National syndication : interview with Sir Bob Cornelius Rifo
1. This is your first trip to Australia for the full live Bloody Beetroots and Death Crew 77 experience – do you see these two as separate musical entities “collaborating,” or is it more like a new, joined forces “super group”? What is the line up of Death Crew 77 (instruments etc)?
Death Crew 77 is an anarco-musical cell that expands its virus by exploiting rock stages on planet Earth. It is a return to our roots and the new post punk of the modern electro era. I play six instruments and sing. The keyboards are 2 Nords and 2 Korgs. There are three of us on stage, I am joined by historic Beetroot, Tommy Tea, and we have a new drummer, Edward Grinch. I see DC77 as a secondary growth of the BB dj set.
2. What’s the strongest inspiration for you to continue to make music?
My life. I live and write music. Every experience is a new composition, a new arrangement. My life and art are inseparable.
3. Is making music a burning addiction, something you’d have to do whether there is an audience or not, or is a about making connections with other people, including an audience, whether small or large?
Making music entails a lot of reflection. I just do it and I have found an audience.
The punk inspirations are mentioned a lot, and also talk about anarchy when it comes to the Bloody Beetroots music and ethic. Did punk play a big part in your teenage musical exploring? Was there considerable punk movement in Italy, or did you rely on imported music from the US, UK, Germany etc when you first started exploring the music and politics of this culture?
Punk and Anarchy are big words for anyone to shoulder. Anyone who wants to adopt this philosophy has a big responsibility and a duty not to betray it. I try to encourage freedom and independence through the channels that are available to me. In Italy, as usual, the sense of Punk has been misconstrued generating extremism that ends up confining itself to ghettos it builds with its own hands.
6. What makes the Bloody Beetroots’ music punk for you? Is it more about the sound of the records, your attitude to creativity, the aggressive edge of the production, or the views you wish to get across through the music?
Punk is an attitude to life and the music is just a consequence. It’s not necessarily about aggressive sounds and distorted synths. Punk is about defying the rules. I think illogically and am a nightmare for all the record companies in the world.
7. Likewise, how is taking part in something like a Creamfields festival, anarchic? Can we expect you to crash the party and cause mayhem?
Chaos rules!
8. Anarchy and the absolute freedom of the individual are often argued against in terms of people’s innate tendency to think only of themselves if left to their own devices or ungoverned. Do you think there’s any element of truth in that and if so how do you counteract the argument? Many would also argue that the world is already out of control because of rampant “individualism” so do you think if we ditch governments altogether, they need to be replaced with some other mechanism of self-regulation? How do you see it working?
Anarchy is the search for a horizontal social structure, based on agreements made freely by free people, based on solidarity, free associations and respect for individuality and difference.
By refuting law and “the system”, anarchy is in theory the concept of an ideal society in which people are evolved, intelligent and responsible enough not to need laws…. sadly, the world is governed by fools and this creates huge problems…
9. Besides playing at Creamfields, what do you most hope to do while your in Australia during your downtime?
I’ll probably stay in my hotel and write music on my laptop.
15 Responses to “National syndication : interview with Sir Bob Cornelius Rifo”
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[...] tried to create, namely a project that is a live band as well as a DJ set, and most importantly “i... thekoolkids.com/2010/03/21/the-bloody-beetroots-present-deathcrew-77
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[...] tried to create, namely a project that is a live band as well as a DJ set, and most importantly “i... thingstocome.baywords.com/2010/03/22/the-bloody-beetroots-present-death-crew-77
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I’ve been followin the Bloody beetroots for the last few years now, and i can say that i seriously love the stuff they are doing. I love the way everything melts together creating something completely new. This guy is probably the most important artist out of italy producing electronic music.
But i don’t understand what he means buy saying he is an anarchist. Well, John Cage, Diamanda Gallas or Stockhausen are ore were anarchists. They made something completely new, broke the rules of sound introducing completely new unheard stuff and breaking the normal rules of music.
I don’t see anarchism in this music, i see postmodernism. The melting of punk rock, grunge, classical and electronica.
I hope this project will continue the way it started, with constant evolution. the worst thing that could happen would be the mainstreamization of the BB.
Its already happening (if i think of all the guys that go to his concerts just taking drugs and jumping around like idiots, not understanding the true beauty of this sound)…but i hope itll reach just a limit. besides the BBDC77 gig i saw a few days ago was simply amazing.
Hey bob, you are my hero!
I’m glad to see you are politically in tune…the BloodyBEEtroots is the change we need!
Incredible. Your take on anarchy and government are right out of Rothbard’s literature. DC77!
FUCK THE SYSTEM
Bobby…..your ideas are just, wow. Keep makin music my friend, its some of the best i’ve ever heard. Make a fuckin diffrence! Raise Hell! CHAOS RULES! =-)
sorry but I’m so exited to write in this site! So… Only think that u (Sir Bob Cornelius Rifo) can read this.. Well, I hope that.. ps: I’m italian, like u!? hi
i’ll see you April 23rd @ San Diego!!!!!!!!
i think that the only way to bring ‘anarchy’ to the reality of festivals and big organizations is to propose and play spontaneous music that can have the only rules you want to have and not be suffocated by trends. in this way you have the possibility to bring your concept/music to a large amaount of people that can like and follow you or dislike the entire thing, and even in this last case you should continue to propose yourself without any compromise.
Perchè non ve ne fate fare una da un italiano in italiano dato che in Italia c’è ben altro che l’anarchia?
I agree completley with (‘Hairspray is Out’ )#1’s comment.. You have fans, and you have followers.
Would also love you to play again at Oxegen 2010.
One of the main reasons why i’d go. If you are, you’ll be sure to see me wearing the mask along with a custom made DC77 Suit.
My life. I live and write music. Every experience is a new composition, a new arrangement. My life and art are inseparable.
Sir Bob Cornelius Rifo
<3
Great interview!
Keep bringing that punk attitude to your music.
Im a supporter of the cause.
I want the old beetroots live performance back! The simplicity of two masked men and some turntables. Fuck the system but bring back the beautiful simplicity to your shows.