Laurie: I think it took me like two months to feel normal after that flu, but I went back after two or three weeks.

Aesop: We might have spent a little more time on it, I think. But no, it's the same.

Phil: What are your favorite tracks off the album?

Laurie: My favorite's "The Undercaste".

Aesop: I think my favorite is "In Stable".

Christy: Oh, man - that's what I was going to say.

Aesop: "In Stable" is awesome - it sounds like us trying to be CORONER or MEGADETH or something, you know, and we don't have any other songs like it. And it's fun to play live.

Laurie: It's really fun to play live.

Aesop: 'Cause it kicks ass! (laughter)

Phil: How is your experience on Profound Lore so far?

Aesop: Awesome. Awesome. It's good, man - Chris (Bruni, owner of Profound Lore) is like a fan. AT (Alternative Tentacles) was great and was good for where we were at that point, but we grew and we had to do something and Chris has been a fan since we started.

Laurie: And hung out at our practice space many, many years ago.

Aesop: He came to our practice back when we were working on "Fex". He's just got really good taste and it's good to be on a label with YOB, whom we love, and I've loved every record he's put out. Like KRALLICE, PORTAL, now COFFINWORM and VASAELETH and just really quality shit. He'd rather just not put something out unless he can do it right and that was perfect. He was totally open to the crazy and expensive art we laid on it. We gave him a CD-R when we were in Canada last August and he about shit himself and loved it. And the press has been great and the advertising, the distro - it's perfect. (pauses) Now in two years, we'll be like "We're gonna sue that dick!" or something, but for now, it's great. (laughter) Nah, he's totally good.

Phil: I don't think you're going to have to worry about that - you didn't sign to Metal Blade.

Aesop: That's true! (laughter) We could have at some point, but no. No, Profound Lore is perfect and I think we'll probably stay there for awhile.

Christy: Yeah, he's a good guy.

Phil: Okay, Aesop - I understand you recently had a film role. Could you tell us about that?

Aesop: I did. I was an extra in a porno - I played a high powered executive in a porno. (laughter) I've got a friend, our who usually sells our merch for us who works for Kink, which is like the biggest porn producers in the country and they're in San Francisco. He called me last minute 'cause he needed someone to be a high powered business executive in a porn. I went there, I shaved, I put on a suit and I sat there and went like "Very good, sounds good, blah blah blah". (laughter) They kept making me do it over and over again and I was like "Nobody watches these scenes". (laughter) They see my face, it just means fast-forward; there's going to be fucking soon enough! (laughter) I'm trying to remember what it was called - it's got a really generic name. It's called like "Dining Out" or something like that. (laughter) I don't know, I can't remember the name. It's probably already out.

Phil: So we can look forward to your film debut.

Aesop: Yeah, I wear clothes, so everyone who's thinking I performed in a porn movie, no. (laughter) I barely acted.

Phil: I wouldn't call any of that acting anyway.

Aesop: No, no, no. I didn't have to do any of the "hard work" as they say.

Phil: Okay, is there any possibility of a LUDICRA European tour in the near future?

Aesop: Yeah, it has to happen soon. Absolutely. I hope that we can do it early 2011.

Christy: The sooner the better. We all want to.

Aesop: It's long overdue for sure.

Christy: We just need to make it happen.

Aesop: We weren't very known there a year ago when I was there with DORNENREICH and people would ask me what band I was in and I would tell them LUDICRA and nobody had heard of it. But just this last trip to Romania, I had so many people asking me and I think that's just 'cause of the new record and the attention it's gotten. We should've gone earlier, but I don't know that it would've been a great or beneficial, so now yeah.

Laurie: It's always been a slow process for us. I mean, we've been together ten years now, over ten years, some of us have turned forty and are older than forty. We can wait another year for Europe. We've made it this long, we can do it. (laughs)

Aesop: We've been slower than a lot of bands, but faster than other bands.

Phil: Recommend a book for our readers and then tell why you recommend that book.

Aesop: I'm going to recommend "Darkness At Noon" by Arthur Koestler 'cause that's the most recent book I read that blew my mind. It's an excellent book about totalitarianism and freewill and it was a big influence on Orwell who wrote "1984", which is the best book ever written in my opinion.

Laurie: I'm thoroughly enjoying  Street Crazy" by Stephen Seager. It's this full review of his nine years working in the L.A. County Emergency Hospital for mentally ill homeless people. I'm really enjoying it. It's just going along with the work I try to do when I'm not in a band. Good stuff.

Christy: Recent books or that just…?

Phil: Any book.

Aesop: Any book, recommend a book. "Goodnight Moon" by Margaret Wise Brown is really soothing.

Christy: Well, I'm reading a VAN HALEN book right now which I definitely recommend. (laughs) It's by Ian Christe.

Aesop: Ian Christe, who rules.

Christy: It's called "Everybody Wants Some" and it's the best story about VAN HALEN ever. (laughter)

Aesop: The best book on VAN HALEN you'll ever read.

Christy: Besides David Lee Roth's autobiography. (laughter)

Aesop: Really?

Christy: Yeah, "Crazy From the Heat". (laughter)

Aesop: You recommended two! Two VAN HALEN related books.

Christy: And "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman.

Aesop: Which is not about VAN HALEN.

Christy: No.

Aesop: Yep, any book with VAN HALEN in it is gonna be good. That's what I think.

Christy: VAN HALEN are gods.

Phil: Is there anything else you'd like to add?

Aesop: No; we're stoned. Sorry. (laughter)

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CURRENT LINE-UP:

Laurie Sue Shanaman: vocals
Christy Cather: guitar & vocals
John Cobbett: guitar
Ross Sewage: bass
Aesop Dekker: drums

Ludicra Demo (2001)
Hollow Psalms (2002)
Another Great Love Song (2004)
3-Song EP (2006)
Fex Urbis Lex Orbis (2006)
The Tenant (2010)

DISCOGRAPHY:

Interview: Philip A. Wickstrand

Ludicra

April 1, 2010

PHOTOS BY PHIL A. WICKSTRAND

Formed: 1999: - Oakland, CA  USA
Label: Profound Lore Records
Genre: Black Metal