Regal Worm/The Cobalt Chapel/I Monster’s Jarrod Gosling meets the quick question machine
‘Pig Views’ is the most fun the ES stereo has had in some time…
“Thank you!”
The album is named after your Pig Views studio, what’s the view like?
“I christened the studio Pig Views as a dig at Sheffield Wednesday. I can see the top part of Hillsborough stadium from my window. In Sheffield, rival fans call each other pig fans. I don’t follow football these days, but I support United out of the two.”
We like the pig on the sleeve, is that oranges you’re feeding him?
“It is! I’m glad you said that, as other people have said they look like cheesy puffs. That’s a nod to the first album, which shows me eating a basket full of apples. Pineapples next!”
We like your press release, had to look up a few words. “Borborygmic”?
“My good friend, actor Paul Putner wrote it. Hang on a sec, I need to look that up too! ‘A rumbling noise produced by the movement of gas through the intestines’, I’m not sure what he’s getting at there!”
Still, thematically it seems you’ve got the important stuff covered… vampires, anti-christs, volcanoes etc…
“Well I’m no good at writing love songs or political songs, I’m more at home writing about the stranger things in the universe… actually, ‘anti-christs’ could easily relate to politics at the moment!”
Soooo, you say this is your one-man progressive rock thing, erm, who’s Varrod Goblink?
“I must reveal that it is in fact me! We did an I Monster interview for a French magazine ages ago, and the writer called me Varrod. I thought it was cool, so with the addition of a mispelled surname, I decided to use that for my artwork credit.”
We can’t help feel everyone should have a one-man prog rock thing…
“It should be made compulsory. Like National Service. I think there’s a prog rock fiend in everyone just waiting to get out.”
Prog is bit of a guilty pleasure in the ES office, that’s a good thing, right?
“Could be, depending on the artist. There are some prog rock artists who have not given it a great name. Actually, I blame the press back in the day for creating the rift between prog and the new wave. I think the new wave/post punk bands were arguably more progressive than the ‘prog’ bands at the time.”
So who are your prog touchstones?
“There’s lots of stuff that has rubbed off in what I do. The odder, more playful bands like Egg, Soft Machine, Canterbury in general, Zappa, Gentle Giant, the nerdy mid-70s US bands like OHO, Yezda Urfa and Happy The Man; and also the less freeform elements of the Swedish prog movement. Also, Todd Rundgren, Sparks, 10cc and Cardiacs. There’s lots of reference points in there! I guess I’m a prog sponge!
If people are thinking they’re reading the wrong mag, you are actually a man of synthy substance, aren’t you?
“Certainly. There are lots of synths on the Regal Worm releases. There’s a Korg MS-20, EMS Synthi AKS, Octave Kitten, ARP 2600, Kawai S100P, a Wasp Deluxe and the Minimax ASB. I hope this qualifies me and I won’t get hounded out of Synthtown!”
