maudlin of the Well are an unusual band; they have coined the phrase astral metal to describe their music - an apt label for a sound which has to be heard to be believed. Vague terminology is the only way to categorize such an eclectic mix failing that it would take a minor dissertation to do it justice. Suffice it to say they use many instruments, write songs with unusual structures, skip from mood to mood as if it were the easiest thing in the world, and sound like no other band currently recording.
When I recently had the chance to interview Toby Driver, one of the groups major creative forces, my immediate question was, with such a varied sound, how does he go about writing music? "I honestly never really agreed with the diverse sound tag that we always get." Toby responded. "People constantly misappropriate the words jazz and folk - among others - in regard to us, and its actually quite annoying when this happens almost invariably. Ive read many things that say our music genre hops which I completely disagree with as well. I think these are just cop-out terms used by lazy or aphasic persons who perhaps want to express their own diverse tastes by name-dropping possible influences from different specific genres."
Slightly taken aback by this unexpected answer, my next thought is that he must agree Maudlins music is unusual and borrows elements from many genres. But again, I am surprised "Honestly, the only genre that I hear borrowed from in motWs music is rock." is his reply. While I dont whole-heartedly agree with the diminutive frontman on this, he writes the music, so I concede. One thing I find remarkable about motWs compositions is the cohesion when listening to (undisputed) changes in character they seem the most natural thing in the world. The band skip from aggression to submission, relaxed acoustics with singing to caustic growling and guitars, and time signature to time signature seamlessly. With these changes, how does Toby ensure all his ideas clearly stem from a single creative source? "Well its not like we write music in parts and glue them together like some other bands seem to (cough Opeth cough)" comes the (controversial) retort. "What happens is that Ill write the entire song and then we have mapmaking or discussion sessions where everyone as a group decides what colours should be added, where, and how. Then well emerge from these sessions with physical maps of the music that each person takes with them and works on what they are good at." Does this come about naturally I wonder? "This is the way we work" he continues "it kind of happened that way initially and we decided to stick to it. It gets everyone involved and doesnt leave anyone out, and I think the positivity and interest of everyone are an important ingredient to this."
UM is in the fortunate position of hosting motWs official internet discussion forum, which made this interview particularly enticing. The groups board serves as a place for the band members to whittle away their working day through constant spamming; for example, anything posted in capitals is haunted, and if you ever wanted to discuss the most metal vegetable, it is surely the place for you.. When I asked for the board to think of some questions for Toby I was amazed at the wonderous quality of those suggested! Hence I feel compelled to ask what I know is on everyones minds at this point; if given the choice, would Toby have a tail or a pouch? "A tail, but only if it was either prehensile or had some kind of dinosaur blades on it" he enthuses.
How stupid of me not to realise. The next burning query on my mind is, of course, why? "I think it would greatly improve my fighting and escaping abilities. Ive seriously always wanted to be an assassin and what better an advantage, except maybe invisibility or something." This answer starts me thinking, so I challenge Tobias to choose between invisibility and the ability to fly. "I would choose flight, but only if I could also withstand really cold temperatures. I get cold really easily and I cant imagine how awful it would be to have the gift of flight, but as some cruel joke played on you any time you get above 30 feet from the ground you feel miserable because its so goddamned cold." At this point I come to the conclusion that Toby really does think about the important things in life, so asking more of these vital questions in unnecessary.
Since the bands formation, only three motW members have remained constant; some have come and gone in years, others months, and some days. Therefore my next inquiry concerns the line-ups constant state of flux doesnt it make life harder? "It does make things difficult, but I think thats better than trying to force people to stick around because that results in stress, and everyone should agree that stress is bad" ponders the frontman. "motW has always roughly been a collective of musicians who work together to make music and add what theyre good at when its needed, as opposed to some rock-star fantasy."
Previous musicians involved with the group have appeared in other projects such as Spoonion, Kwizats, Haderach, Baliset, and Mars Colony, in addition to various independent films and other artistic work. So, I naively wonder which of these contributors the band includes at the moment? "Like I said there is no lineup" is the reply. "Its not like people officially cut themselves off or add themselves to the name or anything. Were in the process of doing an album right now, and on the album appear Greg, Nick, Terran, Byron, Sam, Jason, myself, Sky Cooper, Mia Matsumiya, Alex Nagle, Benjie Messer, and this other dude Sam playing French horn whose last name I dont know. I also dont know how many of us would say were in the band or not in the band. Those are the people who are on the new record though."
So I ask for the most "members" theyve ever had. "The most weve had on stage has been 10, but members ? See, thats an unanswerable question. I ate an oyster for the first time the other day, and it was pretty watery and salty." I rapidly come to the conclusion this interview - like motWs music, will be an ever-changing journey - so decide to go with the flow. "Its really easy to get food poisoning from oysters Ive heard, were you OK afterwards?"
"Definitely. I actually liked it and have been thinking about it ever since. Id eat one again now if it was in front of me. Now I can finally understand the true drive behind the Walrus and the Carpenter." comes the intriguing answer. Going vaguely back on topic, the next thing I ask is - doesnt the sheer number of members make writing and arranging music a pain in the arse? "Well, one could argue that thats the fun part. You know, working hard at your passion and all."
With so many contributors, one would imagine the members of Maudlin argue a lot, so "do you get on all the time?" I query. "Not really sure what this means. Is it some kind of British euphemism for something naughty?" chuckles the frontman. "Nope, it means do you guys argue a lot dude. But, now you come to mention it, do you get up to anything naughty?" I respond. "Oh oh. We argue some but not really all that much. It never gets into yelling. As far as the naughty stuff not within the band. I mean, Greg sleeps over sometimes and once we were sleeping over Byrons house and Greg somnambled over to Byrons bed and laid on top of Byron which resulted in some middle-of-the-night screaming but I think thats the extent of it. This other time we were all swimming naked in my dads pool together at like 1 am trying to get Greg to remove his underwear and my dad came out and caught us."
Hearing this enlightening information makes me want to change the subject, so getting to know the bands influences better seems a good idea. Therefore I ask who the main songwriter respects most as musicians? "First of all, Im glad you didnt ask me why, because then Id be kind of searching for words like some kind of 7th grade essay writer." jokes Toby. "Bjork, YoYo Ma, Sky Cooper, Bob Marley, Radiohead, The Flaming Lips. Those are some respectable folks."
motW are currently ensconced recording a new album, and judging from the studio photos theyre having a lot of fun while doing it! Slated for a late summer 2003 release, it is their fourth official CD since their formation in New England seven years ago. It also stands as the third release to be recorded buy Jim Fogarty at Zing Studio "an extraordinarily talented and under-recognised engineer." Regarding the studio work, how does Toby feel about their progress? "Its going really well. Making an album is the most fun thing. Also everything sounds amazing, so Im really psyched to have a final product I can listen to and not be like this tastes great but it needs more salt here or something."
While many bands release similar albums time after time, motW doesnt strike me as such a group, so I wonder how the new effort differs from Bath / LYBM? "Well its nothing like that album at all" is the response. "Bands always say this about their current project, you know? That this current one is the record Ive always wanted to make and the others were just preliminaries, blah blah. In this case its definitely true because on all the other albums there have been compromises (for example, mixing old songs with new, strictly adhering to a non-existent budget or impatience regarding time constraints etc). This time we have enough money to do the album the way we want, there arent any old songs disrupting the current idea, we dont have a deadline, so all these things together are making this a great experience and what were hoping to be a perfect album. Musically were taking a different approach on this one whereas on the last opus it was an exploration of the concept of pre-existing creativity and all that. This time its a very human-originated work, aimed back at the cosmos as opposed to the cosmos aiming at us like on the last one. The compositions are very conscious and thoughtful, and its not really what the classic idea of metal is anymore. Its very loud and heavy but there are no riffs at all, no palm muting really, and its composed more like classical music where it starts somewhere, continues, and doesnt repeat in a riffy fashion. Its 21st century classical music." Noting an obvious ignorance of the rules of metal, I feel forced to correct Toby on this one "I think its also traditional to say your new album will be your heaviest as well?", then add "anywho, how come you have more money and studio time for this album?"
"I have a hard time qualifying heaviness I mean there are so many different types of heaviness so its never accurate to say x is heavier than y if theyre two different types of heaviness. Also we have not been a band that has been known for its aggression really... one could argue that if you want some aggressive music, go listen to a grind band who grinds well. We never aimed to be the heaviest band or the most aggressive band nor the most mellow and lulling band. We kind of have stayed near the beginnings of those extremities because the parts flow better that way. Weve been like going from vermillion to orange to dandelion, as opposed to green to red to white. Anyway the more money and time just comes from the label being older and more successful and therefore more able to give us these things." Thinking back to the previous reply, and being a great fan of all the bands work, I ask Toby "have you not been totally happy with your previous efforts?" "Yeah there are always things that bother you later. Initially I was 100% happy with both but you just notice stuff a year down the line."
Regarding the new album, are you finding it easier or harder to write and record, I ask. "Much more difficult because it is more conscious music." Toby says. "The last ones pretty much composed themselves but this one is a man-made effort." On the subject of prospective titles all the information I can extract is "there are a couple of nifty ones, except were trying to come up with something that grasps the idea at hand rather than just sounding cool, of course."
In the past, Maudlin have performed concerts in varied festivals and venues. Recently, however, the band have vowed to play only specific types of shows - that is places like museums or churches as opposed to bars and clubs. Toby cites the atmosphere of the performance's environment as pivotal to conveying the music as intended. So, next comes the obvious question "Whats your obsession with watches all about?" "Haha! Well" chortles Toby. "Ive always found it hilarious, this complex idea of metal meaning youre tough and evil or something, so the dudes get on stage with a scowl and spiked gauntlets and lo, they have a huge, huge digital watch around their wrist, often right at the cuff of the gauntlet too. So aside from the ludicrously obvious anachronism there is also the whole association with the gamers or comic book nerds in grade school and high school being the ones with the enormous, black, digital watches." Does Toby live up to this stereotype I hear you say? When I ask him the most hes ever worn on stage the retort comes "I find it completely impossible to play with long sleeves, and I dont much like shorts, so Im usually wearing the same thing on stage - a t-shirt and pants." When probing Toby about the most watches he has ever worn I discover that the picture I have of him wearing three is "a joke, as I never wear fewer than eight watches live." I stand corrected..
Back to the issue in hand before this interview goes completely out of control, I wonder if the frontman sees his groups music changing style drastically in the future? "Yes of course. This new one already is a huge change which Im sure many people will be unhappy about, and then whatever comes after that, well lots of people are leaving. Sam has already left, Josh has left, and Terran is going to graduate school, and people are growing up and figuring out what they want to do with their lives. Greg and Byron and I are still around and Nick is staying around for a while so the next motW thing after the forthcoming one wont have the input of those guys who left. I have a lot of really good ideas that Im excited to work on, whether under this nomer or not. Although I can say that currently, the way I feel is that after this record comes out Im not really interested in working with loud music anymore for a while, unless something amazing happens with this album and restores my faith in the scene. This current album is pretty much what Ive been wanting to say with the idiom, although I think it would be intensely fun to join a grind or punk band and not have to have so much control over the composition."
Concerning the change in direction, what does Toby see the non-loud recordings sounding like acoustic rock, jazz, or maybe a new boy-band? "The next thing Im interested in doing is an album of all samples, where the samples will form notes and then groups of samples will form chords. And then all that will be arranged in rhythms which will ultimately lead to singer-songwriter style tunes but instead of instruments, just samples. Like youd have a chord made out of 3 doors closing or 5 airplanes flying over, with creepy vocals over it all."
Next I feel the urge to ask that classic but dull question, where did the band get its name? "I actually did want to put out records with no project name except this motW thing was one instance where I decided to sacrifice art for practicality. I didnt think it was that big a deal anyway" is only answer I get. With motW often labeled as progressive, I wonder what Tobys definition of "progressive music" is. "Progressive music is music that takes existing idioms and advances them. It also should act as a springboard for other artists who will take your advancement of music and advance it even further. Its different from avant-garde music, which builds an idiom from scratch. Avant-garde music arguably doesnt have artistic qualities so much as industrial ones. Avant-garde music invents ideas and presents them as only ideas. Progressive artists get inspired by these avant-garde ideas and use them in their storytelling."
After this, it feels like we have actually been on-topic for quite a time, so I refer back to one of the questions suggested in the bands forum "Do you compare yourself to other renowned diminutive frontmen/band leaders like Dio, King Diamond, Prince, and Billie Joe Armstrong?". Toby chuckles "Often. We even have a club that we go to once a month in Sheboygan, Wisconsin and talk about the benefits of tininess. Warwick Davis unsigned band, "The Lurker IMs" actually played last month, too- Meegosh ended up drinking out of an Elk Horn and peed on the trustees table."
The logical question following this enlightening piece of information, comes courtesy of a certain Novembers Doom member if Toby had to name 5 reasons why Sealab 2021 is superior to Three's Company (not including Hesh or the crazy neighbour Larry, who is decidedly annoying) what would they be? "I like this question lots but I have never seen Sealab." the frontman discouragingly responds. "Maybe I can say though, its superior because 1) its animated 2) doesnt have John Ritter 3) the upholstery has got to be better than Jack Trippers couchs. Ick. 4) its on Cartoon Network and 5) Eric likes it." Which seems fair enough to me!
Considering the copious amounts of time motW members waste on the internet, I wonder if they have any other hobbies. Toby, it transpires, likes to "explore abandoned buildings, haunted places, and stuff like that. Also I like checking out cults and things and seeing if I can get brainwashed, like going to their headquarters or meetings or seminars, pretending I want to join and getting to watch a film strip or something. I can usually talk to their recruiters for an hour or so until they get sick of my questions and make me leave." And so a mind-expanding interview ends, leaving me feeling decidedly bemused, but entertained none-the-less.
When I recently had the chance to interview Toby Driver, one of the groups major creative forces, my immediate question was, with such a varied sound, how does he go about writing music? "I honestly never really agreed with the diverse sound tag that we always get." Toby responded. "People constantly misappropriate the words jazz and folk - among others - in regard to us, and its actually quite annoying when this happens almost invariably. Ive read many things that say our music genre hops which I completely disagree with as well. I think these are just cop-out terms used by lazy or aphasic persons who perhaps want to express their own diverse tastes by name-dropping possible influences from different specific genres."
Slightly taken aback by this unexpected answer, my next thought is that he must agree Maudlins music is unusual and borrows elements from many genres. But again, I am surprised "Honestly, the only genre that I hear borrowed from in motWs music is rock." is his reply. While I dont whole-heartedly agree with the diminutive frontman on this, he writes the music, so I concede. One thing I find remarkable about motWs compositions is the cohesion when listening to (undisputed) changes in character they seem the most natural thing in the world. The band skip from aggression to submission, relaxed acoustics with singing to caustic growling and guitars, and time signature to time signature seamlessly. With these changes, how does Toby ensure all his ideas clearly stem from a single creative source? "Well its not like we write music in parts and glue them together like some other bands seem to (cough Opeth cough)" comes the (controversial) retort. "What happens is that Ill write the entire song and then we have mapmaking or discussion sessions where everyone as a group decides what colours should be added, where, and how. Then well emerge from these sessions with physical maps of the music that each person takes with them and works on what they are good at." Does this come about naturally I wonder? "This is the way we work" he continues "it kind of happened that way initially and we decided to stick to it. It gets everyone involved and doesnt leave anyone out, and I think the positivity and interest of everyone are an important ingredient to this."
UM is in the fortunate position of hosting motWs official internet discussion forum, which made this interview particularly enticing. The groups board serves as a place for the band members to whittle away their working day through constant spamming; for example, anything posted in capitals is haunted, and if you ever wanted to discuss the most metal vegetable, it is surely the place for you.. When I asked for the board to think of some questions for Toby I was amazed at the wonderous quality of those suggested! Hence I feel compelled to ask what I know is on everyones minds at this point; if given the choice, would Toby have a tail or a pouch? "A tail, but only if it was either prehensile or had some kind of dinosaur blades on it" he enthuses.
How stupid of me not to realise. The next burning query on my mind is, of course, why? "I think it would greatly improve my fighting and escaping abilities. Ive seriously always wanted to be an assassin and what better an advantage, except maybe invisibility or something." This answer starts me thinking, so I challenge Tobias to choose between invisibility and the ability to fly. "I would choose flight, but only if I could also withstand really cold temperatures. I get cold really easily and I cant imagine how awful it would be to have the gift of flight, but as some cruel joke played on you any time you get above 30 feet from the ground you feel miserable because its so goddamned cold." At this point I come to the conclusion that Toby really does think about the important things in life, so asking more of these vital questions in unnecessary.
Since the bands formation, only three motW members have remained constant; some have come and gone in years, others months, and some days. Therefore my next inquiry concerns the line-ups constant state of flux doesnt it make life harder? "It does make things difficult, but I think thats better than trying to force people to stick around because that results in stress, and everyone should agree that stress is bad" ponders the frontman. "motW has always roughly been a collective of musicians who work together to make music and add what theyre good at when its needed, as opposed to some rock-star fantasy."
Previous musicians involved with the group have appeared in other projects such as Spoonion, Kwizats, Haderach, Baliset, and Mars Colony, in addition to various independent films and other artistic work. So, I naively wonder which of these contributors the band includes at the moment? "Like I said there is no lineup" is the reply. "Its not like people officially cut themselves off or add themselves to the name or anything. Were in the process of doing an album right now, and on the album appear Greg, Nick, Terran, Byron, Sam, Jason, myself, Sky Cooper, Mia Matsumiya, Alex Nagle, Benjie Messer, and this other dude Sam playing French horn whose last name I dont know. I also dont know how many of us would say were in the band or not in the band. Those are the people who are on the new record though."
So I ask for the most "members" theyve ever had. "The most weve had on stage has been 10, but members ? See, thats an unanswerable question. I ate an oyster for the first time the other day, and it was pretty watery and salty." I rapidly come to the conclusion this interview - like motWs music, will be an ever-changing journey - so decide to go with the flow. "Its really easy to get food poisoning from oysters Ive heard, were you OK afterwards?"
"Definitely. I actually liked it and have been thinking about it ever since. Id eat one again now if it was in front of me. Now I can finally understand the true drive behind the Walrus and the Carpenter." comes the intriguing answer. Going vaguely back on topic, the next thing I ask is - doesnt the sheer number of members make writing and arranging music a pain in the arse? "Well, one could argue that thats the fun part. You know, working hard at your passion and all."
With so many contributors, one would imagine the members of Maudlin argue a lot, so "do you get on all the time?" I query. "Not really sure what this means. Is it some kind of British euphemism for something naughty?" chuckles the frontman. "Nope, it means do you guys argue a lot dude. But, now you come to mention it, do you get up to anything naughty?" I respond. "Oh oh. We argue some but not really all that much. It never gets into yelling. As far as the naughty stuff not within the band. I mean, Greg sleeps over sometimes and once we were sleeping over Byrons house and Greg somnambled over to Byrons bed and laid on top of Byron which resulted in some middle-of-the-night screaming but I think thats the extent of it. This other time we were all swimming naked in my dads pool together at like 1 am trying to get Greg to remove his underwear and my dad came out and caught us."
Hearing this enlightening information makes me want to change the subject, so getting to know the bands influences better seems a good idea. Therefore I ask who the main songwriter respects most as musicians? "First of all, Im glad you didnt ask me why, because then Id be kind of searching for words like some kind of 7th grade essay writer." jokes Toby. "Bjork, YoYo Ma, Sky Cooper, Bob Marley, Radiohead, The Flaming Lips. Those are some respectable folks."
motW are currently ensconced recording a new album, and judging from the studio photos theyre having a lot of fun while doing it! Slated for a late summer 2003 release, it is their fourth official CD since their formation in New England seven years ago. It also stands as the third release to be recorded buy Jim Fogarty at Zing Studio "an extraordinarily talented and under-recognised engineer." Regarding the studio work, how does Toby feel about their progress? "Its going really well. Making an album is the most fun thing. Also everything sounds amazing, so Im really psyched to have a final product I can listen to and not be like this tastes great but it needs more salt here or something."
While many bands release similar albums time after time, motW doesnt strike me as such a group, so I wonder how the new effort differs from Bath / LYBM? "Well its nothing like that album at all" is the response. "Bands always say this about their current project, you know? That this current one is the record Ive always wanted to make and the others were just preliminaries, blah blah. In this case its definitely true because on all the other albums there have been compromises (for example, mixing old songs with new, strictly adhering to a non-existent budget or impatience regarding time constraints etc). This time we have enough money to do the album the way we want, there arent any old songs disrupting the current idea, we dont have a deadline, so all these things together are making this a great experience and what were hoping to be a perfect album. Musically were taking a different approach on this one whereas on the last opus it was an exploration of the concept of pre-existing creativity and all that. This time its a very human-originated work, aimed back at the cosmos as opposed to the cosmos aiming at us like on the last one. The compositions are very conscious and thoughtful, and its not really what the classic idea of metal is anymore. Its very loud and heavy but there are no riffs at all, no palm muting really, and its composed more like classical music where it starts somewhere, continues, and doesnt repeat in a riffy fashion. Its 21st century classical music." Noting an obvious ignorance of the rules of metal, I feel forced to correct Toby on this one "I think its also traditional to say your new album will be your heaviest as well?", then add "anywho, how come you have more money and studio time for this album?"
"I have a hard time qualifying heaviness I mean there are so many different types of heaviness so its never accurate to say x is heavier than y if theyre two different types of heaviness. Also we have not been a band that has been known for its aggression really... one could argue that if you want some aggressive music, go listen to a grind band who grinds well. We never aimed to be the heaviest band or the most aggressive band nor the most mellow and lulling band. We kind of have stayed near the beginnings of those extremities because the parts flow better that way. Weve been like going from vermillion to orange to dandelion, as opposed to green to red to white. Anyway the more money and time just comes from the label being older and more successful and therefore more able to give us these things." Thinking back to the previous reply, and being a great fan of all the bands work, I ask Toby "have you not been totally happy with your previous efforts?" "Yeah there are always things that bother you later. Initially I was 100% happy with both but you just notice stuff a year down the line."
Regarding the new album, are you finding it easier or harder to write and record, I ask. "Much more difficult because it is more conscious music." Toby says. "The last ones pretty much composed themselves but this one is a man-made effort." On the subject of prospective titles all the information I can extract is "there are a couple of nifty ones, except were trying to come up with something that grasps the idea at hand rather than just sounding cool, of course."
In the past, Maudlin have performed concerts in varied festivals and venues. Recently, however, the band have vowed to play only specific types of shows - that is places like museums or churches as opposed to bars and clubs. Toby cites the atmosphere of the performance's environment as pivotal to conveying the music as intended. So, next comes the obvious question "Whats your obsession with watches all about?" "Haha! Well" chortles Toby. "Ive always found it hilarious, this complex idea of metal meaning youre tough and evil or something, so the dudes get on stage with a scowl and spiked gauntlets and lo, they have a huge, huge digital watch around their wrist, often right at the cuff of the gauntlet too. So aside from the ludicrously obvious anachronism there is also the whole association with the gamers or comic book nerds in grade school and high school being the ones with the enormous, black, digital watches." Does Toby live up to this stereotype I hear you say? When I ask him the most hes ever worn on stage the retort comes "I find it completely impossible to play with long sleeves, and I dont much like shorts, so Im usually wearing the same thing on stage - a t-shirt and pants." When probing Toby about the most watches he has ever worn I discover that the picture I have of him wearing three is "a joke, as I never wear fewer than eight watches live." I stand corrected..
Back to the issue in hand before this interview goes completely out of control, I wonder if the frontman sees his groups music changing style drastically in the future? "Yes of course. This new one already is a huge change which Im sure many people will be unhappy about, and then whatever comes after that, well lots of people are leaving. Sam has already left, Josh has left, and Terran is going to graduate school, and people are growing up and figuring out what they want to do with their lives. Greg and Byron and I are still around and Nick is staying around for a while so the next motW thing after the forthcoming one wont have the input of those guys who left. I have a lot of really good ideas that Im excited to work on, whether under this nomer or not. Although I can say that currently, the way I feel is that after this record comes out Im not really interested in working with loud music anymore for a while, unless something amazing happens with this album and restores my faith in the scene. This current album is pretty much what Ive been wanting to say with the idiom, although I think it would be intensely fun to join a grind or punk band and not have to have so much control over the composition."
Concerning the change in direction, what does Toby see the non-loud recordings sounding like acoustic rock, jazz, or maybe a new boy-band? "The next thing Im interested in doing is an album of all samples, where the samples will form notes and then groups of samples will form chords. And then all that will be arranged in rhythms which will ultimately lead to singer-songwriter style tunes but instead of instruments, just samples. Like youd have a chord made out of 3 doors closing or 5 airplanes flying over, with creepy vocals over it all."
Next I feel the urge to ask that classic but dull question, where did the band get its name? "I actually did want to put out records with no project name except this motW thing was one instance where I decided to sacrifice art for practicality. I didnt think it was that big a deal anyway" is only answer I get. With motW often labeled as progressive, I wonder what Tobys definition of "progressive music" is. "Progressive music is music that takes existing idioms and advances them. It also should act as a springboard for other artists who will take your advancement of music and advance it even further. Its different from avant-garde music, which builds an idiom from scratch. Avant-garde music arguably doesnt have artistic qualities so much as industrial ones. Avant-garde music invents ideas and presents them as only ideas. Progressive artists get inspired by these avant-garde ideas and use them in their storytelling."
After this, it feels like we have actually been on-topic for quite a time, so I refer back to one of the questions suggested in the bands forum "Do you compare yourself to other renowned diminutive frontmen/band leaders like Dio, King Diamond, Prince, and Billie Joe Armstrong?". Toby chuckles "Often. We even have a club that we go to once a month in Sheboygan, Wisconsin and talk about the benefits of tininess. Warwick Davis unsigned band, "The Lurker IMs" actually played last month, too- Meegosh ended up drinking out of an Elk Horn and peed on the trustees table."
The logical question following this enlightening piece of information, comes courtesy of a certain Novembers Doom member if Toby had to name 5 reasons why Sealab 2021 is superior to Three's Company (not including Hesh or the crazy neighbour Larry, who is decidedly annoying) what would they be? "I like this question lots but I have never seen Sealab." the frontman discouragingly responds. "Maybe I can say though, its superior because 1) its animated 2) doesnt have John Ritter 3) the upholstery has got to be better than Jack Trippers couchs. Ick. 4) its on Cartoon Network and 5) Eric likes it." Which seems fair enough to me!
Considering the copious amounts of time motW members waste on the internet, I wonder if they have any other hobbies. Toby, it transpires, likes to "explore abandoned buildings, haunted places, and stuff like that. Also I like checking out cults and things and seeing if I can get brainwashed, like going to their headquarters or meetings or seminars, pretending I want to join and getting to watch a film strip or something. I can usually talk to their recruiters for an hour or so until they get sick of my questions and make me leave." And so a mind-expanding interview ends, leaving me feeling decidedly bemused, but entertained none-the-less.
