Land Teasers fans—besides every bit enemies—know the Scottish band for its craggy postal service-punk approach to land, goth, electro, and other genres they perversely arroyo. Appreciators of true talent should pick upwardly any of their recordings, specially 1996'southward Satan Is Existent Over again, 1999'due south Destroy All Human Life, or their latest, The Empire Strikes Back. Careful, though, as frontman B. R. Wallers tends to accost touchy race issues in a staunchly antagonistic way. Land Teasers are non for the politically correct or the meek. Below, The Stranger picks Wallers's prickly brain.

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You lot've e'er seemed a proponent of economical recording processes. What prompted the utilise of a proper studio for The Empire Strikes Back?

In the Ruddy [CT's label] wanted a recording of the whole group, in a studio. Then did I—I wanted to capture the group sound and I wanted to make a classic anthology, not a personal trip similar the previous 2 CT albums, the Rebel releases, that shit. Country Teasers is a group, like Blondie. We play alive much amend than on any of our albums; this album tries to redress the balance.

Many people describe your music equally being influenced past bands like Pussy Galore, Imperial Trux, the Fall, and Butthole Surfers, but you clearly enjoy erstwhile country music, every bit well. Obviously information technology's a blended, but what musical approaches practise you most closely place with?

I'm not sure I identify with anyone else'due south approach, having figured out various methods through trial and fault over the years. In the studio I have a very meticulous, time-consuming way of working, involving millions of takes and instruments, trying to get the right sound. I don't just chuck anything down in five minutes, as it sometimes sounds. On the other manus, I like to capture ("record") things that happen accidentally, considering they tend to sound prissy. I can't call up of anyone I like whose method seems similar to mine. I can't fifty-fifty approximate how they go near it. Coincidentally, I am listening to Hold Onto I.D. by the Shadow Ring. What a method! Wow.

You've said that words come last with your songwriting. Is it frustrating that so much focus is oft put on the contradictory/offensive bent of your lyrics?

Rather. I'm putting lyrics onto the songs to advertise the music; and because music without lyrics isn't a vocal, and songs seems to be what I feel like I have to do for some reason. The offensive lyric was a concept originally—advertising, attention seeking, a way to grab people and make them notice the grouping. Plus, our awesome handsomeness: I wish people would make more mention of how good we await, dress, and play. But then I'thousand proud of my lyrics. I work bloody difficult on them, and try to choose them advisedly. I mean afterwards they've all spilt-out natural, that is, word-horde loosed and all that—The Waterfall. But no, yes, the music is the thing. I'm hoping people will go into the music of Country Teasers more than through the Rebel [a solo endeavor], where production, atmosphere, and musical details are more than in evidence than the macho Teasers LPs, bless them.

Could you describe any notable adverse reactions to your performances in the alive setting?

Er… Only i: The guy in Seattle who screamed, "Agghhhhh! How do you justify this piece-of-shit band?!" And a lot of other really passionate, anguished antipathy. Oh, and a guy called Andy Hackett—whom Fall fans volition know from playing guitar on Levitate, Edwyn Collins fans volition know from that sitcom virtually the 2 pop managers, ane of whom [is] played by Edwyn himself—well, he went circular with a hat collecting money to get us to stop playing at a gig. Merely I gauge people were likewise hateful to coughing upwardly, then we played on, foul mouths and all.

Empire, at least lyrically, seems much more than overt than past albums, especially with "White Patches," which almost seems like a manifesto. What do you lot mean by "When you lot fuck around with words, you make the state of affairs worse"

That lyric is pretty specific. I think I was angry at the fourth dimension nearly press releases on the war (Iraq, or perchance Afghanistan, I tin can't call back) and authorities spokesmen on television not proverb what was really happening, and news reports being shy nearly what to circulate. If you don't come up out with the truth at once, you will end up aggravating the situation. Well, politicians are fucking upwardly communication and linguistic communication every minute with their skirting around the truth, their euphemistic speech. No one understands anyone these days. The other poesy about blackness people has zero to do with that poetry, though. I just stuck them together. I'yard pissed off about playing to only white people, not having whatever blackness friends, etc.—the gulf betwixt the colors. So considering I'grand into invective, I wrote that lyric instead of going about solving the problem positively. Well, tin you arraign me? "One Love" never worked.

What are Country Teasers' affiliations with Seattle?

Kanaan Tupper, our beloved driver, provider, and bassist. He introduced u.s.a. to Brainbombs. We are closely linked, through his contact, now to A-Frames, in particular Min [Yee] and Constance, with whom we stayed last time. Nosotros tended to stay at that place and practice before tours a while back. Personally, I don't much intendance for the identify, just I don't know why, and I alter my mind every time I go anywhere.

Is irony a crutch?

I don't retrieve and so; I certainly retrieve it's the tool for satire, yous know, because yous can't say, "Racism is bad!" and exist taken seriously. Every bit a satirist with an antiracist political message, it's too lame. No i wants to be told to stop smoking at age 13. "Kill all the niggers" followed by a load of horror, and and then maybe a switcheroo, will get the point across then people observe and enjoy it. Shy people who can't express themselves directly use irony every bit a tool, but satirists use it for the purpose it was intended.

editor@thestranger.com