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1. Tell people about your current band and the music they do.
JZ: I don't really have a band. It's just me,
Jon Zaremba. All of my music is arranged and recorded on my computer,
so there's no need for any other humans to get involved. I've chosen
to make music with electronics because i can create sounds that do
not exist in reality and also because i can't play normal instruments
very well.
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2. Do you have a webpage?
JZ: Yes. Thanks for asking. You can visit me
at http://www.jonzaremba.com. There are some free songs to download
there as well as reviews and essays from my old site Save the Universe.
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3. Your music sounds pretty unique from what else is out there?
JZ: Thank you. I hope so. I create the music
that i want to hear. If it was already being made by someone else,
then i'd devote my time to other things. This is the music that i
always dreamed of hearing. It is very personal to me and perhaps that's
why very few people appreciate it.
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4. You originally came from Pennsylvania though, not California?
JZ: Yes, thankfully. I feel sorry for any child
who is forced to grow up here in California. I suppose there are nice
places to raise children here, but i haven't seen them yet. I spent
most of my life in Baden, a Pittsburgh suburb. There was zero crime,
lots of forests, and a small-town feeling to Baden that made it perfect
for children to explore and daydream. I still enjoy California though,
but mostly for the freeways, the burritos, and the weather.
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5. I take it your tastes in music did not coincide with most Pennsylvanians?
JZ: They coincided ok. I moved here for other
reasons. Pittsburgh has always had a great underground music culture.
I've seen bands perform in Pittsburgh that probably didn't even tour
L.A. Most of this is thanks to Manny Theiner and his Millvale Industrial
Theater. I don't bother to share my music with anyone in California.
I live out in the desert and don't talk to anyone. I have no connection
to the music scene here and have only gone to a handful of shows in
the past four years. So i can't say how my music would be received
by Californians. For the most part, some people were very supportive
of me in Pennsylvania. I would venture to say that my musical tastes
coincided better with Pennsylvanians than Californians. At least during
those years. Perhaps it would be different now.
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6. What interested you in creating more unique, rather than mainstream
forms of music?
JZ: I really enjoy good pop music. Unfortunately,
there hasn't been a single good pop song since...about 1987. This
is the year that everything seemed to take a turn for the worse in
America's pop culture. To make pop music, you have to keep your thumb
on the pulse of the country. I checked this country's pulse and it
was flat lined. This caused me to realize that most everyone here
is a walking corpse...a zombi. So in an absurd sort of way, i do make
pop music, because my music deals with the splattering of zombies.
I make the music that identifies the mainstream...Not the music that
the mainstream can identify WITH...but that which IDENTIFIES them.
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7. You are also big on the Italian and Spanish film soundtracks, especially
horror and western films? How does this influence you?
JZ: I've done some film score work for some
small independent projects. Unfortunately, none of these films ever
got off of the ground. One day, i will just have to make my own film
in order to have my music put to images.
As
for horror: It is the supernatural atmosphere of these scores that
influences me. I do not fear any human on this planet. I fear the
use of power by the irrational. Ghouls, ghosts, and demons...These
are the things that spook me. And nobody but the Europeans have captured
these feelings in song more eloquently. Perhaps because their countries
are rooted in mythology and date back so much further than the U.S.A.
Here in America, horror films most often feature psychotic humans
as the antagonists. And likewise, the scores of many of these films
are as boring as their villains.
As
for westerns: While i adore Italian westerns and everything that Morricone
has done, i can not say that this music has influenced me very much.
There is no way that i could ever compare with the likes of Morricone
or Nicolai. I do not have their talent or their musicians. So there
is no sense in trying. But i do love the romantic portrayal of the
old West and watch as many spaghetti westerns as i can get my hands
on.
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8. What would be some of your favorite film scores?
JZ: "My Name is Nobody" is my all-time
favorite film and score. It is absolutely perfect in every way possible.
Both philosophically and creatively. I would urge your readers to
check out my review of this film on my website. Other than that, i
really enjoy everything by Goblin, especially "Tenebre",
"Buio Omega", and "Profondo Roso". Most of what
Fabio Frizzi has done still gives me chills and crazy dreams even
today. I've been trying to find a copy of Bruno Nicolai's "Virgin
Among the Living Dead" for a while now. Oh, and one score that
has gotten ZERO recognition, but deserves so much acclaim is Yoshihiro
Kanno's "Angel's Egg". It is an amazing piece of work. Beautifully
broken scales and glorious choirs.
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9. What are your interests outside of music?
JZ: My music is the most important thing in
my life. For the most part, i don't put too much energy into much
else. But i like working on my car, reptiles, and Japanese girls.
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10. You also have a my space blog?
JZ: I don't really do much blogging on there.
Does anyone really read those? I've got two myspace pages. For my
music: http://www.myspace.com/jonzaremba
And for my favorite TV show:http://www.myspace.com/andygriffithandfriends
[no longer active...myspace deleted it!]
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11. Any interesting personal stories to tell from your career in music?
JZ: Well, since i've chosen not to perform my
music on stage, i've never had any groupies. Isn't that were most
of the stories originate? Anyways, my work has gone largely unnoticed
to the music world. I've been at this for nearly 10 years now. I've
done over 20 albums, almost all of them have been self-released. Perhaps
that's the only interesting story that i can tell...and one that i
can tell with pride. That i have not buckled, not given in, and not
surrendered to defeat. And i will not do so. I will continue making
the music that i love, just as i love it, until i die. Even if nobody
pays me any mind...i will never give up. Never quit. Because my music
is righteous and just.
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12. Anything else we may have missed that you would like to touch
on?
JZ: The most important thing for me in any form
of art is the message that the artist is trying to convey to the world.
I am only interested in the meaning of the art. The method by which
this is communicated is largely irrelevant to me. I have found that
good and evil are absolute concepts of reality. Although 50% of the
time i delve into the darkness, i am not a moral relativist. What
i would like to say here is that i should not to be dismissed as just
another one of those laptop guys. Today, all electronic musicians
make meaningless music. My music never has and never will be meaningless.
Each song has a purpose and a message. My ultimate goal in making
music is to use it as a tool to shape the world around me in such
a way that my life is more enjoyable.
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13. Closing remarks?
JZ: I just want to say thank you sincerely for
the exposure. I would like to die someday knowing that i made a dent,
and this interview is one more step in the right direction. | 