Ian svenonius supernatural how to#
Ian svenonius supernatural series#

If rock ‘n’ roll is repressed sex then it becomes a safe outlet for heterosexual culture to worship carnal beings in a way that doesn’t undermine heterosexual culture. Resentment at second tier status among living stars catapulted the dead star into primacy…” You say, “Male rock ‘n’ roll fans have long been overlooked when adoring their male idols, who prefer to talk to girls.

One aspect of rock ‘n’ roll not commonly understood is the relationship between sex and planned obsolescence.įZN: You actually mention a sexual/gender dynamic to this rock ‘n’ roll “death cult” as it relates to record collecting. It’s all part of Capitalism, planned obsolescence, and so on. They can discuss all of the more cynical and nefarious uses of the form in a really open way.įZN: In the book you talk about the idea of rock ‘n’ roll as a “Death Cult…”

Now they have an otherworldly perspective, they can look at rock ‘n’ roll in geopolitical terms which is really unlike the view of their living peers who are all worried about either their job security or their royalties… Their place in history… dead stars can think about what rock ‘n’ roll is, what its uses have been politically and socially. IS: The people in the best position to demystify the process are those who have no stake in the system anymore, people who have already profited from demystification.

Ian svenonius supernatural how to#

You say the purpose behind it is to “demystify” how to go about forming a group, but you use “mystical” strategies like séances with the dead… You’ve written a new book, Supernatural Strategies for Making a Rock ‘n’ Roll Group. Maybe the style is playful.įZN: Fair enough. IS: Oh, I think all the points are made directly and are pretty up front. The Nation Of Ulysses had revolutionary manifestoes next to (great) songs about hickeys next to conspiracy theories… IS: Nah, we just got back together for a couple of concerts but we don’t actually exist.įZN: In every band you’ve ever been in you play with seriousness. What’s going on there, are Chain and the Gang through? More Make-Up shows? It was a lot of fun.įZN: You played with your old band, The Make-Up, not your new one, Chain and the Gang. IAN SVENONIUS: Yeah, I did some readings and we got some concert offers down in L.A. We talked a few weeks ago about everything from Margaret Thatcher’s death to his thoughts on Saccharine Trust to the gender politics of male falsettos to unpaid content creators as the groupies of the modern world.įANZINE: You just got back from Coachella, what was that like? Regardless of whether you think you’re in the choir he’s preaching to, or if you just want some pointers on starting a band but can’t be bothered to summon the spirit of Buddy Holly for religious reasons, read this guide for the perplexed and you will not be disappointed. Personally, I did not know I had so much to learn from Chuck Berry on questions of Manifest Destiny and the Cold War, but the mysteries of the hereafter are inscrutable. At this point, our best hope may indeed lie in holding séances with beatified bluesmen. Totally makes sense, right? Well, while his first book, The Psychic Soviet, was a collection of unrelated though fantastic essays, the new one is a sustained meditation that aims to decode the cultural contradictions of life in late capitalism through the prism of rock ‘n’ roll––something he’s uniquely suited for.

Ian svenonius supernatural series#

His brand new Supernatural Strategies for Making a Rock ‘N’ Roll Group, out now from Brooklyn’s Akashic Books, aims to demystify the process of starting a rock ‘n’ roll band via a series of detours into mysticism and geopolitical history. Ian’s been a fixture of the punk and underground music scene for two decades, most famously in Nation of Ulysses, The Make-Up, and Chain and the Gang, among other shorter-lived projects. What’s left to say about Ian Svenonius? He keeps writing music and is now on his second book so it looks like there’ll be plenty more to talk about for the foreseeable future. Supernatural Strategies For Making A Rock ‘n’ Roll Group