Richard Terfry, better known as Buck 65, is currently a resident of Toronto by way of Halifax, Nova Scotia. Growing up in the East, Buck hosted radio shows before devoting all of his time to becoming a hip-hop artist. Now, after almost two dozen albums and two decades in the music industry under his belt, Buck is readying the release of a retrospective album, aptly titled 20 odd years. Most recently, Buck has swapped microphones again to go back to his original love of radio as the host of Drive on CBC Radio 2, an early afternoon show that primarily showcases obscure songs and the stories that accompany them. When he’s not hosting the radio program, Buck is still exploring the environment of abstract rap with his winding postmodern lyrics, custom blend of electronic and country infused hip-hop, and is in the midst of writing his first book.Feeding off his moods and personal themes, Buck's reputation has grown with his style and personality. As a one man band, he has been able to perform his unique approach to hip-hop all over the world, making his mark in the field as an artist who is distinctly himself while also being difficult to define. With his emergence from the underground, Buck 65 has proven to be a quality collaborator with a genuine knack for artistic expansion in his collaborations.The latest of these experiments is his involvement with Bike For Three! a personal and trans-continental experiment with one-woman Belgian band Greetings From Tuskan, made up of Joëlle Phuong Minh Lê. Despite the fact that these two have written two albums together now, they've never met. We talked to Buck 65 about the CBC, the ethereality of distance, and never playing live.
Buck 65: Things are good. I've been trying to eat healthier. Things at the CBC are weird. Today they announced they've canceled a bunch of TV shows including some cooking shows. So there was a big sale on all their kitchen stuff. I bought some bowls and silverware. It's pretty sad, but I'm psyched about the bowls. There's a lot I like about Toronto, but this last winter was a son of a bitch. I don't know how many more like that I can take. Most of my best friends live in L.A., that town's been calling my name lately.Bike for Three! Is a collaboration with Joëlle Phuong Minh Lê, but she lives in Belgum, and you never met?
Bike For Three! is a product of the Myspace days. Joëlle and I found each other there. She 'friended' me, I listened to her music. Next thing you know, we recorded an album together. She lives in Brussels. I'm in Toronto. We exchange files over the internet. We've never met and we've made a pact to never do so. We think the distance and mystery fuels the creative process and we don't want to mess with it.Did the remote participation match the album's flow in your mind, as it developed and in its conclusion?
Joëlle makes all the music and I do vocals, she does some vocals too. She's a trained musician, but most of her production is electronic. I've been amazed by her work. Once I asked if she would send me a photo of her studio because I was very curious about her setup. But she wouldn't do it! She keeps everything secret, which I respect. My contribution is pretty low tech. I record vocals in my bathroom on an ancient laptop. Somehow the songs always come out as good or better than either of us would have guessed. It's challenging to work the way we do, but we make it work somehow. I guess that comes from trust. We give each other all the room in the world to take the songs where we want to take them. We don't even really talk about it. She'll send me a piece of music with no instructions. She just trusts me to do with it what I will. She's never asked me to change anything. We communicate almost exclusively through the music, it's almost like that Her movie. She sends these pieces of music that are so beautiful. It's so generous of her to offer them to me, I fall in love with her every time and try to tell her that with my lyrics.How has it changed over the process of two albums? How do you think the distance impacted the sound?
The process stayed exactly the same from the first album to the second. I think Joëlle learned some new tricks and she plays some piano on this new album, but the way we work together is exactly the same. And I think the distance has everything to do with the creative process. It all comes from wondering about each other, really.How did your lyrics adapt to the project and how did you find yourself creating a narrative when you’re so remote from the other?
One interesting thing is that when Joëlle sends me a piece of music, she usually has a title for it. I'll often use that title as a starting point for writing the lyrics. Otherwise, it's really just about trying to talk to her and this impossible love I have for her. It's a beautiful but agonizing feeling. And maybe it's a coincidence, but both of these albums were written in the immediate aftermath of me going through terrible, terrible breakups. So I was in a very similar headspace both times. I think that has really had an affect. I was just so fucked up while writing these records. But Joëlle really helped me through those times.It must suck knowing that you could never tour with this.
I do wish we could tour. I know the label wishes we could too. But I do play the songs on my own when I'm on the road. Joëlle and I have talked about ways we could maybe use technology for her to be involved in the shows in a remote way, but we haven't figured that out yet. I'd love to do that. I don't know if anything like that has been done before, so it would be pretty cool if we could pull it off.What can you tell me about new Buck 65 projects right now. Your new album was pushed back again I understand? And the book you've been writing?
I've had a new Buck 65 record done for a while now, but its release has been pushed back until the fall. Meanwhile, I'm working on some other projects. I may put some stuff up on Soundcloud between now and then. I'm working on a ton of projects. I've also been doing some production for other people. And then there's the book, I signed a big deal a year and a half ago and now I'm just finishing up my first novel. It's supposed to be coming out in the Spring of 2015. I've never worked so long and so hard on something. It's killing me. Getting the thing done will be the greatest accomplishment of my life.Edward Terry is a writer living in Toronto who has 65 bucks in his wallet.
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Noisey: What you are up to these days? How is the CBC project working out and is Toronto still the best place for you?
Buck 65: Things are good. I've been trying to eat healthier. Things at the CBC are weird. Today they announced they've canceled a bunch of TV shows including some cooking shows. So there was a big sale on all their kitchen stuff. I bought some bowls and silverware. It's pretty sad, but I'm psyched about the bowls. There's a lot I like about Toronto, but this last winter was a son of a bitch. I don't know how many more like that I can take. Most of my best friends live in L.A., that town's been calling my name lately.
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Bike For Three! is a product of the Myspace days. Joëlle and I found each other there. She 'friended' me, I listened to her music. Next thing you know, we recorded an album together. She lives in Brussels. I'm in Toronto. We exchange files over the internet. We've never met and we've made a pact to never do so. We think the distance and mystery fuels the creative process and we don't want to mess with it.Did the remote participation match the album's flow in your mind, as it developed and in its conclusion?
Joëlle makes all the music and I do vocals, she does some vocals too. She's a trained musician, but most of her production is electronic. I've been amazed by her work. Once I asked if she would send me a photo of her studio because I was very curious about her setup. But she wouldn't do it! She keeps everything secret, which I respect. My contribution is pretty low tech. I record vocals in my bathroom on an ancient laptop. Somehow the songs always come out as good or better than either of us would have guessed. It's challenging to work the way we do, but we make it work somehow. I guess that comes from trust. We give each other all the room in the world to take the songs where we want to take them. We don't even really talk about it. She'll send me a piece of music with no instructions. She just trusts me to do with it what I will. She's never asked me to change anything. We communicate almost exclusively through the music, it's almost like that Her movie. She sends these pieces of music that are so beautiful. It's so generous of her to offer them to me, I fall in love with her every time and try to tell her that with my lyrics.
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The process stayed exactly the same from the first album to the second. I think Joëlle learned some new tricks and she plays some piano on this new album, but the way we work together is exactly the same. And I think the distance has everything to do with the creative process. It all comes from wondering about each other, really.How did your lyrics adapt to the project and how did you find yourself creating a narrative when you’re so remote from the other?
One interesting thing is that when Joëlle sends me a piece of music, she usually has a title for it. I'll often use that title as a starting point for writing the lyrics. Otherwise, it's really just about trying to talk to her and this impossible love I have for her. It's a beautiful but agonizing feeling. And maybe it's a coincidence, but both of these albums were written in the immediate aftermath of me going through terrible, terrible breakups. So I was in a very similar headspace both times. I think that has really had an affect. I was just so fucked up while writing these records. But Joëlle really helped me through those times.It must suck knowing that you could never tour with this.
I do wish we could tour. I know the label wishes we could too. But I do play the songs on my own when I'm on the road. Joëlle and I have talked about ways we could maybe use technology for her to be involved in the shows in a remote way, but we haven't figured that out yet. I'd love to do that. I don't know if anything like that has been done before, so it would be pretty cool if we could pull it off.What can you tell me about new Buck 65 projects right now. Your new album was pushed back again I understand? And the book you've been writing?
I've had a new Buck 65 record done for a while now, but its release has been pushed back until the fall. Meanwhile, I'm working on some other projects. I may put some stuff up on Soundcloud between now and then. I'm working on a ton of projects. I've also been doing some production for other people. And then there's the book, I signed a big deal a year and a half ago and now I'm just finishing up my first novel. It's supposed to be coming out in the Spring of 2015. I've never worked so long and so hard on something. It's killing me. Getting the thing done will be the greatest accomplishment of my life.Edward Terry is a writer living in Toronto who has 65 bucks in his wallet.