LOKI INTERVYOU

YIP, THE MAYNE WHO NEEDS NO INTRODUCTIONS, CATCHES UP WITH LOKI AND ASKS HIM A FEW QUESTIONS. I'M GENUINELY HUGE LOKI FAN, THE ONLY THING THAT COULDA MADE THIS MORE OF A PLEASURE WAS IF WE HAD SOME TEA TOGETHER IN THE SKUD. LETS GET POPPIN!


DO YOU LISTEN YO YOUR OWN STUFF ON A LARGE ENOUGH BASIS TO BE KNOWN AS A LOKI FAN?

Im always listening to my own music because im always working on something new and so I need to be aquainted with it enough to make the right choices creatively. Whats the theme? Where's the journey of the album? Is it through the sound or the lyrics. I apply basic story telling technique to album structure. A clear beginning, middle and end. My albums are getting more consice each time so im learning. I also write everything backwards. If I know how it ends...Ijust need to figure out how to get there. I guess I just love writing and always have since very young, so I get better the more I do it...in most cases. I tend to start working on new stuff midway through a project. An idea hits me then I slowly build it till it becomes tangible. Ive been working on The Uncommon Lexicon for nearly 2 and a half years and now its nearly done Im halfway through The Pantomine Villian album. My next projects are my book 'Amusing Ned'(a book written semi-autobiographically from a range of perspectives which will hopefully serve as an updated thesis on the role of young people in society). a short play called 'So Much for Obama' (about people being trapped underground during Marshal Law but not knowing whats happening above their heads...they'll crave the truth but its too late, ironically) and obviously Volition.


YOU ONCE SAID MANY MOONS AGO, THAT 'WRITTINGS EXCITING, RECORDINGS OKAY.' AND WE ONCE CAUGHT A GLIMPSE OF LOKI THE AUTHOR NOT SO LONG AGO. DO YOU PREFFER WRITTING PARAGRAPHS TO PUNCHLINES? AND WOULD HIP HOP BE SOMETHING YOU GIVE UP IF YOU BECAME THE NEXT ANGELA LANSBURY IF YOU HAD THE SHOT?

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy recording. Especially in a supportive environment. Marrik and Doon are great at making me feel at ease and are also open and constructive with criticism. We have a very positive relationship in our crew. There is mutual respect for what we do individually, and thats why The Being are the best...because nobody sounds alike. We all continue to learn from each other...not even in makin music, but also listening and talking about music. We all have different tastes so we get the chance to check stuff we might not normally gravitate towards. Writing is my real passion. I'm a writer who uses rap as one of many mediums to communicate my observations and ideas. Ive never seen myself as a 'rapper'. Rappers are the lowest form of life! You can tell in my songs that I despise every last one of them and would happily watch them drown in a pool of their own ineptitude. Rappers are fickle. They rely on free speech to get away with saying what they want but don't actually no why they're saying what they're saying. It frustrates me but thats the way it goes. Too many generic emcees with no literary backbone or foresight to challenge the status quo....NOT THE BAND...They rock! I can't give up Hip Hop...I am Hip Hop. The transformative power of Hip Hop is profound...I know...it transformed me on every level and continues to do so. Thats why I feel so strongly about certain things and why I always try and take Hip Hop to people who may not get exposed to it or who have preconceptions about it.


SO HOW FAR DOES YOUR MUSIC TASTE EXPAND TO THEN? WHATS THE MOST SHAMEFULL SONG YOU OWN?

Don't know about shameful...but a track that really put me on a downer was Eminems Just Lose It. Its so bad and makes it very embarrassing to be a fan. Recovery's excellent though! I'll listen to anything if I connect with it. I was listening to The Planets Symphony when I was 9 and I really like Jeff Waynes War of the Worlds. I went to see the live show which was cool. I also like Rodger Waters, though he does seem a bit up his own arse, but I went to seehim at Earls Court and he did the first half all solo stuff and second half Dark Side of the Moon, right through....the theatricality of that show really opens your eyes to whats possible with live music. Even small scale shows like I do could be a lot more engaging if more thought went into lighting and effects. I try to add a bit of theatre to my sets....especially if its not a hip hop crowd. It invites them in and the show goes better. I was listening to lemonjelly today and it was pretty nice.


YEAH YOU PUT ALOT OF NON RAP RELATED ENERGY INTO YOUR SETS, I REMEMBER ONCE STANDING FOR HALF AN HOUR WHILE YOU DID THE BALLOON JOKE. WHICH ENTERS THE QUESTION, DO YOU HAVE ANY CAREER REGRETS?

I like comedy and its an element I explore in rap to varyin degrees of success. Being spontaneously funny is easier than trying to construct a joke. The Baloon joke wasnt actually my joke....I just altered it to make it rhyme and I think it did work on the Between Worlds album....it was just that the skit was too long. Ive been working at writing jokes for years and its a whole other ball game. Im still trying to find my voice but recently Ive been integrating jokes into my sets which actually makes my act more original than a lot of artists whether rappers or comedians. Comedians cant rap. Rappers cant tell jokes. My shows are getting better and im learning through making mistakes. Bill Hicks, George Carlin and Andy Kaufman are big influences for different reasons. Kaufman was so misunderstood and that was his ploy. He wasnt a comic...he was an energy manipulator. That kind of thing excites me. I have often set out to deliberately aggrevate the crowd. I came out as a midget on a skateboard while supporting the pharcyde to the Party Man Prince tune from Batman. Cn't say that doesnt take balls.....did it in Edinburugh too! One regret I have is a gig I did at a fashion show. I had been drinking heavy and was having a bad day so I came out on the catwalk and got tore into the fashion industry. My first line was. 'Is this a fashion show or an eating disorder convention?' It went from bad to worse as a man in a wheel chair began heckling me saying I was a misogoyst...I responded by saying it was funny 'how he was the only man in their standing up for womens rights'. The whole thing ended in a riot and I vomited outside from the stress...I let a couple of friends down that night. Sorry.



WHEN I WAS IN MUH 40'S AND LOKI JUST CAME OUT WITH THE 9TH WORLD LP, I HEARD YOU DID ALOT OF ACTING WORK TOO. WHATS YOUR GREATEST ACTING ACHIEVEMENT BEEN, AND IS IT SOMETHING YOU STILL DO?

Ive done lots of acting. Film and Theatre. Ive always been keen on performing and showing off. I tick all the boxes of an insecure extrovert. My mischievous streak was always in me...its not part of a rap persona. I am actually an opinionated, go against the grain type cunt though Ive mellowed over the years. My skills of persasion and diplomacy have improved! My biggest achievement? I performed a rehearsed reading called Dope Float with proffessional actors at the Citizens Theatre. It was a play about guys holding gear for some guy on a barge in Amsterdam. We turned up on the day, rehearsed and performed it that night. It was very intense but I was told I held my own and I learned a lot. Anyone can act. You have all the tools within you...the tricky part is learning how to tap into them. Ive been involved in community theatre since I was about 10 and even founded a theatre group in Pollok where I wrote and directed a small play called The Rose, inspired by a Tupac Shakur poem which toured Glasgow and Dumfries and Galloway.



WHAT WAS THE LAST FILM YOU WATCHED?

Schindlers List. The internet was broke and I needed a wank.

YOUVE GENERATED QUITE THE FANBASE, WHATS THE WORST RUMOUR YOUVE HEARD ABOUT YOURSELF? I HEARD YOU WERENT REALLY A GINGER, IS THIS TRUE?

Don't know about the fanbase...there's no way for me to quantify it. Often though I do meet people who have heard of me and they say nice things. When I was workin in the schools I was really surprised by how many kids knew who 'Loki' was. My plan from the start was to make Glasgow a fortress and then move out from there..oh and... Check the soap in yer ma's toilet if you want to know whether Im a real ginger. Its toned down on the head but the balls are flamin son! I also had really bad acne at school which was a bit shit. I think thats where I developed my 'lippy prick' streak.


THERE WAS A BRIEF TIME IN HISTORY WHEN I BLACKED OUT FROM THIS SCENE AND DIDNT KEEP MUH EAR TO THE GROUND. IS IT TRUE THAT YOU BATTLED PROFFESOR GREEN?

No. That's a falsehood. He's a good battle mc but as a writer...he's not in my weight class. Respect to him though for his achievements, he'll probably think im a hater...im not. He's nice on the mic but a bit cheesy and predictable. I offered Lowkey a battle years back for the name...he turned me down. Lowkey's an excellent rapper. My favourite UK rappers....Jehst, Mog and probably Chester P. Doc Browns comedy is fucking hilarious.


WHEN WHERE YOU LAST IN THE SKUD OUTDOORS?

Em...let me think. Thats a good question! Don't think ive ever done that before....at least not consciously. I did pull my dick out at bigg taj a few weeks back which was funny coz I never do shit like that...but taj was baiting me masterfully.

AW DYAM, I DUNNO WHO I'M MORE JELOUS OF, YOU OR TAJ! WHO WOULD YOU RATHER BE IN A CELEBRITY SEX TAPE WITH, MICHAEL DOUGLAS OR SHARON OSBOURNE?

Probably Micheal Douglas, he has a more natural looking arse and hasnt had Ozzy Sackbourne riding around inside it.


WHATS YOUR VIEWS ON FACEBOOK AND THE ANTI-SOCIAL-SOCIAL-NETWORKING SCENE? TOO EASY TO STALK AINT IT? OR IS THAT A GOOD THANG?

Any method of communication is good. There are pros and cons to all of it....even all the way back to smoke signals! My concern today is the corporotisation of communication. I feel that we need to be wary of what we're slowly sacrificing for a life of seeming convenience and entertainment. Myspace has been great for me personally. Its allowed me to connect with the people who listen to my music and has also introduced me to new artists I may never have heard of.

HOW DID YOU MEET THE BEING BOYS AND HOW QUICK DID YALL GEL?

We met gradually over a year or so back in 2002 at hip hop nights like Lucky ME and Basement Breaks. We were pretty much the backbone of those nights. Freakmanouvers was a good place for us to meet to. We'd just get drunk and cypher all the time till we became quite known as 'those guys rappin in the toilet'! The crew has changed a lot but thats what the being is. Its not set in stone. If you're shit hot....we absorb you. Its a reflection of our colective consciousness...altering, changing, with the environments and interactions. We are all very close friends. I'd happily walk infront of traffic for any one of them.


YOUR WIERDEST EVER DREAM WAS..?

I dreamed that it was snowing really heavily during an evacuation of the Earth. (Apocolyptic dreams are reoccuring for me)I was with the crew and we were running away from big black vans with tinted windows. One caught up and grabbed a few of them and sped off as large planes and helicopters flew overhead, roaring high up into the sky. We came to a steep hil and tried to climb it but it began to avalanche and one by one all my friends were buried in the snow with only one arm each sticking out. I, at the bottom, could only survive by using their hands to climb to the top and even though they were buried, their hands were still warm, helping me reach the top. I sttod, looking out as the streets grew quiet and the noise of machinery faded...then turned to see my friend Raymond, face covered in thick blood...reaching out to embrace me.....but his arms had all the other dead arms of everyone else sticking out of them. It was a terrifying dream. Ive also had lots of hallucinations, lucid dreams and outer body experiences. Even before the drugs.

I MUCH PREFFER THE LUCID DREAMS. ITS THE ONLY TIME BEKUR STARR SAYS YES TO MARRYIN ME. LETS RAP THIS UP LOKI. I'VE SAVED THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION TO LAST, YOU DONT HAVE TO ANSWER IT IF IT'S TOO PERSONAL OKAY?

BROWN SAUCE, OR TOMATOE?


You dont need a lucid dream to get Becca Starr to marry you....just ply her with booze and banter lol. Red sauce.......even on a bacon sandwich.

Thanks for the interview. I look forward to seeing it up and good luck with your venture. Take care, Loki.


THANKS FOR THE INTERVYOU.

LADIES AND GENTLERMEN, LOKI.