City Bloody City: An Interview with Shaun Katz and Peter Mengede Pt. 2
In part two of our investigation of the new short film Sleeping in Blood City, Loud chatted with ex-Helmet and Handsome guitarist Peter Mengede about scoring the film, his sources of inspiration
(prHWY.com) October 1, 2012 - St Ives, Australia -- In part two of our investigation of the new short film Sleeping in Blood City, Loud chatted with ex-Helmet and Handsome guitarist Peter Mengede about scoring the film, his sources of inspiration, Helmet's legacy and what types of music he currently enjoys.
Q: First of all, I understand this film is your first foray into film music. How did you come to link up with director/writer Shaun Katz?
A: The wonders of Facebook. Shaun sent an e-mail first, then a copy of his short film Black Dog. We met up with Mark Bradridge, who I hadn't played with since Watusi Now in 1985, during a trip to Sydney. We both started looking at his screenplay thereafter.
Q: What vibe or feel did you try to create when crafting music for the film?
A: Tension and release mostly, with Mark adding Mediterranean and Jacques Tati timbres.
Q: How long did it take to write and record the score for the film?
A: Mark and I worked back and forth for a month or so, swapping files over the 'Net, complementing each other's ideas or using them as a jumping off point with Shaun's suggestions for mood and atmosphere guiding us.
Q: It seems like many of the battles independent film-makers face when trying to finance a film's production are somewhat similar to that of young, independent musicians struggling to make a name for themselves. Did this further spur you on?
A: Shaun's energy is admirable. We've watched him work through a number of drafts, condense a 90-minute screenplay into a short, source the set-up, actors, sets and film the whole shebang without the whiff of studio dollars. Which reminds me of a time when people were driven by compulsive enthusiasm, rather than pecuniary interests, in creating their art. We wanted to try and do his efforts justice.
Q: Interesting. What are some of your favourite film soundtracks/scores and why?
A: Wings of Desire, which linked dissolute Australians - Nick Cave, Crime and the City Solution - with a ponderous West Berlin internal monologue. The Bad Seeds' cameo is up there with the Yardbirds in Antonioni's Blow up. I also liked Lou Barlow's work on Kids. (All of those) were admired but not imitated.
Q: Sleeping in Blood City aside, what styles of music do you enjoy these days?
A: I've been listening to In Utero a lot lately because it signposts a time when former college rock and underground bands flocked wholesale to cash in and play the major label game, trying to become the new mainstream. Nirvana, albeit approaching things from the position of having sold millions of records, made a record that alienated the jock elements of their audience they had attracted much to their dismay rather than milk it. 'Radio Friendly Unit Shifter''s a favourite dog-walking song these days.
Q: (Laughs) What other musical projects are you working on these days - either your own, or producing other artists or music for showreel?
A: I've been playing with Kunst in Brisbane, which helps finish off some Handsome business, and am about to start working on some Amphetamine Reptile catharsis with Tony from Six Foot Hick.
Q: You also joined Helmet on-stage in Brisbane during their tour earlier this year. I understand it had been many years since you had last seen (vocalist/guitarist) Page Hamilton as well.
A: It'd been 18 years since we last played together, and from the moment Page and I started playing 'Unsung', it felt fantastic. I'd do it again if Henry (Bogdan, bass) and John (Stainer, drums) were game but I think there's been a little too much history there.
Q: The Helmet albums you performed on have had a major impact on heavy music. How do you feel about the legacy of the band and your part in that? Do you hear Helmet in a lot of new bands today?
A: I still pinch myself that a middle-class, ex-Catholic private school kid from Brisbane could have found himself at the epicentre of a profound generational shift in music. I think that with the first two records, and the Am Rep singles compilation, we were still very much a part and product of an underground scene, that had a purity unsullied by commercialism that I can live with. As for Helmet's legacy, I hear Helmet in most bands that use drop D. Many have taken it far beyond anywhere we went, and good on them. It's not as if we had a patent.
Q: Any famous last words?
A: Just thanks. It's been fun.
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