The Black Dots of Death
An interview with Percussionist Clown
by Tina Hall
March 2011
Black Dots of Death
Percussionist Clown, also known as #6, can currently be found working with the band The Black Dots of Death. The debut album Ever Since We Were Children is slated for release on March 29, 2011 as an alternative to the mainly electronic, computer backed music that is main stream today. I recently sat down with Clown to get the latest on his project.
Maximum Ink: Can you tell us a little about your upbringing? Do you think where you came from has played a major role in who you are today?
Percussionist Clown: First of all, I am an only child. This fact means that from day one until now (I’m 41) I have only lived in my own imagination, which you may or may not know can be a dream or a nightmare. I grew up on Dr. Seuss books and children’s art books on artists such as Rembrandt and Van Gogh. I am from the Midwest, and you will not find a harder work ethic or level of morality for the human condition known as life than in the Midwest. I am 100% proud of where mom and dad chose to have sex.
MI: What would you say makes you tick, so to speak?
PC: The embarrassment of being a human makes me tick. To elaborate on that answer, and take it deeper, the pain that I see in everyone on a daily basis, whether it be outside my front door, down the street, a person next to me in the car, or on the news, the pain that I see in the world every day. The pain motivates me to create art to express how I feel and what I see in order to find some place away from the pain for those that I see and for myself.
MI: What led you to form The Black Dots of Death?
PC: Turning 40 and choosing not to live the cliché of a mid-life crisis, but rather investigate where I have been, how has it been, and how I can take that to where I am going. I have had a lot of loss starting two years prior to turning 40 and more loss since then. It was time to allow the energy of anger to speak volumes.
MI: Where did the idea for the name come from?
PC: A wise man once told me that, “The black dot of death equals death.” Death is a certain proof I guarantee and I am glad to have at least one guarantee in life.
MI: How would you describe The Black Dots of Death sound?
PC: The Black Dots of Death, I should be asking you this question.
MI: Do your children think it is cool that you do what you do? Do they enjoy getting to see you at work?
PC: It’s 50/50. They are exposed to so much art that it could force them into insanity, but when the reward is seeing their father happy through his work there is a lot of love there. I should probably work on spending more time away from my disease of being an artist and make sure that I spend equal time directly with my family.
MI: What is it like to work with the rest of the guys in The Black Dots of Death? How does it differ most from your former projects?
PC: I have never been in a project where everyone has pushed me to search the depths of my inner being to pull out the greatest pieces of work that I can. They really support my creativity and more than that, enjoy it. Beyond that they can also feel it which makes the band come full circle.
MI: What do you hope your fans take away from your music?
PC: The same thing I have always wanted, salvation and the belief in yourself to succeed in life.
MI: What other projects can your fans look forward to next?
PC: I’m diseased and plagued with saturation, and you never know when I am going to vomit. So, you’ll just have to wait for the stench.
Black Dots of Death
CD: Ever Since We Were Children Record Label: Rocket Science
• Purchase Ever Since We Were Children on Amazon
• Download Ever Since We Were Children on Amazon