An interview with Gary - vocalist, harmonica player, and rebel extraordinaire!

Hey Gary, what did you do today?

Not much. I am now happily, ecstatically unemployed. I'm just soaking it in. Slept 11 hours, met Mel and Simrat, had an Orlem Delight, fish cutlets, beer. I read, I slept some more... awesome day overall. I just had dinner, which included sorpotel. Now to read and sleep some more.

Give us a quick update on 'p is for pig', the tracks, duration, every bit of info you can think up.

There'll be eight or nine tracks on the album. The well-known ones, and a few that we haven't played regularly or are pretty new - Isn't It Strange, Don't Wake Me, Save Me. Recording's a bit stuck right now- Fali's busy with a new job. So we need to figure out how and whereto finish recording.Oh, and for the record, I said "by the end of the month" - I didn't specify which month!That's about it I guess. Can't think of any other info right now.

What's your favourite track from the album?

It varies. I guess My House, Holy Ghost Machine Gun, and Build Higher. Also Don't Wake Me, and another that might or might not be on the album - Save Me.

What's the highest expectation you'd lay on this album?

That it's the kind of album that I myself would love to listen to, from start to finish. Or do you mean like record sales?! In that case, fuck knows! I don't think about it. We'll find out soon enough.

Who are you referring to when you say 'p is for pig' or 'pig society',is it the dead ('March of the pigs' by Nine Inch Nails) or an innocent profanity ('pig' by coal chamber)?

When I say P is for Pig, I'm referring to the pig in a child's alphabet book.

What's "my house" about? I mean, I know Mel wrote the lyrics so I'm not expecting it to make much sense, but, just in case it does? :P

I don't like explaining my lyrics, so I don't usually ask other people about theirs, but Mel has given us several different explanations for My House. I thought all of them were spur-of-the-moment, off-the-top-of-his-head bullshit, but quite amusing as usual. Personally, I think it's a weird love song and I love it.

"Fat oaf" sounds like a cross between a tiny anti-consumer message and a departure. Is it?

Departure meaning? Like "farewell, my lover"?

Yeah... is it?

No, nothing of the sort.I don't like the lyrics to that song, they're vague and unfocused... They were supposed to be temporary, but too much time went by, and with certain things, after a point it gets too late to go back and change them. I suppose there's a vague and rather poorly-expressed anti-consumerism message in there, but that's only incidental.

Kids being fed with father-values at the most vulnerable point of their lives (save me) or holy wars (holy ghost machine gun) what's more of an immediate threat to us as humans?

Hmmmm... in my head, both songs are coming from the same place. What are father-values?

Father values, like, conformities i guess. Anyway, what are you more of - a poet or a singer?

Singer. I know I sing well, and I do it quite easily. Writing's more difficult, and I'm usually not satisfied with it.

What's the toughest vocal line to pull off live, have you managed to do so every time?

Hehehe. The scream in Cochise. The highest notes in Build Higher. And no, I screw them up once in a while. The scream is easier though.

Your influences, who and why.

Nick Cave, for the immense range of his work, the beauty and depth of it. Dylan, Cohen, Tom Waits. Pretty much the same reasons. Their work is amazingly fine-tuned, pretty much to perfection. And as a whole -the lyrics, the arrangement, the vocal delivery... everything. Nothing is throwaway.Queens of the Stone Age. What awesomely melodic heaviness! And I love the sense of humour and the druggy, lazy, feel that they have, in spite of being heavy.The Beatles. I can't think where to begin with answering why. The Stones too... too many others to mention really... Cake, Johnny Cash,Nirvana, Depeche Mode, Led Zeppelin, The Doors, Radiohead, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Roy Orbison... that should be enough for now!

Hip hop or death metal?

Death. I'd prefer death to either of them.

When it comes to covers you guys have chosen from a wide variety of genres. Nine inch nails to Radiohead to Godsmack to Deftones and Incubus. When you choose a track what criteria do you choose?

No particular criteria. But the process is something like this:
1. One of us likes a song and suggests it.
2. Everybody says it's fuckall.
3. a. Suggester himself is not too keen on the song and gives up.
b. Suggester likes the song enough to mindfuck everyone for a while,and sometimes everyone finally agrees that it's a good song to play.
4. a. No one bothers to learn the song and the idea dies.
b. One by one, everyone learns the song (with two-week intervals between each person), and six months later we finally play it.

You can play the guitar, harmonica and sing at the same time, or so i hear. Are there any bootleg Garreth D'mello recordings floating around that we don't know about?

Sing at the same time? No, I tried it a few times when I started learning the harp, but didn't manage really well. And since the harmonica-holder was one I made myself, it wasn't too stable or sturdy, so I didn't spend too much time at it. A few home demos, mostly stuff that'll be on the album. And I guess there are a few covers that I recorded with a friend, years and years ago. Chris Isaak, Roy Orbison. I don't remember the last time I heard them and I'm not sure I want to search.

How does the Split songwriting process take place?

There's isn't really any such thing as the Split Songwriting Process. A few songs have been brought to the practice room practically complete, only needing arranging. Others have been rough ideas - maybe a riff or two - that were brought to practice and were built on from there. Sometimes stuff comes out of a jam, sometimes out of someone playing something to irritate everybody else.

What, according to you, is the gem of songwriting? minimalistic ortechnical? how far have you incorporated that into split's music?

Minimalist. I think the technical bit can come in later, and shouldn't be overdone. And for Split, I think it's just how we are as a band and as individual musicians. There's no conscious effort to incorporate anything.

Lets take a random Split song being played live. who's job (from the band) is easiest to pull off?

Don't Wake Me - everybody except me! Everyone else fucks off for a drink. (Fresh lime soda if they're Shekhar.)

What are the social issues that you've tried to highlight using this album? What issues were less easily addressed? What do you feel you've missed out on?

I don't address social issues. It's all personal.

Which city in India would you say has THE scene you'd love to be in.

Bombay's pretty good... but I guess Delhi, probably. I don't really know enough of the scene to say so with any confidence though.

When it comes to the scene, most bands around are given importance on their old-school-metal outfits and Iron Maiden covers. do you think that keeps the scene behind a few decades or is it a good thing to being touch with your roots?

Being in touch with your roots and being stuck in something that's finished are two different things. There's nothing wrong with old-school metal, but hardly anyone manages to bring anything new to it, or out of it. Still, I don't know if you could say that it "keeps the scene behind" or anything of the sort.

When did you know that Split needed a second guitar player?

When we jammed with Aviv and realized how much better it sounded.

what can Aviv do that Mel can't? And vice versa.

Aviv can play the Slither solo. Mel can play the Your Time Has Come solo (usually). Mostly stuff like that. Only Aviv can nail some really tricky, fast shit, fancy chords and stuff... and there's some really simple, wacky, groovy shit that only Mel can come up with.

Now, most importantly, what's the worst cover you've ever done?

Blurry... or Control, I think... by Puddle of Mud. The bastards had both songs on the set list when I joined the band. What a fucking piece of shit.

What're you going to do after you've posted the answers to this interview?

I told you - read and sleep. 11 hours. Goodnight.

Oookay, enjoy Gary, keep the music coming, good night.

good night Kalhan, you fucking rule! <--- i added this part on my own, but i know he means it :)