jon ziemba - drums/vocals

(this interview was done over the internet via instant messenger)

James Flanagan: Do you like being in the coughs?

Jon Ziemba: James, this is a very complex question.

JF: No, it's not.

JZ: First - one has define what "like" means, and what state of "being"
you are referring to now, in the vast configuration of philosophy, Coughs
represents something that i am very much proud to be a part of.

JF: But don't you wish you were the drummer of a power pop band sometimes?

JZ: i think that Coughs will lead a revolution in the way people think
about music. Music has to this point had a kind of formality linked to it,
even with the folk music and punk, there is a definite difference between
when they play "music" and when they are just "kidding around".
Music can be play by anyone with anything.i never wished i was a
drummer in a power pop band.i wish i had learned to rap in the 80's though.

JF: Why do you think it is that, despite saying that, that not everyone
can do it?

JZ: Because they are cowards.They're scared of the irrational impulse
to communicate honestly, whatever they are feeling through music
sometimes that can be ugly or at least beautiful and meaningful in
ways that they are afraid to comprehend. But for you and me to do this is
practically involuntary, like coughing.

JF: But don't you think that you and me are cowards?

JZ: I'm more lazy than fearful i think. At least when it comes to music.

JF: What kind of emotions do you think you communicate in music?

JZ: Eventually I hope to express everything I can feel. What's really
interesting is when I'm able to express in music, those ambiguous emotions
that cannot be expressed any other way.

JF: So you never think of music as expressing your ideas?

JZ: Sure, I express ideas in music.

JF: So, is there a difference?

JZ: Definitely. But in music, the whole point should be the combination
of ideas with music

JF: Do you play noise?

JZ: Noise is music, music is noise. Yes, i do.

JF:Is noise a negative thing?

JZ: No.

JF:Don't you think most noise bands from their names, lyrics and attitudes
have classically been very negative, nihilistic?

JZ:It makes sense to me. A lot of good music comes out of anger.

JF: Right, but noise anger tends to be less positive than say punk anger
which is aimed at changing the system rather than just saying life sucks.

JZ: It's a good point that maybe a lot of noise bands weren't overtly
political to this point but i think that a lot of them were very
intelligent people that saw being in the noise band as an act like that
anyway and that the ideas along with the music could be much less obvious.
It's hard to explain. Punk is definitely more about "ideas". In a
lot of ways punk has become more about "what the band is about" rather than
the music. A lot of times they have a message to spread and forget about
why they are doing it in the first place and so they fit a particular
"punk" sound. They homogenize the music to get their point across to a
select group of people that like that "kind" of sound.I think noise music
is more free to wander.

JF:Right, but don't a lot of noise artists do the same things, especially
more recent noise music which is going for a certain death metalish image
which will appeal to people who like "extreme" music?

JZ: That's because death metal is noise. A lot of noise just comes off
sounding angry anyway. It is extreme music.

JF: Right, but aren't people like the flying luttenbachers pandering to
a certain extent? Giving people the image of "confrontational" music
without the content?

JZ: I think so... the flying luttenbachers were definitely
confrontational, but it was obvious when we saw them live recently that
it's all image now.

JF:Yeah, when I saw them before they would knock over their amps and spit
on people. Now they just sort of stand around trying to look demonic but
that's why I'm asking: why does noise have to be associated with skulls and
blood and crap or dada and absurdist imagery and costumes?

JZ: I don't know. It's just that the people who like and make that
kind of music obviously are into that as well. And why not? The idea of
"noise as music" seems pretty Dadaist and absurdist to me. I mean I was a
goth at one point, and you and i definitely got into noise music around the
same time as we got into dada and absurdism, how do you explain that?
And as far as with the skulls and blood, i think that has to do
with a certain genre of noise music that feels the need to express those
ideas. Noise as death fetish maybe? It works for me.

JF: I could see that, so how do we differentiate noise's death fetish
with mainstream culture's death fetish?

JZ: I think noise's death fetish is only a reflection of the
mainstream's.

JF: No, I think you're right. Dada did inspire most noise music.

JZ: Well, now maybe noise music is Dada.

JF: But a lot of it is very bad dada

JZ: Yeah well, like I've said before we live in a Dada world.

JF: Alright, so what is the point of making Dada music in a Dada
world?

JZ: We can't help it.

JF:(laughs)

JZ: If you are dada, you're going to make dada music. That makes perfect
sense.