Interview with P. Emerson WIlliams (2010)
by Itihas Shetty
for Absurd Histroy
Alright as was said, here’s the interview that is just the beginning of a lot more to come.
Loosening up right now is P. Emerson Williams. Emerson is a musician, artist and an illustrator who grew up in Norway and is currently working in London. Known for his blackened industrial band Choronzon for which he plays all instruments, Emerson is part of two other bands Veil of Thorns and Kkoagulaa, add to that many other collaborations. Emerson is an artist and has worked with Katatonia and Primordial and very recently he did the artwork for Indian band Rat King (who are with Roadcrew Records, India) for their 2009 offering Larva. He has come a long way as a visionary artist and an illustrator, and his work is collected in the books Enshroud and Panic Pandemic. Also a chaos magick practitioner, his knowledge includes a lot of stuff that would require going beyond the usual. Here’s the conversation.
Itihas Shetty – Hey Emerson, hows it going?
Emerson – Roiling chaos and uncertainty surrounds, as is usual.
Itihas Shetty – Metal. What does it mean to you?
Emerson – A vast country, comprised of rotting, primitive structures to Wagnerian grandeur and creepy soundscapes. I always come back to metal.
Itihas Shetty – Artists you look up to…
Emerson – I spent many hours gazing at art books of Albrect Dürer, Hans Baldung and other late Gothic artists as a young’un. The surrealists were an obsession in my teens, and photographers like Imogen Cunningham and Joel-Peter Witkin have probably been more influential on my imagery than any other form of visual artist.
Itihas Shetty – Some metal bands that excite you at this moment…
Emerson – Rat King blow my mind every time I listen, and hearing Rose Kemp makes me want to pull together a three-piece and see what kinds of unholy noises she could make. Blackdeath from Russia and the new Burzum.
Itihas Shetty – Whats on your playlist right now…
Emerson – I’ve gone back to Mordor (Swiss version), off late. I find myself missing the raw, lo-fi aesthetic of early underground metal of days gone by.
Itihas Shetty – Black metal is…
Emerson – In its on parallel universe away from market conventions.
Itihas Shetty – When you hit the bar you look for…
Emerson – First choice ould be an mid 20th century Armagnac, but a ’77 vintage port is never to be resisted. I tend to like to be able to taste the dirt in which the grapes were grown. Or a well aged single-barrel bourbon.
Itihas Shetty – Your bands and collaborations…
Emerson – Main bands are Choronzon, Veil of Thorns and Kkoagulaa. Recent collaborations are with FoolishPeople on their last four productions, Manes on the How the World Came to an End album and John Zewizz of Sleep Chamber fame on his new solo album 2012.
Itihas Shetty – Band you wish you were part of…
Emerson – Killing Joke.
Itihas Shetty – Your opinion on the Indian scene…
Emerson – There is real quality coming out of India. I’m seeing a lot of activity all the way around, with labels and event organizers making things happen. This DIY ethic is precisely what is needed to create fertile ground for creativity and gives everyone reason to be excited about being involved. I wonder if there’s as healthy a scene for Industrial and Goth in India as there seems to be for Metal…
Itihas Shetty – How is the Indian metal scene perceived around you…
Emerson – Well, most US/Euro people around me have been introduced to Indian metal by my playing Rat King to them, which has awakened a great deal of interest. Blind Image are definitely making a name for themselves all over the place. I’m distributing their album More Than Human at Veil Of Thorns store along with both Rat King albums and there’s a lot of excitement surrounding both artists.
Itihas Shetty – Your opinion on…
God
Emerson – Anthropomorphising the ineffable.
Itihas Shetty – Religion
Emerson – Should never involve more than one human.
Itihas Shetty – Satan
Emerson – Every good propaganda effort needs a bogeyman. Creating one out of the gods of the vanquished peoples is, well, diabolical…
Itihas Shetty – Your Indian connections…
Emerson – Brilliant and wonderful people.
Itihas Shetty – Few words for Roadcrew Records…
Emerson – They’re doing a wonderful job, the dedication to their artists and quality of releases is inspiring. I see great things coming from Madhav and Roadcrew in the future.
Itihas Shetty – Any Indian trip (work or pleasure) in the pipeline…
Emerson – That will require the right circumstances. I would love to bring a band and full theatrical production and collaborate with Indian musicians/visual artists/theatre troupes/multimedia artists and do something different. Just putting that out there and we’ll see.
Itihas Shetty – Your views on Burzum’s comeback Belus…
Emerson – A breath of fresh air from an ancient forest…
Itihas Shetty – Releases this year you are looking forward to…
Emerson – Well, since I’ve been wrapped up in a million projects, I haven’t had time to keep up on what’s coming down the pike. Two releases I’ve had a hand in are 2012, John Zewizz’ (Sleep Chamber) solo album is due out this spring as is the Sleep Chamber classic Satanic Sanction – remastered and expanded. I did the cover layouts and art for both and had the honour of playing cello on 2012. Trev has another Midnight Configuration album cooking and it’s shaping up to be amazing and there’s the return of Killing Joke‘s original lineup with Feast of Fools late in the year.
Itihas Shetty – When I say absurd history, first thing that comes to your mind…
Emerson – Wide-ranging, society, travel, photos – Metal!
Itihas Shetty – There are only 1411 tigers left in India (or thats what we are told), your views/does it matter..
Emerson – There are too damn many of us. From the time of the first migration of humans from Africa, the arrival of homo sapiens has been accompanied by mass extinction of other species. We can’t expand into the stars soon enough.
Itihas Shetty – Life is a bitch, is it?
Emerson – Life is pure joy. Reality tunnels we construct in ever narrower dimensions mask this fact.
Itihas Shetty – Do you miss Chuck Schuldiner…
Emerson – Yes. Funny about Florida’s death metal guitarists and brain cancer…
Itihas Shetty – Lamb of God playing in India on 15th May. You want to say anything on this…
Emerson – Good fortune for Lamb of God. I have no doubt they’ll get a thundering reception.
Itihas Shetty – Details about any of your work that has released recently or is going to release…
Emerson – Latest releases are Veil of Thorns – Salon Apocalypse and Necrofuturist, available from Inner-XMusick, Soleilmoon, Market Apocalypse and Roadcrew, as well as Manifestation Objective which can be found on iTunes. Released just this month is Kkoagulaa – Aurum Nostrum Non Est Aurum Vulgi with members of Manes, 3rd and the Mortal, Atrox, Chton, Shining (Swe) and more, and Kkoagulaa – Impressions of Ardour digi-EP on iTunes. There is much more to come from Kkoagulaa. And then there’s a continuous experiment from FoolishPeople…
Itihas Shetty – Quickies…
Primordial or Katatonia
Emerson – Primordial.
Itihas Shetty – Kkoagulaa or Manes
Emerson – Can never be an either/or proposition.
Itihas Shetty – Rat King or King Diamond
Emerson – Rat King, hands down.
Itihas Shetty – Port or Bourbon
Emerson – Port.
Itihas Shetty -Black or Death
Emerson – Black.
Itihas Shetty – Iron Maiden or Dio
Emerson – Dio.
Itihas Shetty – Melodic or Brutal
Emerson – Strange.
Itihas Shetty – Burzum or Irgum Burgum
Emerson – Burzum.
Itihas Shetty – Last Words…
Emerson – Gjev meg gamalost!
P. Emerson Williams 