PRUESS PRESS PT1
June 22, 2006
Pruess Press and the activities of Mr. Joel Mesler have been a constant and reafirming force on the TRUDI-scape. One of the vastly ignored aspects of Mesler's output into the world has been his music. Over the series of some in definate time span I hope to delve into it.
All tracks can be heard on
pruesspress.com
and include a variety of conspiritors.
How did it start?
IN THE BEGINNING, I HAD AN EMPTY BASEMENT, EXEMPT FOR A FULL BAR. I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE NICE IF SOMETHING HAPPENED AROUND A FULL BAR. IN RETROSPECT ALOT OF THINGS COULD HAVE WORKED, SUCH AS A SCHOOL, A MEETING HALL, BLACK MARKET BINGO, OR A SHUL. BUT THE MAYBE'S BECAME A SOMETHING WHEN THIS GUY ED(DON'T REMEMBER HIS LAST NAME) CAME BY, WHO WAS A FRIEND OF JOHNNY, A GUY I KNEW FOR A LONG PERIED OF TIME, WITH ALL OF THESE MICS AND GUITARS, AND A HARMONICA. ED WAS DYING, WELL HIS LIVER WAS DYING. HE WAS IN THE KOREAN WAR AND CONTACTED HEPITITES C OVER THERE. HE WAS HOMELESS, BECAUSE HE WANTED TO SAVE ALL HIS MONEY FOR A LIVER TRANSPLANT WHICH HE WAS ON THE WAITING LIST FOR. WE WOULD SPEND NIGHTS DRINKING WHISKEY AND PLAYING MUSIC VERY CASUALLY, JUST FOR US SORT OF THING. AFTER SOME TIME ED STARTED SLEEPING IN THE BASEMENT. OTHER PEOPLE STARTED TO COME BY AND DRINK AND PLAY WITH US. I BEGAN RECORDING SOME OF THE SESSIONS WITH A MICROTAPE RECORDER MY FATHER GAVE ME, IT HAD A GREAT SOULFUL FEEL TO IT. THIS GUY MARK VON SCLEGELL THE WELL KNOWN SCI FI NOVELIST STARTED TO PLAY WITH US. HE ONCE HAD A BAND BUT STOPPED BECAUSE HE SAID IN THE END THERE WAS ALWAYS EGO. THE REASON HE LIKED PLAYIN IN THE BASEMENT WAS THERE WAS NO EGO, LEAVE THE EGO AT THE DOOR, OR DON'T COME IN. BEFORE I COULD NAME IT OR EVEN APRECIATE IT, THERE WERE SEVEREL PEOPLE PLAYING ALMOST EVERY NIGHT IN THE BASEMENT, DIFFERENT ARRANGMENTS DIFFERENT PEOPLE, DIFFERNT TYPES OF MUSIC. I BECAME TRULY AMAZED AT HOW MANY DIFFERENT TYPES OF THINGS COULD COME OUT OF ONE PLACE. SO I STARTED LABELING ALL THE TAPES WITH DATES AND THE PEOPLE WHO PARTICIPATED. MY FRIEND ROBBIE KINBERG, BROUGHT A 4 TRACK TASKAN OVER BECAUSE HE WANTED STELLER QUALITY. EVERYTHING WAS EVERYONES, IT WAS LIKE A FAMILY WITHOUT THE PAIN.
(It should be said that Joel had relocated from NY and had opened a gallery in LA's Chinatown, the basement held the bar and so on...)
Has your position changed over the years? Like is it still it's own entity, with you along for the ride or are you more a facilitator now?
EVERYTHING CHANGES ALL THE TIME, AND SINCE THE BEGINNING THERE HAS BEEN SO MANY PEOPLE AND SO MANY DIFFERNENT SPACES, THINGS SEEMED TO CHANGE ALMOST EVERY SESSION. AFTER THE BASEMENT I MOVED THE STUDIO, INTO MY FRIEND, DENNIS HOLLINGSWORTH'S STUDIO. THE SOUND WAS MUCH DIFFERENT AND SO WAS THE ENVIRONMENT. THERE WAS A RAISED STAGE AND IT WAS VERY OPEN, WITH A STAINED GLASS CEILING. IT WASN'T AS COZY AS THE BASEMENT, IT USED TO BE THE BANQUET ROOM FOR THE OLD GERERAL LEE'S, SO IT WAS A BIT INDOOR, A BIT OUTDOOR. THE MOUNTAIN BAR JUST OPENED SO WE WOULD GET DRINKS THERE AND SNEAK THEM INTO THE ALLEY AND THAN TO THE STUDIO. IT OPENED IT UP TO MORE PEOPLE, CASUALLY, IF THERE WERE PEOPLE DRINKING AT THE BAR WHO WE WANTED TO PLAY MUSIC WITH, THEY WOULD JUST WALK NEXT DOOR AND START PLAYING.
THIS WAS ALSO THE TIME, 2002, WHEN I DECIEDED TO ORGANIZE ALL THE MUSIC. I HAD JUST PURCHASED MY FIRST COMPUTER, AND I DISCOVERED I TUNES. IT HAD CATAGORIES SO I MADE CATAGORIES, AND NAMED THEM.
UP UNTIL THAT POINT, I HAD NO IDEA HOW MANY SONGS I HAD RECORDED AND WITH HOW MANY DIFFERNT PEOPLE. IT WAS QUITE AMAZING TO HAVE IT ALL ON ONE MACHINE. I ONLY SPENT ONE YEAR THERE, AND THAN MOVED UPSTAIRS ONTO THE ROOF OF THE MOUNTAIN. THIS WAS THE MOST PUBLIC SPACE, IT WAS VERY SMALL AND HAD TIN WALLS, AND A GREAT VIEW. EVERYONE WANTED TO COME UP AND PLAY, AND SINCE ABOUT SIX PEOPLE HAD KEYS TO THE SPACE SOMEONE WAS ALWAYS EITHER PLAYING MUSIC OR FUCKING ON THE COUCH. INSTRUMENTS GOT DESROYED BUT GREAT DRUNKEN RECORDINGS BECAME. IT WAS THEN THAT IT SEEMED APPROPRIATE TO HAVE IT ALL AVAILIBLE ONLINE. IT WAS 2004, AND THAN IT WAS A FEAT TO TRY AND UPLOAD 2000 SONGS ONTO THE INTERNET. AT THAT POINT I WOULD JUST ACT AS THE GUY WHO PRESSED RECORD, SOMETIMES PLAYING AND SOMETIMES I WOULD JUST SMILE AND GET THE DRINKS, WHATEVER IT TOOK TO GET PEOPLE TO OPEN UP AND FREE THEMSELVES.
Why is it important for you to be free and open?
TO BE FREE, AS AN IDEA DOESN'T TRULY EXIST, REALLY. TO DO THINGS FROM A PLACE OF BEING FREE OF ONE'S SELF, IS THE PLACE WERE MAGIC SOMETIMES HAPPENS. TO BREAK FREE OF THE IDEA OF WHAT ONE CAN DO, WELL SOMETHING NEW HAPPENS, SOMETHING MYSTERIOUS, UNEXPECTED, SOMETHING THAT WOULD HAVE NEVER EXISTED IF ONE ONLY TOOK ACTION THAT THEY THOUGHT WAS IN THEIR DEFINITON OF THEMSELVES. WHEN THIS HAPPENS WITH MUSIC, IT'S TRULY EXILIRATING TO EXPERIENCE AND ALSO TO JUST BE AROUND. I LOVE TO LOSE MYSELF AND WATCH OTHER PEOPLE LOSE THEMSELVES, I THINK YOU CAN HEAR IT IN THE MUSIC. I THINK THAT THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A SOUND THAT HAS BEEN PLANNED, AND ONE THAT CAME ACCIDENTLY, ALOT OF THE TIME WHEN THE FIRST HAPPENS YOU CAN NAME IT, OR REFERENCE IT, THINGS YOU MIGHT HAVE HEARD, OR EXPERIENCED BEFORE, BUT WHEN THE SECOND HAPPENS... GOOD STUFF. WITH ALL THAT SAID, ITS NOT ALWAYS TRUE, I MEAN THE OPPOSITE CAN HAPPEN AS WELL, EVEN TO TRY AND BE FREE CAN HAVE ITS SNAGS, BUT WHAT DOESN'T. I JUST THINK ITS NICE AND FRUITFUL TO DANCE ON THAT VERY FRAGILE EDGE.
Why give it away for free?
WHY GIVE IT AWAY FOR FREE? SORRY I JUST GOT CIGEREETE SMOKE IN MY NOSE.
How does this "enterprise" fit into all the other roles you play? (artist, speculator, producer, writer, owner of a press, SCA dude, ect ect many of which will never have appropriate titles)
THAT IS SOMETHING I HAVE BEEN THINKING ABOUT ALOT RECENTLY, LIKE WHEN I ASKED YOU A SIMILIAR QUESTION ABOUT YOUR PRACTICE. IF ALL OF THESE THINGS ARE HAPPING ALL THE TIME, AND SOMETIMES IT'S DIFFICULT TO CONNECT, THE QUESTION "WHO ARE YOU?" IS ALWAYS PRESENT. WHEN I HAVE THOSE CONCERNS I TRY AND PUSH THEM ASIDE. ORTHODOX JEWS HAVE A DIFFERENT IDEA OF EXISTANCE AND THE SELF, SINCE FUNDAMENTALLY THEY BELIEVE IN A G-D(THE IDEA OF EXISTANCE) THEY DON'T HAVE A NEED TO ASK THAT QUESTION TO THEMSELVES. WHY ARE WE HERE? TO GIVE THANKS AND TO SERVE, NOT TO LIVE AN EGO RIDDED LIFE. I TRY EVERYDAY TO ACKNOLEDGE THE GIFT OF LIFE, AND TO NOT ASK TO MANY QUESTIONS ABOUT MY SPECIFIC POSITIONING, OR WHERE I MIGHT STAND IN RELATION TO MYSELF AND THE CONNECTION BETWEEN IT ALL.
I LOVE DOING EVERYTHING I DO, SOMETIMES ONE THING WORKS BETTER THAN ANOTHER, BUT IN THE END I DON'T THINK THERE IS MUCH OF A CHIOCE. MONEY ASIDE, BECAUSE THAT'S A DIFFERNT SCHMOOZE, I RECORD AND PLAY MUSIC BECAUSE WHEN I PAINT I LIKE LISTINING TO MUSIC, AND IT'S NICE TO LISTEN TO MUSIC YOU HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH BECAUSE IT SEEMS TO MAKE MORE SENSE TO ME. I LIKE REAL ESTATE BECAUSE YOU CAN MAKE MONEY AT IT, AND YOU ALWAYS NEED TO BE SOMEWHERE, SO MIGHT AS WELL CONTROL YOUR ENVIRONMENT A BIT. IT'S BETTER TO HAVE GOOD PEOPLE AROUND YOU THAN NOT SO GOOD PEOPLE AROUND. BUT IN THE END I'M STILL SEARCHING, SOME DAYS BETTER THAN OTHERS.
I understand that the story is full of holes, just be patient.
More information can be found in the book LA ARTLAND or by looking at Joel's current exhibition at BLACK DRAGON SOCIETY, "Survival meets ideal hands".
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