anya destructo - vocals

(this interview was done in anya's dormroom at about 2 AM. james, natalie and jon wrote the questions down on sheets of notebook paper and anya wrote the answers down below them.)

James Flanagan: What was your old punk band like?

Anya Destructo: Ugh, they weren't really punk, per se. There was a stream-of-consciousness song about an unhappy donut that I recorded with a friend and an incident where I sang "Pull My Strings" (jz: by the Dead Kennedys) at a school talent show and got in trouble. That's about the extent of my musical experience

JF: How do you like being in Coughs?

AD: About as much as I enjoy peanut butter enemas - I'm sorry, I just resorted to sarcasm to avoid yet another "I love you guys" speech.

JF: How can we express political thought in art without being cheesy or obvious?

AD: By being vague and menacing.

JF: Since you are a visual artist, do you see music as part of the same art or as something seperate?

AD:I guess that since doing art is sucha big part of my life I Can't even seperate my daily activities from art, let alone the band.

JF: Would you like to escape from making art? Is it fun or an obligation?

AD: I don't think I could live without making art so it's a necessity. I guess the art is an escape in some ways , so to stop doing it would be to embrace insanity. I like myself better busy working on art projects than nuts. Nuts is bad. But art is fun. It's fun not to be nuts.

JF: Do you think being in a political band that plays "avant-garde" music is silly? The point of politics is to reach out to people but the music is going to ruin it for people by it being so abrasive, aren't we just preaching to the converted?

AD: Yes, yes we are. I think that we should switch to a light rock format.
It's a question of self-expression. In essence, we aren't playing music because we want to convert people to our ideologies. We're doing it because we like what we're playing. The lyrics express our own frustration at a system that we feel is injust and essentially corrupt. I think our personal involvement in volunteer work and activism is what helps us reach out to a larger group of people who wouldn't listen to our music.

JF: What's your favorite memory from a show we've played?

AD: The time when I was like "hey guys - let's go to seaworld" and we all piled into James' station wagon and listened to Beach Boys tapes the whole way there. That impromptu set we did at the rest stop was amazing. I think they really loved us.

JF: Why do you think there aren't more women in music? Especially in punk, it's all male. Is this even a question.

AD: No. It isn't. It's a leading question. Based on that question, I should talk about how pissed off I am that there aren't enough women in punk bands - the truth is, there are tons of amazing bands with women in them - Sink, Submission Hold, Detestation, Scrotum Grinder... I could go on and on. I think that they don't get a lot of attention, though. There should be many more but I don't want to hear crap, whether it's made by men or women. There are a ton of all-male bands that blow, that I won't listen to. It's all about listening to and making music you enjoy, regardless of the gender of the performers.

JZ: Do you have a guilty musical pleasure?

AD: Us.

JZ: Why should anyone listen to us?

AD: Because they feel obligated. No, people should listen to us if they enjoy the music. People should never listen to music they don't like, for any reason.

JZ: Do you have a favorite way to listen to music? I know i used to really enjoy being alone in the dark and just listen really intently to whole albums that way, but now i feel better listening to music with my friends and gauging their reactions along with mine...

AD: I like to listen to music when I work and before I go to sleep. Which is pretty much all the time. Honestly, I just enjoy being alone a lot so music is pretty personal. But I also like to share music that I love with my friends. I used to shut myself up in my room in the dark, light candles and listen to Nirvana. I'm glad that's over with.

JZ: People have had some very strong reactions to your singing. How do you feel when you're performing with us?

AD: Like I'm releasing a whole lot of anger. Sometimes it goes by so quickly that I don't have time to reflect on it until afterwards, when I'm unwinding at the spa. I think that a cucumber facial can put anything in perspective.

Natalie Speth: What does it feel like ? Releasing your anger. And how do you feel afterwards?

AD: At the time it's a bit scary but afterwards I feel very relieved. It's very therapeutic but draining.

JZ: Is there a song that you particularly relate to in Coughs? (I just ask because i know it might have been hard relating to the songs that you had no part in writing)

AD: It's not that hard relating to the songs you've already written because I love the music and the lyrics are pretty universal. But I guess I do relate more to the songs we've written together, although there's not one in particular.

JZ: What are your hopes for the future?

AD: I hope to tempt fate at every turn and ultimately cheat death forever. I want to live to see a utopian socialist community on Pluto.