Interviews

Interviews: Neurosis

Interview conducted with Neurosis

SK: Scott Kelly
SVT: Steve Von Till
PI: Pete Inc.


Smother: How'd you guys get on this tour with Soulfly?

SK: We just got asked by their management. We've know each other for quite a while for six or seven years. It's been coming for a while, I think.

Smother: What's been the crowd reaction so far?

SVT: Most nights have been really good. Some nights there's some shouting matches between the people who want to shout for Soulfly and the one crazy Neurosis fan that wants to try to shout them out (laughs). Most of the crowds really got into it, so it's been good.

Smother: I've heard a lot of guys describe you guys as 'Doom Metal,' what do you think about that?

SVT: Categorization like that is retarded. We've been around for almost 14 years now and zillions of categories has come and gone. We play what we play and we cross into a lot of different scenes.

SK: We just love music in general and we do what we love.

Smother: The earlier material seemed like you had more of a hardcore/punk sound, then around Souls At Zero and Enemy of the Sun, Neurosis started sounding more like what you do today with your own sound. What brought about that transition?

SK: It was just everything that ever happened in our lives. I pretty much disagree with you though. When 'Pain Of Mind' came out, we didn't know what we were thinking, but it was definitely different from the hardcore/punk of its time. It's changed over time and become more acceptable in those terms, but our sound was out there and we were doing something different while everyone else was basically doing this speed-metal type of shit. Our evolution is our commitment to evolving and making the most pure of music we can. It's just been natural.

Smother: What do you like to do outside of the band?

SVT: Hang out with our families.
SK: That's about it.

Smother: Is there a specific thing that you're trying to accomplish through the music of Neurosis?

SK: Our mission is to do our own thing and keep the ball rolling. Experiment with music.
SVT: Push the boundaries of ourselves and take music past its limits. We see the window of opportunity that music has given us and its this endless, infinite source of inspiration and we want to take it as far in every direction as we can.

Smother: With 'Times of Grace' it seems like there's something extra that the other albums didn't have. Do you feel like that?

SVT: What's different about 'Times of Grace' for us is that we're older and the experiences we have when recording every album makes it different, but with this album, as far as conception and execution goes, we've never been this focused before. We were able to push things in a different direction that we wanted to go in. We've already proven to ourselves that we can be the endless bulldozer of sound that we want to be, but we wanted to put some more subtleties on there as well. Things that are a challenge to us more, as musicians.

Smother: What made you decide on the name 'Neurosis?' What exactly does it mean?

SK: It just seemed like the perfect word to describe everyone. The name comes from just us kind of sitting around trying to come up with something that was universal but had to do with the mental process of the mind. Always been fascinated with the mind and what it's created…the things around you and what make you react the way you do.

Smother: A lot of people I know who've heard Neurosis think that you're all about darkness and evil.

SVT: Bullshit (in a joking cough).
SK: At the surface, it's a part of what we do, but it's not what we're about at all. We're about dealing with that and reflecting upon it, but we're not advocating any type of dark lifestyle or belief system at all. Quite the opposite. We intend for this to be a vehicle for people to get into and get it out. People try to deny these things and it comes back and gets you. It's something I've always been attracted to all my life, but I'm just as equally attracted to the light. Absolutely equal. You can't have all one or the other. We just get primal. It's not dark, it's just primal. SVT: Exactly. There are raw forces of nature which are in modern terms, really ugly, but it's just part of a natural cycle and it's something people have to relate to. It's almost evidence of a sickness for people to not recognize what things are offering strength. Just to automatically assume hopelessness and I think that's what people try to pin on us a lot. And I think that's more of a reflection on their own trip than ours. It's like you get what you put into it, you know? SK: Not to say we don't deal with those aspects, we do. Look at this world . There's a lot of that shit out there that's got to be dealt with. There's a looming over everyone's head these days. Just pressure. This world and the acceleration we live in causes it. We just try to create a vortex for people to deal with it and honestly, just so people can get up in the morning and go to work and deal with it. Make people feel like they have a place to go. Rage a little bit if you have to. Nothing wrong with that. If you have to let it go, then do it.

Smother: What are some of the bands out that you like? What do you think about the bands you're on tour with?

SK: It's a really solid bill we're on. Just bands like Today Is The Day and Cave In. Bands like that. We like all different kinds of music.
SVT: The thing we're least influenced by is the modern music of today. We're inspired by music of all types. Emotional content.

Smother: (to Pete Inc.) How did you get into doing the visuals for Neurosis?

PI: It just came up. I've always painted and all and they asked me so I did it.

Smother: Did you go to school or anything to learn how to do any of it?

PI: (all laugh) School of Hard Knocks!

Smother: One day when this comes to an end, what would you like to be remembered as?

SVT: Good music. Good people.
SK: Our passion and spirit we put into music.

Smother: What do you think about the hype of the end with the millenium?

SK: The more that people make of it, the more it will be.
SVT: Yep.
PI: It already ended, you missed it. It was lame (laughs).
SVT: It's all relative around this number that has nothing to do with nature in any event, but humans are going to do what they want with it and try to make something happen, force the issue on people's paranoia.
PI: Enough people are worried that something could happen, but...

Smother: So, on Times Square when everyone's all crowded together…

SK: (Yells) BOOM!
PI: Asteroid (laughs).
SK: It's all figments of people's imaginations and that's the most dangerous thing in the fucking world, so anything could happen. The sad reality is that humans are fucked up in that way and see things through tunnel vision.
SVT: We've got no respect for the issue. It's really small.

Smother: If you wanted someone reading this to check you out, what would you tell them as to why they should check out Neurosis?

SK: Cause they've got nothing else better to fucking do. If they're gonna live, then they should check stuff out. Don't just check us out, check out other things while checking us out.
SVT: Check yourself out.
SK: Get out and have a life. Power through it. If we're playing in town, come check it out.