Interviewer (via e-mail): Glenn Milligan, BA Hons CS Artist: Myk (Lead Vocalist of German, Aggro/Industrial Metaller's 'Testify') Hello! This is Myk, voice of Testify, doing the interview - When the predecessor-band of Testify, The Fair Sex, grew somewhat too soft and smooth, the TFS-members Rasc, Lo and Myk decided, on one hot summer day in 1992, lying in the grass of a graveyard in Munich, to found a really nasty/biting/whatsoever aggro-project, and lo! - the idea of Testify was born. Glenn: Why did you call the band 'Testify'? Myk: I think, sorry, in the first place, we just took it exclusively for the sound of the word. Later we delivered the interpretation: That in the face of the world we wanted to testify something. What exactly? Very likely something like that we were alive and kicking. Glenn: Is the
band a full time profession or do you have jobs as well to bring Myk: We have several musical projects beside. But still that would scarcely be enough to live from. No, there are other activities which I will not give away now. Glenn: Who are your main influences and why? Myk:
In contrast to the common notion that we are influenced by Ministry We listen and analyse, we rob ideas, which we try to set into our very special sound-constructions. Glenn: What is your favourite work to date and why? Myk:
Now I fear I must answer with a standard by which many bands answer Glenn: What was it like touring with Die Krupps and working alongside a member of Ministry? Myk:
It was ever refreshing to work together with people that have a Glenn: What is to be expected if you come to a Testify show? Myk: Hhhmm... The Scream Of Anger, a tiny bit of blood (when Myk scratches his breast during the performance of A.N.G.E.R.), lots of sweat; and one or two tears when we play "Quest Of Nothing", our 1995- Dark Ballad. Glenn: What are your favourite venues, countries and tours so far? Myk:
There are several places which we yearn for to be back there... But
for some reason, perhaps due to the astonishing liberal-ness of the
country, I ever especially Glenn: Why are your albums downloadable - does that tend to kill the sales of them or not? Myk: From the first days of MP-3´s this is one of the great questions; and some people answer it in the way that the promotion-advantage of downloads is immense and should be used. CD´s will be bought anyway - due to their greater worthiness. The same question was being asked in the 70´s - when the audio-cassettes came onto the market: Will that new medium not kill the LP´s? It did not. So one should not be too anxious I think. Glenn: What would say are your greatest achievements to date so far ? Myk:
The thing that makes me most proud and glad is the creating of stuff Glenn: What is the average Testify audience like with regard to age/sex/image and attitude of fans ? Myk: OK it was somewhere in our past when we realized that this kind of music that we create - for some reason- does not seem to be the right music for the fair sex, for the female sex, for women. Very seldom we saw girls in front of the stage, and so. We fell into deep brooding and even trouble of the mind, and when we finished considering the theme we realized: "Mistikack! (which means: "sh*t!"). We´ve chosen the wrong genre!" But -alas! - it would not be convincing, if Testify would change their sound in the vain attempts to sound like Backstreet Boys, or something like this. So, sighing with disappointment, we took up our instrument and invented another roar-guitar-riff. At once we felt relieved, although not really happy. Glenn: Where does the band seem to go down best? Myk: As far as we can overlook this: In the US we tend to sell more of our albums in the eastern regions of Germany however we had our greatest live-show-events. But we do not care about this. The warren places of the Australian deserts, in the western parts of that land - these are our final destinations. OK, I´ll try to stay serious. And so I must say: I fear in the most places of this planet we are still totally unknown. Glenn: Are there plans to play the UK (maybe in a support slot perhaps)? Myk:
We work on plans to get "Triviality Beyond Acceptance" released
there Glenn: What influences and likings do you have outside the Aggro/Industrial metal? Myk:
There are numerous wonderful things you can listen to in this world Glenn: What influences you lyrically? Myk:
Ahr! The darkness that is innermost of all, possibly at least. The wrath
about ourselves and the whole globe. Frustration about things that won´t
work and things Glenn: How do you feel being dubbed the next 'Ministry'? Myk: Finally! I already started to anxiously ask myself whether the Ministry-comparision will not arise in this interview. So with a sigh of relief I state this answer, for this time: It is a honour for us to get a laudatio like that. But Ministry will return! And in the mean time we hope to conquer the world with "Triviality Beyond Acceptance", so that Al Jourgensen is being asked, when Ministry´s complete comeback has been launched: "Al, how do you feel being dubbed the next `Testify`?" (With Al smiling, of course, answering: "What an honour for us!") Glenn: What was it that made you choose to sign with Van Richter ? Myk: Van Richter found us already in the very early state of our existence, in late 1994 I think; and took us under VR-wings, where we prosper ever since. Glenn: Where do you obtain many of your samples from e.g. the children? Myk:
Most of the children-samples of "Triviality Beyond Acceptance"
I Glenn: What do you guys do when not working on 'Testify' - hobbies etc? Myk:
We drink German beer, and gaze hopelessly into the Gegend; and when By the by: I have written a novel, a persiflage-parody: "Der Herr Der Ohrringe" which is "The Lord Of The Earrings" - a slapstick-Fantasy-book that was released in late 2001 in Germany. Mathias is quite a well-known sound-engineer in these areas of Rheinland, and has much to do. Kullf, guitar-player, is working in the nearness of a graveyard - in order to stay in contact with the right inspirations. Glenn: What are the bands future plans? Myk: To find the relief for which we are struggling since I dontknowwhen. Glenn: What was it like seeing yourselves on MTV? Myk: The Testifylers pretty much enjoyed the moment seeing themselves for the first time on MTV! We were drinking beer, on that occasion, sitting on a couch side by side, and it became a classical afternoon for us, because we realized how bad the communications between our musical projects had become. For suddenly Blonder, keyboard-player of The Fair Sex, the sister-project, came in and was astonished. "You have already produced a video for Testify??!!?" Glenn: Do you get much radio airplay - if so, who with ? Myk: Radio-play? Testify? No. I think not. At least I have never made that experience. Glenn: What are your main goals in life? Myk: To find the relief! Thanks Myk for giving me a top-notchin' interview. Special thanks to Paul Abramson (Manager of Van Richter Records) for making it possible.
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