Bryan Scary

(August 2007)

Interview by Adam McKibbin

Photograph by Sarah Wilmer

Though credited to "Bryan Scary and The Shredding Tears" and featuring theatrical, ornate pop music that sounds like it could keep an array of musicians busy on stage, the album The Shredding Tears sprang almost entirely out of the mind (and apartment) of Mr. Scary, playing all by his lonesome.  This is to take nothing away from drummer Jeremy Black, the "guitar cameo" by the fabulously named Beefbone Washington, or the mixing job by esteemed Brian McTear.  But like Freddie Mercury, David Bowie or Kevin Barnes before him, Scary is clearly galloping off after his own [as Scary himself puts it] ostentatious muse.

The Shredding Tears are branching out in the future, with Scary and his band currently putting the finishing touches on an album about "airships and flights of fancy" and contemplating future endeavors with Frank Sinatra and past run-ins with unusual incarnations of John Lennon.  Yes, here in Scaryville, even an interview can be an adventure.

The Shredding Tears seems to be finding some new life in 2007; can you give a Cliffs Notes of the journey it’s taken from its original release to its final push?

Certainly. The record began life when a star exploded billions of years ago. There are many theories as to the nature of the explosion, and whether or not it took place at all, but to quote Professor Alberto “Humphrey” Bogart of the Institute for Higher Learning of Happenstance, Michigan: “Here’s looking at you, star-child.” There came to be nine planets in total, but The Shredding Tears was recorded on only one of them (see chapter 300,000,000,008 for Doctor Emmitt Brain’s theory of an Earth-Venus dalliance). CONTINUED ON THE NEXT PAGE?

And following on that – what’s been going on the meantime? Is the next album already underway?

The new album is almost finished. It was recorded with my new band The Shredding Tears in Philadelphia. It concerns airships and flights of fancy. It’ll be out in January. We have another album ready to record, which is a collection of cautionary tales.

Your album hops across a number of genres, leaving the impression that future songs could go in a lot of different directions. Instead of trying to guess where you’re going, are there any directions you know you’re not going?

I was going to say, “I’m certain I’ll never record a duets album with Sinatra,” but that’s not even entirely true. As long as his estate felt comfortable with it, I think it would make a nifty Christmas record. Well, maybe a Halloween record.

The Shredding Tears are a touring band, correct? You’re credited with doing all the singing and playing on the album. I was curious whether now that you’ve logged more time on the road and playing as a full band if you thought future album would involve more players, or if you foresee yourself continuing to handle the recordings yourself?

The Shredding Tears are definitely much more than a touring band at this point. We recorded the upcoming record together, and even though it’s comprised of my songs and concepts, their contributions are all over the place. I don’t plan on handling future recordings myself in the near future. The first record was created that way out of necessity. And who needs necessity?

The Beatles get tossed around a lot, obviously, when it comes time to write band bios and RIYL sections. But in listening to THE SHREDDING TEARS it actually made sense to me to make the connection. Is there, in fact, a direct influence, or is it more intangible?

An ex-girlfriend had a tattoo of John Lennon on her rump, so the influence is definitely tangible.

Speaking of that live show, you’ve acquired a reputation for being quite a formidable force in a live setting. Have you always felt comfortable on stage, and how hard was it in those early days to bring your A-game to the stage even when you were playing in front of presumably smaller and less attentive audiences.

I love putting on a show, and no matter who or what comprises our audience, I expect myself and the band to perform as well as humanly possible. That’s why I drink PEPPYSMART ©, the greatest energy drink in the world. And only thirteen calories per serving!

What’s the best show you’ve ever seen as an audience member?

Van Gogh at Spaceland in Los Angeles, August 14th, 1999. He played his ear off.

Did you ever have a formative moment when you heard and album/saw a concert, and a light-bulb clicked, and you said, “I want to do that!”

I never had one of those moments. I always thought they only existed in the ungainly anthology of college admittance essays.

The Shredding Tears is packed with vibrant arrangements. Did you conceive them that way or build on the bare bones…

They’re generally conceived that way. I tend to get a lot of information at once when writing, and then I suppose I’m expected to sort it out and pare it down, which I refuse to do, out of respect for a generous, if ostentatious, muse.