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[by Jeff Pearce, Scott Thill]

Alice Donut still tastes weird after all these years. Maybe we should stop eating, but their arch rawk has what Don DeLillo called a narcotic undertow. Of course, he wasn't describing Alice Donut, but who cares? Their carnavalesque tales of human depravity and difference have torn eardrums and turned stomachs, but the hunger for their bizarroverse is still there. That's what I'm saying.

Anyway, they have a new disc out called Fuzz (what's growing behind Alice Donut's ears?) from their own indie label Howler Records, and nothing but jokes for us. Serious ones too.

Morphizm: How would you say the new album is different from Three Sisters? Other than having the original lineup involved, that is.
TOM: Three Sisters is like having a paper cut at the tip of your tongue from licking an envelope. Fuzz is like walking in a living dream of gum drops and radiant sun rays with hobbits gently massaging your balls.Dave wasn't on Three Sisters. He got out of prison just in time for Fuzz.  He scares the hobbits.

Morphizm: I know you had a funny story behind " Helsinki," from your last album. Does the new album have a song with a story behind it? People love that shit.
TOM : No.

Morphizm: How is Howler Records doing? What new bands have been signed that we should know about? Does having its own label make Alice Donut's job easier or harder? And do you feel that these homegrown labels are the future of music, now that the internet has kicked the major labels hard in the nuts?
DAVE: Howler is great.  We just signed a band called MONSTROUS from Providence who are going to rule the world. That line between Alice Donut and Howler gets a little fuzzy sometimes, since the band members do so much work for the label.  Frankly, I just lay back and fan my hobbit-free balls with the wads of cash flooding in from the band royalties on the left and label fees on the right while the “talent” makes the music, designs the artwork, creates the ads, handles all of the marketing.  It's fucking sweet.

What's the internet?

Morphizm: Have you toured or are you thinking of tour out on the West coast at all? Why not?
DAVE: We are launching a major national tour this fall.  It starts October 21, 2006 at the Knitting Factory in NY and ends on October 21, 2006 at the Knitting Factory in NY.  It is not far from the West Coast of Manhattan, so not very hard to get to.  This several-hour tour will be taxing, to say the least, but we feel it's important to properly support the record and reach out to the fans.

Morphizm: How is recording an album different now for Alice Donut than it may have been back before you guys...uh...took that long break? Do you do it remotely using tech, or in a studio together?
STEVE: We seem to have a lot less free time these days then we used to.  Our rehearsal and recording is more scheduled somewhat so that we can get as much done in the least amount of time+beer. We were all living in NY when we recorded the songs on Fuzz except for some of the vocal parts.  Tom and Sissi moved after we recorded the basics and before mixing, which we did somewhat remotely by sending them MP3s for their input. (They'd say "sounds great... more bass, less vocals.")
DAVE: But we did record all of the basics on tape, pretty much live in Martin Bisi's studio, an old cavernous civil war munitions factory.  A few overdubs of squirrely guitar parts or backing vocals were recorded on our digital home systems for convenience then popped into the mix, but we still generally write and record the same way -- with the whole band just plugged in and playing whatever comes out.

Morphizm: Do feel that the fans from way back are still with you today? Do you feel you're attracting a newer, younger crowd? Both?
STEVE: Both. A lot of the same intelligent, above-average and really good-looking fans are right there with us and it feels like they never left, even during our break.  And thanks to the internets, people of all ages no matter where they live can get some Donut. And from the looks of the numbers, it's happening.

October 3, 2006