Peter Propaganda:
Voice of the Chicago Industrial Underground.

Peter Propaganda is a Chicago DJ and lead singer of the Industrial band JILT.

Originally printed in the Winter 2007 issue of Black Oak Presents, pg. 4-7.

Black Oak: Thank you for talking with us.  Firstly, we would like to ask something that is on everyone’s mind.  What inspired the name Peter Propaganda?

Peter: The name came from my views of music and media as a way to express ideas and as a tool for helping others see things the way you do... That being said, the lyrical content of a JILT song isn't always from my point of view, but shows a point of view that myself or the listener can agree with or not. The name is also a play on my constant effort to let others know about what it is that the band and myself are doing... to a certain degree as an independent artist, promotion, the art of getting others to look at your art, is as important as the art itself...

Black Oak: When and why did you get into the DJ business?

Peter: I started DJing about three years ago.  I had been doing music for over fifteen years and had been doing Live PA, which is very similar to DJing, only you use drum machines and synths instead of turntables. I already had a great collection of music and a respect for DJs, so it only made sense for me to turn to DJing as a way to enjoy myself as well as to propagate my own music.

Black Oak: What was the genesis of JILT?

Peter: I started JILT at one of those strange points in my life where I found myself free of any obligation socially as well as musically. I locked myself in a room for months and only opened the doors to musicians. I worked with a lot of talented musicians, but I don't feel JILT was fully actualized until Matt came on board. Before that, JILT was Peter Propaganda and whatever talented musicians he could gather around him. With the introduction of Matt, it became JILT and whatever talented musicians we could gather around the unit.

Black Oak: What first drew you to gothic and industrial music?

Peter: I grew up on 80's pop, New Wave, House, and Hip Hop. The bands that drew me into the industrial scene were Nitzer Ebb, Skinny Puppy, and Front 242; of course, growing up in Chicago, the influence of Ministy and Wax Trax is undeniable.  The sound of industrial music is the sound of living in our uncertain postmodern world, its angst and confusion. Its the sound of information overload in a global culture; its the sound of living in the city, of factories, assembly lines, and war machines. It’s the sound of our world, and I cannot deny it. I was immediately swept up.

Black Oak: Is there a message in your music?

Peter: Yes... sometimes the message is my own, at other times my expression is a reflection of others. What I mean is the message isn't always linear, straight forward, or first person, even when written to sound that way.

Black Oak: What would you say to critics who claim JILT's music is too abrasive?

Peter: I have some bluegrass or jazz records I can lend you?  JILT isn't for everyone.

Black Oak: Did any particular event influence you to follow your current path?  What made you want to make music?

Peter: I don't know...  My first rock concert. The gulf war.

Black Oak: Does Peter Propaganda have anyone he looks up to?  

Peter: Robert Anton Wilson?  Only because he taught me not to look up to anyone.

Black Oak: JILT has three great tracks on Negative Impact v0.1, a compellation CD of underground artists in Chicago, but is there a full-length album in the works?

Peter:  We have a lot of music written. It’s unavoidable.

Black Oak: Do you think the world is ready for JILT?

Peter: People seem to respond to our live shows... Now it’s just a matter of getting the word out. I believe we will conquer any platform we are given.

Black Oak: JILT's shows sometimes get crazy, with fans jumping up on the stage and picking fights with the musicians.   Is there such a thing as too far, and if so, has anyone ever taken it too far?

Peter: Well, I'd like to be the rock star on this one and say no, but I defiantly don't want to encourage audience participation, other than enjoyment of the spectacle and the chaos we create. At a recent show, we had someone try to break Matt and me up, and they ended up getting kicked in the chest. Onstage, Matt and I have an understanding with one another. When an audience member introduces themselves to the situation we have no agreement or understanding with them, and the lines of appropriate behavior are not as clearly drawn. We are actually hurting each other on stage... understand that. It’s not acting. We don't play nice and things do go wrong. For example, right now I'm in extreme amounts of pain... I took a steel toe to the ribs and I'm wondering if Matt fractured them. It hurts to breathe or sing, and it really sucks to cough or sneeze. So at times we have been guilty of going too far...for your own safety, please don't introduce yourself to this situation.

Black Oak: Where do you see JILT and Corrosive Musick Media in five years?

Peter: I'm sure we will continue to find success thanks to the amount of drive and commitment that anyone allowed into the unit must possess. On a five year timetable I'm not sure. I have learned to manage immediate goals, and am never happy to rest when one is achieved. I see visual artists becoming as important to the band as musicians and I see Corrosive Musick Media becoming Corrosive Multi Media, if not in name at least in spirit. I see Corrosive Musick Media as a platform for expression outside of JILT not only for myself and the other members of the band, but for like- minded musicians, filmmakers, and designers that push as hard as we do.

Black Oak: Thank you for speaking with us.  We hope the Chicago underground community will grow and we look forward to the album. 

For now, find out more information at www.myspace.com/jilt.

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