22 Nov 2024
Operation - An Interview with Operation
18 Apr 2005 // An interview by Shade
by Andrew@CheeseOnToast
11 June 2004
"I'm Renee and I am in a hospital-theme band called Operation - you should come see us play. We dress as doctors and nurses."
How am i supposed to resist such an introduction?
After some exchanges of eMails, I thought it would be interesting to find out more about Renee-Louise Carafice and her band. I met Renee and Anita for coffee at The Odeon Lounge last week.
So, who are Operation?
"That's a really broad question..." mulls Renee - whose voice is one of those voices you could strangely listen to for hours, "... we play...", she hesitates, thinking.
Anita, the other, more softly spoken, nurse, waits a moment, watching Renee gathering her thoughts before she politely interjects - "I play the drums, Steve is on bass and Renee plays guitar and sings. Renee wrote all the songs in hospital last year - that is where the theme comes from."
"Yes, I was institutionalized on my birthday last year", Renee emphasizes the word birthday, perhaps in a mock incredulous tone. I mean, what does one get a girl who has everything for her birthday - you get her committed.
Renee laughs at the bad joke. She has a loud, warm laugh - and, as I discover during the interview, a wicked, and disarmingly honest sense of humor. The best kind.
"It was a weird turn of events", Renee continues, "I was severely depressed and I told a counsellor that I was contemplating suicide and her instructions were if she felt that if she feels that someone's life was in danger she had to contact the crisis team". Renee changes the tone of some words, as if to verbalize putting inverted commas around them. The phrase 'crisis team' was emphasized in such a manner.
"They turned out to be cops", she continues. "They held me in an interoggation room for eight hours". This time the word eight was underlined by Renee's voice.
"Now, I was pretty fucked off - and being me - I gave them the finger a lot and said 'piss off' a lot - I was really quite angry - eight hours down the track a German psychiatrist woman walked into the room - and she said to me - 'Renee - can you tell me vot ze problem is?'". Renee does a comic German accent.
"And I said to her - 'I'm not willing to tell you anything because I dont trust vot you are going to do'" - I could sense that she was fucked up".
I sit and listen to the story unfolding - enthralled. I glance at Anita, who I suspect has heard the story several times before, but, regardless, she is hanging on every word, just as I am.
"And she says to me - in these exact words 'I vill tell you what i am going to do' and she read me my rights!"
"I did what you do, stereotypically if you are told that they are going to take you away - I ran screaming! And they stereotypically knocked me down and sedated me and put me in a car and took me to a high security mental institution." Renee described a scene from a movie that was, in fact her real life experience.
"While I was in hospital, to keep myself occupied I wrote a little book of lyrics and pictures", she hands me a copy - neatly stapled and typed in Times New Roman font - entitled My Heart on Ultrasound (Songs from the Connelly Unit). "they record my experience in there - and I said to myself that as soon as I got better enough to get a band to perform them, I would."
So, that is who Operation are.
They dress up in fake doctors and nurses uniforms.
"They audience are like 'wow - costumes'" - enthuses Anita - "but then they hear us play." I gather that the comic relief of the outfits is in direct contrast to both the content and the sound of Operation.
"We bust into a really really mellow sound", smiles Renee, who tells me people have compared the sound of Operation to that of Radiohead.
"I think we have a beautiful melodic sound" Anita quietly smiles, "the sound is mellow and pretty but the lyrics are so shocking and dark - but also funny.... " she pauses, reflecting, "but really sad."
Renee agrees - "Its kinda a rollercoaster ride - it's intended to confuse the audience - not to the point that they dont know waht is going on - but it is supposed to somehow give them the experience of that week - the juxtaposition of humour and sadness"
Like Renee's experience?
"Yeah - that is what it was like - half the time I was pissing myself laughing and the other half bursting into tears - it was both sad and really really funny."
Renee recounts another story from her time in hospital to illustrate the humour of the situation. She explains that the food is served in trays - much like you get on a plane (well, not anymore on domestic travel) - in fact, it is apparently supplied by the same people. One meal, she decided that the custard dessert was not for her. As she was walking down the corridor to the dining room in order to return the tray she passed a guy in a room who was out of control and was fighting off, rather violently, three male nurses who were attempting to calm him down. In that moment that she passed - he stopped fighting - to glance up - "Are you not going to have that custard?".
Renee laughs warming, remembering the bizarre situation - and ponders how it illustrated what is meant by 'out-of-control'. Clearly he was in control of his faculties enough to notice when there was spare custard on offer.
Anita asks if we had seen 'Girl Interrupted', explaining how she can see some parallels to that film and Renee's story - how the line between noticing that everything in the world may not be quite right and expressing your concerns and being told that you are crazy can be a very thin line.
"I hate Winona Ryder!" Renee verbally italicizes the word hate. "She has that annoying lisp... no, its more of a whistle...", Renee does a brilliant impersonation.
"Beetlejuice" she lisps, mockingly.
by Andrew@CheeseOnToast11 June 2004
"I'm Renee and I am in a hospital-theme band called Operation - you should come see us play. We dress as doctors and nurses."
How am i supposed to resist such an introduction?
After some exchanges of eMails, I thought it would be interesting to find out more about Renee-Louise Carafice and her band. I met Renee and Anita for coffee at The Odeon Lounge last week.
So, who are Operation?
"That's a really broad question..." mulls Renee - whose voice is one of those voices you could strangely listen to for hours, "... we play...", she hesitates, thinking.
Anita, the other, more softly spoken, nurse, waits a moment, watching Renee gathering her thoughts before she politely interjects - "I play the drums, Steve is on bass and Renee plays guitar and sings. Renee wrote all the songs in hospital last year - that is where the theme comes from."
"Yes, I was institutionalized on my birthday last year", Renee emphasizes the word birthday, perhaps in a mock incredulous tone. I mean, what does one get a girl who has everything for her birthday - you get her committed.
Renee laughs at the bad joke. She has a loud, warm laugh - and, as I discover during the interview, a wicked, and disarmingly honest sense of humor. The best kind.
"It was a weird turn of events", Renee continues, "I was severely depressed and I told a counsellor that I was contemplating suicide and her instructions were if she felt that if she feels that someone's life was in danger she had to contact the crisis team". Renee changes the tone of some words, as if to verbalize putting inverted commas around them. The phrase 'crisis team' was emphasized in such a manner.
"They turned out to be cops", she continues. "They held me in an interoggation room for eight hours". This time the word eight was underlined by Renee's voice.
"Now, I was pretty fucked off - and being me - I gave them the finger a lot and said 'piss off' a lot - I was really quite angry - eight hours down the track a German psychiatrist woman walked into the room - and she said to me - 'Renee - can you tell me vot ze problem is?'". Renee does a comic German accent.
"And I said to her - 'I'm not willing to tell you anything because I dont trust vot you are going to do'" - I could sense that she was fucked up".
I sit and listen to the story unfolding - enthralled. I glance at Anita, who I suspect has heard the story several times before, but, regardless, she is hanging on every word, just as I am.
"And she says to me - in these exact words 'I vill tell you what i am going to do' and she read me my rights!"
"I did what you do, stereotypically if you are told that they are going to take you away - I ran screaming! And they stereotypically knocked me down and sedated me and put me in a car and took me to a high security mental institution." Renee described a scene from a movie that was, in fact her real life experience.
"While I was in hospital, to keep myself occupied I wrote a little book of lyrics and pictures", she hands me a copy - neatly stapled and typed in Times New Roman font - entitled My Heart on Ultrasound (Songs from the Connelly Unit). "they record my experience in there - and I said to myself that as soon as I got better enough to get a band to perform them, I would."
So, that is who Operation are.
They dress up in fake doctors and nurses uniforms.
"They audience are like 'wow - costumes'" - enthuses Anita - "but then they hear us play." I gather that the comic relief of the outfits is in direct contrast to both the content and the sound of Operation.
"We bust into a really really mellow sound", smiles Renee, who tells me people have compared the sound of Operation to that of Radiohead.
"I think we have a beautiful melodic sound" Anita quietly smiles, "the sound is mellow and pretty but the lyrics are so shocking and dark - but also funny.... " she pauses, reflecting, "but really sad."
Renee agrees - "Its kinda a rollercoaster ride - it's intended to confuse the audience - not to the point that they dont know waht is going on - but it is supposed to somehow give them the experience of that week - the juxtaposition of humour and sadness"
Like Renee's experience?
"Yeah - that is what it was like - half the time I was pissing myself laughing and the other half bursting into tears - it was both sad and really really funny."
Renee recounts another story from her time in hospital to illustrate the humour of the situation. She explains that the food is served in trays - much like you get on a plane (well, not anymore on domestic travel) - in fact, it is apparently supplied by the same people. One meal, she decided that the custard dessert was not for her. As she was walking down the corridor to the dining room in order to return the tray she passed a guy in a room who was out of control and was fighting off, rather violently, three male nurses who were attempting to calm him down. In that moment that she passed - he stopped fighting - to glance up - "Are you not going to have that custard?".
Renee laughs warming, remembering the bizarre situation - and ponders how it illustrated what is meant by 'out-of-control'. Clearly he was in control of his faculties enough to notice when there was spare custard on offer.
Anita asks if we had seen 'Girl Interrupted', explaining how she can see some parallels to that film and Renee's story - how the line between noticing that everything in the world may not be quite right and expressing your concerns and being told that you are crazy can be a very thin line.
"I hate Winona Ryder!" Renee verbally italicizes the word hate. "She has that annoying lisp... no, its more of a whistle...", Renee does a brilliant impersonation.
"Beetlejuice" she lisps, mockingly.
About Operation
During her stay there, Renee-Louise wrote songs of the restriction and sadness of her environment in order to bring it to the light of day.
In December 2003, she joined forces with drummer Anita Worthington and bassist Steven Jallard (later replaced by Jonathon Corker), who helped her perform her "hospital songs".
Visit the muzic.net.nz Profile for Operation
Releases
There are no releases to display for Operation.
Other Interviews By Shade
MNZ Interview: Muzic Speak S01 / E01 - Powder Chutes
06 Nov 2024 // by Shade
Brought to you by Muzic.NZ's Lisa Jones, Muzic Speak is a fresh new interview series which pays homage some of the best up and coming acts this country has on offer.
Read More...
Interview with Angus Woodhams, lead of Weka
16 Sep 2024 // by Shade
Weka is a three-piece electronica band combining unique timbres with pulsing bass and punching drums. Formed of Angus Woodhams on keys and controllers, Mitch Harty on guitar, and Cathal Lennon on drums, Weka’s instrumental electronic sound is diverse, beautiful, and thought provoking, urging audiences to dance uninhibitedly.
Read More...
Pull Down The Sun Newsletter Interview
01 Dec 2022 // by Shade
Boasting an international standard of modern metal, New Zealand's Pull Down The Sun have set many an audience alight with their glorious imagery that holds true to sheer riff obedience, making motions from heavy and erratic to dark and moody, through to light and uplifting with minimal effort. We spoke to frontman Koert, and he had this to say:How did you become involved in music?
Read More...
Coridian Newsletter Interview
27 Nov 2022 // by Shade
Coridian are one of New Zealand's leading rock acts, and they have an exciting 2023 in the works. In recent months the release of singles Rakshasa (with Michael Murphy from Written by Wolves) and State of Mind have further cemented their status in NZ music.
Read More...
1 Drop Nation Newsletter Interview
19 Nov 2022 // by Shade
Otautahi six-piece 1 Drop Nation will be dropping their exciting self-titled debut album on 1 December, and it’s guaranteed to set Aotearoa music fans up for a great summer! They answered the following questions for Muzic.
Read More...
Interview: 2Fly Ty
17 Oct 2022 // by Shade
Despite currently residing in Brisbane, 2Fly Ty still identifies as a Kiwi at heart, as he looks to make a name for himself in the music scene of his homeland, Aotearoa. He answered the following questions for Muzic.
Read More...
Dead Beat Boys Newsletter Interview
29 Sep 2022 // by Shade
Auckland Rockers Dead Beat Boys fuse punk intensity with classic-rock riffs, all strung together in a show uncontainable by the stage. On the 1st of October they released their first and last album, be sure to check it out here.
Read More...
Frau Knotz Newsletter Interview
28 Sep 2022 // by Shade
The original songs of singer, pianist, producer and composer Lauren Nottingham have touched down on Earth under the moniker Frau Knotz. With avant-pop tracks which simulate echoes of an extra-terrestrial yet power-packed video game soundtrack, Frau Knotz toggles between whimsical fantasies and dark truths, switches propulsive rhythms and expansive balladry and tunes glamor with gameplay to concoct elixirs of dance.
Read More...
Most Viewed Artists
Latest Galleries
NZ Top 10 Singles
- APT.
ROSÉ And Bruno Mars - DIE WITH A SMILE
Lady Gaga And Bruno Mars - BIRDS OF A FEATHER
Billie Eilish - TASTE
Sabrina Carpenter - I LOVE YOU, I'M SORRY
Gracie Abrams - ESPRESSO
Sabrina Carpenter - SAILOR SONG
Gigi Perez - LOSE CONTROL
Teddy Swims - A BAR SONG (TIPSY)
Shaboozey - GOOD LUCK, BABE!
Chappell Roan
More Content on muzic.net.nz
Google Site Search
Custom Search
100% New Zealand Music
All content on this website is copyright to muzic.net.nz and other respective rights holders. Redistribution of any material presented here without permission is prohibited.
Report A Problem
