A Trip Through Hell: Bill Logan’s personal interview with Dave Thorngage
By Bill Logan, Music and Stuff
November, 2004
Bill Logan: So, how are you doing today?
Dave Thorngage: Who the [fax] cares.
BL: Yes, well…
DT: Well what?! You did invite me for an interview didn’t you?! What the Hell do you want to talk about?!
BL: How is the band going?
DT: I do believe this interview is about me, so let’s talk about me.
BL: You’ve been saying recently that your contribution to Cactus Bastard’s music isn’t given fair recognition. Explain away.
DT: Yeah, on our new CD, man, I reinvented our sound once again. You can definitely hear the Porn music influences on it, man.
BL: Porn? I knew there was something familiar about it, but I couldn’t finger it. Yeah, a lot of people have been talking about it. I know you’ve got a real philosophy about your musi…
DT: Hey [ask]hole! This is my interview. See, I thought it would be cool to fuse the Porn style with Decracken’s video game style. Well, see what happened is I introduced him to some of the classics from the 8-bit Nintendo, as well as some Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis. He really seemed to get into it… something about it being “the music of Azagoth’s demise.” He went on to say that it was the sound the Aeons’ wings make as they cyclone around his god... and devour the wicked.
BL: The music of…
DT: Especially the 8-bit sound effects.
BL: Do you know what the Hell he was talking about?
DT: Not really, and can we talk about me now?! Anyway, I thought it would be a cool combination. You know, something the audience can connect to. The problem is, while I was working on the Porn aspect, Decracken would write a lot of the video game elements, you know, as though it was all his idea. I couldn’t write both sides at once. He did bring some good ideas, workable ideas, but I had to reshape them to fit the music. Oh yeah, he wrote that part. Let’s just give him all the credit. Maybe we should just worship him. Maybe we should just lash ourselves in his honor. Give me a freakin’ break! He barely even pulls his own weight in the band. I’m the one who does most, if not all, of the work.
BL: [After a long silence] I know you are a really smart guy. Would you like to enlighten us about your musical influence.
DT: When Porn music started in the 70’s, it had its own raw style. It sounded original. I didn’t really dig the way they carried it out, but the ideas beneath were great and promising. About ’81, talent was skyrocketing: original, inspired, accessible and catchy while still being complicated and intelligent. It seemed like it wouldn’t be long until someone could say, “If Stravinsky and Bach were alive today, this is the kind of Porn music they would listen to.” It didn’t stay that way.
BL: What happened?
DT: The studio got involved. Soon the music started getting commercial, watered-down, things like that. It was like “Oh great, Porn music my grandma can listen to (being sarcastic).” Then the musicians were just trying to sound like each other. It started being about making the director happy instead being about the music.
BL: Sounds pretty disappointing.
DT: They were selling out, man. Finally, the musicians took a stand. Man, I have never heard such majesty. The musicians really knew how to stick it to the man.
BL: What do you think about the music of alternative Porn?
DT: You mean gay Porn?
BL: Right. I mean, just the music.
DT: I don’t really watch that stuff. I will say that there are some musicians that have talent. Many of those musicians are just trying to mimic the sound of other greats, just change a few things here and there to say it isn’t plagiarizing. Of course, it doesn’t sound as good as the originals. Luckily, there are a few that are trying to do their own thing. But I wouldn’t really know anything about it since I don’t really watch that stuff.
BL: Have you considered making Porn music for Pornography?
DT: Absolutely not!
BL: No?
DT: No, never. Let me ask you something. Have you ever heard Porn music outside of Porn movies?
BL: No, not that I can think of.
DT: See! You see! I can’t either. I bet if you walked up to the average person on the street and asked them, they couldn’t think of one either. Last week, I asked about fifty people on the street, just went up and asked them. No one, I repeat, no one gave me an answer. The problem is the Porn industry has a monopoly on the market. I think music should be for everyone. What they’re doing is saying you have to buy their other product to get the music. I want to give it to the masses. Everyone should get to hear it, not just people over 18. I want it to be something that people can listen to while going to sleep, on the way to work, or at the office. Music shouldn’t be divisive.
BL: So, you think Porn music is not solely confined to Porn?
DT: That is so closed-minded. I’m so sick of categorizing. If you like Rock music, do you have to be at a Rock concert? If you like country music, does that mean you have to be a cowboy? If you believe in racial superiority, does that mean you have to think it’s your race that is the superior one? Can’t you believe it’s someone else’s race? In this present age, aren’t we passed all this categorizing?
BL: Oh..kay. Well, I think that's about all the time we have... thanks for coming, Dave.
DT: Yeah, whatever, kiss my [crackers].
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