NO-FI "MAGAZINE"
interview with
Interview by Chris Beyond
Conducted at No Life Records,
Hollywood 1998
I saw SPACE TWINS for the first time at Spaceland when they played with THIRD GRADE TEACHER. A friend of mine had a recording of theirs and it was really cool. Another friend of mine (former NO-FI writer Marc Fischer) was to play a show with them in early 96, but it didn't happen so I didn't get to see them...but I finally did and I introduced myself to Brian Bell (lead singer/guitarist/piano [also a member of WEEZER]) and he was really nice. I felt really bad because when he called me back a couple times, I was trying to arrange last minute stuff for the Halloween shows and couldn't talk very long. Finally we got an interview together, did it, and here I am typing it. We did the interview at NO-LIFE records in West Hollywood with me, he, and Tim Maloof (Bass). Absent from the interview were Tim's brother Glen Maloof (Guitar), and Mike Elliot (Drum guy).
B = Brian Bell
T = Tim Maloof
C = Chris Beyond (Me, of course!)
C: First Hard Hitting question...Where did it all begin for SPACE TWINS? Oh, wait, maybe I should have you introduce yourselves on the tape recorder so when I type this out, I know who's saying what.
B: This is Brian from SPACE TWINS.
T: And I'm Timothy from the SPACE TWINS.
C: And what do you guys play?
T: I play bass.
B: Uh, Guitar-Singer...Crooner. He also plays accordion.
T: Yeah, Accordion and violin.
C: I just got a new violin. I played like in 7th grade...and I play like I played in 7th grade.
B: I just bought a ukulele today at the Fairfax Street Fair. Charles King...He's a Hawaiian musician who wrote this book I got with my new ukulele.
C: So you got a GOOD uke, not like the cheap mexican kind that I got.
B: Yeah, it's pretty good. It's not the best...I think it's Japanese.
C: Mine fell apart. Whatever glue that was holding it together just couldn't take it anymore. It imploded.
B: I was just in Maui and Awahu about two months ago...
C: Thus the shirt.
B: Well actually this is an Independence Day shirt.
(I mistook the antics of our founding fathers for a flower pattern)
B: Well, Hawaii being our fiftieth state...that can actually work. Yeah. What was I talking about? Oh, yeah...the ukulele in the souvenir stores are very cheap. They're like 7 dollars. What can you expect for that? A good kazoo maybe. You can get a chromatic kazoo.
C: Now we can get to the question...where did it all begin...for you guys?
B: Roughly, um, we've known each other since high school. Since we were about 15.
T: A long time ago.
B: And we're from Tennessee, Knoxville Tennessee...and him and his brother, who isn't here, Glen were in a band called THE BLUE SHROOMS. Glen plays guitar in SPACE TWINS as well. They were the shit in Tennessee. It was like, "you gotta go to THE BLUE SHROOMS!" It was an experience. It was very psychedelic. They put on great shows. I got to go to their shows and we lived in the same neighborhood. We started playing instruments around the same time. A few years later, I moved to California and, um, the Maloof brothers are originally from los Angeles and I thought these guys were the greatest cuz everyone else was such a redneck where we're from.
T: Farmland.
C: So you played a lot of barns?
B: Close to it.
T: Hay dances, Square dances, county fairs...you name it.
B: Yeah, so the California lifestyle was calling us. And I moved out first and these guys followed probably...5 years later?
T: Yeah, probably something like that.
B: It was just a natural thing for us to get together and play. During this time I experimented with several bands. I was in a band called CARNIVAL ART. I joined a band called WEEZER.
C: Who?
(some laughing ensues)
B: Which got me to jump right into the music business to see what it's all about. But none of those are my own creation. It's something inside me that has been percolating for many years that has risen to the surface to be worthy of listening to.
T: That's about it I think. I think he covered all bases.
B: Tim is also in a band called MARY LOVE, which is a Los Angeles band.
T: I play violin.
B: And, uh,...yeah...YEAH! That sums it up kinda.
C: We should go on to the next hard hitting question which is...by the way I never think in order. I just write'm down.
B: Neither do I. You should put all my answers out of context...actually put them IN context. I always do this, I have dyslexic random thoughts.
C: It's called "head full of bees." That's what I have. I'm doing one thing and thinking about another.
T: That's a nice expression..."head full of bees."
B: THAT'S the name of the record! "HEAD FULL OF BEES!"
(more laughing ensues)
C: What were some of your favorite childhood albums and why?
B: What do you mean by childhood exactly?
T: My favorite childhood album was "SESAME STREET FEVER." It's sad, but it works.
C: I had a weird album that I'm still looking for a copy of called "The Wozard Of Iz." It was this weird moogy psychedelic album with lots of weird dialogue and songs.
(If any of you out there have a copy, please write me!)
B: The Wozard Of Iz?!?
C: Yeah!
B: Oh wow!
C: I can't describe it...you wouldn't believe me. It's the Wizard of Oz, but creepy!
B: I listened to all my dad's 45s and ruined all of them. Like 19 "Nervous Breakdown" Stones albums and just scratched them to hell, but I found something...I just knew I wanted to be in a rock band.
T: I guess childhood influences were my parent's albums like Buddy Holly, Elvis, Bo Diddly, and we always had music in the home. My parents were so into rock and roll.
B: My parents actually took me to see Elvis. That's a big influence.
C: Must have been the bell bottom period.
B: That was the FAT period without a doubt. Um...I still remember things from it. Mainly people screaming and going crazy.
C: Really old women throwing underwear?
B: I didn't notice that. I think that's Howard Jones or...TOM Jones.
C: I have a friend whose mom did that for Adam Ant.
(uncomfortable silence)
B: Yeah.
C: Which leads us to the next question...If Adam Ant were in a fight with Prince...the jacket thing, you know...who would win and why?
B: Well I think Prince would win, cuz he probably has more bodyguards than Adam Ant.
C: Let's say his bodyguards are all gone.
T: I think Adam Ant cuz Prince is a pretty small guy.
C: He is very small.
T: But, uh, I don't know.
B: I think Prince would out-dance him.
C: Unless Adam Ant does the Prince Charming.
T: ADAM AND THE ANTS were great.
C: I will say this for Prince, cuz Prince has spikes on his jackets sometimes...He can do some kind of weird wrestling move and force Adam into his purple spikes. Ok, when is the new single coming out and what can fans and/or new listeners expect from it.
B: Um, it's coming out...next week...very soon. It's titled...well actually it has two titles...the A-Side is Osaka Aquabus which is kind of a magical mystery tour of the orient escaping pollution. The B-Side is Goddess Of Love which is a...it's a movement really.
C: Is that the one with the piano?
B: Yeah acoustic piano, accordion, bass clarinet, um, but it still rocks somehow. I don't know...It's also a waltz time signature. 3-4.
T: 3-4, which is a waltz time signature. We need to get back to that.
B: We're bringing back the waltz to the young generation.
C: That'd be cool to see people waltzing around at shows.
B: Oh, and it comes out on Duck Butter Music.
C: Is that your label?
B: Uh...(pause)...Yes actually. Me and a partner's.
C: I don't know why I'm asking this...I just wrote it down...what's your favorite guitar chord...ME...I'm Bar Chord boy.
B: Depending on what context, um, the chord calls for, um,... To strike one chord and say, "that's my favorite chord", um (pause) There's so many. Probably a 7th chord. An open one a G-7.
T: I was thinking B-7 or something like that.
B: Yeah...a B-Minor-7 is nice too. I like, uh,...we're getting very musical here aren't we?
C: I don't even know the names of the chords I play.
B: I like chords where you're in one position and you fiddle around with the fingering and make up you're own little thing there. I like the diminished chord. That's a1-Flat-5, Flat-7. I don't strike one chord and that's my favorite chord. Probably a G chord or an E chord.
C: That's a question BAM would probably ask. I'm like, "Why would I ask this kind of question?"
(we laugh at my oddness)
B: On piano...there's more chord sounds and more voices.
C: If you can play ragtime piano really fast you can play the piano on Main Street USA at Disneyland. They sometimes invite you to play.
(Usually to try to make themselves look good, I think.)
B: I saw a Barbershop quartet there. Next time I go, I'll play and bust out some Eric Saute.
C: What's a typical afternoon for you guys?
B: Coming to record stores...
T: Practicing music.
B: Everything seems to revolve around, um, this band for me or music development, finding new records, buying new instruments, or bailing off some singles, going to some music store looking for a worlitzer piano. It seems like basically trying to evolve and further this project. Looking through a Thesaurus looking for clever words to use.
T: Just refining my musical skills mostly.
B: In L.A. it seems I spend most of my time driving. There's always errands to run. The day's gone and by the end of the day, you have like a couple of sponges and a bag of rice. Your whole day is wasted. Cable TV all night.
C: Where does the day go? Just don't watch SPICE. It's bad for you.
B: What's SPICE?
C: (quietly) It's...like...the adult channel.
B: Oh! I'm glad I didn't know that. We're all about BRAVO channel and the Independent Film Network...and Sci-Fi of course.
C: (Sadly) We can't have cable in our building.
T: Remember when cable used to not have commercials?
C: I remember when MOVIES didn't have commercials!
B: Yeah that was the big thing and MTV didn't have commercials!
C: Cept the videos.
T: Now videos have commercials...it's insane.
B: (slyly) I heard that some band did a Happy Days commercial!
C: SPEAKING of commercialism! (laughing ensues) Are you looking forward to the new SPICE GIRLS movie SPICEWORLD?
T: I wasn't aware that there was going to be one.
C: (laughing) Now that you know are you glad?
T: NO! (we laugh yet again) I doesn't make a difference to me.
B: I'm looking forward, hopefully, to see BOOGIE NIGHTS at some point.
C: (raising my hand as if in class) I saw the director's cut.
B: Oh really?
C: It's like an hour longer. I hope they release it on video the way I originally saw it.
(They didn't. Oh well.)
B: Are the SPICE GIRLS gonna get people to ACT for them too?
C: I don't know. I saw the commercial...you see their feet in all these toilet stalls.
B: I'm thinking about changing the name to SPICE TWINS, actually.
C: You thought THAT was bad...are you looking forward to the HANSON movie?
(Tim shudders)
B: I can not wait! HANSON is one of my favorite new artists and I am serious about that. I find them to be a cross-over smash...the R&B thing going on...they're cuter than buttons!
(Tim laughs at Brian.)
B: (to Tim) What?!? I'm really happy. I WILL go see the HANSON movie. I've actually have it in the works for us to open up for the HANSON tour. They don't know this yet. The HANSON tour is gonna happen in January and we're on a list of probably 3000 other bands, but I want it. I want HANSON!
C: