Hi Tyson, thanks for doing this interview. Please tell us a bit about yourself and your bands.

Wow, this could take up a whole interview itself. I have been writing songs since the early 80s and recording since 1985 or thereabouts. I grew up in Oklahoma out in Osage Hills in a house that was next to a creek and that had an apple orchard. I spent a lot of time alone which I think was what developed my imagination. Nevertheless, I do have four siblings and lots of cousins so I was around people a lot as well. I really did not have any super close friends until I was in high school but I did have cousins around so I realize they were my close friends. I started playing drums when I was 9 and played through high school. In 1980, I was the drummer in a new wave band in Tulsa. Around the same time, I started writing songs with Todd Walker. We formed Defenestraton in 1982. Our first show was in the backroom of a BBQ restaurant.

What made you want to start writing songs?

I felt as if I had something to say that was not being said.

You've said that Defenestration played "huge, incredible house parties" when you first started. Can you give us the craziest story you can think of from those days?

There was a few times when I thought the floor would collapse and everyone would fall into the basement at some of these house parties where there were about 500 people in attendance.

Growing up in Oklahoma, were you exposed to and influenced by Woody Guthrie at all?

Actually not really, I heard more about him through Bob Dylan and the folk artists, though Oklahoma is proud of him. Todd Walker is a big fan of his so I heard a lot about him through Todd.

Were David Bowie and Syd Barrett big influences? What inspired you most about them?

David Bowie of course was a big influence because Diamond Dogs had just come out when I started really getting heavily into music. He was so different than what was being fed to us on the AM radio but at the same time he was still writing pop and being a pop star though he seemed a bit like a pop star from another planet. Syd had already gone off into the ether when I started listening to music so I really did not hear him until I was a young adult.

You and the band moved to the college town of Norman, Oklahoma, didn't you? Were social attitudes a bit more liberal there?

I suppose they were more liberal in Norman but we really did not think of it in those terms. I am not sure what we thought other than there were more prospective fans since there was the college.

Between bands you worked on an algae farm in Oregon, right? What was that like?

That drove me over the edge and lent the insane quality to Violent Religion (the Kittens first record). It was a very dark period for which I am quite grateful.

How did Chainsaw Kittens start?

Trent Bell, before he joined the Kittens, was a fan and thought that his friends that had this high school band would be wonderful playing my songs so I tried it and it worked. Trent joined a year later.

Were the songwriting processes in Defenestration and Chainsaw Kittens very different from each other?

Not really. In both bands, someone would come in with an idea and we would go from there for better or worse.

You had a following of frat boys who could sometimes be very homophobic, did that inspire you to push the envelope and make your stage presence more androgynous?

I think perhaps it made me feel a bit more powerful and that I was on the right track in my mission in that they loved what I was doing and I realized they were a bit more open minded than I had originally imagined.

Did you ever play shows with Husker Du or Sugar? You and Bob Mould are the only songwriters I can think of who came out of a very macho and at times unforgiving underground scene to write beautiful homoerotic love songs.

We never played together. I did play a show with Grant Hart at one point and he was a really sweet guy.

Have you heard of the English metal band also called Defenestration?

Yes, which is funny. We should have made them change the name but we didn’t get around to it.

Your first music video in Chainsaw Kittens, "High in High Scool" was directed by Spike Jonze, right? Did you have any idea that he'd become as acclaimed a filmmaker as he is today?

I would have never predicted that in a million years.

Do you still keep in touch with Spike?

I have not seen him in years though he is really nice when I have seen him at parties in NY or whatever.

What do you think of bands like Sonic Youth, The Flaming Lips, and Smashing Pumpkins who are still going today?

The Flaming Lips have evolved into something quite spectacular. Sonic Youth is a testament to indie rock at its most artfulness. I would love to see the original Smashing Pumpkins reform at some point.

What made you want to stop writing songs?

I felt as if I had nothing more to say. I was no longer inspired and I did not want to just put out product.

Why did you originally want to go to China?

There was something mystical there and I thought I could get the answer to questions I had not yet asked.

Did you speak any Mandarin or Cantonese before going to China?

No

Does the Chinese government have incentives for English teachers like Japan and South Korea do?

For the most part, the Chinese government seems to just let private companies handle hiring and placing teachers in China which seems to work well.

A good friend of mine from China who goes to an English language university in Shanghai said that learning English was extremely difficult when he started, but he speaks fluently now. How long does it take your students to master the language?

My students vary in their abilities. Some of them, after a year, can improve their English dramatically.

Your friend Haffijy was a student of yours, wasn't he? Tell us about the first time you made music together.

He was a Chinese English teacher’s student. The teacher and I shared the same office and I told that teacher that any students who had questions could talk to me. Haffijy would come in every day and ask me questions. I did not know he played violin until his teacher mentioned it offhand one day. The next day we played together and I was immediately moved by the emotion and purity he put into his playing.

You've said that the students who played on the album love America and you want America to love them back. What kinds of questions do you get from them about life in America?

They want to know what kids here do for fun. They are enamored by the way that America is portrayed by Hollywood. They want to know what we do in every day life. They like to hear stories about life in the countryside.

Do you think fans of Chainsaw Kittens will be surprised by the sound of this album?

Chainsaw Kittens’ fans always seem to love to be surprised by what the Kittens or I am doing next which has always been really awesome as an artist to have listeners that want to go and grow with you. We have the best fans hands down!

Do you plan on coming back to the states to promote this album?

Yes, I certainly do.

Are you playing any gigs in Shanghai?

I plan to play some civic style gigs with my band of students.

What's your favorite part of recording with students?

I love how they are incredibly pure and open in their approach to playing music.

Thanks for doing this interview, Tyson. Any final words of wisdom for our readers?

Thank you! Love everyone is my words of wisdom. One of the main reasons I am doing this album is to bring notice to China and to the Chinese people. I want my fans to know how much I love the Chinese and what wonderful people they are. They have inspired me to write music again. Their kindness and purity of spirit is unequaled. We should love them as much as they love us!