datewiththeknife [Interview # 117]

datewiththeknife are: mickey, neil, jt, mike (vvb), phil, annie, gauds, james, daniel

from new zealand

1) Would you consider your name a reference to actual surgery in a hospital, or something more like out of “The Outsiders”?

VVB: I just think the fork was way out of our league, but it’s nice spending time with The Knife (heartbeats)

Daniel: The Outsiders was the first “book” that I actually read…from cover to cover…this was after I had watched the movie…what a cast of actors that movie has …its got everyone…Rob Lowe, Emilio, Matt Dillion, T C, Swayze…man….that flick has Ralph Macchio…what a kick arse movie…the book was…ok…as for the band name…long story short…I needed surgery to remove half of my lung…whilst in Hospital James came to visit…we discussed music…laughed at the contraption sticking out my lung collecting/sucking lung juice…and decided to start a band…datewiththeknife seemed…right…now…it seems lame…but its what it is.

James: Lung juice and Tramadol.  If you rearrange those letters you get ultra lame judo dancing.

Gauds: It always reminded me of that may or mae not go horribly know

JT: Yes, the name is an actual reference to surgery. The Outsiders are a band from Wellington NZ

2) What is your favorite Mae West movie?

VVB: I pass on Mae, but I love Breakfast at Tiffany’s – Audrey is positively mental in that one.

Phil: My Little Chickadee

Daniel: I have never actually seen a Mae West film…how lame is that…maybe I should…actually…I might just watch something else with Ralph Macchio in it…he had such a long career…Karate Kid 1, 2…oh yeah and 3…the title of the tune (Mae West vs The Lonely Hearts Club Band) was based around when she was approached to be on the Beatles Cover for Sargent Peppers…and she refused…so they wrote her a letter saying how much they loved her…and then she did it…the lyrics themselves…ahhh…tramadol and booze

James:  The sex tape she did with Ralph Macchio.  Classic.

JT: Who is Mae West?

Gauds: Erm…Im the uncultured one

3) What was the book that you read about the mountain?

JT: It was titled “The Mountain”

James: I’ve never read a book about a mountain.  It appears to be a fairly disorienting experience…

Gauds: I read a fighting fantasy book in Intermediate School…I think it was called Warlock of Firetop Mountain

Daniel: VVB actually mused the spoken word thing in that track (Ive come to care a lot for Nat) … I am unsure what book he was referencing…my good buddy Jake thinks it’s a reference to dick scott's “ask that mountain”…I said yeah sure why not…I think he knew I was lying…he knows I only read books…that are within my maturity level…I don’t know though…ask VVB. The title of the album was just going to be self-titled…but when we heard VVB poetically describing something about a mountain…it made sense for us to call it that.

VVB: I lied – I’ve never read a book…

4) All I know about New Zealand I learned from Flight of the Concords. Do you feel as if that show is fairly accurate?

VVB: Murray’s tourism posters sure are – New Zealand Rocks

Phil: The Prime Ministers description is pretty accurate

Neil: Before I moved here, I thought NZ was a part that fell of Australia. After being here for several years though, I am starting to wonder if that is true. (Neil is from Ireland)

Gauds: I never caught much of that show….Im from Bunnythorpe…Its awesome

James: Fairly accurate.  We’re about one third gingers and there are no chicks.

Daniel: I believe the show to be not only fairly accurate…but…fair and accurate

JT: I was once asked by a girl in London (UK) “what part of Australia New Zealand was in”?? She was for realises too.

5) Do you actually keep a recovery journal? Now that I’ve been introduced to such a concept, I think it might be a good idea.

VVB: My journals don’t have a lot to do with recovery – just a collection of thoughts and doodles

Daniel: It wasn’t so much a journal…more scraps of paper…often they were drunken musings about…not wanting to be drunk…or hung over ramblings about…not wanting to be hungover…they didn’t help…I wouldn’t recommend keeping one…although who am I to say…Nikki Sixx kept his journals and published them…dudes now like…rich

James: Too risky.  I tend to not keep things that might incriminate me

Gauds: I keep no journal, otherwise I might have to look back on my behaviours

JT: Keeping a journal previously resulted in me needing time to recover. If I were to keep a journal on my recovery from my previous journal  I would be cauight in a foolhardy spiral of recovering and journaling (?) Im not making sense

6) Is it as strange for you as it is for me to think that this whole shoe-gaze genre has spread worldwide?

VVB: Somewhat – especially since we supposedly spend all our time looking at our feet, or at best other people’s feet, but either way it’s difficult to communicate effectively (even more so if you’re not a touch typist)

Neil: Im not surprised its spread. Maybe spreading isn’t the correct term. I think it just develops and parts of it just happen to overlap with other similar independent developments in other places.  Either way, Im not too surprised as its just basically emotions, build ups, textures without the need to adhere to a proven formula. Like the sum of the parts really.

Daniel: Shoegaze…hmmm…I love genres….out of the other members I am the one that probably adores genre whoring the most…Shoe-Gaze as a Genre is great…I get an instant picture of what they will sound like…as it being strange that it has spread…I don’t think it strange…maybe…natural…trends come and go…looks like Shoe-Gaze is making its way up again….are we a shoegaze band?????

James: Genres don’t really mean anything to me, it’s all just music which is universal, and so it’s not that strange.  Also, being in NZ, every genre has come from elsewhere apart from BBQ reggae which is shit.  Especially at BBQs.  Makes no sense, I know.

JT: Hoofgaze (JT is also known as the Goat)

7) Do you have any plans for physical releases, maybe a cassette tape perhaps?

VVB: To my knowledge this is a possibility.

Phil: Floppy Disk

Neil: Vinyl

Daniel: I have 4 CD copies outta 5 left. If ya want one…go to our facebook page and ask…Ill make it for you whilst at work…itll be handmade with love and care…this is no joke…I will personally hand make you a NZ Made physical release. However due to the stationary cupboard running low…I can only really steal 4 more copies worth of stationary…shhh. https://www.facebook.com/#!/Datewiththeknife

James:  There was talk of vinyl too, what happened with that Dan?  ANSWER ME!!

Daniel: There is no vinyl in the stationary cupboard…

JT: I release physically everyday

Gauds: Im always keen for a physical release

8) Final thoughts, Lord of the Rings plotholes, shout outs etc.

VVB: I like the Cake Tin foot-stomping recording

Phil: Those Giant Birds couldve dropped the ring straight into the fire and saved us all the hassle

Neil: I fell asleep during Lord Of the Rings. Several times.

Gauds: There were plot holes in Lord of the Rings?

Daniel: Lord of the Rings…pfftt…Bad Taste…great movie...if you haven’t seen it get it out…that’s NZ right there in that film….cheers for listening to the recording…tis odd to us that there are people outside of our little community that are listening to this.

James: I’m with Phil.  That would be my first question when I ran into Gandalf next:  “You had giant fucking eagles this *whole* time…?  You’re dead to me.”  +1 for bad taste too.  Also it’s just cool that people are listening to it on the other side of the world. Thanks for that.

JT: In my adult life there have been stretches of time, probably lasting more than 3 hours where I don’t remember a thing. I don’t think I have seen a Lord of The Rings movie but there is a chance I may have been in the room whilst the movie was playing passed out on a wooden floor after mixing Jamiesons* , dry and ice…..*Drink Responsibly