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interview by: Roberto
Martinelli
Eric Friesen is half of the duo that primarily make up Windham
Hell, whose music can best be described as dark, atmospheric metal with
shredding, Yngwie Malmsteen style guitars. Eric has produced two solo
projects, Friesen Hell and Frisenburg Concertos (both reviewed
in this issue.) I called Eric on the phone to talk about his solo projects,
Windham Hell, "Twin Peaks", his musical influences, and how he got so
damned good.
As the interview is quite long, I have broken it up into
sections that can be easily accessed by the following links.
Eric would like you to know that both of his solo albums,
plus all Windham Hell albums are available directly from him. Prices are
as follows and in US dollars, and all include shipping within the US:
Windham Hell: South Facing Epitaph - 12, Window of Souls
- 13, Reflective Depths Imbibe - 14, solo projects: Friesen
Hell - 15, Friesenburg Concertos - 15. Please contact him at:
Eric Friesen
P.O. Box 1245
Snohomish, WA 98291 USA
or: pytr@neverlabs.com.
ABOUT ERIC FRIESEN
Maelstrom: I'm most curious about your history; how you learned
to play guitar and drums. Mostly guitar, because, like you say on
Friesenburg Concertos, it says that you don't read music, so you
picked up all this stuff by ear. So where did you learn how to play guitar?
Cause, most people, when they play guitar, they just play chords. They're
just self-taught. So, how did you pick up the guitar and how long did
it take you to do learn how to do this?
Eric Friesen: Well, my dad played guitar. He played just
kinda folky, strummin', kinda finger pickin' style. A little bit of twelve
string. And I really didn't get into it, except I knew in the back
of my mind that I'd probably be learning that stuff, and then, suddenly,
when I was ten, I said: "ok, show me that stuff." But, you know, I was
tiny. I could barely play. And that kinda helped, because my hands were
small, they really had to work out to get all the chords.
Maelstrom: So, how much did you practice when you were ten?
Eric Friesen: I practiced every single day, all day.
Well, any chance I'd get, you know. I kind of had a little fairy tale
experience. I had this crush on this girl in fifth grade. We both
were in the talent contest in music. She played piano. She kicked BUTT.
And I was just likEric Friesen: "oh, man." And I was up next, and I don't
know what happened, I just…the times I played live, somethin' happens,
and I just lose it, and I go into a…and I was just makin' up stuff,
jumpin' all around, and I played perfectly. We both tied for first
place. So, yeah, then she moved away.
Maelstrom: So, nothing ever came of this crush.
Eric Friesen: No, no. But, that's a big blank spot where
I can put whatever I feel, you know? "and we met later on, after the show,
and…oh. my. God…" Anyway, I started listenin' to rock
guitar. I didn't really like it. It was really simple, you know? Like,
stupid. Like, stuff on the radio. ACDC, 70s pop rock. What was on? You
know, Boston, that kind of stuff. Just cause the guitar, after (I had
been) playing acoustic finger picking, they were just playing these chunky
little stupid chords. And then, all of a sudden, I started hearing some
good stuff, but it was a totally different style of guitar. Playing with
feedback, and playing loud, you have to learn how to play…not play
the notes you're not playing. Play only the notes you're playing.
Maelstrom: This is with the electric guitar.
Eric Friesen: Yeah. And so, I just had to teach myself how
to do it. And then, when I heard "Yingwee" (Yngwie Malmsteen), I was like,
"ok, now I know how much I suck."
ABOUT FRIESEN HELL
Maelstrom: Let's talk about your stuff, man.
Eric Friesen: Ok! I probably should explain a couple things.
Anything you don't understand? Needs explaining? There's some bonus tracks
on the first one (Friesen Hell).
Maelstrom: How are they bonus tracks?
Eric Friesen: Well, like it goes to track fifteen.
Maelstrom: Yeah, it goes to ten (one the track listing),
but I know it really goes up past that. The last track has singing on
it.
Eric Friesen: Yeah, you're not supposed to know about that.
That was an accident, how that got on there.
Maelstrom: How was that an accident? That's a really cool
track.
Eric Friesen: Uhhhmm…(laughs) that's my cousin. She's
an opera singer.
Maelstrom: Oh, yeah, she's really good. What's your cousin's
name?
Eric Friesen: (feeling of hesitation)
Maelstrom: Can you give it out?
Eric Friesen: ooh, ooh, ooh…
Maelstrom: Is it gonna be bad for her career? If she's linked
up with you? (laugh)
Eric Friesen: Wait a minute. Before I give out any names…
Maelstrom: It might even be on the CD…
Eric Friesen: No, it's not. I made damn sure of that. Because,
she does some stuff with her cousin, who plays guitar too, and she does
this Italian opera stuff. The original recording of it is just her and
a guitar. It's totally flat: no effects, nothin'. So what I did was I
put a ton of reverb on it and I slowed it down, too. Slowed down women's
voices are kinda creepy.
Maelstrom: So she was singing faster in real life?
Eric Friesen: Yeah, it's faster, it's higher, and it's totally
flat. I just dumped a bunch of reverb on it and put big, fat, crunchy
guitars on it…
Maelstrom: It sounds really cool.
Eric Friesen: The thing is, right before that, they did
a classical piece. I thought it would be cool to have something where
we're both on it, and I recorded…you know, put some bass and guitar
on it…and they just freaked out.
Maelstrom: So, they weren't happy with being on the CD?
Eric Friesen: They don't know they're on the CD. They just
didn't like the fact I had recorded something with them. The opera thing
was a like test to see if it worked (the production effects). And it ended
up on a separate track; unnamed, at the end of a track, or something weird
like that. So, there you have it. But it's too late now, because…
Maelstrom: Yeah, it's on the interview, so everyone's gonna
want the extra tracks.
Eric Friesen: Plus, you know, the eight CDs that I've sold
that went out…there's no way I can get them back, anyway.
Maelstrom: Right. (laugh) So, you're up to eight, now?
Eric Friesen: Uhhh, alright, I exaggerated. It's probably
more like……four…But you never know. I mean, I
was on the internet the other day. I came across this German label
selling Windham Hell. For twenty bucks a CD. So I want
everyone to know I'm gonna give 'em a price break on that.
Maelstrom: Ok, cool. But, you sold a lot of Windham
Hell stuff.
Eric Friesen: Uh, me personally?
Maelstrom: Oh, you personally…
Eric Friesen: No.
Maelstrom: Oh.
Eric Friesen: Yeah, ever since we hooked up with Odin (of
Moribund Records), the mail seems to be going somewhere else, you know?
One letter I got was: "Do you know Odin? Is he the owner of Windham Hell?
Do you know anything more about Windham Hell?"
Maelstrom: They sent that to you?
Eric Friesen: Yeah. Weird stuff like that. But some good,
some bad. Two days after Window of Souls came out, I got a blood
soaked email that came in the mail. He printed it on his computer and
did this effect of blood splattering across it.
Maelstrom: Speaking about how much you've sold, do you know
how many pieces you've sold of Windham Hell? They must give you some sort
of stats, don't they?
Eric Friesen: (painful grunt)… I have not gotten any
money from that.
Maelstrom: Well, not necessarily money, but do you know how
many?
Eric Friesen: Ok, you want numbers? Umm…thousands?
Maelstrom: Oh, that's good.
Eric Friesen: How's that for ambiguity? (laugh) Each CD,
a couple thousand at least. In the beginning, it was 93, we did
the first one. What's it…?
Maelstrom: South Facing Epitaph.
Eric Friesen: "South Fucking Epitaph" is what everyone's
calling it. So we recorded that in '93 really fast. It was
just three songs to show Odin, and he was likEric Friesen: "hey! Keep
recordin'!". And we were like, ok, so we slapped together four more songs,
grabbed a bunch of shit here and there, and then threw it out. I
picked up a Pit magazine and saw a full-page ad for it before I'd even
seen the album. So that was kind of a shock. It was likEric Friesen:
"hey, wait a minute! I thought it was just gonna be like this tape that
was gonna go out…"
Maelstrom: Did you guys pick the cover art for that, then?
Eric Friesen: Uh, no. Odin went ahead, and did everything.
Oh! We did fight not to have a pentagram on the cover. That's what we
did, yeah. We were the only band to not have a pentagram on one of his
albums. So anyway, that was like, '94 when it came out, and then in '95
we did the other one (Window of Souls), and late '96 it came out.
And then, Reflective Depths Imbibe, the last one, was already done
by then. So, yeah, it's kinda silly. It's funny calling it a new album.
I don't know.
Maelstrom: Yeah, I don't know. To me, it's a new album. To
me, it came out last year. That's when I saw it available. I guess it
just depends on where you live.
Eric Friesen: Was the anticipation what I had hoped? Odin
said that he was almost attacked at the Metalfest show. Well, when you
have on your ad: "released December 96", and years go by, it kinda loses
its merit.
Maelstrom: It's obvious that both your and Leland Windham's
playing is inspired by Yngwie.
Eric Friesen: Yeah, Leland's into classical. Classical music,
or really dark, ominous black metal.
Maelstrom: It seems that you're into that to some degree
also. I don't know if it rubs off from Leland…Friesen Hell
isn't quite as dark or atmospheric as Windham Hell is, but it definitely
has…
Eric Friesen: I know what you're sayin'. It's a little more
KISW, isn't it?
Maelstrom: It's a little bit more what?
Eric Friesen: A little bit more KI…wait, you're not
from around here. That's what I get a lot. It's this rock radio station.
Maelstrom: Well, like the first couple songs, the first couple
tracks - you can't call 'em songs, they're more musical, with more of
a song-type structure without vocals.
Eric Friesen: Yeah, feel free to call it a song.
Maelstrom: Yeah, it's more musical than Windham Hell is;
the first couple tracks on Friesen Hell.
Eric Friesen: The first couple tracks…Refresh my memory…
Maelstrom: There's something called the "Diablo Tribute".
Is that Diablo the video game?
Eric Friesen: Yes, it is.
Maelstrom: Ok, so, why a tribute to Diablo?
Eric Friesen: You don't recognize some of the music in the
background?
Maelstrom: No. I never played Diablo. I know what it is,
though.
Eric Friesen: Well, listen to that stuff and then play Diablo.
Maelstrom: Ok. (laugh) After the tributes, there's "Awareness,
I Suffer". And the next one is "Resting, Effort, Emptiness".
Eric Friesen: Yeah.
Maelstrom: Those are a lot more musical.
Eric Friesen: I know what you're talking about. "Resting,
Effort, Emptiness". Can you hum me a few bars? How does that go?
Maelstrom: No, I can't remember. (laugh) Sorry. But, the
way it's presented: a lot of Windham Hell is this really ripping, noodling
stuff that breaks, and then you have an atmospheric…
Eric Friesen: Oh! I see, this is more…
Maelstrom: For example, the drumming is a lot less fast.
It's a lot more catchy. And the way it's arranged and played, it's a lot
more like a song.
Eric Friesen: Hmm, yeah. Yeah, that's true.
Maelstrom: But then the rest of the stuff, it gets to be
more like Windham Hell. It's like flashes of ripping guitar, and then
it breaks off into something more weird and different.
Eric Friesen: Well, maybe I can explain. When I go and record,
it's a weird thing. I just kinda go where the energy is. And a lot of
times the energy is in the exact opposite direction I'm tryin' to go?
Like, you know the song on there that's really slow? "Cresting in Violent
Slumber", I think is the one. That one, I was trying to do the opposite.
I was trying to do this really fast song.
Maelstrom: So are you saying that these songs are, for the
most part, made up on the spot?
Eric Friesen: Chunks taken from here and there. Chunks peeved
right on the spot, yeah.
Maelstrom: Yeah, I remember last time we spoke, you said
you had a few ideas "left over" from a Windham Hell album, and you just
put 'em on here. Cause, it seems like an awful lot of material here for
just a couple of ideas. (15 tracks, 50 minutes)
Eric Friesen: Really?
Maelstrom: Yeah, I mean, you've got 15 tracks.
Eric Friesen: Well, I thought there was like, a few good
ideas, and then, I didn't want to do this anymore, and so I threw a bunch
of stuff together.
Maelstrom: You were like halfway through and said, "I don't
want to do this anymore"?
Eric Friesen: Well, yeah, but some of it turned out ok,
you know? Like, the "Deteriorata", that wasn't even gonna be on there,
but Leland really liked that. He's playin' on here too, he's playin' on
one of the tracks. It's the same thing with the slow songs. I was tryin'
to go fast, nothin' was workin', and there was nowhere left to go except
turn around and go back. So, everything went way down and slow, and it
worked. And with the violin thing, that was a quiet little peaceful, violin
piece that Bob Antone and I had done. And that one has a little of that
black metal sound?
Maelstrom: Yeah, a little bit. It's more like the energy.
Like, the music itself isn't so much. It's the ambiance. Especially on
Windham Hell that you have so much of that.
Eric Friesen: Well, that's the goal. Try to get a little
bit of everything in there that people like. Odin just hates the stuff
I do on the first album. (South Facing Epitaph) And a lot of people's
favorite songs are my songs on there.
Maelstrom: To tell you the truth, I've never gone back on
my Windham Hell albums and said, "ok, which one did Eric write, and which
one did Leland write?" Because they don't seem to be all that much different
to me (as far as style is concerned).
Eric Friesen: Well, mine are the instrumentals.
Maelstrom: Windham's are the ones with the breathy moaning?
Eric Friesen: Yeah, mine are just the short…I have
two or three on each album that are just me. When I say "my song", it's
all me. But I do stuff on all of his songs: I'm doing the drums and the
bass, obviously. And then, I'll have a little part where I'll come in
with. Leland likes to name the solos, if you've noticed. (laugh)
"Dripping Black Streaks". "Yeah, I was thinking 'Dripping Black Streaks'
as I went up that C minor chord. Yeah…"
Maelstrom: So, you don't listen to a lot of black metal,
like he does?
Eric Friesen: No I don't… I like it, if it's good.
I like Cradle of Filth, but I can't do a lot of it.
Maelstrom: What do you mean, you "can't do a lot of it?"
Eric Friesen: I just can't have it on all the time. But,
it's the same thing with all stuff with mEric Friesen: I like this big
balance of stuff. I like a lot of classical. But, there's a lot of classical
that I hate, so don't think that I'm some kind of …earth muffin,
or something.
ABOUT FRIESENBURG CONCERTOS
Maelstrom: (laugh) Ok! Well, that's a good segway to your
(Friesenburg)Concertos album. I'll just read off what you have
herEric Friesen: a lot of Vivaldi. Vivaldi has been someone that you've
done a lot of covers of.
Eric Friesen: Vivaldi is easy to transcribe to guitar.
Maelstrom: Yeah, it is, isn't it? I've noticed that.
Eric Friesen: It's just right there, you can hear the notes…
I've always listened to Four Seasons and imagined it on electric
guitar.
Maelstrom: Yeah, The Four Seasons may be my favorite
classical piece.
Eric Friesen: Did you recognize those songs?
Maelstrom: Oh, of course, yeah. I mean, I've listened to
that so many times.
Eric Friesen: Really? That's cool. I mean, most people I
get, they've never even heard any of this stuff. Maybe the Bach, you know?
"Bom-bom-bom…Oh yeah! I've heard that song!" And that's it.
Maelstrom: Yeah. I've been listening to that Four Seasons
since I was eleven.
Eric Friesen: Well, that's cool. See, that's what I likEric
Friesen: when people know what it is I'm playin'. If they don't have a
clue, then you just get kind of a blank stare.
Maelstrom: Actually, I was really thrilled when I heard Vivaldi's
"Concerto for 2 Guitars in D Minor (Allegro)" on Window of Souls…Is
that the same piece? I mean, is that the same recording (on Friesenburg
Concertos)?
Eric Friesen: Some of the guitar is the same, but some is
added and changed. That's one of those songs that all the parents that
might hear it, that' their favorite song. In fact, I'll give you the general
consensus of anyone over 40: "I liked the first song, but then the horrible
sounds come."
Maelstrom: Hahaha! That's because people aren't trained to
listen to electric guitar. Because it's the same person playing the same
thing. It's not like your playing suddenly sucks, or it's suddenly better,
it's the same playing, talent-wise.
Eric Friesen: Yeah.
Maelstrom: They're not used to listening to that instrument.
Eric Friesen: "But it IS kinda screechy…"
Maelstrom: Eric, I wish that, if you're gonna do another
"Concerto" album…
Eric Friesen: I'm workin' on it now! What's your tip?
Maelstrom: More acoustic guitar.
Eric Friesen: Yeah, I know.
Maelstrom: But, not because I don't like the electric guitar.
Eric Friesen: No, I know what you mean.
Maelstrom: There should be a good mix.
Eric Friesen: Oh, I know. The next one is gonna be different.
TRUST me. This one was a bare bones sound; just guitar, bass, drums…I
think there's a little bit of keyboard.
Maelstrom: Is it easier to record with an electric guitar?
Cause, you just plug it right in to the tape deck or the recording machine?
Eric Friesen: Uhh, than an acoustic?
Maelstrom: Yeah, because you say you record at home.
Eric Friesen: Yeah, the acoustic's much harder. Because
it's not plugged in.
Maelstrom: you have to put a mic up to it.
Eric Friesen: I mean, you can plug it in, but I don't like
the acoustic mic-ed sound.
Maelstrom: Isn't that not acoustic?
Eric Friesen: Uhh, yeah, that's a good question. You know,
if MTV is really gonna go "unplugged", it'd just be a bunch of faint,
jangly guitars, and some…never mind. You gotta put the mic just
in the right spot. And you have to record the whole thing right then.
Cause, if you stop, and move, you're gonna tell when you pick up the recording
again.
Maelstrom: So you can't just like, rip, and jump around.
Eric Friesen: If I had an acoustic guitar, I would do more.
But for that one (Vivaldi's "Concerto for 2 Guitars in D Minor (Allegro)),
I borrowed Bob's guitar.
Maelstrom: Who's Bob?
Eric Friesen: Bob is the violin player on the Windham Hell
albums.
Maelstrom: This just fascinates me. I want to get more into
the place you live in the United States (rural Washington State). I have
this image that Snoqualmie is pretty much what "Twin Peaks" is like; it's
pretty rural.
Eric Friesen: It is.
Maelstrom: So, where do you get these…
Eric Friesen: You know that "Twin Peaks" was filmed in Snoqualmie.
Maelstrom: Oh, I do! Yeah, I want to get to that.
Eric Friesen: Haha! Ok.
Maelstrom: But, my question immediately is: where do you
get all these amazing musicians, coming out of the woodwork, in this "population:
very little" place? What's up with that? Where do you get all these people
from, who can play classical style music?
Eric Friesen: Huh? Who else is out here playin' that? I
need names and phone numbers, man.
Maelstrom: You've got a guy playing violin on there…
Eric Friesen: Oh, you're right!
Maelstrom: You've got a guy playing flute…
Eric Friesen: Well, you do either one of two things: you
either go get fucked up and try to fuck everybody, or, you develop some
kind of introvert hobby where you are indoors all the time.
Maelstrom: But, you live in an outdoor wonderland, don't
you?
Eric Friesen: Yeah, but it's Washington. So, you either
go out, or you stay in, because the good weather is not very often. It's
been crappy all Spring, so far. Dumpin' rain, cold, pff…it's the
Norway, Northern Forest description. The cold, black woods. But no, there's
not a trail of headless bodies down the street.
Maelstrom: So, that's why people can play really well.
Eric Friesen: There's a few, but not a lot.
Maelstrom: Refresh my memory. Do you play keys on Windham
Hell too? Who plays keyboards?
Eric Friesen: Keyboards. I play a little bit, and so does
Leland. How's that?
DRUM DISCUSSION
Maelstrom: Ok. So, where did you pick up drums, then?
Eric Friesen: Drums. Ok, I'll try to give it to you in a
nutshell. Feel free to edit anything. How long's the tape, by the way?
Maelstrom: Don't worry about it. It's 90 minutes. I have
two of them. So talk as much as you want. And I'm not payin' for any space.
Eric Friesen: (laugh) Ok, uh, when I started with my first
band, we were kids, we were like, 12. We had just the basic, bare bones
stuff. In fact, the drummer didn't even have drum stands. We had to hang
the cymbal from the ceiling, so every time you hit it, I mean we had to
be aware of it coming back. (I laugh) It just kinda developed into the
show, you know? And so then, he couldn't play drums. At all. He couldn't
play a beat, his fills were goin' way too long, he was playin' the downbeat
in the wrong spot…So I was like, "ok, dammit, gimme the fuckin'
sticks!" So, I learned how to play a beat, to show him where the downbeat
was, and then I was like, "hey! I can do this!" And then I just picked
it up really fast. And I ended up showing him how to play, and so, that
didn't work in the band. He didn't like that at all. I don't know, I just
knew what to do. And I really got into Rush. He (the drummer who couldn't
play) had this huge setup, with a huge drum set, and always rich
relatives dying every other week, sending thousands…
Maelstrom: Oh, wow.
Eric Friesen: I mean, I'd come home from school one day,
and he's got a drum set bigger than Neil Peart's. Stuff on it he
can't even reach, you know? Like, "you know, those toms, you haven't hit
'em in like, four months. Why don't you just take 'em back, or something?"
And he had the gong, the chimes…
Maelstrom: And he couldn't play.
Eric Friesen: Well, he could play. He was gettin' good.
Ok, the difference in drumming I'm talking about is like…You're
a drummer. Neil Peart: excellent. Very technical. Kind of robotic.
Maelstrom: Yeah.
Eric Friesen: If you've ever heard him live.
Maelstrom: Sure.
Eric Friesen: It's the same thing (as on the album).
Stewart Copeland (of The Police). You know who I'm talking about?
Maelstrom: Sure. He's one of my favorite drummers.
Eric Friesen: I…Really?!
Maelstrom: Yeah, well, Neil Peart is one of the main reasons
I started drumming. Rush is probably my favorite band.
Eric Friesen: Well, yeah. When I heard Fly by Night,
I was like, "listen to that!". But, you see, Neil Peart is really good
at orchestrating the song; building it up, building patterns, and tiny
little nuances. Cool stuff, you know?
Maelstrom: He plays it really musically. His drums sound
very musical.
Eric Friesen: Exactly.
Maelstrom: Like a…melodic instrument, almost.
Eric Friesen: And there's not a lot of room for goofin'
off in that kind of a setup. And when he plays it live, he does it good.
But then, Stewart Copeland, he plays simple beats, but with such gusto,
you know?
Maelstrom: And the sound of when he hits his drums…I
don't know how much of it is due to the album producer, but you can tell
that his technique is really good.
Eric Friesen: I have like 15 or so Police bootlegs. From
the beginning, all the way up to about 1980. And I've heard him play the
same songs so many times, and it's never the same. Ever. I want
to combine those two drummers in my drum style.
Maelstrom: So what do you think about that? Let's take Neil
Peart. Every time I've ever heard a live recording of Rush, you're right,
it's exactly the same. Every drum beat is exactly the same as on the album.
But what style do you think is better?
Eric Friesen: It's not necessarily that it's better, it's
just different. Both are good and bad. How's that for more ambiguity?
I should just say "buuuuallleeeee…". Um, you can't play like Neil
Peart in The Police. I mean, it's just not gonna fit. You know? And vice
versa. But they're both…I love 'em, you know? But I have to admit,
I suffer from more Rush burnout than I do Police burnout.
Maelstrom: I think the Police's earlier stuff is way better
than their later stuff. Cause, like, Stewart Copeland stopped playing
drums as much, and it go to be like what Sting sounds like, you know,
his solo career? Like, Sychronicity.
Eric Friesen: I was disappointed.
Maelstrom: It's kind of…emotional, but in a pop way.
Eric Friesen: I didn't like it, to tell you the truth. I
talked myself into liking it…I tell you what I do likEric Friesen:
"Synchronicity II".
Maelstrom: That song? Yeah, that's the better one.
Eric Friesen: And "Tea in the Sahara". Good song.
Maelstrom: Yeah, I like that one too.
Eric Friesen: The rest of it…some of it ok, some of
it obviously borrowed from other shit. You know, I've been listenin' to
a lot of Bob Marley lately. And if you've ever listened to Bob Marley,
you can see where Sting gets all of his ideas. You know "The Bed's too
Big without You"? You know that bassline? That's a Bob Marley tune.
Maelstrom: Absolutely. There's a lot of Caribbean influence
in The Police.
Eric Friesen: Ok, other bands? Do you want to know about
other bands? That you were asking?
Maelstrom: I don't know…was I asking about other bands?
Eric Friesen: See, two drummers can't start talking about
drums, because people start tunin' out.
Maelstrom: Haha! Man, I got some cool things for my drums
today. I got some mufflers, you know, those pads you put on 'em? So I
can play a lot later without like, waking up the dead.
Eric Friesen: Yeah, the good one is for the snare. It kinda
keeps the ring (down).
Maelstrom: Oh, yeah. I got some for the cymbals, too. It's
great. I don't have to wear earplugs anymore when I play.
Eric Friesen: Hahaha!
Maelstrom: And it's cool. This guy came over last week to
play with me, and he had this really shitty, like, Fisher Price guitar,
and this, like, quarter sized amp, and we had a problem, cause I couldn't
even hear 'im. And he had to do all sorts of weird things with the amp.
Eric Friesen: Oh, wow.
Maelstrom: And now, I'll be able to hear him, cause my drums
don't make that much noise.
Eric Friesen: Yeah, I used to set up the pillows, man. (I
laugh) Get out the wood spoons, set up the pillows…I'd have blisters
on my hands like you wouldn't believe.
Maelstrom: Now, I was really interested to hear last time
we spoke, (about) the drums on Windham Hell and on Friesen Hell. Because,
it sounds like a drum machine. But, it says "drums" on the album.
Can you explain?
Eric Friesen: Well, it is a drum machine brain, and it's
triggering (sound). Depending on which album….. No, they're all
the same. I mean, they're all the same brain.
Maelstrom: It does sound a little different on the first
one.
Eric Friesen: The first one is because I was going for a
punchy, more of a clean sound. And Leland didn't like that.
Maelstrom: Yeah, they sound better on the second and third
albums.
Eric Friesen: They do?
Maelstrom: Yeah, the drum sound, I like it better on the
second and third.
Eric Friesen: Well, that's good. Some people hate it. The
drums kind of got worse and worse as time went on, because the brain started
to glitch.
Maelstrom: So, what does this all mean?
Eric Friesen: The brain triggers the sound. I have these
pads set up like a drum set. Not like these crappy little pads, you know,
you hit 'em with the stick, there's four of 'em there, all on this one
little thing? (Mine) is like a drum set. But I did some overdubbing.
Maelstrom: How much overdubbing did you do? Obviously, your
double bass is really, really fast.
Eric Friesen: That is an overdub. I put the bass drum triggers
on the toms. So I'm goin' back and forth between the toms and the snare.
There's no way I could do that with my feet.
Maelstrom: That's what I was wondering, that "this has gotta
be a machine, cause, for him to keep that up…"
Eric Friesen: Well, you can hear the imperfections. You
can hear the human element involved. Slowing up, speeding down…Speeding
up, slowing down, sorry. There's the human element right there. It's fucking
up what I'm trying to say. So I had to overdub cymbals and stuff on top
of that.
Maelstrom: If you're going to record an album, how hard is
it really, if you're doing all these parts yourself, how hard is it to
do if you can't hear all the elements of the song together?
Eric Friesen: That's part of the experiment.
Maelstrom: Especially when you're doing stuff that's as non-linear,
and has so many breaks and weird parts?
Eric Friesen: I know, I know. It's part of the experiment.
I hear things, but it's not like Mozart, copying verbatim some melody
in his head. Leland and I have a way of communicating. It's like two people
with ADD (attention deficit disorder) trying to talk? It gets confusing.
What happens is, if he needs me to play somthin', he explains it the way
he understands it.
Maelstrom: So does Leland not read music either?
Eric Friesen: No. Well, a little bit.
Maelstrom: So, how can you explain these ideas back and forth?
Just go (imitates a generic ripping solo) Or play a part that he shows
to you?
Eric Friesen: Yeah, he plays it slower. Like our 7" is a
good example. He wrote the song, right? He came up with the riffs, but
he plays 'em really slow. And so, he teaches them to me, and I play 'em
faster. And so, a lot of times when you hear a riff, I'm playin' it, even
though it's his riff.
Maelstrom: Was Windham Hell founded by him?
Eric Friesen: Yeah, he started it a long time ago, like
'88. He's got an '88 demo out. Do Not Fear, for Hell Is Here.
Maelstrom: And you're not on that?
Eric Friesen: Nope. He's doin' that all himself, and he's
got another singer. And he's got reviews from magazines all over the place,
from then. And he sent this tape to Odin, when Odin was doing a radio
show, back in '88. And so they've been in contact ever since. I was over
at Odin's house, and I saw that tape in his collection.
Maelstrom: Yeah, cause this friend of mine who I turned to
Windham Hell (Varg of Maelstrom) said that he was kinda surprised that
you weren't credited more in the project, considering you do so much work
for it.
Eric Friesen: You know about his other demo, don't you?
Maelstrom: Uh, I know about it.
Eric Friesen: Yeah, that's also all him, too. He did a great
job with the layout and production; really pushed it: got it out to radio
stations, and reviewed all over the place. But you know, it's those crappy
little zines that are like photocopied in some kid's basement. And so
that's what I was thinkin' we were gettin' into. And then, next thing
I know, I've got ten horny women poundin' at my door every fuckin' night,
and I just can't deal with it anymore.
Maelstrom: Yeah.
Eric Friesen: I quit. I'm out.
Maelstrom: Livin' the metal lifestyle.
Eric Friesen: I can't afford the vitamin E it takes to…I'm
sorry…(I laugh) I digress. What's the question?
Maelstrom: Uh, let's see…
Eric Friesen: Wait, I didn't answer your other questions,
though. 'Bout the classical music things.
Maelstrom: What was that? Oh, yeah. I was talking about Vivaldi,
and we went off on a big ol' side track. So, you also have Bach (on Friesenburg
Concertos), Beethoven, Mendelssohn…is that the same Mendelssohn
on Reflective Depths…?
Eric Friesen: No, it's not.
Maelstrom: And then you have something by John Williams on
here.
Eric Friesen: Originally on the Friesen Hell, but I thought:
"you know, that's just too good for the Friesen Hell crap." You know which
song that is, don't you?
Maelstrom: No.
Eric Friesen: Oh, oh! Uhhh, ever seen "Fiddler on the Roof"?
Maelstrom: No.
Eric Friesen: Yeah, well if you wanna hear the original,
"Tribulation of Fire".
Maelstrom: That's on "Fiddler on the Roof"?
Eric Friesen: Yeah.
Maelstrom: Yeah, I'm not a big musical fan. So…
Eric Friesen: Oh, ok.
Maelstrom: I don't really like musicals, so that's why I
haven't seen it.
Eric Friesen: No, no, I don't blame you. Don't look for
it, it's not worth it. But it's quite different. I just liked it. My mom
was into musicals, and I was listenin' to this piece, goin' "man, I could
play that on electric guitar".
Maelstrom: Is your mom musically oriented too?
Eric Friesen: Well, my mom is into the variety stuff.
Maelstrom: What I meant is, does she play anything?
Eric Friesen: No, she doesn't play, but she listens to EVERYTHING.
This is my musical influence, if you want it in a nutshell. No, this is
a peanut shell. No, sunflower seed shell of my musical influence. My mom
is into everything from jazz, kind of Bette Midler musical crap, old musicals,
"Oklahoma", that kind of stuff. Glen Miller, a lot of obscure music, you
know, people clickin', (does his best impression), that kinda thing…
Maelstrom: Uh-huh. I'm waiting to hear "Immortal" in this.
Eric Friesen: Ooh…ooh ooh ooh. I think the hardest
she went…was…uh…oh, God, this is embarrassing. Elton
John, or something? No, Beatles. She likes Beatles. Beatles has got a
hell of a lot of rocking guitar for a mom to handle, let me tell ya.
Maelstrom: Hahaha!
Eric Friesen: Then, my dad is like into the acoustic guitar
thing. But the electric guitar is such a different way of playing. I had
to just teach myself how to do it. So, my dad's trying to learn how to
do it too, and it's like he's startin' all over again.
Maelstrom: So you might have another person on your Friesen
Hell stuff?
Eric Friesen: Eee-yeah. Yes. Unreleased, of course.
Maelstrom: That'd be great. Oh, so you've recorded some stuff?
Eric Friesen: Yeah. It's the father bonding…
Maelstrom: Like, instead of going fishing, you just make
some records.
Eric Friesen: Ya have to have some relationship with your
dad.
Maelstrom: That's good, man.
Eric Friesen: Because you need to borrow money. A lot! From
him… no, I'm kidding.
Maelstrom: (laugh)
ABOUT YNGWIE
Eric Friesen: My dad's doin' this Friesen family background
thing. I guess we're kind of a stuck up group.
Maelstrom: How is that?
Eric Friesen: Huh, the Freisens are known as a bunch of
snobs, I guess. I don't know why.
Maelstrom: Hanging inside your house, playing your little
instruments.
Eric Friesen: Germans, you know. You know how the Germans
are. They're really strict. They're really into discipline and stuff.
Maelstrom: I was reading about that. One of the guys that
helps put out this zine is German.
Eric Friesen: Do you guys read German?
Maelstrom: No, he IS German. He's in Germany.
Eric Friesen: Cause I got this Iron Pages review of South
Facing Epitaph, and it's all in German.
Maelstrom: Well, if you can send me a scan or a copy of it,
I'll send it to him.
Eric Friesen: The only thing I can read is "ein wienen guitaren
hero".
Maelstrom: HAHAHAHA!
Eric Friesen: You know, maybe that's a compliment. It might
not be, you know. Hehe. You never know, the interpretation. It reminds
me of a joke my catholic grandfather said. Some American girl travels
to Germany, she sees this guy taking a wiz on the side of the road and
she's like "oh, gross!", and he's like "danke". Of course, "gross" means
"big" in German. It's all in the interpretation. "Wienen guitar hero".
You know, some people think it's too much guitar "wankage". So maybe that's
for the "wiener".
Maelstrom: So, how do you respond to that? Because, frankly,
I gave this to a friend, and he was like "this isn't even music!". And
he likes black metal. He's a guitar guy himself. He's like, it's just
"widdling, noodling…"
Eric Friesen: Noodling?!?! Widdling, yeah, but noodling?
Come on! That's nitpicking, isn't it?
Maelstrom: So, what do you think, how do you respond to that?
Eric Friesen: I'll admit to widdling.
Maelstrom: …sucking Yngwie's dick…
Eric Friesen: What did you show him?
Maelstrom: Reflective Depths…
Eric Friesen: Yeah, it's a all bunch of crap.
Maelstrom: …it's all ripped off Yngwie…
Eric Friesen: Well, yeah, I definitely listen to Yngwie.
But, uh, ripped off from Yngwie? Uh, what do you mean?
Maelstrom: All the riffs are from Yngwie.
Eric Friesen: But it's either a major, a minor, or a harmonic
scale. And the faster you play it, the more it sounds like Yngwie. I mean,
yeah, I had to listen to Yngwie to realize that I was playing like Ratt's
guitar player does it, or the Eddie Van Halen cheat thing. You know, the
two hand tap thing. As soon as kids learned how to do that…and it's
the same thing with Yngwie. He does the arpeggio sweeps, and they sound
killer, but once you learn how to do 'em, they're really easy. It's hard
not to do it. It's like the first time you find your dick, it's like "hey!
It feels good to yank on this sucker!". You're ten, mom says "get your
hand outta your pants!". Now it's "I'll call the police", you know?
Maelstrom: Hahaha!
Eric Friesen: If you just stick with the thing that feels
good, and it's easy…Like, the scales that Yngwie does, it's really
hard to do that.
Maelstrom: Well, he is one of the most respected guitarists,
Eric Friesen: I can't stand him!
Maelstrom: What? As a person?
Eric Friesen: After his second album, I just went "oh, my
God…"
Maelstrom: I absolutely agree. His first album, I listen
to it, and even that's kinda cheesy.
Eric Friesen: But it seemed kinda tongue in cheek, ya know?
Maelstrom: Yeah, but for example,
Eric Friesen: (sings)"There's a hole in the sky…"
We did those songs live. I should send you a tape of my band Prophecy.
We did Yngwie songs. And, it's…hilarious!
Maelstrom: And the drum sound is so bad on that album.
Eric Friesen: Yeah.
Maelstrom: It sounds like the guy's cymbals don't reverb,
they just go (flat crunch) when he hits 'em. It's hilarious.
Eric Friesen: It's a weird tone. It's like way too much
overhead mic, or somethin'.
Maelstrom: It's bad.
Eric Friesen: It's like you can hear the smack of the drum
head louder than the drum. Same with the bass drums, too, they got this
weird clicking. I don't know. But you know who that drummer is? He was
a drummer for Jethro Tull.
Maelstrom: You know they're making a movie for…this
is so funny, I don't know why they're making this movie…I
don't see how anyone would want to see this. You know about the new singer
in Judas Priest? "Ripper" Owens?
Eric Friesen: Uuhh…
Maelstrom: Judas Priest lost Rob Halford years ago, and they
put out a new album a couple years ago. And now, they're making a movie
about the new singer (story) becoming part of Judas Priest. That's what
the movie's about.
Eric Friesen: And what a great success it's been?!
Maelstrom: I guess the angle is: small town person makes
it big, and is able to live out his dreams and become part of a major
rock band (except Judas Priest isn't major to people outside of metal).
They're calling the movie Metal Godz.
Eric Friesen: Oh, my GOD…
Maelstrom: It's like, who would see that?
Eric Friesen: How do you play that up? Small town band goes
from 300 demo units to 6000 worldwide…
Maelstrom: Well, no, it's not, because they already were
a band. But, they're really old now. So, this guy, he became part of Judas
Priest, but, like, who cares? Most people don't even like Judas Priest.
Eric Friesen: Last time Judas Priest was here, they played
at like a 25 person bar.
Maelstrom: Really?
Eric Friesen: And, less than half the people were there!
It's like, you notice these big bands like Dio and Judas Priest, you know,
giant arena bands, are playing these tiny little clubs.
Maelstrom: The reason I brought it up was, you know that
singer on the first (Yngwie) album, F. Scott Soto, or somethin'…
Eric Friesen: Jeff Scott Soto.
Maelstrom: Jeff Scott Soto, that's it. He's doing the vocals
on the movie for the actor, cause I guess the actor can't sing.
Eric Friesen: Cool! I like his voice.
Maelstrom: If it ever comes out.
Eric Friesen: You know, Jeff…I don't know if you ever
heard Jeff's album after Yngwie.
Maelstrom: What was it?
Eric Friesen: It was some other guitar player he was singing
for. It was some Japanese guy. Cause, my ex used to work for this production
company that managed Alice in Chains, Mother Love Bone (?). Every time
I'd pick 'er up from work, I'd be like. "Hey, what's this tape?" "oh,
I dunno, grab it." So, I'd have all these demo tapes, some of 'em (of)
famous people. Jeff Scott Soto had this whole album of him singin' with
this…it was weird, too, because, I had just read this article. Jeff
Scott's breakup with Yngwie, and he's just rankin' on 'im, sayin' "man,
the guy is a dick, I will never sing for some arrogant fucking guitar
player again." And here he is, with an arrogant fucking guitar player
again. But, um…
Maelstrom: Isn't he on the latest Yngwie?
Eric Friesen: No… He did two albums. That's it.
Maelstrom: You know who Albinoni is? That composer. You know
(hums some bars from Albinoni's "Adagio").
Eric Friesen: Oh!
Maelstrom: Yeah, there's a bit of Albinoni on that first
Yngwie. He plays Albinoni, and then he cuts into something else (classical).
It's like a medley with classical music, and it sounds really cheesy.
Eric Friesen: Wow, the first album?
Maelstrom: Yeah, it's like the fifth track.
Eric Friesen: No, that's "Icarus Dream Suite", isn't it?
Maelstrom: Yeah, but he's playing Albinoni.
Eric Friesen: Oh! nononono…Yeah. And then he comes
in with acoustic guitar, then it's his song.
Maelstrom: Yeah. But there's other composers in there, that
he's like, spliced together.
Eric Friesen: Aw, he's (stolen) a whole buncha stuff.
Maelstrom: But, if you didn't know anything about classical
music, you'd think it was Yngwie's composition. (he doesn't give credit
to the composers on the album)
Eric Friesen: Yeah, I know. I'm always hearin' stuff that
he's ripped off. Have you heard his new album? The one he did with the
orchestra?
Maelstrom: He did an orchestra one too?
Eric Friesen: I think it's released in Japan only. I have
a tape of it. A lot of the stuff, I'm like, "wait a minute, is this a
Bach song, or…" the riffs are identical.
Maelstrom: My friend who really likes him said - Yngwie came
and toured a little while ago, and it was all sold out and everything-
that he fired his singer two weeks into the tour. He's like "right", he
had his agent send the singer an email saying "well, we won't be needing
you anymore, bye." And Yngwie just did the rest of the tour without a
vocalist.
Eric Friesen: Dear John email…ouch.
Maelstrom: Have you seen his new album (War to End All
Wars)? It's just pictures of him.
Eric Friesen: What's the, Seventh Sign album? Have
you seen that one?
Maelstrom: No.
Eric Friesen: It's the worst album cover I've ever seen
in my life! (we need it for our Worst in Metal page! - Roberto)
It's just an extreme close up. You can see tow eyes, a nose, and there's
a big triangle his nose is in, and the colors are like purple and green.
It's like, oh my God! It looks like it was done out of some van or something.
But, he has his own label, now.
Maelstrom: Yeah, like the new one (album), the production
is pretty bad.
Eric Friesen: I can't help but be curious what he's doing.
His latest album, what is it? Facing the Animal?
Maelstrom: No, it's called War to End All Wars. And
it came out last year (2000).
Eric Friesen: Really?
Maelstrom: Yeah, the cover's really cool?
Eric Friesen: How did you get it?
Maelstrom: My friend got it. I think he bought it at Tower.
Eric Friesen: Huh…What's it like, same ol' crap?
Maelstrom: Well, I'm not that familiar with Yngwie.
I like the first one, I've heard the second one, and my friend's played
me snips of the other ones. Like, he played me some glam songs that suck.
Like, what's up with the glam stuff, man? It's too bad he did that for
so long. The guitars are really cool, when he plays his guitar solos.
Like, the second album, I wait around for the songs to take a rest, so
I can hear the solo.
Eric Friesen: Yeah, I always liked "I'm a Viking", even
though it's pure metal cheese.
Maelstrom: Yeah, it is.
Eric Friesen: I like it. It's so pompous, because, that
song, IS Yngwie. Yngwie Malmsteen, in Swedish, the origin of the name,
means "young Viking chief".
Maelstrom: It does?
Eric Friesen: Yeah.
Maelstrom: Oh, wow. Do you think that's his real name? Probably
not, huh?
Eric Friesen: No, it is his real name. I don't know why
anyone would think that'd be a good name to have to change their name
to.
Maelstrom: Yeah, really.
Eric Friesen: I will be… "Yingwee"! No. That's what
everyone calls him, though. I just want to say: I have to check up on
him. I owe him a lot. I really didn't realize how bad I was, I mean, how
much I had to go, before I heard him. I thought I was pretty good; I could
fake it pretty good. You know what I mean, like, move my fingers fast
enough so people would think I actually knew what I was doing. Then I
realized that there was a whole couple notches to go. A couple hundred
notches to go.
ABOUT ACOUSTIC GUITAR
Maelstrom: I'm always looking out for acoustic guitar albums.
There really aren't enough that satisfy what I want. What do you like,
that's acoustic guitar? To tell you the truth, a lot of Bach acoustic
guitar stuff, gets boring to me.
Eric Friesen: Yeah, no, there's a lot of classical music,
you use it to go to sleep to. It's like background stuff.
Maelstrom: It's like, a perfect example of being really technical,
and theoretically interesting, but…
Eric Friesen: It doesn't move you.
Maelstrom: Yeah, it doesn't move me.
Eric Friesen: I know what you mean, exactly. I have the
same problem. Searching and searching and searching, and just coming up
with nothing.
Maelstrom: The funny thing that happens is, I find that a
lot of my favorite acoustic guitar pieces are on these black metal albums.
Like, the intro to a song, or the interlude between songs. It's like,
"wow, that's really cool. I wish they made an entire album of that."
Eric Friesen: Yeah, there's a lot of those. But, you're
talkin' classical, aren't ya?
Maelstrom: Well, it doesn't have to be classical. I'm talking
about any acoustic guitar stuff.
Eric Friesen: Well, my first big influence was Leo Cacchi.
But, you know, I wouldn't recommend it. He has a variety of stuff. Some
of it is rag time pickin'. The first time I heard "Joy of Man's Desiring",
Bach, he played it, and it was cool. He did a whole bunch of stuff. 12
string. Bottle neck. I'm not into it now. I was into it…Ok! Here's
another one. Alex DeGrassi. You heard of him?
Maelstrom: Of course. I have one of his albums.
Eric Friesen: I used to listen to a lot of his stuff.
Maelstrom: Ok, so more of the new age type stuff, then.
Eric Friesen: Yeah, his albums, what was that one? Slow
Circle, or somthin'?
Maelstrom: I have one called The Water Garden, or
something like that. So, Slow Circle is good.
Eric Friesen: I dunno.
Maelstrom: Well, of course it has more of that new age (sound).
I mean, I'm not against new age, but it has more of that type…
Eric Friesen: If you don't wanna fall asleep, listenin'
to some earth muffin affirmation crap, then listen to that. Weird tunings,
too. Other acoustic (long pause)…William Ackerman?
Maelstrom: I have one of his albums too.
Eric Friesen: He's good. Great tone. Very mellow.
He doesn't get his toe tappin' hardly at all. But he's got a style. Mostly,
I started getting into the instrumental stuff. Alan Holdsworth. Or, what's
his face…you know…Dixie Dregs guitars…Dammit! Steve
Morris, that's his name. I really like his first album, the introduction.
It's not your kinda music. He's sorta taking country music and puttin'
double bass on it, and just rockin' it out, and playin' the shit outta
the thing. That's a good question, though.
Maelstrom: Cause, I mean, it's true. I'm not the only person
that's like, "man, where can I find some really cool acoustic guitar,
that's really moving, and emotional, and dynamic".
Eric Friesen: When I think of acoustic guitar, one out of
three things come to mind: classical, kinda strummin', whatever…
Maelstrom: Like Bob Dylan?
Eric Friesen: Yeah, but if it's gonna be acoustic guitar,
it can't be in the background. So, then you get kinda a folksy kind of
a…you know, if you play the guitar, you hafta play the melody with…you
can't just go off and solo without havin' nothin' to back you up.
Maelstrom: You know who Dave Matthews is, of course, right?
Eric Friesen: Yes.
Maelstrom: Have you heard his live album? It's all acoustic
guitar. It's him and this other guy playing all of Matthews songs.
Eric Friesen: I think I've heard a couple tracks.
Maelstrom: It's really good. Maybe I can make a copy of it
for you.
Eric Friesen: Yeah, he is really good. More in a song writing
way than…you know what I mean? His songs are really good, kind of
like the way he builds them up, and the structure. Really clever with
the lyrics.
ABOUT "TWIN PEAKS"
Maelstrom: "Twin Peaks" is one of my favorite things in
the world.
Eric Friesen: Oh! That's right. I gotta tell you about "Twin
Peaks". Geez…
Maelstrom: Oh my God, this is a great way to wrap up this
interview. It's gotten to the point, I don't know how real it is or not,
but, I'll always like to listen to Windham Hell, or even Friesen Hell,
cause, so many of the tones, not necessarily what the music sounds like,
but the tones- the feeling- of the music on there reminds me…it's
kinda like that creepy, Black Lodge, lounge type…I'm in the Black
Lodge, it's really strange…
Eric Friesen: Really? That comes across? Good, then.
Maelstrom: I don't know if that was intentional, or because
I listened to it while watching "Twin Peaks". I got into "Twin Peaks"
recently. This is really kinda pathetic…
Eric Friesen: Recently you've been watchin' the episodes?
Maelstrom: Yeah, my friend has 'em on tape.
Eric Friesen: No, no, don't feel bad, I've sat down and
watched every single episode.
Maelstrom: Are you kidding? I put my life on hold to watch
this show.
Eric Friesen: Oh, me too! Did you get good versions of the
last few episodes?
Maelstrom: What do you mean, "good versions"?
Eric Friesen: Well, the ones we got had these Japanese subtitles.
Maelstrom: No, no, we had good versions. (laugh)
Eric Friesen: Anyway, go ahead.
Maelstrom: There's a neighborhood in San Francisco called
Twin Peaks…
Eric Friesen: Oh, really?
Maelstrom: …and so when the show was originally on,
I thought, "pff, it's probably some stupid 'Streets of San Francisco'
ripoff cop show". I didn't want to watch it. And then, by the time I finally
figured out what it was, it was almost over. (laugh)
Eric Friesen: Yeah, when they were filmin' it here, I was
thikin', "'Twin Peaks'? What the hell?" It was like, totally seemed like
some kinda cheesy soap opera, or somethin'. David Lynch behind it? I mean,
I knew David Lynch. "The Elephant Man", an'…he's a nut. But anyway,
go ahead.
Maelstrom: So, anyway, the tones of the music, but even just
a cursory look at the albums, there's so many blatant references. Like,
"Glacier Walk in Me". Or, if you look a little closer at the liner notes,
it says "recorded behind Mo's Motor (as seen in the Twin Peaks movie "Firewalk
with Me".)
Eric Friesen: That's actually true.
Maelstrom: Yeah! So that's where you live? Behind Mo's Motor?
Eric Friesen: Well, that's in the movie.
Maelstrom: So, it's not actually called Mo's Motor?
Eric Friesen: Yes, it is.
Maelstrom: Oh.
Eric Friesen: Have you seen the movie, though? "Firewalk
with Me"?
Maelstrom: I was very disappointed, to tell you the truth.
(note to those who haven't seen "Twin Peaks": DON'T watch the movie before
you see the series! It'll ruin it!)
Eric Friesen: Seriously, you've seen the movie?
Maelstrom: Yes!
Eric Friesen: Ok, let me describe a scene, and tell me if
you recognize it. Now, um…
Maelstrom: Yeah, it's when Leland (Palmer) and Laura are
driving along in the car, and Leland has an attack…
Eric Friesen: My God, that's what I was going to say.
Maelstrom: …and Mike pulls up next to them and shows
them the ring…
Eric Friesen: Wait, someone told you this already.
Maelstrom: No, I've seen the movie!
Eric Friesen: How did you know I was gonna say that?
Maelstrom: Because I remember the scene!
Eric Friesen: Oh! Mo's Motor! (is in the scene)
Maelstrom: Yeah!
Eric Friesen: Yeah, my house is…you see them flying
into Mo's Motor? My house is about ten yards to the right.
Maelstrom: So, it's not behind.
Eric Friesen: It is, but…the house is to the right,
and I live in the back of the house. If I look out the window, I see behind
Mo's Motor.
Maelstrom: Do you remember them filimg that?
Eric Friesen: Oh, yeah! Oh, yeah! I jumped…I was taking
care of my three month old daughter at the time. I hear this screaming
outside, like somebody's fighting. But what they're saying doesn't make
any sense. Like, "what the hell are they saying? What!?". "The…the
strands will be torn!?!?!" What the hell? So, I walk outside, and there's
David Lynch and crew, and they've got the whole thing. I took my video
camera, and I walked to the end of my driveway, and I panned across, nice
and slow, and just kinda soaked it in. And when I went back in, and as
they did that scene, which is the crazy scene; the guy with the walker
going across the street, and there's that logging truck. That's my intersection,
right there.
Maelstrom: Wow.
Eric Friesen: A lot of that stuff, in the beginning, you
see him driving down the road on his motorcycle, which is right down the
street, here. A lot of weird things happened during that "Twin Peaks"
thing. A neighbor died, and Leland! He had some wacky shit. The name reference,
for onEric Friesen: Leland Windham..
Maelstrom: Yeah, Leland Palmer and Windham Earle (both characters
in the show). Like, did he change his name for this album?
Eric Friesen: Hahahaha! Nope, no. Leland Windham. Shit,
I used to go motorcycle riding with his brother before I even played guitar.
So, then other shit started happening, like this wrapped in plastic thing…
Maelstrom: Wait a second. Hang on. You went motorcycle riding
before you played guitar?
Eric Friesen: Uhh, yeah…I was like…nine or somethin'.
I went to school with his brother, and he was a little older. He was always
into motorcycles. I'd go down there with my motorcycle, and we'd get gassed
up, and Leland'd be like, playin', or there, I remember 'im…
Maelstrom: Did he have his own motorcycle?
Eric Friesen: No, he wasn't into it. He had his own, but
he didn't like riding.
Maelstrom: You had a little tiny motorcycle?
Eric Friesen: Yeah, an 80.
Maelstrom: Oh wow!
Eric Friesen: They, their dad was like a National Trials,
like, winner. So they had these trials bikes. Leland didn't like to ride,
though. His brother did. So, I went riding, and that's how I knew them.
And later on, he started going out with my sister, and then we hooked
up again.
Maelstrom: Oh, wow.
Eric Friesen: But, the wrapped in plastic thing is a freaky
thing. It blew me away. I couldn't believe it.
You know the song, "Wrapped in Plastique" (on South
Facing Epitaph)? Track ten, I believe.
Maelstrom: Yeah, that's it. "Plastique".
Eric Friesen: Yeah, he really wanted it to be spelled the
French way. I don't know why. Anyway. He wrote this song, and he was livin'
with his dad in this house when he wrote that song. A year later, when
we got together and recorded it. That was one of the first three songs
for that album that I was telling you about, for the demo. After about,
for a year, he moved out, and his dad was rentin' Leland's room to this
crazy guy who ended up killing his girlfriend in that room where Leland
wrote that song, and wrappin' her body in plastic, just like Laura Palmer.
He threw her in the river, and her body washed up in North Bend, just
like in the movie.
Maelstrom: Was this before the movie or was this after?
Eric Friesen: This was…after the movie. He wrote the
song before the movie and after the movie the guy killed the girl. I have
an article, a newspaper article. Yeah, it was weird, right in his room.
You know, they had to rip the carpet out, because of all the blood. And
there was another thing too…something about a green chair. Leland's
got these green chair references.
Maelstrom: Yeah, "Ashes in the Green Chair".
Eric Friesen: Yeah, that's my song, but he named it. It's
the Vivaldi thing.
Maelstrom: Oh, it is, isn't it?
Eric Friesen: But, you can do that. It's not illegal to
copy that old material.
Maelstrom: Oh, I see.
Eric Friesen: It's copyright free. What's the word for it?
Maelstrom: It's public domain?
Eric Friesen: Yeah. It has to be a certain age before you
can do that.
Maelstrom: So, are you not into mountain climbing? Is that
just Leland's thing?
Eric Friesen: Not into it at all. You have to be a particular
kind of person to scale a giant mountain early in the morning (I laugh),
and sleep there.
Maelstrom: So, I'm not gonna ask you about him, cause he's
not being interviewed.
Eric Friesen: No, go ahead!
Maelstrom: So, what does he do all day? Go climbing, then
he works, comes home and plays guitar?
Eric Friesen: Yeah, that's basically all there is to do
out here. He's not a real sociable person.
Maelstrom: Yeah, the editor of a magazine I write for interviewed
him, and she said he didn't say much. Hahahaha!
Eric Friesen: No, he likes the ambiguous answers, you know?
Maelstrom: I see.(laugh)
Eric Friesen: I can't even think of one. If I had a nickel
for every time I had to think of one of Leland's answers, I'd be dead.
Ok, that's one of his answers.
Maelstrom: I see.
Eric Friesen: You know what I mean, like in the movie? You
know, "Firewalk with Me". The girl (says) "if I had a nickel for every
cigarette your mom smoked, I'd be dead."
Maelstrom: Right. Yeah.
Eric Friesen: Leland uses that a lot. Sometimes it doesn't
apply…
Maelstrom: Yeah, it doesn't work out as well…(we laugh)
Eric Friesen: Sometimes it does. Sometimes he has some really
wacky answers.
Maelstrom: Was "Twin Peaks" very inspirational to the atmospheric,
creepy stuff that you do?
Eric Friesen: He likes David Lynch. Anything David Lynch,
he likes it. So, the "Twin Peaks" thing was like, you know, here we are
in Twin Peaks, and the fascination with the Black Lodge. Not a lot of
people know about it, cause it's WAY into the series. It's like the guy's
a genius, or it's a bunch of horse shit up there.
Maelstrom: Yeah, I honestly think that that series would
have gone longer if they hadn't of had that really lame period, after
they figured out Laura Palmer's murder? They had six episodes, or something,
that just SUCK!
Eric Friesen: Oh, I know, man.
Maelstrom: It just goes nowhere. And, by the time they got
it back on track, it was just too late.
Eric Friesen: Oh, when Windham Earle shows up, that's when
things get good.
Maelstrom: It starts to get better, yeah.
Eric Friesen: There's one other funny thing about…have
you heard of Jason Walton?
Maelstrom: It sounds familiar.
Eric Friesen: He's in another band. The Windham Hell/Nothing
split. We have a split tape. Anyway, they're from Montana. Missoula, Montana.
And there's a lot of that "Twin Peaks" (type) stuff in Missoula, Montana,
too. And, we put on e of those samples on there. What's the sample? It's
on the second release of Window of Souls. On the secret track on
Window of Souls there's a sample of Leland saying "you're going
back to Missoula, Montana".
Maelstrom: I don't remember.
Eric Friesen: Yeah, it is on there, but it's backwards.
But, there was a missing track on there that had it forwards. This guy
was really used to hearing it, and he just happened to have the show on
right when that sample was on, and…
Maelstrom: That's where Maddie ( a character on "Twin Peaks")
is from.
Eric Friesen: Missoula?
Maelstrom: Yeah.
Eric Friesen: Maddie?
Maelstrom: Maddie. Laura Palmer's cousin.
Eric Friesen: Ohh, Laura Palmer's other cousin.
Maelstrom: Who has black hair…
Eric Friesen: Who's actually Laura Palmer in disguise…
Maelstrom: She's from Missoula.
Eric Friesen: Yees, yes. Huhu. And when he sends her back,
he tries to send her through a picture on the wall. It's pretty sick.
We use those samples cause Leland likes the dark thing, and he likes the
Leland reference, you know? Anything with Leland in it. Like, the wife
screaming "Leland, don't!". "(Anything)…Leland" will fit. And then
there's Bob. He's got it all set up, it's nice. There's no Erics, though,
(in "Twin Peaks").
Maelstrom: No, unfortunately.
Eric Friesen: Well, maybe that's good. They're all a bunch
of psychos, anyway.
Maelstrom: Ha!
Eric Friesen: There's a Leland, there's Bob and then there's
Mike. Bob Antone on keyboard (and violin), and this guy Mike, he plays
on one tiny little chunk.
Maelstrom: What would Windham Hell be like if there hadn't
been "Twin Peaks". It'd be completely different, wouldn't it?
Eric Friesen: Hmmm. Well, yeah. It'd be like his demo.
Maelstrom: HAHAHAHA!
Eric Friesen: Which is "Simon Says: Die", "Group Murder
Suicide"…uhh..that kind of stuff. What is it? 80s death metal? There's
so many categories for it!
Maelstrom: It sounds like early Morbid Angel?
Eric Friesen: Slayer. Big Slayer influence.
Maelstrom: Who played drums for him?
Eric Friesen: It's a drum machine.
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