HEALTH Interview

Here is an interview with the bassist John Famiglietti of the band HEALTH.

B-Ex: There's been lots of experimental noise rock bands that come and go but never really make it. What makes you so special?

//JOHN: Wait...we made it?? I think a big difference between us and other similar bands is the tempo, we play a lot faster than the average abrasive group, but um I don't really know. We dont think of ourselves as niche artists and that has influenced a lot of the way we are presented to the music world at large and maybe that perceptual shift makes it special...I have no idea.

B-Ex: You guys have been getting a shit-ton of buzz lately and all the Smell kids fucking love you. Have you considered filming a live DVD at the venue where you recorded your self-titled debut LP? If not, can you please consider it? Pretty please?

//JOHN: Havent thought of it yet....Might be really cool if we could limit the number of people and do it on the floor in front of the stage, still my favorite place to play.

B-Ex: I'm not going to ask you guys why you chose the name HEALTH because I'm sure that everybody already asks you that. I've read in various places that "Medicine" was already taken, and you wanted an everyday type of a name. What I will ask, though, is have you tried to google HEALTH before? People with short attention spans may get sidetracked looking for rash remedies on WebMD.

//JOHN: Yeah we get fucked on google and file sharing networks etc. If we had thought of that at the time, we should have given the album a title so its easier to download, cuz the downloading kids arent gonna buy the album no matter what, and might not take the time to find it on whatever file sharing network.


B-Ex: I just saw you open for Autolux at the El Rey. Quite frankly, I was more into you guys, and I've been a fan of Autolux longer than you've been around. If you could tour with any band that you've never met nor played with, who would it be?

//JOHN: Animal Collective

B-Ex: Can you please recommend another up-and-coming Los Angeles local band that I need to see live before I die?

//JOHN: Captain Ahab. A two-man rave party. Amazing tunes too, the music is great and the live show is insane, kids going crazy dancing jumping, taking their clothes off (literally) and getting on each others shoulders, sweat, sweat, sweat dripping off. Hype man Jim,
running through the audience in a speedo and soaking wet individually grabbing and humping anyone he comes into contact with, while Jonathan singing like a rock god over catchy rave music.


B-Ex: Your album is very visual and chaotic. As I mentioned in my review, the track "Triceratops" sounds like the soundtrack to a hellish post-apocalyptic video game themed rollercoaster with dinosaur shaped oscillating sprinkler-heads that shoot liquid acid onto the
screaming passengers. What kind of imagery does your music give you?.

//JOHN: Thats some crazy shit son.


B-Ex: What instrument(s) that you've never recorded with would you like to use in your next album (that is, of course, my fingers-crossed assumption that you guys want to make another one!)

//JOHN: That super amazing noise generator thing on youtube that costs millions of dollars. Synths.

B-Ex: Is their anyone you would love to collaborate with in your next recording? If so, who?

//JOHN: Musically, Johnny Jewel, Pictureplane, and Dan Deacon. Recording wise, an amazing engineer.


B-Ex: Favorite spot you've played only once:

//JOHN: A tie between Heco's in Oakland and Rhinoceropolis in Denver. Both are amazing diy venues of the perfect size and amazing show culture. Its like if the il Corral was a franchise you would open in different cities, sans rope swing.

B-Ex: Last great movie you've seen:

//JOHN: There Will Be Blood.

B-Ex: Thanks for your time man!