Interview: Alan Robert discusses bands Life Of Agony, Spoiler NYC, & new comic series "Wire Hangers"

Alan Robert, Life Of Agony Bassist/Songwriter, and frontman of Spoiler NYC, to release "Wire Hangers", a new "horror/conspiracy minieries" comic in March 2010...

Just before Thanksgiving, I had the extreme pleasure of speaking with Alan Robert, bassist/vocalist/songwriter for Brooklyn-based rock set, Life Of Agony. Life of Agony had their glory days throughout the 1990's, and have just recently celebrated 20 years as a band. Though Life Of Agony hasn't released new material or officially toured in several years, the group recently performed a handful of reunion shows in the New York City metro area.

Besides being an original member and driving force behind Life Of Agony, Alan Robert has also been spreading his own brand of high-energy punk rock throughout the New York scene with his band, Spoiler NYC, for the last several years.

Of late, Robert has been working on a project even closer to his heart. An avid comic fan, Alan has long had his own ideas for a gritty, horror-infused thrill ride of a series, which is now in final stages and due out in March. Alan spoke by phone from New York to Tucson's Rock Music Examiner about the exciting new graphic venture, titled "Wire Hangers", as well as, of course, the music!

Alan Robert: Hi Jenn, how are you?

Jennifer Waite: Good, Alan! How are you?

Alan Robert: I'm doing well.

Jennifer Waite: Good! Thanks for talking with me today.

Alan Robert: Absolutely!

Jennifer Waite: So, you've got a lot going on right now!

AR: Yeah, busy guy ;)

JW: You've got your comic book release coming up, for your new series, "Wire Hangers". Tell me a little bit about the concept behind that...I know it's a story you've had in your head for a while now.

AR: Yeah, it really evolved over the last year, when I got really, really serious about it. I was just, like, determined to put it out no matter what. I was planning on self-publishing it, then all the pieces just came together. I was starting to use Twitter this year, and I started following some of my favorite comic book artists and creators...There was this guy, Ben Templesmith, who is well-known for being the artist behind "30 Days Of Night", and I was following him, and he happened to be doing a new book called "Groom Lake" with a guy named Chris Ryall, who turned out to be the editor-in-chief of IDW Publishing, which I didn't know at the time. And so we started to hit it off on Twitter, and then emailing and developing a friendship...Then he saw my trailer for "Wire Hangers", and he asked me what I was going to do with it. I told him I was looking to put it out myself, but they were interested, and it really was a dream come true for me, because they were my favorite comic book company...

JW: That must have been pretty incredible! All through Twitter and networking...

AR: Yeah, it was pretty amazing, and pretty fast, too. You know, I had planned on putting this thing out by next year, myself, and now its already well in motion through IDW!

JW: I hear there's a March 2010 release, and it will be a four-part series?

AR: It'll be four parts, then it will be put into graphic novel, trade paperback form, with all the issues combined.

JW: OK. And then do you already have any plans to follow up with the story, or are you going to kind of see where it goes?

AR: It's interesting, the story really builds up to a pretty big climax, that totally leads to another series...

JW: That's the beauty of doing it all yourself, you can leave yourself totally open for the future...

AR: Yeah, it's strange, because originally, because I was so busy with the music stuff, I hired some friends of mine who were artists at Marvel to do the artwork for me on the side. Then, just because of schedules and things, it was moving slower than I wanted at the time, and I decided to do the artwork myself. I think it worked out for the best that way...

JW: I know I'm really excited that you've done all the illustrations and storyline yourself! I've been a fan of you in Life Of Agony for close to 15 years...And when an artist that you're really into comes out with something really personal like this, I think the fans will appreciate it that much more. I can't wait to see it!

AR: Awesome! Thanks.

JW: Speaking of Life Of Agony, you guys have a couple of shows coming up, one in NJ and one in NY, and you guys are going to play "River Runs Red" in its entirety?

AR: Yeah, from start to finish, all the tracks!

JW: I am so jealous - I'm stuck out here in AZ, but I'm NY/NJ born and bred...I so wish I could be out there for that!!

AR: Well, we're going to be recording for a live record actually...

JW: Yeah, I was going to ask if you guys were putting anything new together. So there will be footage of these reunion shows available?

AR: Not sure about video, but definitely audio.

JW: And when might we expect to see that out?

AR: I guess we'll see...recordings are always tricky.

JW: Excellent. Now, you also front the punk band, Spoiler NYC...You guys are coming out with something in 2010 as well, correct?

AR: Yeah, it should be around the same time as the comic book, at least thats what I'm hoping for....gotta get this artwork finished!

JW: This is such great stuff for you right now!

AR: Yeah, its really, really awesome. Its just good timing for everything.

JW: Sounds like it...Are you still getting in enough family time with all this going on? I know you're married, and have a daughter, I believe...

AR: Yeah, one daughter, she'll be two coming up soon...

JW: How do you keep the balance when you're on the road, do you guys do phone calls or...

AR: Yeah, but we haven't done, like, the Skype thing because I don't know how the baby would react to seeing Daddy on the computer. So we just do the phone call thing...

JW: So, how did you get started with all this...I know you have your Bachelor's in Fine Arts and have always been into comic books, but what do you think were your biggest influences as far as pursuing your drawing as well as music?

AR: Well, I was definitely into art before music. I didn't pick up a guitar until I was 15 or 16, and I was completely self-taught. I didn't even go for lessons until our second albums, so it was pretty organic that way. We didn't really have music in our family, so I wasn't really influenced by that.

I think my biggest influence was living across the street from Evan from Biohazard, in Brooklyn. As a kid, he used to babysit me actually. He was a few years older than me, and I used to hang out at his house until my parents got home from work. He was a big KISS fan, so he had all the KISS posters all over the place, and he would turn me on to new music, so...

JW: I'm starting to get a visual here, and its pretty funny actually. Thank God for it though!

AR: Yeah, right? Isn't that weird? It's just weird that we ended up coming up in the same music scene, and we were living right across from each other.

JW: I know! So, now, what do you think of the music scene in New York right now? I was talking to someone the other day and they were saying they really didn't see much of a metal scene coming out of NY right now. What do you think, what you feel about that?

AR: Well, its become a really hard place to play for new bands in NY, being a lot of the smaller venues are gone, you know...CB's gone [CBGB's], you know, its hard to get anything going.

JW: Yeah, and the digital age and all that makes it easier for the crap to get through....everybody thinks they have something, but its crap...

AR: Yeah, and anyone can make a Myspace page, you know.

JW: I mean, and good! Its how we discover new things, and its great, but it gets to the point where I'm missing how it was back in the day, ten years ago...

AR: Yeah, you know, I mean there used to be places, like L'Amours in Brooklyn, that in between the national acts coming through, they would have nights that were all local bands, and everyone would come out for that. It was a real scene back when we were coming up. There's a lot of bigger venues and big bands coming through...

JW: And everyone wants big money...

AR: Yeah, theres just not a real chance for new bands to really develop that following, in New York. I mean, you see it in, like, Pennsylvania and Boston, and I think its a little easier there because of all the small bars, and there are those scenes, more so than in NY these days.

JW: Well, back to "Wire Hangers", I know your comic is actually set in NY, which is appropriate for you...

AR: Yeah, its actually very much New York, New York is almost a main character in this thing.

JW: That's what it looks like. It looks very gritty, very real. A lot of texture, and interesting concepts at play there...

AR: I actually go around town, and take photographs of the spots where some of the scenes take place at. So sometimes I can mix the photography in there, too.

JW: Well, it looks amazing. I can't wait. I really am looking forward to everything you've got coming out right now. I just wish I could be back east for these shows coming up! Thanks so much for the interview, and good luck!

AR: Great. Thanks so much!