Hanx (Dutch Intro | English Interview)
by Wim Boluijt | 07.06.06
Bill Madden: How many barrels of blood does it take to fill an SUV these days?
Daar waar taal, vakmanschap en visie samenvallen vertoeven de groten. Niet noodzakelijkerwijs de groten van aanzien, maar veeleer de groten van liedkunst. Bill Madden behoort volgens Hanx tot die groten. Die, denk ook aan Joseph Arthur, niet zelden tamelijk onbekend zijn. Een denker. Iemand die de wereld aan het hart gaat. Schrijver van prachtige liedjes als Samsara’s Grip, Right In The Head en Dangerous Game. Dat laatste komt van zijn eerder dit jaar verschenen derde album Gone. Vragen die onvermoede verbanden en diepgang onthullen.
Wim: Who are/were your father and mother?
Bill: My mother was a homemaker and my father was a travelling salesman. When I was born, my father worked in the film developing laboratory at Eastman Kodak in Hollywood. The Kodak lab was only a couple of miles from where his best friend worked as an engineer at Gold Star Studios, engineering for Phil Spector, and recording among others, the Righteous Brothers. After working the graveyard shift at the lab, my father would occasionally stop off and hang out at the studio. I have an old vinyl 45 RPM he recorded at Gold Star.
W. Are they on the cover of Gone? And if so: why?
B. Yes, it’s an old photograph of my mother and father before they were married. They’re somewhere near the Grand Canyon. It’s their chaperone who took the photo. For me it represents a simpler time. A time gone. Also, two people who are no longer together. Considering the subject matter of Gone, the album cover and title work for me on a few different levels.
W. Where do you live now?
B. Lately, I’ve been splitting time between Orange County, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia.
W. Where did you grow up (town/area) and has this place/upbringing influenced your art?
B. I grew up in La Mirada, a Southern California suburb bordering Los Angeles and Orange County. I don’t think the place had much influence on my art, but my father certainly did. We always had music in the house. Besides a 4-track reel-to-reel, and numerous instruments, my father had an incredibly diverse and eclectic record collection of 33s, 45s, and 78s — everything from big band, jazz, and Latin, to folk, blues, and rock. He bought me a drum kit when I was nine, and a few years later I started getting his hand-me-downs — a Gibson J-45, Guild D44, and a Gibson ES-335.
W. Do you have children?
B. No. At least not yet. I’m still far too selfish.
W. Are you a fulltime musician? Or do you work other work too?
B. Yea, it’s what I do. I also like to play the stock market.
W. What is the best (most influential) book you read when you were young? Please tell something about it.
B. As an early teen, I’d have to say it was “The Mutant King” by David Dalton, which was a biography about James Dean. This book solidified the romantic notion of being an “outsider” and an “observer.”
W. Do you like poetry? Whose?
B. Yes. My father had a great love of poetry and his passion was contagious. Although there are many, two poets in particular who have had a profound influence are Dylan Thomas and, to a lesser extent, Hart Crane. Understanding Dylan Thomas was like finding the key to life’s great mystery. To be exposed by language to life in all its beauty, debauchery and decay. It’s real, it’s frightening, and it’s exhilarating. Because I don’t speak French and am only able to read English translations, I’ve probably felt compelled more by the life than the poetry of Arthur Rimbaud. I don’t think another writer can ever to the fullest extent translate into another language a poem of eloquence and complexity and retain the poet’s most pristine, uncorrupted vision.
W. What author(s) has (have) influenced you and why? Tell me something about him/her/them?
B. For some reason, it’s always been biographies, semi-fictional pseudo-biographies and spiritual philosophy that have always intrigued and influenced me the most. “The Day On Fire” by James Ramsey Ullman, which is a semi-fictionalized account of the life of Arthur Rimbaud. “Siddhartha” by Hermann Hesse was an incredible book. The last chapter was among the most inspiring 11 pages of literature I’ve ever read. I had been reading various books on Buddhism, however the life of Siddhartha Gautama was still somewhat of a mystery to me. W. Sumerset Maugham’s “The Razor’s Edge” and “The Moon and Sixpence” were wonderful books. “The Moon and Sixpence” is the semi-fictionalized account of the life of artist Paul Gauguin. Albert Camu’s “The Stranger” also comes to mind, which reminds me of a somewhat existentialist movie I recently enjoyed from Danish director, Christoffer Boe called “Reconstruction.” I found “Reconstruction” to be interesting not only for its cinematography, and use of 35mm, super 16mm, and satellite shots, but also from a psychological perspective.
W. What music/musicians influenced you or still influences you?
B. When you’re a child, all you have is what your father, mother or siblings have. In my case, it was what my father had. Although he listened to many diverse artists and genres of music, the stuff I gravitated towards was more retro and rock oriented. At the time, albums and artists that I could not get enough of were “Bob Dylan’s Greatest Hits,” “Bob Dylan’s Greatest Hits, Vol. II,” The Who “Live At Leeds,” The Rolling Stones “Let It Bleed,” Johnny Cash “At Folsom Prison,” Sam Cooke “A Change Is Gonna Come,” and The Beatles “White Album.” Nowdays my choice of music or what I listen to changes almost daily. Americana, folk, delta blues, jazz, rock — I like good music. The style is irrelevant.
W. Tell me about Billy Mohler. He seems to be very important for both “Samsara’s Grip” and “Gone.”
B. Billy Mohler is an incredibly talented multi-instrumentalist and a monster bassist. His godfather is Bill Medley of the Righteous Brothers. I met Billy after he returned to Southern California from Boston’s Berklee College of Music. He was recommended by a mutual musician friend who was aware that I was looking for someone to play bass on “Samsara’s Grip.” When I was ready to record Gone, Billy had just finished the Jimmy Chamberlin Complex album “Life Begins Again,” so the timing was perfect. Besides having great musical instincts, nobody works harder.
W. Why was “Samsara’s Grip” produced by Ian Miller (who is he)?
B. Ian Miller is a Scottish, working class lad from Glasgow who was the second engineer on my first album, “Chillin’ In Hades.” When I was unhappy with the original mix, Ian helped out. I told Ian when I go into the studio to do my next album, I’ll give him a call, and that’s what I did.
W. What is Samsara’s Grip?
B. Samsara is a Buddhist/Hindu term that in its simplest of meanings, loosely translates to the cycle of human experience. The endless cycle of birth, death, rebirth, and suffering due to attachment. Hence, Buddha’s purpose to help rid humanity of suffering and stop the cycle or “grip” that samsara has upon us. That place which is attainable within ourselves is referred to as nirvana. I was at a lecture of Ram Dass and he said the question was not “how do we get there?” but rather “how do we rid ourselves of all the shit that keeps us from understanding ‘we’re already here?’”
W. Why did you choose that picture on the cover?
B. I think the cover photograph for “Samsara’s Grip” of a three year old boy (me) struggling mightily with an immovable exercise band is a perfect metaphor for samsara and the struggle of life. The fact that unbeknownst to him, his penis has unwittingly popped out of his boxer briefs is just an added attraction, metaphor or outrage. I guess it depends upon how analytical or cynical you want to be (laughing).
W. You seem to be a Zenman. Or at least a religious metaphysical man. I wrote to Diana about you and used the word Zenwar to describe your lyrics. Would you agree?
B. Eastern philosophy and thought is inescapable in my music. I wouldn’t say I’m religious, only because the connotation of religion reminds me of some orthodox, unbending, archaic tradition which in my mind is the exact opposite of the essence of Zen. To describe Zen isn’t Zen. Even to practice Zen isn’t Zen. You’re either it or you’re not. Gautama was labelled Buddha, but he wasn’t a Buddhist. He was simply in the moment, being.
W. “Weight of His Words” – You are always responsible. Fate has its course and we act. Good or bad. About people in charge? Or you and me and everyday life?
B. Words carry weight. They have cause and effect. I think we act, and by our actions fate has its course. I believe in responsibility. With responsibility comes ultimate freedom. It’s much easier to let go of attachment if you have no one to blame.
W. “Path of the Heart” – Your guru’s been waiting. Tongue in cheek? Or not? Made me think about psychiatry. Satchitananda? Our parents who condition us. A Freudian view on becoming what you are right now?
B. The lyrics “your guru’s been waiting for eyes unclouded by fear” is a bit of metaphorical wordplay on a couple of eastern philosophical sayings — “truth waits for eyes unclouded by longing,” from the Tao Te Ching, and “when the student is ready, the teacher will appear,” a Buddhist proverb.
The word “satchitananda” is a Hindu term which literally translates to “sat” (truth), “chit” (consciousness), “ananda” (absolute bliss). The state of “satchitananda” is the state in which Atman (the self) merges with Brahman (God). It’s a state of pure being and oneness with all that is.
We’re conditioned from the moment we are born into this world. Ram Dass once said that our first rejection comes when our mother pulls her nipple away from our mouths. If that’s not our first encounter with rejection, it sure is damn close!
W. “Might Have Been” – You sing very good (I mean you touch somewhere deep inside — both ways). She. The mystery of having met. Longing.
B. It’s really a simple love story. It’s about remembering and longing and coming to the realization that you already have what you’re longing for. Remembering what once was is not what it actually was, but rather a romanticised memory of what you choose to believe it was. It’s not reality, it’s just a thought. “Just a dream.”
W. “Friend” – Organ! The old story. Jesus and Judas. And many others. Now it’s even you and me. A dark view on friendship?
B. Put any two people in that situation and the basic principle of betrayal remains the same. It was inspired by life experiences and the Dylan Thomas poem “To Others Than You.”
W. “Gone” – Prince influences?
B. I think you’re referring to my falsetto. As a kid, I was always trying to hit all the notes that Sam Cooke does on “A Change Is Gonna Come.” That’s where the falsetto comes from.
W. What is a Ponzi scheme? Beautiful guitar. We fuck it all up. Even ruin the ground we walk upon. Anger and not much hope for change.
B. “Ponzi” has become somewhat of a metaphor for any pyramid scheme. Big business and politicians are always talking about the “trickle down” theory, but in reality, it’s trickle up. The rich keep getting richer while the poor continue to suffer from the most basic of amenities, including food and medicine. The disparity of wages and quality of living is growing rather than shrinking, but I do believe there’s hope. Anger can be good when it inspires change and is used in positive ways. However, anger can also be blinding and destructive. The ability to navigate its emotional terrain — that’s the razors edge.
W. “Dangerous Game” – Keyboards like clouds! When hubris rules/honesty wanes. And this: it’s easy to rationalize/when it’s someone else’s life. Fucked up science? Greed? Again, we are on the verge of losing it all. Dark. Too Dark?
B. We have yet to have to have an honest explanation from the Bush administration of why America invaded Iraq. Obviously oil played a larger role than Bush admits.
W. “What in the World” – Business people steeling. Enron? There are more wars going on than the one we all look at.
B. The greatest war of all is the war of ideas. G8 nations wield so much power and influence over international institutions, and yet third world countries continue to suffer from poverty and disease. Along with the environment, I don’t think there’s an issue of any more importance than the welfare of the global community as a whole.
W. “Mi Vida Es” – Spanish, your first language?
B. No, Spanish is my mother’s first language.
W. Which God will guide us? All Gods?
B. In the verse “May the grace of God guide you,” the grace that I’m referring to is not religious but rather the intrinsic wisdom that resides within all of us yet, for some reason, remains buried in all of our prejudices, archaic traditions, and attachments. Once again, we return to the great human conundrum. The question of how do we rid ourselves of all the shit that keeps us from understanding that we’re already it, we’re already here, and heaven is within?
W. What does this mean: “Mi corazon esta abierto/Que hermosa eres/Siempre tuya, siempre tuya/Siempre tuya, tuya?”
B. The lyrics “Mi corazon esta abierto/Que hermosa eres/Siempre tuya” translate in English into “My heart is open/How beautiful you are/Always yours.”
W. “Art of Being” – Zen and the art of being human. Why zen? Which school of zen? Japanese? Buddha?
B. The title actually was inspired by a couple of books I’ve read — “Zen in the Art of Archery” by Eugen Herrigel and “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance” by Robert M. Pirsig. In my mind, which school of Zen or form of Buddhism is irrelevant.
W. What is God’s box?
B. “God’s box” is that conundrum we keep coming back to. It’s really not God’s box. It’s actually our own. God’s just easy to blame (laughing).
W. You have a slight Lenny Kravitz-like sound?!
B. Perhaps somewhere in our history, Lenny and I share some mutual musical influences.
W. “Awful Good” – Wordplay. SheHeplay. She. Again. But you are never sure: if she’s still interested. So close to losing it all. Always and everyday.
B. We never seem to appreciate what we have until we lose it. It’s only after it’s gone, that we realize how much we miss it and how far we’ll go to get it back. This is one of the reasons why Gone is the title of the album. It’s an ongoing theme, yet it can take on so many different meanings and metaphors. It just depends on the context of each song and the experiences of the listener.
W. “Everything and That” – About The War in The Middle East. The War On Terrorism. Organ!
B. I don’t think the invasion of Iraq had anything to do with the war against terrorism, but that’s how Bush sold it to America. He made the tragedy of 9/11 and the invasion of Iraq indistinguishable from one another. Saddam Hussein was a secularist whom Osama bin Laden had labelled an apostate and an infidel. Somehow, I don’t think these two guys were very friendly with each other. Radical Islamic fundamentalism was something Saddam had always brutally repressed. Ironically, this is exactly what’s fuelling the current civil war.
W. Future plans? New record? Gigs? Tours (The Netherlands, you played here once).
B. I’m currently writing songs for a new album and filming a video for the title track “Gone.” Don’t be surprised if I drop in. Save me a stool at the pub Wim! (laughing).