Interview: Tenlons Fort

Caught up with modern marvel Jack Gibson from Tenlons Fort over IM while he was taking a bus back from the ocean to Hollywood last night.

[Reminder: He’s opening our Let’s Independent! show at Boardner’s next Tuesday with The Poor Excuses and Manhattan Murder Mystery.]

Here’s the barely-edited and not quite spell-checked transcript.

RFSL (7:13:10 PM): How the hell are you tonight?
Tenlons F (7:13:51 PM): im doing great. jumped in the ocean for 40minutes and got back on the bus
Tenlons F (7:14:13 PM): 1.5 bus there. 40 swim, 2 hr bus back
RFSL (7:14:16 PM): Cool. I have a sort of related question for you then:
RFSL (7:14:21 PM): A 555-mile, 5-hour plane trip was flown at two speeds. For the first part of the trip, the average speed was 105 mph. Then the tailwind picked up, and the remainder of the trip was flown at an average speed of 115 mph. For how long did the plane fly at each speed?
Tenlons F (7:15:23 PM): Too stoned. Im just happy they got there
RFSL (7:15:53 PM): Sorry I couldn't resist.
Tenlons F (7:16:04 PM): It’s all good
RFSL (7:16:25 PM): How was the show at Tangier's w/ Amnion and Dirt Bird last night?
Tenlons F (7:17:18 PM): amazing. Aaron is a master. we played the tenlons fort show as a duo for most of the night, guitar and piano. he is wonderful to play music with
RFSL (7:19:14 PM): I have a band crush on Amnion.
Tenlons F (7:19:19 PM): the best, ive known him and nicki for about a year meeting through la-underground and they’ve both changed my life for the better that’s for sure, his bday is 11.10 and im 11.11 and he had a party and everyone basically communicated through a 6 hr drum circle
Tenlons F (7:19:36 PM): until 5am
RFSL (7:19:42 PM): Nice.
Tenlons F (7:19:57 PM): reminded me im a hippy, i forget sometimes
RFSL (7:19:50 PM): Mine is 11.1. Scorpios unite.
Tenlons F (7:20:29 PM): oh yeah, me and my friend andrews film co is scorpionics, i know a bunch of them and theyre all pretty damn rocking.
RFSL (7:20:52 PM): We're supposed to be manipulative and "sexy."
RFSL (7:20:57 PM): Ha, ha.
Tenlons F (7:21:03 PM): we can get in trouble
RFSL (7:21:04 PM): I read that in a book.
Tenlons F (7:22:03 PM): ohhh
RFSL (7:22:54 PM): So this new music you're playing.
RFSL (7:23:08 PM): Is it on an EP or album? Is it out or coming out?
RFSL (7:23:41 PM): (I fired my research staff in a fit of anger the other day and haven't replaced them yet.)
Tenlons F (7:24:16 PM): it is a EP, called forever is a long time. 6 songs, it was recorded in den haag, netherlands, about 30min from amsterdam, by a guy named Wim Oudijk
Tenlons F (7:25:04 PM): i made 100 of them, on my own label, haunted maggot records, i'll get them on itunes. and that is it at the moment. i have 2 other albums that kind of exist in that realm
Tenlons F (7:25:42 PM): but the ep is like 5 days old
RFSL (7:26:00 PM): Congratulations.
Tenlons F (7:26:40 PM): on recording, and sharing the music. is a feat. sometimes for some people it stays in their room
RFSL (7:26:49 PM): So you're playing out to support it and stuff.
Tenlons F (7:27:22 PM): Im playing the show tuesday, and then ill go to portland and work on my main man LAZ D's new record.
RFSL (7:27:37 PM): What are you doing on it?
Tenlons F (7:28:40 PM): i co-write, and produced, and sing hooks and share the stage with LAZ. he rocks and is one of the greatest people i have ever met.
Tenlons F (7:29:09 PM): check out his website
Tenlons F (7:30:02 PM): he's reaching his hip hop dream @ 27 despite people telling him he should just be a cook, because he has down syndrome
RFSL (7:30:55 PM): That's cool. How long you been known him and been playing with him?
Tenlons F (7:31:28 PM): since sept 2005, me and laz d been cleaning up the game
RFSL (7:31:57 PM): You seem pretty nomadic. You split your time here and Austin and ...
Tenlons F (7:32:09 PM): los angeles, portland, and austin i love all there for different reasons
RFSL (7:32:12 PM): What do you like most about each town?
Tenlons F (7:33:54 PM): well texas, my familys there, lived there from 1-18years of age, the texas lakes, id throw a stick for my dog and i to swim for hours, the austin music scene is great, and just explodes during south by, and its laid back, austin is mathew mchoughney, man......
Tenlons F (7:36:42 PM): los angeles, man what a city. most everyone i know has some kind of love/hate with LA> but after 3 trys, and 7 years later i love this place. it is surrounded and filled by a lot of shit, but i have found much magic, last year i met so many people that i love and hope to know my whole life, its the movies man, but the good part, the dream, as long as u stay hiking in griffith park hills, swim in the ocean, go out @ night when everybody else sleeps, its groovy and ure out of traffic, IN La , i feel anything can happen at anytime good or bad, its just up to u wehere u wanna look and how far.
RFSL (7:37:26 PM): And Portland?
Tenlons F (7:40:07 PM): portland, after 18vtexas, then LA for a year at 19 i moved to portland, and had my mind blown, its really a wonderland, the weather just got to me after a while, but in the late ninetees, when EJ' s and Satiyicon (clubs) where great and ELLIOT, quasi, unwound, crackerbash, gern blanston (people just ride bikes through the trees, going to shows, recording albums in basements, recycling, hugging trees pricessless. when i left in 2005 i had a lot of sadness i think, it took me time to grow from that, but now i see PDX back as i did. i have many friends there, some with familys , and i can really see myself growing old there. there or a farm in the netherlands growing tofu chese.
RFSL (7:40:46 PM): I love how goddamn friendly and conversational people are in Portland.
RFSL (7:40:55 PM): Never been to Austin.
Tenlons F (7:41:28 PM): u should go next SXSW
RFSL (7:41:30 PM): Yeah.
Tenlons F (7:41:35 PM): i wanted to get a bunch of LA bands there
Tenlons F (7:41:46 PM): a do a showcase last year but it didnt happen
RFSL (7:41:53 PM): Let me know if you want to put on a party or something. Maybe I can help.
Tenlons F (7:42:15 PM): there is as much off brand shit than brand. and it will get better
Tenlons F (7:42:30 PM): yep. I wanna play everyday next time
Tenlons F (7:42:46 PM): i didn’t play at all, but had a blast last year
Tenlons F (7:43:08 PM): how long have u been do LETS indie shows at boardners??
RFSL (7:43:16 PM): Two years now.
RFSL (7:43:37 PM): Kind of fell into it. They've been fun.
Tenlons F (7:43:53 PM): i have been there twice and im excited to play the show outiside at nightish time
RFSL (7:44:08 PM): I'm really stoked about the line-up.
Tenlons F (7:44:41 PM): vote for monolators for DETOURfest!! advertisement! advertisement!!!!
RFSL (7:44:46 PM): I did.
RFSL (7:44:48 PM): And Light FM.
RFSL (7:44:52 PM): Alternated.
Tenlons F (7:45:18 PM): cool. u probably know all the bands. so its hard.. but Mary and ELi have made me dinner and i love them
RFSL (7:45:32 PM): They're special people.
RFSL (7:46:07 PM): The Monolators and Amnion and others are part of this really nice family-like music scene in the Eagle Rock/Mountain View area, eh?
Tenlons F (7:50:56 PM): and we all love Arlo!!!!!! he grew up close to Mr.T's and has many brothers and sisters like 8 or so, he is the king of the scene!!!
Tenlons F (7:53:29 PM): i played my first LA show back OCT19 w/ cat hair ensemble, a year before i had moved back to LA, at mrts but i didnt know anybody, and i wasnted aware of the magic. but then the next year, i met, launderground, downtown/union/ nate forrest and lisa, mary,eli and jakey heartbreak. jillinda, wendy and more all from MRTS
Tenlons F (7:54:28 PM): besides kick so much musical ass, they are so nice. and made me feel so at home in a city of 50million
RFSL (7:54:44 PM): Yeah. It's funny because it's true.
Tenlons F (7:54:51 PM): im happy
Tenlons F (7:55:52 PM): that it exists, and places like perspace, etc, because i dont want the indie scene to turn into the 1980 hair mettle scene, where the clubs have so many rules, pay 2 play , no 2 shows within a week, fuck all that noise
Tenlons F (7:56:45 PM): long live, launderground, radiofree, and perspace and mrts
RFSL (7:56:57 PM): Yeah. It makes it feel like a place you want to live instead of a place you want to visit.
RFSL (7:57:19 PM): I remember I met you at a Monolators/IMTS show at Safari Sam's.
Tenlons F (7:58:27 PM): i was glad to meet u later outside, i got a little wild that night, dancing and celebrating my friends bday. OCT 6th 2007 i think, i was trying to dance away the blues.
RFSL (7:58:30 PM): You were drizunk and made me dance with you and my now girlfriend (second date then, I think) thought it was funny because she assumed that I knew you and I said I'd never seen you before
RFSL (7:59:10 PM): You were like a second show that night.
RFSL (7:59:24 PM): The sound guy kept running after you to keep you from banging on the speakers.
RFSL (7:59:33 PM): And getting on stage.
Tenlons F (7:59:52 PM): i know. i know. my friend said i got more blog talk that night, than any record ive done
RFSL (8:00:02 PM): Ha ha.
Tenlons F (8:00:20 PM): i turned off the lights by accident i was trying to give the monolators a light show
Tenlons F (8:00:30 PM): i was depressed and i blasted it out.
RFSL (8:00:41 PM): You made a fun show more fun.
Tenlons F (8:01:16 PM): thats cool. sometimes you can cross the line, and its up to the viewers perspective on where the line is.
Tenlons F (8:01:34 PM): as long as it didnt piss the bands off that there was a wild dancer on the loose
Tenlons F (8:01:52 PM): im trying to mellow out
RFSL (8:01:55 PM): How long you been making music?
Tenlons F (8:02:35 PM): really started, like a decision to try to write songs and share them with people in 2003
Tenlons F (8:03:51 PM): but i started tfort in 98
Tenlons F (8:04:05 PM): but they were just tapes, in my bedroom and 2 friends
RFSL (8:04:13 PM): What's a Tenlons Fort?
Tenlons F (8:07:43 PM): i didnt know for a long time. it was justs to words that were there, as a noise collage to my friend joe cordi (11.11 bday as welll) but then later it became a term for when u are doing what u love, could be swimming, could be gardening, could be sleeping, but when u were doing it, u were in your tenlons fort. Or it could be the box or a physical space that u decide to pput all the negitive shit in ure life inside. Not forget about it, but take it out and place it inside the tenlons fort, and not let it return again.
Tenlons F (8:08:17 PM): sounds way better than my name on a marquee
RFSL (8:08:46 PM): I made up the word "Stereolyphrine" when I was on acid one time after college.
RFSL (8:08:56 PM): I would probably use that over my name on a marquee.
Tenlons F (8:09:20 PM): whoa, thats a good one. can u try and get it in the dictionary09 edition
RFSL (8:09:21 PM): It meant the overwhelming feeling of diesel. With a little Howard Johnson color scheme sneaking in.
RFSL (8:09:33 PM): I swear it made more sense at the time...
Tenlons F (8:10:28 PM): the ocean helps me make sense of it. i like it, even though it will take the rest of the night for it to sink deeppppppppppppppp
Tenlons F (8:10:58 PM): im still repeating the word and definition
RFSL (8:11:00 PM): So you make movies, too.
Tenlons F (8:12:21 PM): Yessssss. i love making movies, writing screenplays, something ive done all my life and continue to realize what it means to me, and what i want to do with it. Long history....the movies and the G
Tenlons F (8:12:50 PM): watching them, making them, what i think they can accomplish, artisitical and people wise
RFSL (8:13:55 PM): You have some clips up on your YouTube page I saw.

Tenlons F (8:14:13 PM): i had the most so called hollywood oppritunity when i was younger but had way less almost no artistic vision and solid worksense.
RFSL (8:14:23 PM): Yeah?
Tenlons F (8:14:41 PM): THE MOVIE clips are from an UNDERGROUND film i made called THE LOSER OF COLOURBALLS!!!
Tenlons F (8:14:45 PM): and rules!!!!
Tenlons F (8:15:00 PM): but its out of print. until i do the remaster this year.
Tenlons F (8:15:32 PM): and im writing the sequel as we speak called THE LOSER OF COLOURBALLS 2 : ECLECTIC BOOGALOO
RFSL (8:15:53 PM): I was going to ask you what was next.
Tenlons F (8:16:09 PM): 10 scripts are next!!!!
RFSL (8:16:10 PM): What was your Hollywood moment?
Tenlons F (8:17:31 PM): to me nothing has really changed since me and my friend where pitching USED CARS 2 per studios request! in november there will be a tenlons break, and i will direct 2 films, co direct one, and try and write 4 more cheese scripts
Tenlons F (8:18:26 PM): but i got to get the laz d record done, and try and get a songwriting deal, and song placement deal before then
RFSL (8:18:33 PM): A Used Cars sequel would be very timely now.
Tenlons F (8:18:47 PM): this was back in 98
RFSL (8:18:45 PM): You keep pretty busy.
RFSL (8:18:57 PM): It was ahead of its time!
Tenlons F (8:19:18 PM): USED CARS 2, the ROCK 2, a movie about girls that love bullriders, no these where projects the studio wanted
Tenlons F (8:20:08 PM): and we were turning in stories about THE BEST LOOKING ASIAN MAN IN HOLLYWOOD, which we are gonna make this year, ccalled KOJI.. thats 10 years ahead. really...
Tenlons F (8:20:15 PM): nothing is ahead..
Tenlons F (8:20:16 PM): of its time
Tenlons F (8:20:41 PM): it comes down to just working your ass off, really hard, and then hope for 1 percent of luck
Tenlons F (8:20:47 PM): not the other way around
RFSL (8:21:02 PM): I was thinking that Used Cars was that movie in the 70s where gas prices were so high that people were living in their cars and not driving them.
RFSL (8:21:07 PM): But that was that other movie.
Tenlons F (8:21:18 PM): fuck the lottery, i mean i love it, but i wont let it control my life
Tenlons F (8:21:40 PM): BUT U SHOULD REMAKE THAT one, write it now. next week u could make a million bucks. its LA remember
RFSL (8:22:22 PM): So let me ask you: What are you listening to these days?
Tenlons F (8:22:56 PM): joy division and metallica (the first 4 records and the new one)
Tenlons F (8:23:37 PM): for about a month that’s been it, besides tenlons fort. AL JAMES from DOLOREAN
Tenlons F (8:23:52 PM): got a new batch, he’s a bad ass and a gentle soul
Tenlons F (8:24:18 PM): that hasn’t got his greatness article, but he will. Stay inspired and growing AL.xo
Tenlons F (8:24:27 PM): CASTLEDOOR, AMNION,
Tenlons F (8:24:36 PM): usually friends music
Tenlons F (8:24:45 PM): BROTHERS and SISTERS from AUSTIN
Tenlons F (8:24:52 PM): great band and dear friends
Tenlons F (8:25:02 PM): Damien Jurado
Tenlons F (8:25:25 PM): like when i was in europe, the fans would say.. oh Damien "Ohhh what a voice...."
Tenlons F (8:25:37 PM): "Elliott Smith ... Oh what a voice"
Tenlons F (8:25:43 PM): they were so passionate
Tenlons F (8:26:23 PM): im lucky that my musical and film tastes, are wide im mean really wide...... i can get into just about anything
Tenlons F (8:27:06 PM): PEE WEES Big adventure this saturday @ Hollywood Forever Cemetery sounds amazing
RFSL (8:27:17 PM): Yeah, I saw it there a few years back and it was madcap.
RFSL (8:27:34 PM): That and Over The Edge and Repo Man were the best.
Tenlons F (8:28:15 PM): i didnt know until yesterday that it was a huge event, or that movies there were such huge events, but its packed every time i think????
Tenlons F (8:28:51 PM): i just hope im there , the night the Zombies come up from the crowd and try to get people popcorn
RFSL (8:28:54 PM): Yeah, you need to get there fucking early.
RFSL (8:29:19 PM): It's a traffic and people jam of titanic proportions.
Tenlons F (8:29:42 PM): i can walk there from my old place, and my current couch
Tenlons F (8:29:52 PM): 10 min walk, i love LA walking
Tenlons F (8:29:57 PM): the lost art
RFSL (8:30:06 PM): Me as well.
Tenlons F (8:30:34 PM): cant Radio Free help get the subway to run from Hollywood to the Beach
Tenlons F (8:30:42 PM): u got pull right???
RFSL (8:31:35 PM): I'm afraid I'm as useful as a box of rocks when it comes to local politics.
Tenlons F (8:32:19 PM): me too.

DOWNLOAD:
- Forever is a Long Time MP3
- Thank You Shadows MP3