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Nekromantix
Interview: Barflies.net's Wanda, who is also KUCI's
GM and DJ Howdiyicious,
chats with bassist Kim Nekroman about life, death, and the Return
of the Loving Dead.
(2/11/02)
 Wanda:
Tell me about your success.
Kim: Where do I start? I don't
know if it's success… we're having a good time and we've been having
that for, about 13 years now.
Wanda: Tell me a little bit
about this album, Return of the Loving Dead. How is it different
from your last few albums?
Kim: I don't know if it's that
different… but, mostly we did this in a short time… we didn't spend
a lot of time producing, correcting errors and shit, so I think
that's the main difference. It's still pretty much your typical
Nekromantix record.
Wanda: How is it different being
on a label like Epitaph
(Hellcat)? I know you've said that they wanted you to make the record
the way that you wanted to, but what is the main difference?
Kim: They're pros. Helping out
setting up interviews and stuff … In the past it's always been like
us doing everything …they're helping out, getting us interviews,
doing promotions. They're really cool.
Wanda: You're touring with Tiger
Army on the West Coast - are you playing the entire time with
Tiger Army or just on the West Coast? Who put that together?
Kim: Yes, we're doing 30 days
with Tiger Army - East Coast and West Coast. It was Lars
Frederiksen's idea, you know, originally we were going out with
the Bastards tour.
Wanda: What do you guys listen
to when you're on tour?
Kim: Wow, well, all sorts of
things… everything from Dolly Parton to Motorhead!
Wanda: Sounds like my record
collection! What would you say are your major influences musically?
Kim:I can hardly answer that.
We're three different people coming from three different musical
environments. Again, it's everything from country to hardcore punk.
For myself, I'm mostly influenced by 70s and 80s punk, ska, surf,
rockabilly, nothing in particular …I'm pretty open minded when it
comes to music, as long as it rocks.
Wanda: How has growing up in
Denmark influenced you differently from other kids?
Kim: I'm not sure. That's a
hard one.. mmm… I don't know - I can only see from my side, from
my point of view. I mean, we're closer to Europe, so that has to
make a difference.
Wanda: What are you listening
to now? What excites you right now?
Kim: Nothing much at the time.
Because after being in the studio recording the album, and being
in the studio with my other band… now I'm sort of taking a break…
Wanda: What's your other band?
 Kim:
Well, I have a band and the other guys have a band… kind of a rock
band… I have a band with my wife, called Horror Pups… a total crossover,
rock n' roll band influenced by Souixsie and the Banshees, Blondie,
Depeche Mode, rockabilly, psychobilly, rock n' roll.
Wanda: What's the instrumentation?
Kim: I play guitar, my wife plays upright slap bass and vocals,
and we have another guitarist and a drummer.
Wanda: So, you and your wife
switch places in that band. Nice. Now at the time you came on the
scene in 1989 and 1990, the scene was primarily dominated by British
psychobilly bands - how would you describe your style as different?
Kim: The British psychobillly
style at that point had more clean guitars, really what I would
call the "new" rockabilly… we kind of added… there were a few bands,
like Demented Are Go that were harder.. but we added like more metal…we're
not stopped by three chords.
Wanda: What do you think of
the growing popularity of psychobilly again? Is there going to be
a resurgence in America and abroad?
Kim: It looks like that. In
a different way from how we know it in Europe. See what happens
with Tiger Army… something is happening.
Wanda: Something is happening,
yes, but is it really psychobilly?
Kim: Definitely yes, a lot of
people say it's not but I think it's psychobilly.
Wanda: Yes, but what makes it
psychobilly?
Kim: I don't know, it's hard
to put a finger on it… it's something you can hear… it's the energy,
the people, the way the sound comes out of the speakers…it's something
you can feel. It's so damn trendy to put labels on things nowadays,
but there is something you can feel.
Wanda: Yes, I never used to
see any psychobilly kids out and about in the club scene, and you're
starting to see a lot more.
Kim: Yeah, it's cool!
Wanda: But a lot of them are
reaching back to the older bands.
Kim: They sort of have to. Normally
when something new comes along, it looks back a little. It's not
a good thing to look back when it comes to music like that … that's
what psychobilly is all about, looking ahead to the future. In the
50s when rock and roll started, it was about looking ahead and not
back.
Wanda: But you do look back…
you look back to classic horror movie imagery. Tell me about that.
Tell me about how that comes into play.
 Kim:
Well, it's been a part of us all along, so it's not really looking
back… it's just that mix between the rockabilly and the punk and
the lyrics. It's not a must to sing about horror and stuff, but
it's mostly what we do…
Wanda: Would you say that you
are more obsessed with death or with life?
Kim: No. Neither. I'm just not
afraid of it. I mean, death is a part of life, isn't it?
Wanda: Some people say that
your images are Goth or Satanic - how would you respond to that?
Kim: Well the Satanic one… I'd
say that would be stupid to think that, but there are touches of
Goth. But if you can't see through the irony then people are just
blind.
Wanda: It seems very tongue-in-cheek
to me. Like a song like "Who Killed the Cheerleader." You know…
funny in a dark way? Kim: Yes, exactly…
Wanda: How was that song written?
Kim: As usual, we needed a lyric.
We always argue about who's turn it is to come up with the lyric.
We watch a lot of American tv in Denmark - American soap operas
and teen movies. I think it was after we saw this Britney Spears
video on MTv, and we thought, hahaha, let's make a song about killing
her!
Wanda: It made me think about
Buffy the Vampire Slayer…
Kim: Don't tell anybody, but
we like that!
Wanda: Ooh, I love that show!
Oh, your secret is safe with me…Now, in what way have the events
of 9/11/01 changed your feelings about America and about touring?
Kim: Well, they have changed.
We had a tour scheduled right after that tragedy and that was cancelled
for obvious reasons. I think a lot of people are afraid of flying
and uncertain about what's happening in the world… I mean, it was
a war, and you can't spot the enemy in that kind of war… a lot of
bands have cancelled their tours both in the US and in Europe.
Wanda: Has it affected the Danish,
or do you feel yourselves to be apart from all that's happened?
Kim: Of course we feel a part
of it all in the sense of having the same feeling that everyone
all over the world has. I don't know the English words for it… when
we can't do anything. Denmark is just a little peaceful country…it
affected everybody.
Wanda: I had just come from
Europe two days before. I don't know if I'd want to go back now.
Just sitting in the airport you feel vulnerable.
Kim: I don't know if I'm being
paranoid, but I was double checking everyone out in the plane!
Wanda: And of course they're
looking at you and wondering. You don't exactly look normal!
Kim: No. I know, but that's
some of the after effects.
Wanda: Are the audiences different
in Europe than in America?
Kim: Well, they are. Since there
are not so many psychobillies over here, the audiences are more
diverse. Everybody's here, anything from rockabillies to hardcores.
You see crips, you see baldies, you see long hairs.
Wanda: Here, if they have a
mixed bill, when the country band or the rock band comes on, all
the traditional rockabilly kids will go outside. They won't listen.
Kim:Often in subcultures, people
are pretty narrow minded, but I guess that will change. In the 80s,
if you were a punk rocker, you didn't listen to anything else, everyone
was fighting each other, but now since the 90s, people are more
crossing over.
 Wanda:
And what about you, how did you pick psychobilly out of all the
subcultures?
Kim: It just happened. I was
brought up with rockabilly. My mother listened to Elvis and Johnny
Burnette; it was kind of in my blood. When we were young, we checked
out all the psychobilly festivals in Europe, traveled around, and
I thought, "why not do a band?" And I hooked up with Peter, he didn't
even know what psychobilly was at that time, and that made us different
from other bands because we had different influences. That's actually
pretty healthy for this kind of band.
Wanda: What was the music scene
like in Denmark at that time?
Kim: Well, zero. There has never
been any kind of psychobilly scene in Denmark, which was why we
traveled around, especially to Germany to meet people who are in
to the same kind of music.
Wanda: It must be weird to leave
your home town and go on tour and all of a sudden there's this music
scene and everyone knows who you are! Now, if you could tour with
any band - living or dead - who would that be?
Kim:Let me ask the guys (turns
and speaks in Danish). Now they're thinking… yeah, Motorhead, they
say the Beatles and Motorhead and Dolly Parton!
Wanda: Now, my friend Paul Morris
wanted me to ask you about the time some Finnish girl tried to pick
up him by telling him that she was going to kill herself. Do you
remember that?
Kim:I do!
Wanda: Is that a typical Scandinavian
pickup line?
Kim: Oh, yes, especially in
Finland! (laughs)
Wanda: Why would anyone say
that?
Kim: I don't know, it must be
his charms! But in Scandinavia we're used to that kind of pick up
line! He must have special appeal!
Wanda: Well, I'll have to try
that on the next guy I meet. I'll tell him I'm going to kill myself
and see if it works!
Kim: Yeah! (laughing)
Wanda: Well, it's been great
talking to you! We'll talk again soon!
Kim: Okay,
Wanda: good bye.
This interview is used with the permission of KUCI
and the UC Board of
Regents. Broadcasts and contents are the sole property of KUCI
and the UC Board of Regents and cannot be used without prior permission.
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