Our Interview with Munly J. Munly

It was foggy, the moon was full, I had just eaten a double butter cheese burger from Culvers, my son was asleep at my feet where I keep the boy, then I heard horse hooves and the sounds of painful merriment from outside yonder winder.

It was Munly, and he had come for revenge. Munly. The bastard. He knew where I kept my blacksmithing tools. He knew everything. He was armed only with a pale face, an out of tune guitar and a trio of robed sidekicks all named Lurvy.

Here is the discussion that transpired.

Joel: I discovered your music through a random music blog. I tried numerous times to remember which blog specifically, but could not. Do you ever read the shit people say about your music on the internet? Do you ever wish you could dropkick some of these swarmy music bloggers in the throat? Are you wearing a vest right now? You strike me as a vest wearer.

Munly J. Munly: Only a few people close to me always make certain that I see the negative opinions of me and the extremely mis-informed ones. They never make certain I see any of the positive ones, I imagine they are withholding all those articles from me.

A vest? Really? We have played with Dale Watson a few times and for his encore he removes his shirt and puts his leather vest back over his bare torso. When I first saw that I thought what a wonderful sense of humor this man has. Though every time I've spoken with him he keeps his humor extremely well hidden.

Joel: If I were to describe your music to friends who understand English, I would start here:

"The sounds of a cloaked and weary prison warden intoxicated on the whimpers and pleas of those under his boot. It is constantly raining. The missus has "the cough" and will be dead before the next harvest. The air constantly smells of decay. His mustache wax is made from human fat he harvests himself."

Care to comment? Care to record that on a voicemail to me in a really creepy voice, aka your regular speaking voice?

Munly J. Munly: Most interviewers tell me, "it's really hard to describe" obviously they were wrong. You have simplified it in one easy phrase.

Joel: The darkness behind your music seems more appealing to me sometimes than the song being sung. I liken this to the fact that I appreciate your music for how it makes me feel on the whole rather than if the specific song gives me an erection. What music do you listen to that inspires you to stay within the framework of your own style? Are they purely funeral dirges?

Munly J. Munly: I don't agree with people needing to be inspired, that's lazy.

Joel: Have you ever resuscitated a small animal? Did you then sacrifice it afterwards?

Munly J. Munly: The first time I went hunting I made a terrible shot and hit an antelope right in the gut. My Father and I both thought that I had missed him because all he did was look up from his grazing. Then he started wobbling around in this drunken circle, I was thirteen and started to giggle because I didn't understand what was happening; until his entire insides squeezed out of that tiny bullet hole and started swinging between his four legs. I tried so hard to not let my giggles sound like I was crying. My Father told me to stay where I was and he walked all the way over to the antelope alone and put him down for me. That doesn't really answer your question, but those images come to my mind frequently and I always appreciated my Father doing that.

Joel: Tell us how you fell into making music?

Munly J. Munly: I was told to never touch it, but I used to sneak my Father's banjo out and play it while no one was around, though my Mother knew. She had a black-belt in enabling. She also bought my first guitar because she felt so bad that I injured myself enough not to be able to play hockey anymore.

munly and the lupercaliansJoel Frieders: I associate the banjo with three adjectives, all uniquely different yet can be combined in any manner, they are:hokey, creepy, fucking badass. What are you immediate thoughts regarding the banjo. Please include the words essence, bra and futurama if possible.

Munly J. Munly: When writing answers I can't do immediate thoughts. I care about my banjo, its case is stronger than my truck's body. One of the drummers uses the word 'bra', he says 'gig' as well. He uses a lot of white urban slang, and music AV tech-talk. We have difficulty communicating, I think he might understand your use of the word 'futurama'.

Joel: When I search your name I come across various pairings including your unique name, can you list your groups alphabetically and then give a brief description of each, possibly in reverse haiku form?

Munly J. Munly: My real name is Munly Jay Munly. I thought you were doing the descriptions, please reference your second question. There are six Munly type albums - Blurry, De Dar He, Galvanized Yankee, Jimmy Carter Syndrome, Lee Lewis Harlots, and Petr & The Wulf. I also play in another band that will soon be releasing our sixth album.

Joel: The backing vocals in the music of yours that I've been fortunate enough to hear is as captivating as it is haunting, do you come up with those harmonies yourself? Where did you learn how to compose in such a way?

Munly J. Munly: Harmonies? That's very generous. I think the same people who critique my banjo technique would say, "how can you claim to have learned which you still can't do correctly?"

Joel: The last question is always generic, but it allows you to inform people of what you have coming up in the future as far as releases, shows, movies or recent licensing that you're excited about. What is next for Mister Munly?

Munly J. Munly: I don't particularly get excited about anything. It's work, this is what I do, I will keep doing it until I no longer want to. Moreover, no one likes a braggart, (please reference the above interview).