Pentagon Tales * Trasmissioni dal lockdown

John Dwyer (Oh Sees, Castle Face Records)
Tornillo, Texas, USA

1. Where are u right now?
i am in tornillo texas at a studio in lock down for the month working

2. What’s happening in your country/city at the moment?
most states are in restrictions area
meaning you may only leave your house for needed trips
it not really being enforced by police (yet) but most people are abiding by the request , in order to try and keep the infected numbers down
our executive branch of government is a bunch of idiots so the transition and protective orders havent been so smooth
but people and state governments are making things work as best as possible seeing as ho this is a very new thing for the world

Are there any restrictions?Are venues/shops/bars opened?
groceries are open
no bars and food is take out only from eateries

3. Did u have any tour/gig planned before this Thing started?
we have cancelled one festival show a month ago
we were set to be writing and recording now anyhow

4. How this situation is reflecting on your everyday life?
i dont go out as much but overall i was kinda built for shit like this it turns out
so ive been making the most of it
and trying to stay in touch with family and friends
it has hit some emotionally worse than others
i am very lucky

5. How the Music Community in your country/city is reacting?
no shows
but a lot of people have been doing internet performances etc
i do know that a lot of venues and businesses in general are having trouble and are worried they may close due this

6. Do u usually have any help from the Government if u’re a musician in your country?Do musicians get money if they tour?
we do not get money from the gov’t but i m sure there are grants people can apply for
after all these years of touring w do OK financially on the road so we are among the lucky and grateful

7. How the Government reacted?Did they think about the economical loss and disaster the musicians are facing?
i think artists are probably on the bottom rung of the ladder fo what concerns the current US administration
they are too busy trying to allocate disaster relief funds to their own interests

8) What’s the social situation where u live?How people in general are living these days?What’s the percentage of your friends that right now is not working for this reason?
most people are trying to remain calm
im sure if this goes on for any long period of time unrest will make purchase in daily life
people arent working
and most have no savings to live from
so they are at the whim of bill collectors and or landlords potential understanding / generosity
its stressful for a lot of folks
and there is a lot of mixed information
so people are sometimes misinformed and scared

9. How’s reacting the Society and do u think after this will be over something will change in the everyday life?Do u think people will change anything in their life?
i would hate to see physical contact (hugs handshakes) go away but we shall see
cant really imagine a world that maintains this level indefinitely
sounds very sad to me
i think people will start to wash there fucking hands more though haha

10. Is there anything u would recommend to the people of the music world during these hard times?
ive been really enjoying early ska (trojan box sets)
but also , weirdly ,, lots of metal (vektor, suffocation, sodom)
gotta keep them sprits up
take vitamin D is you are inside all day
smoke dope
and exorcising a lot :)

11. Is there any book/lp/movie u read/listened/watched recently that u would recommend ?
movies:
Saragossa manuscript
breakfast club
day of the dead (the original)
the intruder (william shatner / early roger corman)
space balls
night of the creeps
night of the iguana

books:
short stories of JG ballard
flannery o’connor
Nathanael west
cormac mcarthy (anything)
philip k dick (always)