INTERVIEW WITH DON HOWLAND Conducted by J. Krall via Email in winter/spring of 2004
	QUES: Would you ever sign to a major label and do the whole MTV thing like other bands have done (like the White Stripes, for instance)? If so, why? and if not.. why? Its my opinion that it may be a relief to some bands because of money issues and recognition, but sooner or later the "fad" (garage rock, the new post-punk, etc) will go away and the new fans will find new "hip" shit to cling to. What do you think? HOWLAND: I think that will never happen so it's moot. I have never had good luck and I am terrible at calling attention to myself.  Most people I meet I don't really want to talk to and I think they sense that.  I do agree that not having ascended and descended the corporate hipness hump has allowed us to be perceived as having integrity (which we do) just as much as it's made us unknown to many others who might like the band.  Twelve years ago before I was growing bald and Bim was a kid I think we could have taken a good photograph, but not anymore.   Although I can still run a six minute mile. Ques: What influences your lyrics/music? Books? Movies? HOWLAND: As I get older and more tired and less anxious about life in general - occasionally happy, even - I find myself turning to movies, books and poetry for lyrical inspiration which I feel is cheating somewhat.  "Purple Noon" is definitely straight from the movie/book.  "Hell's Angel" was inspired by "Audition." The line in "Daughter" about a wise man is an allusion to "Crumb."  The song "Blackbird" is an hommage/lift to/from Wallace Stevens.   Of course, the stuff on the first albums was lifted or inspired by country blues lyrics, but until "Purple Noon" and "Hell's Angel" in particular I can't remember any songs directly influenced by movies. Ques: Who are your favorite blues musicians? HOWLAND: I'll say off the top of my head my favorite blues musicians are Skip James, Bukka White, Charley Patton, Howlin' Wolf, John Lee Hooker, Dr. Ross, Otha Turner and Sid Hemphill (fife and drum) and Jessie Mae Hemphill.  I like Junior Kimbough and R.L. Burnside a lot too.  Of old guys, also Blind Willie McTell.  And while not blues per se, Roebuck Staples did learn from Charlie Patton and I love the Staple Singers.  I'm probably leaving somebody out.. Ques: Was the idea to modify the cover art of Frank Frost's album "Big Boss Man" for your "Haunted Hill" album your own? HOWLAND: Yes indeed the Frank Frost idea was mine.  I love that record and the art. The Blue Roots cover is a mock-up of a blues series on Kent.  The DeafMix3 cover, by the way was an hommage to the first Roxanne Shante record, and Blue Moon was designed after a Francoise Hardy record.  I love records.  Those are the hommages that come immediately to mind...  All the record art has been mine.  Well, the cover of the new record is from a picture of a '67 Playboy Playmate; I repainted it on an 18" canvas. Ques: If Bim was no longer in the band, would you still go on to record under the name Bassholes? HOWLAND: If Bim was unavailable, I wouldn't call it the Bassholes.  Both he and Rich have a similar style, but Bim' been part of it for nearly a decade and it's totally a two-piece operation.  When we play live, he sets up in front of me and to the side. Ques: The song "Out in the Treetops" is an interesting song... What's it about? HOWLAND: "Out in the Treetops" came from an old friend I had who's since passed away; we used to climb a Norway maple in my backyard and hang out up there for long period of time, way up high. Ques: There's a 'hidden' track on the Haunted Hill cd.. sort of a artsy cut-up sound thing. Was that something you just stuck on for the hell of it or do you like doing that sort of experimental stuff? HOWLAND: I think that was an accident that sounded good.  One great thing about home recording is using the same tape over and over and getting tracks from different songs mixed together.  The only thing I can remember from music history class in middle school is the Charles Ives symphony where two marching bands come together and clash and mix, and that made an impression on me as a thirteen year old.  I just like sounds, not arty. Ques: Is there a story behind that song "Nothing at All"? I think that's one of the best first lines of a song I've ever heard. HOWLAND: I remember I wrote that song at a bad point in my marriage.  After the first five years there were a lot of bad points. I remember I'd been woozy at a party and my wife was bugging me to leave and I sort of pushed her and she fell over.  It was not intentional and I felt terrible but the whole party stopped.  I remember writing that song the same week Ques: Any stories you'd like to share from the recent tour? HOWLAND: There was a very pretty girl I was too overwhelmed by her beauty to talk with in Luzern, Switzerland named Garance.  If she's out there, write me, please.  Otherwise, an 8-week tour is not really that much fun.  It's like a long, long backpacking trip.  The highlights of a tour are meeting people and seeing old friends, like Jack and Lili from Volt in Paris and the Magnetix in Bordeaux, and my man Eddie King from the Strip Kings in London and other people who aren't in bands.  I met so many cool people.  Saw some good bands - the Intellectuals from Rome and ET Explore me from Haarlem come to mind right away.  Our driver was a dickhead though and that made the travelling really unpleasant, that and watching Jeff Evans gain thirty pounds on an all French Fry and Cremehorn diet.  The driver listened to the worst music I ever heard in my life - lite jazz fusion.  He was a decent dude at first, but he was old and had never driven on any tour, let alone eight weeks.  He became a giant asshole as the weeks wore on.  We finally fired him and got a great driver named Patrick but only for the last week.  The other highlights for me were going to art museums.  That's where I'm at at this point.  I was lucky - I got to go the the Prado in Madrid and see "The Garden of Delights," the National Gallery in London and the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.  The best shows were in Luzern (thanks to Memphisto Productions); Breschia, Italy and Olveido, Spain .  Mr. Bratto set up the latter on no notice in a weird little bar with no sound system or stage.  In fact we had to move a pool table out of the way to play.  No one was there a half hour AFTER we were supposed to start, and I was saying this is a new low but then all of a sudden the place was packed to the gills.  It was like a scene in Bewitched, nearly twitch of a nose.  Other low points:  I got my wallet ripped off in a store buying something I shouldn't and I took that as a sign from God, although I've not held to my vow; we did not have records to sell for 14 out of the 42 shows and thus lost a small fortune; German food; but why dwell on the negative?  I plan to go back next year, either with the Bassholes - and Bim is into it; he's finishing school in December - or with a new band i'm trying to do here called Wooden Tit. end. (Note: Picture courtesy of Dead Canary Records. Go and buy some of their records.)