2008-11-15 | Katarzyna NINa Górnisiewicz and Marco Gariboldi | e-mail interview

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Marco: You've written your debut album during a year-long hiatus traveling all around the world. You've traveled to every continent, and reported your journey at your website. What was the most fascinating place and culture you visited?

Nathaniel Weiss: Jordan.. Imagine me wandering, lustily gaping at red/white/tan rocks.. Ahhhh.. This place cut to my heart like one of it's jagged edges.. The people and their turbans.. Their genuine gregariousness.. (Memories of hitch hiking without a "hitch..") Petra's Siq. The great and lofty Monastery. Wadi Rum village, wedged in a gigantic canyon.. (Echoes of a dog barking at night when all the village is quiet..)

Marco: What is the meaning of life to you?

I believe we all choose (directly or indirectly) our own meaning. I choose to choose mine actively. I like to create.. And share.. That's it.

Marco: As an independent artist you released your debut album in December '07 in a limited edition through CDBaby, Amazon so then you promoted the CD at Myspace and forums. Moreover the album is available in two options: for a free download or pay what you want. Are you satisfied of this "pass the word" promotion, or are you looking for some labels that support your project?

All I know is to make friends and share my music. (And have fun playing it!) ;/

Marco: Your debut album is one of the most interesting CDs of 2008 to me. It's a great experimental album, it features crazy/jazzy/funky guitars like those by Primus or Beck and a lot of dark atmospheres like by Maynard's project Tool and Puscifer. What are your all time favorites albums, your top-five?

Sooooooooo glad you asked this.. In reverse order, they are:

5. Primus' Brown Album
4. Mudvayne's L.D. 50
3. NIN's The Downward Spiral
2. Depeche Mode's Playing the Angel
1. Tool's Aenima (this album is my wizened friend..)

Eeee!! ;/ Honorable mentions to Rage Against the Machine, Opeth, Massive Attack and Black Sabbath (with Ozzy)..

Marco: What is the story behind your band name? Does it have any hidden meaning?

Yes.. First, what meaning did you gather? How would you feel if you were one bullet in a burning box? How would you feel if you were the box?.. Ok, I'll tell you the story.. Imagine yourself inside a cardboard box. Trace the box in your mind. Color it.. Texture it.. Be in it. Feel it. What's it smell like? Now imagine yourself lighting a match. Holding its glow in your hands.. And lighting your box on fire.. Burning it to ash. You, back from the grave (like Uma Thurman in Kill Bill 2). And a sky.. a HUGE FUCKING sky above you.

Marco: Are you writing any new songs for your second album?

Let me just say.. HELL yes. FUCK yes. I'M SO FUCKING PUMPED about these new songs!!! Particularly this month's song & video "Of Life, I Want to Live." (Particularly, that I'm able to -- hopefully artistically -- use the word "booty" in an industrial-metal song.)

Marco: You own one of the most fancy and particular recording studio I've ever seen: it's placed on a boat. Tell us something about it please. Is it helpful in a matter of composing?

Yes and no. Its pretty goddamn janky.. Imagine yourself trying to stand up and play guitar, for example.. And a huge-ass wave comes by and ROCKS the SHIT out of your studio.. We're talking many, many degrees of motion.. (Yawing or something..) And messes up your incredibly great guitar solo!! So one learns to live WITH the waves.. WITH the tide.. WITH an ocean that likes to take, take.. And give, give.. .. She gives me so much calmness. She is tender to me.. Even her big-ass waves are tender to me.. Like a silky pillow.

Marco: You've collaborated with the hip-hop project Broken Sticks. Have you thought of other collaborations for the future?

Yes.. And all of them true creators.. Not just musicians.. But creative souls.. We will find each other.. (Thierry Th Desseaux & Lucas_a of Low Distortion Unit as well as Kjohn of the Brokin Sticks are currently remixing Abaddon Threads..)

Marco: In the past months you talked about a remix contest/album since you've uploaded a remix teaser of Absinthium Flow Ring to your Myspace player. What moment of work are you right now at considering above?

Pause. This project is paused. And the player is off taking a piss or something.. Dare you touch the controls? Claim the game? This year of monthly song & video releases is my focus. (And performing live..) The remix contest is something that WILL come..

Marco: In your lyrics and also in the beautiful booklet artwork you hint at flora and fauna, mountains, sea, animals so that I can feel how much you're sympathetic with the nature also in your music. You've mentioned also Amon-Rah, the Egyptian demiurge, the being responsible for the creation of the universe, also known as the Supreme Being. Are you religious? What are your thoughts about religion?

I'm ALL about the spirit. My spirit, Your spirit, the collective spirit.. A greater spirit than all those? Religion, however, is largely a lump of bullshit created by those that sink claws.. (Checkmate the masses.) Some followers are lambs "baaaaaaaaaaaa"ing their way through life. Caught in a cycle of repeat, repeat, repeat.. Someone else the originator. They, just a cycle. Drinking the digestions of some preacher, some biased puppet. Let me just say (loudly) to everyone on the planet: "Digest your own goddamn bible..! Maybe open other books, too!" No more hand-me-down thoughts! Try this experiment: Design your own morals / ten commandments. If ever there was a religion that is/was/will-be pure.. It's the one Benjamin Franklin mentioned in his autobiography.. (The one that purposefully did NOT write a book.) Christians today laugh at the ancient, mythical gods and goddesses. In another four thousand years, maybe we will laugh at Christianity?

Marco: Have you ever played your songs live? Any touring plans?

Yes. I'm playing underground live events for the next year.. (ie. the street, my boat, and open mic nights all over the planet..) To hone my "live presence" (if you will). Then I plan on finding an incredibly sexy drummer (preferrably one that sings harmony) and touring the *&#% out of West Virginia, Rhode Island, the Canary Islands and Malta.

NINa: Are you a collector, a passionate about something else than music?

I'm passionate about women.. I love girls. Damn, I love girls so much... Your honesty to your emotions.. Your curvy method of thinking.. Your hair.. Your sensualness.. "in the moment"-ness. I collect memories: The alive and stark scent of a sharp peak. The sweat of the desert. BBQ's on the boat.. Friends. Their bold actions.. Uncontrollable laughter.. I also collect quotations.. (Mark Twain's way of wording has a particular affect on me.) As well, I collect books.. Especially dog-eared, broken ones from some ancient age.

NINa: Your life style may be considered as kinda unique as you've been living on a boat while making music, traveling across the Earth and stuff. What about a daily job? Does it matter to you?

Yes, I buss the tables.. Throw wads of cash in my center console.. Waste some.. Save some. And in general, worry very little about (life on a boat is nearly as inexpensive as southeast Asia) money.

NINa: We're living in interesting times so we have the economy crisis in USA, hurricanes so strong as never before, America's influence on Europe causing currencies getting crazy every day, also a long lasting war in Iraq and Russia acting too dominative, even getting armed. Is there any spot, a warm corner to hide and stay artistic but not worried while everyone is almost forced to think of daily issues, money, savings, credits and survival?

Yes, there is. There has always been.. "Men seek out retreats for themselves in the country, by the seaside, on the mountains... But all this is unphilosophical to the last degree... when thou canst at a moment's notice retire into thyself." (Marcus Aurelius) .. If you cannot retire into yourself, I suggest Thailand or Greece. .. If you want to retire early, I suggest "The Richest Man in Babylon."

Bullets in a Burning Box at Myspace | official website

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Pictures come from Nathaniel Weiss' archive, all copyrights reserved by © Nathaniel Weiss.