From The Loveless to The Legacy

Barb Morrison is a professional music producer, film score composer, multi-instrumentalist, music mentor, Top 5 Billboard dance chart songwriter, innovator & Platinum record producer. They are non-binary and although they have brought much visibility and pulled in empathy for the Trans community, they have not always received the care that they need. Barb’s pronouns are they/them and they have unfortunately had so many experiences where they have been “ she’d “ by people they care for. It is one thing to be misgendered by a stranger but there is a different kind of sting when there is someone who is familiar with who you are and especially what you have been through doing so. For many in the Trans world, being addressed by the correct pronouns is not just basic care/support but it is also suicide prevention. “ It does hurt when someone misgenders me. It feels like their vision of me is more important than my vision of myself. It hurts a great deal, especially people that I’ve reminded many times. It makes me think they don’t see me. The thing that is insidiously hurtful is the people that are not seeing me “ said Barb. At times they have gone by the name Morrison because Barb feels that there may be a perceived female attachment to the name Barb. That is something they feel could possibly influence the way others address them. There is no one way to be a man, no one way to be a woman and certainly no one way to be non-binary. It speaks volumes that even a Trans person who is so well-respected can’t have their personhood honored. Barb deserves to be seen and not just for all that they have accomplished but just for who they are.

Our friendship began around 2006/2007 during the days of Myspace. We bonded over many bands we had in common. There is a certain kind of kinship that is so intense and so natural between music nerds. We met at a time when I was exploring the name Mars because I felt like I never got to choose my name. I wondered how much my life would change if I explored a new name for about a year. Discussing our names was also something we bonded over. Barb is the only person that calls me Mars and ironically, I’m one of the few people they have no issue calling them Barb. I feel like we have seen into each other since the first day we met. Outside of being a creative genius, Barb is a very kindhearted person who just cares about others. It is really that basic, Barb just cares. They have never been consumed by someone’s name, celebrity or lack there of. They did the most Barb thing ever and started our interview by asking how I’m doing. “ What has made you conscious of other people’s struggles who are not like yours? “ I asked. They warmly responded with “ taking a real humble look at my own defects. My own short comings and kind of matching some of those with people that have hurt me and people that didn’t treat me so kindly. My father was a complicated guy. Sometimes he was great and sometimes he was very flawed. We all have flaws and hopefully we are all trying to do the best we can. Sometimes people are selfish and mean. If you can get underneath that, there is usually fears and hurt. “ Barb seems so compelled to un-mix the studio version of every person they encounter and honor every layer because every layer is so important. “ I try to see underneath people’s s*** if I can. That’s how I try to see the world “ said Morrison. There is a quote that has really stood out from the things they have said in interviews. “ I don’t want it to sound like a Barb Morrison production. I want it to sound like them but better. “ This mind frame and spiritual awareness is something they apply to not only their relationships but the delicate process of creating. It is something that has won many hearts of those that they have produced for, written for, co-wrote with, mixed for etc. I had asked them when they knew that they finally made it as a creative. “ Being interviewed by Mars “ said Barb. I imagine that it would be very rare that they ever feel alone because many of us from all over the world love them.

Our friendship began with what we had in common. Later we got to learn much more about who the other person is and what they do. There was a great sense of shock in learning that Barb had opened for the Ramones and toured with Jesus and Mary Chain. We discussed how so many things lined up by the universe and that our friendship was fated. Around that time, I had just gotten a tattoo that reads ‘ Loveless ‘ referencing one of my favorite albums from the band My Bloody Valentine. Barb mentioned that one of their first bands was named The Loveless, after a film that has greatly inspired them. Barb’s career in music began at 3 years old, something that would never be surprising if you knew Barb personally. As a toddler, Barb played pots and pans. Playing pots and pans is something that they recently revisited for one of their latest productions. They have been a musical soul with a love for experimentation since the very beginning. “ I would definitely call myself an experimenter of sorts. I think most musicians are afraid to experiment but I hear music in everything “ said Barb. Recently after a trip to the market with their wife, they explored the lovely sounds that you can get out of doing percussion on a melon. Everything has the potential of becoming a musical instrument. There have been producers who have even found ways to record music underwater. The Vegetable Orchestra is an orchestra known to make music with produce. As an adolescent, Barb’s two brothers came from two different scenes and their influence played a role in helping shape their taste. “ I think my first inspiration was my brother Shawn because he was a drummer. He drummed in rock bands and we had a drum set at home. I would watch him drum and just be mesmerized. Watching Shawn drum was definitely inspirational. My 6th grade music teacher took the time to show us the nuances of music. She would break down an Earth, Wind and Fire song for us. She would make us listen to every instrument “ said Barb. It was through their 6th grade music teacher that they first learned about song structure. Growing up in the 70s, it was either Rock or Disco but Barb loved both. “ I grew up on all the 70s rock like Kiss, Cheap Trick and Van Halen. When punk came around, it didn’t belong to my brothers. Punk was mine. It was angry and young sounding. It was fast and even my young producer’s ears felt like it didn’t sound like anything I had been hearing “ said Morrison. “ Later on, I also got into bands like Cabaret Voltaire and Throbbing Gristle. I enjoyed the experimentation. That was some of the first things you and I bonded on “ they said. Barb loved the way that these experimental musicians were playing in industrial settings on buildings, stairways and so much more. “ I started listening to this show called the difficult listening show. I had been experimenting quite a bit while I was in bands. I made it to the top of the cool scene and decided to make my way back to New York “ they said. Barb got right into the NY punk scene and was playing along bands like New York Dolls at the age of 19. Sylvaine’s belief in them was something that gave them a push to really try to make things happen.

Morrison has produced for names like Blondie, Franz Ferdinand, Rufus Wainwright and co-written or written music for LP, Asia Kate Dillon, All The Pretty Horses and so many more. “ Working with every artist was a life-changing experience. Working with Debbie Harry, Rufus Wainwright, LP and all of them was life-changing to be honest. I just made a record with a 16 year old named Estelle Fox. She did an amazing job and really stepped up to the plate. I have a curiosity of life and I try to remain in awe of all things. I’m not one of those life is meaningless people. I could really get into a blade of grass. I think that my production has even gotten way better in the last two years and I’ve worked with all brand new artists in the last two years. I’m learning from everybody “ said Morrison. I asked Barb what was their favorite song that they have written. “ The last thing I wrote. I just collaborated with Dito Montiel. I collaborated with them and Madstone Rowan from Tripping Jupiter. We wrote this song called Looking In “ said Morrison. Barb gave the impression that no matter where they are, it’s almost always the last thing that they’ve written that is their proudest work. In our interview, Barb shared that they had played clarinet in my favorite Antony and The Johnsons song. You don’t really get to see the words Trans and genius used together enough. Where would the world have been without the influence of Wendy Carlos and Genesis P. Orridge? Those two women made incredible impacts on the world of music as we know it today. For decades androgyny and gender bending has been taken from those under the Trans Umbrella and rebranded as Trans-Exclusionary Toughness. That is not always the case, at least for those who are aware of their music and sub culture history. However, there have been many personalities within sub genres of Rock that depict Transness as weakness. There is nothing weak about being Trans, especially pertaining to the way that Trans people continue to push to survive in a world that tries to erase us. There would have been no Glam Rock without the influence of Trans Women. We also get to sleep easy knowing that artists like Lou Reed and the band The Velvet Underground took the time to care and even write the song “ Candy Says “ which depicted gender dysphoria in 1978. Occasionally you meet Industrial Music enthusiasts that conveniently forget that Industrial was created by the band Throbbing Gristle and their front woman is Trans. All of the members of Throbbing Gristle are innovative creatives but for experimental Trans creatives, it’s important to be seen a little bit more through people like Genesis P. Orridge. Gavilan Rayna Russom who was not only one of the synth gurus of LCD Sound System but has been making groundbreaking solo work for many decades. Often times when Trans people start creating music or DJing, it is treated like things having become a cliche. Like never mind the LGBTQ2S pioneers including Trans Pioneers that played vital roles in the beginning of Electronic Music Culture but many different genres. More rewarding than that, we also have a Barb Morrison.

Currently Barb has been listening to music from The Smile, a project from Radiohead’s band members. Barb said they regularly listen to new stuff at work. We agreed on the importance of always needing to listen to new music to be a better musician and so our creativity never goes stagnant. However, have those safe few favorite bands to come back to. “ I listen to a lot of new stuff at work. I listened to Black Midi last week. I listened to this band called Black Country New Road, that was really interesting stuff. I am listening to Lizzy McAlpine “ said Barb. There is always something new to learn from Barb but the one thing that is rarely surprising is just how little Barb operates from the ego. “ I mean, look, when someone reminds me who I am - I don’t sit in it. Sometimes stuff comes up in my shuffle and I realize I did it. I shed my skin so many times. I just want to keep creating until my last breath hopefully. I am going to continue to let stuff run though me “ said Barb. Being a creative is being an open channel for the universe and the divine. Barb is currently working on material for Tripping Jupiter, Estelle Fox and a really cool pop punk band named Monte. Barb is currently doing music mentoring as well. They just produced the single “ Sapiosexual “ for Anne Stotte. They can be found on their website and all over the music world. I am so grateful to not only call Barb Morrison a good friend but someone that I will always look up to.

by Marcy Angeles: Artist, Writer, Musician, Journalist & Public Speaker