READY AIM FIRE
Exclusive MISERY Interview!

Interview by Andy Lefton

“One of the most important and influential punk bands to exist. As far as I know, Misery is the longest running (punk) band of our time. This includes never having a line up change (outside of Al Long leaving for Nausea), and sticking to their diehard beliefs of peace and exposing the world of it’s horrors, which is blatantly emphasized in the band’s name. Thanks to these guys for giving the opportunity to run through a brief history and catch up on what seems to be, one of the best album releases of 2011. “…Interview after the jump!

Misery have become legends in their own time. Can you elaborate on how the band got started? How the name came about and how the logo was created and by who? That last question may be to benefit my own selfish curiosity, but once you see it, you know precisely what it is.

I guess you could say that Misery the band started in 1987, at least that is when the name came about. Gary (drums) and Jon (guitar) had been playing together for since they bought their instruments in high school, probably around 1983 or so. In 1985 Gary moved into a big apartment building downtown Mpls at 10th and Harmon pl. This is where he met Al and Gags and fuck, it was a whole building full of chaos, punks, goths, rockers and kind of the biggest party house in the city at the time. Jon, still being in high school at the time, made his way up there a few times and was introduced to a few of the local pissheads. That’s when the idea of forming a band began. Gary and Jon had plans to move to Portland OR after Jon finished school, so we were kind of planning ahead a bit. In 1986 Gary and Jon packed up a 300$ van and moved west where they met up with Sid. Gary, Sid and Jon started putting music together and playing together as much as they could. In may of 1987 Gary and Jon moved back to the mid-west where they met back up with Al and started working on getting something going.It was a pretty chaotic time politically as the anarchist gathering would soon be in Mpls and it couldn’t have been a better environment to start something like we were working on. That is were the logo idea came from. It was a dream that came from everything that was taking place around us at that time and the band name was just the fuel that was feeding the unrest. It took a while to find members interested in doing the @ punk thing that we had in mind as back then there was nothing in Mpls that had the sound that we were making. Then Gags came into the picture, when he hit his first note on that thing he called a bass, we knew that we had found a backbone to the sound. We also had, at one point in time, another vocalist named Christy, Don’t remember if we ever played a show with her, but she left the band pretty early on. So Misery started playing out as a four piece, did some recording, and headed east to play some shows in New York. Sid had made the trip from out west to come along on our little trip out east, that would prove to change his life forever. In New York at that time there was also fucking chaos going on, we were there around the times of the Tompkins Sq riots and the beginning of the end of the Lower Eastside squatting community that had survived there for many years. It seemed that all around us there was some sort of massive change occurring and we were sitting in the best seats in the house. The lower level no doubt, and this was just the beginning. Soon after our return from the east coast, Sid noticed that his return ticket had been stolen, and soon after that All left the band to kick some serious ass with Nausea. So fate ( or some asshole that stole his ticket) brought Sid into the band and that has been the line up ever since. Fuck off, that’s the short version.

Misery is considered one of the longest lasting underground punk bands, stretching a quarter century, and hasn’t had a line up change (or loss of member) since Al Long left in 88(?). There are many bands out there that can’t last more than a year or two. How has Misery been able to keep this unit together so long and what makes it tick?

We have never been on the fast track, never looked for anything more than peace, and never bothered to be bothered too much. Maybe we all get along too well, or maybe we are kind of all on the same level when it comes to what we do when we get together. We are pretty much family.

Why did Al leave? There’s been some small rumors that Mr. Long may be making a guest appearance on some upcoming recordings?

That is something that occurred quite a while ago now. Never really any bad blood, just chose to move on and a nice choice. Without it there would have never been the Nausea that we all know and love. As far as a future project with Al, it is in the works.

Going through some of the bands back log and present day catalog of songs, lyrics, art, etc. What is it that drives the band to paint such a stark reality? I mean, these lyrics stop you in your tracks and REALLY makes you think about the course of human kind. The music is well written and has a very distinct emotion about it.

It’s just a certain point of view, lyrically and musically. Guess it’s just something that we like to send out, maybe something that some people can relate to.

You guys have a very unique sound in how things are produced and how that has given the band a specific signature. Did this come naturally? I mean, you can sit in a room and once a Misery song is on, you know who it is immediately.

We never sat down and said to one another, let’s make this band sound like so and so. Sure we all have our own influences musically, but we’ve never really tried to have anyone Else’s sound. It’s just what naturally occurs when we play together.

I’ve been guilty of it myself, but there are folks out there attempting to mimic your sound. That’s gotta feel pretty good knowing that some music reviews will use Misery as an example of how certain bands come across. Is that a compliment for you?

On one level it is a compliment, but we never started playing our music to get that, we are 4 individuals with different influences and somehow we connect on our sound and energy we produce as a band, we are more than family, we are more than brothers… but to answer the question,.. I hope we have influenced people and opened minds.

The newest double L.P. From Where the Sun Never Shines was a massive work in progress over 5-6 years. Why the large gap in time? Is it the process of writing? Peoples schedules? Also, what about working with Inimical records that released it. Was it difficult to find a label to help out? Considering it was originally planned as a digital download only.

We are a band of fucking workhorses. Finding time and inspiration is hard when you live on our schedules. Plus, as we did all of the recording and mixing ourselves, we wanted to get it right, which take most bands a month at the most. It’s really hard to focus when you’re overwhelmed with the daily grind of life itself. After we released the new material as a download only we started getting feedback. Although we do see material releases nowadays to be unneeded and kind of a waste of resources, we also take into account how people that want them feel. We do plan to release it on CD someday ( which we will do on AYF/ Organize and Arise when we can afford it), and Mike Crow offered to do it as a vinyl release .Because Inimical is a good underground label and has showed such an interest, we decided that it would be a good idea. We did have some other offers, but at that point in time we felt like we didn’t want to release it in that manner.

I think one of the most profound qualities Misery has, is your dedicated ethos to the DIY punk ethics. After 25 years of playing, some or most bands would look into cashing in or “expecting” something, due to time served. Has this ethic been the key ingredient to your survival? Not competing, knowing that camaraderie will conquer competition, etc?

If you’ve ever seen Misery, you know that we are much more in our element in a basement or a DIY space. Those venues seem to draw out the reality and emotion in our music. It’s where we feel most comfortable and at home. It’s where we came from and where we seem to encounter the best energy . Maybe a lifelong flashback from the Backroom Anarchist Center in Mpls, Don’t know, but it’s the truth down here. It’s part of Where The Sun Never Shines comes from.

How many songs have you written…seriously.

Don’t know, But we do seem to remember quite a few of them when we’re fucking around.

Any one particular song that you love to play?

The one that makes you feel something inside.

Cheers to you guys for carrying the flag for so many years. Not only is what you do important, but also a vital element to the underground. Many thanks for your dedication. Any message or thoughts you’d like to put out there?

Our songs may carry a doom and gloom perspective that we have on most of humanity, but in all reality they are just words to think about as you search deep inside yourself to help find a better way. Deep inside all man there is something better, it just must be discovered by each and ever one of us before we self destruct. the search for peace continues.

Contact MISERY @ www.miserymob.com

CVLT Nation would like to thank Misery & Andy Lefton for an awesome interview!