Pia shares Her Dark Half - Issue #14: Interview with Eric Recourt

October 14, 2022

He started with his doom metal band Devil Rides Out right out of high school, got involved with Revolutionary Comics doing illustrations, formed his band Palehorse, then morphed into db9d9, which was very successful in terms of licensing music for film and television. After db9d9 he focused on releasing music under his own name along with President Frankenstein, a long running punk band project. He also spends his time making painstakingly detailed, basically screen-ready replicas of Michael Myers latex masks. And there's more!

Ladies and gentlemen - I present Eric Recourt! *applause applause*

Eric is a bit of an enigma. When I asked him if he wanted to do this interview, he reluctantly said yes, being the private kind of guy he is. I did a quick round of general questions and asked him for a bio, which, upon reading, caused me to change some of the questions I had already prepared for him. We texted back and forth a few times and the deeper I dug, the more I realized how much he’s been holding back! I’ve known this guy for over 20 years and I just now learned what you’re about to read!

What really caught my (dark half's) attention was when I found out that Eric worked at Revolutionary Comics in the 90’s, doing illustrations. Not only that, but then he mentioned his boss, Todd Lauren, who might have been the first murder victim of serial killer Andrew Cunanan. Say whaaat? (If you want to go down that rabbit hole, check out this fascinating 2007 San Diego Reader report.)

Ok, let's get to it!

Eric, Halloween season is a pretty busy time for you, which we'll get into shortly, so thank you for taking the time to do this!

Your music and sound, no matter which band or project, have always had a dark edge and a touch of danger. Am I right to think that this is your preferred creative outlet (and you have quite a few) to express your dark side, and why?

Eric Recourt: Yes, I love doing visual arts too but I get satisfaction from music in so many different ways as a songwriter, instrumentalist, and producer/engineer. I'm super into the engineering part of it and totally nerd out over the gear and engineering methods.

We can probably add writing to your creative outlets. How important are lyrics to you in your songs? What else do you write? Is there another talent I didn’t know about?

ER: I hate writing lyrics except for those instances when something just comes flowing out. I think words and language in general are very limited in their ability to communicate a lot of feelings and concepts. I could tell you I'm sad or I could create a piece of music that makes you feel that without the need for symbols to describe it. I've totally thought about writing books and stories though.

What are you working on right now? Do you have any new releases coming up?

ER: I have lots of stuff. I've been having fun with some cover songs and I have a couple of those that I'm going to release soon. At my age, it's about having fun with it. I'm done trying to impress anyone. In November, I'll be in the studio with President Frankenstein doing a new EP. That stuff is always a lot of fun.

I knew you did your own rad band t-shirt designs, but I had no idea you worked in comics! How did you wind up there? Is this something you’d want to get into again?

ER: I was friends with the late, great Mike Clift who did all the artwork for Psychotic Waltz. He worked for Revolutionary Comics and introduced me to the boss, Todd Loren. It was a bit of an odd fit for me. I was into doing really detailed stippling work at the time (think Pus-Head) so basic stripped down comic book panel stuff wasn't really my thing. I ended up doing really detailed full page portraits of the band members for some of the Rock N Roll Comics (Metallica, Sex Pistols, Aerosmith etc.) I illustrated one or two full comic stories too but I think I sucked at that. Probably wouldn't do it again but I'm glad I did and I love the people I met and getting to do comic-cons and stuff.

What was it like working at Revolutionary Comics? What was Todd like and did his murder affect you creatively after? I have so many questions...welp!

ER: It was awesome. I felt privileged to be among such awesome creative minds. I felt like I was home. Unfortunately, it didn't last too long. My boss Todd Loren was found murdered. There is speculation that he may have been the first victim of serial killer Andrew Cunanan. The case is still unsolved to this day. He was a super sweet guy, very soft spoken and calm. He was great balancing force to his insane artists and writers. He had a crazy idea and made it happen pissing alot of people off along the way including big name recording artists who didn't appreciate our unofficial biographies. Still miss him.

How did you get started with the custom Michael Myers masks? And are you planning on expanding to other masks?

ER: I've been a HUGE Michael Myers fan since I first saw the original Halloween when I was a little kid at my Grandma's house on Halloween which was also her birthday. It's always been my favorite holiday. When the new Blumhouse Halloween series came out in 2018, Trick or Treat Studios started mass producing masks that were taken from the same molds as the screen used masks. These masks had serious awesomeness potential but they had shitty mass produced paint jobs. I decided I could bring out their full potential so I started figuring out how to do it. 4 years later, thanks to social media, I have a pretty good gig producing screen accurate replica masks and there's an absolutely gigantic Michael Myers fan community. I actually have to turn down work. I do have some other characters I'm planning to do as well, like Alpha from The Walking Dead. Loved that character.

You're juggling a lot of different projects as an artist. How do you divide your time, meaning how do you figure out when to spend time on what at any time? I'm curious, because I myself struggle with this often.

ER: Most of the time it's dictated by deadlines myself or others have set. I would burn out quickly if I didn't have simultaneous projects going though. It's really helpful to shift gears from one project to another so I don't lose perspective by focusing too long on any one thing. I'll work on masks then while I'm waiting for paint or glue to dry, I'll go work on music for awhile. With music mixing you really have to take frequent breaks to keep your ears fresh so I can go mess with masks again for awhile. Alternating the projects like this keeps everything fresh for me. Sometimes it'll be music for a couple weeks or something, then back to doing the custom masks. It just depends.

You embrace and express your dark side without much hesitation - do you ever scare yourself?

ER: No, I did once when I was much younger and trying to figure out who I wasn't. I did some bad things that left permanent scars on my conscience. I learned who I wasn't, grew and became a more balanced person because of it.

What would be your dream project to work on?

ER: I'm kind of doing it now with masks and music. Spiritually fulfilling stuff I'm passionate about that I can share with other like minded nerds.

How can people find you or your work? Websites, social media links?

and:

db9d9. 123 likes. DB9D9 is an industrial rock project from southern California.

‏‎President Frankenstein‎‏. ‏‏١٬٦٦٤‏ تسجيل إعجاب · يتحدث ‏١‏ عن هذا‏. ‏‎Demented music for demented people.‎‏

YouTube:

Merging digital, analog and organic elements to produce menacing electronic music. Front man of the southern California industrial rock band db9d9 in the ear...

Instagram @e.j.recourt

Bandcamp:

Eric Recourt.

San Diego, California.

Devilish apocalyptic disco.

and:

President Frankenstein

Demented music for demented people

Music To Get Chased By A Street Sweeper To, released 09 June 2019

1. The Nun With The Demon Tattoo

2. Mutant Werewolf Ventriloquist Bikers From Beyond The Grave

3. I Got My Blow Up Doll Pregnant

4. Them

5. The Girl Tied Up In My Basement

Well, that'll keep you guys busy for a while! Thank you, Eric - It's been fun digging in your brain a bit! I really loved your answers, especially the one about managing time while you juggle different projects. That's a great tip!

Ok, that's it folks, see you in two weeks....right before ...Halloween!

As always, have a creative weekend!

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Thank you from the bottom of my black little heart!

Dark Greetings,

Pia

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