Dark Entries: Can you please introduce the band Cinema Strange to our readers? Who is who?
Bonzo: The musicians are Lucas "Zampano" Lanthier, who sings, Mik "Lafitte" Ribiat, who plays guitar, and Daniel "Yellow" Ribiat, who plays bass. I'm the Project manager and I collaborate with the band on many artistic endeavours, such as live show conception and design. Also, I do graphic design for the albums, and web site design for the online archive that is presently under construction. Also, we have Retch Dempsey, who contributes written material for the band, mostly for press releases and things like that.
DE: Does the Cinema Strange Project include more than just music? If so, please say something more about it.
Bonzo: There are other forms of art that have sprung from the music. There is a fair degree of performance art in some of the live shows. Many of the live shows have very strong visual elements that are separate artistic undertakings. And we've always done our own album design. But despite this, the Project is mostly concerned with music.
DE: Can you explain the name? According to me it has a touch of expressionism on the one hand and on the other hand something of a freak show.
Bonzo: The name derives from the early intent of the Project to do soundtrack music for expressionist cinema. However, I like your interpretation. "Expressionist Freak Show" describes things pretty accurately.
DE: How did the current members find each other?
Bonzo: We've all known each other since childhood. And the Ribiats are brothers.
DE: Could you please describe a funny, boring, weird, or negative aspect of Zampano, Yellow, and Lafitte?
Bonzo: Zampano is exceedingly cynical, though funny. Yellow is exceedingly outgoing, though not promiscuous. Lafitte is exceedingly quiet, though not necessarily shy. And they're all quite weird. Myself excluded.
DE: What's your part in this? (Artistic extravaganzas?)
Bonzo: As mentioned earlier, my artistic extravaganzas have much to do with web site design, live show ideas, flyer design, album design, etc.
DE: I suppose the atmosphere, as a whole, is more important to Cinema Strange than music as such, or am I wrong?
Bonzo: Cinema Strange creates atmosphere through music. Music is the most important element.
DE: Can you explain to me why I always get that haunted feeling when listening to Cinema Strange, like watching an old horror classic?
Bonzo: I cannot explain it, but I get the same feeling. They do a good job at inspiring those feelings.
DE: How important is an "image" (rather important in cinema) for Cinema Strange?
Bonzo: Images are quite important to the Project. Mister Lanthier presents quite a few of them in his lyrics. Also, there are those images conjured up by the music, idependent of the lyrical content. I think it is an objective of the musical/lyrical composition to paint precise images upon a specific atmosphere. Images are quite important.
DE: Is there a story to tell before Cinema Strange? I mean were the members formally active in any other projects in or besides music?
Bonzo: The Project members are and were involved in many other artistic undertakings, from filmmaking to literature, but we all use different names when pursuing those interests, so they cannot be discussed openly here.
DE: Do you consider Cinema Strange as a part of the gothic movement or is it all a pure coincidence?
Bonzo: The Project has been classified many different ways by many different people. The musicians, however, refuse to classify themselves and I won't even make the attempt. Despite this, and from the beginning, the Project has aimed its efforts at the "Gothic/Deathrock/Batcave" audience. And it so happens that those are the people who most readily identify with the band. Much of this probably has to do with the fact that their costumes are often very "Batcave" in appearance. That fact has certainly helped to classify the supposedly unclassifiable. But the music and the appearance of the musicians are often incongruous, and people are starting to learn that, I think.
DE: The sound of Cinema Strange is very '80s-like, similar to former English Batcave music (Alien Sex Fiend, Sex Gang Children). Were they or their sound of any influence? In 2002 this sound is rather rare and original.
Bonzo: The musicians take no influence from anyone or anything musical. The Project admires many bands from the '80s, such as the Virgin Prunes, but influence comes from far more arcane sources, such as rat mummies, African river staves, and ficus trees.
DE: Cinema Strange's latest album laughs at all commercial aspects of music. It's complex as a whole and in the songs as such... the lyrics are not straightforward song lyrics but more like little stories, even the titles are extraordinarily long... On the other hand all these elements bring a typical mentality and atmosphere to the music... Do you agree?
Bonzo: I think I agree.
DE: Is Cinema Strange an open book?
Bonzo: Certainly, but I have no idea what language that book is in.
DE: Does Cinema Strange make music for Cinema Strange or for an audience (how do you imagine this audience)?
Bonzo: They most certainly make music for themselves. I thought that this was somewhat illustrated by "The Astonished Eyes..." album. That isn't an album that one would make in order to please a general audience. It is a self-indulgent album in many ways.
DE: Does the eye on the cover allow us a peek into the life of Cinema Strange?
Bonzo: Goodness, no! That eyeball looks out on the world from the otherworld that Cinema Strange inhabits. It's looking out at YOU, my son, and gathering material for the next album, I'd imagine.
DE: Does Cinema Strange consider itself as an experimental band and/or an experiment?
Bonzo: No. An experiment is conducted in order to find out what the results of your actions will be. All Cinema Strange material is composed with clear objectives in mind, and with the results already visualized. There is no experimentation as far as finished works go. In fact, Cinema Strange is quite the opposite of an experimental project.
DE: How does an American band get a European record deal? Was there no interest for Cinema Strange's music or is it like London After Midnight used to say, "... because no label is good enough to bring out our music."?
Bonzo: There were several labels interested in C.S., both American and foreign. Trisol happened to offer the best deal.
DE: Who is Alexander Nikolayevitch Scriabin?
Bonzo: Scriabin is a Russian-born composer who lived in the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century. The Project holds his work in a very high regard, although Mik is the most ardent fan. He often plays Scriabin's works on piano, including the prelude that is alluded to in "The Astonished Eyes..."
DE: What are the future plans, or, referring to a certain punk attitude, is there no future?
Bonzo: I know the band is making plans for the next album, and will start work on it when they return from their tour. We here at the Cinema Strange Project count very much on there being a future! How else can we have our art externalized?
DE: And to conclude, how many times did you lie in this interview?
Bonzo: As Project public relations representative, I am not allowed to lie, although I was sorely tempted. Ciao!