Green Velvet: Nihilism Means Nothing to Me
Author: Benedetta Ferraro
Monday, November 19, 2001
In fact, both his personas have served him well, though right now it's as Green Velvet that he's most active, releasing a critically acclaimed album Whatever in August which he's subsequently been supporting with a global tour. Green Velvet arrives in Australia shortly where he'll be headlining Gatecrasher's upcoming series of Australian dates.
"I've always had a punk attitude in me, but I hadn't as yet expressed it through my music. Rather than being a punk, I'd say I'm more punk inspired. Punk is to me a nihilistic way of expressing yourself." Speaking over the phone from the US, Curtis "Green Velvet" Jones is careful to stress the difference, putting some distance between punk's more hasher philosophies. ""I don't think my views are nihilistic at all," he told Skrufff's Benedetta Ferraro. "I don't think you need to defy society to change its views or laws or to get your point across."
Skrufff: Your first album Constant Chaos was more abstract, what made you take a more dance floor friendly approach with Whatever-
Green Velvet: "Whatever is still abstract, but it's more musical in its delivery, in comparison. To be honest Constant Chaos sounded musical to me, but for some people it was so abstract that ended up alienating them. On this album I've controlled the madness and tried to present it in a more digestible way. Because music nowadays has a more minimal approach, I opted for something different. You have your weird sounds and weird noises, but you complement them with vocals and that's something that took me a while to develop."
Skrufff: In your lyrics you rail against racism, and the fact that American society has become so small-minded, have you experienced much injustice personally-
Green Velvet: "As a black American, you always feel the presence of racism on a daily basis, even if we're not talking about full scale, blown out of all proportion incidents. It also depends on where you live, some suburbs are not so bad, but big cities can get pretty tense. On a superficial level people seem to get along, but it's like walking on a minefield. I feel the government holds some responsibility for all of this, since they often treat minority groups appallingly."
Skrufff: What's stopping dance music from becoming massive in the States-
Green Velvet: "There certainly is a demand for it, but it doesn't receive any support from the media or record companies. I wish I knew what generates this fear towards dance music, but I think it's partially connected to the backlash disco had at the end of the 70s. It's also because sometimes people need something to hate."
Skrufff: Do you still to go out clubbing a lot-
Green Velvet: "Yes, I still do. Often though, when I go out, people want to talk to me and I feel I can't fully enjoy the party. Not that I'm such a big star, but people know me in Chicago and respect me for what I do. I do try sometimes to sneak out of conversations, because they take away from me enjoying the music. A normal person that goes out is totally anonymous, but if you are even slightly famous you live such a different existence, because you'll find others imposing their lives on you. I guess that comes with the territory."
Skrufff: Your image, whether it's your Cajmere alter ego or the way you portray yourself in Green Velvet promotional photos, is often dark and extreme, why-
Green Velvet: "Everybody shows different personalities at different times according to the circumstances they're in, so I change my alter ego in view of that. I'm not a schizophrenic, so the image d Tags