Circle of Dust - On leaving REX Records
Do you want me to call you Klay? Or is that just your new "stage name?"
"Yes, you can call me Klay (I prefer it) and no, this is not another of my infamous stage names. I'm done with all the ‘Tox,' ‘Dred,' ‘Deathwish,' etc., pseudonyms. Hindsight is 20/20 and with that vision I realized that I wasn't establishing myself as any one individual and it probably hurt me more than helped (Most people don't even know that I did the whole Argyle Park CD with Buka, for instance.) ‘Klay Scott' actually in many ways represents a new beginning, so to speak. I've changed quite a bit since I last was in the public eye and the name change reflects that. I never thought Scott Albert sounded good anyway."
Why after all this time did you decide to do another Circle album?
"Ca$h. I ‘disbanded' Circle in '95. The REX Records situation was a joke and I spent the next year and a half in legal disputes with them. (The whole story revolving around the last 2 years would be a whole magazine's worth of info by itself.) I have been fully involved in ‘Angeldust' since I put Circle to rest, but since a project of Angeldust's proportions takes much time to develop and refine, there wasn't much in the way of income. There were some labels asking if I'd ever do another Circle CD, but good ol' REX was keeping me from doing that because they weren't going to let me out of my useless contract. I really wanted to do another Circle CD and not another project. Circle of Dust is me and I wanted to be self indulgent — I 've spent so much time on other projects and wasn't getting a hell of a lot of recognition from them, partly due to my ‘anonymity fix,' although at the time I couldn't legally sign to any other label. To make a long story shorter, I was released from my REX deal earlier this year and within a few weeks signed a deal with Flying Tart. I'll explain later why I made that choice. And for the record , although a large reason there is another Circle CD coming out is because the prospect of having no $ and therefore starving and having no place to live wasn't too exciting, I want to make perfectly clear to the people that care that Disengage is by no means a half-(bleep)ed project of half-(bleep)ed material I had laying around. I spent a lot of time on this record from the music to the artwork and layout, and this is what I feel to be the best disc I've done to date. I know there has been confusion surrounding Circle of Dust for a long time, but one thing I knew I did not want to do is go around telling everyone ‘Goodbye. Circle of Dust is breaking up so come to see all our shows and spend lots of $ on our merchandise because it's the last time you can,' and then putting out more records and doing more tours anyway. There was never any official pronouncement about the demise of Circle because I didn't know what would happen in the future."
One thing Circle fans and critics probably got tired of was the fact that there wasn't a new full-length album every year and a half or so. While this may seem ungrateful, due to the fact that they were getting nice remix things, like metamorphosis, and special reissues of the Brainchild album, etc. ... Why only a 6-cut EP release after all this time? Is Flying Tart releasing a new full-length album? I received this 6-song remixes of Refractorchasm, and I assumed that this was the long-awaited new release from Circle of Dust.
"There is a CD single with 6 remixes of ‘Refractor' & ‘Chasm' called Refractorchasm due out in October. There is also the Full-length CD which has 11 songs called Disengage due out in November. The full-length has 11 songs on it, and Refractorchasm has 6 remixes of ‘Refractor' and ‘Chasm.' Technically Disengage will be my second Circle of Dust release (the first being the self-titled one), so keep in mind six years have passed since I actually wrote specifically as Circle of Dust. The real reason it seems like the same CD's were released and re-released and re-released and re-released was mainly because of the Distribution deal REX had secured with Relativity. Finally, I was going to have my music in the real world. We needed to get a release out pronto and we all felt that Brainchild was the strongest CD. Just one problem... Brainchild was a project and was never intended to be a Circle of Dust CD. After weighing our options we decided that since this was going into a totally new market, who would know or care That ‘Circle of Dust — Brainchild' used to be ‘Brainchild — Mindwarp'? Well, It seemed some people were confused, some people were pissed off, and most of the rest didn't know the difference or care for that matter. So the CD goes out through Relativity and starts to sell a good amount, and garners some pretty serious attention from some pretty serious publications, individuals, bands, TV, etc. We realized that we needed to get another album out fairly quickly. The problem was that we needed to continue to tour to support Brainchild and if I had to write a new CD, it would take many months. The suggestion came up to re-release the original Circle CD. I already knew that could never happen. That original release was an abomination as far as I'm concerned. I hated the release when I walked out the door of the studio I had just recorded it in, in 1991. (I still have hopes that every copy that still exists will somehow dematerialize permanently.) At this point, I had my own studio and knew it would be much better if I could re-record it before it was released. So it was obvious to keep the momentum of Circle going, I needed to spend a month re-recording the old material, (which I liked, but couldn't live with sonically) as opposed to spending 8-10 months writing an entirely new CD. There was at some point a suggestion to change the CD artwork, and the only reason I declined that suggestion was because I thought fans would think I was deliberately trying to pull some scheme off and make a little cash. Trust me, I wouldn't have been the one making the cash."
Why sign with little ole Flying Tart? (Certainly you were popular enough to garner a better deal elsewhere)
"Ca$h & Time. I had offers from various labels already. I also had very little time to focus on securing a deal, so I was forced to take the one that offered the most $ without totally screwing me over. (Did I make the right choice??? I'm beginning to wonder...) Essentially, it was choosing the lesser of many evils. If I were pursuing Circle of Dust full time, there is no question it would have been shopped to bigger and better labels. I was already focusing all my attention on Angeldust, and to try to shop a one record deal with a big label would be time consuming and it was improbable that they would do a one-off. Flying Tart promised me distribution through Polygram (among other things ). Two weeks after I signed and secured the deal, the company that owns Flying Tart fired Alex Parker and is completely dissolving the label by year end. (It gets even worse...) I had to laugh. What a pathetic way to go out. I'm so irate about the situation that words can't describe..."
It sounds like Tommy Victor ripped off your sound with the latest Prong album (two years ago). What is your opinion on this? And how do you feel about it if he did rip your sound off? How do you feel about the apparent lack of success the last Prong album had?
"Tommy didn't rip off my sound. I asked him to do some stuff for me for the Argyle Park project. He and I worked on what he would actually do. We decided vocals on one song and Guitar on another. He actually wrote the riff to ‘Doomsayer.' A few months later, he told me he wanted to use the riff for the upcoming Prong CD. No problem... It was a great thing for me to put down that I co-wrote a Prong song on my resume anyway. Rude Awakening is the best Prong release to date. There were issues other than the music that caused the plug to be pulled on that CD. But I did write a couple of new Prong songs with Tommy a few months ago. Very cool, very different. We'll see when they'll be released now that Prong has reformed and is shopping a deal."
Tell us about this latest project (called ‘Angeldust?') with the magician guy...
"To make this a lot easier, you can see what Angeldust is about. Check the Circle of Dust web site for more details (www.Dusted.com). Just When the REX situation was getting bad, I got a call from Criss Angel — this magician doing a ‘rock & roll' magic thing. I'm thinking ‘magic is soooooo cheesy' but I was coming off tour in a few weeks and had nothing lined up for when I got home, so I called him. To make a long story short, he didn't look at all like magician and the magic was not the typical cheesy crap I expected it to be. He wanted me to bring the music of the project into the 90's — to produce and program songs for him. I needed the money (notice the recurring money issue??), so I took it on. Over a period of time we became very good friends. We shared the same vision, musically and visually and realized that our strength as a team was much greater than either of us apart. The REX situation continued to decline and at some point along the way Criss asked me to become part of the project with him. The decision took months of deliberation. It's not an easy thing to sacrifice your own dreams, but at the same time I started to realize that sometimes growth requires sacrifice . I finally put Circle to rest at the end of ‘95 and started writing ‘Angeldust' (Criss Angel & Circle of Dust) material with Criss. (He does the main vocals and I do the secondary vocals and all instruments , programming etc.) We've spent the last 2 and a half years developing the project and bringing it to a new level. It's not a ‘magic show' and it's not a ‘rock concert.' It has much more in common with the imagery of ‘The Crow' or ‘The Terminator,' with Illusions, a live band, Avant-garde characters that roam the landscape, robotic lighting, television monitors and projectors, performance art pieces and more. The funding for a project this size takes a while to secure and we're getting close to securing it."
Okay, I know the situation may be slightly different than this question insinuates (considering that it doesn't appear that you're enthusiastic about doing this interview now, but obviously there is some interest in doing so...) I was informed that when approached about doing an interview for Heaven's Metal Magazine a few years ago, that your response was something to the effect of "I don't want to have anything to do with no bleepin' Christian magazine..." Why are you doing one now?
"First of all, I wouldn't have said ‘no (bleep)ing Christian magazine.' I would have said ‘any (bleep)ing Christian magazine' At least give me some grammatical credit. Secondly, it seems as though you partially answered the question in asking it. That ‘(bleep)' was inserted somewhere along the way during the ‘Christian' game called telephone. Perhaps you've heard of it??? You know, it's when an original statement gets progressively (digressively?) changed as it's being passed along a collection of individuals. Here's a little history for you. I was born and raised in a ‘Christian' household. I had no choice. When you're a kid, you do as you're told. (My parents did what they felt right and I hold no blame towards them whatsoever. ) I spent most of my youth in church learning to fear eternal damnation if I looked at someone the wrong way or entertained an ‘evil' thought. God forbid I was even remotely human. Enter pubescence and ‘young adulthood.' By this point my brainwashing is almost complete. I am a droid doing ‘the work of the Lord'???? No, doing big church-man's version of ‘the work of the Lord' actually. Now I'm getting older and starting to commit the unforgivable crime — I'm doubting. Somewhere during this time comes an opportunity to sign a record deal. Yeah , I know it's a ‘Christian' label (that's another joke to tell some other time...), but I'm gonna get to put out my own CD's so who cares? Fast forward through years of more disillusionment and hypocrisy and we get back to your original question and the game of telephone. One main reason I did this interview is because I think any fans (or former fans after the interview?) deserve to know the answers to some questions they've been asking for the last few years. I did in fact make a conscious decision some time back to disassociate myself from the ‘Christian' scene, whatever that is. I started coming out in the ‘Christian' press making statements that holier-than-thous thought were not acceptable. Before you know it, rumors are flying... drugs , sex, Satanism...( hey, even if it were true, it's not so far off from what you're present day ‘Christian' artists are involved in. Surprise...!). I remember taking a week off after the Cornerstone fest the last year we played. A friend had tracked me down at the place I was staying to ‘break the news to me' that according to a bunch of people at the fest that I was dealing drugs out of our tour van. Me?? To this day, I have not so much as smoked a cigarette, never mind dealing drugs. In retrospect, if I had been a drug dealer instead of getting trapped into the ‘Christian' scene for a time, I probably would have less problems. At least if I got stabbed in the back or shot, it wasn't coming from someone who is supposed to ‘love' me..."
What has caused you, if I may presume to classify you as such, to be disillusioned or upset about "the church?" or the Christian music industry?
"That question would take an hour to respond to alone. I have no reason to justify myself to anyone anymore, but I do want to make it clear that there is a distinct separation between God and man in my mind. God is not the reason for my problems (man-made). He didn't betray me (man did). He didn't irreparably eviscerate my self-image (man's interpretation of Him did). He didn't molest dozens of children in our happy little church and sweep the whole issue under the proverbial carpet (man did). And if I remember it correctly, He didn't take a bite out of the fruit in the Garden of Eden either. The ‘Christian' music industry is a joke. That's not to sound like I'm above it, just over it. It's not much different from the rest of the world, it's just that you're guaranteed to sell thousands of units if you're on a Christian label and a few thousand more if you mention God a lot in your lyrics. I know first hand of the consistent drug usage, promiscuity, alcohol, ‘bad language,' pornos, etc. that some of the so-called ‘Christian' artists are involved in. That's not to say that scenario represents everyone, but for sure, some of your ‘preach-from-the-stage, rockin' for the rock' bands should get the hell out of the ‘Christian' thing if they aren't going to live it. But who can blame them when the record execs are setting a fine example and ripping off (euphemism insert) the bands for $ on top of it. I found myself not being able to escape these kind of accusations towards the end of Circle. I was so fed up of all these kids and parents telling me what I doing or saying wasn't good enough. I'd be thinking ‘I've heard that crap my whole life and I certainly don't need to be hearing it from you too.' Constant conflict... That's also part of the reason I agreed to do this interview via E-mail — There's no chance for argument. I've read your publication and others like it before and it seems like people can't wait for a chance to be combative with someone who doesn't see things their way. (Watch the ‘godly hate mail' pour in after this interview.) I'm so over it. I do find it hard to believe that anyone still thinks that assaulting an individual is going to convert them. I'll never deal with that again. If you (relatively speaking) want an argument, go on the Jenny Jones show and make an (bleep) out of yourself (and God for that matter) but you can get out of my face, thank you very much. I'm done explaining and justifying every little thing that I do to appease someone else. I've learned from too much experience that trying to appease one person only causes new conflicts with a multitude of others — Nobody wins.
Okay, on to more of the questions people have and have had for a few years: Regardless of the baggage that people attach to the label, would you consider yourself a "Christian artist?" Why or why not?
"No. I've distanced myself from that topic of discussion years ago. The reasons are long and numerous and any explanations of why or why not have been discussed in the public arena already. Suffice it to say I'm not into pretending to be something I'm not..."
You touched on this in an earlier answer . . . do you have any empathy or understanding for people who have certain expectations for artists performing under the auspices of "Christian music?" how so?
"In a time long forgotten in my life, I would have said yes."
What would you consider to be some of your biggest or most troubling doubts?
"Whether or not to wake up in the morning..."
In many ways, you seem to be caught in a classic artistic struggle that many centuries before you have gone through. on one side, you could be trying to fulfill your calling/identity/gifts as an artist and honestly express what you are seeing and experiencing; and, on the other hand, you are facing pressure you may or may not understand from a religious community that doesn't want its entertainers to behave in a certain way. some modern counterparts in this struggle find themselves "too religious" for the worldly crowd and "too worldly" for the religious crowd. in some ways you're trapped, because the religious crowd (even well-meaning followers of Christ) want you to clearly choose "which side of the fence you're going to be on," meaning that, if you choose to be on the "Christian side," then you're going to abide by these rules and these fence laws, and create this kind of art. If you choose not to be on that side, they want you to deny Christ and proclaim yourself as a heathen or an unrepentant sinner and have nothing to do with you. there's seems to be no room to allow a person to struggle, doubt, fail, or swear and still call themselves or perform for Christians. That's not right, as it equates public ministry and the offices of pastor, evangelist, prophet, teacher, and apostle with Christian musician. It's like, "Hey, Marilyn Manson can question faith in God and swear all he wants, but I don't want to see my Michael W. Smith or Amy Grant or whoever express their doubts. Once they step into our camp, they can't do that kind of doubting anymore!" (and the logic behind that is absurd, of course. I think the problem lies in our models. Everyone looks at the successful ministry model of Resurrection Band or Petra and then thinks every Christian artist must fit in that mold...) There are some Christians, particularly in the Reformed Theology camp, who are hip to this and realize that the Christian does all he or she does to the glory of Christ, which may even be a secular song about physical love, sex, doubting God's presence (all of which are biblical). Many would probably also say it's okay to cuss, although I myself wouldn't agree with that one, but that's another subject. Okay, you're wondering, where's the question? I guess the question would be: Do you see yourself somewhere in this classic struggle? And, if so, where at?
"Actually, I don't see myself as part of this struggle at all, but I know that I have been made part of it. It goes back to the stigma of being on a ‘Christian' label. Once you sign that dotted line, you're instantly branded not only as ‘Christian' artist, but role model, teacher, preacher etc. (This was never an issue for me in the beginning because I was getting a record deal — that's all that counted. I also had no intentions of putting a band together and touring). Eventually, this issue became such a problem internally with Circle, that we agreed from that point on, there would be no more shows at any ‘Christian' venues or festivals etc. We turned down quite a few potential money-making gigs for that reason alone. We'd end up playing in some rathole for 50 people instead, but sometimes growth demands sacrifice. And of course, there's gonna be the people saying ‘That's B.S. — I saw them play at ‘blah blah blah' Christian club!' Well maybe you did, but keep in mind that things were much different in the beginning. We were offered shows, and we took them, ‘Christian' or otherwise. (Like everyone else, we've played in some really terrible clubs under really terrible conditions). It was when all these questions like ‘How come you had Lorne from Drown on the Argyle Park CD? He's not a Christian,' became frequent and overbearing, and it was obvious that there are all these people expecting us to be something we're not, that we had to get out, even if it meant starting over."
Do you understand a parent's desire to keep their children from watching R-Rated or X-rated movies? Can you see how this would translate into music for that parent? How about a youth pastor or other Christian leader wanting to be able to point to "safe" music for their people to listen to? (Understanding this, I think, is one of the keys to understanding the "Christian music industry.")
"I grew up very sheltered. I wasn't even allowed to listen to the radio, never mind buy a Black Sabbath record, so yes, I understand quite well actually (yet I will never understand the ‘Christian' music industry...) There was also a time where those years of conditioning affected the way I wrote my lyrics, but no longer. I live in the real world and life is not the ‘bowl of cherries' I was taught it would be. The most recent lyrics I've written that are already out would be the Argyle Park stuff, (which is already years old). I had problems with REX because of some of the content. I needed to write what I did for me, not for anyone else. That is my only catharsis. I wasn't going to change the lyrics just because they were afraid certain types of stores or people with certain religious beliefs ‘wouldn't like it.' If those people want to hear lyrics with a nice candy coating that tell the tale of the beauty and fulfillment of daily life, then I'm sure there's a myriad of bands singing them (‘Christian' or otherwise). That's all good — just don't lay those expectations on me because that's not how my life is."
I think that your response to the blatant hypocrisy you have seen is righteous anger. I think it points to a sense of right and wrong that God has put inside you, which cries out when you see the injustice and hypocrisy done in the Name of God. Do you find yourself wanting to rebuke the church for this stuff? What kinds of things do you want to say?
"I'm not sure if I'd chalk it up to ‘righteous anger.' That just keeps me on people's ‘expectations list.' I'm not one to sit here and cry ‘life's so unfair. I got burnt by the church and I'm so upset.' Boo Hoo. Everyone's got problems, get over it. My lyrics, especially on the upcoming release, are internal. I didn't write them for anyone else, although I know through experiences that there are a lot of people who can relate. I'm not on some mission to denounce the church or ‘Christian' thing. I'd like to pretend that I have a few more useful things to do with my time than that. On the other hand, I also have no desire to dwell on the church and it's beliefs, and my experiences with them. If I'm still alive in 20 years, maybe that will change."
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Comments
Is there a way to contact Klay? This man needs the lord in an incredible way. He's right about a number of things regarding the church and I really like how you handled the interview with him. Myself being a fan of there music and also being a Youth pastor, I can relate to both sides of the fence.
Klay is a great guy...after rereading this interview after so many years, I now see how much I really relate to him. WOW.
Thats really too bad I`v been a Scott Albert(Klay Scott) fan since the brainchild album. But God never forgets his children. Remember the prodical son.
A very interesting article. I've recently done a speech on the Christian music industry and found it to be much for corrupt than most people see it as. I myself am a COD and Celldweller fan but I'm also a Christian. I listen to POD, Blindside, Project 86, so on. It's really too bad what happened to Klayton. Really sad.
or maybe you can just leave him alone. thats what he wants, get over it. you cannot force beliefs on anyone, don't you understand that was his whole point. he's not trying to force himself on anyone, nor does he want anyone forced on him. its understandable.
and what exactly do you plan on saying to him? heh.
I agree with Pastor Chris, I am also a fan of Klay and would love for him to see the light on Christian life. In a way, Klay Scott's story reminds me of Manson somewhat. NOT SAYING that Klay is anything like that. Klay's a good guy.
