The Third Eye

One of the best parts of running this blog has been getting to know so many talented musicians across the world. One of the artists whom I’ve been corresponding with more lately is Poznań, Poland-based A.J. Kaufmann. The Third Eye has covered his music a couple of times so far, including one of his latest releases, Your Existence is Revolt.

Kaufmann is a psychedelic music artist whose sound combines many influences and genres, including grunge, space rock, and krautrock. He’s known for his heavy riffs, space-out soundscapes, and poetic lyrics. The poetic lyrics are especially notable, mainly because A.J. writes and shares his own original poetry on his blog, The Strange World of A.J. Kaufmann.

Along with psychedelia, A.J. knows his Rimbaud, jazz, blues, and beatnik roots, and his work is reminiscent of Tom Waits or Warren Zevon. Mix that in with The Doors but also the folkiness of not Bob Dylan but Woody Guthrie – a man of the streets and not hiding behind Dylan’s shades.

It’s been great getting to know Kaufmann more over the past few months, so I decided to send him some questions via email. He was kind enough to do this Q&A interview with me and offer insights into his creative process and his biggest influences. Check out my interview with Kaufmann below.

Interview with A.J. Kaufmann

Third Eye: Thanks for doing this interview! Can you introduce yourself and your music to The Third Eye readers?

A.J. Kaufmann: My pleasure! Sure, I started recording my first cassettes in 1998, with what I perceived as “folk music” then. I formed my first band in 2002. I released my debut studio album in 2011. I am mostly considered a psychedelic artist, though that’s not exactly how I feel. I guess my personality isn’t that interesting, and my music is for an acquired taste – if you know your space rock and kraut from the Seventies by heart, chances are you’ll dig my music. Also folk, electronica, outsider music, stuff like that.

Third Eye: You’re an incredibly prolific songwriter who’s released more than 100 recordings over the years. Can you talk about how you manage to be so prolific? What is behind your drive to create so much?

Kaufmann: When you look at all the years, which is 26 years of making art and music and writing poetry as of 2024, it turns out I’m not too prolific. Merzbow is. The Melvins are. I’m an average guy. I guess I just keep at it, as I have music playing in my brain 24/7. It’s always been like that ever since I remember.

Third Eye: You’re also a poet, sharing your poetry on your blog. Can you talk about how your poetry informs and influences your music? And does it work the other way around? Does your music influence your poetry?

Kaufmann: I started publishing poetry with various small presses and magazines back in 2008. I stopped writing seriously, and you’re right – these days, I only share my work on my blog. I have some published chapbooks, which are better than what I’m writing now as a hobby. One of the early reviewers of my poetry said I’m a “musician’s poet.” I think that explains everything. Also, I try to make my lyrics poetic. I sometimes fail, so sometimes it’s rather funny. But I wanted to be a comedian as a kid, so it’s all good.

Third Eye: You’ve been an underground musician for quite a while now. What do you think is the biggest difference between being a musician when you started and being one today?

Kaufmann: When I started, I recorded directly to tape on a tape recorder. Nowadays, there’s this fancy DAW and a smartphone. Technology has made an artist’s life much simpler. So, progress is the difference. But I still try to record as live and raw as possible.

Third Eye: If a listener wanted to get into your music, which record do you suggest they start with? And why?

Kaufmann: I’d suggest starting with Fairyport Convent on The Swamp Records. It has all of my earliest compositions, written when I was 13. Recorded much later, though some original recordings survived and are available on the internet. But they’re really bad. I’d say try this one out, as The Sleeping Shaman dug it. It’s a nice website. It should be my debut album, but was released only in 2021, 10 years after my debut album proper, Second Hand Man, which is worth checking out if you dig the Eighties and vaudeville pop. It’s also available on vinyl.

Third Eye: How do you think your sound has evolved from when you started to today? And how has your philosophy on making and sharing music changed over the years?

Kaufmann: I certainly got better at singing. I took singing lessons in 2010/2011. In 1998, when I started, I was a complete amateur, and I couldn’t sing at all. I am not a good singer anyway, but I got better over the years. The sound got softer and less punk. My philosophy stayed the same, just try to make music every day like you’re breathing. Sharing is now easier, thanks to the internet. When I started, we had to copy cassettes or, later, burn CD-Rs. DAWs were unavailable to me, although I think back in 1998, some were already in use. But I was poor, and I guess I was always a caveman.

Third Eye: Your music spans many genres, from krautrock to grunge to psychedelic rock. Is there any one type of genre you prefer the most? Or is genre something you don’t think about much when making music?

Kaufmann: When I listen to music, I choose krautrock. Amon Duul II is my favorite band, and I even met the guys back in London in 2015. When I make music, I don’t think about genre at all. I just play and hit the record button.

Third Eye: Psychedelic feels like an over-used term to me sometimes. A lot of bands use the term when it may not always apply. How would you define psychedelic music? What makes a song or record psychedelic?

Kaufmann: You’re right, and most of the stuff that labels itself “psychedelic” is either revival work or not psychedelic at all. I would define psychedelic music as cosmic music, spiritual music, and soul music. For me the definition of psychedelic music can be found on the album Easter Everywhere by The 13^th Floor Elevators.

Third Eye: What’s one record that “changed your life” and made you want to create your own music? And why was it that one?

Kaufmann: Black Sabbath “Best of” cassette with selections from the first five albums on it. I was in my early teens when I bought this tape. It opened my ears to heavy music. Before that, I wanted to make folk, but of course, my folk was very noisy. It was hard for me to choose just one album, but if I had to choose one, then it’s Black Sabbath.

Third Eye: What’s one record you can’t stop spinning right now? And why?

Kaufmann: Zager & Evans – 2525 (Exordium & Terminus). Simply because it’s a beautiful LP.

Third Eye: What’s going on in Poznań, Poland? What’s the music scene like there?

Kaufmann: We have lots of jam sessions, a bit like in Berlin, so it’s a melting pot of ideas, but so far, the city has not developed a “sound” or “scene.” It’s all rather scattered. We are still searching for the sound here. I am just one person with an electric guitar and an outsider, so I rarely participate in those jams. There are lots of young people here who play or want to play music. The best venue would be Pan Gar, a Georgian restaurant in the heart of Jeżyce. I played there dozens of times, both solo and with my bands.

Support A.J. Kaufmann by finding him on Bandcamp, his blog, or on social media (Twitter, Instagram, YouTube).

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