Animal Magic

Much has changed in the decade since Mercury Rev last released a studio album, not least their line-up. Born Horses takes the ‘space blues’ band in a new and even more dreamlike direction that pays tribute to both beat poet Robert Creeley and former Faust member Tony Conrad. Frontman Jonathan Donahue and guitarist/keyboardist Sean ‘Grasshopper’ Mackowiak discuss maximalism, nature programmes and the art of trying to remove seagull sounds from their songs.

Jeremy Allen

Jonathan Donahue of Mercury Rev likes to keep the camera off when he’s doing video interviews, making it easy to imagine him pontificating in a darkened room. Following a quick check to ensure it is actually him we are speaking to, he replies, cryptically: “What’s left of him.” How so? Has something happened that Prog should be aware of? A rough night or an impromptu tiger mauling perhaps? Donahue’s response is beautifully Confucius-like: “The eye cannot see itself,” he drawls. “It can only see parts of itself. So, from what I can tell, I’m mostly here, but there are parts in the back of me I cannot see.” This is the kind of metaphysical gold one hopes for from Donahue, the lead singer of the inscrutable, neo-psychedelic rock legends who…

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Prog Italia (Digital) - 1 Issue, Issue 156

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