donna summer
by goat
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Birth name: Jason Alan Forrest
Approximate location: Brooklyn, New York, USA
Weight: chubby Height as of today: 5’11"
Ideal romantic weekend: At a ski chalet in Vail
Fav Simpson’s episode: so many, hard to choose from… Maybe the itchy and scratchy prohibition one? Maybe the Tomacco one?
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whether you know it or not, you want donna summer (aka jason forrest) to give you babies, by the billions ... listen to his releases, witness his on air/live PA splendour and tell me you dont want to be with child from his man; ok, now read the interview, with or without the aid of panties
The question has been asked about you: "… Who is this mysterious woman?!?!" so here's yr chance! Describe your self without using any words with the letter "e"
I’m a guy who thinks that appropriation is good. I didn’t think I was "mysterious" (your word) but just unknown.
Now describe yourself with any words you want, except "chud" or "dido"
I went to art school and worked as an artist and art critic for years, so when my wife and I moved to New York City I was aiming at breaking into the contemporary art world. Only problem was that I quickly grew to hate that scene. Oh well. I just started working on music more.
a common problem with males is getting a woody in public, when you play live and are dancing and in front of a group of people and get a boner, do you blush? Panic?
When you’re dancing and being as stupid as I am it’s nearly impossible… I did have a woman run on stage and kiss me in Amsterdam though… that was cool.
cockrockdisco is the label, how did it all begin and how is it coming along so far?
Well, it’s semi imaginary, seeing as I’ve only really "released" a few CDr’s. But the kick ass thing is that I’ve been scheming to start releasing 12"s and maybe a comp CD for a while now, and think I’ll be able to get the correct distro for it when I get the money together. I think the first 12" will be by Dev/Null, and it will hopefully be made before spring 2003. I am really excited about the growing line up of people that CRD will represent.
For some reason I’m under the misguided delusion that the label could actually be "important" for people one day. I guess one factor that makes me think this is the insane amount of webtraffic that I get, (as much as 8,000 visits in one month) and believe that I can help great music by great friends out into the world.
CRD is one hella screwed up moniker that kicks ass and takes names, you think of it? Explain its origins, alright!_
I was thinking that I wanted to start a label, even if it was just a CDr thing, and I just started throwing words around. Then for some reason I came up with the fateful marriage of the phrase cock rock with disco, and realized that these 3 words really meant something.
Weird thing is that my music definitely grew to fit the moniker, because I was interested in metal and 70’s disco, and doing strange genre shifts, but wasn’t really making music that was that complex...then about 4 months later, I realized that my music reflected this tag (cock rock disco). I had no real intent on making this an objective, I guess I just worked that way subconsciously…
Also in the beginning my goal was just to emulate a label like fatcat, but quickly came to realize that I started to make my own direction, and more importantly, became introduced to an amazing array of great musicians who all had certain things in common musically. Strange thing is that I feel the CRD roster is uncommonly unified in it’s sound, even though we’re all located all over and have never really met in person.
CRD comes across as punky frantic and honest ... is it either of these things?
Yeah I think it’s both. That’s really important for us. Honesty and fun.
You've toured Europe, overall how receptive were the crowds there compared to stateside parities?
Bigger, more enthusiastic, loads more women. I think the shows are just more diverse in general. Also a lot of my shows were in very different contexts ranging from art galleries to punk squats.
Pinpoint the absolute weirdest moments of said tours, cool?
The weirdest moment I can’t really give specifics about. Maybe I’ll just say that I was turned loose from a club at 4am with a scribbled address to find an apartment to stay in with a woman I had heard was "a little weird", in a city I had only been in for 5 hours and did not speak the language. That was def. The worst thing that happened. Luckily it all worked out Ok, I was just wierded out by it all.
What American TV shows dubbed in German did you see while there? Night court?
Rikki Lake, ER, friends, Will and Grace. Totally normal stuff. But I did catch a glimpse of "sexy sports show" in Vienna that had this homely girl in a weird thong sort of "exercising" in a grassy field while she stripped… unfortunately I didn’t get to linger on the program.
What aspect of European culture did you dig? Girls with boy hips and haircuts?
I was surprised how their fashion sense mirrored that in NYC so closely. Many times I just felt like I was in a city hanging with cool folks. The really "foreign" parts happened in the day, getting trains, etc. I really liked the whole thing. While I didn’t really get to enjoy Berlin, I was into it because the city was shockingly inexpensive. Oh yeah, and I liked that all sorts of different people would embrace my music which can be hard to swallow sometimes… that’s fucking RAD!
Would you move to Europe if the opportunity presented itself?
Yeah totally. Dirt cheap on the whole, but just about everywhere is compared to NYC. The climate could be better though…
How do your folks react to the music you make/play? Vomit in terror?
Until the EU tour- they didn’t really believe that I made music. They aren’t very supportive on the whole, but they are very supportive of me in general. They just don’t get all this arty stuff.
What is the most private thing you've done in full view of the public? Pee?
No idea. Maybe vomit.
Your music kills eardrums with the sound of past favorites being thoughtfully punished and rethought, have I got that right? How would you explain yr approach to composing to, say, some jerk?
Well I sometimes tell people that my music is a combination of 80’s hair metal and 70’s disco – but on 78 rpm.
I sometimes get long winded on this subject because it’s really important to me. On the whole I am very preoccupied with the idea of context with sound. I like the idea that a single sound can express so much about a certain social situation, a time, a historical event or place, or a personal significance. So I’ve been working hard to try to make some sort of "new’ music based on the idea that we are the sum of our experiences. (I know that sounds pretty heady.)
I also have been working really hard on trying to make music that really affects people. Music that you can enjoy and think about, and dance to, and walk down the street, and listen to in the car, and take a shower to.
As for composition, I used to set up all these little conceptual and structureal games for myself. I think really being into prog rock continues to push the structural dimension of my work. Now, my music is more a combination of preconcievied ideas with on-the-fly experimentation, where as certain songs used to just capitalize on happy accidents. I don't know, maybe that's better. Certainly I can't be the judge of that, I just hope that the new music that's coming out now/soon will be enjoyed by people.
What started you in this musical direction?
I think it was a natural extension on my visual artwork. I think my music- maybe more so than other musicians- is literally a sum of my diverse musical interests. My enthusiasm for music and post modern ( yuck) ideas just sort of snowballed.
Reading the translated into English version of German mag de:bugs review of your "to all methods which calculate power" record, I am first struck by how eff'ed up the translation is, rendering any intended usefulness unusefull ... then it makes perfect nonsense as the weirdo crappy anti-language of the translated review seems to kinda nicely mirror the tendency your music has to cover alot of ground with out the aid of segue ways/transitions or properly contextualized content ...
Yeah thanks. I (obviously) like that review, and have a few different translations of it. Those translation apps, really do strange things don’t they?
you host a radio show called advanced d & d (Fridays 2am - 6am on WFMU 91.1 fm 90.1 fm wfmu.org) such a time slot....discuss the show and the type of types it's time slot draws
Strangely enough, I really don’t get that many weirdoes calling in. I actually have quite a large following internationally now. Really the show is only in a bad timeslot if you’re in Eastern or Central Time. Everywhere else in the world it’s at a better, more manageable time. Lots of Europeans and Japanese listen in.
What kind of feedback do you get for your show? What are some odd/sexy emails/calls you've received?
I wish I did record them. I had a Japanese girl basically say that she was listening to the show without the aid of panties… I had one guy who runs the night watch at a Staten Island zoo call in and request easily the worst psyche/folk song I ever heard... I think I played some of it for him. But it was like 10 minutes long!
You’ve hosted a bevy of electronic beauties on your show, who would your dream guests be, living or dead, real or fictional?
There are loads of people that I’d like to have on the show. I don’t think I’d like to have dead people on the air.
On yr show, have you ever accidentally ever
a. sweared
b. pooted
c. sweared while pooting
d. Forgotten the Mic was on and said crap about somebody that later came back to haunt you
Luckily none of the above. I have said loads of other really embarrassing shit though. I def say the weirdest stuff between 5-6 am.
On yr show you play unreleased demo cdrs by unsigned artists, who is super hott? Insert names here (with website urls cool?)
God, there are so, so many!!! Basically, all the would-be/will-be CRD artists, then loads of people who just send me stuff or give me disks at shows. I get LOTS of CDR’s these days…Prob one of the best ones was by this guy Hard Off! From Japan. Certainly there are loads more, so no disrespect to anyone!
Every year WFMU does a fundraiser, and the DJ can make a CD as a teaser for people to send in cash for their show. This basically acts as a barometer to the relative success of each show- so people put a lot of effort into their CD’s. This year will be my first and I hope to have it be 100% exclusive and unknown people that all fucking destroy shit. Hopefully it’ll be successful!
To the best of your knowledge, have advertisers specifically requested not having their adverts aired during yr show?
No adverts on WFMU
Ok, enough about yr super DJ radio show stuff, what do you enjoy outside of music?
2002 surprisingly became the year I got into gardening. I’m really insane for it. I have a small garden here in Brooklyn and I am obsessed with it. I spent most of my money last summer on plants.
Do you own a bicycle? Is it tricked out?
I used to subscribe to "Lowrider bicycle magazine" But unfortunately my bike does not look that way. It’s a granny schwinn – very vogue for NYC. (HA!)
Have you seen a ghost, or known someone who has? fess up! (insert story here)
I thought I did, but have since explained it away as delirium.
Word has it you enjoy drinking and dancing.... While you perform, do the three activities gel well?
Yes they do! I think there is a perfect level of drunkenness, and I have certainly gone past that line several times… luckily no one was hurt.
Have you ever been the only one dancing in the room, and yr guy providing the tunes? Does it matter?
Totally. I think it matters greatly! I think it’s really important for people to have fun, and I think it’s imperative that I have fun. If people don’t want to dance then that’s fine. But I should regardless…
Do you have any specially named boogie moves you've devised? If so describe them
Way too dumb for that. I just dance like an idiot
When I say the word "hap", what comes to mind
http://members.lycos.co.uk/rover825sd/hap.jpg
Any last shout outs?
Just thanks to everyone, because my relative popularity has come as a complete and total surprise
Can you think of any reason people shouldn't buy all of your records and revere you and such?
Not really.
List some sites you frequent (music and non music)
I go to the Planet Mu board frequently. Also check C8.com but aside from that nothing special. Thanks a ton! Shit was that long!!
donna summer website