eng - Grave Jibes

36 Human Puppets
Human Puppets
36
name some very basics otherwise this
will take too long! ‘Cabaret Voltaire-
Voice Of America’ for the experimentation,
‘D.A.F-Alles Ist Gut’ for
understanding the perfect combination
between drums and synths,
‘Japan-Gentleman Take Polaroids’
for inspiring me to be a better musician
and a Greek one, ‘The Reporters-
Bare Hands’ for realizing that the only
thing that counts is to be true to your
feelings.Of course this list could go
on and on..
Nick:For me is Bryan Eno’s ‘Another
Green world’, David Bowie’s ‘Low’ and
Magazine’s ‘Secondhand daylight’ that
changed my music directions.
And ofcourse the Residents!I’ve
bought some of their 70’s,early 80’s
records,two and three times!They
have such a great influence on me
photo by K.Vagias
from 1983,where I was a little boy
until today.That’s probably related to
my DNA,in a way!
Nattsol: You’ve always stated that
you’re a DIY act. So, what does the
term DIY mean for you? And in your
opinion, has the DIY culture changed
nowadays?
Nick: D.I.Y. still exists, however it includes
loneliness and solidarity. Everyone
can be creative without leaving
his/her room, just by using the technology.
I don’t know if this actually
serves a human being as we sometimes
have the urge of reinventing our
social statuses and we rebel, revolt
through art.
Nattsol: What particulary interests me
is your attitude to your texts. Contradictory
to the music, you don’t keep
your texts written, so the lines may
vary from time to time. So could you
explain your approach to it? Is that
because “things change fast”, or some
other reasons exist?
Nick: I don’t believe lyrics should be
written on the record’s credits.Lyrics
may distract the listener from the immediacy
of the song. It’s like while I
am listening to a Russian band, also
trying to translate the lyrics. This will
distract me from the whole point of music
creation as the lyrics, therefore the
voice is an individual instrument by itself.
I believe,it gives the most significant
feeling in the song,whether it’s
words, phrases or just inarticulate cries.
I like to change the lyrics a bit, keeping
ofcourse the main theme, but
just make a few adjustments.
I like the idea of telling the
story of a song in as many
ways as possible. This revives
it, evolves it, it becomes
multidimentional in a
way. A sterile idea, dies easily.
On the other hand, a
good moment of inspiration
can be approached by
many different aspects and
also re-educating your own
self, the secret self power
photo byTolis Elefantis
who created it in the first place.
Stathis: For me too, vocals and lyrics
are just another instrument in the
song.By this, I don’t mean to reduce
the strength of words but also I don’t
like to force someone to read what I
had to say. Maybe it’s important,
maybe not. It’s better for me not to
spoil the magic. Judging by my own
experience as a listener, if I discover
a song and I am really into it, I will
listen to it again and again to get the
full picture and meaning. I won’t need
the whole music score printed to enjoy
it, therefore, I won’t need the lyrics
printed neither.
Nattsol: What are the main subjects
for your lyrics?
Stathis: Personal feelings, thoughts
and fiction scripts about our lives and
the world we live in.
Nattsol: Is Human Puppets a protest
band? And if yes, what do you protest
against?
photo byTolis Elefantis