This is a blog dedicated to the talented, inspiring and oh so handsome William Francis. It includes images, songs and more from his works in Aiden and William Control alike.
Hi I'm Ayesha, spreading the wiL Francis love.
![oneinchtacks:
My Interview With William Control! (April 17th, 2012)
[Wil buys me a savory Caramel Macchiato from Starbucks, and a Rice Krispie Treat for himself. We head outside and sit on a bench outside of a casino. He lights up a smoke and munches on his snack. As we get comfortable and settle in, the interview begins.]
Me: So. How are the fans reacting to the new album?
Wil: Fairly well. I mean, we’ve only played “Kiss Me Judas”. But uh…yeah, it’s selling a lot.
Me: Any haters?
Wil: No…really, I mean, the new album is a pretty good mix of Hate Culture and Noir. It’s not like I’m fucking going off and doing some crazy shit like I do in Aiden. I always change it up and people are like, “I hate you!”
Me: I like how some of the lyrics on the new album reference back to the other albums.
Wil: Yeah. Well, it’s the same character, you know. And the whole story’s like, one single story.
Me: Having not worked with a label for this album, do you feel closer to your fans knowing that more of your own personal time and hard work went into the making of the album? And since they actually got to donate to The Control Project…?
Wil: Totally, yeah. Yeah, I mean there’s always that buffer. That label that was…you know, like, after Noir was out, and I got done with the Victory deal, and I thought, ‘Fuck, how am I gonna put out records? ‘Cause I definitely don’t want to sign with Victory again. They suck.” I couldn’t really gauge how many fans I actually had. And it wasn’t until I did that that I had an overwhelming amount of support. It’s like, holy fuck. People actually wanna hear this shit. It’s not a lot, I mean, I’m not huge. I was able to get the fucking CD out on time. That’s pretty rad.
Me: It’s pretty awesome because you got like twenty-thousand dollars from fans in support for the new album. That’s pretty fucking cool.
Wil: Yeah. That shit goes faster than you think. I had twenty-thousand dollars. The next day I had two thousand. What the fuck? Where’d all this money go!? Seriously. Money sucks. I would put it our for free, and tour for free if I could. I really would. I would do it all for free, ‘cause I really love being on stage and I love making art. But the fact is I mean, that motherfucking bus costs five dollars a gallon to fill up. And it costs two hundred dollars to fill up. And it’ll only take us five hundred miles, you know. So, gotta make money somehow if we wanna continue here. We’re not making shit on this tour. Our guarantee’s a hundred and fifty a night. And that’s only if we get paid to play. So then you know, merch is two, three hundred bucks. It’s like, maybe four hundred a night. Maybe. And then to fill it up twice costs four hundred bucks. Then I have to count paying everybody, you know. Like ten dollars a day. They have to eat. They eat, buy cigarettes and lap dances and shit.
Me: [laughs]
Wil: Seriously. That’s all I ask. A pack of cigarettes, a burger, lap dance. [grins]
Me: That’s all anyone really needs.
Wil: That’s all I really need in my life.
Me: I know you say you have a couple different characters running around in your head…
Wil: Quite a few actually. About seventeen.
Me: Are you planning on doing different albums as these different characters at all?
Wil: I don’t know. I have no idea, honestly. We’ll see what happens in the future. It just hits, you know, inspiration. It’s really bizarre.
Me: Where did the inspiration for “Perfect Servant” come from? It’s my favorite song from the EP.
Wil: Fuck, I wish we were playing that tonight. Ohhhh…[sighs] Where did it actually come from? That’s kind of a difficult question to answer. It’s very personal.
Me: I’m sorry.
Wil: You don’t need to be sorry. I mean it’s pretty self explanatory, right? I mean, it’s pretty direct, pretty much to the point. Inspiration as to where it came from? The person? Well, it comes from my whore, since you asked. She’s very inspiring. [laughs]
Me: How did the songwriting process for “Now That You’re Dead” go? Did Bert have all the lyrics written and you just came and sang, or did you write your own parts?
Wil: Yeah, no, I just came and sang. I mean, the song was already written. He had already done all the lyrics, and had already done all the vocals. Then I came in and just did every other line. And I’m friends with John Feldman and, you know. It was cool. Came down, rocked it.
Me: Feldy?
Wil: Yeah, Feldy. He’s one of my favorite people. He’s a sober guy, too. He takes me to AA meetings in LA. Shit. Good friend. He made me speak at one a few weeks ago.
Me: Is there anyone else you’d want to work on a song with? Who’s your dream collaboration partner?
Wil: David Bowie. Yep. Too bad he doesn’t do anything anymore. He just sits in his chalet in Switzerland. In his fucking king chair. Just sits there all day, every day. Overlooking the mountains, the Swiss Alps. David Bowie…dude, he’s the king of collaborators. Placebo…he fucking—he’s always collaborating.
Me: When you were younger, you looked up to bands like NOFX and Bad Religion. Is it weird having people come up to you and saying they look up to you now?
Wil: Yeah, it’s a little weird ‘cause I’m such a fanboy. I’m not even half as good as Bad Religion. I guess. Not really. I understand it, because I am that.
Me: I remember hearing about when you met Fat Mike and you ran up on stage and couldn’t think of anything to say to him at all except “You’re Jewish.” You were like, “Oh my god!”
Wil: [laughs] Dude, I was fourteen years old. I was so pumped! And I told him that story too, when I toured with him on Warped Tour. Now Mike and I are friends. We text each other dirty pictures and shit. But I told him that story and he’s like, “Yeah, I don’t remember that.” I wouldn’t remember that, either. “You’re Jewish! I’m Jewish.” [laughs]
Me: I’ve heard you say that William Control doesn’t have a message. Is it just a way to vent?
Wil: Yeah, I mean, I didn’t really want it to have a message, you know.
Me: It’s just to create?
Wil: Yeah. It’s really just to get these fucking voices outta my head. ‘Cause otherwise…fuck. Fucking climbing up the walls and shit.
Me: What is your next tattoo gonna be of, and where are you going to get it?
Wil: Uh, it’s gonna be of Oscar Wilde. [slaps his left side] ‘Cause I have an Edgar Allan Poe tattoo. I’m gonna get an Oscar Wilde one next to it.
Me: I like how you once said that religion is destroying the world.
Wil: [nods] Yeah.
Me: I agree. I hate hearing about people protesting at homosexual’s funerals and people walking around with signs that say “God hates fags”. Seeing shit like that made me say fuck religion, and now I don’t believe in anything. I think it’s all bullshit.
Wil: Yeah well, I mean, it’s ‘cause when you back up and you’re like, “Wait a minute…” You actually realize how silly it is. Silly, I mean. There’s a guy who came down off a mountain and he saw a vision in a burning bush? And then, two stone tablets?
Me: I think somebody was fucking high when they wrote this shit.
Wil: Right? A guy who lived in a fucking fish for three days? The world was created in six days? I mean, we have evidence that it’s billions of fucking years old. It’s not kiddie camp anymore. I mean, we have facts. Facts versus faith. What’s faith? The suspension of rational belief and thought. It’s the idea of believing in something without any evidence to back it up. And to believe that is counterproductive to progression. So. Sounds like you’re smart. It sounds like you’re smart.
Me: Thank you.
Wil: People are smart. People have brains. People choose. They choose to believe in this shit. And that’s what’s astounding, is the choice they make. Fear is a great motivator. Well, we can all thank Martin Luther for leaving the Catholic church, saying “You know what? You guys are evil.” We’ll thank Martin Luther for that. Protestant Lutheran. “We’ll read the bible ourselves, interpret it ourselves.” Great, great leader.
Me: Can you give a shoutout to my Twitter? I go by ‘OneInchTacks’.
Wil: Just Tweet at me ‘cause I won’t remember that.
Me: You might remember my name. The “OneInchTacks” thing.
Wil: OneInchTacks?
Me: It’s like a little joke. You know, Nine Inch Nails, OneInchTacks?
Wil: [He pauses, then laughs] I won’t be able to remember that, I’m such a fucking space cadet. But if you tweet at me, I will be able to remember it.
LATER THAT EVENING…
Get yourself a copy of William Control’s new album, Silentium Amoris at williamcontrol.com!
You can follow William Control on Twitter: @WilliamControlYou can follow me on Twitter: @ OneInchTacks](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m2w3bzL3e31r3n4too1_1280.jpg)
My Interview With William Control! (April 17th, 2012)
[Wil buys me a savory Caramel Macchiato from Starbucks, and a Rice Krispie Treat for himself. We head outside and sit on a bench outside of a casino. He lights up a smoke and munches on his snack. As we get comfortable and settle in, the interview begins.]Me: So. How are the fans reacting to the new album?
Wil: Fairly well. I mean, we’ve only played “Kiss Me Judas”. But uh…yeah, it’s selling a lot.
Me: Any haters?
Wil: No…really, I mean, the new album is a pretty good mix of Hate Culture and Noir. It’s not like I’m fucking going off and doing some crazy shit like I do in Aiden. I always change it up and people are like, “I hate you!”
Me: I like how some of the lyrics on the new album reference back to the other albums.
Wil: Yeah. Well, it’s the same character, you know. And the whole story’s like, one single story.
Me: Having not worked with a label for this album, do you feel closer to your fans knowing that more of your own personal time and hard work went into the making of the album? And since they actually got to donate to The Control Project…?
Wil: Totally, yeah. Yeah, I mean there’s always that buffer. That label that was…you know, like, after Noir was out, and I got done with the Victory deal, and I thought, ‘Fuck, how am I gonna put out records? ‘Cause I definitely don’t want to sign with Victory again. They suck.” I couldn’t really gauge how many fans I actually had. And it wasn’t until I did that that I had an overwhelming amount of support. It’s like, holy fuck. People actually wanna hear this shit. It’s not a lot, I mean, I’m not huge. I was able to get the fucking CD out on time. That’s pretty rad.
Me: It’s pretty awesome because you got like twenty-thousand dollars from fans in support for the new album. That’s pretty fucking cool.
Wil: Yeah. That shit goes faster than you think. I had twenty-thousand dollars. The next day I had two thousand. What the fuck? Where’d all this money go!? Seriously. Money sucks. I would put it our for free, and tour for free if I could. I really would. I would do it all for free, ‘cause I really love being on stage and I love making art. But the fact is I mean, that motherfucking bus costs five dollars a gallon to fill up. And it costs two hundred dollars to fill up. And it’ll only take us five hundred miles, you know. So, gotta make money somehow if we wanna continue here. We’re not making shit on this tour. Our guarantee’s a hundred and fifty a night. And that’s only if we get paid to play. So then you know, merch is two, three hundred bucks. It’s like, maybe four hundred a night. Maybe. And then to fill it up twice costs four hundred bucks. Then I have to count paying everybody, you know. Like ten dollars a day. They have to eat. They eat, buy cigarettes and lap dances and shit.
Me: [laughs]
Wil: Seriously. That’s all I ask. A pack of cigarettes, a burger, lap dance. [grins]
Me: That’s all anyone really needs.
Wil: That’s all I really need in my life.
Me: I know you say you have a couple different characters running around in your head…
Wil: Quite a few actually. About seventeen.
Me: Are you planning on doing different albums as these different characters at all?
Wil: I don’t know. I have no idea, honestly. We’ll see what happens in the future. It just hits, you know, inspiration. It’s really bizarre.
Me: Where did the inspiration for “Perfect Servant” come from? It’s my favorite song from the EP.
Wil: Fuck, I wish we were playing that tonight. Ohhhh…[sighs] Where did it actually come from? That’s kind of a difficult question to answer. It’s very personal.
Me: I’m sorry.
Wil: You don’t need to be sorry. I mean it’s pretty self explanatory, right? I mean, it’s pretty direct, pretty much to the point. Inspiration as to where it came from? The person? Well, it comes from my whore, since you asked. She’s very inspiring. [laughs]
Me: How did the songwriting process for “Now That You’re Dead” go? Did Bert have all the lyrics written and you just came and sang, or did you write your own parts?
Wil: Yeah, no, I just came and sang. I mean, the song was already written. He had already done all the lyrics, and had already done all the vocals. Then I came in and just did every other line. And I’m friends with John Feldman and, you know. It was cool. Came down, rocked it.
Me: Feldy?
Wil: Yeah, Feldy. He’s one of my favorite people. He’s a sober guy, too. He takes me to AA meetings in LA. Shit. Good friend. He made me speak at one a few weeks ago.
Me: Is there anyone else you’d want to work on a song with? Who’s your dream collaboration partner?
Wil: David Bowie. Yep. Too bad he doesn’t do anything anymore. He just sits in his chalet in Switzerland. In his fucking king chair. Just sits there all day, every day. Overlooking the mountains, the Swiss Alps. David Bowie…dude, he’s the king of collaborators. Placebo…he fucking—he’s always collaborating.
Me: When you were younger, you looked up to bands like NOFX and Bad Religion. Is it weird having people come up to you and saying they look up to you now?
Wil: Yeah, it’s a little weird ‘cause I’m such a fanboy. I’m not even half as good as Bad Religion. I guess. Not really. I understand it, because I am that.
Me: I remember hearing about when you met Fat Mike and you ran up on stage and couldn’t think of anything to say to him at all except “You’re Jewish.” You were like, “Oh my god!”
Wil: [laughs] Dude, I was fourteen years old. I was so pumped! And I told him that story too, when I toured with him on Warped Tour. Now Mike and I are friends. We text each other dirty pictures and shit. But I told him that story and he’s like, “Yeah, I don’t remember that.” I wouldn’t remember that, either. “You’re Jewish! I’m Jewish.” [laughs]
Me: I’ve heard you say that William Control doesn’t have a message. Is it just a way to vent?
Wil: Yeah, I mean, I didn’t really want it to have a message, you know.
Me: It’s just to create?
Wil: Yeah. It’s really just to get these fucking voices outta my head. ‘Cause otherwise…fuck. Fucking climbing up the walls and shit.
Me: What is your next tattoo gonna be of, and where are you going to get it?
Wil: Uh, it’s gonna be of Oscar Wilde. [slaps his left side] ‘Cause I have an Edgar Allan Poe tattoo. I’m gonna get an Oscar Wilde one next to it.
Me: I like how you once said that religion is destroying the world.
Wil: [nods] Yeah.
Me: I agree. I hate hearing about people protesting at homosexual’s funerals and people walking around with signs that say “God hates fags”. Seeing shit like that made me say fuck religion, and now I don’t believe in anything. I think it’s all bullshit.
Wil: Yeah well, I mean, it’s ‘cause when you back up and you’re like, “Wait a minute…” You actually realize how silly it is. Silly, I mean. There’s a guy who came down off a mountain and he saw a vision in a burning bush? And then, two stone tablets?
Me: I think somebody was fucking high when they wrote this shit.
Wil: Right? A guy who lived in a fucking fish for three days? The world was created in six days? I mean, we have evidence that it’s billions of fucking years old. It’s not kiddie camp anymore. I mean, we have facts. Facts versus faith. What’s faith? The suspension of rational belief and thought. It’s the idea of believing in something without any evidence to back it up. And to believe that is counterproductive to progression. So. Sounds like you’re smart. It sounds like you’re smart.
Me: Thank you.
Wil: People are smart. People have brains. People choose. They choose to believe in this shit. And that’s what’s astounding, is the choice they make. Fear is a great motivator. Well, we can all thank Martin Luther for leaving the Catholic church, saying “You know what? You guys are evil.” We’ll thank Martin Luther for that. Protestant Lutheran. “We’ll read the bible ourselves, interpret it ourselves.” Great, great leader.
Me: Can you give a shoutout to my Twitter? I go by ‘OneInchTacks’.
Wil: Just Tweet at me ‘cause I won’t remember that.
Me: You might remember my name. The “OneInchTacks” thing.
Wil: OneInchTacks?
Me: It’s like a little joke. You know, Nine Inch Nails, OneInchTacks?
Wil: [He pauses, then laughs] I won’t be able to remember that, I’m such a fucking space cadet. But if you tweet at me, I will be able to remember it.
LATER THAT EVENING…
Get yourself a copy of William Control’s new album, Silentium Amoris at williamcontrol.com!
You can follow William Control on Twitter: @WilliamControl
You can follow me on Twitter: @ OneInchTacks
(via fyeahaiden)
(via fyeahaiden)
(via fyeahaiden)
Anonymous asked: Do you have any pics where you can see his Poe tattoo? I can't find any :(
I’ve come across a couple! If I can dig them up, I’ll post them for you sweetheart.
xTranquilize - William Control
(via angelicallydevious)
xI’m Only Human Sometimes Uncensored - William Control
(Source: japcoregalore)
x
(Source: the-velvet-warms-and-binds)
