Q&A with Pete Miser, pH10
By Josh Bashara

Pete Miser has been a successful player in the West Coast hip-hop scene since the late-80s. Known for his clever, intelligent songwriting, he also has a voice that was made to flow, spitting out some of the sickest rhymes in the business.

Hailing from Portland, Ore., Miser fronted a successful band in the early-90s, called the 5 Fingers of Funk, and went on to later move to NYC to flush out his skills not only as an MC, but as a producer and graffiti artist. Today, Miser owns his own record label, called Ho-Made Media, and just released his new solo album, Camouflage is Relative.

In his spare time, Miser lends his skills as an MC to pH10, this edition's IAR winner (see feature article). In this sidebar, the MPB has a Q&A with Miser on his involvement in pH10, as well as his philosophy as an artist.

Music Phone Book: How did you originally get involved with pH10?

Pete Miser: Recone [Helmut, of pH10] hit me up at one of my shows and asked if I'd be into doing some collaborations. It was as simple as that.

MPB: When did you first discover the world of music and hip-hop?

PM: As a kid I was into drawing and b-boying and creative things like that. I wouldn't say that I got into music as much as I got into hip-hop, specifically. Hip-hop is a culture that incorporates a lot of different creative outlets. I was into b-boying first, then graffiti and then the musical component. My involvement in other styles of music has evolved from that.

MPB: What was it like growing up on the West Coast, when most of the hip-hop scene was developing in NYC and the East Coast, at the time?

PM: Portland in the 80s was like most of the rest of the world when it came to hip-hop' it wasn't mainstream, but the people who were into it were fanatics and were drawn together. We were a pretty close-knit bunch of heads, and we studied everything we could get our hands on. The result is that my hip hop knowledge is different (and in a lot of cases, more thorough) than that of a lot of New York natives I've met. For us, it was so hard to come by that when someone had a Red Alert mix tape that their cousin sent out from New York, everyone would dub it and ravage it!

MPB: You toured with Dido as a DJ back in 2000. How did that influence your career?

PM: Until I worked with Dido, I was a die-hard 'fuck pop music' type of cat. I made a few exceptions, but for the most part, I didn't mess with anything that was on the radio. Working with Dido really helped me appreciate the value and craft of pop music and made me see that it can be pretty dope to communicate with that many people through one's music. I also learned a lot about musicianship by being in someone else's band for once.

MPB: Do you prefer working solo, or with a group like pH10? Do they both have their own drawbacks and benefits?

PM: At this point, my solo stuff feels most natural to me. It's the most direct way to get out my musical ideas. I think it's for that reason that I like working with PH10. Different things happen when there is someone filtering the ideas. The music I make with Recone is different than anything I would come up with by myself.

MPB: What's the truly important theme, if any, you use to write your lyrics?

PM: The underlying theme to almost everything I write is, 'What about a different experience?' I'm an American who doesn't own a TV, almost never listens to the radio, doesn't read the newspaper and doesn't own a car. I don't naturally buy into mainstream pop culture. I don't assume that because something is big and beautiful and looking crispy and clean on a billboard, that it has any value or is doing anyone any good. The edge in my lyrics comes down to this: "Have you ever stopped to think about the shit that you embrace so fully?"

MPB: What is the best advice you can give to up-and-coming musicians?

PM: Don't listen to my advice. I haven't made it big yet!

MPB: How do you feel about you and pH10 winning the 2006 Midwest IAR?

PM: Super duper. All that training has finally paid off!