Interview with FanatikJ: The Real return Of Dr Octagon. 2/6/06 Ultrakeith.net: What have you been up to? FanatikJ: Me? Well, I went back to teaching guitar for a bit, and then I moved myself and my studio into a hilltop mansion with my new girlfriend, the beautiful Dr (name omitted). Then I broke my finger skimming fat waves in Half Moon Bay. So then I went back ino the studio for six months and made Keiths album into something worthy. Ultrakeith.net: What music did u grow up listening to? FanatikJ: I Grew up on ACDC and KISS and Classical music as a young child. Kiss Albums were the first albums I purchased! My Mother also had the first synth album ever made-that Bob Moog album so I listened to that stuff up untill I was about 11 then I moved out to the coast of California (hills of El Granada-Nor-Cal) from Minneasota and started skating, learning to surf and going to the BMX races and that was how I got into cool stuff like the Dead Kennedys, Black Flag, Circle Jerks, Minor Threat etc. on one hand and Devo, Kraftwerk, Thomas Dolby, Missing Persons, Laurie Andersen, Herbie Hancock, Grand Master Flash and all that New Wave synth stuff. Looking back I can see how important that was to my sense of style. Later on I would see so many of my metal and punk friends show complete contempt for all forms of synth music which is a trait that I could never understand. Later in highschool I was turned onto all of the 60-70'ss rock. I was haning out with a hippy punk rocker crowd of burgeoning musicians, mods on vespas and clove smokers.We were centerd around our friends band, Wig Torture, and their practise spot. Those people got me in to Hendrix, Zeppelin, Joplin, the Dead, Sanatana, the Doors, MC5, Deep Purple etc. Invaluable ethos that goes along with that type of quality music! Hippys are great to hang out with; they understand that creation, discovery is really about. And that is the art of Improve. The Art of Sheer Abandon that is so nessecary for an innovative rocker. During this same period I was starting to play a bit of guitar. I went into a little record store that sold guitar strings and there were these two kids that were all but running this little store and we became friends and they turned me on to all that great satanic speed meat stuff like Slayer, Sodom, Testament, Motorhead, The Mentors, Dr Know, etc. Then NWA came out and we were all into it the punks the metal heads, the hessians even. We all loved it. I listened to LL Cool J, and Sir Mixalot, the Beastie Boys, etc as well By then our bands were playing at the Gilman Street Project (now a famous punk club) in Berkely. That was bakc when Jello from DK first opened the club. I was in a band called the Mysterious Doctor Satan back then. Then, towards the end of highschool, as I progressed on the guitar I got into Yngwie Malmsteen, Satriani's first album, and Steve Vai. Thats when I really started working with a lot of music theory books. For a few years after highschool thats all I did; study theory and play guitar, like, 12 hours a day. Since this period Clasical, New Age Jazz and Jazz Rock Fusion have become staples to me. I used to listen to so much Windham Hill stuff. So after that the rave event from the UK ,Toon Town, came to San Francisco and I had just turned of age to go clubbing. So this is when I got deeper into synth music. Techno, House, Jungle, D&B etc started to form up inot their own genres and I got deep into the club scene, Lots of fun and thats what really made me want to get into synths. Ultrakeith.net: How did u hook up with keith? FanatikJ: Well, I was in Hollywood and I was staying at the Grafton Hotel on Sunset Blvd and it happened that Limp Bizkits people were at the same hotel. My boy Demartini hooked me up with an audition with the band. Keith and Rex were looking around looking for a guitar player so Demartini starts flowing Keith's shit at Keith and I was like "fuck the Bizkit" and we left together so I could play a demo CD for Keith. He peepd it and offered to listen to more of my stuff and maybe do an album if I would set up shop in Hollywood. About a week later I set up a phat studio right across the street from Keith. Ultrakeith.net: How did the return of octagon idea come about? FanatikJ: Well, that was all Keith. I mean, I was just down in Los Angeles to do AN album with him. I'm sitting at the mixing boards at my spot on Martel street in Hollywood and Keith goes into to my booth, listens to beat and starts flowing and yelling the Return of Doctor Octagon. Ultrakeith.net: what do have to say about the ocd (cmh) version thats being released? FanatikJ: At the advice of my attorney I cant say too much about that shit just yet but I will say fuck those hillbillies. Keith was dead on when he said they were going to turn those tracks into pop-dance Richard Simmons excercise music! Hahahaha! I love that stuttering sample effect they kept doing on Keiths voice! Too funny! Ultrakeith.net: Do you still talk to keith? FanatikJ: I'll always be talking to Keith; thats like talking to a Soothsayer. When he plays up here in Nor-Cal we hook up. I'll be getting him paid again (on the same project) so it looks like we'll be like brothers again, right? Hahaha! Ultrakeith.net: Have you spoken to keith about the ocd version? whats he said? FanatikJ: No, I havent spoken to him since the Hillbillies went on this latest rampage. I was like the last to know that CMH was at it again.You know he must be pretty pissed about the whole thing all over again. Ultrakeith.net: Whens your return of octagon album droppen? FanatikJ: I gotta keep quiet on that a little bit longer... FanatikJ: Well the work came to a halt because CMH had us in a contractual jam. Those situations are anything but inspiring, ya know? Plus I like to let songs develope. You ask yourself what the track wants. I could write all kinds of stuff that might all be quite decent but to get to the heart of the matter, well that can't always be rushed. This is not an MPC drum machine album. This is not a Pro-Tools album.I played all those parts. I didnt use any PCs in the production. This is not that button pusher stuff. Ultrakeith.net: Is the Live Black being released? (Black silver Marc Live), can u tell me how that came about?, How many tracks are there? FanatikJ: Live Black...Well that albums sounds pretty good right now but I really want to do some versions with a real drummer. I rehearsed and recorded some rough takes of some of those Live Black songs with an amazing award-winning drummer and a bass player with a platinum pedigree and a DJ triggering the synth parts while I played guitar. This was in Nor-Cal so I had the band playing to accapella CDs I made of Marc and Silver on a PA in the room with the band . Just rehearsing the tracks to see how they worked with a band. I met with Marc and Silver on the Warped tour cause we really wanted to bring out the band for a few stops but it was very last minute so we didnt do those shows after that the drummer and the bass player were a bit pissed about that so I kinda put that back on hold. Ultrakeith.net: Ever tried rappen/singing? FanatikJ: I've got a couple tracks were I did the vocals. Really just doing it to test out my mics and stuff. One of em is hella funny. I should put that online! Hahaha! Ultrakeith.net: Are you recording anything at the moment? FanatikJ: Nope. Just practicng tons of guitar and writing a book about music theory for guitar. Ultrakeith.net: What direction is your music going to go in? FanatikJ: Well, right now I am gearing up to do a shredder guitar instrumental album. Really evil, ya know? Beautiful, but really hatefull and evil as well. Should be done with that by Xmas. After that maybe some hip hop and I really wanna do a bizzare "new wave" project with a female on vocals Ultrakeith.net: Whats planned for the future? FanatikJ: A lawsuit! LMFAO! Ultrakeith.net: Anything you want to say to your fans? FanatikJ: Hell yeah! To all of you chaos-loving bad-asses that were down with this shit from 2002-I salute you!