An Interview with Mr. Bread
ABOUT THE WRITERS
Alden Nagel is the founder and editor of Nut Hole Publishing. He has an upcoming novella entitled Salination Mountains.
Mr. Bread was born in 2002 in the salad bowl of the world. Currently, he spends his free time obsessing over arts. He has an upcoming book entitled The Panifesto, and an English translation of Michel Houellbecq’s essay collection Rester vivant et autres textes, both coming soon.
Alden Nagel: Your legal name is Ian McGaughran, but you go by Mr. Bread. Where did the name Mr. Bread come from, and how do you feel it applies across what you do as a rapper in relation with what you do as a writer?
Mr. Bread: I think I came up with the name in summer of 2016. I was talking to my dad about rapper’s names, a conversation most people our age probably know. I was surprised there had been no one called Lil Bread yet, and then thought to myself about the silliness of the name “Mr. Bread.” A few months later, I had befriended another Soundcloud rap-interested kid, and we attempted to form a group. Probably in March of 2017, I was sitting on my couch, glancing into the kitchen trying to think of other food-related names to name the group after. Pan Gang seemed to be the easiest to roll off the tongue. I have an odd tendency to completely disconnect words from one another. For example, I didn’t realize Young Thug’s name was “Young Thug” for a weirdly long time. I view the words as a gestalt rather than breaking the words down to the proper semantics, which is funny, because I truly am a semantics over syntax guy. I guess I can only view the word in the relative context to which it’s used. Regardless, the revelation that (in Spanish) ‘pan’ means bread, and also means ‘all’ (in Greek, to keep this etymologically simple) has kind of made me believe that “Mr. Bread” is some sort of hyperstitional self-fulfilling prophecy. In this sense, you could connect it to Deleuze’s concept of dough-folding as a metaphor for bread’s relationship to itself if you want. These days I’m writing much more than I make music, yet the name feels attached to me. It’s like a second skin.
Alden Nagel: As NHP’s assigned translator of Michel Houellebecq’s essay collection Rester Vivant et autres textes, what do you appreciate about his writing?
Mr. Bread: Michel Houellebecq’s writing is like watching Disneyland’s World of Color show if they were repeatedly projecting car crashes. Aside from The Elementary Particles, I can’t think of another book that’s brought me to tears in such a way.
Alden Nagel: How would you describe your upcoming book The Panifesto?
Mr. Bread: Xenopoetic.
Alden Nagel: How do you believe Sadie Plants' work in cyberfeminism has become increasingly relevant in recent years?
Mr. Bread: Simply put, I’d say she was correct and continues to be correct. I have a copy of Mindy Seu’s Cyberfeminism Index, which includes some of Sadie Plant’s most-known writing (but, nowhere near all of it).
Alden Nagel: How would you describe your relationship with cults, and how that overlaps with militant accelerationist movements?
Mr. Bread: I can’t remember my first introduction to cults as a whole, but it was before I was twelve, for certain. By thirteen I was obsessed with The People’s Temple. But the issue I had with them was that none of the logic seemed to add up; it all seemed to be something beyond a normal belief system. I think the next cultish thing I became interested in was Q-Anon. After this I fell into the odd rabbit hole of a cult I won’t name for legal reasons (they’ve threatened to send their lawyers after me before). While researching them, I learned nothing about their beliefs but only of a decade-long legal battle with another cult that’s excruciatingly finger-pointing. That cult was no more than a run-of-the-mill new age fading hippie movement group with a predatory leader. A little after that I discovered Nick Land, I think through Theorygram. I was nineteen and still relatively impressionable at this time, so only by the luck of God my overlapping interests in Thelema and accelerationism did not lead me down any actual militant accelerationist rabbit holes. Instead, it only led my Juche friends to ridicule me. I kid, I love them.
Alden Nagel: You’re very interested in the rapper RXKNephew. What fascinates you about him?
Mr. Bread: RXKNephew first came into my radar in 2021 through a friend of mine. I think it was his song American tterroristt. The first parable in the song about Jesus, Job, Cain, and Eve comes across insightful before it quickly switches to questioning God and the constraints of religion. The rest of it, as anybody who's heard it knows, is a journey. It’s a song probing the thoughts of a man whose mind is just insanely anti (‘anti’ being used in the same sense of ‘anti-art’ or whatnot, just in a maladapted form). From there, the next choice was obviously Slitherman Conspiracy. “I’ma keep selling crack ‘till I see a Bentley/I ain’t never even really want a Bentley/I just wanna be able to buy a Bentley.” It is as if he is psychoanalyzing himself and his apparently memetic desire in front of a microphone in real time. In what other case (besides maybe Cordae) would you find this? I could go on and on about the lyrics but that’s only a fraction of the appeal. His social media presence keeps up with the spontaneity of his lyrics. Looking at his Instagram now, you’ll find a photo of a grasshopper with the caption “Everyday I look in the mirror this what I see.” A Google result for “how old methuselah.” There’s many posts of texts messages presumably sent by one of his girlfriends, pissed off, with him asking his followers for advice. I’m also reminded of the interview he did with Crip Mac (who acted as an interviewer as well) and Kazumi. Also, he liked something I tweeted about Morrissey a few years ago which is fun.
Alden Nagel: What is your relationship like with the author William T. Vollman?
Mr. Bread: I live in Sacramento. William T. Vollmann also happens to live in Sacramento, and it’s hard not to notice him when I see him around town. His presence enters the room like a giant mouse, slipping between the gaps in the floor going unnoticed, and having more bones than I for some reason. There is no way to take your eyes off of the man. His raspy voice. His Hoka shoes. His sitting around and staring at his surroundings with real interest since he purposefully doesn’t own a cell phone. Also, I’d be remiss if I didn’t say I’m absolutely envious of him. Surviving multiple assassination attempts, being accused of being the Unabomber, writing Whores For Gloria, the list goes on endlessly. He might be the most interesting man I’ve ever met.
 | A guest post by |