Ah, Tuesdays. How I hate you with your “now you’re definitely into the working week but the end is so far away” attitude. Well, I’m going to cheer myself up with some new music from a band I’ve not heard of before today. You’re welcome….
Simple things first – where are you from?
I make my dwelling in between Toronto and Montreal and close to Ottawa, Ontario Canada. Grew up on the Canadian side of Detroit (Chatham).
How long have you been recording music?
I started off as a young teenager all full of piss and vinegar (probably full of shit to!) recording a 45 single titled Dark Hallway and Golgotha as the B-side. My dear parents were very kind and took out a loan so I could record this single in London, Ontario with an excellent bunch of dudes: David Davidson, Shaun Saunders, Tony Bourdeau and Chris Byrne. The single was released independently using the so-called label name The Lonely Ghost Project. Since 2012 however I have been recording dark electronic music of a gothic/industrial/dark wave bent more or less as a hobby and as an experiment. The rest is pisstory!
Before you get sick of being asked… where does the band name come from?
Gnostic Gorilla was originally the name of a song I wrote in 2013. I used the name The Lonely Ghost Project and LGP as a project name but when I found out there was a band called The Lonely Ghost Parade, I decided to change the name to Gnostic Gorilla and use the name LGP-ONE as my indie label.
What are your influences?
I have a lot of respect for many artists, both past and present. I have to say that in the early days, and to some extent today, Gary Numan was/is a huge inspiration to me. I always felt he was quite unique in his approach to recording music, especially in his early days. There are more industrial type bands that have more directly influenced the way I write music myself. To name a few: Ministry, Type O Negative, Korn, Rammstein, Skinny Puppy and a host of other bands. That said, Jim Morrison of The Doors has a very special influence on my lyrical style. I don’t write like Morrison, but I admire his almost mystical approach to writing lyrics. Peter Steele and Beck are also up there as far as excellent lyricists in my view.
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
Who is unique in this day and age? Very difficult to do. People try but then they are disappointed to find out that they are not so unique. I think the days of unique (legends/pioneers?) are mostly over. I mean, it’s all been done: KISS, Sabbath, Manson, Korn, Numan, Bauhaus, etc. and as far as image goes… it’s all been done too. I mean, many black metal artists look like dudes that failed at doing good Gene Simmons makeup. I’m not knocking them by any means. Just saying, it would be quite a claim to make in this day and age that one is unique. That said, I try my very best to just be myself and that includes being open about who influences me.
Do you have any particular lyrical themes?
Yeah, I often write about the human struggle: depression and mental illness. We have so far to go as concerns dealing properly with people who suffer from mental illness. But I also write in a veiled way about corruption in politics, without naming anyone in particular. I write also about religious themes quite often. One of the things that pisses me off to no end, is any kind of hatred or bigotry that comes out of religious ideologies, but also, I’m equally disturbed with people, often in music, who bash people of whatever religious persuasion. Let’s leave each other the f**k alone and get along, man! Hatred in any form is not cool. Period. Finally, a lot of my music borders on dark gothic psychedelic.
What’s your live show like?
Gnostic Gorilla, to date has no plans to do live shows because I’m dead! No, but, who knows… Just not now, if ever.
What are your plans for 2019?
Lots of stuff being planned for this year. Another release with Cleopatra Records, hopefully in the Summer months. Some re-releases as well with KL-Dark Records and Nowhere Now Records as well. I’ve recorded some vocals for an Australian band called CRIX IIIX. Much more to come.
