Inartificial Intelligence
Imagine yourself looking down at your hands, seeing circuits, and
realizing you’re a robot. Now you’ve
got some mental imagery based on what the name Ima Robot means to the band.
Members Alex Ebert and Timmy the Terror were interviewed a while back by Band
of the Day, and you can bet that a group with such heavy hip-hop roots is
guaranteed to have to have a few interesting stories to tell. So read on to
find out what
Alex and Timmy had to say to Band
of the Day in…
- by Mattias and Dave-Os -
1. What can fans expect from “Monument for the Masses”?
A: A little bit more of the same. More
IMA Robot, slightly more melodic stuff, but basically just a different stage of
the same game.
T: I think the title really says it all. It’s kind of our “gift
for the world”. *snickers* It’s what we do best, songwriting-wise, and it’s
kind of an organic development from what we’ve been doing for years and years.
Mattias: I’ve heard about two of the songs and it sounds more
“rappy”.
A: A lot of IMA Robot’s career on a major label so far has been
about me trying to get back to my rap, hip-hop roots. People might laugh at
that knowing who I am but honestly, that’s all I listened to until I was 17.
Like I seriously did not care at all about rock whatsoever. Hip-hop was my punk
rock, man. Storytelling-wise, I feel really at ease with that format of rapping
so I’m glad it sort of sounds like rap because that’s what it is.
2. I heard that you even considered being a rapper
at first. Any favorite hip-hop artists?
A: Oh yeah, tons man. To me, Slick
Rick, a lot of the old dudes still stand up to the test. Nas’ first record,
“Illmatic”, still blows my mind. Common Sense, or now he’s just known as
Common, had a song called “Sold by the Pound” on his first record that blew my
mind. It’s more records that really stood out for me. I liked a lot of the Bay
Area stuff, Del the Funkee Homosapien, No Need for Alarm, just different stuff
that was outrageously good.
3. What would your rapper name be?
A: My rapper name? *laughs* I guess it’s
just Alex the Incredible. *laughs* I don’t really have a rapper name; it’s just
me. I never really ever did, although at one point I did turn my last name
backwards from Ebert to Trebe.
Mattias: My rap name is Matt Chedda.
A: Chedda? That’s dope man.
T: Yeah, I had a rap name. It was MC Polite from ‘95-‘99. MC
Polite, RIP.
A: RIP. It’s a shame Timmy… Next record we’re going to have to
do some sort of switching verses type shit. Dude, how have we not done that?
That’s ridiculous.
T: Well the world has to be our stage I think.
A: The world has to be our lemon.
T: So much bad things have happened to hip-hop and rap,
especially with white people. Same for
rock and roll. For me, there needed to be a break because people get
confused.
Mattias: Jamie Kennedy’s doing pretty good right now.
T: Yeah, but that’s still not real. It’s a comedy owl. Like, we took hip-hop
very seriously.
A: Very seriously. We were not screwing around, dude.
Seriously! We were all about freestylin’ all day. When I first met Timmy, I was
18 looking for colleges and Timmy was going to school in Oregon. I went up
there and my friend took me to a party and he’s like “Yo, there’s some dudes
freestylin’ in the back in this Yukon.” So I go to the back and I hop in this
Yukon and I see these two dudes up front freestylin’. I came in and we battled.
Later on, I put it together that that was Timmy in the front seat and I met him
maybe about a year later. So we basically met freestylin’.
Mattias:
No way, at a rap battle?
A: It was a rap
battle in a little car. He doesn’t remember; he was completely faded, but I
totally remember.
4. If you could rap battle anyone in the hip-hop
community right now, who would you rap battle?
A: Eminem. I’d like to take him the fuck
out. I would take Eminem the fuck out just ‘cause he talks so much shit. That’s
my only thing.
T: I have a funny story. I would battle the
guy from Linkin Park.
Mattias: Mike Shinoda?
A: But that’s so easy!
T: Well…I did battle him.
Mattias: Oh did you win?
T: I don’t remember. I don’t think he actually took it seriously
and I think I was very over-aggressive. It was at a party in Pasadena at Art
Center where him and all his friends went to school with my friends. I think he
went there or the other guy, Mr. Hahn, did. I went to a kegger at Art Center
and he was there and it was the same situation with me and Alex. Some guy
brought me into another room and said “There’s a dude in the other room and
he’s ready to go.” I remember being really aggressive and I don’t know if he
even tried to come back. I’d like another shot at it. That would be fun for me.
I don’t have a huge problem with what Linkin Park does, but to me that’s a big
problem with what happened to that side of hip-hop and how it went into this
whole heavy metal world - and now it’s stuck.
A: [rapping]: “What would eventually be a memory.”
Mattias: Alright, so Mike Shinoda, Eminem, watch out.
A: We have to pick someone really legit though too.
T: It would just be fun to do someone real. There’s a lot of
those Bay Area dudes that I grew up listening to like the Pep Love and the
Casuals whose freestyle was definitely a mainstay of that whole thing. So that
would be pretty dope to just be a part of something like that.
Mattias: I’d rap battle someone I could beat for sure, because
losing is embarrassing.
T: Like a child or something.
Mattias: Or a baby…or a guy who can’t talk.
A: Or a mute.
5. Other than “action,” what are five other things that “A” can
stand for?
A: Anarchy. Albatross.
T: Albacore. We’ve got two left.
A: Make it count!
T: Animosity.
A: Oooo. Anger! Anguish! There’s another one…it’s a really good
word…it looks amazing…it’s like anger and anguish…
T: Asphyxiation?
A: No, it’s a great fucking word. Shit! It means anger and anguish
combined. You know what I’m talking about?
T: Uh…aghast?
A: Ah, nevermind. Whatever.
6. Your sound is very electronic. What are some of your favorite
electronic devices?
A: Any beat machine. Particularly some of the older ones, like
the ASRX stuff, the Triton, Dirty South Sound - that stuff is awesome. And
obviously there’s tons of guitar, weird electronic devices that Timmy uses.
T: Yeah, I like all old stuff - old drum machines, any creative
workstation thing put with the right mind and the right hands can create magic.
That’s the beauty of it, really. The beauty of art and of technology.
7. What would you say to Jimmy Walker if you were to meet him?
A: Who’s that?
Mattias: He’s the guy who made the phrase “Dynomite!”
T: Oh right, sorry! I was thinking of Canada. I thought that was
like a thing where you were testing us on Canadian knowledge.
A: I don’t know man. I think I’d…I think I’d…I don’t know if I’d say anything to him.
T: I think I would say the modern day stoner white boy kind of
thing like “Good times!”
A: I might say something like “Yo man, I’m sorry. I don’t know,
like, you wanna hang? I’ll buy you a beer. You wanna hang out? Let’s hang.”
8. For all the clingy boyfriends and
girlfriends out there, at what point do you think love becomes creepy?
A: Well Timmy doesn’t have this experience, so it’s sort of
particular to me. Timmy’s married, so he’s sort of into the creepy thing.
T: Yeah, definitely.
A: For me, it becomes creepy around the time of the googling
eyes, pretty much right away. After two weeks it’s sort of creepy. But the
thing is that it’s creepy when you’re doing things - you’re pushing the
envelope, you’re doing things that shouldn’t be acceptable - and they’re saying
that it’s all good and they love you anyway. But as I say this stuff, it makes
me look like a complete jerk.
Mattias: Oh no, everyone knows that. Don’t worry.
A: “No, everyone thinks you’re a jerk. Don’t worry about it.” So the thing is that for me, it depends on me. If I’m completely into someone, then it’s not creepy at all. Maybe they’re getting creeped out, but then I don’t care; I just keep at it. It’s a fine line, dude. I guess when it comes to me, complete devotion is a thing that doesn’t really register, so when I got complete devotion from someone, I feel like something’s wrong with that person.
Mattias: So no wedding bells?
A: No, no. Not from me.
9. Any notable ex-girlfriend stories?
T: I’ve definitely left some girls
underneath my car - like, ran them over. Emotionally. But we all do that. We
all make those mistakes. All the stories are meaningless. The only thing is
that if you can figure out how not to do that to someone, then you don’t ever
have to learn from your mistakes. You can’t make those mistakes that leave
women out there who still hate you. I have a couple ex-girlfriends who don’t
like me and will never forgive me. That hurts me and that bums me out. I don’t
want to be disliked.
A: I’m becoming friends with the girlfriends I’ve even had beef
with. This one girlfriend, that so far has been impossible and is the most
infamous ex-girlfriend I have (made infamous by a particular song) - the
forecast doesn’t look good. But every other ex-girlfriend, I’m actually
becoming friends with. It’s amazing. Even with my most recent one, the love is there.
It’s awesome. It shows some sign of something.
Mattias: Also because you’re in a band.
A: Oh that’s why? They just want a piece of the action, regardless of being a girlfriend or not? Being in a band is awesome!
10. Who would you like to see next on
Band of the Day?
T: Maybe I could dig up one of my boys we’re on tour with. Maybe
Mellowdrone or Be Your Own Pet.
A: There’s some fucking band in LA that I’m really hot on right
now. I’m drawing a blank…
Mattias: I feel sorry for those guys.
A: Who? The guys I can’t remember? Yeah, I know. LA really has
some cool stuff happening. If I think about it I’ll let you know.
Next time you’re at a party and there’s a rap battle
going on, try to make note of who’s in it; one of them may just be fronting a
rock band sometime in the future. Don’t forget to pick up your copy of
“Monument to the Masses” today.
Session complete,
The BotD Team