I recently had the chance to catch up with the Michigan Native and Mason Proper front man Jonathan Visger about his Tagalong EP under his new solo moniker “Absofacto” and other happenings in his realm.
Why the name change from Bug Lung Baby to Absofacto and what does Absofacto mean?
A few people independently told me it would come out “Bung Lung Baby” when they said it quickly, haha. I soured on it myself after a while and decided to go with the other name I was kicking around at the same time as BLB, Absofacto. It’s a misspelling I’ve seen of “ipso facto.” It caught my eye and is abstract enough to feel like it fits a little better with how abstract my music can be. But knowing me, I’ll probably change it fifty more times before all is said and done.
Was “Hall Pass” written while you were in high school?
No, but shortly after! I went off to college for a semester before leaving to focus on music, and right after quitting I came up with the original seed for “Hall Pass.” I usually have no idea where my ideas come from, and this is definitely in that category.
What is the oldest song that you’ve completed for the Tagalong EP?
“Hall Pass,” hands down. Most of the others were written after Mason Proper was in full swing.
What was it about these songs that made allowed them to survive so long?
I would call it “strength of character.” There were other old songs I thought would accompany these, that had stuck around for an equally long time, but when I went to actually work on them it became clear my love affair was over. I just didn’t like them anymore, or they hadn’t aged well. I think these were just really sharp, strong ideas with enough substance to them to go back and explore again years later and still feel fresh.
Your lyrics and songwriting seem very literary and if they are lyrically sparse they always seem cinematic, do you have any plans to write a book? Or perhaps score a film?
I’d love to score a film, and have done some “fan scoring” of my own. I wrote the Mason Proper song “Life’s Cornucopia” specifically to sync up with the opening credits of “To Kill a Mockingbird,” for instance. It’s on YouTube somewhere. As far as writing a book goes, it’s something I’m interested in, but I still haven’t mastered making great albums or anything, so I know I should just focus and keep trying to improve at music. It’s probably more realistic that I might write a few short stories someday and post it on the internet or something. In the meantime, I’ll just keep dreaming up the stories and writing songs as a little window into them.
While we’re on the topic, who are some of your favorite authors and film makers?
I got into Haruki Murakami this year and am just reading one after another. I want to read everything he’s done. Edward Gorey is another big influence, the way he just gives you glimpses into situations without ever laying it all out. It’s no secret I’m an insane David Lynch fan too. I think there are a lot of parallels between him and Murakami, actually. These guys are the biggest influence on my lyrics at this point.
You recently worked with film maker Adam Netsky on your video for “Paper Crane”, what was that collaboration like?
I had been friends with him and his older brother Josh for years, and always was really impressed with the videos he made for Josh’s music. I called him up and told him I had no money but wanted to make a video, because I knew he was used to making cool things happen on low budgets. He told me that if I could get myself to his house in Rochester, NY we’d make it happen. So I went, and we set up some green tarps in his kitchen and he told me how to walk around, and when to look at empty spaces and stuff, and then I went home and he and his family built all this stuff and finished the video. I love the handmade feel of it. He did this kind of “The Fountain” inspired thing, doing all the visual effects by filming real things up close and overlaying them.
The albums that you’ve released by yourself have these great new covers by “The Silent Giants” how did you get hooked up with that creative entity for your artwork?
I didn’t know them personally, but had always been a huge fan of their artwork. They were the only guys I knew of where I literally liked everything they did, so I knew I couldn’t go wrong. I contacted them and pretty quickly we became friends and realized we were really on the same page with it all, and they started making me beautiful artwork. It really ties it all together, I think.
You’ve just released another new song “No Power”, are you planning on releasing a full solo album any time in the future?
My plan right now is to always have a new single in the works, and release it when it’s done. This way I can obsess over every little detail, have the immediate gratification of sending it out into the world, and have that energy feed back into the next one. It just fits really well with my way of working, and will keep me evolving quickly. If I tried to make a whole album by myself at this point, nobody would hear from me for two years, and then I’d just check into a mental institution and never finish it anyway.
Any word on a new Mason Proper EP or album?
Album, for sure. We’re working on it, but it will be done when it’s done. I’m really proud of what we did with Olly Oxen Free, but I want to step it way, way up this time around, and I’m willing to be patient to make sure it works out that way.
On a perfect winter day where do you find yourself?
I’m a perpetually cold person, so preferably somewhere on Mercury.
For More info check out Absofacto’s Website!
