Dear reader,
Finally this winter, we see snow! And honestly as long as I have enough wine in my pantry, I truly hope it will never end. These days I feel like barricading myself in the house, away from society. Snow seems like a mighty convenient reason.

In general I do not think much of humanity. I mean, there’s a few people who existed/do exist/will exist who are in some way better than the rest, whether they be scientists, doctors, musicians, artists, writers, serial killers or terrorists. And yet, with my knowledge of humanity being in general a waste, I still sometimes am surprised by what a failure people are. Whether it’s assholes that can’t drive in a fucking parking lot, aloof parents losing their children on ferries or the poverty-stricken folks who still believe in god and all of that completely insane bullshit.

I do not go out often, so sometimes I tend to forget what the outside world is like. I should post a sign for myself on my front door that reads “do you really want to go out THERE?”.

More and more I find it hard to find a good bar. I’m not entirely picky. I like a nice run-down building that makes their drinks so strong, they only put enough cola/juice in it to give it colour.

Pool tables are also a must. It’s my way of venting. I hardly play for skill anymore. Nope. I just like to hit balls really fucking hard and if they fly off the table and hit someone in the knee, well that’s just a nice little perk.

And finally, one of the MOST important things about a bar is the music. If the bar has bad music, and I mean really bad music, it is unbearable for me. The majority of the music I listen to is Black and Death Metal. And I realize bars in general do not have a jukebox with Burzum, Darkthrone, Fornicator... or well anything else that I listen to on a regular basis. But they AT LEAST have to have ACDC, GUNS N ROSES and well, you get the idea. Anything 80’s (rock) and prior and I’m content. But so many bars, in an attempt to be ‘modern’ have that whiney modern day ‘rock’ (if you can even call it that!) and/or what I refer to as “hooligan music’, i.e. (c)Rap and new ‘soul’, R&B, etc.

Anyway, it seems I went off topic there. I needed to vent - haven’t played pool in awhile.

I promised you some interesting interviews and what better way to start out 2008 with WINDHAM HELL. Most of you probably don’t know their name. Their music should earn them fame worldwide but for some peculiar reason they remain underappreciated. They are one of WA State’s most mysterious enigmas, musically anyway. And if you have not picked up any of their albums yet, I highly recommend you do.

Local legend has it that there are some eerie and uncanny ‘coincidences’ tying WINDHAM HELL to “Twin Peaks”. I want to start this interview off on that topic, if I may. You’re actually from the general area where it was filmed/supposed to take place, right?
Yes. I’ve lived in Snoqualmie, WA a.k.a. “Twin Peaks” for quite sometime.

When I met you back in September you told me about the house you grew up in and a ‘Twin Peaks’ style murder that actually took place there. Could you tell our readers a little bit about that?
Shortly after releasing the WINDHAM HELL CD “South Facing Epitaph” containing the track “Wrapped In Plastique” in 1994, there was a murder in the house I grew up in. The murderer’s name I think was Bob and he stabbed his girlfriend to death. He then wrapped her naked body in plastic and dumped her off near a river outside of North Bend exactly like Laura Palmer was found in “Twin Peaks”. My dad still owned the house so I was able to examine the crime scene which was just outside of my old bedroom. Being so familiar with the surroundings struck me more then the coincidences with “Twin Peaks” or “Windham Hell”. The chunk of carpet that the police had cut out to use as evidence was the very spot I used to play guitar. It made me think of all the unusual things that had happened in that spot’s history.

I heard you guys recorded an album or two behind “Mo’s Motor” - anything strange ever transpire there? Why did you pick that location?
We recorded all three Windham Hell CDs there because that’s where we were living. Eric lived there for 13 years and I lived there for 4 ½ years. Eric was there when “Fire Walk With Me” was being filmed. Apparently they start very early in the morning and if anybody remembers the famous scene filmed in front of “Mo’s Motor” with Leland and Laura Palmer in the car, it’s a very loud scene. The house right next to Mo’s Motor in the movie is where the Windham Hell CDs were recorded. That house has changed a lot since 1989 but the building that was “Mo’s Motor” hasn’t been used and has remained vacant since then.

I honestly thought you may have changed your name to Leland to maybe further tie yourself and WINDHAM HELL to the peculiar ‘Twin Peaks’. But I heard several months ago that that’s really your given name. Any thoughts about it being ‘coincidence’, or ‘destiny’ or what have you?
Maybe David Lynch took my name out of the phone book because there is also a Twin Peaks character named Windom Earl.

Switching topics a bit, there’s a lot of mystery about the death of your band mate, Eric. Care to comment or clarify cause of death, etc.?
It took the toxicologists awhile to figure it out but it was Myocarditis. A somewhat rare heart disease. It was hard to see one of my good friends and one of the greatest musical talents in the world... go so soon. At least his recordings live on.

Now that it’s just you (without Eric, I mean), what are your plans musically? Do you plan to carry on with Windham Hell as a one man band?
I don’t know.

I meant to ask you about religion when we met, but I was well on my way to being drunk and a little preoccupied. What do you think of religion as a whole? Would you consider yourself an atheist, Satanist, or ???
I struggle with the rigid thinking needed to put myself in a particular religious category. I’m not here to worship and to criticize but rather to discover and enjoy.

I hear you are quite the rock climber. I don’t know much about rock climbing... only that you probably wouldn’t catch me doing it, heh. You’re strangely more known for your rock climbing adventures than your music, which is pretty strange, considering the phenomenal talent of Windham Hell. What got you into such a demanding activity?
I’ve been addicted to natural beauty, in particular alpine settings, for as long as I can remember. At a very young age I was going on hikes in the mountains and by 13 I had climbed Mt. Adams and Mt. Hood. During my teenage years I took climbing classes so that I could climb much bigger mountains and in the process discovered the world of stone. Rock climbing kind of took over for the next twenty years with a particular focus on the discovery and development of new routes.

I bet it’s one hell of an adrenaline rush! My fellow told me several years ago that you would climb quite often. Do you still climb?
Every weekend. Sometimes more.

I really hope we can all get together sometime soon! If I had more time (and space) I would ask another 10 or 20 questions. I most humbly thank you for the interview! We are at the infamous ‘money shot’ question: your last words?
My favorite last word is wow. It doesn’t matter whether you say it forward or backward.

It was great to hear from you again Maija and thanks for the interview. Let’s do it again soon. By then hopefully the Windham Hell “Window of Souls” re-issue will be out so more people can hear the musical talents of Eric Friesen.

butchers@theseattlesinner.com