Neuralgia Survey

Neuralgia Survey
this issue's subject: Ego Plum

1. sent to unsuspecting victim each issue via e-mail
2. questions never change
3. published for public viewing in entirety

1. What are your current projects?

I've just finished writing music for an independent film, the "Jolly Man" by Jason Barnett. it's about some maniac in a movie theater that spits these hard candies from his mouth and kills people with them. Also, I've contributed a 10 minute opus called "Six Six Six" for this Kip Kinkel compilation from Menschenfiend Productions that should be out in a couple of months. Most importantly, I've started rehearsals for the live show I'm developing: "Ego Plum and the Ebola Music Orchestra," which is a lot of the music from "Anthology of Infection, Vol. 1" being performed by real people. This live band is my dream project and I'm happy to announce it's fianlly under way. Lastly, I've slowly started compiling the music for "Anthology of Infection, Vol. 2."

2. What has influenced you most?

The wonderful things I was exposed to as a child: watching PeeWee's Playhouse every Saturday morning, watching Willy Wonka on video over and over, going through my older brother's records and discovering groups like DEVO, B-52's, Residents, Oingo Boingo, and XTC when I was really young. All those things have never left me. I'm almost exactly the same person I was back then. I wanted to meet Mark Mothersbaugh when I was 13 yrs. old and made it happen 10 years later.

3. What is the strangest thing you have ever seen?
When I was very young I was walking down the street with an aunt and I saw some dog feces that was standing straight up. Imagine a 4" long bowel movement that landed on its head and stayed like that. That image is forever engraved in my mind.

4. Any favorite horror movies? Why that movie(s)?

"A Texas Chainsaw Massacre." Because of a particular scene in which this guy takes a photo of someone in a van; takes out a ball of aluminum foil from his overalls; lights this mysterious powder inside the aluminum foil with a match and burns the Polaroid he just made; folds up the piece of aluminum foil back into a ball and sticks it back in his overallss front pocket.

5. What is the strangest thing you have ever done?

How about the strangest thing for this month: I convinced the people at the DMV to let me take my drivers license picture with one eye closed. I told them I had an eye spasm and couldn't keep my left eye open. After a bit of confusion and a talk with the manager, they took the picture.

6. Why, if at all, do you feel drawn to the more unusual side of life?

Because it's more interesting.

7. Any favorite serial killers? Why that one?

Adolf hitler. Because of his unique and powerful mustache that could send any man's bottom lip aquiver. His is a looks that has only been successfully replicated by Charlie Chaplin, who was actually gorn on the same year as Adolf: 1889.

8. What artist, musician, or writers inspire you?

I am more inspired by the hard work and struggled of the I artists I admire, moreso than the products of their creativity. The thought of John Waters going from car to car in Baltimore passing out flyers for the premiere of "Pink Flamingoes" gives me more inspiration than all of his movies put together. But in general, I'm inspired by H.R. Giger, Trevor Brown, R.S. Connett, Soft Cock Roq, Harmony Korine, David Lynch, John Waters, Tim Burton, Todd Browning, and the Ukranian ice skating princess Oksana Baiul.

9. Would you say that life is somewhat absurd?

No. Life is wonderful.

10. Any questions you'd like to ask?

Here is one question I'd like to ask: Is there any truth to the rumor that MArk Mothersbaugh of DEVO/Mutato Muzika is developing and producing a show for MTV and is itnerested in having you and the Ebola Music Orchestra perform on it?
And the answer:
No Comment.

You can listen to and purchase some of Ego Plum's maniacal music at his fabulous website