Interviews

Year in Pop: 2016

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Joe Gorgeous

Introducing Joe Gorgeous; photographed by Joey Gorman’s friend, Noah Hall.

You are most likely already familiar with Fort Worth, Texas artist Joey Gorman’s band The Longshots, but you might not be introduced to his offshoot Joe Gorgeous, of whom premiere their music video for “How Bruce Lee Died” directed by TOURNAMENT. Featuring a crack-shot team of Markus Midkiff (Kopecky) on production & lead guitar, with the rhythm section of Noah Hall on drums and Matthew Gibbons on bass; Joe Gorgeous is Gorman & the gang stepping out into a nu-glam light where together they make a proto-punk sound out of aesthetic that idolizes classic Hollywood glitz & glamor. Extolling the similar Longshots virtues of the self-prescribed “shred ’til dead” ethos; J. Gorgeous takes the classic peacocking-rock model and applies all of it’s attributes and strengths to the contemporary pop form.

The video for “How Bruce Lee Died” sees our hero Joey Gorman going up against a big off-screen opponent. Also playing the announcer, the Joe Gorgeous team bring about a cinematic sense of showtime that exhibits a sense of struggle in that main event fight to the top of the charts. The lyrics reach for that luscious life while singing of aspirations that rise from a volition greater than the occupational fiduciary order of ditch digging. The TOURNAMENT video harkens after the vintage Scorsese style seen in Raging Bull, where our protagonist Joe is up against great odds in the faces of a fantasized success and all the bumps and bruises encountered along the way. With a classic sense of 70s arrangements and roaring rhythm guitar hooks, Joe Gorgeous shines a light on glam rock’s relevance and legacy in 2016 providing a taste of great things soon to follow. Join us now for an entertaining interview with Joe Gorgeous’s one and only Joey Gorman.

From your work with The Longshots to Joe Gorgeous….how did this solo side come about?

Long story short:

I love rock and roll. A lot. Like with all of my life. And I gotta lotta rock to give.

Short story long:

This is the definition of soul fruition, aka having a blast! This isn’t a side project or some residual angst overflowing from any negative experience from the past. This is just…me combining the rock n roll I wanna hear with the poetry I wanna feel.

Truth be told…rock & roll is all I know how to do.

I don’t have a bank account, I don’t own a car, I don’t keep straight jobs…nor am I interested—I have yet to find any reason to suffer only to remain par.

Joe Gorgeous official jacket, made by Joey Gorman; photographed by Noah Hall.

I’m here to dig up the ugly truths, Joe Gorgeous ha ha. Its a force, an army, a story…a story narrated heavily by the score.

In the vain of how Alice Cooper is not a dude…its a band.

The raw power that is Iggy Pop’s songwriting…with and without the Stooges.

The VU Lou Reed up to the David Bowie produced Lou Reed. The continuing assimilation of rock & roll means a lot to me…witnessing and being a part of a punk rock generation that is actually using vulnerability and self discovery alongside the rest of the counter culture’s meta arsenal…well damnit, its exciting.

Long story summed up:

Born to shred ’til dead.

How is your creative process different when you’re writing solo versus for The Longshots?

This thing is a whole different dance, baby. Its too rough to explain it through the “context lens” of opposing former writing styles I may have exercised. In addition to the obvious product being pushed so to speak….the growth of this creative process is also something the audience deserves to digest via imagination.

A uh…magician never reveals…who his dope dealer is.

Joe Gorgeous’s own Joey Gorman; photographed by Noah Hall.

Tell us about what for you inspired the somewhat personal leaning song “How Bruce Lee Died” and the boxing match themed b/w video?

Straight up—a few years ago I was lucky enough to fall in L.U.V. with the girl of my dreams…and then I essentially woke up. She is smarter, and straight up cooler than me and I loved it. But like most of us learn upon taking the role of a human being. Life gets heavy and it will again…and again.

I spent a few months in India before starting the Longshots way back in 2011. In the Ashram I stayed in I found the philosophy books of Jiddu Krishnamurti, and the videos of his interactions with the incredibly sharp mind of his great friend Aldous Huxley…but what really blew my mind with beauty was his relationship with Bruce Lee. Towards the end of his life Bruce Lee confided in the teachings of Krishnamurti…Alan Watts…etc…while recovering from spine problems.

Then somehow the internet introduces the conspiracies of how Bruce Lee died, yada yada…the rest is a jumbled collage of history. Google it though, its all pretty fascinating.

Fort Worth’s Joey Gorman of Joe Gorgeous & The Longshots; photographed by Noah Hall.

Inspiration for the video:

Movies like Alex Cox’s Repo Man and performances by Brando in Sayonara and The Fugitive Kind gave so much inspiration towards the projects’ reveal the ugly truth mission statement. Studying movies and the underbelly of Hollywood really shaped the whole project in the beginning.

As far as the Video’s heavy inspiration & details on why we chose Scorsese’s Raging Bull I’m going to pass the Mic over to an affiliate from TOURNAMENT:

TOURNAMENT:

First of all. Raging Bull is one of the best films ever made. I’m not sure but I think Jakob determined the treatment of this video based on it being the last film he had seen.

TOURNAMENT is not really an art collective. It is a syndicate of homeless despots, who, given the opportunity, showcase their perversions without recourse. The director of this video, Jakob, was unfortunately unable to comment due his recent incarceration. For more info visit www.bytournament.com.

What is good right now in Forth Worth, TX?

Y’all can get a first hand answer yourselves…

Immediately seek out these Fort Worth bands:

Jake Paleschic, Son of Stan, Siberian Traps, War Party, Clear Acid, The Cush…