Interview by Vivian Hua
Tagged 2005 hard rock north carolina bands rock stoner rock valient thorr volcom records
It's not every day that a band claims to be from Venus, but then again, the Valient Thorr isn't like most bands.
When their time machine exploded in the Great Storm of '57, these guys crash-landed on Earth in a place known as Chapel Hill, NC. Armed with an arsenal of gritty vocals, quirky attitude, and massive facial hair, they have since been taking over stages across the country with their brand of high-energy rock n' roll.
After releasing their album, Total Universe Man, in July 2005 on Volcom Records, Valient Thorr is now working on new tracks, about which vocaclist Valient Himself divulges, "There is definitely a lot of exploration and study of false profits. We're not necessarily talking about "prophets" with a 'ph,' but rather with an 'f.' We definitely deal with human myths, like witch doctors and superhumans, and the high peak of technology and greed. Future of the colonies, future wars – all kinds of crap. Scary, scary things."
It seems that scary things are synonomous with the United States government, because the aforementioned subjects led Valient into a political rant. It began with him asking if I was familiar with the UBFNME, which he was sure to point out didn't mean "You Can Fuck Me, Man." "[The UBFNME is] the United Brotherhood for the Natural Movement of the Earth... its natural movement is for it to blossom and grow like all the other planets. If you're a part of that organization, you're against all the organizations that are out there to stop the natural movement of the Earth, like the United States government."
It's a bold statement to make, but Valient is adamant in his beliefs. "We talk so many times about political disasters and natural disasters that are going on right now, and you always hear people saying, 'Oh, yeah, United States, American pride,' but they don't really have human pride or world pride."
On a more intimate level, Valient has done his part changing the world – if you can call it that – as a professor of art. However, Valient regards his transformation from art student to nude model to fine art professor as nothing more than, "Earth jobs to help you get by and put you in your position in the world."
One can only imagine what Valient, who later turned rock vocalist, would be like as a teacher. But flip it around, and one has to wonder what impact being a teacher has placed on his being a rocker. "Influences don't come just from other rockers. [It comes] from weird cult church weirdos, comedians, music, other rockers, and of course you get [influence] from teachers."
The band has recently completed a tour with the Aquabats, and will soon be undergoing transformations of sorts. According to Valient, the band has only lived on the east coast, but is planning to relocate soon, due to a complication with, of all people, Mr. Walt Disney.
"[When] we were on the road for seven months, it kind of got out that we were talking shit about Walt Disney because he stole our time machine," Valient recalls. "I've never really told anyone this, but what happened next was that our studios and our underground laboratories in Chapel Hill, NC were totally ravaged by Disney employees, so we're going to move to another secret location on the other side of the U.S."
Unfortunately, Valient wanted a head-start on Disney and would say no more than that the band would be in the Seattle, Portland, and California area.
So why California, when Disneyland is there? "There is a whole world of difference – no pun intended – between Disneyland and Disney World," Valient explains matter-of-factly. "Disney World is Disney World, friend. Disneyland is Disneyland... Lands can be totally conquered."
And conquer the west coast they shall.
what do you think?
