Helios Creed Interview
By:
KRK
Flipside
Magazine #65
Spring
1990
Helios Creed became a hell of a lot more than
an ex Chrome member the second I heard his "Nothing Wrong/The Sky"
7" It was while flipping the single over and over that I realized that this
man was responsible for more than half of Chrome's legendary industrial rock
mindwarp, or at least it seems that way. To my surprise the 7" was his
second release and as you read this he is working on his fourth! There are no
nude dancers, fancy light shows or upside down movies to be found when Helios
is on stage. His 3 piece band is true psychedelic mutation. Don't get much more
fucked up than this friends. With all that aside, I find myself inside a huge
blue school bus with all the burners lit on the near by stove in hopes of
warming up the situation.
Krk: First time you've played LA, that seems
crazy.
Creed: Well, before I was doing my own
booking. I didn't know who to hook up with, I was getting numbers from friends
in bands.
Krk: But you have toured?
Creed: Yeah I'm touring now. I've tried to
get a show in LA.... this was about 2 1/2 years ago. That was the last time I
toured.
Krk: Under Helios Creed?
Creed: Yeah, right.
Krk: Tell me about your first record, I
haven't seen it.
Creed: "X-Rated?"
Krk: Yeah.
Creed: Well, after I broke up with Chrome I
was writing. I spent like 3 years writing this record and couldn't really get
anyone to release it. I did a couple of songs and tried to get a deal but no
one was interested. Finally Steve from Subterranean was interested and I
finished it. It sold only 1500 or something.
Krk: Is it still available?
Creed: Yeah, as a matter of fact with the
release of my 2 new records, and they're doing really good, that one has been
re-released and is selling better now.
Krk: Two new ones? "Last Laugh" and what?
Creed: I have "Last Laugh"
(Amphetamine Reptile) and "
Krk: Would you think of those records as a
progression of what Chrome should have been?
Creed: I guess some of it would be, ya know.
Then there's parts where I wanted to be different than Chrome. Stuff that I
really wasn't able to do. Being in my own solo band I could do all these things
that I couldn't do with a partner. But yeah, a lot of the stuff could have very
well been a progression of what I was doing. Basically I'm doing the same thing
except I don't have a synthesizer player/partner.
Krk: Does the synthesizer matter?
Creed: No, it's just that I wanted... I
wasn't going to do Chrome anymore. I wanted to be a three piece - guitar, bass
and drums, real basic. With effects on the guitar.
Krk: It seems more rock based.
Creed: Yeah it is. Being that it is a trio,
you're limited but I'm also experimenting with vocal and guitar effects and I have a synthesizer that my guitar
goes thru, that can give it a synthesizer sound.
Krk: One single, three albums...
Creed: Gonna start a new album in about a
week at Razor's Edge in
Krk: He was with you tonight?
Creed: Yeah.
Krk: Who is the bass player?
Creed: Mark Duran, the guy that played on
"X Rated" and "
Krk: The album "Last Laugh" was the
song on the single?
Creed: Yeah, that was a song on the
"Shoot guns.." 7" comp. It's just a little thing we do, we
release a single with the title song from the album. Which has nothing to do
with that title. We did that with Chrome once. I don't know if it bugs people!
Krk: Your music seems to be compared to
hallucinogens a lot, how do you feel about that?
Creed: Well, I like to think of it as a
positive thing if someones going to take psychedelics and feel like the music
sounds good. I feel that's a compliment. It doesn't bother me.
Krk: Do you want to portray that psychedelic
feel?
Creed: All I know is I like to re-create
music... if you want to say... psychedelic music to me is what I call 3-D. I
guess what I want to do is make the music 3 dimensional instead of 2, which is
flat - make it have depth and I guess that might be interpreted as psychedelic.
When you create 3-D effects... that's what I like to do.
Krk: Do you have any musical
influences that you think has that feel to it?
Creed: Let me see.... early Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix
as far as early influences.... some of King Crimson's stuff. I don't know if
you call any of that psychedelic, but it has that 3-D feel to it.
Krk: On "Last Laugh" there's no
lyric sheet.
Creed: There was going to be a lyric sheet, I
just finished it too late. It's kind of a drag.
Krk: I can't make 'em out...
Creed: A lot of the lyrics I don't even think
about. I just do the first thing that comes to my head. Some I like, some I
don't. Those I manipulate... think about it a little bit. A lot of my favorite
lyrics are the ones that come to my head first. Just about all of "Last
Laugh" lyrics just came to my head, sorta like talking in tongues.
Krk: Is the guitar playing like that too?
Creed: Some of it. I write down a lot of the
rhythm parts before I lay it down. The lead is spontaneous, whatever happens.
Krk: Do you mind the band being called Helios
Creed?
Creed: Well, at first I didn't want to do
that. I needed a name for the band. I couldn't get a record deal unless I used
my Chrome thing. They wanted to make sure they could sell records. That isn't
true, I still don't sell records! Now I'm stuck with it. It did sort of bug
me...
Krk: With so many bands doing reunion gigs,
what are the chances of Chrome getting back together?
Creed: Well, I don't think that will ever
happen just because I don't think Damons really into it. I suggested it once,
do a couple of shows for the hell of it, for the money, ya know? But it didn't
work out, maybe one day, in a year or two.
Krk: Do you play any Chrome songs live?
Creed: Yeah, we play 3 songs...
"Abstract Nympho," "TV As Eyes" and "Turn Around." It sounds a little different than
the record because that record was a studio record. It's fun never the less.
Krk: Do you think your band will make it as
big as Chrome?
Creed: That would be nice. I would like to
get even beyond that! Well, my partner Damon never really wanted to play that
much. I feel Chrome just got known for its record sales, not for playing live.
I plan to make well produced records and tour. Hopefully I can make a living
off it someday!
Krk: In
Creed: Well, I have ways of making money, but
I'll be touring for the next couple of months. That should take care of me for
now.
Krk: There doesn't seem to be a big Helios Creed type of sound happening now, just a lotta
rock...
Creed: Maybe that's good, maybe we'll stand
out. I always like to think that I'm doing something a little different. Maybe
I'm not?!
Krk: Were you happy with your 7"?
Creed: Yeah for what it is. It was an
experimental studio track. I was going to do the band thing, but I wanted to
work with Steve Fisk. So we just did
samples...effects...I guess I like it for that reason. It's different than the
album
Krk: You like the sampling?
Creed: Yeah I do. I like doing that as well
as having the fat acoustic trap sound. If you can program some unusual
effects... make it sound bigger or something...
Krk: But you stuck with the guitar?
Creed: Sometimes I play synthesizers,
samplers, bass guitar. I can't play keyboards but I can weasel around with
them. I think I have a feel for what kind of tones to use more than maybe the
notes. That's basically one of the things I'm searching for - new tones, a new
sound, new effects I can put the guitar through.
Krk: After Chrome there was that lull. What
was happening?
Creed: You mean the three years...not as much
as I would have wanted to happen. I was trying to make a new band, get a record
deal. I was having a hard time as a matter of fact. Just recently have I
started to tour making albums... trying to make a buzz about my music.
Krk: What kept you going thru it all?
Creed: I love doing it for one thing... and
the other is... I don't know what else I would do. I don't really have that
many other talents. I can't go out and make money doing other things. Maybe it's
an illusion but I always feel like I'm on the verge of making a living doing
this. Doesn't really matter, I love doing it...it's how I get my kicks.
Krk: Chrome should have been doing ok?
Creed: It could have if we would have played
live. That's why I quit.. I couldn't get my partner or the rhythm section to agree if they wanted to play or where
I couldn't control any of that and it was very frustrating because when you're
on that level you really don't make money selling records. You can make a little
money playing live because people come and see you.
Krk: Together it works...
Creed: Yeah, if you release a good record, go
out and play it. Eventually the name gets around. Of course you're only as good
as your last record, so you've got to keep making your last record as good if
not better than your last. Make a bad record... it's worse than starting over
again.
Krk: Any last comments?
Creed: When I'm in your town, come check me
out.... bring some effects... for the vocals.
Images appearing in this interview:
