Hello and welcome to the 72nd 3 Art Questions With Jackson interview! This time is a little different because I interviewed super talented writer Jason Pettigrew, who is friends with my Dad. Jason is in the midst of a promotional tour for his new book about Ministry's famous record The Land of Rape and Honey and he kindly took the time to answer my questions. His answers are great and he and I share an appreciation for Yoko Ono! Thank you for reading! (All images courtesy of Jason Pettigrew / Instagram: @ptgrw Website: ptgrw)
Jackson: Why do you think you became a writer? Did a specific writer inspire you?
Jason: I think I became a writer as an extension my love for music. I have never been in a band or played an instrument. (In the words of radio legend Barry "Dr. Demento" Hansen, I was much more proficient in playing the phonograph.) But I was discovering a lot of music in an era when radio stations were adventurous in their choices. When the corporations and consultants moved in, radio got awful and my tastes got weirder (obscure European progressive rock, jazz fusion, film soundtracks, etc). I discovered Rolling Stone and all the other smaller music mags (Hit Parader, Rock Circus, Circus, et al) and the British music weeklies. By 1977, all of my favorites prog bands either broke up or made their absolute worst records. I made a left turn into punk and New Wave and discovered magazines like Trouser Press and DIY fanzines. I think I became a writer because I wanted to spread the word about the music that I loved.
When I was in college, the University of Pittsburgh funded an entertainment paper for the student body called Showcase. It would have interviews with touring bands, record and movie reviews and other related arts coverage. There was a review written about a recent Bruce Springsteen show that wasn't too glowing. The writer, Sam Matthews, was pretty honest and forthcoming. I think the opening line he used was "If I'm going to see a Springsteen show, I'm expecting him to walk on water." And he weighed that performance against the legion of Springsteen fans who would follow the artist into a warzone as they thought he could do no wrong. When the review came out, Matthews got abuse from seemingly every fan of "The Boss" in the city. And I was fascinated by his unflinching stance to walk any aspect of his review back. So for sheer bloody-mindedness, I always give that credit to Sam.
Jackson: After all these years at Alternative Press and SPIN, which bands and interviews are your favorites?
Jason: I've derived a lot of great moments from a lot of different places. Talking to Jeffrey Lee Pierce (from The Gun Club) and have him be anything but the loudmouthed prick most writers reported. Sparring with John Lydon and him being as cocky and smug and needing to be slapped as I had expected. I've been told that the legendary Revolting Cocks tour diary from 1990 has created more than a few laughter-induced migraines and asthma attacks...
If I'm being honest, I like the quips and quotes I can take away from a chat. I remember Eric Davidson from wise guy punks New Bomb Turks explaining to me emphatically how there needs to be a mindset where young listeners can experience music that came before their arrival on Earth and "come away with the understanding that they aren't listening to 'old' music, but listening to great music." Casey Chaos, the late lead singer of the metal-punk band Amen had a lot of contempt for people fronting their attitudes. He told me "I write music from the heart, not the wallet." I still find that profound. I interviewed Colin Newman from Wire about how his band had avoided ageism and he told me "The Rolling Stones aren't boring because they're old. The Rolling Stone are boring because they are boring."
There are moments that just make me laugh out loud. twentyonepilots' Tyler Joseph confiding in me that "you make us look cooler than we actually are." Gerard Way from My Chemical Romance sent me an email from Warped Tour with the subject line "I'll be Lou, you be Lester", a reference to the war of words between Lou Reed and Lester Bangs had decades ago in the early 70s. A few years ago, Ministry's Al Jourgensen and I renewed a professional/social relationship after a long period away. When I reminded him that it was nice he didn't want to beat me up like he wanted way back, he laughed. "I hated everyone back then Jason. You're not that special." How can you not appreciate the levity in the smallest of moments?
