#which had been going on for 20 years as of maria's first appearance in Sonic Adventure 2 in 2001

[bluehairedspidey]

*we are going to see a 12yo girl dying of AIDS get gunned down by the military onscreen in a kids christmas movie

[fleetways]

Hi, HUGE fan of yours, I just wanted to point out that the big addition you made about Shadow Generations and the Shadow's history timeline from the anime expo seems to be based very heavily on assumption; it's way more likely and also was downright alluded to by the host that whoever threw that chart together for this con (and who likely was just an intern given Photoshop and a Fandom wiki) was only including appearances that were major to real life; they specifically presented it as "his first appearance, the games where he returned, his first standalone title, and then non-game media that depicted him."

I also don't agree that it'd be nostalgia bait to focus on Shadow's past right now, especially in a Generations-style anthology game that's meant to capitalize on the movie. The ARK itself was last relevant to a game almost 20 years ago so SEGA is probably concerned that the people they're marketing to literally weren't alive during its relevancy.

Spoilers for a level in the game below:

It's also not like they're ignoring 06 and sweeping it under the rug, one of the few things we know about the game is that it has a level from 06. I'm not saying you were wrong I'm just saying you based a ton of speculative criticism on assumption and misunderstanding, which as a Sonic fan who lived through the 2010s it's just very draining to hear speculative criticism

Well the 06 thing was just me being mr salty more than anything so I’ll give you that. It’s not a criticism for the game, because I know what the game is gonna be and accept this, but just a disappointment with the attitude around it and the fact that they were able to tell new stories with Shadow in the past but have been seemingly unwilling to do anything else like that for the past 17 years. It just kinda feels like they’re digging their heels in to characterize Shadow as someone whose sole motivation revolves around Maria because they think that’s what people want to see, even though that’s something that I feel the canonical ending of Shadow the Hedgehog (2005) and later Sonic 06 showed was definitely not the case.

(Although I still vastly prefer this reading to Shadow acting like an asshole for no reason).

My issues lie way more in my expectations for the panel that this was going to be a deep dive into Shadow’s in-universe character and explore some of the lore that hadn’t been talked about before. There was some of that, but in the end it really boiled down to stuff I was either aware of, or stuff that had already been well-established in canon. There’s nothing wrong with that per se, especially as an introduction to Sonic x Shadow Generations, but considering Sonic x Shadow Generations is already looking to be an introduction to Shadow in Sonic 3, I was hoping there would be more for me to sink my teeth into as someone who is familiar with the character and deeply interested more in specifics. I recognize this is 100% a me problem, but I can’t help but feel frustrated.

As for the nostalgia-bait thing, I think we’ll just have to agree to disagree there. Sonic Generations is literally THE nostalgia game, and I don’t mean that as an insult, it made perfect sense for the time it came out. But considering there’s been a pretty significant tendency to revisit the same locations and concepts, to the point where its become a known point of criticism for the franchise, I can’t help but feel like this is the same thing I’m used to seeing just with Shadow. Which don’t get me wrong, if they’re gonna do it anyways, I’d much rather it be for a character we’ve been hankering for for so long! I just feel a little fatigued is all, even if I understand it makes perfect sense marketing-wise to make a version of one of your best-received games that neatly introduces your character starring in a blockbuster later that year, while also throwing a bone to Shadow/adventure era fans who were dying to see remastered levels from that era (me included!). It’s actually ingenious, so I can’t possibly fault them for it. Plus, for all my complaining, its looking like there definitely is new stuff going on with Shadow, so I’m excited for that. I am just hoping they can tell a story better than the one we got in the original Sonic Generations (which fortunately shouldn’t be too difficult).

[attract-mode-collective]

Ready To Wear, Ready To Play

As previously noted, there’s been yet another change in direction for the Attract Mode blog… which I have dubbed Version 2.8 Final CE EX Λ Core Plus Alpha. BTW/FYI. But yeah, been posting on Twitter, a lot. So much so that you may have missed something, so here’s a recap!

Note: was originally going to cover everything tweeted throughout the month, but because there’s so much to cover (and February’s short)… am guessing bi-weekly might be the way to go. Am also going to present things mostly in order.

K, enough chatter: at the very top is another fine example of a Famicom being the ultimate in fashion accessory (via nintendu). And here we have, not designer threads but designer plastic (via gamefreaksnz)...

Speaking of plastic, Sega (or someone who got Sega’s blessing, or maybe not even) made Super Monkey Ball figures? Guess so (via magimacaque)...

I was under the belief that, if I truly wanted to make an impact with the relaunch of the Attract Mode Twitter, I couldn’t just post one single piece of Klonoa fan art, but two... 

And I only have one example of Cuphead fan art, but it’s the one that counts (via jothelion)...

It was Kyle who helped kick the Attract Mode Twitter’s rebirth into high gear, with the reveal of his Nintendo Power covers. So to help replay the favor, I must insistent that everyone purchase the hard copy of RPG_Friends (which I first mentioned here)...

Nothing makes me happier than seeing such a dense assortment of Japanese game stuffs (via peazy86)...

... Yet that being said, I also believe less can be more, plus a nice breeze while playing Secret of Mana is... well... nice (via sixteen-bit.tumblr)

These gamer chairs perfectly embody Japanese sensibilities when it comes to furniture, plus are a total 180 to the junk they peddle in the US (via shmups)...

Time for another excellent toco toco vid, this one features your fave old school Capcom illustrator, and mine, Akiman…

There's so much I love about this interview with the creator of Hong Kong 1997, whose goal was "to make the worst game possible”. Though this picture of the guy is near the top of my list... 

I love these kooky kids, thinking they could possibly get away with  stealing an entire Final Fight arcade cab (via videogamead)...

Yeah, I feel the same way kid (via tvgame)...

"This is Jesus. He lives inside my Neo Geo MVS cabinet. He was there when I got it. He is glorious." (via arcadephile)...

The pathos that is Sub Zero at the bat, in four modded screenshots(via lanceboyles)...

The pathos that is the Kachō interacting with kids, in just three YouTube screengrabs (via gaijira)...

And the pathos that is Splatoon 2, via two screengrabs and the piece of fan art that resulted (via lunaticobscurity)...

Though in addition to pathos, Splatoon is also filled to the brim with intensity (via thewaragainstgiygas)...

Welcome to VIOLENT CITY (via shmups)...

Also, STAY CHILL (via paperbeatsscissors)...

Not that any band in which music is performed via guitars hooked up to Famicoms is all that typical to being with, but this one is most definitely not typical (via miki800.com)...

This "what the hell is going on exactly" illustration has motivated me to finally Wario Land a spin at long last (via it8bit)...

Remember Absolutely Rose Street, the Beverly Hills 90210 meets Degrassi meets Wayne’s World-esque show that was actually an infomercial for the Sega 32X in disguise that I wrote about a little whiles ago? Well here's ad for it (via oldgamemags)...

I'm a total sucker for old Japanese video game mags, primarily ones featuring models/statues on the cover (via miki800)...

Another cover to an old Japanese game rag, this one featuring the very first Metal Gear; I wonder if this slightly cutesy take helped to inspire the Metal Gear we meet in Snatcher (via mendelpalace)...

Here we have a page from an 11 page comic, done in a single sitting, for an event that celebrates various pairings of Solid Snake/Otacon, one that's called Snot Week for whatever reason (via millionfish)...

I want this woman to be my mom (via cyberfights)...

Am obsessed with this image of a man playing Xevious in the middle of a desert that's clearly fabricated and clearly from the 80s (via shmups)...

mendelpalace sez: "This picture gives me anxiety" and I feel exactly the same...

This is comparable to my own morning commute, except for the lack of floating cherry blossom petals and various other differences (via tightenupthe)...

Spring is almost here, which means it's time for a new wardrobe, which really means it's time to get new PaRappa attire (via miki800.com)...

If a glitched Nintendo logo when booting up a Game Boy looks fashionable to you, you're in luck (via gameandgraphics)...

Tho if a glitched Game Boy Advance start up is more your style (via corruptionasart)...

Has anyone received this Mega Drive/Genesis chiptune album on a cart (described as a "16-bit VMU") yet? (via catskullelectronics)

Ever wonder what a 3 part symphony, one performed via 5 different Nintendo DSs and 5 different copies of Electroplankton, sounds like? Well wonder no more (via mendelpalace)...

And ever wonder what an Italian-based, US-born R&B, blues and disco singer (which is how Wikipedia describes Ronnie Jones) thought of video games in the year 1980? Again, wonder no more (via aestheticoftheday)...

The new DDR, which will record your performance and also add snazzy video effects, is my early contender for GOTY 2018 (via @Sega_AM2)...

I will never grow tired or bored of watching this run cycle, ever (via shmups)...

What appears to be a Nier motion study (via sixteen-bit)...

Sakura-ha (via rosscountertv)..

To commemorate the discontinuation of the Kinect sensor (via prostheticknowledge)...

Google Translate took the original Korean & translated it as: "Ittsumi! Maria", which @NotLikeFreddy re-translated as: "It's-a me, Mary-o"...

The medium of video games most certainly has many mountains to overcome yet, but there's little denying that we've made some progress nonetheless (via videofame)...

"I have to go now. My planet needs me.” (via sixteen-bit)...

Cuz it's been a while since I shared a gif from Sin & Punishment (via n64thstreet)...

The SNES & Genesis had cool accessories and all, yet I often wonder what it would have been like if 3D printers & Etsy were around back then...

Pretty much the cutest lil thing you'll see all day is this Genesis CDX hooked up to a 5″ Sony PVM (via decideweapons)...

“'Club Sega during the Snow' is a top-tier aesthetic, I think." (via pr0jectneedlemouse)

I love old VG sound team photos, especially when they double as old band photos, like Capcom's Alph Lyra here (via videogamesdensetsu)...

You all have no idea how happy I am to finally see a decent sized version of the flyer for Deadly Sport... again, no idea (via melvanainchains)...

Here's an illustration of Terry Bogard eating a hot dog (with the rest of his Fatal Fury posse chowing down as well)...

... Turns out, Terry's affinity for hot dogs is somewhat of a thing (via busterwolf)....

... Or, perhaps SNK as a whole are simply huge fans of hot dogs? (via meldowiseau)

I absolutely love this familiar, yet thoroughly refreshing take on Samus (via lady--peaches)...

And nothing new to report, as it pertains to @deimosremus's Metroid redesign, so am just going to continue staring at this some more...

Love Hultén is mostly known for their handheld creations, like the Pixel Vision, though I mostly dig their full-sized cabinet, the Kabin 1...

"Damn Tecmo never let Microsoft live that design down" (via sixteen-bit)...

Cuz I recently began replaying Breath of the Wild...got the Switch version for the gf on her birthday... some fan art (via it8bit)...

I've seen my fair share of comics with Sonic & Tails, but never one that addresses the debug mode from the original Genesis games (via vg-libary)...

Here we have two cats, from the game Jingle Cats, occupied with the fridge (via obscurevideogames)...

And here we have just one cat, from the Sailor Moon anime, occupied with an arcade game that I am unable to identify (via sailormoonreblogs)...

Can you believe the music video for @MissyElliott's Sock It 2 Me is over 20 years old? Crazy, I know...

Speaking of Mega Man, I guess I need to finally check out Mega Man Zero, cuz apparently X goes through some kind of religious conversion or something (via omnilunary)...

And here we have Cut Man, the one we all know (and love) from Mega Man meeting his Captain N doppelganger (via mewymarsher)...

I absolutely need this on a shirt or jacket (via @buzz_clik)...

It's always a thrill, seeing a fighting stick made out of tupperware in the wild for the very first time, isn't it? (via @silva_hime)

Yes. Fighting Layer is that game in which you jump off a folding chair to smash another one on the head of a gigantic falcon (via lordmo)...

Tonight’s episode: PINBALL ALCHEMIST (via tonights-episode)...

Here we have a Tumblr thread giving suggestions on how to access a seemingly inaccessible area of a hotel lobby; my fave, for perhaps obvious reasons, is the ring path/light speed dash combo from Sonic Adventure...

Am kinda hungry atm and feel like slicing & dicing some celery & onions, plus making some Julienne Fries; anyone got a copy of Sonic 2 handy? (via sonicthehedgeblog)

A. thanks to this fan art, I now know you can also play OutRun in Hokuto no Ken PS4! & B. great piece & all, but...still a shame that Alex Kidd is missing (via inspiredfatty)...

I've legit been staring at these rotating NES and SNES gifs all day long (via 3d-bear)...

These photos from the Dreamcast Mobile Assault Tour, circa the late 90s, right before the system's launch are very... and I mean VERY... 90s (via posthumanwanderings)...

"What will your next dream be?" (via 081594)

You know that UK/US reality show Undercover Boss, in which a billionaire CEO disguises himself as the new mailroom guy? Well there's apparently a version in Japan, with an episode starring the president of Taito (via @MMCafe_Prof)...

On Valentine's Day I came across a horror movies blog that presented various horror movie Valentines, including one for Jason Voorhees that references Friday The 13th for NES (via cameraviscera.com)...

Also, for Valentine's, my girlfriend made me pixelated chocolate; the pic does the blue hearts in particular zero justice, which look like plastic toys, but most assuredly are made of milk chocolate...

... And that’s it for now! The rest of February coming up in a few!

[metalindex-hu]

Friends for the End of the World – Interview with Alain Johannes

Friends for the End of the World – Interview with Alain Johannes - http://metalindex.hu/2019/08/10/friends-for-the-end-of-the-world-interview-with-alain-johannes/ -

Chris Cornell’s first solo record, Euphoria Morning turns twenty this year. The complexity of its sound and exceptional atmosphere has inspired me for a long time to get to know its authors’ work, so I can get closer to the one-off unrepeatable magical process of its creation. Although solitude, vulnerability, melancholy appear directly in these songs, indirectly they are more about consciousness, common musical inventions and healing harmonies.

On the occasion of this anniversary I was talking to Mr. Alain Johannes. He is a late friend of Chris Cornell and also the co-composer, producer, and sound engineer of the album. The Chilean-American multi-instrumentalist musician co-founded multiple brilliant bands: What Is This (with Hillel Slovak, Flea), Walk The Moon, and Eleven (with his common law wife, Natasha Shneider and drummer, Jack Irons). He worked with Queens of the Stone Age, Them Crooked Vultures, Arctic Monkeys, and supported musicians like Mark Lanegan, PJ Harvey and even Chris Cornell. 

Mr. Johannes answered my questions in writing. This interview is to introduce Euphoria Morning to more people in Hungary: a lesser-known, unique record made by three friends, three artists who supported each other.

Alain Johannes (Photo: Stephen Linsley)

By the time Euphoria Morning came out in September 1999, a lot of things changed in the world of rock music: most ‘grunge’ bands broke up or withdrawn temporarily. At the same time, as the digital age came in the front, new bands appeared and responded to this new lifestyle (for example nu metal, industrial rock…). During these times Cornell went back to some old songs of his, which he could not work on as a member of Soundgarden. On one hand, because the group did not exist yet, and also because the ex-members were not inspired by these tracks. Even so, he found it important to work on these and publish them as new material. 

What was the idea behind this? How long had he been planning on making his first solo album?

I’m not sure how long he’d been planning it or if it was something that rose up in that time, but he stayed with us at our studio home 11AD to decompress and chill after Soundgarden disbanded and in that time we would play around with some ideas he had. A bit later it became clear that’s where it was headed.

When people look at Cornell’s solo records, generally the first thing to do is to compare it with Soundgarden’s output or standard they were together. These comparisons may seem natural but should not be dominant. We tend to ignore something important in Chris’s versatile activity (being a leader of two bands, making solo records, movie soundtracks, collaborating with many musicians etc.): his experimental attitude. This one is crucial if we are thinking of Euphoria Morning. What fueled this experimental attitude: rejuvenation or finding new ways in music?

I think in terms of Euphoria Morning a lot had to do with the chemistry between Chris, Natasha and I as we would explore and play around with ideas. He had a few songs in the works which Natasha helped him arrange harmonically and her and I wrote a few musical beds and riffs for him to write melodies and lyrics to. We’d spend a lot of time just listening to awesome music, watching movies, having conversations about life, creativity, art…

After touring together with Soundgarden and a Christmas song (Ave Maria) the band Eleven begun helping him in creating his first solo record. How did the idea present itself? Who was the initiator that suggested working together? Which song or notes were the first ones that Chris Cornell showed you both?

He originally stayed with us after Soundgarden disbanded not long after the European tour when Eleven was the support band. We just chilled and hung out and we worked on Sunshower and Ave Maria on our small recording setup. He invited Al Cafaro the president of A&M at the time to come to visit and we played him some of Eleven’s new music which lead to a record deal. We convinced Al Cafaro to give us the entire recording budget to buy our own full-on recording studio. So 11AD was born. He came down to stay for a longer period to prepare some demos and that was when we worked on the songs for the album like I mentioned earlier. At the time Daniel Lanois was going to produce the album and at the last minute he cancelled his projects and when Chris asked: “What am I gonna do?” Natasha said “Fuck it! Let’s do it ourselves! We have everything we need…”. He smiled and said “OK!”. He sent for a bunch of his guitars and amps and we had so many instruments and awesome mics, pres and compressors and frankly some of the most amazing and varied acoustic environments in that old 20’s house…we just dug in and worked on the album for several months almost entirely in secret [laughs]. All the instruments were supporting each other but with a clear voice, a personality of its own. Hard to put into words but one can hear it on Euphoria Morning.

So to answer who was the initiator: it was Chris and Natasha combined. He trusted us as collaborators for the writing and arranging and then she convinced him to trust us as co-producers, engineers and mixers.

Euphoria Morning is a unique record. Musicians working on this album were completely in sync  – Chris Cornell stated this in numerous interviews. How do you remember the seven-month-long work process of the album?

The core was Chris, Natasha and I and we’d invite our rad drummer friends, Freese, Cameron, Rieflin, Indrizzo, Upchurch, depending on the song(s). Natasha played all the keys, Chris and I the guitars. On bass Markmann, Falkner and myself. We worked at a chill pace. A lot of sonic exploration for a day or two, take a couple of days off just run around do fun stuff. He’d go back to Seattle for a week or two. We were in no hurry and there was no pressure from the outside. Just our own internal high demand on a achieving a timeless album.

In another interview Cornell said it seemed that making a solo record was easier because you do not have to go over the songs together with the band. On the other hand, it is harder, because you have to make decisions alone. The author is responsible for his art alone. But this may not be the situation with Euphoria Morning, because it is not a solo record in a classical meaning. Also, as its instrumentation shows, that the band Eleven, beyond the members’ main instruments, were playing many other instruments (theremin, mandolin, clarinet, tabla etc), wrote songs (Follow My Way, Pillow of Your Bones, Disappearing One) and were also producers of the album. How did the trio share these roles?

Add Mission to that list…Chris played a lot of guitars and so did I as well as horns and “exotic” instruments. We had a few hundred instruments at 11AD from all over the world. Loving the sound of textures I started collecting a long time ago and since I’ve played guitar since I was roughly 4 years old I became interested in other instruments. Not to any kind of technically high level but enough to get a good sound and to know how to play it to create an atmosphere in an arrangement. Natasha had the most amazing musical mind. Perfect pitch, which she hated having [laughs], and a deep intuitive genius-level understanding of harmony, of counterpoint, how to create tension and release against a melody. The beauty of that. So with my kinda fearless jump head first improvisational approach and Chris’ genius as a songwriter and lyricist and as an amazing composer, not to mention his creativity on the guitar well…it was a really special combination that flowed so well. The three of us together. Just the most amazing, fun experience.

In a Rolling Stone-interview, Cornell was talking about a personal and professional crisis during the last years of the ’90s, which – he reckons – led him to make several bad decisions. According to him, one of those was the ’Euphoria Morning’ title which had been changed to ’Euphoria Mourning’ when the record was reissued in 2015. Though the first title had an obviously positive feeling, the new-old one included some complexity which Cornell’s lyrics usually did: some kind of antagonism. What is the meaning of the title: mourning for something good which is over, or a “euphoric mourning” that is a relief you feel when you realize the cause of your suffering?

I can’t answer that because I wasn’t aware at the time that he had a different title in mind. I love “Euphoria Mourning” obviously from a poetic standpoint. For me Euphoria Mourning opens up a meditation on grief or deep missing. Either happiness now is gone and never to return or the illusion of perfect happiness perhaps. Even grieving the loss of something that never was or could be. As in the artist idealism that creates that tension between what is and what one wishes.

Taking a closer look at Euphoria Morning’s lyrics it shows that they focus on a small and inward space: they are mostly about ’me’, ’me and you (we)’. In this respect, ’Wave Goodbye’ an exception. Chris Cornell wrote it as an homage for his old friend, Jeff Buckley who passed away in 1997. Did you know him?

We had the pleasure of meeting Jeff when we played a show together opening for Soundgarden. We hung out a few times one memorable one was at the SNL taping and afterwards. Jeff and I shared a love of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and we had some fun vocal jams and exciting discussions about Nusrat. He was so funny and smart. He was a fan of my first band What Is This as well. What an incredible badass and genius.

Beyond this song (‘Wave goodbye’) did Buckley influence either the creation process of Euphoria Morning or Cornell’s late art? For example on his second solo album, ‘Carry on’?

I think yes for sure Jeff had a profound effect on Chris as well I’m sure countless many. I’ve been changed forever upon encountering the artists that opened me up and by inspiration or example guide me on my own path.

Songs like ’Someone to Die for’, ’Heart of honey’ or ’Ave Maria’ were not published on this record.

Someone to Die for Natasha and I wrote. We had recorded a demo to turn in to our publisher and my voice was sounding shitty. Chris was staying with us and I came out of the studio and asked hey guys someone want to sing this I can’t right now. Chris said, “I’ll sing it”. When Al Cafaro heard the demo he loved it and wanted it for the Bond theme. It was just a demo but everyone loved that recording. It was almost used then there was an issue between the Broccoli family and A&M and it fell through. Years later Rick Rubin produced a version for Spiderman 2 I believe with Jimmy Gnecco singing and Brian May guesting on it. Heart Of Honey we wrote for a movie and at the end that didn’t go in. It’s made it’s way to youtube though [laughs]. It’s a great vocal from Chris. And Ave Maria was recorded early on before our fancy studio gear arrived at the request of A&M for A Very Special Christmas compilation. We didn’t have fancy synths but the Natasha arrangement and her voice weaving with Chris’ is amazing. She also composed an intro and an outro! [Laughs] Natasha…

Were you planning on making another album, songs together?

We worked together on The Keeper after many years. We also toured together in 2011. Yes, I believe we would have worked on music again. We often sent each other music and kept in touch.

Alain Johannes (Photo: Stephen Linsley)

Euphoria Morning’s first single was ’Can’t Change Me’. What is your opinion: did creating the album changed Chris Cornell? Did it help him to get through that hard period in his life? Was he satisfied with the album? And you?

I think it helped the three of us evolve and grow. At the time of the recording and the tour after I never noticed it being a hard period for him. He was in a great mood, funny and full of energy. And I believe he was very proud of what we had accomplished as were we.

There aren’t two Chris Cornell-solo records that sound the same: his ideas, talent and mood for experimentation are recognizable on each of them. Still, for me Euphoria Morning is the most important, I find it the most complete. When I got familiar with Howling Book by Eleven, I realized what I missed in each solo album of Cornell: your and Natasha’s work. I mentioned this album because I reckon I see parallelism between this and Euphoria Morning. Were there any conscious links made between these records?

Thank you. Well, we are definitely present in Euphoria Morning as part of the creative fountain. Our connection with Chris and Soundgarden, they were hugely important and inspiring to Natasha and I. One changes when moved so deeply. We met them in ’91 and began our friendship and collaborations. So it’s folded in. When we recorded Howling Book, Jack Irons had come back after being in Pearl Jam a few years and we set out to create the album at 11AD much the same energy existed in those Euphoria Morning sessions. I’ve known Jack since we were kids so it was 3 closest friends creating without egos and for the good of the music.

There is also a musical and „constitutional” similarity that is stated by many artists about Cornell and you. They respect you both not only for your creativity, versatility and friendly personality but also because they can turn to you with confidence as a source of inspiration and motivation. What do you think what did Eleven add to Euphoria Morning, and what inspiration did you draw from it?

I think simply being there together and creating the album serving a higher purpose. It’s different than an Eleven album yet the process was similar. It’s all for the song. Create the world where it lives. Intuit what’s right and good to communicate that fully. It’s very lucky when you have not one, not two but three artists resonating so empathically towards a purpose. In terms of inspiration, it just felt amazing to have achieved such work and have fun doing it. And we learned and grew a lot from the experience of creating with Chris.

On his Higher Truth tour Chris used a simple stage-setting: fixtures emitted inness. The guitars and some things made the stage more homelike: a red phone and a vinyl, which Cornell played for the piano track of ’When I’m Down’. Both of these things were related to people who influenced Euphoria Morning: Jeff Buckley and Natasha Shneider. Natasha’s huge influence could have been the classical-music-like solutions in certain songs (like Follow My Way, Disappearing One) and strong overtones from Eastern-European musical literacy. Is this assumption somewhat correct?

Yes, Natasha definitely had that incredible natural sense of harmony. But both of those started as riffs or chord changes that I came up with and then, of course, we developed together. Pillow Of Your Bones one would think would be more from me originally but that was Natasha. We became blurred into each other’s creative stamp from such a long connection and partnership.

As I wrote above she had perfect pitch. It is often also involving a photographic memory so that the piece of music heard can be repeated or notated by the person who has perfect pitch afterwards. Natasha’s was very rare and strong. She would hear something and immediately imagine and work towards an elegance, a depth.

I read in an interview with you that your mother originates from Transylvania. You may know that the word ’eleven’ appears in Hungarian language as well but with completely other meaning: ’vital’, ’lively’, ’animated’, ’alive’, ’living’, ’cheerful’, ’vivid’, ’peart’, ’beany’, ’brisk’, ’crisp’, ’perky’, ’quick’, ’bobbish’, ’mettled’, ’unfaded’. Knowing your life-work, together with the huge personal loss, we wish you keep your ’eleven’ and versatile activity, and we hope you can visit us once in Hungary.

Haha, thank you so much that’s awesome. It was my grandmother, Zita actually. She was born in Kolozsvár/Cluj.

*

At the end of our correspondence, Alain Johannes wrote about what he is doing these days. After finishing the music for the videogame Ghost Recon Wildlands (2017), he was invited to participate in creating the music for its next part as well. So, his most recent compositions can be heard in Ghost Recon Breakpoint in October. His new solo album will be released late 2019 or early 2020. Although we have to wait for an Alan Johannes concert in Budapest, reckless ones can see and hear him in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom this autumn.

Since 1999 Alain Johannes talked on numerous platforms about the making process of Euphoria Morning in English and Spanish as well: for example in the documentary about his artwork (Unfinished Plan: The Path of Alain Johannes directed by Rodolfo Gárate) and also in Abbey Travis’s podcast (listen to it here).

His shows often contain a song written together with Chris Cornell and Natasha Shneider: Disappearing One. He performed this track with Nikka Costa on the Chris Cornell Tribute Concert in January.

I’m your disappearing one Vanish when the curtain’s drawn But I will come again, and you will let me in And you’ll see I never disappear for long