"Chris Connelly - Boychild Alone"
B-SIDE magazine, Vol. 5, #4, Aug./Sep. 91
Chris Connelly has decided to take the plunge. After working with the
Revolting Cocks and Ministry the man has resigned from those particular
Chicago-based musical madhouses. "I left the bands and I sure can't go
into the gory details," he mocks. "I guess I'm not going to be working with
the Cocks or Ministry again. But you know, from a philosophical standpoint,
that's fine by me 'cause I've got my solo thing going and it's beginning to
take off and once you've done that, once you've made your move there's
like a thousand projects to do and I'm always busy so no big deal," he shrugs
without the slightest remorse.
"Being in Revolting Cocks and Ministry I found that there was a certain frame
I was allowed to be in. Of course I was fine with that, I was happy with it.
I really think that Al as a producer is second to none. But I'm a very
stubborn chap, and I do like to get my way and he's a stubborn chap as well,
and he likes to get his way. (Gee, really?) And when I can't get my way
obviously it needs to get out somewhere, in some other way. I mean I can
write a tune, etcetera, etcetera. Also I want to learn more about music. I
want to take time to learn how to play piano properly, and production
interests me a lot, but you know, if I gave 24 hours a day to Ministry and
the Cocks I sure wouldn't be able to expand upon that. I mean Al produces
and I leave that up to him because he makes the records sound fucking great.
There's not much more I can do to make them sound better. But I want to make
my records sound better so I need more time," he explains.
As far as albums go Chris' incredible solo outing "Whiplash Boychild" wins an
award for sounding superb on advance tape, and when the CD finally arrived
true aural joy set in. I called it near perfect in my initial review: after
many more listens it has ascended to completely perfect. Moody, diverse, with
that Connelly touch of the perverse, the album unfortunately was scheduled for
a March release but due to those distribution problems that sometimes plague
albums once delivered to the label, this Wax Trax release didn't make its
presence known until June.
Instead of being another mutation project from the Chicago mafia ranks,
"Whiplash" is very much Chris' album while still working with mob members.
"I love music more than anything else in the world, I'm a fan of music, I
listen to music all the time. And I keep discovering people that I like, and
interest me, and I want to collaborate with them, that's my main thing in life
is to create music, and write my poetry, my lyrics, etcetera, etcetera. And
it doesn't matter in what setting. I want to try a bit of everything, really,
for sure.
"I really love collaborating with Bill Rieflin. We co-wrote some of the songs
from my album and we really get on well. There's a certain spark between us
that make writing just a dream. Because we know each other so well, and we
have very similar tastes in music," he describes enthusiastically.
Bill Rieflin has similar positive thoughts about Chris Connelly. "I went back
to Chicago in June to do some work with Chris on his new album. The work
that I did on that record I am really happy with. I think it's some of the
best stuff I've ever done in a long while. It's five songs I'm on but I'm
really happy with it. I'm on all of side one. I played piano, and the song
"The Last of Joy" I had kicking around, so I gave it to Chris and he wrote
some lyrics. We recorded it and mixed it in like an hour and a half. It was
fun. Chris is a really fun guy to work with ... he and I share a lot ... our
musical backgrounds are similar at least. The way we look at things, it fits
really well." And there's more collaboration ahead with Michael Balch,
formerly of Front Line, who made the move to Chicago to join the Cocks.
Chris notes, "He's living out there now, with William Tucker. We're writing
together for my next solo album. In fact, we recorded a track two weeks
ago which is really good, I'm really, really happy with it. It's really
twisted and perverse," he grins happily. He says that with such relish
that I'm glad he's a soft-spoken, cultured guy. But then again so was
Dr. Hannibal in "Silence of the Lambs". Ahem ... err, just kidding!
Even admist all the hectic scheduling of the Pigface tour, Chris is already
into his next album. "I've written about four or five tracks. I'm going to
be working with Chris Bruce, he plays guitar with Wendy and Lisa, and
he lives in Chicago and contacted me and wants to do some stuff. He's
gonna be part of the next album." The beauty of this album is the diversity.
From the active to the melodic to the brutal, the album explores depths
and heights while adding humor and pain in generous doses. There's
plenty of references to suicides and a few to drowning (check out "The Last
of Joy") but then there's the humorously odd "The Amorous Humphrey Plugg"
and the total mess of "Confession of the Highest Bidder" to offset the subtly
dark drama. "I wanted to make an album that was me, that had my
personality on it. I mean even though I've really enjoyed the tours that I've
done with the Cocks, they are far more of a ... they're not really me. With
Ministry you're singing about social issues so much of the time so there's not
much of a chance for any personality to get through. And although I think
that's valuable, I wanted to do an LP that was me. And also an album of
music that I enjoyed listening to, that had every single aspect of my
personality, the really violent spots, the really quiet spots, like anyone is.
The next album will be faithful to that philosophy as well."
And of course, when people are trained to expect a certain style from a
vocalist and he does the opposite ... the greatest thing about the
"Whiplash Boychild" is the return of Chris' lyrical, emotive voice! "I used
to sing, then I went all aggro!" he laughingly admits. "And all mad at the
world. But I figure ... I remember listening to Lou Reed's "New York", and
"Songs for Drella", and I thought, "You know, you don't have to have this
in your face dog barking at you to express something that means something
to you. You can be as powerful as you like with just your voice, you can
be incredibly emotive, and I think maybe we've forgotten that. I mean some
of the greatest songs ever written, like Jacques Brel, Scott Walker; it's pure
emotion. It's not loud, but it's passionate; it doesn't have to be this
annoying growling doggy," he smiles.
That reminds me of when Marc Almond was working on his Jacques Brel
collection. Great voices communicate the most complex emotions of all.
"I always say I'm gonna get in touch with him real soon about doing a
tribute album for Scott Walker. I don't know if you know Scott Walker?" he
queries. I feel ignorant when Chris explains that Walker is his favorite
singer. "He is probably like a thinking man's Tony Bennett: he was like ...
he did this kind of music in the '60's, real pretty, loungy almost, but the
lyrics were like real existential, and I know Marc Almond is into him, and
I want to get a buch of people together to do a tribute album to him.
Because nobody's done it yet."
Marc would be up for that as he's also into working with diverse talents.
This whole world clique attitude bodes well for the continued growth of
different genres. "It's fantastic! And because I travel so much I meet
people all the time, and get opportunities to play with them which is great!
I mean we worked with Cabaret Voltaire, did the record with them ... all
sorts of people!"
The Cabaret Voltaire episode already has gone down as semi-legendary,
those evil Chicago dudes getting those British boys drunk and then forcing
Stephen Malinder to actually sing. "They were great guys! Mal is hilarious,
he's really a funny guy. He was a hoot, he was great to work with."
Any preferences to the mixes that resulted from that? "I like them both.
They have a great sound, especially the side the Cabs mixed." Of the
continuing inter-continental musical moves Chris feels, "It's a self-
perpetuating thing. It will never ever drum out. I mean it happens all the
time in the music world. The music world is small, you travel all over and
meet people then you bump into them again and over and over."
But most people don't make the precious time to go back and work together.
They always mean to go back and work together. They always mean to
but often it takes a chance accidental meeting to light the incentive. But
even back when Chris was in the adventuresome Fini Tribe, he was
working with merging tough, dynamic dance rhythms with twisted lyrics,
borrowing from tribal influences. "Fini Tribe was different. They are my
school buddies. I worked with these guys since 78-79. For a long time
they were more like Wire, I guess. And then we discovered that we really
enjoyed working with tribal rhythms, and we all would play percussion.
And it all developed from there. I really had a great time with that band
when I was in it, they're still my best friends. Some of the stuff that we
came out with..." as he grins, immediately frowning. "The only thing that I
didn't like about Fini Tribe is that we never got anywhere. And I didn't
understand why, 'cause we released some killer 12 inches, and our
shows were great, I mean six guys up there pounding drums ... it was really
energetic. Oh well!" he shrugs. Fini Tribe sans Chris have a new release
out in Great Britain on One Little Indian: judging from the hyper reviews
their time may have come!
But back in the early '80's Fini Tribe was definitely ahead of the
maddening crowd. Now Chris jests, "We'll probably be discovered and
they'll release some retrospective album and all that bullshit. We did a
John Peel session early on that's just great. It sounds like a cross between
the Associates and Wire: it's got the same fucked up timing. Maybe it will
come out someday."
For all that Chris has been on the performance stage for years, he's never
attempted to give a solo reading of his poetry. This night unveils his world
premier (drum roll please) spoken word performance at New York's Building,
a club known more for its body language than poetic license. Any pre-
performance nerves on Mr. Connelly's part? He shakes his dreads, declaring,
"Nervous? No. I'm not really. I'm hyper and excited but not nervous. Since
I've never done this spoken word before, and I would like to make it a
permanent feature of my repertoire, so we'll see what happens tonight. I'm
not nervous 'cause I don't know what to expect! I mean what's the worse
that can happen? I might make an asshole of myself but that wouldn't be
the first time!" he laughs merrily. "At least I'm getting free drinks for
being an asshole," as he laughs even harder. "And a weekend in New
York! Absolutely!"
On the more serious side, Chris claims, "I really admire people like Henry
Rollins and Lydia Lunch, I think what they're doing is fuckin' great. I
wanted to do that as well. I think what I'm doing tonight is primal. But
I think given the chance I'll be able to expand upon it, and turn it into
something longer and better."
This night promises something special. "It's a collecion I've chosen from
my body of work. Some of my poems are self-perpetuating, some of them
were written in the early '80's and I've taken bits and placed them into new
poems and things like that. So it's a pretty comprehensive collection.
There are ten pieces all joined together for one long piece, from '82 to '91,
nine years of verse. It's a best of, it's a greatest hits and nobody's ever
heard any of my hits yet!" he exclaims with a grin.
His poetic performance definitely confuses the audience, the DJ
bringing a Nine Inch Nails song to an abrupt halt to announce Chris.
"Hey, that's the guy who's with Ministry ..." "Isn't he with the Cocks?"
"What's he doing? Is he gonna sing?" The comments wash throughout
the audience as Chris launches into an impassioned reading of his imagery
laden works. One person actually had the balls to ask if I was really
enjoying this stuff. Once the ringing tone of Chris' accent fled the air the
audience returns to dancing while Chris escapes for a drink or two amidst
myriad congratulations. And the word asshole never once entered my mind,
except with regard to that incredibly ignorant audience member.
In the future, along with the previous mentioned plans Chris looks forward
to working with Pigface production man Steve Albini again, wishing that
Albini would pick up his guitar anew. For now, Steve A. is in there giving
the Alain J. dynasty some fierce competition on the production front. Once
more Chicago gives the world killer production instincts along with some of
the mightiest music stalking the earth. Chris, with his Scottish accent,
doesn't exactly remind one of Chicago, as he's yet another transplant
victim. With a laugh he jests, "It's kind of like a cesspool: once you fall
into Chicago you can't crawl out. Once you're there you can't leave.
There's nothing particularly great there, it's cold, it's horrible in the
summer, it's disgustingly hot, but I can't crawl out, the sides are too
slimy!"
Judging from the activity that's crawled out of that Midwest cesspool,
whatever's fermenting down in those deep dark depths should never be
exposed to the light of day. It might kill something slimy yet precious yet
to be unleashed. Something perversely beautiful can come from that
muck. Just one listen to Mr. Connelly's work will convince you.