Crystal Ballroom
Leader of the tight-suited early '90s political punk band, The Nation of Ulysses, and more recently the evangelistic rock outfit, The Make-Up, Ian Svenonius is always full of surprises.
Ian's latest group, The Scene Creamers, has released its first album, I Suck On That Emotion, by which title alone denotes the sort of music the Creamers dole out. They hearken back to a Rolling Stones soul-heavy rock, incorporating blues, pop, funk, the weighty presence of bassist Michelle Mae, and former Golden guitarist Alex Minoff. All that, plus Svenonius' legendary stage antics, borrowed from the likes of well, himself but let's just say he wiggles around a lot, says "yeah," "baby," and "uh-huh," and exudes an energy that makes you want to jump up and shake around your damn self. Let's take a moment to find out how this evil mastermind is feeling about some of society's most important issues:
Pretend there is a blender full of puppies in front of you and someone says, "If you blend those puppies, I'll give you a million dollars, and if you don't, they'll be put them to sleep tomorrow anyway, and you won't get a cent." Would you do it?
Well, this is an interesting question, one that I'm asked a lot, and certainly one that's preoccupied scholars for centuries. However, a reply is impossible without some more information about the breeding and various markings on the animals.
On a scale of one to ten, what level of irony do you feel goes into your music, ten being the most ironic?
If you mean irony in the modern (misused) sense of not meaning what we say, then no, we're absolutely not "ironic." Answer: 0
Ian, are there certain frontmen of bands past and present whose stage presence you admire or even borrow from?
I like Ov Wright and Joe Strummer.
Do you spend very much time thinking about the mechanics of your actual performance? Like, do you practice dancing around?
Everything, each moment, note, and breath is painstakingly choreographed.
I heard that you guys don't have a cell phone on tour. Was this a conscious decision, and if so, why?
It's an Orwellian era and not one suited for extemporaneous conversations over glorified walkie-talkies.
Your music is frequently described as psychedelic. Do you find this description accurate and do you think drugs are cool?
Drugs are certainly very cool, as the entirety of mass media has impressed on all of us ad nauseum. I hope to see at least 12 films this year featuring harrowing heroin withdrawal. LSD is cool since it was invented and manufactured by the CIA, who are totally cool dudes! But seriously, if you buy cocaine, try to purchase the sort which is produced and smuggled by the Columbian FARC, the righteous cocaine communists. We must support their war against US ecocide. Of course, drug use and the psychedelic impulse are ancient preoccupations and Scene Creamers support the quest for Dionysian as well as Apollonian expression.
What are your feelings on the War in Iraq?
After the Reichstag fire (9-11) and the annexation of the Sudaten land (Afghanistan) The Fatherland prepares to invade Poland (Iraq). Scene Creamers are the Soviet soldiers who will assassinate Der Führer in his bunker.
