10 Questions

"I dreamt I was a butterfly, and didn't know when I awoke if I was a man who had dreamt he was a butterfly, or a butterfly who now dreamt he was a man."

-Chuang Tzu's dream
500 Years BC

Today's guest must have a similar quandary: Rej' Ricard of the Telepathic Butterflies!
Hailing from the northern outpost of Winnipeg, (where many good people come from), Rej' and constant bandmate Jacques Dubois have been creating some of our favorite sounds for seven-plus years. All here at the CPPP await their new offering, Breakfast In Suburbia, this July! (Released as a double vinyl or a streamlined single CD on Rainbow Quartz.)


Let's probe his mind while he's still dreaming:

1. In ten words-or less, define "psychedelic music."

Pop/ Rock songs with classical contrapuntal melodic arrangements on drugs.
or, Baroque rock and roll.

2. What is the most psychedelic instrument, why?

Organ. In-a-gadda-da-vida, Light My Fire, Incense & Peppermints, you know.

3. Favorite psychedelic album of all time?

Piper At The Gates Of Dawn - Pink Floyd



4. Clapton, Beck or Page - choose one & why?

Definitely Page. Don't get me wrong Clapton is great, but possibly over-rated and more one-dimensional than the other two. Beck, is the one I relate to the most but Page has got the most impressive song catalogue. And the countless classic riffs that he has written puts him in a league of his own. Not to mention a very under-rated acoustic guitar player.


5. If you could be a member of any band in history, what band would it be and what would you play?

This is a tough question. I've actually been sitting on it for a week. (thus the reason for my delay!)
I wouldn't want to be in any of the major bands that I love because I don't know what I could offer?
I keep thinking of The Pretenders just because I think that a lot of the songs that I write would sound great with Chrissie Hynde singing them. Hynde/Ricard, I like the ring of that. Not very psychedelic though. On second thought maybe CCR. Little more psychedelic-y. Lead guitar in the first and Rhythm/Lead guitar in the second.

6. What psychedelic album do you wish more people knew about?

Odessey & Oracle - The Zombies



7. What band, active today, most defines "psychedelic" to you?

Ahhhhhhhhhh.............mmmmmmmmm..............?????????????


8. What album would you most like to cover in its entirety, why?

Loaded - The Velvet Underground I think it's possibly one of (if not the) first "modern" pop/rock record. Timeless and so fundamentally tuneful and cool.
Oh and Pink Flag by Wire. Just because it would be so much fun.


9. Top Ten Psychedelic Songs?

(in no particular order)

Strawberry Fields Forever - Beatles
Space Oddity -David Bowie
Astronomy Domine - Pink Floyd
Rain - Beatles
2000 Light Years From Home - Rolling Stones
I Can See For Miles - Who
8 Miles High - Byrds
Dandelion - Rolling Stones
Octopus - Syd Barrett
Armenia In The Sky - Who





10. Turn the tables, if you'd like, and ask me a question.

Rej’: If you had to be one dysfunctional psychedelic rock icon, which one would you be, and why?
Syd Barrett, Brian Wilson, Roky Erickson or Arthur Lee.

valis: Great question Rej'!
I'm taking this to mean "knowing what we do about their separate situations", which one would you be? That being the case, Syd's out right off-burned bright but far too short; Arthur is certainly compelling but a victim of his own decisions-not to tour; Roky....probably my second choice just because of the songs he wrote which will always be highly valued in the pantheon. I just can't see myself having any fun at Rusk. No, I'll take being Brian Wilson. After submerging and then dealing with Mr. Landy, he's made the biggest comeback with the "SMILE" album being finished aided by the Wondermints. Playing that album live to adoring crowds just seals the deal for me....

Thanks Rej'! Best wishes on the new album!

Editor's Note: The staff at Trip Inside This House will be sojourning on voyages of discovery over the next ten days. We will return refreshed with new posts on Monday, May 12th, with a new "The Wayback Machine". (Also, our sincere congratulations and best wishes to the Laird & Lady SR-71 as they begin their own Voyage together starting this Saturday, May 3rd!)