B.Balthazar
may 2003 - e-mail interview by SEB WOOd and Barbara H

Hello Troy here are the questions :

SWd: Did you record the songs on the Red Spider ep at the time when you recorded the Sweet Receiver ep ??

BB> hello there well no i recorded them at different times on my four track and at a friends house....whenever i can record i always try to....any time of the day or night

SWd: Are these new songs ??

BB> on the red spider ep...yes they are pretty new...you could ice skate to this i wrote a little while ago but its still fresh for me...

SWd: ‘You could ice skate to this’ sounds like a mockery, am I right ??

BB> its telling someone that here is a pretty song and you can listen to it when you ice skate even though we split but it might make you feel better to hear that i am still like this...that i am still B. you could laugh at me or cry to the memory while you ice skate but it will be a beautiful motion....  that’s the image i have of it

SWd: What’s your ice skating experience in Hawaii ??

BB> actually that the only place I’ve ever ice skated ...there is a cool ice rink and me and my friends used to take our skateboarding pads and have brutal ice wars...it was fun but it hurt.

BH: Melissa Auf Der Maur appears in the ‘you could ice skate to this’ video, is it one of the songs you’ve written for her album ?
 
BB> yes i recorded another version with her for her project...it was so fun and she sang tang and it was cool to work with her as she is really a nice person...we did 2 songs and she was on my video.

BH: how did you meet her ?

BB>  at a chokebore show many years ago in Canada then New-York and we’ve been friends ever since.

SWd: Do you know when the BBalthazar album is coming out ??

BB> as soon as i can find a great label to work with that wants to work on the album as hard as i do.

SWd: How does it feel to release BBalthazar cds on your own ?? Does it remind you of Chokebore at the beginning ??

BB> yes i like releasing the music myself for now but i do want to find a label so i can have better quality recordings.....that would be nice i would still do the lo-fi songs and then some big fat ones too.......the B.Balthazar feels very different from chokebore....its much much more intimate and fragile.

SWd: What are the news about Chokebore ??

BB> well I’m going to meet the guys in a few weeks in Berlin to play some music and work on the next album and get ready for the release of the live album.

SWd: I forgot to ask you this question last time about It’s a Miracle sleeve… It really reminds me of Love’s Forever Changes (and subsequently of Make-Up’s Sound Verite). Did you intend to do it ??

BB> no i didn’t even see it until it was done but i like the way it looks and i don’t know the other ones you mention

SWd: What do you think of Love and Arthur Lee ??

BB> i never heard of them...i don’t listen to much music really i just listen to the beating of my brain.

BH: after all these years spent playing music, what keeps you going ?

BB> the fact that i love it more than anything else in the world...it makes me feel so good and nothing else really makes me feel good.....i don’t really like too much in this world but I’ve found the one thing that i love and i wont leave it.

Stupid questions:

1) What’s your favourite pick-up line ??

i don’t remember...its been so long...i don’t use pickup lines man  i don’t have the time.

2) Do you know who is Miguel Alvarez ??

no sorry

3) Where have the good times gone ??

actually right now on this 1st B.Balthazar tour I’m having the best time of my life....its been so amazing to play like this so fragile every night with the music poking through my skin like bones...the good times are right now.

4) Would you marry me ??

I’m sorry i am heterosexual, we probably wouldn’t get along to well after a while.

C’mon man, Barbara’s a girl but obviously it’s hard to tell through e-mails…

5) Who is the best dancer in Italy ??

christina aguilera.....the best in the WORLD

6) What freaks the hell out of you ??

christina aguilera

7) Who kicks out the jams ??

my grand ma ....may she rest in peace

8) What is your favourite curse word ??

christina aguilera 

9) What’s automatic for the people ??

uuummmmmm

10) Where’s the party ??

at the B.Balthazar shows man of course........fucking party....

BB> i hope you like the answers. thanks a lot man   talk to you soon    B.

BH & SWd: thanks for answering so quickly… take care...

Ps: Angus Anderson checked Bbalthazar’s website a few days after we received his answers and there is more news about Chokebore:

“hello this is b.balthazar here and i want to say thank you to the nice people who have come to the b.balthazar shows... i'm having a great time..... i am writing to tell you all that chokebore is planning a new and great live album to be released in september on pale blue... it will be cool with some special weird tracks also !!...... i'm going to germany soon to play some music with the rest of chokebore for a week and play a festival..... i think we will find some good new sounds to add to the next album that we are now writing...... better and more beautiful that is what we want to find...... i hope all of you are feeling good and i will try to make some music that will make you feel even better...... we will announce the name of the live album soon..... should be cool   i can't wait”

Ain’t that nice ??

/june 1st 2003/