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Jaz Coleman of Killing Joke (on pylons, Prague and porn) -------------- (a BV interview)

by Justin M. Norton

Killing Joke

“We’re sitting on a fucking monster, man,” says legendary Killing Joke frontman Jaz Coleman from somewhere in Europe. While musicians tend to boast around new albums, Coleman and his bandmates (guitarist Geordie, bassist Youth and drummer Paul Ferguson) – the original lineup that recorded the first Killing Joke album – continue to back big proclamations with albums befitting of their nearly four-decade history. Pylon, due October 23, is no exception; it builds on the Killing Joke legacy of beauty meeting anger meeting mysticism. The band was so inspired that they wrote 15 tracks; five were moved to a bonus disc but Coleman insists they are part of the album, not an afterthought. Killing Joke plans to return to the United States for their first tour in three years this coming January. Coleman talked to us about Pylon, technocracy and the power of human connection.

BV: It’s not that I didn’t enjoy the last record (MMXII), but Pylon seems to have a greater sense of urgency like your comeback record more than 10 years ago. Did you feel a greater sense of urgency?

Coleman: That’s an interesting analogy to the 2003 record. But yes, it felt like a similar sort of cycle, especially because we put Paul’s drums on last like we did with Dave (Grohl’s) drums. I’ve had a fucking bleak year. When you are in your 50s, people die around you. One of those deaths was a suicide close to my family. I don’t know why Killing Joke recordings need to be traumatic, but they always are. The background to this record is a year of austerity. When you don’t do concerts, you don’t earn a great deal of money. I’ve also been going to Russia to work with the St. Petersburg Orchestra. That’s a different kind of bleakness. So it’s been a dark year, especially observing what’s going on in the world. It’s hard not to get depressed and sometimes the only thing that lifts me is seeing the guys from the band. We use music as a way to process everything in the world.

I do think we did this album the right way. Youth would come in every few weeks and work with Geordie and me. When I start a piece of work, I always share a theme with Paul and then he goes and writes. Then, I try to synthesize. Paul has this quality – this ability to write the same way I do.

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Killing Joke

I felt like there were figments of hope on MMXII, and there was even that beautiful track “In Cythera.” But this record has more vitriol and reminded me a bit of Absolute Dissent.

It is an angry record. I can’t do a complete psychoanalysis of it but I do feel that way. I’m sure we’ve all had turned into murdering criminals if we weren’t in Killing Joke. Something would have gone wrong. So whatever is going on, Killing Joke is a very positive thing in that it allows some people to process what’s going on in their world. These days I kind of focus on creating a “paradise now.” Concerts are sacred to me in that people with a similar outlook gather. I share common ground with them. And c’mon it’s amazing that we’re all still alive and in our 37th year. I do enjoy my life so much more these days now what I don’t drink and take weird fucking shit. I get high on my adrenaline and endorphins because I like boxing. I now associate going on the road with a healthy lifestyle. I haven’t had a drink in fucking nine years. I can’t even smoke cigars on tour because they dry my voice up.

How did you write Pylon?

Last September we started the process. The four of us spent a week together and we ended up with one song that ended up on the album. Then it went down to the nucleus of Geordie and me with Youth popping in every few weeks. We worked from September, and all of the tracks and drums were done by the following mid-February. We always lock ourselves into a studio in Prague, which is sort of Killing Joke central: spires and beautiful dark architecture seem to work with our ambience. I must have done 80 back-to-back days with Geordie. It was intense but it was good. We wrote 16 songs and fell in love with 15 of them, which are on the extended record.

What about the album title?

Without going into metaphysics of it too much it’s a metaphor for full spectrum dominance (laughter). I’m sure you’ve looked in your skyline and have seen all these cell and microwave towers. These have ultra low frequencies that really can change our perception of reality. That’s where it begins. In my book, I talk about pylons as gateways to the world, a portal. We’re moving into a time where disclosure will come. I think everyone suspects we are not alone in the universe; this is illustrated by the symbol of the pylon.

When you are working on material – both Pylon and earlier albums – how do you decide where to use both harsh and melodic vocals?

Well, the way you say it makes it sound so damn difficult (laughs). I try to switch off the brain. You shouldn’t be thinking at all. So that’s what I try to do; switch off the cerebral process.

You mention a constant surveillance state; some of the imagery is woven into other recent albums. There was a time I didn’t even notice these cell towers, but now they even have cell towers disguised as trees.

We’ve moved into a technocratic existence. Although It surrounds me, and I’m on the phone now, I don’t bother with computers or modern communications. I’m almost at smoke signal level (laughs).

One of the things that’s kind of remarkable about Killing Joke is that people keep waiting for an album that doesn’t meet expectations. And it never happens.

The way I see Killing Joke is that we’re all so different. We’re all alpha males, and I’m surprised we can have a consensus. It’s almost a microcosm of the larger world. But what’s kept us together? You won’t like this as an American, but communism works. Everyone gets an equal share of the pie; everyone pulls his weight. People are so greedy in this world; someone always gets more than the other. People are so greedy that they can’t conceive of sharing things equally. But I do love hanging with these guys – they are my best friends. I think all of us are free and happy.

When we get together, we make a pot of tea and put down some snacks. I try to ritualize my life, especially the concerts. I love human interaction. Nothing infuriates me more than a bunch of people looking at their screens. Human interaction has been fucked up with modern technology People try to force you to use computers! And because I don’t use them some people stop communicating with me. Since I don’t send email when I get a new crewmember or road manager they just stop communicating with me.

Doesn’t that cause strain in the band? Youth carries around his iPad.

Yes, he’s the complete opposite of me. He’s probably on the Internet right now (laughs). The time he spends on it is incredible. Did you know 70 percent of Internet traffic is porn! That means most of the world is choking the chicken somewhere. It’s terrible. It must be fucking funny for all of the people in the NSA watching all the people choking their chicken as they watch porn. They must be having a laugh. Those lads have a good job.

Killing Joke

This is not the first time Justin Norton had a chat with Jaz Coleman. Check out his interviews from 2012 and 2010 at Invisible Oranges. Tour dates and more new album info HERE.