Art-Punk Avatar: Jowe Head
by Peter Aaron
...We respected those differences, and recognized that the fusion of these elements would make for an interesting brew. Anyway, Can and Beefheart made great pop music sometimes, and on the other hand T.Rex made some very strange music too! We also liked another German group called Faust, who sold well in the UK in the 1970s. They were equally despised and adored for their bizarre mash-up of pop and the avant-garde.
Tell us about your current bands, Head and Shoulders and Angel Racing Food. How would you describe the sound of each?
Angel Racing Food is currently myself on guitar and vocals, Jeff Bloom on drums (ex-TVPs), Lee McFadden on guitar (also in Alternative TV), Marina Young on bass (ex-Shock-Headed Peters), and Rob Mack (ex-Househunters). It’s like a macabre cartoon – funny but definitely unhinged. It was intended to be a fun band, but the writing got more and more deranged. I cannot help it! Head and Shoulders is Lee and me. We played two shows at a club in Berlin in February and did 26 songs over two nights. It’s great, because we can play ARF songs, Swell Maps, my solo tunes, and even some weird cover-versions of cheesy old jazz tunes like “Paper Moon!”
For those who haven’t yet seen your artwork, how would describe it? Are there any detectable influences you’d like to admit to?
I find it difficult to pin down the influences in my pictures. I prefer not to analyze them. I adore some of the artwork of Max Ernst, Rene Magritte, Pablo Picasso, Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns, Hannah Hoch, and I could go on for hours. I do not have a favorite artist, and in most cases the direct influence is probably minimal...
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