you get the nickname “Johnny Bottles”? Rehearsing with Rubygrass was always a party and I tended to “accidentally” leave my empties for weeks next to my kit. I would have to walk carefully to my drums to avoid knocking them down…and when I did, Oskar, our lead singer, would say “That’s my Johnny Bottles.” Nothing romantic.

6.0  Will Guitar Hero save or destroy rock? I played it once and I hated it. Nothing will destroy rock and rock will never need to be saved. It caters mostly to the “wannabees” and should be taken for what it is, a game.

7.0  Can all this machinery making modern music still be open-hearted? I hate modern music..and probably always will. I feel no honesty or sincerity in a lot of today’s music. All I hear and see is someone trying to get recognized and make a fast buck. Although machinery has been helping poor fucks for along time to think that they are “artists”…. I remember when Softcell came out with “Tainted Love”…it was considered ridiculous. Kraftwerk is another band that relies solely on machinery and frankly, I love it…so to make a short story long, I guess a hesitant “yes” is my answer.

8.0  Is popular music the real lightening rod for higher consciousness or peace? NO, its for the lower unconscious and seems to generate greed, hatred and bitterness!

9.0  What is the first album you ever bought and why?
Kansas….Leftouverture….a master piece! Learned to play every song on the drums; cool time signature changes. (My) first taste of prog rock and I have never lost the taste for it….I have every Rush album ever printed and had to buy some of their albums twice to get it on CD!

10.0  If you could have only one robot in your band, which instrument would they play? Cowbell ~