I first heard of Chemlab when I stumbled upon their fantastic
"Burnout out the Hydrogen Bar" album many years back. The slick blend
of electro Industrial beats coupled with nitro-driven metal guitar riffs and
the angsty "In your face" but subtely cool as ice vocals. Their sound
was unique and delivered a new and refreshing flavour to the Industrial club
scene. Chemlab was first kickstarted when Dylan More was in the market for a
vocalist to accompany his music, Jared Hendrickson's name came up in the discussions
and the two were formally introduced at the 9:30 Club. History was created.
Chemlab’s first big break came back in 1991, when they were asked to open
for Nine Inch Nails on a tour of the U.S. That tour helped to establish Chemlab
as a band to look out for in the Electro/Industrial underground.
Chemlab soon developed a hungry and loyal following with their hybrid mix of
computerized rhythms and Rock and Roll attitude.
In 1997, Dylan and Jared decided to part ways after a tour with Gwar, and the
disintegration of recording label Fifth Colvmn Records.
The latest Chemlab album "Suture" was released in early 2001 on Invisible
records. The album features remixes of Chemlab tracks.
Other related projects are H3llb3nt which stars Jared, Brian Barton (Haloblack),
Eric (16 Volt), Charles Levi (Thrill Kill Kult), and Ray (Pig) and Jared's solo
act Jared Louche and the Aliens, which released the album "Covergirl"
on Invisible Records. The album consists of cover songs from such legends as
Frank Sinatra, Roxy Music, Iggy Pop, Public Image Ltd and Leonard Cohen, all
done in Jared's personal way, adding beats from all genres, Techno, Ambient,
Industrial-metal cross overs and cool jazziness.
I caught up with Jared, the confrontational, no holds barred, all barriers destroyed,
frontman of this groundbreaking “Machine Rock” electro/Industrial-
metal crossover outfit.....
The breakup of Chemlab...mutual
agreement or bloodshed and nastiness?
You don’t waste any time, do you?! Mutual agreement that turned sour over
the years. All three of us decided that continuing with the band just wasn’t
interesting to us at that time, that the industry was a very different place
than it had been seven or eight years before and that it was all getting in
the way of our drug habits. At the time, the band was tabled, to be focused
on at a later date. It was a strange time and we just didn’t want to keep
going. Major labels had been courting us and then, just as ‘electronic’
hit big they all wanted electronica bands and couldn’t figure out what
to do with us any more. Pretty stupid, really. We were heavily in debt and it
all seemed too much. It’s unfortunate that that line-up fell by the wayside,
but that’s life. It wasn’t a nasty break-up, we were too blurry
and bleary for there to be any nastiness. That all came later. There was a lot
of weirdness and bloodshed that surrounded us all of the time, but our decision
to table the band wasn’t a part of it. It was surprisingly laid back and
mutual. At the time, it just felt like it was time to stop for an indeterminate
amount of time.
Do you still see or keep in contact
with ex-Chemlab members?
I’m still in contact with Servo. He’s living in LA, been working
with 16 Volt, touring and recording their new record which should be out soon.
He’s also going out on the road with Daniel Ash (Bauhaus, Love and Rockets,
etc) this spring. He’s a phenomenal drummer, the best I’ve ever
worked with and we’ve been talking about working on new Chemlab material
together which would be a gas.
As for Dylan, he lives out in LA as well, but we’re not in touch at all.
He doesn’t want to make music. He designs websites and doesn’t go
out. I never see him when I’m in town.
Your first major gig was with
NIN, are you still in contact with Trent?
Not really. We did that tour at his request after he and I met back in ’88
when he was touring to support Skinny Puppy. He played my venue every time he
was in town for the next couple of years. When he went out on the ‘Now
I’m Nothing’ tour in ’91 he called me up and asked me if Chemlab
would be interested in supporting them and Die Warsau around the States. Didn’t
take much arm-twisting on his part. That was an incredible tour and was even
crazier because we had only done one other show before that. It got us out in
front of between one and four thousand people every night, giving us the kind
of early exposure that bands can only dream of. It was a lucky break for us
and put us way ahead of the game in many ways. At the time, we had only released
the vinyl version of “10 Ton Pressure” and only 1,000 copies at
that, but I was floored at how quickly it sold and how many people knew who
we were on that tour… and then things really took off for us after that
one. That was a good year. Great show in Cleveland and, subsequently, we always
have good shows there.
Any future plans to work with
him on any projects?
Nice idea, but I don’t ever see it happening. When we were out on tour
with SKREW in ’93 we went back to his house in LA (the Tate house) and
hung out with him and Flood. Flood and I talked a lot about production styles
and recording ideas and he expressed a lot of interest in working with us, but,
at $5,000 a track, we just couldn’t afford it. It would be great to work
with Trent, but I think he’s much too busy.
How are things going now with
Invisible Records?
Great. Martin works hard and is dedicated to his artists. With the sea-change
in the industry it’s become harder and harder for him to keep the label
going, but he always manages to rise above the adverse situations. I have a
lot of respect for the guy. He has some great ideas… not all of them work
out, or get the time they deserve, but that’s as much a function of the
industry as it is his being overworked. The label has some problems, but all
labels do, I don’t care how big or small, but at the end of the day I’m
lucky to be in a situation where I can release the records I want to without
loads of interference. If I was signed to another label and wanted to release
a record of covers as my FIRST SOLO EFFORT I would have come up against a wall
of resistance ten miles high. Martin, on the other hand, went for it with both
barrels blazing, helped pull together the artists I wanted to work with, made
constructive suggestions and helped make it happen which shows a lot more faith
in me and my crazy instincts than most other label bosses would have shown.
We function from a base of mutual respect and that makes our working relationship
much easier. I have a lot of time for Martin.
How long have you known him?
I’ve known OF him since the early ‘80’s. The first time I
saw him on stage was when he was doing Brian Brain and he gigged at this club
that I was running (same one where I met Trent and Puppy and Iggy and Peter
Murphy and everybody). Hilarious show. He was a total nut, singing and bouncing
around the stage like a Mexican jumping bean with hot chillies up his ass, looking
all bug-eyed and dressed in two different kinds of plaid suits (jacket from
one, pants from another) just going off his head and I thought, “Wow.
Cool nut case.” If I remember correctly, he danced on the bar at one point,
but that might have been another show, or it might have been me. After that
I followed his antics fairly closely. Ministry came and played my club on the
“..Mind..” tour in ’87 and we were introduced after the show,
but it was all a bit of a blur and I was much more interested in seeing Ogre
who I hadn’t seen in ages (that’s my early Chemlab/Furnace “Fuck
Art, Let’s Kill” shirt he’s wearing in the live video of that
tour). I think that by the early ‘90’s he’d heard of Chemlab
and managed to get back stage in Chicago during the White Zombie tour (I think),
full of praise and that same manic energy. We spoke occasionally on the phone
during the whole time that I was running Fifth Column Records but it wasn’t
until I’d left the label and Chemlab and started working on Wall Street
that we really got to talking. He called me up out of the blue in ’98
and asked me if I’d be interested in coming out on the road and singing
with Pigface. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to, or if I would be able to get
the time off of work. I was intrigued and, as it turns out, the firm I was working
for collapsed at just the right time and I signed on. Fucking fantastic tour!
Long story. We stayed in touch and he called me again to do the late ’98
tour. From there we kept in contact and started talking about the idea of my
releasing some new material on Invisible, material that eventually became “Covergirl”.
Blah, blah, blah.
What did you want to accomplish
with the release of 'Covergirl'? Was that your idea or a record company concept?
Why did you decide to make your solo debut a covers release?
They are important songs to me, important soundtracks to my life for the past
20 years. I wanted to do a record where I could stretch out and explore things,
ideas, concepts, approaches, sounds that I never could within the confines of
Chemlab. It allowed me to break with the past and defy convention and expectation
thus opening doors for me to experiment in new ways. I didn’t want to
be stuck in the Machine rock format forever, no matter how much I like the style…
and no matter how much I knew it would be a record that would go over the heads
of a lot of my fan base. It’s a record that allowed me to move outside
of the realm of the expected and show another side of myself. I can rock hard,
and will again, but I couldn’t do the expected. I had to continue to grow
my work regardless of what the repercussions might be… and they were manifold.
Fortunately, Atkins liked the idea and thought that it might work. Regardless,
he was willing to back it and participate in its creation. It was my idea, not
the label’s. I think that they would have liked to get a more Machine
Rock sounding record, but they backed it anyway.
Were there any covers you had
in mind that didn't work out, or that just didn't make it on the album?
Hundreds. They will continue to show themselves in the rest of my work. There
are so many good songs out there that would be fun to play with, or bad songs
that could use a lick of regenerative polish, or totally crap songs that deserve
to be broken to splinters and rebuilt from the ground up.
So, have you succeeded in covering
your all-time favourite song yet.....or wouldn’t it have worked out?
I wanted to do The Beatles “Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite” but
it hasn’t worked out yet. It may yet. My all-time fave?? Too many to choose
from.
Any other releases in the pipeline
for "Jared Louche And The Aliens?"
Yep, just don’t know when that’ll be, what with all the projects
on my plate right now, as well as my teaching poetry / music appreciation in
schools and my radio show on Total Rock (www.totalrock.com where I spin a show
called the “Glam-dustrial Rock Machine” every Saturday morning from
3am to 6am, come in and listen to it) and my voice overs and performances. There
are a number of ideas that I have for the next one, I just have to find the
time to get it all together. Soon, just not tomorrow.
How did h3llb3nt come about?
Did you already know all the other members?
Bryan (Haloblack) was signed to the label I ran in the ‘90’s and
we had always talked about working on something together. In the mid-‘90’s
he came to me with the idea of the first h3llb3nt record and played me some
trax that he and Eric (16 Volt) had been working on and I was turned on. They
asked me if I wanted to do some vox for it and I allowed as how that would suit
me just fine. Can’t stand the trax that I sang on, though. I was really
wrecked for that session and mananged to fall asleep in the vocal booth during
the recording of ‘Sleeper’. Pretty lame and embarrassing, even more
so since it was a studio I’d never worked in before, with guys that I’d
never met before. Lame.
So, yes, I knew all of the players; Dylan and Servo, obviously, and Levi. It
was just a record to have fun with and do music that functioned outside of the
context of the bands we were working on full time.
Which do you class as No.1 priority
project, or are they all just as important to you?
They are equally important to me, actually. I’m very invested in the next
Chemlab record and want to get that out before the end of the year, but I also
can’t rush the ideas through. It’ll have a lot to live up to and
has to be right, but the ideas are there and the line-up should be killer. More
soon.
I’m also working on a project with Ross (Goteki/Sneaky Bat Machine) right
now that I’m really happy about. It’s really darkly sad, pretty
in a charred way, a bit film noir in an ambient way, totally unexpected for
both of us. It’s the first time that I’ve felt the kind of ease
in the working relationship that I had with Dylan. The band’s called 8-Bit
Barbarella and I’ll tell you more about it soon. I’m hoping that
Martin will want to do some production on it. We’ll see.
I’m in the process of working with Ross and Bryan and my new secret weapon
on some h3llb3nt soundtracks for some of my stories for a big show I’m
doing in May with the guys from Alabama 3 and others. Hoping to incorporate
some film work as well. Might release that material as well, who knows.
You’ve played in the mighty
Pigface... I bet that’s been a weird and up and down experience. Does
everyone in that band get along?
Well, in the line-ups I’ve been a part of there really hasn’t been
any in-fighting. There is always a certain amount of duelling for space, but
the amazing thing about the band is how, generally, devoid of hang-ups people
are. That isn’t always the case, but it’s been pretty good. I’m
sure that Martin can tell you horror stories. I know he can, but I won’t
tell his stories, that’s his interview. It’s certainly a weird experience,
but over all, they are some of the best tours I’ve ever been on and have
formed some solid friendships out of them.
Who’s your fave Pigface
buddy?
Curse, hands down. We’ve known each other for about ten years and started
out as dedicated enemies. We met when Chemlab and SKREW were out on tour together
in the summer of ‘93. We were sharing the headline slot, switching every
night. When we pulled into Texas this band Evil Mothers was on all of the Texas
dates and had managed, because they were Texas boys, to get us bumped to the
opening slot, leaving them in the middle for all four shows. I was furious,
totally enraged about this scene and there wasn’t a damn thing I could
do about it. I hated the fucking lead singer most of all. Trumped up little
goth boy, boo-scare, bullshit wagon, and I know he hated me as well. We were
“New York Rock Faggots”. Hated him. We ended the string of dates
in Dallas at a club called the Orbit Room and after the show I decided I’d
had enough of this kid. I walked up to him at the bar, put my arm around his
neck and said with a squeeze and a snarl; “let’s have a drink, Jack”…
and we did that. Bushmills whiskey, my poison at the time. Seventeen straight
shots of that evil fluid, one right after the other, bang bang bang!! I’m
proud to say that at the end of that session his band mates had to carry him
out of the joint, legless, utterly incapacitated. On the other hand, I was hollering
like a wild beast and reeling around the joint. I proceeded to throw all of
my money on the bar (some $400 odd), piss on the floor and then flip one of
the pinball machines over on its back. This being Texas, they thought I was
hilarious, and so, every time I’m in Deep Ellum, Dallas now, I go visit
my friends at the Orbit Room. So, I got into the van, chugged a whole bottle
of cough syrup, climbed onto the roof of the van and refused to get off. They
had to drive all the way back to the hotel with me surfing on top, still screaming.
Spent the next three hours crashed out in the shower, cooling out, then watched
t.v. until dawn and slept the sleep of the righteous. Big bruise in my brain
the next day, though, but it was worth it.
When I told Martin in ’98 that I was interested in coming out on tour
with Pigface he mentioned that Curse was the keyboard player/programmer. I really
wondered just how much warfare that was going to cause and when I arrived in
Chicago for the first day of rehersal someone in the Invisible office said,
“hey, are you and Curse going to be throwing chairs at each other?!?!”
I thought it might devolve into a fist fighting tour, but the moment we saw
each other we walked into a big embrace and immediately made up. We’ve
remained fast friends since then, and I’ve become very good friends with
all of the other guys in Evil Mothers as well. I’m hoping to rope him
in to do some of the programming for the next Chemlab record. Curse is my rock
on the road. I can always rely on him for an honest opinion, back-up, interesting
conversation. He’s my favorite tour conspirator.
It’s such a huge band...I
was just curious as to how many people have played in Pigface? Do you know?
In 12 years, I think, it has seen over 250 members pass through its gates…
but, really, that’s all part of the Martin interview. Ask him.
What's your level of involvement
on the internet? Do you use it much? How important is it to you and your work?
I mostly use it for research and sending correspondence. It is a great tool
and allows me to work more easily with musicians in the States. I would like
to have more input on the Chemlab web sites, but it’s all a time issue.
How do you feel the net has influenced
your work, from your earlier work up to now?
Ease of communication. It has also been a conceptual inspiration, much more
so, for me, than in any concrete way. I’m not a techniki, I’m an
entertainer, a piece of meat. The jack-socket is for those whose understanding
of it is more innate than learned, like mine.
Do you have any ideas on how
to make the music industry better, using internet and technology?
I’m already in a foul mood, please don’t start me talking about
how fucked up the music industry is. If you really want an answer, e-me again
and I’ll give it a shot.
Nothing can save it. Let it all burn down so that the Invisibles of the world
can get on with the business of artist development unhindered. Grrrrrrr!
Technology's been very present
in your music... what role do you feel it and technology in general play in
the future? Do you see technology as a good or bad thing?
Technology is a tremendous thing and it’s here to stay. I am utterly turned
on by it and it is a constant source of inspiration. This is also potentially
a very long answer. I would have to answer it later.
Are there any current bands that
you're into?
The answers might surprise anyone who doesn’t know my tastes, but that’s
me: The Hives. The new Ohgr record. Ikarus Line. rhodes. Grim Faeries. Mechanical
Cabaret. Wauvenfold. The new Thrill Kill Kult. Ladytron. Amon Tobin. The new
Sick City comp w/ Pig, haloblack, Sow, etc… www.thesickcity.com. The Apes.
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. 16 Volt. The list goes on and on and I could keep
listing bands all night.
Are you married? Kids? I’m
just being nosey.
Happily married to the most amazing woman. She really helped save my life. Maja.
She was Nick Cave’s publisher for a long time, Black Spring Press. Ran
a great literary mag called Gargoyle and is working on the web site which should
be up soon, www.gargoyle.uk.com. Really. No kids yet, we’re still practicing.
Really.
Where do you think the music industry is going? Will the new
music formats/distribution avenues for music have a large impact?
I told you not to ask me about the industry today. Try me again tomorrow.
How damaging do you think media
is to music?
Media is an essential aspect of music, love it or hate it, and I hate a lot
of aspects of it, but if it wasn’t for the media Chemlab would never have
had the platform to spread the rumors and misinformation that was so important
to our development.
If you mean new tech media or new gear, ask someone who knows what they’re
talking about. I’m just a piece of meat, remember?!
What will be the next big thing
in music?
Live, boyband suicides. Excellent performance art that will be some of the biggest
ticket sellers ever. I can’t wait. I’ve already got front row tix
for the BSB, Boyzone, Linkin Park and Westlife self-destruction shows.
Do you have any favourite producers/engineers
that you’ve worked with?
I really dig all of the guys I’ve worked with before, but, obviously,
the cool ones that I want to work with I haven’t been able to work with
yet. I really want to work with Flood, but I think that that’s a pipe
dream. Martin’s production on the h3llb3nt record is amazing, some of
the best work he’s done in years… and we got to luxuriate in all
its glory!
What do you think about touring
and playing music live? Is that something you enjoy or hate?
I love touring and playing live. I’m a pig for it! I love being on stage,
with an audience splayed out before me, hungry, putting on a show, sweating
it up. I’m an entertainer and I always try to entertain people. Hopefully,
if I’m getting off on stage, people are getting off watching me get into
it. I get into a real state of trance on stage and love that feeling of all
the anchors tearing free. Love it.
What does some of the new stuff
sound like? Is it a drastic change in direction, or have you found your winning
formula and sticking with it?
Chemlab was a winning formula, but I haven’t stuck with that. I’m
returning to it, but it’s not the only thing I do. I like all of the records
I’ve worked on. I’m really proud of “Covergirl”. I think
it’s a very mature record and takes a lot of chances, doesn’t always
succeed, but it tries. The thing is, I like to experiment, and I’m happiest
when trying out a new way of working, or working with someone new. That really
turns me on and brings out new ideas which is what creation is supposed to be
all about, not putting out the same record over and over again… but I’m
not going to talk about the new record until it’s done. That sets up all
kinds of expectations that I don’t want to deal with. The time isn’t
right to talk about it’s sound yet.
Any chance of steering you guys
down this way for some gigs perhaps?
I’d love to come down your way to do gigs. I don’t know if there
is any interest in seeing what I do, since it may be a while before Chemlab
makes it that way. There has been talk of taking h3llb3nt out. I also do solo
shows with material from “Covergirl”, “Hardcore vanilla”
and a collection of tales from the streets of New York, Wall Street daze and
tall tales of touring madness. Makes for a twisted evening.
Any comments?
What, you didn’t get enough??!
........Ride on. Ride hard!
