An Armchair Critic Interview with Tairrie B Murphy!

I recently spoke with Jonathan Taylor from An Armchair Critic.



Click HERE to visit his online music blog and check out my new interview below! 

 

[Photo by Scott Chalmers]

"In the wake of a tour and the winding down of travel, the development of new material and the rigours of being in a strong and durable rock band, Tairrie B and Mick Murphy always find time to keep their supporters informed and included in their day to day life as My Ruin. When approaching this latest interview I wanted to do something that went beyond the format of a regular interview. I wanted to try and gain a vision of what it meant to be in a touring DIY band, and to feel the emotion that is put into that. I talked with Tairrie about how to approach this and she thought an approach used on Proust maybe an interesting way to construct an interview. So I sent the questions over and awaited the responses. When I got them back I was over the moon with the way it worked, I got a better understanding of how committed and determined both Tairrie B and Mick are to their art, and what it means to let people see you laying bear your soul. The interview is in two parts this is part two - for part one."

- Jonathan Taylor

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What is your favourite pastime outside of My Ruin?
I love to dance and roller skate when I get the chance. I also enjoy reading and discovering a new book or poet from the past and making things with my hands. I have an online store at www.bgd.bigcartel.com which features our band merch along with my unique custom one-of-a-kind pieces of jewelry and wearable art for the individual at heart which I call my “Blasphemous Girl Designs”. 
What is it about being My Ruin that inspires the recording of My Ruin?
Is this a trick question? I guess the obvious answer would be Mick. He creates the music which inspires the words I write. I think it’s important for everyone to have something in their life which allows them to get it all out and express themselves creatively in whatever shape and form that takes.  My Ruin is my scream therapy. The one meal you look forward to most when you get home from touring?
Real Mexican food.
How do you cope with sleepless nights on the road?
It’s hard. I have suffered from insomnia for many years so unless I’m totally exhausted I often have to take a sleeping pill and force myself to shut down. It’s the same for me at home. I envy people who can fall asleep easily. My husband is one of them. 
The last thing you pack before leaving to go on tour?
Excedrin Migraine and Throat Coat Tea. 
Least favourite aspect to undertaking a tour?
I hate having to deal with unnecessary drama and drama queens behind the scenes. Men can be worse than women sometimes, trust me. How significant is religion in your daily life?
The idea of worshiping something unseen is not something I subscribe to. I believe in good and evil. I find it harder to believe in fiery pits of endless torment, a man who lives in the sky and the afterlife although, the ideas these images conjure up have always seemed to play a significant role in my life when it comes to my writing. As John Milton once said in Paradise Lost…“The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven” but as Edgar Allen Poe once said “All religion, my friend, is simply evolved out of fraud, fear, greed, imagination and poetry.” I think that about covers it.   
Who are some of the poets and artists that inspire you? Percy Bysshe Shelley, William Blake, Gustave Dore, Leonard Cohen, John Milton, William Adolphe Bouguereau, Frida Khalo, Arthur Rimbaud, Nick Cave, Patti Smith, Lord Byron, Mike Giant, Sylvia Plath, John Keats, Hans Memling, Emily Bronte, Friedrich Nietzsche, Jim Morrison, Walt Whitman, Rainer Marie Rilke, Oscar Wilde, Richard Ashcroft W.H Auden and Hieronymus Bosch to name a few. Is it possible to compare the ethos of My Ruin to an artist outside of music, if so who and why?
Our ethos are very DIY punk rock based and I’m sure there are many people who share beliefs which are similar to our way of thinking in various other creative and artistic mediums.
What is your least favourite aspect of Facebook?
I’m on Facebook because of my band and although I enjoy connecting with old friends and fans on a personal level it can sometimes become very stressful. There are many good points about social media and Facebook but there is also a flip side to this that I don’t enjoy because some people tend to get really intense with me if they don’t get the response they want or believe they are entitled to. It always seems to be the ones who come on the strongest and tell us how much they love and support our band who turn on us the quickest for some crazy reason or another. It’s a double edged sword when you make yourself accessible in that way. I often joke with my husband and say I feel I was born in the wrong era and he agrees with me however, this is the day and age we live in so I try to embrace it the best I can and implement the delete & block buttons whenever necessary.
Have you ever considered covering any early rock ‘n’ roll tunes, and giving it the My Ruin injection? (I’d love to hear you do something like Lavern Baker’s version of ‘Hey Memphis’ or Bo Diddley’s ‘Who do you love?’)
I love doing covers but in order for us to record someone else’s material the music & lyrics must really to speak to us and we have to be able to relate on a personal level or there’s no real point. Those are both great tunes but I can’t imagine recording either for My Ruin especially with Mick being from Knoxville, not Memphis, Tennessee. We are actually working on a cover of a blues song from the fifties for our next album. It’s a song I have always wanted to record and put my own twist on vocally by an artist I have loved for years. I think it may really surprise people when they hear it and find out who originally inspired it. What is your favourite My Ruin song of the moment?
We are currently in pre production writing and recording demos so I’m deep in the mood of our new album. I don’t want to reveal any song titles yet so I will have to say “Deconsecrated” off our current album because we have just released a new video (see below) for it which was filmed on our last UK tour and edited by Tor Burrows of Notorious Design. 
Does the lack of personal space on tour ever become tedious?
It really depends on who you are with at the time. When you’re surrounded by people you respect and love, it’s a pleasure to have that experience together on the road and you treasure those moments shared. When there is someone in your band or touring party that you can’t stand it can be a miserable experience and the lack of personal space can lead to very uncomfortable situations for everyone. A good vibe is essential to a good tour. 
When relations within the band sour do you ever find yourself compromising your opinion for the sake of others?
Not usually. I’ve always been very vocal when it comes to my opinions especially when someone is compromising my comfort or the integrity of our band by putting us at risk with their behavior which has happened more than a few times on the road and is one of the reasons we have had some of the line up changes we have with various drummers & bass players over the years. Touring is not for everyone and some people simply don’t know how to conduct themselves like adults or handle the pressure of being on the road and all that comes along with it. It can become amateur hour real quick when you’re dealing with a new jack or a rockstar attitude. That’s the type of thing I won’t tolerate and refuse to compromise myself on. You have to work as a team on tour, respect each other, yourself and everyone’s personal space. Someone can be in your band for a while and you may think you know them but you never really know someone until you spend time with them on the road. This is where the truth comes out.
Your favourite fictional villainous villain?
God. 
Which living person do you most despise?
It depends on the day. 
Is the sword more dangerous than the Bible?
The Bible can be a very dangerous book depending on who is reading it and how they are interpreting it. For me, it’s always been a great tool for lyrical inspiration along with various other books of fiction and poetry. The language of the Bible is as beautiful as it is brutal but I don’t necessarily believe the stories to be true however, I do believe that the pen is often mightier than the sword when slaying a beast.  What do you consider to be your major flaw?
I hold grudges and have a hard time with forgiveness.

What is your most marked characteristic?
My red lips and my scream.

What is that you cherish most about being a couple in a majorly influential rock band?
Our love, trust in each other and in our music. I also cherish our independence, dedication and perseverance against all odds as a band. 
My perception of being a band on tour is that it lacks vibrant colour there seems to be a lot of greys, blacks and muted tones, what colour most invigorates you when on tour?
Yes, that pretty much describes touring Europe and the UK! Bright colors make my skin crawl. They are both uncomfortable to look at and wear. I prefer black and muted tones in general. I would have to say smells invigorate me more than colors do. I’m heavy into scents and I make sure to have lots of perfumes, oils and sprays with me when on tour. Scented candles and incense are always nice to have backstage and in our hotel room as well. 
Which women of rock do you think have failed to present women as equal in an environment that is historically so sexist and misogynistic?
I’ve been in this business for many years now and in terms of my trajectory, it’s been an ongoing battle just simply being a woman in the music industry having to deal with assholes and egos on a regular basis. I’ve seen women come and go and that being said, when it comes to music; I believe substance is staying power. When it comes to image, if your main focus is to be seen as a sex object rather than a serious artist, you’re not just selling yourself out, you’re selling out all the women who have come before you, blazed the trail, opened the door, roared for equality and demanded to be treated with respect. Many women in rock [myself included] have fought long and hard to survive so it kills me to see the way some women in metal present themselves. I’m not going to name names but I saw a new video recently by a female fronted band that I find ridiculous and was shocked to see just how low they had sunk. Not only was the song complete shit but the singer was half naked one minute and totally over done image wise and surrounded by naked chicks the next. It’s bad enough when men exploit women in their videos but when your music is so bad that all you can do is take your clothes off and exploit yourself in your own video to get attention, what does that say about you as a woman in rock and to young girls who look up to you? Not much I’m afraid. What philosophy gives credence to your lifestyle?
Honesty is the holiest disease. Always has and always will. What historical monuments you have seen on tour do you consider awe-inspiring?
There are many Cathedrals throughout the UK and Europe which hold a special place in my heart. Although the idea of sitting in one on the Sabbath for a service is not something I would do, I do enjoy the architecture, the smell and the overall sense of calm you feel when you are in an empty Church.    What is your favorite journey?
Knoxville, Tennessee where we will be going again in August to record or next record at Soundtrack Black Studio with our good friend and co producer Joel Stooksbury!    =TBM=    
[Photo by Kayla Wren]