Helios Creed Interview
February 28, 2006
Psychotropic Zone
Coming from Hawaii, the guitarist legend Helios Creed was
originally known from a San Francisco band Chrome who operated in the change of
the 70's and 80's to do pioneering work on combining psychedelic rock,
industrial, punk and new wave. This very influential guitar player has also
made a lot of excellent solo albums with extraterrestrial music about aliens
and other abnormal things that's been left a bit outside of the mainstream. The
heavy, deranged guitar sound of Helios is based on massive use of effects, and
his effected, even scary vocals can be too much for many people, but to me he
is a big hero, the survivor of the great psychic wars. Helios is still making
music, and I thought that it would be great to catch up with him.
When
and how where you first interested in music? Who where your first idols?
I was twelve
when I really started getting interested in music and got my first guitar. My
influences back then: Blue Cheer, Canned Heat, Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, -just
to name a few.
What
where you doing before you joined Chrome?
Acid hehe...
Doing a lot of folk type stuff and passing the hat in bars. Made a few failed
bands.
How
did you first meet Damon and the others? How did you join the band?
I was
playing with Gary Spain. He was playing violin over my acoustic stuff, he said
he played bass in a band and made a record. I heard The Visitation and really
dug where it was coming from and told
Well, that's
what I loved about Damon and the guys, we were all into sounding original, and
that's how it happened, it was just us being natural.
Please
tell us something about how it was being in Chrome during the early albums.
What was it like to work in the studio? Can you describe a bit the scene in
I would
never trade those days for anything, it was a real gas. We were young, healthy
and fresh.
I
think you didn't really play many live gigs with Chrome. Why was that?
Damon.
What
are your favourite Chrome albums and why?
Half Machine
Lip Moves is my fav, but really I love them all...
How
and why did the original Chrome split up?
Drugs, the
yoko syndrom and Damon's ego.
Please
tell us something about the time after Chrome. It took a few years to get your
first solo album X-Rated Fairy Tales out, what where you doing during that
period?
Trying to
get any companies interested in me, and trying to get my solo thing of the
ground, it was a very tuff time for me...
Have
you been happy with reaction your solo albums have made on people? How about
the sales?
The sales
vary. I seem to go in and out of popularity, but I don't care. It's my baby and
I love it and I don't care who loves it or hates it. But it seems to be on an
up swing lately and that ok with me...
How did
you hook up with the Pressurehed/Farflung guys? What was it like to be part of
the Nik Turner's excellent Space Ritual tour? Has Hawkwind ever been an
influence on your work?
Those guys
are fans, I met them at a HC show, I love those guys. Tommy G. got me hooked up
with Nick Turner. It was both a nightmare and a dream come true to work with
those freaks. Crazy memories like you wouldn't believe...
What
other collaborations have you done? What was the thing with the Butthole
Surfers?
I played a
couple tracks on Indipendent Worm Saloon, "Clean It Up{BITCH]" and
"The Annoying Song", I love those guys.
Since
Damon's death you've been putting out albums as Chrome, as well us under your
own name. Why's that? Is there big difference music vice between the two?
My last HC
Chrome was Ghost Machine. I don't think I'm going to make any more Chrome
albums after GM unless there's a lot of doe in it. There were just a few more
Chrome songs I needed to do. Yes to me Chrome and my solo thing are two totally
different entities.
Why not, it
all comes from your imagination anyway? Drugs or no drugs?
I
guess playing psychedelic acid punk hasn't actually made you a rich man. What
has helped you through the hard phases and made you still want to play music?
I love it,
and someone needs to do it, don't you think?
Please
tell us about your UFO encounters. Have these influenced your music and lyrics
a lot?
Oh, I think
so. My experience with these things was a totally positive experience for me,
to see a saucer hovering over my head and receive psychic knowledge about music
and the future, and you know what. I don't care if people think I'm nuts or
not, I think the ones I've seen are here to help...
What
it is that you want to achieve with your music?
To make
people happy and give them a kind of hope spiritually they can't get anywhere
else, and to get laid, hehe!
Have
you heard the Chrome tribute Burning Chrome released in 2005? What do you think
of that? Any favourite versions on that CD?
You mean
You've Been Duplicated? It's ok but I wish the guy that released it would pay
me...
You
have a brand new CD to be released soon. Can you give us some details, like who
plays on it and so on? You also got a new tour coming up, right?
Yes, it's
true, a tour, and the album is called "Deep Blue Love VacuUM" with
Jeff Pinkus- Fabienne Shine-Jerry Page-Paul Della Pelle-Blair Bovbjerg. (Pinkus
is not on tour, Domokos of Pink Cloud is on bass for the tour. Bovjberg is also
not on tour, just on the CD.)
Anything
else you'd like to say to the fans?
Yes, please
be at the show, you won't want to miss this one!!!
Thanks a lot
Helios for answering my questions! Everybody who can should check him out at
South by South-West Festival in
HELIOS
CREED DEEP BLUE LOVE VACUUM TOUR
UPDATED
2/28/06
March 18th
March 20th
March 22nd
March 23rd
March 24th
March 25th SF/Oakland,
CA - Grandma’s House*
March 26th
March 27th
March 29th
March 30th
April 1st
April 2nd
April 4th
April 6th
April 7th
April 8th
April 9th
April 10th
April 11th
April 12th
April 13th
April 14th
Images appearing in this interview:
