Rigor Sardonicous connected with Barry Manilow?



interview with Joe, done by Roel in October 2005

Please introduce yourself and what's your position in the band?
X=3. We are Joseph Fogarazzo, guitars and vocals, and Glenn Hampton, bass, and our position is usually standing.

Tell us something about how you came to this obscure music and bandname?
'Tis commonplace for ourselves. The name was derived from a short story by Raymond Russell. We felt that this niche that we partake had a gap that we sought to fill.

Are you guys involved in other bands or projects? Or is this the most important artistic excrement?
Joe did backing vocals for Barry Manilow and is also in the band Dimentianon, www.dimentianon.com, and Glenn does choreography for the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders.

Your CD's sound very primitve, raw and dirty but with great dark atmosphere. How and where did you record all of this?
Joe handles all the recording now. In the past we felt that the production quality could have been better and from that, just like our music, we found the open portal unto which we are the most assured our art.

Do you ever smile, or only at death?
Usually when we have gas. We do have an avid humorous sense about ourselves.

Would you smile if someone comitted suicide after listening one of your albums. Has it ever happened?
Have you ever had problems in your country because of spreading misery and apocalyptic views?
If they paid for the album before their suicide then we shall be pleased. If it has happened then we have not been informed but we would not have any dilemma if this should ever occur. People in our own country tend not to understand the deeper meaning of our views and our art, though there are a few.

You seem to use drumcomputer but only with slow parts. Ever thought of using a real drummer? Not that I don't like the industrial atmosphere coming from the beatings.
Most drummers tend to be like whiny little kids who always complain and drink our beer so we have utilized a drum machine since the very early stages of this band. Since then it has become an integral part of our sound. We did a split 7’ with The Forgotten, now Dimentianon, in 2001 in which we had a real drummer play on that one song.

I you would have to play on the final festival before the apocalypse, what other bands should play?
If it is the final show then there shall be none other to share our stage.

What books, music, movies or other stuff inspires you creating this kind of obscure apocalyptic doom?
There is nothing in particular that derives our focus. We have sought our sound by the lack of it in this tepid world.

Tell us more about your record label and what kind of music you prefer to release?
We started Smiling Death as our avenue to release our albums but we found it too time consuming. Since then we have released our last 2 albums on Paragon Records, www.paragonrecords.net.

Since when are you familiar with BRUTALISM promotions/zine? Do you still think it's crap by senseless drunks after reading the positive reviews on your band? If you don't think we're senseless drunks, read the next question.
We have a link to your site on our own and we have been in contact periodically and we thank you for your support thus far. Also, there is no such thing as a senseless drunk unless they are making no sense.

If you would have to hire a new vocalist to hit the charts who would that be: X-tina or Britney?
X-tina is fake and dirty and Britney is pure white-trash.

Can we expect more shit from you coming or is your main purpose to unleash armageddon by self-destruction?
You kind of rolled over on yourself with this query. However, there is more to come in the near future.

What's you opinion on the internet. Do you think it;s great help to promote your misery or do you hate it when people only download mp3's to save money instead of supporting underground music.
The internet is a wonder for porn and we all know that. The trouble with it is the incredible lack of attention span that people carry to it. All music scenes have been hurt by the cheap and lazy confines of the mp3. It is easy and accessible, which is great, but people are too narrow to see the larger focus.

I hope we will hear more darkness in the future. Any final words?
Thank you for the interview. Our site is www.smilingdeath.com. We have a release coming out on Endless Desperation Records from Russia soon and another to be out on Paragon Records hopefully by autumn 2006. Cheers! Thanks and take care.
Band:
Interviewer: twansibon
Oct 17, 2005

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