SOCIAL MEDIA

TM - Hi, This is Amelia and Elizabeth and we are here with stevic from Twelve Foot Ninja. You have done some awesome stuff recently, you have been writing graphic novels, making video games, making board games, making videos, making new music and now you're doing Uncaged Festival. You have one show left, what can fans expect from the show?

Steve "Stevic" MacKay - Well, I mean the main thing that they will expect I imagine, is Twelve Foot Ninja music performed live at a festival with energy and fun.

TM - You have played the other two festivals in Brisbane and Sydney how was that?

Steve "Stevic" MacKay - It was awesome, I did a post about it, the Uncaged Crew and staff were super nice and accommodating, and we had a blast. It was a unique opportunity to witness and it was cool to mingle with different eras and genres of Australian music that normally don't get to see. It was super rewarding and we had a great time, it was really good.

TM - Yeah, you guys put on an awesome show, it was so fun!

Steve "Stevic" MacKay - I am grateful for whoever puts on a great event. It is a complex task, hopefully, there will be more in the future. 

TM - You wrote a graphic novel, can you tell us more about that?

Steve "Stevic" MacKay - We have always had a story behind the name Twelve Foot Ninja that we have told in different formats over the last 14 or 15 years. We engaged our friend author Nicholas to write a fancy Fiction novel and then he ended up writing three epic fantasy fiction novels. I thought it would be cool to give a visual introduction to the vastness of the story and a graphic novel seemed like a good format. 

We know a lot of our fanbase are into their comics and video games so it seemed like a good idea at the time. It actually incorporated a comic book so there's a comic book within the graphic novel. It tells some of the premises of Twelve Foot Ninja of the character Kyoshi of what his plight is and who were some of the other characters. By the time people start reading the novel, they will be like, "oh, that's how that fits together" it is all sort of based on the parallel world's concept.

TM - You have made a board game with a dice with 20 sides, that's cool, can you tell us more about it?

Steve "Stevic" MacKay - That has been in the works for quite a long time. It is a dead building game. A friend of mine came up with this concept and he is a psychiatrist in a prison, so that's definitely an interesting one. I guess they're always up to different things, that's for sure but my favourite thing to do is just sit in my car in traffic, I love it. 

TM - Oh, I think we all love sitting in our car in traffic, especially with the fuel prices at the moment.

Steve "Stevic" MacKay - Yeah exactly and you get to see so many different types of cars and all the taillights, It is actually pretty awesome.

TM - You brought a new album last year, you even got to number 5 on the Australian ARIA Charts a number 20, so that's pretty cool, congratulations. 

Steve "Stevic" MacKay - yeah it's better than number 6 and number 21, that is for sure.

TM - How have fans responded to that album and what's your favourite song on the album.

Steve "Stevic" MacKay - I think the response has been interesting because again we went for something a bit different. We try to keep every album different. Some people like it and say it is their album. Other people wear like, why can't you write a song like the other song that I like. A lot and our Vibe is, well that song already exists so just listen to that, so that side of it was to be expected. For me like whatever musical Direction I am still on, that trip is a little bit like a retro-futuristic kind of vibe. I don't know what you would call it, but I am loving it. 

My favourite track off that album is probably IDK, it's got this kind of Aerobics Oz Style chorus that I could imagine you know those g-string leotard things that you wear over the top of other leggings. I just imagine wearing one of them and doing those knee jumps with those really big socks on, with a whole bunch of other people dressed just like that, so that's probably my favourite so far.

TM - When you make the video, I'm in.

Steve "Stevic" MacKay - Awesome, fantastic.

TM - You should also do an album with the same backing on 10 songs and different lyrics on each one.

Steve "Stevic" MacKay - Yes, I like that idea. I would like to do that and maybe have it themed around all the different ways to prepare toast or something.

TM - How to get ready in the morning, How to catch a flight.

Steve "Stevic" MacKay - Yes, we should start a band, I think you guys have got the right idea.

TM - You also did a song called over and out with Jinger, how did that come about?

Steve "Stevic" MacKay - We played in the Ukraine and Russia quite a while ago before all the craziness was going on, it was still nothing like now and there we meet Jinger. They were actually our supports and we saw them and thought this is actually a really good band. I think it was less than 12 months later they absolutely blew up. We had a friendship from that point, they are lovely people.

We had this song and we thought it could do with a female vocalist and Tatiana was just an obvious choice, so we gave her a buzz and she was into it. She even participated in our crazy music video and I got her to say all these Australian slang terms, for being crazy in Ukrainian like "your driveway doesn't meet the road but the sounds that are dead" and "the wheel spins, but the hamster is dead" and all that kind of stuff. It was a lot of fun and they are good people. That is why we posted about the Ukrainian thing, they are experiencing what is going on first-hand and it sort of hits home when you've got friends and you know their families and stuff. You know it's a legit thing, it's not just kind of some media beat up or something.

TM - It is so sad, it's horrible. They shouldn't have to be in this situation. We are in the twenty-first century. You think we would have learnt from the past. 

Steve "Stevic" MacKay - It is terrible, I hope it ends soon.

TM - If you could have any bands play one of your songs, which band would it be, which song would it be and would it be in your style or their style?

Steve "Stevic" MacKay - I would like to hear the Shaggs play, One Hand Killing in their style.

TM - That would be cool.

Steve "Stevic" MacKay - You have to listen to the shags to know what I mean, they are the worst band in the world and it's so bad it comes out the other side amazing.

TM - l love your optimism, I bet they will do an amazing cover.

Steve "Stevic" MacKay - I think they would hit some type of Nirvana or something, if they have played it I would feel like I have sinned, my soul would leave my body and I would be complete.

TM - what's your favourite memory of watching someone else perform live, can you tell us a story?

Steve "Stevic" MacKay - I think the most impactful stuff was when I was young. I would go and see Tommy Emmanuel play the guitar, which use to blow me away. I would be super inspired so Tommy Emmanuel in the, I don't know what they called it, was right next to a funeral home and it was just great. 

TM - You have an American and UK tour in 2023, you must be excited to go back overseas.

Steve "Stevic" MacKay - Yeah definitely, I think it would be good. There is a tattoo artist in Glasgow that has designed me a full neck tat and I'm going to get that done while I am there, so that's going to be life-changing. I am looking forward to getting back to Europe, they are always really cool people and they treat us well over there. This covid thing has been a bit of a roadblock, so it will be great just to play in front of people like we used to.

TM - Yeah exactly, you have been stuck in Australia for over two years. Is there anything else you would like to say to your fans?

Steve "Stevic" MacKay - I would just like to say have a good one try and be content with your life.

TM - Thank You for this interview today, we appreciate it.

Steve "Stevic" MacKay -  Thank You, Have a good one.