Q & A
with
AGENT COOPER
This is a section of
Questions/Answered by the band members of Agent Cooper-
Which
by each individuals answer allows you to know more of the person’s personality,
certain
interests besides music & their favourite
past-times will be added in times ahead.
So once you will be able to
view the band in person at a performance close to your hometown-
you’ll be able to feel much more comfortable
with the band / kinda like family.
- Who is/are the songwriter(s) of Agent Cooper,
which comes first (music or lyrics)?
Eric answers with:
Doug writes the tunes and lyrics. Typically,
I think his music beds and melodies come first, then lyrics happen later.
On “You
Know” Doug and I worked on lyrics together –
he had some subject ideas, and I had some structural ones, and we
sat at my kitchen table and worked them out.
Later, when
he’s got a fairly well-formed idea, he presents the music to the band and we
all work out our parts, either in jam sessions or individually.
I usually
work out my parts by myself, after the other guys have got a solid music bed
and some semblance of a vibe already happening.
A really
good example of that is “Timing Crucial” - in rehearsals, I had no idea what
the hell to do with it.
It was when
I got the multi track recording back in my studio, and finally got to spend
some time by myself with it, that my bits came together.
Doug answers
with:
Once I bring a song to the guys, it’s then
an Agent Cooper song. I only give them an idea of what to play, then they take the song to a much higher level.
This band
would not be as impressive if it weren't for everyone involved. I cannot take
full writing credit.
Keeping that
in mind, this is my process before the music is presented:
For me, the music comes first. A basic chord
progression of the song comes to mind,
and as I play it over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and
over, I ask myself, is this song
happy...sad...scared...content...angry...etc...
Once I've
figured out the music's direction, I begin to imagine characters and ask myself
again, "is there conflict, longing, self-indulgence?"
Ever watch a
movie and try to guess what’s going to happen next? Of course you have. That’s
what’s going on in my head when I write.
I get the general
idea, oh... lets say....a woman walking down a dark, quiet, hallway.
My,
"guessing to see what happens next" ends up being the song.....of
course there are always exceptions, but these are my usual steps in writing.
The rest of
the time I just get drunk and write down whatever comes to mind on a wet
napkin.
- Has there been any songs that have been “trashed
before completion” due to the thoughts
of being too personal for someone else’s ears (example: war
thoughts, xxxrated dreams
or a song about a mindf*cking ex-girlfriend)? …etc.
Eric answers with:
That’s a Doug question, but there aren’t any
that I’m aware of that have been trashed for that specific reason.
There are a few
that just didn’t quite come together musically, however,
and only Doug knows how many ideas he has had
that didn’t even make it that far.
Doug answers with:
Yes. When writing, I try to let the music,
or lyrics, carry me through to the end. On occasion it gets a little too
personal, or too specific,
so I back up a bit, and try to find a
different way to say what’s on my mind.
A good example of
a song that almost wasn't is "Little Town". This song was very close
to me, and was almost too much for me to present
to the rest of the band. I was still feeling
the sting of the Salem Ash break down, and was drinking quite heavily.
I couldn't make
drinking sound very poetic in the song, so I chose to make the drug heroin,
and based the rest of the lyrics on
describing my feelings at that time (rather than tell my true story).
"Boo Hoo, my band broke up".......not very interesting is
it?
If I could just
make you feel what I was feeling at that moment..........well.......at least
that’s what I was going for.
Lost,
hopeless....do you feel it when you hear the song?
There are still a
few areas in my life that I'm not comfortable putting into songs.....maybe I'll
get the courage in the future.....we'll see. .
- Part a.
For Each band Member-
Name the
influence that made you pick up your first instrument
(who made you
say to yourself …Wow, I Want To Be A Musical Star Like That Person)!
Part b.
& who was there behind you saying- you’re just living in a dream
world- give it up…
Part c.
Have they asked you for an autograph yet?
Eric answers with
(for Part a):
I started playing piano at age 5. My mom,
who raised me for the first 6-or-so years of my life,
was really into Yes and Rick Wakeman’s solo work when I was really young, so I heard a
lot of that.
I also remember
being turned on to Wendy Carlos’ Switched-On
Bach, an instrumental rock/orchestral album
by a project
named Apollo 100 called Joy, a lot of Paul McCartney and Wings (the
first song I ever picked out by ear was “Band On The Run”),
and of course everything Beatles. Remember,
this was all by the time I was, like, 6 years old.
So I spent the
first part of my life with those sounds in my ears, took a five- or ten-year
hiatus from ‘em,
then re-discovered them as a teenager.
Doug answers with
(for Part a):
Well........I have to give some credit to
Kiss. In my early youth,
I did the Kiss
make-up thing, playing air- guitar, and air- drums, with other kids in the
neighborhood.
Parents, and
siblings, would come over for our weekly performances (maybe we should have
charged admission).
There are 2 bands
that I give FULL credit for setting me on the musical course that I've
taken........
Listening to
Steve Walsh has a
vocal power that I've always admired, and the songwriting is such a great ride
for the listener.
I'd like to think
that I've made a blend of the two groups with the style that I write today.
Eric answers with
(for Part b):
My dad, who is a concert
pianist. He told me on more than one occasion that, basically, if I
could think of
anything in the world I would enjoy doing as much
as playing, that I should go do it instead of being a musician –
it’s not necessarily an easy life. He also
challenged me to continually question the commercial viability of my recording
projects.
Doug answers with
(for Part b):
My Dad, but with the years comes
understanding, and I understand now that he was just concerned about where I
would be when I turned 40!
He was only
apprehensive with my decision in the beginning. He's been very supportive ever
since.
I also think he
really thought I could have been a pro basketball player, and maybe I could
have..........we'll never know.
Eric answers with
(for Part c):
Heh...having grown
up in a musical family, performing and recording is no big deal - it’s just
what we do.
Doug answers with
(for Part c):
Yes he has. I gave him a discount.
- Being it’s 2005- there has been a lot of bands
that came onto the music scene since
Agent Cooper had started.
What top 3 bands would you consider to play a show along with?
Eric answers with:
I
don’t know if this answers your question or not, but I’d like to have a jam session with, separately,
Ben Folds Five,
Journey and Dead Can Dance. I’d consider
being on the bill with damn near anybody.
Doug answers with:
I'll play with any group as long as the music is a good blend for the
listener.
You wouldn't want to see Norah
Jones with System of a Down!............or would
you?
- For Each Band Member;
Choose your top 3 songs from each CD (Agent Cooper Debut &
Beginner’s Mind)
- …which 3 are your favourites?
Eric answers with:
“Little
Town,” ‘cause I love the section with the choir that just keeps building and
building and building;
“She
Screams,” ‘cause of this neat little cross-handed piano thing I get to do in
the middle; and,
“You Know,” ‘cause it’s just a beautiful song.
Doug answers with:
They are ALL my favorites!!!!
:-) But for the sake of this page.........
I Never Remember
The Heat
Timing Crucial
- …which 3 would you like to
perform live?
Eric answers with:
The first three that come to mind are “I
Never Remember,” “Wasting Away,” and “Desolate Supreme.”
Doug answers with:
I Never Remember, She Screams + Timing Crucial
3.
…which
3 would you say to us all; Your Mom Would Love This Song!?
Eric answers with:
Moms seem to like “You
Know”. I can’t immediately think of others that I would add to that list.
Doug answers with:
I know some mom's that
act like June Clever,
and I know some mom's that act like Wendy O. Williams.........it
all depends on who your mom is.........I know who ya
dad is!!!!! heh heh.
click on the chain to link back to main