“I’m gonna love you but I’m not gonna like it, I’m gonna think of you, baby, as more of a sidekick.”
Song: Trees in a Row
Album: Complete Violence
Ten years and ten albums later, Corey Hart is still pumping out music at the old age of 24. He may not be the Corey Hart that created the 1984 hit “Sunglasses at Night” but who cares about one hit wonders in the 80’s anyways.
“When I was about 14, I discovered the Beatles, and that made me want to be a musician. Then a year later I discovered Nirvana, and I realized I actually could be one.”
A San Diego native, former University of California Irvine student, and current California State San Marcos student, the Temecula resident goes by ‘Garbage God’ as his stage name. Influenced by artists ranging from Katy Perry to REM, he describes his music as a “Constant back-and-forth between sweetness and discord, minimal and maximal, straightforward and abstract. I am a lo-fi one-man band recording on an 8-track recorder, but the songs themselves are imagined as if those constraints don’t exist.”
Take a look at this week’s local artist, Garbage God.
How many albums do you have?
I have recorded 10 albums as Garbage God: 9 albums of original music and 1 album of female pop covers.
Where can people find your music?
I have a Bandcamp page at garbagegod.bandcamp.com. You can stream and/or download all 10 albums there, or stream them on YouTube at youtube.com/user/garbagegodhatesyou (I don’t really hate you).
What inspires your music?
Lyrically, I am very inspired by the surreal. My lyrics tend to be more stream-of-consciousness than literal, and I usually write them very quickly. If I take more than 20 minutes or so working out lyrics, I tend to throw out the song entirely. Musically, I am influenced by a variety of genres, but above all I am interested in blurring the line between pretty and ugly. My songs tend to have a bit of both; I will incorporate sound effects or some weird-ass loops of dissonant noise if I feel a song sounds too sweet. But, I do have a soft spot for beautiful melodies and pop music in general, so I don’t feel that the music is too inaccessible. Oh, and also alcohol.

“But that was long ago, now I’m getting old” (From ‘Turn Off The Light In My Mind’ on the album ‘Dreaming Of Satan’)
Where do you hope your music will take you?
I hardly ever think about it. I live to make music, so it’s already taken me plenty of places in that regard. I would love to tour with a band, or get into a real studio someday, but it’s not something I worry about too much right now. I love my current setup.
What is your creative process?
I kind of went into it a bit already, but I’ll usually start with some vague impression, whether it’s in the form of a lyrical phrase, song title, or musical idea. Then I’ll lay it down on a track, and it’s just trial and error after that. I essentially just add and subtract until I have what I feel is the perfect set of tracks, and then I’ll mix and master the tracks. I’ve recorded Garbage God songs in as little as 4 (maybe 3) tracks, but I won’t hesitate to add tracks until they stop servicing the song as a whole.
Besides music what are your hobbies?
I love writing. I’m going to be a novelist someday, when I’m done writing music. I don’t think I can do it forever. Oh, and also alcohol.
Are you a self-taught musician?
I took guitar lessons for about 3 years when I first started out, which was great. After that, I taught myself to play bass and keyboards. I still can’t sing or play the drums, but that doesn’t stop me from thinking I can.
Why do you make music?
I’m really attracted to the idea of making something out of nothing. It’s like magic to me. I like thinking of each song as its own individual work of art that I have the ability to bring to life. It’s very empowering and rewarding.
Why do you call yourself Garbage God?
I remember a friend of mine who I used to play music with told me about this Hunter S. Thompson quote about a “god of garbage” or something along those lines. I think we wanted to use it for the band we were going to start. He may have made it up, for all I know. But I thought it was a cool idea. Then I sort of realized it was an apt description for my whole persona…that balance between pure and putrid. So I took it for myself.
- “I’d rather be addicted to cigarettes than Starbucks Coffee” (From ‘Little Curls’ on the album ‘Complete Violence’)
- “I know I’m modern, but it means nothing to me” (From ‘Strange Problem’ on the album ‘Inside/Outside’)
- “This is not a miracle, I can’t even hear my pulse” (From ‘Daily Bread’ on the album ‘Cheap Trix’)
- “Used to write all these songs, now I’m just singin’ along” (From ‘Slow Burner’ on the album ‘Twenties’)
- “It’s hard to imagine anything you see” (From ‘Bullied By Science’ on the album ‘Actress’)