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An Interview with Gary Zon of Dismantled
Posted: Sunday, January 28, 2007
By: Matthew Johnson
Assistant Editor

Dismantled's music has undergone a transformation since Gary Zon put out his first Front Line Assembly-influenced album. The band's second release, PostNuclear, was hailed groundbreaking, but failed to garner the commercial success Zon had hoped for, so when it came time for a third album, Dismantled offered up Standard Issue, a send-up of the club scene that mercilessly mocked generic EBM while openly embracing its catchy synth melodies and four-to-the-floor drum patterns.

Ironically enough, Zon himself has little interest in the scene itself; for all his natural talent at rhythms and remixes, he considers himself first and foremost a rock fan, and in fact pursues those interests as front man for indie band Aerodrone. He speaks to ReGen about his disillusionment with the industrial scene and the paradoxically morbid but inspiring vision behind his next album, When I'm Dead.

You have a new EP, Thanks for Everything, out on Dependent Records. Can you tell us a little about it? Will there be a U.S. version?

Zon: As far as I know, there won't be a U.S. version of it. This is actually an EP that Stefan of Dependent Records suggested releasing, and I agreed with him because I thought Thanks for Everything was a great single. Usually I am the one who suggests the EPs, so this was a unique situation. We worked out a track list where I did a B-side called 'Change the World' with TZA from NNN doing some backup vocals. I also did a Dismantled remix of an Aerodrone song that was influenced by She Wants Revenge. Rotersand also contributed a remix version of the song that was very clubby. The artwork was also the first that wasn't made by me and was commissioned by Dependent, but I'm pleased with the way it turned out. I think I will let the label make more decisions about the releases in the future, because I want to make sure I'm doing all I can to succeed.

You've mentioned before that your most recent album, Standard Issue, is a way of making fun of the industrial scene. What has the response to the album been like? Has there been any backlash from the bands that you satirize on the album?

Zon: There has been no backlash from any bands, probably because I didn't mention any specifically, nor did I want to, because it wouldn't amount to anything in the end except some lame forum fight. There's a lot of people that dig the album, and in Europe it has done better than PostNuclear, but I still don't feel that 'buzz' that I got with my very first album, and that's what I've been hoping to replicate. I've talked to Metropolis about the album and how it did, but I didn't really get a clear answer. Personally, I think Standard Issue is the most direct and straightforward thing I've written my whole career, and a number of industry people, like Stefan from Dependent, agree, but for whatever reason, I have yet to reach the status of at least a 'medium' indie band. I was surprised by a few reviewers here and there who I thought would bash the album but actually came through raving about it. All in all, another mixed bag! On to the next album.

Do you feel like people are getting the joke? Does it matter to you whether or not people understand what you were trying to do with Standard Issue, or is it something you did mainly for your own amusement? Did you worry about the possibility of songs like 'Get It Through' and 'Breed to Death' offending your own fans?

Zon: There were a few people who thought I hated them because of the lyrics to 'Breed to Death,' but once I talked to them and they saw where I was coming from, they understood the message. As an artist, my job is to provoke, and if people get a certain reaction from my music, I feel as if I've succeeded. At this point, I'm over the irony in Standard Issue and feel I've moved on. Whether people got what I was trying to say or didn't doesn't matter to me in the long run as long as I felt fulfilled creatively putting together the package. Feeling fulfilled commercially, however, is something I have yet to experience.

What is the biggest misunderstanding people have about Dismantled, or about your work in general? What message do you want to share with people that have misunderstood what you're doing?

Zon: I think the biggest misconception about Dismantled or me is that I am one of the bands you can pair with Combichrist or Velvet Acid Christ. I think if people really listened to all I had to say and read my lyrics, they would discover that I'm more a rock band than anything, way closer to Nine Inch Nails or The Faint than any of the bands on Metropolis. I've heard a number of people say that Standard Issue would do better if it was on an indie rock label or something that wasn't associated with underground industrial music, and I wholeheartedly agree. Unfortunately, for whatever reason that hasn't happened. Here's to hoping that with Moving Units and Client on board, Metropolis becomes the label I'm talking about!

Despite your outspoken criticisms of the EBM scene, you're still very much involved with helping out up-and-coming bands, as evidenced by your recent collaborations with groups like Dystopiate. Do you feel like EBM and industrial are still relevant?

Zon: Hard question for me to answer, given the fact that I don't listen to that style of music anymore. I get nostalgic sometimes and put on Front Line Assembly, so I think that's where the motivation to collaborate comes from. Dystopiate reminded me of that nostalgia that was associated with my first album, and I really wanted to do something cool for them that takes me back to that. Whatever I can do to help with my skills, I'm all for it, but I'm definitely not advocating an EBM revival or anything of the sort. I am in my own space and that's where I'll stay!

You've been pretty clear about the things that bother you in the scene, but what gives you hope? What do you think are the most promising developments in the genre? Who are your favorite new acts?

Zon: Again, a hard question to answer, because I don't follow the scene and I have no idea what developments are happening. I do know that Metropolis has signed Moving Units and Client on their label, and I applaud them for that because I can laugh at all my friends that hate Metropolis and goth music and say 'Metropolis will be an indie rock label in a few years and all your favorite bands will be on it.' Of course that's far-fetched, but I always feel that Metropolis have tried to be progressive in signing acts like Mindless Self Indulgence and Electric Six, so I'm all for them trying something new. As for new music, I think I'm the worst person to ask that question, because I haven't bought a CD in years and have lately been listening to the same music I have in high school: Smashing Pumpkins' Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness.

You've recently been quite busy with your rock band, Aerodrone. Has making music with a full band changed your perspectives on songwriting? What effect will your work with Aerodrone have on your approach to Dismantled?

Zon: You know, I thought for a second that it would be interesting to turn Dismantled into a rock band, but then I realized that that was a really, really bad idea. Aerodrone has taught me that it's very hard to get a group of people together to play what you want them to play and still feel satisfied creatively. It's not necessarily the people that are wrong, but the fact that my way to build a 'band' is wrong because it's based on that Nine Inch Nails concept of being in control of everything. That's why I've realized that the best part of Aerodrone is recording the songs, rather than jamming with the band. Don't get me wrong, it's fun to jam with people and come up with parts, but it's way more work and time compared to just coming up with ideas on a computer and having people play it. Point being, the less people I have to rely on, the better.

You also have a new side project called NNN. How did NNN come about, and what are your plans for this project?

Zon: I was dating this girl, code-named TZA, and was living in her apartment where we would watch movies and drink lots of champagne. Once she gave me a glass that said NNN on it and mentioned how that would be her band. Then at some point I set up a MiniKorg, and she started playing it and singing. A lot of people play things and sing for me and I never think anything of it, but what she was doing had this pop appeal to it that I really enjoyed. I could easily come up with melodies based on her hooks, and her vocals stood out. I recorded her on 'Change the World' and eventually moved to San Diego from Eugene and lived with her. She would write a ton of lyrics on napkins and anything that was around the house, and I would walk around and talk how I wanted to be her A and R. Then there were a lot of nights when she would just demand to plug in the mic and record her and I would; I thought she was brilliant. NNN is the result of that, and I actually like what it stands for better than the abbreviation: 'No.Not.Never.' Look for the track 'We Were' on the Dependence Volume 2 compilation on Dependent Records!

Although you have some mixed feelings about remix projects, you've done a fair amount of remixes for other artists. Do you have a favorite? A least favorite?

Zon: I like them all, actually. The :Wumpscut: remix that won the contest is still a favorite, but I dig what I did with Brain Leisure, 'Atmosfear.' The worst thing that I've done of that sort was remix Marilyn Manson, 'Sweet Dreams.' I put my own vocals on it, and then I realized that they sucked ass and never wanted that public again.

You've stated that Standard Issue completes a trilogy that began with your self-titled debut album. Now that this trilogy is completed, where do you want to take Dismantled in the future? Will Dismantled still be your main project, or do you plan on focusing more on other creative outlets?

Zon: At this point, whatever project takes me somewhere where I am not right now, I will pursue it. At this point, I simply can't afford any more losses. I toured with Aerodrone and all it did at this point was put my bank accounts in the negative. If I can't figure out a way to pay rent with music this year, I will need to seriously pursue a different path. I really hope that I will be able to do it through music, but life is life; if something doesn't work, you've just got to try something else.

Do you have any future plans you'd like to tell us about? What's the most exciting thing for you on the Dismantled agenda?

Zon: I am excited about my new album, When I'm Dead. I've started working on some visual concepts of it, and it's definitely something that entertains me and stimulates me, which is morbidly fascinating. I've done a collaboration on a track called 'Wisdom' with Daniel Fullmer that will be on the CD and have a few others in mind before I flesh the whole thing out. I've always thought that the end of me or the end of society as we know it is such a powerful image, and I think it will be fascinating for me to embrace that feeling and tunnel myself into that reality. I just see notebooks of my failed years in college and photo albums of me blacked out and imagine how things would have ended up if I simply wasn't there. On another level, death is a sort of 'change' for me, as in people that I have had relationships with disappearing and me being forced to possibly take a different path than music because of financial reasons. Me not doing what I am doing right now would be a major death for me. But for some reason, I feel grossly empowered by this whole wave of thought. As the lyric for the song 'Simple Machines,' states, 'Fuck all my friends / No one will be there in the end / I'll die / Alone but free.' And whatever that line means, right now it sums me up completely. I guess this is what I live for!