Hey, what happened? An interview with Alexander Lesher of Get Fucked & LickGoldenSky

Alexander Lesher was the vocalist for LickGoldenSky and Get Fucked.

I’m not going to lie. I never got into Get Fucked. But that was merely an oversight on my part. They were on the well-respected Level-Plane Records and featured members of a bunch of other good hardcore bands (Turmoil, Neil Perry, The Now). But I did like LickGoldenSky and saw them play at a house show in Bloomington, Indiana, back in the day. They were pretty crazy. Evidently that’s not the only time:

I can’t remember where the show was, but I want to say it was the New England Metal and Hardcore Fest, but it might have been the Jersey version of this fest. Regardless, the band came to find out that their slot was bumped from 6pm to 1pm, which is shit end of the stick at fests we all know. The band decided to screw the promoters and just cranked feedback for 20 minutes straight as the drummer ate a bag of potato chips on stage. This is one of those rare occasions that you realize that this is why you love this music (or feedback). (From Lambgoat.com’s review of LickGoldenSky’s self-titled album)

I also read somewhere that Alexander sounded like the singer from System of a Down. NO! That’s just WRONG. The correct comparison is to say that Alexander sounds like insanity. In LickGoldenSky his intense, broad-ranging vocals combined with strange lyrics like, “Inside, outside, on your horse / I’m a stallion who’s in search of a little recourse.” This made it sound all the more wild.

His behavior during live performances often mirrors the craziness in his vocals. Check out this video starting at the one-minute mark. You don’t need to be able to hear the vocals to see that Alexander is really into the rock and roll.

For more info on Alexander, please visit his web site.

Where do you currently live?

I currently live in Greencastle, IN.

What do you do to pay the bills?

I am currently in between positions right now. I was working on an oil spill in Michigan, before that I was working in Beijing. But, oil spills end (gladly). I am kind of waiting around, with saved money, to hear about graduate school (PhD at Indiana University). It is getting late. I hope to hear this week, actually.

Are you still involved with music in any way (work for a label, play in a band, do press for a band, book shows, etc.) or any of the other arts (performing, visual, literary)?

I still book shows but with greater infrequency than I did 1997-2004. I have a show coming up with Broken Water in May. I have MCed for a few shows as well and hope to continue that. I do a podcast that comes and goes in frequency but it has featured interviews with Philadelphia-area visual artist Amze Emmons, Black SS vocalist Chuck SS, McSweeney’s author Brian Baise, and King Cat creator and comic icon John Porcellino among others.

I go to many of the small publishing house literary events in Indianapolis, as the scene there is really strong. I am also fortunate enough to live 2 blocks from DePauw University’s campus, which features a lot of great, well-known authors including Jennifer Egan, Ian Frazier, and Sharon Olds. I haven’t been writing as much as I like, but I plan for that to change.

I have a new band with a good number of people that began in January of this year. We are all really excited about it and there are seven of us and I think the music is really strong. We will see where it goes. It has been a while.

At what point did you decide to “give up” the touring and band life and why? Was there a sudden realization that you wanted to live in the “real world” or was it gradual?

I haven’t given up at all. I just haven’t HAD a vehicle with which to do these things. I don’t know if I could do an extensive 45-day tour three times a year again, not because of obvious reasons, but just out of the wisdom of knowing how things can operate.

Living in the real world is part of it. Out here in Indiana, I have the pace and the lifestyle which allows me to lead the life where I can incorporate many of the ideals and ethics of which I spoke for so long while in punk bands. So, that is a real benefit despite my physical separation from many of the things in which I engaged. I also knew that I needed to get my MS at the time when I did or things would just linger on, but that also didn’t hold me back from involvement. More than anything, it has been the place I have lived and finding people with similar musical interests who were as enthusiastic. I don’t believe in graduating from my youth and becoming an adult. If anything, I have grown more defiant to that as I grow older and assume responsibility. I am definitely happy with myself.

Do you still speak with the other members of the band?

I still speak to Eric and we have back and forths and speak on the phone sometimes. I think he is leaving Louisville soon, but he is an enigma regardless of how much he reveals so you don’t know where it will end up.

Tom, I speak to occasionally. Haven’t spoken to Herb directly, but like twice through mediators – always friendly. His band played Indianapolis as I was leaving for Beijing so I missed them/him. Jamie Getz, I saw and spoke to once in the summer of 2009. I don’t know what Hodges is doing or if Turmoil is still together. Harold is still Harold I believe, but I haven’t spoken to him. Ian played with us for a show and I still speak to him sometimes. I haven’t heard from Bob Jr. in a long time.

Are you content with not living the “rock and roll” lifestyle of your past or do you miss it? (Please note: I use the phrase “rock and roll lifestyle” loosely.)

I really just miss meeting new people and exploring new areas in a manner that only touring can take you. I still manage to travel, but touring really places you in these incredible positions and often in regions of cities or towns where you would not normally find yourself. I also miss having a microphone in my mouth and a lampshade on my head with an audience.

Do you feel as though you can still relate to the person you were when you were in a band and touring? Why or why not?

Yes. But, I have learned a great deal more. I can’t say I would be much different when put in the same situations, but I would hope that I would be better. Though, being around less people everyday may have made me more susceptible to having a high tolerance for certain things. So, I can’t say.

I do find that some of the things I consumed are vastly different now. I am much wiser about that and thankful for it. I am also much more physically fit than I was then. I could have used it then. I expended a lot of energy.