Interview
Updated 1st February 2012
HOW NINA SIMONE NEARLY MURDERED MUSIC, RUBICKS FOR GROUPIES AND KILLING CAPITALISM WITH YOUR SHOES, IT COULD ONLY BE...
MY TINY ROBOTS
EXCITEMENT AND DEPRESSION
Unpeeled: Why release three related singles and not two, or four or seven?
MTR: Because we felt that they formed the three edges of an irregular, but attractive musical polygon. Because they were the three sides of a four dimensional coin, that together they made a whole. Also, because we'd recorded three songs!
Unpeeled: And how are they related?
MTR: They aren't!
Unpeeled: How would you define success for an MTR release?
MTR: Two things - Firstly that we don't lose any money and secondly, that people who we don't know, tell us they like it or it means something to them.
Unpeeled: Are you excited by the
prospect of success or depressed
by the near certainty of failure and
how do you define either for MTR?
MTR: We are both excited by
the prospect of success and
bleakly depressed by the near
certainty of failure. There is
always that tiny pinprick of hope
flickering somewhere in the
distance, that means you carry
on writing, but at the same time,
it is flickering
through a pretty big yawning chasm of “You should get a proper job you know”
We only ask because there's been a depressing lack of '........................ (insert bogeyman du jour) is killing the music industry' headlines recently, so we'd like to know what you think is killing the music industry?
Tedium? Apathy? An ever increasing conservatism on the part of those in the industry with the power/cash to produce something interesting.
Unpeeled: Why release three related singles and not two, or four or seven?
MTR: Because we felt that they formed the three edges of an irregular, but attractive musical polygon. Because they were the three sides of a four dimensional coin, that together they made a whole. Also, because we'd recorded three songs!
Unpeeled: And how are they related?
MTR: They aren't!
Unpeeled: How would you define success for an MTR release?
MTR: Two things - Firstly that we don't lose any money and secondly, that people who we don't know, tell us they like it or it means something to them.
Unpeeled: Are you excited by the
prospect of success or depressed
by the near certainty of failure and
how do you define either for MTR?
MTR: We are both excited by
the prospect of success and
bleakly depressed by the near
certainty of failure. There is
always that tiny pinprick of hope
flickering somewhere in the
distance, that means you carry
on writing, but at the same time,
it is flickering
through a pretty big yawning chasm of “You should get a proper job you know”
We only ask because there's been a depressing lack of '........................ (insert bogeyman du jour) is killing the music industry' headlines recently, so we'd like to know what you think is killing the music industry?
Tedium? Apathy? An ever increasing conservatism on the part of those in the industry with the power/cash to produce something interesting.
PEACHES, TECHNOLOGY AND CHICKEN
Unpeeled: So, technology and the ability to transform a bedsit into Trident Studios isn't helping?
MTR: On the contrary! The enormous advances in cheaply available recording technology mean that if you have the skill and the time it's possible to achieve production values for next to
nothing, that would have
been impossible ten
years ago, let alone
twenty, but bands aren't
held back by poor
production values
(Unless they want to be
Bon Jovi or something).
While its getting easier
and easier all the time to
record music, its getting
harder and harder to break into the hegemony of the industry infrastructure without compromising the music you want to make.
Unpeeled: Fair enough, but what should kill music?
MTR: The most incredible song ever, that couldn't possibly ever be bettered.
Unpeeled: Aside from the obvious MTR contenders, please name a few of those incredible songs...
MTR: Well thankfully for us the mystical song to end all songs has yet to be written, but there are some pretty incredible candidates.
As a classic pop song, you'd have to go a long way to beat “This Charming Man” by The Smiths or Nina Simone's “My Baby Just Cares For Me". For songs its impossible to hear without being moved by, maybe “Thousand Dollar Wedding” by Gram Parsons or “Anything you love that much, you will see again” by Joe Gideon and the Shark. For titles alone, you'd have to include “Steak for Chicken” by Moldy Peaches and “Milkman Of Human Kindness” by Billy Bragg, even if they didn't have an uncanny
habit of conjuring up a welter of images in a few words.
Unpeeled: So, technology and the ability to transform a bedsit into Trident Studios isn't helping?
MTR: On the contrary! The enormous advances in cheaply available recording technology mean that if you have the skill and the time it's possible to achieve production values for next to
nothing, that would have
been impossible ten
years ago, let alone
twenty, but bands aren't
held back by poor
production values
(Unless they want to be
Bon Jovi or something).
While its getting easier
and easier all the time to
record music, its getting
harder and harder to break into the hegemony of the industry infrastructure without compromising the music you want to make.
Unpeeled: Fair enough, but what should kill music?
MTR: The most incredible song ever, that couldn't possibly ever be bettered.
Unpeeled: Aside from the obvious MTR contenders, please name a few of those incredible songs...
MTR: Well thankfully for us the mystical song to end all songs has yet to be written, but there are some pretty incredible candidates.
As a classic pop song, you'd have to go a long way to beat “This Charming Man” by The Smiths or Nina Simone's “My Baby Just Cares For Me". For songs its impossible to hear without being moved by, maybe “Thousand Dollar Wedding” by Gram Parsons or “Anything you love that much, you will see again” by Joe Gideon and the Shark. For titles alone, you'd have to include “Steak for Chicken” by Moldy Peaches and “Milkman Of Human Kindness” by Billy Bragg, even if they didn't have an uncanny
habit of conjuring up a welter of images in a few words.
Tonight, Matthew, I'm going to be Jon Bon Jovi
SAVING MUSIC, TOO MUCH BOTHER?
Unpeeled: And what could save
music?
MTR: A grand uprising of the
outsiders, the geeks, the
peculiarly coiffeured and all
those who think music and art
and flm can't be measured in
terms of units shifted and bums
on seats.
Unpeeled: And why should we
bother?
MTR: Because the alternative is
unthinkable! Did you watch any
of Charlie Brooker's “Black
Mirror”? For all that it was
essentially a dark comedy, the
second episode was one of the
most terrifying things I have ever
seen. It was so close to where we are now that it was truly frightening.
Unpeeled: Yes, astonishing, brilliant, terrifying and a massive return to form after some cringe worthy newspaper columns and tv appearances, but do you ever see any of MTR getting in front of cameras, a la 'Performance', or maybe a Hammer House remake of 'Half A Sixpence'?
MTR: Without hesitation. Although hopefully more David Bowie in “The Man Who Fell To Earth” than Mariah Carey in 'Glitter'. Perhaps a live action remake of Fantasia in the style of Werner Herzog?
Unpeeled: And what could save
music?
MTR: A grand uprising of the
outsiders, the geeks, the
peculiarly coiffeured and all
those who think music and art
and flm can't be measured in
terms of units shifted and bums
on seats.
Unpeeled: And why should we
bother?
MTR: Because the alternative is
unthinkable! Did you watch any
of Charlie Brooker's “Black
Mirror”? For all that it was
essentially a dark comedy, the
second episode was one of the
most terrifying things I have ever
seen. It was so close to where we are now that it was truly frightening.
Unpeeled: Yes, astonishing, brilliant, terrifying and a massive return to form after some cringe worthy newspaper columns and tv appearances, but do you ever see any of MTR getting in front of cameras, a la 'Performance', or maybe a Hammer House remake of 'Half A Sixpence'?
MTR: Without hesitation. Although hopefully more David Bowie in “The Man Who Fell To Earth” than Mariah Carey in 'Glitter'. Perhaps a live action remake of Fantasia in the style of Werner Herzog?
Not
Yoko
Yoko
SHOE CARE AND BANKING WITH MY TINY
ROBOTS
MTR: Sorry! Everything
got a bit dark there.
Ask us something with
less scope for
seriousness!
Unpeeled: No problem,
what's your top three tips
for young people looking
to overthrow the
capitalist system?
MTR: Hmmm, ignoring
all reservations about
whether Robots are qualified to give advice on ways to destabilise international economic systems, here we go!
1. Buy less stuff. Do more stuff. Don't waste your resources acquiring nonsense you inevitably don't need, when you could be using those resources to achieve or experience extraordinary things. (N.B this does not apply to Robots records which are, of course, essential in breaching the bourgeois preconceptions of
contemporary society.)
2. Create your own political doctrine. Remember the choice of facial hair has always been important for political thinkers. One only has to compare and contrast Adolf Hitler and Ken Livingstone, to see how the slightest slip of the Remington Tacheaway can cause huge disparities in belief systems.
3. Remove all your money from the bank and keep it in a shoe. This will not only undermine the foundations of the capitalist regime, but will make your shoes last longer.
Next week My Tiny Robots will be discussing Keynesian theory and the principals of interventionism.
Unpeeled: I'm afraid not, we've got Danny Alexander in to talk about his new concept album, "Self Harming In The Treasury".
ROBOTS
MTR: Sorry! Everything
got a bit dark there.
Ask us something with
less scope for
seriousness!
Unpeeled: No problem,
what's your top three tips
for young people looking
to overthrow the
capitalist system?
MTR: Hmmm, ignoring
all reservations about
whether Robots are qualified to give advice on ways to destabilise international economic systems, here we go!
1. Buy less stuff. Do more stuff. Don't waste your resources acquiring nonsense you inevitably don't need, when you could be using those resources to achieve or experience extraordinary things. (N.B this does not apply to Robots records which are, of course, essential in breaching the bourgeois preconceptions of
contemporary society.)
2. Create your own political doctrine. Remember the choice of facial hair has always been important for political thinkers. One only has to compare and contrast Adolf Hitler and Ken Livingstone, to see how the slightest slip of the Remington Tacheaway can cause huge disparities in belief systems.
3. Remove all your money from the bank and keep it in a shoe. This will not only undermine the foundations of the capitalist regime, but will make your shoes last longer.
Next week My Tiny Robots will be discussing Keynesian theory and the principals of interventionism.
Unpeeled: I'm afraid not, we've got Danny Alexander in to talk about his new concept album, "Self Harming In The Treasury".
AND NOW, BACK TO THE RECORDS
Unpeeled: We're aware of the olde Franco-Caledonian connections, but why 'Zut Alors' and not 'Hot Damn'?
MTR: Why not both? All robot
songs are written by thinking of
an improbable title, then
allowing lyrical nature to take
its often sticky course. All
alliances are valid regardless of
from whence they came. Hot
Damn will be tipped directly
into the song creation melange.
Unpeeled: Talking of olde, David
Bowie once claimed that all his
lyrics were written by hacking random words from newspapers, obviously a fib, but how did MTR incorporate US Marine slang with praise for The Peoples Friend?
Defnitely nothing as sophisticated as Bowie's technique, more a case of letting somewhat overactive imaginations run riot! Although the lyric in question is actually “Fire in the hold” rather than “Fire in the hole” as most people hear it. Oddly one reviewer took that song (Rock Bossa Nova Fourbeat Black) a wee bit literally and somehow interpreted the line about gypsy gold, as a fascist call to arms! Not really what we'd had in mind!!
Unpeeled: You should know that it's now 'Fire in the hole' by popular acclaim, it's out there now and no longer belongs to you alone, how do you feel about that?
MTR: If you're hoping for some sort of “Hey, our music is for the people, let them decide” response, then we shall have to disappoint, but rather that than us being used as the soundtrack to Marine Le Pen's presidential campaign, due to an unfortunate misunderstanding!
Unpeeled: We're aware of the olde Franco-Caledonian connections, but why 'Zut Alors' and not 'Hot Damn'?
MTR: Why not both? All robot
songs are written by thinking of
an improbable title, then
allowing lyrical nature to take
its often sticky course. All
alliances are valid regardless of
from whence they came. Hot
Damn will be tipped directly
into the song creation melange.
Unpeeled: Talking of olde, David
Bowie once claimed that all his
lyrics were written by hacking random words from newspapers, obviously a fib, but how did MTR incorporate US Marine slang with praise for The Peoples Friend?
Defnitely nothing as sophisticated as Bowie's technique, more a case of letting somewhat overactive imaginations run riot! Although the lyric in question is actually “Fire in the hold” rather than “Fire in the hole” as most people hear it. Oddly one reviewer took that song (Rock Bossa Nova Fourbeat Black) a wee bit literally and somehow interpreted the line about gypsy gold, as a fascist call to arms! Not really what we'd had in mind!!
Unpeeled: You should know that it's now 'Fire in the hole' by popular acclaim, it's out there now and no longer belongs to you alone, how do you feel about that?
MTR: If you're hoping for some sort of “Hey, our music is for the people, let them decide” response, then we shall have to disappoint, but rather that than us being used as the soundtrack to Marine Le Pen's presidential campaign, due to an unfortunate misunderstanding!
Hmmm, gypsy gold
ANKST & INDUSTRY, TOGETHER AT LAST!
Unpeeled: There's a lovely little pause on 'Guild Of Defants', two minutes in, was that a defant, down tools moment, or arty ankst?
MTR: It was a brief and rapidly
resolved period of industrial
action, brought about by a
change in working hours and
short term benefits. There was
a quarter second of arty angst,
but normal working patterns
were reintroduced as soon as
the blue smarties were
removed.
Unpeeled: Staying with arty ankst,
which, from the Scottish
perspective, is the more of an
embarrassment, Franz Ferdinand
or Dawn Of The Replicants?
MTR: If you're hoping to entice us into slagging off other bands, you've picked the wrong two victims. Much as the label “arty angst” might be laid squarely at the door of Franz Ferdinand, they have cracked out a fair share of fine tunes and always (to our knowledge) conducted themselves in a polite and courteous manner and surely no one could describe Dawn Of The Replicants as angsty? Plus Paul Vickers is one of the nicest people you could want to meet and has a sideline in surreal puppet theatre. Defnitely a missed opportunity there! There are some truly cringeworthy bands that we are ashamed to share a country with, but you will have to save that for next time!
Unpeeled: There's a lovely little pause on 'Guild Of Defants', two minutes in, was that a defant, down tools moment, or arty ankst?
MTR: It was a brief and rapidly
resolved period of industrial
action, brought about by a
change in working hours and
short term benefits. There was
a quarter second of arty angst,
but normal working patterns
were reintroduced as soon as
the blue smarties were
removed.
Unpeeled: Staying with arty ankst,
which, from the Scottish
perspective, is the more of an
embarrassment, Franz Ferdinand
or Dawn Of The Replicants?
MTR: If you're hoping to entice us into slagging off other bands, you've picked the wrong two victims. Much as the label “arty angst” might be laid squarely at the door of Franz Ferdinand, they have cracked out a fair share of fine tunes and always (to our knowledge) conducted themselves in a polite and courteous manner and surely no one could describe Dawn Of The Replicants as angsty? Plus Paul Vickers is one of the nicest people you could want to meet and has a sideline in surreal puppet theatre. Defnitely a missed opportunity there! There are some truly cringeworthy bands that we are ashamed to share a country with, but you will have to save that for next time!
Charlie
Drake
impersonates
Paul Vickers...
Drake
impersonates
Paul Vickers...
OMNICHORDS AND MUCKY SCRABBLE GROUPIES
Unpeeled: The press often talk about
'responsibilty to' an audience, do MTR,
apart from turning up and playing, feel
any wider responsibilty to their fans?
MTR: If we ever felt that we were
just “turning up and playing”, we
would quit immediately. We've all
seen too many bands going through
the motions and its horrible. If
people have spent their entire day
working in a shit job having their
soul slowly sucked out of them and
then paid money to come and see
you play, then the very least you
owe them is to knock out the best
performance you possibly can.
Unpeeled: Highly commendable, but we
were looking for a less serious answer
that had MTR helping groupies with their
homework, come to think of it, do MTR
have many groupies?
MTR: Oh! Sorry for the confusion. We have lots of groupies, but as a rule, they tend to be more of the “ What type of power supply do you use for your omnichord?” sort, than the “Can we come back to your hotel room and play mucky scrabble?” kind. Although both are good. As for homework, the closest we have come is teaching completion of the Rubick's cube to bemused fans.
Unpeeled: Is it important that people use 'there' and 'their' correctly?
MTR: It is imperative that correct grammar is used at all times. Robots very nearly split an infnitive two questions ago and we would have struggled to live with the shame of it.
Unpeeled: The press often talk about
'responsibilty to' an audience, do MTR,
apart from turning up and playing, feel
any wider responsibilty to their fans?
MTR: If we ever felt that we were
just “turning up and playing”, we
would quit immediately. We've all
seen too many bands going through
the motions and its horrible. If
people have spent their entire day
working in a shit job having their
soul slowly sucked out of them and
then paid money to come and see
you play, then the very least you
owe them is to knock out the best
performance you possibly can.
Unpeeled: Highly commendable, but we
were looking for a less serious answer
that had MTR helping groupies with their
homework, come to think of it, do MTR
have many groupies?
MTR: Oh! Sorry for the confusion. We have lots of groupies, but as a rule, they tend to be more of the “ What type of power supply do you use for your omnichord?” sort, than the “Can we come back to your hotel room and play mucky scrabble?” kind. Although both are good. As for homework, the closest we have come is teaching completion of the Rubick's cube to bemused fans.
Unpeeled: Is it important that people use 'there' and 'their' correctly?
MTR: It is imperative that correct grammar is used at all times. Robots very nearly split an infnitive two questions ago and we would have struggled to live with the shame of it.
'Custard' is a triple
word score!
word score!
BOB CAROLGEES IS COOL, BONO ISN'T
Unpeeled: Staying with
responsibilty, who is the biggest
hypocrite, Bob or Bono?
MTR: Without knowing Bob's tax
evasion record, it would be hard
to say. This is assuming that you
mean Geldof rather than Dylan,
Mould or Carolgees?
Unpeeled: We really like the idea of
replacing Geldof with Bob Carolgees
and in exchange for that lovely
mental image, please pass this
around... www.bonocunt.com
MTR: Oh dear! Even allowing for
our sketchy grasp of
international tax law, that
doesn't exactly highlight Bono as
a beacon of integrity. Still, as
long as Bob Carolgees is still
one of the good guys, then we
have something to hold on for.
Unpeeled: We've been talking to
Gareth, via the magic of email and saying nice things about MTR, mainly because he didn't declare that he was the MTR drummer, should we feel cheap and used?
MTR: You shouldn't feel like you have been tossed aside like a soiled duvet. Gareth has been living a double life since he was a small child and often refers to himself in the third person. Having said that, he often pretends he is in other bands, so that he can accept compliments on their behalf as well, so it all evens out.
Unpeeled: Tell us about the last, worst or most entertaining example of MTR being cheapened and used, individually or collectively... (References to interviews with Unpeeled will not be honoured)
MTR: We were once made to dress as robots by a particularly unimaginative photographer. Anyone who has seen the “Flight of the conchords” episode where they flm a music video on a mobile phone, will be able to envisage the inherent lack of dignity.
Unpeeled: Staying with
responsibilty, who is the biggest
hypocrite, Bob or Bono?
MTR: Without knowing Bob's tax
evasion record, it would be hard
to say. This is assuming that you
mean Geldof rather than Dylan,
Mould or Carolgees?
Unpeeled: We really like the idea of
replacing Geldof with Bob Carolgees
and in exchange for that lovely
mental image, please pass this
around... www.bonocunt.com
MTR: Oh dear! Even allowing for
our sketchy grasp of
international tax law, that
doesn't exactly highlight Bono as
a beacon of integrity. Still, as
long as Bob Carolgees is still
one of the good guys, then we
have something to hold on for.
Unpeeled: We've been talking to
Gareth, via the magic of email and saying nice things about MTR, mainly because he didn't declare that he was the MTR drummer, should we feel cheap and used?
MTR: You shouldn't feel like you have been tossed aside like a soiled duvet. Gareth has been living a double life since he was a small child and often refers to himself in the third person. Having said that, he often pretends he is in other bands, so that he can accept compliments on their behalf as well, so it all evens out.
Unpeeled: Tell us about the last, worst or most entertaining example of MTR being cheapened and used, individually or collectively... (References to interviews with Unpeeled will not be honoured)
MTR: We were once made to dress as robots by a particularly unimaginative photographer. Anyone who has seen the “Flight of the conchords” episode where they flm a music video on a mobile phone, will be able to envisage the inherent lack of dignity.
MISUSED BY THE MILITARY
Unpeeled: We're liking the sly dig on your Facebook page that refers your 'infuences' to your current reviews and wondering what you think of the music press these days?
MTR: Just had to check Facebook to verify that! I think that's less a sly dig, than a willingness on our part to let other people fgure it out rather than trying to pin it down ourselves!
Unpeeled: Lovely, but what do you think of the music press these days?
MTR: Erm, Lovely? Handsome? Surely most musicians are just frustrated music journalists anyway?
Unpeeled: Eh? We think that most music journalists are fucking idiots, but we've gone all Paxman and are insisting on hearing about your actual influences.
MTR: Darn. Did we not cunningly evade that question?
Unpeeled: No.
MTR: Robots have a pretty broad range of individual tastes, but there are a few threads that we all probably share. The Beach Boys, Modest Mouse, Roxy Music, basically anyone who makes pop music with a bit of intelligence and a tendency not to take themselves too seriously.
Unpeeled: Mmmmm, Roxy Modest Beach Mouse, how did you come up the name My Tiny Robots?
MTR: From a book about swarms of robots of a molecular size that were invented for medical use, but inevitably ended up misused by the military with predictably dire consequences. Among other things.
Unpeeled: Staying with dire consequences, how would MTR advise a fresh faced and ruddily cheeked new band to respond to a negative review?
MTR: With a brave face and a magnanimous dignity.
Unpeeled: Very statesmanlike, but how do MTR respond to negative reviews?
MTR: Death threats.
Unpeeled: We are absolutely loving your 'Platinum Hits Vol IV'.
Unpeeled: We're liking the sly dig on your Facebook page that refers your 'infuences' to your current reviews and wondering what you think of the music press these days?
MTR: Just had to check Facebook to verify that! I think that's less a sly dig, than a willingness on our part to let other people fgure it out rather than trying to pin it down ourselves!
Unpeeled: Lovely, but what do you think of the music press these days?
MTR: Erm, Lovely? Handsome? Surely most musicians are just frustrated music journalists anyway?
Unpeeled: Eh? We think that most music journalists are fucking idiots, but we've gone all Paxman and are insisting on hearing about your actual influences.
MTR: Darn. Did we not cunningly evade that question?
Unpeeled: No.
MTR: Robots have a pretty broad range of individual tastes, but there are a few threads that we all probably share. The Beach Boys, Modest Mouse, Roxy Music, basically anyone who makes pop music with a bit of intelligence and a tendency not to take themselves too seriously.
Unpeeled: Mmmmm, Roxy Modest Beach Mouse, how did you come up the name My Tiny Robots?
MTR: From a book about swarms of robots of a molecular size that were invented for medical use, but inevitably ended up misused by the military with predictably dire consequences. Among other things.
Unpeeled: Staying with dire consequences, how would MTR advise a fresh faced and ruddily cheeked new band to respond to a negative review?
MTR: With a brave face and a magnanimous dignity.
Unpeeled: Very statesmanlike, but how do MTR respond to negative reviews?
MTR: Death threats.
Unpeeled: We are absolutely loving your 'Platinum Hits Vol IV'.
ARCHIVE: Yellow Ostrich. Prince Edward Island
MY TINY ROBOTS - THE INFO BURST
Websites: www.mytinyrobots.com
soundcloud.com/my-tiny-robots
www.facebook.com/MyTinyRobots
mytinyrobots.bandcamp.com/
Websites: www.mytinyrobots.com
soundcloud.com/my-tiny-robots
www.facebook.com/MyTinyRobots
mytinyrobots.bandcamp.com/