Our Interview with Filthy Broke Records' MJC

Somewhere in some past time that has since melted into the puddle that has become the present, I came to worship at the beat altar of one Morbidly-O-Beats.

Morbid (Jake Holmen) is a Chicago-based producer and connoisseur of all things musically fringe and wonderful. He seems to have his considerably talented and supple hands in all kind of projects. One of those projects is a record label called Filthy Broke Records. Morbid and I have discussed the insanity of starting a brick and mortar record label in the digital age in a previous interview, but this time I’m here for his partner.

Filthy Broke Records is a partnership between Jake and Michael Collins, known more affectionately to us who wax our balls and bath in baby oil, as MJC. Among the many projects he’s associated with (SPLNSHNTS), MJC is one half of Filthy Broke Records, and one-third of the far-flung Ivy Hums. These two endeavors alone have led me down sonic rabbit hole after sonic rabbit hole. (I know, asshole. Sonic is a fucking hedgehog!) Furthermore, MJC is also a fucking brilliant solo artist in his own right.

MJC is an enigma. He’s too honest. He’s too real. He’s like a raw nerve personified, all coffee and nicotine. There’s no protective coating. No bullet-proof vest. In addition to being a musician making music from beyond the mortal realm, he’s also a really good, extremely open, dude.

But being exposed isn’t something that Michael finds comforting. His circle, like his butt hole, is a tight one. It’s the sum of all his angst, all his fretting, all his self-loathing. Sure, he wears it like a uniform, a badge of middle-fingerdom, a freak flag flying, if you will. But the difference between knowing someone is coming from elsewhere and appreciating just how elsewhere is the difference between acquaintance and friend. I like to think that MJC, a man who I find kindred in spirit and tie-dye sleeveless T-shirt choices, is my friend.

This interview was initiated in some part by MJC. He posted online something about how, based on his current mood, his next interview would be raw. I’m totally paraphrasing and probably butchering that initial sentiment, but given the opportunity to have a real conversation with someone whose talents are about as far away from South Beach as any artist making music today, I jumped. I fucking swan-dived, bros! I furiously sent questions within minutes. The first, a response to another FB post about not wanting to go to Sunday dinner with “homegirl”. So I just jumped in right there:

OUR INTERVIEW WITH MJC OF Filthy Broke Records STARTS NOW!

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SYFFAL: First question: What do you have against Sunday dinner?

MJC: Haha, that's a great question. As I mentioned earlier, my girl was upset with my decision not to attend "Sunday Dinner" tonight. This is a large gathering at her dad's house, I have not met that side of the family yet as this is a new-ish relationship. I freaked the fuck out kinda. I always feel like everyone will be staring and asking me questions and the answers I provide will not be good enough.

Like, "Michael what do you do for a living?"

"Oh kinda nothing... I quit a good career as a psychotherapist and now dick off online all day talking to people about music and shit. Occasionally I write some music no one cares about. And I own a stupid record label and play shows and generally have no idea what I'm doing ever. How's your law firm doing?..."

Then I leave feeling worse about myself than I already do. Plus Sunday night is the ultimate school night and I was afraid to go to school as a little kid...

SYFFAL: A lot of musicians and artists constantly question why the fuck they are doing what they do, and in the end it usually comes down to love. If it ain't about love than it ain't worth doing. I think that's why you ain't going to Sunday dindin brobro. You ain't love her yet! When you do, you're secret skin won't be so easily penetrated by the piercing interrogations of her relations. Til then, what kind of skin would you have to resist the sting of judgement (ex: alligator, metal Mario skin, stone, leather, etc.) and why?

MJC: I’m really happy you are asking these questions. Not gonna lie Brando, knowing you in the capacity that I do I feel comfortable/excited to talk about real shit. Most know I am an open book in person/online, yet I keep my circle small and prefer this sorta dialogue to small talk... I think I thus get pegged as a dick often, which leads to an answer to one of the aforementioned questions:

My skin is like butter a lot of the time, and professionally it has caused me a lot of harm. Particularly in the wallet. I tend to “trust" these days, despite not really being a trusting dude. Actually lemme rephrase, I had a tendency to trust. That ended three months ago. A therapist said I needed to be “more vulnerable." Good advice, but not necessarily in the fiscal sense haha... My current therapist basically says, "Fuck Everyone Except Yourself." I don't think he meant that literally.

SYFFAL: Dude, I understand. I fuck no one but myself.

I can’t imagine a better psychotherapist than you, as I pretty much know that nothing I'd say would shock or disturb you, “I’m scared of intimacy, doc.”

“You should be, man, people can be real dicks!”

Now you're making me question every time I felt uncomfortable sharing my fears and insecurities and secret desires with my therapist. She was probably all like, what a pussy!, huh?

MJC: Nothing Is Shocking, you are correct sir! If you did something shameful, I prolly did it to the third power and still rock myself to sleep every night watching "Beaches" to help deal.

SYFFAL: Bette Midler fo' life! Also, I know you have a very unironic fascination, can we call it adoration, of one Mr. Richard Simmons. Even to the point that he mistakenly referred to you as Filthy Brooke, which might be a WAY better interview. What is it about that twinky little fitness scamp that attracts you?

MJC: OMG, dude you are so in for it... The whole Richard Simmons thing... A lot of people think I'm trying to be weird or irreverent with my RS obsession. It ain't like that at all, I am the real deal. As a toddler or some shit my mom would be watching General Hospital, right? Ironing or something... I was always obsessed with the Simmons’ cameos, as he was on the show for some weird reason. As I grew older, he grew weirder. Or I suppose more “himself" or something... He always appeared to be having fun and was himself no matter what. Whether on Howard Stern pretending to be an abandoned child or crying with the people he helped lose weight, he always seemed so positive. Then the crayfish selfies started, he did that creepy one modeled after Rosemary's Baby, and thus my obsession was rekindled a couple years ago. He hollered back at me on Facebook once and it was the best day of my life that week. I cannot believe I just said that much about Simmons...

SYFFAL: Are there any other sacred American institutions, like school, that frighten you, as a little kid or as a grown man? As a teacher, I'm also curious why school scared you, unless you went to Catholic school, and in that case, next question.

MJC: School scared me because I moved in fourth grade, thus was the new kid and got the shit kicked outta me and was picked on daily. It was really not ok. I am really anti-bullying to the preach level. Kids need to be accepted on such a core level, and I feel that when that is disrupted some ugly shit can go down. I can only speak for myself, and that was the case anyway... So the institution of school scares me, yeah. As does church. No hate, I respect all people of faith as long as they respect my lack of faith... That sounds too pessimistic... My uncertainty.

SYFFAL: Do you think your music plays a role in your anti-bullying inclinations? Or do you think that it's more that being the new kid and suffering through that played a role in bringing you to music in the first place. How do the puzzle piece connect?

MJC: It absolutely manifests in music production. Even (mainly) through instrumental music. I generally go in two directions musically: Mellow and comforting or painful and distressing. The Ivy Hums vs SPLNSHNTS, two side-projects I am involved in, indicate such. Complete opposites aesthetically yet totally just as cathartic. Music to make me feel better and music to make me get in touch with the really bad shit. My solo stuff is right down the middle...

SYFFAL: While I gotcha open, you've mentioned a career as a psychotherapist, and then a “first” music career, and now this music career. Dude, are you Ethan Hawke in Reality Bites?

MJC: Yes, I am actually Ethan Hawke disguised as a homeless looking dude with too many records in my recording studio/apartment in Providence, RI.

SYFFAL: If you were to rename your record label but couldn't use the words 'filthy' or 'broke' what would you call it?

MJC: I think about renaming the label all the time by the way... Something cooler like "Public Enema Tapes" or "HardBody Discs" or "I Like My Oatmeal Lumpy Recordings" or "Self-Touch Sounds" but it's way easier to just keep shit status quo. Trying to change a Facebook Artist Page name confuses me like trying to understand why Lil B is lecturing at MIT. Utter brain-mayhem and I shut down.

SYFFAL: The thing about Lil B lecturing at MIT has me like, was it even good? There's a part of me that knows it's not, but then there's this bigger part of me that won't watch the video of the lecture because I actually don't give a fuck. The thing that fascinated me about it was his post-lecture Twitter binge, adding everybody. It's like we got caught up in some kind of a computer matrix auto adding strings of people all Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon-style. In fact, I'm not sure that ISN'T how it happened. I'm so ignorant of stuff like that. People whoring for Youtube views and begging for likes. How does one maintain it's viability in this click-happy digital age without knowing a goddamn thing about how it works?

MJC: The ultimate issue I struggle with daily.

I am older and was fortunate enough to be making music and DJing before the internet popped off. Back in the 90s people were able to get by as studio musicians... People bought music then, they had to. Not to mention one could not just torrent a cracked copy of a music program and start "producing."

Mainly hardware/outboard gear was used to make music and that shit is expensive! So there was less music and more opportunity to make it professionally. Shit, I was doing pretty well in 1998. Those days are long gone, and I am not gonna rant about it. It is what it is.

However, like you said, I truly do not know what works or how it works, the whole online hustle. It overwhelms me. First it was Myspace. Then artists would have a Myspace and a Facebook page. Then we would add Soundcloud. Then Twitter as the cherry on top of this "Binary Sundae"... In short, after some years of doing a ton of promo via social networking, I cannot say that I "Know what works best" to keep the label afloat.

Sometimes I feel like less is more with promotion, other times I feel like I need to pillage the internet and get mine. So I hope that didn't answer your question haha.

On the real though? What I feel has been the most important aspect of our use of social media? Meeting people and connecting, establishing relationships. In an odd way, of late, I have been using it sorta "Backwards..." Like, I might connect with someone briefly online and then I immediately like to take it to phone, Skype or in-person meetings. Sorta like online dating haha, cut through as much bullshit right off the bat as possible and decide if a working relationship/friendship/whatever could develop.

I would much rather deal on a personal level. I feel more can get done in a 5 minute phone call than a full day of emails. Again, I am 37 so I am likely just old fashioned. But on the real, getting to know people is hella important and I don't feel connected to someone strictly via internet nearly as much as to someone I get to know via voice/face.

Plus I have made some awesome friends in the music game and have had the chance to hang in person!! Zackey was a blast to chill with in Long Beach. Ceschi is one of the most wonderful people I have met in recent memory... And you also get to see who's a total scumbag and then "peace out."

Most importantly, I have been able to spend time in person with Parlay Droner (FBR Art Director, SPLNSHNTS), Jake/Morbidly-o-Beats, Walter Gross (funniest person alive), Michael's girlfriend and her band LOOM who rule, amongst others that kinda are the heart of FBR. It's becoming a family.

Shout out to BloodMoney...

SYFFAL: How'd you settle on MJC as a rap name? Didn't you have homeboys that gave you a better street name? As a rapper that goes by Bakus (a tagger derivation of my last name), I understand, but remain curious. Inquiring minds WANT TO KNOW BRO!

MJC: It was sorta given to me over time when I had a successful music career before I quit my music career to start a new music career. I will never share those links of old tunes, but they're out there. And they will always be more popular than anything FilthyJoke Wreckordings does :)

SYFFAL: So, bro! So explain this: Michael J Collins - Lotion Pants (With Sass) or this:

MJC: You muthafucka!!! You did your research and found my dirty secret, fuck. Haha, well it explains a lot at least. So those two Youtube shitty terrible “songs" you unearthed? Yeah, I did that. And a lot of other really bad shit too. And it sold REALLY well hahaha...

So in like '08 I was working full time as a therapist, living in a shit town with shit to do, bored and depressed. I had already quit music once before due to my “issues." Yet I bought a laptop anyway, wanted to see what all this Ableton shit was about...

I was unfamiliar w/ making music on just a computer. So this was in like July of that year... By September I sent out a couple of demos and ended up being signed to Wolf+Lamb outta Brooklyn for their first Mini-Album.

To put things in some context: In 1995 I was exposed to an incredible music scene in New England. First time I really got the appeal of electronic music. All these great DJs were always playing and we would go out every weekend and not sleep til Monday. These dudes, obviously playing just vinyl back then, were playing hip hop and old-school breakbeats and disco and funk and house... I would see Roc Raida play a set and then a West Coast DJ come on directly after and play disco music, real weird and psychedelic. And really tripped out 4/4 house music. It was awesome, and I became a DJ as a result of that inspiration.

By '96 I was spinning breakbeats and hip hop and house music and electro. Oddly in 1997 or 1998 two friends and myself made a 12" that got "Record Of The Month" in Urb Magazine's House Music section... I had a DJ residency where I played mainly deep techno-esque music and super fucked-up house, whilst listening to dub and jazz and hip hop when not working. In short, I was established in a really dope scene and doing well and progressing musically and then heroin. That's a whole other story.

Anyway, when I decided to try my hand at making music again 7 or whatever years ago, I picked up where I had left off. It was odd too, b/c I had not listened to any electronic music at all other than hip hop for so many years... It felt natural to just attempt some basic house, electro, disco tracks. I still love real house music, disco, funk, electro to this day. The rest is history. I made a bunch of shitty songs and got signed. And then shit got really real with publishing, contracts, gig requests, and then nervous breakdown. That's a whole other story too.

The time that accidental mini-LP got signed to the time I broke down and quit music (for the second time) was probably no more than 15 months. I was fortunate to make some amazing friends and supports that I work with to this day. But fuck all the rest of that noise. See this: WolfLamb

I may have fallen off the face of the planet for a minute, but it was kinda hard not to notice that my old label had become minor-ly sorta big. And were making a SHIT TON of dough. And then I saw they were giving away tracks from the aforementioned mini-LP for free via their Soundcloud. Hi guys! Thanks for the consult! Enjoy Miami Beach and traveling the world in fur coats! No big deal!

I dunno why I even care anymore... Had a buncha 12"s released back then that did well, and I broke every single one of them in half when I got my copy shipped to me. Before I even got inside the house. Just "Smash" and trash. I felt like I was being forced to make shit I did not care to make anymore so I bounced out again. Then came back, again, and the label is now 18 months old. Yay. For real though, it feels good to be able to do whatever the fuck I want... I like making all types of shit, and it changes by the hour.

SYFFAL: Just so you know that whole mid-90s rave, house, trance, techno, hardcore, jungle, drum and bass scene gave birth to the me that you know too. Before doing a bunch of acid and losing my mind to various speeds of 4-4 therapy, I was a fucking total jock meathead. I get it. That’s about the time I "woke up" too!

Also... I noticed for Halloween you dressed up like a relatively attractive woman, bro. First off, you know punk mother fuckers like Gigi Allen and or Darby Crash were totally cool with cross-gender stuff. I mean all my literary heroes in Neil Cassady and Bill Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg were all gay or bi. Not to mention icons like Bowie or Jagger's swagger. How much of that has been lost in current hip hop culture and how sad about it are you? You honestly don't seem like you give a fuck and I love you for that!

MJC: I was dressed like a MILF haha. That, again, is not for shock value... You may not know this, but I only have like 100 friends on Facebook. So you are one of the few unfortunate souls that sees those pictures! That last one was a botched Thelma & Louise duo-attempt... I was supposed to meet my Thelma (Parlay Droner) but ended up not being able to go last minute so ended up in drag basically.

And no, I do not give a flying fuck if people think I'm not “hip hop" enough b/c I have no issues with anything like that. I'm extremely pro-LGBT rights, but I really don't think any of my politics regarding that stuff enters my musical equation. Like, I can listen to old school East Coast hip hop that has sporadic homophobic rhymes (Jeru for example) and I'm just whatever.

I can't be taking that shit too seriously, it'd be a life-suck. I believe what I believe. Ice-T was not killing cops. It's music. Fuck it all! That's why I love Ralph BloodMoney... He is out there and open with his beliefs, yet still listens to all kinds of stuff that might not “align." Why throw the baby out with the bathwater, ya' know? Yeah, I am a liberal dude but if Jeru says the word “fa//ot" in a verse, I'm not gonna say, “he sucks and I will never listen to him."

There is so much hypocrisy around this topic actually... "Conscious" rappers that won't cop to fucking with Snoop back in the day or some shit? Bullllllllshiiiiiitttttt... We were all bumping Dre and E and NWA and "It Ain't No Fun If The Homies Can't Have None" way back when, not giving a fuck. The majority of us were not actually getting into firefights or selling crack or prostituting women though, Dre included. I try to just stick to what feels right for me, then kick back and enjoy the ride. Nothing offends me, unfortunately.

SYFFAL: Describe your relationship with another Syffal icon of worship, the girthy and delicious Morbidly-O-Beats, but describe it only using Disney movies. For instance my relationship to SyffaLeader Tom is a Little Mermaid type thing in that I want to be a part of his world, and by world I mean the cleft in his chin.

MJC: Morbidly-o-Beats and I spoke earlier via smoke signal, as he is in Ecuador undergoing shamanistic psychedelic potion-treatment for a sprained brain and scabies. I love him! He is the semen that fills the balls that are FBR.

SYFFAL: I guess you're more of a Dreamworks fella. Tell me about The Ivy Hums. How you guys function as a band who never sees each other is both fascinating and increasingly the norm as transcontinental collabs become less the lore of computer wizards and more what kids will resort to to word with like-minded talent.

MJC: The Ivy Hums... Well I suppose I can talk about that now... It has been amazing and emotional for all three of us, Jake Hannah Mickunas/myself. Two EPs recorded fairly quickly as we were getting to know each other was an intense deal. And I consider myself to be an intense dude when it comes to the music I am involved with. And I am a control freak. And I have a strong personality at times. Then you got uber-talented Hannah, who comes from a very amazing place; she can enjoy the process of creating and be spontaneous without focusing on bullshit. Then you got Jake who doesn't care and just wants to chill and everyone to be happy. I had been working just with Hannah briefly in the beginning, got stuck on an idea I wanted to carry out, and when things evolved into The Ivy Hums my control issues ruined it. For awhile. Now everything is better, as we are actively going to be recording again as two separate duos... I will be doing my productions for Hannah, Jake his own. Thus two bands closely aligned and ready to sign music/tour!! My output with Hannah is very dubby, dreamy, atmospheric. I force myself not to program heavy drums like I would for SPLNSHNTS.

SYFFAL: You’ve recently moved from the Phoenix area back East. Tell me more about SPLNSHNTS and all the music projects you’re currently sexing to the hilt.

MJC: Been really busy since I made the move back to Providence and became a Divorced White Male...

So as you know already, I do my own solo stuff. This generally ranges from droned-out dub to hard and noisy “beat" music, my hip hop productions are somewhere in the middle. I think that the original song Nosdam remixed from FBR001 is a good example of my murky, emo-dub shit. Then I've done stuff for FBR and other labels that is all over the place... SketchyBook on Fremdtunes came out a long while back, the song "Butler Hospital" is pretty representative of my hip hop-type style. Shout out to that crew, homies in The Netherlands... They really helped me along in the beginning and continue to be great friends to this day. Their compilation REPROGRAM features some sick-ass talent like Prince Po from Organized, Kelpe, Emufucka, and my dumb ass...

Then I have been fortunate to work within a pop framework w/ all The Ivy Hums music. That's a fun project, we are supposed to be recording a 12" for some friends but we are all so busy... After the first of the year I hope to concentrate on a lot more music with Hannah. I'm fairly certain Jake will be doing the same, and hopefully it results in a lot of music. Though this is softer music in a sense, it still has the “weird” I am so attracted to (I hope). Hannah writes some creepy lyrics...

SPLNSHNTS is the uber-heavy duo I mentioned earlier... Parlay Droner and myself. He is a genius. We just dropped a teaser EP digitally through FBR and will be shopping a full demo out soon. This project has been my focus as of late, as Parlay and I work so easily together and are very similar people. Being back in New England and being able to actually meet him has been great, he is a large part of everything we do.

There is MOBMJC also... We dropped a free 'lil EP not too long ago that sounds like what you would get if M.O.B. banged MJC and they had a kid that lived in a cave and made beats no one liked.

As for the label and shit? What a fucking trip it has been, turned 18 months old in November 2014. It has been amazing and kinda awful at certain points. Highlights for me since we started have been the guest mix we got from Stephen Mallinder. He was a founding member of one of my favorite bands of all time, Cabaret Voltaire. I'm still shocked, and he actually mentioned doing a follow-up mix. Also, getting Ceschi/Zackey Force Funk/Odd Nosdam/Benito/M.O.B/My dumb ass on a slab of wax was pretty inspiring. It was like a test to see what was possible in today's current musical climate. That was our first release, and I still feel good about it. I really love the cassette Hoot did too, FBR002. It's a very comforting release for me to listen to, and his talent was off the chain when he recorded that between '05 and '09. I wanna do more with him, he is such the homie.

Oh, and some really great shows went down that I feel honored to have been a part of. The Stone's Throw x Anticon x FBR show in Phoenix was hella fun. The weather was bad, my promo was off due to going through a divorce and planning a cross-country move, but I had a blast nonetheless. Having Trance Farmers and Nosdam crashed out at my house made for some memories... And playing the same bill was of course very humbling.

FBR Fest 1 in CT was just a couple months back... That was so fucking fun. Ceschi, Tommy V, Walter Gross, Tick Hive, Florida=Death, etc. all crushed. It was like a big family party in this crazy dope warehouse, people were giving away merch and hugging and shit. So ill.

Speaking of Mr. Gross... He is hands-down one of my favorite producers. Ever. I listen to all of his releases all of the time. I call him "The Quiet Storm" because he is the sweetest, funniest dude in person and his music is like hell on earth in the most beautiful and dynamic way. I love him. I am so happy to say he will be on FBR003!!!

SYFFAL: It’s no wonder I have trouble keeping up with you. That’s manic, brotha! What’s up with the series of shows you're throwing at a new venue?

MJC: We do have a night starting in Providence! We do a “soft opening" on 12/28, and acts will be announced this week. The venue, Aurora, is great. It's a fairly new space, great people, great bar, atmosphere... And the fucking sound system/subs are a wet dream. I really hope we can turn the event into something consistent and special. I am so happy to be back in New England, brohamsandwich!

SYFFAL: God I love you brobro!

MJC: Likewise homeslice!