Interview with John McBain
Zine by Andrew Shal, February 2001

First, thank you very much for agreeing to do the interview and for responding so promptly. Please feel free to elaborate as much as you wish, as space is not an issue, and if you would like I could ask follow-up questions / redirections. Finally, neither Don nor myself are under any sort of time crunch, so please don't feel rushed. On with the show… 1. To start, I'd like to discuss the early days…what made you want to pick up a guitar (or any instrument for that matter)? Were you involved with the music "scene" in any way other than playing/recording? How did you come to meet Tim Cronin and the rest of the guys who would form Monster Magnet?

I got into music fairly late. I had no interest in it until Punk Rock came along. From there I started to take note of specific guitar players like Bones from Discharge and the far too overlooked Bubba from Void. This kind of playing seemed to be more real than say Ritchie Blackmore's. That approach to music struck me as lifeless and rather "fake". So when I went to college and started working at the radio station I fell in with all of the local musician/weirdos, each of whom had a band. So, with Void in mind, I bought a Hagstrom guitar, a Mosrite Fuzzrite AND a lavender SuperFuzz with matching wah wah and joined my first band, Pinque Phloid.

Eventually I met Tim Cronin through my bass player friend Tom, and he immediately struck me as being the strangest person I had ever met. Soon after I started working in Red Bank. I had a job at a local used record store while Tim worked at Jack's Music up the street. At lunch hours we would visit one anot! her and trade tapes or suggest music to each other. We seemed to like the same shit so I asked him to join my band, knowing full well that he could not play an instrument. Needless to say it was an awful experience for both of us. We were freaks while the rest of them were local semi-professional musicians. My "brilliant" idea only served to clarify the fact that neither of us belonged in this band.

Well I happened to have bought a four track during this time so I figured that we could do all of the stuff that we had tried to do in our previous band and more importantly do it ourselves. We called ourselves "Dog of Mystery".

Tim put our tape out on his cassette label, Cool Beans, and eventually it brought me in contact with Dave Wyndorf. He worked in the comic book shop in Red Bank and I passed it every day. I remember walking by his store one day when I heard someone listening to sixties garage rock so I peeked in. The guy behind the register looked like Dave Brock of Hawkwind. It was Dave. He was also Tim's friend. AND he owned a four track and loved The Stooges. Pretty quickly we started making music. The first step was having Dave join our most recent version of "Dog of Mystery". He was eager to play guitar so I gladly moved over to bass. It really didn't matter who played what at this point. We just wanted to do it.

After a lot of lineup changes we somehow ended up with Joe Calandra as our second drummer. At a live show in Red Bank we shared the bill with an incredibly cool band, The Watchchildren. Their singer had painted his SG day-glo green with what seemed to be an old brush and the drummer was trying desperately to be Keith Moon. I met the fucked up drummer after the show and Dave, Tim and I all agreed that we needed him. So Joe moved over to bass ( I was back on guitar at this stage ) and Jon Kleiman joined what was up till this point known as Airport 75. After a City Gardens show Dave threw out the name Monster Magnet as one to consider. There was also Grinning Gibbon, Heroin Mule, Afro Drug Den and The Nutty General. We settled on Monster Magnet. the bill with an incredibly cool band, The Watchchildren. Their singer had painted his SG day-glo green with what seemed to be an old brush and the drummer was trying desperately to be Keith Moon. I met the fucked up drummer after the show and Dave, Tim and I all agreed that we needed him. So Joe moved over to bass ( I was back on guitar at this stage ) and Jon Kleiman joined what was up till this point known as Airport 75. After a City Gardens show Dave threw out the name Monster Magnet as one to consider. There was also Grinning Gibbon, Heroin Mule, Afro Drug Den and The Nutty General. We settled on Monster Magnet.

2. Once Monster Magnet came to be, what sort of expectations did you have with the band? Did you set off to take over the world, or were you taking it one day at a time? Many consider "Spine of God" to be one of the essential rock albums of all time…how does that sit with you? Do you consider yourself an inspiration to others? Finally, not much is known about the split with Magnet and the subsequent move out West…would you shed some light on the subject? Finally, what do you think of the direction Monster Magnet have taken since you left the band? Are you still in contact with any of the members?

No expectations at all. Monster Magnet started as a reaction to Jersey Shore life in general. Fuck The Boss. Fuck cover bands. People hate us already. Why not give them something to really hate. In fact our early shows were endurance contests for the audience. Many a night ended with us playing to the bartender and soundman. Tim, Dave and I had already recorded what ended up as The Tab demos and the Freak Shop USA so the unbearable Tab was part of our set from the beginning. You could only finish with it because it emptied the room every time. Spine of God, looking back, was a reaction to all that was wrong with music. Music of the late eighties and early nineties was over produced, demographic specific and ultimately sterile. Even punk rock had been co-opted by the metal crowd and stripped of all that was exciting about it in the early days. We! said fuck all of that and started off Side One with a pointless drum solo. If you made it past that you were on your way. As far as people saying this and that about Spine of God you have to remember that there was a time when folks said similar things about 2112 and Big Country's first LP. It was just a sloppy rock record. Nowhere near as cool as Void or Black Flag.

After Spine of God started to get some semi-local attention and money and commitment came into play I began to collapse under the pressure and constant scrutiny of being a touring band. I "flipped out." I would teeter between complete silence for a whole day, not listening or responding to the guys, or lash out at them for no reason at all except to distance myself from the whole touring pro band thing. I wanted to quit but I didn't have the nerve so they saved me the trouble and fired me instead. Its the best thing they could have done at the time because I was a complete liability and now they are in many ways a better band for it. If nothing else the leather pants would have driven me over the edge. I'm just not a "performer". I'd be happy to never play on stage again. That's why Wellwater Conspiracy suits me. We all hate touring.

I keep in touch with Tim and Jon mostly. We talk all of the time. Dave not so much lately. I'll call him occasionally but I realize what kind of pressure he's under so I completely understand if he doesn't return my messages immediately. When we do talk its really enjoyable. I still care a lot about Dave and like always our conversations inevitably turn into a "you've gotta hear this one song on Volume 45 of Pebbles.." sort of thing. Lots of fun. No pressure or bad feelings. I'd love to have him make an appearance on the next Wellwater record.

3. Shortly after leaving Magnet, the band Hater made its mark. Any reflections about this period in time? How did this particular band get together, and what did you set out to do with it? What was the evolutionary process that led to Wellwater Conspiracy? What is a Wellwater Conspiracy, literally?

Hater saved me. I sure as hell wasn't ready to join another band so quickly. I loved playing in Monster Magnet. It was the standard ego shit that came with it that I tended to run from. But seeing as how I had nothing to keep me in New Jersey and Ben Shepherd had extended an invite to come visit and record, I did it. My time in Hater was my "rehab" so to speak. I had no choice. I wanted to play guitar. I needed to do whatever it took to keep playing. Matt and Ben made it really easy for me. They made me feel very comfortable and relaxed. No agenda. After we released our album on A&M, I started to write songs again. I wrote a tiny bit with Hater but I quickly realized what an incredible songwriter Ben was and how much fun his songs were to play so I gladly stepped aside. Through all of Hater I continued to write and record four track demos with Matt. These turned into the first batch of Wellwater Conspiracy cuts that eventually were released on SuperElectro and finally Third Gear.

The story behind the name goes back to Tim Cronin. I showed up at his house for Monster Magnet practice and Tim showed me a list of band names that he came up with the night previous. On one page he had drawn a flower with the words Wellwater Conspiracy written down the side. It stuck with me. There is no Wellwater Conspiracy.

4. About WWC…is there an "official" line-up of the band at this point in time? How does the band "Brotherhood of Electric" relate to WWC? Why was Ben not on the 2nd LP, and how did you come to work with Josh Homme on that album? The first two Wellwater albums were released on very small labels, and now with the advent of the 3rd LP you have moved to TVT Records. How did this deal come about? Additionally, the reported appearance of Eddie Vedder on the album will certainly enhance its visibility…how did this collaboration come to light, and what are your thoughts about it as a music fan? Do you think either of these moves will detract from the sound that you have been developing over the years?

At this time Wellwater is Matt and myself. Ben didn't appear on the second record only because of prior commitments with Mark Lanegan but he'll be on our next LP. My need to play with him again gave birth to Brotherhood of The Electric. Matt was on tour with Pearl Jam and I was itching to play at Terrastock. I grabbed Dan Peters, the nicest guy in Seattle, and Jack Endino and worked up some covers and WWC instrumentals and had at it. It was a wonderful time killer. Dan is an incredible drummer. Ben was on fire. We'll do it again in the future.

The Josh Homme connection was accidental. I met him at a local bar in Seattle. We talked for a bit when out of nowhere he asked me to be part of the Desert Sessions. That led to my brief tenure in Queens of The Stoneage. I offered to help him get the band off the ground and record some demos. I doubt that you'll be able to find them but the demos do exist. Mostly songs that showed up on their first LP. I think Van Conner described it as "Psychedelic Heavy Metal". After I left QOTSA Josh came through town so I asked him to sing and play bass on a few tracks. We did one show in Vancouver after which Josh left to focus on his thing. I'm really grateful to have had his input on our second record and he knows that he can work with us again we he gets a chance.

The TVT deal was too good to pass up. Matt and I were sick and tired of putting out records that were next to impossible to find. A bigger label allows us to get our music out there on a broader level. Nothing more. Nothing less. Plus XTC are our labelmates.

The song on our new CD that Ed Vedder sings on came about just like the Josh situation. He was in town. He was available. I thought that he would enjoy working on something outside of his band. The bottom line is that he's a great singer and a lot of fun to work with. His performance is, in my opinion, the best singing that he's ever done. He'll be back for the next one.

Detract? I could care less. Only Matt and I know what Wellwater Conspiracy is. We do whatever we want. Try to label us in any way and we'll pull a fast one on you. As a matter of fact our newest batch of songs are mostly slow blues and Gary Numan-ish pop. I don't have the time or energy to worry about our "sound".

5. The band has played some West Coast shows somewhat recently…is this a precursor to a full-US or even world tour? If so, would you tour on your own, or try hooking up with a larger, more-established act? Do you feel that the band's sound translates well in a live environment?

We may play some select dates here and there but we are essentially a studio band. I don't see us putting together a full scale tour.

As far as our sound translating into a live environment it's really up to the soundman. We don't have special gear for shows. We use what we record with. And we're extremely LOUD. Well I am anyway.

6. If you had to pick one recording from you career to be the one that most represents you, what would it be? Do you feel that in WWC you can create the sound that you want, or are you still searching? If tomorrow you decided to never play music again, would you be proud of what you had accomplished? Any regrets?

I'll go one better. I'll pick two. The first would be the live version of Spine of God that came out on the Glitterhouse single. I've only heard it once or twice but I think that it captured us perfectly. I'd love to find a copy of it.

The second would be Sleeveless, the first WWC single. I came out exactly as I had imagine! d it in the beginning. One mike on the drums, lots of fuzz and vocals with attitude. Our best song.

Proud? Sure why not. I've doing it for close to twelve years. Regrets? Plenty. Too many to list.

7. As an aside, you are known in rock circles for being an avid collector of music and musical knowledge. Are there any records that were simply "lost" in time? Do you own any records that you consider to be "showpieces"? What albums are your favorites?

Here's a short list of absolutely essential records that fell between the cracks. 1. Morgen. Late sixties homemade drug rock. Long out of print. 2. The first two Free records. They just might be the greatest band ever. 3. Anything by The Music Machine. 4.Mid-period Hollies 45's. 5. Begin Here, the 1st Zombies LP. 6.Savage Ressurrection. Incredibly heavy garage rock. 7. Easter Everywhere, The 13th Floor Elevators 2nd album. The ultimate psychedelic record.

8. While recent developments may soon make the debate moot, what are your feelings on the entire Napster/MP3 controversy? What direction do you see music, both popular and underground, heading in the next few years? Are there any fledging bands that you feel deserve more attention?

I really don't concern myself with Napster. Music online sounds awful. Real fans will get the actual product. Every now and then I'll tell someone that Rock is dead. But this time I mean it. Current bands to check out are few and far between. But here's two. Dead Moon and The best live band I've ever seen, Zen Guerilla.

That is the bulk of the prepared material that I have. I know it is a lot, band I appreciate the time that you are taking with it. Thank you once again for your time!

Andy, I realize that I may have overdone it but I want to get it right. Hope you enjoy. if you have any follow ups let me know.
John

www.nodzine.com All material copyright © 2000

BACK