Source: Official Facebook
Kenet collective Ohhms are gearing up to release their debut full length, The Fool, at the end of the month. Full of burly riffs and a decent amount of mystical prog musing, we decided to chat to vocalist Paul Waller about his lyrics and writing process to get excited.
MOSH: How does the lyric writing process begin for you – Does the music come first, or the lyrics? Do you sit down with a goal of writing out a full song? Do you collect fragments and ideas when inspiration strikes?
PW: Wow, I’ve never been asked anything like that before. Well, I have a couple of note books full of ideas ranging from words I would like to use to full pages of poetry and then some. I can usually chop them up and fit them within whatever context the music comes in, so I am not short of ideas at any time. I copied that idea off of something Kurt Cobain said he did and it’s kept me in good stead. Sound advice I reckon.
The only time I have ever written to music was for the song ‘The Lovers’ on the new album. Daniel [Sargent, Ohhms Guitarist] had a recurring motif for a song that we had binned a couple of years back and a vocal pattern jumped into my head one night and the next day we sat down together with an iPad and put together a quick demo so that I wouldn’t forget it.
MOSH: Is this process always straightforward for you? Have you ever struggled with writer’s block?
PW: I’ve not been stuck for ideas at all; I’m on fire since we formed OHHMS. I wish we had more songs on the go so I can spurt out all my nonsense. I’m so hungry for it, to have this outlet. How could I not be? I find it hard to communicate my thoughts eloquently in real life, I blurt out my thoughts in an unintelligible order most of the time. Writing things down gives me control. Plus it’s good fun, it’s never a chore and looking back it’s a solid document of where my head was at during the point of writing.
MOSH: Do you go back to lyrics you have previously written and edit or refine them, or is it a case of ‘one and done’? Do you collaborate or share lyrics with other band members and take their feedback on board?
PW:Nah, I’m always changing things and the guys in the band hate it. I sometimes do it purely because I forget a line live and then replace it with an ad-lib or another line from another verse. Sometime the guys have no idea where we are in a song because of that. But mostly I alter things because, in the live environment, phrasing is a lot trickier than in the studio environment. I’ve had to take lessons in order gain better breath control and sonic range. It’s annoying as hell that it doesn’t come naturally to me like it does with other people.
As for the guys, most of the time I will hand them the finished article before we record, but they have never asked me to change anything. Well, that I can remember anyway and the lyrics are all mine.
MOSH: Are there any bands or artists that have inspired your lyrics? Do you seek to emulate any other lyricists in particular?
PW: Are you kidding, so many. Speaking purely as lyricists, then from punk you are looking at Steve Ignorant from Crass, Kathleen [Hanna] from Bikini Kill and Jello [Biafra] from Dead Kennedys. From the pop and indie world, maybe Paul Heaton from The Housemartins and The Beautiful South, and a bit of Paul Weller from his days fronting The Jam. From the metal scene I take inspiration from a plethora of artists, not so much lyrically but definitely from their phrasing and diction. Just off the top of my head I can tell you that I rip off Ozzy [Osbourne, duh -Ed.], Max Cavalera, Paul Stanley, Henry Rollins from his Rollins Band days, the list goes on and on and on.
MOSH: Do you draw lyrical inspiration from outside of music?
PW: Sometimes, yeah. I read a lot of papers and books about GMOs and animal rights activists and that sort of eco warrior thing. I get obsessed about it. That sort of thing is frightening and inspiring to me.
MOSH: Is there a specific space that you have to occupy in order to get ‘in the zone’ or can you write anywhere at any time?
PW: When I get down, when I feel depressed or out of my depth, I write a lot. Only about 15% makes the cut but it’s a good 15%. Other than that I have to make time, I pretty much manage the band and doing all the day to day crap isn’t conducive to creating interesting art, so i have to make time at night, when it’s quiet and dark and the phone isn’t buzzing.
MOSH: Do you choose to publish your lyrics or keep them personal? Is it important to you that fans be able to access them?
PW: With the new album the lyrics are included in full as they are an essential piece of the puzzle. There are other symbols in the artwork and hidden messages within the lyrics which, when studied, will bring a lot of light into the themes we explore on the 22 minute track ‘The Hierophant’. They are there if you are looking for them, and if not then it’s just an album full of kick arse music and catchy melodies.
MOSH: Can you remember when you began writing lyrics? Was it a conscious choice, or something you drifted into?
PW: When I was six I wrote my first song about Cookie Monster from Sesame Street. I showed my mum and she told me she was impressed, I believed her and kept at it. She was very encouraging. She also told me that girls’ willies popped out when they needed a toilet. Sometimes I reckon she wasn’t always being straight with me.
I’ve written ever since, as a lyricist, a poet, a novelist and a journalist. Its proper good fun and very cathartic.
MOSH: Off the top of your head, what is your favourite lyric and why?
PW: I always think of Bikini Kill’s ‘Rebel Girl’. Its an anthem, a product of a time and place, but most importantly it brought people together. It made people who heard it take notice and word spread and it spread fast. it spoke to groups of people, to scenes but also to individuals that felt their voices were not being heard. Plus there is no denying that that tune is hooky as hell.
MOSH: What is your favourite lyric that you have written?
PW: I always go to my first OHHMS lyric. ‘Rise of The Herbivore’. I’d recently turned vegetarian and I wrote about it. You can take the lyrics two ways as well, you can see it as a preachy warning or, if you put a question mark after each line I sing, then the words become something else entirely. I decided not to include lyrics so people could decide for themselves on how to take the meaning of the song. I’m still ridiculously proud of that now.
MOSH: Is there anything you actively try and avoid when writing lyrics? Any topics or themes you think are overdone or cliché?
PW: The usual doom laden lyrics, straight forward horror lyrics, “I love you” type lyrics, that sorta thing. It’s been done 100,000 times and how can I improve on that? I like to observe and jot down notes. The human condition, now that is fascinating to me. I’ll never say never though, who knows what the future may hold.
MOSH: Is it important to you that lyrics always tell a story, impart a mood, or have meaning?
PW: All of the above and more, or none of the above and less. Why put art in a box? Free thinkers have always pushed the boundaries of art, and then science and fact is always there to reign you back in when you float out too far. Except for maybe Syd Barret [of Pink Floyd infamy], every now and again too far is simply too far.
MOSH: Does your knowledge of your vocal delivery have any impact on how you write lyrics? Do you write to fit your style, or fit the delivery to the lyrics?
PW: I wish it did. I know my capabilities and in the studio I can push and push until i get the delivery I need. Live, it’s not so easy, and I have to adapt, I have to reign it in in order to play again the following night. But each gig brings something new, and each studio take offers a fresh chance to explore my range and my phrasing. It’s dead exciting to be in the practice room when we write something new. It’s my favorite part of being in the band. When I can add a great vocal to an already great song, that’s an incredible feeling.
‘The Fool’ sees release on March 31st on Holy Roar Records. You can preorder here , with all CD/LP orders also including three random tarot cards from the deck specially designed for the record.
