Motorpsycho - You Gotta Hang On To The Trip You're On...

If you have questions and/or answers, mail Vegard Thanks! This is for you and by you!

Why isn't it more in this FAQ?
Who are they?
How did it all start?
What is Svartlamon?
How did Snahs nickname come about?
What are their influences?
What bands have they been in before Motorpsycho?
Is "THE TUSSLER" a movie?
What do they sound like?
Why the name Motorpsycho?
Who is Matt Burt?
Will Nerve Tattoo, Wearing Yr Smell and The Tussler be re-released?
What's Stickman/Motorpsycho's statement on bootleging?
What's Stickman/Motorpsycho's statement on selling promos?
Is there a Motorpsycho fanclub?
motorpsycho@online.no doesn't answer my mails! Some kind of boycott?

Why isn't it more in this FAQ?
Because it's some work. Contribute! Send in a nice question with answer.
Who are they?
Motorpsycho is what you probably would call an experimental rock/pop/ metal/prog-band. Because of their experimentalism, progressiveness or whatever you might call it, their music is not simply to classify or describe. There's only one way to find it out really: buy a motorpsycho-record and rock!. If it weren't for the fact that there is a small but faithful market for things bold and original, you might even say that Motorpsycho lacks commercial potential -- not that they delibaretely avoid it. They would love to sell *lots* of records and get their music out to the people, but they won't change the music for it. They now live at Svartlamoen in Trondheim, Norway. Recording genius music and trying to rescue Lamoen from destruction.
How did it all start?
The band started playing in 89/90 with Bent Sæther on bass, Hans Magnus Ryan (Snah) on guitar and Kjell Runar on drums. They took the name of the band from a Russ Meyer lo-fi film created decades ago. Actually there is an american Motorpsycho also. They aren't recording anymore, but those who have heard them say they sucked. Who cares anyway... In 1990 they released a cassette demo called Maiden Voyage. Only 100 copies done. Lobotomizer was their first full-length album. it was released on vinyl only in 1991 on Voices Of Wonder. 'Lobo' is a metalclassic and is quite different from the later Motorpsycho that we all know so well. Bent screamed a lot and there are lot of fuzzguitars. Inspired by the grunge at the time. At this time the band played at underground places like UFFA, Trondheim and Blitz, Oslo. Their audience was what you may call alternative and they didn't sell that many records.
What is Svartlamon?
[Taken from Tre Små / Motorpsycho split single:]
```
    ...mayday...mayday...mayday...
    mayday...vår posisjon er ... 63.25N
    ... 10.25E ... bydel i trondheim ...
    navn ... svartlamon ... trenger
    assistanse ... truet av riving ... omlag
    100 beboere ... alternativ scene ...
    musikere ... arbeidsløse ... aktivister
    ... kunstnere ... miljøet 10 år
    gammelt ... siste 2 år ... hard strid
    ... mot lokalt byråkrati ... feige
    ploitikere ... grådig handelsstand ...
    prøvd alt ... lokaldemokrati en vits ...
    gir oss ikke ... mayday ... mayday ...
    mayday ... mayday ... vår posisjon er
    ... 63.25N ... 10.25E ... trondheim
    ... byjubileum i 1997 ... ren by ... alt
    lurvete skal vekk ... svartlamon ...
    korrektivet til småbypreget ... passer
    ikke inn ... småhusbebyggelsen rives
    ... bilforretning isteden ... gir oss ikke
    ... mayday ... mayday ... mayday ...
    mayday ... 63.25N ... 19.25E ...
    svartlamon ... bydel i trondheim ...
    
```
Svartla'mon is a part of Trondheim. Traditionally this part of town was inhabitated by workers, but has in more recent years become a centre for different sub-cultures in Trondheim. This has resulted in a unique environment from which different artists, esp. musicians, has emerged. I think it's safe to say that this is Motospsycho's cradle.
This part of town is originally called Reina, but the more derogatory name Svartla'mon has in recent years become more common among younger people. Their commitment for Svartla'mon, and the benefits from the cultural life there, has turned the name into something positive...
The reason for making this a good cause is that Svartla'mon has in the last years lived under constant threat of being demolished in order to make space for industry and commercial purposes. A lot of protests has been held, and presently inhabitants of the area, together with sympatizers, are staging a protest camp there.
It is quite vital for Trondheim to keep Svartla'mon, but greedy politicians don't seem to realize this.
Written by Tor Halsan, halsan@stud.ntnu.no
How did Snahs nickname come about?
His real name is Hans Magnus Ryan ans Snah is just his first name backwards.
What are their influences?
Motorhead, The Who, Led Zeppelin, Beatles, Sonic Youth, Sun Ra, John Coltrane, Bob Dylan, Beefheart, Kiss, King Crimson.
What bands have they been in before Motorpsycho?
Go here
Is "THE TUSSLER" a movie?
No. Or not yet, at least. Mp surely were joking when they spread it as an Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.
What do they sound like?
Their music is eccentric, alternative and sometimes shockingly unusual. Often compared with their American brethren, SONIC YOUTH, it is said that if bizarre guitar tunings are your cup of tea... MOTORPSYCHO are for you!
Why the name Motorpsycho?
"In autumn 1989 we saw 'Motorpsycho' written on the wall of a sleazy movie theater in London. There was trilogy of director Russ Meyer. The first film was 'Faster Pussycat Kill Kill'. The second was named 'Mudhoney'. The third was 'Motorpsycho'. -Let's call ourselves Motorpsycho, we said. We'll never be as bad as Faster Pussycat*, but we might be as good as Mudhoney** someday."
*a bad punk band indeed
**one of the inventors of grunge
Who is Matt Burt?
Matt Burt is a poet from Chicago, USA, who has found himself a way to attend the Trondheim School of Arts, and has been associated with the band through Helge Sten (aka Deathprod) since 1992. Burt records his poetry on dictaphone, and reportedly has some 40 hours of recorded material. MP have used his soothing voice on the tracks PLAN #1 (Demon Box), FLESHHARROWER (Mountain EP) and TRUE MIDDLE (Blissard), and the lyrics to the song STERLING SAYS (Manmower EP) are written by him. PLAN #1 was originally an instrumental tune, until it was suggested by a friend of the band to use Burt's voice. When played live, PLAN #1 and TRUE MIDDLE usually feature Burt's tape playing. In 1996 he released his own record at Motorpsycho's lable Stickman, GRUMPY GROOVY. His tune DIZZY SAMSARA has the same lyrics as STERLING SAYS. Motorpsycho's SNAH and their friend VEGAR MOEN appear on the title track of his album and also on EVENING CONVERSATIONS, doing backing vocals and guitars. Everything else on the record has been conceived by Burt himself. The sample you hear on Motorpsycho's FEEDTIME (Demon Box) ("now here's a song that i *know* many of you on the choir have heard before") appears in uncut form at the end of the last track (PLAN #2) on the cd. Burt has appeared live with Motorpsycho on stage (notably ROCKEFELLER, OSLO, March 9, 1996 and in Steinkjer earlier that year), and as a support act for the band with Deathprod also. Ever since his appearance on BLISSARD, Burt hasn't been active on Motorpsychos records, though he popped up in the thank you-lines in the ANGELS AND DAEMONS booklet.
Will Nerve Tattoo, Wearing Yr Smell and The Tussler be rereleased
No, we're not actually planning on re-releasing Wearing Yr Smell or The Nerve Tattoo YET on CD - maybe someday? Since they don't have "normal" CD covers, we decided at the beginning together with Motorpsycho how many covers we would make and when they ran out...that's all folks...
And the reason that we're re-releasing the minis on 10" is because we have a dream of putting together a beautiful box someday for all the 10"s...also very limited...which will also include a 10" of "Maiden Voyage". Now don't everybody get all excited and try to reserve one - we have no idea WHEN this will happen, it's still in the "wouldn't that be a cool idea" phase...
The Tussler: was meant from the very beginning to be a limited edition, just for fun kind of thing. I don't think the band wants this re-pressed anymore! Maybe they'll change their minds someday, but I doubt it.
Such is life,
Jeannette (Stickman Records)
What's Stickman/Motorpsycho's statement on bootleging
We at Stickman have absolutely nothing against the trading of this rarity for that rarity...but unfortunately these bootlegged recordings eventually get into the hands of some asshole who then sells it to fans who are willing to pay alot! In the end, it's Motorpsycho that should be making the money from their own music, certainly not a bootlegger! And some of these recordings are of bad sound-quality and Motorpsycho is very unhappy about them being heard!
There was a situation during the last tour that made me think alot about how Motorpsycho feels about all this:
During one of the german concerts, Pieter the soundman noticed some "strange" cables in the mixing board. He followed the cables to a dark corner somewhere around the soundboard and - voila - there was a 4-track recorder...turned on...recording... Needless to say, Motorpsycho (or Pieter) now own another 4-track and of course nobody tried to claim it back. The band felt very "violated" and pissed-off.
Jeannette (Stickman Records)
What's Stickman/Motorpsycho's statement on bidding/selling promos?
NOTHING gets me more pissed-off than to see people advertising "Promotor 1 to highest bidder". These were PROMOTION CDs goddammit - they cost US money and the band made NO royalties on them because they were given away. And this was at the beginning of the Stickman days when we were scratching together every cent to be able to afford these kind of promotion actions.
Jeannette (Stickman Records)
Is there a Motorpsycho fanclub?
No, there is no official fanclub. Consider g35, the Motorpsycho mailinglist, the fanclub.
motorpsycho@online.no doesn't answer my mails! Some kind of boycott?
They're really busy with managing/booking and other requisite things and answering e-mail is probably not among their top priorities. Another reason is that Kjelli just got a kid and doesn't have as much time to deal with management as he used to.
If your answer was of importance you'll probably get yr reply some time next year though :]


[faq]
	If you have questions and/or answers, mail Vegard Thanks! This is for you and by you! Why isn't it more in this FAQ? Who are they? How did it all start? What is Svartlamon? How did Snahs nickname come about? What are their influences? What bands have they been in before Motorpsycho? Is "THE TUSSLER" a movie? What do they sound like? Why the name Motorpsycho? Who is Matt Burt? Will Nerve Tattoo, Wearing Yr Smell and The Tussler be re-released? What's Stickman/Motorpsycho's statement on bootleging? What's Stickman/Motorpsycho's statement on selling promos? Is there a Motorpsycho fanclub? motorpsycho@online.no doesn't answer my mails! Some kind of boycott? Why isn't it more in this FAQ? Because it's some work. Contribute! Send in a nice question with answer. Who are they? Motorpsycho is what you probably would call an experimental rock/pop/ metal/prog-band. Because of their experimentalism, progressiveness or whatever you might call it, their music is not simply to classify or describe. There's only one way to find it out really: buy a motorpsycho-record and rock!. If it weren't for the fact that there is a small but faithful market for things bold and original, you might even say that Motorpsycho lacks commercial potential -- not that they delibaretely avoid it. They would love to sell lots of records and get their music out to the people, but they won't change the music for it. They now live at Svartlamoen in Trondheim, Norway. Recording genius music and trying to rescue Lamoen from destruction. How did it all start? The band started playing in 89/90 with Bent Sæther on bass, Hans Magnus Ryan (Snah) on guitar and Kjell Runar on drums. They took the name of the band from a Russ Meyer lo-fi film created decades ago. Actually there is an american Motorpsycho also. They aren't recording anymore, but those who have heard them say they sucked. Who cares anyway... In 1990 they released a cassette demo called Maiden Voyage. Only 100 copies done. Lobotomizer was their first full-length album. it was released on vinyl only in 1991 on Voices Of Wonder. 'Lobo' is a metalclassic and is quite different from the later Motorpsycho that we all know so well. Bent screamed a lot and there are lot of fuzzguitars. Inspired by the grunge at the time. At this time the band played at underground places like UFFA, Trondheim and Blitz, Oslo. Their audience was what you may call alternative and they didn't sell that many records. What is Svartlamon? [Taken from Tre Små / Motorpsycho split single:] ...mayday...mayday...mayday... mayday...vår posisjon er ... 63.25N ... 10.25E ... bydel i trondheim ... navn ... svartlamon ... trenger assistanse ... truet av riving ... omlag 100 beboere ... alternativ scene ... musikere ... arbeidsløse ... aktivister ... kunstnere ... miljøet 10 år gammelt ... siste 2 år ... hard strid ... mot lokalt byråkrati ... feige ploitikere ... grådig handelsstand ... prøvd alt ... lokaldemokrati en vits ... gir oss ikke ... mayday ... mayday ... mayday ... mayday ... vår posisjon er ... 63.25N ... 10.25E ... trondheim ... byjubileum i 1997 ... ren by ... alt lurvete skal vekk ... svartlamon ... korrektivet til småbypreget ... passer ikke inn ... småhusbebyggelsen rives ... bilforretning isteden ... gir oss ikke ... mayday ... mayday ... mayday ... mayday ... 63.25N ... 19.25E ... svartlamon ... bydel i trondheim ... Svartla'mon is a part of Trondheim. Traditionally this part of town was inhabitated by workers, but has in more recent years become a centre for different sub-cultures in Trondheim. This has resulted in a unique environment from which different artists, esp. musicians, has emerged. I think it's safe to say that this is Motospsycho's cradle. This part of town is originally called Reina, but the more derogatory name Svartla'mon has in recent years become more common among younger people. Their commitment for Svartla'mon, and the benefits from the cultural life there, has turned the name into something positive... The reason for making this a good cause is that Svartla'mon has in the last years lived under constant threat of being demolished in order to make space for industry and commercial purposes. A lot of protests has been held, and presently inhabitants of the area, together with sympatizers, are staging a protest camp there. It is quite vital for Trondheim to keep Svartla'mon, but greedy politicians don't seem to realize this. Written by Tor Halsan, halsan@stud.ntnu.no How did Snahs nickname come about? His real name is Hans Magnus Ryan ans Snah is just his first name backwards. What are their influences? Motorhead, The Who, Led Zeppelin, Beatles, Sonic Youth, Sun Ra, John Coltrane, Bob Dylan, Beefheart, Kiss, King Crimson. What bands have they been in before Motorpsycho? Go here Is "THE TUSSLER" a movie? No. Or not yet, at least. Mp surely were joking when they spread it as an Original Motion Picture Soundtrack. What do they sound like? Their music is eccentric, alternative and sometimes shockingly unusual. Often compared with their American brethren, SONIC YOUTH, it is said that if bizarre guitar tunings are your cup of tea... MOTORPSYCHO are for you! Why the name Motorpsycho? "In autumn 1989 we saw 'Motorpsycho' written on the wall of a sleazy movie theater in London. There was trilogy of director Russ Meyer. The first film was 'Faster Pussycat Kill Kill'. The second was named 'Mudhoney'. The third was 'Motorpsycho'. -Let's call ourselves Motorpsycho, we said. We'll never be as bad as Faster Pussycat, but we might be as good as Mudhoney* someday." a bad punk band indeed one of the inventors of grunge Who is Matt Burt? Matt Burt is a poet from Chicago, USA, who has found himself a way to attend the Trondheim School of Arts, and has been associated with the band through Helge Sten (aka Deathprod) since 1992. Burt records his poetry on dictaphone, and reportedly has some 40 hours of recorded material. MP have used his soothing voice on the tracks PLAN #1 (Demon Box), FLESHHARROWER (Mountain EP) and TRUE MIDDLE (Blissard), and the lyrics to the song STERLING SAYS (Manmower EP) are written by him. PLAN #1 was originally an instrumental tune, until it was suggested by a friend of the band to use Burt's voice. When played live, PLAN #1 and TRUE MIDDLE usually feature Burt's tape playing. In 1996 he released his own record at Motorpsycho's lable Stickman, GRUMPY GROOVY. His tune DIZZY SAMSARA has the same lyrics as STERLING SAYS. Motorpsycho's SNAH and their friend VEGAR MOEN appear on the title track of his album and also on EVENING CONVERSATIONS, doing backing vocals and guitars. Everything else on the record has been conceived by Burt himself. The sample you hear on Motorpsycho's FEEDTIME (Demon Box) ("now here's a song that i know* many of you on the choir have heard before") appears in uncut form at the end of the last track (PLAN #2) on the cd. Burt has appeared live with Motorpsycho on stage (notably ROCKEFELLER, OSLO, March 9, 1996 and in Steinkjer earlier that year), and as a support act for the band with Deathprod also. Ever since his appearance on BLISSARD, Burt hasn't been active on Motorpsychos records, though he popped up in the thank you-lines in the ANGELS AND DAEMONS booklet. Will Nerve Tattoo, Wearing Yr Smell and The Tussler be rereleased No, we're not actually planning on re-releasing Wearing Yr Smell or The Nerve Tattoo YET on CD - maybe someday? Since they don't have "normal" CD covers, we decided at the beginning together with Motorpsycho how many covers we would make and when they ran out...that's all folks... And the reason that we're re-releasing the minis on 10" is because we have a dream of putting together a beautiful box someday for all the 10"s...also very limited...which will also include a 10" of "Maiden Voyage". Now don't everybody get all excited and try to reserve one - we have no idea WHEN this will happen, it's still in the "wouldn't that be a cool idea" phase... The Tussler: was meant from the very beginning to be a limited edition, just for fun kind of thing. I don't think the band wants this re-pressed anymore! Maybe they'll change their minds someday, but I doubt it. Such is life, Jeannette (Stickman Records) What's Stickman/Motorpsycho's statement on bootleging We at Stickman have absolutely nothing against the trading of this rarity for that rarity...but unfortunately these bootlegged recordings eventually get into the hands of some asshole who then sells it to fans who are willing to pay alot! In the end, it's Motorpsycho that should be making the money from their own music, certainly not a bootlegger! And some of these recordings are of bad sound-quality and Motorpsycho is very unhappy about them being heard! There was a situation during the last tour that made me think alot about how Motorpsycho feels about all this: During one of the german concerts, Pieter the soundman noticed some "strange" cables in the mixing board. He followed the cables to a dark corner somewhere around the soundboard and - voila - there was a 4-track recorder...turned on...recording... Needless to say, Motorpsycho (or Pieter) now own another 4-track and of course nobody tried to claim it back. The band felt very "violated" and pissed-off. Jeannette (Stickman Records) What's Stickman/Motorpsycho's statement on bidding/selling promos? NOTHING gets me more pissed-off than to see people advertising "Promotor 1 to highest bidder". These were PROMOTION CDs goddammit - they cost US money and the band made NO royalties on them because they were given away. And this was at the beginning of the Stickman days when we were scratching together every cent to be able to afford these kind of promotion actions. Jeannette (Stickman Records) Is there a Motorpsycho fanclub? No, there is no official fanclub. Consider g35, the Motorpsycho mailinglist, the fanclub. motorpsycho@online.no doesn't answer my mails! Some kind of boycott? They're really busy with managing/booking and other requisite things and answering e-mail is probably not among their top priorities. Another reason is that Kjelli just got a kid and doesn't have as much time to deal with management as he used to. If your answer was of importance you'll probably get yr reply some time next year though :] Back to the This Is Motorpsycho page...