Interview Series #13: One-Eyed Zatoichi

The NO PART OF IT Interview series was a strain of questions sent to a number of different people between February and March 2019. Each entry was scheduled chronologically to be thrust upon the world on a monthly basis since then. Each individual is introduced informally as if they were being discussed at a bar.   

 Scheduled on March 6, 2019
One-Eyed Zatoichi is a preferred nomenclature from the spearhead of a noise project called Thirteen Hurts, which also has a leg of it separately titled "13Hz" for his modular work, as I understand it.  I think it's important to note, because I remember being told that there are no other sources beyond pedals for Thirteen Hurts, but to some, it does sound like a synthesizer is in there somewhere.   I met OEZ in Denver several times and again in St. Petersburg, Florida, in which case he drove 2,000 miles to play for 15 minutes at a noise fest.  At that time, he lived in some sort of solar-powered dome within the guts of Colorado foothills, six hours from any sort of civilization.   I've seen noise artists with too many pedals, and OEZ has more than those dudes, but he has a bizarre precision and intent with his performances.  They are cinematic and rowdy in nature.  Of course, he has a release on NO PART OF IT, but his previous two releases are also pretty starkly placed within the realm of what I'd want from a pedal noise/"heavy electronics" artist.  I also find his work to be unique in that I am taken to a specific abstract place when listening to it-- it has substance (which I regularly find off-putting in harsh noise releases) that suggests an intention and would be fitting for some sort of UFO hunter or a person digging around in tunnels looking for reptilians.  What I mean here, is not necessarily do I think OEZ is into that kind of thing, but I find his sounds to be inherently visual/exploratory in a way that I don't come across much.   It is entirely coincidental that this is the 13th interview in the series, by the way. 

1.  What types of things have you been getting into lately? 

 I’ve set aside the majority of 2019 to revisit a batch of demo recordings I did about 25 years ago with a singer. Those days were my last-ditch efforts in an attempt to be in a band and perform live, but all of that collapsed and I gave up on the project. I continued to listen to the demos over the years and had always wanted to re-record everything, get it mixed and mastered and be able to say that at least I finished a project. This stuff was recorded before it was common to record on hard drives, everything was recorded onto a Tascam 388 8-Track machine. The plan is to put everything I can into this, re-writing parts, recording the instrumentation over and editing the vocals parts until I am satisfied and can move on from this project. The singer passed away in 2011, so the vocal tracks that I have are all I will be able to work with.

2.  What you do, do you do it as an artist, or is it a hobby? 

I’d have to say more as an artist, since the exploration never stops, the interest in moving forward impels me to improve so that I can get to the next level. I believe that if my endeavors were a hobby, I’d be more content with what I have achieved. 

3.  How would you describe what you do? 

 Pretty much fuck-off the majority of the time. At my age, I can look back in sadness at the wasted years… the wasted decades and see the light at the end of the tunnel in terms of how many years I have left to callously throw away. This is my biggest hurdle at this time, to learn how to utilize every moment I have and maximize whatever pleasure or satisfaction I can glean from the remaining time I have. However, when I am doing something that I would consider creative or interesting, that usually means getting back into oil painting or plunking around on keyboards, always writing musical ideas down and daydreaming of a new project. I consider myself one of the laziest procrastinators that I know. This having been said, I have finished projects in the past, for example the Thirteen Hurts noise recordings and I am extremely satisfied with how those came out. And the live noise shows too. I don’t practice noise, I just prepare for a show a few weeks ahead or set things up if I need to record something. I’m quite good at wasting time, of which I have very little to waste.

4.  How would you describe your creative progression over the years, in a brief synopsis? 

 I started out oil painting in my early teens, then started playing piano and keyboards around the age of 15, focusing on Jazz and Fusion, which was the real shit at the time. I was in a handful of bands, mostly Rock, Funk and New Wave, and then I focused on finding a female vocalist to create a “shoe-gaze” or Cocteau Twins style band. After that, I focused on experimental and noise but could not figure out how to proceed. Eventually I got it figured out and did that (still am) for a handful of years. Now, I’ve temporarily switched gears to working on my old recordings so I can finally have a “catalog” of music I’ve worked on over the years. But I do need to mention that the painting and some photography came and went, interspersed within the musical projects over the decades. And I’m still looking for a female vocalist……

5.  How would you describe your philosophy? 

I don't adhere to or study any Western Philosophies, I've always gravitated toward Eastern Philosophies, specifically Japanese. When I was a young teenager and a Bruce Lee fan, I studied Karate for a few years. I was also completely enamored with Samurai films shown in Japantown in San Francisco. Remember, I'm old. So there was no internet, no one even had a basic VCR at the time. If you wanted to see a film, you had to go to the theater or watch one on TV with commercials (pre-HBO). Around the age of 15, my Karate instructor gave me a book titled “Bushido, the Soul of Japan” by Nitobe. Sure, slicing off heads was cool, but this was a book that dug into samurai philosophy, something my small pea-brain had a difficult time grasping. But something there spoke to me deeply and has been ingrained in me ever since. I also delved into Miyamoto Musashi's Book of Five Rings. Those two books influenced and shaped me in a way that is still there to this day. And at a subconscious depth, also one reason why I was a lonely, single person until well into my 30's. Shit, I'm not single anymore, but I'm still lonely. Maybe that's a philosophy.

6.  Do you believe in psychics, magic, ghosts, or gods? 

 I haven’t bumped into any that have impressed me to the point of making me want to believe. A friend and I did go to a few senior homes with our recording equipment (audio and video) in the wee hours of the morning as these places were reported to be rampant with the ghosts or spirits of the tenants that passed away. We never came upon any paranormal activity though different residents told us of seeing the same “ghosts”, usually right as they got up and arrived at the dining area. I'm not intimately in tune with the human side of phenomena, I have more of a nature-loving speck-of-sand type awareness.

7.  What would you say was your most definitive experience? 

Climbing the cliffs at the north west edge of San Francisco. There was an enticing chasm or inlet of cliffs that looked like a challenge to conquer. I started at a low spot and began to vertically climb upwards and outwards. I scrambled out too far and the soil under my hands started to give way. Looking straight down, all I saw were jagged rocks and waves crashing onto those. Basically, instant death. I looked over my shoulder and across the way, people were starting to stand up and look at me. I got really scared, the most scared I’ve ever been. As I grew weaker from the effort, I froze in place wondering how I was going to get out of this predicament. I kept having to change my grip as the soil was turning soft and muddy. I called out to anyone above me on the top, but the effort of calling out caused my body to heave and move to the point of losing my grip. I was suddenly overcome with the fact that I could possibly die here. This was the first and only time in my life I truly prayed. A deep, meaningful prayer. More of a calling out to whatever supreme being might be looking over me at that moment. I don’t remember the exact words I was thinking at the time, but I have never felt so scared yet also accepting that if I fell, I would be ok with it. I was with a friend’s wife and I kept thinking about how she will wonder where I wandered off to. It was actually the thought of her that gave me that last impetus of effort to grab a clump of weeds growing out of the cliffside. That in turn led to another handful and foothold, and another until I clawed my way to the top. My heart was pounding, I almost passed out. I looked back across the chasm and some onlookers were still shielding their eyes from the sun, a few turning away in disappointment. I had climbed hundreds of cliffs in my youth all along the beaches of the SF Bay Area, but this one experience ended any and all interest in ever doing that again. After this, I realized that I wasn’t invincible, that I wasn’t going to conquer the world. There have been other experiences that could be considered definitive, but almost giving in to death tops my list.

8.  Do you have any side projects that I am not aware of? 

No, nothing ongoing besides the vocalist recordings I'm currently involved with. There is the Modular Synthesizer stuff, but that is so sporadic and fragmented, I wouldn't consider it a side project.

 If not, what is something you'd like people to know about you, that you don't think anyone would ever ask? 

Nothing really. My days of grandstanding and wanting to be noticed are well behind me and I make concerted efforts to keep that in check. It is frustrating, though, that my ego, which is the size of Texas, still rears its ugly head now and then.

9.  Would you care to name any theoretical "desert island" records, or at least releases that you think are approaching your concept of "perfect"? 

Desert Island records would make me select musical favorites that I love. When you say “perfect”, I immediately consider production quality as well as musical performance, which cuts out some I would consider as a “favorite”. It is almost impossible without making a list containing dozens if not hundreds of releases. But the pressure is on, so here is a hodge-podge selection limited to the proverbial 10 releases: The Dreaming – Kate Bush, The Walking – Jane Siberry, Blue Bell Knoll – Cocteau Twins, Loveless – My Bloody Valentine, Birds of Fire – Mahavishnu Orchestra, Romantic Warrior - Return to Forever, Silver Apples of the Moon – Morton Subotnik, Dark Side of the Moon - Pink Floyd, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - The Beatles, which I know you are not a fan of. But the most recent release that has been remastered by Giles Martin (George's son) is aces. And last but not least, Pulse Demon – Merzbow. To clear out the cobwebs. But there are zillions of others, even a few opera pieces that always bring tears to my eyes from their sheer beauty. I know you didn't ask this, but one of my continuing thoughts is this: I love to listen to music and have so many favorites from so many different genres. What will be the last song I listen to before I die? When my body is shutting down and I am no longer responsive, should I request that someone put some headphones on me so I can still hear (if I can hear) some music? What should I request be put on? For some reason, the answer to these questions have become an obsession with me.

10.  What is the earliest childhood memory you can recall? 

 I’ve recalled this memory decades ago and it is while I was still in a crib, probably 2 or 3 years old. The lights were out in the room, with the door partway open and the hallway light on. I was looking up at the ceiling, past the stupid mobile thing that everyone seemed to think I liked. I remember the walls being a pale green and someone coming in the room to check on me.

11.  Are you able to appreciate other peoples' creative work regardless of their personal shortcomings or inherent flaws?  To what extent? 

I have no issues whatsoever appreciating anyone’s creative work, as long as I find it interesting enough to explore. What someone does in their personal life or believes in is not a concern of mine. An example would be Charles Cohen and his work with the Buchla Easel Synthesizer. I deeply admire his efforts on that instrument but have zero interest in his personal life. I know on a couple of forums, people have shunned him and his work due to his personal issues. Yeah, he’s not someone I would have hung out with, but that doesn’t stop me from admiring his artistic talent. Another example would be Chick Corea. I love his playing and writing, a true master of his instrument. But that Scientology stuff? Not for me, but I still listen to his work.

12.  Do you have any heroes or heroines? 

Just musical and artistic heroes.  John Mclaughlin, Elizabeth Frazier and Robin Guthrie, Glenn Gould, Thelonious Monk, Jaco Pastorius … in the art world, I would consider Jackson Pollock, Paul Klee, Joan Miro, Mark Rothko, Claude Monet and Van Gogh heroes of mine. I would also consider Jack Kerouac and Neal Cassady two heroes of mine as they taught me the importance of road trips and the adventures you can experience.

13.  What would you like to have on your epitaph? 

“Here lies a Celestial Terrestrial Commuter”  

Or what is your favorite quote? 

 “You can’t have everything. Besides, where would you put it?”