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Interview Peplum

Scandalous Swords: Interview with J. Manfred Weichsel

The peak years of the 60s Italian peplum cycle and the 80s sword and sorcery cycle have many films with transgressive, subversive, erotic, or excessively violent content. The Italian wave of pepla presented overt sexuality with their portrayal of vamps, belly dancers, shirtless strongmen, harems, and sexual seductions. With lax attitudes of what could be portrayed in media, the 80s wave of barbarian films upped with violence with overt gore, but also turned retrospective with more meta and parodic content.

Iconoclastic writer J. Manfred Weichsel seeks to tap into these eras of subversiveness with his new edited anthology, Sword & Scandal. The volume contains twelve short stories of sword and sorcery that is on, as the title suggests, the scandalous side. In this interview Weichsel talks about his newest endeavor and the future where he wants to take the scandal formula with other genres. 

Book cover provided courtesy of J. Manfred Weichsel.

What is your relationship with the sword & sandal and sword & sorcery genres? What got you into them? What are some of your favourite texts from these genres?

I’ve been reading sword & sorcery for as long as I’ve been reading books. I’ve probably read all the same stories everybody has; Conan, Fafhrd and the Grey Mauser, Kane, and stuff like that.

As for sword & sandal movies, a friend from college who first got me into world cinema, Evan A. Baker, showed me the Mario Bava Hercules movie in the late 90’s, but I didn’t do a deep dive into the Italian peplum stuff until very recently.  

I’m a regular contributor to Cirsova Magazine. The publisher was doing an anthology called The Mighty Sons of Hercules, that was an homage to the old peplum movies. I was invited to contribute, so of course I did a thorough study of the genre in preparation for writing my story. And that’s how I got into it. I think my favorite one I’ve seen so far is Mole Men Against the Son of Hercules.

The Calydonian Boar Hunt by J. Manfred Weichsel

You’ve dabbled with the sword and sandal genre before with “Maciste in the Land of the Snakes” (from the aforementioned The Mighty Sons of Hercules anthology) and your short novel The Calydonian Boar Hunt. What was the genesis of how this story came about? What was the primary goal you wanted to accomplish with this specific book?

The Calydonian Boar Hunt is actually set during the bronze age, before there was hard metal to make swords with. I know it looks like the guy is holding a sword on the cover, but it’s supposed to be a stone knife!

The book is based on the eponymous Greek myth. I became interested in The Calydonian Boar Hunt years earlier, after seeing the famous Peter Paul Rubens painting at the Getty Museum in LA illustrating a scene from the story. Years and years after first seeing the painting, I was sitting at home during the pandemic, deciding what to write next, and I realized it was the perfect time to do a deep dive into Greek mythology. I remembered the painting and the impact it had on me and began to research the myth.

The Calydonian Boar Hunt takes place shortly after the story told in the film Jason and the Argonauts, and features many of the same characters. It’s the generation before the Trojan War, and many of the Calydonian hunters also either appear in the Trojan War as older versions of themselves, or are the parents of major figures in that story. It’s a very central myth in the Greek canon, so it gave me a lot to work with.

Of course, my books are comedies, so my retelling of the myth may be a little different in tone from what modern readers are used to. Well, many of the original Greek myths, such as the Argonautica of Rhodes, were comedies too, so my retelling is also closer in spirit to the original than many modern readers might suspect.

The Calydonian Boar Hunt by Peter Paul Rubens. Public Domain image provided by The Getty Museum.

The Kickstarter for Sword & Scandal hinted it was looking for transgressive peplum-inspired stories, but the final collection is less sword & sandal and more sword & sorcery. Based on the types of submissions you were getting for the project, was there a commonality you noticed? Something like you didn’t receive as many peplum stories as sword & sorcery (that one genre is more popular than the other)? Or maybe you received a decent amount of stories from both genres but that the sword & sandal stories tended to be lacking in those transgressive elements that you were looking for when compared to sword and sorcery? Or something else?

Of the twelve stories in the anthology, most can be described as falling into various subgenres of sword & sorcery. For example, “Kai-zur the Godless” by David Carter is a pretty pure barbarian story. But “Windblades” by C. L. Werner is a samurai tale, and a really violent one too, like a 70’s Toei movie. And “Flesh and Ink” by Rebecca Buchanon has a really unique premise. It’s about a female assassin whose tattoos leap off her body and kill her victims. 

There are also a few folk tales in the mix. For example, “The Baron with a Thousand Cats” by Gary Every is a retelling of an Italian tale about a groom who must save his bride from suffering prima notte with a grotesque baron. And “The Harem of Al’Azeri” by Jasiah Witkofsky is set in the Arabian world in 1,001 Nights. There’s even a weird tale the anthology in “Vermina’s Creature,” by Bitter Karella. 

I really only received two submissions that read like peplum movies, and while both were great, they shared the same problem, which was that I was looking for stories that placed their focus on sex, and these stories placed their focus on the violence. So, they were good, but they weren’t great fits for the anthology.

Sword & Scandal is overt in its want to feature stories heavy on sex, nudity, and violence. Aside from these facets, there other means to push genre boundaries to their limits. What are other transgressive and avant garde elements featured in Sword and Scandal?

The most subversive element you can put into fiction nowadays is humor. If you look at old books and movies, even if they weren’t comedies, they still had humorous elements, such as, for example, irony. But nowadays, humor is so absent from popular entertainment that audiences don’t know what to do when they encounter it. And because they don’t know what to do, they become frustrated, and respond by getting angry at the book or movie for frustrating them. This had led to a pervasive idea in our culture that if something is funny, that must mean it’s bad.  

I want to help society get beyond this prejudice. This shouldn’t be terribly hard a task. It’s such an ingrained part of human nature, that it should be obvious what you are supposed to do when you encounter humor. You’re supposed to laugh! So, I actively looked for stories that were funny, in order to reintroduce humor into popular entertainment.

One of the funnier stories in Sword & Scandal is “Abduction from the Seraglio” by David J. West. This is about a sellsword who is hired by a man to rescue his girl from a harem, but… well… I don’t want to give the punchline away. Another funny story is “Shaven Beards” by Ross Baxter. This one is full of rude British humor!

Were there any specific stories in Sword & Scandal that blew you out of the water because you had never read anything as uncompromising/perverted/graphic/etc. before?

Every single story in Sword & Scandal was one that, the moment I read it, I knew I needed it in the anthology. Many of the stories contain graphic sex, but not all of them. That wasn’t a prerequisite. A few were chosen not because they have sexual content, but because they have sexual themes. I was looking for stories that were dangerous in some way, and I think that describes all the tales in the book, whether they are graphic or not.

But, to answer your question, the sex scenes in “The Gateway of Pleasure” by Jim Lee are insane, like, really hardcore. This is a story where a knight rescues a damsel in distress, and she rewards him with a blow job and a lot of sex. “The Snow Princess” by Pip Pinkerton is, in part, an outrageous porn parody of Disney’s Frozen, with a great scene where the girls use magic to create an Ice Golem and then have sex with it. There’s lot of lesbian sex in this one too. And “He Who Sows” by Austin Worley is about two female thieves who break into a temple to steal the stone phallus from a fertility God, only to become enchanted by it and start playing with it.

In 80s sword & sorcery cinema terms, on a scale of Deathstalker I (for sex and nudity) to Deathstalker II (for irreverent humour), how would you situate Sword and Scandal?

I love both the Deathstalker movies for different reasons. Jim Wynorski has a few movies like Deathstalker II, where they were sequels to bigger budget movies, but instead of going for a cheap cash grab like other directors in such situations would, he created really unique movies that, while they don’t have much to do with the original, are a lot of fun. 976-EVIL II is probably my favorite out of these. 

As for your question, there is a lot of sex and a lot of irreverent humor in Sword & Scandal. Enough to satisfy fans of either film. 

Sword & Scandal was financed via a successful Kickstarter campaign. What were some of the obstacles you encountered while running the Kickstarter? Will crowdfunding be a model you will use go forward for other entries in your Scandal series?

I got the idea to use Kickstarter because Cirsova used it to raise money for The Mighty Sons of Hercules, a book I mentioned above. I made sure to play an active role in the Kickstarter, both to help that anthology happen, but also to learn about fundraising so I could run my own campaign one day.

Kickstarter was great because it allowed me to do so much more than I would have been able to otherwise. I mean, without Kickstarter, I wouldn’t have been able to offer payment to the writers or have interior illustrations! I would have just written the book myself like I normally do, which was my actual backup plan had the campaign failed. So, I will definitely use Kickstarter for any future anthologies I do, including my next one, Jungle Scandals.

My process was a little different from Cirsova’s. He asked the writers to write stories up front, and then used the table of contents in his fundraising campaign as he raised the money to pay us. I ran the Kickstarter first and then had an open call for submissions. I like doing it this way because it gives me the greatest flexibility in choosing the stories that are best for the anthology.

Author photo provided courtesy of J. Manfred Weichsel.

Your contribution to Sword and Scandal, “Confessions of a Wicked Harpastum Player,” was the result of one of the Kickstarter perks where the pledger could design their own story. That pledger, Alexander Joyner, wanted “a tale with a female protagonist, about women’s soccer, with torture and lesbians.” That is quite the order – how did you go about tackling this compared to stories you pen yourself?

Well, instead of soccer, I used Harpastum, which is an ancient ancestor of modern soccer. Then I added a lot of sword & sorcery elements, such as having them play the game with a severed head instead of a ball. I came up with a sexy plot involving torture and lesbians, and voila. 

Overall, writing it was a fun experience. I often start outlining a story with an image or a few images in my head, so outlining one where the images were given to me didn’t change my process very much. If anything, it forced me to be more creative and to think outside the box. It was a fun experience, and one I hope to repeat in the next book. 

Aside from your introduction to the book, you also gave space for your artist, Apolonster, to share his musings and importance of working on the project. How did you connect with Apolonster? How did you two collaborate on the interior artwork, juggling artistic asks, feedback, and so on.

When I want to hire an artist, I usually go onto websites like DeviantArt and search artists until I find one that is already doing what I want to do. Then, I contact the artist to see if they are looking for work.

I found Apolonster when I was looking for somebody to do the cover to my novel Into the Bush. The moment I saw his portfolio, I knew I wanted to hire him, because he had some pictures that were exactly in the style I wanted.

I knew Sword & Scandal would be a much more complex project than that one was, because it needed a painted cover as well as interior illustrations. Apolonster is a talented and versatile artist who was classically trained at a European art academy, so when I started thinking of people to ask to do Sword & Scandal, he was my first choice.

My process for working on illustrations is that I write a worksheet that usually ends up being a couple of pages describing for the artist what I want, and then the artist gives me concept sketches. I pick one, and the artist makes the art.

Unfortunately, Apoloonster won’t be available for the next anthology for personal reasons. I already have the painting for the cover, and I’m looking for somebody right now to do the interior illustrations.

The next anthology in your Scandal series is going to be Jungle Scandals. What is some news you can share about that project? And aside form Jungle Scandals, what can folks expect to see from you in the near future? 

I’m currently writing a science fantasy book called Space Escapades, which I plan to be the final book in my Action Girls trilogy of books about three ditzy wannabe Hollywood starlets. 

I am creating the Kickstarter campaign as we speak. I hope to launch it early next year. I’m also working on a novel for the first time since my last one came out in March. Exciting things are on the horizon. 

The Mighty Sons of Hercules anthology published by Cirsova.

Do you see yourself revisiting the sword & sandal genre? If so, where would you like to take it next?

I want the “scandal” to be its own genre. I get into this in the introduction to Sword & Scandal. So, I want to do a bunch of differently themed books in the Scandal anthology series. The next one is Jungle Scandals, and then after that I want to do a science fantasy themed book, maybe called Planet Scandals or Outer Space Scandals. I’m going to do one called Scandal & Sorcery at some point, and might also do one called Sword & Scandal vol. II. I’m really taking them one at a time right now, so we will see what the future holds! 

I do know that Cirsova is thinking of doing another Mighty Sons of Hercules anthology, and I really want to be a part of that if he ends up doing it. 

I’ll probably revisit peplum at some point regardless. The thing is, if you look over my website, I have a pretty restless imagination and my books tend to all fall into different genres. I never really know what I am going to write next until I finish the book I’m working on. 

Sincere appreciation to Weichsel for his time for this interview. For more information on Sword & Scandal, J. Manfred Weichsel, and Apolonster, check out the following links:

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Interview Peplum

Aut Caesar Aut Nihil: Twenty Year Retrospective of the XII Caesars Industrial Compilation

Twenty years ago can seem like ancient history when looking at both pop and underground culture, a feeling that becomes compounded when a textual artifact from the past is an examination of ancient history proper. Industrial music typically does not dive into the world of antiquity, (usually staying in the realm of post-modern concepts), but the inherent experimental nature of the genre occasionally pushes a music project or release to explore topics related to ancient history. The 2004 compilation, XII Caesars, released by the long since defunct Somnambulant Corpse, is one of those outlier releases where industrialism and antiquity collide. Twenty years later, the release deserves to be unearthed and re-appreciated, not only for its contribution to the industrial genre, but as a time capsule of the underground scene in the aughts – a literal aural artifact. 

XII Caesars Cover Insert.

XII Caesars is a concept compilation with a specific focus on Julius Caesar and the first eleven emperors of Ancient Rome as detailed in Suetonius’ influential text, The Twelve Caesars. Each track focuses on a specific Caesar and are presented in chronological order of each emperor’s reign with two exceptions: four emperors share track seven “Year Of Four Emperors (Galba, Otho, Vitellius, Vespasian)” and the last track is the epilogue “Ultor,” a reference to Mars Ultor, an iteration of the god of Mars during the period of Augustus.

The first track, “Julius Caesar, Dictator,” is by the ambient-industrial project Exsanguinate. The background drone of the song feels like one is being shaken or rattled, with distorted wailing appearing halfway through the track. There is a chilling, 4-beat rhythm that adds a catchyness to the track, giving listeners something to latch onto during the song’s duration. 

“Augustus” by Tugend is the album’s second track. An ambient song with some neo-classical and borderline dungeon synth elements, it sounds like the music one would hear from a church belonging to an apocalyptic cult, with the latter half of the track bringing a fire-and-brimstone drumming to it.

Card of Tiberius / Murderous Vision.

The third track is the ambient “Tiberius” by Murderous Vision. The song begins with a repeating sample “Hey, Caesar” with the background giving way to other, garbled, sampled voices. The gives the track an effect of hearing whispered plots and schemes, and a general uncomfortable vibe, no doubt recreating the feelings of Tiberius’ paranoia.

“Tiberius” is followed by “Gaius (Caligula)” by Bestia Centauri. A droning track with some atonal electronics, it would easily be at home on the Cryo Chamber label.

Card for Claudius / Post Scriptvm.

Post Scriptvm’s “Claudius” is the compilation’s fifth track. An experimental soundscape, the song is sample heavy of crying, weeping, animal baying, and water rustling. The samples sit atop a 1-2 beat that flows through the song, making the song unnerving and ominous while at the same time accessible and easy to latch onto.

The minimal-ambient “Nero” appears to be the only song ever released by The Great Despisers. 

Survival Unit brings the power electronics genre to XII Caesars with their “Year Of Four Emperors (Galba, Otho, Vitellius, Vespasian).” The track is both burbling and bombastic, peppered with muddled samples of speeches and screeches. It is volatile track, definitely mimicking the period of civil war in the Roman Empire. 

“Titus” by Önd is an extremely minimal, experimental song, bordering on a single note being held through the entire duration. 

The last of the twelves Caesars, Domitian, is the compilation’s penultimate track and composed by Axone, the project of Somnambulant Corpse’s owner Chris Donovan. An industrial soundscape song, “Domitian” feels both windswept and grating, like traversing stone tunnels constructed by giant bees.

The final track on XII Caesars is “Epilogue (Ultor)” by Marspiter. An industrial-ambient composition, the song feels like gazing upon a ruined city in the middle of a desert under a dark sky, a last glimpse of what once was.

Insert Back.
CD in tray.

The cover of XII Caesars shows the busts of the twelve emperors in a small, 3×4 grid, with a faint, dark, modern cityscape as the background. Inside the booklet shows a gladius while the CD proper shows the pillars and buildings of Ancient Rome aflame. The presentation proper is akin to the imagery used by VNV Nation during their Empires-era (late 90s/early 2000s). Included with the album is a series of large, double sided postcards, housed in a ziplock bag, each depicting a rendition of different Caesar in a hand drawn style. The entire package evokes both the ornateness and DIY philosophy expressed by small, extreme music labels of the aughts. 

Complete packaging of XII Caesars.

Though ten industrial/ambient/noise artists are showcased on XII Caesars, only a three survive to the present day: Murderous Vision, Post Scriptvm, and Survival Unit (though Exsanguinate appears defunct, the project’s mastermind, Thomas Garrison, continues on prolifically as Control). Post Scriptvm and Stephen Petrus from Murderous Vision have graciously shared their experiences and thoughts about their tracks, providing incredible insight not only into their craft, but of industrialism of the period. 

What is your relationship with antiquity, classics, or (in the case of pop culture) the sword and sandal genre? Are these topics that interest you or influence you in any way?

Murderous Vision: Outside of an affinity for the Jason And The Argonauts film as a child, I don’t have a notable interest in the genre. I do, however, have an interest in all things historical. So, when creating my Tiberius themed contribution, I tried to keep his rule in mind. Something sounding epical, orderly and underlying dread were the things I attempted to execute.

Post Scriptvm: The name of my project, Post Scriptvm, as well as its specific spelling, is inspired by the mid-1970s BBC series I, Claudius, which portrays the early Roman Empire and is narrated by Emperor Claudius. Although my project has consistently been influenced by the ideas and aesthetics of Russian art and literary movements at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, particularly Russian Futurism, I opted for this Latin name because, to me, it implies fin de siècle or the end of an era.

Murderous Vision, photo courtesy of the artist.

Outside niche subgenres such as neofolk and martial industrial, industrial music generally doesn’t dabble in pre-1900s history, let alone antiquity. From your perspective why do you think that is?

Murderous Vision: I think it may be related to the actual sounds of these genres. The instruments used and song structures involved evoke the way one thinks music sounded in these periods. With standard industrial music, the instrumentation is very clearly of the 20th and 21st centuries, and might be sonically incompatible with these historical periods. Authenticity and effectiveness reign.

Post Scriptvm: Many industrial music artists that I particularly appreciate, such as Bad Sector, Werkbund, Internal Fusion, SPK, Inade, among others, find inspiration in ancient mythologies. To me, this makes perfect sense. A 20th-century art critic once observed that the avant-garde serves as a continuation of classical art within modern contexts—an intentional continuation of an ideal that has been lost and ruined. For me, industrial music, particularly its more extreme, dark variety, has always served as a soundtrack to a civilization in steady and catastrophic decline. We primarily grasp, value and interpret antiquity through its ruins entombed within the sterile museum morgues, while a minuscule portion of surviving texts suggests an expansive realm of ideas forever beyond our reach. Industrial music, in parallel, reflects the decay of modern civilization, frequently finding inspiration in the ruins of ancient cultures. By referencing ancient ruins to depict the downfall of our own society, we are essentially shaping our own antiquity.

Post Scriptvm, photo courtesy of the artist.

What was the genesis of your involvement of the XII Caesars compilation?

Murderous Vision: At the time I had a close relationship with Chris Donovan and his label Somnambulant Corpse. I had previously been involved with the label on his Lovecraft themed compilation [note: The Outsider], and released a split CD with his personal project Kuru, called Blood-Brain Barrier. Both of these were released by Somnambulant.

Post Scriptvm: I received an invitation to contribute to the compilation from the owner of the Somnambulant Corpse record label. A couple of years prior to XII Caesars, Somnambulant had issued my debut album [note: Guaze], and I had previously contributed a track to the label’s earlier compilation dedicated to H.P. Lovecraft.

Did you get to select your emperor or was one assigned to you?

Post Scriptvm: The label actually had assigned each artist a Caesar to dedicate a track to, stating that the compilation’s subject matter necessitated a somewhat dictatorial approach.

Murderous Vision: It was assigned to me, based on his personal feeling of which emperor he felt suited the sound of each project he chose to include.

Your track on the compilation, was it an untitled song you had in your repertoire that you submitted or was it a song composed exclusively for the release?

Murderous Vision: It was composed exclusively for his compilation.

Post Scriptvm: For this compilation, I created an entirely new track, incorporating samples from both I, Claudius and the 1979 film Caligula, another one of my favorites.

How did you go about capturing the theme of your respective Caesar and conveying it in your composition?

Murderous Vision: I started by reading what I could online about the history and life of my Caesar. In drafting the sounds I kept in mind that I wanted to use reverbs that would evoke vast marble halls and open ancient stadiums. I recorded everything with a degraded VHS copy of Caligula playing on the TV in the background. 

Post Scriptvm: Apart from incorporating samples from the mentioned films and submerging myself into both The Twelve Caesars by Suetonius and The Roman Empresses by Jacques Roergas De Serviez prior to recording the track, I did not deviate from my typical approach for composing Post Scriptvm tracks at the time. As an undergraduate student back then, I had only rather primitive, rudimentary equipment at my disposal, which, in my view, was well suited for interpreting the ambiance of the ancient Roman Empire.

Going back in time to 2004, what do you recall the reception of the XII Caesars was like?

Murderous Vision: I don’t think it was widely circulated, but deeply appreciated by those who did get one. I seem to remember some favorable reviews circulating. 

Post Scriptvm: The reception was very positive. Despite being a DIY homemade CD-R release, the compilation was sold all over the United States and Europe and received several positive reviews in the underground press. The early 2000s marked the pinnacle for underground industrial music artists and small independent record labels like Somnambulant.

What are your thoughts on the compilation as a whole, from the presentation to the other contributions?

Murderous Vision: I was quite proud of my involvement. The label pulled no punches in the presentation, using high quality artwork and paper stocks to present the art panels, and professionally produced media sealed the deal. Every other act contributed great sound materials. It was a stellar compilation from a golden era that was known for stellar compilations.

Post Scriptvm: It is certainly of its time both in terms of sound production and its distinctly DIY presentation. It’s a wonderful testament to the era when underground experimental music flourished, showcasing the passion and dedication of the record label and every artist involved. Regrettably, the record label and the majority of the artists are no longer active.

Reflecting on your song for the compilation, are there any changes you would’ve made for it? Any thoughts of updating, remastering, or remixing your song and giving it a second life?

Murderous Vision: I think the track was a nice representation of the sound of Murderous Vision in that era. I think it stands as a good representation of both the band and the theme. The version that appears on there was truncated by the label for whatever reason he had at the time. The full, unedited version did, however, appear in 2006 on the Murderous Vision retrospective Ghosts of the Soul Long Lost Volume 1 [Note: listed as “Tiberious (Full Version)”].

Post Scriptvm: If I were to reinterpret that track now, it would have a completely different sound. I prefer directing my attention towards the future rather than dwelling on the past. Nonetheless, having to revisit it would provide me with a compelling reason to reread The Twelve Caesars and The Roman Empresses and to rewatch Caligula and I, Claudius.

Finally, what are some upcoming project news you’d like to share?

Post Scriptvm: My new LP titled Eisstoß is now available on Tesco Organisation, and I have a cassette EP titled Секта set for release in April on DumpsterScore Home Recordings.

Murderous Vision: This year will be another filled with activity. 2024 actually marks thirty years since the inception of the project. Among things that will happen this year are a performance in May supporting longtime friends Awen in NYC. There are a couple special surprises planned for the gig, but one must attend to see what they are! This year will also see the release of a new full length album called Pestilent Black Breath on Germany’s excellent label Dunkelheit Produktionen. Work is also well underway on a retrospective book of reflections on thirty years of Murderous Vision that will be packed with photos, flyers and ephemera from the beginning to present times. The machine chugs on…

Sincere thank you to Stephen Petrus and Post Scriptvm for their time and answers. More information on their projects can be found at the below links:

More information/tickets on the upcoming Awen/Murderous Vision/Autumn Brigade/DSM-III can be found here.

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Interview

Resurrected and Reloaded: Interview with Flesh Field’s Ian Ross

In the late 90s through the aughts the industrial scene saw a new trend of incorporating orchestral sounds into the genre. Ronan Harris via his VNV Nation project took hold of this orchestral-electro strain, infused it with trance and synthpop elements to develop a new genre: futurepop. The formula was a success and futurepop began to pop up in the music of projects such as Icon of Coil, Apoptygma Berzerk, Covenant, and others.

Concurrently with the development of futurepop, Ian Ross of Flesh Field was taking orchestral-electro in a completely different direction. Ross took the emerging aggrotech genre, tuned down the harshness that one would find in acts such as :wumpscut: and Suicide Commando, and incorporated orchestral elements to create a unique brand of industrialism, counter to futurepop. 

Ross’s formula was also a success and Flesh Field dominated the club scene at the same time of VNV Nation and other futurepop acts. But like Roy Batty in Blade Runner, Flesh Field burned very bright yet very quick. Flesh Field only released three albums between 1999 and 2004 before Ross retired the project, abdicating his spot in the industrial pantheon that no successor act attempted to claim. 

But, volcanos only stay dormant for so long. Nearly two decades later Flesh Field has unexpectedly exploded back into the industrial-electro scene with a brand new album, Voice of the Echo Chamber (VotEC). Released on November 3rdfrom Metropolis, Flesh Field’s new album is both familiar and new. The anger present in older Flesh Field tracks is focused in VotEC as Ross tackles gun violence, mass shootings, and what compels individuals to walk down this dark path of no return. It is a strong, complex album, and Ross has generously answered some questions about his new offering and comeback to the music scene. 

Ian Ross headshot from Facebook.

For Voice of the Echo Chamber (VoeTC) were there any old lyrics or songs that you’ve had sitting in your repertoire that you were able to incorporate into the new album, or is the entire album built off song writing and composing done fairly recently? 

In between albums I like to create new sounds, loops, samples, and drum kits. I had quite a few of these left over from the Tyranny of the Majority era that I had never used before, so some of them did end up on VotEC. Similarly, I used a melody from an unreleased track I wrote around 2008 called “In Perpetuity” in the beginning of “Rampage” on VotEC. I always liked the melody and wanted to make sure I used it somewhere. Other than that, everything else is entirely new. I started writing in March of this year and finished up in early August.

Personal copy of Voice of the Echo Chamber.

Your new album contains the Flesh Field trademark elements of electro and orchestral, but also contains quite a few samples of firearms: reloading, shooting, etc. This has a strong resonance of the film scores of Jóhann Jóhannsson, especially that of Sicario (2015). Are you a fan of Jóhannsson’s work? 

I haven’t seen Sicario, but it’s totally possible that I have heard Johannsson’s work before and enjoyed it without knowing it was his. His is not a name I’m familiar with, but I did check out “The Beast” a bit ago based on your question, and I definitely thought it was cool. I’ll have to start listening to more! On VotEC, nearly all of the firearm samples are original. Michael Prince from Diet of Wires is a very good friend of mine, and when we were talking about what I was trying to do with the album, he offered to record some of the firearm samples using his own collection. There are samples from every weapon mentioned in the track “Arsenal” spread out through the album with the exception of the .38 revolver. We didn’t have one of those. 

Personal copy of Strain.
Autographed by Ian Ross.
Autographed by Wendy Yanko.

Since your last full album, Strain (2004), there’s been new waves of electro-industrial bands that have popped up. Have you heard your influence on newers acts in the past few years? Or, have any projects reached out to you to express your impact on them?

I haven’t really kept up with what’s happening in the genre at all in the last fifteen years or so. If there are newer bands that have taken influence from Flesh Field, that’s amazing. I know how important to me certain bands are that have influenced me, so it’s really humbling to me when I hear that Flesh Field has had the same impact on others. I’ve had a few artists tell me this recently. It really is an honor every time I hear it. 

You had a working relationship with Metropolis who released Strain. How was it to reach back to them to see if they would be interested in releasing a new Flesh Field album? Since the passing of Dave Heckman last year, how has working with Metropolis changed?

Dave Heckman did so much for so many bands and for music fans in general. I really feel privileged to have known him and worked with him. Metropolis has always been great to me, so they were the first label I went to with VotEC. They have continued to be just as awesome under Gail. I sent them an email sometime in July I believe letting them know VotEC was coming and asking if they were interested, and they got back to me the next day saying they were. Everything has been great with them since. Nina has really helped me out with Spotify and social media, two things I really knew (know?) nothing about how to utilize properly. 

Personal copy of Belief Control.
Autographed by Ian Ross.
Autographed by Wendy Yanko.

It looks like you’ve maintained a lasting friendship with folks from Imperative Reaction, recently with them providing music and art for VotEC and you remixing their songs. How long do all of yall go back and how have you’ve supported each other over the years? 

Imperative Reaction and Flesh Field go back a long way to the early aughts. We’ve toured together, we’ve remixed each other, and they have crashed at my place on two occasions during separate Imperative Reaction tours. There are fun stories! We’ve shared the stage during tracks (I sang along with him on “Rift” onstage during a show, and he of course performed “Voice of Dissent” with us onstage). Ted has always been like a kindred brother in music to me. It really has been awesome to get to know him.

Personal copy of The Azoic’s Forward.
“Evolution” remixed by Flesh Field.

Flesh Field has a legacy of remixes of other fellow industrial and synthpop acts music: SMP, Collide, The Azoic, Glis, many others. With a rejuvenated Flesh Field you’ve recently done remixes for GenCAB (“The Badge”) and System Syn (“The Light Was a Lie”). A three part question regarding your remix work; first, how do you get involved with remixing other artists? Are these brokered by labels or do the projects reach out to you (and you them)?

When I remix other artists or other artists remix Flesh Field, it’s usually one of four ways: because we know each other somehow (The Azoic, Assemblage 23, Dubok, Imperative Reaction, for example), we’re label-mates (Project-X, Individual Totem, L’ame Immortelle for example), the label had organized them, or the bands reach out directly to me or I to them. The remix I just did for System Syn happened because Clint and I go way back, and I wanted to do something for him to say “thank you” for the artwork he did for Voice of the Echo Chamber. Plus, I really dig the track “The Light Was a Lie” and had ideas for remixing it the very first time I heard it. With GenCAB, Jim at Metropolis put David Dutton and me in contact since we were both inquiring about remixes after finishing our respective albums. He’s a really cool guy, and really talented. I chose to remix “The Badge” and he chose to remix “Catalyst,” which turned out awesome. I’m hoping to put out the GenCAB mix out along with some other stuff as a follow-up to Voice of the Echo Chamber. Still trying to figure out what that looks like. 

The Light Was a Lie cover art included in Bandcamp download.

Secondly, what is your philosophy when remixing another artist’s song? Is it to Flesh Field-ify their song? Or is this a chance to step out of the Flesh Field box and do something else?

I like to start from scratch and rebuild the track as if it were Flesh Field. The majority of the time, I only ask the artist for the track BPM and the vocals. No MIDI files, no samples, no loops. I figure if the artist or a label wants a mix from Flesh Field, it should sound “Flesh Field-y,” so I don’t really use remixes to experiment any more than I use Flesh Field to experiment. 

The Badge cover art included in Bandcamp download.

And finally, in your canon of remixes is there a specific one you’re especially proud of?

Tough one. There are a few that I’m really happy with, but might sound dated today, like the remixes I did for Croc Shop, or Individual Totem, or Cesium 137. I think the one I had the most fun with out of any remix I’ve ever done was the remix I just did for GenCAB, and I think it’s musically evident from the very beginning of the remix how much fun I had. I love the way David does vocals, and they gave me all kinds of ideas, particularly for the chorus. Listening to the new GenCAB album Signature Flaws really inspired me to up my game when it comes to vocals on anything I do post VotEC. The amount of thought and effort he put into those vocals makes me want to try harder on mine. 

Personal copy of Viral Extinction.

A technical question regarding creating music in the 2000s to creating music now. You mentioned in a different interview (DiscoveringBands) that you had to procure new, modern equipment. How does this impact old samples and music composed back in the day? Are you able to salvage some of your library from back then to use on new equipment, or is there versioning and compatibility issues? If Flesh Field decides to play live and decide to dig into some old classics, will you have to re-create your songs anew?

I do think I have some backups on digital audio tape of some of the old tracks for live performances, so if I ever needed them, I should be ok as long as my DAT player still works. It’s almost a quarter century old now, though. I don’t know how playing old tracks would go over though without Rian or Wendy performing onstage, so if I ever did play live again, that would be something to consider. I did revamp “My Savior,” “Overload,” and “Cyberchrist” for live performances only right after Belief Control was released to try to update the sound on them a bit. Those versions have only ever been played live. 

Personal copy of Crackdown.

Flesh Field music has been featured in films, TV shows, and video games. For example, years ago you appeared with other industrial acts in the xbox 360 game Crackdown (2007). In your interview with We Have a Technical you talk about sounds in games and how to realize them as music. When you have downtime, are you yourself a gamer? If so, any particular genres of games you’re drawn to? 

I definitely USED to be a gamer, but I rarely ever play video games anymore. I used to be very into online FPS games (PC only – I can’t hit anything on console). The last game I got really into was Ark: Survival Evolved. My children loved watching me tame dinosaurs in that game. The problem was that the children got attached to the pets. I had four tamed dodo birds that my kids loved, and one night while they were in bed and I was playing, I accidentally punched a triceratops, and the triceratops killed all my dodos. So, I had to stay up for another few hours re-taming four new dodos and naming them with the same names as the dead ones just so my children wouldn’t be traumatized. I will play Battlefront with my son from time to time. 

Dodo from Ark: Survival Evolved for adorable reference.

KMFDM was one of the bands that had to deal directly with mass shootings (Columbine), and many years later responded to gun violence very, very, very tongue in cheek with their song “Me and My Gun” on their album Blitz(2009). VotEC has a gun centric song with “Arsenal” that lyrically recalls “Me and My Gun.” However, your song doesn’t go the route of KMFDM irony and instead goes with a scary, dark, sinister perspective. How do you juggle such subject matter, making sure your message is that of condemnation and not endorsement?

“Arsenal” was the second track I wrote for the album, and the first track I wrote lyrics for, and I had that exact concern, particularly on that track. With this type of subject matter, I didn’t think it was enough to just hope that people understood from the context of the entire album what I was actually trying to say, especially since people will likely be buying one track at a time instead of the whole album, which means that they won’t have the full context. I included a statement in the liner notes explaining the context due to that fear, but I don’t know if that will be enough since that statement isn’t included with the downloads. I don’t want to explain everything on the album too much, since that might ruin the experience of it for some, but I do try to talk about the overall point of the album as much as I can during interviews.

VotEC has been out for a week and some change. Fans have been excited on social media and places like Reddit for your new album and now it has dropped. What has been the feedback so far? Are you feeling reinvigorated for your next endeavor?

The response has been amazing. I really didn’t expect it to land as well as it has, at least so far. I’ve received a number of messages telling me how great it is to have Flesh Field back, and the same is true for me. I feel whole again.

Sincere appreciation and gratitude to Ian Ross for his time in doing this interview. For more information about Voice of the Echo Chamber and Flesh Field’s resurrection check out these other interviews:

Voice of the Echo Chamber can be purchased online at a variety of locations:

Categories
Interview

Return of the Mother(s): Interview with Joan Jocson-Singh and Julie Turley on Heavy Music Mothers: Extreme Identities, Narrative Disruptions 

It’s Mother’s Day so what is the best way to celebrate moms out there? A nice brunch? Flowers and treats? A present? Presents are always nice, especially if it’s a copy of the brand new book Heavy Music Mothers: Extreme Identities, Narrative Disruptions (HMM) by Joan Jocson-Singh and Julie Turley. 

In HMM, Jocson-Singh and Turley dive into the world of mothers who listen to/create heavy music by citing memoirs and conducting their own interviews with musicking mothers. The book is the first of its kind to focus on mothers and their stories in a scenes historically seen as misogynistic. In anticipation of HMM’s immanent release, Jocson-Singh and Turley have been gracious to be interviewed about their work. 

What got you into extreme music?

Jocson-Singh: My soon to be ex-husband, who I met when I was 17, introduced me to Carcass and Death. At the time, my ears weren’t attuned to death vocals and I fondly recall telling him that “it wasn’t music.” I was coming from a New Wave and classical music background so it was hard for me to comprehend. But then when I was 23, my mother passed away and my ex played Carcass, Death, and Crisis again, and all of sudden those growls, tremolo picking, double bass drumming, and downtuned guitars made sense. Especially hearing Karyn of Crisis belt vocals that alternated from clean to death, I was in awe. Her proto-feminist metal made even more sense to me and I found that extreme metal could be both cathartic and empowering. It was like coming home. 

What was the catalyst of Heavy Music Mothers? How did this book come about?

Jocson-Singh: The catalyst for Heavy Music Mothers was meeting Julie at a library conference. A mutual colleague said Julie was the “Rock n’ Roll Librarian” and should therefore meet me, the “Metal Music Librarian!” We ended up chatting and talking about my previous graduate research which was all about interviewing women in NY and their participation in the Extreme Metal Music subculture. From there, we realized how much we had in common as unconventional mothers, librarians, and music fans. We knew right away that we couldn’t be the only ones with these kinds of stories. 

For HMM, how did yall go about defining heavy music? Is it centered on punk and metal? Or do other extreme genres fall under this umbrella, such as power electronics and noise?

Jocson-Singh: I think for the most part, we defined “heavy” broadly. At times it was structural music that didn’t adhere to typical musical structures, compositions, and convention. We looked at “heavy” music with a subcultural lens – one where women weren’t welcomed due to typically male-coded elements of performance, aggression, hardness – where hard music “might be a place where every trace of the feminine has been expunged” (Reynolds and Press, 247). As far as genres, for me extreme metal became an umbrella term used to encompass music that’s often considered tonally aggressive, often incorporating harsh, unrecognizable vocals, down-tuned guitars, extremely fast percussion, rapid “wall of sound” drumming through use of double-bass drumming and “blast beat” techniques, frequent tempo and time signature changes and inhuman vocal style. Lyrical content is frequently described as misogynistic and nihilistic in theme, often relaying stories of murder, rape, death, suicide, Satanism, the occult, and madness (Jocson-Singh, 2016). 

Turley: In general, our book focuses on women in punk, rock, and metal, but many of the women we included don’t fit neatly within these genres. For instance, Amy Rigby, whose memoir is discussed in chapter three, makes music in the tradition of Americana singer/songwriter tradition. Her great 90s-era all-female band The Shams were unplugged, after all. Heaviness is largely associated with amplification. Rigby’s memoir is among my favorites of what I’ve termed the “rock mom memoir,” and her songwriting is heavy in that it deconstructs love and relationships in complex ways. Likewise, Dafna Naphtali and her work have been included in the book. A music professor, she’s an experimental musician, who messes with a variety of musical traditions, from classical to heavy metal. Would her work be neatly classified as rock, punk, or metal? Conventionally speaking, no. Is her work and position as a musicking mother worthy of attention in our book? One-hundred percent yes.

Author photo provided by Jocson-Singh.

Can you provide a preview of some of the musician mothers you interviewed for HMM?

Jocson-Singh: I’m going to let Julie answer this when she gets a chance. She had far more interviewees than me and I think her perspective sheds some different and important insights.

Turley: The heavy music mothers who make up the heart of our book range from music lovers, to performing musicians–with a heavy metal deejay, and a writer/rock journalist who directed the 2022 docu-series Women Who Rock on Epix thrown into the mix.

How did you go about contacting folks for interviews? Were some acquaintances in your music circles or perhaps folks you had not met before and you reached out?

Jocson-Singh: For me, most of my interviewees came from the women I had interviewed during my graduate thesis work. I had kept in touch with the women who became mothers like myself, and others who were already mothers who had mentioned the challenges of being in the metal “scene.” We also conducted an online survey which asked participants if they wanted to be part of one-on-one interviews for us to gather further qualitative data. 

Turley: Many of the musicking mothers were already within our respective circle of friends. Or extended circles. I had been a fan of Jessica Hopper’s book The First Collection of Criticism by a Living Female Rock Critic for years and followed her on Instagram. And then I noticed she was a mom and reached out.

Without revealing too much from HMM, were there any major commonalities that were shared in the responses received?

Jocson-Singh: I felt the “return to autonomy” was a common pattern. I think the mothers we interviewed felt that when they became mothers they had to learn to be all the things that society embeds in us to be “good”mothers, thus personal interests and self-care activities went out the window until they were able to once again take up that mantel. Few were able to create new identities that incorporated being a successful mother and musician, though it was possible. 

Turley: In almost all cases, including the data gleaned from published rock star memoirs, maintaining a “heavy music” identity in whatever iteration was crucial for a sense of overall mental health and well being. If one of our subjects felt compelled to “give up” a music identity, they at some point felt a strong pull for reconnection. 

What was the biggest challenge encountered while composing and researching the book?

Jocson-Singh: For me, I would say timing. We started interviewing back in 2016/2017? A time when I was attending the DC Women’s March because Trump became president so you can imagine the social climate. I was on tenure track and pregnant with my second daughter and just trying to manage my career and life/work balance. Julie and I decided to formally start our study with women in the tri-state area somewhere in 2018/2019. We had been interviewing women for some time anyways. We got approached to convert our findings into a book from our publisher who attended one of our conference presentations.

But the biggest timing challenge was when I decided to take on a new position as the Library Dean at CalArts in Valencia CA. I had to move my family of four cross-country from New York to California at the height of the Covid pandemic (summer of 2020). The world was just a mess. On top of this, my twenty year relationship and marriage started falling apart. To be honest, this was happening while we were still in NY but I buried myself in work and research. In any case, these challenges served to be a multitude of lessons for me. I came to understood what it is to be a single mother; I became and heavily relied on my friendship with Julie and the moms we interviewed. And I came back to my first love – metal – to find myself again. 

And conversely what was the biggest surprise that you learned?

Jocson-Singh: The biggest surprise I learned was that I wasn’t alone with my personal struggles, that other women were empowered by extreme metal music and its transgressive nature. I learned to be kinder to myself and navigate love in different ways. I know too many people think love and metal seem antithetical to each other, but for me, it’s their elements of being unconventional and unique that bridged a way for me to approach life more openly. 

Your publisher’s book description says this is the first book of its kind. Are there more concepts you’d like to explore in successor material that you didn’t get a chance to in HMM?

Jocson-Singh: I agree with our publisher whole-heartedly! While there have always been women and mother-musicians talking about challenges within their musical subculture, I didn’t see enough ethnographic titles that reflected “lived” experiences, especially in heavier musical subcultures. As for successor material, I really want to explore more vigilante feminist practice, both with lyrical compositions in extreme metal music as well as performativity (how are women, mothers, trans, and non-binary folks performing in typically masculine spaces?).

Turley: Our bold assertion could be said to be based on a relatively cursory perusal of what we’ve seen online and in bookstores and libraries. As librarians, both Joan and I have been engaged in building library collections for years. So, to the best of our knowledge, ours is the first book to focus solely on the experiences of mothers who participate in what we’ve termed heavy music subcultures. The term “heavy” can have a variety of meanings and iterations. To answer your question, I wish we could have been a bit more exhaustive in our coverage. There were many rock moms we missed discussing, for example. Likewise, the book is frank about its limitations: our conclusion discusses contemporary and necessary challenges to the historically constructed binary and the nuanced iterations of mothers and bodies that give birth. I would love the chance to do an expanded edition.

Since some of HMM has been presented at academic conferences, how has the material been received so far? Did you have any attendees that identified with your work?

Jocson-Singh: Overall I think our research has been and continues to be well received. Most of the women I encounter tend to be artists and musicians and oftentimes they find our work very relatable. 

Turley: The presentations Joan and I did together early on consisted of data from the still open online survey and resonant quotes pulled from the qualitative interviews. From the Museum of Motherhood Conference to the Modern Heavy Metal Conference in Helsinki, audiences were very receptive and excited about the topic. In Helsinki, an amazing rocker in a touring Helsinki-based band let us know that our presentation gave her hope that she could integrate motherhood into extreme, high-participation musicking. 

With HMM concluded, what are your next projects or news you’d like to share?

Jocson-Singh: I continue to be interested in gender and musical subcultural practices all the time. The latest news I get to share is that for the next two years I will be busy helping to start up the library at the new Lucas Museum of Narrative Art which will be opening here in LA in 2025. So for now, I’m learning all about the special collections at Lucas and thinking of ways in which the library can be both a welcoming and innovative place for all patrons interested in narrative art.

Turley: Right now, I’m hoping the book does well enough to warrant a second edition! I have some things in the works. Still trying to make every subject rock ‘n’ roll.

Sincere appreciation to Jocson-Singh and Turley for their time for this interview. For more information about Heavy Music Mothers and the other endeavors of these authors check out the links below. The book is slated to be published May 2023 by Rowan & Littlefield. 

Categories
Interview Lovecraft

Piercing the Veil of Reality: Cosmic Horror Stories in Weird Tales #367

The early days of Weird Tales are renown as the premiere venue of authors of cosmic horror. Writers and poets such as H. P. Lovecraft, Clark Ashton Smith, E. Hoffman Price, Robert Bloch, and others have had some of their most influential work initially published in the magazine.

A century later, even after a few turbulent decades, Weird Tales is still regarded with prestige and as a premiere publisher of pulp stories, including the cosmic horror genre it pioneered. Issue 367, slated to be published in May 2023, is themed on cosmic horror, rounding up numerous authors and poets of the genre, both new and established. A few of these authors have graciously allowed me to conduct some short-form interviews with them about their works that will appear in the new issue. 

Angela Yuriko Smith

Story Title

“Lost Generations”

Story Synopsis

From Earth, a spaceship full of human seeds that have been programmed to procreate like mad when they are safely awakened at the end of their journey, thus ensuring offspring, and a future for humanity. Unfortunately, a black hole winds up being their unplanned destination.

Primary goal you wanted to accomplish with your story?

I enjoy the challenge of pairing contradictory ideas into a cohesive story. This was the result of pairing the joy of lovemaking and procreation with the opposite of that: death.

What cosmic horror authors/artists, both old school and contemporary, have had an influence on you and how?

Growing up I devoured all the Alfred Hitchcock anthologies I could find. I went through a period where I explored Lovecraft, but Edgar Allen Poe will remain my literary love until my own end, black hole or otherwise. I recently enjoyed Matt Huff’s Lovecraft Country and The Croning by Laird Barron.

Compared to other horror subgenres out there, what do you think are the appealing aspects and enduring qualities of cosmic horror?

For me, the appeal is the genre’s emphasis on our insignificance on this planet, in time and the universe in general. I think we make far too much of ourselves, in general, and that bloated sense of self-importance has been the catalyst for a lot of real horror in the world. The idea that a vast, overwhelming and omnipotent something might come and put us in our place is refreshing. In reality, I’m sure I’d be screaming with the rest of the fleeing mob, but I like to think I could appreciate a good, colossal doom for what it was before my own lights went out.

Your favourite Cthulhu Mythos deity or monster?

In the Cthulhu mythos, it would have to be Shub-Niggurath. Of monsters (cryptids) in general, I’m partial to Chupacabra. I’m positive if I ever cross paths with one, it will be instant mutual love at a glance.

Angela Yuriko Smith can be found at:

Samantha Underhill

Poem Title

“The Forest Gate”

Poem Synopsis

Using cosmic horror and existential dread poetic styles, this poem explores how people accept the rose-colored version of what they want to see as it presents itself on the surface in a new relationship only to learn that what they allowed themselves to fall so easily for might take them to dark, dangerous, and inescapable places.

Primary goal you wanted to accomplish with your poem?

I hoped to evoke elements of cosmic horror and gothic poets such as Borges, Lovecraft, and Poe while representing my personal experiences of the everyday horrors of life and relationships. I was wanting to convey a message about the nature of existence and the unknown beyond our world, particularly in how there may be more to life than what we can see and experience in our own world, but that there are dangers and uncertainties in exploring the unknown.

What cosmic horror authors/artists, both old school and contemporary, have had an influence on you and how?

Jorge Luis Borges is probably one of my largest influences. He was a renowned Argentine writer and poet, known for his surreal, metaphysical, and philosophical literary works. Although not traditionally considered a writer of cosmic horror, his writing often explored themes of existential dread, the limits of human knowledge, and the incomprehensible nature of the universe, which are all central themes in cosmic horror. He often constructed elaborate narratives that led to unexpected and unsettling conclusions. I draw heavily on his fascination with paradoxes and the interplay of reality and fiction. He had a unique approach to exploring the limits of human knowledge and understanding to create works that were both intellectually stimulating and deeply unsettling.

Compared to other horror subgenres out there, what do you think are the appealing aspects and enduring qualities of cosmic horror?

Cosmic horror appeals to horror lovers in an academic, philosophical way. It raises questions about the unknown, the nature of reality, the limits of our human understanding, and how humanity fits into a larger universe. This genre is thought-provoking and transcends the boundaries of specific cultures, time periods, and the like. Fear of the unknown is a universal fear that knows no limits. It evokes awe and wonder about our place in the larger piece of the puzzle of life. Essentially, cosmic horror hits on that very question we all inevitably come to now and then – why are we here?

Your favourite Cthulhu Mythos deity or monster?

Definitely Nyarlathotep. Nyarlathotep is a complex, multifaceted figure who embodies the unpredictable and incomprehensible nature of Lovecraftian horror. He is truly different from the other deities in many ways. Unlike other Lovecraftian gods who are often depicted as indifferent and distant from humanity, he takes an active role in interacting with humans. He is described as the “Crawling Chaos,” a shape-shifting entity who can take on any form he desires and manipulate humans into doing his bidding. His motives are unclear, and his actions are unpredictable, which adds to his allure as a character.

Samantha Underhill can be found at:

Carol Gyzander

Story Title

“The Call of the Void—L’Appel du Vide”

Story Synopsis

Ellen feels compelled to visit Utah’s Arches National Park. Her mother recently passed from Alzheimer’s, and Ellen wants to understand why she was so drawn to the red rock formation called Medusa—and see if her own life has a purpose.

Primary goal you wanted to accomplish with your story?

Much of the story comes from my real life! I wanted to explore my experiences during a trip to Utah’s red rock country in another light.

What cosmic horror authors/artists, both old school and contemporary, have had an influence on you and how?

One of the earliest I read was H. P. Lovecraft, “The Colour Out of Space”—and I was so taken with the story that I wrote a cyberpunk adaptation of it. I got to explore R. W. Chambers’ work, “The Repairer of Reputations” for the Under Twin Suns anthology. And of course, Poe—for example, “MS. Found in a Bottle” was one of the early influences. 

From current authors, Mary SanGiovanni has fabulous work and gave an excellent lecture at one of the Writing in the Dark events from AllAccessCon and Raw Dog Screaming Press. I was delighted to discover from her talk that I seemed to be doing it right!

Compared to other horror subgenres out there, what do you think are the appealing aspects and enduring qualities of cosmic horror?

Cosmic horror can resonate with the reader in different ways, depending upon their background. I love that it realigns the focus away from humanity as the most important thing in the story—because the cosmic entity does not care about us in the least.

Your favourite Cthulhu Mythos deity or monster?

Azathoth is cool. Imagine being able to change reality by just rolling over in your sleep!

Carol Gyzander can be found at:

Thank you Angela, Samantha, and Carol for being a part of this mini-interview compilation to talk about their cosmic horror texts. If you’re interested in reading their work, make sure to pre-order issue #367 of Weird Tales. If you enjoyed these mini-interviews, make sure to check out the one for issue #366 which is on sword and sorcery. 

Categories
Interview

Down to the Underground: Claus Larsen on Leæther Strip’s Last Station

Claus Larsen’s Leæther Strip is a vanguard music project that has continued to shape the industrial/EBM genre since the genre’s infancy in the 80s. For decades Larsen has seen the genre develop and expand, with him continuing to be a pillar in its evolution with his prolific output of albums, singles, and digital releases. Despite obstacles such as the loss of his husband Kurt and dealing with a worldwide pandemic, Larsen remains a musical tour de force, a powerful train in the underground, and Leæther Strip’s newest album, Last Station, demonstrates this.

Larsen has just concluded a series of American concerts earlier this month before gearing up for a round of German appearances. He has graciously let me ask him a few questions about Last Station during this short period of respite. [Note: Larsen’s answers are in italics]

Personal copy of Last Station, autographed by Larsen.

You just completed a round of concerts in America for your current tour. Hope your visit over here was successful!

Larsen: Yes, and it was amazing, as always. The USA has been very good to me and I try to get over there as much as possible. It’s been seven years since the last big US tour, but because of my late husband’s health, and covid, I haven’t really 
been able to do more than one off’s of festivals. So, getting two weeks of shows on the west coast was amazing, I would have done more on that trip but I have booked shows in Europe to do too. I will be back to do Atlanta, Orlando, Detroit and Newark
 in May/June. Then I hope to get more bookings for the fall. So far this year has been amazing. New album and lots of gigs.

Last Station has eighteen tracks, sixteen original compositions and two remixed songs from prior albums (“Stigma” from 2021’s Back to Industry and “Japanese Bodies” from the Zoth Ommog single way back in 89). The tracks harness the vibes of old school 80s/90s EBM and are incredibly dance-floor friendly. The sound doesn’t veer into aggrotech – there’s no harsh, unintelligible, pitch shifted vocals – but there’s anger (“Hate DNA”), melancholy (“It Cuts Deep”), and maybe a little sarcasm (“Bite My Tongue”). The most standout track is “Flammen und Flüsse” which drops a serious mad hook between verse and chorus. 

Despite the catchy, danceable music, there’s an air of melancholy and finality in the tracks of Last Station, such as in the lyrics of the titular song (“Last station, no exit..”), “It Cuts Deep” (“the pain is endless now, the walls are just to strong for me…”), “Double Edged Sword” (“is this my final call?”), and others. Was this a feeling that naturally emerged while creating Last Station, a coincidence, or something else?



Larsen: Most of the songs on this album was composed after Kurt died, so this was my way of dealing with my grief, and being on my own after twenty-seven years with Kurt by my side. The hardest period of my life, So I just opened the floodgates and 
poured my soul into the songs. I honestly thought that this was it for me.

The tone of the entire album is emotive and evokes lots of imagery. For example, the cover art of the album coupled with the titular song conjures images of riding along in the dark metro, waiting for a stop that never comes. The album is a vessel of different subjects under a cohesive mood. 

Were there any pop culture sources that had an influence on Last Station?

Larsen: During the past few years I’ve been getting back to reading and I think that really inspired me, especially for the mood and sound of the songs, not so much the lyrics.
 [I’ve] been reading a lot of Clive Barker and Stephen King again. Lyrically it was my own personal pain and grief that poured out. I was very much alone during 2020-21 so there was time to listen to my inner voices, someone else’s needs
 were more important than my own for many years and there I was, suddenly having to care for myself. Not an easy thing to do.

Larsen mentioning getting back into reading Baker is quite apropos as the horror master penned “The Midnight Meat Train,” which is certainly compatible with the album’s titular song. 

How was composing and recording Last Station different than other albums in your repertoire?



Larsen: As I always do, I just sit down and see what pops up in my head. I had a lot of time on my hands so I was in the studio all day and most nights. Also, to 
get my mind off things and get that pain and grief out that was destroying me. This is for me, by far, my most therapeutic album I’ve composed. It was either do this or end it all. 
I promised Kurt to go on and focus on my music and playing shows. So ending it was not an option. I keep my promises.

Is there a particular highlight of Last Station that you’re proud of?



Larsen: First of all I’m very proud that I was able to get the album done. I really had my doubts, cause it was very painful to open up for stuff Ive had to suppress for years and years.
 But, we all are so much stronger than we think. For me, this one is my most important album of my career, and I am very proud of the overall production of the album. I never get tired of learning and becoming 
a better producer and mixer.


The biggest thing you want to accomplish with Last Station?


Larsen: I hope it can help others as much as it has helped me making it. It saved my life doing this one. Being creative has saved my ass many many times.

Claus Larsen (Facebook Profile picture).

Touring, running a label, doing fulfillment, maintaining a prolific output of music, all while the effects of the pandemic are felt. How do you do it all?

Larsen: I am doing what I dreamt about doing when I was fourteen years old. It is all I ever wanted to do really, and I will do anything to keep it going.


Despite the title, there’s nothing “last” in the future for Larsen as the prolific musician has even more output on the horizon.

Upcoming news you’d like to share?



Larsen: We – John Mirland and I – got a new album in the works from the synth-pop project Am Tierpark, and also a new album form the punk/metal project Gusten. For release later this year. I am also putting my last touches on the next Leæther Strip album, release date not scheduled yet, but soon. As for gigs, I will play anywhere I am booked. I hope for more shows in the USA, Canada and SouthAmerica, and hopefully Japan and Australia too.

Sincere appreciation to Claus Larsen for his time doing this interview about Last Station. For more information on the album or Larsen’s projects, please see below:

Categories
Interview Peplum

New Tales of Heroic Fantasy: Sword and Sorcery Stories in Weird Tales #366

There’s no time like the present to indulge in the stories of the heroic, mythical, and magical past. Streaming services from Amazon and HBO launched brand new fantasy shows, The Rings of Power and House of the Dragon respectively. Young adult fantasy continues to be a lucrative market and indie fantasy comics books are being realized via the power of crowdfunding.

Vanguard literary magazine Weird Tales pioneered pulp, cosmic horror, and sword and sorcery stories. Their upcoming issue, #366, is devoted to tales of heroic fantasy with new stories, poems, and essays contributing to the contemporary fantasy canon. A few contributors to this sword and sorcery special issue have graciously shared tidbits of their poems and stories along with their relationship with the genre. 

Brian W. Matthews

Story Title

“Temm the Riven”

Story Synopsis

A knight is tasked by his king to save the realm, but to do so, he must return to his childhood home and confront the evil of his past.

Primary goal to accomplish with your story?

I wanted to create an effective blend of fantasy and horror. Clive Barker does it so well, but he blends horror with urban fantasy. I wanted to take a stab at injecting horror into an epic fantasy setting.

Your favourite type of sword and sorcery: classic heroic fantasy (like R.E. Howard) or big epic fantasy (like Tolkien)?

I’m more of an epic fantasy person. Nothing against heroic fantasy. I just never had much exposure to [Robert E.] Howard. 

Any S&S authors that have had an influence on you? If so, who and how?

I grew up reading Tolkein and Donaldson and Zelazny and was taken by their characters and how the setting forged who they were into who they became. This is particularly true of Stephen R. Donaldson. He makes his characters quite human, injects common sense and self-preservation into them, and then puts them through the grinder of the fantasy setting to see what kind of person/hero they can become.

Brian W. Matthews can be found at:

Teel James Glenn

Poem Title

“Bard”

Poem Synopsis

It recounts the life/career of a storyteller, and as a Celt a Seanache was an important part of the Celtic culture and means a lot to me. 

Primary goal to accomplish with your poem?

I think all cultures, especially warrior cultures, the propaganda of narrative and drive much of their agendas. This is a tale of someone embracing that warrior ethic.

Your favourite type of sword and sorcery: classic heroic fantasy (like Robert E. Howard) or big epic fantasy (like Tolkien)?

Absolutely the R.E.H. type of tale. My own approach to poetry is very much in the shadows of Howard’s poetry. I much prefer the “in the streets” fantasy as opposed to the ‘from the place window’ type of story that has a grand, expansive view.

My own fantasy series of Altiva stories, which often contain poetry as part of the narrative, are very “down to earth.”

Any S&S authors that have had an influence on you? If so, who and how?

Clearly Howard is prime, but so are the stories of Edgar Rice Burroughs, Nancy Hansen, and even the Lin Carter books. All very much in the same “in the trenches” feel, though Ms. Hansen’s stories have a very wide world view they never feel ‘effete’ or fantastic—they stay grounded. And, Moorcock is the perfect mix of a grand vision but a very personal, human story telling. The characters never feel like analogs, they feel like real people.

Teel James Glenn can be found at:

Dana Fredsti & Dave Fitzgerald

Story Title

“Maid of Steel”

Story Synopsis

It’s a classic hero’s journey with really nasty monsters. 

How about: It’s a twist on the classic hero’s journey in a fresh fantasy milieu, with some really nasty monsters… 

Primary goal to accomplish with your story?

Dana: We pretty much wanted to write a story that was original, but stayed true to the elements that make sword and sorcery so much fun to read. I was dying to return to the fantasy world I’d created a few years ago for another short story. It had strong characters, both male and female, with a really unique setting and all the makings of a truly great series. Dave and I couldn’t wait to build on the promise of the original story. 

Your favourite type of sword and sorcery: classic heroic fantasy (like Robert E. Howard) or big epic fantasy (like Tolkien)?

Dave: I admire the beauties of high fantasy, but if pressed, I have to confess I prefer to play in the rough-and-tumble gutters and back alleys of low fantasy. 

Dana: I definitely prefer heroic fantasy, and more specifically, the darker entries in the genre. I love a good mix of fantasy, swashbuckling, and horror. 

Any S&S authors that have had an influence on you? If so, who and how?

Dave: Both REH and Tolkien, but also Michael Moorcock’s Elric of Melniboné series, Jack Vance’s Dying Earth stories, Gene Wolfe’s Book of the New Sun, and so many others (RBT, Holdstock, Tanith Lee, Burroughs’ Warlord of Mars…). I especially love the blend of the outré and the strangely familiar in all these series. 

Dana: While I love the works of Robert E. Howard, the king of dark S&S for me is Karl Edward Wagner and his Kanenovels and stories. I don’t think there’s a better anti-hero out there. I’ve reread them at least a half dozen times, my old Wagner paperbacks are very well-loved! I am also a huge fan of Jonathan Maberry’s epic S&S novel Kagen the Damned.

[Note: check out the H. P. Lovecast Podcast interview with Maberry about Kagen the Damned]

Dana Fredsti can be found at:

Dave Fitzgerald can be found at:

Sincere thanks and gratitude for all who partook in this collection of short form interviews to talk about their sword and sorcery texts. If you’re interested in reading these stories and poems when they are published, make sure to pre-order issue #366 of Weird Tales. The product page for this issue can be found here. 

Categories
Interview

Review and Interview: Zeena Schreck and Her Debut Bring Me the Head of F. W. Murnau

During the summer of 2015, the skull of German silent film director F. W. Murnau was stolen from his tomb.1 Remnants of wax from lit candles present at the scene spurred the hypothesis that occult work was afoot while the macabre nature of Murnau’s stolen skull drew parallels to his legendary horror output, in particular his influential expressionist film, Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens (1922).

Shortly thereafter, inspired by the event, multimedia artist Zeena Schreck announced a “sequel to Radio Werewolf’s mystical, musical piece Bring Me the Head of Geraldo Rivera” that would be appropriately titled Bring Me the Head of F. W. Murnau.2 Five years later, Bring Me the Head of F. W. Murnau (BMTHOFWM) was released in March of 2020.

Cover art for Bring Me the Head of F. W. Murnau

BMTHOFWM marks the first studio release proper of Zeena performing music solo. Prior to this EP, Zeena had been a part of many musical collaborations and projects, such as Radio Werewolf, and had released some of her live ritual performances, such as her appearance at Wave-Gotik-Treffen, on compilations and YouTube. Per Zeena in regard to releasing a concept album instead of an album of her ritual performances:

“I definitely have future recording plans which will be in the areas of dark ambient and ritual music. [T]his first solo release was experimental in the sense I’d never done such a precise theme as concept album like this before. I like working within specific parameters though. Even in past recordings, when it might not seem obvious, I’ve almost always had in mind a particular framework within which to create the music. But this album was much more of a specific theme than I would normally do.”3

BMTHOFWM certainly has a thematic laser focus, concentrating on Murnau and some of his films, while capturing a certain silent film aesthetic, though paradoxically, with sound. Zeena pulls this feat off – a silent film with no images but instead with sounds – by incorporating elements of field recordings, minimalist-industrial, exotica, spoken words, and incantations, in conjunction with the brilliant German expressionist/Caligari style artwork that emblazons the release’s cover art that evokes some of the classic horror posters of the era.

Though Murnau is the subject of the EP, the filmmaker did not have a strong influence on Zeena at the beginning of the project:

“[Murnau was] not a huge influence. It was only his films Nosferatu and Faust that I had known and really liked since childhood, when they’d play on late night TV. I knew he’d worked with the occultist artist/architect Albin Grau on the sets for Nosferatu but working with an occultist doesn’t automatically make you one. There is also the tie-in of my last name being the same as the actor who played Count Orlok, Max Schreck, in Murnau’s most famous film Nosferatu. I’d also remembered the scandalous rumors about his untimely death that my godfather Kenneth Anger wrote of in Hollywood Babylon, rumors which, by the way, I’ve since learned weren’t true. But aside from these things, I hadn’t much knowledge of his life prior to embarking on this project. I know far more about him now.

Originally, I’d planned that this [release] was only going to be a single; not more than a two-track novelty piece inspired by a quirky event. But then, as I began researching more about Murnau and put flesh on the bones of this project, certain metaphysical portals started opening up. More material for more tracks developed than could be narrowed down to just a single. Yet I didn’t want this to be a full album either. So, the logical middle ground was to make it an EP.”4

Through the process of researching Murnau, Zeena also visited the director’s home and his grave, gathering field recordings that would be incorporated into the compositions of BMTHOFWM:

“[I] intermingled various sounds from both locations in just about every track except the opening one, ‘Letter to Mother.’ Some of those field recordings were used in a straightforward manner, such as a fox barking, birds singing, the sound of some machinery or a metal gate clanging. Those can be detected fairly clearly enough. But other sounds used, I distorted in the editing to achieve certain auditory effects.

When I visited Murnau’s grave, for the photo shoot to the CD, I was focused on getting the photos but hadn’t intended on capturing field recordings at the same time. I’d already compiled field recordings taken at the former Murnau house in Berlin, which coincidentally happens to be right in my neighborhood. In addition to that, I’d painstakingly searched for specific samples corresponding to the exact years of Murnau’s creative life and his death, such as the sound of the precise year and make of the car he was in when it crashed, leading to his death. Or a snippet of a song that would’ve been popular at parties in Hollywood that he may have attended. Things like that.

Back album art of BMTHOFWM. Photo of Zeena at F. W. Murnau’s grave by Lance Anderson

So, getting back to the cemetery field recordings: It was only by fluke, while taking photos at Murnau’s grave, that my camera accidentally engaged the video record. It wasn’t until later that day, when downloading my data from the day’s shoot, I realized I’d inadvertently gotten some unexpected and pretty interesting sounds while at the grave. Luckily, there was still time to mix those in before the final edit and mastering. For some unknown reason, I’ve always had strange energy clashes with electronic devices; something’s always malfunctioning with them in my case. I’ve come to expect these ‘accidental’ recordings of environment sounds, with both my audio recorder and my cameras video setting. Whenever it happens, I always discover something interesting, humorous or just uncanny and bizarre that gets added to my sound library. This reveals how much is occurring all the time that we humans normally filter out but which, when cut out of the normal flow of everyday life, can be wonderful auditory meditations. I’m sure that those unexpected sounds at the cemetery made a difference in enhancing an underlying eerie quality to the whole thing.”5

Zeena’s field recordings directly tie into her concept of “sonic necromancy.” These field recordings she gathered communicate an additional essence of Murnau that would not have been present otherwise:

“Sound art differs from conventionally composed music in that soundscapes are generally thought to be like paintings done with sound rather than matter. They may or may not necessarily tell a story. In this case, however, there is story. Between many years of magical ritual practices, as well as early-life theater and film training, which includes techniques in character development, sense memory and improvisation, a fusion of disciplined training in all these areas creates conducive conditions for summoning of the dead. While my magical training and ritual experience is probably more generally acknowledged than my theater training, I mention the latter only in relation to this music project because I’m playing various characters or roles throughout. Whether we are hearing Murnau’s own thoughts in the opening and closing tracks, or the female Angel of Death who’s come to usher Murnau away from this worldly experience, or the ‘bardo beings’ who inhabit the intermediate state between the end of one life and the beginning of the next. All of those voices are different characters revealing different levels of metaphysical existence and understanding.”6

If BMTHOFWM sounds like a multifaceted release, it is because it certainly is. Though the EP only contains six tracks and clocks in at roughly eighteen minutes, it is compact in its sound design, atmosphere, and ambitious scope.

The first track of the EP, “Letter to Mother,” has Zeena reciting a letter Murnau wrote to his mother against a background of crashing waves. In this track, Zeena channels her aforementioned acting chops, mimicking a deeper voice that would be Muranu. It is a somber recital that sets a melancholy mood that permeates the release.

Track two, “Ill Omens,” runs with this melancholy with a peppering of something menacing or foreboding. It is a track that is minimal on sound, but high on atmosphere. Closing one’s eyes, one can picture an old film with a scene of tiptoeing through a cave or a dimly lit forest, illuminated day-for-night style, while a Harryhausen-esque monster waiting to emerge from the shadows.

The third track, “A Drive up the Coast,” chronicles the last moments of Murnau as he died in an auto accident while traversing the Pacific Coast Highway near Santa Barbara in 1931. The track begins jovial, with organ music composed by Zeena that evokes a funfair or a period appropriate party in the background. Sounds of an open car window woosh by before (spoiler alert!) the sounds of accelerations, followed by a scream, tires screeching, and a crash.

Track four, “Tabu,” is a reference to Murnau’s final film, Tabu: A Story of the South Seas (1931) that was released shortly after his death. An early tiki film, the story depicts two lovers, Reri and Matahi, as they try to escape Reri’s fate of being made into a sacred maiden for their island’s deities. The first half of the song is the most industrial-sounding music on the EP, with some minimalist piston-percussions. The last half of the song switches gears to the exotica genre, with primitive drumming and shakers, that channels the likes of Martin Denny and Les Baxter. Over the music, Zeena, reaching into her experience of performing incantations, recites the same decree that was uttered in Tabu that denoted Reri as forbidden, and not to be touched by any man.

“The Phantom Bridge” is the EP’s fifth track and this one digs right into the vampiric roots Murnau is best known for. A spoken word track, Zeena recites some of the inter titles from Murnau’s Nosferatu which in turn were taken from Stoker’s Dracula. The music in this track is, as the title suggests, ghostly, with spirituals wisps, shackling noises, tiny bells and chimes.

The EP’s final track, “Endlich Daheim,” is perhaps the most ambitious track on the album, that not only underscores Murnau’s career, but demonstrates Zeena at her most artistic. Prior songs on the EP has Zeena reciting texts from other sources while “Endlich Daheim” contains both original organ music and lyrics by Zeena, sung in a haunting and beautiful style. A sound of a 1920s projector starting up beings the track with the music proper evoking the feelings of being at a funeral – Murnau’s funeral – with Zeena’s poetry acting as a eulogy.

Zeena at F. W. Murnau’s grave by Lance Anderson.

The end result is that BMTHOFWM is a superb solo debut for Zeena and an excellent experimental release all around. Atmospheric, haunting, and magical, but also cinematic and fully versed in filmic pop culture that it celebrates. Born from a macabre act of stealing the skull of Murnau, the EP easily could’ve embraced grotesquery or morbidness, but instead the CD comes off as sincere. Aside from these observations, Zeena herself had her own goals for the release:

“Well, after a few years of unexpected obstacles, as well as unexpected serendipitous occurrences which led to creating much more material for this than I’d originally planned, I guess the main thing I wanted to accomplish was getting it completed at all! Jokes aside, the fact is, there’s still someone out there who has taken and kept the skull from Murnau’s grave. This is at the heart of the project. I wanted to pull all of the unusual elements surrounding this case together into one cohesive creative expression. The music in this project is created to facilitate opening the mind to all possible questions surrounding that event, and even to, on a transcendental and metaphysical level, provide even bigger answers.”7

Five years after the act, the mystery of who absconded with Murnau’s skull remains unsolved. Of course, thoughts have drifted to Schreck as a possible culprit, which she both playfully and adamantly dismisses: “[S]ince many have already jokingly asked me – let’s nip this in the bud right here – NO, it wasn’t me!”8

Artistic composition of Zeena.

Sincere thanks for Zeena Schreck for allowing me to interview her for this writeup and providing the images. All images used in this article are copyrighted by Zeena Schreck and used with permission. More information about Zeena and her projects can be found at the following websites and social medias:

Endnotes

  1. Nigel M Smith, “Nosferatu director’s head stolen from grave in Germany,” The Guardian, last modified July 14, 2015, https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/jul/14/nosferatu-director-head-stolen-germany-grave-fw-murnau.
  2. “Coming Soon From Zeena Schreck: Bring Me The Head of F.W. Murnau,” Heathen Harvest, last modified July 21, 2015, https://heathenharvest.wordpress.com/2015/07/21/coming-soon-from-zeena-schreck-bring-me-the-head-of-f-w-murnau/.
  3. Zeena Schreck, email message to author, June 16, 2020.
  4. Ibid.
  5. Ibid.
  6. Ibid.
  7. Ibid.
  8. Ibid.

Bibliography

“Coming Soon From Zeena Schreck: Bring Me The Head of F.W. Murnau.” Heathen Harvest. Last modified July 21, 2015. https://heathenharvest.wordpress.com/2015/07/21/coming-soon-from-zeena-schreck-bring-me-the-head-of-f-w-murnau/.

Schreck, Zeena. Bring me the Head of F. W. Murnau. KCH KCHCD01. 2020. CD.

Smith, Nigel M. “Nosferatu director’s head stolen from grave in Germany.” The Guardian. Last modified July 14, 2015. https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/jul/14/nosferatu-director-head-stolen-germany-grave-fw-murnau.

Categories
Interview Peplum

We Are Barbarians: Interview with Mike Dubisch and Tom Simmons on I Am a Barbarian

I Am a Barbarian™ is a sword and sandal novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs that was published posthumously in 1967. Due to its historic antiquity subject matter, the novel is an outlier when compared to Burroughs’ speculative fiction bibliography of Tarzan®, Barsoom® (John Carter of Mars), and Pellucidar® novels for which he is most famous. In the 2010s, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. began posting a webcomic adaptation of I Am a Barbarian at their website, written by Tom Simmons with art by Mike Dubisch and lettering by L. Jamal Walton. In early summer of 2022, the entirety of I Am a Barbarian was published in an ornate, hardback collection. Simmons and Dubisch have graciously allowed an interview about the I Am a Barbarian project.

How do you get into Edgar Rice Burroughs? Do you have a particular fondness for I Am a Barbarian?

Mike Dubisch: I loved Tarzan and John Carter of Mars as a kid, and of course his works were a favorite subject among the classic fantasy illustrators who shaped me. Anything about hidden fantastic worlds and strange adventures fascinated me. While I knew and loved the original cover painting, I’m not sure I ever read I Am a Barbarian before the project.

Personal copy of I Am a Barbarian with slip case.

What were some of those illustrators that shaped you?

MD: Oh, it’s the usual pantheon: Frank Frazetta, Richard Corben, Hal Foster, Michael Whelan, Burne Hogarth, Wally Wood, Alex Nino, Nestor Redondo, John Buscema, in terms of artists who worked on ERB or ERB-like products. Otherwise, fairy tale and book illustrators like Arthur Rackham, H. J. Ford, Edmund Dulac, and the Brothers Hildebrandt. Pulp illustrators like Hans Bok and Virgil Finlay. I love studying the wood engravings of Doré illustrations, and the engravings of Albrecht Durer. Other comic book artists, particularly Europeans like Moebius, Jordi Bernet, Jose Ortiz, Tanino Liberator, as well as Charles Burns, Robert Crumb, Dave Stevens, Jack Kirby, Bernie Wrightson, and Basil Woolverton. 

What was the genesis of the original I Am a Barbarian webcomic?

Tom Simmons: I wrote an email to Jim Sullos, President of ERB, Inc., in 2012 offering to write a gratis screenplay (I’m a self-taught screenwriter); the script I wanted to adapt was the original Tarzan at the Earth’s Core. Jim replied that the character was “taken” by a licensing agreement at the time, but he must have been impressed by my offer to do work for free because when the online strips launched in 2013-14 he suggested I toss my proverbial writing quill into the ring and put together a collaborative team to do one of them; he even provided the name of an artist who had contacted him about getting involved with the online strips project. I Am a Barbarian is actually the third online strip with which I’ve been involved, and still am in the case of one of the three: The Outlaw of Torn. I chose Barbarian because it was available to adapt as a strip; I thought it would be a challenge to adapt (it was), and I’ve always had an interest in ancient history (I have a Bachelor’s degree as well as Master’s work in history). 

How was the creative team formed?

TS: Regarding how our creative team was formed, the artist I originally worked with on The Monster Men™ strip (which was among the first ERB, Inc. placed online in 2014) referred me to letterist/graphic designer/artist Jamal Walton of Durham, NC (full name: Larry Jamal Walton but he goes by “L. Jamal” or simply “Jamal”). As it transpired, Jamal has been involved in all three of the ERB, Inc. strips I’ve adapted, and was also the letterist for my 2015 e-book Crispus Caesar, which, indeed, is yet another “Swords and Sandals” story, adapted by me from my 2010 screenplay of the same name. My collaboration with Mike Dubisch came about when Mike contacted another ERB online strip artist and asked how he could become involved with the online strips; that artist referred Mike to me and the rest, as the cliche goes, is history. 

MD: After a period of trying to focus only on my own work in the comic industry, I decided it was time to seek out professional commissions again to advance my career. ERB was one of the markets I approached right away and fortunately Tom was manning the lines of communication and snatched me right up for his project. I knew instantly that I Am a Barbarian was the right fit because it would be a comic with the word “barbarian” in the title!

What were some of the challenges encountered when adapting the original novel into a webcomic format?

TS: The writing challenge for any adaptation to strip format (or any other, for that matter) is about scale/scope: we didn’t want the strip to continue indefinitely, set an end goal of roughly 225-245 weekly episodes (about five years of the strip being presented online), and worked toward that end. The second phase of the project after the online adaptation was complete was always to produce a printed graphic novel encompassing the entire online strip, and we achieved that goal. Apart from considerations of scale/scope, I did a thorough re-examination of Caligula, aided by a recent biography by Anthony Barrett. While there is little doubt Caligula was very likely a mentally unbalanced individual prone to cruelty and outright bloodthirstiness, the sources ERB used (historians Suetonius and Dio) also had a vested interest in painting an “over the top” picture of the assassinated ruler; I’d compare their accounts (and neither was an actual eyewitness to events) to Shakespeare’s lambasting of the Yorkists. Lastly, for me Barbarian is a love story wrapped around a tragedy; to dwell on Caligula’s misdeeds would not only have been a gratuitous waste of time but it would have obscured Brit and Attica’s character arcs. That said, I still included plenty of outrageous and bloodthirsty Caligulan behavior!

MD: For me the adaptation is from Tom’s script into the art for the strip, and so the re-imagining the scene from the book as comic pages has already been established when I start in. My biggest challenge is remembering to refer back to my historical architectural and costume references.

What would you say you each brought that is distinctively “you” to the comic?

TS: Mike and I formed a natural collaborative team, in my opinion. I did most of the historical research and (of course) writing the actual adaptation, but largely relied on Mike to place his own unique artistic stamping on the panels themselves. I know Mike will be speaking to his many projects currently underway, but for me he stepped up and out of his mostly Lovecraftian/horror mold to draw the history-based I Am a Barbarian, although those influences can be seen in many panels, in particular the scenes involving dungeons, prophecies and strange people. 

Mike Dubisch. Photo courtesy of Dubisch.

MD: I have a bad habit of only looking at reference when I don’t know how to draw something, and I know how to draw just about everything, and if I don’t, well then I usually know how to draw something after referencing it only once or twice. So, what you see with my work is devised almost entirely from my imagination, and that is why everything I do has a distinct style. Additionally, I tend to use a lot of black on the pages, using bold core shadows on figures and props, creating a feeling of dynamic lighting and adding volume, and bringing weight to the page.

Setting aside (since it is not a John Carter or Tarzan story), what do you feel is unique about I Am a Barbarianwhen compared to Burroughs’ other work?

TS: As far as I’m aware, Barbarian is the only ERB story in which the female protagonist dies. Overall, it’s a “darker” story than most of ERB’s work, and is likely a reflection of the dark period the writer was experiencing in his own life when he wrote the story in the spring/summer of 1941: his second marriage was on the rocks, he was drinking too much, and he was in and out of the hospital with health issues that year. 

MD: For me it’s the danger and trauma of Brit’s life; he loses everything and lives under the threat of torture and death his whole life. This seems a far cry from ERB’s superhuman heroes who rule their secret worlds.

TS: Good observation about Brit’s travails, Mike. If you want to test (and grow) your protagonist’s character arc, toss said protagonist under as many proverbial buses as possible.

Signed bookplate. I’m lucky number 7!

I Am a Barbarian has just been released in a luxurious, oversized, hardback edition in a slipcase. This is a stark contrast to how comics are normally collected in a trade paperback release. What were the reasons for going the “Roman Decadent” route for the comic?

TS: I wanted the IAAB graphic novel to be an instantly recognizable, collectible classic and used this approach when we designed and produced the book over a 10-month period starting in June, 2021. For me, we achieved that goal. It’s a “pandemic book,” however, and as such it ended up costing considerably more to produce. I had no choice but to increase the price commensurately, and it turns out we’re working with little or no margin. As often is the case with these projects, IAAB is a true labor of love, not money. 

ERB stories have seen many comic adaptations across many decades by a plethora of publishers: Marvel, Dynamite, Gold Key, American Mythology, and so on. Is there any particular run of a Burroughs comic that you hold in high regard?

TS: I’m so old school re: comics I’m probably not relevant; the first actual comic books I read (other than the newspaper version) were Classics Illustrated. That said, for me old school illustrators and writers like Hal Foster, Alex Raymond and Russ Manning were always my favorites. 

MD: I recall OBSESSING on a big treasury edition sized Tarzan comic adaptation that I read to shreds as a kid – I no longer have it and can’t identify what edition it was. I do love Joe Kubert’s work on the character. I never really read the John Carter comics, but I love what I’ve seen in issues drawn by Gil Kane. I haven’t kept up with anything modern – I’ve enjoyed seeing Joseph Michael Linsners Dejah Thoris® cover art.

TS: If we’re talking about Dejah Thoris, for me Jay Anacleto and Michael C. Hayes are tops.

Deja Thoris by Jay Anacleto. Image provided by Simmons.
Deja Thoris by Michael C. Hayes. Image provided by Simmons.

I Am a Barbarian can be considered a sword and sandal story. Is this a genre you have appreciation for? If so, any particular texts over the years that have left an impression on you?

TS: The film Gladiator is a recent standout for me. I also very much liked Spartacus and Ben-Hur.

MD: Oh man, Old Testament Biblical epics were one of my favorite things to watch as a kid, and Biblical comic adaptations were always a favorite as well. I loved Conan and Kull too, especially the comic books, but also the Robert E. Howard stories. While I was drawing I Am a Barbarian I streamed the Spartacus TV series, which was also very entertaining.

TS: Also, thinking of further S&S influences for me, I loved Colleen McCullough’s First Man in Rome series of novels as well as the 2005 Rome TV series. 

Tom Simmons. Photo courtesy of Simmons.

What projects do you have on the horizon that you’d like to share?

TS: I’m continuing doing the online strip adaptation of ERB’s other historical novel, The Outlaw of Torn. I’m currently working with Benito Gallego, who does the art, colors and letters for the strip. The plan is to do a printed version of this story as well when it’s completed in 2024. The book will form a “companion volume” to the printed I Am a Barbarian graphic novel, and I envision a matte red board slipcase with silver foil lettering for the book which will have two parts, one containing the art of Jake Bilbao and the other that of Benito Gallego. I also have ongoing screenplay projects; this summer I’ll finally complete the pilot for an 8-part miniseries entitled The Nessus Shirt, a WWII story told from the German point of view through the eyes of an ordinary soldier who becomes involved in the pre-Valkyrie plots to assassinate Adolf Hitler. 

MD: My primary focus has been Forbidden Futures Magazine and the Forbidden Futures Book Club, where I am the illustrator of an entire line of books and magazines working with premiere science fiction and horror writers, that goes out as a quarterly package to our subscribers through Oddness Books.

We are currently printing Forbidden Futures issue #10 which is a double issue with new fiction by David Gerrold, creator of both Star Trek’s Tribbles, and the Sleestacks from the Land of the Lost TV series. The issue also presents the first fully illustrated publication of Philip K. Dick’s “Tony and The Beetles,” a new sci-fi comic story I wrote and illustrated, and contributions from John Shirley and Cody Goodfellow. Forbidden Futures will be reissuing several of my out-of-print comics and graphic novels, including my Cthulhu Mythos SF graphic novel Weirdling, body horror underground comix Mystery Meat, and a collection of short graphic stories “The Wet Nurse and Other Tales of Conception and Re-Birth.” We have been publishing illustrated novels and novellas under the “Forbidden Futures Presents” banner, and I have my own illustrated prose projects planned for that line, including a soon to be announced SF novella. Finally, we are also debuting a bi-yearly chapbook “In Human Skin: The Mike Dubisch Journal of Illustrated Verse,” which pairs my series of surreal drawings on black paper with my own written verse.

Additionally, I continue to contribute to Diabolik Books Adventures of Professor Dario Bava comics, with the epic graphic novel tribute to Italian horror films and mod culture, “Murder Vibes from the Monster Dimension” still available and the new “Orgy Of The Blood Freaks” out now with new issues on the way.

Sincere thanks to Simmons and Dubisch for this interview. Their release of I Am a Barbarian can be found in two editions – with and without a signed bookplate – at Cedar Run Publications. Consider checking it out!

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Interview

Combat Zone Drop: V. Castro on Aliens: Vasquez

The Aliens universe is constantly expanding as new comics, video games, movies, and books are created. With each text, the IP’s lore is built upon and fined tuned, creating an epic canon that speaks to fans of a variety of interests and backgrounds. Cult favourite Aliens marine, Jenette Vasquez, is set to receive her own, fleshed out, backstory in the upcoming novel Aliens: Vasquez written by V. Castro. Castro, known for her works Goddess of Filth (2021), The Queen of the Cicadas (2021), and Mestiza Blood (2022), talks about her forthcoming novel with this interview. 

Entertainment Weekly recently did a cover reveal and a synopsis of Aliens: Vasquez. What are some more juicy, but spoiler-free, details that you can reveal about the novel?

As many people know from my books I always include a little romantic heat. This will not skip that! Santa Muerte and Dia de Los Muertos make appearances. You find out how Vasquez meets Drake. I can’t say more!

Book cover image provided courtesy of V. Castro.

What are your earliest and fondest memories of the Aliens/Predator universe? What has been the impact of these films on you?

I was so very young! Times are different now. When I was a child, I loved Aliens because there was another child in it AND a Latina character. Back then there were so few Latinas represented in big films. Even though the character was not played by a Latina in the film, it still felt huge. I am so honored to write this story and I hope everyone enjoys it.

When writing Vasquez, did you stick mostly to the Aliens film as your source material? Or were you able to leverage the various comics, games, and other texts out there?

I had to use everything that mentioned Vasquez to make sure there were no inconsistencies, however, I watched the film a few times to get into the frame of mind.

What were some of the challenges you encountered while writing for an IP? What were some of the pleasant surprises?

The challenge is it has to stay in line with existing canon and everything goes through a lot of checks. In general, it was just fun to write because I have been a fan since I was a kid!

What are your proudest elements that you go to add to Vasquez to develop her even further?

Probably giving her snapshots of her past a Latina might have experienced and taking her beyond the stereotype. I include the use of cascarones which are hollowed out eggs filled with confetti. They are then cracked on each other’s heads. I use this very Latinx experience to foreshadow her future.

The Alien and Predator films are full of iconic quotes. What is your favourite quote in Aliens: Vasquez?

“El riesgo siempre vive.” I use this quote in her backstory and plays a role in her legacy. 

Author headshot provided courtesy of V. Castro.

What is the biggest thing you want readers and fans of the franchise to take away from your book?

That there are so many exciting places we can take established characters and stories when we include writers from different backgrounds to leave their unique stamp. I loved using my own experiences in Texas when writing this book.

What are your upcoming projects you like folks to stay tuned for?

I would love for people to preorder and continue to make noise for this book so I can continue to write for the franchise!

Aliens: Vasquez will be released October 25th from Titan Books. It can be pre-ordered at Amazon, or query your favourite indie book store. 

Sincere thanks to V. Castro for doing this interview. She can be found at:

If you’ve enjoyed this Aliens/LV426 Day interview, please feel free to check out my other Aliens articles: