Yo, peeps. I thought I'd get the jump on a whole bunch of journalists/bloggers by talking to the man of
the hour December, Christopher Dane Owens. But, dang sauce, the kids at the
LA Times music blog,
Pop & Hiss apparently
had the same idea. They may have beat me by a few days, but I'm not bitter, oh no.
Now, ignore all that other stuff and READ THIS.
I discovered Chris Dane Owens at almost exactly the same moment everyone else did: Friday, December 5. Then I became curious when I saw the date that "Shine On Me" was posted to YouTube - October 3. How had it stayed hidden for so long? The world may never know, but we do know why thousands know about it now.
Videogum and G4's
Attack of the Show both mentioned "Shine On Me" and bloggers quickly got wind of it and
spread the love aaaaaall around. My only regret is that I didn't find it in time for my birthday. That would have been the best birthday present ever.
"Shine On Me" has proven to be polarizing, with
tweets from both the lovers and the haters; sometimes
both at once. Bonus twitter search link
here. I am firmly in the lover camp, by the way.
I decided to email Chris (we're TOTALLY on a first-name basis, y'all) requesting an interview and I found him to be super nice and very approachable. (Well, I mean, why would you be rude to a blogger - there's no reason for it.) I totally geeked out at his answers to my questions. We have kind of similar taste in music from the 80s. But enough about me, on to the interview!
SB: You're a film and television producer by profession. What made you get into music? How long have you been playing guitar?CDO: I have been playing since I was 13. I met some guys at school who were doing a talent show and their bass player had to back out. They asked me if I wanted to do the show with them and join the band. Problem was, I not only didn't own a bass, I had never even played before. So I said Ok, and my parents helped me get my first bass. It was a beat up Gibson SG , and I practiced for the show until my fingers were mangled. I only had a few weeks to learn the 2 songs; Led Zep, and Aerosmith tunes. The show was really a blast for me, and I have been addicted to music ever since. I moved over to lead guitar about 2 years later. My first real guitar was a red BC Rich.
SB: The video for "Shine On Me" is pretty lavish. What was the inspiration for such a fancy music video?CDO: I am a huge fan of Anime/ Manga, as well as films like Braveheart, LOTR, and The Matrix, ...So by far, that creative body, was the greatest influence.
Also, I went back to Tokyo right before I started storyboarding for the video and that totally lit my imagination on fire. The Anime culture is thriving, and everywhere I turned, I found something new that fascinated me, with its power, beauty, or whimsical humor.
So the director, and my long time friend, Bob Short and I turned to those sources quite a bit for inspiration. It's one of reasons there is so much wind blowing in a lot of our shots in the video. We wanted to capture as much energy as we could in otherwise static setups like the animators do in Anime. People were laughing at me on the set while filming the video, because I kept cranking up the turbo fans on the actresses playing the Witches and Angels. Some of the footage was so over the top you couldn't even see their faces through all the flying hair. But I loved it.
When we do the next installment in our series of music videos, I am planning on working with some of the Hollywood stunt coordinators I know, so we can really bring more fight/ battle action to the game. I also want to get the camera moving more, to bring more dynamism to the scenes.
SB: Speaking of the video, it recently got a lot of attention on the internet. I literally showed it to everyone I know. Have you been following all the blogs and buzz?CDO: Thank you Sarah for your support. What happened was that I was working in the mix studio last Friday with Chris Garcia, and out of the blue the video got 11,000 hits that day. I thought it was a glitch on my iPhone. All sorts of e-mails came up from friends telling me something wild was happening. Then G4 Television did a small piece on it, and it has taken flight for the last week. No doubt it will cool off, but this small flurry has set a few things in motion that were very pleasant surprises for us.
As for the blogs and comments, I have been sent lots of the blogs and am totally blown away by some of the fantastic remarks and amazing reviews of the project. For lots of people, the video seems to be very uplifting, adventurous and heartwarming. And that feels great to all of us.
Of course on the dark side of the coin, is that there are the "Enemies of Love" who aren't into the video at all. Or they actually like the video, but don't spark to my song in any way. Or maybe they love the song, but can't stand my look (with or without mustache). I'm sure you get my drift. It's hard to make mass appeal entertainment. I have learned this through my career in TV. That's why we always said while making the Vid, that we are going for a particular audience and that we would be quite happy if the right people
really resonated with our themes and imagery. Also, I have discovered that not everyone even likes these kind of fantasy projects. Some people want a much more grounded universe…
But I have noticed a shift however when some people learn about the Anime inspiration behind it all. Perhaps it explains things a bit.
SB: There are mentions of an international tour on your website and MySpace page. How big of a tour are you planning? What cities do you wish to play in? Do you want to play large venues or in a more intimate setting?CDO: Yes, touring is a big part of my goal. In many ways, like lots of musicians, I would like to perform where ever the art is appreciated. Even if that's to 300 people in a small clubs in Tokyo. I am optimistic that we will play some good sized venues in certian cities. Japan will be first I think, however, we must finish mixing the record, and then we can set a course for the next goal. It's all about finding an audience who embrace the craft and messages.
SB: Much of the commentary I've seen compares "Shine On Me" to music made in the eighties. What is your reaction to this?In that song in particular, from the album, I can see that! There will always be a place in my heart for musicians like The Cure, Big Country, Tears for Fears, ABC, and PIL [Author's (interviewer's?) note: psst, that would be Public Image Ltd., for those not in the know]. And as these people mostly gained notoriety in the 80's in particular, I would call that a portion of my 80's influence.
In "Shine On Me" We have a funky slap bass in the verse of that song that Damian Valentine my producer and writing partner played. My guitar work has some 70's / 80's funk to it as well. But mostly I believe it's the vocals that are probably vibing in an 80's style. I think the sliced up guitars modernize it a bit, but I agree with the comment. Conversely, our songs like "Wicked" and "Superhuman", are a complete 180 from that, as I do something more akin to vocal chants on those rock-techno tracks.
Since my deepest roots are really grounded in Led Zep, The Beatles, and most predominantly David Bowie. I never know how that influence is going to bleed through into my work.
These days my favorite groups are MCR, Rise Against, Foo fighters and Muse. So I like pulling inspiration from lots of places eras.
And a closing message from CDO to the fans: As I jump off line now to give my thumbs a break, I want to express my gratitude to everyone who is enjoying the first video from the album. I know some people really want to know more about the 3rd Kingdom storyline and I look forward to telling that another time. Happy New Year!! CDO
