If you don't know David J Haskins, or just "David J", then you have missed out on some of the most influential music in the punk, post punk, new wave, goth, psychedelic rock world.
Starting off playing bass, and occasional vocals in Bauhaus, then moving on to a solo career, then reforming with Bauhaus bandmates as "Love & Rockets", (that's where I come into the story) I binged on their music in full while working on a project about Buddhism in school. I became so enamored about their sound, and their lyrics, they catapulted into my number 3 spot, and have stayed there ever since in 1988.
David has delivered so much great music, and is most recently releasing with his current project "Night Crickets", (whom I have also interviewed). Fast forward to now, David has recorded a poetry, and spoken word album called "The Mother Tree", along with a book "Rhapsody, Trenody & Prayer", containing all of the poems on the album, and much more.
David and I discussed the album, how he began working on it in the late 90s, til now. How he found the band to record with, we also covered how all the reggae ended up in Bauhaus music, we talked about Nashville, racist cab drivers (two instances of them) , Jesus in a porno theater blessing the patrons, and even some secrets about Ian Curtis from Joy Division. There is a lot to unpack in this episode, the subjects are very heavy, and we get weighed down in them a lot.
I learned more about David J in this interview than I ever thought I would, or would ever be privy to at least. He spills his guts in poetry, it the beautiful mess of the human experience.
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