TLO Member Interview: scottsplatter
Conducted by Phillip Stecco
1) How did you first encounter the work of Thomas Ligotti?
I'm a late comer to Ligotti's work. The first story I read was "The Shadow, The Darkness" in the anthology 999. Which I somehow had forgotten I'd read until I picked up the Virgin edition of Teatro Grottesco. That book was my real introduction. His name had been in the back of my head for years and just had never gotten to it. It was about as profound a read as I have had, and came at a great time for me. I was getting serious about writing, after a lifetime of half-assing it, and transitioning from doing music all the time. I hadn't read much in the horror field that was resonating with me that was current. When I read Ligotti, that changed.
2) What are some of your favorite works by Mr. Ligotti?
"The Red Tower" and "In a Foreign Town, In a Foreign Land" are the two that jump immediately to mind. It was those stories that solidified Ligotti among my favorite writers. For me those two stories were the perfect literary illustration of what I had been trying to do with my music since I started recording. Reading those stories had a jarring effect on me, it was truly a "where have you been all my life" epiphany. There are numerous others that stand out, but it was those stories that hooked me in the back of the mouth and reeled me in.
3) What other writers do you enjoy reading?
When I was younger I read a lot of Henry Miller, Bukowski, Louis-Ferdinand Céline, Hubert Selby, Jr., Kafka, Flannery O'Connor and that sort of thing. Some Poe, Bradbury... Lots of mythology and non-fiction books: sociological, supernatural, weird history, Asatru, etc... Recently, largely because of what I suspected might be out there because of Ligotti's work, I started researching and digging for small press writers. Now, I count Simon Strantzas, Richard Gavin, Steve Rasnic Tem, Mark Samuels, John Llewellyn Probert, Matt Cardin, Scott Thomas and others among my favorites. I'm also going back and trying to read early weird tales by the legends and lesser known contributors to get as complete a picture as I can.
4) Do you have any favorite singers or musicians?
This is a can of worms. Music has been a consuming passion for me for as long as I can remember. Everything from Goth/Industrial, Dark Ambient and Noise, Punk and Post Punk, Thrash to Black Metal, even some old Country and Bluegrass. To list a string of bands would be incomplete, but here are a few that are particularly meaningful: Voivod, Siouxsie & The Banshees, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Godflesh, The Handsome Family, Skinny Puppy, Black Flag, Controlled Bleeding, Luasa Raelon, Blut Aus Nord, Nazca, The Rohan Theatre Band, Rudimentary Peni, Deathspell Omega, Kreator, The Tiger Lillies, T.S.O.L., Big Black, Bad Sector, Contagious Orgasm... There are far too many.
5) Do you have any favorite artists in the visual media?
Ivan Albright is probably my favorite; I have an unreleased Gruntsplatter track done as a tribute to him and his painting That Which I Should Have Done I Did Not Do (The Door). I've gotten to see a lot of his work in person and it continually astounds me. His aesthetic is perfect. Others include Francis Bacon, Odd Nerdrum, Salvador Dali, Francisco Goya, Heinrich Kley, Otto Dix, Doré... of the gallery types. I like to look for lesser known, active artists as well. Stephen Kasner, Jonathan Canady, Dan May, Don Kenn... Photographers Joel-Peter Witkin and Simon Marsden... There are a lot really.
6) What are some of your favorite movies?
This is another difficult one to answer; my gut response is always Apocalypse Now when asked my favorite movie, but it ebbs and flows. Others would be Dr. Caligari (1989), Re-Animator, Tideland (Gilliam all around), Santa Sangre (Jodorowsky in general), Ravenous, Dark City, Barton Fink (and most Coen Brothers Films), Das Boot, Taxi Driver, Begotten, May, The short films of The Brothers Quay, and their feature Institute Benjamenta, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, David Lynch... lots of movies.
7) Do you watch television?
I don't have TV right now. When I did, I would watch news, documentaries or hockey. The shows I made a point to watch were "The Simpsons" and "Farscape" and that's about it. I love " Black Adder" and some of the older British comedies: "Young Ones," "A Bit of Fry & Laurie," "Fawlty Towers," those kind of things. But, aside from "The Simpsons" and "Farscape," I think "Millennium" and the short-lived "American Gothic" were the last shows followed. I have no idea who the people on the tabloid covers are these days.
8) What foods do you enjoy eating?
I tend to prefer things with lots of spices and seasoning. Something that suggests you are eating food to enjoy it and not simply to subsist.
9) Do you have any odd hobbies or collecting fetishes?
Odd, within the spectrum of my other interests, would be hockey (watching not playing). Odd in the context of the what most people think is odd - I have an under-funded interest in medical antiques, old medicine bottles; I have some old teeth, a few skulls etc. Most curiosities really. My wife just got me some brilliant sterling silver bird feet for our anniversary. Books and music are where the vast majority of my extra money goes though.
10) What recreational activities do you enjoy?
I'm a recluse most of the time. Writing, music, reading, movies and the occasional pen and ink drawing really cover most of it. I just really prefer spending time with my wife, finding new places to have good food, and following my creative pursuits. Travel and the occasional road trip are great when the opportunity is there, but I'm happiest at home working, among the people and things that matter to me.
11) What makes you laugh?
I like to laugh. You can be misanthropic, cynical, whatever, and still be good humored. I think I am. We all have our spells, and sometimes they last longer than we'd like, but I'd do anything for the few people I keep close to me. The rest of the world is maddening, disappointing, all of those things, but there is humor in that too. My humor is fueled by my worldview, black & dry, I suppose. At the same time I can laugh my ass off at Monty Python. I like good satire. Mike Judge's movies, particularly Idiocracy. I don't know. I learned a long time ago that spending your time angry and depressed was giving far too much power to things outside yourself. I am still angry, still hate things, still don't like people, but you choose your battles. Make your life enjoyable for yourself and the people you care about. Laughing and humor are a huge part of that.
12) Life?
I have the pervasive impression that not a whole lot matters in the grand scheme of things. Insects warring on a cadaver really. At the same time, I have to stay engaged and active with the people I care about and the pursuits that nourish me. So while the big picture looks like a spectrum of futility, I try and live my personal life as best I can. Principled, creative and attentive to all the beasts outside and all the great things I keep under the bubble where I live.
13) Death?
It's always there, the kernel at the core of everything. People die, ideas die; it is one of the few things that just is. As long as my mind is sharp, I'm content to avoid it as long as I can. Yet, I recognize it in everything.
14) Work?
I've always made sure that my job is not my life or my identity. There is the idea that it would be nice to just live off of "art," but someone who could live off their art put it to me this way - He said, essentially, "I never want to be in a position where I have to create something to keep the lights on." That stuck in my craw. You get in a position like that, and you start making compromises, rushing things and producing work under duress. I'd rather go get a guaranteed pay check and keep the art away from those pressures and obligations. I've been in printing for 13-14 years now; the fact that I'm not shuffling insurance policies or cleaning septic tanks doesn't hurt.
15) Do you have any interesting work anecdotes to relate?
I used to work for a printer at the corner of Mission and 2nd Ave in San Francisco. The activity outside my office window never disappointed. Max Crumb hung out across the street spare changing with his ribbon dangling from his mouth. A hairless man who sat out there would periodically strip naked, run around a bit and then get dressed again. One chilly morning, they pulled a dead homeless person from the alley alongside the building. Two cab drivers got into an argument where they confronted each other in the street, exchanged one punch each to the face, then turned around and got back in their cabs without another word.... But most memorable perhaps was this: It was Friday. I left a few minutes early to try and beat herd to the bus. About half a block down the street, I heard a crack and collective scream. I turned around and there was a small crowd gathered in front of the office door. I decided I wanted to beat the crowds home more than I wanted to see what the fuss was about; my suspicion was that it was a fight of some kind. I could hear the sirens coming up Mission as I made my way to the bus. It turned out that someone had jumped from the 7th floor and landed right in our entry way. I must have walked right beneath him and had no idea. It wasn't even a minute from the time I left to when the commotion started. He didn't survive as I understand.
16) What is your earliest childhood memory?
When I was an infant up until about 3 years old, we lived in the Washington DC area. My parents had taken me to the Smithsonian museums often. I went back there when I got out of high school to see all those same things. There were numerous rooms in the different galleries that I remembered very clearly as soon as I walked in to them. Not that I remembered them until I was standing there, but they were cataloged somewhere in my head. To have them come back like that was definitely a curious experience.
17) What is your fondest childhood memory?
I grew up in the northern Lower Peninsula of Michigan. As much as I couldn't live there now, the environment and the place did a lot for me. Two things really: the time I spent in the woods and on the grounds of an abandoned mental institution. It was fertile ground for introspection and imagination. I knew what was in every window I could reach at that asylum. It opened in 1885, impressive grounds, multiple buildings, Hammer Horror exterior, complete with bats swarming the steeples at dusk. They are renovating what they can, putting restaurants and shopping in it now. It's better than tearing it down, which was one option on the table, but still. I haven't been back there in about 20 years I guess. Aside from that, the time I spent in the woods, and the pervasiveness of nature there.
18) Who has been the most influential person in your life?
Honestly, I'd have to say my parents. My Dad died when I was 12, after a 3 year illness. The specter of that stays with you. He was an admirable man that I never got to know as a peer the way that you come to know your parents as you get older. I have an impression of who he was and what he valued that I carry with me. My Mom raised us and the way she handled that, the character she has always shown, has no doubt been a huge influence on me. It is simply the integrity of their lives and the unwavering support my Mom has always shown for my brother and I. There are artistic influences and things like that, but if we are talking "most influential" it's my family.
19) Do you have a special plan for this world?
To leave scratch marks on their concrete, to carve an ellipsis in the bark of a hidden tree, cast a small shadow somewhere after I'm gone. Even if no one finds it, knowing it is there would be a small comfort. To that end, I whittle away at the ideas in my head and perhaps one day the shavings I leave will result in a splinter or two. Aside from that, be true to my convictions and the people who are important to me, and learn as much as I can.
20) What else should we know about you?
I can fit seven billiard balls in my mouth... not really. I've been recording music since about 1994 with my project Gruntsplatter. There have been other short-lived solo projects and collaborations mixed in, but Gruntsplatter has remained the constant. I have several releases under that name and others. Additionally, I ran a small record label focused on Dark Ambient and Death Industrial starting in 1995 called Crionic Mind. I put out 11 releases before extended unemployment killed it off, and still have tons of merch in my mail order. I also helped found the extreme music zine Worm Gear in 1995. We did 11 print issues reaching a circulation of 10,000, and then moved online. Aside from that I have done a fair amount of graphic design work in the music underground as far as album covers and so forth. The large portion of my creative energy now is going towards writing and honing my skills in that arena, though music will always be part of what I do.
Conducted by Phillip Stecco
1) How did you first encounter the work of Thomas Ligotti?
I'm a late comer to Ligotti's work. The first story I read was "The Shadow, The Darkness" in the anthology 999. Which I somehow had forgotten I'd read until I picked up the Virgin edition of Teatro Grottesco. That book was my real introduction. His name had been in the back of my head for years and just had never gotten to it. It was about as profound a read as I have had, and came at a great time for me. I was getting serious about writing, after a lifetime of half-assing it, and transitioning from doing music all the time. I hadn't read much in the horror field that was resonating with me that was current. When I read Ligotti, that changed.
2) What are some of your favorite works by Mr. Ligotti?
"The Red Tower" and "In a Foreign Town, In a Foreign Land" are the two that jump immediately to mind. It was those stories that solidified Ligotti among my favorite writers. For me those two stories were the perfect literary illustration of what I had been trying to do with my music since I started recording. Reading those stories had a jarring effect on me, it was truly a "where have you been all my life" epiphany. There are numerous others that stand out, but it was those stories that hooked me in the back of the mouth and reeled me in.
3) What other writers do you enjoy reading?
When I was younger I read a lot of Henry Miller, Bukowski, Louis-Ferdinand Céline, Hubert Selby, Jr., Kafka, Flannery O'Connor and that sort of thing. Some Poe, Bradbury... Lots of mythology and non-fiction books: sociological, supernatural, weird history, Asatru, etc... Recently, largely because of what I suspected might be out there because of Ligotti's work, I started researching and digging for small press writers. Now, I count Simon Strantzas, Richard Gavin, Steve Rasnic Tem, Mark Samuels, John Llewellyn Probert, Matt Cardin, Scott Thomas and others among my favorites. I'm also going back and trying to read early weird tales by the legends and lesser known contributors to get as complete a picture as I can.
4) Do you have any favorite singers or musicians?
This is a can of worms. Music has been a consuming passion for me for as long as I can remember. Everything from Goth/Industrial, Dark Ambient and Noise, Punk and Post Punk, Thrash to Black Metal, even some old Country and Bluegrass. To list a string of bands would be incomplete, but here are a few that are particularly meaningful: Voivod, Siouxsie & The Banshees, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Godflesh, The Handsome Family, Skinny Puppy, Black Flag, Controlled Bleeding, Luasa Raelon, Blut Aus Nord, Nazca, The Rohan Theatre Band, Rudimentary Peni, Deathspell Omega, Kreator, The Tiger Lillies, T.S.O.L., Big Black, Bad Sector, Contagious Orgasm... There are far too many.
5) Do you have any favorite artists in the visual media?
Ivan Albright is probably my favorite; I have an unreleased Gruntsplatter track done as a tribute to him and his painting That Which I Should Have Done I Did Not Do (The Door). I've gotten to see a lot of his work in person and it continually astounds me. His aesthetic is perfect. Others include Francis Bacon, Odd Nerdrum, Salvador Dali, Francisco Goya, Heinrich Kley, Otto Dix, Doré... of the gallery types. I like to look for lesser known, active artists as well. Stephen Kasner, Jonathan Canady, Dan May, Don Kenn... Photographers Joel-Peter Witkin and Simon Marsden... There are a lot really.
6) What are some of your favorite movies?
This is another difficult one to answer; my gut response is always Apocalypse Now when asked my favorite movie, but it ebbs and flows. Others would be Dr. Caligari (1989), Re-Animator, Tideland (Gilliam all around), Santa Sangre (Jodorowsky in general), Ravenous, Dark City, Barton Fink (and most Coen Brothers Films), Das Boot, Taxi Driver, Begotten, May, The short films of The Brothers Quay, and their feature Institute Benjamenta, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, David Lynch... lots of movies.
7) Do you watch television?
I don't have TV right now. When I did, I would watch news, documentaries or hockey. The shows I made a point to watch were "The Simpsons" and "Farscape" and that's about it. I love " Black Adder" and some of the older British comedies: "Young Ones," "A Bit of Fry & Laurie," "Fawlty Towers," those kind of things. But, aside from "The Simpsons" and "Farscape," I think "Millennium" and the short-lived "American Gothic" were the last shows followed. I have no idea who the people on the tabloid covers are these days.
8) What foods do you enjoy eating?
I tend to prefer things with lots of spices and seasoning. Something that suggests you are eating food to enjoy it and not simply to subsist.
9) Do you have any odd hobbies or collecting fetishes?
Odd, within the spectrum of my other interests, would be hockey (watching not playing). Odd in the context of the what most people think is odd - I have an under-funded interest in medical antiques, old medicine bottles; I have some old teeth, a few skulls etc. Most curiosities really. My wife just got me some brilliant sterling silver bird feet for our anniversary. Books and music are where the vast majority of my extra money goes though.
10) What recreational activities do you enjoy?
I'm a recluse most of the time. Writing, music, reading, movies and the occasional pen and ink drawing really cover most of it. I just really prefer spending time with my wife, finding new places to have good food, and following my creative pursuits. Travel and the occasional road trip are great when the opportunity is there, but I'm happiest at home working, among the people and things that matter to me.
11) What makes you laugh?
I like to laugh. You can be misanthropic, cynical, whatever, and still be good humored. I think I am. We all have our spells, and sometimes they last longer than we'd like, but I'd do anything for the few people I keep close to me. The rest of the world is maddening, disappointing, all of those things, but there is humor in that too. My humor is fueled by my worldview, black & dry, I suppose. At the same time I can laugh my ass off at Monty Python. I like good satire. Mike Judge's movies, particularly Idiocracy. I don't know. I learned a long time ago that spending your time angry and depressed was giving far too much power to things outside yourself. I am still angry, still hate things, still don't like people, but you choose your battles. Make your life enjoyable for yourself and the people you care about. Laughing and humor are a huge part of that.
12) Life?
I have the pervasive impression that not a whole lot matters in the grand scheme of things. Insects warring on a cadaver really. At the same time, I have to stay engaged and active with the people I care about and the pursuits that nourish me. So while the big picture looks like a spectrum of futility, I try and live my personal life as best I can. Principled, creative and attentive to all the beasts outside and all the great things I keep under the bubble where I live.
13) Death?
It's always there, the kernel at the core of everything. People die, ideas die; it is one of the few things that just is. As long as my mind is sharp, I'm content to avoid it as long as I can. Yet, I recognize it in everything.
14) Work?
I've always made sure that my job is not my life or my identity. There is the idea that it would be nice to just live off of "art," but someone who could live off their art put it to me this way - He said, essentially, "I never want to be in a position where I have to create something to keep the lights on." That stuck in my craw. You get in a position like that, and you start making compromises, rushing things and producing work under duress. I'd rather go get a guaranteed pay check and keep the art away from those pressures and obligations. I've been in printing for 13-14 years now; the fact that I'm not shuffling insurance policies or cleaning septic tanks doesn't hurt.
15) Do you have any interesting work anecdotes to relate?
I used to work for a printer at the corner of Mission and 2nd Ave in San Francisco. The activity outside my office window never disappointed. Max Crumb hung out across the street spare changing with his ribbon dangling from his mouth. A hairless man who sat out there would periodically strip naked, run around a bit and then get dressed again. One chilly morning, they pulled a dead homeless person from the alley alongside the building. Two cab drivers got into an argument where they confronted each other in the street, exchanged one punch each to the face, then turned around and got back in their cabs without another word.... But most memorable perhaps was this: It was Friday. I left a few minutes early to try and beat herd to the bus. About half a block down the street, I heard a crack and collective scream. I turned around and there was a small crowd gathered in front of the office door. I decided I wanted to beat the crowds home more than I wanted to see what the fuss was about; my suspicion was that it was a fight of some kind. I could hear the sirens coming up Mission as I made my way to the bus. It turned out that someone had jumped from the 7th floor and landed right in our entry way. I must have walked right beneath him and had no idea. It wasn't even a minute from the time I left to when the commotion started. He didn't survive as I understand.
16) What is your earliest childhood memory?
When I was an infant up until about 3 years old, we lived in the Washington DC area. My parents had taken me to the Smithsonian museums often. I went back there when I got out of high school to see all those same things. There were numerous rooms in the different galleries that I remembered very clearly as soon as I walked in to them. Not that I remembered them until I was standing there, but they were cataloged somewhere in my head. To have them come back like that was definitely a curious experience.
17) What is your fondest childhood memory?
I grew up in the northern Lower Peninsula of Michigan. As much as I couldn't live there now, the environment and the place did a lot for me. Two things really: the time I spent in the woods and on the grounds of an abandoned mental institution. It was fertile ground for introspection and imagination. I knew what was in every window I could reach at that asylum. It opened in 1885, impressive grounds, multiple buildings, Hammer Horror exterior, complete with bats swarming the steeples at dusk. They are renovating what they can, putting restaurants and shopping in it now. It's better than tearing it down, which was one option on the table, but still. I haven't been back there in about 20 years I guess. Aside from that, the time I spent in the woods, and the pervasiveness of nature there.
18) Who has been the most influential person in your life?
Honestly, I'd have to say my parents. My Dad died when I was 12, after a 3 year illness. The specter of that stays with you. He was an admirable man that I never got to know as a peer the way that you come to know your parents as you get older. I have an impression of who he was and what he valued that I carry with me. My Mom raised us and the way she handled that, the character she has always shown, has no doubt been a huge influence on me. It is simply the integrity of their lives and the unwavering support my Mom has always shown for my brother and I. There are artistic influences and things like that, but if we are talking "most influential" it's my family.
19) Do you have a special plan for this world?
To leave scratch marks on their concrete, to carve an ellipsis in the bark of a hidden tree, cast a small shadow somewhere after I'm gone. Even if no one finds it, knowing it is there would be a small comfort. To that end, I whittle away at the ideas in my head and perhaps one day the shavings I leave will result in a splinter or two. Aside from that, be true to my convictions and the people who are important to me, and learn as much as I can.
20) What else should we know about you?
I can fit seven billiard balls in my mouth... not really. I've been recording music since about 1994 with my project Gruntsplatter. There have been other short-lived solo projects and collaborations mixed in, but Gruntsplatter has remained the constant. I have several releases under that name and others. Additionally, I ran a small record label focused on Dark Ambient and Death Industrial starting in 1995 called Crionic Mind. I put out 11 releases before extended unemployment killed it off, and still have tons of merch in my mail order. I also helped found the extreme music zine Worm Gear in 1995. We did 11 print issues reaching a circulation of 10,000, and then moved online. Aside from that I have done a fair amount of graphic design work in the music underground as far as album covers and so forth. The large portion of my creative energy now is going towards writing and honing my skills in that arena, though music will always be part of what I do.
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