Ten Lessons: A Conversation with Steve Stein(ski)
I had the opportunity to chat with Steve Stein (aka Steinski), sage and disemboweler of music copyright. Stein is the notable producer of the 80's signature musical mashups,The Lessons, with partner Double Dee.
Why is Steinski pretty damn fabulous? Let's begin with a quick analogy:
Steve Stein : Music :: Joseph Cornell : Art
The relationship here is collage. Or Post-Modern appropriation, combination, and recontextualization if you want to get academic.
But let's talk straight:
Our demographic seriously digs the likes of Girl Talk and Dan Deacon. Our nights out are made of musical patchwork quilts sewn together on laptops with Ableton Live thread. Just like artists in the 1950's combined household objects together and stuffed them in boxes and frames...dance music has followed suit - with Steinski as one of its early innovators.
So without further ado, Ten Lessons from Steinski...
1. ON GENETICS...
The repetitive quality of dance music appeals to people beyond intellect. It appeals to “The Caveman Gene” – that hypnotic point that jumps over the conscious to the Id.
2. ON AGING...
There are these old hip-hop artists wearing white jumpsuits and B-boy hats. I’ll fold my tent and never do this again, if I had to do that. I understand that there’s a showmanship aspect, but I want to act my age. If I could DJ in what I’m wearing right now, I would.
3. ON DJs...
Felix Hernandez's Rhythm Revue sells out NYC's Roseland for what is “The World’s Biggest High School Dance”. He has no aliases, he plays no hip-hop - just mo-town, rare funk, and soul. The place is packed with people…my age. You can ask anyone for photos of their grandchildren, it’s fantastic. He has bouncers at the door frisking middle-agers. I’m the most dangerous person there.
4. ON EXPERIMENTATION...
Root for everybody. You gotta experiment for anything to happen. Lately, I’m trying hard to switch from “That’s not good” to “I don’t like it”.
5. ON LANGUAGE...
It’s always been about dancing and rhythm first. Then, can we flow this spoken word? Speech has its own rhythm and flow. Then add meaning on top! It has to fit perfectly to be used.
I remember one time on stage Laurie Anderson brought out a violin with no strings or bow hair. There was only a tapehead and magnetic strips that played spoken words distorted at the precise speed of the bowing. This was fantastic.
6. ON EGGS...
Scrambled with onions.
Right: Joseph Cornell - Untitled (Cockatoo and Corks), 1948
7. ON POST-MODERNISM...
Collaging is what I do. Artists like Louise Nevelson and Joseph Cornell spring to mind. They’re taking all kinds of shit, painting it white, gluing it together. Isn’t that what I do with music? Cornell’s work is one-of-a-kind and sells for god-knows-how-much. Mine can be reproduced indefinitely.
8. ON THE BLOGOSPHERE...
When I first started at WFMU, the people who worked there explained it to me like this…
“Everyone here has a great record collection. You lean across the table and say, 'Hey man, this is a great record, you should really listen’. The next week, that guy hands you one back, saying the same thing. And so on..."
That’s what’s happening with blogs right now. Fuck the mainstream radio stations. Songs becoming a hit off of blogs…OH MY GOD! That is what I’m talking about!!!
9. ON SHOWMANSHIP...
I would love to get hooked up with a good video artist to play while I do. Some dude with five laptops who knows what’s going to happen in the music, and they just work it. I’m a dumpy middle-aged guy in glasses leaning over one laptop. I’m not much of a show. (Art in the Age respectfully disagrees)
10. ON ART IN THE AGE...
Reproducing art for as many individuals who are interested as you can? Then I'm all for it!
Look forward to a Steinski retrospective album release soon on Illegal Art, which will feature some original art in the cover booklet. For now, find more musings from Steinski on his blog, and mp3 action from our friends over at The Walrus Music Blog!
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