interview in 'chain DLK' 1999.

Page 4 of 4.

Chain D.L.K.: How much is your music affected by your every-day life and how much is your reality affected by your music?

J. Citizen (EYE): Quite a lot. I am negatively inspired by people who are power-mad, arrogant, apathetic, authoritarian, self-absorbed, hypocritical, submissive or deliberately ignorant. But I'm also positively inspired when I see people who are active and humbly doing great things. My reality is greatly affected by the music EYE do because it's a major part of my life!

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Chain D.L.K.: Are you an activist, a vegan, a vegetarian? What do you do in your non-musical life?

J. Citizen (EYE): I've been an activist on many issues since 1992. I've had over 20 articles published in magazines, zines, newsletters and as leaflets. (I used to write letters to newspapers but they rarely published them. When they did they cut out the best bits so as to weaken my argument and then wouldn't print my factual responses to those who responded to me.) I ran the Canberra branch of Campaign Against Fraudulent Medical Research and held regular street stalls and film-screenings. I've even lobbied a few Australian politicians in the flesh. My present form of activism is through EYE, The e.l.f. (formerly called 'aya') and the Blatant Propaganda zine. Yes, I'm vegetarian. The only animal product I eat is honey. In my non-musical life I work 9-6 p.m. 5 days a week. I then do music related stuff until 11p.m-3 a.m. I also organise and DJ at 2 monthly nightclubs in Canberra as well as 2 monthly radio shows. I somehow maintain an active social life among all this! It can be very exhausting. One day, I'm going to explode... or simply go "splat!"!

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Chain D.L.K.: You also do a newsletter/fanzine and some CD-R compilations... Would you tell us about all of your side-projects and in particular about the main goals of the 'zine?

J. Citizen (EYE): They're all equal projects though EYE is the oldest and most time-consuming. The other main music project is The e.l.f. (formerly called 'aya'). It is largely instrumental, though with some dialogue propaganda samples, and focusses on electronica and dark-acid-techno. The "Blatant Propaganda" zine came together as EYE had been writing and distributing propaganda leaflets for years. I decided to put them together and release them along with reviews of underground bands and zines. So the goal is to increase awareness of underground culture and suppressed information. Both issues are around 30 A4 pages, available for only $1 US or 1 Pound or 1 International Reply Coupon each from: PO Box 1327 Woden 2606 Australia. But to save paper, most articles are also on the web-site: www.teknet.net.au/~eye/

The "Blatant Propaganda Volume 1" compilation CDR was designed to promote some of the underground bands I admire and came across through my radio shows. I plan to do future compilations - they will be factory pressed CDs rather than burnt on CDR.

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Chain D.L.K.: Where does the name Eye come from?

J. Citizen (EYE): The dictionary! Or is that a trick question?

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Chain D.L.K.: How are your songs born and how the lyrics?

J. Citizen (EYE): Well, Daddy EYE & Mummy EYE go to bed together and ... "WHAMMOO!"... Sometimes the lyrics are first and then the music. Sometimes the music, or a bit of music, and then lyrics. To put lyrics to music I usually sing over the music in complete gibberish (ie. nonsense non-language) vocals. I then go back and painstakingly put in words that fit the rhythms and melody. I often refer to books and articles for propaganda phrases and words. A few tracks remain as gibberish though. Some take years to finish.

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Chain D.L.K.: What instruments do you use to make your own music?

J. Citizen (EYE): digital synths, analogue synths (including a TB-303 bought for only $20 - they normally sell for about $1500 here!), guitars, bass, a choir of singing kangaroos, samplers, drum machines, tapes, an O2R mixing desk, turntables (used for sampling from), some drums, odd things like matchboxes, kitchen equipment, and an antique set of percussive musical mice (which are lots of fun, but hard to replace if you hit one of them too hard with the mallet - it takes months of training before a new mouse "squeaks" in tune).

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Chain D.L.K.: Do you consider your music to be the mean to your message or would you rather describe your message to be the complementary part of your music?

J. Citizen (EYE): Both, they go hand in hand... merrily.

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Chain D.L.K.: Can you tell us something about your future plans?

J. Citizen (EYE): Yes, I can, but then this interview would turn into a book!

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Chain D.L.K.: Personally I'm not very optimist in regard to the conscience of people, but let's suppose that someone out there reading this decides to support the fight against animal-abuses: what can they do? What would you suggest them?

J. Citizen (EYE): First, get informed! There's nothing more damaging than someone with a big mouth who doesn't know their arguments. Then find ways you can make a difference - put your mind to it: letter-box leafleting, posters, graffitti, writing and publishing articles in underground press (mainstream press will mostly ignore you if you're truelly subversive), interviews on community radio... join or start an organisation! A good place to start for information is via the EYE web-site (many links) or just search the web generally.

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Chain D.L.K.: Maybe Eye is a bit like Muslimgauze (r.i.p.) so I'll ask you: would you stop doing music if the animal abuse did stop tomorrow?

J. Citizen (EYE): No. There are and always will be many other issues which I feel passionate about. Nevertheless, even if the world was a wonderful nice place and there were no issues I'd want to make music about, I'd still make music as it's in my blood to do so!

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Chain D.L.K.: What would you like to tell your supporters and to the people who are reading this?

J. Citizen (EYE): "Boo!" ... which is Australian for: "Boo!" .... It's hard to know what to say in reply without sounding really pretentious. Perhaps: "be nice to each other and believe in your ability to make a significant difference in the world - because you can!"

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Chain D.L.K.:Would you like to add something else?

J. Citizen (EYE): Yes, the obvious, which is: "Thank-you Chain DLK!"

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