The following is Part II of the interview of Gregor Ian Chance done by Monk Modes magazine:
Q: Thanks so much for coming back to continue this interview. Our website has been been blowing up with questions & comments from our readers ranging from curiosity... to disgust... to star-struck fans' swoonings. What do you think makes you so polarizing?
A: Your quite welcome... it's no sacrifice meeting you here again... besides... I'm in dire need of a Venti Quadruple Cappuccino... extra foam. Regarding polarization... I think it's in part the mystery of the robes [and what's under the robes] and it's part misconception that 'giving up all things worldly' needs to be interpreted quite so literally. My Twitter feed has been exploding as well.
Q: Are you saying that, within your order, it's acceptable to go to cafes and sporting events... visit the Macy's holiday display window... a stop at Massage Envy... the Radio City Christmas Show... Panera... and even McSorley's? Our readers have spotted you at all of these places recently.
A: I believe that my presence in the city is a positive influence on those who want to learn more about monastic lifestyles and for my own search for my inner self. I can't help it that style-wise... my inner-self prefers upper-shelf type things. As far as Massage Envy... kneading sourdough is a bitc... is tough on the shoulders. The Panera visit was to buy bread for the Abbey... as I was too tired from McSorley's the night before to trust myself to bake anything myself. Rockettes... seriously... it's mandatory?!?
Q: Lots of readers have been urgently requesting an actual sampling of some tunes from your new release Monkapella: Close to Organum. Have you, or your imaginary agent, reconsidered sharing a song?
A: Yes. By aiming to please I find I make myself feel better. So I've decided to give you just a taste of one of the singles off the album. The Monkapella rendition of a holiday classic... here is Santae es Cominus tu Towneum. ( press the PLAY BUTTON below )
Apparently the rules which apply to city monks are more loosely interpreted than most preconceived notions of monastic life. A reporter and photographer from Monk Mode magazine caught up with Gregor Ian Chance at Madison Square Garden last night and they were able to ask him a few questions about a variety of topics. Here are excerpts from that brief encounter.
Q: Hi Gregor. I understand that you've been seen at Knick's games before. Do you consider going to NBA games... surrounded by celebrities... is in-line with your vows of simplicity and deprivation?
A: Wouldn't you want to get out from time to time if all you had to call your own was a bowl, a belt, a razor, a staff, a toothpick and a robe? Besides... deprivation is a state of mind.
Q: How did you become friends with Spike Lee and Chris Rock?
A: Back in 1990 I pitched an idea to him for a movie which was going to be called MO' BETTER BREAD. As it turned out he used my idea but 'changed venues' regarding the bread-making angle and went with more of a jazz thing. He thought it would appeal to a more urban demographic. He ended up releasing it as MO' BETTER BLUES. As far as Chris goes... we met at a Hot Yoga class last year.
Q: It seems as though you leave the Abbey quite a bit. Have you considered spending time in complete solitude... perhaps alone in the forest... far away from city life? Don't you think you'd be able to find your inner peace more easily in that way?
A: I tried the hermit thing for a while but when there's a kind of a hush for too long it really creeps me out.Lately, my daily quest for inner peace begins at Starbucks [tomorrow I'll order a 'Carmelo' Macchiato]... and often ends at MSG.
Q: We also saw you with Alicia Keys tonight. What is your relationship?
A: She's wonderful. A few years ago I was giving her some bread making lessons and we had 'an incident'. As she was putting a Multi-Grain Sourdough Boule in the oven... her chiffon sleeve brushed against an open flame on the stoves front-right burner. Poof! Her sleeve went up like an olympic torch. I ran to the window and half-shouted and half-bellowed "THIS GIRL IS ON FIRE". I then turned around and doused her sleeve with a bowl of proofing yeast. Crisis averted. Alicia did use my bellowed plea as the hook for one of her biggest hits. We've been fast friends ever since
In the next post, Part II of the Gregor Ian Chance interview at Starbucks will be revealed.
The following is the transcript of Part I of an interview that MONK MODES magazine did with Gregor Ian Chance. The interview took place at Starbucks on the corner of Church St. & Murray St. in NYC. This transcript is unedited.
Q: To begin with I'd like to thank you for meeting me at Starbucks for this interview Gregor. It is my understanding that leaving the abbey is generally frowned upon unless it's on a mission of benevolence. Did you get in any trouble from your fellow monks by coming here?
A: First of all... this is a benevolent act on several levels. I'm helping you enlighten your readership while helping myself to a tall, triple-shot Americano. My brothers at the abbey should be grateful for my mission here... for upon my return later... I'll be buz....well-energized... for afternoon chores. As far as repercussions involving my absence, might I also remind my brothers to never trouble trouble until trouble troubles you.
Q: Do any other of your brothers leave the abbey to come to Starbucks on occasion?
A: I hear another brother monk right here as we sip... and he sounds quite fine through the ceiling speakers...albeit his playing is a bit angular for my taste. Thelonious is one of the hippest Monks I know of.
Q: Which came first for you Gregor... your passion for music or your passion for baking?
A: Truthfully, the answer is a chicken or egg scenario. From my earliest memories I've always been excited around anything crusty or dusty... and melodic or hypnotic. Keeping a yeast strain going is just as exhilerating as keeping a melismatic plainchant going for an extended time... It's just whether you choose to channel Julia Child or Whitney Houston... it's a win-win either way.
Q: Could you tell us about the Christmas album project you've embarked upon... and whether the
fact that it's part of your penance changes the creative process in any way?
A: The project has been on overall rewarding and cathartic experience... except for the occasional high-F. I contemplated for quite some time...during meditation...what I should name this album. It has really developed an evolved like a rising sourdough. At first... I was leaning toward calling it MERRYIUS CHRISTMASEUM but it's percolated into the working name at this point... MONKAPELLA: CLOSE TO ORGANUM. Perhaps a bit edgier and less 'holiday'... but my reasoning is that it may reach a wider audience and allow for a few non-holiday tracks. As far as being a part of my penance...immersion in the creative process is always part joyous... and part painful... similar to self-flagellation... or high-F's
Q: I know you weren't always a practicing monk. What inspired you to choose this lifestyle and to embrace the kind of music you've been making at this time?
A: I had a very serious Middle Ages Crisis about five years ago... and instead of strapping myself behind the wheel of a red BMW I decided to go 'old school'.
Q: Is there any way you might be able to give us a sample of one of the tunes from your new album?
A: Actually...no. If I had an agent I'm quite sure that she would insist on my holding something back until the actual release date. Why would my audience buy my bread if they're getting my baguette for free? I will, however, be willing to share a recording of one of my sound checks in the abbey. This may give you a taste of the kind of sound quality to expect.
Q: That would be great... let's give a listen...
(click on play button on right to hear sound check)
Q: Will you be going directly back to the abbey this evening?
A: Not directly. I have a meeting with Brother Anthony at the garden tonight.
Q: At the Botanical Gardens?
A: No. Madison Square Garden... and Brother Carmelo Anthony is, with proper prayers and humility, gonna put a good, old-fashioned hurt onto our Brooklyn playas. Might I just say..."In Your Face Jay Z!"
Part II of the Gregor Ian Chance interview by MONKS MODE magazine will appear in a future post.
If you happen to be getting a Grande Peppermint Mocha Latte at the Starbucks on the corner of Church Street and Murray Street you just may meet Gregor Ian Chance. He claims that he rarely gets to imbibe in the worldly pleasures of high-end caffeine and triple espressos. However, it would be rarer still to find a day where his flowing robes and well-manicured, well- floured hands DON'T pay a visit (or 3)
In a general sense Gregor is a monk. In a more specific sense he is NOT a country monk... he is quite clearly a city monk. Expert in the ways of kneading (although he's quick to point out he NEEDS nothing), baking, and all things rising. His other daily tasks and routines center around meditation, cleaning the abbey, reading, and other various vows (some more adeptly than others... specifically silence being the most challenging).
The biggest test of his devotion to his order is his inner need to sing... all the time... anywhere...and everywhere. His superiors have shunned him on numerous occasions for his show tunes in the showers... or Bette Midler after hours. As his penance he has been ordered by the order to put his musical talents to a more benevolent goal... that is to record a Christmas album. The restrictions put on him were as follows:
use the traditional music of the order (plainsong, chants, etc.)
don't use any instruments other than male voices
record it in the empty halls of the abbey when his fellow monks are out on retreat
According to unnamed sources, the project is coming together nicely and should be released by Christmas 2012.
In the next post Gregor has agreed to discuss the project in more detail, reveal a bit about his roots, and perhaps give us a sample of some songs.
