‘Unpeeled’ Interview with John Schmersal – Enon

 

Panic over, the electricity is back on in New York so ‘Unpeeled’ magazine’s very own Nick Miller finally gets the chance to have a chat with John Schmersal about Enon’s magically fucked up new album ‘Hocus Pocus’.

 

Nick: SoJohn, where were you when the lights went out?

 

John: I was actually on my way to our practice space, which has notorious electrical problems anyway. Me and Matt our drummer went in there and of course all the lights were off so I put out the rent check for our landlord who’d gone on vacation. I have some issues with him right now just because we’ve had so many terrible electrical problems. So as soon as I saw the power had been off I staggered and went “Fuck him this is bullshit!” I took the cheque and left to discover it was five or six states and Canada that had electrical problems too.

 

Nick: I heard there was a lot of looting in Brooklyn. So did you join in?

 

John:- (laughs) No. Actually, what I ended up doing that night was to go to this bar where Toko our bass player sometimes bartends. The lights were out of course but they decided to stay open because all the beer was still in there on ice right? So I walked over there with Toko and people were smoking again even though it’s usually banned in bars New York. No one really cared. It was really quiet in there so I had this idea and went back to my apartment and got my battery powered amplifier and a battery powered turntable and went back over there and DJ’d. It was funny because Tim from Les Savvy Fav was already there and when I walked in to set up. He was like “John” (all excited) Tim then  played stuff through his Apple I-Pod until the juice ran out then I took over and played a Daktaris record (a funky afro beat outfit) It was really cool night because tons of people were out and stayed out.

 

 

Nick: Tell me how the making of ‘Hocus Pocus’ compared to your last record ‘High Society’

 

John:We recorded ‘Hocus Pocus’ much faster than ‘High Society’. We made a deadline for ourselves because we basically wanted to have a new record out by Fall. We were doing so much touring that we kind of needed to finish it by last April. The short time-span helped us to not get too flourishy with it you know? It’s a theme record like High Society was. To me it seems very similar but people telling that it actually sounds a lot different. ‘High Society’ is about faking something out and the mystique of illusion. It featured songs about ego and selfishness and escapism, all things you would associate with the upper class stereotype. ‘Hocus Pocus’ is more about deception, twisting the truth or reality. You can take this on a personal level or a worldwide level.

 

Nick: You’ve been performing the songs ‘Utz’ and ‘Litter In The Glitter’ live for a while now. Had all the songs on the new record been done and dusted for a long time before you went into the studio?

 

John:I think it’s a really even mix actually. ‘Utz’ we’ve had for a long time, ‘Litter in The Glitter‘ was for an abandoned EP that was supposed to come out on Southern last Spring. The title track ‘Hocus Pocus’ was the last song that was written. That came amazingly quick. I wrote it in afternoon, finished the lyrics the next day and tracked it three days later.

 

Nick: Toko sings an equal share of songs on the new record. Do you write songs with Toko in mind or do certain songs end up suiting her voice better than yours?

 

John: She usually writes the songs that she sings but I wrote ‘Daughter In The House of Fools’ with her in mind. We usually collaborate by letting the song get to where you see it going then bring other people in so its open for commentary and ripping apart.

 

Nick: You’re a lyrical genius but often it’s difficult to decipher your words through your music. Are you not keen on including lyrics inside the packaging?

 

John:Some people say it’s a cop out but its not so much about ever printing them or people knowing what they mean. I always like looking at the art-work of records and thinking about what the lyrics sound like to me. I don’t like the idea of people reading them out of context to the music. It’s sort of like giving the tablature of your music out. I don’t view my lyrics as poetry or something outside the music. Really it’s more about the rhythm of the words. I guess I could have a conversation with poet at a coffee shop about the rhythm of the words but other than that...Anyway I’m glad you like ‘em.

 

Nick: Do you make music to satisfy you or do you do make music with fans in mind?

 

John:That’s an interesting question. A lot of the struggle is finding a place to keep it private for yourself. Toko and I discuss this all the time. You write a song, its yours but then when you record it or start to perform it or do this thing for it, it has another life. Especially when you play it live because you have to make this repetition out of it and it totally changes the meaning, where as if you record a song and don’t play it live it becomes a private thing unless you talk about it with other people. . I am attracted to that side of it because I do make the records for first and foremost me or us as a band. Its kind of dodgy once it gets out into the world because it becomes something else entirely.

 

Nick: What influences prompted you to start playing music?

 

John:I’m as influenced by music as I am by conversations that I’ve had with people on any level. I have older brothers and sisters so listening to their Beatles 8 -tracks had a huge influence on me. It’s redundant to say it now because everyone seems to be or feels to be inspired by The Beatles. I got into punk after that. When I say punk, I'm not talking about the fashion. Enon's aesthetic is lowbrow but intelligent. We want to do something exploratory. I won't say what we do is altogether new because that’s always a dodgy subject with people. It’s at least inspiring to us. The biggest problem people have with our band is that it's too jarring for them. To me it would be really boring to have an album of garage rock songs right now.

 

Nick: You’re about to go on tour again to promote the new record. Is this something you still look forward to?

 

John:It’s crazy because I really do love touring. I’ve been doing it for some many years now that. If I’m at home for too long I get stir crazy anyway. Being on the road really is my second home. For the first three days after I come home I think aaargh my stuff alright! The fourth day I’m like “aah man my stuff, shit.”

 

Nick: You play almost every night of the week on tour. What’s the secret to not burning out?

 

John:Well you have to have crayons or if you can really afford it you have to get the holograms. I was talking Wayne Coyne (Flaming Lips) about the labour of going everywhere and touring. I said to him ‘well you know Wayne eventually its just going to one show that is simulcast as holograms all over the world and eventually everyone will see you, once a year and you’ll get lots of money and that’ll be that.

 

Nick: What advice would you give to European bands interested in touring the States for the first time?

 

John:The easiest way is to convince another a band to piggyback with their gear. For the first time Mogwai are bringing over some friends of mine ‘Part Chimp’ which is exciting. In a lot of ways touring is easier in the States because its all land locked so there’s no ferries. There’s no two ways about it, the first couple of times we went over to Europe - we lost money. Its like ‘awesome I’m going to Ireland’ then soon enough your costs on the ferries outweigh your guarantees at the shows.

 

Nick: Do you take anything on the road with you to keep you sane like Michael Jackson records, or your George Forman Grill?

 

John: (laughs) In the States I do the driving mostly but in Europe I usually end up reading a lot because we get a driver over there. I don’t take books with me its just weird stuff I’ll pick up along the way. - Its fun to read trash. Once someone gave me the Marian Faithful autobiography and on the same tour I read ‘The Wizard of Oz’, Nancy Spungen's mother’s autobiography and ‘Junky’ by William S Burroughs.

 

 

Nick: What made you decide to call the band Enon in the first place?

 

John: I’m from Dayton, Ohio where I was in Brainiac and stuff. Enon is a town co-incidentally near where I went to school. I knew that Enon is an ancient biblical city but my attraction to the name was kind of private really. When I first got my drivers license as a teenager, I’d aimlessly drive around places and would often end up in Enon. It’s pretty much a one-horse town with rolling farm fields. It was always an important thing that I didn’t really think about back then. The first thing that actually became Enon was this 7inch on a Chicago label. I actually chose a very terrible name for starters and I won't even tell you what that was. The name was also taken so I was sparred. That day Enon just came to me and I never really knew how much trouble it might bring because people are so curious about what it is and how it’s pronounced. To me I thought Enon could mean so many things and I knew the name probably wasn't already taken.

 

Nick: What’s the earliest recording of you playing music?

 

John:There’s a tape I don't even have anymore of some haunted house type music that was recorded when I was aged about seven or eight. My first proper recording is a seven-inch called 'Dexatrim' that I did with Brainiac.

 

Nick: Is it uncomfortable to listen to Brainiac to since Tim Taylor passed away?

 

John: Its not uncomfortable or sentimental it’s just strange. A lot of fans reject the idea that Enon is pop and not as deconstructed as Brainiac. Enon is more about expanding my thing and doing something new. It would be boring to me if I'd stayed in one vein. I end up using pop more than other labels because it’s more vapid in a way than just saying its punk. Pop could be Neil Diamond or Britney Spears or Michael Jackson. I like being associated with that because what we're trying to do is make smart pop.

 

Nick: What line of work were you in before you starting doing music?

 

John: After High school I went to college. I enjoyed the first year of college for sure but by the second year I didn't want or need to be there at that time in my life. Brainiac was the perfect thing to come into my life. During summers I get like three jobs and save up so I'd have some money during the year. During the end of one summer I got this hook up at the place I was staying and I ended up blowing all my money on some equipment that I ended up using in Brainiac. It was a weird intuitive thing. By the time winter came 'round I was in the band.

 

 

Nick:  Matt plays the drums with open-mouthed concentration. Does he ever catch any flies?

 

John: Matt is always very hungry on tour. He has a ravenous metabolism so catching flies during our shows is just par for the course.

 

Nick: I’m always conscious of being the only person dancing at Enon gigs. Does dancing put you off?

 

John: (laughs) The communication thing on stage is so funny. I wish people could see what I'm seeing sometimes. You never know why people go to shows anyway. Some people go for the spectacle and they don't want to do anything anyway, so people go to fuckin’ take the piss out of you. That’s fun as well as long as you can take the piss out of them a little bit too We always try and play the more exciting part atmosphere songs live but you can't always expect people to do anything. I like it when people dance because that means they're getting lost in the moment.

 

Nick: You have the scariest eyes in pop. Do you practise being scary in the mirror?

 

John: No not anymore, I did do when I was little but then I realised I didn't need to practice anymore

 

Nick: The influential radio DJ John Peel is an avid reader of our magazine. Has he ever approached you to do a session on Radio 1?

 

John: I did a Peel session when I was in Brainiac but with Enon, the timing has always been strange when we've been over so it’s never been able to happen. We'd all really love to do one if you could fix it.

 

(Come on Mr. Peel stop doing those dolphin impressions and give Enon a Peel session)

 

Nick: John, thanks for doing the interview I look forward to seeing Enon play in a couple of months.

 

John: Hey...thank you!

 

 

‘Hocus Pocus’ is released September 9th through Southern, with a European tour that kicks off in November.