Former KCOU DJ, Tyrone Davies, has taken on the worst thing this country has to offer: Corporate America. In a time when New York City has decided to sell corporate sponsorship of some of its landmarks and buildings, Davies site, www.loaf-i.com, addresses the need for Americans, artists in particular, to step into the independent world and advance the arts with the absence of money-making-monkeys. I asked him some questions, in no real order, about his site and the overall goal of his lo-fi mission. He answered all my questions thoroughly. Enjoy…

In the about section, you write, we believe that by developing, and popularizing a low-fi aesthetic, we can cut through the compost of corporate media to help artists and audiences cultivate provocative and inspiring styles of expression. Now, how much effort is this going to take and what exactly do you need to make this work? And, what is wrong with slick media and pretty pictures or clean sounds?

First of all, nothing is wrong with pretty pictures and clean sounds. Unfortunately, a lot of filmmakers and musicians care more about slick production values than they do about the content or the style of the piece presented. The majority of Hollywood movies, and a surprisingly large number of "independent" Sundance movies are very slick and digestible, but still lacking when it comes to their content or thematic/stylistic elements. Unfortunately, media is normally more about business and entertainment than it is about art. I would love to make a film in 35mm, or record an album at a technologically advanced studio, but as long as the industry is the way it is, no major company is going to invest in anything except candy for the eyes and ears.

Of course, there is a breakthrough every couple of years; something that challenges all of the rules, and still gets picked up by a big studio or label. But, the chances of this phenomenon are rare enough that most media artist would be better off opposing the system. Media-artists who actually have any principles about their art are more likely to get pimped by the system than anything else.

As for the first part of your question, I guess the answer depends on what level of success is desired. I think that if an audience of five can be inspired to go out and create works that oppose the system, then that is a success story. Obviously, we want to do more than that. If a preacher considers any soul worth saving, then it goes without saying that he will also consider every soul worth saving. Right now, loaf-i wants to reach anyone who cares about our ideas. Right now, the fact that any interest at all is generated makes us feel successful. Later on, I'm sure we will expect more interest. Eventually, we would like to make a lasting impression on the film and music industries. We'll take things one step at a time, though.

Loaf-i music manifesto, number one:
Today, the music industry is more corrupt than it has ever been. Instead of bringing America fresh musical ideas, multi-media conglomerates simply manipulate the populace into consuming a soulless and uninspired product. As a result, mainstream record labels become more powerful, but the scope of popular music becomes narrower and narrower. In the light of these circumstances, it is of utmost importance that independent musicians everywhere saturate the populace with new and innovative music...

Nice points…1) Aren’t the consumers to blame for this in some way or are people naturally sheep and sometimes lemmings?

I think that it's a vicious cycle. The company says "Here this is what is good, like it!" then the public says "Maybe, I don't know", then the company says "No really! Look, it's really good! We've got lots of hot chicks with great boobs and lots of explosions, etc, etc..." Then the public says "yeah, I guess that IS pretty cool". pretty soon the public is saying "Hey give us more of that stuff!" At this point, the company is more than happy to oblige.

2) Do you think that the conglomerates are that powerful…that is to make up someone’s mind for them? I sometimes believe that they just seem to know that people will buy the next trendy style so they say, “This is trendy, yo.” And people buy it. Is it that simple?

In a way, it is that simple. I don't think that many companies try to convince someone to like something because of any deep conspiratorial reasons. Normally, these media outlets just try to think of something that will turn a profit. So in the end, the public is as much to blame for what it consumes as the entertainment industry is.

I've noticed that almost every company I have ever worked for (not media companies, mind you. Just boring things like hotels and restaurants.), had some kind of mission statement printed on the employee handbook. If any of these companies had actually been honest, the mission statements would all have said something like "Our goal is to make as much money as possible." I'm not saying that that is totally wrong. People need money in order to live in comfort. I do wish, however, that there were more companies that actually had some desire to benefit their community (both local and global) through their capitalist endeavors. The power of advertising is very strong. If the big media-moguls would push the creative envelope a little and stand for a few important causes, I don't think it would be too hard to get the public interested.

3) “A soulless and uninspired product.” You may think this. I think this, but can we really judge whether the artist may actually think they are creating important work or not? Does it matter?

This is a good question. There is obviously a difference between disagreements in aesthetic taste, and the actual absence of value. I always hate it when someone attempts to prove that something is not art for one reason or another. The stale old question "but is it art?" is totally useless to anyone who realizes the subjectivity of taste. I don't know if I can speak for any of the other artists involved in loaf-i, but I personally feel that if a creation does not awaken something in an audience, it is not a creation I really want anything to do with. I like music, film, literature and art that spur people to action. I want audiences leaving theatres with a desire to do something differently. I want books that change people’s lives and music and art that makes people feel something real inside. I don't like works that exist simply to awe people with the creator's level of skill. Such works are nothing but public masturbation. I want to create and promote works that inspire others to positive action.

---now that I've said all of that, I guess anyone can still say "Well, Dave Matthews might not inspire you, but he inspires me." Try as I may, I can't argue with that. I'm very opinionated, but I'm also reluctantly postmodern, and sometimes question the validity of the whole loaf-i idea. Regardless, I don't think anyone should expect any kind of change from loaf-i. Our severity is what makes us what we are.

This site is pretty…well…it’s got a lot of stuff on it: theater, music, movies, art, etc…did you have difficulty narrowing it down or did you feel that most art is, as your manifesto states, “uninspired” or, as your ABOUT section states, “corporate media” or “glitzy” and “substance-less”?

Go off on a soap box if you would like...that is always good:

I think that when it comes to ideology, there is little difference between art mediums. Everything from live theatre to novel writing suffers under the yoke of corporate influence. Art galleries are normally purer idealistically. I suppose that that is because you can't duplicate an oil painting or a sculpture like you can duplicate a performance or a cd. You can't sell an original in quantity. Nevertheless, there is an unfortunate wealth of corporate art. I have a hard time with those chain galleries like Thomas Kinkade. I don't know why so many hotels and offices buy bad prints when any local starving artist would be glad to sell his or her art for just enough money to pay the bills.

But really, I'd say that there are two main reasons we cover so many bases. First of all, I think that experimenting in various fields helps cultivate artistic insight. There may have been more separation between the arts in ages gone by (I don't know), but throughout the last two-hundred years or so, most of the great artists, playwrights, and musicians have dabbled in various fields of expression. I like to encourage the blending together of the arts.

Secondly, if loaf-i is to get its message across, we need to cover as many fields as we can. The more areas we cover, the more people we can reach.

Explain the goals or focus or purpose of those 15 second movies:

Anyone who has seen Stealing Away knows that I am fascinated with the idea of the cinema-painting. I'm sure there are many other names for it, but basically what I mean is that film does not always need to tell a story. A movie can be a moving painting, or just a projected piece of artwork. This is not a new idea, but it is an idea that is new to a lot of people.

When Tyler was designing the site, he suggested we include some flash animations to add a little complexity to the site. We tried to think of something that would be interesting and still relevant to the ideas that loaf-i is founded on. Eventually we came up with the idea for fifteen second films.

Having said all of this, if someone submitted a good narrative film that was close to fifteen seconds in length, we'd probably show it. We don't mind breaking our own rules from time to time.

Are you getting any responses from people about your site?

Yeah, I've gotten a lot of positive feedback. I sort of wish we would get some more critical feedback, but I'm sure that that will come with time. The only negative thing that I've been told is that there are some spelling errors on the site. I was never good with spelling. Whenever people criticize my spelling, I tell them I'm a linguistic relativist. Really, I'm just a geek who can't spell.

Has anyone bought anything?

We have sold a few copies of my video and a handful of cds. Normally, it’s not on the web, though. Brilliant Stereo Mob has a new album that has been selling really well at their shows. But really, we don't get enough sales of any kind yet. I strongly advise anyone reading this article to visit the website and buy something. Think of it as a contribution to a bunch of artists who are way to cool to work a real job. If you think something is too expensive, send me an email. We're mainly interested in distribution at this point.

Anything else?

Not really, thanks a lot.

- Bob Sullivan