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What would you like to know?

Well Elise, I’d like to know…. Who you think you are?

Who I think I am?

Yea.

Ok, I think, I would like to think that I am a friendly extroverted body piercer, who’s also in a metal band. I think the most, like the two big things in my life are like piercing body mod side of my life and music. That’s probably mostly what I talk about, body modification is a huge part of my life, I live and breathe it. You know, get up in the morning and go to work and that’s what I do. Can’t get away from it. It’s awesome I absolutely love it, I can’t imagine myself doing anything else and I hope that I never have to do anything else, it’s my life. Any yea, no I’m in an awesome band that I love.

Agreed that it’s awesome.

Yea it’s pretty cool, it’s something that I’ve wanted to do for a really long time. Because I did like a lot of vocals when I was a teenager in an acoustic two-piece band with my buddies but I was never really satisfied with doing that and I have always been listening to metal for a long time and it really is where my heart is. I actually feel really lucky and it’s really awesome to be in this band now with three really cool guys and it makes me really happy. That’s who I am.

Fun. That’s a bad ass person to be. 

It is. I enjoy it. I’m pretty happy with who I am right now, in this moment in time. Life’s going pretty sweet.

Good. That’s all you can hope for.

Yea.

So what are your plans with the band?

Well, onward and upward. When we started doing this like less than a year ago started this band with KK my mum said to me ‘what’re your expectations?’ because my mum often worries that I shoot quite high for the things that I want and that leaves me fairly disappointed every now and again. So from her perspective she just wanted to know where it was going. And I said well I’d really like to play at Medusa in Wellington. It’s really the goal that would be a massive accomplishment for me and of course we just did it last night so it feels like it’s just opened up. Like that’s where my expectation was, that’s really what I wanted to achieve and now that we’ve done that, and it happened so much faster than I thought it would and it was so much easier than I thought it would be that it’s like well let’s record an album, lets do a tour, lets go to Aussie! You know, it’s just blown up in my mind now. I’d really like to play in Auckland to a big crowd and I’d really, really like to record an album, and have something to flick out to people, that would be really fantastic, and it’d be really good if we could do that by the end of the year. But we’ll see.

Where do you think you’ll record it?

At The Stomach, with Craig. He said from day one that he really liked us and would really like to record us, and it’s um like in Palmy it’s really awesome that we have that there. Affordable recording you know. And all of us have been saving up and putting money in a band account each week so we’ve actually got enough to just walk in there and pay for it and do it. So um yea we’ll definitely do it at The Stomach, Craig’s a really nice guy and he’s given us a lot of support since we started and um I think he’ll do a good job.

I think he will too. That band savings account is a good idea. 

It is! It was Andy’s idea at the start because he’s been in a lot of bands, you know, so this time around he’s like ‘if we’re going to do this, we’re going to do it’ so um yea we’ve got a sweet amount so far and it’s grown pretty fast. So one of these days we’ll bowl in there. Because we’ve got seven songs now which is about half an hour of material, I think we should go and record that now and then we can like move on and start writing more material for the band and stuff.

Have you only ever worked at C2C as a piercer? 

Yes I um I got my first proper needle piercing the day I turned 15, at C2C, and um that day I knew that was where I wanted to work. And I pestered and I pestered Clint to give me a job and he was like ‘ooooh I don’t know’ and I basically just researched everything I could on the Internet about body piercings because I am just really naturally passionate about it and it really interests me. I just read everything I could get my hands on basically about different aspects of body piercing, different cultures, different techniques. Started piercing up my family and friends um and then once I started doing that, and started showing him what I was getting done um he offered me a job.

It came about at a really odd time in my life because I was really sick for a very long time, I just had a bad digestive system, and I had had this really amazing opportunity to have a consultation with a private doctor in Wellington who saw me once, and booked me in for an exploratory operation and cut out lots of ugly nasty growth from the wall of my bowl and then like the week after I got out of hospital when I was feeling really shit I got a phone call from Clint offering me this job. It was like the operation was this massive turning point in my life, all of a sudden I wasn’t sick any more, I felt amazing all the time, and I got given this job and I’ve almost been there three years now, and it’s fantastic. I’ve learned so much, and I’ve been able to do some amazing things, and I feel like I’m really good at my job, not to blow my own trumpet.

No I can vouch for that, you’ve put holes in me before.

Oh yea that’s right. And I am really passionate about it, and I do love my job. I love giving people a fantastic experience with their piercing, and I hope that feeling never goes away. But I can’t see it going away. I’ve been doing it for the last three years and I still get up and love my job as much as I did the day I first started. I had four days off the other day and by the end of it I was really amping to go back to work, I totally missed it. I missed the contact with lots of different people, and I missed piercing people and just giving people that buzz and a new piece of jewellery and a little bit more confidence you know. It is a really rewarding job, definitely.

That’s cool aye. 

It is, I don’t want to say lucky because I feel like I’ve worked really hard to get to where I am, I don’t feel like there was a lot of luck that came into it. You know, I did prove myself to Clint in the early days and because of that he’s given me a lot of really fantastic opportunities. It wasn’t luck; it was just that I worked my arse off. And I am really passionate about it and he always saw that, you know. If you’re going to put your time and energy into someone then you want to have someone who is going to take it to the extreme, which I have done. I am doing piercings now that he wouldn’t have even done, so that’s really cool.

You’re very determined.  What’s the freakiest piercing you’ve ever done?

Um well I guess in my mind there isn’t really such a thing as a freaky piercing.

What’s the most obscure then?

Well I guess for other people, the male genital piercings. They’re always a big deal, they’re really difficult to do, there’s a lot of other stuff that comes into play. There’s a lot of acting that comes into play. You have to pretend like you have your shit together the whole time even if you feel like you don’t. There’s a lot of acting, a lot of being confident. Because if you waiver in your confidence ever so slightly that persons just going to freak out. So they are never ever allowed to see that side of it. I have to have my shit together, at all times. But I’ve gotten pretty good at it, I know how to do it. And these days it’s not hard because I do have my shit together and I know exactly what I’m doing. But yea, male genital piercings are always a bit tricky. It’s awesome you know, I really enjoy doing them. Not in like a… I don’t enjoy giving people pain. Sometime I get people coming in saying ‘oh sadistic as, you like hurting people’ but that’s really not what it’s about, that’s not what it’s about at all. It’s about the happiness that people get afterwards, not about inflicting pain on them. I’m not like that. That’s not what it’s about.

Where do you see things going, and what do you want?

Well I mean, for me, and my base being Palmy, I love that there’s just so many new bands here at the moment you know, and you can only hope that that’s happening across the whole country. I mean if there’s not young people picking up new instruments then the whole system just collapses on itself. And um, I just hope that more people decide to pick up guitars and start like playing the drums and just find that little piece of confidence that goes ‘you know what, I’m going to do this, I’m going to fucking do it’ and if that keeps happening you never know, we’ll get more shows, other people will get more shows, and we’ll all move our way up the ladder and that’ll be fantastic. Did you hear that Ulcerate got signed to Relapse?

Did they?!

Yes, that’s pretty awesome news aye. So that sort of stuff to me is really promising for being a musician in New Zealand, in a metal band in New Zealand! To see New Zealand metal bands getting real recognition and real respect for it. And Ulcerate, they’ve been around for a real long time and they are some really hard working guys. They’ve put in the time and the effort, and the blood and sweat and tears, and they’re getting something tangible back for that. That’s awesome; I mean that gives all the rest of us hope.

There used to be this mentality of ‘oh you’re a New Zealand band, you’re never going to get anywhere, this is just fun and games. This is just a band for the sake of being in a band’. Where as now days I feel like we have way more hope for actually getting somewhere, if that’s what you want to do, getting out there and actually achieving real stuff. Getting signed to massive record labels, touring the world. You know, it’s a real, tangible thing to think about. That’s what’s exciting.

It’s possible.

Yea it is possible. It’s not just a fairy tale, it can happen. But you know it takes a lot of work, a lot of time, a lot of effort, a lot of stress. But at the end of the day, if you work all those years, play all those shows, write all that music, and you’re going to get signed to a record label like Relapse then surely it’s all worth it. You know? You’re making albums that’re being released worldwide. All these different people are going to be hearing your music. And I guess at the end of the day, that’s all it comes down to. We can all say we play music for ourselves and a lot of it is, you know, I do write music for myself and a lot of it is very self centred, very selfish, but at the end of the day I could keep all of this to myself and never let it go. But there’s no real satisfaction in that you know. You write music, you start a band so you can share it with other people. And all of a sudden there’s all these possibilities of being able to share it with such a massive audience, its’ really exciting.

Fuck yea. You summed it up. You’ve said everything.

I kind of did. Bla bla bla. I’m sure you’ll have enough there.

What’s your favourite drink? 

My favourite drink is coconut rum and pineapple juice. So tropical, holiday drink.

Is there anything else you’d like to say?

Um…. Come into C2C, get a piecring. And come to a Cephalopod show as well. Our next show is on the 3rd of December at The Royal with some really cool bands.

Where can people hear Cephalopod?

Um, people can hear our music usually at the Royal, we’re getting ready to release some music, or you can find us on Facebook. We’re putting up some demos soon. So at least there’s something. I kind of didn’t want to do that, I didn’t want to have some half ass, live recording of us but I think, because we’ve got over two hundred people on our page now, it’s like hrmm, I mean we’re a band but there’s nothing to listen to. So I think a half ass live recording is better than nothing. So we’ll be putting up some demos soon. We did get a pretty awesome recording from Swampfest, so I might chuck up a couple of songs from that, but yea, any day soon we will be recording an album which will be released just through me. Chucking it up on the Internet and taking it to shows and stuff.

Cool. DIY.

For sure, that’s the only way to do it. I found all these awesome CD cases, you know the slim line ones and they come in like ten different colours and they’re all really neon. Everything about our band is bright and colourful. For a metal and it’s totally like not…

Nah it’s good.

It is good! Because I am like a bright and colourful person, and I feel like that has to be portrayed through us as well.

It’s kind of like a point of difference as well, without wanting to have one.

Yea. It is exactly. It’s a point of difference just because that’s who I am. I like to be loud and excessive, and in your face. It’s a good thing if you’re the front person of a metal band, maybe that’s why I’m so happy doing this. Finally found the thing where I’m allowed to be loud and obnoxious and get away with it.

It’s funny how everyone just listens to you when you have a microphone.

I know it is aye! No matter what you say they just stand there and listen. You can just abuse the shit out of them and they don’t even know. Not that I do that!

Do it next time.

Yea maybe I should.

Ha. Well thank you.

No thank you.

Image thanks to Katie Cheer.

Hello.

Hi.

How are you?

Great, how’re you?

Good thank you.

This is pretty standard.

What do you do?

Um, I do a few things. Most currently I’ve played in a band tonight. We’re called Robin. I think you’d enjoy it if you heard it. Um, and I take photos and I paint some times.

Oh yea, so describe your creative process.

Which creative process?

Do you have one process or does it differ between music and art?

I’ve never really thought about it.

You have to now.

Ha, um. I guess if I think of something I pursue it, then I go until it’s done. And then it’s done.

What are your plans with art?

Ah, this year I was kind of just doing it for fun, to keep up with everything, and next year I’m going to study and hopefully head towards a career in some form of art.

Who are your main influences?

Um, mostly contemporary artists, like James Jean quite a lot, a dude called Eric White is really good. Um, there’s this guy called Justin Williams who’s really cool because he’s from New Zealand but relocated to Australia and I really like the work he does. These people are all painters so um yea, mostly painters and illustrators are the people I look at I guess.

That’s good. So you take your camera to shows a lot.

Yea.

What’s up with that?

I just enjoy shooting I guess, and people seem to like looking at themselves so it goes hand in hand quite nicely.

What’s your favourite subject to shoot?

Live stuff is pretty fun, but I did a lot of portraiture last year and that was also pretty cool. I liked it because I worked in film a lot. Which is, the process is, I don’t know, it’s a lot longer but more effort makes it seem nicer in the long run. Like you’re way happier with the product when you’ve put more work in I guess.

So what gear do you use?

I, pffft, not very good gear really. I’m in the process of upgrading. But I use a 450D cannon SLR mostly with a fixed 50mm 1.8 lens, mostly for live stuff, because I want to get the most light in. because it’s usually like dingy venues and stuff. But for film I have like a, well your, 3000D with just the same lens. Usually shoot like quite fast speed stuff, like 400 asa+ so yea.

What about your music?

Um, I play drums. I play a few other things but not really in front of people. That’s just for myself. I don’t really own much drum gear; I also need to get onto that. I borrow a lot of things from people who are really nice to me. But I just purchased some really nice K high hats, which I need to add to.

Who’re your influences music wise?

I listen to a lot of Pelican, a lot of Russian Circles, quite a lot of post rock stuff recently like This Will Destroy You and stuff. That kind of thing. But also a bunch of hardcore and other stuff.

Cool. Who’re you going to vote for?

Anything left. So, but probably Labour. Because I want anything to prevent Donkey from getting back into parliament and Labour has the best chance so I’m going to go with them.

If you could have one thing written in print what would it be?

No idea, can’t answer that.

Anything else?

You got anything else to ask? You’re running this shit.

Where’s the first place you’re going to travel to?

Um, going to go to Melbourne in January, which I’m quite excited about because I’ve never been there, and I hear lots of great things about the city. Lots of people are relocating there so I guess it’s for a reason. They were voted like most liveable city in some survey that they do every year like just an annual thing. Should be quite fun

Why do you wake up?

Just to do the things I like and be happy I suppose. No like bigger purpose or anything.

What do you think the best way to be happy is?

Find what you like and do that, and don’t worry about other shit that’s not important.

Sweet. Our band is pretty mean, where can people hear us?

Yea Robin, ah we’ve got a band camp, you should look it up. Hopefully we’ll play a show in Palmerston North sometime. Oh we will, on the 16^th of December at the new Youth Space, I think it’s going to be at 6pm, sometime around then.

Do you have a website?

I don’t, because I’m a bit useless, but I should get onto that. I‘ll get back to you. I put like all of my live stuff on my personal Facebook page, because I guess mostly the people in all the photos are mostly my friends so they get to see it. But yea I’ll do like a portfolio type based website thing soon.

Mean, thanks.

Thank you.

So, what are you up to Gareth?

What do you mean?

With your bike stuff.

Um, can we start again?

No.

I’m currently training for the cycle challenge around Lake Taupo.

When’s that? 

26^th of November.

What’s involved with your training?

Um, lots of riding. Lots and lots of riding. Enough so as I can get around the lake in under five hours. It’s quite a bit I guess. At the moment only about three hundred kilometre metres a week but it’ll be adding up over the next few weeks towards Taupo.

Where abouts have you been riding for training?

Hill training, which is pretty important for Taupo, been to Totara Reserve, up behind Colyton, behind Massey, and just getting base training in. So essentially just long hours on the bike at a set pace, building leg strength up and stamina and endurance.

Cool, so I hear you’re raising money for doing it?

Yea, probably, about five, no six, no maybe five months ago when I decided to do Taupo, decided to raise money for the Addis House, the Cancer Society House in Palmerston North, to repay back what they gave me when I was battling through cancer. So now that I’m in remission, still, I feel like I should do something for them seen as they rely on sponsorship and funding to help support families in Palmerston North and I feel that getting sponsorship for completing the 160kms would be a good way to say thank you I guess, to show my gratitude. Just support something that does a lot for a lot of families and a lot of people.

That’s sweet. So what’s the easiest way for people to help you out with that?

Um, the people that know me can contact me, the people that are interested but aren’t aware of what I’m doing, I guess I’ll have a few posters around in certain places to let people know what’s happening. Otherwise I guess word of mouth through the cycling community. Which seems to have already spread a little bit, because you know I’ve only started the actual sponsorship part of it in the last week and it’s already got to some people I’ve never met before so it’ll hopefully pick up in the next few weeks and if enough people that are interested in it will be able to donate money, or sponsor me for a part of the race which will then just go into a total that I’ll give to Addis House. Possible you know a week after I’ve finished the race, as I’m probably aware there’s a few people who have agreed to pay me a certain amount of money once I complete it. So yea. Just don’t get too big headed about it. Just you know, appreciate the money people give, I know it’s, I know people are always pretty wary of who they give money to for um donations and sponsorship and funding but I feel I’m not really putting any pressure on anyone to give money, just give them that option and whatever they can afford is much appreciated.

Nice. So what do you hope to achieve from this?

Finish it.

Apart from the obvious of raising money and finishing the race. What are the other motivations behind it?

Yea I guess um I’ve always been one to talk about getting something done but I’ve always ah talked a good game for a lot of the stuff I’m in but it’s um it’s going to be pretty, I don’t know how to say it, I guess I’ll just be proud of myself to have stuck to completing something such as that. Like I know, I’ve obviously been training for it but there’s nothing really, I haven’t done it before so I don’t really know what I’m getting myself into but I know once I’ve finished it I’ll be pleased that I’ve stuck to something. I guess it’ll make a lot of people proud who sponsored me, a lot of people that believe in me, and hopefully it just makes me a stronger person. Cycling’s something that’s been that sort of release as well as my music, but something else to put effort into as opposed to just working and then doing nothing in the evenings, it’s nice to look forward to going out riding after work or riding with friends. More of a social environment is always nice. Yea. Don’t know if that made a lot of sense.

It did. Can people follow your progress with this project on the Internet or anything?

I guess the event page on Facebook is the best way to follow seen as that’s the only way most people communicate. It’s called Ride For Cancer 2011, so if anyone types that in they’ll find it. Those that want to attend can follow my progress, I’ll be posting in there how my training is going and how the sponsorship money is adding up, ah, certain people and places that are helping out the most. I’m not sure what photos will be available but I will be using a GoPro camera for the race so I’ll have quite a bit of footage from when we leave to go to Taupo and during the race and on the way home, and probably get one of my friends to collate the footage and make a video and put that up for people to see how it went. And I guess photos; there’ll be the normal photographers that are there at races so they’ll um I’m sure there’ll be a few photos to put up from the ride so yea. That’ll be the best way to follow what’s going on and stuff will slowly be kept being put up on there.

Nice, good luck!

Thank you.