Goblin Cock

A conversation with Rob Crow (Lord Phallus)

(January 2009)

Interview by Adam McKibbin

For Rob Crow, quantity doesn't come at the expense of quality. Best known as one-half of the creative engine behind acclaimed indie rockers and hipster heroes Pinback, Crow has one of those Midas touches, which he's liberally applied to numerous projects under different names. One of those names - and what a name it is - is Goblin Cock. Come With Me If You Want To Live is their second album, and it rocks and rocks hard. Crow channels metal and hardcore heroes of the past, conjures the weed clouds of stoner heavy rock, and - and here's the trick - filters it all through his never-failing melodic sensibilities. The result is an album that's a certifiable headbanger in places, a certifiable ticket for a hazy trip in others, but never drifts off into that nightmarish land of No Hooks.

As such, Goblin Cock may be too metal for delicate Pinback fans, and not enough metal for beast-signing bashers. But for listeners who don't need the music to be black or white, Come With Me If You Want To Live is a fun album to crank up loud. For the purposes of Goblin Cock, Crow calls himself "Lord Phallus" - a pretty good sign that they're not taking themselves too seriously. The music, though, isn't messing around.

Crow answered some questions from The Red Alert about Star Wars, his upcoming opera project, and the importance of putting out a complete package. Hehe... package.

In the past, Goblin Cock has always been tied pretty closely to “Rob Crow from Pinback,” which is the sort of connection that labels are obviously usually interested in stickering and accentuating.  There was never much chance that Lord Phallus was going to keep his cover.  Would you prefer to have your different bands have more independence?

I would prefer each project to have an individual personality as much as possible. This is harder to do in some cases such as solo albums, because they usually end up a conglomeration of different styles.

Is there still a plan to potentially put out albums by other artists at some point?

I'd want to make sure I really know what I'm doing before I'd put another band's career at stake.

As a young Lord seeking out metal, how did you get turned on to new bands?

I go to a lot of shows and I pore over every record store and music blog i can to find new sounds to keep me interested. It is very rare to find someone who shares the majority of my likes and especially dislikes.

There are obviously pretty clear divisions between Goblin Cock and your other entities.  About 30 seconds in, a song like “T.O.F.” sounds like it could go in a non-Cock direction.  Is it always clear when you start writing to which of your outlets the song belongs?  

Pretty much. If I have something that doesn't seem to fit anything, I throw it in the solo folder.

You’re no stranger to the road and you’ve played different types of venues with different types of acts.  Lots of interviews dispense advice for fledgling musicians, but what advice would you give to fledgling promoters or venue owners?

Just make sure the sound system is up to snuff and the people working it know what they are doing. There is no real reason for a lighting guy or between act DJs. Also, make sure the show is promoted enough so that the people who be interested in whatever band is playing know the show is happening.

What do you see as a perfect bill for Goblin Cock?  Would it be playing with some monsters of metal – or playing for a more unsuspecting audience?

Any show can be a fun show and sometimes a perfectly set-up no-brainer can turn into a huge disaster. I'd be afraid to suggest any of my favorite bands in case of future possible embarassments.

All of the icing on the Goblin Cock cake is tasty.  The album title, the song titles, the album artwork again… all of it is top-notch.  Is there a lot of back-and-forth and teeth-gnashing about finding the perfect titles, or do they come as thunderbolts? 

It's always a thunderbolt. In this project a belabored idea usually doesn't work out so well, except in the case of the upcoming Cock Opera Dragonfucker, which I've been taking my time on.

Do you think we’re close to a time when album artwork will become irrelevant (or close to it)?

On one hand, I can't see why music and artwork SHOULDN'T be separate. There are actually albums I'd listened to for years without seeing the cover and when I did, somehow it changed my perspective on it.

On the other hand, there are albums that are designed so pefectly together that it is impossible to think of it being represented in any other way. I try to work in this way with Goblin Cock and in the latter way with, say, Pinback wherein ABSIV and I really want people to purely pay attention to the music. This isn't to say we aren't proud of the artwork on them. In fact the last two Pinback covers have been done by the same guy that did the Goblin Cock artwork, the wonderful Mike Sutfin. I just come up with the concept, pose for them, and then he goes wild.

There are older albums, of course, by bands that have had different covers depending on the pressing or what country it was released in and I can't help thinking what a subconcious difference it might have made if I had seen one of those first. I feel the same way about book covers.

Finally, I know you know a thing or two about Star Wars and was wondering whether you’ve ever taken a shot at Star Wars Trivial Pursuit?  We have a writer who claims she’s undefeated and unbeatable.

I believe her. I've discovered that the trick is memorizing the Imperial military personnel. I suck at the game because I'm always getting stuck on an Admiral Piett question or something and the other people get "What is a probe droid?"