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OCEAN VIEW PRESS
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INTERVIEWS
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Happy
New Year from Ocean View Press! Our January spotlight interview
is with Greta Brinkman. Greta
is a very talented bass player who has worked with an impressive
line up of bands and musicians over the years such as L7,
Debbie Harry,
Unseen Force and most recently,
Moby. She was kind enough to
do an interview with us a couple of months ago so please enjoy
what this lovely and gifted musician had to say to us.
Spotlight Interview
January 2004 Happy New Year!
Greta Brinkman- Bassist
By Robert Watts
Photos By Russ Bryant @ http://www.redstarphoto.com
Where are you from originally?
First
of all, thank you for your interest. I was born in South Africa and
lived in Trinidad for a few years, we didn't come to the States 'til I
was 7 so I have always traveled a lot!
When did you start playing bass?
It
was kind of an accident. Someone had left a bass behind in the rooming
house where I lived when I was 16, and I just picked it up and
started playing along to the Ramones.
Did you take lessons or were you self taught?
I
learned basically by playing along to simple punk rock records, and
then joined a simple punk rock band. It was a great time to be a
beginning musician because you really didn't have to play very well!
Are there any musicians in your family at all?
No, I just always loved music.
Do you play any other instuments or are there any instruments that you're
interested in learning?
I
really wish I played guitar, not because I love the sound so much
but because it's a way better instrument for writing songs. I dabble in
keyboards a little but would never consider myself a keyboardist!
Your right-handed, however, you play your instrument left handed.
Is there any specific reason behind that or is it natural ?
When
I first started in that simple punk band, I knew NOTHING about
anything. It seemed logical to me that the fat string should go on the
bottom, and I found it easier to finger the neck with my right hand
(that first bass was a real piece of crap). As a result, I'm one of
about 5 bassists that I know of worldwide to play left-handed
upside down. It's completely "wrong" , of course.
Growing up, what bands were you influenced by?
I
really loved the stuff coming out of England in the late 70's- early
80's. Bands like the Stranglers, Ultravox, and the Cure were hugely
exciting to me and I still have a soft spot for rock bands with
keyboards.
Could you tell us a little about the first few bands you played in?
Oh,
now you're going way back! First was a series of punk and HC bands,
which was great because I got to learn as I went. Later on I moved to
pop bands and even a Bossa-Nova/punk band. My third band, Unseen Force,
actually put out an album and did a tour of the States, this was back
in the day (1985/6) when you'd pile in the van and stay on people's
floors. It was a great time in the American music scene!
In 1994, you played bass on Debbie Harry's solo tour. How did
that gig come about?
I
met Chris Stein (Blondie's guitarist and Debbie's partner for many
years) when Unseen Force played in Kansas. Chris was visiting William
S. Burroughs, who lived in Kansas at the time. Chris and I stayed
friends until 1994 when Debbie needed a bassist for a tour in England.
I've
met Debbie Harry and she seems very laid back as opposed to when she is
performing live. What is your best memory that comes to mind right now
about touring with her?
I
absolutely love Debbie. Besides being very professional she is very
gracious to her fans, and is also hysterically funny . One memory that
sticks in my mind from that tour was in England, where they drive on
the left, and we had an American van with the steering wheel on the
usual American side. One day Deb and I went to the local flea
market or something and she drove. She's a very good driver anyway, but
I was totally in awe how she navigated the roundabouts from the WRONG
side of the van, on the "WRONG" side of the road, while I fed her
french fries (they call them "chips" there). There's no big story here,
no car crashes or anything, but for me it was a really unique, special
moment.
What was your biggest learning experience on that tour?
It
was quite an eye-opener for me in many ways. I'd never been around
someone with such devoted fans and it was really something to see
people travel from all over and sleep in their cars to see show after
show. Also, up to then I thought of "big time" show business as some
kind of magical distant world, but I came to realize that people are
much the same at all levels. Everybody gets cranky when they don't eat.
Everybody gets tired from touring. Things like that.
You
played bass on L7 "The beauty process" album, as well as a number of
other cool bands like The Nuns on the "God that rules me" album.
Was it intimidating in the recording studio with those bands or were
you pretty much at ease during the recording process?
I
was actually quite nervous about the L7 recording for a couple of
reasons. There was a serious time constraint, they were already over
time at the studio and really needed to get everything done in 2 days.
I was playing along to the tracks which were already recorded, so there
were no other band members in the room. And this was my first recording
on a major label record, with a producer who was very detail-oriented.
It turned out OK I guess, but as always, I wish I had
had more time.
The
NUNS project was the exact opposite. I was playing along to prerecorded
tracks again, but this time with a live drummer (the amazing THOMMY
PRICE from the Billy Idol band), and it makes a huge difference
when I can actually look at the drummer as we play together. And the
atmosphere was a lot more casual, as it was an independent project.
So now after playing music for 18 years, Moby contacts you to tour for
his "Play" album. Would you say that this was a big turning point for you? If yes, how so?
It
was HUGE. The Moby gig had an enormous impact on my life in many ways.
For one thing, I got to tour for 17 months nonstop and see many parts
of the world I'd only dreamed of. I got to see how things work on a
really big level and understand just how much work goes into a major
production like that. And most importantly, it got people to take me
seriously as a musician. As a direct result of my Moby gig, I now have
happy relationships with all my favorite gear companies, and people
like yourself ask me questions about my life!
What was supposed to be a six week long tour, turned out to be almost
2 years playing and touring with Moby. He must have been impressed with your work ethic.
I
gotta tell you, if anybody should be impressed, it's me being impressed
with Mo's work ethic. That guy works harder than anyone I've ever
known. When the rest of us were too tired to leave our beds he'd be out
there making an appearance at the local radio station or record store,
it still boggles my mind.
Any future plans to work with Moby again?
I would be delighted to work with Mo again, at the moment
he's taking a (much-deserved!) hiatus from the road though.
Is there anyone specific that you would like to work with in the
future?
This
may sound cheesy, but I find something to enjoy and learn from with
every person or band that I work with. That being said, I like touring
and really enjoy the energy of a live rock show, so I would love to be
one the road with someone like Queens of the Stone Age or the Melvins.
What type of bass guitars are you using these days?
I
have a very friendly relationship with the CARVIN company, and they
build guitars for me (nothing too ridiculous though, I don't need a
different guitar for every song or anything). I like Carvin because
it's an American company and the guitars are super comfortable and very
light.
What advice would you give to a young musician starting out?
Well,
first, it's good to be clear about what you're after. If it's your
dream to be a studio musician and work with lots of differest people,
then it would be good to read music, and you'll need to move to where
the action is: NYC or LA or maybe Nashville. On the other hand if it's
your dream to be in a band with people from your hometown, then good
for you! Just make sure that you have all your agreements in place
BEFORE people are offering you deals, because once there's money to
fight over things are going to be very different. Very, VERY different.
When you're not playing music, what do you do for fun?
After years of wishing I could control my own website
(www.bassgoddessgreta.com),
lately I've been teaching myself Dreamweaver and a little HTML so I can
update my site at a moment's notice. It is SO MUCH FUN and I wish I'd
started a long time ago! Now my entire website is all homemade by me
and it's a great feeling!
We are based in Boston Ma. , so I have to ask....what is your best
memory of our beautiful city?
I'm
sorry to say I haven't had much chance to really spend time in Boston,
the times I have been there were just to play and leave again. But I'm
impressed with the amazing music that comes out of there. My favorite
album of the millenium, "Oceanic" , came from Boston, it's by a band
called ISIS.
We look forward to seeing you on tour again and wish you the best
of luck with everything. Any parting words for the readers before we wrap up?
Can't
think of a thing, I think you covered it all! If anyone has
questions or just wants to say hello, I have e-mail on the website.
Thanks again for your interest.
All the best,
Greta
Spotlight Interview Christmas stocking stuffer
December 2003
Al-Saadiq Banks/ Author
By Robert Watts
Al-Saadiq Banks is the author of " No Exit " and the upcoming book " Block Party ".
This was an odd situation. Back in September I was in Bermuda and I
accidentally stumbled onto a book in a hole in the wall gift shop on
the island. It was a book called " No Exit ".
I had read the entire book in 3 days and was completely blown away by
the storyline and the intensity that it posessed. When I was back home
I emailed the author to tell him how much I enjoyed the book and after
a few conversations back and forth I invited him to do an interview
with us. Al-Saadiq has a new book coming out in December titled " Block Party "
and I'm looking forward to reading my advanced copy soon. We'll have to
have him back to talk about that book soon, but for now, here's is the
interview on "
No Exit " and Al-Saadiq's background. Enjoy.
Ocean View Press- Is No Exit the first book that you have written?
Al- Saadiq Banks- Yes
What inspired you to write it ( No exit )?
Several
things inspired me to write No Exit. My main purpose was to show
the younger generation the reality of this lifestyle. I have a 3
year old daughter, a 1 year old nephew, an 11 year old sister and a
bunch of little cousins, if I can keep them along with others from
making some of the mistakes I made, then it's all good.
Also I wanted to show society what's really going on in the hood. I want them to see what makes these kids weak for the game. I want them to know that everyone that's in the game doesn't necessarily want to be in it. For example, Tony, the last thing he wanted to be was a drug dealer, but look what happened. Situations made him do things he really didn't want to do. All he wanted to do was go to school, but the more money he made, the further away from school he was. It's an addiction, the more money you make, the more you want to make. You give the main characters such dept and personality.....are the characters Du, E and Tony completely fictional or are they based on real people that you knew growing up? There is an E, a Tony, and a Du in every hood.
What character in the story would you say comes closest to describing
your personality while growing up?
All three characters were derived from my personality.
I was all of them in one. Each one of them had a little of me in them.
Now the story is based in Newark, New Jersey....is that where you are from?
Born and raised. Shout out to the Brix!!!!!
How long did it take you to complete work on the book?
It
took my entire life. For a lot of years I lived this book, but it
took me about a year to put it in story form. Remember this; a lot of
writers write from the outside looking in, I was writing from the
inside trying to get out.
Did you self publish it or shop it around to publishers?
This book was published through True 2 Life Productions,
a newly founded co.
I actually came accross the book in Bermuda. That must feel good to know
that your work is available outside of the U.S......where is the wierdest place that you know
of that your book is available?
Bermuda
is actually the weirdest place that I've heard. Like I told you
previously, when you emailed me and stated that you got the book in
Bermuda, that messed me up. I've never been to Bermuda!
This book is definitly a page turner....there is such great intensity in
the tone of the story. There is a line where the character Andrea says "Kill him; Ya'll gotta kill him........if you don't
kill him, he'll kill me" . What was going through your mind while writing those parts of the story....were there any
real life intances that you were drawing upon?
Coming
up in the hood I've been in a lot of scary situations, I've seen a lot
and I have done a lot, so when writing parts like that I just put my
self back in some of my worst situations and relive them; the fear, the
pain, the suspense. There is nothing like looking up in a man's
eyes while he's standing over you aiming at your head. You try to
look in his eyes trying to figure him out. You wish you knew
what's going on in his mind. Is he going to kill me? Is he
going to let me slide? Why is he taking so long to pull the
trigger? The suspense alone will kill you.
Did you get a positive response from people when it was released?
Not
at first. At first No Exit was a joke. A lot of my
associates laughed.....what the f.... is wrong with this
n....? Ain't nobody gone buy that sh..! But guess
what? People are buying it.
I think that No Exit would make a great movie. Hypothetically speaking,
what famous actors could you see playing the lead characters?
Yeah
I really do. First we gotta have Bookeem Woodbine play Reemie,
that's my dude. Probably, Taye Diggs to play Tony, Lawrence Tate
for E, and maybe Mekhi Phifer for Du.
So tell us about your upcoming book. ( title, release date, is it based
in newark again and everything else that you would like to say about it, feel free)
My next book is titled Block
Party. It will be released in December, 2003. It's not based on Newark. This one is based on any
ghetto in the world. From hood to hood, state to state it's the same game.
Block Party is actually my favorite. It has more of everything, more money, more murder, more drama, and most importantly it has more positive messages. My goal is not to glamourize this lifestyle, but to open people's minds. A lot of cats don't want to hear what you have to say right now, but when they get behind that wall, bored to death and my book is staring them in the face, they'll pick it up and read it. Then they'll get the message. Aside from writing, what else do you do for a living?
Right
now this is my full time job. I just recently closed down a Car
Wash/detail shop. That gave me a lot of extra time to put this
project together.
What do you do for fun when your taking a break from it all?
To
be honest, I really don't have fun. Right now it's all about
work. Hopefully I can have fun when I get sixty and
retired. Besides, my wife and daughter can't eat fun, you feel me?
What type of music do you enjoy?
I
love hardcore hip hop, no party music. However, I am
versatile. I also listen to Jazz. I've been listening to
that ever since I was a teenager.
We are located in Boston. Ever been to our beautiful city? ( if so, when
and for what )
Yes,
I was there on business about 13 years ago. I was working for a
demolition company as a Laborer. Our job was to tear down all the
Consumers nationwide.
Yeah, a Laborer, Car Detailing, a Skycap, A Dunkin Donut Porter, A Kentucky Fried Chicken Porter, an Electronic Engineer, a Boxer, and now a writer. I told you I was versatile. Seen it all, been through it all. What words of encouragement would you give to first time writers looking
to publish a book?
Do
you, don't let anyone discourage you. Just because one person
doesn't like your book, doesn't mean the whole world won't.
Everyone caught in the struggle has a story to tell, tell it.
Most importantly stick to subjects you know, so you will be able to
write in full detail. If you don't know the streets, don't write
street stories. You have to make the readers feel you, how are
you going to describe something to me, that you don't have a clue about?
Who are your favorite authors?
Actually
I don't have a favorite Author. Believe it or not, I don't even
read. As a child I skimmed through my mother's Donald Goines
collection, but that was only to read the sex passages. Ha Ha Ha.
Well,
I certainly enjoyed no exit and look forward to reading your new book
"Block Party" when it comes out.....are there any parting words you'd
like to leave the readers with before we wrap up?
Thanks for the exposure! I'm really flattered
that you found me to be interesting enough to interview me.
If there are any writers out there looking for publishing holler! The company email address is True2lifeproductions@verizon.net If you have manuscripts for us to check out forward them to
True 2 Life Productions
P.O.Box 8722 Newark N.J. 07108 We are currently working on our website. Once completed I will email you the information. After Block Party I have a few more books ready, but we are looking for other Authors to fall in between. In the next year and a half we plan to have 10 titles on the shelves. True 2 Life, roll wit us, or get rolled over! Peace!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Spotlight interview
Thanksgiving extra
BL.ONE-Rap/Hip-Hop artist
by Tabitha Swan
Thank you for reading our Thanksgiving side dish interview
with BL.ONE. We came across this young talent a couple of months ago. He is from Queens New
York and he has an album available called "A Queens tale"
which is filled with old school beats mixed with new school lyrics. I
think we will be hearing much more from this artist in the future, so
here's your first hand look at this artist if you hav'nt heard of him
before. Enjoy, and a Happy Thanksgiving to you all.
Ocean View press- Lets start off by having you tell us a little about who you are.
?
BL.ONE-
I be that BL .ONE from Killer Queens NYC, half vandalist - half
lyricist. Due to the many " Hip Hop" influences in my life from
graffiti to B-Boys, and from Mc's to Djay's. All these elements
together have made me the MC I am and who knows what will be ...
stick around !
I've
been doing this for so long its past the point of just performing, This
is what I am. Every rhyme that comes out of my mouth is
TRUE, and is from my own eyes and life experiences, not what I
heard on the street. So lets just say im old school ...
I
grew up in Ridgewood Queens, then I started hanging out in
other neighborhoods at a young age like parts of Brooklyn,
Bayside , The Village , Long Island, New Jersey, connecticut,
whatever and where ever.
Of
course the old school hip hop like Run DMC, LL Cool J, Rakim, Big
Daddy Kane, KRS, EPMD ,Slick Rick , DeLa Soul, Tribe called Quest.
Thats what made me want to do this and have fun and tell my own
stories. Then again I respect music in general and all the creative
sides to it, so lets say Life has been my biggest influence , not just
Hip Hop.
This
album is titled " A Queens Tale ", basically my story growing up
in New York all my life. I fortunatelly have been blessed
with tracks by my man STE - LO staig | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
