chats | tyson meade ::
:: “my high school teacher is a rock legend…” Anyone remember the Chainsaw Kittens? They were one of the great pre-alternative bands of the early 90s; credited with starting the whole “alternative” genre (which was later made popular by Nirvana, of course) along with the Pixies, Sonic Youth, and, uh, Redd Kross.
In 2000, after Chainsaw Kittens last album All American, the band’s front man, Tyson Meade, suddenly vanished from the U.S. music scene, and rumor had it that he up and moved to China. Well, that rumor turned out to be true. Tyson moved to Shanghai and is still there / here now, enjoying life as a high school English teacher.
Listen below for excepts from an entertaining phone interview I conducted with Tyson about his life in Shanghai and, more importantly, the reason behind his decision to give up being a full-time rock musician. In the interview, Tyson also looks back on his music career and shares some amazing rock ‘n roll stories involving John Lydon (of the Sex Pistols and P.I.L) and Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins (who is close friends with Tyson and the Chainsaw Kittens as one of their albums was released on James Iha and D’arcy’s Scratchie label). Have a listen.
Also, if you are interested in Tyson’s adventures in Shanghai, check out his blog. // LY
[Louis Yu is a guest contributor on 56minus1.]
February 21st, 2009 at 12:15 am
[...] Tyson Meade of Chainsaw Kittens and Defenestration recently conducted an interview with Louis Yu of 56minus1.com. [...]