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DEEP FRIED MAN - DID ME MENTION HE'S NOT AMUSED?

Maladjusted post-modern folk singer Deep Fried Man talks to himself about being a miserable bastard.

Why are you interviewing yourself?

For the same reason that I have sex with myself. Because no-one else seems keen.

Lots of people have never heard of you. How would you describe your music?

I always tell people that I sound a bit like Jack Johnson would if he lived nowhere near the sea, couldn't surf, smoked crack and worshipped Satan. I like to call my stuff folk music for the mall generation. It has a big hip-hop and electronic influence, as well as bits of blues, punk and soul thrown in. It's based around the lyrics, which are cynical and satirical.

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You've taken a new direction lately, and your new stuff is more comedy based…

I got bored of being all angsty and writing songs about my emotions. My new stuff gets me compared with Flight of the Conchords a lot. Which is fine, I love them. I wrote a novelty song called It's Complicated, which parodies Facebook and is basically a love song written from the perspective of someone who's a stalker. Then my producer ZSkilz and I made a home-made viral video for it, which is on YouTube as well as other video sites. We have recorded a follow up track called Lank Hardcore, which basically rips off a whole bunch of local pop figures including Heinz Winkler, Karen Zoid, Danny K, Prime Circle and president Jacob Zuma (and yes, he is a pop figure). We are working on a viral video for it which will be bigger and better than It's Complicated. And my set has lots of parody material, like Rejection Song, a parody of Bob Marley's Redemption Song, and African Song, which is a slightly offensive satire of those songs Johnny Clegg-ish songs that white people sing to make people think they're down with being African.

I also have a more political side, and I recently contributed a song called The Enemy to a local documentary by Desmond Allen called Scorpion Killers. It's a satirical protest song about the arms deal with a hum-along chorus.

You've just finished an album which is quite serious though…

Yes! I basically had all of these really personal songs which have never been recorded, and I wanted to get them out before moving on to the next phase, which will be less angsty and more satirical and comedy based.

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My new album Deep Fried Man is Not Amused is a mix of folk and lo-fi electronica. It's produced by ZSkilz, aka my friend Jaco, who is this underrated unknown genius producer. He's mainly unknown because he refuses to promote his music in any way, and he's too shy to perform live. I recorded the guitar and vocals in a studio, and then we did the rest in his bedroom. All the beats were either made by us sampling ourselves bashing pots and pans around his house, or on computer, using a drum kit which emulates a Roland 808, which is like the classic default hip-hop drum machine. Then we added bass, both electronic and acoustic, and lots of synths, which were basically created using square and triangular sound waves, which is pretty much as lo-fi as you can get while still remaining electronic.

It's a downtempo album, full of songs about road rage, apathy, angst, beauty, love, hate, loneliness, heartbreak and fear of failure. It isn't happy, but it is very honest. Its lyrics include many of the things I am too scared to say to people in person.

It's completely separate from my novelty, comedy stuff. Needless to say, It's Complicated is not on it.

Wow. You sound like a bit of a miserable bastard. Shouldn't you, like, be in therapy or something?

Probably, but I'm too scared that if I sort my shit out my songs won't be as good. Unfortunately, when my life sucks it has a really positive effect on my lyrics. Like, the fact that my music isn't really seen as hip or popular led me to write Maybe My Jeans Aren't Skinny Enough, which is one of the stand-out tracks on Deep Fried Man is Not Amused. Whenever I end a relationship I write scathing break-up songs, and I love scathing break-up songs.

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The other day I wrote a track called Everybody's Getting Lucky, about not getting laid while everyone around you is. So even sexual frustration is good for my song-writing. When I am happy I don't get any song-writing done. So I try my best to stay miserable.

Your stuff is pretty controversial. How has the music industry responded?

Mostly, the local music industry's response to me has been complete and total ambivalence.

Does there ambivalence surprise you?

No, I am used to it. Whenever I get any kind of genuine interest in my stuff it surprises me. Like when they asked me to perform on SABC3. That was odd.

Who would be the local artists you'd most like to play with?

I feel an affinity with any other artists who are outsiders, doing their thing as opposed to trying to fit in. At the moment I'm loving the new MtKidu and Model C albums. There is some amazing underground acoustic music in South Africa that doesn't get the props it deserves, stuff like Bongisiwe Mabandla, Arlyn, Miss Texas 1977, Kim Catholic, Gary Thomas, Ampersand and a whole bunch of stuff I'm leaving out. And I like Buckfever Underground, Rambling Bones and Naming James, even though they do seem to get the props they deserve. I also love listen to lots of more experimental stuff, like Jacob Israel, Joao Oreccia, Tale of the Son and Jane Rademeyer.

What does Deep Fried Man see in his future?

Cocaine and high class prostitutes. My songs used as jingles to advertise a variety of products. But I am realistic and willing to start small. Right now, my greatest ambition is that one day someone other than myself will interview me.

MySpace: www.myspace.com/deepfriedman

Check out the It's Complicated video here: http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/be0da7fbce/its-complicated-from-zskilz