Munly & The Lupercalians | Interview | New Album, ‘Kinnery of Lupercalia; Undelivered Legion’
Originating from local DIY punk roots, Munly has become an influential and visually striking fixture in the Denver arts community for over 30 years.
As lead songwriter and vocalist of Slim Cessna’s Auto Club, DBUK and Munly & The Lupercalians, the lyricist and writer has been prolifically creating and performing locally and worldwide, generating a cult following and reputation. Within all of Munly’s current work and projects, the singer unites hundreds of fully developed characters in the constantly morphing world of Lupercalia. His various work sonically and visually explores an apocalyptic land burned down to the ground.
‘Kinnery Of Lupercalia; Undelivered Legion’ is release number one of three that will form a triptych of tales about the Lupercalia on SCACUNINCORPORATED record label.
“Can there ever be one moment?”
It’s wonderful to have you. I would love it if we can start at the beginning, what can you say about growing up and your DIY punk roots?
Munly: I was raised in an affluent family, private schools, in want of nothing. Certain, traditional expectations and life paths were expected…not expected, perhaps assumed and preordained. I went to a non-secular prep school and began to explore those disparate paths. I always was a perfect student, so it was difficult for my parents to say no to my new…philosophies. My father had his own oil and gas business, my privilege was halted abruptly when the industry failed. I found I had to pay for University myself…and I finally figured it out. Perhaps that is the DIY you are referencing. No one wants to help you without gaining something for themselves. Altruism seems unattainable, mythological. I have never envisioned myself as being involved in any scene, certainly not punk. My writing does not lend to any one genre, to our own undoing. So yes, I eventually learned that it is best to do everything yourself. But, the discipline I learned from school I now apply to this life. My day is structured down to the minute.
4:50 wake up and feed our kids
5:00 quick exercise
5:15 brush teeth
5:30-11:20 exercise—quick break at 10:00 for cliff bar, 11:00 apple
11:25 check correspondence
12:00 handful of fruit then write for two to three hours—a little flex time to attend to matters
1:00 handful of grapes
2:15 feed kids
2:30 bowl of carrots
3:00 clean up my writing for the day—though I usually return to do a bit more
3:15 practice.
4:00 clean/chores
4:45 vocal exercises
5:30 banana with protein drink
6:00 watch Jeopardy
6:30 check correspondence
7:00 sit with Rebecca and kids
8:00 begin to get ready for the next day
8:30 brush teeth/floss
8:40 feed kids
8:45 in bed, read, think about writing for the next day
What was the scene like in Denver?
Again, I do not recall ever being invited to be part of any scene. I do remember once liking music, finding enjoyment in going out. Making your own flyers and going all about town to put them up. That time has passed us by. Flyers are rarely welcomed. Now you must pay for added views on social media. You have to press the like button on other bands’ pages even if you do not appreciate what they do. This happens to every generation. You age out. You cringe backstage while listening to the support band bleed through the walls. You nod your head as kindly as possible when they hand you their brand new vinyl record that they self funded and you now have to carry with you inside your already too cramped luggage for the rest of tour—while all the time knowing you will never even open it. We used to sell out theatres, now we have placed ourselves in a position where we have garnered undue respect and have priced ourselves out of those venues that we no longer can fill. I am not whinging, again, this happens to every generation. The blame falls on myself, I need to write better stories. However, I do want my town back. The drug culture has permeated our borders and now holds sway over the majority of our land. Birkenstocks and tie dye shirts telling me to smile have invaded my park. Our songs are now too short and structured for the selfaffected audience. We do not reek of edibles and skatole. When we speak it is not asinine and endless and punctuated with, Whoahs. So, yes, I want our town back.
Slim Cessna’s Auto Club started already in 1992 and released a lot of albums. Would you like to take some time and talk about your involvement?
You must work with your strengths. Everyone involved with SCACUNINCORPORATED has found a job within that lends to their specific attributes. I write—which some would suggest is why we are still financially unsuccessful and is not a strength. Slim deals with some business drudgery; as well as interviews. I used to have people do interviews for me, perhaps we should return to that. I am certain you will have the same sentiments after I turn this in. Dwight covers everything: mixing, merchandise… I won’t bore both people who might read this with a list of everyone’s job. We all work. We hope our work ethic holds us to the standards we expect from ourselves.
What about DBUK?
I am not certain what you are asking, the Jackass in me wants to ask, Yeah! What about DBUK? I will assume you want a clearer response. DBUK is one of our quieter bands that involves four members of SCACUNINC. It is how I started playing music—sitting down and not fighting the bombast of amplifiers and drummers. It is our retirement plan. We have aged out of our audience: they have children, would rather sit at home and binge dreck, some have passed. We hope to draw the remaining ones back with this quieter version of stories. Hopefully they will feel nostalgic one day and revisit us in this form and we can once again trick them with our cunning and charm into thinking we are something special. Probably not the wisest reimagining of a 401K, yet, you work with what you have and we are doing this until the end.
What’s the concept behind Munly & the Lupercalians?
I have a difficult time separating this from my written work; so I am taking this as if you are asking solely about the band. The Lupercalians consist of two computer players and two drummers—and somehow myself. The two computer players deal with much of the layers and melodies/counter, one will usually concentrate on the lower regions of the scale, though of course sometimes they are both generating noises both natural and unnatural from the Land of Lupercalia. The drummers play non traditional percussion they put together: gas cans, buckets, bowls, electronic generators… As for myself, I play autoharp, banjo, dulcimer, guitar…well, no one likes to hear someone talk about themselves. Hopefully if the stories are not interesting enough for any audience who might come across us, then the music can stand on its own. Some audience members are more invested than others, and if someone wants to experience only the surface we hope that is as good as the other levels that we are trying to achieve.
How did the idea around “Lupercalia” come about?
Can there ever be one moment? Faulkner has Yoknapatawpha, Keillor has Woebegon. I have been drawn to those and others of the same cast. However, does a person want to be constrained to someone else’s imagination? I grew weary of that, and felt as if I was wasting my time. I would rather be doing the imagining, the work. As I said before, I cannot sit through other concerts—part of that is that I am competitive and jealous and I would rather be home working and creating dross that other people are coerced into reading or listening to. I used to finish every book that I began reading. Now I have a difficult time sitting through anything if it does not do whatever that something is that a story can do to a person. And when I do find something I can bear I don’t run to Amazon or Goodreads and write a review that tries to outdo the author—yes, we all went to school you Jackasses, your review’s grammar is impeccable. I keep it to myself and treasure it as something I discovered on my own, a place where I can escape and not have to share with anyone…except on social media of course, no etiquette applies in this realm.
We are very excited about ‘Kinnery of Lupercalia; Undelivered Legion’, would you like to share some further words about the creation process?
I do not really speak of my process…actually I don’t believe I have a process. Perhaps that is why I pretend to never speak about it. It is not interesting. I will never write a how to guide on writing—which, if they worked wouldn’t there only be one? It does not feel like creation to me.
Refer to my schedule up top. I put my head down and work—except when I ask Slim to do interviews for me. I am always thinking about it, exercise is a good time to work through ideas—I always have a place to put down my notes and often find myself pausing the P90X mid-flying-plank to jot something down. As I lay down to bed with Augustus on my head, Hesther on my chest, and Mustafa between my legs I plot out what I am going to work on the next day. Of course, I already have it mapped out, yet, I tinker and reconfigure and ask myself questions of all sorts— that I usually answer incorrectly.
Where did you record it and who produced it?
All of SCACUNINC works in Logic. Two players have Androids and PC’s and I will not die until they succumb to our method. I turn in the map of the songs and then we all usually record our own parts in our own homes. Music has become such an open competition anymore that anyone can now stumble through what former professionals used to get paid for after they financed their own schooling. However, Dwight has made the mixing and other slavish duties his job. He has become quite adept and I do not know where we would be without his hard work. It seems a miserable slog to me, I would rather proofread all the incorrect Facts that make up Wikipedia.
The album itself is part of the triptych of tales about the world of Lupercalia.
All three bands that make up SCACUNINCORPORATED will be participating in telling the stories of Lupercalia. SCAC will tell the Buell’s stories. They are a loud and rambunctious Legion. DBUK will tell of the trials of the Toombs. A quiet and dying people. All the Legions are allocated to their appropriate slots and represented by each band accordingly. And The Undelivered Legion has already been told by Munly & The Lupercalians, a group who think they are special because they belong to no Legion, yet they do not have the sight to see that individualism is the most populous of groups.
Would you like to present a few of your characters and how well do you connect with them?
I cannot place one of the characters within a spotlight while leaving the others out… mostly because that spotlight is mine. Just like the stage is mine. But, knowing my characters I would not be surprised if they think that they can take it from me. They can be as terrible as myself. They pretend not to know how special I am. They don’t know all the hardships I have had to endure as a middle aged white male. They only have to face racism, imprisonment for being female, ageism, the inability to be with their preferred partner, and daily face nature—both natural and unnatural. While I have to wake up and agonize over my footwear. Should I wear my loafers with tassels or be risqué and hedonistic and go tasselless today? They will never appreciate my hardships until they walk in my Magnannis.
You also recently released a new book of prose – Döder Made Me Do It. Please tell us more about it.
Well, I hope it is more than, another prose book by a musician who does not know his place. It is a novel that further explores the Döder mythology—who is one of the characters that tells a story on the Lupercalians album, ‘Undelivered Legion.’ I hope that those few who read it, when they get to the end, they look at themselves in the mirror and consider the person that they are. Are they content with their choices? Have they achieved perfection? If not, no matter what their handicaps, can they improve the world? Themselves? Anything? Or is it too difficult, unrewarding, too late? Should we all just give up? Which can be respectable as well, knowing when to give up.
What are some future plans for you now?
The Lupercalians toured Europe all throughout October. SCAC will eventually release a Lupercalian album about the Buells. DBUK will release a Lupercalian album telling of the Toombs. There will purportedly be a reissue of an older book—that is turned in and out of my hands. I am well through a novel discussing Petr & The Wulf, somewhat of a prehistory of Lupercalia. We will continue to aid our youngest child, Mustafa Thee Seer—one eye between us.
Thank you for taking your time. Last word is yours.
There is always someone better than you in the room, smarter, stronger…thinner—if that is your bugaboo. As you can see, it is not me. Find Your Life, stop reading about mine.
Klemen Breznikar
Headline photo: Gary Isaacs
Munly & The Lupercalians Official Website / Facebook / Instagram
SCACUNINCORPORATED Official Website / Facebook / Instagram / Bandcamp / YouTube
