A Dirty Dozen with HARRY CLOUD – February 2023

According to a recent press release: “HARRY CLOUD refuses to sit still, creatively, unleashing a cornucopia of melded musical ideas on THE CYST, which arrives today via Kitten Robot Records and is produced by Paul Roessler (Nina Hagen, TSOL, Pat the Bunny, Josie Cotton). Through ten distinctively unique tracks, the Georgia-based Avant-composer takes us on a mystery tour that delivers curveball after curveball, showing off his inventive energy while keeping us all on our toes. With 16 combined album and EP releases to his credit (under the monikers Fannyland, Orphan Goggles, and COPS as well as Harry Cloud), THE CYST might just the most accessible chapter yet in a prolific story that shows no sign of ending anytime soon.” We get Harry to discuss new music, influences, and more.

1. Tell us a little about your latest release.  What might a fan or listener not grab the first or second time they listen through?  Are there any hidden nuggets you put in the material or that only diehard fans might find?

My latest release is just the music I’ve done lately. When it seems like an era of my life is over and we have a good amount of songs I say “that’s it, that’s the new record” and move onto to the next one. The record hops around genres as all my records do, I don’t set out to write a particular style though slow and heavy seems to come out a lot. Lyrically, I write really fast, usually in the studio after the music is recorded. I try to find a melody and then add words to it. The lyrics are abstract and nonsensical at times. I’m more about a good line than everything tying together. There are definitely lines and parts that mean something to me and have to do with my life but a listener probably won’t know that. If the lyrics aren’t obvious the song remains interesting and the listener can hear what he thinks he hears and apply their own meaning. I guess hidden nuggets would be some cool hidden psychedelic sounds that might not be heard upon first listen and lyrics that weren’t heard before.

2. What got you into music, and can you tell us about the moment you realized you wanted to be a musician?

I was just attracted to music early on. My first big love was Guns n Roses and I used to dress up and put on Appetite For Destruction and perform for my parents. Later I got into Nirvana and that changed everything for me as far as the emotional depth and simplicity in their music. It seemed possible that I could pick up a guitar and write.

3. Building on that, is there a specific song, album, performer, or live show that guided your musical taste?

Harvey Milk’s songs, albums and live shows all deeply affected me.

4.If you could call in any one collaborator to do a song with, who would it be, and why?

Maybe Dylan Carlson of Earth. I definitely write some stuff sometimes that has his influence. It would be fun to write a long droning song and play with feedback and subtle sounds.

5. What is your favorite activity when out of the studio and/or not on tour?  What do you like to do to unwind?

I like to play video games and I like to travel.

6. How would you describe your music to someone who’d never listened to you before? What is the one comparison a reviewer or fan has made that made you cringe or you disagreed with?

I would say my music is weird rock. That’s usually what I say when someone asks. I would maybe tell them bands that might have similarities to what I do. If they don’t know any of the bands I would just say listen and see for yourself. I don’t recall a cringe comparison but I’ve been compared in reviews to a lot of bands I don’t listen to. But I like that. It would suck if they said I only sound like what I listen to. I wanna be my own thing.

7. When your band is hanging out together, who cooks, who gets the drinks in, and who is first to crack out the acoustic guitars for a singalong?

I don’t have a band. Harry Cloud is just me playing everything in the studio. I have special guests occasionally and sometimes bring in Joe Berardi on drums if I feel he can do a better job than me. And Paul Roessler who records all of records, he plays keyboards and samples weird sounds on a lot of my stuff.

8. When was the last time you were starstruck and who was it?

I met Christeene at a bar in LA. I was super obsessed with her at the time. She put my band sticker in her underwear and I even got a kiss.

9. What is the best part of being a musician? If you could no longer be a musician for whatever reason, what would be your dream job?

The best part of being a musician is meeting new people and traveling. Almost everyone I’m friends with I met and bonded with through music. So it’s a good way to connect to people. If I no longer played music it would be fun to make horror movies.

10. What is one question you have always wanted an interviewer to ask – and what is the answer? Conversely, what question are you tired of answering?

I’ve never really thought about a question I would like to be asked. I suppose I would like to be asked as little as possible. I haven’t had many interviews so I’m not tired of anything yet.

11. Looking back over your career, is there a single moment or situation you feel was a misstep or you would like to have a “do over,” even if it didn’t change your current situation?

I don’t know if there was one moment. I suppose if I hadn’t been drinking so much throughout my career things would have turned out differently and I would have gotten a lot more done. But I don’t know if I regret anything at this point, I’m in a good place.

12. If you could magically go back in time and be a part of the recording sessions for any one record in history, which would you choose – and what does that record mean to you?

Locust Abortion Technician by the Butthole Surfers comes to mind. It’s not even my favorite record of theirs and it doesn’t mean that much to me but I’d like to be a fly on the wall watching them work at the height of their drug days.

HARRY CLOUD LINKS:

OFFICIAL SITE

FACEBOOK

INSTAGRAM

Category: Interviews