Radio Birdman - Deniz Tek Q and A

The Dwarf's Saul Robinson chats to Radio Birdman's Deniz Tek.

Saul: "A man attitude, A mans attitude goes some ways. The way his life will be." Is that something you'd agree with? (The question is a direct quote from Mulholland Drive)

DENIZ TEK: I dont understand the question any more than I understood the movie. Could you rephrase?

Saul: "A man attitude, A man's attitude goes someways...the way his life will be." Is that something you'd agree with?

DENIZ TEK: Attitude. We are born without it, then we get it, and then some of us spend decades trying to lose or at least change it. It means little in the big picture. Whatever the trajectory of men's lives, we all end the same way. I guess attitude just makes it more or less painful getting there.

Saul: Were that songs written in mostly one homogenous flow? Or more cut and paste?

DENIZ TEK: Most of my songs were written music first, then words added later. Some lyrics I wrote myself, as in "Remorseless" and "April", some were given to Rob to write, as in "Come So Far" and "Heyday". Most of my lyrics start as one paragraph or phrase that I had in my notebook, then I expand on the theme and adapt it's meter and phrasing to the new music.

Pip's songs are always presented to the band complete, everything written and arranged, with a well recorded demo handed out to everyone. Then we take a year to learn how to play it. That's no exaggeration in the case of "Brotherhood of Al Wazah". It was a real challenge to learn, because parts of it are very counter-intuitive from a rock and roll perspective. So it is mostly a cooperative effort.

Saul: Zeno beach? Does it exist? Which best describes Zeno Beach?

A) An amphibious assault landing zone?

B) A famliy resort ,complete with rides?

C) A romantic place for lovers to stroll in the moonlight?

D) A malaria infested shit hole?

E) Cars, Girls ,Surfin, Beer. a figure of speach?

DENIZ TEK: Zeno Beach is the title of one of Pip's songs about a place where time is altered and nothing ever gets finished. It comes of course from the ancient Greek mathematical conundrum, Zeno's Paradox. Despite the philosophical ramifications, Zeno longs achingly to be a real surf beach. So the answer is actually "F". A mythical surf beach where love never has to die.

Saul: My first association was a Lost In Space episode, where Dr Smith's doppelganger was this intersteller Gun slinger named "ZENO" he was as steely and hard and Dr Smith was chicken hearted

DENIZ TEK: Wow, didn't know that. Apparently there were two Zenos, one the mathematician, the other a prominent Stoic philosopher. Both are worth studying. They had great ideas.

Saul: Stoics. It's about time I paid these stoics some attention.

DENIZ TEK: There's a very good novel, mostly about Stoicism by Tom Wolfe. The title is "A Man In Full". I recommend it.

Saul: Do you think music is an ends or a means?

DENIZ TEK: Means.

Saul: A means to what?

DENIZ TEK: Hearing good music can make you feel better, improve your mental state. It is like air and water for the soul. Playing music is a means to artistic expression, a language to allow the unconscious and emotional centre to speak out.

Saul: While we are at it, how do you define the word 'music'?

DENIZ TEK: Music is art made from sounds.

Saul: And the word 'entertainment'?

DENIZ TEK: Entertainment is activity which causes pleasant diversion from the routine of daily life.

Saul: If you could try to see it as an outside observer what does ZENO BEACH speak of, or what journey does it go on? For example Johnny Cash takes us across the American landscape...

DENIZ TEK: It speaks of our journey through this life and what it might mean to live through relationships, both bad and good, to face demons, to grieve, to get old, and finally to die.

Saul: Being fair to your self, assuming communication is made. What was sent? What might get there? from ZB and also the ZB tour live?

DENIZ TEK: The senders communicate the ideas, the rough pictures, the waypoints and the receiver has to connect them up and fill in the spaces, allowing his own experiences and being to inform "the rest of the story". We point in a direction, send you off with a vague map and some provocative pictures of landscapes that you populate with your own stuff, from your own journey. Thats what counts. Not just the telling of my own personal story, but triggering an inner experience in the listener that can be meaningful. I dont plan this. The trick is simply to be nonspecific enough to allow it, write some good images and emotive chord changes, and it just happens. Live, it's the same but the focus is on the emotional side. We try to directly transmit intensity and passion that you cant really get on a CD. The receiver can dance, which is often liberating. Not to mention fun.

Saul: Have you seen any genuine "cowboy" singer/strummers out in Montana?

DENIZ TEK: No, unfortunately. There's plenty of cowboys but havent caught any of them strumming so far.

Saul: Now that ZB in finished did it leave you with an idea of what kind of thing you'd like to do musically in 2007?

DENIZ TEK: No. It just left me exhausted and hoping for respite. I'm not thinking about the next thing yet. Maybe after the tour I will begin to write again.

Saul: Could you say how you relate to the culture you play to? Is it different to decades ago when you would play to your own age group. Is it different and how does it effect you?

DENIZ TEK: I do consider what the effect of the song might be on the listener (more now than in the "old days", as I no longer write completely meaningless abstractions simply because the vowel sounds rock), but the consideration is broad based directed at humankind rather than a specific age, ethnic or cultural subgroup. I dont edit very much, except when it gets too specific or personal. I prefer to deal with archetypal images that can speak across cultural and age boundaries. When it gets too personal I will make it more general. That's about the only editing I do.

Saul: Are there any contempory acts that you have much time for?

DENIZ TEK: I'm sorry to say, but as hard as I have been working I have not been able to keep up with the current trends in music. I hope to get out and see more. I'm sure there must be some great stuff happening somewhere. When I have a free moment, I go out and look at a mountain, or a flower feel the sun.

Saul: How about this culture of today. What do you see is going on out there?

DENIZ TEK: It is scary and alientating if you are a thinking person. It looks to me like the current societal and economic patterns (suburban sprawl, consumerism, total reliance on oil) is unsustainable. There will be some very difficult times ahead when oil runs out, as everything material that we have including food and medicine, is based on it. We'll see more wars over it as China and India demand their sharen as supplies decline. The future may belong to small self-organising and self-sufficient anarchical communities. Culturally, there is really a lack in Australia and America of any deep grounding. There WAS a local cultural and spiritual foundation in the past (listen to Johnny Cash, Woody Guthrie, read stuff from the old days, it was there) but now it seems to be gone, at least from the cities. Traces of it can still be found out in rural Midwestern USA or in rural Australia. They still have it to a larger extent in Europe. I guess here, the roots of culture didnt extend deep enough to be permanent.

Saul: Could you name a few musical activities of someone else's that you would be most happy about backing?

DENIZ TEK : I actually do support many other peoples projects. In the last few years I have played on many albums, including Donovans Brain (psychedelic rock); Dave Weyer's "Glass Insects" which is experimental abstract music; Roy Loney (straight ahead old-school rock and roll, by the ex-singer for the Flamin' Groovies); The Last Of The Bad Men, which is the new name for Art and Steve Godoy's band, Roy Head's re-issue of Treat Her Right; and Scott Morgan's Powertrane, based in Ann Arbor. I've gone out on the road with Scott as well, and I've recently toured with DKT-MC5 and have backed Penny Ikinger at live shows. So I have a pretty active schedule with other peoples musical projects.

Saul: As most of those familiar with Birdman know you grew up in the Detroit Area in the 1960's...

DENIZ TEK: Thats right, Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Holds up right hand, points to base of thumb)

Saul: So you are familiar with Robin Seymour's Swingin' Time?

DENIZ TEK: Yes absolutely. We were in the same broadcasting catchment area, close enough to get Swingin Time, which didnt come out of Detroit, But Windsor Onterio I watched it very often. It was a great local show, on it was the Rolling Stones doing "Tell Me" and Little Stevie Wonder the harmonica genius as he was called as a 8 year old.

Saul: Trying to be optimistic and fair to you self yet objective imagine the following senerio. You get to pick the "Single" from ZB.

DENIZ TEK: That's "You Just Make It Worse".

Saul: To see a favourable couple who seem to "get it", you pick them to comment on the tune. They come off the floor, Rockin Robin puts the mic to them and they say?

DENIZ TEK: "Had a great beat, cool to dance to. Guitars were smokin', and that organ sounds outta sight! The lyrics are kinda weird, but who cares? It's BOSS!"

Saul: How many points?

DENIZ TEK: The boy gives it a 91. The girl gives it an 85.

Saul: What's the Girls problem? She's probably wondering what her friends think, and she is probably playing this guy a bit too...

DENIZ TEK: Yes, probably a bit offended by Rob's lyrics as well.

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