BETTY GOO! "Superchthonic"

article from Adrenaline 3 A.M.

"I have an anally retentive need for closure in my life," says Betty Goo's singer/guitarist Aaron through an e-mail transmission. Aaron is reflecting on the earlier recording, a self-titled cassette, which Betty Goo submitted to Adrenaline 3am's Skidfilth about one year ago.

"Many of the songs on the tape were just throwaways," he continues, "that I had written when I lived alone in Back Bay, stuff I never considered band material. I just wanted to record a solo acoustic thing to sort of rid myself of those songs so I could consider them done and move on.

"However, in the course of starting the project, I was approached to do an acoustic show at a club called the Middle East Bakery in Cambridge. I felt I needed a band, so I enlisted Chad, with whom I have been playing for seven or eight years, and Doug, whom I have known since we were three. As I taught them some of the songs, the songs changed a little and we learned some covers which I'd always wanted to do and I became inspired to write in a different direction."

The said covers included Wire's "Ex-Lion Tamer," The Human Leage's "Fascination," All's "Don Quixote," and Duran Duran's "Secret Oktober," that latter of which made it to the cassette and was the central focus of the previous article written on Betty Goo by Adrenaline 3am. Don't be fooled by the seemingly retro-active cover list, however, although Betty Goo's sound is different on both their self-titled cassette and the new CD, Superchthonic, they have managed to escape the trappings of the '80s revival sound and tackle songs with their own form of originality and creativity. "I like the tape a lot," Aaron explains, "but playing out as a 'pop-punk' band has really sent me in a direction which I find more appealing day-to-day. When I put the tape out, the response was more enthusiastic than I had imagined it would be, and we set to playing out more and more in real clubs, electric guitars and all. And, that's where all this Superthonic stuff came from. We have been in that mode for about eight months and seem to be continuing coherently with our latest tunes."

That mode, which Aaron refers to, is a departure from the folk-pop sort of Betty Goo and an arrival of a new Betty Goo, power pop '90s style, with thick guitars, heavy rhythms, but still retaining Betty Goo's lyrical Lloyd Cole-sort of cleverness, wit and vocal sound. Even the most casual listener can notice the refinement Betty Goo has undergone and the presence of a true band replacing the coffee-house persona which might have well described them before.

Perhaps the worst thing you could ever do would be to ask a musician or band member what their band sounds like, or what their influences are. Instantly, their language becomes confused and vague — fearful of pigeonholing their own music, sound, and expression. Nevertheless, the question always seems to pop up. "This has always been a tough subject for me," begin Aaron, ready to confirm my assertion about vaguity and confusion. "We listen to a wide variety of music, and I imagine it all makes its way into my writing in some form or another. But, literally, I suppose it's mostly the rock folks I listen to that impress themselves on me most. Lyrically, Nick Cave has been a big influence on me lately, as I've been experimenting with songwriting as storytelling rather than just psychotherapy. Discovering the Descendents a few years ago broadened my view of pop music and punk music, and Wire helped me to break out of the verse-chorus-verse-bridge game and into the write-until-I-run-out-of-words method. Other influences are Throwing Muses, the Clash, and Fatima Mansions. I'm also a big fan of Tom Waits and his influence will probably be heard as I get to spend more time in the studio. Actually, I sort of had him in mind of 'Jack' and 'Last Night I Had The Strangest Dream' on the first tape."

This is where I attempt to cause trouble by informing the listener that Betty Goo doesn't do one Duran Duran cover, but two! Apparently, they have worked a reggae-sort of version of "Rio" into their new set. This version of "Rio" was expected to appear on Superthonic, but was finally dropped due to the quality of the live recording it was going to be taken from. I can't help it," Aaron defends, "I love Duran Duran. They wrote some brilliant pop songs in their day and changed the face of music fashion in the 80s for better or for worse. Doug also loves Duran (and shares my Elvis partiality as well). 'Secret Oktober' was always one of my favorites and I was hell-bent on recording it. It was Doug and Chad who put that march-esque beat to it and that really makes it for me. "Which brings us to Chad. His influences are more off the Betty Goo track, and that's what makes him all the more appealing as a drummer. He listens to a good deal of British beat music like Happy Mondays, Black Grape, The Verve, etc. But next to that his favorite stuff is his old LPs of traditional Central and South American music. My favorite of his is 'Everybody Cha Cha.'"

Chasing Duran Duran and other dance-beat acts, however, can be pre-dated by yet another influence on the band that most bands, other than Betty Goo, usually shy away from confessing. Guts and honesty I have never seen more of in any other band than Betty Goo on this topic.

"It all started when I got a copy of their ill-fated concept album 'Odessa.' "Very, very few people, I'm sure, had any whistles blow of bells ring in their brains with the mention of this album. Those who did, however, usually are more than happy to reveal 'Odessa' as a 1968 Bee-Gees, whom Aaron calls "the Glorious Brothers Gibb," album — released long before the first wave of John Travolta Mania. "I bought it on a purely cosmetic basis," Aaron continues. "It's got a red velour cover, it's not very good, but on the inside sleeve there was a picture of another early album, 'Cucumber Castle,' which features Maurice and Barry in full knights' armor. Robin was out of the band for a year, pursuing a ghastly solo career. Our soundman, Tom, finally got me a copy at a second-hand shop. And, lo and behold, it's brilliant! Start to finish, it's packed with great, velvety, slurpy-sixties pop songs. So, I went on a rampage. Over the course of a few months, I procured all the Bee Gee's albums from 1966-1972, and there I shall stop, as the last from '72, 'Trafalgar,' is pretty bloody horrible (featured the single 'How Can You Mend A Broken Heart?'). "We have worked up a great version of their first hit 'New York Mining Disaster 1941' and an even better version of the later hit 'I Started A Joke.' The latter is getting great crowd response. If only they knew what they were cheering for! I think the lyrics are a bit poignant in this age of angst. My other goal is to one day do a whole show of 'Cucumber Castle' from start to finish."

Before you start getting the wrong idea, it's important to mention that Betty Goo is no cover band. It seems they enjoy playing around with other people's material, but both their cassette and the Superchthonic CD are full of all original material, save the one cover song already mentioned too often in this article. The strength of their new sound has led them to playing with such well-known acts as Better Than Ezra, Fossil, and Green Apple Quickstep, as well as making it to the legendary CBGB's club in New York — something some bands consider a landmark statement that they have finally "made it" beyond the typical local bar band.

"Playing with Better Than Ezra was a mixed experience," Aaron admits. "Their crew was cool and they certainly did draw a big crowd, but we went on directly following their set, and hour and a half late in a muggy CBGB's which was filled with drunken friends and fans of the band. We were rushed and flushed but we made the best of it. It was an experience, I guess. More favorable was the Green Apple Quickstep and Fossil show at the MacIntosh Music Festival. That went smoothly, we played well, and there was a unique buzz of excitement that night with people coming and going, MTV showing up, and Nigel Harrison (Blondie) standing outside the club afterwards. And Green Apple are a pretty damn good live band. Doug had liked Fossil before, so he got a kick out of playing on the bill with them too. "At our last CBGB's show, we had a cheap thrill when we found out that Ant from Spacehog had come down and really enjoyed our show. He's very cool, not yet famous enough to care much about prestige, and generally an affable guy. A good time was had by all. CBGB's rocks. We've played there about six times now and whether it's packed or barren, we always have fun. The sound is huge, the decor is grimy in the extreme, and NYC is a much better place to hang out than Boston. More alive. Boston is a town where art is meant to remain a local treasure."

The most literate radio listener would probably not be able to control the desire to compare Betty Goo tracks from Superchthonic like 'Uncommon Courtesy' to the newly popular 'college radio' buzzband the Deep Blue Something. In suggesting the comparison, however, Aaron has little to say. "I plead ignorance on this one," he states. "I haven't heard Deep Blue Something, but I have a friend who has also been compared to them. So, since I like his stuff, I can't say I'm offended. I think what individuality we have is what rock/pop music has been about over the past few years. Incorporation. We've got a number of influences which we add to our basic style, which I hope results in somewhat of a unique sound. I'm not daft enough to think that we're totally unique, I mean, we are yet another trio of bass/drums/guitar, so how groundbreaking can we be? But, at the same time, I feel that our voice as a band is one that can be distinguished from among the myriad music out there today."

Of course, this line of questioning always leads to the interviewer falling into the laziness of cliche technique, and I find the questions being pulled out of me before I can stop them from hitting Aaron. "What other influences are there on the music and the band?" comes right out, and it's too late for me to eat my words. The damage has been done. The songs on Superchthonic," answers Aaron, apparently unaware of my grotesque offense, "were influenced less by my stormy personal life (like the first tape) and more by a desire to tell short stories. 'Adam In The Evening' and 'Thom Thumb,' while incorporating my personal views on male chauvinism, are not personal confessionals. Similar thing with 'Vanity' and 'Uncommon Courtesy,' more or less. I just felt that people would tire of me ranting about romance gone wrong, as I was tiring of it myself."

I can't help ask Aaron to answer the question many of us have been wondering... Supercht — what? "Superchthonic is a title which I came up with before the band even got started. I had originally planned for it to be the title of a live album, but a live album was too expensive and too risky, so it stands as our debut CD. It has a dual meaning. The first is relating to the underworld. This is where the superchthonic toy comes in. And it can be seen as a hint that there's something beneath everything we do. We're not a terribly superficial band. Camile Pagila sees 'chthonism' as meaning 'earthly.' I can relate that to the album cover and my own naturalistic tendencies. But above all this pedantism there is the fact that I really wanted to make DJs stumble over the title, which is, incidentally, pronounced 'superthonic.' "Betty Goo is also a name which predates the band. I came up with it when I was working with a family of Columbians, and their unique way of speaking English brought it about. It goes along with a slogan I came up with about 'achieving positivism through negativity.' I believe that a person, a punk, a grunger, can complain all they want as long as they are willing to do something, anything to better their lot. That's why I like the idea of the band being Betty Goo (muy bueno) and yet expressing a lot of negative feeling." But are Betty Goo willing to do something to better their lot? Apparently so. It's already begun to show with the refinement and enrichment of the band and their sound. Aaron suggests he may be interested in picking up another member, a female guitarist — both for the extra guitar and the possibilities of female vocals. The band also is interested in reaching Europe sometime, and possibly settling in Germany for some amount of time. If you've heard their first cassette, you'll know within ten seconds how incredibly this band has surprisingly grown and changed. If you haven't heard their earlier material, Superchthonic stands on its own merits. This is not one of those recordings that is only good for its change. This is not a band that is only mentionable for its ability to change. Betty Goo is an odd combination of pop and punk which music has not seen much of, yet.

To quote Israel Regardie: Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.

Betty Goo is such omnipotence.