Consolidated Interview

The Consolidated Interview/ Consolidated Live

I was nervous dialing the digits which would connect me to Phillip Steir of Consolidated. I mean, I was totally unprepared for this interview. I was informed at 1:00 pm that he was available at 1:30pm for the interview, so I had less than a half an hour to come up with questions to ask him. I quickly put together some questions and got a couple of sheets of blank paper to write his responses upon.

The phone rang three times and he answered on the fourth. I stuttered an introduction and told him I was a big fan of Consolidated. That was a geeky move, I thought. I the quickly apologized and explained that I was nervous about speaking to him. He wanted to know why, so I told him.

Me: “Well, it’s just that, you know, you guys are so… politically correct. I mean, I’m afraid to say the wrong thing and piss you off.”

Phillip: “Hey, man, it’s okay. Relax. I’m a person just like you. If we have different opinions, we have different opinions. That’s it.”

I felt a bit better. He had a very soothing voice. I took a deep breath and began the interview:

Me: “When did Consolidated begin?”

Phillip: “We began in 1989. Adam Sherbourne and Mark Pistel were in a band called Until December. Adam knew me from my drum work with Shy Hands. We all had common perceptions regarding life and decided to work together.”

Me: “Where did you get the name Consolidated?”

Phillip: “We got it from the side of a truck. (Laughs) We saw a truck from Consolidated Trucking Co. We figured it sounded good, so we made it fit.”

Me: “Apart from the live bits included on your tapes, what has the feedback been on your albums? How do people in power react to your lyrics?”

Phillip: “We haven’t had any official reactions from any people in power, like politicians or anything. But record stations have always been banning us and now even college stations have pulled our discs off their playlists.”

Me: “Where do you get your information from, like all the horrifying facts presented in ‘Informoddities ’92’?”

Phillip: “Lot’s of research. We collect articles on a daily basis from national newspapers and Leftist publications like the Village Voice and other sources.”

Me: “Why didn’t you include rapper Murder One’s rap on your last album friendly fascism? He begins to rap and then it fades out.”

Phillip: “Murder One didn’t want to be included on the album. Since his performance with us was spur-of-the-moment, his rap was a compilation of other people’s material and he didn’t want any problems legal or otherwise.”

Me: “Did the experience with Murder One influence you into inviting the three guest rappers featured on your new disc Play More Music?”

Phillip: “In some ways, yeah. We wanted different voices on this record to show a cross cultural perspective on issues.”

Me: “Many themes on your albums are anti-war and anti-violence. You often preach peace and unity, and that hatred and violence cannot be justified. But on the track ‘Guerrillas in the Mist’ rapper Paris expresses a great deal of violence toward oppressive White America. Do you think that the violence expressed by Paris is justified?”

Phillip: “No. That is Paris’ point of view and he indulges in his right to express it. You can never justify killing anyone… except Ted Nuget. (Small laugh, then serious) Man, he shoots animals with razor tipped arrows for fun. I have a video of him doing it.”

Me: “Hey I don’t like Ted Nuget anyway. (We both laugh) What is your reaction to the Oregon proposition that would make Homosexuality illegal and on the same level as Bestiality?”

Phillip: “Horrified! Adam just moved to Oregon and he is outraged. I think he’s going to have to get out of there and move back to San Francisco… after voting against it, of course.”

Me: “Are any members of Consolidated gay?”

Phillip: “No. We are all bisexual. Not all of us have acted upon it, but I think that deep down everyone in the world basically is.”

Me: “I’ve been saying that for years! I am also bisexual.”

Phillip: “Tell me, do you get prejudiced against by the gay community?”

Me: “Yes. Many gay people and straight people feel that I am a closet case and that I should make a choice. They don’t understand that I am happy with and equally attracted to members of both sexes.”

Phillip: “I know the feeling. It’s a shame too, because there should be acceptance and unity among people of all sexual preferences, not division.”

Me: “‘Accept Me for What I Am’ is my favorite track off the new album. It is very inspiring. I really appreciate all the support and attention you guys have given to Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual rights. The musical style of the song is very reminiscent of The Red Hot Chili Peppers’ style. Was the nod to the Peppers flattering or sarcastic?”

Phillip: “Sarcastic. The Peppers play good music but they make homophobic and sexist comments. C’mon. ‘Suck My Kiss’ really means ‘Suck My Dick’ and we all know that. Most of that macho ‘Alternative Rock’ is so pro-heterosexual. We wanted to show that the musical style can be used to convey alternate viewpoints; In this case, a gay point of view.”

Me: “And you do succeed with that one. Pardon the pun. (We both laugh) Speaking of sucking, I love ‘You Suck.’ Who are The Yeastie Girls?”

Phillip: “They are a feminist rap group from San Francisco. We heard them play and asked them to do a song with us. We wrote the music and they wrote the lyrics. It’s a great song because it shows that the penis is completely unnecessary in female satisfaction. Guys are always so proud of their dicks and this song basically tells them that their dicks are useless.”

Me: “What are some of your favorite bands?”

Phillip: “I like everything: Avant-Garde, Rap, Metal. But not misogynous Rap and Metal. I love the Beastie Boys, L7, Sinead O’Connor, Corrosion of Conformity, and Skinny Puppy.”

Me: “It’s great that you can criticize yourselves on the tracks “Hip O’ Crits” and “Industry Corporate.” Do you find that some of the rights that you fight for conflict with one another?”

Phillip: “No. I don’t believe in rights to make others suffer. I believe you have a right to do whatever you want as long as it doesn’t infringe, nor hurt, other people’s freedom.”

Me (trying not to sound like I’m buttering him up): “My sentiments exactly. So what’s next for Consolidated?”

Phillip: “When we finish off our East Coast tour, we head off to Europe. We’ll be back in the states and touring until the end of March. We like European crowds because they are so much more educated and well-informed than the Americans. And they don’t slam dance!”

We ended the interview and exchanged our final pleasantries. I told him that I was on the guest list to see their October 29^th show at The Marquee and he expressed interest in meeting up with me backstage (the buttering up worked!). I said I’d be there and we said goodbye.

After hanging up the phone, I felt much more confident and inspired. He sounded like a very nice and understanding person and not the least bit as intimidating as I feared. I felt good about meeting the group face to face.

The night of the concert, Chris, Jimmy and I headed into the city. We drove in the spacious comfort of Jimmy’s Dad’s van. We arrived about an hour early and found quick and easy parking. We went to a deli and had great ziti and lasagna. We even got serenaded by a bizarre, yet talented Ethel Merman impersonator in the deli. The night seemed just about perfect; but, as usual, something went wrong.

We got up to the concert door and Chris went over to the fat doorman. Flashing his press pass, and speaking in his most professional voice he said: “Yes, my name is Chris Farley, Assistant Arts and Entertainment Editor for the Kean College Independent. My two guests and I are on Consolidated’s guest list…”

Jimmy and I watched as the fat guy scanned the sheet in front of him. He scanned a bit too quick, we thought. After less than a second, he looked up and shook his head. “I ain’t seen a Farley here,” he said.

I stepped up, introduced myself (not quite as rehearsed as Chris did), and asked if my name was on the list. The answer was negative. I asked to see the list, and he refused. To make a painfully long story short, the bastard wouldn’t let us in.

It seems our connection at I.R.S. Records forgot to put our names on the list. At this point we had three choices: pay to get in, go home, or wait around to see if our connection would show up to the show and hope that he could straighten things out. We decided to wait around for a while to give him a chance.

While we waited, we met a strange array of college students who were in town for the CMJ and one very drunk, effeminate guy with dirty jeans and a cake-smeared face who offered us some of the “Community Cake” he carried in his hands. Don’t ask.

Eventually, after missing three of the six bands, including Bad Brains, we gave in and bought tickets from a scalper for four bucks off the regular price (What a Bargain!). When we entered, some hardcore band was on stage and Chris disappeared into the slam dancing pit. Jimmy and I sat in a dark corner and flirted with each other in a very manly fashion.

Another band took the stage and we decided to join the crowd and watch. The band was Basehead and they were amazing. I loved them, and so I decided to get their album and review it soon. During the set I noticed Chris with a group of four girls. He was lighting their cigarettes and talking to them. I also noticed that the girls couldn’t be more than fourteen each and I laughed to myself. Let him figure it out, I thought.

When Consolidated went on stage, my heart began to pound. They were so powerful live! They opened their set with ‘Tool & Die’ and from then on performed and extra long set consisting of new and old material in perfect balance. Among the highlights of the show were ‘This Is Fascism,’ ‘Crackhouse,’ and ‘Unity of Oppression.’ They implemented video screens in the show that flashed images pertaining to the songs. Some were shocking, yet necessary. They showed disturbingly graphic films shot in slaughterhouses of cattle being killed. And during the song ‘Typical Male (Thinks with his Dick)’ they showed various scenes taken from pornographic films showing male aggression toward women and male masturbation and ejaculation inter-cut with many ‘Typical Males’ like George Bush and Clarence Thomas.

When the time came for audience participation, they handed microphones to the audience and let them express how they felt. The most touching comment came from a young lady who read out loud a letter that her father had sent her condemning her homosexuality and her choice to be with the woman she loves. Most of the discussions, however, centered on the coming election and whether or not we should bother to vote.

After the discussions were over, Consolidated closed the show by doing a fantastic cover version of Neil Young’s ‘Rocking In the Free World.’ It was performed using only a guitar, base, and acoustic drums- instruments not normally associate with electronic bands like Consolidated. They managed to make the song sound fresh and new and it brought a whole new interpretation of the song into my mind. It was astounding and cathartic.

Despite the bullshit we had to deal with to see the show, we all agreed it was definitely worth it. We left the show feeling a bit wiser and more socially aware. Consolidated are very powerful on tape. But unless you see them live, you are only getting half of the meaning of the group’s ‘Message to the People.’